A gay N.K. defector’s journey to find love

With almost 30,000 North Korean escapees calling South Korea home now, many of their stories have been printed in novels, essays or poems. In fact, there are so many that literary works by or about North Korean defectors now form a new genre in South Korean bookstores. North Korean refugee Jang Young-jin’s debut novel “A Mark of Red Honor” departs from the typical conventions of this genre. In the 368-page book, written in Korean, he narrates his own childhood, growing up and major events that l

BooksMay 28, 2015

Seoul treasure hunt has key to $450 prize

If you think the locks fixed to railings on Seoul’s Mount Namsan are a dime a dozen, think again. One of them could be worth 500,000 won ($450).The first person to solve the puzzles to find one of three keys hidden in public places in Seoul that open the special lock will claim the top prize.Brian Van Hise, who runs the group organizing the treasure hunt, Stompy Ruffers Cultural Fusion, estimated that about 500 people were working on the clues, but said that the hunt was still wide open. He got

Expat LivingMay 27, 2015

JobSeekr launches job fair for techie expats

JobSeekr, an English- and Korean-language job hunting website in Seoul launched last year by two expats, is holding its first job fair and networking event Sunday to connect foreign entry-level job seekers with Korean start-ups.British entrepreneur Simon Chan, cofounder of parent company SeekrLab, said his team handpicked fewer than 10 startups that would make the best use of international members, such as those going global, those dealing with translation and language-related services or those

Expat LivingMay 27, 2015

Korea’s first electricity plant site found in palace

The site of Korea’s first electricity plant was found during an archaeological excavation at Gyeongbokgung Palace, the Cultural Heritage Administration said on Wednesday. According to the state cultural heritage agency, a year-long excavation effort found the site of the first electricity plant, established in 1887, during the late Joseon period (1392-1910). “It’s a great achievement that gives us an understanding of electricity development in Korea,” said Min Byeong-geun, curator of the Korea E

CultureMay 27, 2015

[Herald Interview] Gugak-pop fusion band SOREA looks to be new face of hallyu

In a world where the international mainstream hip-hop beats of Flo Rida meet the old-fashioned sounds of “janggu,” a Korean traditional drum, local fusion pop band SOREA is striving to take its amalgamation of traditional Korean instrumentation and modern music to new heights. Founded on a musical base of “gugak” (Korean traditional music), SOREA takes traditional Korean instruments such as the gayageum (a zither-like string instrument) and the daegeum (bamboo flute) and mashes them together wit

PerformanceMay 27, 2015

Classical music concerts to look out for in June

True opera fans would probably know this name ― Jonas Kaufmann. With his dashingly handsome looks, exceptional vocal powers and impressive acting skills, Kaufmann is the undoubtable superstar of opera right now. The German tenor, with a track record of selling out prestigious opera and recital halls in the U.S. and Europe, is coming to Korea next month, leading a pack of international classical music artists who are making their long-anticipated Korean debut. Kaufmann will perform at Seoul Arts

PerformanceMay 27, 2015

Lee Min-ho, Park Shin-hye win Paeksang awards

Actress Park Shin-hye took home the Most Popular Actress award in film at the 51st Paeksang Arts Awards, Tuesday. Her previous costars Lee Min-ho and Lee Jong-suk took home the Most Popular Actor awards in film and TV respectively.Park, who won the award for the period film “The Royal Tailor,” costarred with Lee Min-ho in “The Heirs” and Lee Jong-suk in “Pinocchio” ― both successful TV dramas.Lee Min-ho won his award for the crime noir film “Gangnam 1970,” while Lee Jong-suk won his award for th

May 27, 2015

On 7th EP, KARA grows out of trademark cuteness

At a press showcase for KARA’s seventh EP “In Love” at Blue Square in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Tuesday, the phrase repeated most by the members was “KARA-style music.” The group, which celebrates its eighth anniversary this year, has had its ups and downs ― including significant member changes ― but has always maintained a particular image and style of music. According to the members, their goal with “In Love” was to show the evolution of the definition of being “KARA-style.”“When our fans think of

PerformanceMay 27, 2015

Big Bang to release song ‘Bang Bang Bang’ in June

K-pop group Big Bang’s new song to be released in June will be titled “Bang Bang Bang,” YG Entertainment announced Wednesday. The onomatopoeically christened song is to be included in “A,” the second single of Big Bang’s four-part “MADE” series, which will be released on the first day of June. The five-member K-pop act, returning from a hiatus of nearly three years, has announced that it will unveil a single on the first day of the every month until August. The group’s May 1 release, “M,” contai

PerformanceMay 27, 2015

Only one way out at ‘Code Escape’

Imagine being led, blindfolded, down a hall and into a room behind a big wooden door. The door’s lock clicks, and music begins blaring from the speakers. You take off the blindfold, and the digital clock on the wall starts counting down. You have 60 minutes to find the key and escape. Every item in the room could be a clue.This is the basic setup for the experience at Code Escape in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, an offline escape game that offers a real-life version of popular online and mobile escape game

CultureMay 27, 2015

7 world-renowned chefs demonstrate love for food

Seven internationally renowned star chefs gathered at the JW Marriott Seoul, making for something of a culinary “Avengers” team, to participate in the hotel’s Culinary Art event, a global gourmet project featuring talented chefs from around the world.Each shared his distinct philosophy behind food, passion for cooking and enthusiasm for the “authentic” Korean food experience at Wednesday’s press conference for the event. For acclaimed chocolate master Andres Lara, a graduate of Chicago’s famous

FoodMay 27, 2015

Stories behind Buddhist art

Around 1247, Empress Hampyeong of Goryeo (918-1392) commissioned an artisan known for his skilled silver engraving to inscribe patterns of clouds and lotuses on a bronze vase in a prayer for the well-being of her family and country. It was after her two sons were sent away as punishment for attempting to remove a general who took power in a coup d’etat, while her daughters had to marry his sons. The vase, made for use as an incense burner at a Buddhist temple, is now considered to best represent

CultureMay 26, 2015

Feast of modern ballets in June

From the ballet version of Shakespeare’s classic tale “Othello,” to the contemporary retelling of Hesse’s struggle between the world of light and illusion in “Demian,” the upcoming fifth annual Ballet Festival Korea promises to be a feast for all tastes. This year’s festival will raise its curtain on June 4 at the Seoul Arts Center and is slated to highlight 16 performances throughout the month by 15 local ballet companies ― from the top production houses to all the independently run, small-scal

PerformanceMay 26, 2015

Seventeen hopes to shine like diamonds with ‘17 Carat’

After years of training and endless evaluations in a pre-debut system that was broadcast to the public, Pledis Entertainment’s new thirteen-member multinational boy group Seventeen finally made its official debut Tuesday in an hourlong live TV performance. “We’ve performed a lot of songs by other artists through the pre-debut system, but we’re very nervous because this is our first time performing our own tracks,” said member Woozi at a press conference at the MBC Dream Center in Ilsan, Tuesday.

PerformanceMay 26, 2015

Film ‘Beauty Inside’ sells rights to 11 Asian countries

The upcoming fantasy romance film “Beauty Inside,” which stars 21 actors playing a single character, has sold its rights to 11 other Asian countries two months before its release.Following recent promotions at the 68th Cannes Film Festival, overseas companies expressed an interest in the film’s intriguing storyline.“Even though it was a morning screening, the theater was packed and even though there weren’t any hallyu stars (to promote the film at Cannes), many buyers were interested in the char

FilmMay 26, 2015

Linguistics expert Song appointed head of Korean language institute

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday that it has appointed professor Song Cheol-eui of Seoul National University’s Department of Korean Language and Literature as the 10th director general of the National Institute of the Korean Language.Song, who will head the institute over the next three years, has written a number of articles in the fields of language policy and education for academic journals. As a well-known figure in the Korean language academic circles, he has contrib

PeopleMay 26, 2015

Bae searches for meaning in life in 'Nowhere To Be Found'

Bae Suah’s fiction gives rise to the underrepresented voice of the young, female working class of South Korea. Her latest novella, “Nowhere to Be Found,” echoes her excellent short story “Highway with Green Apples” which also follows a young, socially displaced female protagonist who flits from job to job unable to find meaning in her life while the people around her strive for material love and success. Bae’s prose is stark and dreary, effectually framing the life of our nameless protagonist. W

BooksMay 26, 2015

[Herald Interview] Herald Philharmonic returning with dynamic repertoire of classical and fusion

Looking to fill the month of May with the varied sounds of comfort and artistic intricacy, conductor Kim Bong-mee is gearing up to lead the newly established Herald Philharmonic Orchestra in its upcoming classical summer performance on Wednesday night. The Herald Phil’s new repertoire will feature a variety of crowd-pleasing musical genres including soulful opera arias to traditional Korean, classic symphonies and some old-school American jazz-fusion. Following its instrumental accompaniment of

PerformanceMay 25, 2015