[PyeongChang 2018] Foreign language service offered at Odaesan during Olympics

Tourist-friendly translation services will be available at Odaesan mountain during the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games, the Korea National Park Service said Sunday. The mountain, situated in the Olympics host city of PyeongChang, will offer history and culture tours in the mountain in English, Chinese and Japanese.An ‘Olympic zone’ has been built in the mountain’s fir forest, which consists of a 1-kilometer section of the mountain trail. In this zone will stand signs explaining the 15 spor

TravelJan. 7, 2018

‘PD Notepad’ seeks to return as king in investigative journalism

Despite controversies surrounding it, MBC’s “PD Notepad” has long been synonymous with investigative TV journalism in South Korea. It has touched on thorny issues, uncovering Hwang Woo-suk’s stem cell research fraud and claiming in 2008 that US beef imports posed risks from mad cow disease. With the conservative administrations of Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye muzzling criticisms against them, however, the program had all but lost its edge, with rival programs such as SBS’s “I Want to Know Abo

TelevisionJan. 7, 2018

‘Infinite Challenge’ adds newest panel member

“Infinite Challenge” is looking to shake things up by adding comedian Jo Se-ho to the sixth and newest iteration of its panel. In the latest episode that aired Saturday, one of Korea’s oldest-running variety shows revealed that Jo will be joining the show. Jo Se-ho appears on “Infinite Challenge.” (MBC)The episode was composed of two parts. In the first were segments recorded with Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao, while the second was a “hearing” for Jo, in which previous panelists questioned Jo’s

TelevisionJan. 7, 2018

[Photo News] Some 4,500 take a swim in Busan winter sea

The 31st Polar Bear Swim Festival took place at Haeundae Beach in Busan, Sunday. Some 4,500 people braved the winter sea like the bears the festival is named after. Of the crowd, 200 were non-Korean participants. Sunday marked a brief break in the cold spell, with the daytime temperatures rising as high as 7 degrees Celsius, compared to the previous day of minus 8 degrees. The age range of the participants this year went from 3 years old to 82 years old. The 31st Polar Bear Swim Festival took pl

TravelJan. 7, 2018

[Video] Haven in nature welcomes those seeking rest

Shot by Lim Jeong-yeo / Edited by Lim Jeong-yeoFor those looking to find accommodation in Jeongseon, the city where the Alpine Centre for Olympics alpine skiing games is located, a very Korean retreat could serve as a cultural experience as well as a base camp for the upcoming Winter Olympics season.Yoon In-sook, 60, built for herself an organic haven in the rural region of Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, where she lives amongst untouched nature. Yoon claims that her way of life has helped tremendo

PeopleJan. 7, 2018

[Weekender] Travel bits

Anseong Ice Fishing FestVisitors are welcome to participate in various winter activities such as ice fishing, sledding, traditional winter games, barehanded fishing. Gwanghyewon Reservoir, the venue of Anseong Ice Fishing Festival, is one of the largest reservoirs of Anseong known for its first class water quality that runs down from Charyeon Mountain Range.The festival lasts until Feb.25, and the admission is 5,000 won per person. Children under 5 are admitted free.Call the travel hotline at 13

TravelJan. 5, 2018

[Weekender] Around the hotels

Swellfish dishes at Millennium Seoul HiltonMillennium Seoul Hilton’s Japanese restaurant, Gengi, is offering a promotion of swellfish dishes, which are considered a delicacy in Japanese cuisine. The finest flavors and tender texture of swellfish, or fugu, are brought to life by the hotel’s veteran chefs. Genji’s chefs are offering various swellfish dishes on both the a la carte menu and Kaiseki menu. The dishes will include swellfish sashimi, swellfish in a stone pot, grilled swellfish, deep fri

FoodJan. 5, 2018

All-day eats, baked goods and coffee at Caravan

Caravan, an expanding eatery with new roots near Seoul’s Dosan Park, seems to have mastered the art of all-day dining. At its latest outpost, which opened mid-December in Sinsa-dong, diners can tuck into breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and bar snacks in an airy space with high ceilings, floor-length windows and powder blue and buttery orange-brown seating.  Caravan’s crispy pork belly is marinated in beer and honey, braised, garnished with pineapple sage, perched over sauteed potatoes and serv

FoodJan. 5, 2018

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle(US) Opened Jan. 3Comedy. Directed by Jake KasdanFour teenagers are placed in detention together. They find a magical video game in a school basement, and are subsequently sucked into it. They find themselves in the form of their game avatars. Spencer Gilpin is a tough, muscular explorer named Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Dwyane Johnson), Anthony “Fridge” Johnson is a short zoologist named Franklin “Mouse” Finbar (Kevin Hart), Martha Kaply is a gorgeous commando and mart

FilmJan. 5, 2018

Brown butter brings nutty flavor to aromatic, spiced gingerbread

By Leah EskinChicago Tribune Ginger, cinnamon, cloves (or pepper) and molasses flavor a classic gingerbread. (Chicago Tribune/TNS)Fall demands that leaves leave. Acquiescing, they fall.After which, they lie in wait. For what remains unclear. Mine looked perfectly happy lazing around in heaps that faded from red and orange to brown and brittle.I liked the crinkle underboot, the flurry that followed the dog, the nutty scent of the season settling. It put me in mind of nut-brown gingerbread, spiced

FoodJan. 5, 2018

[Weekender] Dear diary: Koreans’ undying love of putting pen to paper

What comes to your mind when you think of the term “diary?” For some, the word means a journal to write down reflections on the day. For others, the term covers a broader range of books: planners, schedulers, calendars -- even blank notes could be called a diary if people can log their days on them.Despite the surge of interest in digital scheduling applications and journals, the popularity of paper diaries seems undiminished in Korea. 　 Graphic by Nam Kyung-donThe craze for the diaries is stron

CultureJan. 5, 2018

K-pop couple Minhwan, Yulhee to tie the knot

Minhwan of FTIsland and Yulhee, a former member of Laboum, are to get married in 2018. Minhwan made the announcement through his social media account Thursday, by posting a lengthy letter to his fans. “(My girlfriend and I) plan on bearing the fruit of our relationship,” the post read. “After coming to the life decision of marriage, I am thankful for the congratulations that I have received from so many.”  Minhwan of FTIsland on the right and Yulhee, a former member of Laboum (Instagram)After th

PerformanceJan. 5, 2018

Drama ‘A Korean Odyssey’ to resume, after taking some blows

Trouble-ridden drama series “A Korean Odyssey” is to resume airing Saturday. After dealing with major accidents in December, the drama stopped airing for about a week. The third episode, originally slated to be aired Dec. 30, was put off. Poster for “A Korean Odyssey” (tvN)During the episode which aired Dec. 24, some unedited scenes were shown. It was reported later that a member of the production staff was seriously injured after falling on the set on Dec. 23. The production company JS Pictures

TelevisionJan. 5, 2018

[Weekender] Pouring heart into diary for 15 years

Many welcome a new year with a new diary. Sadly, buying a diary is the easy part. Filling it can be much more difficult and many fall into disuse over the course of the year. While people buy planners, journals and schedulers fully determined to use them until the year-end, they are often forgotten about when the temperature starts to climb, and are pushed into the corner of a dusty bookshelf. Some people even give up before the spring comes. (Im Eun-byel, The Korea Herald)Some “quitters” succes

CultureJan. 5, 2018

[Herald Review] ‘Keys to the Heart’ delivers predictable, but likeable comedy and drama

The strong chin, sleek look and deep voice of Lee Byung-hun immediately make him a charismatic figure. Whether he is slinging guns in “The Magnificent Seven” or breathing down the neck of Kyle Reese in “Terminator Genisys,” Lee’s character traits in films have mostly been like his image: a man you do not want to mess with.This aura is shattered immediately in “Keys to the Heart” -- co-starring Youn Yuh-jung and Park Jung-min -- where Lee plays a washed-up former boxer who gets by day to day. “Ke

FilmJan. 4, 2018

Pianist Cho Seong-jin to make his first tour in Korea

Pianist Cho Seong-jin on Thursday announced his first nationwide recital tour, scheduled to kickoff in Busan on Sunday. At a press conference held at the Seoul Arts Center on Thursday, Cho said that the program for the tour features his favorite pieces, including those by Beethoven, Debussy, as well as Chopin, for whom the Korean pianist is best known.Pianist Cho Seong-jin performs during a press conference held at the Seoul Arts Center in Seoul on Thursday. (Yonhap)“I have been wanting to play

PerformanceJan. 4, 2018

Food entrepreneur Baek Jong-won hopes to improve industry with ‘Backstreet’

Restaurant franchise mogul Baek Jong-won will star in the new reality TV show “Backstreet,” aiming to breathe life into small eateries in back alleys suffering slow business. Baek, who rose to stardom through various food-related TV shows, recently starred in “Baek Jong-won’s Food Truck,” offering his assistance to young food truck owners. He will continue in his mission in yet another show, “Backstreet,” set to air Friday night on SBS. The goal of the weekly program is to help revive five resta

TelevisionJan. 4, 2018

Suzy to drop new EP on Jan. 29

Suzy will return with her second solo EP in late January. The singer-actress’s agency JYP Entertainment announced Thursday that “Suzy’s new EP will be dropped on Jan. 29 through local music applications and websites. Some of the tracks will be prereleased a week earlier.”  Suzy (JYP Entertainment)Suzy is currently in Los Angeles shooting four music videos for the EP. Formerly a member of the now defunct group Miss A, Suzy has contributed to the soundtracks of drama series in which she also had a

PerformanceJan. 4, 2018

S.M. to hold auditions in 10 countries

S.M. Entertainment, one of Korea’s leading K-pop agencies, announced Thursday that it will hold auditions around the world to search for aspiring K-pop stars. The upcoming auditions, titled “2018 S.M. Global Audition,” will begin in Korea on Jan. 21 before traveling to 45 cities across 10 countries, including China, the US and Japan, until December. S.M. will also be holding an audition in Vietnam for the first time. Auditions will be held in five cities in Korea -- Seoul, Jeonju, Daejeon, Gwang

PerformanceJan. 4, 2018

Kriesha Chu returns with ‘Dream of Paradise’

About eight months after introducing her sweet and bubbly self to the K-pop scene, soloist Kriesha Chu released her first EP “Dream of Paradise” Wednesday. When this 20-year-old Filipina-American K-pop sweetheart released her debut single “Trouble” in May, she was covered in an innocent and pure vibe, more so because of her signature beaming smile that brightened up the stage. With “Dream of Paradise,” Chu’s sugary and bubbly nature remain the same, but there seems to be a slight change in her s

PerformanceJan. 4, 2018