Monsta X releases Latin music in collaboration with Sebastian Yatra

K-pop boy band Monsta X on Friday released a Latin music-inspired single in collaboration with Colombian singer-songwriter Sebastian Yatra.The digital single, "Magnetic," combines Yatra's Spanish-language singing with the K-pop band's Korean lines in a new love song.  The collaboration was arranged during Monsta X's meeting with the Colombian musician in the United States, according to the band's agency, Starship Entertainment. The Korean band performed at the 2019 iHeartRadio Jin

PerformanceDec. 20, 2019

Boy band WINNER's Mino becomes latest entertainer to debut as painter

Mino, a member of roaring boy band WINNER, officially debuted as a painter this week, the latest in a growing number of TV celebrities expanding their talent into the fine arts.An art exhibition including paintings by Mino, whose legal name is Song Min-ho began its run on Tuesday at the Seongnam Arts Center south of Seoul.The 26-year-old K-pop star submitted one oil and two acrylic paintings to the fine art show, "Special Exhibition for Emerging Artists 2019," which will run till next

PerformanceDec. 20, 2019

Coex Aquarium announces new rare penguin

Coex Aquarium announced this week the birth of a baby Humboldt penguin, marking the first time a Korean facility has succeeded in natural breeding for a fourth straight generation.The newly born bird was the fourth generation from 20 Humboldt penguins the aquarium acquired in 2008, and was revealed to the public for the first time Wednesday.Officials at the aquarium noted that natural breeding of the species is extremely difficult, as the process is very sensitive to surroundings such as the tem

CultureDec. 20, 2019

SBS reality dating show to be remade in Vietnam

South Korean TV channel SBS' popular reality dating show, "Jjak," will be reproduced and aired in Vietnam this month, the channel said Friday.Vietnamese TV channel HTV7 will air the first episode of the Vietnamese version, "The Love Game," during prime time next Friday, according to SBS.The South Korean TV channel has taken part in the production of the Vietnamese program, it said.The show ran for three years till early 2014 in South Korea, featuring an unpredictable process

TelevisionDec. 20, 2019

[Eye plus] Preserving memories of Seoul

The history of Seoul dates back nearly 2,000 years, but citizens and visitors alike find it difficult to imagine what life here must have been like just half a century ago. From the 1950s to the present, the city has undergone the most dramatic transformation in its history, one that is almost unparalleled from a global perspective as well. Rising from the ashes of war to attain economic prosperity, the city has abandoned the remnants of its impoverished past and embraced futuristic skyscrapers,

CultureDec. 20, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Special dinner buffet and afternoon tea at Four Points by Sheraton Seoul, Gangnam The hotel’s restaurant, Evolution, will provide special dinner buffets only for three days, on Dec. 24, 25 and 31. A lobster platter and a variety of seafood and meat dishes will be prepared, along with champagne and strawberry desserts. The price is set at a reasonable 77,000 won per person, and time is limited to three hours for the dinner. The reservation can be made at (02) 2160-8989.Also on Christmas Eve

FoodDec. 20, 2019

[Weekender] 3 Christmas markets in Seoul

Part of the joy of the Yuletide season is visiting Christmas markets. Although not as grand as those found in some European cities, Seoul has places where one can shop for Christmas decorations, gifts and treats. Han River Park Seoul’s Bamdokkaebi Night Market’s official 2019 run ended in mid-October, but is back for a special Christmas edition. Opening today at the Multiplaza inside Yeouido Han River Park, the market’s Bamdokkaebi charm is intact -- a mix of delectable fo

TravelDec. 20, 2019

[Weekender] Holiday sparkles

South Korea is not particularly well known as a Christmas holiday destination for travelers, but it has some aspirations.  Taking a cue from famous Christmas markets and light festivals around the world, Seoul has decked out its Cheonggye Stream in a splendid display of colorful lights. And this weekend the “spaceship” Dongdaemun Design Plaza will turn into a magical, sparkling place when it holds its inaugural light festival. Down in the portside city of Busan, the sandy beach

TravelDec. 20, 2019

[Herald interview] String sounds of Pyongyang ring alive in Seoul

Though the gayageum, a 12-string zither-like instrument, can be traced back to ancient times, it has evolved in different ways in North and South Korea, according to a gayageum player who has traversed the two Koreas to practice her art.Park Soon-a, 51, will be performing various gayageum solo pieces composed and played in North Korea at her solo recital “North Korea Gayageum,” to be held Friday and Saturday at Seoul Namsan Gukakdang.Park is an ethnic Korean from Japan, known as a &l

PerformanceDec. 19, 2019

BTS chosen as Singer of Year by global K-pop fans: poll

Global sensation BTS has been tapped as the most beloved K-pop star of the year by K-pop fans around the world for the fourth consecutive year, a written survey showed Thursday. According to the poll by KBS World Radio of 7,855 listeners of its programs in 11 languages, 35.4 percent of the polled picked BTS as the K-pop Singer of the Year. Launched in 2016, the survey was conducted from Nov. 20-Dec. 4 via the state-run broadcaster's homepage and mobile app.    The boy group's &quo

PerformanceDec. 19, 2019

Director, actor of Cannes-winning 'Parasite' awarded cultural medal

Director Bong Joon-ho and actor Song Kang-ho of Cannes-winning film "Parasite" were awarded national cultural medals for their contributions to the promotion of the Korean film industry, the South Korean government said Thursday.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that it gave the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit, the second highest class of the South Korean cultural decoration, to Bong and the fourth-highest Okgwan medal to Song during a ceremony held at the National Theat

FilmDec. 19, 2019

With breakout trot music career, Yoo Jae-suk pioneers new reality show genre

Top star comedian and TV show emcee Yoo Jae-suk showed up in a red stage suit embroidered with a gold dragon and a matching red fedora for a press conference on Thursday, the typical costume of his alter ego, Yoo San-seul.What started as a comedy project under MBC's reality show, "Hangout with Yoo," led to Yoo's full-fledged trot music career under the stage name Yoo San-seul after the Korean name of a popular Chinese seafood dish.Yoo officially released a three-track trot album, "

TelevisionDec. 19, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals and sights across Korea

Little Prince Starlight Festival of Petite France (1)The sixth Little Prince Starlight Festival of Petite France will be held at the Petite France Park in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, until Feb. 29. The annual festival is inspired by the southern French town of Montpellier. In addition to beautiful lighting at night, another highlight is the 30-meter light tunnel installed next to a round structure modeled after asteroid B 612, home of the Little Prince from Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s book

TravelDec. 19, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Frozen 2(US)Opened Nov. 27Animation, Adventure, Comedy Directed by Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee Anna (Kristen Bell), Elsa (Idina Menzel), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Olaf (Josh Gad) and Sven leave Arendelle to travel to an ancient forest in an enchanted land. They set out to find the origin of Elsa’s powers in order to save their kingdom. Jumanji: The Next Level(US)Opened Dec. 11Action, Adventure, Comedy Directed by Jake Kasdan In “Jumanji: The Next Level,” the gang is back but

FilmDec. 19, 2019

[Herald Review] Korea finally has quality disaster film in ‘Ashfall’

South Korean cinema has always been strong on drama, but it has never really managed to produce a decent big-budget disaster film. “Exit” earlier this year was a pleasant surprise, but it was more of an action-comedy hybrid than a disaster film.“Ashfall” is not a masterpiece by any standard, but directors Lee Hae-jun and Kim Byeong-seo managed to create a decent disaster film that is up to standard in every way, from good acting and character-building to a solid storyline

FilmDec. 19, 2019

‘Beasts Clawing at Straws’ to get premiere at Film Festival Rotterdam

Korean film “Beasts Clawing at Straws” has been invited to International Film Festival Rotterdam to screen early next year, marking its world premiere at the film festival. The film is one of 10 films to have its world premiere at the film festival, as it also competes for the top honor of the film festival, the Tiger Award, according to IFFR.  The annual film festival, which is scheduled to for Jan. 23-Feb. 2, focuses on recent works by talented new filmmakers and unveils a lin

FilmDec. 19, 2019

'Mermaid of Asia' named second vice culture-sports minister

Choi Yoon-hee, a former South Korean female swimming star, was appointed as new second vice minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in a reshuffle of four vice minister-level officials conducted by President Moon Jae-in on Thursday.The president named 52-year-old Choi to succeed Roh Tae-kang as the No. 2 official at the culture and sports ministry, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said.Choi, who gained fame in the 1980s after winning five Asian Games gold medals in swimming,

CultureDec. 19, 2019

Mnet to refrain from producing audition shows amid vote-rigging scandal

South Korean cable channel Mnet said Wednesday that it will launch no new K-pop audition shows in the future amid a widening police probe into a vote-rigging scandal involving its popular competition series "Produce X101." "We will refrain from producing audition programs," Kang Ji-hoon from Mnet said in a session of the Korea Communications Standards Commission. "We are making efforts to create content focusing more on music." The music channel has been embroi

PerformanceDec. 18, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Forbidden Dream’ tells of beautiful friendship between two dreamers

Oscar Wilde once said, “A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.” These words echo through the story of King Sejong of Joseon and his trusted inventor Jang Yeong-sil, who aspired to that which was beyond the realm of their reality, and believed in their dreams despite what the world said.Director Hur Jin-ho’s “Forbidden Dream” is a period piece about the two great men and the b

FilmDec. 18, 2019

[Herald Interview] Photographer dedicates sunset years to int’l competitions

In his sunset years, a civil engineer-turned-photographer has been making his name at international photography competitions. Over the past five years, professional photographer Ryu Shin-woo, 76, has won 2,420 acceptances for 352 works in 466 competitions across 73 countries,  sponsored by the Federation Internationale de l’Art Photographique, also known as the International Federation of Photographic Art.  The federation, a nongovernmental organization recognized by UNESCO,

Arts & DesignDec. 18, 2019