Celebrities self-quarantine after Lee Chan-won tests positive for COVID-19

After popular trot singer Lee Chan-won tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, celebrities who had come into contact with him were quickly tested and quarantined. How Lee got infected is unknown. On Thursday morning, Lee’s agency New Era Project announced that the singer had tested positive and gone into self-quarantine. “Currently, everyone associated with Lee Chan-won is being tested, and some have already finished testing and are in self-quarantine,” said New Era Projec

TelevisionDec. 4, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Freaky (US) Opened Nov. 25 Comedy, Horror Directed by Christopher Landon A serial killer known as the Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn) murders four teenagers and steals an ancient dagger known as La Dola. The next day, bullied high school student Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton) is attacked by the Butcher. The serial killer stabs Millie in the shoulder with La Dola, causing an identical wound to instantly appear on his shoulder. Fortunately, Millie‘s older sister Charlene, a police office

FilmDec. 4, 2020

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Yeongdeok Snow Crab Festival The Yeongdeok Snow Crab Festival, initially slated for February, will be held online until Dec. 31. The festival, an annual event that celebrates local snow crabs caught off the east coast of North Gyeongsang Province, was scheduled for Feb. 20-23. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has moved online. A cooking show, a lucky draw and online sales of freshly caught snow crabs can be accessed at www.ydcf.co.kr, as well as on the festival’s social media chan

TravelDec. 4, 2020

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

The Plaza presents ‘Bulmung’ package The Plaza of Hanwha Hotels & Resorts is offering the “Bulmeong” package for guests looking to rest at the hotel’s suite equipped with a fireplace. Bulmeong, combining “bul,” meaning fire, and daydream -- “meong” -- means to find rest in difficult times. The package comes with a one-night stay at the hotel’s signature suite with an electronic fireplace, a bottle of wine and use of the club loung

FoodDec. 4, 2020

[Eye interview] ‘Everyone is born with ability to do magic’

If you see a young man in black walking along the walls of Gyeongbokgung, cloaked in the darkness of the witching hours as he is wont to do most days, you may have just run into Kwon Joon-hyuk, better known as magician Ed Kwon. Just a semester short of graduating from university in Las Vegas, where he majors in hospitality management, Kwon has been in South Korea since June, waiting to serve his mandatory military service. Walking in the middle of the night became a way to clear his mind at a

CultureDec. 4, 2020

W400m budget created for project to support Asian artists’ K-pop training

The National Assembly on Wednesday passed a budget of 400 million won ($365,000) for the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism’s project to support Asian artists’ K-pop training. The amount is far less than the 1.5 billion won the Culture Ministry initially hoped for to conduct the project with six groups from three other Asian countries. “Since the budget has been slashed to 400 million won. we will have to adjust our initial plan and conduct a program with less than six g

PerformanceDec. 3, 2020

Seoul Arts Center on alert with 2 COVID-19 cases

The Seoul Arts Center confirmed Thursday another case of coronavirus among its employees, bringing the total to two after another case was detected earlier this week. On Monday, an employee at the state-funded art center in southern Seoul was confirmed to have the new coronavirus. Some 73 employees who had contact with the person were tested for the virus. Among the 73, one employee was tested positive and 70 were tested negative. Two employees are waiting for their results. According to the

CultureDec. 3, 2020

Traveling in pandemic times

In a year that has witnessed the COVID-19 pandemic disrupt lives and devastate economies around the world, South Korea is seeking innovations to meet the challenges it presents. The following is the third article in a four-part series on how Korea is creating a new normal during the pandemic, produced in partnership with The Korea Foundation -- Ed. 28,714,247. That’s the number of number of South Koreans who traveled abroad last year, according to the Korea Tourism Organization. Due

TravelDec. 3, 2020

“The Call” director reaches out to global audiences with Netflix debut

Director Lee Chung-hyun‘s highly anticipated thriller “The Call” was released through Netflix on Friday, after several delays in its theatrical release due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Releasing on Netflix means the film will not only be viewed by Koreans, but by audiences in 190 countries, an advantage not lost on the 30-year-old director. “It was interesting to receive feedback from many people living abroad, especially from other Asian countries,” Lee told The K

FilmDec. 2, 2020

Pianist Sunwoo Yekwon to give virtual reality tour of Lotte Concert Hall

Pianist Sunwoo Yekwon is planning to show the public around the Lotte Concert Hall in virtual reality. The Lotte Foundation for Arts and LG Uplus, a major local telecom operator, joined hands to present a VR tour of the Lotte Concert Hall in Jamsil, eastern Seoul, featuring celebrated pianist Sunwoo Yekwon as the docent. In the first video, Sunwoo appears in the audience and looks around the venue, joined by a house manager. They walk around the vineyard-style classical music concert hall, bui

PerformanceDec. 2, 2020

MMCA Wishing Tree event raises funds for art therapy

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, kicked off its annual year-end MMCA Wishing Tree event Wednesday. Visitors to the Seoul venue are invited to make wishes for 2021 amid the pandemic situation. Visitors will be given pieces of paper to write their wishes on, which they can then tie to the MMCA Wishing Tree. Participants can also donate money to World Vision, an international humanitarian aid organization, to support art therapy for children at local institutions. The

Arts & DesignDec. 2, 2020

Romance film 'Josee' set for release in Asia this month

The romance film "Josee," based on the famous Japanese original movie, is set to hit theaters in Asia this month, the movie's distributor said Wednesday. Starring Han Ji-min and Nam Joo-hyuk, "Josee" is a Korean adaptation of the 1985 Japanese short story, "Josee, the Tiger and the Fish," by Seiko Tanabe and the 2003 Japanese romance film of the same title, directed by Isshin Inudo. The cinematic version of the coming-of-age story of a girl in a wheelchair, nickna

FilmDec. 2, 2020

[Herald Interview] Why Korea needs a bank for modern-day Jean Valjeans

“Welcome to our bank that’s always running out of money!” said Hong Se-hwa. Despite its precarious situation, the 74-year-old head of Jean Valjean Bank seemed cheerful. Hong, who runs the bank as a microcredit program for people in need, greeted visitors with a humble smile, documents held tightly in one arm and a large coffee mug in his other hand. As the name suggests, Jean Valjean Bank helps petty offenders avoid going to jail just because they can’t afford to pay

PeopleDec. 1, 2020

THE WEEK&Resort expands horizons of urban boutique resort

Trinity D&C Co., a real estate development and hotel resort company, held a grand opening ceremony of Korea’s first urban boutique resort THE WEEK& Resort in Yeongjongdo, Incheon, on Nov. 26. THE WEEK& Resort plans to pioneer a new field differentiated from existing resorts under the concept of Korea‘s first “urban boutique resort.” It will attract the attention of customers through its close geographic accessibility to downtown and a young and stylish sense

TravelDec. 1, 2020

Women taking over movie screens

During a joint press interview held in September ahead of the release of “Diva,” actor Shin Min-ah told reporters that she was fascinated by the character of Yi-young, a woman who has a strong narrative in the movie. “These kinds of scripts telling women’s stories are very rare,” Shin said. “Diva,” a film about two female divers, is an example of women’s increasing influence in the South Korean movie industry, which was long dominated by men. N

FilmDec. 1, 2020

Netflix expanding investment in S. Korean content

US media giant Netflix is beefing up efforts to secure popular Korean-made films and shows as part of a strategy to boost its presence in the global streaming service market. Netflix, which launched its Korean service in 2015, said it set up a separate production firm, Netflix Entertainment Korea, which deals with fostering and financing up-and-coming Korean-language content, in September. "It is part of our efforts to introduce more Korean content to the world," Netflix Services Kor

TelevisionDec. 1, 2020

Netflix’s ‘Money Heist’ to get Korean remake

Netflix original Spanish drama series “Money Heist” will be getting a 12-episode Korean remake. Kim Hong-sun, producer of OCN dramas “The Guest,” “Voice” and “Black,” among others, will be producing the Korean remake, while Ryu Yong-jae, who wrote Netflix original series “My Holo Love,” will lead the screenwriting. BH Entertainment, which made the movie “A Single Rider,” and Zium Content, which made “Itaewon Class,&r

TelevisionDec. 1, 2020

Exhibition presents modern masterpieces of Joseon-era porcelain, headgear

The Yeol Korean Heritage Preservation Society, a private organization dedicated to promoting Korean aesthetics and cultural heritage, will showcase pieces created by two artisans -- “gat” master Jung Choon-mo and ceramicist Kim Deok-ho. The exhibition “Lines/Layers” will open Dec. 1 at Yeol Bukchonga in central Seoul as part of the organization’s annual year-end showcasing of works by the winners of the Yeol Artisan of the Year and Yeol Young Craftsman of the Yea

Arts & DesignDec. 1, 2020

Earliest monument from Silla Kingdom to go on permanent display in Gyeongju

The Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage under the Cultural Heritage Administration announced Monday that it will start exhibiting the Silla Monument in Jungseong-ri, Pohang from Dec. 8 at a permanent exhibition hall in Gyeongju National Museum. The artifact from the Silla Kingdom (57 BC-935) was designated as National Treasure No. 318 on April 22, 2015. The artifact was accidentally discovered at a road construction site in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, in May 2009.

CultureNov. 30, 2020

Film festival by directors to be held online

The CMR—Directors Week, a film festival organized by and for film directors, will be held from Tuesday to Saturday. The festival has been held under the name Chungmuro International Musical Film Festival, but in September, the film festival organizer Junggu Cultural Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding with the Directors Guild of Korea to turn the musical film festival into a film festival for directors this year. The organizer added that the MOU aims to boost the film industr

FilmNov. 30, 2020