[Eye Plus] History of Korea’s trains and railroads

 Stepping into the modern Seoul Station, South Korea’s central train station, one might wonder how far back the history of Korean trains and railroads goes.  Only one hour from Seoul Station by subway, the Railroad Museum in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, offers a glimpse into more than 100 years of history of Korean trains and railroads. The museum is run by national railway operator Korail. In the two-story museum, which was moved to its current location in 1988, models of Kore

TravelDec. 25, 2020

[Around the Hotels] Promotion and Packages

Winter holidays at Westin Chosun Seoul The Westin Chosun Hotel presents the Little Playcation package for families with children seeking for winter holiday getaways. The package deal offers coloring paper, crayons and fabric-cover sketchbook. After a cozy night, guests can have breakfast at the hotel’s all-day buffet restaurant Aria. For those who make reservations for Junior Suite or above, bath salt and a bath bomb from French kids cosmetics brand Nailmatic Kids will be provided, al

FoodDec. 25, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Josee (Korea) Opened Dec. 10 Romance, Drama Directed by Kim Jong-kwan University student Young-seok (Nam Joo-hyuk) bumps into Josee (Han Ji-min), who uses a wheelchair, and falls in love. Young-seok finds out that Josee lives with her grandmother and barely leaves her house. As he develops feelings toward her, Yeong-seok approaches her slowly and also attempts to show her the real world.　 　 Good Neighbor (Korea) Opened Nov. 25 Drama Directed by Lee Hwan-kyung Agent Dae-kwon (Jung Woo) is tas

FilmDec. 25, 2020

‘MMCA Artist Talk’ to introduce 52 contemporary artists online

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea kicked off a new online program to introduce Korea’s contemporary artists whose works have been shown at the national museum this year or will be on display next year as part of its efforts to beef up its online content during the pandemic. Titled “MMCA Artist Talk,” the online program -- which aims to introduce a total of 52 artists -- will be released every week through December 2021 on MMCA’s YouTube channel a

CultureDec. 25, 2020

Golden Globes’ ‘Minari’ snub draws racial discrimination controversy

Voices of criticism rose in Hollywood concerning the Golden Globes refusal to consider “Minari” for the main film categories because of its heavy use of Korean dialogue. The film by Korean-American director Lee Issac Chung depicts a story of a first-generation Korean immigrant family in pursuit of the American dream based in Middle America in the 1980s. “Minari,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, has been seen as a strong contender for the O

FilmDec. 25, 2020

Lonely Christmas in Santa's homeland as tourists stay away

ROVANIEMI, Finland (AFP) -- In Finland’s snowy far north, international visitors normally flood the Santa Claus Village amusement park, in search of reindeer rides, snow castles and a meeting with the jolly man himself. Under the pandemic travel restrictions, however, crowds in the Lapland town of Rovaniemi have dwindled to just a trickle and the joyful winter wonderland feels ghostly and abandoned. “It’s been an exceptional and difficult year,” Santa tells AFP from beh

TravelDec. 25, 2020

Pandemic Christmas creates new traditions

Kang Eun-mi who lives in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, decorated her living room with a wall Christmas tree for the first time in almost a decade this year. Her two 20-something daughters, who live with her and her husband, typically go out with their friends at Christmas, but this year, they are all staying at home together. “I ordered the kit online to make a wall Christmas tree that comes with lights, which was delivered the next day. Our family selected family photos from old

CultureDec. 24, 2020

New second vice culture minister, CHA head named

Career bureaucrat Kim Jung-bae was appointed to be the new second vice minister at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Monday, as part of a reshuffle of vice ministerial posts. Kim Hyun-mo was named new head of the Cultural Heritage Administration. The new second vice minister replaces Choi Yoon-hee, a former swimming star who was appointed to the post last year in December. Born in 1966, Second Vice Minister Kim graduated Pohang High School in North Gyeongsang Province and studie

CultureDec. 23, 2020

[Feature] Hot to trot: Singers reign supreme on Korean small screen

The year of 2020 was the year of trot music, especially on the small screen. Trot music, which is thought to have grown out of Japanese Enka in the early 20th century, developed in its own style over the years to become a favorite of older generations. But in recent years, trot has been broadening its fan base, attracting new fans, including those from younger age groups. The latest wave of popularity began with trot singer Song Ga-in, who was crowned “Ms. Trot” in a smash hit T

PerformanceDec. 23, 2020

Arirang from Mexico wins Arirang video contest

The Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation on Tuesday announced Maria Eugenia Olsen Aguilar’s “Anniquin Arirang” as the winner of its “Arirang”-themed video contest. The contest -- held jointly by the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation -- called for short videos featuring diverse versions of the Korean folk song “Arirang.” “(Through the competition) we discovered that our national intangible cultural heritag

CultureDec. 23, 2020

[Newsmaker] Star lecturer Seol takes responsibility for misinformation

Star lecturer Seol Min-seok said he would take sole responsibility for the controversy surrounding misinformation during the second episode of popular tvN entertainment show “Seol Min-seok’s Naked World History.” The apology posted on YouTube on Tuesday followed the announcement the producers made on the program website the previous day, apologizing for the misinformation in the second episode on Saturday. Archaeologist Kwack Min-soo, one of the advisers for the program, poi

TelevisionDec. 23, 2020

[Herald Interview] ‘Sweet Home’ actor Song Kang rises to Netflix stardom

As the first season of webtoon-based drama “Sweet Home” premiered Friday, lead actor Song Kang gained fans throughout the world. Although Song earlier this year starred in another webtoon-based Netflix drama -- “Love Alarm,” as one of the lead actors -- the attention he is receiving with “Sweet Home” is unparalleled. The 10-episode Netflix original series with a budget over 30 billion won ($27 million) was the most popular drama series in over 10 countries

TelevisionDec. 23, 2020

[Newsmaker] Moon Joon-yong, President Moon’s son, criticized for receiving artist relief fund

Criticism is rising over President Moon Jae-in’s son Moon Joon-yong, who was selected as a recipient of 14 million won ($12,600) in relief funding for artists who have been hit by the pandemic. The fund is operated by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, under the Seoul Metropolitan Government. On Dec. 17, Moon Joon-yong’s solo exhibition kicked off at Keumsan Gallery in Seoul, reportedly with the city funding received earlier in the year. The exhibition runs until Wednesday.

Arts & DesignDec. 22, 2020

tvN’s ‘Seol Min-seok’s Naked World History’ apologizes for misinformation

Producers of tvN‘s “Seol Min-seok’s Naked World History” apologized for inaccuracies after an archaeologist, who served as an adviser to the show, criticized the program for inaccuracies. “Naked World History” is hosted by popular lecturer Seol Min-seok, who approaches world history in an entertaining way. Seol gained fame as one of the first internet lecturers in the early 2000s, specializing in Korean history. Seol has remained silent on the criticism rai

TelevisionDec. 22, 2020

[Herald Interview] ‘I almost became a monster’

Megahit director Lee Eung-bok made his Netflix debut with the webtoon-based, monster-packed drama series “Sweet Home” on Friday, opening a new door for K-drama. Lee, who has directed numerous local hit series including “Descendants of the Sun,” “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” and “Mr. Sunshine,” returns with “Sweet Home,” which is void of the romantic stories for which Lee is known. Instead, residents of apartment complex Green H

TelevisionDec. 22, 2020

RM, Henry recognized for art patronage

K-pop singers RM and Henry have been named This Year’s Art Patron by the Arts Council Korea. The state-run Arts Council Korea on Monday announced six firms and four individuals selected for seven awards related to art patronage. The awards highlight supporters of the local arts scene. BTS’ RM, who donated 100 million won ($91,000) to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea in September made the individual awardee list. The MMCA used the donation to publish its ou

Arts & DesignDec. 21, 2020

[Feature] Virtual year-end celebrations are a hip alternative this pandemic year

December is a hectic time for those trying to catch up with friends and wrap up the year with colleagues. Bars, restaurants and cafes are typically crowded with people in a festive mood. This year, however, the pandemic has effectively taken away that treasured time of the year. The unexpected surge in infection cases last month in Korea ended up shutting down all restaurants in the capital area after 9 p.m., and people are choosing to stay home. Seeking alternative ways to interact with lov

CultureDec. 21, 2020

'Minari' captures US critics’ heart

  “Minari” is showing that winning two awards from the Boston Society of Film Critics was only the start of its journey to capture the hearts of critic groups across the US. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association on Monday announced that Youn Yuh-jung had won for best supporting actress for playing Soon-ja, an elderly woman who comes to America to live with son Jacob’s family, in “Minari.” The movie revolves around the story of a first-generation South K

FilmDec. 21, 2020

Mobile games remain strong while PC games decline, KOCCA report

The domestic gaming market in 2019 was worth 15.575 trillion won ($14.1 billion), a 9 percent increase from 2018, according to the Korea Creative Content Agency’s 2020 White Paper on Korean Games. Korea accounted for 6.2 percent of the global gaming market, putting it as the fifth biggest market. A survey of 3,084 people showed that 70.5 percent of respondents had played games at least once since June 2019, with 91.1 percent of those who responded in the affirmative having played mobile

CultureDec. 21, 2020

Artist who ‘erases’ newspapers till they are ‘burnt’

A whole page of a newspaper is turned into a torn, darkened mess at an exhibition dedicated to artist Choi Byung-so, who has played a pivotal role in the South Korean contemporary art scene. 　Arario Gallery in central Seoul is showcasing 15 of Choi’s works through a solo exhibition titled “Sens et Non-sens: Works from 1974-2020.” 　While many abstract painters in Korea were faced with criticism for having turned a blind eye to social issues when Korea was under dictatorships

Arts & DesignDec. 20, 2020