[Well-curated] Sci-fi classics, reading outdoors and childrens' art fest

Watch sci-fi classics in CGV Arthouse Two epic sci-fi films -- “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) and “Blade Runner: The Final Cut” (1982) -- are set to entertain moviegoers at 15 CGV Arthouse branches across South Korea. Screenings of the films, which started Wednesday, will run through May 9. Celebrating the beloved American films and Warner Bros’ 100th anniversary, CGV, the country’s largest multiplex operator, is offering the opportunity to experience two sci-

CultureApril 28, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Ghost Station” (South Korea) Opened April 19 Mystery Directed by Jeong Yong-ki Based on 2011 webtoon “Oksu Station Ghost,” the film tells the story of a news reporter, Na-young, working an exclusive investigative story about a series of mysterious deaths happening at a subway station. She finds out that her source is already dead at the time of the scheduled interview. “John Wick: Chapter 4” (US) Opened April 12 Action Directed by Charles F. Stahelski Leg

FilmApril 28, 2023

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Gunpo Royal Azalea Festival The Gunpo Royal Azalea Festival will take place from April 28 to 30, the flower's peak season, at the areas around Royal Azalea Park in Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province. The three-day festival welcomes flower lovers of all ages who wish to enjoy the vivid pink and purple blooms. An array of programs, including a ceramics exhibition, royal azalea art market, food trucks and more, is planned as well. Seojong Korean Music Orchestra and Gunpo Prime Philharmonic Orchestra w

TravelApril 28, 2023

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Oak Valley launches all-in-one spring picnic set Oak Valley in Wonju, Gangwon Province offers two “Picnic in Nature” sets for guests to enjoy a meal in the hotel’s outdoor facilities. Set A, priced at 60,000 won, includes jamon bruschetta, a cheese platter, homemade macarons, fruit and cold cuts, along with two cans of West+Wilder Sparkling White Wine and two Tomarchio drinks. Set B comes with two cans of Wonju Lager Beer, two Tomarchio drinks, ciabatta sandwiches, potato chips

FoodApril 28, 2023

Rep. Yoon meets European Central Bank chief Lagarde

Rep. Yoon Young-seok from the ruling People Power Party met with Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, and discussed the importance of fiscal discipline during his visit to Europe. "Though Korea has been stepping up as a global leader of various high-tech industries, it is at a time in which the introduction of fiscal discipline like that of the EU is needed for the fiscal stability of the future, considering the unprecedented low fertility rate and aging population,&

PeopleApril 27, 2023

Jeonju IFF opens with Cannes-winning ‘Tori and Lokita’

The 24th Jeonju International Film Festival kicked off on Thursday, opening the 10-day event with the Korea premiere of award-winning Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s tight, gripping moral thriller, “Tori and Lokita.” The Dardenne brothers tell the story of two underage African migrants, Tori and Lokita, who struggle to settle in Belgium. Staying at a temporary shelter for young new settlers, they work as drug dealers by night under the direction of the owner of a local pizza s

FilmApril 27, 2023

KNB to perform its re-choreographed 'Le Corsaire' in Switzerland, Germany

The Korean National Ballet is set to perform in Switzerland and Germany with its own rechoreographed version of the classical ballet “Le Corsaire” (The Pirate) in May. The company will perform at the Theatre de Beaulieu in Lausanne, Switzerland, on May 8 and at the Hessian State Theatre of Wiesbaden in Germany on May 11-12. The performances are organized to commemorate diplomatic relations between Korea and the two countries – the 60th anniversary for Switzerland, and the 140th

PerformanceApril 27, 2023

Disney Korea to hold Star Wars Day events at Jeonju IFF

Walt Disney Co. Korea will celebrate the annual Star Wars Day during the 24th edition of the Jeonju International Film Festival on May 4 in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. The US media giant fetes its beloved franchise on May the Fourth, referencing the popular “Star Wars” phrase “May the force be with you.” Following the Jeonju IFF opening ceremony on Friday, “Star Wars: A New Hope” (1977), “Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi” (1983), “Star Wars:

FilmApril 27, 2023

Daegu Art Museum under audit after forgery found

Daegu Art Museum is under a special audit by the city government after one of the museum's paintings was found to be a forged work. "Plum Blossom," attributed to Joseon-era painter Kim Jin-man (1876-1933), was found to have been forged, and the city government is looking into how it became part of the city museum's collection. “Technically all works are subject to inspection. We will remove works found to be fake from our collection. For now, we are waiting for the in

Arts & DesignApril 27, 2023

Elly Cho imagines emergence of hybrid human species

Interdisciplinary artist Elly Cho’s solo exhibition “The Occupancy of the Self: Imagining Hybrid Moments” has kicked off at This is Not a Church, a cultural space in Seoul. Through different artistic practices, Cho explores the impact of climate change on the future environment. The exhibition features artworks created using AI drawing tools, capturing the artist's imagination of the future with the potential emergence of a hybrid human species due to climate change. The e

Arts & DesignApril 27, 2023

Korea Opera Festival aspires to go beyond Seoul

The upcoming 14th edition of the Korea Opera Festival will feature a mix of old and new repertoires, extending beyond Seoul for the first time to include performances in Daejeon, in an effort to bring opera to different parts of the country. The Daejeon Opera, with the DCMF Orchestra, will stage Pietro Mascagni’s “Cavalleria Rusticana" and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci” in one performance from June 9 to 11 at the Daejeon Art Center in Daejeon. “The fes

CultureApril 26, 2023

[News Analysis] Experts, industry insiders have mixed reactions to Netflix's investment pledge

Netflix chief Ted Sarandos’ decision to invest $2.5 billion in Korean content for the next four years made headlines across local media outlets on Tuesday. The announcement represented South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s first major accomplishment on his US state visit. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Yoon said he “sincerely welcomed the unprecedented investment” made by Netflix. But some speculation remains as to whether Sarandos’ announc

TelevisionApril 26, 2023

[Herald Interview] IU learns to let go for ‘Dream’

Though singer and actor IU made her silver screen debut in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s award-winning “Broker” last year, she said she considers Lee Byeong-heon’s sports comedy “Dream,” which opened in local theaters this week, to be her long feature film debut. “It was so fortunate for me to debut in a long feature film with such a kind cast and nice fellow actors. It was so meaningful for me, allowing me to work with a beginner’s mindset on the movie set,

FilmApril 26, 2023

[Herald Review] ‘Kiss’ explores things lost in translation

With the click of a button, we easily access news from the other side of the world. We may even feel that we understand the horrors of war when we witness images of bombings, destruction and refugees on our screens. However, can we truly comprehend the tragedy of war through mere fragments of videos and news reports? “Kiss,” the Seoul Metropolitan Theatre's opening play for the 2023 season, introduces the rising Chilean playwright Guillermo Calderon to Korea. The play serves as

PerformanceApril 25, 2023

Naver Webtoon gears up to become global storytelling platform

SEONGNAM, Gyeonggi Province -- After building a webtoon creator-friendly environment and expanding business overseas, Naver Webtoon hopes to become a top global content platform by creating a new system to coexist with various creative content industries. “The PPS model was first introduced in 2013 and we have achieved outstanding performances since then. Webtoons became the major source for TV dramas, movies, music and more. Our company plans to become No. 1 storytelling platform via a ne

CultureApril 25, 2023

Gwanghwamun's Joseon-era 'woldae' to be restored by October

The restoration project of Gwanghwamun's "woldae," an elevated stage for royal rituals and ceremonies located in front of Gyeongbokgung's main gate, will be completed by October to be opened to the public. The Cultural Heritage Administration announced partial findings from the woldae's ongoing excavation and restoration project, which started in the 1990s, at a press conference held at the National Palace Museum of Korea on Tuesday. Although the exact time of the woldae

CultureApril 25, 2023

'Baduk' final between Lee brothers to be sold as NFT

A historic "Baduk" or Go battle between two siblings, Lee Se-dol, 17, and Lee Sang-hun, 25, which took place in 2000 will be sold as Non-Fungible Tokens by the Kyrgyzstan-based virtual assets producer C-cash. The South Korean retail and finance company TGS Group, operator of C-cash, announced on Monday that it successfully converted the Go match manual into NFTs and planned to sell the virtual asset from May 10. C-cash’s NFT game manual introduces interactive NFT functions and al

PeopleApril 25, 2023

‘The Dessert’ poised to become the sweetest cooking competition

South Korea has had a diverse array of survival series, spanning everything from K-pop idol auditions to Korean cookery battles and grueling physical challenges. You might be forgiven for thinking there are no new survival ideas, Tving is set to add a touch of freshness with a dessert-making competition. “Dessert-related programs are not new in overseas countries but I found that South Korea did not have such programs yet. I simply wanted to take the first step to produce this type of pr

TelevisionApril 25, 2023

Korean film 'Project Silence' additionally invited to Cannes

South Korean director Kim Tae-gon's "Project Silence" has been officially invited to this year's Cannes Film Festival. The festival on Monday announced that the Korean horror "Project Silence" will be shown at the Midnight Screening section as it released a raft of new additions to the Official Selection of its 76th edition on its homepage. Starring Lee Sun-kyun and Ju Ji-hoon, the flick tells the story of people struggling to survive on a collapsing bridge shrouded

FilmApril 25, 2023

[Herald Interview] Fernando Menis stresses importance of locality in architecture

When Spanish architect Fernando Menis came to Seoul in early 2020 for a lecture, he found himself stuck in the city as the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic halted all international travel. It was a totally unexpected situation, and the architect decided to walk around the city every day just to explore it without any particular intent. “After I had breakfast at 8 a.m., I started to walk for five hours every day alone like a student. I (found) a lot of things beautiful. I discovered sma

Arts & DesignApril 25, 2023