[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Goheung Yuza and Pomegranate Festival The Goheung Yuza and Pomegranate Festival started on Nov. 10 and runs through Nov. 13 at areas around Goheung Yuzu Park in Goheung, South Jeolla Province. Visitors can taste the city’s specialty Goheung yuja, a citrus fruit also known as yuzu, at the festival. Hands-on activities, including yuja syrup making, pomegranate juice drinking contest and more, are set to entertain visitors. Stamp tours, trot music concert and yuja quiz shows will be offered t

TravelNov. 11, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Confession (Korea) Opened Oct. 26 Thriller Directed by Yoon Jong-seok Tech company CEO Yoo Min-ho (So Ji-sub) is a suspect in the murder of Kim Se-hee (Nana). To prove his innocence, he meets up with Yang Sin-ae (Kim Yun-jin), a talented lawyer, at a remote hut. There, the lawyer insists that she will only represent him if he trusts her and tells her everything that happened in the hotel room where Se-hee died. Yang says that only then can she construct a credible alibi for him to win the case i

FilmNov. 11, 2022

British auction house Phillips appoints Suh Min-hee as Seoul regional director

British art auction house Phillips recently appointed Suh Min-hee as the new regional director for the Seoul office, which opened in 2018. Founded in 1796 in London, the auction house focuses on contemporary art and design from the 20th and 21st century, and runs offices in New York, London, Geneva, Hong Kong and Seoul. The Seoul office is located in Hannam-dong. The Seoul operation has seen an increase in transactions in recent years with a growing body of new collectors. The Korean market

Arts & DesignNov. 11, 2022

[Eye Interview] Korean American director on why he followed five US politicians of Korean descent

On Thursday morning, Korean news outlets reported that New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim had just become the second Korean American to win a third term in the US House of Representatives. Along with Kim, US Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland, who is of Korean descent, won her reelection bid as the representative of Washington state's 10th District in the US midterm elections. Korean American politicians Young Kim and Michelle Steel, both of California, were in the lead and likely to secure their sea

CultureNov. 10, 2022

Seoul Independent Film Festival to kick off in December

The Seoul Independent Film Festival will be held from Dec. 1 to Dec. 9 at CGV Art House Apgujeong in Seoul, its organizer announced on Wednesday. “This year is our 48th festival. The Seoul Independent Film Festival has a history of providing an opportunity for audiences to meet with young directors, actors and different creators. I hope that (the audiences) are excited about it,” the festival’s director Kim Dong-hyun said at the beginning of a press conference held at the Chu

CultureNov. 10, 2022

[Herald Interview] Director shares hopes, dreams with 'Food Chronicle'

As a documentary director in South Korea, a country where many people believe documentary series are not popular content, Lee Wook-jung had many questions to ask himself. Recognizing the changes in the way the public enjoys and accepts creative content, Lee tried to blend his experience as a veteran director and fresh attempt in presenting his latest project "Food Chronicle," which targets young viewers. "Ninety percent of local content are either drama series or unscripted show

TelevisionNov. 10, 2022

Park Seo-bo first Korean artist to collaborate with Louis Vuitton

  A red painting by Korean contemporary artist Park Seo-bo has been turned into one of Louis Vuitton’s iconic Capucines bags, making Park the first Korean artist to collaborate with the French luxury brand for the Artycapucines collection. Park began the Ecriture series -- also called "Myobop” in Korean -- in the late 1960s working with pencil before creating the color Ecriture series in the 2000s, inspired by a variety of colors found in nature. The red painting, which w

Arts & DesignNov. 10, 2022

Hottest Restaurants in Seoul 2022

1. Gordon Ramsay Burger Gordon Ramsay Burger launched its first restaurant in Asia. The Michelin-starred restaurant serves from classic to premium burgers for those who want to enjoy the burger’s powerful flavor along with french fries and a shake. Reservations can be made for Gordon Ramsay Burger via CATCH TABLE 2. Low and Slow A traditional Texas BBQ for meat lovers. The restaurant has its core customers who enjoy the sizzling visuals and tender taste of the meat served with a feel-g

FoodNov. 10, 2022

[Feature] Called out for cultural insensitivity: Can Korean entertainment finally reform?

When Korean dramas first became popular outside of Korea in the early 2000s -- “Winter Sonata” (2002) and MBC’s “Jewel in the Palace” (2003) are prime examples -- the viewership was mostly Asian. It was at this time that the term hallyu, or Korean Wave, began to be used to describe the popularity of Korean entertainment overseas. While Korean films, such as “Oldboy” (2003), “Train to Busan” (2016) and “Parasite” (2019), have recei

TelevisionNov. 9, 2022

‘Ditto’ presents new image of first love

Instead of the pure and innocent-looking girl with long black hair that is often featured in Korean mainstream media as a first love icon, romance film “Ditto” features a different character. The new image of first love is shown by featuring the story of an amateur first crush of university student Yong, portrayed by former child actor Yeo Jin-goo, 25, alongside Kim Hye-yoon. “Before we started shooting, I also thought of a typical image of someone’s first love -- a pur

CultureNov. 9, 2022

Russian pianist Elisso Virsaladze to perform Mozart and Chopin in Seoul

Elisso Virsaladze, an 80-year-old Russian pianist, is set to bring her favorite Mozart and Chopin pieces to Seoul later this month, according to Kumho Art Hall on Wednesday. On Nov. 24, she will perform Mozart’s Fantasia for Piano in C minor, K. 396, 9 Variations on “Lison dormait” for Piano in C Major, K. 264 and Rondo for Piano No. 3 in A minor, K.511 as well as Chopin’s Waltz for Piano in A minor, B. 150, Op.posth. After the intermission, she will return with Mozart&rs

CultureNov. 9, 2022

[Herald Review] Grammy-winning Jack White’s 1st concert in Korea, rock-fueled blast of music

While the sky in Korea was graced by a mesmerizing total lunar eclipse, the 12-time Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter and guitarist Jack White flooded a Seoul concert hall on Tuesday night with a light haze and shades of blue with rock ‘n’ roll energy. The concert, held at Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul, was part of the American rock musician’s global "Supply Chain Issues Tour” and his first show in the country. Although the event was scheduled late on a weekd

PerformanceNov. 9, 2022

Gucci to fund Gyeongbokgung’s conservation projects for three years

Italian luxury brand Gucci has announced a three-year commitment to supporting the conservation and restoration of the Gyeongbokgung Palace. Gucci President and CEO Marco Bizzarri and Cultural Heritage Administration Administrator Choi Eung-chon signed an agreement Nov. 1 on cooperating on future improvement projects of multiple sites within Gyeongbokgung, said Gucci Korea in a press release issued by its PR agency. "Beauty is a constant source of inspiration for Gucci, but it also needs co

CultureNov. 9, 2022

Pianist Sohn Min-soo to join New England Conservatory

Sohn Min-soo, a professor and pianist, will join his alma mater, the New England Conservatory, as part of its piano faculty starting in fall 2023, the Boston-based music school announced last week. That means he will leave his current post at Korea National University of Arts, known as K-Arts, where the 45-year-old has been teaching pupils since March 2015. One of his students, Lim Yun-chan, at K-Arts became the youngest winner in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition’s history i

CultureNov. 9, 2022

CHA seeks to lower barriers on heritage location development

Developers may soon find obtaining permission to build in historic and cultural conservation areas easier, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration. At the government’s second regulatory reform strategy meeting held Wednesday, the CHA laid out plans to relax regulations concerning developments in areas designated for conservation and give greater authority to local governments in making decisions. Among the measures aimed at improving cultural heritage regulations are relaxing reg

CultureNov. 9, 2022

Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taick recieves archiepiscopal pallium

A ceremony of investiture of a metropolitan archbishop with the pallium, a symbol of a special relationship with the pope, took place on Monday for the first time in South Korea. Peter Chung Soon-taick, the Archbishop of Seoul, received the archiepiscopal pallium from Apostolic Nuncio to South Korea Alfred Xuereb during a mass at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul. The pallium is a symbol of the metropolitan archbishop’s jurisdiction in his own diocese and in the other dioceses of his ecclesi

PeopleNov. 8, 2022

ASEAN Week 2022 highlights beauty of traditional textiles

An annual cultural event exploring the histories and cultures of the ASEAN countries is scheduled to kick off on Thursday, following an opening ceremony Wednesday. This year, ASEAN Week 2022, organized by the ASEAN-Korea Center, is held with the theme of “Ancient Futures -- Treasures of ASEAN Fabric” at Cociety, located in Seongsu-dong, Seoul. Textiles and fabric items from ASEAN member states will be on display at the exhibition, along with introductions to their places of origin as

Arts & DesignNov. 8, 2022

No stunt double for Kim Rae-won in ‘Decibel’

Korean actor Kim Rae-won said he performed all the action scenes in the action thriller film “Decibel” directed by Hwang In-ho, during a press conference held at CGV Yongsan on Monday. “I knew from reading the script that there was going to be diverse action scenes. I talked with the director and we agreed that action scenes including car chases would be performed by a stunt double. But we had the discussion again on the set and I decided to perform the scenes myself to create

FilmNov. 8, 2022

Ryan Reynolds recalls ‘horrible’ memories of ‘Masked Singer’ appearance in Korea

Actor Ryan Reynolds described his experience of appearing in the Korean TV show “The King of Masked Singer” back in 2018 as “being in actual hell,” during a recent interview. Reynolds appeared on NBC's Today show on Monday to promote his upcoming movie “Spirited” with Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer, during which he talked about why he appeared on the Korean show. "Masked Singer," which is still airing on South Korea's MBC TV, has masked c

TelevisionNov. 8, 2022

tvN's ‘Behind Every Star’ shows little-known world of management agents

Depicting the lives of the people behind celebrities, cable channel tvN’s “Behind Every Star” presents celebrity managers' drama-filled lives with their clients, who are real Korean celebrities playing themselves. According to director Paek Seung-lyong, the 12-part series will be a magical TV drama featuring a star-studded stream of cameos, including Cho Yeo-jeong from 2019's Oscar-winning movie “Parasite.” “To make our series more realistic, we tr

TelevisionNov. 8, 2022