[Video] Seoul’s repurposed space turned into a majestic sky garden

Seoullo 7017 is an overpass-turned-sky garden situated on a disused highway ramp at the heart of Seoul. The name translates to “Seoul Road,” with the number “7017” coming from two symbolic years. The overpass was first built in 1970, and was reborn in its current form in 2017. The city took a cue from New York’s glorious High Line as part of its urban redevelopment project. The effort was put into action in 2015 and the bustling cosmopolitan capital revamped into

CultureAug. 5, 2020

Uhm Jung-hwa returns in action comedy ‘Okay! Madam’

Singer and actor Uhm Jung-hwa makes her return to the big screen for the first time in five years in action comedy “Okay! Madam.” Uhm teams up with veteran actor Park Sung-woong to play a married couple who, upon their first-ever trip abroad to Hawaii, become involved in the rescue operation of a hijacked aircraft. The film’s director Lee Cheol-ha, Uhm, Park and actors Lee Sang-yoon, Bae Jung-nam and Lee Sun-bin attended a press premiere in Seoul on Monday. “I feel li

FilmAug. 5, 2020

Worlds schedule in Shanghai causes concern for LCK fans

The 2020 League of Legends World Championship will be held in Shanghai, opening on Sept. 25, according to Riot Games on Saturday, alarming LCK fans because of the tight schedule. While previous LoL World Championships have been held at multiple cities in the hosting region, this year’s tournament this year will be held only in Shanghai in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and ensure the safety of players. “To ensure the health and safety of fans, pro players and everyone in

CultureAug. 5, 2020

[Herald Interview] Emographic artist Huh Hwe-tae moves on to ‘emosculpture’

The fragrance of Indian ink and old mulberry paper fills the studio of emographic artist Huh Hwe-tae in central Seoul. In the corner of his studio, sculptural works that he has been pursuing in recent years are laid aside. In the mid and late 2000s, Huh attracted global attention for his “emography” – a portmanteau of emotion and calligraphy. The term was coined by Ryu Byoung-hak -- an art critic and independent curator based in Seoul and Germany who also directed the Busa

Arts & DesignAug. 5, 2020

Treasures of Sinan shipwreck unveiled online

An online exhibition of artifacts from the Sinan shipwreck opened Tuesday, showing the vessels and coins, among other items, that were dug up from the ocean floor during an eight-year underwater salvage operation. According to the National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage, which organized the online exhibition, the ship, which is estimated to weigh more than 200 tons, sunk while carrying priceless cargo in 1323. The ship left from the port of Ningbo in China and was headed for

CultureAug. 4, 2020

[Herald Interview] ‘We are on an almost different planet here’

While musical shows around the world have been put on an indefinite hold over the past few months, “The Phantom of the Opera” continues to be busy in Korea -- the only production of the beloved show being performed anywhere in the world at the moment. An international tour production of “The Phantom of the Opera” will wrap up its Seoul run at Blue Square Interpark Hall in Yongsan, central Seoul, on Saturday, moving on to the Daegu leg of the Korea tour. “Sometime

PerformanceAug. 4, 2020

Zombie blockbuster 'Peninsula' posts $40m in revenue in 8 Asian nations

The combined revenue of the South Korean zombie blockbuster "Peninsula" has topped $40 million in eight Asian countries, the film's local distributor said Tuesday. Released on July 15 in South Korea and Taiwan, the movie posted a cumulative $10 million in revenue in its third week in Taiwan, becoming the biggest box office hit in the country, according to NEW. In Vietnam, its sales reached more than $3.33 million, higher than that of Oscar-winning "Parasite" (2019), becomi

FilmAug. 4, 2020

Cinemas still far from normalcy despite success of few films

Blockbuster action flick “Steel Rain 2” has racked up 1 million admissions in less than a week, following the lead of zombie thriller “Peninsula,” which kicked off the summer movie season amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “Steel Rain 2” surpassed the mark of 1 million on Sunday, according to the state-run Korean Film Council, five days after its opening on July 29. The film is expected to be in a close race with action thriller “Deliver Us From Evil,

FilmAug. 3, 2020

Geometric abstraction pioneer remembered 30 years after his death

When South Korea was in political turmoil in the 1960s, after the Korean War and during the early days of the democracy movement, painter Lee Seung-jio (1941-1990) was at the center of the country’s avant-garde art scene. He introduced geometric abstraction painting with his “Nucleus” series, which he worked on for more than 20 years. The “Nucleus” paintings -- which looked like arrangements of pipes and were first showcased in 1967 -- came as a shock to Korea&rs

Arts & DesignAug. 3, 2020

TV shows go shorter, cross over with online

Once considered fit only to be watched on mobile devices, short-form content has recently been making inroads into television On July 4, JTBC kicked off its first short-form omnibus “Just Comedy.” Comprising five 10-minute episodes that blend comedy with other genres, the show features some of Korea’s most popular comedians, including Jang Do-yeon and Yoo Se-yoon. The show seemed quite successful, creating sensation on social media, but the viewership ratings of the regular

TelevisionAug. 3, 2020

‘Mr. Trot’ Seoul concert to start Aug.7 with restrictions

The “Mr. Trot” Seoul concert, featuring top contestants from TV Chosun’s record-breaking program, has been rescheduled to Aug. 7 to 23, after the local government relaxed regulations on large-scale concerts Friday. The concert has been delayed four times due to the spread of COVID-19 and restrictions made by the Songpa-gu Office, which oversees Olympic Gymnastics Arena where the concert is scheduled to take place. Show Play, the concert organizer, announced that the audience

PerformanceAug. 2, 2020

Kim Jun-su looks back on 10 years onstage

For stage actor Kim Jun-su, “Mozart!” is more than just another musical on his schedule. Kim, a former member of the legendary K-pop act TVXQ, made his musical debut with “Mozart!” 10 years ago, after leaving the band over a legal dispute with his former agency. “I still remember the moment before I went onstage 10 years ago. My heart was pounding and I could not stay still. I anxiously paced around the room,” Kim said during a press event held Thursday

PerformanceAug. 2, 2020

Jeju’s UNESCO heritage cave to open up for 17 days

JEJU CITY -- “Please turn off all the flashlights,” Ki Jin-seok, a curator of Jeju World Natural Heritage Center, said during a press tour of a restricted section of Manjanggul. Unlike the section of the cave that is open to the public, this area does not have a single light installed. The cave soon became pitch dark. 　 “Even after a while, your eyes will not get used to this darkness, because there is no light at all here,” Ki said. Manjanggul is a 7.4-kilometer-l

TravelAug. 2, 2020

[Eye Plus] Yangyang is a summer playground

The small county of Yangyang in Gangwon Province, a 2 1/2-hour drive from Seoul, has morphed into a bustling surf town in recent years, as the hub of Korea’s surfing culture.  Surf shops, restaurants and cafes for surfers line Yangyang’s streets. On the weekends, the beaches are packed with surfers in wetsuits looking far out into the horizon with their surf boards, waiting for the right wave.  The local surfing culture is thought to have emerged in the 1990s and today

TravelAug. 1, 2020

[Herald Interview] Choi Hyun-woo brings magic online

When Choi Hyun-woo, 41, began to learn magic in high school, he did it to overcome his shyness and impress girls. Choi didn’t get a girlfriend, but he became captivated by the wonders of magic. There weren’t many young Korean magicians back then, but he saw David Copperfield perform when the world’s most famous magician visited Korea in 1995. He was immediately shocked and eventually mesmerized. “I went to Copperfield’s house last year and I found the poster of

PerformanceAug. 1, 2020

[Herald Interview] Hotels prepare for post-coronavirus era

Touch-free services may be the key focus for hotels in the post-coronavirus era, according to Park Hyatt Seoul General Manager Samuel Dabinett. Luxury hotel Park Hyatt Seoul shut down in March after a guest confirmed with COVID-19 visited the hotel. After a nearly two-month break, it reopened in June, changing some of its service manuals in pursuit of contactless service. During the break, the hotel developed a new QR-code for its compendium, allowing guests to access all the information reg

PeopleAug. 1, 2020

[Herald Interview] Violinist without a music stand

Blind violinist Kim Ji-sun is set for a new page of her life with plans across the Pacific region. Kim will attend the Manhattan School of Music in New York next year for graduate studies. She will be the first blind person to enter the two-year graduate program at the college. “The program was to begin in September, but has been delayed to January because of the coronavirus pandemic situation,” Kim told The Korea Herald in a phone interview Monday. “But still, I am excite

PerformanceAug. 1, 2020

In-person music theater festival to take place

It’s coming three months later than planned, but the 19th Uijeongbu Music Theatre Festival will be held with live audiences from Aug. 7-16 in the Gyeonggi Province city. The in-person performing arts festival will take place at Uijeongbu Arts Center and other cultural facilities in Uijeongbu, just northeast of Seoul. Originally slated to take place in May, the UMTF was postponed twice due to the spread of COVID-19. The festival will introduce 11 indoor and 24 outdoor shows, marking a t

PerformanceJuly 31, 2020

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

‘Relax 26 Hours Package’ at Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Novotel Ambassador Seoul Dongdaemun Hotel & Residences presents a staycation package, “Relax 26 Hours Package.” The package includes a one-night stay, 30,000 won worth of food credit and free use of the hotel’s swimming pool, fitness center and kids’ zone. Guest can check in early, starting at noon, and check out late at 2 p.m. the next day for a total stay of 26 hours. The package, price

FoodJuly 31, 2020

2020 PLZ Festival at DMZ brings music to border area

The 2020 PLZ Festival kicked off Saturday near the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas, in hopes of bringing peace in the Korean Peninsula. Standing for “Peace and Life Zone Festival,” it is the sole international music festival held at the DMZ. This year marks the second year for the festival, held under the theme “The Sound Within the Sound!” The festival is being held in five counties in Gangwon Province close to the DMZ, including Inje, Yanggu, Hwach

PerformanceJuly 30, 2020