Ewha Womans Univ. plans Cliff Richard concert

Ewha Womans University hopes to hold a second concert by British pop icon Cliff Richard, 60, nearly 32 years after his first performance at the school.

An Ewha official said Friday that a return appearance by Richard would provoke nostalgia in the parents of some of its current students. ``We¡¯d like to hold a gathering where our students and their parents could get together to bridge the generation gap,¡¯¡¯ she said.

The official said that the university is now seeking ways to contact Richard and invite him to make a return appearance here.

Cliff Richard was a popular singer in the 1960s, scoring with big hits like ``The Young Ones¡¯¡¯ and ``Summer Holiday.¡¯¡¯ In 1969, he gave two concerts in Seoul at Ewha Womans University and the then Seoul Citizens¡¯ Hall, now the Sejong Center for Performing Arts.

One-time fans of the British pop star, who are now in their late 40s or early 50s, packed the university¡¯s main auditorium for the show.

At the time, local papers reported that many teenage girls and some co-eds had thrown their underwear on stage during the show.

In the years since, Richard¡¯s concert has been cited as a root cause whenever accidents or unexpected events took place during performances by Korean or foreign pop stars.

Ha Joon-Woo hawoo@donga.com