Superstitions that rule K-culture Celebs hold onto ‘groundless’ belief in hope of catching a glimpse of futureBy Park Si-sooSuperstition dies hard despite the rapid advancement of science and technologies.Perhaps the showbiz industry is most vulnerable to this given its nature of uncertainty. Hard work doesn’t always lead to success in the industry while, ironically enough, something implemented without much care hits the jackpot frequently.This has laid the ground for entertainers to take something unscientific seriously — as a prelude to good or bad news — in a desperate wish to catch a glimpse of their future.Song title determines singer's futureOne of the superstitions that prevail in the Korean music industry is that a singer’s future is affected — either good or bad — by the title of his or her song.Gan Mi-yeon, a member of now-defunct five-member girl band Baby Vox, is among the musicians who believe in this.The title of the main song of the group’s debut album in 1997 was “It’s time to go to beauty salon.”“The album was truly a failJun 2, 2013
Four UN offices placed under one roof Dignitaries cut ribbon at the opening ceremony of the United Nations premises at I-Tower in Songdo, Incheon, Friday. They include Kilaparti Ramakrishna, at the podium, director of UNESCAP-ENEA, and Han Seung-soo, ninth from left, former prime minister. Song Young-gil, Incheon mayor, and Noeleen Heyzer, UN under-secretary-general and executive secretary of UNESCAP, are on Han's left. / Courtesy of UNESCAP-ENEABy Park Jin-haiFour offices of the United Nations held a ceremony to celebrate their joint move into the same building in Songdo, Incheon, Friday.Their new home is the 33-story “I-Tower,” which was constructed to host international organizations. The building, completed in February, has emerged as a landmark in the city with its eco-friendly design.The four U.N. offices are the East and North-East Asia Office of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission (UNESCAP-ENEA), the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and the Asian and Pacific Training Center for Information and Jun 2, 2013By Park Jin-hai
A beginner's guide to culture-based creative economy Professor Chun Taeck-soo of the Academy of Korean StudiesBy Chun Taeck-sooFor too many times we have heard of or seen the term a “creative economy” through the mass media, not only in Korea but also at an international level. Still many people complain that it is not easy to understand.Creativity is neither new nor is economics. According to LinkedIn, a social networking website for about 200 million people in professional occupations, creativity has been the most overus­ ed word in 2011 and 2012. But when the two different words are integrated into one phrase, it becomes mysterious. Here I will explain the creative economy in simple terms based on the work of John Howkins. Q What is creativity?A This is not an easy question to answer. It is nearly impossible to capture the complete essence of the concept of creativity. But for heuristic and practical purposes, I would like to suggest the very simple definition of creativity as having new ideas following Mr. Howkins. The new ideas may be huge so as to change the world order or tiny so as to improveMay 31, 2013
Korean musicals leading hallyu in Japan Amuse Musical Theater serves as a special venue solely dedicated to the Korean musicals in Tokyo / Courtesy of CJ E&MK-pop stars lure Japanese fansYunho from TVXQ, top, starred in “Gwanghwamun Sonata” and Sungmin from Super Junior performed in “Summer Snow,” which recently hit theJapanese stage. / Korea Times fileBy Chung Ah-young Japanese first lady Akie Abe, known to be a fan of Korean soap operas, was criticized recently after posting a message that she had watched “Caffeine,” a Korean musical, on her Facebook on May 9, along with a photo of herself in front of a poster promoting the show. Consequently, the wife of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe drew numerous critical responses from the Japanese public who thought it is “careless” considering the sour relations between Seoul and Tokyo.This happening shows how Korean musicals remain popular in Japan despite the recent diplomatic rows between the two countries.“Caffeine,” which hit the stage in Tokyo’s trendy Roppongi dMay 31, 2013
Impostors not always bad to celebs Fake doubles walking fine line between impostor, impersonator Na Hun-ah, top, is a popular Korean singer whom Na Woon-ha, below, respects and impersonates to the extent that the latter has released several albums with the similar-sounding name.Park Sang-min’s impostor, left, and the real singer enter the Seoul Central District Prosecutor’s Office for questioning in this June 26, 2007 file photo. The impostor later changed his name to Park Sung-min and works as aPark Sang-min impersonator. / Korea TimesBy Kim Ji-sooRecently, an impostor pretending to be Psy roamed free at the Cannes Film Festival, pretending he was the rapper/singer.He wore all Psy’s accoutrements - the sunglasses, hair and suit - that got him the red-carpet treatment for a few days.He also had stars including actress Naomi Harris, actor Adrien Brody and Portland Trailblazers player Nicolas Batum joining him for photos. Psy and his agency said they will not take legal action against the man, adding that the presence of an impostor was an invariable byproduct of Psy’s poMay 30, 2013By Kim Ji-soo
Jang, 2PM sweep Japan's Oricon charts Jang Keun-sukA K-pop singer and group took first and second place on Japan’s Oricon music charts on the same day of their new releases.Jang Keun-suk, 25, released his second album “Nature Boy” in Japan, Wednesday, and immediately topped Oricon’s Album Chart.“Even though other famous Japanese singers released albums, Jang ranked top in terms of sales by a large margin,” said a manager of his agency. This is the third time he has ranked top in Japan, following his debut single “Let Me Cry” in 2011 and first album “Just Crazy” in 2012. Jang, who has starred in K-dramas “Hwang Jin-i,” “You’re Beautiful” and “Mary Stayed Out All Night,” is popular both in Korea and Japan.The day after the release, he appeared on Nippon Broadcasting Company’s radio program “Jang Keun-suk’s All-Night Nippon Gold,” and talked about recoding the album. Jang will release two singles from the album, the title track “Nature Boy” and “Indian SMay 30, 2013By Park Jin-hai
Actor Lee Min-ho debut as singer Lee Min-hoJapanese fans are embracing heartthrob Korean actor Lee Min-ho’s debut as a singer.His album titled “My Everything” has climbed to the top of Japan’s Oricon charts, his agency Starhaus said Wednesday.The 25-year-old actor popular for his roles in such hit dramas as “Boys Over Flower” (2009) and “City Hunter”(2011) has demonstrated superb singing abilities during his fan meetings. The commemorative album contains six songs including a single of the same name “My Everything” and “Love Motion.”To promote his album, Lee will soon travel to Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the Philippines for concerts. Lee who began with a concert in Seoul on May 25 will follow it up with a June 7 concert in Osaka and June 9 in Yokohama.The actor is scheduled to appear as the lead character in a new television drama tentatively titled “Those Who Want to Wear the Crown Must Bear the Weight—Inheritors.” The drama is written by popular writer Kim Eun-sook, who also scripted the drama “Secret Garden.May 29, 2013
Sights, sounds and flavors of Africa in Seoul African artists perform during the African Day festival at Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul, Saturday. / Courtesy of Becky Hael By Becky HaelOn May 25, a festival in commemoration of Africa Day took place in Seoul at Gwanghwamun Square. Organized by 14 African embassies in Seoul, the festival was a unique opportunity for Koreans and expats to learn about different African cultures and interact with embassy representatives, performers, and other members of the African community in Korea.The holiday marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Organization of African Unity, which gave birth to today’s African Union, and is a special day for Africans residing in their home countries as well as abroad to unite and celebrate the progress and rich cultures of the continent.The event was a rare chance for Koreans to be exposed to a small piece of the African continent and the Africans residing in their communities. In the words of one visitor who happened upon the festival, Kim Jung-suk said, “In Korea there is little cultural exchange so we don’t get to see (examMay 29, 2013
Cheap package tours upset Chinese Chinese tourists look around Gyeongbok Palace, Seoul, in this file photo. The number of Chinese tourists visiting Korea surpassed the 10 million markin 2012. / Korea TImesComplaints range from fraudulant agents to shopping ripoffs By Park Jin-hai Korea is experiencing a boom in international tourism, recently achieving a milestone mark of 10 million tourist arrivals, mainly from China and neighboring Asian countries, driven by the attractions of the “hallyu” or Korean wave.But cheap inbound tour packages are threatening to tarnish Korea's image and potentially slow down the global “hallyu” trend.Keen to attract tourists, the government’s tourism agency has worked to advertize the charms of Korea, but less attention is being given to the quality of the tours.Examples of these are the “dirt-cheap” kpackage deals mainly targeting Chinese tourists, in which Korean tour agencies, due to fierce competition to attract tourists, cut deals with Chinese agencies at prices below breakeven costs.“I desired to experience Korea. But IMay 29, 2013By Park Jin-hai
Blue House Zen Master, baseball celebration gone awry By Kim Tong-hyungHere’s your midweek update on stories in entertainment and media you might have missed while reading about cunning and corrupt chaebol bosses, the North Korean version of "Groundhog Day,’’ or because your life is probably a lot more fulfilling than ours.Park tries to be philosophicalThree months into her presidency, Park Geun-hye has already had more than her fair share of drama. Her vice-justice minister was linked to a weekend Roman-style sex orgy organized by corrupt businessmen then her personal press secretary was accused of groping an American intern during her visit to Washington. These were two of many embarrassing stories that made headlines in recent months.Perhaps, because of the weight of these experiences, Park has recently begun to speak like a Zen master. But her supposed attempts at mentoring and mind-gaming her men into behaving with decency and professionalism may not work out as prescribed if she keeps lapsing into tired cliches.She could also try to be a little more thoughtful in her observations."There is an old saying that a haMay 28, 2013
