[Travel bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Gangwon Romantic Night Train Stargaze A summer stargazing tour to Gangwon Province package from Korail has kicked off, and promises a safe and convenient trip for passengers. The daily tour from KTX begins every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with a minimum of eight people required to register for departure. Prices vary from 66,000 won to 99,000 won per person until Aug. 31. Travel insurance, meals, and other personal allowances are not covered in the package. For information visit www.korailtr

TravelJune 25, 2021

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Unforgettable Wedding at Fairmont Ambassador Seoul Fairmont Ambassador Seoul presents the wedding promotion “Unforgettable Wedding: Art Gallery” which will be customized upon request by the bride and groom. The promotion offers a customized wedding ceremony based on a choice of three themes: Magenta, Amethyst, and Illuminating. The wedding menus come in three types that cost from 150,000 won to 200,000 won. Fairmont Ambassador Seoul’s Grand Ballroom accommodates up to 280 gu

FoodJune 25, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Hard Hit (Korea) Opened June 23 Action Directed by Kim Chang-Ju Sung-kyu (Jo Woo-jin) works as a manager at a bank in Busan. One morning, he receives an anonymous phone call while driving his two kids to school. The stranger on the phone asks Sung-kyu for money and also threatens him by saying there is a bomb installed under his car seat and it will explode if he does not follow the instruction. Luca (US) Opened June 17 Animation Directed by Enrico Casarosa  Teenage sea monster Luca liv

FilmJune 25, 2021

Visualizing the beauty of scattered melodies

The National Dance Company of Korea’s “Sanjo” is to begin run at the National Theater of Korea on Thursday. In the 80-minute dance show, the national dance company visually depicts the aesthetics of “sanjo,” which refers to a style of traditional Korean music in which an instrumental solo performance is accompanied by “janggu” drumming. 　 While the term sanjo directly translates to “scattered melodies,” it features the gathering and scatte

PerformanceJune 24, 2021

Korean-language Broadway musical ‘Beetlejuice’ to be delayed again

The premiere of the licensed Korean-language musical “Beetlejuice” will be delayed once again as technical glitches continue, according to CJ ENM, the co-producer of the show. The show is now set to start July 6, and performances scheduled before then will be canceled, with compensation to be provided, the co-producer announced on Thursday. The Korean version of the Broadway musical “Beetlejuice,” a production based on Tim Burton’s iconic film, was postponed l

PerformanceJune 24, 2021

S. Korea to inject W50b into animation industry

South Korea plans to invest 50 billion won ($44 million) in a fund specializing in animation investment as part of efforts to boost the industry, the culture ministry said Thursday. The investment is part of a five-year plan aimed at increasing the local animation industry's revenue to 1 trillion won by 2025 from 640.5 billion won in 2019, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The ministry also aims to increase exports from $190 million to $360 million and expand the number

FilmJune 24, 2021

S. Korea submits application to host 2030 World Expo to BIE

South Korea on Wednesday handed in its official application to host its first World Expo in the southeastern port city of Busan in 2030, which will cover a wide array of themes ranging from climate change to technology. Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee visited Paris to submit the candidature letter to the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which oversees the event, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The BIE plans to receive applications through October, with the fina

CultureJune 23, 2021

THANKING VETERANS

The Sae Eden Presbyterian Church in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, organized a special event via Zoom on Wednesday to honor Korean War veterans from South Korea and four foreign countries -- the US, Canada, the Philippines and Thailand. More than 150 foreign representatives attended, some veterans and others standing in for family members who had served in the war and died. The event, which has taken place every year since 2007, was also attended by 50 Korean soldiers who fought during the 1950-53

CultureJune 23, 2021

ACTOR AHN SUNG-KI WINS THE BRAND LAUREATE AWARDS

Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki was announced as the winner of the Brand Laureate Awards at Hotel Shilla in Seoul on Tuesday. Ahn is the first Korean to win the award, which is organized by Australia-based The World Brands Foundation. It recognizes individuals, organizations and corporations that hold high international brand value. Founded in 2005, TWBF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing brands in diverse fields. (The Brand Laureate)

PeopleJune 23, 2021

Miss Chunhyang beauty pageant winner says contest was learning opportunity

Kim Min-seol, a 22-year-old student at the Seoul Institute of Art, won the top award at the Miss Chunhyang beauty pageant in Namwon, North Jeolla Province, May 19. “For me, it was a learning opportunity,” Kim said during a recent interview with The Korea Herald. “I understand that beauty pageants are becoming an issue. By participating in the contest and winning, I found out that the Miss Chunhyang beauty pageant does not focus only on external beauty but also provides a chan

CultureJune 23, 2021

Seoul stumbles upon the meaning of ‘Our Happy Life’ through urbanscape

“Did you experience happiness during most of the day yesterday?” A video pops up with a self-reflective question the moment you enter a room with yellow fabric curtains at the exhibit‘s entrance. The special documentary clip from global survey firm Gallup shows how measuring the concept of happiness -- an invisible emotion -- has become possible today. “Our Happy Life” is an exhibition initially launched in Montreal by the Canadian Center for Architecture that ope

Arts & DesignJune 23, 2021

Musical ‘Hedwig’ to return with Cho Seung-woo

Cho Seung-woo is to return as the iconic rock star character Hedwig in the rock musical “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” According to production company Shownote, Cho, Oh Man-seok, Lee Kyu-hyeong, Ko Eun-sung and Ren from boy band Newest will take the title role in the 13th run of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” in South Korea. The musical, written by Stephen Trask and John Cameron Mitchell, tells the story of a genderqueer rock singer from East Germany. The singer, Hedwig, lea

PerformanceJune 23, 2021

Sejong Center presents sound immersive play

Sound immersive play “In This Garden We Loved” began its run at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, complete with 60 speakers installed across the theater. The play is the third edition of the Sejong Center’s Contemporary S series project that aims to present innovative, original show productions. It is the first time that French writer Pascal Quignard’s play “Dans Ce Jardin Qu’On Aimait” (“In This Garden We Loved”) is bei

PerformanceJune 23, 2021

Rock band YB takes part in Metallica’s charity album

South Korean rock band YB, formerly known as Yoon Do-hyun Band, will be featured in legendary US heavy metal band Metallica’s newest album dedicated for charity, scheduled to be released Sept. 10. On Tuesday, YB posted the cover of Metallica’s new album, “The Metallica Blacklist,” on its Instagram account and announced it had participated in the project in February. The upcoming album is a special compilation and reissue to mark the 30th anniversary of Metallica&lsquo

PerformanceJune 23, 2021

Climate Museum warns against exploitative development

One of the biggest challenges mankind faces today is climate change, which has become a frequently discussed topic globally as more people become aware of humanity’s impact on nature due to the coronavirus and the plastic waste generated from face masks and food containers. The “Climate Museum: Life and Death of Our Home” exhibition at Seoul Museum of Art in Jongno, central Seoul, shows how indiscriminate development has hurt Earth’s ecology through a variety of artwor

Arts & DesignJune 23, 2021

Bidding at Seoul auction house hits new high since financial crisis

In a sign of growing demand for artworks, a major auction house based in Seoul saw sales from a recent bidding reach a fresh high since the 2008 global financial crisis. Seoul Auction sold artworks worth 24.3 billion won ($21.4 million) in the latest bidding held Tuesday, with 87 percent of the artworks finding new owners during the event, it said Wednesday. The amount is the highest since the 2008 financial crisis and is also higher than the 23 billion won in sales the auction house had estim

Arts & DesignJune 23, 2021

Korean creators in high demand in global content productions

Thanks to the growing global presence of South Korean content through online streaming platforms, the world's entertainment industry is wooing Korean professionals who are behind big-name films and TV series. Not only screenwriters and directors who have come into the spotlight for their global hits like Netflix originals "Sweet Home" (2020) and "Space Sweepers" (2021) but also experts in post-production jobs like poster designing, color grading and visual effects are also i

TelevisionJune 23, 2021

Korean Eye 2020 arrives in Seoul after showings in St. Petersburg, London

The exhibition “Korean Eye 2020: Creativity and Daydream” has kicked off in Seoul after touring the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg in Russia and the Saatchi Gallery in London last year. Twenty-six Korean contemporary artists participating in the exhibition were selected by Dimitri Ozerkov, head of the department of contemporary art at the State Hermitage Museum, Serenella Ciclitira, founder of Parallel Contemporary Art, and Philippa Adams, director of the Saatchi Gallery

Arts & DesignJune 22, 2021

Violinist Kim Bomsori says new album is like action film ‘The Bourne Identity’

When violinist Kim Bomosori was asked to describe her new album “Violin on Stage” during a press conference held Monday in Apgujeong-dong, Seoul, she relayed her acquaintance’s response to the album. “My acquaintance told me that after starting the first track, he couldn’t stop the music for a bathroom break because it was like the movie ‘The Bourne Identity,’” Kim, 31, said with a shy smile. “He said the album is like watching continuous a

PerformanceJune 22, 2021

National Folk Museum of Korea offers intimate look into life in Busan of yore

A maritime city on the southeastern tip of the Korean Peninsula, Busan is the country’s second-largest city with a population of some 3.4 million. Since the mid-19th century Busan has served as a gateway for new ideas and exchanges with foreign countries. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, it became a haven for war refugees. The National Folk Museum of Korea’s exhibition “Busan, Gateway to the World,” which opened June 2 as part of the 2021 Year of Busan Folk Culture

CultureJune 22, 2021