Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute makes splash at World Forestry Congress

The Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute is participating in the 15th World Forestry Congress, which runs at Seoul’s Coex for five days until Friday. The institute’s chairperson Ryu Kwang-soo said, “I hope the World Forestry Congress will serve as an opportunity to directly or indirectly experience the arboretum and garden cultures designed by the Korea Arboreta and Gardens Institute.” At the conference the institute will have exhibition booths of its arboretum, botan

CultureMay 3, 2022

[Herald Interview] ‘D.P.’ star Koo Kyo-hwan wishes to live up to his name as go-to actor

While Koo Kyo-hwan stays humble and tries not to dwell too much on the public’s praise, his fans already consider him one of the go-to actors with an impressive list of successive hits. His hits include “Peninsula” (2020), “Kingdom: Ashin of the North” (2021), “D.P.” (2021) and “Escape from Mogadishu” (2021). “I am grateful (to the viewers) for loving my performances. Whenever I hear such feedback and expressions like ‘go-to act

TelevisionMay 3, 2022

Legoland ready to open, but historical artifacts nearby ‘neglected’

 After 11 years of numerous obstacles and criticisms, the Lego blocks are finally stacked and Legoland Korea Resort is ready to open on Children’s Day. However, historical artifacts found near the site and the surrounding areas -- the source of opposition to the theme park in Chungcheon, Gangwon Province -- remain neglected inside plastic greenhouses. As Legoland Korea Resort’s Thursday grand opening nears, the amusement park is under fire once again for dragging its feet wit

CultureMay 3, 2022

[Exclusive] Tiger JK eyes return with new digital single as early as June

Korean hip-hop legend Tiger JK is gearing up for the release of a new digital single sometime in June, an industry source told The Korea Herald on Tuesday. “Tiger JK has completed recording and is going to start mastering the record and film a music video for the upcoming song,” the source said. It will likely to mark the musician’s return to music nearly nine months after the release of “Love Peace Movement,” the remix of “Love Peace” which dropped

PerformanceMay 3, 2022

[Venice Biennale 2022] Park Seo-bo shows his unending spirit with new Ecriture works in Venice

VENICE, Italy -- Park Seo-bo -- the pioneer of Korean abstract art, also known as the master of dansaekhwa -- has unveiled a new Ecriture painting in Venice, Italy. The painting, which took nearly three years to complete, is the result of the 92-year-old artist’s ceaseless devotion to his art. The 2.6-meter-wide painting, titled “Ecriture No 190512-21,” features pastel colors in his early pencil Ecriture style. Each gap between blocks of pencil shading seems like a breathing

Arts & DesignMay 2, 2022

‘Ugly Koreans, Ugly Americans’ changes with the times

Since Min Byoung-chul first wrote “Ugly Koreans, Ugly Americans” in 1993 to highlight cultural and behavioral differences between Koreans and Americans, the book has been revised six times. In the latest revision, the well-known English educator said half of the content has changed.  “There appears to be increasing global interest about Korea due to Hallyu (Korean wave content) such as ‘Squid Game’ and BTS. Many Koreans are also going out to the world stage,

BooksMay 2, 2022

Benedict Cumberbatch returns with anticipated ‘Doctor Strange’ sequel

Even before it hits local theaters on Wednesday, Hollywood blockbuster “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” is stirring excitement among Marvel Cinematic Universe film fans here. As of Monday, 673,489 tickets were sold for the upcoming movie, a sequel to “Doctor Strange” (2016), according to data by the Korean Film Council. The presales dwarfed those for “Spider-Man,” the most-watched film during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea, which sold

FilmMay 2, 2022

Museums hold special exhibitions for Children’s Day

Four national museums across Seoul will be holding exhibitions and events to mark Children’s Day on May 5 and the family month of May. This year marks the centennial of Children’s Day, established in 1922 by Bang Jeong-hwan, a children’s rights activist and a pioneering children’s literature writer. The National Museum of Korea will hold an activity-based exhibition titled “The Child in All of Us” from Tuesday, at the Special Exhibition Gallery of the Childr

CultureMay 2, 2022

Korean TV dramas climb back up global video streaming chart

While Korean original series have been drawing attention from the creative content industry since Netflix’s global phenomenon “Squid Game” (2021), local television dramas -- including many that have ended their runs -- are starting to enjoy unexpected worldwide popularity as well. With the continued success of Korean content on video streaming services, seeing Korean originals ranked high on a global chart is no longer an unexpected, mind-blowing event. However, TV dramas cl

TelevisionMay 2, 2022

Actor Park Bo-gum to host Baeksang Arts Awards as first activity after military discharge

Actor Park Bo-gum will resume his activities after completing his mandatory military service duties by hosting the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards, the ceremony’s organizers said Monday. The 28-year-old will host the show with singer-actor Suzy and comedian-television host Shin Dong-yup, reuniting the team from two years ago. Before enlisting in the military, the actor promised to return to Baeksang Awards as a host. The trio hosted the annual award ceremony for three years in a row until 2020

TelevisionMay 2, 2022

Booming Napoli-style espresso nudges Americano

Around 11:00 a.m. Thursday at a coffee bar in Seoul’s Cheongdam-dong, a bunch of caffeine lovers took a few sips of their coffee served in tiny white cups.  Aside from the smaller servings, the place had another key difference from the many coffee joints that can be found in streets of Seoul. Many of its customers were indulging in their coffee standing because about half of the tables were standing tables with no chairs. The unique cafe is part of a new addition to South Korea&rsq

FoodMay 2, 2022

Director Yeon Sang-ho selects 5 movies for special section at Jeonju film fest

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province – At this year’s Jeonju International Film Festival, director Yeon Sang-ho of “Train to Busan” selected five films as a programmer for the special section “J Special: Programmer of the Year.” “I remember watching ‘Dead Man’ directed by Jim Jarmusch when I was a freshman or sophomore in university. It was a special screening. I watched it with my friend. I used to live in Mapo back then, and we watched the movi

FilmMay 1, 2022

[Herald Interview] Korean American actor Justin H. Min excited to be part of Jeonju IFF in person

JEONJU, North Jeolla Province -- For Korean American actor Justin H. Min, participating in the Jeonju International Film Festival was special not only because it is being held in his parent’s home country, but also because it is an in-person event. “I missed Cannes because I was filming and they wouldn’t let me leave because of the quarantine. And Sundance, we were finally excited to go. And then two weeks before, they shut Sundance down. So I missed two film festivals,&rdqu

FilmMay 1, 2022

Apple TV+’s ‘Pachinko’ to return with season 2

Apple TV+ on Saturday confirmed the return of its Korean original series “Pachinko” with a second season. The period drama shows the life of Korean family moving to Japan in the 20th century, presenting the universal story of immigrants throughout the world. Based on Korean American author Min Jin Lee’s bestselling novel of the same name, the series depicts the life of a Korean woman named Sunja (played by Youn Yuh-jung and Kim Min-ha), who was born to a poor family in Busan

TelevisionMay 1, 2022

[Herald Review] 2022 Seoul Jazz Festa provides musical healing to COVID weary

People thirsty for stage performances flocked to Nodeul Island, central Seoul on Saturday, seeking to find comfort in jazz music in line with the South Korean government’s “phased return to normal” scheme. It was a perfect day to enjoy jazz music outdoors in spring weather, with the gentle breeze scattering flower petals. Marking the UNESCO-designated International Jazz Day, the 2022 Seoul Jazz Festa drew roughly 750 music fans who showed their excitement over the return of lon

PerformanceMay 1, 2022

[Photo News] Lotus Lantern Parade lights up Seoul

The Lotus Lantern Parade, one of the highlights of Yeondeunghoe, illuminates Seoul’s Jongno district Saturday evening.  Starting at Heunginjimun, the parade proceeded to Jogyesa, a Buddhist temple in central Seoul. This year marked the first Yeondeunghoe after its UNESCO listing in December 2020.  More than 35,000 faithfuls participated in this year’s parade, according to the Yeondeunghoe Preservation Committee. By Kim Hae-yeon (hykim@heraldcorp.com)

CultureMay 1, 2022

[Weekender] Bugaksan opened to the public after 54 years

As the trees start to dress in green and the warm breeze brings a spring-like atmosphere, mountain lovers are in search of mountains to scale. These passionate trekkers will be surprised by the new mountain trail which opened to the public for the first time in 54 years. When North Korean military infiltrators slipped into Seoul through the mountain route of Bugaksan to attack Cheong Wa Dae on Jan. 21, 1968, South Korean forces faced a fierce firefight. The hilly path of Bugaksan was used as

TravelApril 30, 2022

[Visual History of Korea] Korean bullfight tradition turns into hanwoo sports and sport betting

Cattle have long been an important part of Korean culture as members of the workforce, as Korea has traditionally been an agrarian society.　 Only well-to-do families owned cattle. Owning a cow or bull back then is equivalent to owning a tractor these days.　 Cattle has been widely seen as liquid assets, as rural Korean families often sold cattle to cover their children’s university education costs.　 Before modern commercial feed became available, feeding cooked meals to “hanwoo&rdq

CultureApril 30, 2022

[Temple to Table] Shaking off summer fatigue: Braised green chili pepper

Ven. Seonjae is the first Korean Temple Food Master certified by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Having entered the monastic community at age 25, she has worked hard for over 40 years to make temple food accessible and enjoyable to the public. For three years until 2021, she served as chairman of the board of directors for the Korean Food Promotion Institute, and promoted the excellence of Korean food widely, beyond the boundary of temple food, her area of expertise. “What we eat pr

FoodApril 30, 2022

Veteran Korean director Lee Chang-dong looks back at his 25-year career

JEONJU--Renowned Korean director Lee Chang-dong on Friday looked back on his 25 years in the Korean film industry during a press conference held at Jeonju Jungbu Vision Center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, as part of the Jeonju International Film Festival. “I participated in Vancouver Film Festival with my debut film ‘Green Fish.’ Back then, nobody had any interest in Korean films,” he recalled. “Vancouver Film Festival was one of the few events that screened

FilmApril 29, 2022