Seoul Fashion Week appoints first director

Seoul Fashion Week announced Wednesday that it had appointed veteran fashion designer Jung Ku-ho as its first director. Jung will oversee Korea’s biggest fashion event for a two-year term, orchestrating and revamping fashion shows and related programs. “I will try my best to make SFW Asia’s representative fashion week that leads the fashion trends of Asia. If anyone wants to know about Asian fashion, they will have to come to the SFW,” Jung told The Korea Herald before the appointment ceremony i

Arts & DesignMay 20, 2015

A whole new ‘Giselle’ prepares for world premiere in Seoul

While captivating audiences worldwide with the movements of love, death, vengeance and salvation, the timeless romantic ballet “Giselle” has rarely ever been stripped from its traditional choreography and original score. This very bind of being creatively constrained to the original work is precisely why Australia native Graeme Murphy has decided to shatter the ballet world’s artistic shackles and create a groundbreaking new version of “Giselle.” In partnership with the Universal Ballet Korea, M

PerformanceMay 20, 2015

[Herald Interview] Exploring modern Korea in ancient trappings

Beneath its ultramodern facade, Korea is a country with all the trappings of shamanism and Confucianism, a new book says. In “Contemporary Korean Culture: the Persistence of Shamanistic and Confucian Values and Practices,” coauthors Kim Eun-gi and Choi Joon-sik seek to explain the social fabric and the mindset of Koreans through the lens of shamanism and Confucianism, examining the origins and manifestation of some of the most enigmatic Korean customs as well as their critique. “In the 21st cent

BooksMay 20, 2015

Two sides of Soo Ae

Actress Soo Ae will be flexing her acting muscles in the new SBS series “Mask,” where she will take up the dual roles of an heiress and a debt-ridden employee.A melodrama about people who conceal their true identity for wealth and power, “Mask” will feature Soo Ae as both Seo Eun-ha, a troubled heiress to a chaebol fortune, and Byeon Ji-sook, a modest department store clerk in heavy debt. The two women are doppelgangers ― two strangers who bear identical resemblance to each other. When Eun-ha di

TelevisionMay 20, 2015

Caffeinated Korea

Koreans drink more coffee than they eat kimchi, it seems. The average Korean drinks 12.2 cups of coffee per week, which makes for about two cups a day, while kimchi is consumed 11.9 times per week, according to a 2014 report by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corp. Coffee imports reached a record 99,372 tons in the first nine months last year, up 18.7 percent from 2013, Korea Customs Service also said.The brown brew has become the go-to

FoodMay 20, 2015

Transcript of Yoo Seung-jun's interview about military exile

Below are excerpts from the live interview broadcast from Hong Kong on Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. Yoo Seung-jun -- also known as Steve Yoo -- was a successful K-pop singer whose career came to a halt in 2002 when he renounced his Korean citizenship after becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen. He was deported for suspected evasion.The interviewer was Korean film director Shin Hyeon-won.The original news report is published here: Yoo Seung-jun appeals to Korea to lift exile, vows to 'do whatever it takes

PerformanceMay 20, 2015

Yoo Seung-jun appeals to Korea to lift exile, vows to 'do whatever it takes'

Korean singer-actor Yoo Seung-jun earnestly appealed to Korea on Tuesday to lift the ban against him, returning him to his country of birth. The ban was levied against him 13 years ago over suspected evasion of his mandatory military duties.Yoo was a K-pop sensation who debuted in 1997, but his career came to an abrupt end in 2002 when he renounced his Korean citizenship after becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen.Yoo said in his first detailed interview since the controversy 13 years ago that he

PerformanceMay 20, 2015

[Herald Interview] Javer discusses life directions, choices through ‘Freak Out'

Swedish director Carl Javer took home top honors at this year’s Green Film Festival in Seoul, held May 7-14, for his documentary “Freak Out.”“It’s an untold true story about how five young kids in their twenties grew up in the first consumer society,” Javer told The Korea Herald in a sit-down in Seoul on May 13. “Their reaction was to leave it, and to say they wanted something else. They revolted against a society that didn’t fulfill their needs.”“Freak Out” director Carl Javer. (Green Film Fest

FilmMay 19, 2015

[Herald Interview] The making of a hero

On the stage of the Blue Square Theater in Seoul’s Itaewon, Chung Sung-hwa exudes the certain aura of a martyr. Standing tall in the spotlight, the actor sings with a deep and rich voice about the lofty ideals of pan-Asian peace to which he is about to sacrifice his life. At least to those loudly applauding in the audience, Chung seems like the reincarnation of Ahn Jung-geun, a real-life Korean hero who assassinated Hirobumi Ito, a four-time prime minister of Japan and a key figure behind the co

PerformanceMay 19, 2015

Characters and story rule all

“Ice Age” and “Despicable Me” were two of the most sensational franchises in recent animation history, drawing in movie goers of all ages and racking up impressive revenues worldwide. The secret to success? Their deviously mischievous, yet ultimately golden-hearted characters, according to Illumination Entertainment CEO Chris Meledandri, the mastermind behind both series.Meledandri recently arrived in Korea to announce a new collaborative project with Korean studio Molfac & Alfred, and to promot

FilmMay 19, 2015

[Herald Interview] The art and science of translation

On each desk are two copies of a text, one in Korean and the other in English. A handful of students ― some Korean, some international ― pore over each word, comparing and searching. A heated discussion ensues on the English translation of the Korean word “gap gap ha da,” as some favor “suffocating,” while others, “tedious.” A conclusion is difficult to reach, since the word could mean either of the two, or both, or even neither, depending on the context.Thus goes a typical class at the Literatu

PeopleMay 18, 2015

[Markets & Merchants] Moran Market has everything you need

Although Dongdaemun and Namdaemun tend to dominate many lists of “must-see markets” in Seoul, small-scale markets that are equally full of history and character are scattered across the city. This is the sixth installment of a series introducing traditional local markets. ― Ed.Behind a modern office building near the Bundang Line’s Moran Station lies Gyeonggi Province’s biggest traditional market, called the Moran Market, which has been around for more than 50 years.It is awfully quiet during we

TravelMay 18, 2015

Actor Ha to hold solo exhibition in New York

Actor-filmmaker Ha Jung-woo is to hold his second solo exhibition in New York. The exhibition, featuring 24 new paintings, will be held from May 20 to June 9 at Able Fine Art NY. Themed “Friends,” it will showcase diverse portraits Ha created as reflections of lonely people in the city. “Ha offers consolation and comfort to isolated people in the city. Through these portrait images, the artist represents each of their different inner sentiments,” said Kim Jeong-hee, curator of the exhibition at

PerformanceMay 18, 2015

[Herald Review] ‘SHINee World IV’ enthralls exuberant fans

“SHINee’s back!” whispered Minho’s voice, and the Olympic Park Gymnastics Arena erupted with cheers of the 10,000-strong crowd on Sunday as SHINee took the stage on the last day of their three-day concert “SHINee World IV in Seoul.”Clad in white military-style costumes, the five SHINee members moved through a remix medley of “Note,” “Clue,” and “Sherlock,” followed up by renditions of “SHINe,” “Stranger,” and “Picasso.”“We have something to tell you about today’s concert,” said member Minho afte

PerformanceMay 18, 2015

[Herald Interview] Expedia seeks to change Korean vacation perceptions

Koreans take the fewest vacations in the world, according to a survey by Expedia, the world’s largest online travel company.They go on a vacation for about eight days a year, well below the world average of 20 days. The French take about 30 days of vacation.The company’s 2014 survey showed that this was mostly because of the negative perception of vacation by Korean bosses, and their tight work schedule.Faced with Korea’s longstanding rigid labor policy, Expedia seeks to change this by increasin

TravelMay 18, 2015

'Avengers' sequel tops 10 mln viewers

The Hollywood blockbuster "Avengers: Age of Ultron" has become this year's first film to surpass 10 million viewers in South Korea, data showed Monday.The superhero flick exceeded the 10-million mark in attendance Sunday, the 25th day of its run, according to the official box-office data compiled by the Korean Film Council.The film is the fourth non-Korean film to hit the milestone after "Avatar" (2009), "Frozen" (2014) and "Interstellar" (2014), as well as the first among the Marvel superhero s

FilmMay 18, 2015

[Herald Review] Jeon Do-yeon is perfection in ‘The Shameless’

Dusty, ashen and gray, the visual element in Oh Seung-uk’s “The Shameless” follows the typical formula of a crime noir film. However, it is not a crime film, or a thriller. Its genre is melodramatic romance. But love is not the core theme of the film either, according to director Oh. “It’s about a world that is rough, degenerate and horrifying, teeming with people who have no human respect,” he said at a press preview at CGV Wangsimni, Seoul, on May 13. “Through these main characters, I wanted t

FilmMay 17, 2015

Changing the world one building at a time

MILAN ― An architect with an iconic status around the world, Rem Koolhaas’ cool piercing eyes and tightly pursed lips can intimidate. Sitting outside on the terrace of the ’60s Milan-inspired Bar Luce, created by director Wes Anderson of “The Grand Budapest Hotel” fame, at the Fondazione Prada’s new Milan venue, Koolhaas is busy texting and talking on the phone. When he is ready for our interview, a day after the media preview, Koolhaas explains with a slight grimace that he cannot shake hands b

Arts & DesignMay 15, 2015

Eyelike: BoA, Snoop Dogg, ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ soundtrack

BoA stays true to her style with ‘Kiss My Lips’BoA“Kiss My Lips” (KT Music)BoA, arguably hallyu’s most iconic star, shows ease and maturity with her eighth studio album “Kiss My Lips.” The album is steady and true to BoA’s style, with generally predictable melodies and easy beats that hit smooth with listeners.The 12-song album starts out with “Kiss My Lips,” which has a strong beat but trades in power and punch for a more seductive, sultry vibe. The rhythm turns funky with “Smash,” and dreamlik

PerformanceMay 15, 2015