Halloween is coming and so are spooky adventures

YONGIN, Gyeonggi Province -- When roaming through the alleys of Itaewon and Hongdae are not enough to quench your thirst for gory adventures this Halloween, Everland Resort’s "Blood City" might just do the trick. The country's largest outdoor theme park Everland, which began its annual Halloween festival in 2010, came up with its own horror adventure zone named the "Blood City" in 2017. With most pandemic restrictions lifted this fall, the park's Halloween fes

CultureOct. 15, 2022

[Visual History of Korea] Innovative visualization of sounds in Hunminjeongeum

Among the many wonders of Korean history is the invention of Hangeul in 1443, which is responsible for Korea's very high literacy rate and the large vocabulary. "I pity my illiterate people who must endure difficulty and injustice because they lack literacy," wrote King Sejong the Great in his introduction to the Hunminjeongeum in 1443. Koreans celebrate the birth of their script on the Hangeul Day holiday on Oct. 9 each year. Before the promulgation of Hangeul, Korean spoken words and

CultureOct. 15, 2022

[Temple to Table] Pounded shiitake mushroom stew

Taking pleasure in cooking, Ven. Kyungwoon calls herself a “food practitioner.” This is because making food the proper Buddhist way with good ingredients and sharing it with many is to practice the Buddha’s teaching that “Food is good medicine.” Its purpose is also to spread the spirit embodied in temple food, based on the belief that “What we eat creates our body and mind.” Eight years ago, Ven. Kyungwoon fell ill when she was about to finish her junior

FoodOct. 15, 2022

LG Arts Center reopens with LSO concert featuring pianist Cho Seong-jin

Moving to western Seoul after 22 years in the affluent Gangnam district, LG Arts Center made a grand reopening on Thursday at its new Magok venue with a special concert by the London Symphony Orchestra, led by Simon Rattle, with Korean pianist Cho Seong-jin. Cho, the first Korean to win first prize at the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2015, took the stage with the maestro and orchestra for the audience who filled the 1,335-seat multipurpose LG Signature Hall to perform Ra

CultureOct. 14, 2022

Veteran band SSaW celebrates 20th anniversary of 'Bravo, My Life!’ with analog release

Veteran fusion rock band SSaW, or Spring Summer Autumn Winter, has revived its masterpiece, “Bravo, My Life!” restoring it into a package comprising an LP and cassette tape. The band’s vocalist and guitarist Kim Jong-jin called the latest release a “reverential analog product.” To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of the band’s seventh full-length album, SSaW held a press conference in Mapo-gu, west of Seoul, Friday. Kim, who is now the only active

PerformanceOct. 14, 2022

‘A Wild Roomer,’ ‘Shivamma’ win New Currents Award at BIFF

The 27th Busan International Film Festival has selected “A Wild Roomer,” directed by Lee Jeong-hong and “Shivamma” directed by Jaishankar Aryar as New Currents Award winners on Friday, announced on the last day of the ten-day long film fest. The New Currents Award is presented to the two best feature films by new Asian directors presenting their first or second feature at the Busan film fest. The two winners each receive $30,000. According to the festival's director H

FilmOct. 14, 2022

[Newsmaker] Netflix to charge W5,500 a month for new ad-supported plan

  Global streaming platform Netflix will introduce a new ad-supported plan in Korea, which will charge its users 5,500 won ($3.85) a month from Nov. 4. Users of the new and cheaper advertising-supported tier will have to watch 15-to-30 second advertisements before and during Netflix content. A total of around four to five minutes long advertisements will be streamed per hour to subscribers, according to Netflix. Some Netflix content will not be available for the new plan’s users

FilmOct. 14, 2022

[Well-curated] Hanok bakery, sound art and old photos take you back in time, space

  If you are either a hanok lover or a dessert maniac, the hanok-themed Hyegyeonggung Bakery is the place to visit as a chill creeps into the air. From fascinating desserts to a large garden where you can go for a light stroll, Hyegyeonggung Bakery has it all to make for a quality weekend. Located in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, some 40 kilometers south of Seoul, the three-story bakery offers unique pastries, muffins, cakes, croissants and more. Taste sweet apple jam and cream cheese in the

TravelOct. 14, 2022

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Sheraton Grand Incheon launches 'Sheraton Pocha' promotion Sheraton Grand Incheon is launching a special promotion with Korean alcoholic beverages at Bb, the hotel's lobby dining bar. Starting Friday, different drink options will be served with various Korean late-night eats, such as savory seafood pancakes and gochujang octopus. Some 28 drink options are available, including traditional Korean cocktails, makgeolli, soju, wine and beer. The promotion runs through Dec. 31 from 6 p.

TravelOct. 14, 2022

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Pocheon Silver Grass Festival The 25th edition of the Pocheon Silver Grass Festival started on Oct. 9 and runs through Oct. 31 at Sanjung Lake and Myeongsungsan in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. The silver grass-filled fields at Myeongsungsan is considered one of the five best silver grass colonies in South Korea. Visitors can take photos that can be printed out on-site, write a letter to be mailed to the recipient after a year or write a message to hang at the fields of silver grass. A flea market

TravelOct. 14, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Orphan: First Kill (US)　 Opened Oct. 12 Horror Directed by William Brent Bell A psychopath (Isabelle Fuhrman) hiding an enormous secret successfully escapes from an Estonian psychiatric facility and travels to America by impersonating Esther, the missing daughter of a wealthy family. Esther’s mom (Julia Stiles) becomes suspicious and she fights "Esther" to protect her family. Life is Beautiful (Korea) Opened Sept. 28 Drama Directed by Choi Kook-hee Housewife Se-yeon (Yum Jung-a

CultureOct. 14, 2022

Seoul opens space dedicated to K-pop dance covers

Dance cover videos, created by fans to imitate idols’ moves on stage and in music videos, have been an essential part of global K-pop fandom culture. On platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, one can easily find short clips where amateur dancers from both here and abroad replicate the choreography with incredible attention to details. These videos are often shot in places such as on the street or in a public park. Recently, one particular locale in Seoul has risen a

CultureOct. 14, 2022

Pride film fest to be held at new venue in Seoul

The 2022 Seoul International Pride Film Festival, which mainly focuses on queer films, will be held from Nov. 3-9 at Megabox Seongsu in Seoul. The Pride film festival, which used to be held at CGV Myeongdong Station Cine Library in Seoul, had to look for a new venue after the operator of the pandemic-hit theater in Myeong-dong suspended business there last year. “Although the CGV Myeongdong started operating again, it was when we had already signed the new deal with Megabox,” SIP

FilmOct. 13, 2022

Nam Joo-hyuk avoids elephant in room during ‘Remember’ press conference

Despite the expectation that rising star Nam Joo-hyuk, 28, would address a series of bullying allegations raised against him, the actor avoided facing the elephant in the room after a press screening of his new film, “Remember,” at CGV Yongsan in Seoul on Wednesday. It was the first offline event that the Korean actor has attended since allegations of his involvement in bullying that occurred in middle and high school, about 10 or more years ago, emerged in June. “It has be

FilmOct. 13, 2022

Mosu, Gaon achieve three Michelin stars

Korean restaurant Gaon by chef Kim Byoung-jin, kept its three Michelin stars, the highest accolade by Michelin, while restaurant Mosu by chef Anh Sung joined the prestigious three-star list this year. The announcements were made as part of the release of Michelin Guide Seoul’s seventh edition Thursday during a ceremony at the Vista Walkerhill Seoul hotel, in eastern Seoul. "I'm very happy for the chefs of Michelin guide 2023 who are being rewarded for their courage, passion and e

FoodOct. 13, 2022

Emerging designers bring fresh ideas to 'Generation Next' shows

Emerging designers in the Korean fashion scene took to the stage on the second day of Seoul Fashion Week held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Taking the theme of “Between," Lim Wu-jun of Iryuk presented a collection that was a mix of the designer's freewheeling creativity and the reality of clients' needs. Lim was the first of seven rookie designers participating in this year’s fashion week in the Generation Next section, where designers with less than seven years of business experi

Arts & DesignOct. 12, 2022

'The Match' starring Lee Byung-hun, Yoo Ah-in mulls skipping theaters for Netflix release

  New drama film “The Match,” which stars big-name actors Lee Byung-hun and Yoo Ah-in as Go players, is considering skipping a theatrical release and going straight to a streaming platform. Netflix on Wednesday said they are in talks with officials of ‘The Match’ concerning its release, but "nothing has been decided yet.” The announcement denies a local news outlet’s report Tuesday that said Netflix and producers of “The Match” had agree

FilmOct. 12, 2022

Designer death on offer in 'Beyond the Memory'

“Beyond the Memory,” an upcoming sci-fi series on local streaming service Tving, seeks to impress viewers with an unprecedented setting named “Yonder.” “I began learning new expressions, thanks to scientific and technological developments. Terms like metaverse and virtual reality are some examples. ‘Yonder’ is a concept that exists in the metaverse, lying between the virtual world and reality,” renowned filmmaker Lee Joon-ik said during an online p

TelevisionOct. 12, 2022

Soon Ent gathers content creators for Everland Halloween event

Global multi-channel network Soon Ent held its "World Creators’ Halloween” event with Everland, South Korea’s largest outdoor amusement park, on Saturday. Around 300 content creators, including WonJung and Kazakhstan influencer Homa, who has 48.3 million and 45.2 million followers on TikTok, respectively, were present during the event. During the event, the creative producers created their own content in places like Halloween-themed photo zones and tuned visitors into the

CultureOct. 12, 2022

Sinpung grandmas say they are never too old for art

YECHEON, North Gyeongsang Province -- The small, private Sinpung Art Museum in Yecheon, North Gyeongsang Province, is filled with the laughter and babbles of visitors breaking the silence in a rural, farming village with a population under 1,500. The village is located about 2 1/2 hour's drive southeast of Seoul, or 1 1/2 hours from Daegu, the largest nearby city. Not many people may be familiar with Sinpung Art Museum now, but it has started to earn some recognition in the last few years f

CultureOct. 12, 2022