French art museum Musee d’Orsay has started to offer a Korean-language digital docent service, sponsored by Korean Air. (Korean Air)Hanjin Group chairman Cho Yang-ho attended a ceremony, held at the third-largest museum in Paris on Monday, where Musee d’Orsay President Guy Cogeval, chief executive officers from Skyteam airlines and other major business figures gathered to mark the launch of the audio service.“The ceremony to celebrate the introduction of the Korean audio guide at the Musee d’Ors

CultureSept. 16, 2015

Award-winning artist Kong Sung-hun is presenting his new series in a solo exhibition at Arario Gallery in Seoul. Named artist of the year in 2013 by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, Kong’s new painting series is in line with his previous works that won him the prestigious art prize.The “Dusky Landscape” consists of 16 large works that are as tall as 1.8 meters. The images in the series are familiar scenes: a white trail of an airplane in the sky, bare winter trees, stor

PerformanceSept. 15, 2015

K-pop boy group iKON made its much-awaited debut Tuesday with the single “My Type,” which was topping all major charts immediately after its midnight release. 　Medium tempo hip-hop track “My Type” ranked No.1 on eight local charts, including Melon, Genie and Olleh. 　The song also nabbed the top spot on iTunes’ singles chart in seven regions, including Hong Kong, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. 　iKON is the newest act from YG Entertainment, home to K-pop heavyweights from Big Bang and Psy

Sept. 15, 2015

CNBLUE lead vocalist Jung Yong-hwa and his bandmates perform at a showcase for their second album, “2gether,” at the AX-Korea stadium in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap News)Coming six years after their debut and 19 months since their previous release, CNBLUE finally dropped their second full-length album, “2gether,” on Monday. “We’ve been together for six years, but this is only our second full-length album,” said CNBLUE front man Jung Yong-hwa, during a news conference at the AX-Korea Stadium in Seou

PerformanceSept. 15, 2015

Korea and France will kick off their bilateral cultural event with artists and musicians performing Korea’s royal ritual music Jongmyo Jeryeak at the Chaillot National Theater in Paris on Sept. 18.The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports said that the 2015-2016 Korea-France Bilateral Exchange is being organized to commemorate the 130th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two sides next year.The event will have some 150 cultural programs featuring traditional and contemporary Korean mus

CultureSept. 15, 2015

When the Korean government announced the biggest-ever hike in cigarette prices last year, smoker and artist Kim So-cheol and his friends decided to take action: They decided to make cigarettes on their own. They planted seeds of the two most popular tobacco plants ― Virginia and Burley ― on the rooftop of Kim’s small house in Mapo-gu, western Seoul. In four months, the plants grew as tall as Kim. “It started as a response to the government’s decision to raise tobacco prices,” Kim told The Korea

PerformanceSept. 14, 2015

Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province is a city where one can learn about the country’s ancient history and cultural heritage.The ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom (B.C. 57―A.D. 935), one of Korea’s ancient Three Kingdoms, was the eastern end of the Silk Road that connected all the way to Europe via China both economically and culturally. Lee Dong-woo, secretary-general of the Gyeongju World Culture Expo. Gyeongju World Culture ExpoTo revitalize the spirit of this trade route and promote Eura

CultureSept. 14, 2015

When the Korean government announced the biggest-ever hike in cigarette prices last year, smoker and artist Kim So-cheol and his friends decided to take action: They decided to make cigarettes on their own. They planted seeds of the two most popular tobacco plants -- Virginia and Burley -- on the rooftop of Kim’s small house in Mapo-gu, western Seoul. In four months, the plants grew as tall as Kim. “It started as a response to the government’s decision to raise tobacco prices,” Kim told The Kore

PerformanceSept. 14, 2015

Jonghyun of SHINee will release a self-composed, self-written EP on Thursday. 　The nine-track album, titled “Story Op. 1,” includes the lead track “End of the Day,” a ballad highlighting Jonghyun’s warm and soft vocals and piano melody.  Jonghyun (SM Entertainment)Jonghyun, who is a disc jockey for MBC music radio show “Blue Night,” revealed his self-written songs on a special program on the radio station titled “Blue Night Lyrics, That Man’s Composition.” The songs that were introduced in the p

Sept. 14, 2015

  (C-Jes Entertainment)　 Junsu, a member of K-pop group JYJ, is set to release a solo album in October and to hold an Asian tour, C-Jes Entertainment said. “Junsu has gained a lot of popularity both in and outside the country by releasing three regular albums, successfully pulling off his solo career,” said a representative from C-Jes Entertainment. Junsu sold a record 120,000 copies of his album “Tarantallegra” after making his solo debut and successfully completing a world tour. His third albu

Sept. 14, 2015

Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province is a city where one can learn about the country’s ancient history and cultural heritage.The ancient capital of Silla Dynasty (57 B.C. – A.D. 935), one of Korea’s ancient Three Kingdoms, was the eastern end of the Silk Road that connected all the way to Europe via China both economically and culturally.To revitalize the spirit of this trade route and promote the Eurasian culture, the Gyeongju World Culture Expo has kicked off for a 59-day run with a variety o

CultureSept. 14, 2015

While K-pop is quickly rising as a key cultural symbol in Asia, it remains much on the sidelines of the U.S. and European music industries, international experts said at a forum discussing the prospects of K-pop abroad. “The success of K-pop in the world is somewhat different from how it is perceived in Korea,” said Rob Schwartz, the Tokyo bureau chief of American music magazine Billboard, at the Seoul Music Forum, held from Sept. 11-12. A handful of industry insiders were present to discuss the

PerformanceSept. 13, 2015

　Seventeen　“Boys Be”　(Loen Entertainment)　Seventeen, the 13-member rookie group that debuted this year after going through a grueling training process broadcast on the air, has come out with a catchy second EP called “Boys Be.”　Despite its name, Seventeen has 13 members, split up into three units -- the hip-hop unit, the vocal unit and the performance unit. Like its first EP “17 Carat,” “Boys Be” features one track from each of the three units. The lead track “Mansae” and the track “Rock” have a

PerformanceSept. 11, 2015

　　G.Soul　“Dirty”　(KT Music)　“Dirty” could probably pass for a DJ set at a house music lounge. With DJ and composer Frants (who also worked on the Wonder Girls’ ‘Reboot’ album), JYP’s G.Soul toned down the emotion of his first EP “Coming Home” from January, and turned up the beat to create a quality album combining jazz and soul with house music.Although the EP is called “Dirty” and the word repeats itself countlessly in the songs, the album exudes a romantic vibe thanks to G.Soul’s tone and his

PerformanceSept. 11, 2015

The Korea Herald offers a guide to what's playing in theaters this weekend.For those seeking a thriller, check out "Deep Trap," or "Office." For some more light-hearted fun, "Ant-Man" provides a dose of superhero action, while "Straight Outta Compton” will take you to the 1983 Comptom, a U.S. town where the legendary hip-hop group N.W.A. was born. The much-anticipated Korean historical drama "The Throne" opens on Sept. 16. The Throne (Korea)Opening Sept. 16　Historical drama. Directed by Lee Joon

FilmSept. 11, 2015

The Affordable Art Fair arrived in Seoul for the first time, kicking off its three-day showcase of contemporary art on Friday. The Seoul fair offers a wide range of artworks such as paintings, sculptures, installations and media works that suit “every tasteful taste bud,” said Will Ramsay, founder of the art fair.“There is plenty of good-quality art in an affordable price range. We are the venue for finding it,” he said in an interview at Dongdaemun Design Plaza, the fair venue, in Seoul on Thur

PerformanceSept. 11, 2015

Gourmet couture at W Hotel Seoul WalkerhillW Hotel Seoul Walkerhill presents a stylish collaboration between the hotel’s casual dining restaurant Kitchen and designer Munsoo Kwon, starting Oct. 2. The menu is inspired by and reflects the designs in Kwon’s 2015 Fall/Winter collection. The menu will include arugula juice, shrimp and black rice brioche salad, mantis crab, black sesame-crusted and grilled halibut with black sesame risotto and yellow saffron cream, prime beef striploin steak with blu

FoodSept. 11, 2015

Miniature Garden at EverlandEverland, Samsung group’s amusement park and the biggest in Korea, is launching the new “Miniature Garden” theme zone on Sept. 11, featuring a miniaturized version of the park in a 330-square meter space. Nine popular rides including the T-Express, Lost Valley, Aesop Village and Sky Cruise  will be available, scaled down from one-tenth to one-fiftieth their original size, alongside a display of over 191 miniature trees. Tiny versions of Everland’s symbolic cartoon cha

TravelSept. 11, 2015