[Photo News] Jeju horses bask in sunlight

Horses are taking a rest at Jeju Horse Pastureland in Yonggang-dong, Jeju City, on Tuesday morning. Vast grassland and mountains in the backdrop make the horse pastureland one of Jeju Island’s must-visit sites. Visitors can see 130 Jeju horses, designated as National Treasure No. 347, in the grassland from April to November. The pastureland is state-owned and managed by the Cultural Heritage Administration for the special horses that need special care. (Photos: Yonhap) By Kim Tae

TravelJune 3, 2020

Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism takes international applications for next year

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has started taking international applications for the next year’s Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism (SBAU), aiming to select around 100 projects around the world. The biennale, which will be held from September to November 2021, will be held under the theme of “Crossroads, Building the Resilient City,” encompassing five co-related topics of urbanism, architecture, design, landscape and city to examine how the five factors can become

Arts & DesignJune 2, 2020

SPO experiments with ‘new normal’ for COVID-19 times

The prolonged COVID-19 crisis has been pushing the performing arts scene to search for new ways to share their art, and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra has found a way to perform together onstage while complying with the social distancing measures. The SPO, a Seoul City-funded orchestra, had originally planned to perform onstage with an in-person audience at the Seoul Arts Center on Friday. The plan, however was canceled due to renewed concerns about COVID-19 community spread. The orchestr

PerformanceJune 2, 2020

Hwang Sok-yong hopes to revive discontinued Lotus Prize rather than win Nobel liberature prize

Hwang Sok-yong, one of South Korea‘s best known writers, said he would rather bring back the Lotus Prize for Literature than win a Nobel prize, during a press conference held Tuesday for the release of his latest novel “Three Generations of Railworkers.” The Lotus Prize for Literature was an award organized by the Afro-Asian Writers‘ Association that was presented annually to African and Asian authors between 1969 to 1988. “I was named (as a possible winner of t

BooksJune 2, 2020

Gao Ming’s ‘Damp Season’ bags grand prize at Jeonju film fest

Chinese director Gao Ming’s “Damp Season” won the grand prize for international competition at the 21st Jeonju International Film Festival on Monday. Sixteen trophies in five categories were handed out at the awards ceremony held at CGV Jeonju Gosa in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. “Damp Season” uses the damp summer of Shenzhen, China, to portray the relationship of a young couple who grow apart in the humid season. In selecting the winning film, the jury noted

FilmJune 2, 2020

[Museum of One’s Own] Whanki Museum keeps alive spirit of Kim Whan-ki and his wife

The following is part of a series that explores museums dedicated to Korea’s well-known contemporary artists that bear their name. --Ed. If you are interested in Korea’s modern fine art, you may be familiar with Kim Whan-ki’s masterpiece “05-IV-71 #200 (Universe),” a piece that recorded the highest-ever price for a Korean artwork sold at an auction by fetching 13.2 billion won ($10.8 million) at a Hong Kong auction last year. Born in 1913, Kim was a pioneer of Ko

Arts & DesignJune 1, 2020

Big-name actors coming to big screen in July

  With a series of films confirming summer release dates amid the prolonged novel coronavirus pandemic, some big-name actors are set to return to big screen in the coming month. Film distributor Next Entertainment World on Monday confirmed that highly-anticipated zombie flick “Peninsula” would hit local theaters in July, featuring veteran actors Gang Dong-won and Lee Jung-hyun. A sequel to the 2016 smash-hit thriller “Train to Busan” by director Yeon Sang-ho, the

FilmJune 1, 2020

Movies go half-price to attract theatergoers

Though fears concerning the novel coronavirus persist among the public, the film industry is ushering people to cinemas with discount coupons for movie tickets. The Korean Film Council, a state-funded institution, will be giving out discount coupons for movie tickets over a three-week period starting Monday, as part of its measure to revive the industry now staggering from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Cinemagoers will be able to receive a 6,000 won ($4.90) discount per movie ticket

FilmMay 31, 2020

Performing arts scene put on hold again

Just as they thought it was safe to reopen, theaters in Korea will continue to remain in hiatus as the South Korean government has brought back stricter social distancing norms. After several new infection clusters of the novel coronavirus cropped up in the Seoul metropolitan area, the government ordered all state-funded cultural facilities in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province to shut down. Following the order, four performing arts centers -- National Gugak Center, National Theater of Kore

PerformanceMay 31, 2020

[Eye Plus] Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village stirs innocence of childhood

Next to Incheon’s historic Chinatown stands the Songwol-dong Fairy Tale Village, where characters from classic tales of Korea and the West are brought to life.  Stirring the innocence of childhood, the village is decorated to depict scenes of popular tales ranging from “Alice in Wonderland” and “Wizard of Oz” to “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Heungbu and Nolbu” -- a traditional Korean folk tale of a rich brother and a poor brother. Vis

TravelMay 30, 2020

[Photo News] Monorails prepare to get back on track

The Hamyang Daebong Mountain Valley Resort test-ran its monorails Wednesday ahead of reopening planned for late June.   The Daebong Monorail, 3.93 kilometers long, is South Korea’s first and longest sightseeing monorail that runs across a mountain. (Photos: Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp.com)

CultureMay 30, 2020

[Weekender] Changes in architectural design inevitable in post-COVID-19 era

The post-COVID-19 era is looming, bringing changes to what people considered normal. As the world deals with this highly contagious disease and prepares for other viruses in the future, interior design experts imagine new layout models and architectural changes to minimize the spread of disease. To begin with, more people are expected to work from home, which calls for changes to architectural design so that households can accommodate workspaces. “People will spend more and more time at

Arts & DesignMay 30, 2020

What next for Kansong Art Museum?

Two state-designated treasures from the Kansong Art Museum will be returned to the museum after an auction Wednesday failed to find new owners. The two treasures -- Treasure No. 284, Gilt-Bronze Standing Buddha and Treasure No. 285, Gilt-Bronze Standing Bodhisattva -- which were put on the block at K-Auction at a starting price of 1.5 billion won each, failed to attract any bidders.　 “The detailed schedule of the return cannot be disclosed due to our contract with the clients,” sa

CultureMay 30, 2020

[Herald Interview] Han So-hee says ‘The World of the Married’ changed her life

Even in sensational South Korean dramas, it is not often the case that a mistress, taking the place of the wife and having the cheating husband’s baby, gets the support and love of viewers. But that is what happened with Yeo Da-kyung in JTBC’s “The World of the Married,” and rookie actress Han So-hee, who played Yeo, is also experiencing unprecedented popularity. “It’s actually astounding. My life has changed. I’m not saying I’m happy that my li

TelevisionMay 30, 2020

‘MaytoDay’ brings up painful memory of Gwangju Democratization Movement for remembrance

Memories of the Gwangju Democratic Uprising will be brought back next month at the exhibition “MaytoDay,” organized by Gwangju Biennale Foundation. The Gwangju Democratization Movement took place in May 1980 when civilians protested against military strongman Chun Doo-hwan, who came to power in a military coup in December 1979. Martial law troops mobilized in Gwangju to suppress the demonstrations killed more than 200 citizens and wounded more than 3,000 -- the highest number of c

Arts & DesignMay 30, 2020

Cultural institutes shut down again as COVID-19 resurgence seen in Seoul metropolitan area

The three venues of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) in Seoul, Gwacheon and Deoksugung will temporarily close for next two weeks starting Saturday, reflecting the government’s strict social distancing measures in Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, MMCA announced on Thursday. MMCA Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province, however, will remain open for now. The announcement came after the government brought back stricter social distancing norms Thursday

CultureMay 29, 2020

Producers of Mnet's 'Produce' series sentenced to prison for vote-rigging

A Seoul court on Friday handed down prison terms to two disgraced producers of the popular music channel Mnet for rigging the vote results for a popular audition program. The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Ahn Joon-young, the producer of the audition program "Produce," to two years in prison and forfeiture of 37 million ($30,000), and chief producer Kim Yong-beom to 20 months in prison. The two were convicted of manipulating the vote outcome to put certain contenders in favo

TelevisionMay 29, 2020

CGV adopts system that checks whether moviegoers have masks on properly

CGV, South Korea's largest multiplex chain, said Friday it has adopted camera systems that automatically check moviegoers' temperatures and whether or not they have their masks on properly amid concerns over the spread of COVID-19. The company, an affiliate of Korean entertainment giant CJ Group, said it has introduced the Smart Pass system in 115 of its domestic multiplex theaters. Smart Pass recognizes whether a person is properly wearing a mask, with the system requesting the wearer to pro

FilmMay 29, 2020

Yoo Jae-suk recruits superstars Lee Hyo-ri, Rain to form group

Comedian Yoo Jae-suk is collaborating with singers Lee Hyo-ri and Rain as a group for Saturday’s episode of “Hangout with Yoo,” as revealed in the preview shown in last week’s episode where they were seen dancing onstage. MBC’s “Hangout with Yoo” features the popular comedian taking on different characters and trying new fields. So far, he has attempted cooking ramen, singing trot music and frying chicken. His latest attempt is to become a dance group

TelevisionMay 29, 2020

LPL teams eliminate LCK teams on first day of Mid-Season Cup

League of Legends Champions of Korea (LCK) teams T1 and Damwon Gaming (DWG), failed to qualify for the semifinals of Mid-Season Cup (MSC) on Thursday, ceding the qualifying ticket to League of Legends Pro League (LPL) teams, FunPlus Pheonix (FPX) and Top Esports (TES). The four teams played a best of 1 round robin on Thursday. The day started with a win for T1 in the opening match against FPX, in which T1 dismantled FPX with a poke composition featuring Canna’s Jayce and Faker’s

CultureMay 29, 2020