Culture - THE AsiaN

Throwing new light on old treasures

National museum’s latest acquisitions highlight traditional Asian art The National Museum of Korea (NMK) has been ambitious in purchasing of Asian artworks since moving into its massive complex in Yongsan, downtown Seoul, in 2005. The museum’s new exhibition, “New Acquisitions of Asian Art,” provides the first glimpse into this expanding…
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American critic falls for indie K-films

Darcy Paquet launches Wildflowser Film Awards The local film industry has been on a roll recently. The shooting for the Hollywood blockbuster “Avengers: The Age of Ultron” is still underway in Korea, suggesting that the country and its capital city is an attractive location for international moviemakers. A number of…
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‘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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