Airbnb offers online classes starring K-pop acts

At a time when traveling is not an option, global house-sharing platform Airbnb hopes to invite guests to enjoy K-pop backstage through online classes starring hit K-pop bands from Monsta X to The Boyz, along with star dance instructors and makeup artists. Airbnb is hosting “Inside K-Pop” from Jan. 25 to Jan. 30, featuring 14 online experiences that offer insight into how K-pop stars are brought to the stage -- such as dance rehearsals, vocal practice sessions, makeup tutorials and

CultureJan. 18, 2021

CJ CGV hopes to attract video gamers to theaters

  Are you tired of playing video games on your small TV screen? CJ CGV, the country‘s largest cinema chain, on Saturday officially launched its console game platform business AzitX, which will allow video gamers to play at 34 local movie theaters, including CGV Yongsan in central Seoul. CGV said it launched an AzitX pilot service for five days at four local theaters, including CGV Ilsan, and received positive feedback. “We saw that AzitX was popular among many people who wa

FilmJan. 17, 2021

[Newsmaker] Second episode of ‘Youn’s Stay’ records over 10% viewership rating

The second episode of “Youn’s Stay” -- a spinoff from reality TV show “Youn’s Restaurant” -- marked a viewership rating of 10.2 percent, according to Nielsen Korea on Saturday. During the show that aired Friday night, the cast served traditional Korean drink makgeolli, as well as Korean foods they had learned to make in the previous episode, including bugak (seaweed chips), tteokgalbi (beef patties), jeon (savory pancakes) and vegan gungjung tteokbokki (roy

TelevisionJan. 17, 2021

French artist David Jamin’s portraits of human soul comfort viewers

French visual artist David Jamin is a delicate observer of people’s emotions. The artist delivers his subjects’ emotions on his canvas using a variety of vivid colors and spontaneous drawings of their gestures. His paintings suggest a portrait of someone’s soul. The artist, based in France, hosts his first museum exhibition in South Korea at the Hangaram Art Museum at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul, showcasing his 61 original paintings, including the new “Intr

Arts & DesignJan. 17, 2021

[Diana’s Table] Pork belly bossam and ssamjang

Boiled pork belly is a must menu item whenever a large number of people get together to celebrate or just to enjoy a meal at home. It comes from a long Korean tradition of having to prepare at least one or two meat dishes to entertain properly. No celebration was complete without a boiled pork dish, especially in the Jeolla provinces in the southern part of the peninsula. When presented with a variety of fresh leafy vegetables and ssamjang, it definitely takes center stage on any table. In mak

FoodJan. 16, 2021

‘Taste of Wife’ gives flavor of by-election candidates’ personal lives

As the April 7 by-election for Seoul mayor draws closer, likely candidates took to TV entertainment shows to show a more personal side of themselves, away from the battle lines of politics. Na Kyung-won, the former floor leader of the conservative opposition, who announced her bid for Seoul Mayor on Wednesday, appeared on a Jan. 5 episode of TV Chosun’s entertainment show “Taste of Wife.” The episode received the highest viewership rating in the show’s history at 11.4

TelevisionJan. 16, 2021

[Weekender] Korean gatherings go virtual on Minecraft amid pandemic

Over the Christmas holidays, seven Korean YouTubers gathered in a room to draw lots for a Secret Santa gift exchange. In another room, almost a hundred YouTubers posed together for a group picture. No one wore face masks. Or rather, their virtual, Lego-like avatars didn’t. Under South Korea’s strict social distancing guidelines because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the YouTube community took their gatherings online on Minecraft – the most popular video game of all time. Communiti

CultureJan. 16, 2021

KTO labels 2021 tourism trend BETWEEN

Korea Tourism Organization announced Wednesday, it labeled this year‘s domestic travel trends with the acronym BETWEEN, reflecting to the changes in the tourism industry sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic. The KTO, affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports, analyzed travel-related big data processed by social media, mobile carriers and credit card processing firms from January to August. Through the research, it was able to recognize how the tourism industry has been af

TravelJan. 16, 2021

Korean Wave fans surpass 100 million: report

Even as borders closed around the world last year due to the pandemic, that didn’t stop the spread of the Korean Wave, or “hallyu,” from reaching new heights. There were a total of 100 million members in 1,835 Korean Wave-related clubs across the world as of September 2020, marking a 5.45 million increase from the year before, according to the latest report from the Korea Foundation, a public diplomacy arm of Seoul’s Foreign Ministry. The annual report, an account on th

CultureJan. 16, 2021

Culture Ministry to create W298.5b fund to support local cultural industries

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Thursday announced that it plans to establish three funds worth a total of 298.5 billion won ($271.6 million) to support local content creators and sports and tourism businesses. The money will be injected through a fund-of-funds managed by Korea Venture Investment Corp., in line with the Culture Ministry’s practice since 2005 of investing indirectly in small and midsized cultural businesses through venture capital funds instead of choosing

CultureJan. 16, 2021

'Parasite' director Bong Joon-ho to head Venice Film Fest jury

  Bong Joon-ho, writer-director of Oscar-winning South Korean film "Parasite," will preside over the main jury of this year's Venice International Film Festival, according to the festival's website Friday. Bong will serve as the president of the International Jury of the Competition at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, scheduled to take place from Sept. 1-11 at Venice Lido in Italy, the website of La Biennale di Venezia, the festival's organizing body, said. Bong was

FilmJan. 15, 2021

‘Minari’ to hit local screens in March

Multiple-award winning film “Minari” will be released in Korea in March, the film‘s distributor Pancinema announced Friday. The first official Korean poster for “Minari” was posted on social media with a hashtag confirming the March release. No specific has been announced, however. “Minari,” directed by Korean American Lee Isaac Chung, is a semiautobiographical film showing the life of first-generation immigrant Koreans pursuing the American dream. Th

FilmJan. 15, 2021

Short film festival folds in its 20th year

The Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival has announced that this year will be its last, with no competition to be held this year, to the surprise of many preparing for the festival. “In the drastically changing movie industry because of COVID-19 that has continued since last year and changes to the theater and media environment, short films and the festival are contemplating what role they should play,” the MSFF executive committee said in a statement on social media on Wednesday. &l

FilmJan. 15, 2021

Actor Lee Min-ho promotes beauty of Hangeul

The King Sejong Institute Foundation, a state-run institution overseeing some 170 Korean language centers worldwide, released a video promoting the beauty of Hangeul -- the writing system for the Korean language -- starring actor Lee Min-ho on Friday. Lee, an ambassador for the foundation, was featured in the 31-second clip introducing the uniqueness of Hangeul by showcasing Hangeul calligraphy along with fashion items and furniture pieces inspired by the Korean alphabet.   The foundati

CultureJan. 15, 2021

K-pop stars to launch new K-pop acts in 2021

Big names in K-pop are launching new K-pop bands this year, promising a fresh crop of talented musicians.  Singers Psy and Park Jin-young will serve as judges in an upcoming SBS audition show “Loud,” selecting members for new K-pop bands which will be managed by their respective entertainment agencies. “I hope (the contenders) are like me when I was young and crazy about something -- even though it may not be music. This may be the start of the 21st century version of

PerformanceJan. 15, 2021

Number of global 'hallyu' fans crosses 100 million landmark

The popularity of "hallyu," or the Korean Wave, seems to have continued unabated across the world despite yearlong coronavirus restrictions, as the number of global hallyu fans topped the 100 million milestone last year, a public foundation said Friday. The number of members of hallyu fan clubs in 109 countries worldwide, excluding South Korea, rose to 104,770,000 as of September last year, marking an on-year rise of 5.5 percent, or 5.4 million, from 99,320,000, according to the Korea

CultureJan. 15, 2021

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Lounge at Park Hyatt Seoul presents strawberry afternoon tea set The Lounge, the 24th-floor Korean tea house at Park Hyatt Seoul, presents Strawberry Afternoon Tea, a creative celebration of the return of the strawberry season. Inspired menu highlights include strawberry chocolate cups, strawberry yogurt mousse and Mont Blanc desserts, while strawberry jewelry in an elegant jewelry case, a favorite item of 2020, returns to charm guests for another year. The afternoon tea features a selection

FoodJan. 15, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Wonder Woman 1984 (US) Opened Dec. 23 Action Directed by Patty Jenkins In 1984, the title character Diana (Gal Gadot) works at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington while performing heroic deeds. One day, Diana unknowingly uses a stone to wish her deceased lover Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) back to life. However, new enemies also emerge, preying on humanity’s desires. Diana is now the only hope of saving the world.　  In the Mood for Love　 (China) Reopened Dec. 24 Romance Directed

FilmJan. 15, 2021

Korean image ambassadors Baby Shark and Delphine O shine light on Korea’s future

The creator of Baby Shark and Secretary-General of the UN Generation Equality Forum Delphine O, winners of awards for helping to promote Korea’s image to the world, have shed light on what direction Korea should take moving forward in a post-COVID-19 era. O and creator Lee Seung-gyu were presented with the awards at the 2021 Corea Image Communication Institute Awards Ceremony at InterContinental Seoul COEX on Thursday. Since 2005, CICI – a nonprofit organization -- has honored cul

CultureJan. 14, 2021

Director Chung says theme of universal humanity in 'Minari' resonates with American audience

Korean American director Lee Isaac Chung said the growing compliments showered on his latest immigrant film "Minari" represents people's faith in humanity that everyone harbors deeply in mind. In an online conversation hosted by Korean American actress Sandra Oh as part of the Korean American Day celebration Wednesday (US time), he said the movie was not just a tale of a Korean immigrant family based on his childhood experience but also a story of an individual struggling with everyda

FilmJan. 14, 2021