The Korea Times

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  Andrei Gavrilov Piano RecitalSeoul Arts Center*May 22 Russian pianist Andrei Gavrilov will hold a solo piano recital in southern Seoul at the Seoul Arts Center on May 22. Hailing from a multinational family of established artists, Andrei Gavrilov was propelled to superstardom in his late teens after becoming the youngest winner of the prestigious Tchaikovsky Piano Competition. His performance will include a selection of F. Chopin's "Ballades No. 2, 4," A. Scriabin's "Sonata No. 4 in F sharp Major, Op. 30" and "Etude No. 5 in C sharp Minor, Op. 42," S. Rachmaninoff's "Preludes" and "Moment Musical No. 4 in E minor, Op. 16," and S. Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet 10 Pieces for Piano, Op. 75." Ticket prices range from 40,000 to 120,000 won. For more information, call (02) 3463-2466 or visit www.sac.or.kr. ‘King Jumong'Seoul Arts Center*June 6-7 The Korea National Opera will hold a production of "King Jumong" at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul on June 6 an 7. Written and composed by Park Young-keun and is the first piece of the New Year for the emin

May 14, 2015By Kim Jae-heun

Trends

Chanel blends 'hanbok' with modernism

Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, right, walks the runway with model Soo Joo and a child after the presentation of his 2015/16 Chanel Cruise collection at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of ChanelBy Kim Jae-heunCelebrities from around the world were in attendance as fashion mogul Karl Lagerfeld presented his first Chanel Cruise collection at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), Monday.Lagerfeld, head designer of Chanel, said that he loves traditional Korean clothes, “hanbok,” material and patterns.“The concept is a modern, international version of a typical Korean mood, how we see it for the modern 21st century but with inspiration from the past,” Lagerfeld said.  The top designer's Seoul show, brought a host of K-pop stars, such as CL and G-Dragon, as well as international celebrities, including Tilda Swinton, Kristen Stewart and Gisele Bundchen. The event was the second Cruise collection the French fashion house held in Asia after hosting one in Singapore in 2013.Models walk the runway during the presentation of the 2015/16 Ch

May 5, 2015By Kim Jae-heun

Lifestyle

Ko Un describes encounters with 10,000 people in new 'Maninbo'

Poet Ko Un is busy at work in his home in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province in this undated photo. / Korea Times fileBy Choi Yearn-hongKo Un is the most famous Korean poet and has been short-listed for the Nobel Prize in Literature several times in the past several years. “Maninbo: Ten Thousand Lives,” about 10,000 people he met or knew in his life, may be his best-known poetry book. The book, translated by Brother Anthony and Lee Sang-wha, is composed collection of 212 select poems from the 11th to 20th books in the Maninbo series. Ko conceived the idea for this poetry book while in his prison cell in 1980.   He was freed when President Park Chung-hee was killed, only to be imprisoned again soon after for “rebellion” by Gen. Chun Doo-hwan. It was during his time in prison that he decided to produce the series.I  have not read the Ten Thousand Lives, but I have read “Maninbo: Peace and War,” which I review here. I thought that  “Peace and War” would describe Ko’s many encounters during the Korean War (1950-1953), the sever

May 1, 2015By Kim Jae-heun

Ko Un describes encounters with 10,000 people in new 'Maninbo'

Shows & Dramas

BIGBANG sweeps music charts in comeback

A poster for BIGBANG’s new singles “Loser” and “Bae Bae” / Courtesy of YG EntertainmentBy Kim Jae-heunKorean hip hop boy band BIGBANG topped 10 major domestic music charts Saturday with new singles “Loser” and “Bae Bae.”The five-member boy band released the long-awaited new songs on www.yg-life.com, Friday after a three-year hiatus, and the two immediately skyrocketed to the top of the charts."Loser" is an example of the band's signature music, combining R&B and hip-hop, while “Bae Bae” is trendier with witty lyrics describing a couple hoping to continue their relationship.Fans overseas have also been longing for the group’s comeback for years, as proven by the tracks topping the iTunes charts in 10 countries, including Hong Kong, Indonesia and Thailand.The United States music industry also showed interest in the quintet’s new music. American music magazine Billboard said, “BIGBANG is back in a big way with the boy band’s comeback looking more than five times as nice.”The videos for th

May 1, 2015By Kim Jae-heun

Films

Box Office Rankings

Domestic 1.   Avengers: Age of Ultron2.   Furious 73.   Salutd’Amour4.   Crayon Shin-chan: Serious Battle! Robot Dad Strikes Back5.   Clown of a Salesman United States 1.   Furious 72.   Paul Blart: Mall Cop 23.   The Age of Adaline4.   Home5.   UnfriendedPoster for “Avengers: Age of Ultron”

Apr 30, 2015By Kim Jae-heun

Films

NOW SHOWING

Still AliceIn the role that secured her the Academy Award for Best Actress, Julianne Moore stars as Dr. Alice Howland, a renowned linguistics professor at Columbia University whose life begins to spiral beyond her control after she is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Unable to stop her progressively atrophying state, her family can only look on helplessly as Howland, once a highly intelligent and vibrant woman, is reduced to someone who is dependent on others for her daily basic needs. Directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland. Coin Locker Girl Loosely based on the Japanese novel “Coin Locker Babies” by Ryu Murakami, “Coin Locker Girl” tells the chilling tale of Il-young (Kim Go-eun), who is the eponymous baby who was abandoned in a coin-operated locker at Seoul Station and subsequently adopted by Mother (Kim Hye-soo), the merciless leader of a loan shark group. Indebted to the matriarch for her livelihood, Il-young carries out a myriad of missions for her caregiver. Deadly complications arise when Il-young refuses outrig

Apr 30, 2015By Kim Jae-heun

Arts & Theater

Around Town 2

The OctagonNonhyeon Near the New Hilltop Hotel in Nonhyeon, this club is notable for its stylish interior and elite clientele. The venue offers a club stage, lounge bar and dining area to satisfy any night out after work or on the weekend. Near exit 4 of Hakdong Station on subway line 7. For more information, call (02) 516-8847. Club VolumeItaewon Offering a venue for specially-themed weekly events and world-class DJs, Club Volume is located in the Crown Hotel near Noksapyeong Station. Club Volume was listed by Time magazine among the "10 things to do in 24 hours in Seoul." For more information, call 1544-2635. Once in a Blue MoonApgujeong Once in a Blue Moon is one of the best known and well established jazz clubs in the city. It features live jazz sets from two different bands every night, usually starting at 7:30 p.m. It is located between the Hakdong intersection and Galleria department stores in the posh district of Apgujeong. For more information, call (02) 549-5490 or visit www.onceinabluemoon.co.kr. Club AnswerCheongdam Club Answer, chosen a

Apr 30, 2015By Kim Jae-heun

Arts & Theater

Around Town 1

Andrei Gavrilov Piano RecitalSeoul Arts Center*May 22 Russian pianist Andrei Gavrilov will hold a solo piano recital in southern Seoul at the Seoul Arts Center on May 22. Hailing from a multinational family of established artists, Andrei Gavrilov was propelled to superstardom in his late teens after becoming the youngest winner of the prestigious Tchaikovsky Piano Competition. His performance will include a selection of F. Chopin's "Ballades No. 2, 4," A. Scriabin's "Sonata No. 4 in F sharp Major, Op. 30" and "Etude No. 5 in C sharp Minor, Op. 42," S. Rachmaninoff's "Preludes" and "Moment Musical No. 4 in E minor, Op. 16," and S. Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet 10 Pieces for Piano, Op. 75." Ticket prices range from 40,000 to 120,000 won. For more information, call (02) 3463-2466 or visit www.sac.or.kr. ‘Moise et Pharaon'Seoul Arts Center*May 22-24 The Seoul Opera Ensemble Company will stage a production of "Moise et Pharaon" at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul from May 22 to 24 as part of the official lineup for the 6th Korea Opera Festival. The French-langu

Apr 30, 2015By Kim Jae-heun

Lifestyle

'Hansik' joins Milan expo menu

An artist’s conception of the Korean Pavilion at the Expo Milano 2015, which kicks off on May 1. A moon jar, a traditional Korean porcelain container used for storing food, inspired the design of the Korea Pavilion building. / Courtesy of Korea Tourism OrganizationBy Lee Min-hyung, Kim Jae-heunTraditional Korean foods or “hansik” will be promoted at the upcoming Expo Milano 2015 under the theme “Hansik, Food for the Future: You Are What You Eat.”To raise awareness not only for Korean cuisine, but also for a balanced diet, the restaurant Korea Pavilion will offer six menus based on three themes — “Harmony,” “Healing” and “Health” — during the six-month food event, which kicks off on May 1.“Our goal is to let the world know Hansik could be a good alternative foods for the future,” said Park Min-gwon, first vice minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism. “We hope to discuss issues regarding sustainable foods during the expo.”“Bibimbap,” a popular Korean rice-based dish, will r

Apr 30, 2015By Kim Jae-heun

People & Events

'Transitional' woes hit foreign hallyu idols

Candidates for the audition program “Sixteen” pose at the 63 Square in Seoul, Wednesday. / Courtesy of CJ E&MPark Jin-youngBy Kim Jae-heunPark Jin-young, a singer and the founder of JYP Entertainment, has called the ongoing troubles between foreign idol members in K-pop groups and their agencies “trial and error.”“I think hallyu (Korean wave) is undergoing trial and error in a transition period,” said Park during a press conference held at 63 Square in Seoul, Wednesday.“S.M. Entertainment and JYP, with several other agencies, will eventually set a fair contract system to prevent such an issue.“Sharing common value among the group members and their agencies is mandatory to handle the trouble. If they have the same goals to achieve by singing and dancing, the relationship will grow stronger. The entertainment field is all about people, after all.”S.M. Entertainment, one of the major entertainment companies in Korea, has been in lawsuits with Chinese idol members since December 2009. Han Geng, the former leader of Super Junior-M,

Apr 30, 2015By Kim Jae-heun

Kim Jae-heun

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Around Town 1

Chanel blends 'hanbok' with modernism

Ko Un describes encounters with 10,000 people in new 'Maninbo'

BIGBANG sweeps music charts in comeback

Box Office Rankings

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Around Town 2

Around Town 1

'Hansik' joins Milan expo menu

'Transitional' woes hit foreign hallyu idols

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