[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Hansan Ramie Fabric Cultural Festival The Hansan Ramie Fabric Cultural Festival will be held from Friday to Sunday at Hansan Mosi Museum and Hansan Traditional Market in Seocheon, South Chungcheong Province. The event seeks to continue the tradition of weaving Hansan ramie fabric, known as “mosi” in Korean, which is listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The festival offers an opportunity to experience weaving traditional Korean natural fibers and trying on m

TravelJune 10, 2022

[Eye interview] Food as the great connector

A young woman, born to a Korean mother and white father, stands in a Korean supermarket chain crying as she looks at the side dishes on display that her late mother used to make for her. It’s the scene that opens Michelle Zauner’s bestselling memoir, “Crying in H Mart,” and one that many Korean Americans will have no difficulty imagining. For Zauner, food formed an unbreakable bond between her and her mother. Her mother made Korean dishes for her Korean-born daughter wh

BooksJune 10, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Broker (Korea) Opened June 8 Drama Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda So-young (IU) leaves her child in a baby box in front of a church. Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho) and Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won) secretly steal the baby to sell him to a family who cannot legally adopt. So-young returns to the church the next day to retrieve the baby and finds out that Sang-hyun and Dong-soo have taken the child. Soon, So-young and the two men agree to look for the right parents for the baby together. After Yang (Ko

FilmJune 10, 2022

Seoul Arts Center revives forgotten Korean music genre

Yoo In-taek, head of the Seoul Arts Center, sees the potential of “gagok” -- a genre of Korean vocal music with poetry -- as many feel nostalgic for the nearly forgotten genre of music in South Korea. “We have a 100-year history of gagok, which may be remembered by the older generations. Some 15 million people from the older generations have nostalgia about gagok they used to learn in class and hear in their childhood. We are planning for performances of gagok targeting tho

CultureJune 9, 2022

[From the Scene] BCM 2022 poised to raise Busan’s reputation as S. Korea’s cultural city

BUSAN -- The home of Busan International Film Festival, Korea’s first international film festival, is hoping to cement its position as the country’s top cultural city with the opening of Busan Content Market 2022. Returning as an offline event for the first time in three years, BCM 2022 showcases Korean content to the global market. The event will also explore the rising popularity of the metaverse, artificial reality, high-tech media-based convergence and many other things includi

CultureJune 9, 2022

[Video] Meet the son of Parasite director Bong Joon-ho, Korea's up-and-coming filmmaker Hyomin

“I don’t know why I was kind of mean to my dad,” says Bong Hyo-min, recalling his childhood. Growing up under two filmmakers, film has always been part of his life. But it wasn’t until he became a director himself that he started understanding his dad, Bong Joon-ho, a little more. Now a rising director himself, working under the mononym Hyomin, he is on his journey to discovering how he can make an impact through his film and creativity. Check out Hyomin’s first

FilmJune 9, 2022

[Herald Interview] I will not perform overseas: Cannes-winning actor Song Kang-ho

After appearing in Oscar-winning “Parasite” (2019), as well as becoming the first Korean to win best actor award at the 75th Cannes Film Festival for his role in “Broker” (2022) in May, Song Kang-ho is now at the center of global attention. Song, however, said he does not have any plans to do projects overseas, adding that he decided to perform in “Broker” because it is being produced in his home country. “After ‘Parasite’ I got lots of o

FilmJune 9, 2022

[Herald Interview] Illusionist Lee Eun-gyeol explores new possibilities of magic

With his eye-catching gestures, comical facial expressions and mischievous voices, illusionist Lee Eun-gyeol turned even a small studio into a grand stage for his stage performances. “Which version of Lee Eun-gyeol do you want to see today? I don’t think the performer from MBC is available today,” Lee playfully told The Korea Herald during a recent interview. The zany persona that made him so well-loved on MBC’s “My Little Television” might have been absen

PeopleJune 8, 2022

[Herald Interview] Bae Doo-na regrets not taking part in Cannes

Korean actor Bae Doo-na, 42, expressed regret over not being able to take part in promotional events for “Broker,” as she is currently filming Zack Snyder’s new sci-fi saga for Netflix, “Rebel Moon,” during an interview with local reporters via Zoom on Wednesday. Bae also could not be present at the 75th Cannes Film Festival where Song won the award for best actor for his role in “Broker.” “It is too bad that I could not make it to Cannes this

FilmJune 8, 2022

[Herald Interview] Actor Gang Dong-won wants to see more ‘touching’ films succeed

Actor Gang Dong-won was skeptical at first as to whether the sentiment that flows in the heartwarming film “Broker” would come across well to Western audiences, although the film touches on the universal subject of abandoned children. “I was surprised to see audiences at Cannes Film Festival crying while watching the movie. I was relieved that the film received recognition,” the veteran actor said Wednesday during the interview held in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul. G

FilmJune 8, 2022

[Herald Interview] Why Lee Ji-eun agonized over single mother role in ‘Broker’

When singer-actress Lee Ji-eun played single mother So-young in “Broker,” she constantly thought about a special viewer she has known since filming at an orphanage when she was a teenager. “I met many children there, but there is a friend who is especially close to me. I had to think if any line or acting in the film could hurt that friend’s feelings,“ Lee said during a press interview Tuesday at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul. Some trepidation remain

FilmJune 8, 2022

Who is Son Suk-ku?

Son Suk-ku, the South Korean actor who rose to instant fame with his performance in “My Liberation Notes,” has interesting stories to tell, not just in fiction, but also in real life. While many fans may be drawn to the wild, rebellious spirit he has shown in recent performances, the actor was “morbidly shy” during his teenage years, according to his own words. This was one of the reasons he moved to the United States as a middle school student. “My father was

TelevisionJune 8, 2022

Director Park Hoon-jung’s ‘The Witch’ universe expands with sequel

Director Park Hoon-jung’s “The Witch” universe is expanding further with new characters, upgraded special powers and storyline in “The Witch: Part 2. The Other One.” Park’s “The Witch”, released in 2018, features the story of a seemingly ordinary girl named Ja-yoon (Kim Da-mi) who wins top prize on a TV audition program. After her victory, a series of unusual people enter Ja-yoon’s life, including the mysterious scientist, Dr. Baek. The s

FilmJune 8, 2022

‘Yumi’s Cells’ makes confident return

Armed with smile-inducing characters and their heart-pounding romance, the second season of Tving’s “Yumi’s Cells” is set to mesmerize drama fans once again with a combination of live action and animated scenes. “Though our drama series has many charms to attract viewers’ attention, the cute, lovely cells are what make ‘Yumi’s Cells’ special. I am certain that fans will fall in love with the old and new cells making their appearance in our

TelevisionJune 8, 2022

The strange appeal of Son Suk-ku

Son Suk-ku has never been hotter. After mesmerizing viewers as the mysterious Mr. Gu in JTBC’s hit drama “My Liberation Notes,” the 39-year-old actor plays a ruthless villain who kidnaps and kills tourists for ransom in Vietnam in the film “The Roundup,” the biggest box office hit since the pandemic hit South Korea. Before “My Liberation Notes,” the last episode of which aired on May 31, Son was little known. He did some acting in stage productions

TelevisionJune 8, 2022

No Brain returns with first all-English EP ‘Big Mistake’ after 8-year hiatus

Legendary punk rock band No Brain returned with its long-awaited first all-English EP “Big Mistake” on Wednesday. The album was made in 2014 in the US, but it took about eight years to finally hit online music streaming platforms due to copyright and contract issues in the US, according to the band’s agency Roxta Muzik & Live. The five-track album starts with lead track “Uh-huh,” with rhythmical drum beats that build into heavy guitar riffs blended with the

PerformanceJune 8, 2022

No wedding photos, watermelons, soup: New Cheong Wa Dae visitors’ guidelines

A month on from the opening of Cheong Wa Dae to the public, guidelines for visits and use of the Blue House compound was issued Tuesday by a special team under the Cultural Heritage Administration, spelling out activities that are banned on the former presidential grounds. Foods that generate large amount of wastes, such as melons, and soups, including cups of instant noodles, cannot be brought inside. Visitors who damage or harm facilities, cultural properties, animals, plants or other things

CultureJune 8, 2022

[Korea Quiz] (6) Noble bloodlines...of everyone, apparently

Test your knowledge of Korea with our weekly quiz on the language, culture, history or anything K-related. Answer: c Like in other countries, there are family names in Korea that can be traced back to royal lineages or aristocrats, known as “yangban,” during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). For example, a person with the last name Kim originating from Gimhae is part of the Gimhae Kim clan. This person can theoretically be descended from the bloodline of the ancient Geumgwan Gaya

CultureJune 8, 2022

[Herald Interview] Meet two forces of Aida: producer Tracey Corea and actor Jeon Na-young

  Associate director and choreographer of the musical “Aida” Tracey Corea and actor Jeon Na-young may be separated by a few decades in age, but their love for the Disney production bridges that gap. One takes the stage as Aida, the leading protagonist, while the other shines behind the scenes as the musical’s producer. Corea was part of the original team responsible for the birth of the musical when it first appeared on Broadway in 2000. Starting out as a choreographer in

PerformanceJune 8, 2022

Seoul Independent Film Festival to introduce movies in Spain, Hong Kong

Seoul Independent Film Festival will take part in film screening events to introduce Korean independent movies in Spain and Hong Kong. The SIFF will introduce selected independent Korean films at Korea Fest BCN 2022, held at Cinemes Boliche in Barcelona, Spain for five days from June 15 to 19. There will be an Indie Seoul section during the film festival in Spain, which will screen five selected works among films that were screened at the SIFF, including “Fighter,” directed by J

FilmJune 7, 2022