[Well-curated] Give in to sweet cravings, sample regional dishes and work it all off in laser survival game

Paju doughnut shop for your fill of sweet treats With its vividly colored container-like building painted in pink and mint and decorated all around, eye-catching neon sign and giant ice cream cone sculpture by the entrance, the Malddong Donut in Paju Gyeonggi Province, is hard to miss. Located some 4-kilometers north of the Paju Book City complex, the store, which opened late last year, has customers waiting in line from the moment it opens at 8:30 a.m. Malddong Donut is a destination bakery, wh

CultureSept. 23, 2022

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Grand Hyatt Seoul's Paris Bar reopens The Paris Bar, a speakeasy bar located downstairs from the Grand Hyatt Seoul lobby, reopens Friday. The bar offers carefully selected French labels, ranging from a wide assortment of French wines and exceptional natural wines to a limited selection of whiskey and cognac. Alongside original French liquors, Ruinart Blanc de Blancs Brut, an exclusive Champagne only available at Hyatt properties in Korea, can be experienced. Cocktails including classic Fren

CultureSept. 23, 2022

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Andong Maskdance Festival If you want to know more about Hahoe masks worn by the cast in Netflix’s crime thriller “Money Heist: Korea -- Joint Economic Area,” the upcoming Andong Mask Dance Festival may interest you. The Andong Mask Dance Festival is set to be held from Sept. 29 to Oct. 3 in areas of downtown Andong, North Gyeongsang Province. The five-day festival features cultural performances, including Korea’s mask dance drama and mask dance performances from foreig

TravelSept. 23, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Project Wolf Hunting (Korea)　 Opened Sept. 21 Crime Directed by Kim Hong-sun A team of Korean police officers are on a mission to bring heinous criminals to South Korea from the Philippines via ship. Looking for an opportunity to escape are Jong-du (Seo In-guk), a cold-blooded killer, and Do-il (Jang Dong-yoon), who has an Interpol red notice on him. Meanwhile, a mysterious presence created in a secret lab onboard puts everyone's lives at risk. Confidential Assignment 2: International (Ko

FilmSept. 23, 2022

[Newsmaker] Has Korean reality TV crossed a line on children's rights?

In a controversial TV moment, KBS2 aired a scene last week that showed a group of minors getting surgical circumcisions. On an episode of the reality show “Mr. House Husband,” which centers on young married couples and their everyday lives, five teenage children of cast members underwent the surgery one by one, with multiple cameras capturing every slight change in their facial expressions. Meanwhile, a surgeon performed the procedure on their lower bodies, which was covered by a sur

TelevisionSept. 22, 2022

Queen of comedies Ra Mi-ran returns with ‘Honest Candidate 2’

Veteran actor Ra Mi-ran expressed her confidence in reprising the role of politician Joo Sang-sook in the sequel to comedy film “Honest Candidate,” during a press conference at Megabox Coex in Seoul Tuesday. “I had to play her (Joo Sang-sook) in the movie again. I thought no other actor would be able to play her better. I also felt responsible,” Ra said. Ra's performance in the first installment won her the best actress award at the 41st Blue Dragon Film Awards in 2021.

FilmSept. 22, 2022

Park Dae-sung's ink-and-wash paintings on show in US

An overseas exhibition on Korea’s ink-and-wash paintings is set to highlight the dramatic yet tranquil power that exists in the medium of ink. “Park Dae-sung: Ink Reimagined” is scheduled to open at the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New Hampshire, from Saturday to March 19, 2023. A total of 23 ink-and-wash painting and calligraphy pieces will be on display, many of which are being shown for the first time in the US. The contemporary Korean ink-and-wash ar

Arts & DesignSept. 22, 2022

Unscripted shows move focus away from comedy

While many terrestrial broadcasters and cable channels have stuck with airing the latest trend -- dating reality shows -- some creators are trying to offer fresh entertainment programs. But many seem to be veering away from the traditional route of presenting hilarious performances and comic moments in unscripted shows. In public broadcaster KBS' 21-part reality show “The Money School” in April, it shines the spotlight on scions of famous South Korean television celebrities an

TelevisionSept. 22, 2022

Free cooking classes for the kimchi-curious

For those unacquainted with Korean cuisine, kimchi can taste and smell a bit strong. But don’t let that first impression scare you off from the amazingly rich, versatile and savory world of kimchi, says Son Jong-won, executive chef of L’Amant Secret, a Michelin-star restaurant at L'Escape Hotel in Seoul. At a cooking demonstration on Tuesday with 20 foreign guests, the chef showcased how the fermented cabbage, which has a varying mix of pungent, sour and spicy tastes, can ta

FoodSept. 22, 2022

[Herald Interview] Kim Ju-hun shares his journey to create ‘Big Mouth’ villain

Walking through the door at a cafe in Nonhyeon-dong, southern Seoul, a slight smile on Kim Ju-hun’s face was more than enough to recall the self-satisfied smirk of his latest character Choi Do-ha, a middle-aged mayor in MBC’s crime thriller “Big Mouth.” Expressing gratitude toward the viewers for enjoying his character, Kim promised that he is not a bad person and shared how fortunate he was to star in the 16-part series. The evil character aside, the memory of workin

TelevisionSept. 22, 2022

Can 'Crash Landing on You' musical repeat success of original TV drama?

The musical version of "Crash Landing On You," based on the 2019 megahit TV series of the same title, was unveiled Friday. The musical features familiar names from both the TV and theater scenes in the iconic lead roles of Ri Jung-hyuk and Yoon Se-ri. Lee Jang-woo, Lee Kyu-hyung and Min Woo-hyuk take the role of Ri, the North Korean officer, while Im Hye-young, Kim Ryeo-won and Na Ha-na portray Yoon, the heiress to a South Korean conglomerate. The actors and the creative team alike s

CultureSept. 21, 2022

Emerging pianist, lifelong Bach specialist and more set to visit Korea this year

Evgeni Koroliov, Alim Beisembayev, Andras Schiff, Francois-Frederic Guy, Igor Levit and Eric Lu. These are pianists who are set to perform in South Korea later this year, offering a wide-ranging repertoire by Bach, Beethoven and Chopin, among others. Russian pianist Evgeni Koroliov, known as a specialist in the Bach keyboard repertoire, will take the stage with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra on Friday for an all-Bach concert. The program consists of Bach Concerto for 3 Harpsichords in D mino

CultureSept. 21, 2022

Seoul Metropolitan Opera to perform Gounod's ‘Romeo and Juliette’

Seoul Metropolitan Opera will stage Charles Gounod’s French opera “Romeo et Juliette” at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul, from Thursday to Sunday. Inspired by Hector Berlioz’s dramatic symphony of the same title, Gounod wrote the opera based on Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet." The opera premiered at Theatre Lyrique in Paris in 1867. The troupe is set to perform the tragic love story of a son and daughter from two rival fam

PerformanceSept. 21, 2022

Korean National Symphony Orchestra embarks on European tour

The Korean National Symphony Orchestra is embarking on a European tour for the first time under its new name. Known as the Korean Symphony Orchestra until March this year, it added "National" to its name to reflect that it is supported by the national budget. The tour will visit three countries in Europe, celebrating the 130th anniversary of the establishment of the Korea-Austria relationship, the 10th anniversary of the foundation of the Korea Culture Center in Poland and newly foun

CultureSept. 21, 2022

Herald Artday, Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation promote young artists

Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation and Herald Artday are hosting “Discoveries 2022,” an exhibition introducing 15 emerging artists, at Summit Gallery in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul. The exhibition shows some 60 works by five artists based in Gyeonggi Province who have been selected by Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation and 10 artists chosen by Herald Artday, a subsidiary of Herald Corp. The five young artists based in Gyeonggi Province are Jung Eun-bin, Jeong Joo-hee, Jo Jung-eun, Choi Jeong-s

Arts & DesignSept. 21, 2022

Pianist Paik Kun-woo's search for musical freedom brings us 'Goyescas'

Pianist Paik Kun-woo saw Alicia de Larrocha performing Granados’ “Goyescas” when he was in New York as a student. That was likely a concert on Dec. 7, 1967, that took place at Carnegie Hall to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Granados. Even now he remembers vividly how deeply impressed he was by the performance and how the music filled the hall with warmth on a chilly night, thinking that he wanted to play it himself someday. That “someday” came half

PerformanceSept. 21, 2022

National Museum of Korea apologizes over Chinese museum exhibition controversy

The National Museum of Korea issued an apology Tuesday evening over the recent controversy surrounding the omission of two ancient Korean kingdoms in a chronology of Korean history at a National Museum of China exhibition in Beijing. "It is our mistake that we trusted the Chinese side (in preparing for the exhibition), and there is no excuse," Yoon Sung-yong, head of the National Museum of Korea, said in a press statement. "As the director of NMK, I will accept any criticism from

CultureSept. 21, 2022

Director Kim Hong-sun returns with spine-chilling 'Project Wolf Hunting’

Not too long after presenting his Netflix series “Money Heist: Korea -- Joint Economic Area,” director Kim Hong-sun is back with a bloody gore film, “Project Wolf Hunting.” “Project Wolf Hunting” opens with Korean police officers on a mission to bring heinous criminals to South Korea from the Philippines via a ship. Looking for an opportunity to escape are Jong-du (Seo In-guk), a cold-blooded killer, and Do-il (Jang Dong-yoon) who has an Interpol red notic

FilmSept. 20, 2022

Tradition, technology meet at Joseon Royal Tombs Festival

Tradition and technology will converge at the 2022 Joseon Royal Tombs Festival, set to kick off Friday. Under the title "New Vision for Joseon Royal Tombs," the third edition of the festival aims to promote the historical significance of the UNESCO-listed royal tombs of the Joseon era, according to the festival’s organizers, the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation. This year's festival will be held across nine royal tomb sites in the g

CultureSept. 20, 2022

[Herald Interview] From music to acting, Yoona sees no boundaries

Starting with JTBC reality show “Soshi Tam Tam” in July, Im Yoona is on a roll with MBC crime thriller “Big Mouth,” a K-pop comeback and the recent release of action film “Confidential Assignment 2.” The 32-year-old actor widely known as Yoona of K-pop girl group Girls’ Generation, did not hide her excitement over the latest success. “I forget how tired I am when the fans’ show their love and support for my works. Many people commented and

TelevisionSept. 20, 2022