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
CJ hosts cooking class for migrants Immigrant women pin carnations to the jackets of their mothers-in-law to celebrate Parents’ Day that falls on Wednesday./ Courtesy of CJ CheilJedang CJ CheilJedang hosted a cooking class for housewives from multiracial families at its headquarters in Ssanglim, Seoul, Tuesday, one day ahead of Parents’ Day. CJ invited the housewives, from China, Vietnam, Mongolia and Japan, and their mothers-in-law. Eighteen women took part in the program, making Korean food. A company official said the program was designed for the housewives to learn how to make Korean food and to have the chance to cement relations with their mothers-in-law in time for the Month of the Family. After the cooking class, the women pinned carnations on their mothers-in-law to commemorate Parents Day. CJ has been conducting events to promote Korean cuisine to multicultural families since January. May 8, 2013
Flower growers hit by dipping exports A citizen takes a photo of flowers at an international flower festival in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. There is a growing need to diversify the country’s flower exporting markets amid declining demand for Korean flowers in Japan and Europe. / YonhapDiversification of overseas markets is crucial for sustainable growthBy Park Si-sooGOYANG, Gyeonggi Province ㅡ Countless red, blue and yellow flowers were swaying in the warm spring breeze in this waterfront park on the outskirts of Seoul, Monday. The combination of colorful flowers and the shining surface of the lake played out a typical scene of a pastoral rural town.Inside a building on the eastern edge of the venue showed a totally different scene. Several meeting rooms were bustling with people chatting loudly. A man with yellowish hair was speaking in an unidentified language inside a room surrounded by mirrors while black haired people sitting on the opposite side of the table were listening with great care. They all looked serious.“They are negotiating,” a passerby said. “The yellow-haMay 8, 2013
Psy showcases Korean fashion Psy performs in his music video “Gentleman” at the 10 Corso Como shopping center in Cheongdam, southern Seoul.10 Corso Como Seoul offers fashion and culture in new Gangnam styleBy Park Jin-haiThe fashion field hasn’t been a traditional playground for the pretty and handsom but Psy has changed it.The chubby singer, with his signature tuxedo-style blazers, baggy pants and black and white shades, is regarded as a fashion icon in Korea.With his newly released music video, “Gentleman,” seeking to repeat his previous success, “Gangnam Style,” much attention is focused on his music video.That includes an upmarket shopping center, where a crowd of elderly men carrying handfuls of shopping bags followed Psy while he shopped.The center is “10 Corso Como Seoul,” a new concept mall that offers fashion and culture in Cheongdam, southern Seoul.Figurines designed by boy band TVXQ. The brainchild of Italian art gallery curator and fashion journalist Carla Sonzzani was created in partnership with Samsung Cheil Industries Inc. in 2008.“IMay 7, 2013By Park Jin-hai
Will Smith, son promote world premiere Will Smith, left, and his son Jaden explain to journalists one of the scenes of their upcoming new movie, “After Earth,” during a news conference at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. / YonhapBy Yun Suh-youngWill Smith and his son Jaden visited Seoul, Tuesday, to promote their new film "After Earth.’’The movie is a mixture of science fiction and an old-fashioned father-and-son tale and will have its world premiere here. Talking with Korean reporters in Seoul, Smith said the movie had personal meaning for him and his son, a budding movie star in his own right."One of the great ideas in the film is a father who is a commander who is injured and has no choice but to let his child go through danger. That’s the beautiful aspect of the film we wanted to focus on,” he said at a news conference at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, ahead of its May 30 showing."There comes a point as a parent where you have to let them go and hope that the lessons that you have instilled and the seeds that you planted will blossom and flower in the proper moMay 7, 2013
World K-pop fans to gather in Wonju Foreign participants perform Psy’s horse-riding dance during the “2012 K-pop Cover Dance Festival” at Gwanghwamun Plaza on Sept. 21, 2012./ Courtesy of Visit Korea CommitteeBy Shim Jae-yun, Park Jin-haiInternational K-pop fans will flock to Wonju, Gangwon Province, to participate in the “2013 K-pop Festival” this September.The festival will be hosted by the Gangwon Provincial Government, in collaboration with the Visit Korea Committee and Wonju City Government, as part of promotional activities leading to its hosting of the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.Foreigners who wish to participate should apply by posting a video clip of themselves performing a dance of their favorite K-pop star through its website (www.kpopfestival.org). The application kicked off on May 6.All the submitted posts will go through an initial screening process based on the number of views and votes received from netizens, and the points will be awarded by professional judges.Candidates that make it pass this stage will be invited to auditions in 12 different countries and May 6, 2013By Park Jin-hai
Min consoles Sichuan quake victims' families Prof. Min Byoung-chul of Konkuk University, in the back standing, watches his students leave comments on www.sunfull.or.kr. / Courtesy of sunfull.or.krBy Kim Se-jeong Professor Min Byoung-chul of Konkuk University known for his anti-cyber bulling campaign has launched a new one to write online condolences to families of Sichuan earthquake victims.It is a second campaign for Sichuan earthquake victims, following one in 2008. On April 20, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake shook the Sichuan Province, killing 193 and leaving more than 11,000 injured.The campaign has a Chinese partner ― the People’s Daily, a Chinese Communist Party paper, and participants are invited to visit http://sichuan.sunfull.or.kr to leave comments.“The webpagMay 5, 2013By Kim Se-jeong
'Energy drinks still harmful to health' Energy drink makers are making products containing less caffeine, but health experts claim they are still hazardous, especially to pregnant women, children and the elderly. / Korea Times fileCaffeine cut not enough to protect pregnant women, children, elderlyBy Park Si-sooCoca-Cola and Lotte Chilsung are trying hard to repair their damaged reputations with new energy drinks containing less caffeine.They claim their energy drinks no longer pose a health risk, citing a significantly reduced caffeine content. Yet medical experts refute this, arguing the reduction doesn’t guarantee the products’ safety. They claim caffeine-blended energy drinks are “still hazardous” and the risk is particularly high for pregnant women, children and the elderly. They added habitual consumers of energy drink have higher risk of caffeine addiction, arrhythmiMay 5, 2013
