15th-century Hangeul letter designated treasure

The oldest extant all-Hangeul letter has been designated as a treasure, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced Thursday. The two-page letter with almost no margins, written by Na Sin-geol (1461-1524), a Joseon period military officer, was discovered in 2011 at the burial site of Na's wife Shin Chang-meng in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. The letter is thought to have been written in the 15th century, when Na served as a junior officer in Hamgyeong Province, which is now part of North Korea. P

CultureMarch 10, 2023

Tving’s ‘Island’ enjoys global popularity

Tving's latest sci-fi action thriller has landed on Amazon Prime Video top 10 charts in at least 17 countries as of Thursday, according to the South Korean online streaming service provider run by entertainment giant CJ ENM. Amazon Prime Video is a subscription-based video streaming service run by Amazon. “Island” topped Amazon Prime Video’s TV charts in Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. It was listed among the top 10 on charts in 13 countries, including Br

TelevisionMarch 10, 2023

Hallyu fans number 178 million in 2022

The number of active Hallyu fans around the world reached 178 million in 2022, according to an annual report published by the Korea Foundation in cooperation with overseas missions, Friday. The figure is about an 18-fold increase from 9.26 million in 2012, when the Korea Foundation’s survey was launched. In comparison, the population of Hallyu fans at 178 million would place it as the eighth-largest country in the world, just bigger than Bangladesh while trailing Brazil. The general report

CultureMarch 10, 2023

No fire at 2023 Jeju Fire Festival

The Jeju Fire Festival, this year's iteration of which kicked off Thursday, has decided to cancel the program's highlights involving actual fire due to safety concerns, according to the organizers on late Thursday. Several events scheduled for Friday and Saturday, including the festival's highlight, the Oreum Fire Lighting, were canceled as a series of wildfires have recently broken out in other areas in Korea amid the dry weather. Other performances, concerts and programs will go

TravelMarch 10, 2023

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Festival The Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Festival is scheduled to take place at various sites in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, including Gyeongju Expo Grand Park, the park of royal tombs, also known as Daereungwon, and more. The festival starts March 25 and will run through April 16. Visitors can enjoy a festival that combines cherry blossoms with art and culture. Hueree Maehwa and Canola Flower Festivals, Jeju Island The Hueree Maehwa Festival, which kicked off on

TravelMarch 10, 2023

[Well-curated] Enchanted greenhouse, Pengsoo merch and paper wonderland

Changgyeonggung's Grand Greenhouse under the stars With spring just around the corner, the Grand Greenhouse inside Changgyeonggung invites visitors to taken an enchanting stroll through the palace garden. Located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, the Joseon-period palace offers a peaceful retreat in the heart of the bustling city, having recently reopened its nighttime viewings in March, As you walk through the gates and into the palace court, the night lights cast a dreamy glow on the surroundings, cas

CultureMarch 10, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“The Devil’s Deal” (South Korea) Opened March 1 Drama/Thriller Directed by Lee Won-tae “The Devil’s Deal,” set in Busan in 1992, centers on both the confrontations and collaborations among an ever-unsuccessful politician, Hae-yong (Cho Jin-woong), a political heavyweight Soon-tae (Lee Sung-min), and a gang boss Pil-do (Kim Moo-yeol), together with their instinctive desire and betrayal revolving around power and money. “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba

FilmMarch 10, 2023

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Four Seasons Hotel Seoul introduces new Italian lunch set Four Seasons Hotel Seoul's Italian restaurant Boccalino has launched a Lunch Delight set. The set menu features an Italian antipasti semibuffet, with seasonal ingredients and a main dish to choose from a variety of options, including fresh pasta or beef steak. A selection of artisanal cheeses is also available. On Mondays, Boccalino diners can bring their own wine without a corkage charge. The set menu is available every day from 11:

FoodMarch 10, 2023

Kwak Si-yang, Jo Yoon-seo to star in occult horror film

Actors Kwak Si-yang and Jo Yoon-seo will star in the occult horror film, “Three Evil Island” (working title), directed by Chae Ki-jun, according to film distributor The Content On. “Lovers of the Red Sky” (2021) star Kwak will play Japanese journalist Matsuda Ryuhei, who accompanies Chae So-yeon (Jo Yoon-seo), a TV producer who specializes in investigating pseudo-religions. “Three Evil Islands” (working title) tells the story of the investigative reporting tea

FilmMarch 9, 2023

‘Physical: 100’ creators deny manipulation in final match

The production team of the Netflix show “Physical: 100” disclosed the original video recordings of the show's final match and emphasized that “there was no manipulation of the results.” The reality survival program, which aimed to find the fittest among 100 contestants, crowned CrossFit athlete and snowboarder Woo Jin-yong as the winner after the final “rope pulling” match against Olympic cyclist Jung Hae-min on Feb. 21. However, controversy arose when ru

TelevisionMarch 9, 2023

[Photo News] When is peak cherry blossom season?

The peak season for cherry blossoms is forecast to reach Seoul in the third week of April after starting in the southernmost province of Jeju on April 1. According to the Korean Forest Service, Mulhyanggi Arboretum and Mount Suri, 20-40 kilometers south from Seoul, will see the peak on April. 11, while the Korea National Arboretum in northern Gyeonggi Province will reach the peak on April 18. The forest authority issued the cherry blossom forecast on March 3, indicating the dates when more than

TravelMarch 9, 2023

Rachmaninoff gets spotlight to mark 150th anniversary of his birth

Sergei Rachmaninoff's music holds a special place in the hearts of many Koreans, with his Piano Concerto No. 2 consistently ranking among the top five classical music pieces in surveys conducted by KBS Classic FM in 1982, 2009, 2016 and 2021. The Piano Concerto No. 3 has become more familiar for Korean audiences after Korean pianist Lim Yun-chan's captivating performance during the final of the 2022 Van Cliburn International Competition. The video of his performance on YouTube has garn

CultureMarch 9, 2023

Ahn Jong-yuen explores 'art of light' at show held by Herald Auction, ArtToken

The solo exhibition of installation artist Ahn Jong-yuen, who has explored -- and played with -- light throughout her artistic career opens Wednesday at Summit Gallery in southern Seoul. The exhibition titled, “Skywalk, Lightwalker: Time for Walking the Sky and Light,” is jointly organized by Herald Auction and ArtToken, and will run through March 15. Ahn has been dubbed an “artist of light” for her works that use LED lighting and media art inspired by light. Born in 1952

Arts & DesignMarch 9, 2023

Alliance for Protection of Videogram to fight against pirate content sites

Major South Korean broadcasters, KBS, MBC, JTBC, and the Korean Copyright Commission have joined forces with the production company Studio LuluLala (SLL) and the video streaming platforms Wavve and Tving to launch an alliance to stop the illegal act of digital piracy, on Wednesday. Collaborating with the world’s leading content protection coalition, the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, the Alliance for Protection of Videogram plans to take strict measures against any issues in re

TelevisionMarch 8, 2023

Exhibitions on Korean dreams of wealth, education point to uneasy future

South Korea, today famous for its K-pop culture, had a different reputation only a few decades ago, as a country that achieved rapid economic growth through the tireless work of its people. Emerging from the depths of war-induced poverty, Koreans had a deep-rooted thirst for higher education. This thirst not only resulted in accomplishments like Korea's students ranking among the top three countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in computer-based problem-sol

CultureMarch 8, 2023

Jongmyo Jeryeak to be performed nationwide and in Hungary, Poland

The National Gugak Center is scheduled to go on a nationwide tour to perform Jongmyo Jeryeak, which is royal ancestral ritual music featured at Jongmyo Shrine. The tour will be followed by an overseas tour later in the year. The tour will start at Sejong Art Center in Yeongi-gun, Sejong City on Saturday. It will then be performed at Yeak-dang in the National Gugak Center in Seoul from June 14-16, followed by performances at the Daejeon Municipal Yeonjeong Korean Traditional Music Center on July

CultureMarch 8, 2023

‘Suzume’ director says he was inspired by 2016 drama ‘Guardian: The Lonely and Great God’

Japanese director Makoto Shinkai of the latest adventure animation film “Suzume,” which references the 2011 Tohoku earthquake that took nearly 20,000 lives and left much devastation, said the key motif of a magical door that a protagonist tries to close to stop the disaster was inspired by the 2016 hit South Korean drama “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.” “When I watched ‘Guardian,’ it was impressive that the characters use a concept of door to move a

FilmMarch 8, 2023

‘Penthouse’ star Lee Ji-ah returns with another vengeful woman story

Lee Ji-ah is returning to the small screen in the action-packed revenge series “Pandora: Beneath the Paradise.” The 16-part mystery-action thriller revolves around ordinary housewife Hong Tae-ra (Lee), who is living her dream life. The story develops as Tae-ra’s long-forgotten, heartbreaking memories come back to her, leading her to plot all-out revenge against those responsible. The 44-year-old actor explained that her character was raised to become a professional killer. Port

TelevisionMarch 8, 2023

[Herald Interview] Jung Jae-il: Breaking barriers beyond international success

Music director, composer and instrumentalist Jung Jae-il gained international recognition with his musical work for critically acclaimed films and TV dramas such as “Okja” (2017), “Parasite” (2019) and “Squid Game" (2021). In Korea, the 41-year-old has been making his mark on the industry for 25 years since his debut at 17. Jung is currently working with movie director Bong Joon-ho for his next film ‘Mickey 17.’ He recently had the opportunity to wo

PerformanceMarch 8, 2023

Artist Jung Yeon-doo chosen for MMCA Hyundai Motor Series 2023

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea has selected Jung Yeon-doo as the artist featured in its MMCA Hyundai Motor Series 2023, in recognition of his art that hovers between reality and illusion and casts a critical look on various social issues. Jung has explored various artistic media, including photographs, performances and installations, creating art that provokes curiosity about the relationship between reality and illusion. His “DMZ Theater” shown at MMCA

Arts & DesignMarch 8, 2023