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Kwon Mee-yoo

Korea Times Politics & City Reporter

Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.

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K-pop

SHINee sparkles at first concert

By Kwon Mee-yoo The first two days of the New Year shone with SHINee, a K-pop group that held its first concert in Korea titled “SHINee World,” at the Gymnastics Gymnasium in the Olympic Park, eastern Seoul. The boys of SHINee were dressed in black, wearing work boots, boasting their masculine beauty. At a press conference before Sunday’s concert, the members seemed excited to hold the event on New Year’s Day and expected another prosperous year ahead. Taemin, the youngest band member, said they practiced singing a lot while Key said they will sing songs in new styles. They graded their first concert only 30 out of 300. “We are strict in evaluating ourselves. But we gave it a low score so we would strive even harder for the next one,” Onew said. When the five members appeared on stage one by one singing “The SHINee World,” the stadium was filled with ear-deafening screams. Most of the 10,000 seats were packed with females ranging from their teens to middle-age, from Koreans to overseas fans, waving turquoise-colored glow sticks. “The SHINee World” is the title of thei

Jan 3, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

Coronation exudes essence of French musical

By Kwon Mee-yoo The musical "Coronation Ball" presents an array of fascinating yet profound songs taken from the French musical "Starmania," sung by top musical actors and singers. The first production of "Coronation Ball" in Korea was staged in 2007 as a gala show consisting of songs from "Starmania" and "Notre-Dame de Paris." However, this year's "Coronation Ball" is more a shortened version of "Starmania." With music by Michel Berger and lyrics by Luc Plamondon, "Starmania" is considered the pioneer of French musicals, which later bloomed with "Notre-Dame de Paris." First staged in 1979, the musical portrays tragic lovers amid an underground power struggle set in the near future ― in the 2000s when it premiered. The original "Starmania" musical features some 50 numbers, but the Korean production chose 18 songs from the list. Chung Hong-guk, producer of the show, said he would introduce more French musicals under the “Coronation Ball” brand, highlighting the gist of each work. Director Yoo Hee-sung of "Mozart!" and "Pimatgol Sonata" have again joined hands

Jan 2, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo
Shows & Dramas

Rabbit celebrities to make leaps in 2011

By Kwon Mee-yoo People born in the Year of the Rabbit are considered skillful and diligent, though not very patient in Korean traditional beliefs, following the traits of real rabbits, a small but clever animal. The hottest rabbit star could be singer and actor Lee Seung-gi who was born in 1987, turning 24 this year. Making his debut as a singer in 2004 as a high school student, Lee challenged the small screen in 2006 and all his dramas — from “Seven Princesses” (KBS) to “Brilliant Legacy” (SBS) and “My Girlfriend is Gumiho” (SBS) were successful. He became more popular by joining the KBS “reality” show “1 Night 2 Days” and the SBS talk show “Strong Heart” and received the “Most Excellent” award from both SBS and KBS Entertainment in 2010. Actresses Han Hyo-joo and Moon Geun-young are also from the Year of Rabbit. Han, the protagonist of the period drama “Dong Yi,” won the 2010 MBC Drama Award for her role. She has played various characters from a lively girl to a charismatic woman, enjoying her heyday. Moon is likely to continue trying new characters this yea

Dec 31, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

New ‘Billy Elliot’ debuts Saturday

Park Jun-hyeong, 11, will join the Korean production of the musical “Billy Elliot” playing the lead role on Saturday, Magistella, the production company of the musical said. He will alternate the role of a British boy who falls in love with ballet in a coal town, along with four other child actors who have been playing Billy since August. Park started to learn ballet after watching the “Billy Elliot” movie and was the first to apply for the audition. He has been training for more than two years after failing the first audition, but he will finally get the chance to be on stage. “I want to play the Billy character based on my unique interpretation,” Park said in a press release. The musical will run through February at LG Art Center. Call (02) 3446-9630.

Dec 28, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
Shows & Dramas

Yonsama-JYP soap to reignite hallyu

By Kwon Mee-yoo Will a high school full of top K-pop singers and produced by hallyu (Korean wave) star Bae Yong-joon give a boost to the movement? KBS’ new drama “Dream High” stars Taecyeon and Wooyoung from 2PM, Suzy from Miss A, Eun-jung from T-ara and singer IU — all first-rate young singers popular on the local entertainment scene. Kim Soo-hyun, who played the young Ko Soo in the 2009 drama “Will It Snow for Christmas?” is the only recognizable actor among the six main characters. Holym, a television production joint-invested by Bae’s agency Keyeast and Park Jin-young’s JYP Entertainment, and CJ Media co-produced the drama and its publication rights in Japan have already been sold. The highly-anticipated drama portrays the life of high school students of Kirin Art School, a school cultivating future artists and entertainers. Bae, the creative producer of the drama, also guest-stars as Jeong Ha-myeong, the art school’s board chairman. As a creative producer, Bae provides the overall concept, goals and ideas for the drama. “I was interested in educating

Dec 28, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

Chung portrays patriot Ahns humanity on stage

By Kwon Mee-yoo Chung Sung-hwa has independence activisit Ahn Jung-geun down pat — down to the trademark moustache. The 35-year-old portrays the national icon in the homegrown musical “Hero,” which seeks to share the patriot’s life with an international audience next year. Premiering in 2009, this is the second presentation of the performance and Chung has been playing the patriot for both runs. “Many male actors may want to play the role of Ahn but I thought I had to audition for this,” Chung told The Korea Times during an interview, Wednesday. He debuted as a comedian in 1994, but people now remember him as a musical actor who successfully played the role of Don Quixote in the 2007 musical “Man of La Mancha.” He is now known as an actor with great depth and profundity after appearing in musicals such as “Brothers Were Brave,” “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” and most recently “Monty Python’s Spamalot.” After being chosen for the role of the independence fighter, he visited Harbin, China, with the creative team for inspiration on how to best portray the

Dec 24, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
K-pop

Maestros daughter-in-law makes US debut

By Kwon Mee-yoo Yeahwon Shin, Korean jazz vocalist and daughter-in-law of famed conductor Chung Myung-whun, is finally releasing her successful United States debut album for local fans this month. The self-titled record was released last September in the U.S. and recieved rave reviews for her jazzy vocals with a mix of Brazilian tunes. Shin had released an album titled “Lovely” in Korea in 2001. Later, she entered New School University’s Jazz and Contemporary Music program in New York where she graduated with honors in 2006. For the U.S. disc, she collaborated with various highly acclaimed musicians including Brazilian composer Egberto Gismonti, bassist Ben Street, drummer Jeff Ballard, pianists Kevin Hays and Alon Yavnai, accordionist Rob Curto and percussionist Cyro Baptista. Along with Brazilian numbers such as “Travessia” and “Chovendo Na Roseira,” she also sang the Korean folk song “Sae Ya Sae Ya,” interpreted in her own way and featuring tenor saxophonist Mark Turner. Shin’s album was released by the label Artistshare, which allows musicians and other crea

Dec 22, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
Arts & Theater

The Three Musketeers defends justice, friendship

By Kwon Mee-yoo Travel back in time to 17th century France where three famous musketeers are joined by a brave young man, who came to Paris to become a musketeer like them. Prepare yourself for a nonstop, dueling and swashbuckling adventure. M Musical Company is staging the musical “The Three Musketeers” with a star-studded cast including a member of a K-pop group and veteran actors who have won musical awards. Based on the novel of French author Alexandre Dumas, Czech producer Oldrich Lichtenberg has turned the work into a stage show with the music of Michael David. The musical premiered in Korea last year and successfully drew a huge audience to the French classic rendered in Korean style with Czech music.

Dec 19, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
Travel & Food

Cheongdam sparkles with trendiest shops

By Kwon Mee-yoo The following is the last in a series of articles featuring tourist sites in Gangnam, southern Seoul, where both domestic and foreign tourists can experience an alluring blend of modern and traditional attractions. ― ED. The Cheongdam Fashion Street stretches from the Galleria Department Store's Luxury Mall to Cheongdam crossroad. The 760-meter-long street is now decorated with dandelion seed-like lighting, attracting shoppers and tourists. The avenue, already studded with fancy stores of well-known luxury brands including Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo and Gucci and rising new stores such as 3.1 Phillip Lim and Tory Burch, now shines brighter with the lights boosting the holiday mood. One of the buildings with the most eye-catching Christmas decorations is Maison Cartiers, gift-wrapped with a red ribbon. "We opened the flagship store in 2008 and have put up Christmas decorations for the last two years," Song Min-ki of Cartier said. Maison Cartier is a complex of boutiques, service centers and a headquarters. "There are about five of them in the wor

Dec 16, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
Travel & Food

Christmas delights at Wood & Brick

By Kwon Mee-yoo Festive feasting is a mainstay of the Yuletide season and would not be complete without the special cakes and sweet delights that brighten up the year-end holiday spirit. The Wood & Brick, known for its European style bread and fine Italian dishes, offers a variety of Christmas cakes for those who are craving some of the traditional treats from their childhood beginning Dec. 15. The restaurant and bakery’s patisserie chef Franck Colombie introduces Buchette De Noel, a petit version of the representative Christmas cake Buche de Noel to Korea. Colombie worked at Michelin-starred restaurants such as Marc Memeau and Les Elysees and also taught in Le Cordon Bleu Korea from 2007 to 2009. The Buche de Noel is a traditional Christmas dessert in most European countries including France. The dessert came from a tradition of sharing Christmas cake next to a glowing fireplace. The Buchette is a miniature version of Buche, not a sliced piece of the log-shaped cake. “Our Buchette de Noel has exactly the same structure as the original Buche and it requires the same

Dec 16, 2010By Kwon Mee-yoo
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