Netflix becomes major Hallyu medium

With many Korean dramas and movies heading to Netflix, the platform, with services in 190 countries, is becoming a major medium for the spread of Korean pop culture. Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency’s African sector recently mentioned Netflix as one of the reasons for the popularity of Korean culture in South Africa. The Chicago Council on Global Affairs announced in October that South Korea’s favorability is at 60 on a zero-to-100 scale, the highest yet. Besides favorabil

TelevisionNov. 29, 2020

A long journey worth taking

Official development assistance, government aid designed to promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries, is often channeled into projects to build infrastructure such as highways, schools, hospitals and bridges. But there is also cultural heritage ODA, another important form of assistance that the South Korean government provides to developing countries. “ODA projects to build bridges and roads are important, but it is also crucial to preserve cultural heritages

CultureNov. 29, 2020

[Eye Plus] Seoul reveals traces of old Hangyang

For modern-day Seoulites living, it is sometimes hard to imagine the megapolis as Hanyang, the capital of Joseon for several centuries. To this day, historical artifacts are discovered across the city, revealing the lives of royalty and commoners of the old kingdom. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has recently opened to the public the historic site of Hanyangdoseong, or Hanyang’s town castle wall, on the hillside of Namsan. The site includes a 189-meter stone wall on some 43,000 squar

CultureNov. 28, 2020

Protein-centric salads at Orora

It started with burgers, but warm salads could very well be a stand-out addition to the menu at Orora -- a burger and salad restaurant that opened in September. “Initially, I ran a burger joint but when I moved to the Apgujeong Rodeo area, I added salads,” Orora Burger and Salad owner-chef Cho Kyung-wook, 29, said in an email interview. “I went and checked out the salad spots that were doing well in the market, but in my opinion there was too little protein and the salads a

FoodNov. 28, 2020

Kim Sun-wook, Chung Kyung-wha duo to go onstage on Dec. 18

Pianist Kim Sun-wook will take the stage with violinist Chung Kyung-wha on Dec. 18 at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul. At the recital, the duo will present the complete Johannes Brahms violin sonatas. Chung is one of the first generation of classical musicians in Korea. She has released more than 33 recordings over the past 40 years. She is especially recognized for her repertoire of the three Brahms violin sonatas, having released a recording of the sonatas on EMI Classics with piani

PerformanceNov. 28, 2020

Poet Jeong Ho-seung speaks of relationships in ‘Loving’ and ‘Lonesome Jar: Poetic Fables’

Two fairytales by poet Jeong Ho-seung, “Loving” and “Lonesome Jar: Poetic Fables,” have been published in English by Seoul Selection. Born in 1950 in Hadong, South Gyeongsang Province, Jeong is known for his poetry collections “Seoul’s Jesus” (1982), “Dawn Letter” (1987) and “Stars Are Warm” (1990), among others. His poems have been turned into songs by popular singers including Yang Hee-eun and the late Kim Kwang-seok. The sto

BooksNov. 28, 2020

MMCA to stream synth music performance at Cheongju venue

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea will stream its fourth online performance as part of the MMCA Live series planned to reach a wider range of audiences amid the pandemic. The fourth show will feature a performance by Korean synth pop group Adoy. The performance “MMCA Live X Adoy,” which took place at MMCA’s Cheongju location, will be released at 4 p.m. on Dec. 4 via the MMCA’s YouTube channel. MMCA has released the MMCA Live series starting wit

Arts & DesignNov. 27, 2020

Song Kang-ho, Kim Min-hee make list of ‘25 Greatest Actors’ by NYT

Actors Song Kang-ho and Kim Min-hee were included in the list of “The 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century (So Far),” as arranged by the New York Times. On Wednesday, the New York Times released a list of 25 actors, along with a comment that reads “these are the performers who have outshone all others on the big screen in the last 20 years.” In the list of 25 internationally known screen figures, two Koreans claimed spots: Song Kang-ho and Kim Min-hee. The New York T

FilmNov. 27, 2020

Musical delves into the dark side of ‘Black Mary Poppins’

Though inspired by the well-known “Mary Poppins” series, local original musical “Black Mary Poppins” tells a different story of the famous nanny with a magical, black umbrella. The story is loosely based on Australian novelist P. L. Travers’ “Mary Poppins” series, which has been made into numerous films. However, different from other films or drama adaptations, the musical is set in 1926 Germany, amid the impending rise of Nazism. Mary Poppins is giv

PerformanceNov. 27, 2020

Website for oldest metal-printed book opens in multiple languages

Korea is set to call on the retrieval of Jikji, the world’s oldest metal-printed book currently stored in France, with a new official website and other promotional activities. Jikji refers to a Korean Buddhism document printed at the temple Heungdeoksa in 1377 during the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392). It was printed 78 years prior to Gutenberg’s 42-line Bible. Jikji was listed in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2001. Brought to France at the end of the 19th century, one sole

CultureNov. 27, 2020

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas presents holiday cakes by NY patissier Grand Deli located on the ground floor of Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Samseong-dong is offering holiday cakes that will lift the festive mood of Christmas and year-end home parties for a limited time only from Tuesday to Dec. 31. These are all available for reservation from Nov. 25. Head patissier Eric P. Kalaboke from New York recommends three varieties for this year-end season: the Pine Tree Cake with a C

FoodNov. 27, 2020

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Sunchang Fermented Sauce Festival The Sunchang Fermented Sauce Festival is an annual event held in Sunchang, South Jeolla Province. The festival celebrates the many different sauces and pastes made from fermented soybeans. This year’s event runs until Nov. 29 and involves a photo contest, a talent show and more. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event is being held online, and festivalgoers at home can upload photos of their sauce pots. Festival organizers are also soliciting suggestio

TravelNov. 27, 2020

[Eye interview] German musician who put Tongyeong on international map

When I met Florian Riem, CEO of the Tongyeong International Music Foundation, for the first time at the Tongyeong International Music Festival in the spring of 2015, I noticed he was speaking through an assistant who spoke Japanese and Korean. He had worked in Japan prior to coming to South Korea and spoke Japanese. “Oh boy,” I thought. “This is going to be some ride for both the city, his employer and him.” I was anxious for the small port city in the southwest, led by

CultureNov. 27, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Good Neighbor (Korea) Opened Nov. 25 Drama Directed by Lee Hwan-kyung Agent Dae-kwon (Jung Woo) is tasked with watching over influential opposition party politician Lee Eui-sik (Oh Dal-su), who seems to have plans to run in the next presidential election, and his family 24/7. Dae-kwon moves into a house next door and slowly becomes a neighbor close to the politician and his family. 　 Run (US) Opened Nov. 20 Thriller Directed by Aneesh Chaganty Diane (Sarah Paulson) gives birth prematurely to

FilmNov. 27, 2020

[Weekender] When the going gets tough, the tough deliver

In a year that has witnessed the COVID-19 pandemic disrupt lives and devastate economies around the world, Korea has sought innovations to meet the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The following is the second article of a four-part series on how Korea is creating a new normal during the pandemic, produced in partnership with The Korea Foundation -- Ed. When asked about his diet during live streaming on VLive in June last year, pop sensation BTS member Jungkook said it was not easy

FoodNov. 26, 2020

[Herald Interview] Dansaekhwa master Ha Chong-hyun makes best of adversity

Ha Chong-hyun is one of the few pioneers of abstract art in Korea who is still alive today. He is also a leading member of the “dansaekhwa” movement, which arose in the 1970s and is regarded as South Korea’s first collective art movement. This year the 84-year-old artist held solo exhibitions at home and in London, which he said were particularly special at a time when the pandemic has disrupted many art events around the world. The pandemic has led the artist to spend most

Arts & DesignNov. 26, 2020

Avant-garde artist Lee Seung-taek challenges art

Lee Seung-taek is a representative figure in the Korean experimental art scene who has challenged himself to make new attempts in his works since the 1950s, when the country was going through the turmoil of the Korean War and times of rapid industrialization. At a time when many artists tended to follow art trends popular in the West or Japan, some struggled to find characteristics of their own, delving into the Korean culture that was overlooked during the Japanese colonial era, with a belief

Arts & DesignNov. 25, 2020

COVID-19 plagues drama productions

With the resurgence of COVID-19 in Seoul, many dramas were forced to halt production as actors tested positive for the new coronavirus or came in contact with people who had. So far, 10 dramas across multiple broadcast stations have halted production when actors and staff tested positive. They are “The Penthouse: War in Life” (SBS), “The Spies Who Loved Me” (MBC), “The Moon Rising River,” “Bossam,” “Snowdrop” (JTBC), “Sisyphus:

TelevisionNov. 25, 2020

Pianist Cho Seung-jin’s encore recital canceled

Concert pianist Cho Seung-jin’s encore recital in Seoul slated for Saturday has been canceled, due to a resurgence in COVID-19 cases. Cho, the winner of the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition, was to hold an in-person recital on Saturday at the Seoul Arts Center, following his monthlong 11-city tour across Korea. The recital, which was announced after the completion of the scheduled tour, was to have been streamed live online through Naver TV for pay, too. However, as the num

PerformanceNov. 25, 2020

Obama memoir sells a record 1.7m copies in first week

Former President Barack Obama’s "A Promised Land" sold more than 1.7 million copies in North America in its first week, roughly equal to the combined first week sales of memoirs by his two immediate predecessors and among the highest ever for a nonfiction book. Crown announced Tuesday that it had increased its initial print run from 3.4 million copies to 4.3 million. Sales also include audio and digital books. "A Promised Land," the first of two planned volumes, was

BooksNov. 25, 2020