MBC, KBS strikes leave little choice for public

MBC and KBS television channels and radio stations have come to a standstill since over 3,800 union members at the two Korean broadcasters went on strike in September. Left only with a scant number of staff, the broadcasters have managed minimum news coverage and aired reruns and standalone features.It has been nine weeks and counting since popular variety shows including MBC’s “I Live Alone,” “Infinite Challenge” and “King of Mask Singer” were put on hold indefinitely.  “I Live Alone” (MBC)Stat

TelevisionNov. 7, 2017

[Herald Design Forum 2017] HDF 2017 presents ‘Design for Humanity’

The seventh annual Herald Design Forum kicked off Tuesday morning with the slogan “Design for Humanity.”“Last year, we sparked a conversation about the integration of technology and design. This year, we are talking about the importance of putting people at the center of design no matter what new technology is introduced,” said Herald Corp. CEO Kwon Chung-won in the opening address.This year’s forum was held at The Shilla Seoul and drew over 700 audience members. Leading designers from all over

CultureNov. 7, 2017

Psy to throw ‘overnight’ concerts in Seoul, Busan

K-pop sensation Psy will throw overnight concerts in Busan and Seoul, in turn, which are bound to make for the wildest year-end parties around.Each show of the two-weekend concert series, tiled “All Night Stand,” will begin at around midnight and continue into early the next day.Through his signature “All Night Stand” concert series, which has been held every year since 2003, Psy has established a reputation for his ability to get the crowd dancing all night.The first weekend of the shows will t

PerformanceNov. 7, 2017

Lim Seul-ong to join military on Nov. 28

Singer-turned-actor Lim Seul-ong will begin his mandatory military service on Nov. 28, his agency SidusHQ said Monday.Lim will enter an army training center without fanfare, according to the agency. He does not plan to address fans or inform the media of the training center he will be entering.  Lim Seul-ong (Yonhap)The 29-year-old made his debut as a member of 2AM with the hit single “This Song” in 2008. Lim left JYP Entertainment in 2015 when his contract expired, and signed with SidusHQ as an

TelevisionNov. 7, 2017

Rain to release EP next month

K-pop star Rain will break his three-year hiatus from music with the release of a new EP on Dec. 1, his agency said Tuesday.According to Rain Company, the singer is putting the finishing touches to the record. “I think it’ll be a little hard for us to release it in November, so it’s probably going to be a Dec.1 release. For Rain, it marks the first time since 2014 that he is releasing a record, so he’s putting all his effort into it (EP),” said an official from the agency. Rain (Rain Company)Rai

PerformanceNov. 7, 2017

[Herald Design Forum 2017] Architects share their design philosophy with youths

Renowned architects shared their design philosophy during a session of the Herald Design Forum 2017 that took place on Tuesday under the slogan “Design for Humanity” in Seoul. The first speaker for Herald X Dgit was Carme Pigem, a Spanish architect and member of the Pritzker Prize-winning architectural firm RCR Arquitectes. Carme Pigem, a Spanish architect and member of the Pritzker Prize-winning architectural firm RCR Arquitectes, speaks during the HERALD X DGIT session at the Herald Design For

Arts & DesignNov. 7, 2017

BTS works with American musician Steve Aoki for 'Mic Drop' remix

K-pop boy group BTS has worked with American musician and producer Steve Aoki in making the remix of a song from its latest album, its agency said Tuesday.Bit Hit Entertainment said the seven-member act will unveil worldwide on Nov. 17 the remix of "Mic Drop" that it put together in collaboration with Aoki, an electro house musician, DJ and record producer.The hip-hop number is one of the 11 tracks from "Love Yourself: Her" released on Sept. 18.The collaboration with the global artist, the agenc

PerformanceNov. 7, 2017

Korea picked to establish UNESCO documentary heritage center

South Korea said Tuesday it has been selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization to establish an institute for its documentary heritage register. The International Center for Documentary Heritage will be built in Cheongju, 137 kilometers south of Seoul. The proposal was approved at the 39th general meeting of the UNESCO held in Paris on Monday (Paris time), according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.  (Yonhap)The ICDH is designed to maintain and saf

CultureNov. 7, 2017

Seventeen’s new single ‘clap’ deserves round of applause

Leading the group into a new direction, Seventeen’s new single “clap,” a lead track off its second full-length album “Teen, Age,” was an announcement to the world that gone are the good old days of boyishness of the 13-piece group. Two years into its career, K-pop rookie Seventeen returned Monday with its second full-length album, where all 13 tracks were composed and written by the members. The group released its first full-length album “Love & Letter” in April last year. “Teen, Age,” which was

PerformanceNov. 6, 2017

‘A Taxi Driver’ wins best picture in Asian World Film Festival

South Korean box office smash film “A Taxi Driver” took home three prizes, including best picture, at this year‘s Asian World Film Festival, which recently closed in Los Angeles, the film’s local distributor said Monday. The film also received the “He Can Do, She Can Do, Why Not Me” Humanitarian Award and the Special Mention Award for its lead actor Song Kang-ho with a comment that he showed a “dynamic, intricate and compelling performance.”The festival began in 2015 to draw greater recognition

FilmNov. 6, 2017

Twice becomes fastest K-pop girl group to top 40m YouTube views

Twice’s music video for its song “Likey” on Monday topped 40 million views on YouTube, reaching the milestone faster than any other Korean girl group. The feat was accomplished around 11 a.m., a little over six days and 17 hours after the song was released. Twice (JYP Entertainment)“Likey” is part of Twice’s first full-length studio album “Twicetagram.”Since its debut in 2015, the K-pop act has been a powerhouse on YouTube. The music video for its debut song “Like Ohh-Ahh” became the first song

PerformanceNov. 6, 2017

Singer, embroiled in racism controversy, to visit Ghana

Japanese singer Kangnam is slated to visit the Republic of Ghana to shoot a TV show, the homeland of another Korea-based foreign celebrity against whom he inadvertently uttered remarks that were seen by many as racist.According to local media reports, former vocalist for now-disbanded K-pop group M.I.B will is scheduled to visit the African country later in the month to shoot SBS program “Mom‘s Diary - My Ugly Duckling.” Accompanying him will be singer Tony An and TV celebrity Sam Okyore, who is

TelevisionNov. 6, 2017

‘Rules of Dating’ compared to Hanssem rape allegations

Film critic Djuna’s opinion regarding overlap between film “Rules of Dating” and the recent reports of a Hanssem male supervisor allegedly sexually assaulting a new female employee sparked another controversy through Twitter on Saturday. Djuna expressed surprise at the public’s denial of the movie’s intention and the background of sexual assault when the movie came out in 2005. The film critic added that it did not matter so much how one watches the movie, but rather the acknowledgement of the m

FilmNov. 6, 2017

Tablo vows to reveal Epik High’s English song

Tablo promised to unveil an English song by Epik High if the group hits 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify. On Monday, the singer posted on Instagram Stories a screenshot of the group’s page on the music streaming website, highlighting its number of monthly listeners: 490,093. “When we hit 1M monthly listeners on Spotify, we’ll leak an unreleased English song on our soundcloud,” read his comment on the image.  A screengrab of Tablo’s post on Instagram StoriesThe hip-hop trio released their n

PerformanceNov. 6, 2017

Super Junior returns stronger -- despite Choi’s absence

After weathering countless hardships and heartaches together over the last 12 years, Super Junior came out stronger and more united than ever despite the absence of Choi Si-won. Six men of Super Junior, one of a handful of K-pop acts to have surpassed the 10-year mark, returned with the group’s eighth full-length album “Play” on Monday, celebrating the group’s 12th anniversary as well. The album came two years after Super Junior‘s last release as a group, the 10th anniversary album “Devil” and i

PerformanceNov. 6, 2017

[Herald Interview] Heyne and Minsoo complete each other beyond music

Joining forces with a musical trainer may be an unusual collaboration for some, but for Heyne, it was about more than just having a musical partner. Expanding beyond music, it was an opportunity to finally overcome her longtime insecurity. The collaboration between Heyne and her vocal director Minsoo budded when soloist Heyne moved from Crescendo Music agency to Wellmade Yedang last year and started working on her vocals with him. Under her previous agency, the songstress released a handful of s

PerformanceNov. 6, 2017

‘Merciless,’ ‘King,’ ‘Taxi Driver’ nominated for Blue Dragon awards

“The Merciless,” “The King” and “A Taxi Driver” swept nominations for this year’s Blue Dragon Film Awards, the awards’ organizers said Monday.　Nominees for the awards’ 15 categories are selected based on film critics’ and online votes. 　 “The Merciless” (CJ Entertainment)Director Byun Sung-hyun’s thriller “The Merciless” has been nominated in nine categories, including best film, best director, best actor and best supporting actor. The film starring Sol Kyung-gu and Im Si-wan was invited to the

FilmNov. 6, 2017

Fans of ‘Descendants of the Sun’ camp at ex-military base

Some foreign tourists, influenced by the popular Korean drama series “Descendants of the Sun,” are visiting a former US military base used as a location for the series. According to the Donga Ilbo, a local newspaper, Camp Greaves, near the demilitarized zone, is attracting foreign tourists with its “Descendants of the Sun Program.” (Gyeonggi Tourism Organization)The US military was stationed at the camp until August 2004. After the relocation, Gyeonggi Province and Gyeonggi Tourism Organization

TravelNov. 6, 2017

[PyeongChang 2018] Train to connect Seoul-Gangneung in 100 minutes

Starting from mid-December, travel time between Seoul and the port city of Gangneung in Gangwon Province will be shortened to 1 hour and 40 minutes from the previous six hours via regular trains and three hours via express buses. In June, Korea Rail Network Authority completed construction of the 277.9-kilometer railroad linking Incheon Airport and Gangneung. Trial trips began on Oct. 31. The new route allows for a maximum travel speed of 250 kilometers per hour and takes passengers straight fro

TravelNov. 6, 2017