‘Minari’ star Youn Yuh-jung to present at upcoming Oscars

Youn Yuh-jung, the 93rd Oscar-winning actress of US film “Minari,” will return to the Academy Awards later this month. Youn, who won the best supporting actress award in 2021 for her portrayal of an eccentric grandmother in “Minari,” will join former winners and nominees to present at the 94th Academy Awards ceremony slated for March 27. The first slate of presenters includes American actors Kevin Costner, Zoe Kravitz, Rosie Perez, comedian and actor Chris Rock and sing

FilmMarch 6, 2022

Blend of culture, nature at Eunpyeong Trail

Amid the seemingly never-ending COVID-19 pandemic, watching the latest Netflix series and eating sweet and juicy mandarin oranges curled up with an electric blanket has been a popular way to spend the winter weekends. But as the cold winter air starts to make way for the arrival of spring, many hikers are eager to greet the coming spring and enjoy the last cold snap on Eunpyeong Trail, better known as Eunpyeong-gu Dulegil or section eight of the Bukhansan Dulegi, also referred to as Gureum Jeon

TravelMarch 6, 2022

Doenjang’s thick and chunky makeover: Gangdoenjang

Doenjang jjigae, Korean soybean paste stew, is Koreans’ favorite hearty comfort food. The rich taste of fermented soybean paste goes well with a humble bowl of rice. Doenjang jjigae recipes range from those with assorted seafood to chadolbagi, or thin brisket slices. Decades ago, doenjang jjigae specialty restaurants were a common sight on street corners. They offered traditional doenjang jjigae, cheonggukjang and gangdoenjang, also known as ggangjang. The three dishes are all based on f

FoodMarch 5, 2022

[Visual History of Korea] Gongjae Yun Du-seo, avant-garde painter of Joseon

The portrait of Gongjae Yun Du-seo, National Treasure No. 240, is a striking and unforgettable image. One of best known Joseon-era seonbi -- a virtuous scholar -- and a brilliant painter, Yun Du-seo (1668-1715) is credited with changing the practice of portraiture in Korea with his self-portrait, hailed as a masterpiece. During the Joseon era, a nobleman‘s beard was a symbol of his authority. Portraits of Joseon men of stature and significance were commissioned to be hung over their ne

CultureMarch 5, 2022

[Temple to Table] Invigorating seasonal food for spring: Dureup jeon and green tea rice

An encyclopedic classic of Korean medicine titled “Donguibogam (Principles and Practice of Eastern Medicine)” refers to spring as “release of the old.” It also recommends taking care of one’s health according to the natural cycle of seasonal changes as the human body is part of nature’s creation. That’s why eating seasonal food is important. With new buds and sprouts at their peak, it is time to eat green leafy veggies. Having endured the unforgiving co

FoodMarch 5, 2022

Indie Space reopens in Hongdae

Indie Space, operator of Korea’s first independent film screening theater, Thursday announced opening of a new facility at Lotte Cinema’s Hongik Univ. location to resume its business beginning Monday. Indie Space has been providing support for producing and releasing Korean independent films, sponsoring independent film festivals such as the Seoul Independent Film Festival, Seoul Independent Documentary Film Festival, and Indie Forum, as well as assisting DVD productions of indie fi

FilmMarch 5, 2022

Chinese netizens criticize iQiyi for releasing Korean drama “Something in the Rain”

Chinese streaming platform iQiyi is feeling the heat from netizens in China for showing the Korean drama “Something in the Rain,” the first Korean series to have received approval by Beijing in five years. Netizens took to China’s Twitter-like Weibo to complain about iQiyi’s decision to start airing on the show on its platform. “(Korean dramas) can stay banned … Why are you starting this?” one user commented on iQiyi’s Weibo post. The comment

TelevisionMarch 4, 2022

MMCA kicks off open call for collaborative art project for young artists

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea has announced an open call for Project Hashtag 2022, a collaborative art project that aims to discover talented artists and offer an opportunity to exhibit their works. The annual project was initiated in 2019 in partnership with Hyundai Motor to promote interdisciplinary collaboration among artists, writers, researchers and producers from different fields. The project is open to any group of more than two people who are willing to expl

Arts & DesignMarch 4, 2022

[Well-curated] Revisit historic fight for independence at new museum

This Tuesday marked the 103rd anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement against Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule. If you are planning on commemorating the historical event, a newly opened museum dedicated to the Korean Provisional Government is a must-visit site this weekend. The National Memorial of Korean Provisional Government located in Seodaemun-gu, western Seoul, opened Wednesday. It came nearly two years after the groundbreaking ceremony held on the anniversary of the April 11

CultureMarch 4, 2022

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Park Hyatt Busan’s Lounge presents Citrus Bloom Afternoon Tea Park Hyatt Busan’s Lounge cafe located on the 30th floor is newly showcasing its spring tea package. The Citrus Bloom Afternoon Tea set presents combinations of a variety of citrus fruits added to tea or coffee of guests’ choice. The set is paired with traditional homemade scones, jam and clotted cream. The selection includes a sweet gold kiwi tart, an orange sand cake, a yuja mille-feuille and a hallabong cake w

FoodMarch 4, 2022

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Blossom Picnic 　The Blossom Picnic is scheduled to kick off on March 19 and run through April 3 at Eworld in Daegu. 　The venue offers the fastest-blooming cherry blossoms to visitors and presents the largest night view of the pink flower. 　The areas around the 83 Tower, a famous landmark of Daegu, are separated with the unique themes -- healing zone, camping zone and picnic zone -- allowing visitors to enjoy spring in a variety of settings. 　Red double decker buses and a merry-go-round are p

TravelMarch 4, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Batman (US) Opened March 1 Action Directed by Matt Reeves Ahead of the election for mayor of Gotham, sadistic serial killer the Riddler (Paul Dano) begins murdering key political figures. Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson), as Batman, investigates the case with clues at the scene left behind directly for him. As he investigates the mystery of the psycho criminal, he begins to unravel the message being laid out. Serve the People (Korea) Opened Feb. 23 Romance Directed by Jang Cheol-soo

FilmMarch 4, 2022

Spectacular journey to Alessandro Michele’s world of imagery at ‘Gucci Garden Archetypes’

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Italian fashion brand Gucci’s founding last year, the fashion house has recreated its creative vision and legacy through “Gucci Garden Archetypes,” an immersive and multi-sensory space curated by its creative director Alessandro Michele. Starting with its first showcase in Florence, the traveling exhibition has landed in Seoul, its sixth stop. As mentioned in Michele’s description of the exhibition, the immersive multimedia worl

Arts & DesignMarch 3, 2022

[Herald Interview] Ana Ruggiero says ‘Sophie’s World’ brought outside perspective on Korea

Actor Ana Ruggiero said she was a little skeptical when director Lee Jea-han offered her the role of Sophie, the protagonist in his indie film “Sophie’s World.” The Brazilian actor, 27, who first came to Korea as an exchange student, explained during her interview with The Korea Herald that it was because he proposed the role via an Instagram message. “I was like, what is this?” she said. “I do receive a lot of messages on Instagram and half of them are scam

FilmMarch 3, 2022

Hallyu fans exceed 156.6 million: KF report

The number of Hallyu, or Korean Wave, fans around the world has increased 17 fold in the last decade, proving the firm global popularity of Korean content and stars. According to a survey published by the Korea Foundation in cooperation with 152 overseas missions on Thursday, the number of Korean Wave fans recorded 156.6 million as of December last year. A total of 116 countries were surveyed for the latest report, 31 more countries than the 85 in 2012 when the first survey was conducted. The

CultureMarch 3, 2022

[Newsmaker] Leaving their instruments behind, Ukrainian musicians return home to take up arms

Seoul Pops Orchestra director and conductor Ha Sung-ho said that SPO will be performing a fundraising concert this month for Ukraine and the Ukrainian artists of the orchestra, who have left South Korea to join the fight against Russian troops. Seoul Pops Orchestra has four Ukrainian members, three of whom -- contrabassist Ziuzkin Dmytro, 47, violist Lev Keler, 51, and trumpet player Matviyenko Konstyantyn, 52 -- have left South Korea to fight for their country. Explaining that the orchestra&r

PerformanceMarch 3, 2022

Joseon-era lacquered boxes to be permanently housed at Australian museum

Two lacquered boxes with inlaid mother-of-pearl designs from the late Joseon era (1392-1910) will be transferred to the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia as part of its permanent exhibition. They are the fourth and fifth Korean artifacts to leave the country and find their homes in an overseas museum. The two artifacts were held by Yenaleu Gallery in Seoul, and the Australian national gallery expressed a wish to acquire the items in September 2021. A committee under South Korea’

CultureMarch 2, 2022

[From the Scene] Korea’s first Culture Minister Lee O-young laid to rest

The official send-off ceremony for the Korea’s first Culture Minister Lee O-young took place at the National Library of Korea at 10 a.m., Wednesday. The ceremony was held at the library to commemorate Lee, who devoted his life to writing as an author and played a major role in the development of the library during his tenure as culture minister, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Along with the family of the deceased, more than 250 people including former culture

CultureMarch 2, 2022

Daesan Foundation accepting grant applications for translation of Korean literary works

The Daesan Foundation is accepting applications for translation of Korean literary works. Applicants can choose a Daesan Literary Award prize-winning work that has not been translated into the target language, or others that the translator wishes to work on. The foundation funded translations of 13 Korean works last year. This year, up to 15 million won ($12,400) will be given for a single translation work, depending on the language and length of the selected piece. For English, French, Germ

BooksMarch 2, 2022

Koreans extend helping hand for war-ridden Ukraine

Ordinary Koreans are also joining in on donating to help Ukrainians affected by the invasion. But with news of fake charity websites swindling people’s donations, people were advised to take caution when sharing information while making contributions online. A user named zXie on the IT information community Giggle Hardware recently posted a screengrab of his donation to the Ukrainian Red Cross, with instructions on how to do it. “I usually make monthly donations to the Doctors Wit

PeopleMarch 2, 2022