[Herald Interview] Wild flowers the love of 94-year-old painter

Painter Shin Kum-rye is attracted by wild flowers -- blooms that persist despite a hostile environment. Of them, thistles are her favorite. “The leaves of thistles, they look quite defiant, which is really attractive to me. I feel like painting when I see this type of flowers,” Shin told The Korea Herald on Tuesday at Whanki Museum. The 94-year-old artist, who is based in Seoul, is holding a solo exhibition, “The Spirit of Painting” at the museum in central Seoul, s

Arts & DesignJuly 30, 2020

UNESCO listed World Heritage Gongsanseong Fortress damaged by heavy rain

The Cultural Heritage Administration on Thursday said that approximately 10 meters of the Gongsanseong Fortress have collapsed due to heavy rain during the last two days. The 2.5-kilometer-long fortress was built during the Baekje Kingdom (18 BC-AD 660) and lies along the mountain ridge and valley near Geum River in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province. In 2015, eight ancient Baekje historic areas, including Gongsanseong Fortress, were collectively designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, be

CultureJuly 30, 2020

New Korean TV drama starring 'Parasite' actress to stream on Netflix

"Record of Youth," a new South Korean television drama starring Park So-dam of Oscar-winning "Parasite" and star actor Park Bo-gum, will be available on Netflix this fall, its production company said Thursday. The series co-produced by Studio Dragon and Pan Entertainment will stream in some 190 countries through Netflix starting Sept. 7, immediately following the first-window airing on South Korean cable network tvN, Pan Entertainment said. The TV show is directed by An Gi

TelevisionJuly 30, 2020

SBS TV series ‘Backstreet Rookie’ slapped with KCSC warning

The Korea Communication Standards Commission on Thursday issued a warning to SBS TV series “Backstreet Rookie” for airing provocative and inappropriate scenes. The KCSC noted scenes such as underage female high school student character Saet-byul kissing an adult male stranger while asking him to buy a pack of cigarettes for her are against its regulation on maintaining integrity and also using language fit for broadcast. “In the process of producing an R-rated webtoon into

TelevisionJuly 30, 2020

Traditional Korean archery designated as nat'l cultural heritage

The art of traditional Korean archery has been designated as a national intangible cultural heritage, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) announced Thursday. CHA said it recognized the value of "hwalssogi," or Korean traditional archery, for its significance in the history of Korean traditional martial arts. The administration cited the hwalssogi's frequent reference in historical literature and culture, detailed documentations and transmissions of the production processes

CultureJuly 30, 2020

Japan's forced labor issue should be dealt with from human rights

Japan's failure to recognize its wrongdoings during World War II should fundamentally be addressed and dealt with from the perspective of rectifying a violation of human rights, experts said Wednesday. "The interpretation issue of forced mobilization and forced labor is not just an issue between the two countries (South Korea and Japan) but a multilateral issue involving Chinese and allied prisoners of war, and it also needs to be stressed as a human rights issue," said Kim Min-chul,

CultureJuly 29, 2020

Hwang Jung-min and Lee Jung-jae’s deadly reunion in ‘Deliver Us From Evil’

Veteran actors Hwang Jung-min and Lee Jung-jae, who called each other “brother” in the crime-noir “New World” (2013), are reunited in the action-packed thriller “Deliver Us From Evil,” this time as bitter enemies. The film revolves around hit man In-nam, played by Hwang, who finishes what he promised would be his last job before fleeing Japan, but unexpectedly gets mixed up in a case in Thailand. In Bangkok, a barbaric killer named Ray, played by Lee -- also

FilmJuly 29, 2020

'Night in Paradise’ to premiere at Venice Biennale

“Night in Paradise” by director Park Hoon-jung has been officially invited to the 77th Venice International Film Festival’s out-of-competition section. “Night in Paradise” is the only Korean film to be invited to the Italian film festival this year, according to the film’s local distributor Next Entertainment World on Wednesday. Fronted by actors Eom Tae-goo, Cha Seung-won and Jeon Yeo-been, the film revolves around a man who is targeted by an organized cr

FilmJuly 29, 2020

LCK franchise model attracts conglomerates and celebrities

Major companies and celebrities in Korea are showing interest in investing in pro League of Legends esports teams, as LoL Champions Korea continues the application process for teams interested in the franchise system next year. Riot Games announced that 21 teams had applied for the franchise system on June 25, of which around 10 will be accepted for the franchise system starting in the spring season of next year, though the number remains flexible. Although the cost to enter the franchise sys

CultureJuly 29, 2020

MMCA Seoul hosts film screening to remember Korean War

In remembrance of the Korean War that resulted in the killing of several million civilians and the division of the Korean Peninsula, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea will screen films about the Korean War to mark the 70th anniversary this year at the Seoul venue in Jongno, central Seoul. The “Unflattening Screening Series” will begin on Wednesday and run through Sept. 20, with 20 films being screened from Wednesdays to Sundays at MMCA Film and Video, the t

Arts & DesignJuly 28, 2020

‘Doomed Marriage’ heats up Monday night with unfiltered adult talk

Sky Channel and Channel A’s new adult talk show, “Doomed Marriage” premiered Monday, bringing to light real problems that married couples face. The 90-minute program was divided into two parts with actors reenacting real situations faced by married couples sent to the show’s website in the first half and an actual married couple sharing their issues in the second half of the program. The five panel members then took side with either the husband or wife, with the winner

TelevisionJuly 28, 2020

[Herald Interview] Jung Woo-sung discusses presidential role in ‘Steel Rain 2: Summit’

In sequels we often see the original cast reappear, taking up the same roles and continuing with the next chapter of the story. In other cases, a new cast may be chosen to show a different side of the same universe. But rarely do the same actors reappear as completely new characters. This was the case for veteran actor Jung Woo-sung, who plays a fictitious South Korean president in the upcoming action flick “Steel Rain 2: Summit,” having portrayed a North Korean special agent in i

FilmJuly 28, 2020

[Herald Review] ‘Jamie’ kicks out hate with red high heels

It is said that high heels were originally designed for men. Though they are more conventionally worn by women these days, the Korean-language musical “Jamie” blurs the line between men and women with a pair of bright red high heels. The successful West End musical “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” opened in Korea earlier this month under the name “Jamie.” It was the first time the show was staged outside the UK, and the first adaptation in a language

PerformanceJuly 28, 2020

[Video] Breaking the ice in the era of social distancing

The intricate art of socializing never comes easy, depending on personalities. Introverts usually despise the awkward silence during small gatherings and the need to mingle. Extroverts find it easier to approach newcomers in unfamiliar settings. Getting to know someone new is challenging, but can’t be avoided because relationships are a crucial part of life. Every day, humans seek emotional connections on a deeper level for better well-being and happiness. A short encounter with a str

CultureJuly 28, 2020

Western chinaware used in Joseon royal court on show

  The National Palace Museum of Korea on Wednesday opens an exhibition titled “New Era of The Royal Ceramics - Embracing the Western-Style Porcelain in the Joseon Royal Court,” which will run until Oct. 4. “This is an interesting exhibition where visitors can see how the conservative country challenged itself to become a modern country and also how it embraced ceramics in the process,” head of CHA Chung Jae-suk said during a press conference held at the National

Arts & DesignJuly 28, 2020

2020 IYF Online World Camp starts with over 170,000 participants

The International Youth Foundation announced the start of the 2020 IYF Online World Camp on Sunday, bringing together over 170,000 people from some 90 countries around the world. The four-day online camp aims to bring joy to young people around the world who have been suffering from long-term social distancing. The annual festival, held online for the first time this year, allows college students around the globe to watch lectures delivered by global leaders, art performances from different c

CultureJuly 28, 2020

Veteran actor Lee Jung-jae to make directorial debut

Veteran actor Lee Jung-jae is set to make his directorial debut in an upcoming spy-action film. Tentatively titled “Hunt,” the film is expected to kick off production next year, according to the film’s distributor Megabox Joongang Plus M last week. Lee will also play the lead role in the movie. Taking place in 1980s Korea, the film will revolve around national security agents Park Pyong-ho and Kim Jung-do, who are chasing after the chief of North Korea’s espionage oper

FilmJuly 27, 2020

2020 World Heritage Festival to kick off on Friday

The second part of 2020 World Heritage Festival, jointly hosted by the Culture Heritage Administration and North Gyeongsang Province government -- which will run until Aug. 30 -- will start Friday with an opening ceremony at Hahoe Village, Andong. This is part of the three 2020 World Heritage Festivals which are being held in three different locations. The first festival celebrating the nine seowon, or Confucian academies of the Joseon era (1392-1910), that are inscribed on the UNESCO World H

CultureJuly 27, 2020

[Herald Interview] ‘I am the luckiest conductor’

For Wilson Ng, the associate conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, getting to the venue of the 2020 Mahler Competition was like “riding a roller coaster.” The competition was held from June 29 to July 5 in Bamberg, Germany, defying many people’s expectation that the prestigious competition for conductors under 35 may not take place as scheduled. Travel restrictions, however, presented challenges to some of the16 contestants invited to perform in Bamberg,

PerformanceJuly 27, 2020

‘Peninsula’ continues to lead Asian box office

Dominating the domestic box office for two consecutive weeks, zombie thriller “Peninsula” surpassed its breakeven point of 2.5 million ticket sales over the weekend, even amid the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the film’s distributor Next Entertainment World on Monday, data from government-run agency Korean Film Council showed the film had garnered just over 2.86 million admissions as of 7 a.m. Monday since its release on July 15. The film is said to have reached the breakev

FilmJuly 27, 2020