Ancient Egyptian temple to be restored by S. Korea

Beginning next year, South Korea will work on the restoration of the pylon and the access road of the Ramesseum, a mortuary temple of Pharaoh Ramses 2, located across from the modern city of Luxor in Upper Egypt, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration on Sunday. Kim Hyun-mo, head of the Cultural Heritage Administration and Mostafa Waziry, secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, signed a memorandum of understanding for exchanges and cooperation on the two n

CultureJan. 23, 2022

Grief of warfare sublimated with music and dance in ‘After War’

The Asia Culture Center’s international joint creation and production “After War” is to run at the ACC Theater from Jan. 27-30. With an attempt to study and promote the Asian characteristics of performing arts, the ACC international joint creation and production seeks to provide opportunities for performing artists and producers across the world to come together for exchange and research. “After War,” inspired by Bao Ninh’s “The Sorrow of War,”

PerformanceJan. 23, 2022

KBS suspends ‘King of Tears, Lee Bang-won’ over animal abuse outcry

Public broadcaster KBS announced a pause to its historical epic drama series “The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won” for two weeks, amid allegations of animal abuse. The broadcasting schedule for the embroiled drama was replaced with world news program “World Report” and the talk show “Let’s Jeongchi 2,” which were originally scheduled after “The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won” on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. “Due to the ongoing controv

TelevisionJan. 23, 2022

[Herald Interview] ‘Street Dance Girls Fighter’ winner Turns wants to be remembered

South Korean high schoolers’ jaw-dropping dance performances and their high energy surprised many both in and out of the country in Mnet’s latest dance competition, “Street Dance Girls Fighter.” Among the 40 participants, Turns took home the top honor, mesmerizing both judges and viewers with their creative talent and professionalism. While six finalists delivered their final performances earlier this month, Turns seized the stage by earning the highest scores from live

TelevisionJan. 23, 2022

[Eye Plus] Time travel to Japan’s Edo period at Nijimori Studio

Nijimori Studio, a theme park located in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, north of Seoul, features a set of buildings that bring visitors back to Japan’s Edo period (1603-1867).  The theme park had been used as a filming site for several local TV dramas and variety shows, including Netflix‘s original mystery entertainment series “Busted!” as well as SBS suspense drama “The Penthouse: War in Life” and MBC‘s “Those Who Cross the Line.”&nbs

TravelJan. 22, 2022

[Visual History of Korea] Korea is the Dolmen capital of the world

Korea hosts an abundant number of dolmens, which stand as proof that the Korea Peninsula was a happening place during the prehistoric period. The dolmens are megalithic burial monuments and places of worship, estimated to have been erected from the early Neolithic period into the Bronze Age. The dolmens, similar to standing stones in other cultures, is as common as, and as Korean as kimchi in Korea. More dolmens are located in Korea than anywhere else. Some Korean dolmens have a st

Arts & DesignJan. 22, 2022

[Herald Interview] Seol Kyung-gu returns with timely movie about presidential election

Presidential election season is in full swing as the two main opposing parties level an endless stream of allegations at each other to win over more votes. This is a rough description of what happens in hit maker Byun Sung-hyun’s new political film “Kingmaker,” as well as what is happening in the Korean political scene right now. The film’s main lead Seol Kyung-gu, who played opposition party politician Kim Woon-beom, said that the movie’s release date was not in

FilmJan. 22, 2022

[Temple to Table] Food of compassion, seoritae biji-jjigae

The secular world uses meat flavored stocks to add savory taste to food, but at temples, vegetable stock is an indispensable ingredient. To make vegetable stock, most temples boil white radish, shiitake mushrooms and kelp, but Jinkwansa does not use kelp. Ven. Gyeho prefers not to add the fishy smell of kelp to the plain taste of veggie stock. Instead she prefers adding dried chilies to give dishes a mild heat. Ginger is also a common ingredient in Jinkwansa’s winter temple food. In addit

FoodJan. 22, 2022

[Weekender] Finding peace in winter wonderland

Unlike last winter, South Korea’s high vaccination rate has given people courage to step outside and participate in outdoor activities. Skiing and snowboarding remain popular choices, but this winter, people are seeking out less extreme activities such as hiking and fishing in search of serenity. “Just standing on the top of Mount Halla on Jeju Island was a breath of fresh air for me,” said Lee In-ho, a 36-year-old office worker in Seoul. Lee had been delaying the planned h

TravelJan. 22, 2022

Port city Tongyeong to commence inaugural triennale in March

Tongyeong, a port city located in the southern coast of South Korea, will kick off its inaugural triennale -- an Italian word meaning “once every three years” -- in March, as an art festival that encompasses visual, media and craft art. The overarching theme will be “The Sea, The Seeds.” The port city in South Gyeongsang has been widely known as a home to many Korea’s established artists such as composer Yun I-sang, novelist Park Kyong-ni, poet Kim Choon-su and pa

Arts & DesignJan. 22, 2022

Thousands of aggrieved monks stage protest against government’s perceived religious bias

  Thousands of Buddhist monks from across the nation gathered in Seoul on Friday to protest against the “religious bias” that they claim is prevalent within the Moon Jae-in’s government. An estimated 5000 monks demanded an apology from President Moon Jae-in for ”religious bias and discrimination” during the protest which took place at Jogyesa, the chief temple of South Korea‘s largest Buddhist sect, the Jogye Order. They also called for the introduction

CultureJan. 21, 2022

Premium sneaker exhibition ‘Neck Breakers’ held at Hoard Gallery

An exhibition that features trends of premium and unique sneakers titled “Neck Breakers” is being held at Hoard Gallery in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. The exhibition will run through Sunday. It displays various valuable sneakers including Michael Jordan’s Nike shoes, Kanye West’s Adidas shoes and also sneakers that were considered futuristic in the films of the ‘80s. The exhibition also features some behind stories related to sneaker companies and celebrities’ p

CultureJan. 21, 2022

KBS ‘The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won’ continues to take beating for abusing horse to death

Criticisms over territorial broadcaster KBS1 abusing a horse to film a scene for the 7th episode of the period drama “The King of Tears, Lee Bang-won” is continuing even after the apology statement was released on Thursday. The scene, which was aired on Jan. 1, featured Yi Seong-gye, the founder of the Joseon Kingdom accidentally falling from the horse. “We feel deeply responsible and apologize for the accident that occurred during filming,” the broadcaster said. &ldquo

TelevisionJan. 21, 2022

Political drama, pirate film set to compete at holiday box office

Two homegrown movies will hit local theaters next week to lure film buffs and holiday shoppers ahead of the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday. "Kingmaker" and "The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure" will open Wednesday, three days before the five-day Lunar New Year holiday begins. The first day of the new year based on the lunar calendar falls on Feb. 1 this year. The political film "Kingmaker" depicts the subtle relationship between Kim Woon-beom (Seol Kyung-gu), an

FilmJan. 21, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Special Delivery (Korea) Opened Jan. 12 Action Directed by Park Dae-min Special delivery driver Eun-ha (Park So-dam) mainly works for a criminal group. She delivers anything that cannot be delivered legally. One day, Eun-ha receives a mission to deliver Seo-won (Jung Hyeon-jun), a young boy that a criminal group is chasing after. When she decides to save him, she becomes a target of not only the crime group, but also associated corrupt police officers. Sing 2 (US) Opened Jan. 5 Animation Direc

FilmJan. 21, 2022

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Paju Ice Fishing The annual Paju Trout Festival kicked off Jan. 8 and runs through Feb. 13 at Gangtan Leisure Town in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, though the event has reduced its size to focus only on the ice fishing event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While various programs, including trout catching with bare hands, smelt fishing for children and more, are canceled, visitors can catch a maximum of three salmon and trout through ice fishing. The ice sledge park is also available for visitors to

TravelJan. 21, 2022

[Well-curated] Climbing enters cinemas as movies go outside

   Watching movies at theaters without masks now seems a distant memory due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which still shows no sign of ending. For this reason, you might be more interested in going climbing in your local movie theater than watching a film in it, which is precisely why CJ CGV has turned one of its movie theaters into a climbing venue for health-conscious moviegoers. If you‘re still itching to watch a movie on the big screen, we'd recommend seeking out a drive-

CultureJan. 21, 2022

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul launches ‘Yut-Nori With Black Tiger’ promotion JW Marriott Hotel Seoul marks the beginning of the Lunar New Year with a package promotion curated for families celebrating the new year together. The stay package features yut sticks, a yut board and yut tokens handcrafted by the hotel’s pastry team for a joyful family game experience. Two glasses of Black Tiger Guinness will be provided by master mixologists at the seventh-floor MOBO Bar. The packag

FoodJan. 21, 2022

Shopping fest for foreigners opens online

The charms of Korean culture and entertainment are being showcased online at the 2022 Korea Grand Sale, until Feb. 28. The festival kicked off Jan. 13, with an online K-pop concert livestreamed on YouTube, featuring boyband Tomorrow X Together, a dance crew from Street Woman Fighter, Lachica and girl group Everglow. This year‘s annual shopping festival focuses on K-beauty as the main theme, bringing together popular Korean beauty products. Some 40 active beauty brands are offering spec

CultureJan. 20, 2022

[Herald Interview] New Park Hyatt Seoul manager singles out Gen MZ as key players shaping the hotel industry

Park Hyatt Seoul General Manager Andrew Ashdown has fond memories of running room to room as a child in a hotel his parent operated. He has always associated being in a hotel with positive emotions and, as the new general manager of Park Hyatt Seoul, his goal is to provide guests with similarly lasting experiences by delivering meaning services.  Ashdown, who took the post in November after three years as General Manager of Park Hyatt Busan, has said that he will begin this process by seek

TravelJan. 20, 2022