• ‘Fatal Encounter’ slated for N. American release in May

    Will top Korean actor Hyun Bin ignite “hallyu,” or the Korean wave, in films in North America? His soon-to-be released film, “The Fatal Encounter,” is expected to be shown on 25 screens in North America starting May 23, Lotte Entertainment said Monday. The release in North America follows just a…

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  • East Asia

    Korean stars grace Hollywood movies

    A record number of actors will play major roles in US blockbusters Are Korean actors increasingly wanted in Hollywood, or is it a sheer coincidence that a record number of them will have the opportunity to feature in Hollywood films this year? So far five Korean actors — Lee Byung-hun,…

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  • East Asia

    Nichkhun, Tiffany are dating

    Nichkhun from K-pop band 2PM and Tiffany from Girls’ Generation are dating, their agencies said Friday. JYP Entertainment, Thail and-born Nichkhun’s agency, admitted that the two stars had been close friends in Korea since they first met in the United States and they recently started dating. SM Entertainment, Tiffany’s agency,…

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  • Culture

    [Novel] The Road to Shamawes ⑰

    [26] “So you left her and came back!” said Master Sayyid sharply after hearing Emad’s account. “What could I have done, Uncle Sayyid? If I had come back with her to the village at night, people would have said false things about. Our return from among the fields would have…

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  • East Asia

    K-pop meets old popular music

    Collaboration makes ‘trot’ hot The music genre “trot” seems hardly mainstream today. Although it is regarded as the “root” of K-pop, the oldest form of Korean popular music has had to live so far the life of an outcast, whilst its offspring enjoyed global stardom. Such tags as “boring” and…

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  • East Asia

    Asia’s largest aerospace museum to open in Jeju on April 24

    JEJU — Aerospace museums are typically places with cool airplanes that visitors must not touch. The new Jeju Aerospace Museum (JAM), however, will let you sit in the cockpits. The 30,000-square meter institution, which will open on April 24 on the island’s Seogwipo City, is claimed to be the largest…

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  • East Asia

    Empress Ki and Viktor Ahn

    As a historian of Korea and a fan of lavish re-creations of historical settings in TV and film, I couldn’t help but be drawn to the hit television drama, “Empress Ki” (Ki Hwanghu). This historical figure, who became the wife of the Mongol emperor in 14th century China, was arguably…

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  • East Asia

    K-snack to whet global appetite

    At Jeong Wol-seon’s “tteokbokgi(떡볶이)” store in Tongin Market, northern Seoul, she sells a slightly different version of “tteokbokgi” or the spicy rice cake snack. It’s a fried, spicy version without the soupy sauce. It’s also the one that John Kerry, U.S. secretary of state, picked up with a toothpick to…

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  • East Asia

    Crayon Pop’s new video appears on Billboard

    Crayon Pop’s new video “Uh-ee” has graced Billboard’s main page. In its article, posted on March 31, pop magazine Billboard said the K-pop girl group has unleashed “mind-bogging, non-stop dance routine” in the video. “Crayon Pop truly shines in the accompanying music video, performing a routine one could liken more…

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  • East Asia

    Watch out! Scene stealers in Korean dramas

    They are neither protagonists nor directors. A few even have “critical flaws” in their looks: a beer belly, poor teeth or just plain ugly. Without them, however, it’s doubtful how many Korean TV dramas or films were or will be able to meet viewers’ ever increasing expectations. They are collectively…

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