Hong Sang-soo’s ‘In Water’ confirms April release

Filmmaker Hong Sang-soo’s 29th project, “In Water,” will hit local theaters on April 12. “In Water” follows Seong-mo (Shin Seok-ho), an aspiring film director who has recently given up acting and decides to self-fund his own project. He and two friends go to an island to shoot the movie together, but struggling with what to make, as Seong-mo wanders around the rocky shores to find inspiration. There, he encounters a young woman picking up trash. The 62-year-old aute

FilmMarch 20, 2023

Park Seo-joon returns to big screen as soccer coach

Actor Park Seo-joon is returning to the big screen for the first time in four years with director Lee Byeong-heon’s sports comedy film “Dream.” The 34-year-old’s most recent project on the screen was the multiple Oscar-winning “Parasite” (2019). In still photos released by distributor Plus M Entertainment on Monday, Park is seen talking with actor Lee Ji-eun, who appears as documentary film producer Lee So-min. Lee is better known as IU, the name she uses for

FilmMarch 20, 2023

Japanese animations rank high at S. Korean box office

Three Japanese animations were among the top five films on the weekend box-office chart in South Korea, industry data showed Monday, proving their unwavering popularity among local audiences. The Japanese animation "Suzume" posted 712,473 admissions from Friday to Sunday to top the box office for the second consecutive week, according to the data compiled by the Korean Film Council. Director Makoto Shinkai's latest film, which is centered on a high school girl and a mysterious you

FilmMarch 20, 2023

[From the Scene] ‘Art in Marche’ welcomes spring with fresh greens

On a lazy Saturday afternoon, the cheerful buzz of crowds and live music filled the air, complimented by fresh vegetable crops and colorful flowers on display in front of the National Theater of Korea's Haeorem Grand Theater, in central Seoul. Hosted by the National Theater of Korea, the “Art in Marche” is an open-air eco-friendly crop market where some 50 teams of farmers, artisanal food vendors and handicraftsmen offer their products. This year’s spring chapter of the &l

CultureMarch 19, 2023

[Herald Interview] Please show Yeon-jin no mercy, ‘The Glory’ star Lim Ji-yeon says

While some actors who play villain roles ask viewers to sympathize with their characters, insisting that villains might also turn out to be likable in the end, Lim Ji-yeon requests viewers of “The Glory” to have no mercy on her character, Park Yeon-jin. “I wanted Yeon-jin to be hated by all ‘The Glory’ fans. I hoped for her not to be tolerated nor understood, not even for a moment. Even I, who played Yeon-jin in the series, could not forgive her,” Lim told The

TelevisionMarch 19, 2023

Museum dedicated to Park Seo-bo to open on Jeju in 2024

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island -- The first museum dedicated to Korea’s leading contemporary artist, Park Seo-bo, will be built on Jeju Island. The museum is set to open in summer 2024 on a site next to JW Marriot Jeju Resort and Spa. “I was very delighted when I was presented with the offer of building a museum (by JW Marriot Jeju Resort and Spa). I had been wishing to found my own museum during my lifetime,” Park said at the press conference held on Tuesday at JW Marriot Jeju Resort

Arts & DesignMarch 18, 2023

Making makgeolli in Seoul

"Makgeolli-bitgi," or makgeolli making and sharing, was designated a National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2021. Korea's long-held tradition of making makgeolli is found in literary compilations in Goryeo (918-1392), and cookbooks from the Joseon period (1392-1910) contain detailed makgeolli recipes. The distinctive taste of makgeolli sets it apart from other types of rice wine. The milky drink has both a sweet and slightly sour flavor, which can be compared to that of yogurt o

FoodMarch 18, 2023

[Weekender] Female SNU students find their footing on basketball court

It was not so long ago that girls were largely absent from school playgrounds in Korea. From soccer fields to basketball courts, while the boys played in sports games, the few girls that were spotted, most took on the roles as cheerleaders or worked as team managers. That was not the case at the Seoul National University gymnasium on a recent Thursday, where a team of women basketball players zipped across the court, practicing dribbles and crossovers, smiles never leaving their faces. Kwon Hee-

PeopleMarch 18, 2023

[Eye Interview] 'Every day is a miracle'

How does a young man react to finding himself, overnight, unable to move his limbs? When doctors pronounce that his neck was broken in a fall and that he will never be able to walk, move his legs or move his fingers again, how does a 28-year-old, who had been celebrating his new job with friends at a club on a Saturday night respond? There is the classic five stages of grief -- denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance -- that most people experience. Park We, however, never accepted h

PeopleMarch 18, 2023

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Suzume” (Japan) Opened March 8 Adventure/Animation Directed by Makoto Shinkai “Suzume” revolves around a 17-year-old girl’s quest to stop an apocalypse triggered by the opening of magical doors all over Japan. The film is Shinkai’s third film in the series after “Your Name” (2017) and “Weathering with You” (2019), which both center around natural catastrophes like earthquakes and climate-related disasters. “Soulmate” (S

FilmMarch 18, 2023

New literary and translation prizes select winners to find fresh voices in Korean literature

A newly established series of literary and translation prizes, which aims to discover emerging talent in Korean literature and Korean-English translation, has completed its selection of inaugural winners with an announcement of its translation winner earlier this week, according to the series organizer, Charm Agency, this week. On Tuesday, Jenny Jisun Kim, a US-based translator and visual artist, was named the winner of the New Translator Prize for her translation of Dolki Min’s “Set

BooksMarch 18, 2023

[Photo News] Stars dazzle Seoul Fashion Week

Stars took the spotlight on the third day of Seoul Fashion Week on Friday as the event continued its five-day run at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Jung-gu, Seoul. Seoul Fashion Week, one of the nation's biggest fashion events held biannually by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, on Wednesday kicked off its 22nd edition presenting 2023 fall-winter collections from established and aspiring designers. The event runs for five days until Sunday. Celebrities and fashionistas flocked to the show dail

Arts & DesignMarch 18, 2023

Essential collection of Joseon-era white porcelains unfolds at Leeum Museum of Art

Leeum Museum of Art has staged white porcelains from the Joseon era (1392-1910) at its special exhibition, “Joseon White Procelain, Paragon of Virtue,” bringing together high-quality works of white porcelains, which are known as the symbolic craftwork of the era. White porcelain began to be made under the supervision of the royal court in the late 15th century, with the official kilns established in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province. Diverse types of white porcelain had been produced for

Arts & DesignMarch 17, 2023

[Photo News] British Ambassador at Global Business Forum

British Ambassador to Korea Colin Crooks speaks at the Global Business Forum organized by The Korea Herald on Wednesday at the Ambassador Seoul -- A Pullman Hotel in Seoul. (Damdastudio)

PeopleMarch 17, 2023

Jeonju International Film Festival establishes donation committee

Jeonju International Film Festival has established a donation committee to spread the culture of donation and social contribution, while part of the proceeds will be delivered to a nongovernmental organization. Under the slogan of “glorious value,” which also reads “cinematic value” in Korean, the donation committee is JIFF’s first-ever move to support those in need, since the festival’s establishment in 2000. JIFF said it will receive applications for donat

FilmMarch 17, 2023

Sung Neung-kyung becomes fourth Korean artist to join Lehmann Maupin

Lehmann Maupin has added Korean artist Sung Neung-kyung, a pioneer of avant-garde art in South Korea in the 1970s, to the list of artists it represents and will support Sung’s artistic career. Sung has become the fourth Korean artist to be represented by the American gallery. “His canonical works have not only sparked urgent conversations about politics, identity and the body, but also continue to expand our understanding of contemporary art making. I look forward to placing him in

Arts & DesignMarch 17, 2023

Pianist Cho Seong-jin "The Handel Project" tops Billboard's weekly classical album chart

South Korean pianist Cho Seong-Jin’s latest album, The Handel Project, has topped Billboard's Traditional Classical Albums weekly chart this week, according to the US magazine’s chart. The Handel Project, released on February 3, is a collection of three suites from Handel's first collection of Suites de pièces pour le clavecin, which are some of Cho's favorite pieces of music. The album also features Brahms's Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, a pie

CultureMarch 17, 2023

[Photo news] K-Arts Celebrates 30 years of nurturing artists

Some 30 years ago, the Korea National University of Arts, known as K-Arts, was established with a goal to provide top quality education so that Korean students would not have to go abroad to study the arts. It was a goal in which not many believed back them. After the opening of the music school in 1993, the theater, film, dance, art and traditional arts schools were introduced one after another. Now, K-Arts operates under 26 different departments across six schools -- the Schools of Music, Dram

CultureMarch 17, 2023

Lee Sun-kyun takes on unprecedented comic role in ‘Killing Romance’

Hit TV drama star Lee Sun-Kyun from “Pasta” (2010) and “My Mister” (2018) is trying his hand at an unprecedented comical role in upcoming romance thriller “Killing Romance,” directed by Lee Won-suk and written by “The Beauty Inside” writer Park Jeong-ye. “Killing Romance,” also starring actors Lee Ha-nee and Gong Myung, revolves around a former actor Hwang Yeo-rae, who is known for her terrible acting skills and eventually leave the ind

FilmMarch 17, 2023

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Pinnacle Land Spring Flower Festival The Pinnacle Land Spring Flower Festival is scheduled to take place at Pinnacle Land, a botanical garden in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, starting March 24. The event runs through May 30. The botanical garden will present some 50,000 tulips and narcissus plants, allowing visitors to enjoy a fragrant spring atmosphere. The second edition of Pinnacle Land Spring Flower Festival also puts on a firework display at 8 p.m. on Saturdays. The event is open to p

TravelMarch 17, 2023