Child actor receives death threats from male fan

Child actor Wang Seok-hyun has received death threats from a male fan in his 30s.A source said Tuesday that Wang received death-threat calls via his school and agency on Thursday. (Lionheart Entertainment)His agency immediately reported the matter to police. Police caught the suspect on Monday, and handed the case to prosecutors for further investigation.The suspect was reportedly Wang’s fan since his appearance on the film “Scandal Makers.” (Yonhap)Wang’s agency has contacted private security c

TelevisionDec. 26, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘Digging deeper into Korean Wave’

One summer night in 2016, David Kim and Danny Kim were drinking at a pub. Then college students, they were interning at an advertising company and music distribution company, respectively. Company life was draining. They didn’t feel like they were making something of themselves. After hours of complaining, there came the question: Why don’t we make something of our own?YouTube was booming, and so was K-pop. The two noticed a dearth of K-pop content produced by Koreans in English. A few days late

PerformanceDec. 26, 2018

Actor Son Seung-won caught drunk driving while license revoked

Actor Son Seung-won has been taken into police custody for drunk driving and injuring two -- all while having his license revoked.Seoul Gangnam Police said Wednesday that Son hit another car while driving under the influence of alcohol nearby a movie theater. Two men who were inside the car were injured and transferred to the hospital. (Blossom Entertainment)Son reportedly attempted to flee, driving away approximately 150 meters until a civilian and taxi driver stopped his car.According to polic

TelevisionDec. 26, 2018

Marcel Duchamp’s legacy visits Korea

Art critic Arthur Danto once said, “Duchamp did not merely raise the question ‘What is Art?’ but rather ‘Why is something a work of art when something exactly like it is not?’”The paradigm shift that Duchamp introduced to the art world with his “readymade” objects -- that an everyday object with little or no modification could become a work of art through the creative process by the artist and spectator -- was a concept that shattered the modern conception of art as the production of artistic “g

Arts & DesignDec. 24, 2018

Viewers gush over ‘SKY Castle’ as ratings skyrocket

The ratings for “SKY Castle” are soaring as enthusiastic viewers gush over the show’s depiction of South Korea’s education craze as well as the larger-than-life housewives played by some of the best actresses on Korean TV.JTBC’s Friday-Saturday series saw its ratings rise from just 1.7 percent viewership with its pilot episode in November to 11.3 percent on Saturday, according to Nielsen Korea. The ratings have risen each week consistently. Yum Jung-ah (left) and Kim Seo-hyung appear in “SKY Cas

TelevisionDec. 24, 2018

Strawberry season returns to luxury hotels

Though the air is freezing, hotel dessert sections have already warmed up, gearing up for the strawberry buffet season.Over the past decade, local luxury hotels have been presenting all-you-can-eat buffets filled with strawberry-related desserts each winter, following the trend of hotels in Japan and Hong Kong.Though the buffet season used to start around February, the saturated market has moved the timeline as early as December. Most now start around the winter holiday season. Intercontinental

FoodDec. 24, 2018

Top 10 most-streamed Christmas songs in December

Genie Music has revealed some of the most-streamed Christmas carols in December.The music steaming service said that “Because It’s Christmas” by Jelly Christmas 2012 Heart Project was the No. 1 Christmas single between Dec. 1 and Thursday. The song by the supergroup boasting singers Sung Si-kyung and Park Hyo-shin as members was the only South Korean act to chart in the top five. (Yonhap)Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath The Tree” from her album “Wrapped in Red” was a runner-up, while Mariah Carey’s

PerformanceDec. 23, 2018

SongEun Art Award nominees announced

SongEun Art and Cultural Foundation on Friday kicked off an exhibition of its four finalists for the 18th SongEun Art Award at SongEung Art Space in Seoul. Kim Joon, Park Kyung-ryul, Lee Ue-sung and Chun Myung-eun, also known as Eun Chun, were shortlisted for the award following two rounds of reviews. Paintings and sculptures by artist Park Kyung-ryul (SongEun Art Space) From left: Kim Joon, Park Kyung-ryul, Lee Ue-sung and Chun Myung-eun attend a press conference held at SongEun Art Space on Fr

Arts & DesignDec. 23, 2018

‘Winter Coffee Club’ asks what coffee means to us

More than a century has passed already since Koreans began to consume coffee near the close of the 19th century. Throughout the years, it has surely established its position. In downtown areas, there are cafes one after another. According to the industry, the average Korean drinks 500 cups of coffee in a year. Ongoing exhibition “Winter Coffee Club,” hosted by the Korea Crafts & Design Foundation under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, reflects on the changing history of coffee cultur

Arts & DesignDec. 23, 2018

BTS’ ‘Mic Drop’ hits 400m views, sets Korean record

BTS has left yet another mark in Korea’s music history, as its music video for “Mic Drop (Steve Aoki Remix)” has become its fifth video to surpass 400 million views on YouTube, the most for any artist in the country. As of 11:09 a.m. Sunday, the remixed version of the megahit had hit the milestone, a little over a year after its initial 2017 November release. As of now, the boy band has five songs with over 400 million views, including “DNA,” “Fire,” “Dope” and “Fake Love.”The most-viewed video

PerformanceDec. 23, 2018

Lee Young-ja 1st woman to win grand prize at KBS Entertainment Awards

Comedian Lee Young-ja made history by becoming the first female comedian to win the grand prize at the KBS Entertainment Awards held Saturday. KBS has held the annual awards ceremony since 2002 to recognize achievements in variety and entertainment programs. The grand prize had been won by men for 16 years in a row. There were six nominees for the grand prize this year, including Yoo Jae-suk, Shin dong-yup, Lee Dong-guk and Kim Jun-ho.  (Yonhap)Lee Young-ja, who debuted 27 years ago, burst into

TelevisionDec. 23, 2018

Korea decides on future passport design

Korea’s Culture Ministry decided on a design for the country’s future passports, Friday. The passports will be issued starting in 2020.The next generation of South Korean passports will come in three colors -- navy for ordinary citizens, gray for government officials and red for diplomats.For enhanced security and greater impact resistance, the ministry said it has decided to use a durable transparent plastic called polycarbonate thermoplastic. (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)The Minist

CultureDec. 21, 2018

Culture Ministry withheld top marks for biennales in 2018

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Thursday released its evaluations of government-supported art biennales that took place this year. Among the eight art biennales reviewed by the ministry, none received top marks on a scale from 1 to 5. Three biennales got a grade of 2, and the rest were rated 3 or 4.  (Yonhap)This was the first year in which no biennale received a 1 since the ministry launched its annual evaluations in 2004.Of the three biennales that received 2s, the Busan Biennal

Arts & DesignDec. 21, 2018

[Weekender] Ski resorts turning attention to nonskiers

For those who don’t enjoy skiing, annual family ski trips can be quite dull. But in recent years, ski resorts in South Korea have found an ironic yet new target group -- nonskiers. Major resorts here are trying to come up with fresh ideas every winter, slowly transitioning into “theme parks,” where everyone can spend quality time. The Vivaldi Park resort, located about 60 kilometers east of Seoul in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province, has been frequented by locals and tourists for over two decades. Wit

TravelDec. 20, 2018

Salami Museum opens in Seoul

Johncook Deli Meats opened its Salami Museum on Thursday, the first of its kind in Korea. Though it bills itself as a museum, the space is more of a showroom next to its factory in Hannam-dong, central Seoul. Admission is free. Visitors can observe how various types of salami are fermented, at the around 30-square-meter establishment. Salami on display at Salami Museum in Hannam-dong, central Seoul. (Im Eun-byel / The Korea Herald)“We began to work with salami 20 years ago, finding ways to consu

FoodDec. 20, 2018

Meet Aqua: K-pop’s first e-sports girl group

There is a new girl group in the K-pop scene. Billing itself as the very first “e-sports girl group” in South Korea, Aqua hopes to incorporate gaming into the growing music scene. At first glance, the six-piece group consisting of Hyeonju, Sua, Haesol, Seungji, Sihyeon and Hyerim looks like a typical K-pop idol group. But with the novel concept of e-sports, the group is already gaining attention, including from gamers, since its debut single with the fitting title “Log In” was released in Novemb

PerformanceDec. 20, 2018

Remembering titan of compassionate conservatism, passionate progress

Late South Korean economic policymaker Kim Ip-sam (left) sits next to the late Hyundai Group founder Chung Ju-yung at an international conference in the late 1970s, when they worked as the vice chairman and chairman, respectively, of the Federation of Korean Industries. (Kim So-im)Many South Koreans take the nation’s prosperity for granted nowadays, but it wasn’t always the case. Unlike countries blessed with abundant natural resources, Korea’s freedom and wealth were forged by the blood and swe

BooksDec. 20, 2018

Instagram Korea announces 2018’s most beloved celebrities

Instagram announced its list of the most beloved Korean celebrities of 2018 on Thursday.The yearly roundup, “Instagram Awards in Korea,” was launched last year to recognize highly influential celebrity Instagrammers. 　 (Big Hit Entertainment, YG Entertainment, S.M. Entertainment)The photo-sharing platform described the nascent awards as a way to celebrate K-pop’s status as “one of the most buzzed-about music genres three years in a row from 2015 to 2017,” adding that 2018 “was the year in which

PerformanceDec. 20, 2018

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Swing KidsWith the Korean War at its peak, the animosity between North Korean prisoners-of-war and the US forces runs high. Ki-soo (Do Kyung-soo), a fervent communist and war prisoner who was a member of a national dance troupe, meets Jackson (Jared Grimes), a Hollywood tap dancer-turned-US Army sergeant at the camp. Ki-soo joins a dance group, along with others who each have different goals.Aquaman (US)Opened Dec. 19Action, Adventure, Fantasy Directed by James WanHalf-human, half-Atlantean Arth

FilmDec. 20, 2018

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Mermaid performances at Coex AquariumCoex Aquarium is holding underwater mermaid-themed performances to mark the Christmas holiday season. Divers dressed in Santa and mermaid outfits perform with sea life, including 20,000 sardines. The shows are held at 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and at 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. on weekends and holidays. There are no performances on Mondays.The Christmas-themed performances will be held until Dec. 25, after which a new version with a different theme will be

TravelDec. 20, 2018