Asia premier of Amir Reza Koohestani's 'Blind Runner' unveils at Sejong Center

On the stage of the S Theater at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, two actors stand on a simple stage set. Their conversation in Persian may sound unfamiliar to many here but as the play evolves, the premiere of “Blind Runner,” by Iranian playwright and director Amir Reza Koohestani, captivates the audience with unconventional directing techniques, such as using a live camera feed on a screen, and actors running through the stage. Although “Blind Runner” was

CultureJuly 20, 2024

Disney+'s 'Moving' wins grand prize for 3rd Blue Dragon Series Awards

Disney+ series "Moving" won the grand prize at the 3rd Blue Dragon Series Awards held on Friday, clinching its second grand prize after securing the top honors at the 60th Baeksang Arts Awards just two months ago. The Blue Dragon Series Awards honors excellence in Korean series and entertainment shows distributed on streaming services, including Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, Watcha, Wavve, Kakao TV, Coupang Play and Tving. The nominees for this year's Blue Dragon Series Awards incl

TelevisionJuly 19, 2024

Sports ministry launches audit into football federation's hiring of new men's coach

The sports ministry said Friday it has launched an investigation into the national football governing body over possible irregularities during its recent hiring of the new men's national team head coach. An official with the ministry said the audit on the Korea Football Association (KFA) essentially began Thursday when Jang Mi-ran, the second vice minister, broached the subject during her media availability. After meeting Choo Kyung-ho, floor leader of the ruling People Power Party, at the

SoccerJuly 19, 2024

Rival parties wrangle over Yoon's impeachment petition at parliamentary hearing

The ruling and main opposition parties clashed Friday as a parliamentary committee held its first hearing to address an online petition demanding the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol. The hearing, which focused on allegations that Yoon interfered in a probe into the death of a young Marine surnamed Chae, was marred by physical scuffles and yelling as the ruling People Power Party (PPP) staged a rally outside of the meeting room. Rep. Jeon Hyun-heui of the main opposition Democratic Party (

PoliticsJuly 19, 2024

Some budget airlines, online games in S. Korea affected by IT outage: sources

Some low-cost airlines and game companies in South Korea saw problems with booking or experienced interruptions in their servers Friday, industry sources said, in an apparent IT disruption that affected the global airline and financial sectors. The cyber outage affected the airport ticketing of Jeju Air Co., Eastar Jet Co. and Air Premia Inc., prompting employees to conduct check-ins by hand, according to sources. The three airlines use computer systems based on Microsoft's cloud service, t

Social AffairsJuly 19, 2024

Internet outage latest | Airlines, businesses hit by global technology disruption

A major internet outage affecting Microsoft is disrupting flights, banks, media outlets and companies across the world, with problems continuing hours after the technology company said it was gradually fixing an issue affecting access to Microsoft 365 apps and services. Airlines and airports in the US, Europe, Australia, India and elsewhere were reporting problems, with some flights grounded. Retail outlets, banks, railway companies and hospitals in several parts of the world were also affecte

World NewsJuly 19, 2024

Swae Lee, Offset to hold concert in Seoul

American hip-hop artists Swae Lee and Offset will be performing in Korea next month. The two artists will take the stage on Aug. 15 at the Korea University Tiger Dome. The concert is to last approximately three hours and is restricted to adults only. Offset is a member of the trio Migos – along with Quavo and Takeoff – which have been influential in the rise of the trap genre in the American hip-hop scene. Offset is known for his distinctive rap style and unique fashion. As part of M

PerformanceJuly 19, 2024

[Today’s K-pop] Blackpink to host autograph session

Blackpink announced Thursday that it will have an autograph session on Aug. 8 in time to celebrate the eighth anniversary of its debut. The supergroup will invite 88 fans selected through a lucky draw. The event is the first full-group activity since the four members were awarded honorary medals from Britain’s King Charles in November last year. Since then, they renewed their contract with YG Entertainment to handle their group activities but took their individual careers elsewhere. Rose s

K-popJuly 19, 2024

Will Galaxy Ring renew Samsung-Apple rivalry?

Competition between global tech rivals Samsung Electronics and Apple for domination of the burgeoning digital health care market heats up as elderly populations grow rapidly in many parts of the world. Samsung considers digital health care as a future growth engine. The strategy is to put health management app Samsung Health at the forefront and use the Galaxy Watch series as a pivotal element, particularly highlighting its sleep management feature. Last week, the Korean tech giant unveiled the

TechnologyJuly 19, 2024

Mirae Asset to introduce Asia’s first equal-weight ETF tracking S&P-500

Mirae Asset Global Investments, a leading asset manager here, is to launch an equal-weight exchange-traded fund, suggesting a well-balanced investment strategy to its investors. Mirae Asset’s Tiger US S&P-500 Equal Weight ETF is to be listed on the Korea Exchange, the country’s sole bourse operator, Tuesday. As its name suggests, the ETF product equally tracks the stocks of 500 leading companies listed on the S&P-500 index. While most ETF products have their constituent stock

MarketJuly 19, 2024

More restaurants allowed to hire foreign kitchen assistants

In addition to Korean restaurants, Chinese, Japanese and Western restaurants will also be able to hire foreign workers from China and 15 Southeast Asian and Central Asian countries as kitchen assistants under the Employment Permit System. The government has finalized its plans to ease requirements for a pilot program that aims to include the restaurant industry in the EPS system. Initially, the project was to allow only Korean restaurants, and restaurants with fewer than five employees had to ha

Foreign AffairsJuly 19, 2024

Old shabby water tower in Seoul transforms to 'Rain Veil'

Anyone familiar with the Songpa-gu neighborhood of southern Seoul may be aware of the tall old water purification tower that has been left unused for the past 20 years. The 32-meter eyesore has long been a topic of discussion as to whether it should be demolished or not. The water purification tower, built in 1986, once held 600 tons of water daily for purification, however, it ceased operations in early 2004 following changes in the water supply system. Now the tower has gained new life as the

Arts & DesignJuly 19, 2024

Plagiarism concerns rise among K-pop bands

Concerns are growing over an increasing number of K-pop bands facing plagiarism accusations, with recent cases involving popular groups like NewJeans and Lisa of Blackpink. Recently, English jazz-funk band Shakatak reportedly appointed a domestic law firm in Korea to represent the group's interests and issued a formal notice demanding that NewJeans cease using its latest hit “Bubble Gum” and compensate for damages. In a letter of claim sent to Ador, the music label for NewJeans,

K-popJuly 19, 2024

Trump touts ties with NK leader, signals interest in dialogue in acceptance speech

Former US President Donald Trump said Thursday in his Republican National Convention speech to accept the conservative party's nomination as its presidential candidate that he "got along with" North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. His remarks came as he touted himself as the right person allegedly to stop the wars and deal with the geopolitical complexities involving Russia and North Korea, given his experience holding in-person meetings with both North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Ru

PoliticsJuly 19, 2024

[Herald Interview] Tving's 'Shaman: Whispers from the Dead' explores why Koreans still consult shamans

The producers of the popular Tving original documentary series "Shaman: Whispers from the Dead" stated that their goal was to investigate why South Koreans, regardless of their belief in shamanism, continue to discuss and engage in shamanistic practices. The 8-part series explores Korean shamanism and its impact on contemporary Korean society. It features guests who report being tormented by spirits, shamans who help alleviate these experiences, and experts in religious studies and a

TelevisionJuly 19, 2024

Major US carriers including American, UAL ground flights citing comms issue

Major US carriers including American Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines issued ground stops on Friday morning citing communication issues, less than an hour after Microsoft resolved its cloud services outage that impacted several low-cost carriers. It was not immediately clear whether the call to keep flights from taking off were related to the earlier Microsoft cloud outage. Apart from American and Delta, UAL and Allegiant Air too grounded flights. The FAA did not immediately respond

Foreign AffairsJuly 19, 2024

Seoul shares dip for 3rd straight session on Wall Street losses

Seoul shares fell for the third straight session Friday in line with overnight losses on Wall Street. The local currency fell against the U.S. dollar. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (Kospi) tumbled 28.89 points, or 1.02 percent, to close at 2,795.46. Trade volume was slightly moderate at 417.9 million shares worth 9.4 trillion won (US$6.78 billion), with losers outnumbering winners 574 to 302. Institutions and foreign investors dumped local shares worth a combined 781.2 billion

MarketJuly 19, 2024

JYP to establish Latin America subsidiary, create global girl group

JYP Entertainment announced Thursday that it will establish a local subsidiary in Latin America and launch an audition program under the title "L2K" to create a new Latin girl group, marking its first major foray into the Latin American music market. JYP Entertainment said it plans to launch its subsidiary within the current quarter, expanding its artists' tour regions and new business ventures, while also building communication channels with local fans. JYP Entertainment also unv

K-popJuly 19, 2024

CJ ENM’s 2024 MAMA Awards to kick off in US for first time

The 2024 MAMA Awards, the world’s largest K-pop awards ceremony, organized by CJ ENM, will kick off in the US for the first time in its history, the company said Thursday. The awards are to start at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Nov. 21, before moving to the Kyocera Dome Osaka in Japan on Nov. 22-23. This marks a significant step in expanding the reach of K-pop and connecting global fans across different time zones. The MAMA Awards, which have a 25-year legacy, have prev

K-popJuly 19, 2024

[Photo News] Enjoy free water sports in Danyang

Sports lovers can enjoy diverse water sports at the upcoming Danyang Lake Park Water Sports Festival in Danyang, North Chungcheong Province, from Aug. 1 to 4. Visitors can try out both motorized and nonmotorized water vehicles ranging from motorboats, jet skis, water bicycles, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards for free on the county’s Namhan River. Those who are pregnant, preschool children and the elderly are restricted from such activities due to the safety issues. Children can play in a

TravelJuly 19, 2024