Ssak 3 sweeps music charts, bring back ‘90s vibe

Ssak 3 released the group’s newest song, “Here at the Beach Again” at 6 p.m. on Saturday and rocketed to the top of various music charts, including Melon, Flo, Bugs and Genie Music, among others, Sunday. Entertainer Yoo Jae-seok, singers Lee Hyo-ri and Rain came together on MBC’s “Hangout With Yoo” as a trio -- Ssak 3 -- in early June, forming a new powerhouse in the online music charts scene. The trio announced that it would release dance music for the summ

PerformanceJuly 19, 2020

State cultural institutions in Seoul metropolitan area to reopen

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Sunday that its affiliated institutions -- museums, art galleries, libraries and performance venues – can resume operations. The Culture Ministry’s announcement follows the government’s statement Sunday that the social distancing campaign for facilities in the Seoul metropolitan area would be relaxed. The shutdown of state-run cultural institutions began at 6 p.m. on May 29. The ministry’s 10 museums, art galleri

CultureJuly 19, 2020

[Newsmaker] Publishers suspend sales of autofiction author Kim Bong-gon’s works containing private messages used without consent

Publisher Munhak Dongne announced Friday that it was suspending sales of books featuring author Kim Bong-gon’s works that have come under fire for using without consent an acquaintance’s private messages. Kim gained attention for his vivid autofiction -- or fictionalized autobiography -- regarding LGBTQ culture when he came out of the closet as he embarked on a writing career in 2016. The personal yet fictional stories involving the intense emotional struggles of LGBTQ characters w

BooksJuly 19, 2020

KF holds photo exhibition jointly with Korean, Ukrainian artists

The Korea Foundation is holding a modern photography exhibition titled “KREAtive Perspectives” in conjunction with the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Korea, starting Monday. The exhibition will run until Sept. 23 at the KF Gallery in central Seoul. The title “KREAtive Perspectives” derives from the combination of the word “creative” and K, R, E and A from the two countries’ English names, Korea and Ukraine. The main theme of the exhibition

Arts & DesignJuly 19, 2020

Traveling the world through international themed food

The food and beverage industry is targeting customers unable to travel abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic with international themed menus, partially quenching their longing for travel. One internationally famous restaurant, Eggslut, opened in Korea in COVID-19 era, capturing customers with its Californian taste. Eggslut, famous for its egg sandwiches in California, opened its first store in Korea at Coex mall in Seoul on July 10. As one of the must-try restaurants when visiting California alon

FoodJuly 18, 2020

Lee Ung-no reaches international audience through Google Arts & Culture platform

Artworks by Lee Ung-no (1904-1989) – a modern artist who created his unique style by successfully integrating Korean painting traditions with Western art -- are now available on the online platform of Google Arts & Culture for international audiences. Lee Ungno Museum collaborated with Google Arts & Culture to showcase the artist and his artworks. Lee is the first Korean artist extensively introduced by the Google’s online art platform in collaboration with a local museum

Arts & DesignJuly 18, 2020

Ex- Homeplus executive shares leadership knowhow

Hee-man Harry Ahn, who worked in various managerial positions at South Korean discount chain Homeplus shares his experience as a leader in his book “10 Leadership Lessons to Win and Grow.” The majority of his tips are based on leading different divisions as an executive at Samsung Tesco, the Korean subsidiary of the world’s third retailer Tesco since 2001. Ahn worked for almost twenty years at the company. In 2011, Samsung Tesco changed its name to Homeplus. On top of this,

BooksJuly 18, 2020

Actor Shin Hyun-joon temporarily leaves ‘The Return of Superman’ amid controversy raised by ex-manager

After just one episode, actor Shin Hyun-joon’s agency, HJ Film, announced that Shin will be temporarily stepping down from KBS’ “The Return of Superman” on Wednesday as trouble with his former manager Kim Kwang-seob continues. Shin and his family appeared on the program for the first time Sunday as scheduled, despite a complaint filed against Shin on July 9 by his former manager of 13 years, alleging unfair treatment. The program, “The Return of Superman,” s

TelevisionJuly 18, 2020

BIFAN features digital, physical events amid COVID-19

The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival announced the winners of its 24th edition during a closing ceremony Thursday evening, bringing down the curtains on its eight-day journey amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. Around 80 people attended the ceremony at CGV’s Sopung branch in the city just west of Seoul. The winners in the feature-length film category were announced that day. In the Bucheon Choice section, devoted to international features, the coveted Best of Buche

FilmJuly 17, 2020

Japanese artist Chiharu holds first gallery exhibition in Korea

Gana Art, a major commercial art gallery in Korea, is hosting a solo exhibition of Japanese installation artist Chiharu Shiota -- widely known for giant installation works with entangled threads -- at its two branches, the Gana Art Center and Gana Art Nineone in Seoul. The artist, who is based in Berlin, expresses her emotions about relationship with others by weaving wool yarns. Her large-scale web which is woven with red wool yarns fills the 150-square-meter exhibition hall at Gana Art in J

Arts & DesignJuly 17, 2020

JTBC takes lead in TV drama viewership battle in H1

On the South Korean small screen, cable channel JTBC had a large lead over other big names on the back of well-made, eye-catching drama series in the first half of 2020. The romance thriller "The World of the Married," the South Korean adaptation of BBC's "Doctor Foster," was the biggest hit TV series during the period, with its viewership reaching as high as 28.4 percent. It is the highest-ever rating by a drama on a non-terrestrial TV channel. The 16-episode drama, whi

TelevisionJuly 17, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Vivarium (Ireland, Denmark, Belgium) Opened July 16 Drama, SF Directed by Lorcan Finnegan Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) and Gemma (Imogen Poots) are looking for the perfect home. When a real estate agent takes them to Yonder, a mysterious suburban neighborhood of identical houses, the couple can’t leave quickly enough. But when they try to exit the labyrinthesque housing development, they find themselves trapped as each road keeps on taking them back to where they started. Soon, they realize the

FilmJuly 17, 2020

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Jeonju International Sori Festival The 2020 Jeonju International Sori Festival aims to encompass both traditional Korean music and world music as a global music festival that centers on Korean vocals and music. The festival will be held at the Sori Arts Center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, Sept. 16-20. The festival touts itself as a top performing arts festival where exquisite music from around the globe are brought together, with its programs ranging across a wide array of performance

TravelJuly 17, 2020

Natural wines at Vinosn

To curious passersby, Vinosn may look like a run-of-the-mill wine shop. One step inside reveals this shop stocks exclusively natural wines and Grower Champagnes and that the owner, Agnes Kim, boasts over five years of experience and a dedicated passion for these increasingly hip and sought-after libations. “Before natural wine was imported to Korea, I drank it abroad,” Kim, 49, said in an email interview, recalling how she first encountered this much-buzzed-about wine. Then in

FoodJuly 17, 2020

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Summer staycation at Haevichi Jeju Haevichi Hotel & Resort Jeju offers the Summer Break package deal for guests seeking a summer staycation experience on Jeju Island. The package includes a one-night stay, breakfast for two, use of the hotel’s indoor and outdoor pools, and two glasses of craft brew Haevichi Wheat Beer. Guests booking a two-night stay via the package will be offered apple mango bingsu, while guests who book for a three-night stay will receive a complimentary upgra

FoodJuly 17, 2020

Wide open nature of Jeju offers solace for COVID-19 weary

Five months into COVID-19, I was itching to go somewhere, anywhere. The past few months had been filled with anxiety as I worried about family members in different countries. When we were finally all united in Seoul, the house got too crowded, as we mostly kept to home, other than returning to work. I needed to self-isolate in a quiet place -- undisturbed by anyone. Travel abroad was out of the question. So were crowded tourist destinations. That left me with an escape to Jeju Island, some

TravelJuly 17, 2020

[Eye Interview] ‘I want to show authenticity’

The sound of rousing protest songs, impassioned speeches and slogans chanted in unison flooded my apartment complex, disturbing the tranquility of a warm, lazy morning on a Saturday morning in August. I strained to hear what was being said, but the words bounced off the building walls, becoming incomprehensible echoes by the time they reached my ears through the open window. When the shrill noise reverberated through the apartment buildings again the next Saturday, I left the book I was try

FilmJuly 17, 2020

‘Peninsula’ scores biggest opening of the year, shakes up COVID-19-hit film scene

“Peninsula” on Wednesday opened the doors of the summer movie season with record-high ticket sales for this year’s box office. The sequel of to smash-hit zombie thriller “Train to Busan” attracted over 350,000 moviegoers to theaters on its release day, the film’s distributor Next Entertainment World said through a statement on Thursday. The Korean Film Council’s tally stood at 277,964 due to a computational error, the state-run agency explained. The

FilmJuly 16, 2020

Government’s Hallyu department announces plans to support Hallyu expansion

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s new Hallyu department on Thursday announced detailed plans to support the Korean Wave in a press briefing in Seoul. Before the new department was launched in June, the ministry has only had task forces and committees conducting Hallyu-related projects. Three main strategies -- diversifying Hallyu content, fostering other industries through Hallyu content, and creating a sustainable environment for the growth of Hallyu -- were introduced by

CultureJuly 16, 2020

[Video] Newly coined online terms fun for young Koreans, puzzle for others

As with other cultures and countries, Korea’s youth have their own vocabularies, slangs and some creative expressions reflecting a range of trends and ideas. Korean teenagers are producing a torrent of new slangs that defy easy interpretation by those in other age groups. The objects, ideas and definitions behind the newly coined words are not entirely new, but they are still a sign of the time in general and what is linguistically fashionable among the young generation. Cryptic acron

CultureJuly 16, 2020