They went for the gold, They're now ads' golden ticket

This year's Olympics may be over, but star players continue to appear on TV -- through advertisements. Convenience store chain GS25 launched "Shin Yu-bin's Snack Time" on Wednesday in collaboration with the table tennis player. Shin's viral on-camera moments at the Paris Games famously showed her snacking. OB Beer, an official sponsor of the Paris Olympics, has selected fencing champion Oh Sang-uk, who won gold in both the individual and team saber events, to promote its

TelevisionAug. 21, 2024

Season 2 of 'The Acolyte' reportedly cancelled, following low ratings

Disney+'s original "Star Wars" series "The Acolyte," starring Lee Jung-jae from "Squid Game," will not be renewed for a second season, said US media outlets Wednesday. According to Deadline, a Hollywood entertainment news outlet, Lucasfilm has recently decided to cancel further production of "The Acolyte." Lucasfilm is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios and the producer of the "Star Wars" series. "The Acolyte" had the biggest debu

TelevisionAug. 21, 2024

‘I, the Executioner’ exudes ‘new kind of energy’: director, actors

Ryoo Seung-wan, who directed the 2015 action blockbuster “Veteran,” is returning with sequel “I, the Executioner” this fall. The movie picks up the story of veteran detective Seo Do-chul (Hwang Jung-min) nine years after the first installment, as he is joined by rookie detective Park Sun-woo (Jung Hae-in), who is full of passion and a sense of justice. Do-chul and Sun-woo investigate a high-profile murder case of a professor which seems to be in line with the previous mur

FilmAug. 21, 2024

International acts across genres to thrill Korean music fans

As the hot summer slowly comes to an end, several international artists announce their concerts in Korea. On Aug. 28, Emotional Oranges, a California-based duo, will hold their first concert in Korea at the Yes 24 Live Hall, Seoul. Emotional Oranges was formed in 2017 in California, by audio engineer Azad Right and vocal coach Vali. The group has gained a large following in Korea, particularly for tracks from their second album, such as "West Coast Love" and "Sundays," which

PerformanceAug. 20, 2024

Exhibition juxtaposes iron, glass -- two products of intense heat

A bowler-turned-blacksmith, Jeong Hyeong-goo finds it surreal to hear people call him an artisan, a description he says he will probably get used to by the time the two-month exhibition of his metal works ends in October. “The Craft of Temperature and Sound: A Guide to the Four Seasons,” which opens Thursday at the Yeol Korean Heritage Preservation Society showroom, is this year’s annual showcase of works by the Yeol artisan of the year and Yeol young craftsperson of the year,

Arts & DesignAug. 20, 2024

[Herald Interview] Kim Seon-ho says he was scared to take on entirely different character in 'The Tyrant'

Actor Kim Seon-ho described taking on the role of a cold-hearted elite agent in "The Tyrant" as a "scary" experience, but said he is eager to face more challenges that will help him become a versatile actor across genres. "The Tyrant" follows the story of individuals vying to secure the last sample vial of the Tyrant Project, which endows living organisms with immense powers. Kim portrays Director Choi, the hard-hearted head of the National Intelligence Service, w

TelevisionAug. 20, 2024

Ahn Ae-soon to explore minimalism in traditional dance with National Dance Company

Choreographer Ahn Ae-soon, a leading figure in contemporary dance in South Korea, is set to premiere her latest work with the National Dance Company of Korea later this month. The company will present "Hang PlusMinus" at the Haeoreum Grand Theater from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, in their first joint production. "Hang PlusMinus" draws from the royal court dance "Chunaengmu,” the only solo dance among court dances, which captures the minimalistic essence, according to Ahn.

PerformanceAug. 19, 2024

Busan Biennale sheds light on pirate utopias, Buddhist enlightenment

Busan Biennale 2024 kicked off Saturday in the port city, moving up the opening date from its regular fall opening as part of the Culture Ministry’s Korean Art Week centering around the upcoming Frieze Seoul. Curated by two artistic directors -- Vera Mey and Philippe Pirotte -- the biennial took the theme of “Seeing in the Dark.” The curators drew upon the idea of pirate utopias as early forms of autonomous societies that served as a refuge for the socially or politically exile

Arts & DesignAug. 19, 2024

Rapper San E under police investigation for alleged pedestrian assault

Rapper San E is under police investigation for allegedly assaulting a pedestrian. The Seoul Mapo Police Station said it started an official investigation of San E last Saturday on charges of aggravated assault. The 39-year-old rapper is accused of assaulting a pedestrian with a mobile phone and other objects at a park in Mapo-gu, Seoul, at around 8:30 p.m. July 28. San E reportedly told the alleged victim, “Walk your bike properly,” before the alleged assault. The alleged victim clai

PeopleAug. 19, 2024

Seoul Tourism Organization to host lectures on K-culture trends

The Seoul Tourism Organization is hosting special lectures titled "K-Culture Trends in the World" at Seoul Tourism Plaza in Seoul on Sept. 28. The global standing of K-pop, trends in contemporary Korean art, and Korean webtoons and web novels will be discussed in three separate lectures by experts in the respective fields -- Kim Jae-heun, a culture reporter at The Korea Herald; Jason Haam, founder of Jason Haam Gallery and Cheon Beom-sick, well-known webtoon creator. The lectures are f

CultureAug. 19, 2024

[Herald Review] Lee Isaac Chung serves up 90s rom-com, meteorological mayhem in ‘Twisters’

This summer Korean American movie director Lee Isaac Chung brings us “Twisters,” an entertaining disaster flick inspired by the 1996 summer blockbuster "Twister." Chung, the director of “Minari,” chose not to make “Twisters” a direct sequel, but its plot mirrors the original, incorporating an old-fashioned rom-com revolving around tornado chasers, and even Dorothy, a technology designed to study tornadoes. While paying homage to the original 1990s bl

FilmAug. 19, 2024

[Herald Interview] Chat with your favorite webtoon character

The line between fiction and reality is becoming increasingly blurred. The AI planning team at Naver Webtoon has rolled out an official AI chatbot service, which lets users chat with fictional characters. Character Chat is a chatbot service available on the Naver Webtoon app which leverages Naver's AI language model, HyperClova X, to facilitate conversations with characters from webtoons. Users can interact with four popular webtoon characters of their choice, including Ki Sang-ho from &quo

CultureAug. 19, 2024

Top concertmasters gather in Seoul to celebrate 30 years of Sejong Soloists

Four esteemed concertmasters will gather to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Sejong Soloists at the Seoul Arts Center on Saturday. Frank Huang, concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, David Chen, concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Andrew Wan, concertmaster of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Daniel Cho, concertmaster of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra, all share a significant connection: they are alumni of the Sejong Soloists, an ensemble founded 30 years ago

CultureAug. 19, 2024

Memorial concert for rockstar Shin Hae-chul to take place in October

A memorial concert will be held to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of legendary rock star Shin Hae-chul. The concert, titled “Mawang 10th: Ghost Stage,” will take place on Oct. 26-27 at Inspire Arena in Yeongjongdo, Incheon. The upcoming concert is a tribute concert prepared by musicians who remember Shin, where his music and philosophy will be reinterpreted through various genres, music and performances. The event organizers stated that the production team and participating m

PerformanceAug. 19, 2024

[Photo News] Promising columnists

The winners of the 2024 Student Column Contest and officials of The Korea Herald pose for a photograph at the award ceremony held at Herald Media Group is Seoul on Monday. The contest was co-hosted by The Korea Herald and Seoul National University’s English-language journal The SNU Quill. From left: The Korea Herald chief copy editor Paul Kerry, The Korea Herald managing editor Lee Joo-hee, first place winner Kim Ha-jin of Seoul National University, second place winner Chae Song-hwa and th

PeopleAug. 19, 2024

[The Calling] Deaf priest calls out scant teachings about deaf people

Ordained Asia’s first-ever deaf Catholic priest in July 2007 at the age of 39, Father Park Min-seo is a trailblazer. Park reached another milestone in May, earning a doctor of ministry with a dissertation on how the Korean Catholic Church could better serve deaf Catholics. He worked on his dissertation while serving a three-year term as a chaplain at St. Francis of Assisi Deaf Church in Maryland. The Archdiocese of Washington had asked the Archdiocese of Seoul to dispatch Park, who is prof

PeopleAug. 19, 2024

New book compiles over 42 hours of interviews with Kim Dae-jung

Reflecting on South Korean history as a former president, Kim Dae-jung said, "When we examine history over the long term, those who dedicate themselves to the people are never truly defeated. They may face temporary setbacks, but history ultimately moves in the right direction." A new book on Kim Dae-jung (1924-2009) marks the centenary of the birth of the country's 15th president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate as well as the 15th anniversary of his passing on Sunday. Over 780 pages lo

BooksAug. 18, 2024

[New on the scene] ‘Mission: Cross’ director dreams of making unprecedented comedies

Director Lee Myung-hun, who made a directorial debut with the comedy action “Mission: Cross,” has a lot of love for comedy. “Comedy is definitely a difficult genre to make. When you don’t make it correctly or miscalculate the lines or scenes, the audience can easily turn away from the story. But that also makes comedy an attractive genre, because you get to see the feedback or reactions right away,” Lee told reporters during a group interview in Seoul, Aug. 12. &ldq

FilmAug. 18, 2024

‘Heartsping’ director confident that Teenieping movie appeals to all ages

“Heartsping: Teenieping of Love,” the first movie of the hit Korean animation series “Catch! Teenieping,” appeals not only to young viewers, but to those in their 50s and 60s as well, its director said. Kim Su-hoon, who doubles as the movie's director and the CEO of SAMG Entertainment and is responsible for the Teenieping worldview, said he differentiated the movie from the TV series by adding elements of a family movie. “From the beginning, I was sure that thi

FilmAug. 18, 2024

Bold works, reinterpretations among this year's eclectic SIDance lineup

The 27th Seoul International Dance Festival, presented by the Seoul section of the International Dance Council (CID-UNESCO), is set to captivate audiences from Sept. 1 to 14 across Seoul. This year’s festival will showcase 35 performances from eight countries, including Canada, Australia and Luxembourg, at various locations including Sogang University’s Mary Hall, Samil-ro Changgo Theater, Daehakro Arts Theater, Eunpyeong Arts Center and Seoul Namsan Gukakdang. In a departure from pr

PerformanceAug. 18, 2024