'F9' tops box office for H1, but only two Korean movies in top 10

Only two homegrown movies made the top 10 in the local box office over the first six months of this year, while the Hollywood actioner "F9" became the biggest hit in South Korea, data showed Saturday. "F9," the latest chapter in the "Fast and Furious" series, was the most-watched film in the first half of 2021, drawing over 2.28 moviegoers at the end of June, according to the box office data compiled by the Korean Film Council. The Japanese animation "Demon

FilmJuly 3, 2021

[Herald Review] Puccini’s Wild West opera makes debut in Korea

After a yearlong postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Korea National Opera went onstage Thursday for the Korean premiere of Puccini’s 1910 opera “La Fanciulla del West.” After the Italian production team completed a two-week, mandatory self-quarantine, the national opera troupe took to the stage Thursday at the Seoul Arts Center. Every other seat at the theater was left empty due to coronavirus restrictions. “La Fanciulla del West” was written by Itali

PerformanceJuly 2, 2021

Yun Ko-eun first Asian to win prestigious Dagger award for crime novel

Novelist Yun Ko-eun become the first Asian to win a prestigious CWA Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger on Thursday. The Dagger awards, conferred by the Crime Writers’ Association in the United Kingdom, recognize excellence in the art of crime writing. This year’s winners were announced during an online event hosted by the winners from last year. Yun was the first Asian winner since the association established a separate award in 2006 to recognize both the translator of a work an

BooksJuly 2, 2021

‘Midnight’ invited to two North American film festivals

Streaming platform Tving’s original action thriller “Midnight” has been invited to screen at the 25th Fantasia International Film Festival and the 20th New York Asian Film Festival. The horror flick centers around a woman with a hearing impairment who becomes a serial killer’s target after witnessing a murder at midnight. Since its release on Wednesday, the movie has topped the domestic box office and is set to premiere in France, Japan, Vietnam and elsewhere. It is d

FilmJuly 2, 2021

Chuncheon Mime Festival to begin summer run

The summer edition of the 2021 Chuncheon International Mime Festival will open Monday, under the title “Summer:Movement.” The summer festival held in the city of Chuncheon, Gangwon Province will kick off with its Mime Fringe program from Monday to Wednesday. The program was launched in 2018 to support young mime artists. This year it has been expanded to also include artists who have been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Of the 13 acts, the organizers will award one act with prize

PerformanceJuly 2, 2021

S. Korean performing arts scene posts 19% rise in H1 revenue

The South Korean performing arts scene posted a 19 percent on-year rise in its revenue for the first half, showing clear signs of a recovery from the yearlong pandemic, data showed Friday. The combined revenue of theatrical plays, musicals, classical concerts and other performances reached 116.9 billion won ($103.1 million) in the first six months of this year, according to the data by the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System (KOPIS). It marked a 19 percent increase from 98 bill

PerformanceJuly 2, 2021

Oscar-winning Youn Yuh-jung invited to Academy membership

Two South Korean actresses, including Oscar-winning Youn Yuh-jung, have been invited to the membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) that organizes the prestigious Academy Awards. In the 2021 list of new members in the filmmaking industry released Thursday (US time), AMPAS unveiled the names of 395 artists and experts in the filmmaking industry from 50 countries. Among 32 selected actors were Korean actresses Youn and Han Yeri, both stars of the immigrant film &quo

FilmJuly 2, 2021

Screening for Korea’s artistic director for Venice Biennale to start over

The screening for the artistic director of the Korean Pavilion in the upcoming 59th Venice Biennale will start over, after a complaint emerged over an unfair screening process. A complaint alleged a conflict of interest between an applicant and selection committee member, according to the Arts Council Korea, the commissioner of the Korean Pavilion for the International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale slated for April 2022. “There was a complaint submitted that one of the&nb

Arts & DesignJuly 2, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (US) Opened June 23 Action, Comedy Directed by Patrick Hughes After becoming a bodyguard of hitman Darius (Samuel L. Jackson), Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) keeps having nightmares. Michael finally decides to quit his job, but on the day Darius’ wife Sonia Kincaid (Salma Hayek) comes to him for help. She says that her husband Darius has been kidnapped by mobsters.　 Hard Hit (Korea) Opened June 23 Action Directed by Kim Chang-Ju Sung-kyu (Jo Woo-

FilmJuly 2, 2021

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul Presents Special Teppanyaki Course Tamayura, the upscale Japanese restaurant at JW Marriot Hotel Seoul, offers authentic teppanyaki course menu featuring diverse seasonal ingredients and summer truffles. The summer teppanyaki course menu will be served throughout July and August and is priced at 180,000 won per person for the seven-course lunch menu and 280,000 won for eight-course dinner menu. Three wine pairings, curated by the hotel’s sommelier, are available

FoodJuly 2, 2021

[Travel bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Geumsan Insam Festival Geumsan Insam Festival is held annually since 1981 in Geumsan-gun, South Chungcheong Province, and is the largest ginseng-producing region in South Korea. Growing both in content and in size, the festival was selected as a cultural tourism festival by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Sports in 1996, and became established as a national festival. This year’s festival will run from Oct. 1-10. Visitors can try their hand at digging up ginseng, and tour around int

TravelJuly 2, 2021

Culture Ministry to announce plans for Lee Kun-hee collection Wednesday

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is to share plans about the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee’s art collection, and is expected to mention the possibility of opening a new museum. The ministry announced Thursday that details on some 23,000 artworks donated by Lee’s family, will be shared next week at a briefing at the government complex in central Seoul. On April 28, President Moon Jae-in called for coming up with ways to manage the art collection, including the possi

Arts & DesignJuly 1, 2021

Cafe at Gyeongbokgung under fire for inappropriate comment on social media

Saenggwabang cafe, located inside the grounds of the main palace Gyeongbokgung, has become embroiled in controversy for an inappropriate comment against complaints directed to the cafe on its official social media account. On Tuesday, a comment on a post updated by the cafe’s social media account said, “I hope the cafe will be more cautious about sanitation and hygiene. The folding dining table was sticky, and there was something on the tea kettle. It was a mess.” “I

CultureJuly 1, 2021

Pastor hopes to give courage to people going through hardship

“Grace That Cannot Be Repaid” By John Philip Song Nachimban Pastor John Philip Song has written a memoir titled “Grace That Cannot Be Repaid.” “It was the year when I turned 77. My friends all know about the hardships that I went through. Since I survived through them, they said it would be a good idea for me to write a book about it,” Song said during an interview with The Korea Herald. “They convinced me that it can give courage to people in a tou

BooksJuly 1, 2021

Orchestra to present fantasy period musical

The Gyeonggi Sinawi Orchestra is to present its new original musical, “Geumak,” Aug. 18 to 29 at the Gyeonggi Arts Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. The fantasy period musical is set in the Joseon era (1392-1910). A mysterious event surrounding a forbidden music score from the Silla Kingdom (57 BC-AD 935) unfolds at Jangagwon, the institution in charge of court music and dance. The orchestra’s Artistic Director Won Il directs the production. Won was the music director fo

PerformanceJune 30, 2021

‘We welcome global visiting scholars of Korean studies’

Starting in July, the National Library of Korea will support scholars around the globe carrying out research in the field of Korean studies. As part of its visiting scholar program, private research space has been set aside in the library and Korean studies researchers from abroad will enjoy convenient access to its archives. The program’s aim is to support Korean studies researchers not affiliated with any institution here, so that they can focus on their research activities with the na

CultureJune 30, 2021

Amorepacific Museum of Art shows more of contemporary art collection

The Amorepacific Museum of Art is circling back with a third edition of its collection, returning to contemporary art after a major exhibition of its Asian art from before the modern period. The exhibition “APMA, Chapter Three” is the third exhibition presented by the museum since it has showcased the cosmetics giant Amorepacific Group’s art collection since 2019. Featuring contemporary art, the show presents around 50 artworks by renowned artists from Korea and abroad. In

Arts & DesignJune 30, 2021

US documentary film on NK, ‘Assassins’ accepted as art film after reevaluation

The 104-minute documentary film on the 2017 murder case of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half brother Kim Jong-nam has been approved as an art film after reevaluation by the South Korean film authority. The local importers and distributers of the film -- The Coup, Watcha and Kth -- announced Tuesday that the Korean Film Council has officially confirmed the film now qualifies art movie status. “Assassins” had initially been informed of its denial as an art film by KOFIC on

FilmJune 30, 2021

Horror films set to chill S. Korean audiences in summer

A slew of homegrown horror and thriller films are ready to make audiences feel a shiver cascading down their spines and forget the oppressive summer heat outside in the coming months. The action thriller "Midnight," scheduled to be released simultaneously in theaters and via streaming platform Tving on Wednesday, will open the prime months of July and August for scary movies. The film, a directorial debut of Kwon Oh-seung, follows a deaf girl who is stalked by a serial killer after w

FilmJune 30, 2021

‘Paik Jong-won Class’ serves up Korean dishes with a twist

Star chef Paik Jong-won is casting his net yet wider, with a show aimed at introducing Korean cooking to an international audience. “Paik Jong-won Class,” also starring Korean singer Sung Si-kyung, invites “trainees” from across the world to learn Korean recipes. Most of the participants have no culinary background, but the team behind the show hopes they will put their own spin on the dishes, giving Korean viewers new ideas to try out in the kitchen as well as an intr

TelevisionJune 29, 2021