CJ ENM reveals drama lineup for second half of 2022

South Korea’s entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM seeks to strengthen its position as the country’s leading contents provider with star-studded TV series in the latter half of the year. With the success of its previous projects, ranging from rom-com “Twenty-Five Twenty-One” to the company’s latest omnibus-style drama “Our Blues,” CJ ENM hopes to continue its content dominance with a wider range of genres. “Alchemy of Souls,” tvN’s upcomi

TelevisionJune 13, 2022

[Herald Review] Third revival of musical ‘Mata Hari’ sheds lights on woman’s struggle, survival

  Mata Hari, a notorious spy during World War I, has long been portrayed as an irresistible femme fatale, double-crossing both Germany and the Allies at the height of World War I. 　 The idea of an exotic dancer with powerful men wrapped around her finger and audiences at her feet involved in espionage has inspired novels, movies and even a game. 　 In 2016, just one year short of the 100th anniversary of her death, EMK, a South Korean musical production company, unveiled a musical adap

PerformanceJune 13, 2022

Korean webtoon operators launch services in France

South Korean online webtoon service providers have launched their European operations in France as a test bed to target the European content market, industry data showed Monday. Naver Webtoon, an online platform for digital comics run by Korea's leading portal operator Naver, in March announced its plan to establish its European unit, Webtoon EU, in France within the first half. The company had started its French-language service in 2019, as well as Spanish in the same year and German in 20

CultureJune 13, 2022

'Squid Game' to return for 2nd season

The global sensation "Squid Game" will return for a second season, Netflix confirmed Monday. "A whole new round is coming," director, writer and executive producer Hwang Dong-hyuk said in a letter to fans released by Netflix. "And now, Gi-hun returns. The Front Man returns. Season 2 is coming." Gi-hun, played by Lee Jung-jae, is the debt-ridden character who gets involved in a mysterious deadly contest to win 45.6 billion won ($37.9 million) in prize money in the ni

TelevisionJune 13, 2022

[Subway Stories] Melting pot of culture, shopping and tourism in Dongdaemun

The following is part of Seoul Subway Stories -- a Korea Herald series exploring subway stations and their surrounding areas across the city. – Ed Step out of Exit No. 12 at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station on the Seoul subway and turn left at the second corner, and you will yourself surrounded by the Cyrillic alphabet. The area is commonly known as the Gwanghui-dong Central Asia Street, with scores of shops run by Russians, Uzbeks and Mongolians. The street is one of the

TravelJune 12, 2022

Media artist Alex Verhaest’s new works question utopian ideas

Artists are inspired in many ways. Media artist Alex Verhaest, whose first solo exhibition in South Korea is running at Barakat Seoul, was struck by her best friend Sofie Verraest’s doctoral dissertation on utopian ideas. The dissertation, “Eutopia Unbound: Imagining Good Places in Narratives from 1945 to the Present,” claims that four types of utopias -- communitarianism, futurism, isolationism and hedonism -- appear in the modernist imaginations of postwar-Western literatur

Arts & DesignJune 12, 2022

KBS to air new webtoon-based drama ‘Jinxed at First’

Public broadcaster KBS is scheduled to air a new webtoon-based romance series titled “Jinxed at First” on June 15. The broadcaster’s new Wednesday-Thursday drama is an adaptation of a popular Kakao Page webtoon of the same title created by author Han Ji-hye and illustrator Goo Seul, which recorded 100 million cumulative views over its three-season run from 2016 to 2020. Helmed by television director Yoon Sang-ho, the series features a poor, unlucky fish vendor named Soo-kwan

TelevisionJune 12, 2022

Music, videos, academic papers accepted for Miryang Arirang Competition

As part of efforts to introduce a well-known Korean folk song to global audiences, a competition on “Miryang Arirang” is being organized by Miryang City and the Miryang Cultural Foundation. “Miryang Arirang” is one of the three major versions of “Arirang,” along with “Jeongseon Arirang” and “Jindo Arirang.” Although the date of its creation is unknown, records show that “Miryang Arirang” was sung at marches by independenc

CultureJune 12, 2022

CGV to focus more on high-tech screens, premium theaters to brace for post-pandemic

CJ CGV, South Korea's largest multiplex cinema chain, said Sunday that it will expand investment in high-technology, multi-projection screens and premium theaters to meet changing customer demand in the post-pandemic era. "We will focus more on expanding high-tech screens in a bid to help movie fans not only watch content but also experience something more special at theaters," said Cho Jin-ho, who is in charge of content programming in CGV. "We are also adding more small pri

FilmJune 12, 2022

Summer is for buckwheat noodles

One of the summertime dining staples in Korea is buckwheat noodles. Even when the scorching weather makes one easily lose their appetite, it is hard to resist the slurpable noodles that can be served either hot or cold. Known for their unique grainy texture, buckwheat noodle lovers seek those that are made entirely out of buckwheat. In Korea, such buckwheat noodles are recorded in the 17th-century cookbook “Eumsik dimibang.” The book defines buckwheat noodles as food shared by t

FoodJune 11, 2022

[Temple to Table] Out of grass and flowers that bud in spring: Hwajeon with spring flowers

The Ven. Yeogeo entered monastic life 21 years ago at age 31, relatively late to become a nun in Korea. Thanks to her Buddhist parents, she had become familiar with temples at a young age. When she turned 19, she visited the temple Yongjusa in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, and decided to renounce secular life then. She became an enthusiastic member of Yongjusa’s Young Buddhist Association and began studying Buddhism in earnest. Memorizing sutras written in Chinese characters and understan

FoodJune 11, 2022

[Visual History of Korea] Jeju island‘s volcanic lava caves reveal Earth’s history

Some of the most powerful forces in nature are volcanoes and the hot molten lava which flows from the Earth’s mantle, often hundreds of kilometers deep underground. The Earth’s inner core is almost as hot as the surface of the sun at an estimated temperature of nearly 5,500 degrees Celsius. The hot molten lava, known as magma, bursts out of the Earth’s surface from time to time. The openings where such eruptions occur are called volcanos. As the molten lava snails around the

CultureJune 11, 2022

[Scholars and their Spaces] ‘Ye’ makes others comfortable

“Most government officials today seem to have the intention of stepping down, rather than to fulfill the responsibility of their posts. I am concerned that certain selected group of people monopolize political authority in this political situation.” Kim Jang-Saeng (1548-1631), who studied the principle of “Yehak (Study of Rites)” which were regarded as a crucial part of Korean Neo-Confucianism during the Joseon era, expressed anxiety about separatist politics of the tim

CultureJune 11, 2022

Young adult novel remembers writer Li Mirok’s life

A Korean Australian writer’s novel for young adults takes inspiration from an educator and independence activist who spent much of his life in exile in the early 1900s. The book, titled “The Young Resistance and Korean Language School,” gives us a look at Li Mirok -- a writer and educator who is perhaps known better in Germany, where he spent rest of his life since 1922. Li published several books in Germany, including the autobiographical novel “The Yalu Flows,”

BooksJune 11, 2022

'The Roundup' tops 10 mln admissions in S. Korea

The Korean action comedy "The Roundup" topped 10 million admissions in local theaters on Saturday. The sequel to the 2017 hit movie "The Outlaws" had set the record by 1:50 p.m., according to its local distributor, ABO Entertainment Co., based on a real-time box-office tally from the Korean Film Council. It exceeded the mark on the 25th day since its release on May 18 and became the 28th film to reach the milestone of 10 million ticket sales in South Korea. The 27th film w

FilmJune 11, 2022

Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival’s in-person events return after two years

Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival on Friday announced that it will hold in-person events at the festival year, slated to take place from July 7 to 17. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the fest had been holding opening and closing ceremonies, as well as a red carpet event at various locations in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, such as Bucheon City Hall and Bucheon Gymnasium. During the last two years, the fest had been downsized with all in-person events without audiences, and the openin

FilmJune 10, 2022

Cannes-winning Park Chan-wook, Song Kang-ho movies to get special screenings

South Korea’s biggest cinema chain CJ CGV will hold special screenings of seven movies with Cannes-winning director Park Chan-wook and actor Song Kang-ho, from Thursday to June 29. “To celebrate director Park Chan-wook and actor Song Kang-ho winning the awards, we created this special screening event to share a meaningful achievement of Korean cinema which raised its reputation,” CGV official Yeo Kwang-jin said in a statement released Thursday. “I hope audiences can take

FilmJune 10, 2022

[Well-curated] Sample liquors, mediate on national treasures or take time out at eco park

If you are a fan of traditional liquors, pack your bags this weekend for a trip to Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. Traditional liquors of Korea, China and Japan are being showcased at the 2022 East Asia Traditional Liquor Festival, held at the Gyeongju Hwabaek International Convention Center, until Sunday. The four-day festival will have tastings and workshops, as well as outdoor performances. At the promotion center, visitors will be able to try some of the most popular liquors from

CultureJune 10, 2022

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Westin Josun Busan promotes chefs’ special edition Westin Josun Busan is presenting a special edition of chef-cooked meals, available only through June 30. At the hotel’s Korean dining restaurant Sheobul, grilled chicken legs with abalone are offered alongside a fresh vegetable salad and four delicate side dishes. At Camellia, the hotel’s buffet restaurant, four types of wine will be recommended by sommeliers. The special bruschetta course platter consists of tomato with moz

FoodJune 10, 2022

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Hansan Ramie Fabric Cultural Festival The Hansan Ramie Fabric Cultural Festival will be held from Friday to Sunday at Hansan Mosi Museum and Hansan Traditional Market in Seocheon, South Chungcheong Province. The event seeks to continue the tradition of weaving Hansan ramie fabric, known as “mosi” in Korean, which is listed as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The festival offers an opportunity to experience weaving traditional Korean natural fibers and trying on m

TravelJune 10, 2022