Corporate giving: Eagon to perform popular classics with guests from Berlin Philharmonic Camerata

The annual Eagon concert tour will feature special guests from the Berlin Philharmonic Camerata this year. The concert series, now in its 30th year, will kick off in Seoul on Friday at the Lotte Concert Hall before moving on to the Seoul Arts Center and then to Incheon, Gwangju and Busan. The tour will wrap up in Daegu on July 11. This year, the organizers invited eight members of the Berlin Philharmonic Camerata, along with four other individual performers. Together, they have billed thems

PerformanceJuly 3, 2019

'Spider-Man: Far From Home' opens in S. Korea with 674,000 admissions

The latest Marvel film "Spider-Man: Far From Home" earned a solid 674,000 views on its first day of release in South Korean cinemas, data showed Wednesday.The superhero flick dominated the daily box office charts on Tuesday, dethroning the long-time leading Disney live-action film "Aladdin" seen by about 72,000 people on the 49th day of its release, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. The figure 674,000 beats the 545,000 opening total for the 2017 film "S

FilmJuly 3, 2019

[Herald Interview] Observing K-pop crossover from other side

While K-pop crossovers have been enjoying momentum, a columnist shared his opinion on the global phenomenon and its development from the perspective of an outsider looking in.Jeff Benjamin is a freelance columnist based in the US who writes about K-pop and other genres of music. He is passionately appreciated by “Army,” referring to the BTS fandom, for actively introducing the K-pop band to the larger Western public.  “I always grew up with this idea that music could be gr

PerformanceJuly 2, 2019

A look into nature and wildlife, beyond our reach

An ongoing Seoul exhibition highlights unique moments that internationally well-known photographers have captured to reveal the natural environments beyond our reach, through National Geographic’s photographs. The exhibition at the Hangaram Art Museum at the Seoul Arts Center, titled “Nature’s Odyssey,” presents images taken in part to bring attention to pressing environmental issues, according an exhibition organizer.British photographer Robbie Shone’s photo of a l

Arts & DesignJuly 2, 2019

CCF 2019 discusses content creation culture of Korea and beyond

As a part of the 2019 Culture Communication Forum, a debate on the internet content market and Korea’s place in it was held Tuesday at Grand Hyatt Seoul. The delegates present were: bestselling author Ito Ogawa from Japan, US pop columnist Jeff Benjamin, film director Ilya Khrzhanovskiy from Russia, think tank director Bronwen Maddox from the UK, film director Shakun Batra from India, Korean folk singer Lee Hee-moon, photographer Andreas Muhe from Germany, film director Herve Demers f

PeopleJuly 2, 2019

[Herald Review] Good acting eclipsed by rookie directing in ‘The Culprit’

Both Song Sae-byeong and Yoo Sun are quality actors, but it has been quite some time since either of them benefited from a good script or decent directing. One more unfortunate example of this is the upcoming mystery thriller “The Culprit” by director Go Jung-wook, a jumbled pile of pretentious plots that are convoluted and confusing for all the wrong reasons. A twist for twist’s sake is never the right choice, a note that the director apparently didn’t get for his first

FilmJuly 2, 2019

BTS' management company to move into new building

Big Hit Entertainment, the management agency for K-pop boy band BTS, said Tuesday it plans to move into a new 19-story office building in central Seoul next May in accordance with its business expansion plan.Big Hit and its affiliates will lease an entire building with 26 floors, including seven below ground, whose construction is to be completed in the Yongsan district by the end of this year, the company said."The office relocation has been planned in line with the company's rapid personn

EntertainmentJuly 2, 2019

Actor Lee Min-ho named as promotional envoy for Korean language education institutes

The government said Tuesday it plans to designate South Korean actor Lee Min-ho next week as a promotional ambassador to promote overseas institutes, established by South Korea, that offer foreigners Korean language courses and Korean culture activities.The culture ministry and the Seoul-based King Sejong Institute Foundation are scheduled to hold a ceremony in Seoul next Tuesday to mark the designation of Lee, an icon of "hallyu," or the Korean wave, as an envoy for the state-run King

PeopleJuly 2, 2019

BTS launches fan community on mobile application

Roaring K-pop boy band BTS launched Monday an official mobile application channel to connect with fans around the world.The septet announced the opening of BTS Weverse, an official fan community based on the application Weverse. Through the channel, BTS will communicate with fans using text messages as well as video clips and photos, according to Big Hit Entertainment.The app will provide exclusive content featuring BTS. Posting its first video clip on BTS Weverse, the BTS members said &quo

PerformanceJuly 1, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’ may not be epic, but it’s a delightful teen flick

How do you follow up after “Avengers: Endgame,” the pinnacle of a multibillion-dollar movie franchise built up over 11 years and 22 films that was epic, flamboyant, dramatic and even nostalgic? You don’t try to top it -- you build on the new world with a charming and relatable hero.Jon Watt’s “Spider-Man: Far From Home” is a delightful teenage coming-of-age tale with great characters, good humor and an upgrade in action, serving both as a wistful epilogue to t

FilmJuly 1, 2019

Ahn Eun-me turns museum space into dance stage

Ahn Eun-me is a one-of-a-kind Korean contemporary dancer. Even then, not many would expect to see her in an art museum. “It is strange to look back on my own past 30 years,” Ahn said during a press conference held Wednesday at the SeMA’s main branch in Seosomun-dong, Seoul, where a solo exhibition of her work is underwayTitled “Known Future,” the show comprises installations, video works, sounds, archive materials and performances.A statue of Ahn, painted in glitter

Arts & DesignJuly 1, 2019

'Hyangho Beach Bus Stop' favorite travel destination for BTS fans: poll

A bus stop on a remote east coast beach has been voted the most popular travel destination for K-pop group BTS' fans planning to visit South Korea, a poll showed Monday.The "Hyangho Beach Bus Stop" in the Jumunjin district of Gangneung, Gangwon Province, ranked first in a popularity poll of BTS filming locations across Korea conducted by the Korea Tourism Organization on 22,272 fans in 137 countries.According to the KTO, 21.8 percent of the pollees chose the Hyangho Beach Bus Stop in G

TravelJuly 1, 2019

Actor Kim Soo-hyun discharged from military

South Korean star actor Kim Soo-hyun was discharged from the military on Monday, bracing himself for a return to show business. Meeting with media and fans in front of the Imjingak Peace Bell in Paju, north of Seoul, he thanked his fans for welcoming him. A number of fans from Japan and China, as well as South Korea, came to celebrate his discharge early in the morning. "I'd been worried a lot over how to spend my days in the military since I joined it at a relatively later age than others,

EntertainmentJuly 1, 2019

Gracias Choir teams up with classical musicians

Gracias Choir has teamed up with classical musicians for its nationwide tour, titled “Svobodno,” which will entail six concerts in five cities.Classical musicians joining the tour include pianist Mikhail Benediktov, former guest soloist of the Mariinsky Theater; violinist Chingiz Osmanov, grand prize winner of the International Jascha Heifetz competition; and oboist Liang Wang, a former member of the New York Philharmonic. The concerts will feature choral and classical music pieces,

PerformanceJune 30, 2019

Soccer-playing stars splash across small screen

On the coattails of Son Heung-min’s memorable outing in the UEFA Champions League finals and the Korean national team’s second-place finish in the U-20 World Cup, the country’s soccer scene is now being celebrated on the small screen, with an array of programs related to the kick-happy sport.Leading the way is a documentary series on the Tottenham Hotspur forward himself, a documentary series “Sonsational: The Making of Son Heung-min” on tvN. The six-part docum

TelevisionJune 30, 2019

NPMK shines light on short-lived crown prince of Joseon, ‘patron of arts’

An ongoing exhibition at the National Palace Museum of Korea shines a light on the life and accomplishments of Crown Prince Hyemyeong, a 19th century regent of the Joseon era (1392-1910) considered a patron of the arts who was gifted in poetry and literature. Opened last week, “Hyomyeong: Crown Prince and Patron of Arts” is being held through Sept. 22 at the museum located inside Gyeongbokgung in Seoul. The exhibition is themed around how Hyomyeong (1809-1830) worked to promote the a

CultureJune 30, 2019

BTS tops global ticket chart

Ticket sales from stadium concerts in three countries have earned K-pop group BTS the No. 1 position in the world, a US poll agency said Saturday. Pollstar said BTS gained the top position on LIVE75 chart with an average of 51,106 tickets earned from six sold-out performances at three stadiums on the group's current world tour.London's Wembley Stadium had the highest ticket count of the three buildings, with 114,583, followed by the Stade de France in Paris with 107,328 tickets and 84,728 fans a

PerformanceJune 29, 2019

BTS garners more than $50 million from stadium tours in May

K-pop band BTS topped the monthly list of tour grosses with the biggest attendees among global superstars in May, Billboard reported on Thursday (on US time). "From only eight shows in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Sao Paolo, the South Korean superstars grossed $51.66 million and sold 384,498 tickets (in May)," Billboard said, citing figures from Billboard Boxscore."These towering earnings mark the biggest one-month total of 2019 so far," it said.  In May, the septe

PerformanceJune 28, 2019

Korean musicians receive awards at Tchaikovsky Competition

Four classical musicians from South Korea have received awards in the voice, violin, cello and brass instruments sections of the International Tchaikovsky Competition held this week in Russia, according to organizers Friday.  Kim Ki-hoon, a 27-year-old baritone, won second prize in the voice competition held at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.Kim Dong-hyun, 19, finished third in the violin section of the competition’s 16th edition, following the final round held at Tchaikovsky

PerformanceJune 28, 2019

[Weekender] Places for power nap in and around Seoul

Seoul is often described as a city that never sleeps. But for those who wish to sleep, the city has some amazing, extraordinary places for a restful retreat in the middle of the day. In the busy financial district of Yeouido, multiplex cinema chain CGV offers its sofas to dozy office workers during the lunch hour, a win-win for both the cinema and office workers nearby.    The “Siesta Program,” available only in Yeouido, runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through T

Life&CultureJune 28, 2019