Singer Heo Young-ji confirms relationship with Guckkasten’s Ha Hyun-woo

Heo Young-ji of the defunct girl group Kara has been in a relationship with Ha Hyun-woo of the indie-rock band Guckkasten for around six months, Heo’s agency said Thursday. The two began their relationship in the second half of last year according to DPS Media.“After meeting through mutual friends, Ha Hyun-woo and Heo Young-ki contacted each other and recently began to have feelings for one another. They are cautiously getting to know each other,” it said. Heo Young-ji’s InstagramHeo and Ha repo

PerformanceMarch 1, 2018

BTS wins Musician of the Year at 2018 Korean Music Awards

K-pop group BTS on Wednesday won the Musician of the Year award at the 2018 Korean Music Awards, an independent music award show that focuses on both mainstream and genre music by South Korean artists.BTS was chosen winner of the award by the KMA's selection committee, composed of 56 judges who are music journalists, radio and television music program producers, columnists and critics. BTS was nominated earlier this month along with singer-songwriter IU, indie rock band Hyukoh and folk musician

PerformanceMarch 1, 2018

[Album review] Is it Sunggyu‘s album or Kim Jong-wan’s?

Sunggyu“10 Stories”Loen Entertainment　When offstage, Sunggyu of Infinite has always been an upfront man unafraid of expressing his deep, sophisticated feelings. And it’s a good thing to see his trait bloom musically, with the help of his mentor Kim Jong-wan, the singer with indie band Nell. Sunggyu’s first full-length solo album, also his third solo release, shows a lot of influence from Kim, who produced all of the album’s 10 tracks. It’s not surprising to see the Nell frontman’s fingerprints a

PerformanceFeb. 28, 2018

[Video] No fish in fish-shaped bread? ’Cause it’s bungeoppang

If you walk down the street in Korea in winter, you may have seen stalls decorated with fish characters that sell fish-shaped bread called “bungeoppang.”  Bungeoppang (Park Ju-young / The Korea Herald)After encountering the snack for the first time, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay said, “Is it like something out of ‘Finding Nemo?’” (Read more at: Chef Gordon Ramsay spurs Korean street food)“Bungeo” means carp and “ppang” refers to bread in Korean. The combination of the two words may prompt people

FoodFeb. 28, 2018

[Newsmaker] Oh Dal-su apologizes for sexual harassment

Actor Oh Dal-su on Wednesday issued a public apology for sexually harassing fellow actors a few decades ago.“The series of events are all my fault...I bow my head in apology for anyone who has been hurt because of me,” he said.Stage actress Uhm Ji-young and others have recently accused Oh of sexual attacks in the 1990s.Oh, who had initially denied the allegations, said the allegations were not exactly the same as he remembered. “I wanted to verify (the allegations) and talk to them. I was frustr

FilmFeb. 28, 2018

iKon makes surprise announcement for new song

Fans of iKon are in for an unexpected treat, as the boy band on Tuesday announced an unscheduled release of a new song for Monday.A teaser image for the song, whose title and concept have not been revealed, was released on YG Entertainment’s official blog (www.yg-life.com) with an image of a red rubber band being pulled on both sides. A teaser image for iKon’s new song (YG Entertainment)The release will come just a little over a month after iKon released its second full-length studio album “Retu

PerformanceFeb. 28, 2018

Oh Dal-su sinks deeper into harassment scandal

The sexual harassment scandal surrounding popular actor Oh Dal-su took a new turn recently, as his accuser appeared on local TV for an official interview.Theater actress Uhm Ji-young appeared on JTBC News Room on Tuesday evening to disclose the details concerning her accusation. She said that she had been performing in a play in the early 2000s, when Oh came to see it. Oh Dal-su (Yonhap)After Uhm asked Oh for an advice, Oh supposedly took her to a motel. She said that he tried to undress her and

FilmFeb. 28, 2018

SHINee pays tribute to Jonghyun in Japan concert

Standing before avid fans in Japan, the members of SHINee expressed love and respect for their former bandmate Jonghyun, whose premature death last year shocked the Asian music scene.The K-pop act on Monday and Tuesday held concerts at Tokyo Dome to wrap up its Japan tour, which kicked off with performances at the Kyocera Dome Osaka in Osaka from Feb. 17-18. The concerts brought together an accumulated 180,000 fans. SHINee (S.M. Entertainment)But the highlight of the tour was when the members pa

PerformanceFeb. 28, 2018

WJSN works on making ‘Dreams Come True’

Back with a brand new concept, WJSN wishes to work some magic as it tries to encourage fans to achieve their dreams. The 13-member girl band dropped its fourth EP “Dream Your Dream” on Tuesday. A few hours before the release, the band held a media showcase at Gwangjin-gu in eastern Seoul.  WJSN performs “Dreams Come True” at a media showcase Tuesday at Yes24 Live Hall, Gwangjin-gu of Seoul. (Yonhap)With the title song “Dreams Come True,” the EP contains six songs in total --“Love O’clock,” “Rena

PerformanceFeb. 28, 2018

Universal Ballet Company to hold gala performances this week

Universal Ballet Company will hold its second gala premiere from Friday to Sunday. Celebrating its 34th anniversary this year, the ballet company will give special performances comprising 11 scenes from works it has produced over the years. They include major scenes from “Swan Lake,” “Onegin,” “Giselle,” “Le Corsaire,” “Don Quixote,” “The Love of Chunhyang,” “Multiplicity, Forms of Silence and Emptiness,” and Mariinsky Ballet Company’s version of “Romeo and Juliet” and “Ballet 101.”A scene from

PerformanceFeb. 28, 2018

[Video] An afternoon in Seoul at a sheep cafe

Seoul is full of novel indoor attractions for foreign tourists, from board game cafes and escape rooms to one-person karaoke booths. One of the most comforting of these sites might be the sheep cafe Thanks Nature, located just in front of Hongik University in the Hongdae district. Owner Lee Kwang-ho brushes the one-year-old ewe Sugar on Feb. 23 at his cafe Thanks Nature in Hongdae, Seoul. (Rumy Doo/The Korea Herald)The cafe, sitting in a sunken garden-like lower story, houses in its outdoors enc

CultureFeb. 28, 2018

Crush, KARD, 3rd Line Butterfly among Korean artists to perform at 2018 SXSW, TGE

Up-and-coming Korean musicians will showcase a wide range of genres at this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) and The Great Escape music festivals.They will perform in this year’s “Korea Spotlight,” which consists of annual showcases for Korean talent hosted by the state-run Korea Creative Content Agency at SXSW and TGE.  Musicians who are to perform at the “Korea Spotlight” showcase event of the South by Southwest music festival pose during a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday. (Korea Creative

PerformanceFeb. 27, 2018

TIMF 2018 to celebrate return of Yun I-sang

“Now 23 years after his death, he will finally return home and find his last resting place in Tongyeong,” said Florian Riem, CEO of the Tongyeong International Music Festival, during a press conference at the Goethe-Institut in Seoul on Tuesday. The TIMF 2018 is slated to kick off on March 30, along with the reinterment ceremony for Yun I-sang scheduled on the same day. Originally developed from a concert titled “‘Night of Yun I-sang’s Music” in 1999, TIMF this year will become a special tribute

PerformanceFeb. 27, 2018

G-Dragon of Big Bang joins military

Big Bang’s G-Dragon has enlisted in the military. Rapper-singer Kwon Ji-yong, widely known by his stage name G-Dragon, began his mandatory military service by joining the five-week basic training camp Tuesday. Military service is compulsory for all able-bodied men in Korea.  G-Dragon enters the basic training camp at Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, Tuesday.(Yonhap)His management agency YG Entertainment previously announced that it would not hold any official farewell events for fans, adding that the

PerformanceFeb. 27, 2018

Jang Dong-gun to blur line between good and evil in ‘Seven Years of Night’

Director Choo Chang-min managed to do something that nearly no one had managed to do: He made Jang Dong-gun, one of the most marketable figures and the perennial sex symbol of Korean cinema, somewhat unattractive.“The point (of casting Jang) was how it would be if an actor whose face represents the good depicted the evil,” Choo said, in a press conference for the upcoming movie “Seven Years of Night” held in Seoul on Tuesday. The thriller, based on a novel of the same name by Jung Yoo-jung, foll

FilmFeb. 27, 2018

Infinite’s Sungkyu fills new solo album with 10 stories

Veering away from the aggressive dance he once did with his bandmates, Sungkyu of K-pop boy band Infinite returned as an emotional soloist with “10 Stories,” the singer‘s first solo full-length album. “This is my third solo album, and I feel more nervous than if it were Infinite’s comeback. When I was part of Infinite, we’d told stories of the members, but today, I feel nervous as I have to talk alone,” said Sungkyu during a media showcase for his new album “10 Stories” in Seoul on Monday. The 1

PerformanceFeb. 27, 2018

[Photo News] A glimpse into fall-winter trends at Paris Fashion Week

Jacquemus presented its fall-winter 2018-2019 ready-to-wear collection on Monday at the Petit Palais in Paris. The fall-winter 2018 Paris Fashion Week kicked off Tuesday and is set to run through March 6.Photos by AFP(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

Arts & DesignFeb. 27, 2018

[Video] Best season to enjoy lava-like ‘hotteok’

If you watched the latest episode of tvN’s “Youn‘s Kitchen,” you might notice the Korean traditional dessert “Hotteok.”By serving the Korean sweet pancake with a scoop of ice cream and chocolate sauce, the restaurant featured a posh dessert menu and captivated Spanish customers’ taste buds. (Shot and edited by Park Ju-young / The Korea Herald)“Hottoek,” however, is one of the popular street snacks which has been loved by locals for decades.The details about when and where this tasty dish came fr

FoodFeb. 27, 2018

TV entertainer Jun Hyun-moo, model Han Hye-jin confirm relationship

TV personality Jun Hyun-moo and fashion model Han Hye-jin are dating, Jun’s agency said Tuesday. The agency’s confirmation came shortly after a local media outlet reported that the two stars are in a romantic relationship. The report claimed that the couple often go on late-night dates, despite their busy schedules. Photos from the scenes were revealed with the report.  Jun Hyun-moo (left, SM C&C) and Han Hye-jinA few hours later, Jun’s management agency SM Culture & Contents put out a statement

TelevisionFeb. 27, 2018

Master of kitsch chosen as MMCA Hyundai Motor Series artist

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art has selected Choi Jeong-hwa as its fifth artist for the MMCA Hyundai Motor Series. The MMCA Hyundai Motor Series is the museum’s long-term annual project launched in 2014 and sponsored by Hyundai Motor. The project is dedicated to assisting and promoting selected artists by providing them with opportunities to construct their own unique art platform and create new large-scale works. Previous participants include internationally acclaimed artists

Arts & DesignFeb. 26, 2018