[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Walkerhill Hotel and Resorts offers eco-friendly gourmet menu for golfers Walkerhill Hotel and Resorts is offering an autumn dining menu for golfers at Sehyeon Country Club, which is also operated by the company. The fall gourmet menu is specially created for the season by Walkerhill as it aims to spread its image as an eco-friendly hotel, with sustainable ingredient options and cooking processes. Korean-style steamed rice in fresh lotus leaf wrap, yeonnip-bap, is offered with a variety of sid

FoodOct. 1, 2021

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Bupyeong Pungmul Festival The Bupyeong Pungmul Festival is scheduled to take place in Bupyeong, Incheon, Oct. 13 to 17. This year’s festival will be held both online and offline. The in-person activities will be at Camp Market and the Bupyeong Art Center, and the event will also be broadcast via the festival’s official YouTube channel. The festival, established in 1997, seeks to promote traditional culture, recall Bupyeong’s farming traditions and share with visitors the rhy

TravelOct. 1, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

On the Line (Korea) Opened Sept. 15 Action Co-directed by Kim Sun and Kim Gok Seo-jun (Byun Yo-han) and his colleagues at a construction site in Busan lose around 3 billion won ($2.5 million) to a massive voice-phishing ring. He decides to look for the mastermind behind it and tracks the crimes to a call center in China. At the center, Seo-jun finds out the crime ring is preparing for its next big project. Miracle: Letters to the President (Korea) Opened Sept. 15 Drama Directed by Lee Jang-h

FilmOct. 1, 2021

Hanbok-clad Chinese game characters spark controversy

A Chinese game featuring a female character dressed in traditional Korean costume hanbok has sparked controversy over plagiarism and intellectual property theft in South Korea.  According to industry sources Thursday, Blooming Moonlight, a game serviced in Korea by Chinese game developer Zishi Technology, showcases a character wearing a hanbok outfit with the exact same design as that of Baekoaksoo, a renowned Seoul-based hanbok company, which previously designed the outfits featured in th

CultureSept. 30, 2021

[Well-curated] Walk around Seoul City Wall for a weekend break

For Seoulites, this weekend is a great chance to hike a somewhat challenging historical path in the northern part of Seoul. The 9th Hanyang Doseong Culture Festival under the theme “Sungseong: Embracing the Wishes” will be held both on and offline, including on-site participation for visitors. The festival begins Oct. 1 and continues for 10 days. Hanyang Doseong, also known as the Seoul City Wall, follows the ridges of Bugaksan (Baekaksan), Naksan (Naktasan), Namsan (Mongmyeoks

CultureSept. 30, 2021

Controversy brews over nominee for Sejong Center head

The local culture scene has continued to protest the nomination of Ahn Ho-sang as the new head of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Some artists and art groups held a protest Thursday in front of the art center in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, calling for Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon to withdraw the nomination of Ahn as the new CEO of the city-funded art center, citing the blacklist scandal.　 “Ahn is deeply involved in the blacklist scandal. The investigation shows that he is an assail

CultureSept. 30, 2021

[Herald Interview] Lee Jung-jae says ‘Squid Game’ surprised him like it shocked the world

Top actor Lee Jung-jae is surprised with the global fervor for “Squid Game,” while enjoying the success of his Netflix debut. Mesmerizing viewers is not an unusual experience for the veteran actor, but Lee was shocked when he first saw himself as Ki-hoon. “Watching myself playing the role of Ki-hoon gave me goosebumps. I laughed a lot when I monitored the work after its release. Acting Ki-hoon was definitely a refreshing experience, making moves and facial expressions th

TelevisionSept. 30, 2021

18th Odaesan Mountain Culture Festival to sing for hope through musical

Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism on Tuesday announced that it will hold the 18th Odaesan Mountain Culture Festival, an annual celebration to provide visitors a chance to experience Korean Buddhist culture, from Oct. 8 to 10. The festival will mainly take place in Woljeongsa, a temple on Odaesan in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province. “After becoming head Buddhist monks of Woljeongsa, I have been trying to combine various cultures of Odaesan that developed over 1,400 years with modern culture t

CultureSept. 30, 2021

Arko Art Center brings together artists who envision future world

The Arko Art Center, a museum in central Seoul, kicked off “Nothing Makes Itself” to explore interaction and interconnection with nonhuman entities and pose the question of how humans can mingle with technology and nature. The installation work “Impulse” hangs from the ceiling as if it were a chandelier. It ceaselessly transmits clear liquid and bubbles into the transparent cylinders to its 27 branches. Some may see it as an upside down tree whose pure sap flows to its

Arts & DesignSept. 30, 2021

[Herald Design Forum 2021] Mitch Paone expands design realm driven by love for music

DIA Studio, a creative agency based in New York and Geneva, has evolved over the past decade as a company that helps create brand identities, cooperating with globally influential entities such as Squarespace, Spotify, Adidas, Facebook, Nike, Balenciaga and more. “Our studio created the term ‘kinetic identity’ around 2016. We made a major discovery when creating works for A-Trak and Nike that completely shifted our entire creative process which were inspired by a lot of my in

Arts & DesignSept. 30, 2021

[Herald Interview] News about ‘Squid Game’ continues to surprise its creator

Hwang Dong-hyuk, the writer and director who recently made his Netflix debut with “Squid Game,” expected the bloody survival battles to make the series a hit -- but not at the international level. “I thought the series was either a hit or a complete failure. But I believed in the potential of my work and hoped the viewers would enjoy the episodes by feeling nostalgia. This was the reason why I decided to work with Netflix and put myself in a small extra challenge to knock on

TelevisionSept. 29, 2021

2021 Korea Art Week to open Oct. 7

Korea Art Week 2021, organized by the Culture Ministry’s Korea Arts Management Service, will take place Oct. 7-17 and feature local art exhibitions and events. A total of 17 art tours prepared by different institutions will be available this year, allowing groups of up to 10 people to enjoy guided tours of art galleries as well as public and private art museums with curators. Some 21 art institutions selected through an open competition will present “Beyond Exhibition,” a

Arts & DesignSept. 29, 2021

From childhood games to iconic track suits, Netflix ‘Squid Game’ syndrome grips the world

The worldwide excitement over Netflix’s “Squid Game” is not likely to cease any time soon as even the small details of the nine-part series are fanatically enjoyed by the global audience. The mystery sci-fi thriller has reached the top spot in countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, including Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand, according to the US-based streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol. The popularity of “Squid Game&rdq

TelevisionSept. 28, 2021

Netflix's co-CEO says 'Squid Game' may become its most popular show ever

"Squid Game," Netflix's new Korean survival drama, may become the global streaming entertainment giant's most successful original content ever, its chief has said. "Squid Game will definitely be our biggest non-English language show in the world, for sure," Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, said Monday (US time) during Code 2021, an annual technology conference hosted in Beverly Hills, California, by American media company Vox Media. "It's only been out for nine days,

TelevisionSept. 28, 2021

BIFF ticket sales open

The 26th Busan International Film Festival announced that it was selling tickets online for its opening and closing films, as well as its opening and closing ceremonies, from Tuesday at 2 p.m. through Oct. 15.　 This year’s opener is South Korean buddy drama “Heaven: To the Land of Happiness,” directed by Im Sang-soo. The closing film is “Anita,” directed by Leung Longman, a biopic about Hong Kong star Anita Mui. Tickets for the festival’s other films can be

FilmSept. 28, 2021

[Herald Design Forum 2021] Ray Winkler takes on challenges of pandemic, inspires as entertainment architect

When the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe last year, the entertainment industry was hit badly with performances and concert tours canceled or postponed one after another. Ray Winkler, CEO and design director of STUFISH Entertainment Architects, took the crisis as an opportunity to rethink where his team and company stood and how they could overcome the challenge. “Change is constant. If you can’t adapt to the change, you are done. Stufish is still here because we have been able

Arts & DesignSept. 28, 2021

SBS “Master in the House” shows different sides of presidential hopefuls

The race for the South Korean presidency is heating up in both the political and entertainment scene. As the upcoming presidential election is about half a year away, the presidential hopefuls are seeking to appeal with their personal sides to woo voters. Gyeonggi Province Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the current ruling party front-runner, appeared in the latest episode of SBS’ Sunday reality show “Master in the House.” “I realized there are many misunderstandings about me. I t

TelevisionSept. 27, 2021

Controversy surrounds apartments near UNESCO-listed royal tomb in Gimpo

The Joseon-era royal tomb Jangneung in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, had many visitors on Sunday as families traveled there to enjoy the lush forest trail. The tomb houses the parents of King Injo, the 16th ruler of Joseon, and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009 along with several other Joseon royal tombs around the country. While children and parents posed for photos in front of Jangneung, which like most royal tombs stands at the foot of a mountain ridge -- its location was dec

CultureSept. 27, 2021

Schiff to hold solo, four hands piano recitals in Korea

With the local performing art scene preparing for the new normal amid the COVID-19 pandemic, pianist Andras Schiff is to go onstage in Korea with a series of performances, from solo concerts to a four hands piano recital. Classical pianist Schiff who has received numerous awards, including Grammy and Grammophon awards, the Bartok Prize and the Royal Academy of Music Bach Prize, is to hold multiple performances in Korea in October.　 Schiff will hold a solo recital at the Seoul Arts Center in s

PerformanceSept. 27, 2021

KSO International Conducting Competition to take place in November

The final rounds of the first KSO International Conducting Competition will take place in November with the 12 finalists confirmed on Monday. The competition, launched this year by the Korean Symphony Orchestra and the Seoul Arts Center, to find and support young conductors across the world, has rounded up the 12 finalists. The final rounds are slated to be held from Nov. 10 to 14 at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul. Some 166 contenders from 42 countries applied for the competition, a

PerformanceSept. 27, 2021