[Herald Interview] 'Chance to play elderly character was priceless'

From an Alzheimer’s patient in his 80s in “Remember” (2022) and Sunyang Group’s founder Jin Yang-chul in “Reborn Rich” (2022) to veteran detective Kim Taek-rok in “Shadow Detective 2,” Lee Sung-min is on a roll with unique elderly characters. Though the diversity of portrayals was a huge challenge, Lee was certain that the roles would become a assets in the future. “I had a chance to feel what it would be like to perform 10 to 20 years in the

TelevisionAug. 1, 2023

[Herald Interview] Lee So-ho expands her literary world with ‘Home Sweet Home’

“For those who are looking for ‘home’ even if there is ‘house,’” Lee So-ho writes in the dedication to her third and latest poetry collection, “Home Sweet Home.” Lee describes the collection as "poetry of the outsider.” “I often see myself as a stranger, an outsider even within my own family. People do have moments when they feel like they don’t belong in their own homes. This sense of alienation and marginalization is the co

BooksJuly 31, 2023

[Herald Review] In ‘Little Garden,’ grannies learn to document own lives on video

In Myeongju-dong, an older neighborhood in Gangneung, Gangwon-do, a group of eight older women who have lived in the area for over 30 years and have an average age of 75 among them gather to go over video footage they took over the past week. Besides meeting friends, volunteering, doing housework and gardening, these women have a new thing to cross off their to-do lists: shooting moments of their everyday lives with their smartphones. It is part of a community center program. Some of the women t

FilmJuly 31, 2023

[Photo News] US couple donates cache of artifacts from Korea

Gary Edward Mintier and Mary Ann Mintier, who worked in Korea with the Peace Corps from 1969 to 1975, have donated 1,516 items, including modern paintings, books and photographs of Korea, to the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation. The couple worked as English teachers in Seoul and Busan during their stay in Korea. The photo above shows the Bosu-dong neighborhood of Busan in 1970. (Yonhap)

CultureJuly 31, 2023

Exhibition looks at driving forces behind Hallyu

What is Hallyu and when did it begin? Although Korean dramas had been steadily gaining popularity in East Asia in the early 1990s, it was not until Dec. 17, 1998 when the term Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, was coined. On that day, Taiwanese newspaper Lianhe Wanbo ran an article titled “Korean Wave has come,” according to an exhibition at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History. The exhibition, titled “The Pop Culture We Loved and Rise of the Korean Wave,” opene

CultureJuly 31, 2023

[Herald Interview] Moscow-born cellist leads Ukrainian orchestra in South Korea

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- On Saturday afternoon at the Alpensia Resort Concert Hall, a special concert took place as part of the Music in Pyeongchang festival. Kyiv Virtuosi, a chamber orchestra hailing from the war-torn country, led by cellist and conductor Dmitry Yablonsky, performed a program of Mendelssohn’s “String Symphony No. 10 in B minor,” Berg’s “Sieben fruhe Lieder,” Mahler’s “Ruckert-Lieder” and Berliner’s “Jaco

PerformanceJuly 30, 2023

[Herald Review] How Kim Beom overhauls our habitual thoughts at Leeum Museum of Art

Conceptual artist Kim Beom’s works leave one in contemplation. His humorous and satirical works seem to say: “What you see is not all of what you see.” The exhibition, “How to become a rock,” at the Leeum Museum of Art through Dec. 3, is an excellent one for those who hope to experience art that provokes thought and questions, beyond merely being visually appealing. Kim is little known to the average public. "How to become a rock" at the Leeum Museum of Ar

Arts & DesignJuly 30, 2023

[Hello Hangeul] Writing or art? Hangeul inspires artists

The following series is part of The Korea Herald’s “Hello Hangeul” project which consists of interviews, in-depth analyses, videos and various other forms of content that shed light on the stories of people who are learning the Korean language and the correlation between Korea’s soft power and the rise of its language within the league of world languages. – Ed. Letters and paintings used to go hand in hand historically -- Korean literati in the Joseon era (1392-19

Arts & DesignJuly 30, 2023

‘Elemental’ becomes 2023’s most-viewed foreign movie

Disney-owned Pixar Animation Studios’ “Elemental” has become the most-viewed foreign film this year in South Korea, contrary to the film’s not-so-positive North American box office record. According to data compiled by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), “Elemental” has drawn 5.58 million moviegoers here as of Sunday since its release on June 14. “Elemental” took over the title of the most-viewed foreign film, previously held by Japanese animated film

FilmJuly 30, 2023

10 people died at the Astroworld music festival two years ago. What happens now?

Nearly two years after 10 people were crushed to death during the deadly 2021 Astroworld festival, no charges have been filed — even though some people, including event workers, expressed safety concerns. Pinpointing “who exactly caused those deaths is not an easy question to answer,” said Sandra Guerra Thompson, a criminal law professor at the University of Houston Law Center. “It’s a very difficult thing to say, unless you have some kind of clear evidence that som

PerformanceJuly 30, 2023

[Herald Interview] Playing tragi-comic rescuer a balancing act for Ha Jung-woo in ‘Ransomed’

Ha Jung-woo, with a filmography versatile and colorful in terms of genres and characters, has created many memorable moments on the screen with his natural and realistic approach, such as with Choi Hyung-bae in 2012’s “Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time” and Gang-rim in 2017’s “Along With the Gods.” As much as it appears that acting runs naturally in his blood, acting is still the focus of Ha’s intense efforts and labor, even after 20 years of experien

FilmJuly 30, 2023

[Eye Interview] 250 redefines once-tacky 'ppong' music as fresh, trendy

Producer and composer 250 did not say a thing or sing a line during his concert that started at the unusual time of 9 p.m. on July 15 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Without uttering a word, 250, pronounced "Lee O-gong," also known for producing songs for K-pop girl group NewJeans, captured the audience with his music. The stage setting seemed designed to focus on nothing else but music. When the singers and saxophonist that 250 had collaborated with on his last album

PerformanceJuly 29, 2023

[Herald Interview] Neapolitan pizza champion says key is in the dough

Yu Jun-hwan, the 40-year-old owner-chef of Pizzeria del Popolo in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, had no idea that he would achieve the prestigious title of this year's world champion for crafting the finest Neapolitan pizza. On June 21, a day after competing in the 2023 Trofeo Caputo against some 500 contestants from 22 countries, he received an unexpected text from the organizers declaring him the winner. The text came through just as his plane touched down back in Korea. Opened in 2016, Pizze

FoodJuly 29, 2023

[Herald Interview] Canonical Korean short stories now in English as Penguin Classics

Must-read canonical Korean short stories are now available in English through "The Penguin Book of Korean Short Stories," part of the Penguin Classics collection. The anthology, co-curated and edited by Bruce Fulton, a translator and professor of Korean Literature and Literary Translation at the University of British Columbia, marks a milestone as the first collection of Korean literature to join the esteemed Penguin Classics series. The book is described as an “eclectic, moving

BooksJuly 29, 2023

[By the Highway] Get a glimpse of traditional Korea at Gyeonggi Gwangju Service Area

GWANGJU, Gyeonggi Province -- If you think rest stops on South Korean highways are just places for drivers to stretch their legs, gas up the cars or use the restroom, prepare to be surprised. Many of these roadside establishments have cool building designs, stunning eateries serving local food, popular coffee shop chains and more. Gyeonggi Gwangju Service Area, a rest stop on the Gwangju-Wonju Expressway bound for Wonju, offers a glimpse into the country’s quality ceramic ware. In the food

TravelJuly 29, 2023

[Subway Stories] Jagalchi Station: Busan's vibrant market hub

Jagalchi Station, on Busan Metro Line No. 1, is where one can find some of the seaside city’s oldest, largest and most famous markets, including the famed Jagalchi Market. As such, the station is always bustling with tourists, all hoping to soak up the authentic Busan atmosphere and try a wide array of delectable seafood dishes and street snacks. The Gukje, Bupyeong and Jagalchi markets -- all located within a few blocks from each other -- are famous for their decades-old stores and busi

CultureJuly 29, 2023

[Herald Review] ‘Barbie’ lets you be you

In Margot Robbie’s latest film, “Barbie,” a story about one of the world’s most popular dolls -- which has in the past represented a stereotype of the perfect woman -- the message is clear throughout the 114-minute-long running time: “You can become whoever you want to be.” In the seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land, Barbie (Margot Robbie) discovers a crack in the portal that connects Barbie Land with the real world after noticing that her day didn’t

FilmJuly 29, 2023

[Eye Plus] A language of percussion

For Kim Ju-ho, a student of Korean music at Seoul National University, language takes two forms -- one expressed through his vocal cords and the other through kkwaenggwari. “(Kkwaenggwari music) is another language for projecting myself,” Kim said, describing his relationship with the instrument. Kkwaenggwari is a traditional percussion instrument made of brass that is beaten with a wooden mallet. The instrument is known for its distinctive metallic clang that is used to set the rhyt

CultureJuly 29, 2023

Washington Ballet’s Lee Eun-won to star in ballet inspired by independence activist An Jung-geun

As Liberation Day approaches, a creative ballet performance titled "An Jung-geun: A Dance in the Heaven" is scheduled to take place at the Mapo Art Center on Aug. 11-12. The performance draws its inspiration from the last words of An, a Korean independence activist who, moments before his execution at Lushun Prison in China in March 1910, declared, “When the day comes that I hear of Korea’s independence, I will dance and shout ‘Hurrah!’” The story of An&rs

PerformanceJuly 28, 2023

16th-century skirt with golden lion embroidery to be designated National Folklore Cultural Heritage

A Joseon-era skirt embroidered with a pair of golden lions from a 16th-century tomb is set to be designated as a National Folklore Cultural Heritage, along with nine other costume-related artifacts found in the tomb, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced Thursday. The relics were excavated from a tomb in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, from 2008 to 2009 during a housing development construction project in the area. The development project included the area of Hwajeob-ri where over 100 tom

CultureJuly 28, 2023