‘I Can Speak’ talks about comfort women in indirect way: director

“I Can Speak” has been marketed as a comedy film. At Wednesday‘s press screening, however, the film was revealed to deal with issues of women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II.“I discovered it was about comfort women as I read the script,” said actress Na Moon-hee after the press screening in Seoul. Comfort women is a euphemism used to refer to former military sex slaves.　Veteran actress Na, 75, plays Na Ok-boon, a neighborhood busybody who wants to learn En

FilmSept. 7, 2017

Rushdie crafts masterpiece in ‘The Golden House’

“The Golden House” by Salman Rushdie; Random House (400 pages, $29)If you read a lot of fiction, you know that every once in a while you stumble upon a book that transports you, telling a story full of wonder and leaving you marveling at how it ever came out of the author’s head.“The Golden House” is one of those books. The title refers to the lower Manhattan residence of the Golden family. It’s the home of Nero and his three sons, Apu, Petya and D. The narrator is a neighbor named Rene, an aspi

BooksSept. 7, 2017

Lee Seung-hwan, CJ to provide leg up for indie musicians

Three-man rock band iamnot will take the stage in front of a 2,000-strong audience in October as part of CJ Culture Foundation and singer Lee Seung-hwan’s joint project to support up-and-coming indie musicians.The project, which will launch with iamnot’s concert in October, plans to support local aspiring musicians by enabling them to hold bigger stage performances.Lee, a local music legend with a 28-year career under his belt, said there are a lot of talented musicians in the indie scene. Lee S

PerformanceSept. 6, 2017

April to release album on Sept. 20

K-pop group April will release the album “Eternity” on Sept. 20, its agency said Wednesday.DSP Media revealed a teaser image for the six-piece group, which featured a drawing of a diamond as a symbol of something that lasts forever.  A teaser image for April’s “Eternity” (DSP Media)The agency said that the album represents the hope that the group’s music will remain in people’s memories forever.It marks the band’s first release since the single “Mayday” in May.The group, which debuted in 2015 wi

PerformanceSept. 6, 2017

Southside Parlor to launch Houston hurricane fundraiser

The owner of Itaewon cocktail joint Southside Parlor will launch a fundraising campaign Monday to raise money to help victims of Hurricane Harvey.Robbie Nguyen hails from Houston, which was directly hit by the storm, and his family was among those forced to evacuate. The funds raised will go to help his family and support organizations helping deal with the hurricane’s fallout.The campaign will be kicked off with a launch event at Southside Parlor, which will coincide with the start of a social

Expat LivingSept. 6, 2017

NCT 127 to become special DJ for Beats 1 Radio

South Korean boy band NCT 127 will take over as DJ for Beats 1’s radio program “Take Over: NCT 127 Request.” It is the first time for a Korean artist to host a show on Beats 1.The members of the K-pop group finished recording the show on Aug. 21 at Beats 1 studio in Los Angeles during which they shared their thoughts on the group’s performances in the US such as “Today at Apple,” “KCON 2017 NY” and “KCON 2017 LA.” They also communicated with fans through FaceTime and introduced song requests.  N

PerformanceSept. 6, 2017

[Herald Interview] Now a director and scriptwriter, actress Moon So-ri speaks about her film

After nearly 20 years as an actress, Moon So-ri has now penned and directed a film.　Titled “The Running Actress,” it is a semi-autobiopic about an actress who struggles with her career, family life and public perception. It is a compilation of three shorts that Moon made during her studies at Chung-Ang University School of Art and Technology in 2014 and 2015 as part of her master’s degree program.The film, a comedy, pokes fun at its lead character with self-deprecating humor.　“Humor is a big par

FilmSept. 6, 2017

Pentagon solid with self-produced ‘Demo_01’

For K-pop artists, pursuing their own projects is a big step forward as many of them find it hard to cultivate their creative sides in the midst of hectic schedules. But for this 10-member K-pop boy band Pentagon, making a quick return to the scene with a new record packed with self-produced songs less than a year after its debut, and only two months after dropping its last record, meant something bigger than a step forward. Ten-piece boy band Pentagon performs during a media showcase for its fo

PerformanceSept. 6, 2017

Latin American group seeks to ‘bridge gap’ between Latin America and Korea

When Juan David Mateo Salazar Castro arrived in Korea two years ago from Colombia, he was overwhelmed with culture shock. Unable to find information on life here geared toward Latin Americans, the 25-year-old set out to fill the void. “I came in the summer and everything was so crazy for me at the beginning. People’s outfits, how they behave, the food. It was really difficult,” he said. After discussing the lack of resources with a friend, they decided to create content to “bridge the gap betwee

Expat LivingSept. 6, 2017

The unspoken language of tango

It’s Friday night and the Gangnam area is filling up with stylish partygoers ready to dance the night away in one of the many clubs nearby. But just a 10-minute walk from the station through quiet back roads, a group of Koreans and foreigners are strapping on their stilettoes and preparing to move to a different beat -- the seductive art of tango. “It’s a four-minute love story,” said Emilio Andres Araya, who has been teaching tango classes in Korea since 2005. “Dancing tango is telling a story

Expat LivingSept. 6, 2017

Seoul Book Club to showcase 2 young authors

The Seoul Book and Culture Club is hosting a question-and-answer session with two young authors on Saturday.Chung Han-ah and Choi Eun-young are among the most recent to have their works translated and published in English as part of ASIA Publishers’ series of short fiction by new Korean authors.The two writers will give a reading from their new books before a short interview with host Barry Welsh. Questions will be opened up to the audience for the second half of the event. The covers of Choi Eu

Expat LivingSept. 6, 2017

EXO's repackaged edition of 'The War' tops 33 iTunes charts

Boy band EXO's repackaged edition of its hit album "The War" conquered Apple iTunes album charts in over 30 countries, according to its agency Wednesday.EXO's "The War: The Power of Music," released on Tuesday, climbed to the No. 1 spot on 33 iTunes album charts, including in Spain, Japan, Indonesia, Russia and Hong Kong as of Wednesday, S.M. Entertainment said. Other nations included Finland, Denmark, Poland, Mexico and Malaysia.The album also made it to the top 10 on the iTunes charts in U.S.,

PerformanceSept. 6, 2017

Seoul Mayor to host forum for South Asian residents

Seoul Metropolitan Government is inviting residents of South Asia to raise issues and problems they experience living here at a Seoul Town Meeting attended by Mayor Park Won-soon on Sept. 16.Seoul has been holding town meetings for foreign residents of Seoul for about a decade. The aim is for expats to voice their problems so that Seoul can develop policies to address them.  Mayor Park Won-soon (Yonhap)The event will be in Korea with English simultaneous translation. As well as the mayor, South

Expat LivingSept. 6, 2017

Controversial novelist found dead

Controversial novelist and literary scholar Ma Kwang-soo was found dead at his home Tuesday, in what appears to be a suicide.The writer‘s family members found Ma’s body around 12:51 p.m. at his home in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and reported it to the police. Officials believe it to be a suicide.It was reported that Ma, 66, had been suffered from depression since retiring as a professor of Korean literature at Yonsei University last August. Ma Kwang-soo (Yonhap)Ma’s bumpy career was marked by years of c

CultureSept. 5, 2017

Director Lee Chang-dong to return with film starring Yoo Ah-in

Director Lee Chang-dong will direct a new film tentatively titled “Burning,” its production company Pine House Film said Tuesday. It will be the director’s new film in eight years since he released his last film “Poetry” in 2010. “Burning,” based on Japanese novel “Norwegian Wood” by Haruki Murakami, centers on Jong-su who tries to solve the mystery surrounding his lover Hae-mi.  Lee Chang-dong (Yonhap)Yoo Ah-in is confirmed to play the role of Jong-su while the role of Hae-mi has not yet been f

FilmSept. 5, 2017

‘A Taxi Driver’ submitted to the Academy for Best Foreign Language Film

South Korean historical drama “A Taxi Driver” was submitted to the 90th Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, its distributor Showbox said Monday. The section allows only one entry per country. Korean films were submitted for the section every year but none of them made it to the final nominees. In 2016, “The Age of Shadows” was submitted for the section.  (Showbox)“’A Taxi Driver,’ based on the real story, well-illustrated the characteristic of Korea as well as human rights and democrat

FilmSept. 5, 2017

Translators uplift Korean literature to global heights

Every time Goksel Turkozu browsed through a bookstore in Turkey, he felt there could be more books of Korean literature in translation in his country where the passion for everything Korean runs high.A devotee of Korean literature and professor at Erciyes University in the city of Kayseri, Cappadocia, Turkozu has adapted several well-known Korean novels into the Turkish language since he first set foot in Seoul in 1990 as a student. His decadeslong dedication to spread Korea’s literary imaginati

CultureSept. 5, 2017

Novelist Ma Kwang-soo found dead

Famed novelist Ma Kwang-soo was found dead at his residence in Seoul on Tuesday. His body was discovered by his family around 1:50 p.m. at his house in Yongsan-gu. A will was found next to him leaving his belongings to his family. Ma Kwang-soo (Yonhap)The police are treating the case as a suspected suicide. Ma, 66 was a former professor of Korean literature at Yonsei University. He gained public recognition with his sexually explicit novels, including “Happy Sara,” for which he served an eight-m

PeopleSept. 5, 2017

Black Pink’s Japan debut tops Oricon chart

Black Pink’s popularity is growing in Japan, with its debut EP “BLACKPINK” notching the No. 1 spot on Oricon’s weekly CD chart.The EP, which was released Wednesday, sold 39,000 copies in a week to top the Japanese chart.  (YG Entertainment)Black Pink became the second Korean artist to top Oricon’s weekly CD chart with its debut album. It was also the third foreign-based artist to do so.YG Entertainment’s girl group has enjoyed a successful Japan debut, topping the daily chart for two days in a r

PerformanceSept. 5, 2017