[Well-curated] Jinro Toad store, Andre Brasilier art show and Danish-style sing-along for weekend

A feast for the eyes Lovers of Jinro soju and its Jinro Toad mascots will descend onto the streets of Seoul’s bustling Gangnam neighborhood. Just a two-minute walk from Gangnam Station Exit No. 11, you can see the sky blue and pink Dookkeop Arcade pop-up store. Many people flock to distiller HiteJinro’s megasized iconic mascots -- blue and pink Jinro Toads -- at the store’s entrance. After a quick ID check to verify visitors are of the legal drinking age, guests can freely brow

CultureFeb. 24, 2023

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Park Hyatt Hotels present ‘Suite Escape’ package Park Hyatt Seoul and Park Hyatt Busan present "Suite Escape," offering romantic staycations for couples until March 31. The package includes the standard benefits of one night at the Park Hyatt's suite room, a hotel dinner in the evening, and breakfast for two to begin the day. Park Hyatt's own welcome amenities are provided for all package guests. World of Hyatt members will receive the additional benefit of chocol

FoodFeb. 24, 2023

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Hueree Maehwa Festival, Jeju The Hueree Maehwa Festival, which kicks off Friday, runs through March 24 at Hueree Natural Park on Jeju Island. Maehwa is plum blossom in Korean. The park, near Mount Halla, offers a chance to stroll, relax and enjoy the early spring. The annual festival highlights Jeju Island’s splendid scenery and its beautiful plum blossoms, among many other flowers blooming in the spring season, offering multiple photo zones for families and friends to take memorable pictu

TravelFeb. 24, 2023

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” (US) Opened Feb. 15 Action Directed by Peyton Reed In this sequel to "Ant-Man" (2015) and "Ant-Man and the Wasp" (2018) and the 31st film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Ant-Man and the Wasp explore the Quantum Realm and interact with strange new creatures. “The Amazing Maurice” (US) Opened Feb. 15 Comedy/Family Directed by Toby Genkel An animated comedy based on Terry Pratchett’s semi-parodic children&rs

FilmFeb. 24, 2023

Changgeuk adaptation of 'Jeong-nyeon' offers what only live theater can

The National Changgeuk Company of Korea kicks off the 2023 season with a changgeuk adaptation of the hit webtoon series “Jeong-nyeon” from March 17 to March 29 at Daloreum Theater, the National Theater of Korea in Seoul. Based on the webtoon of the same title by Seo Ireh and Namon, the changgeuk follows Jeong-nyeon, a young actor-singer in the making who dreams of becoming the best "gukgeuk" performer in the the heyday of the performing art form in the 1950s. Gukgeuk, or &q

PerformanceFeb. 23, 2023

Hwang Dal-sung barely maintains grasp on Galleries Association of Korea by one vote

Hwang Dal-sung, president of Keumsan Gallery, was reelected as president of the Galleries Association of Korea on Thursday, renewing his position for another two years, defeating rival candidate Do Hyung-teh, president of Gallery Hyundai, by only one vote, according to the association. The two-way election, conducted Thursday afternoon at the Westin Josun Seoul, turned out to be so competitive that Hwang barely maintained his position, earning 69 votes against Doh's 68. The association re

Arts & DesignFeb. 23, 2023

Song Joong-ki dismisses rumors surrounding his wife

Actor Song Joong-ki, 37, said most of the rumors surrounding his wife are wrong and that he was “angry” about the snowballing gossip concerning his family. In a recent interview with GQ Korea, Song said all the rumors circulating online, except the school from which she graduated, were wrong. On Jan. 30, Song revealed that he had registered his marriage with Katy Louise Saunders on that day and that they were expecting a baby. He did not mention when the baby is due. “At firs

FilmFeb. 23, 2023

Seoul to create W1tr fund for content industry by 2024

South Korea’s content trade surplus reached $11.25 billion in 2021 and figures indicate that the sector has become a core service export. To maintain the momentum of the sector’s growth, which grew at an annual average of 9 percent from 2017-2021, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism unveiled a plan to achieve 137 trillion won ($106 billion) in exports of content by 2027, up from $12.4 billion in 2021. This goal will be achieved by supporting the overseas expansion of small an

CultureFeb. 23, 2023

[Newsmaker] Handwritten English translation of Feb. 8 Declaration of Independence found after 104 years

A handwritten English version of the Feb. 8 Declaration of Independence, which triggered subsequent independence movements in Korea and abroad, has been discovered after 104 years, the Independence Hall of Korea said Thursday. The handwritten copy was found during an analysis of research materials which were borrowed from the Korean National Association Memorial Foundation in Los Angeles in 2019, the state run institution said. The Feb. 8 Independence Declaration was issued by some 600 Korean

CultureFeb. 23, 2023

Global Biz Forum discusses economic slowdown

The Korea Herald’s Global Biz Forum held its second-week session Wednesday to shed light on South Korea’s status and role amid growing fears of a global economic slowdown. The Global Biz Forum is a platform that brings together CEOs, industry experts and diplomats here to explore diverse topics and share their knowledge and insight for new opportunities. The week’s special guests and speakers included Maria Castillo-Fernandez, ambassador of the European Union to South Korea, Le

PeopleFeb. 23, 2023

Jeon Jong-seo’s Hollywood debut film ‘Mona Lisa and Blood Moon’ to open in March

New Hollywood thriller “Mona Lisa and Blood Moon” starring actor Jeon Jong-seo will hit local theaters on March 22. It is the Hollywood debut for the 28-year-old actor, who made her silver screen debut in award-winning director Lee Chang-dong’s thriller “Burning” (2018). Most recently, she appeared as Tokyo in Netflix series “Money Heist: Korea -- Joint Economic Area” (2022). This thriller fantasy film revolves around Bonnie Hunt (Kate Hudson), a single

FilmFeb. 23, 2023

Artist Lee Hae-eun creates handcrafted works with traditional Korean paper

Artist Lee Hae-eun has produced a variety of bags and shoes using "hanji," traditional Korean paper made from mulberry bark. Delving into the world of traditional paper, she quickly learned how unique hanji is compared to paper from other Asian countries. “Hanji is durable, preservable and has good ventilation compared to ‘hwaji,’ Japanese mulberry paper or ‘seonji,’ Chinese mulberry paper, which have their own characteristics,” Lee said at a forum o

Arts & DesignFeb. 22, 2023

Park Hae-soo returns to theater as Mephisto in 'Faust'

Actor Park Hae-soo is returning to the theater stage after sweeping the globe in Netflix’s “Squid Game,” “Money Heist” and “Narco-Saints.” Park plays Mephistopheles, or Mephisto the devil, in Goethe’s tragic play “Faust” slated to run at LG Arts Center Seoul, from March 31 to April 29. Before his fame in film and television after making a breakthrough performance in tvN’s “Prison Playbook,” Park had been a prolific sta

PerformanceFeb. 22, 2023

BTS' V interns as a cook in cutthroat ‘Jinny’s Kitchen'

Cable channel tvN’s smash-hit cooking and travel show “Youn’s Kitchen” is set to return with the spinoff series “Jinny’s Kitchen.” “I am at that age where I should become a boss and run my own business. I felt happy doing whatever I wanted,” actor Lee Seo-jin, the new CEO of the Korean street food restaurant featured the show, said in an online press conference Wednesday. Lee has worked alongside the Oscar-winning actor Youn Yuh-jung in &ld

TelevisionFeb. 22, 2023

World-renowned musicians debut experimental opera in Korea

International chamber ensemble Sejong Soloists will join hands with Joyce DiDonato, one of the world's most celebrated opera singers, to perform the Asian premiere of Tod Machover’s “Overstory Overture” in Seoul on March 16. “Overstory Overture” is inspired by the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Overstory” by Richard Powers, which explores the relationship between humans and nature. Machover, known for his innovative approach to music, said in a r

PerformanceFeb. 22, 2023

More terrestrial talent hops over to streaming

After breaking the boundary between films and TV shows by releasing multiple episodes of drama series at once, video streaming services are bringing about yet another change in the South Korean media environment: content creators working across different platforms. When terrestrial broadcaster MBC’s star director Kim Tae-ho, 47, made his Netflix debut with “The Hungry and the Hairy” in 2021, Kim's fans, industry insiders and experts felt that would be a one-time thing, as

TelevisionFeb. 22, 2023

Koo Kyo-hwan to take on first-ever lead role in SF film ‘Looking for King’

“D.P” star Koo Kyo-hwan will take on his first-ever lead role in the upcoming sci-fi film “Looking for King” (working title), directed by Won Shin-yun of “The Battle: Roar to Victory” (2019). “Looking for King,” set in the 1980s, revolves around an Army surgeon Do-jin (Koo) who encounters an unexpected guest at a town called Punch Bowl, located inside the demilitarized zone. Along with Koo, actor Yoo Jae-myung will star as a righteous town reside

FilmFeb. 22, 2023

[Herald Interview] Two Korea’s Demilitarized Zone unfolds at Google Arts & Culture

Soon after regaining its sovereignty following 35 years of Japanese colonial rule, Korea was faced with yet another tragedy – a war between the two Koreas in 1950. The war, which broke out as North Korea invaded the South, came to a halt with the Armistice Agreement signed on July 27, 1953. The cease-fire included a 238-kilometer-long military demarcation line with a 2-kilometer-wide buffer zone on each side along the entire length, known as the Demilitarized Zone. The DMZ remains intact,

Arts & DesignFeb. 22, 2023

NTCK starts new season with ‘Manseon’

The National Theater Company of Korea starts the 2023 season with realism drama “Manseon: The Yearning of a Fisherman” in March. The acclaimed play of depth and energy is slated to run at Myeongdong Theater from March 16 to April 9. Set in a small village on the southern coast, a fisherman named Gomchi harbors dreams of making a fortune with a boatload of fish -- white croakers specifically. However, he becomes penniless when the ship owner charges him extortionate rates of interest

PerformanceFeb. 21, 2023

[Herald interview] 'Architecture is meant to be the stage, not the play'

ATHENS, Greece -- Entering the massive National Archaeological Museum in Athens, Greece, is like stepping into a temple – one passes through a large green plaza and walks up the marble steps with the building looming large above you. The golden Mask of Agamemnon takes pride of place, displayed in the first upright glass case that one sees upon entering the museum. From then on, it is a walk through a textbook of Greek antiquity, hall after hall lined with marble statues of gods and goddess

CultureFeb. 21, 2023