[Well-curated] Traditional New Year festivities, clean cup of espresso and writing in solitude

New Year's festival at Namsangol Hanok Village Step into the heart of Korean culture at the Namsangol Hanok Village’s New Year’s festival, a vibrant celebration that takes place 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday to Sunday. Throughout the weekend, visitors can engage in a variety of traditional Korean games. Start with a fortune-telling session using yut, a traditional board game played, offering a glimpse into the fortunes for the year. Visitor can write their wishes on the wish tree. A

CultureFeb. 9, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Wonka” (US) Opened Jan. 31 Fantasy Directed by Paul King Willy Wonka (Timothee Chalamet), who dreams of becoming the world’s best chocolatier, encounters a “chocolate cartel” and a plot to kick him out of town as its business is threatened. But next to him are four trustworthy supporters whom he meets at Mrs. Scrubitt’s launderette. “Citizen of a Kind” (South Korea) Opened Jan. 24 Drama Directed by Park Young-ju Duk-hee (Ra Mi-ran), who lives an

FilmFeb. 9, 2024

[Around the hotels] Promotions and packages

The Plaza offers esports-themed promotion Hanwha Resorts’ The Plaza, located in Jung-gu, central Seoul, will soon launch a League of Legends-themed promotion for guests looking to experience Korean esports. LoL is one of the most popular competitive multiplayer video games around the world, and Hanwha sponsors Hanwha Life Esports, a Korean LoL team. The package includes a one-night stay in a deluxe room, two tickets for an HLE live match and merchandise created as part of a collaboration b

TravelFeb. 9, 2024

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Ansan Star Village Marking its 10th anniversary this year, a light festival that runs year-round in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, is perfect for those seeking a break from the noise of city life. An 8,000 won entrance fee is all it takes to make a tranquil escape to Ansan Star Village. The park, which includes a garden and animal installations, opens from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., with the lights turned on every day at 5 p.m. from November through February. Admission is priced at 5,000 won for grade sc

TravelFeb. 9, 2024

Seoul Fashion Week: Stories from the outside

Photographing celebrities and influencers kept many carrying a press pass occupied at this year’s Seoul Fashion Week, which ended Monday. But what made the biannual event so lively were those looking in from the outside, many of whom have stories to tell. Lauryne Bouyssy and Caitlin Kantner -- French nationals who are pursuing their goals of becoming professional models -- shared theirs with The Korea Herald, as they were illuminated with camera flashes outside Dongdaemun Design Plaza on M

Arts & DesignFeb. 8, 2024

Storytelling videos on Seollal released in six languages

The National Library for Children and Young Adults has released two additional storytelling videos based on picture books in the run-up to the Lunar New Year holiday. A total of 341 different stories are available on the library's official website in six languages: Korean, English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and Mongolian. Some videos also include subtitles in Russian, Khmer and Tagalog. The multilingual storytelling video service, launched in 2009, features Korean original fairy tales, trad

BooksFeb. 8, 2024

[Herald Interview] Jeong Sun-ah reflects on return to stage after becoming a mom

Musical actor Jeong Sun-ah burst into tears as she was declared the best lead actor at the Korean Musical Awards on Jan. 15 for her performance in “If/then.” The award came after a turbulent two years for the actor, who recently became a mom, and harbored doubts over whether she could return to the stage. "Even as I get older, (and as I became a mom), I wanted to prove that with effort, it's possible to (improve),” Jeong, 39, told reporters during an interview on Jan.

CultureFeb. 8, 2024

[New on the Scene] Director Hah Joon-won explores dangerous world of 'baji sajang'

After nearly five years of research into the world of "baji sajang," people who make money lending their names as figureheads to underground or illegal businesses, Hah Joon-won’s directorial debut film, “Dead Man, opened in local theaters on Feb. 7. “As I was doing research for a story about baji sajang and their nefarious businesses, I met with some people who were on the run. One day, (I met with) this man (who gave me his) business card (which said he was a CEO), a

FilmFeb. 8, 2024

Concerts that will provide perfect sound for transitioning to spring

From Studio Ghibli's enchanting melodies to the Polish musical spirit embodied by Chopin's compositions, a series of captivating concerts will provide the perfect soundtrack to accompany the transition from the winter chill to spring warmth. On Feb. 14, two concerts will take place -- “one like an elaborate oil painting hung on a large wall, the other one like a modest watercolor decorating a corner of a room.” It was pianist Elizabeth Bright who made this analogy of an orc

CultureFeb. 8, 2024

[Herald Interview] Cho Jung-eun portrays Fantine for last time

Cho Jung-eun, one of South Korea’s leading musical theater actors, said that her performance this year as Fantine in “Les Miserables” is likely to be the last time she plays the role. The 44-year-old actor has taken on the role three times since the show's Korean premier in 2013. After her second appearance in 2015, Cho is currently performing her third and final act as Fantine. “'Les Miserables' is not frequently performed, so I think this season, which is

CultureFeb. 8, 2024

ARKO Selection pushes theatrical boundaries

ARKO Selection's fourth set of productions, scheduled to kick off in mid-February, showcases five works -- three plays, one music concert and one ballet -- that stand out for notable directing techniques. The play "Teddy Daddy Run," slated to run Feb. 16-25, is a road trip action drama following 16-year-old Korean teen Yoon-seo and 15-year-old Korean Filipina Nina as the two search for their missing father across various locations in Manila, the Philippines. “We wanted to ad

PerformanceFeb. 8, 2024

Seoul Fashion Week tries on new look: Inclusion and diversity

The runway show that kicked off the five-day Seoul Fashion Week on Thursday last week was a dazzling prelude to the 20 runway collections that followed, each celebrating inclusion and diversity. Designer Park So-young, also known as Sooy Park, delivered a resonating 24-minute presentation of her fall-winter 2024 collection, opening the biannual Seoul Fashion Week at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul. The 41-year-old designer said she was surprised to be asked to open Seoul Fashion Week in which s

Arts & DesignFeb. 7, 2024

At Seoul Museum of Art this year -- architecture

An exploration of how architecture matters in people’s lives will be a key exhibition at Seoul Museum of Art this year as the museum looks forward to renovating its main branch in downtown Seoul. Four exhibitions on architecture will be presented throughout the year starting with the thematic exhibition “Space Time Scenarios” and a solo exhibition of Pritzker-winning British architect Norman Foster in April at the museum’s Seosomun main branch. “Norman Foster’

Arts & DesignFeb. 7, 2024

More CJ ENM series coming to Prime Video

South Korean series have been topping the charts on global streaming platforms amid the soaring popularity of K-content, according to entertainment giant CJ ENM on Wednesday. According to the US-based streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol, "Marry My Husband," a 16-part romantic drama series that aired its first episode on Jan. 1, topped the daily rankings for TV shows worldwide on Jan. 31 on Prime Video, the streaming service from Amazon. This marked the first time for a Korean series to

TelevisionFeb. 7, 2024

[Herald Review] 'A Killer Paradox' faithfully reproduces legendary webtoon

Director Lee Chang-hee -- a K-thriller master who has produced a slew of hit series such as "Hell Is Other People" and the film "The Vanished" -- has successfully breathed life into the award-winning webtoon "A Killer Paradox" through strict adherence to the plot of the original webtoon series. “A Killer Paradox” follows the story of Yi Tang (played by Choi Woo-shik), a college student who commits a series of murders by accident. After he commits the mur

TelevisionFeb. 7, 2024

Easing financial burden, supporting K-culture among top priorities for Culture Ministry

Alleviating the financial burden of people's cultural and leisure activities, bolstering the creation of globally competitive cultural and artistic work and attracting 20 million inbound tourists are among the Culture Ministry’s policy priorities for 2024, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Tuesday. In addition, the ministry said it will supply a total of 17.4 trillion won ($13.07 billion) in policy financing this year, up 120 percent from 2023, to boost investment

CultureFeb. 6, 2024

Enjoy night concerts at Deoksugung

The National Gugak Center, in collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Administration’s Deoksugung Palace Management Office, is set to host nighttime concerts at Seokjojeon in the palace, Feb. 21-22 and 28-29, at 7 p.m. Built during King Gojong’s reign (1863-1907), Deoksugung’s Seokjojeon is the first European-style stone building built in Korea. Since 2015, several concerts have been performed at the historic venue. The one-hour-long nighttime concert, “Deoksugung Yayeon

PerformanceFeb. 6, 2024

Goryeo reliquary to return to Korea in loan deal with US museum

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston will loan to South Korea a 14th-century Buddhist reliquary, following a deal reached Monday that marks a dramatic shift in the US museum’s position on the artifact over the last 15 years. A day of negotiations at the museum resulted in the Museum of Fine Arts donating the remains of Buddhist masters found after cremation, called “sarira,” while placing on loan the reliquary from the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) containing the sarira, according to th

CultureFeb. 6, 2024

[Herald Interview] Lee Sang-nam 'dares to die' to survive as an artist

For its first exhibition of the year, Perrotin Seoul is presenting a solo exhibition of Lee Sang-nam, an artist who, with roots in conceptual minimalism, has developed his art in different ways throughout his 40-year career. Lee, 70, moved to New York in 1981 to explore his own art in the global art scene after graduating from Korea’s prestigious art school Hongik University. The city's vibrant art scene shocked the artist who had stuck with conceptual minimalism up until then. In New

Arts & DesignFeb. 6, 2024

New Culture Ministry office takes over promotion of Korea from abolished KOCIS

The Culture Ministry launched Tuesday an office charged with promoting Korea overseas, taking over the duties of the affiliated agency for the last 53 years. The International Cultural Affairs and Public Relations Office will report to the first vice minister, and the two bureaus under the office will each be responsible for cultural affairs and public relations on the international stage. “Interagency efforts and coordinating policy on culture, sports and tourism are important to expandin

CultureFeb. 6, 2024