[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

E-World Miracle Winter Night E-World Miracle Winter Night is running through Feb. 28 at E-World in Daegu. The festival features a garden of 10,000 light-emitting diode roses, a 15-meter-tall Christmas tree and 100 photo zones ready for Instagram. While all activities will still be masked and socially distanced, visitors can still enjoy rides and attractions in the E-World theme park. Ticket prices vary by age. Updates can be found at www.eworld.kr. Yangju Snow Festival The Yangju Snow Fes

TravelFeb. 4, 2022

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

InterContinental Seoul COEX launches Valentine’s Day package InterContinental Seoul COEX presents the “Sparkling Love Diary“ package, which comes with a necklace gift for couples to celebrate Valentine’s Day. In collaboration with Swarovski, the package includes a one-night stay in the Classic Room, a Swarovski necklace, a bottle of rose wine, and an Instax camera rental service for visitors to document their memories. Guests can enjoy a breakfast buffet for two, prep

FoodFeb. 4, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure (Korea) Opened Jan. 26 Action, Comedy Directed by Kim Jung-hoon Set in the Joseon era, pirate captain Hye-rang (Han Hyo-joo) and her crew go on a journey to look for hidden treasures of the Goryeo Kingdom that no longer exist. Troublemaking swordsman Muchi (Kang Ha-neul) and his followers also decide to join them. However, on their way, they are met with all sorts of adversities.  Kingmaker (Korea) Opened Jan. 26 Drama Directed by Byun Sung-hyun Oppositi

FilmFeb. 4, 2022

[Eye interview] Captain Rock celebrates birthday in grand way with 3-day music festival

How many people can claim to have an entire festival dedicated to their birthday, and while they are still living to boot? Since 2005, rocker Han Kyung-rock, the bassist of iconic punk band Crying Nut, who is also known as Captain Rock, has been celebrating his birthday by hosting a large party in the Hongdae area of Seoul, a notorious center for indie music. Held every year on Feb. 11, Han’s birthday, what started out as a gathering of fellow musicians for drunken revelry and

PerformanceFeb. 3, 2022

‘All of Us Are Dead’ tops global charts, fuels Korean zombie sensation

Global streaming platform Netflix mesmerized drama fans around the world by circling back to yet another zombie hit, “All of Us Are Dead,” after the service’s South Korean market debut with period zombie drama “Kingdom” in 2019. The Korean zombie thriller topped Netflix’s streaming chart around the globe, reaching the top spot in 58 countries as of Wednesday, including Korea, Australia, Japan, Kuwait, Germany, Canada and more, according to US-based streaming

FilmFeb. 3, 2022

'All of Us Are Dead' makes strong debut on global charts

Netflix's latest South Korean drama, "All of Us Are Dead," has made a successful global debut while being hailed as a new "Squid Game." Released on Friday, the coming-of-age zombie horror topped the streamer's non-English language TV Top 10 list for the week of Jan. 24-30 with 124.79 million hours viewed, according to Netflix on Thursday. Netflix said "The Silent Sea" made the top 10 in the category in 91 countries over the one-week period and topped the list in 2

TelevisionFeb. 3, 2022

[Video] What if 'All of Us Are Dead' happens in real life? I Zombie Survival 101

Could you survive if 'All of Us Are Dead' happened in real life? Find out how to escape from a zombie attack! By Team Konnect Kim Min-jung (minjung.kim@heraldcorp.com) Jung Ji-eun (jungje@heraldcorp.com) Choi Jeong-yoon (jychoi@heraldcorp.com) Kim Jeong-ryul (ryul@heraldcorp.com)

EntertainmentFeb. 3, 2022

'The Pirates' tops S. Korean box office over Lunar New Year holiday

"The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure" has topped the South Korean box office over the Lunar New Year holiday but its total admissions were lower than expected amid omicron owes, data showed Thursday. The fantasy action blockbuster attracted a combined 649,000 moviegoers to bring its cumulative total to 881,000 during the five-day holiday that started Saturday, according to the data by the Korean Film Council. The political drama "Kingmaker" drew 358,000 people over the cit

FilmFeb. 3, 2022

Discover gems of Korean abstract art after Korean War at Hakgojae Gallery

Korea’s “dansaekhwa” abstract movement grabbed global attention in the early 2000s, but many more of Korea‘s abstract artists who developed their own styles and struggled to stand on their own feet have not received similar attention. To help give them their due, one of Korea’s biggest art galleries is holding the exhibition “Seeking ‘Eidos’: Korean Abstract Painters 7,” to shed light on seven pioneers of Korea’s abstract art. Hakgoj

Arts & DesignFeb. 3, 2022

Meet Egyptian treasures in Korea

Lovers of ancient history have another full month to view a large collection of Egyptian artifacts in Seoul. The National Museum of Korea’s Egyptian exhibit, organized jointly with the Brooklyn Museum in the US, a museum known to hold significant Egyptian artifacts, has been extended until March 1, according to the NMK. The exhibition, titled “Story of Life, Death, and Resurrection,” is being held at the national museum’s World Art Gallery, which opened in December 20

CultureFeb. 2, 2022

Busan International Film Festival aims to connect Asia’s film industry

Busan International Film Festival announced its vision and goals to expand its presence in Asia on Tuesday. Established in 1996, BIFF is the first international film festival in Korea, held annually in the local theaters of Busan. According to the BIFF secretariat, it held the first general meeting of 2022 on Jan. 27 at BIFF Hill of the Busan Cinema Center. Following the meeting, it announced its new vision to hold an event to link filmmakers and moviegoers in Asia. BIFF‘s previous visi

FilmFeb. 2, 2022

[Photo News] Lunar New Year in Indonesia

Asian communities all around the world welcome the Lunar New Year on Feb. 1. Lunar New Year is particularly celebrated in East Asia, influenced by the Chinese New Year and the Chinese calendar.  According to the Chinese Zodiac, there are 12 different animals that represent each year in rotation. 2022 is the Year of the Tiger.  A man cleans a statue of Buddha at a temple in Jakarta on Jan. 26. A Chinese god statue is cleaned at the Kwan In Thang Temple on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indon

CultureFeb. 1, 2022

Can the Korean language survive the invasion of English loanwords?

When a North Korean defector fled back to the North after jumping over the heavily fortified inter-Korean border fence in January, many headlines described the incident as a “jump defection.” Though a similar incident has occurred in the past, the use of the term became widespread in the media only this month, according to Google Trends. “Gaslighting,” loosely defined as the act of making someone question their reality by manipulating facts, also skyrocketed in usage ear

CultureFeb. 1, 2022

[Herald Interview] Love hurts, love heals, and ‘So Life Goes On’

Just as weather in its essence is whimsical, our lives are defined by its ups and downs, singer-songwriter Heo Hoy-kyung touches the hearts of listeners with her new song “So Life Goes On” that delivers this simple message. “The song talks about our ordinary lives. We all know that we’re just living and that’s the essence of our lives. But we forget this because we strive for higher goals, work harder and feel burdened by it, hoping for bigger joy and happiness. Bu

PerformanceJan. 31, 2022

Spend Seollal with traditional activities

Ever wondered how Koreans in ancient times -- for some of us, our ancestors -- spent Seollal? For curious souls, three Seollal events that showcase traditional culture and crafts are happening around central Seoul, where one can partake in the spirit of Seollal by learning, experiencing and, for the most part, having fun.  Although events have partially moved online due to the worsening pandemic situation, there are still many opportunities to participate in festivals and events. Details

CultureJan. 31, 2022

[Photo News] Fashion show interprets era of uncertainty

Italian haute couture house Maison Schiaparelli’s Spring/Summer 2022 show held on Jan. 24 in Paris displayed an artistic interpretation of this era of uncertainty.  Titled “An Age of Discipline”, Creative Director Daniel Roseberry created a collection consisting of only three colors: black, white, and the signature Maison Schiaparelli gold.  Roseberry explained that the simple use of colors connects to the current era of uncertainty and exhaustion. On the of

Arts & DesignJan. 30, 2022

On your own this Seollal?

Koreans might have left on an exodus for their hometowns for the Lunar New Year holiday, or Seollal, before the COVID-19 era. But the growing concerns about the rapid spread of the omicron variant and the upsurge in the number of infections may lead many Koreans, expats and travelers to scratch their heads as to how to spend their Seollal weekend, without leaving their homes. Though you may not be eating a bowl of tteokguk, or rice-cake soup, or enjoying the Lunar New Year surrdounded by family

CultureJan. 30, 2022

Films produced by actors you should check out over Seollal

The Seollal holiday is usually one of the busiest times of the year at movie theaters with many new works being released. It is also the time when local broadcasters present special films for viewers who are staying home during the holidays. Despite the plethora of options on offer, there are times when it feels like there is nothing to watch. For those people, it might be a good idea to check out some of the films produced by familiar stars. These vary from series on streaming platforms to s

FilmJan. 30, 2022

[Weekender] Making tteokguk gets trendy in pandemic times

Yu Kyoung-suk found joy by making special tteokguk, or rice cake soup, this year. As the year became 2022, he came up with a fancy tteokguk -- topped with flower-shaped dumplings and jidan (egg garnish) -- to share with his wife and their two sons. He squeezed juice from beets and carrots to add colors to the dumpling dough to make a special tteokguk this year. “When the New Year comes, Koreans eat tteokguk made using rice cake slices from garaetteok (a stick of long rice cake) which sy

CultureJan. 30, 2022

[From the Scene] South Korea’s counterfeit market is very much alive

Dongdaemun Market is the center of the Korean apparel and fashion industry. Near the market is another “secret” spot for shoppers who want luxury fashion items but cannot afford them. This place is called Dongdaemun Saebit Market, the nation’s largest fake designer goods market. Near Dongdaemun Design Plaza Station Exits 2 and 3, about 80 small yellow tents are clustered together, selling counterfeit luxury fashion goods that look pretty much like high-priced brands such

Arts & DesignJan. 29, 2022