Bolbbalgan4 to debut in Japan in June with 'Galaxy'

The K-pop female indie duo Bolbbalgan, also known as BOL4, will debut in Japan in June with a Japanese translated version of their 2016 hit song "Galaxy," their management agency Shofar Music said Thursday."Having signed with the famous Japanese music production firm King Records, Bolbbalgan4 will officially debut in Japan on June 5," according to the agency. (Yonhap)Their Japanese debut music will be a Japanese version of "Galaxy," a 2016 song that helped consolidate the music duo's solid prese

PerformanceApril 4, 2019

MMCA exhibition ‘Vertiginous Data’ questions neutrality of tech

Not many artworks on show at museums have price tags attached to them, but Rachel Ara’s installation work does. The large tech installation, a mass of devices and black cables, updates in real time its value on a screen in red neon numbers. This seemingly “overcalculated and overcomplicated” tech-sculpture by Ara, titled “This Much I’m Worth,” is part of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art’s latest exhibition. Installation views of “This Much I’m Worth” by Rachel Ara and Chris She

Arts & DesignApril 3, 2019

Tracing Korean diaspora through unsung hero

In 2015, young Korean-American lawyer Joseph Juhn went backpacking in Cuba for a well-earned break, indulging in the beach, mojitos, salsa and, of course, Cuban cigars. What he found instead were traces of a man who had fought to keep the Korean identity alive among descendants of those forced to leave the country nearly a century ago -- Jeronimo Lim.“The first person I met at the Havana Airport was someone who was supposed to pick me up, this Korean lady who didn’t look anything like Cuban. ...

PeopleApril 3, 2019

[Herald Interview] After Celine and Louis Vuitton, Korean-American designer ready to rock world with label Rokh

At the latest edition of Paris Fashion Week, a new name caught the eye of fashion industry insiders amid the dizzying list of top fashion houses. It was Rokh, based in London and led by Korean-American designer Hwang Rok. Before launching his label in 2016, the 34-year-old designer had worked at high-end fashion houses, such as Celine, Chloe and Louis Vuitton.  RokhThough the Rokh label pursues the reinterpretation of classic garments through deconstruction and reconstruction, its collections ar

Arts & DesignApril 2, 2019

130,000 copies of Korean feminist novel 'Kim Ji-young' printed in Japan

US than 130,000 times since its release more than three months ago, the book's South Korean publisher said Tuesday.The translated version of the book by Cho Nan-joo hit the Japanese market on Dec. 8 and immediately went into a second printing the next day.On the fourth day of its release, the novel went into its third printing, and it has since surpassed 130,000 copies in three months, its Korean publisher Minumsa said, quoting data from Chikuma Shobo, the Japanese publisher. This photo provided

BooksApril 2, 2019

Korean language boom heats up in Thailand

The fever for learning Korean is steadily spreading among Thai students, as the number of secondary schools teaching Korean as a second foreign language in Thailand is expected to swell to 130 this year, officials said Tuesday.The Korean Education Center in Thailand said as many as 130 middle and high schools in the Southeast Asian country are expected to adopt Korean as a second foreign language in the new semester set to begin in May. Thai students posing with their Korean language textbooks.

CultureApril 2, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Another Child’ marks successful directorial debut of Kim Yoon-seok

Character building, building up of tension, attention to detail and other qualities that made Kim Yoon-seok one of the best actors in Korea are also what make him a good director. Kim has created some of the most memorable characters in Korean cinema through understanding his characters. In “Tazza: The High Rollers,” the most talked-about character was Kim’s Agwi, despite his appearing in just five scenes, and the actor depicted a cold-blooded menace who believes he is doing right in “1987: When

FilmApril 2, 2019

Super Junior's subunit D&E to drop new album this month

Super Junior-D&E, a two-men subunit of K-pop boy band Super Junior, will drop their third EP later this month, the band's management agency Label SJ said Tuesday.The duo of two Super Junior members -- Donghae and Eunhyuk -- will release "DANGER" on April 15, returning to the K-pop scene following their previous EP "Bout You" in August last year, according to the agency affiliated with SM Entertainment. Super Junior-D&E (SJ)Black and white teaser images for the duo's upcoming album, released Tues

PerformanceApril 2, 2019

‘Lack of aesthetic sensibility could pose threat to others’

Scattered throughout the gallery space are collages of various materials and found objects. Some are shown on classical sculpture podiums, others on metal frames or plastic foam. A sculpture in a corner periodically releases white vapor, like the water vapor and toxic gases that spew in a volcanic eruption. These make up artist Jung Ji-hyun’s solo exhibition at Atelier Hermes in Maison Hermes Dosan Park in Seoul.Born in 1986, Jung is an artist who works primarily with the byproducts and waste of

Arts & DesignApril 1, 2019

EXO Chen releases mellow ballads on 1st solo album

Chen, the main vocalist of popular K-pop boy band EXO, released his first solo EP on Monday, presenting six mellow ballads to the spring K-pop scene.The 26-year-old, whose real name is Kim Jong-dae, has recorded a number of solos, including on the original soundtracks for various TV series, such as “Everytime” for mega hit 2016 series “Descendants of the Sun,” but it’s the first time he is releasing a solo album.  (Yonhap)The new album, titled “April, and a Flower,” brings to the fore Chen’s exp

PerformanceApril 1, 2019

Spring arrives in Tongyeong with classical music

TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province -- With cherry blossoms in full bloom, the Tongyeong International Music Festival 2019 began Friday.The annual 10-day festival, founded in 2002, takes place at the city of Tongyeong, a southern coastal city and UNESCO City of Music.This year’s edition pays respect to two historical figures of music. One is, as is typically the case, late composer Yun I-sang, as the festival has its roots in a music festival dedicated to Yun. Tongyeong was the famed composer’s

PerformanceMarch 31, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Where do I come from? Where am I going?’

TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province -- Refugees were on composer Toshio Hosokawa’s mind when he wrote “The Maiden From the Sea” in 2017. At the time, images of refugees’ suffering and deaths had shocked and distressed the world. “The Maiden From the Sea” had its Asian premiere at the Tongyeong International Music Festival on Friday and Saturday.  Soprano Sarah Wegener (left) and Noh singer-dancer Ryoko Aoki (Tongyeong International Music Foundation)The Black Box theater of the Tongyeong Music H

PerformanceMarch 31, 2019

ASAP Rocky to hit Seoul for concert Friday

ASAP Rocky is stopping by Seoul on Friday as part of his 2019 “Injured Generation” world tour.The American rapper kicked off the trek in January in promotion of his third studio album, “Testing,” which was released in May last year.  ASAP Rocky (ASAP Rocky`s official Facebook page)In his Friday show to be held at Jamsil Arena at 8 p.m., Rocky will showcase live performances of tracks from his latest album that debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and lists collaborations with Frank Ocean, Moby,

PerformanceMarch 31, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Shazam!’ may prove DC has finally figured it out

In retrospect, the DC Extended Universe having the rights to two of the most popular superheroes of all time could have been both a blessing and a curse. Both Superman and Batman have been done on screen masterfully -- though it got rather embarrassing for Supes in later films -- and making new films about them would’ve been like batting after Babe Ruth: You have to fill supersized shoes. After the surprise hit of “Aquaman,” David F. Sandberg’s “Shazam!” appears poised to become another bench pl

FilmMarch 30, 2019

Director Kim Ki-duk lodges w1b damages suit against actress, broadcaster

Kim Ki-duk, an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, has lodged a damages suit against an actress who claimed she was sexually assaulted by him and a local television broadcaster that reported on the sexual assault allegations against him. According to legal authorities on Friday, Kim filed a 1 billion-won ($880,700) suit earlier this month to the Seoul Western District Court against the actress and MBC, insisting that he suffered damages from their false claims. This file photo taken on June 12,

FilmMarch 29, 2019

YG, major broadcasters burning bridges with scandal-ridden pop stars

The management agency of boy band BIGBANG ended sales of merchandise related to the disgraced former band member Seungri, while major broadcasters stopped servicing VOD contents featuring the singer and another scandal-ridden artist, Jung Joon-young, in the aftermath of the broadening sex and corruption scandal centering on the two K-pop stars.The accelerating efforts to remove any signs of the two troubled stars come as the police continue their investigation into allegations that Seungri procu

PerformanceMarch 29, 2019

BTS, President Moon contend in TIME list of 100 most influential people

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and world-famous K-pop band BTS were nominated for TIME magazine's annual list of the 100 Most Influential People in the World, a list showed Friday.Moon and BTS were two South Korean candidates competing for the annual list, with which the TIME editors recognize the most innovative and best-performing artists, leaders, scientists, activists and entrepreneurs, according to the TIME list of candidates released earlier this week. (Yonhap)With 4-percent support, B

CultureMarch 29, 2019

[Eye Plus] Bukjeong's beauty

Nestled against the ancient city walls of Seoul, Bukjeong is a small village with a much larger character. Although Bukjeong Village has been linked to redevelopment projects, it remains one of the last standing Daldongne – a hillside shanty town so named for being on steep hillsides and therefore closer to the moon – in Seoul.The village is also symbolic of contrasting characteristics of Seoul. While the village itself is packed with small, aging properties it overlooks one of the wealthier nei

CultureMarch 29, 2019

[Weekender] Sejong Institute looks beyond classroom walls

Aspiring Korean speakers are virtually all over the world now, thanks to the borderless travel of Korean pop culture. To reach them, the King Sejong Institute plans to go beyond its physical limitations and provide an extensive range of online classes, said Kang Hyoun-hwa, chief of the state-run institution that oversees some 170 Korean language centers worldwide. “On a recent business trip, I looked down from the airplane window on the so many islands that make up Indonesia. Then it struck me.

CultureMarch 29, 2019

[Weekender] Korean: A rising language

When King Sejong invented Hangeul, the Korean alphabet and writing system, hoping to “broadly benefit mankind,” he couldn’t have possibly meant people on the other side of the planet. But five centuries later, thanks to YouTube, video calls and mobile apps, the Korean language is being taught in places far, far away from its native land. On DuoLingo, a hugely popular free language-learning app with over 300 million users worldwide, some 3.3 million are taking the Korean course.“It is the sixth-m

CultureMarch 29, 2019