[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul offers festive menu for Christmas Flavors, the luxury buffet dining destination at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul, greets the Christmas and New Year season with a special festive menu. The buffet features diverse dishes from Korea, China, Japan, India and around the world, as well a selection of traditional Christmas cakes and desserts. Seven live buffet stations serve piping hot oven-roast turkey, a variety of grilled lobster, crab and meat dishes cooked to order, and seafood d

FoodDec. 16, 2022

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Suseong Light Art Festival, Daegu The fourth edition of the Suseong Light Art Festival started Dec. 9 and runs through Jan. 2, 2023 at Suseongmot Lake in Daegu. Ranging from a school project created by Light Art School students from 5 to 19 years old to works from professional artists, the festival is set to display various creations to entertain visitors. A total of 300 light-bearing drones will present a light art show and hands-on activities for the tourists of all ages will be prepared as we

TravelDec. 16, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Prey for the Devil (US) Opened Dec. 7 Mystery Directed by Daniel Stamm With a global rise in demonic possessions, the Roman Catholic Church decides to reopen schools to train priests to perform exorcisms. While nuns are not allowed to perform this ritual, Sister Ann’s gifts are noticed by a professor who decides to train her. Sister Ann soon finds herself in a battle for the soul of a young girl possessed by a demon. Even If This Love Disappears Tonight (Japan) Opened Nov. 30 Romance D

FilmDec. 16, 2022

[Graphic News] Workforce of tour agencies nearly halves over 3 years on pandemic

　The workforce of major South Korean travel agencies has nearly halved over the past three years due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the number of tour firms also plummeting, industry data showed. 　The headcount of industry leader Hana Tour came to 1,204 as of the end of September this year, down 52.3 percent from three years earlier, according to the data from the Financial Supervisory Service. 　Smaller industry players were also forced to furlough their employees or cut jobs in the wake o

TravelDec. 16, 2022

Two Korean winners of Queen Elisabeth Competition to perform in Belgium

Two Korean winners of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition will perform a special recital in Belgium on Saturday. Violinist Lim Ji-young, winner of the competition in 2015, and cellist Choi Ha-young, this year's winner, will take the stage at Queen Elisabeth Hall in Antwerp, Belgium, according to the Korean Cultural Center in Brussels. Both took the highest honors at one of the most prestigious competitions for up-and-coming classical musicians. Held in Brussels, it alternates each y

PerformanceDec. 15, 2022

Best Restaurants in Gangnam, Seoul

This information is provided by CATCH TABLE. -- Ed. 1. Restaurant Allen Welcome to Restaurant Allen! It is a French fine dining restaurant with great wine pairings. Meal courses consist of dishes that are well-balanced overall and delicately designed platings. Lettering services with desserts are available if you visit on anniversaries. Reservations can be made for Restaurant Allen via CATCH TABLE. 2. PERIGEE One of the best pasta places in Seoul. All dishes are made with sincerity that ma

FoodDec. 15, 2022

'Decision to Leave' nominated for Critics Choice Awards

Park Chan-wook's romance thriller "Decision to Leave" has been nominated for best foreign film for this year's Critics Choice Awards. According to the nominations announced by the Critics Choice Association on Wednesday (U.S. time), the Korean film starring Park Hae-il and Tang Wei was listed in the best foreign language film category, along with five other movies. "Decision to Leave" has also been named the best non-English language film at the Golden Globe Awards

FilmDec. 15, 2022

‘Oldboy’ star Choi Min-sik says he missed TV dramas

Top movie star Choi Min-sik did not hide his excitement at his return after 25 years to the small screen in Disney+ noir series “Big Bet.” His last television drama was MBC’s “Love and Farewell” (1997-1998). “I decided to star in ‘Big Bet’ because I really missed TV dramas,” Choi said in a press conference at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul on Wednesday. The veteran actor explained he wanted the opportunity to work on a project featurin

TelevisionDec. 14, 2022

KTO sets eyes on 30 million international tourists by 2027

The Korea Tourism Organization seeks to attract 30 million foreign tourists by 2027. The tourism organization proposes to achieve the number through digital tourism platform services and K-content storytelling tour programs. The most recent target figure of 20 million in 2020 could not be met due to the pandemic. "Korea’s tourism has suffered tremendously due to the pandemic and I view it as only half recovered at this point," Kim Jang-sil, president of the Korea Tourism Organi

CultureDec. 14, 2022

[Herald Interview] Street dance meets classical music

Dancer and choreographer Lip J, who rose to stardom in Mnet’s dance survival show “Street Woman Fighter” last year will perform a special collaboration with an orchestra. Lip J will show off a waacking dance performance of Sarasate’s “Zigeunerweisen” by violinist Cho Jin-joo and Hankyung arte Philharmonic at a year-end concert held at the Lotte Concert Hall in Songpa-gu, southern Seoul, on Dec. 31. “It will be a performance where the beauty of music is e

CultureDec. 14, 2022

Independent female leads: Key to success for TV dramas in 2022

Female characters, who were once limited to men’s sidekicks, lovers or mothers in TV series, are making a splash with powerful women leading this year’s Korean drama trend. As more Korean actresses tried to break the country’s stereotype of women -- as needing men’s protection and help -- diversity in female characters is no longer new in Korean dramas. While many attempts were made to put women in central roles, no noticeable results had been seen since MBC’s perio

TelevisionDec. 14, 2022

Koreans looking to recharge head to Vietnam

With one out of every four travelers to Vietnam this year hailing from Korea, Koreans are expected to play a central role in the revitalization of Vietnam's tourism industry. Some 2.95 million foreign travelers visited Vietnam this year through November, with South Koreans accounting for 760,000, followed by Americans (266,087) and Cambodians (172,475), based on data from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam. One factor in the large number of Koreans heading to Vietnam is a new tourism

TravelDec. 14, 2022

Korean cinema sees more blood, guts and gore

Crime action film “The Roundup” was the biggest box office hit of 2022 in South Korea, selling over 10 million tickets in just 25 days after its release in May. Starring Ma Dong-seok, the sequel to 2017 film “The Outlaws” was rated 15, which means it was deemed suitable for audiences aged 15 and older. Children under 15 are allowed to watch these movies in theaters as long as they are accompanied by a parent or guardian. A few minutes into the film, however, the main vill

FilmDec. 14, 2022

[Herald Interview] Nah Youn-sun presents her own 'Waking World'

Jazz vocalist Nah Youn-sun spent her first ever free year feeling anxious. As the pandemic persisted with no end in sight, the situation understandably became very daunting for a performer who hit the stage at least 100 times a year. Considering her new circumstances, she thought she might have to find a new occupation. “I felt isolated on an island, especially since the musicians I had worked with in the past 10 years were all foreigners. I was contemplating whether I should change jobs a

PerformanceDec. 13, 2022

[Herald Interview] Overseas heritage foundation head stresses need for consistent support after heritage return

Three months into her term as the chair of the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, Kim Jung-hee, 65, seeks to foster interest in repatriated Korean cultural heritage as well as those overseas. "When I was young, overseas cultural heritage was thought of as 'our properties' that had been plundered during Japanese invasions and by other countries who took advantage of our diplomatic vulnerability," said Kim in an interview with The Korea Herald at the foundation

CultureDec. 13, 2022

Four world classics translated into Korean for 1st time

Four foreign literary works that have not made the jump to Korean due to difficulty in translation or lack of commercial interest have been selected for the 2022 Translation of World Classics. The Daesan Foundation announced Monday four novels to be translated and introduced for the first time in the country. The selected novels were: “Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life” (1848) by Elizabeth Gaskell, “The Forty Days of Musa Dagh” (1933) by Franz Werfel, “Reeds in

BooksDec. 13, 2022

[Herald Interview] Kim Hye-jun has more to show to ‘Connect’ fans

Actor Kim Hye-jun shared the combination of excitement and regret she felt after starring in Disney+’s fantasy-thriller series “Connect.” “I am certain that I have put my utmost effort into every project that I take part in. But I always recognize what could be improved after monitoring the finished work. It was the same for ‘Connect’ as well,” Kim said in an interview with reporters at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul, Monday. Kim emphasized ther

TelevisionDec. 13, 2022

[Herald Review] Musical ‘Hero’ moves to big screen with heart-touching drama, famous tracks

The short, but dramatic life of Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun (1879-1910) has been adopted into various novels and musicals, but the musical “Hero” has been the best-known adaptation with veteran actor Jung Sung-hwa playing Ahn on stage for 14 years since its premiere in 2009. When megahit film director Youn Je-kyoon watched Jung performing on stage in 2012, it became obvious for Youn to bring the award-winning musical to the big screen. “If I were to create a film

FilmDec. 13, 2022

167-year-old orchestra with young masters at the fore to perform in Korea

A 167-year-old historic French orchestra is set to perform in Korea this month with two young music masters at the fore. The Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra, based in Strasbourg -- a French city on the border with on Germany -- will perform a repertoire that shows the musical connection between France and Russia, its music director Aziz Shokhakimov told reporters on Thursday. The orchestra will perform Bizet’s Carmen Suite No.1, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.2 and Mussorgsky&rsqu

CultureDec. 13, 2022

Which 'Nutcracker' to see this Christmas season?

The iconic ballet “The Nutcracker” returns for year-end magic on the stage this month. This year, one of the most beloved and widely performed classical ballets celebrates its 130th anniversary, first premiering at the Mariinsky Theater in Russia in 1892. Based on the children’s story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” (1816) by German writer Ernst Hofmann, the heroine receives a nutcracker as a Christmas gift from her godfather. On Christmas Eve, she falls asleep

PerformanceDec. 12, 2022