Exports of racehorses likely to gain impetus Many municipal governments are trying to export racehorses which have become a source of income and prestige. Korea Times file'K-pop’ wins championship in Malaysia By Park Si-soo A Korea-born racehorse exported to Malaysia became champion in a race there on May 4, the first event of this kind that could lead to rising demand for domestic horses in the Southeastern Asian country. The racehorse, named K-pop, got off to a decent start in a 1,700-meter race held at Penang Turf Club and crossed the finish line with a time of 1 minute 44.2 seconds, according to the Korea Racing Authority (KRA), the animal’s previous owner. The horse managed to keep the second or third place during most of the race but outran its rivals with the finish line only 200 meters away to win, the KRA said. K-pop was born in 2009 on Jeju Island and exported to Malaysia in 2011. Its father is Bika, a U.S.-born racehorse with multiple winning experiences, which the KRA imported to Korea in 2006 as part of effort to breed quality horses at home.“This is the biggest achievement we have May 12, 2013
Goguryeo music had enterprising musical spirit By Sheen Dae-cheolSheen Dae-cheol, a professor of culture & arts, musicologyof the Academy of Korean StudiesAccording to several ancient Chinese history books, the Goguryeo, Silla and Baekje music were performed and appreciated in the court of the Sui and Tang dynasties for a long time. It means that the ancient Korean music of three kingdoms was exported to China by unknown devotees.The majority of them might have been Koreans, and they were loved by the highest society and royal families in the court of ancient China.Of the music created in the three ancient Korean kingdoms, Goguryeo music is especially worthy of notice.Although the music of Silla and Baekje was performed with that of Goguryeo in the courts of Sui (581-618) and Tang (618-907), the status of music from these two countries was completely different from that of Goguryeo. Music from Silla and Baekje were listed only as miscellaneous music.However, that of Goguryeo was listed as official court music.According to a Chinese history book Jiutangshu, however, Goguryeo music already existed in the court of Song (420-479)May 10, 2013
Hollywood fights back to reclaim Korean box offices By Chung Ah-young“Iron Man 3,” the latest in thesuperhero trilogy starringRobert Downey Jr. Korea TimesA boom in Korean cinema from three mega-hit films — Thieves, Masquerade (Gwanghae: The Man Who Became The King) and Miracle in Cell No.7 — saw more than 10 million tickets sold over a sevenmonth span. However, this has apparently come to a halt due to the dominance of Hollywood blockbusters.According to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), there has been no hit Korean film drawing more than 2 million moviegoers since New World, a star-studded noir flick of Choi Min-shik, Hwang Jung-min and Lee Jung-jae, released on Feb. 21 and which garnered 4.68 million moviegoers.The share of Korean films in the domestic market plummeted to its lowest level in almost one-and-a-half years in April.Recent data show that Korean films attracted some 4.5 million moviegoers last month, representing 39.8 percent of the 11.2 million total moviegoers. The figure is a sharp decline from the 63.2 percent in the previous month. Meanwhile the market share of Hollywood films rose from May 10, 2013
Actress-footballer couple confirms July wedding Wedding preparations for actress Han Hye-jin, 32, and SwanseaCity midfielder Ki Sung-yeung, 24, are underway. They superstar couple will tie the knot in July, according to Han’s agency Friday./ Korea Times fileBy Kwon Mee-yooActress Han Hye-jin, 32, and Swansea City midfielder Ki Sung-yeung, 24, will be the nation's next actress-sports star couple to tie the knot. Han's agency Namoo Actors announced Friday that Han will marry Ki in July. The agency said the date was set considering Han’s filming schedule and Ki’s soccer season. It took only 250 days for the couple to announce the wedding since Ki appeared on Han’s talk show. Han and Ki first met each other in 2011, when Han attended a charity soccer match in Vietnam that Ki played in. The breakthrough in their relationship came when Ki appeared on “Healing Camp,” a talk show hosted by Han last August. They disclosed their relationship to the press shortly after the talk show was aired. The two admitted seeing each other from January on March 27 through Ki’s Twitter, but did not confirm oMay 10, 2013By Do Je-hae
Korean 'character' shops open The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in partnership with the Korea Creative Contents Agency (KOCCA) jointly opened shops selling products that feature popular Korean fictional characters in downtown Seoul Friday.The latest additions bring to six the total number of such shops currently in operation. It is part of a move that launched in 2010 to nurture Korean characters and expand their customer bases.“Cuvid” in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, will sell popular local items such as Pororo, Robocar Poli, Cloud Bread, Larva, Canimal as well as a band of other up-and-rising characters.“Toc” near Bukchon Hanok village, central Seoul, will focus on fashion items. “These shops specializing in selling products that only feature domestic-characters can contribute to raising character awareness and thus help them grow into globally popular characters,” said Kim Kwang-yong, CEO of Tuba Entertainment, the company behind Larva.May 10, 2013By Park Jin-hai
'Superstar K5' goes to Berklee “Superstar K5” will hold an audition at Berklee College of Music in the United States.Mnet announced Friday it will have an audition at a Practice Facility in Berklee, as part of a global tour to find talented individuals.The college is a prestigious private music institution attended by several Korea stars including Kim Dong-ryul, and Bom of 2NE1.“Touring auditions that were held in locally have been expanded overseas. We expect a lot of applicants, as well as hidden talent among them,” said an official at Mnet.Auditions will take place in Los Angeles and New York on May 25, and in Vancouver in Canada on May 28.Applicants can apply for the audition through the official website of “Superstar K” or on site on the audition day. Auditions will be aired at 11 p.m. on Aug. 9. May 10, 2013By Park Jin-hai
Hallyu's 10th year in Japan to be marked By Shim Jae-yun A scene from “Winter Sonata”In commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the advancement of hallyu in Japan triggered by “Winter Sonata,” Japanese media outlets are planning to carry out various projects.According to the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), they recently set up an executive committee toward that end.They announced a package of programs during a recent symposium held at the KOCCA building with the theme “Vigor to hallyu! The prospect for hallyu market from the perspective of Korea and Japan.”The committee comprises of major broadcaster TBS and content providers SPO, Pony Cannon, and Kyodo News Agency, and Kinma Junbo, a cinema media.They plan to conduct voting on the popular hallyu dramas by hallyu fans in Japan starting from late June. The voting will continue for three months and the results will be used to select the top five works and three best actors and actresses to be announced around the end of the year.It also plans to hold a ceremony where the selected celebrities will attend.The committee will attemMay 9, 2013By Lee Jong-eun
Gyeongju to host expo in Istanbul Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas, fifth from left; Kim Kwan-yong, center, governor of North Gyeongsang Province; and other officials pose at the launching ceremony of the organizing committee for the Istanbul-Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey on Jan. 17./ Courtesy of Istanbul-Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2013By Park Jin-hai The Istanbul-Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2013 will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, in August.This year’s event, titled “Road, Encounter and Companion,” will be jointly organized by the North Gyeongsang Province and Gyeongju City from Aug. 31 to Sept. 22 in and around the Turkish city.It is the city’s second expo to be held away from home, following a previous one in Cambodia in 2006.Although the Culture Expo has been hosted six times since 1989, this year’s event has additional significance.Both Gyeongju and Istanbul boast of over a 1,000-year history and equally rich cultural relics as the “cradle of civilization” and “roofless museum,” respectively. May 9, 2013By Park Jin-hai
Culture minister hails elderly entertainers Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo Jin-ryong, third from left in the back row, poses with elderly entertainers after a luncheon at Korea House in Pil-dong, central Seoul, Wednesday. / Courtesy of Culture Ministry'Hidden heroes' of hallyu speak outBy Park Jin-haiMinister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo Jin-ryong paid tribute to elderly entertainers for their dedication to hallyu or the Korean wave.Yoo invited nine senior entertainers to a luncheon at Korea House restaurant in Pil-dong, Central Seoul, Wednesday. They included Koo Bong-seo, 87, comedian; Song Hae, 86, emcee; Lee Soon-jae, 77, actor; Choi Bool-am, 72, actor; and Keum Sa-hyang, 84, singer. “Today’s hallyu couldn’t have been possible without your devotion. K-drama and K-pop fervor that is sweeping the globe couldn’t have happened overnight. Based on the foundation all of you have built, hallyu could take a deep root and blossom,” said Yoo.Senior entertainers made the most of the rare opportunity to air their grievances. They said they are May 9, 2013By Park Jin-hai
Psy's 'Gentleman' tops 300 mln YouTube hits The video for South Korean rapper Psy's new single "Gentleman" has been viewed more than 300 million times since it was posted on YouTube last month, the global video-sharing Web site said Thursday.The video, released on April 13, recorded 300.256 million hits as of 11:10 a.m. Thursday. The milestone was reached 26 days after its release and 17 days after the new video broke the 200 million mark on April 22.The singer's previous hit "Gangnam Style" has attracted more than 1.5 billion YouTube views, but it took about 75 days to reach the 300 million mark on Sept. 28, last year. But the growth pace of views on "Gentleman" has recently slowed.Earlier on Thursday, Psy uploaded a behind the scenes video of the filming of "Gentleman" on YouTube ahead of breaking the 300 million mark.The rapper is currently in New York on a promotional tour for "Gentleman."May 9, 2013
