'Squid Game' star Lee Jung-jae returns home after Critics Choice honor

Lee Jung-jae of "Squid Game" on Thursday returned home after winning best TV drama series actor at the Critics Choice Awards. "The award is not only given to myself but also to all people who love Korean content," Lee said through his management agency, after arriving at Incheon International Airport from the United States. "I hope to hear more pleasing and significant news about Korean content in the future." At the Critics Choice Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on

TelevisionMarch 17, 2022

Pianist Kim Sun-wook to return in May

Concert pianist Kim Sun-wook is poised to hold three recitals in May, Vincero, a classical concert production company, said on Wednesday. At his first recital in Korea this year, Kim will showcase three different colors of three great composers with a program of Schubert’s Four Impromptus D. 899, Albeniz’s ‘Iberia’: Book II and Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B minor S. 178. The first concert will take place at 5:00 p.m. on May 15 at Seoul Arts Center. General ticketing

PerformanceMarch 16, 2022

Cellist Kim Hyo-jeong to offer familar tunes at upcoming recital

Cellist Kim Hyo-jeong is set to play familiar favorites when she takes the stage on Sunday for her solo recital. At Sunday’s recital at Kumho Art Hall Yonsei in Seoul, Kim, 26, will perform Mendelssohn’s “Lied Onhne Worte,” Op. 109, Faure’s “Sicilienne,” Op. 78, Chopin’s Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65, and Shostakovich’s Cello Sonata in D minor, Op. 49. “I chose familiar melodies by Mendelssohn and Faure to comfort people who are b

PerformanceMarch 16, 2022

Kansong Art Museum sells national treasure to Heritage DAO

A national treasure that failed to find a new owner after the Kangsong Art Museum put it up for auction in January has been bought by a cryptocurrency-based decentralized autonomous organization. Heritage DAO purchased National Treasure No.73, Portable Shrine of Gilt-Bronze Buddha Triad, and permanently entrusted the Buddhist relic to the museum for physical exhibitions, the museum announced Wednesday. “We were surprised by the offer to buy the national treasure from the cryptocurrency-

Arts & DesignMarch 16, 2022

'Money Game' first Korean webtoon adapted for US reality show

Thriller webtoon “Money Game” has become the first Korean webtoon to be made into a web-based entertainment show in the US. Though a local adaptation of the webtoon series was made last year on Korean YouTube channel Jin Yong-jin, this is the first time a Korean webtoon’s IP is being adapted by foreign creators, production team and cast, according to Naver Webtoon. The five-part reality show on YouTube channel Jubilee features eight participants who are kept in separate cells

CartoonMarch 16, 2022

Ex-Navy SEAL and YouTuber Rhee Keun posts from Ukraine

Former Navy special warfare officer Rhee Keun, who recently left South Korea to fight as a volunteer soldier in the war in Ukraine, said in an Instagram post that he is alive in Ukraine. Denying recent rumors about his death after the Russian Defense Ministry’s announcement that around 180 pro-Ukrainian volunteer soldiers on Ukrainian training bases had been killed, Rhee posted “I’m alive” via social media on Tuesday. “My teammates withdrew safely from Ukraine. I

PeopleMarch 16, 2022

[Exclusive] Mastermind behind Twice’s global success to helm JYP USA

K-pop powerhouse JYP Entertainment’s newly established US arm will be led by the person largely responsible for the global success of the label’s girl group Twice. “Shin Hyun-kuk has been tapped to helm US operations. He is a chief director of one of the four artist management and marketing teams and JYP Three Sixty’s chief executive officer,” a JYP Entertainment official told The Korea Herald Tuesday evening. The official said JYP USA is currently “setting

PerformanceMarch 16, 2022

S. Korean TV directors set to tap into Hollywood

Talented South Korean directors of popular TV series are poised to begin their Hollywood career amid the unprecedentedly strong presence of Korean content across the world. Director Lee Myung-woo, who helmed the action comedy "The Fiery Priest" (2019) and the crime thriller "One Ordinary Day" (2021), signed a contract with the American talent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA) last month. The CAA is one of the biggest management agencies in North America, representing filmm

TelevisionMarch 16, 2022

After multiple cancellations, SPO’s artist-in-focus to perform for the first time since 2019

Augustin Hadelich, an Italian-German-American violinist and Seoul Philharmonic’s Artist-In-Focus, will take the stage later this month for the first time without any cancellations as a visiting artist since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Five concerts featuring the 37-year-old violinist will take place as planned starting from March 31, an official at SPO confirmed on Monday. During his visit to Korea as SPO’s Artist-In-Focus, he will play a wide-ranging repertoire, includi

PerformanceMarch 16, 2022

Special concert to deliver tunes of peace for Ukraine

In hopes of sending out a message of peace across the globe for Ukrainian war refugees, a special evening concert will be held at the Seoul Arts Center’s concert hall on March 23. Co-hosted by The Korea Herald and the Seoul Arts Center, the “2022 Special Concert for World Peace,” will be led by the Seoul Pops Orchestra’s director and conductor Ha Sung-ho. Musicians onstage include 73-year old veteran vocal maestro Jang Sa-ik, 2022 Korea Opera Awards’ gold-winning

CultureMarch 15, 2022

Pianist Lim Dong-hyek marks 20th anniversary with new album, recital series

Korean classical pianist Lim Dong-hyek on Tuesday said that he is still hoping to improve as he marks the 20th anniversary of his debut. “When I was a teenager and also in my 20s, I focused more on achievements, mainly winning piano competitions. Now there are new tasks in front of me. It might sound a little abstract but I aim to be a better musician,” he said during a press conference at Cosmos Art Hall in southern Seoul for his upcoming solo recital tour. “I’m not

PerformanceMarch 15, 2022

[International Galleries in Seoul] Koenig Seoul hopes to grow with emerging Korean collectors

The following is part of a series that explores international galleries that have opened a location in Seoul, as a new art hub in Asia. --Ed. A visit to the rooftop garden is a must when you are at Koenig Seoul, a German gallery which opened in Seoul last year. Sculptures by artists represented by the gallery greet the visitors, offering a place for respite surrounded by art. Koenig Seoul, located at the MCM Haus building in the posh neighborhood of Cheongdam-dong, is the Berlin-based gallery&

Arts & DesignMarch 15, 2022

Video artist Choi Chan-sook wins Korea Artist Prize 2021

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea has named video artist Choi Chan-sook as the winner of the Korea Artist Prize 2021 among the four finalists who showcased their works at the museum. The national museum shows commissioned works by four finalists of the annual award, which aims to support young and promising Korean artists. The newly commissioned works by the four artists -– Choi Chan-sook, Kim Sang-jin, Bang Jeong-a and Oh Min -- are on display at the exhibition &l

Arts & DesignMarch 15, 2022

Not just to read, but to experience: National Library’s bold transformation

The National Library of Korea, located in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, announced the opening of an immersive literature content hall experience, Jisikui Gil, which means “Path to Knowledge” on Monday. This follows last year’s Culture Ministry initiative project, Shilgam Seojae, which successfully transformed a few of South Korea’s ancient writings and archived documents stored in the library into interactive contents using multidimensional technologies. This year’s p

CultureMarch 14, 2022

‘Squid Game’ makes history again with two Critics Choice Awards

Netflix’s global megahit drama “Squid Game” won two trophies at the 27th Critics Choice Awards held in Los Angeles on Monday. The show’s lead Lee Jung-jae won best actor in a drama series for his role as Gi-hun, a down-on-his-luck middle-aged man who takes part in the deadly “Squid Game.” “Thank you, god. Thank you very much Critics Choice Awards and everyone who loved and supported ‘Squid Game.’ I can’t express how wonderful I am. Th

TelevisionMarch 14, 2022

Popular Korean content remade into films, TV series globally

A lieutenant’s life is turned upside down after accidentally killing a man. He desperately hides all the pieces of evidence, including the dead man’s body. Just when he thinks he has succeeded, he receives threats from a mysterious witness. This is the plot of a recent hit French film on Netflix, “Restless,” directed by Regis Blondeau. Released on Feb. 28, the film immediately became popular globally with its fresh and tight plot, topping the streaming service platform&

FilmMarch 14, 2022

Seoul Fashion Week to make YouTube fashion vertical debut

The upcoming 2022 fall-winter Seoul Fashion Week, Korea’s largest fashion event, will be introduced through YouTube’s official fashion and beauty channel for the first time, according to the show’s organizer, the Seoul Metropolitan Government on Monday. The channel has shed light on four fashion weeks -- Paris, Milan, New York and London -- uploading related content for viewers around the world. Seoul Fashion Week will become the first Asian fashion week to be introduced throu

Arts & DesignMarch 14, 2022

Leading contemporary architect Kimm Jong-soung‘s archival book published by MMCA

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea has published an archival book on Korea’s renowned architect Kimm Jong-soung based on archives of the architect’s career that Kimm donated to the museum in 2014. The 86-year-old Kimm is a leading contemporary architect based in Seoul who has designed a diverse portfolio of buildings in South Korea, including the Weightlifting Gymnasium for the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Sonje Museum of Contemporary Art, Ajou University Hospital, S

Arts & DesignMarch 13, 2022

[Subway Stories] Samgakji becomes home to K-pop, K-beauty powerhouses

The following is part of Seoul Subway Stories -- a newly launched Korea Herald series exploring subway stations and their surrounding areas across the city. – Ed.  Located in Yongsan in central Seoul, Samgakji Station sits one stop away from Noksapyeong Station, where people would ride past to go partying in Itaewon or head to dine out at restaurants in Gyeongnidan and Haebangchon. It is also within walking distance of Sinyongsan and Yongsan stations. Stuck between the more popular d

CultureMarch 13, 2022

Kakao Entertainment aims for next ‘Itaewon Class’ through upgraded Super Webtoon project

Kakao Entertainment announced that it has selected webtoon “The Siren” as its first task for the upgraded Super Webtoon project to create the next “Itaewon Class.“ Released on Dec. 26 last year on Kakao’s webtoon platform, “The Siren” written by Saengyam and illustrated by Poya is a Korean webtoon produced based on the web novel “Becoming the Villain‘s Family” by Seol I-su. Web novels are written works of literature available primarily

CultureMarch 13, 2022