KOCCA, King Sejong Institute to promote hallyu together Hong Sang-pyo, fourth from left, president of the Korean Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), and Song Hyang-geun, third from right, president of the King Sejong Institute Foundation, hold up a memorandum of understanding signed Monday at the KOCCA building in Seoul. / Courtesy of KOCCABy Kim Ji-sooTwo agencies separately charged with governing cultural content and Korean-language education on Monday joined hands to further promote Korean language and “hallyu,” or the Korean wave.The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) and the King Sejong Institute signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to step up cooperation to use hallyu content in teaching the Korean language. KOCCA is an affiliate agencyMar 25, 2013
Beauty fair inviting foreign interest A promotional performance at Gwanghwamun Plaza, central Seoul, March 14, for the successful hosting of the Cosmetics and Beauty Expo in Osong, North Chungcheong Province, from May 3 to 26.By Chung Ah-youngThe beauty fair organizers estimate that it will attract a million visitors, including 70,000 foreigners. / Courtesy of Cosmetics and Beauty ExpoThe Cosmetics and Beauty Expo, scheduled to take place from May 3 to 26 in Osong, North Chungcheong Province, is garnering attention from China and other countries.Interest is growing because the fair offers visitors a rare opportunity to sample a range of Korean cosmetics and beauty products as well as take in the high-quality research and development infrastructure in the region. North Chungcheong Province is home to some 60 leading cosmetics companies such as LG House and Health Care while Osong within the province is where six state-run research insMar 25, 2013
'Earth Hour' observed in Seoul People sit at a Starbucks Coffee shop in Seoul lit by candles on Saturday night. The global coffee brand’s domestic unit took part in the “Earth Hour” campaign designed to reduce greenhouse gas emission. Courtesy of Starbucks KoreaBy Park Jin-haiThousands of local restaurants, cafes, and office buildings including Seoul City Hall were enveloped by darkness at 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Instead of electric lights, eateries used candles. This was not a blackout, but participation in the annual “Global Earth Hour Day,” organized by the World Wildlife Fund, where city councils urge local building owners and citizens to turn off lights to raise environmental awareness. This year, under the motto of “I Will If You Will,” a total of 7,000 cities in 152 countries came out to highlight the adversities of climate change. In Korea, businesses as well as local governments held a series of events to remind the public of the importance of the environment. Starbucks Korea turned off most of its electric lights in some 500 bMar 24, 2013By Park Jin-hai
All about Psy Rapper Psy performs during a concert held to celebrate “Gangnam Style” being ranked 2nd on the U.S. Billboard Chart at Seoul Plaza on Oct. 4, 2012. Korea Times fileBy Park Si-sooHow much do you know about rapper Psy?The 36-year-old Korean singer is obviously an “international” entertainer. But perhaps what many of his non-Korean fans worldwide know about him is just his YouTube megahit “Gangnam Style,” and his latest performances, and gossip that has spread through the Internet.Just a few clicks may be enough to find what he has said and done recently because countless numbers of articles, photos and video clips about the singer flood the Internet in multiple languages day after day. But it’s still difficult for people to get information about him prior to his meteoric rise late last year as most of it is in Korean. He made his debut in 2001 and his track record since then is vast.Avid fans with ample knowledge about him, despite language barrier, may find little new in the telling of the singer’s life in chronological order. For Mar 24, 2013
Chinese tourists set to boost retail The nation’s retail and casino shares are expected to gather ground this year due to a surge in the number of Chinese tourists who spend big on shopping, analysts said Wednesday.A total of 219,400 Chinese tourists visited South Korea in February, up a whopping 65 percent from the same month a year earlier, according to data by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), South Korea’s state-run tourism agency.In the first two months of the year, the number of Chinese tourists jumped 41 percent on-year to 375,100 due to the anti-Japanese sentiment of the Chinese public sparked by the dispute over islands in the East China Sea and the Chinese week-long holiday last month, analysts said. (Yonhap)In contrast, the number of Japanese tourists to Seoul tumbled this year due to the Japanese yen’s sharp depreciation against the local currency and the risk of North Korean provocations raised by the belligerent nation’s third nuclear test in mid-February, they said.Between January anMar 21, 2013
Choi Ji-woo most favored hallyu star Actress Choi Ji-woo has been chosen as the most favored hallyu star by Asians visiting here.Regen Medical Group asked 179 foreigners who visited Gyeongbok Palace on March 7 and 8, and found Choi was the most preferred Korean star among tourists.Choi got support from 82, followed by Lee Young-ae and Park Shin-hye who were endorsed by 48 and 43 foreigners, respectively.A hospital official said Choi enjoyed popularity among Japanese and those from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore.“Those who opted for Choi seemingly due to her slim and long face line coupled with long eyes, which are suitable for expressing one’s emotion to others,” the official said.The hospital carried out the survey to find out what type of hallyu starts Asian tourists prefer, to utilize the result for its marketing tactics targeting those wanting to visit here for plastic surgery.Mar 21, 2013
5.4 Club Kicks off Choi Jung-wha, center in beige, co-founder of 5.4 Club; Park Moo-jong, second from Choi’s right, president and publisher of The Korea Times; and other members of the new club make signs to denote “five” and “four” at a launching ceremony at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Hannam-dong, Thursday. Members of the new nonprofit organization pledged to help foreign visitors to enjoy the food, sights, stories and attractions of Korea. At far left is Rep. Yoo Il-ho of the ruling Saenuri Party. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulCultural tourism promotion body to facilitate foreign visitorsBy Kim Ji-sooA new type of cultural/tourism promotion body, the 5.4 Club was launched Thursday, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Seoul.Under the motto of “Feeling Korea through 5 senses and 4 themes,” the new non-profit organizatMar 21, 2013By Kim Ji-soo
Soap opera, literally Song Hye-kyo in the SBS TV drama, “That Winter, the Wind Blows” / Korea Times fileViewers frustrated over blurring boundaries between dramas, commercialsBy Do Je-haeAt the cosmetic store Aritaum at the D-CUBE department store in western Seoul, a group of young women in their 20s sample the "it" lipstick of the moment, the "Silk Intense Lipstick" line from Laneige.In the media and among consumers here, the line is known as "Song Hye-kyo lipstick." "They are a bit pricy for a Korean-brand lipstick, but they are the most popular item in the store these days," a salesperson said.What consumers are going for is the polish and elegance of actress Song Hye-kyo, who stars in the TV drMar 20, 2013
TV singing auditions run out of steam MBC’s “Star Audition: The Great Birth” / Courtesy of MBCBy Kim Tong-hyungThe inevitable became reality Wednesday when MBC television confirmed its pulling the plug on its overhyped-but-disappointing singing contest, ``The Great Birth,’’ which proved to be birth astride a grave.The show made its debut in November of 2010, when the nation was already bashed over the head with a slew of reality talent programs that were on national networks and cable channels. It took three nondescript seasons for MBC to admit Great Birth was sunken cost. It remains to be seen whether other shows will be following it to the guillotine.``We have no plans for Season 4. Things can change of course but the new season isn’t being produced at the moment,’’ said an official from MBC, which now only has the Korean version of ``Dancing with the Stars’’ left on its competition-show platform.Great Birth did reasonably well in the first season, when viewer ratings peaked at 20 percent. Its third season last year was marginally better than anonymous, with rMar 20, 2013
Midweek roundup: In case you missed it By Kim Tong-hyungHere’s your midweek update on the stories in entertainment and media you might have missed while reading about the transcendent Kim Yu-na, the new Pope, or because your life is probably a lot more fulfilling than ours.Name game becomes weirder IUThe controversy over K-pop darling IU and her new KBS television drama, “You’re the Best, Yi Sun-sin,” seems to be one of those real-life stories that fits better in the pages of the Onion.Last week, a youth group that calls itself DN filed for an injunction with the Seoul Central District Court against KBS to stop it from using the name of 16th century naval commander Yi Sun-sin (1545-1598) in the weekend drama. But after being hounded by IU fans for days, this disillusioned group of young patriots has announced their decision to “leave the Republic of Korea.”“No, we won’t apologize. If anything, they should apologize to us. It’s regrettable that it’s the people of truth and sincerity who are forced to leave. But we because we love the country so much, we will let iMar 19, 2013
