Eva Armisen’s paintings about happiness, family offer comfort

Spanish painter Eva Armisen, known as an “artist drawing happiness” in Korea, is showcasing her work in Seoul to offer comfort amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. The exhibition “Eva Armisen Vida” at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun in central Seoul displays around 150 oil paintings, drawings, installations and media art by Armisen. The exhibition celebrating the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and S

Arts & DesignJuly 12, 2020

A decade of celebs chasing each other

“Running Man” marked its 10th anniversary on Sunday, becoming SBS’ longest-running variety show. A game program where celebrities chase each other and snatch their opponents’ name tags, it is one of the most popular South Korean TV shows in Korea as well as abroad. Kicking off as a segment on the SBS reality show “Good Sunday” on July 11, 2010, “Running Man” became its own show in March 2017 when “Good Sunday” came to a close. The var

TelevisionJuly 12, 2020

[Herald Interview] Expanding Korea’s presence in global art world

Gallery Hyundai, an art gallery with a 50-year history, is set to embark on the next phase of its legacy, presenting Korean art to the international art scene. Founded as Hyundai Hwarang in 1970 by Park Myung-ja, the gallery was an art base for Korea’s representative modern artists. It was a place where artists and art-related figures gathered to talk and meet when there was no such place to do so here. Gallery Hyundai touts itself as a pioneer and catalyst for the arts community, paving

Arts & DesignJuly 11, 2020

Traditional tableware adds whimsy with Line Friends

On the surface of white pottery is an illustration of a bear and a duckling playing surrounded by mokbuyong flowers, a type of lotus. The illustration is painted with blue pigments. The bear is a character named Brown and the duckling is Sally, both from global character brand Line Friends, while the lotus flowers represent Korean premium tableware brand Kwangjuyo. The blue and white color coordination stems from a traditional pottery style especially popular during the late Joseon era. The

Arts & DesignJuly 11, 2020

Students may wear hanbok uniforms from October

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Crafts & Design Foundation (KCDF) announced Thursday the 22 middle and high schools that will adopt hanbok-inspired school uniforms from as early as October. The hanbok-inspired school uniforms project began in February last year when the Culture Ministry and the Ministry of Education signed a memorandum of understanding to develop hanbok-inspired school uniforms. Of the 50 schools across the nation that applied for the project, 2

Arts & DesignJuly 11, 2020

CHA offers look at animals living at palaces, royal tombs

The Cultural Heritage Administration on Friday announced it has released six photos and six videos of animals living at palaces and royal tombs in Korea. The CHA added there are also photos of the sites of palaces and royal tombs for people who would like to visit the sites but cannot do so due to the virus situation. The palaces and royal tombs have been shut down since May 29 due to the spread of the COVID-19. The organization highlighted that the video content includes raccoons playing

CultureJuly 10, 2020

Hermes has upper hand in lawsuit against Korean fashion label

French luxury fashion house Hermes gained the upper hand in a lawsuit against Korean fashion label Playnomore, alleging copyright infringement of its signature handbags Kelly and Birkin. Playnomore is recognized for its use of neon colors and “eyeball bags.” The Supreme Court on Thursday confirmed a ruling saying that Playnomore violated the act of “unfair competition,” copying Hermes’ iconic handbag designs. The Supreme Court returned the case to the Seoul High

Arts & DesignJuly 10, 2020

Petitioners urge to lift government's ban on church gatherings

Over 330,000 people have signed a petition asking to the government to cancel the health authority’s decision to ban small gatherings and meetings in churches on the government‘s online public petition platform as of Friday. The public petition was first posted on the website on Wednesday immediately after the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters said Protestant churches will be barred from hosting small Bible classes, choir practices and lunch services from Frid

CultureJuly 10, 2020

‘Peninsula’ of zombies, mad survivors opens hushed summer blockbuster season

“Peninsula,” a sequel of “Train to Busan,” touts itself as a zombie flick that everyone can watch. “I tried my best to deliver a universal message through a film which people of all ages could watch. I’m hoping ‘Peninsula’ becomes something for everyone to enjoy in theaters during this COVID-19 era,” director Yeon Sang-ho said during a press conference held Thursday in Seoul. Exactly four years after the release of “Train to Busan&rd

FilmJuly 10, 2020

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Art-filled staycation at Andaz Seoul Gangnam Andaz Seoul Gangnam’s all-day cafe lounge A’+Z has collaborated with Gana Art Center and Perrier, offering a unique staycation experience to its guests. The hotel has transformed its cafe A’+Z into an art gallery this month, displaying art works by three artists -- Lionel Esteve, Yoriko Takabatake and Park Young-nam -- who express their appreciation of nature in different ways. The exhibition continues until the end of July. Mean

FoodJuly 10, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Better Days (China) Opened July 9 Drama, Crime Directed by Kwok Cheung Tsang Nian (Dongyu Zhou) finds her life at a standstill when faced by relentless bullying from her peers as she prepares for her college entrance exam. Fate brings her together with small-time criminal Bei (Jackson Yee), but before they can retreat into a world of their own, both are dragged into the middle of a murder investigation that will change their lives forever.  Fanfare (Korea) Opened July 9 Thriller, Crime

FilmJuly 10, 2020

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Gangneung Coffee Festival Gangneung Coffee Festival is held every year to promote coffee culture and celebrate Gangneung’s growth as the leading coffee hub in Korea. The city in Gangwon Province is known to be a city of coffee, being home to some legendary baristas in Korea. This year’s festival, slated to be held Oct. 8-11 at Gangneung Ice Arena, will invite big name figures from the local coffee scene for talks and seminars. Barista competitions and performances will take place,

TravelJuly 10, 2020

Japanese film starring Choi Hee-seo to hit Seoul early 2021

Korean actress Choi Hee-seo will star in Japanese director Yuya Ishii’s upcoming film tentatively titled “Asian Angels.” The film, which has recently finished shooting in Korea, is set to premiere in Seoul in the first half of next year, according to an announcement released Thursday. “Asian Angels” is a human drama revolving around two families, one from Japan and the other from Korea, who have been hurt by others and have come to Seoul in search of shelter. Al

FilmJuly 9, 2020

Culture Ministry to inject W156.9b to support artists amid COVID-19

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Wednesday it will inject 156.9 billion won ($131.28 million) to support artists who are suffering financially from the spread of COVID-19. The amount accounts for around 45 percent of the total 346.9 billion won third extra budget of the ministry. “Since the overall culture industry has been hit by the COVID-19, we have worked hard for this third extra budget,” Oh Yeong-woo, first vice minister of Culture Ministry, said during a pr

CultureJuly 8, 2020

Korean film directors venture for sci-fi anthology with ‘SF8’

Everything about the upcoming series “SF8” -- a sci-fi anthology series which will be streamed via streaming platform Wavve and TV channel MBC -- is new. Under the collaboration of major TV channel network MBC and the Directors Guild of Korea, eight filmmakers from the association teamed up with production company Soo Film to helm each episode of the eight-part sci-fi anthology. After a year and half long haul of production, “SF8” will be released through local over-th

FilmJuly 8, 2020

Herald Corp. opens video studio to drive up digital strategy

The Korea Herald is set to accelerate its digital drive with the opening of a brand new studio. The newspaper plans to maximize the use of a multipurpose studio to meet demand for multimedia content, including video and podcast productions. After a month of construction, Herald Corp. held an opening ceremony for its new studio at the company’s building, Herald Square, in Seoul’s central Yongsan district on Wednesday.  “With the completion of a studio that will lead the

CultureJuly 8, 2020

Bifan to open as online-offline hybrid festival

The 24th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival will kick off Thursday, downsized with parts of the festival going online amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of the usual opening ceremony, the premiere of Korean horror movie “Whispering Corridors 6: Humming” from director Lee Mi-young will mark the start to the nation’s biggest genre film festival at 7 p.m. in CGV Sopung in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. With most events taking place at the theater just west of Seoul, the

FilmJuly 8, 2020

Horim Museum unveils folk paintings on books, letters

Horim Museum is holding an exhibition introducing paintings on books and letters as the first installment of its three-part series on folk paintings from the Joseon era (1392-1910). The exhibition “The Scenery of Bookshelves Chaekgeori and Munjado” held at the Sinsa branch of Horim Museum, located in Gangnam, southern Seoul, showcases nearly 40 paintings of “chaekgeori” and “munjado” from the Joseon era as the first engagement of its “minhwa” ex

Arts & DesignJuly 8, 2020

National Assembly passes W346.9b third extra budget to support cultural industry amid COVID-19

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on Friday that the National Assembly passed a third extra budget of 346.9 billion won ($289.4 million) to support the cultural industry that has been suffering financially due to the spread of COVID-19. The ministry added that the amount increased by 7 billion won from 339.9 billion won, the initial budget plan it had submitted on June 3. The National Assembly has approved the Culture Ministry’s project plans for increasing jobs and

CultureJuly 8, 2020

Hantan River area listed as UNESCO Global Geopark

The Hantan River area near the inter-Korean border has been designated as a UNESCO Global Geopark, officials said Tuesday. The UN body made the decision to add the 1,165-square-kilometer area to the list during a meeting in Paris, according to the Gyeonggi provincial government. The designation raised the number of South Korean geoparks on the list to four, including the southern island of Jeju, Cheongsong in the southeast and Mount Mudeung in the southwest. "We will put special effort

TravelJuly 7, 2020