Acclaimed TV drama producer Kim Jong-hak who was found dead Tuesday in an apparent suicide in a studio apartment in Bundang, just south of Seoul, suffered from legal and financial problems that may have led him to take his own life. The man behind the 1995 megahit drama “Hour Glass” became mired in financial problems in recent years, especially after the 2012 SBS historical mini-series “Faith,” which starred former “Boy Over Flowers” actor Lee Min-ho and “Sad Love Story” actress Kim Hee-sun, lar

TelevisionJuly 24, 2013

Food in the Gyeongsang provinces has a reputation for being dull compared to other regions. But the port city of Tongyeong is an exception, having developed a unique culinary culture based on the plentiful fresh seafood available year round.“Tongyeong’s seafood tastes better than other coastal cities in Korea,” claimed a stall owner of a local fish market.  Sea squirt tastes best in the spring and summer, and one of the best ways to try the seasonal exotic-looking delicacy is by way of bibimbap.

TravelJuly 24, 2013

This is the sixth installment in an 11-part series that introduces some of the best walking trails in Korea. Based on each trail’s popularity and the recommendations of travel experts and the Culture Ministry, The Korea Herald has selected the 10 best places for walking and hiking. The series received funding from the Korea Press Foundation. ― Ed.Tongyeong is a small fishing port city famous for fresh seafood. The small city attracts thousands of tourists throughout the year just to taste the co

TravelJuly 24, 2013

Park In-bee of South Korea, ranked first in the world in women’s golf, has received sponsorship to drive a Ferrari FF for a year.FMK Corp., the exclusive Ferrari and Maserati dealer in Korea, signed a one-year sponsorship with Park in its Ferrari showroom in Seoul on Wednesday. The 25-year-old is a Korean professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. Since April 15 she has been No. 1 in the women’s world golf rankings. Last year, she topped the list of LPGA players in both money earned and sco

PeopleJuly 24, 2013

The Korea Herald and the Asia Society Korea Center will jointly hold a monthly forum from September. Chon Shi-yong, managing editor of The Korea Herald, and Yvonne Yoon-Hee Kim, executive director of the Asia Society Korea Center, signed a memorandum of understanding on the forum at Herald Corp. in Seoul on Wednesday. Luncheon lectures have been hosted by the Asia Society’s Korea office since June 2008 on the third Tuesday of every month, dealing with major current issues as topics. Speakers hav

PeopleJuly 24, 2013

Kim Jang-hoon, a singer and general director of a peace concert, said all the performers of the event would donate appearance fees to build a memorial for child soldiers during the Korean War.“While I was living abroad, I felt that foreigners were regarding the Republic of Korea as a dangerous nation due to relations with North Korea,” said Kim, the director of “The Gyeonggi Province Demilitarized Zone World Peace Concert” at a press conference Wednesday in Seoul. “I prepared this event to let t

PerformanceJuly 24, 2013

 Prince William and his wife Kate presented their newborn son to the world for the first time Tuesday, drawing whoops and wild applause from well-wishers as they revealed the new face of the British monarchy _ though not, yet, his name.“We're still working on a name. So we'll have that as soon as we can,” William told scores of reporters gathered outside St. Mary's Hospital as he cradled the child.The young family's debut public appearance was the moment the world's media had been waiting for, b

PeopleJuly 24, 2013

Is summer sapping your strength? The International Artists is running an exhibition on just that in Seoul. “Urban Heat,” which runs until Aug. 4, will include work by 13 artists from nine countries. IAC director Mike Stewart said that the paintings on show included some flown in from Ireland and the U.K.The exhibition started Tuesday, but has a formal opening on Saturday, with performances including reggae, DJs and spoken word starting at 8 p.m. There will also be a life drawing class in the gal

Expat LivingJuly 23, 2013

Are you entertained by sex and violence? “Popcorn,” on this weekend at Seoul’s White Box Theatre, shows just what a giggle they can be. Oscar-winning Hollywood director Bruce Delamitri has capitalized on this, having stuffed his movies with guns, sex and gore. High on success and Playboy bunnies, he returns home from the awards only to discover that his art has sparked a rather ugly creativity in others. Two of his biggest fans have paid him a surprise visit, and are demanding a screen-test of t

Expat LivingJuly 23, 2013

The family and friends of a South African woman hospitalized with a rare neurological disease are raising funds to help pay for her treatment.Yvette Pienaar was enjoying life in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, with her long-term boyfriend when she was suddenly hospitalized after being diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disease. The 26-year-old was initially placed in a hospital in Daegu on July 8, after experiencing a brief reactive psychosis. Doctors believed she was suffering from a psychotic

Expat LivingJuly 23, 2013

Former FIFA Vice President Chung Mong-joon will receive the highest individual honor in Asian football for his contribution to the sport in the region, officials said Tuesday.The Asian Football Confederation announced that it will confer the AFC Diamond of Asia award on Chung, a long-time South Korean football administrator, legislator and industrialist.South Korea and Japan co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup as the first Asian hosts of the sport’s grandest event, with Chung acting as an instrume

PeopleJuly 23, 2013

Severely disabled Korean veterans started a seven-day, 600-kilometer handcycle journey in the United States Monday, to mark the 60th anniversary of the Korean War armistice agreement. According to the Ministry of Patriots & Veterans Affairs, the 16 veterans who are paralyzed from the waist down set out from United Nations headquarters in New York, powering the tricyles with their arms, on Monday. They will arrive at their destination, Annapolis, Maryland, on July 28. They read out a letter thank

PeopleJuly 23, 2013

TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province ― Artist Kim Jae-sin mostly paints Dongpirang, a village in his hometown Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, located on the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula.While many local artists try to capture what’s unique in their hometowns, the landscape images the 53-year-old artist creates resonate with memories ― the happiness and sorrow Dongpirang holds from its early development as the poorest community in the area to the new face it gained as an artistic to

PerformanceJuly 23, 2013

Rappers Simon D and E-sens of hip-hop duo Supreme Team announced on Monday that they would be going their separate ways. The two artists said they would pursue solo careers. Longtime hip-hop artist E-sens revealed that he decided to pursue a solo career after his contract with the duo’s former agency Amoeba Culture was terminated.  “The rappers have parted ways,” a representative from Amoeba Culture stated to the media. “But since Supreme Team actually started off as a project band, I don’t know

PerformanceJuly 23, 2013

Know your position, keep your position, be the “shoe.”This is what those who live at the bottom of Snowpiercer, a massive train carrying the last remnants of humanity, are constantly told to do in director Bong Joon-ho’s latest sci-fi movie of the same name. “Being the shoe” is a metaphor. The people are the bottom of the bottom, lowest of the low, and should never seek to climb the ladder, or “try to be the head.”In the very back railcar, the lowliest passengers live on protein bars made of dea

FilmJuly 23, 2013

Rising star Lee Jong-suk from the popular television drama series “I Hear Your Voice” has posted a warning on his official me2day account, addressing a Facebook account that has been impersonating him.On Sunday he posted, “I don’t have a Facebook account. I have a me2day account because it’s easier. … What are you gaining by impersonating someone like me? I also play different roles in my work and it’s very difficult. Please don’t.” He ended the post on a lighter note saying, “The day feels so l

July 23, 2013