Busan International Short Film Festival explores potential of short films

The 39th Busan International Short Film Festival kicked off Wednesday at the Busan Cinema Center for a six-day run through Monday. Under the theme of “Expanding Cinema,” the festival aims to focus on showing the variability and infinite potential of short films, according to the film fest organizer.　 The selected films will be screened at two theaters: Busan Cinema Center and BNK Busan Bank Art Cinema. For the 39th BISFF, 154 short films from 48 countries were selected for scre

FilmApril 27, 2022

[Venice Biennale 2022] Chun Kwang-young perseveres with making hanji packages

VENICE, Italy -- The sound of a heartbeat reverberates inside a dark room where a large hanji sculpture sits. Sitting near the sculpture, you will notice that heartbeat is irregular, leading you to wonder if your own heart is healthy. Chun Kwang-young has stubbornly pursued his art with hanji over the past 30 years. His perseverance as an artist is being recognized at a collateral exhibition of the 59th Venice Biennale titled “Chun Kwang Young: Times Reimagined” at Palazzo Contari

Arts & DesignApril 27, 2022

Ex-justice minister Cho Kuk documentary raises over W50m within three hours on crowdfunding platform

“The Red Herring,” a documentary about the embattled ex-Justice Minister Cho Kuk, met its funding goal of 50 million won ($40,000) within three hours on the crowdfunding platform Tumblbug on Monday. “Funding aims to secure screens at multiplex theaters by proving that there are supporters of ‘The Red Herring,’ so that we can create an opportunity for more people to watch the film at the theater,” production company CK Project said in a statement. “The f

FilmApril 26, 2022

Lee Kwang-soo, Kim Seol-hyun confident in ‘fast-paced, entertaining’ tvN mystery comedy

Cable channel tvN’s new Wednesday-Thursday drama, “The Killer’s Shopping List,” will be unlike any of the currently trending dramas with either heartwarming storylines or hard-hitting action sequences. “Unlike the typical mystery thrillers with intense mind games and breathtaking actions, our series takes a different approach to a mysterious murder case. The exciting script aside, the character was really new to me. I thought I would not have another chance to pla

TelevisionApril 26, 2022

Louis Vuitton to open first-ever pop-up restaurant in Seoul

French luxury brand Louis Vuitton is set to open its first ever pop-up restaurant at its flagship boutique in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul, next month. Pierre Sang at Louis Vuitton will open on the fourth floor of Louis Vuitton Maison Seoul from May 4 to June 10, serving French cuisine inspired by seasonal ingredients, according to the company. The pop-up restaurant will offer daily multicourse lunch and dinner service from noon to 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., respectively. Coffee a

FoodApril 26, 2022

[Photo News] Permission to be spicy

Samyang Foods attracted 40,000 visitors to the promotional booth of its signature spicy noodle dish Buldak, over four days on the sidelines of BTS concerts in Las Vegas earlier this month, the company said Tuesday. Samyang Foods was the main sponsor of the K-pop superstars’ concerts in the US as it commemorated the 10th anniversary of Buldak.

CultureApril 26, 2022

Maverick novelist Lee Oi-soo dead at 75

Bestselling author Lee Oi-soo died of COVID-19-associated pneumonia on Monday, according to his family. He was 75. Lee died at around 8 p.m. at a hospital in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, of complications from COVID-19 after he contracted the viral illness in March. He had been in poor health since a collapse from a cerebral hemorrhage in March 2020. He was treated for stomach cancer in 2014. Born in 1946 in Hamyang, South Gyeongsang Province, he studied education in college for eight years

PeopleApril 26, 2022

Viviz first K-pop girl group on Grammy’s ‘Global Spin’

Girl group Viviz will be taking the virtual stage on the Grammy’s digital performance series titled “Global Spin,” according to the trio’s agency Big Planet Made Entertainment on Tuesday. The act will be the first K-pop girl group to perform on the music show. Viviz will showcase “Bop Bop!” from its first mini-album “Beam of Prism,” released in February. The prerecorded performance will show the trio in black hanbok -- Korea’s traditional co

PerformanceApril 26, 2022

Lee Kwang-soo stars in comedy 'The Killer's Shopping List'

  South Korean star actor and entertainer Lee Kwang-soo is back to the small screen as a cashier at a neighborhood supermarket in the upcoming mystery comedy "The Killer's Shopping List." Motivated by the novel "The Killer's Shopping Mall" by Kang Ji-young, tvN's Wednesday-Thursday primetime series follows people who hunt for the killer in a mysterious murder case that occurs near a humble neighborhood supermarket named MS Mart. Lee stars as Dae-sung, the son of the

TelevisionApril 25, 2022

[Venice Biennale 2022] ‘The Milk of Dreams’ breaks barriers of human cognition

VENICE, Italy -- Taking place amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has become a turning point for many people, the 59th edition of Venice Biennale feels special, forcing us to think differently about life and things that we have taken for granted. This year’s international art exhibition, titled “The Milk of Dreams,” was curated by Cecilia Alemani and features works by 213 artists from 58 countries. The artists’ new works are presented at the biennale’s two main ven

Arts & DesignApril 25, 2022

Report finds increase in use of inappropriate language in Korean TV shows

Improper use of English subtitles and slang continues to increase in TV broadcasts, according to a Korea Communications Standards Commission report released Sunday. While the words and expressions are widely used by streamers on video-sharing platforms such as YouTube, Twitch and Afreeca TV, TV programs have also adopted such usage in recent years, though they deviate from the standard Korean language deemed proper for broadcast. KCSC and Special Advisory Committee on Broadcasting Language, a

TelevisionApril 25, 2022

With its third revival, ‘City of Light’ eyes global stage

The “City of Light,” known as “Gwangju” in Korean, is back for the third time since it first took the stage in 2020. This time, the musical aims to reach a global audience to deliver a story of resistance and the democratic movement when it gives a preview on Broadway later this year, the musical’s production team said last week. “‘City of Light’ was created as part of an initiative to popularize the iconic protest song ‘March for the Be

PerformanceApril 25, 2022

Online seminar to discuss now and future of Hallyu

A seminar that will shed light on the current state and future of Korean culture will take place online Wednesday, the organizers said Monday. Co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Tourism Organization, the seminar, titled “The Spirit of the Times as Reflected in K-Culture” will start with a keynote speech from Pier Luigi Sacco, a professor of cultural economics at IULM University Milan. Other participants include domestic and international experts

CultureApril 25, 2022

[Herald Interview] Sol Kyung-gu learns importance of parenting from ‘I Want to See Your Parent’s Face’

After actor Sol Kyung-gu watched his film, “I Want to See Your Parent’s Face,” he realized the importance of parenting. “In the movie, there is a line that says ‘parents took away the last chance for the kids to be forgiven.’ Watching this film, I thought that parents’ actions are as important as the kids’ in this kind of situation. That is something new I have learned from it,” said Sol, who is a father himself, during an interview with a

FilmApril 25, 2022

[Herald Interview] Orchestre National de Metz hopes to share pure joy, inspiration through French classical music

Orchestre National de Metz, one of the 12 French national orchestras, will embark on a five-city tour of Korea this week in Daegu, becoming the first foreign orchestra to perform in the country this year and signaling a return to normalcy in international concert tours. “It took a long process of nearly three years for (Metz) orchestra to tour Korea because of the COVID-19 crisis. It is really an honor and joy to see this tour coming to conclusion,” Orchestre National de Metz&rsquo

PerformanceApril 25, 2022

[Venice Biennale 2022] Venice exhibition highlights Korean contemporary artist Ha Chong-hyun

VENICE, Italy – Coinciding with the Venice Biennale 2022, a retrospective of Korean contemporary artist Ha Chong-hyun is on display at Palazzetto Tito, a historical palace located in Dorsoduro, southeastern Venice. The exhibit includes rarely-seen early paintings with creative experimentation from the renowned 86-year-old artist. The retrospective is a collateral event of the 59th Venice Biennale and is held jointly by La Fondazione Bevilacqua La Masa, the Seoul-based Kukje Gallery and

Arts & DesignApril 25, 2022

Moon Jae-in to talk about 5 years of presidency on TV show

President Moon Jae-in will share his thoughts and feelings about his five years of presidency on a two-part special for cable channel JTBC’s “Five Years of Moon Jae-in” airing on Monday and Tuesday. Hosted by JTBC journalist Sohn Suk-hee, the one-on-one interview reviews Moon’s achievements, regrets and opinion of the incoming administration as he looks back on the past five years. “The interview was conducted without any political bias. Moon sometimes responded

TelevisionApril 24, 2022

Koo Kyo-hwan, Shin Hyun-bin thrilled to take next journey into the ‘Yeoniverse’

Star director Yeon Sang-ho, who was behind global apocalyptic thriller “Train to Busan” (2016) and Netflix’s “Hellbound” (2021), is expanding his dystopian fantasy world, widely known as “Yeoniverse,” with Tving’s upcoming occult series “Monstrous.” “It may sound unreal, but I was thinking of director Yeon the other day. And I received a message about his new project. I was screaming in my room with excitement and decided to sta

FilmApril 24, 2022

YouTube’s top five 'K-tour' channels

Virtual walking tours have emerged as an alternative to quench a thirst for travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, letting people explore far-flung destinations from the comfort of their own homes. YouTube channels centering on such virtual tours produce videos intended at giving viewers the vivid feeling of walking through an ordinary neighborhood in Seoul and other areas in the country. To diversify their content and attract more viewers, these creators are adding new features like time-lapse

TelevisionApril 24, 2022

Cold comfort: Three unique ice cream spots in Seoul

As the weather gets warmer and pandemic restrictions are mostly lifted, ice cream shops and vendors are hoping to present their frozen delights to more customers. The cold dessert has been loved by Koreans through more than half a century of changes. In the ‘60s and ’70s, summer months saw ice pop vendors selling the cold treats from their carts in downtown streets and market alleys. Carried in a portable wooden box, the vividly colored frozen ice pops were sold for 5 won (3 cen

FoodApril 23, 2022