Yun Hyong-keun's rare hanji paintings shown for first time in Paris show

David Zwirner, a leading international gallery, is showcasing Korean artist Yun Hyong-keun (1928-2007) in Paris, unveiling the artist’s never-before presented hanji works. Hanji is Korea's traditional mulberry paper. “The exhibition is meaningful as we have not shown his works in Paris since Yun's passing. The paintings on hanji have never been shown to people although they were an important experiment in his career,” said Park Kyung-mee, president of PKM Gallery, the

Arts & DesignJan. 17, 2023

Biggest birthday party in Hongdae returns for renaissance of indie scene

Over 120 indie rock acts will participate in one of the biggest ever "Hongdae holidays.” The event, “2023 Kyungrockjeol -- Mapo Renaissance,” kicks off Feb. 8 and runs to Feb. 12 in hopes of reviving the indie, cultural and arts scene in Hongdae. The five-day festival is hosted by Crying Nut bassist Han Kyung-rock, also known as Captain Rock, celebrating the rock band’s 28th anniversary. Captain Rock Company announced on Monday the first lineup for this year’s

PerformanceJan. 16, 2023

[Herald Interview] Former TV host Grace Lee hopes to bridge gap between Korea, Philippines

In Korean, "heung" means exhilaration and "han" refers to deep sorrow or suffering. Grace Lee, a TV-host-turned-businesswoman who calls both South Korea and the Philippines home, sees the people in the Philippines are full of heung, while South Koreans have han emotion underlying their respective identities. Koreans with han often touch emotions when singing or acting, while with innate heung, Filipinos present great talents for singing and dancing and have great potential to

CultureJan. 16, 2023

‘Pachinko’ edges out ‘Attorney Woo’ at Critics Choice Awards

Apple TV+’s original series “Pachinko” was crowned as the best foreign language series at the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards held in Los Angeles, Monday. Filmed in Korean, Japanese and English, the period drama follows the life of a Korean family moving to Japan in the 20th century. The drama won the award over eight other competitors in the category. Also in the running was Korean legal drama “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” starring Park Eun-bin. “It’

TelevisionJan. 16, 2023

Concerts, gugak show to be held at Cheong Wa Dae over Lunar New Year holiday

A series of cultural events will be held at Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential compound, during the Lunar New Year's holiday, from Jan. 21 to 24, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced Monday. A special talk and performance series titled "Looking forward to the Lunar New Year at Cheong Wa Dae" is scheduled to take place at Chunchugwan, Jan. 21 to 23, featuring scholars and experts on Cheong Wa Dae's history, culture and ecological landscapes. The event is jointly

CultureJan. 16, 2023

Yeon Sang-ho tells another dystopian story through sci-fi film ‘Jung_E’

“Jung_E,” an upcoming Netfilx sci-fi film, depicts a dystopian society through director Yeon Sang-ho’s iconic dark, inscrutable characters and futuristic setting. Having told stories through zombies in “Train to Busan” (2016) and humongous supernatural monsters in “Hellbound” (2021), Yeon has chosen AI robots for his latest sci-fi project -- a rare genre in South Korea. In this cyberpunk flick, Yeon said he wanted to portray AI robots in the most Korea

FilmJan. 16, 2023

[Newsmaker] [Herald Interview] Hangeul as more than just a hobby: KSIF chief

The following series is part of The Korea Herald’s “Hello Hangeul” project of interviews, in-depth analyses, videos and various other forms of content that shed light on the stories of people who are learning the Korean language and the correlation between Korea’s soft power and the rise of the language within the league of world languages. – Ed. The ever-growing popularity of Korean content has sparked a boom in Korean language learning worldwide. Standing at the v

CultureJan. 16, 2023

[Graphic News] S. Korean content industry exports hit all-time high in 2021

South Korea’s exports of cultural content hit an all-time high of $12.4 billion in 2021, boosted by the global boom of Korean pop culture, a government report showed. According to a 2021 research study on the cultural content industry released by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the industry’s exports increased 4.4 percent to $12.45 billion in 2021 from $11.92 billion in 2020. The content industry is an umbrella term for organizations that produce copyrighted works availa

PerformanceJan. 16, 2023

[Herald Review] ‘Phantom,’ a colorful, classy spy action film set in 1930s

Director Lee Hae-young’s upcoming period action flick “Phantom” is set in Korea under Japanese colonial rule, but patriotic or historical messages are well-hidden throughout a highly-charged plot. Rather, it invites the audience to immerse themselves in stunt-studded action. Lee’s articulate approach to mise-en-sceneis also on show through the five protagonists' outfits in leather or velvet that match their characters. After shortly showing the background on how anti

FilmJan. 15, 2023

Artist Jun Hye-joo wins 22nd Songeun Art Award

Jun Hye-joo was selected as the winner of the Songeun Art Award for her installation work "Hummer," which manifests our daily exposure to war, the Songeun Art and Cultural Foundation announced Saturday. Jun was among 20 artists shortlisted for the 22nd edition of one of the most prestigious art awards in South Korea. The shortlisted artists were selected from a pool of 503 under consideration, according to the Songeun Art and Cultural Foundation, a private cultural foundation establish

Arts & DesignJan. 15, 2023

Manila, Cebu await return of foreign tourists

MANILA, Philippines -- So many aspects of our lives have been deferred due to the pandemic, especially the joy of getting away from it all. After three long years, as countries opened their doors to foreign visitors South Koreans spared no time, contributing to an uptick in tourism in destinations like Japan, Guam and the Philippines. The Philippines attracted 2.65 million visitors last year, including 428,014 from South Korea, who formed the second-largest group of foreign visitors to the count

TravelJan. 14, 2023

Lawyer-author returns with detective novel

A former judge and still a lawyer, writer Do Jin-ki has published another detective novel, “Revenge Law Firm.” The book centers on prosecutor Yoon Hae-seong, who gains public attention by prosecuting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Youth Against Sex Offenses. But Yoon has something else on his mind: revealing the wrongful death of his father, whose murder 20 years prior was disguised as suicide. Yoon suspects the real murderer i

BooksJan. 14, 2023

Raid the fridge for fast and easy home meal

After a long day at work or a tiring day outside, there is nothing like a homemade meal to comfort and heal you. The bad news is you open the fridge only to find nothing to eat. The good news is staples like eggs and frozen dumplings can save you. Using minimal ingredients sometimes prove that whipping up a delicious, filling meal doesn't need to be difficult. The Korea Herald spoke to some Koreans about their favorite quick meals to make, accompanied by recipes from YouTube channel One mea

FoodJan. 14, 2023

'Kill Boksoon' invited to Berlin International Film Festival

The 2023 Berlin International Film Festival has added Netflix' film "Kill Boksoon" at its Berlinale Special program, according to Netflix on Saturday. Selections for the Berlinale Special include documentary, feature and short films that elevate and explore cinema as an art form. The special films also try to reconnect the audience with beloved characters or people while reflecting upon current topics or history. A total of eight films have been invited to the program this year, i

FilmJan. 14, 2023

[Eye Interview] From foreigner to neighbor

When he took his first step on Korean soil in 1996 to study in here, Abhishek Gupta, more widely known as Lucky, could not have imagined himself staying for more than 25 years. “Back in the day, many of my friends went to English-speaking countries like the UK, the US or Canada to study abroad. I wondered why my parents sent me to Korea,” Lucky said in a recent interview with The Korea Herald. “But any 19-year-old loves to travel outside, don’t they? I was one of them,

PeopleJan. 13, 2023

[Exclusive] Disgraced poet Ko Un, unseen in Korea, has been active in international literary scene

While South Korean poet Ko Un remained virtually silent in Korea’s literary scene after sexual harassment allegations were made against him in 2017, he has been actively participating in international book fairs and festivals. The poet was awarded the New Golden Age Poetry Prize at Mexico City Poetry Festival in 2018 where he also had a solo poetry reading at the awards ceremony. In the past five years, he has also given speeches, interview and readings at international literary fairs in I

BooksJan. 13, 2023

11-year-old cellist wins 1st prize in junior Tchaikovsky

Eleven-year-old Korean cellist Kim Jung-a won the first prize in the cello section at the 11th International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in Russia, according to Korea National University of Arts on Thursday. Kim competed against seven other cellists in the final round, which was held at the Grand Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic on Monday. A total of 128 contestants from 14 countries participated in the piano, violin and cello categories this year. The finalists performed

PerformanceJan. 13, 2023

Film industry post-pandemic recovery remains slow

Forecasts for the domestic film industry's sales are pessimistic, amid a weaker than expected recovery at the box office. The number of moviegoers reached 112.8 million in 2022, according to the 2022 Korean film industry's sales report released by the Korean Film Council on Thursday. That was more than double the 52.28 million of the year before, but still sharply down from 226.68 million in the last pre-pandemic year of 2019. Sales were 1 trillion won ($807 million) last year, 49.8 pe

FilmJan. 13, 2023

[Newsmaker] Stop-motion animation 'Mother Land' stays away from 3D effect for story about nature

“Mother Land,” South Korea’s first major stop-motion animated film in 45 years, did not use 3D effects in the film to better portray the mother nature story, the film’s director Park Jae-beom told reporters Tuesday. “When I first thought about the storyline of ‘Mother Land,’ it was obvious for me to turn it into a stop-motion animation. Not only because I’m a huge fan of stop-motion animation, but because I wanted to portray a story of mother natur

FilmJan. 13, 2023

[Well-curated] Enjoy hanok cafe, Yayoi Kusama collaboration with LV and seafood ramen

Hanok-themed Cafe Onion in Jongno If you’re looking for a place to rest while strolling through Bukchon Hanok Village, a cluster of old-style Korean houses, pay a visit to a hanok-themed cafe for delicious desserts in a unique traditional setting. If you walk toward the Hyundai Building for two to three minutes from Anguk Station Exit No. 2 or 3 on Subway Line No. 3, you can see wooden doors supporting a traditional tiled roof -- called “giwa” -- signaling the entrance to Cafe

CultureJan. 13, 2023