[Eye Plus] Strolling along the walkway of Namyangju Water Garden

The monsoon season is just around the corner, but the cool summer breeze awaits at the waterfront of Namyangju Water Garden.  Located near Ungilsan Station in front of Bukhan River, the nature-friendly garden can be seen at the southern part of Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. Daisy fleabanes that bloom from June, also known as “fried egg flowers” due to their shape and color, wave at passersby, announcing the arrival of summer.  Namyangju Water Garden was created as an ec

TravelJuly 10, 2021

Rediscovering Joseon’s Neo-Confucian academies

“Seowon,” or Korean Neo-Confucian academies, were established in the mid- to late Joseon period as private institutions for the aristocratic upper class. Each seowon had a unique educational system and philosophy. Eventually the seowon established traditions that wielded much influence in the regions where they were located. Of the 600 or so seowon that exist today, either restored or in their original state, nine were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2019. All nine

TravelJuly 10, 2021

[Photo News] Marine animals brace for hot summer season

Lotte World Aquarium offers its marine animals special treats before Chobok, which falls on July 11 this year and marks the beginning of the hottest portion of summer, according to the lunar calendar. Asian small-clawed otters enjoy pieces of frozen fruits full of vitamins.  Hawksbill Sea Turtles gather around to eat frozen cabbage and squid provided as special treats before Chobok. (Photos: Yonhap)

CultureJuly 10, 2021

[Herald Review] It’s show time for ‘Beetlejuice’

After some hiccups, the curtain has finally been raised on the Seoul-run of the licensed musical “Beetlejuice.” The Korean-language musical opened Tuesday at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul. The 150-minute musical was initially set to open June 18, but was twice delayed due to “technical issues.” Even on the opening day, the show started 15 minutes later than scheduled due to a ticketing system malfunction. On stage, however,

PerformanceJuly 10, 2021

Aesthetics of Korean art, from ancient to contemporary times, explored in a single exhibition

Art lovers may wonder how Korea’s ancient culture influenced its modern and contemporary artists. The exhibition “Dynamic & Alive Korean Art” is an effort to answer that question by delving into Korean aesthetics. The exhibition from the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, brings together 35 cultural assets and some 130 artworks from the modern and contemporary era. Presenting modern works along with Korean cultural artifacts from the National Museum

Arts & DesignJuly 10, 2021

[Weekender] Explore the heart of Seoul by bike

Biking in Seoul, you can come across historic traces of the city which you may otherwise miss when taking bus, subway or car to get around. Here is a bike-ride course that takes you around the heart of Seoul -- from Deoksugung Palace’s stonewall road to Insa-dong. If you don’t have a bike – don’t worry – the city has a bike rental service named Seoul Bike or Ddareungi, through which you can rent bikes at Ddareungi stations across the Seoul. You can start your bik

CultureJuly 10, 2021

Ten TikTok-style short movies to be screened at 25th BIFAN

Global mobile video platform TikTok on Thursday announced that 10 TikTok-style short films will be screened at the 25th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, which kicked off Thursday and runs through July 18. The short movies will be screened during BIFAN’s “Vertical Short Film Special Screening: 25” program on Sunday, following their release on the global video platform on Friday. TikTok added that the films are edited to be three minutes long and in a vertical f

FilmJuly 10, 2021

How to use Ddareungi, Seoul’s rental bike

Ddareungi is Seoul city’s public rental bike service, which you can use across the city. You can download the Seoul Bike app on your phone then register or log in with Naver, Facebook or a Kakao account. The app is available in both Korean and English. You can select “Buy Pass” and select the plan that fits you -- one-time, weekly, monthly and annual pass. There are one or two-hour rentals for each time you check out a bike. A one-time pass for one hour costs 1,000 won ($0.88)

TravelJuly 10, 2021

BIFAN to proceed offline amid toughened virus curbs

The 25th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival announced Friday it will continue offline screening after concerns of a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections prompted organizers to consider canceling the event earlier. The announcement came after the government decided to raise virus curbs to the toughest level in Seoul and its neighboring Gyeonggi Province and Incheon from Monday for two weeks. The online-offline hybrid festival kicked off Thursday and will run through July 18 in Buche

FilmJuly 9, 2021

Seoul-based a’strict to debut in New York with nature-themed immersive artwork

  Seoul-based media artist unit a’strict will debut in New York, showcasing nature-themed immersive media art in Times Square, starting July 16. The media artist unit has expanded digital technology to the art sphere since it was formed last year. The group will present two works “Whale #2” and “Waterfall-NYC,” which will explore the theme of summer and provide chances to enjoy natural scenery even as the pandemic has restricted people from traveling in the su

Arts & DesignJuly 9, 2021

'The Medium' director says film is ‘new type of horror’

The highly anticipated upcoming film “The Medium,” is a new type of horror movie, says director Banjong Pisanthanakun. “It is a new type. The new type of horror film is different because it makes people feel fear gradually,” the Thai filmmaker told reporters during an interview via Zoom on Thursday. Banjong explained that this was possible due to the original script which was written by Korean director Na Hong-jin. “As a director making horror films, I think it

FilmJuly 9, 2021

Seoul city hosts fashion show to address climate change

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Green Seoul Citizens Committee jointly hosted a fashion show behind closed doors Friday to underscore the importance of climate variability at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul. This year’s fashion show was held without an audience under the slogan “Dealing with climate change with citizens.” Related videos will be available on YouTube. “I would like to thank the citizens and companies for participating in making clean

Arts & DesignJuly 9, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Black Widow (US) Opened July 7 Action Directed by Cate Shortland Following the events of “Captain America: Civil War” (2016), Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) realizes that there is a huge conspiracy having to do with her past. To fight villain Taskmaster, who can duplicate an opponent’s abilities, Natasha must confront her history as a spy. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (US) Opened June 23 Action, Comedy Directed by Patrick Hughes After becoming a bodyguar

FilmJuly 9, 2021

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Mayfield Hotel offers summer packages Mayfield Hotel in Seoul presents the Summer Garden Picnic Package and Golf & BBQ Package for the summer season. The packages include a stay at the hotel and breakfast for two. The Summer Garden Picnic Package is for families with kids, and offers gardening activities at the hotel’s garden of more than 100 plants accompanied by a special instructor. The package is priced at 260,000 won. The Golf & BBQ package includes golf at the hotel and

FoodJuly 9, 2021

[Travel bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Gimje Horizon Festival The Gimje Horizon Festival takes place in front of the Byeokgoljae Reservoir in Gimje, North Jeolla Province. Themed “sky and land meeting at the horizon,” the festival aims to showcase the uniqueness of South Korea’s farming culture. A variety of programs are available for festivalgoers, including dragon games, rice harvesting, a Black Eagle air show and a parade. This year’s festival will be held online from Sept. 29 to Oct. 3. More information

TravelJuly 9, 2021

Releases of video content increase in H1 amid protracted pandemic

The number of video content evaluated by the local media rating authority increased more than 80 percent in the first half of this year from a year ago amid the protracted novel coronavirus pandemic, data showed Thursday. The Korea Media Rating Board (KMRB) reviewed 6,784 shows for online streaming platforms and video-on-demand services in the first six months of 2021, up 81.3 percent from the same period last year, according to the data by the KMRB. A total of 1,674 films were evaluated by th

TelevisionJuly 8, 2021

'Black Widow' tops S. Korean box office on its 1st day

Marvel Studios' latest superhero movie "Black Widow" made a bullish start in South Korea, topping the local box office on the day of its release, data showed Thursday. The film attracted 195,000 moviegoers on Wednesday, far outnumbering runner-up "Hard Hit" with 20,000 and No. 3 "Cruella" with 15,000, according to the data from the Korean Film Council. Considering the fact that "Black Widow" hit local screens at 5 p.m., its opening score lived up to mark

FilmJuly 8, 2021

Giving Korean work a place in global literature

The new head of the country’s literary translation institute is not one for big catchphrases. “I do not want to use the slogan, ‘the globalization of Korean literature,’” said Kwak Hyo-hwan, the Literature Translation Institute of Korea’s new president, in an interview with The Korea Herald on Tuesday. Rather, he would like to introduce Korean literature as part of global literature. “For this to happen, I feel the need to break existing stereotype o

CultureJuly 7, 2021

More Korean film productions join multinational projects

More and more South Korean film producers and investors have been participating in multinational film projects in recent years, backed by the country's reputation as a rising powerhouse in the global cinema scene. The upcoming horror film "The Medium" is a collaboration of South Korea and Thailand, drawing attention for the teamwork of horror masters of the two countries -- Na Hong-jin of "The Wailing" (2016) and Banjong Pisanthanakun of "Shutter" (2004). Na, who

FilmJuly 7, 2021

Peonies in all their fragrant glory explored at National Palace Museum show

A light breeze fills the hall with the scent of peonies. In the background, rain falls and birds chirp. The first part of the National Palace Museum of Korea’s special exhibition “Peonies: Flowers of Peace and Prosperity” brings visitors immediately to this peaceful garden.  “The audience will feel like they are at a resting space inside the palace instead of an exhibition hall. They will enjoy the gentle scent while walking in nature. The exhibition will be ref

Arts & DesignJuly 7, 2021