'Game of Thrones' reigns with record 32 Emmy nominations

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- HBO's "Game of Thrones" slashed its way to a record-setting 32 Emmy nominations Tuesday for its eighth and final season, leading HBO back to dominance over Netflix, the streaming service that bumped it last year from atop the increasingly crowded television heap.The bloodthirsty saga's total eclipsed the all-time series record of 27 nods earned by "NYPD Blue" in 1994.If "Game of Thrones" successfully defends it best drama series title and claims

TelevisionJuly 17, 2019

Seo Dong-joo wins 2019 LMoA Young Artist Award

Artist Seo Dong-joo has won the 2019 LMoA Young Artist Award, the Lotte Museum of Art’s annual award for an up-and-coming artist in South Korea. Seo, the winner of the inaugural award, will be given 20 million won ($16,949) toward his next projects. He will also hold a preview exhibition later this year at the Lotte Museum of Art, where he will introduce new works. Next year, Seo will have two separate exhibitions where his new and past works will be shown. Seo, 37, received a bachelor&rsq

Arts & DesignJuly 16, 2019

Sol Beach Hotel & Resort Jindo opens

Sol Beach Hotel & Resort Jindo, Daemyung Resort’s latest and 17th resort branch, is opening on Friday. Located in Jindo, South Jeolla Province, it is the third of Daemyung’s Sol Beach brand, which is themed as a beachside resort. This particular resort is themed after the Provence region of southeastern France, which sits by the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea. The new resort has 576 guest rooms, four restaurants, a cafe, five ballrooms, and an infinity pool.The hotel section ha

TravelJuly 16, 2019

Korail launches travel package to Chuncheon for foreigners

Korail is launching a travel package deal for foreigners that includes a round-trip train ticket, a taxi ride and admission to major tourist spots in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. According to Korail, the “Dream Tour Cheongchun” package, which will be launched Saturday, will operate until the end of the year. It was jointly developed by the state-run railroad service, Gangwon Province and Chuncheon City.Priced at 36,000 won ($30.50) per person on weekdays and 44,000 won on weekends, t

TravelJuly 16, 2019

12 years a dispute: Who owns ‘people’s words’?

 Supreme Court ruling seeks to end quarrel over ownership of version of ‘Hunminjeongeum’In September 1446, Sejong the Great published the document “Hunminjeongeum” -- meaning “proper sound for teaching the people” -- which describes the Korean writing system Hangeul.The original manuscript of the book carries a preface written by the Joseon king, footnotes about the content and explanations on how Sejong created Hangeul to help commoners learn to read and

CultureJuly 16, 2019

FINA President Maglione receives honorary degree from Honam University

FINA President Julio C. Maglione received an honorary doctorate degree from Honam University on Monday for his contributions to promoting world peace through the proliferation of sports.The Gwangju-based university cited Maglione’s efforts as a medical practitioner to achieve advancements in proliferation of health and welfare for humanity. An awarding ceremony was held on Monday morning at the school, attended by Maglione himself who had been visiting the city to attend the 2019 FINA Worl

PeopleJuly 15, 2019

‘Summer Love’: Artworks depict the lives of young artists

A desk with an old computer, a chair and a potted plant -- the room installation by Hwang Moon-jung does not require any sophisticated jargon to explain. You just need to sit and play the game installed on the computer: “Great Artist Maker” -- a remake of famous 1990s Japanese simulation game “Princess Maker.” “Great Artist Maker” has you arrange Hwang’s schedule and plan her activities to grow her career and get her recognized as a great artist. Hwang&r

Arts & DesignJuly 15, 2019

Lee Moon-sae to hold charity concert in Pyeongchang in August

Korean singing legend Lee Moon-sae will hold an outdoor charity concert in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, next month, his agency said Monday.According to KMOONfnd, the concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 31 at the Starlight Stage, located at Farm Herbnara in Bongpyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang county. Lee himself had named the outdoor stage that seats 700. Lee has held an outdoor concert series in the woods since 2003, with the upcoming concert marking the 10th edition. He is also preparing an a

PerformanceJuly 15, 2019

Chemistry between leads the key in ‘Tune in for Love’

When director Jung Ji-woo talks about the two romantic leads in his upcoming film “Tune in for Love,” he uses a Korean expression equivalent to “reading the phone book and making it sound good.” Kim Go-eun and Jung Hae-in work so well together, he said, they could make “reading from a textbook entertaining.” “Working with such good actors, it’s as good as it gets,” Jung said of the cast during a press conference for the film in Seoul on Monda

FilmJuly 15, 2019

Surfing, paddling at private beaches in Sol Beach resorts

Sol Beach Hotel & Resort is running a surfing school program, allowing guests to learn surfing and riding a paddle board at the private beaches of the properties. Resorts in Yangyang and Samcheok are running the programs until the end of September. Participants will take 60- or 90-minute lessons, including safety instructions.  In the peak season of July and August, six classes will be held every day, and there will be lessons four times a day in September.At the Yangyang resort, surfi

TravelJuly 15, 2019

BTS wraps up Japan stadium tour

BTS has successfully completed the Japanese leg of its tour. Following its tour of the Americas and Europe, BTS performed for 210,000 fans in Japan as part of its “Love Yourself: Speak Yourself” tour. The band held concerts in Osaka from July 6-7 and in Shizuoka on Saturday and Sunday.  The seven members performed “Dionysus,” “Not Today,” “Interlude: Wings,” solo tracks and the Japanese version of “Boy With Luv,” released July 3. T

PerformanceJuly 15, 2019

DAY6 aims to capture beautiful moment of youth in new album

Youth, the main theme in the previous hit songs by five-piece K-pop rock band DAY6, such as "Congratulations" and "You Were Beautiful," still runs deep in its new album released Monday: "The Book of Us: Gravity" and its main track "Time of Our Life."With its Korean title translated as "In order to become one page," the main track pictures the wishful starting point of a romantic relationship with a message to leave a beautiful page in "The B

PerformanceJuly 15, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Lion King’ to roar on screen once again

Twenty-five years since the release of Disney’s “The Lion King,” the story of Simba and his journey to his rightful place on the throne has entertained fans through various media -- from a smash-hit Broadway musical to animated series like “The Lion King’s Timon & Pumbaa” and “The Lion Guard.”The animated classic can arguably be said to have influenced superhero films too, with many seeing traces of it in the 2018 film “Black Panther,&rdq

FilmJuly 14, 2019

Lena Park to unveil 9th album

Singer Lena Park, also known as Park Jung-hyun, will release her ninth full-length album on July 18. Titled “The Wonder,” the upcoming album marks her first full-length album in seven years. Her most recent album “Parallax” was released in 2012.  Park has been releasing a series of EP albums under the same title to mark the 20th anniversary of her debut in 1998. “The Wonder” will comprise a total of seven songs in which Park’s fellow musicians have

PerformanceJuly 12, 2019

Things to do at FINA championships

GWANGJU —Water sports competitions are not the only attraction during the 2019 FINA World Aquatics Championships, being held July 12-28. There are a wide range of sideline events for spectators and visitors.Upon entering the gate of Nambu University, the main FINA championships venue, visitors will encounter what is called Market Street, featuring an IT showroom, food trucks and cultural performances. At the IT showroom, visitors can get hands-on experience of 5G networks, including autono

CultureJuly 12, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Spider-Man: Far From Home (US) Opened July 2Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Directed by Jon WattsPeter Parker (Tom Holland), aka Spider-Man, is unsure of himself and is torn between wanting a normal life as a high school student and shouldering his responsibilities as a superhero. Peter decides to use a school field trip to Europe to get close to Michelle “MJ” Jones (Zendaya), but troubles follow, as well as a run-in with a mysterious superhero, “Mysterio” Quentin Beck (Ja

FilmJuly 12, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Charging summer energy at Millennium Seoul HiltonMillennium Seoul Hilton’s Chinese restaurant presents a summer meal course.Taipan offers a seven-course meal featuring summer health and vitality foods. The meal will start off with a special seafood appetizer with caviar, followed by turtle soup with ginseng and Chinese matrimony vine. The soup will be followed by stir-fried chicken and neungi mushrooms, and then live freshwater eel with garlic and chili sauce. Diners will be served st

FoodJuly 12, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Everland Summer Water Fun Held annually since 2005, Everland’s summer festival is back with a variety of programs, such as water shows, light shows and other fun activities. It is open to visitors of all ages.For more information in Korean, English, Chinese and Japanese, visit www.everland.com.Hangang Summer Festival The Hangang Summer Festival, also called the Hangang Mongttang Festival, is a large-scale riverside cultural event.It consists of about 80 programs, including water leisu

TravelJuly 12, 2019

Co-directors ramp up preparation for 2020 Gwangju Biennale

Defne Ayas and Natasha Ginwala, co-artistic directors of the 13th Gwangju Biennale, are gearing up for the event, slated to kick off in September 2020.The biennale will look into the “entire spectrum of intelligence,” the two artistic directors said during a press conference in Seoul on Thursday.  “Our curatorial focus will engage with artistic approaches and scientific methods that examine the entire spectrum of intelligence -- ranging from spiritual and shaman legacies,

Arts & DesignJuly 11, 2019

Scandal-ridden member Kangin to leave Super Junior

Kangin, a scandal-ridden member of long-running K-pop boy band Super Junior, said Thursday he will leave the team, ending his 14-year membership.The 34-year-old, whose real name is Kim Young-woon, broke the news on his Instagram account.  "I decided to leave behind the title, Super Junior, with which I spent a long time," he said."I have been all too sorry for other members ... but couldn't make up my mind quickly due to people who steadfastly support me," he said. "

PerformanceJuly 11, 2019