Jil’hal Bros dishes out buzzworthy eats

At Jil’hal Bros, one of the latest Seoul-based eateries to go viral, CEO Kim Woo-sik breaks down the components behind the fusion Middle Eastern-by-way-of-New York-style grub drawing lines of foodies to his new spot. In his small kitchen he ladles fluffy rice -- infused with turmeric, cumin and three other spices -- in a takeout container, tops it with that quintessential white sauce, layers it with piping hot morsels of seasoned lamb and beef and piles on more white sauce before topping it off

FoodSept. 18, 2015

[Travel Bits]

Experience Finland’s polar nightFinnair, the flag carrier of Finland, is looking for explorers to participate in its program to experience the country in the winter.In partnership with Finland Tourism, the 100 Days of Polar Night Magic program will take participants on a ride on Alaskan huskies dogsleds to see the aurora, go on a camping, and ice climbing and diving in Lapland.Pasi Ikonen, Finnish orienteering competitor and winner of the 2001 World Orienteering Championships, will be joining wi

TravelSept. 18, 2015

Around the Hotels

Autumn picnic package at Imperial Palace SeoulImperial Palace Seoul is presenting from Sept. 14 through Nov. 29 the Autumn Picnic Package for those seeking a picnic in the heart of the city and a cozy getaway in a hotel room, available for local guests in Korea and foreigners with resident cards. The package includes an overnight stay in a guest room along with a taxi voucher for 10,000 won; a takeout picnic box, which consists of Deli Amador’s club sandwiches and two bottles of Perrier sparklin

FoodSept. 18, 2015

Eggplant rolls (gaji mari)

Eggplant rolls (gaji mari). (Korean Bapsang)These gorgeous eggplant rolls are healthy and easy to make. They are called gaji mari in Korean. Gaji is eggplant, and mari refers to rolled up dishes. The thinly sliced eggplants are briefly cooked in a skillet, rolled up with other vegetables, and served with a sauce. Eggplants cook down significantly, so make sure they are not too slender when you buy them.I used colorful fresh bell peppers and enoki mushrooms in this recipe. Play around with differ

FoodSept. 18, 2015

Anthropologist reveals new insight on Korea

“Way Back into Korea” By Choong Soon Kim(Ilchokak) Cover of “Way Back into Korea” (Ilchokak)　There is always the danger, with introductory books into Asian culture, of stereotyping and the spraying of names, dates and footnotes that seem almost impossible to remember. 　Some of the earlier descriptions of Korea, such as the “hermit nation” and “land of morning calm,” fall short of portraying Korea’s fast-changing here-and-now. On top of that, the love-hate relationship between the flow and inform

BooksSept. 17, 2015

Changing tides of Chuseok

With the Chuseok holiday approaching, a growing number of Koreans are opting for an easier, relaxed holiday over centuries-old rituals, reflecting the slowly changing tide of the national holiday customs.  (Korea Herald)More people are choosing to travel abroad during the long holiday. For a holiday gift, some children give their parents a wrinkle reduction surgery or Botox injections. Many women order ready-made food for “jesa,” a memorial service for the family’s departed relatives, through an

CultureSept. 17, 2015

Kim Hyun-joong to ‘take responsibilty’ for baby from ex-girlfriend

Singer and actor Kim Hyun-joong on Thursday said he will take full responsibility for the newborn baby born to his ex-girlfriend if the paternity test shows he is the father, putting a fresh spin on the dragged-out legal dispute between the former couple.  Lawyer Lee Jae-man represents Kim Hyun-joong at press conference held Thursday. (The Korea Herald/ Lim Jeong-yeo)　Kim, who began his mandatory military service in mid-May, expressed his intention to uphold his personal responsibility through h

Sept. 17, 2015

A tribute to handwriting, solitude and silence

The job is simple – write pages of a novel on a piece of paper for an hour. Participants, one by one, walk into a small white room, sit down and pick up a pencil. They check at the page left open and begin to move their hand to transcribe it.  This is an art project by artist Ahn Kyu-chul. At his solo exhibition currently at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, the 60-year-old artist invites the audience to engage in his creative process of completing conceptual installatio

PerformanceSept. 17, 2015

New body launched to rank Korea’s best restaurants

With the aim of creating an authoritative ranking of Korea’s top restaurants and serving as the country’s version of the Michelin Guide, Koreat has assembled an unprecedented list of the 50 “best” restaurants in Korea. Seeking out both trendy and tasty eateries has in recent years become a key pastime for Koreans, allowing Seoul to quickly rise as an epicurean city; but there has been a gaping hole in terms of ranking restaurants through an organized process, said Cho Youmi, head of the Koreat o

FoodSept. 17, 2015

Ticket sales open for 2015 Herald Design Forum

Herald Design Forum 2014“It’s Design, Stupid!” This is the phrase raised in Thomas Friedman’s 2008 book “Hot, Flat and Crowded” about the role of design in addressing environmental problems. Design is no longer a decoration for products. Design has expanded its primary role and created collaborations with technology, management, psychology, humanity and art. The Herald Design Forum kicks off its fifth edition in November in Seoul with key words such “design,” “creation” and “convergence.” Leadin

Arts & DesignSept. 17, 2015

Cho Yong-pil to hold national concert tour

Veteran singer Cho Yong-pil is set to hold a concert tour from November through December, ending a two-year hiatus. Cho, 65, will kick off his tour in Daegu on Nov. 14, followed by performances in Ilsan on Nov. 21, Gwangju on Nov. 28, Busan on Dec. 5 and Seoul on Dec. 12. (Cho Yong-pil's official website)Cho, who debuted in the ’70s, has a slew of hit songs over his four decades of celebrated career in music, including “The Woman Outside the Window,” “A Friend,” “Mona Lisa,” “Bounce” and “Hello.

Sept. 17, 2015

Students to face off in 6-a-side soccer

A group of Korean students has expanded the second Globald Cup futsal tournament for foreign students after a surprise surge of interest.The six-a-side soccer competition has been increased to include 20 teams from the original 16 planned, but had to stop there due to funding.“We wanted to make it bigger, but we couldn’t manage the funding in such a short time,” said Kyung-ryul Kim, who is part of event organizer Maniac University Sports Town. The winners of last year’s Globald Cup, Chungku Club

Expat LivingSept. 16, 2015

New networking app to connect English-speaking entrepreneurs

A new networking group for entrepreneurs in Seoul called Over Lunch is kicking off its app with a launch party Thursday.Over Lunch, created by local expats Hana Sakuragi and Nathan Hendrix, aims to help English-speaking professionals, from expats to locals and people traveling to Seoul on business, make meaningful connections over lunch. It is both an online and offline community for like-minded people to meet new people and enrich their lives, the founders said.Over Lunch cofounders Nathan Hend

Expat LivingSept. 16, 2015

Korean folktales abound in teen novel

Expat author Mark Russell dug deep into Korean folktales for his new teen fantasy novel “Young-hee and the Pullocho.” The story follows Young-hee, a 13-year-old who moves to Korea and slips “Alice in Wonderland”-style into a fantasy world. There her brother is taken hostage by a goblin, or “dokkaebi,” and she must enlist the help of Sanshin, the mountain spirit, and other characters from Korean tradition to get him back by finding a magical “pullocho” herb.The book cleverly intersperses the main

Expat LivingSept. 16, 2015

Mamamoo drops new single

Rookie girl group Mamamoo, who topped local charts with their latest song “Um Oh Ah Yeah,” released the new single “Girl Crush” on Wednesday. 　The new song was created for the soundtrack of the new online game “Innisia Nest,” developed by local game company Entermate. The women of the group have also been cast as models for the upcoming game.  Mamamoo (Loen Entertainment)　The retro-pop “Girl Crush” was written and composed by Park Woo-sang, who worked on the group’s previous soundtrack work “Lov

Sept. 16, 2015

[Herald Review] ‘The Throne’ brings royal strife down to Earth

This year’s two biggest hits at the box office, “Assassination” by director Choi Dong-hoon and “Veteran” by auteur Ryoo Seung-wan, share two key elements: action and comedy. Korean moviegoers are responding to movies that help them escape their time and place and enjoy an experience filled with palm-sweating action and easy laughs.Lee Joon-ik’s historical drama “The Throne” may be the film to prove that there is another key to the formula for success: empathy.Set during the reign of the Joseon e

FilmSept. 16, 2015

Lee Seung-hwan to release new album

Veteran singer Lee Seung-hwan will release new EP “3+3,“ Dream Factory, his agency, said Wednesday. Having released the album “Fall to Fly” in March last year, he will return to the music scene, ending a 18-month hiatus. The upcoming album contains three new tracks along with three previously released tracks.  (Dream Factory)Before dropping his album, Lee will prerelease Monday one of the tracks, “That One Person,” which was featured on the soundtrack of KBS TV drama “Discovery of Love” in 2014.

Sept. 16, 2015