Next stop, your future spouse?

The Airport Express said on Sunday it will launch a monthly train service designed to provide romantic day trips to single men and women who want a relationship. Dubbed “Airport Express of Love,” this train will make a round trip from Seoul Station to Incheon’s Yongyudo beach with potential dates. Those wanting to come aboard can sign up at http://arex.couple.net and provide some personal details (name, age, education level, etc.) and a short bio. Selected participants will be asked to pay a fee

TravelJuly 25, 2016

Prequel to ‘Train to Busan’ set for August release

The prequel to the summer blockbuster film “Train to Busan” is scheduled for release in August, according to distribution company Next Entertainment World on Monday. Directed by the man behind the apocalyptic thriller “Train to Busan” Yeon Sang-ho, “Seoul Station” is a 93-minute-long animation film that details what happens at Seoul Station, the epicenter of the virus outbreak portrayed in “Train to Busan” that transforms humans into flesh-hungry zombies. Voiced by actors Ryu Seung-ryong, Shim E

FilmJuly 25, 2016

Warner, Marvel wow Comic-Con with blockbuster previews

SAN DIEGO (AFP) - Two of Hollywood’s biggest studios went head-to-head at the San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday in an epic battle to demonstrate which has the best upcoming superhero movies.Warner Brothers -- still smarting from the lukewarm reception to “Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice” -- presented a star-studded lineup ahead of Marvel’s showcase later in the day.Its first exclusive of the session was a sneak peek at “Wonder Woman,” which saw Gal Gadot’s Amazonian princess leaving her lush i

FilmJuly 25, 2016

[Herald Interview] Pop duo Tegan and Sara advocate LGBT rights

Though Tegan and Sara Quin of pop duo Tegan and Sara, identical twins and both openly gay, are prominent advocates for the LGBT movement, they’re also aware that “people in other countries don’t always understand.”“We try to be very sensitive to social and religious norms in other countries,” Tegan said at an interview before their first Korean performance at the Jisan Valley Rock Music & Arts Festival on July 22. The sisters have been vocal proponents of LGBT issues for the length of their musi

PerformanceJuly 25, 2016

In charged times, Kendrick Lamar subversive in subtlety

NEW YORK (AFP) - Kendrick Lamar wrote the unofficial anthem of the Black Lives Matter movement yet, in charged times, the rap star found he could be mellow while staying salient.Lamar, whose live schedule has been surprisingly sparse since he triumphed at the Grammy Awards in February, on Saturday headlined the inaugural Panorama festival, a New York expansion by promoters of Coachella in California.The hip-hop star has won acclaim for dramatic live performances. At the Grammys, he entered as a

PerformanceJuly 25, 2016

Yoon Jong-shin, Gaeko to release collaborative single

Singer-songwriter Yoon Jong-shin and rapper Gaeko are scheduled to release a collaborative single this week, according to Yoon’s management agency Mystic Entertainment on Monday. Since 2010, Yoon has run a monthly musical project which involves him working with artistes from various musical backgrounds. Those he has worked with this year include Epik High’s Tablo, Hanhae, KittiB, K-pop band Seventeen and VIXX’s Ken. The upcoming track “Empty City” is the seventh release of the year. Last month’s

PerformanceJuly 25, 2016

Jeonju to launch new nighttime tours through historic city

One of the country’s most traditional cities, Jeonju, is gearing up to host its first “Walk in Jeonju (Heritage Night and Heritage Story)” nighttime sightseeing and walking tour event starting next month. From Aug. 12 to 13 and Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, Jeonju’s Hanok Village will welcome visitors to attend night time festivities. The walking tours programs will include free outdoor performances, movie screenings and light shows as well as moonlight tours to some of the city’s most popular attractions

TravelJuly 25, 2016

Hi, Design Festival

Herald Corp. will hold a design festival introducing innovative products by leading designers in Korea from July 29-31 at the HiBrand shopping mall in Seoul. The three-day sale of design products, organized in cooperation with HiBrand, will present a variety of design products ranging from stationery and interior decor items to clothing and accessories. The market is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.The festival also offers classes where visitors can participate in making simple cards, gift boxes and

Arts & DesignJuly 25, 2016

Art with heart: Making children's health wards less scary

NEW YORK (AP) - For Dorkas Kaya and other young patients with HIV, seeing the walls of their residential treatment facility transformed with broad splashes of color and graffiti-like scribbles brought a singular reaction: “Whoa!”Artist Jose Parla spent several days last week decorating bedrooms, hallways and common areas of the Incarnation Children’s Center in his signature improvisational style, the latest project in a charitable effort that commissions top contemporary artists to make pediatri

CultureJuly 25, 2016

Red Hot Chili Peppers sizzle at Jisan

ICHEON, Gyeonggi Province -- The screen blazed red. Crowds scattered throughout the grounds at Jisan Valley Rock Music & Arts Festival swarmed the main stage. As 10 p.m. approached on Friday night, the Red Hot Chili Peppers clambered onto the Korean stage for the first time in 14 years.Jisan Forest Resort rang with cheers as the iconic rock band kicked off the show energetically with “Can’t Stop,” during which drummer Chad Smith delivered a spirited drum solo, and followed up with the 2006 hit “

PerformanceJuly 24, 2016

[Herald Interview] Birdy, somewhere between rebel and good girl

ICHEON, Gyeonggi Province -- With a precocious melancholic voice and a shy demeanor that, in her words, “doesn’t give too much away,” British singer-songwriter Birdy might be best described as the antithesis to chirpy K-pop girl groups.“For me, it’s always been a bit darker,” the 20-year-old replied when asked if she would ever take on a “cutesier” style, before her performance Saturday at the Jisan Valley Music & Arts Festival. “Where I grew up, it was very beautiful but reflective and moody,”

PerformanceJuly 24, 2016

For New York's new festival, an immersion in art

NEW YORK (AFP) -- The latest entrant to the fast-growing global festival calendar is moving beyond crowd-pleasing rock acts, offering a New York audience an immersion in art and technology.Panorama -- put together by the promoters of Coachella, the California festival that is among the world’s most lucrative music events -- opened Friday in Randalls Island off the city’s East River for a three-day run.The inaugural day featured high-energy electronic act Major Lazer, a festival favorite among yo

PerformanceJuly 24, 2016

Director Kim Ki-duk to produce big-budget Chinese film

Art house filmmaker Kim Ki-duk has received 250 million yuan ($37.4 million) in investment from a Chinese production company for his upcoming film “Who is God,” according to an industry insider Friday.A war epic set in an ancient Asian kingdom, “Who is God” has been a work in progress since even before the release of Kim’s award-winning film “Pieta,” which was met with controversy in Korea due to its violent and graphic nature.Kim’s biggest budget film to date, the upcoming movie will star an al

FilmJuly 24, 2016

Snowden film 'almost killed' by self-censorship

SAN DIEGO (AFP) - It was the largest data leak in United States history, fueling a firestorm over the issue of mass surveillance that resonated with Americans and the world.Oliver Stone's hotly-anticipated “Snowden” tells the story of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden in dramatic form for the first time -- but the movie almost never made it to theaters.“Frankly, it was turned down by every major studio. The script was good, the budget was good, the cast was good. It was definitely... self-censors

FilmJuly 24, 2016

Oh My Girl concert tickets sell out within minutes

Tickets to eight-member K-pop girl group Oh My Girl’s first solo concert sold out within three minutes on Friday evening, the group’s management agency WM Entertainment said Saturday. Having debuted in April 2015 with the lead track “Cupid,” Oh My Girl now holds the record for the fastest sold-out concert for a rookie group, WM claimed. “We are very thankful for the fans’ support for the band’s first concert,” said WM Entertainment in a press release. “This will be an opportunity for Oh My Girl

PerformanceJuly 24, 2016