[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Killing Romance” (South Korea) Opened April 14 Comedy Directed by Lee Won-seok A former superstar, Yeo-rae (Lee Ha-nee) abandons her acting career after receiving bad reviews for her acting. She leaves Korea to go on vacation and lands on Quala Island, where Jonathan Na, a chaebol scion, is waiting to save her life -- and her heart. “John Wick: Chapter 4” (US) Opened April 12 Action Directed by Charles F. Stahelski Legendary hit man John Wick embarks on a journey to de

FilmApril 21, 2023

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Four Seasons Hotel Seoul launches new cocktails symbolizing iconic cities Four Seasons Hotel Seoul's speakeasy bar Charles H. is offering four new cocktail creations inspired by different cities -- London, Havana, New Orleans and Hong Kong. The reimagined menu is a collaboration between head bartender, Odd Strandbakken, and beverage creative director, Alyssa Heidt. The duo have crafted 20 distinct cocktails inspired by the world travels of Charles H. Baker Jr. Alongside each artful cocktail

FoodApril 21, 2023

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Miryang Arirang Festival The 65th edition of Miryang Arirang Festival runs from May 18-21 along the Miryang riverside and at the Yeongnamnu Pavilion in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province. The four-day event promotes the Miryang style of Arirang, a national folk song that was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2012. The highlight of the folk festival is "Miryang River Odyssey," a musical that combines the story of Miryang Arirang and the history of Miryan

TravelApril 21, 2023

Seo Se-won dies in Cambodia at age 67

Comedian-turned-pastor Seo Se-won passed away at a hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia at age 67 on Thursday. According to reports, the veteran comedian was announced dead at around 3 p.m. after experiencing cardiac arrest at around 1 p.m. He was reportedly getting an IV at a Korean hospital there. He reportedly moved to the country for business. Seo debuted on a program that aired on the local radio station TBC in 1979. He became famous for hosting several hit talk shows including the "Seo Se

FilmApril 20, 2023

[Herald Review] ‘Dream,’ yet another ‘we did it’ sports film that lacks Lee Byeong-heon’s true colors

“Dream,” the country’s third sports comedy film this year, was expected to be different for many reasons. For one, it was director Lee Byeong-heon’s return after helming the country’s highest-grossing comedy, “Extreme Job” (2019). And the star-studded cast including Park Seo-joon and IU and approachable plot based on the real-life event 2012 World Homeless World cup added expectations for a strong comeback. The plot rolls along quickly for the first 20 m

FilmApril 20, 2023

‘Bargain’ wins for best screenplay at Canneseries competition

“Bargain,” South Korean streamer Tving’s six-episode crime-thriller, won the award for best screenplay at this year’s Cannes International Series Festival, widely known as Canneseries. During the closing ceremony held Wednesday evening in Cannes, “Bargain” was announced as beating out nine other projects, including Israel’s 2022 series “Carthago” and South Africa's “Spinners.” It becomes Korea’s first-ever drama as well

TelevisionApril 20, 2023

1950s 'nongak' band to perform in Seoul

Four members of a traditional female nongak band from the 1950s will team up to bring the community band music to stage at the Seoul Namsan Gukakdang on Saturday. Inscribed on the UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014, nongak translates as "farmer's music" and is a performing art derived from traditional communal rites and rustic entertainments. Different regions of the country have their variations, but nongak generally combines a percussion and wind ense

CultureApril 20, 2023

Classical music meets media art at Lotte Concert Hall's 'In House Artist' series

Two artists-in-residence at the Lotte Concert Hall, pianist Lee Jin-sang and violinist Yoon So-young, will perform three sets of classical performances incorporating media art in April, June and November. Joining the pair are creative director Cha Jin-yeob, a dancer-turned-director, and media artist Hwang Sun-jeong. Since 2021, the classical music concert venue has sponsored the “In House Artist” series, a program which gives promising artists an opportunity to experiment with their

PerformanceApril 20, 2023

Cheon Myeong-kwan's 'Whale' shortlisted for International Booker Prize

  South Korean novelist Cheon Myeong-kwan's "Whale" has been shortlisted for the 2023 International Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world along with the Nobel Prize in literature and the French Goncourt Prize. The British prize was established in 2005 to honor an author and translator equally for a single work of fiction translated into English. The novel, translated by Chi-Young Kim and published by Europa Editions on Jan. 19, was among six other

BooksApril 19, 2023

[Herald Interview] Yang Jung-ung brings modern visuals to timeless classic 'Faust'

For South Korean director Yang Jung-ung, founder and director of theater company Yohangza, it was natural for him to return with yet another classic play. Known for reinterpreting classics with a modern touch, Yang has directed many Western classics, including Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus” and “Hamlet” and Ibsen’s “Peer Gynt.” This time, Yang draws on “Faust” the classic play written 250 years ago by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The play st

PerformanceApril 19, 2023

[Herald Interview] Why director Jang Hang-jun tried to make ‘Rebound’ 99% realistic

Director Jang Hang-jun, better known for his wit and being the husband of the country’s top-paid drama writer Kim Eun-hee, has returned to his directing roots with sports comedy “Rebound,” which opened on April 5. After the 2017 mystery thriller “Forgotten,” Jang decided to try his hand at a comedy film, with the aim of building up characters and a storyline in a more exciting way, he said. “I did not want to make this sports comedy into something that was &ls

FilmApril 19, 2023

Art center that is 'Open for All'

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- To some, it may look like a tumor is growing on the side of the building; to others, as if an asteroid has hit it. Or it may look like a planet docking against a cube, according to the description given in a brochure prepared by the building's architects. The Taipei Performing Arts Center, the city's latest landmark, is a conversation starter. The center, composed of a central cube with three structures of different shapes -- a globe, a rectangle and a triangle wedge

Arts & DesignApril 18, 2023

[Herald Interview] Public architecture guarantees accessibility in increasingly privatizing world

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- One of the goals of architects in undertaking a public architecture project, such as the Taipei Performing Arts Center, is not to be wasteful. “There is a very strong obligation in public work not to be wasteful in any way -- not with the resources, not with the space in the city, not with the opportunities you create,” said David Gianotten, the managing partner at OMA, in an interview with The Korea Herald in Taipei on March 18. Gianotten and OMA founder Rem Kool

Arts & DesignApril 18, 2023

[Breaking] Cheon Myeong-kwan's 'Whale' shortlisted for International Booker Prize

South Korean novelist Cheon Myeong-kwan's "Whale" has been shortlisted for the 2023 International Booker Prize, one of the three most prestigious literary awards in the world. The British prize was established in 2005 to honor an author and translator equally for a single work of fiction translated into English. The novel, translated by Chi-young Kim and published by Europa Editions on Jan 19, was among six other works that made it to the shortlist, announced by the organizer on T

BooksApril 18, 2023

Two star actors to lead new ENA thriller 'Lies Hidden in My Garden'

South Korean television channel ENA hopes to repeat the sensational popularity of its courtroom series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” (2022) with a new suspense thriller, “Lies Hidden in My Garden,” scheduled for release in June. Numbers of ENA dramas, including romance series “Good Job” (2022), rom-com “Love is for Suckers” (2022), comedy series “Unlock My Boss” (2022) and more, were released after “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,&rd

TelevisionApril 18, 2023

Culture Ministry to appoint new MMCA director following Youn's resignation

Youn Bum-mo, the director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea has officially resigned from his post on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. “Youn expressed his desire to withdraw from the director position on April 10 during a meeting with the minister, and it was accepted. We will open recruitment in early May to appoint a new director,” an official from the ministry told The Korea Herald. Youn was inaugurated to head the stat

Arts & DesignApril 18, 2023

Director, cast of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ embark on world tour in Seoul

Marvel Studios’ superhero franchise “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” began its world tour for film promotions in Seoul on Tuesday. Director James Gunn said the film will end the trilogy by looking deeper into the story of Rocket. “We chose to kick off our tour in Korea because I’ve never been to Korea and I wanted to come to Korea,” director James Gunn told reporters at the press conference held at the Conrad Seoul in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. Gunn said he is w

FilmApril 18, 2023

Invitation to most extraordinary farewell in ‘Beyond Diverse Dimensions’

We are all destined to die someday. We often contemplate death and what might come after -- where we would go and how those left behind will carry on. “Beyond Diverse Dimensions," a participatory performance that kicked off Saturday at the LG Arts Center in Seoul, explores the unknowns of death and mourning. The show that bills itself as an "immersive sci-fi, fantasy, humanism, comedy, technical, sung-through, (perhaps) blockbuster musical" starts from the lobby. Four crew

PerformanceApril 17, 2023

[Stories of Artifacts] Gold crown and belt reveal Silla rulers' weakness

This article is the first in a series introducing well-known cultural artifacts from different periods in Korean history. -- Ed. Stepping into the National Museum of Korea's Silla Hall, one enters a place of serenity. Glistening under the hall's faint lights are delicate golden and gilt-bronze objects. A separate room displays a gold crown and belt from the Hwangnam Daechong Tomb in Gyeongju (present-day North Gyeongsang Province), the capital of Silla, designated National Treasures in

CultureApril 17, 2023

Archives of grassroots revolutions nominated for UNESCO Memory of the World inscription

Two historical archives of the nation's grassroots revolutions, which are seen as having set milestones for democratization of Korea -- archives of the April 19 Revolution in 1960 and archives of the Donghak Peasant Revolution in 1894 -- have been nominated as heritage documents to be inscribed on the UNESCO's Memory of the World. The archival records were recognized for their extensive and vivid portrayal of two of the most politically turbulent moments in Korean history at the 14th

CultureApril 17, 2023