Pet industry business inspections to start Monday

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said it will work with local governments to crack down on unlicensed businesses in the pet industry and others that violate industry regulations. The special inspection will run for three weeks starting Monday and affect a wide range of businesses in the pet industry, including those that sell and import pets. Inspectors will check on business operators to make sure they hold valid licenses and have completed all required training sessions

CultureJune 7, 2020

[Photo News] ‘Heart-shaped’ artificial floating island

An artificial island in the shape of a heart is seen floating on Lake Uiam in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, on Wednesday. The floating island will be filled with aquatic plants, which the city expects to purify the lake water as well as catch people’s eye when it’s done. (Photos: Yonhap) By Kim Tae-eun (kimt17@heraldcorp.com)

CultureJune 6, 2020

Body profile: bucket list item of 2020

Twelve weeks. That’s how long Kim Tae-hwan, 30, trained before getting his body profile picture taken. Kim had added body profile photos to his bucket list for 2020 after he found out about it while working out with a personal trainer. Kim hoped to have it checked off while he was still 30. The 12 weeks were not easy, as Kim, a construction site manager, tried to balance work and exercise while working out 14 hours a week. Spending an hour lifting weights, 40 minutes doing cardio exercis

CultureJune 6, 2020

‘Parasite’ bags 5 trophies at Daejong Film Awards, including best picture

Once considered the nation’s most prestigious awards in cinema as the equivalent to the Oscars, the Daejong Film Awards went ahead Wednesday evening in a less than glamorous atmosphere, with empty seats and absent winners, including director Bong Joon-ho of the best picture-winning “Parasite.” The 56th edition of the event, also known as the Grand Bell Awards, took place with no audience for the first time since its establishment in 1962 due to the ongoing novel coronavirus s

FilmJune 6, 2020

[Video] When will tourists return to Myeong-dong?

English, Chinese and Japanese conversations are widely heard in Myeong-dong -- Seoul’s famous shopping district for foreign tourists. Shops here typically hire at least one Chinese-speaking employee at the counter to serve Chinese shoppers. In recent months, it is somewhat difficult to hear the three different languages widely used in Myeong-dong, as the number of inbound tourists sharply declined in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. Around the world, countries have tightened border c

TravelJune 5, 2020

Shin Hye-sun, Bae Jong-ok to star in ‘Innocence’

Crime-drama “Innocence,” featuring actresses Shin Hye-sun and Bae Jong-ok, is ready to hit local theaters on Wednesday. Originally slated to open in February, the film has been postponed twice due to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. In the upcoming film, Shin plays a hotshot attorney from a big law firm, Jeong-in, who defends her long-estranged mother Hwa-ja, played by Bae, in a murder trial. Hwa-ja, suffering from dementia, is accused of tampering with makgeolli served to g

FilmJune 5, 2020

Installation work in central Seoul becomes talk of town

A 9-meter-tall installation work that resembles Cheomseongdae -- Korea’s oldest astronomical observatory used during the Silla Kingdom in the seventh century that sits at Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province -- has been situated in the heart of Seoul. The installation artwork named “Rebirth” was created by Han Won-suk, an installation artist and architect, in 2006. It had previously been displayed in the Cheonggye Stream area, Hana Bank’s headquarters in Seoul and the S

Arts & DesignJune 5, 2020

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

Staycation at Park Hyatt Seoul Park Hyatt Seoul is to present the Experience More package, marking the hotel’s official reopening Tuesday. The package features a breakfast for two served in-room, complimentary one-tier room upgrade applicable up to City View Deluxe level and a Park Hyatt Seoul signature teddy bear. A bathrobe for kids will be offered to guests staying with children on a first come, first served basis. Stays between Tuesday and June 30 are available for reservation thr

FoodJune 5, 2020

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Centum Beer Festival The Centum Beer Festival, sponsored and managed by the Centum Beer Festival Committee, is held at KNN Centum Plaza in Busan every summer.  The festival offers unlimited beer and snacks for all visitors. Though the event takes place every May, this year, it has been postponed to August in concerns over the COVID-19 spread. It will be held Aug. 20-30.  Performances will take place throughout the festival from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. For more information in Korean, vi

TravelJune 5, 2020

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Intruder (Korea) Opened June 4 Mystery, Thriller Directed by Sohn Won-pyung Having lost his wife in a mysterious car accident, Seo-jin (Kim Mu-yeol) finds it difficult to overcome her death and suffers from psychological problems. One day, he receives a call that reconnects the family to his long-lost sister Yu-jin (Song Ji-hyo), who had gone missing 25 years ago. Seo-jin experiences strange changes in his family after Yu-jin comes to live with them. Oddly faithful to her parents and niece, Y

FilmJune 5, 2020

'Parasite’ bags 5 trophies at Daejong Film Awards, including best picture

Once considered the nation’s most prestigious awards in cinema -- equivalent to the Oscars -- the Daejong Film Awards went ahead Wednesday evening in a less than glamorous atmosphere, with empty seats and absent winners, including director Bong Joon-ho of the best picture-winning “Parasite.” The 56th edition of the event, also known as the Grand Bell Awards, took place with no audience for the first time since its establishment in 1962 due to the ongoing novel coronavirus spr

FilmJune 4, 2020

KBS vacillates on spycam suspect

KBS released an official statement on Wednesday saying it felt great responsibility for a spycam incident involving a comedian who appears on TV show “Gag Concert.” He is suspected of having installed hidden cameras in the women’s restroom inside one of its buildings. The state-run broadcaster, however, did not apologize for the incident, emphasizing that the comedian was not officially a KBS employee. “Although the suspect in the case is not a KBS employee, we feel gre

TelevisionJune 4, 2020

[Herald Interview] Shin Hyun-bin, the Korean actress chameleon

While it may be disappointing for some actors that their face comes across as new to viewers each time they appear on the screen, Shin Hyun-bin, who has received such comments from viewers watching tvN drama “Hospital Playlist,” takes it as a compliment. Shin, an actress who debuted 10 years ago, made herself known to the public with her role as third-year resident Jang Gyeo-wool in the recently concluded “Hospital Playlist.” “Hospital Playlist” is a 12-epis

TelevisionJune 4, 2020

Culture Minister shares Korea’s experience in keeping theaters open amid pandemic

Culture Minister Park Yang-woo on Wednesday evening held a videoconference with British counterpart Oliver Dowden and shared Korea’s experience with COVID-19 safety guideline compliance in performing venues. According to the ministry, the videoconference took place at the request of Britain, which sought advice and guidance related to preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus, especially in the cultural sector. During the videoconference, Dowden asked about Korea’s experienc

PerformanceJune 4, 2020

S. Korea's 'Peninsula,' 'Heaven' among Cannes' 2020 official selection

"Peninsula" by South Korean filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho and "Heaven: To The Land of Happiness" by fellow Korean director Im Sang-soo were selected among the 73rd Cannes Film Festival lineup Wednesday (local time). The two Korean films made the list of the 2020 Official Selection, consisting of 56 movies, which would have been screened had the festival not been canceled due to the new coronavirus pandemic. The organizers did not distinguish which films were picked as either for

FilmJune 4, 2020

'Parasite’ wins Best Film, Best Director at Daejong Film Awards

The Best Film prize at the 56th Grand Bell Awards -- South Korea’s major film festival, also known as Daejong Film Awards -- held at Grand Walker Hill Seoul on Wednesday went to Oscar-star “Parasite.” “It is a great honor to receive the Best Film award at the Daejong Film Awards at these difficult times,” said Kwak Sin-ae who heads the film’s production company, Barunson E&A, reading the acceptance speech on behalf of director Bong who is on long leave

FilmJune 3, 2020

Missing head of Buddha statue on Namsan in Gyeongju discovered

The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on Wednesday that it has discovered the head of a stone seated Buddha statue, which is estimated to date from the late Unified Silla period, in conjunction with the Silla Cultural Heritage Research Institute. The head of the statue was found buried on Namsan in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. “We began our research after the Gyeongju government asked us to find out the original location of the headless statue,” head of Silla Cu

CultureJune 3, 2020

Ballet Festival Korea gathers overseas-based Korean dancers for gala shows

The 10th Ballet Festival Korea is to take place June 18-28 at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul, introducing a wide repertoire of ballet works from classical to modern. The festival was originally scheduled to open June 10 with the Korea National Ballet’s performance of romantic ballet “Giselle.” However, the show was canceled due to the government’s decision to apply stricter quarantine measures in the Seoul metropolitan area starting May 29, leading to the fest

PerformanceJune 3, 2020

#Blackouttuesday floods social media amid skepticism

Many Korean celebrities joined the world in supporting the #blackouttuesday movement, posting black square images on their Instagram accounts on Tuesday. #Blackouttuesday was initiated by Atlanta Records marketing chief Jamila Thomas and Platoon’s Brianna Agyemang, who suggested putting the music industry on a pause and to think of ways to help the Black Lives Matter movement, following the police killing of George Floyd on May 25. With famous artists and major music labels joining the

PeopleJune 3, 2020

'A French Woman’: about a woman who belongs nowhere

Following a sequence of surreal scenes in the film “A French Woman” by director Kim Hee-jung, the viewers will be hit by an unexpectedly realistic message especially apt in this period of the pandemic. “A French Woman” follows Mi-ra, a Korean with French citizenship, who visits her home country for the first time in a long time. Reunited with her old friends Young-eun and Sung-woo, Mi-ra travels back and forth in time, visiting moments in her past, especially those rela

FilmJune 3, 2020