‘30/50 Club’ looks into Korea’s rapid growth, uncertain future

“30/50 Club: A Dialogue on S. Korea, US, China and N. Korea,” originally published in Korean in February, has recently been published in English.Penned by Hong Sang-hwa, the 424-page book looks into how Korea became the seventh country to join the “30-50 Club,” referring to countries with a per capita GNI of more than $30,000 and a population of more than 50 million, following the US, Japan, Germany, Britain, France and Italy. The writing takes the form of an imaginary di

BooksJuly 25, 2019

‘My Name Is Kim Bok-dong’ tells tale of comfort women, champion of human rights

In January, human rights activist Kim Bok-dong passed away just shy of 93.With her death, all but 21 identified Korean women who were sexually enslaved by the Japanese during World War II -- euphemistically called comfort women -- had passed away. At the same time, the prospect of Japan’s Shinzo Abe administration formally apologizing for the country’s past sins grow ever dimmer. Upcoming documentary “My Name Is Kim Bok-dong” focuses on Kim’s life and struggles

FilmJuly 25, 2019

‘Special Labor Inspector, Mr. Jo,’ ‘To Jenny’ nominated for 2019 Seoul International Drama Awards

Two Korean dramas are among finalists competing for the 14th Seoul International Drama Awards. The organizing committee of the awards announced a list of 28 television dramas from Korea and abroad selected as finalists for this year, at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul on Thursday.Two Korean productions, comedy drama “Special Labor Inspector, Mr. Jo” and music drama “To Jenny,” were chosen as contenders for the best drama award. Korean director Park Chan-wook&

TelevisionJuly 25, 2019

Korean Food Promotion Institute helps farmers as onion prices plummet

Amid an unprecedented onion crisis, the Korean Food Promotion Institute held an event Tuesday to promote sales of the vegetable.A record harvest of onions, despite a decrease in farmland that grows the vegetable, has resulted in a heavy drop in prices.To help farmers, restaurateur Paik Jong-won shared recipes using onions on his YouTube channel. Individuals, companies and local governments are also supporting farmers by purchasing large amounts of onions.Joining the movement, the Korean Food Pro

FoodJuly 25, 2019

Why Don’t We to hold Seoul concert in November

US boy band Why Don’t We will hold its first standalone concert in Korea in November, the show’s local promoters said Wednesday.According to Live Nation Korea, “Why Don’t We – 8 Letters Tour” will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 at Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjin-gu, eastern Seoul. It marks the second time the band is performing in Korea.Comprising members Zach Herron, Jack Avery, Daniel Seavey, Corbyn Besson and Jonah Marais, the band was launched in September 2016 and

PerformanceJuly 24, 2019

National Museum of Korean Literature to be more than repository of books

The National Museum of Korean Literature aims to function as a culture complex for the public, allowing readers to enjoy Korean literature in diverse forms. The museum has taken the first step toward its launch, as the founding committee was registered as a corporation earlier this year. The museum will be built in the Eunpyeong district of western Seoul. Construction of the museum will begin in October 2021, with the opening date slated for December 2023. “The need to build a proper museu

CultureJuly 24, 2019

BTS' recent home concerts created economic effect worth nearly 500 b won: report

K-pop boy band BTS' fan meetings and concerts in South Korea last month created an economic effect worth nearly 500 billion won ($424.2 million), an academic report showed Wednesday.According to the report by a research team led by Pyun Ju-hyun, a business professor at Seoul's Korea University, BTS spawned a total of 481.3 billion won in direct and indirect economic effect with its "BTS 5th Muster [Magic Shop]" performances held in Busan on June 15-16 and in Seoul on June 22-23. The tw

PerformanceJuly 24, 2019

BTS nominated in 4 categories of MTV 2019 Video Music Awards

K-pop boy band BTS has been nominated for American TV channel MTV's 2019 Video Music Awards in four award categories, the TV channel's website showed Wednesday."Boy With Luv," BTS' latest single featuring Halsey, is competing in the best collaboration category for the fan-voted music awards whose final awards ceremony is set for Aug. 26 at New Jersey's Prudential Center.  The main track of "Map of the Soul: Persona" is also competing in three other categories: Best K-pop

PerformanceJuly 24, 2019

Foreign visitors to S. Korea jump 15% in June

The number of foreign visitors to South Korea rose sharply last month, helped by a large increase in visitors from China, Japan and Taiwan, data showed Tuesday.In June, the number of foreign visitors to the country came to more than 1.47 million, up 15.1 percent from around 1.28 million the same month last year, according to the data from the state-run Korea Tourism Organization.By country, the number of visitors from China spiked 25 percent on-year to a little over 475,000 last month, with visi

TravelJuly 23, 2019

[Herald Review] Hopes of cinematic universe may be too ambitious for ‘Divine Fury’

A cinematic universe is not something that has earnestly been tried in the Korean film industry, which makes Jason Kim’s attempt to start one via an occult film border on risky. Occult-themed flicks have rarely been major hits at the box office here.So how does “The Divine Fury” – the supposed “Iron Man” of the crudely named “Holy Universe” -- measure up? While it has some good elements and can be fun from time to time, the unoriginal plot and conc

FilmJuly 23, 2019

Trouble-ridden Jisan festival canceled 3 days before opening

The 2019 Jisan Rock Festival was officially canceled Tuesday, as the ambitious attempt to revive the festival came to a sudden and screeching halt, much to the anger and confusion of fans.D2 Global Company, the organizer for the festival, said on its homepage earlier in the day that it had called off the event.“2019 Jisan Rock Festival was to be held for three days at Jisan Forest Resort on July 26-28, but we decided to cancel the event as it was not possible to hold the concerts,” t

PerformanceJuly 23, 2019

[Trending] Kid YouTube star’s family buys $8m building in Gangnam

The family company of a 6-year-old South Korean YouTube celebrity has garnered enough money to purchase a building in one of the richest areas of Seoul.According to a report from Maeil Business Newspaper on Tuesday, Boram Family -- the company that operates two YouTube channels featuring 6-year-old girl Boram -- bought a five-story building worth 9.5 billion won ($8.06 million) in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam, in Seoul.Referring to the real estate brokerage industry, the daily newspaper said the buil

TelevisionJuly 23, 2019

[Herald interview] 10-year-old Jeju Museum of Art prepares for next decade under new director

With the Jeju Museum of Art celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Director Choi Jeong-ju, who was appointed in October, is looking to ensure transparency in the museum’s management and to offer quality programs. “The Jeju Museum of Art, which took off as a cultural platform for local artists and citizens, has taken firm roots here over the last 10 years. I think now is the time to prepare for the next 10 years,” Choi said in an email interview with The Korea Herald. 

Arts & DesignJuly 22, 2019

Fair to introduce Korean books to Vietnam

The Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea (KPIPA) is hosting a book fair Tuesday and Wednesday in Hanoi, Vietnam.The outreach event aims to promote Korean books, publishers and publishing content in the Southeast Asian country. Prior to the event, participating agencies were required to send information to local buyers and set the date for business-matching talks, in an effort to improve the quality of talks and increase the possibility of deals being signed. Around 24 Vietnamese p

BooksJuly 22, 2019

Cannes-winning 'Parasite' tops 10 m admissions in S. Korea

"Parasite," the winner of the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival, has surpassed 10 million admissions in local theaters, data showed Monday.The comedy-thriller film by Bong Joon-ho drew 10,000,249 moviegoers as of Sunday, the 53rd day of its run, according to the data from the Korean Film Council.It became the 26th film that reached the 10 million milestone in ticket sales in South Korea. This year alone, four films have achieved the feat: "Extreme Job," "Ave

FilmJuly 22, 2019

Violinist Sarah Chang to hold solo recital tour in winter

Violinist Sarah Chang will embark on a six-city tour across Korea in December, marking her first solo recitals here in seven years. The 39-year-old Korean American musician, also known as Chang Young-joo, will perform in Daegu on Dec. 17, followed by Ulsan; Anyang, Gyeonggi Province; Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province; Donghae, Gangwon Province; and Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The tour will wrap up with a recital at the Seoul Arts Center on Dec. 29. Chang performed at a concert at the Seoul

PerformanceJuly 22, 2019

Song-Song couple divorces without division of property: Song Hye-kyo’s agency

Actors Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo have finalized their divorce, as the court approved the divorce settlement Monday.The settlement comes one month after Song Joong-ki filed for divorce from Song Hye-kyo at the Seoul Family Court. According to Song Hye-kyo’s agency UAA, there will be no division of property or settlement money.The two tied the knot in October 2017 after meeting as the co-stars of hit TV drama series “Descendants of the Sun” in 2016.By Im Eun-byel (silverstar

PeopleJuly 22, 2019

Song Hye-kyo, Song Joong-ki’s divorce final: court

Song Hye-kyo and Song Joong-ki’s divorce was finalized at a Seoul court Monday.The two settled their divorce at a closed-door hearing held at 10 a.m. Monday at Seoul Family Court. The hearing lasted for about 20 minutes, a court official said. Their divorce was granted 26 days after the petition was filed June 26. Both cited irreconcilable differences as the reason. Korean law allows a marriage to be dissolved without a trial on the condition of mutual consent.The divorce settlement did no

PeopleJuly 22, 2019

2019 IYF World Culture Camp wraps up

The 2019 IYF World Culture Camp, the largest cultural camp for undergrads worldwide, ended its two-week run Thursday at Namdong Gymnasium in Incheon.  The camp is International Youth Fellowship’s annual event that offers a wide variety of programs, with the aim of offering education and introduction to Korean culture to students from around the world.The 22nd edition of the cultural event kicked off in Busan on July 7, with some 4,000 participants from about 60 countries. Programs for

CultureJuly 21, 2019

[Feauture] Offering classical music to more in Seoul

With tickets to classical music concerts typically around 100,000 won ($85), and sometimes triple that for big-name performers, prices have been a major barrier to widening the audience for classical music.To lower that barrier, organizations hold concerts for free or at a relatively affordable price, sponsored by the government or companies. These outreach concerts often feature pieces with a wide appeal and recognition, even among people unfamiliar with classical musicConcerts move out of conc

PerformanceJuly 21, 2019