The 56th Venice Biennale will begin its seven-month run next month, bringing some of the world’s greatest artists and emerging names to the floating city. More than ever before, this year’s biennale will see a large number of Korean artists displaying their works. In the main exhibition, to be curated by Nigerian biennale director Okwui Enwezor, works by three emerging Korean artists will be included ― the first Korean representation in six years.  Artist Moon Kyung-won (left) and Jeon Joon-ho.

PerformanceApril 15, 2015

This is the first installment of a four-part series introducing Korea’s springtime tourist destinations. ― Ed.With the cool breeze of winter behind us and the start of Korea’s prime spring season, many people want to break free from their daily lives and visit hot tourist spots.But for quick weekend getaways, a long line of cherry blossoms on sidewalks aren’t the only things to see when the young finish their rigorous school exams and older citizens file their last business documents.The Korea T

TravelApril 15, 2015

While technology has evolved more than ever before, our posture, it seems, has grown increasingly Neanderthal.In an era where everything can be done with the touch of a finger, hunched over a laptop or smartphone, releasing energy has become the issue. To deal with this, a number of modern offices have brought in the standing desk, allowing employees to literally think on their feet.Jeong Jae-kyung, a communications director at IBM Korea, is all for her company’s latest office procurement. An em

CultureApril 15, 2015

Up & Coming is a series of interviews with emerging artists in various fields of arts and entertainment. ― Ed. It would be easy to assume that the creator behind designs that have been called “youthful” and “rebellious” would have an equally boisterous personality. However, designer Kathleen Hanhee Kye flips this assumption on its head ― she is a calm yet driven, principled professional.  The Korea Herald met with Kye at her cozy Sinsa-dong showroom just three days after her fall-winter show at

Arts & DesignApril 14, 2015

A sequel to the South Korean TV series "Winter Sonata" that was hugely popular both at home and abroad more than a decade ago will be produced soon, its producer said Tuesday."The staff, including scriptwriters and producers, of 'Winter Sonata' will team up again for the sequel," Park Yeong-seok, CEO of Pan Entertainment, said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency.(yonhap)Starring Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo, the KBS soap opera about a woman whose lover suffers from amnesia was written by Yo

TelevisionApril 14, 2015

Experts from across Asia flocked to Korea’s Dangjin to discuss the international preservation of “juldarigi,” a traditional Asian folk game similar to tug-of-war. The game is currently waiting to be designated an Intangible Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO, following an intergovernmental joint application submitted in 2013. Results will be announced this November at a conference in Namibia. A symposium on the organized protection of juldarigi was held at the annual Dangjin Juldarigi Festival at G

CultureApril 13, 2015

“Things that do not change are dead.” Conductor Lim Hun-joung said this in passing during a rehearsal last Friday, but it may well be a line that best summarizes his life as a musician and approach to music. The celebrated maestro is known for trying rigorous, forward-looking repertories, including a complete cycle of Mahler symphonies back in 1999, an unprecedented achievement at that time. Now at 61, Lim, who has been trained in Western music composition and conducted orchestras for nearly thr

PerformanceApril 13, 2015

South Korea’s Gangnam-gu Office in the affluent southern district of Seoul will further revamp the streets of Cheongdam-dong to recreate them as streets of hallyu, or the Korean Wave, as part of efforts to attract foreign tourists.The renovation of the streets called the “K-Star Road,” modeled after the Hollywood Walk of Fame, has entered its second phase of construction, the district office said. Its first phase involved developing local stores where Korean singers and artists regularly visited

April 12, 2015

Devoid of clothing, bare, au naturel ― this seems to be the sole cloud hovering in everyone’s mind following French director and choreography Olivier Dubois’ latest contemporary dance production, “Tragedie,” making its Asian premiere over the weekend in Korea. After debuting in France in 2012, the show has now been performed more than 80 times worldwide. The 19-and-older, nonverbal show ― minus the occasional screams and grunts ― held two shows at the Seongnam Arts Center on Friday and Saturday,

PerformanceApril 12, 2015

“Whiplash,” the thrilling musical drama directed by Damien Chazelle, has become an unexpected hit in Korea, drawing in some 1.5 million moviegoers here as of early this month.The movie, which is about tough music professor Terence Fletcher (B.K. Simmons) tormenting his student Andrew Neyman (Miles Teller) to bring out the best in him, received rave reviews at the Sundance Film Festival. It also won Academy Awards, including for Simmons as best supporting actor.The positive reception in Korea for

FilmApril 12, 2015

South Korean hip-hop group Epik High nabbed one of the top honors at a Chinese music awards event Saturday. The trio scooped the Best Performance Artist of the Year at the third YINYUE V-Chart Awards held at the MasterCard Center in Beijing. “Thank you, Chinese fans. We love you. We will come to China more often,” Epik High said during its acceptance speech. Epik High performed two of its hit songs, “Happen Ending” and “Born Hater,” double lead tracks from its eighth studio album, after receivin

April 12, 2015

A former veteran aid worker has published a compilation of the greatest speeches in history that have inspired him during his overseas missions for 23 years, including a stint in the earthquake-hit Haiti.Titled “History Development and Human Prosperity,” the book compiles 39 speeches of world leaders in religion and politics. They range from ancient figures such as Socrates, Jesus Christ, the founder of the early Korean kingdom Dangun to leaders of the modern time, including U.S. Presidents Fran

BooksApril 12, 2015