[Herald Review] How ‘World of Married’ escaped being cliche love affair story

At first sight, JTBC’s new Friday-Saturday series “The World of the Married” seems like just another average Korean love affair TV drama, but this one seems to be taking a different path. Ji Sun-woo, played by 53-year-old veteran actress Kim Hee-ae, is simply perfect: an established doctor at work, an ideal wife and a doting mother. She faces a personal crisis in life when she finds out her husband Tae-oh is having an affair. The series does not drag on with the cliche story

TelevisionApril 10, 2020

Amid COVID-19 scare, drive-thrus proliferate, from Korean short ribs to fresh seafood

While Korea’s drive-thru testing for the novel coronavirus grabbed the attention of countries across the world, the drive-thru model is recently being applied to other sectors of life here. Customers can now pick up diverse culinary dishes through drive-thru services, minimizing the chances of virus infection while still enjoying the delicacies. Drive for galbi and samgyetang Recently, a variety of Korean dishes, from galbi -- the short ribs widely enjoyed as Korean barbecue -- to samg

CultureApril 10, 2020

Actor Lee Tae-ri makes Hollywood debut with film ‘Anastasia’

South Korean actor Lee Tae-ri’s Hollywood debut film “Anastasia: Once Upon a Time” was released in the US on Tuesday, his agency said Friday. According to Starhaus Entertainment, the film was released through major cable networks and video streaming platforms, such as Amazon, iTunes and Google Play Movie, in the US. The Korean release date has not yet been confirmed yet. In the film adaptation of the classic 1997 animation film of the same title, the 27-year-old actor takes

FilmApril 10, 2020

COVID-19 is spurring galleries to evolve

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country earlier this year, it was something the art world never expected. It was particularly challenging for art galleries, which believed artworks were best appreciated in person at the gallery. But the unprecedentedly prolonged viral threat has changed things. Galleries had to come up with creative ways to reach out to people who are practicing social distancing. They held virtual reality exhibitions, online press conferences and private tours. And the g

Arts & DesignApril 10, 2020

'Time to Hunt’ release postponed again

  Netflix announced Thursday that it would tentatively push back the release of “Time to Hunt” after a local court prohibited the film’s distribution by Netflix outside South Korea. “Due to the court ruling yesterday, we’ve been forced to postpone the global premiere of ‘Time to Hunt,’” Netflix said in an official statement. The global release had been scheduled for April 10. The dystopian action film from Yoon Sung-hyun, which was origin

FilmApril 9, 2020

MMCA awarded Exhibition of the Year at Asia Art Pioneers Award

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) was co-awarded at the Asia Art Pioneers Award 2019 for the exhibition “Awakenings: Art in society in Asia 1960s-1990s” which was held last year at the museum’s Gwacheon venue. The exhibition, which was co-hosted by South Korea, Singapore and Japan, encompasses artworks from 100 representative artists from the late 18th century in 13 Asian countries. The tour of the exhibition started in Japan in October 2018 an

Arts & DesignApril 9, 2020

LTI Korea to start education program to foster webtoon, movie translators

Literature Translation Institute of Korea on Thursday announced that it will start a program to foster professional translators of Korean cultural content. The 12-week program will teach how to translate Korean movies and webtoons into English, Spanish and Vietnamese. The classes will begin on June 15 and around 10 students for each language will be selected. Anyone who has a bachelor’s degree with official language test scores can apply for the program. LTI Korea will accept applica

CultureApril 9, 2020

Information on Silla’s Wolseong Palace made available in 3 languages

The Cultural Heritage Administration on Wednesday announced that it has created material about the site of Wolseong, also known as Moon Palace, in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, in three foreign languages -- English, Chinese, Japanese. Wolseong was a royal dwelling of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D. 935), and stood until the kingdom collapsed. An archaeological dig by the CHA in 2017 led to the discovery of bones of two people under the west walls of Wolseong Palace, suggesting that the

CultureApril 9, 2020

Beyond podcasts: Audio content flourishes

In 1979, the British band Buggles lamented that “video killed the radio star,” predicting the end of the audio era. Over 40 years later, audio content is not just surviving, they are seeing a new possibility with changes in the media environment. Podcasts are now well-established, coming to prominence overseas in the 2000s. In Korea, podcasts caught on in the early 2010s and have since been enjoying a steady growth. Podbbang, the country’s biggest podcast application with a

CultureApril 8, 2020

Antenna to hold relay live stream, ‘Everything is OK’

Musicians of Antenna Music will hold a live stream concert for fans stuck at home due to the spread of COVID-19. Antenna music posted an official poster for the event on its social media page Sunday announcing the line-up for the event. “Everything is OK, with Antenna” will be held for four days on April 11, 12, 18 and 19 starting at 8 p.m. on its official YouTube channel. The online music festival will feature all 11 artists of Antenna starting with Toy (Yoo Hee-yeol) and Lee Jin

PerformanceApril 8, 2020

‘Phantom of Opera’ extends show suspension to April 22

The Seoul run of the musical “The Phantom of the Opera” will be suspended until April 22. After a Canadian female ensemble cast member was confirmed with COVID-19 infection on March 31, the show was halted through Tuesday. Another COVID-19 case involving a male cast member led to the organizers putting the show on hold until April 22.  The rest of the 128-member team tested negative for COVID-19. The crew, however, remains in self-quarantine at a serviced residence in Jongn

PerformanceApril 8, 2020

Coloring back into Joseon era

  While coloring books have recently come into the limelight as a great stress reliever for adults, coloring minhwa with colored pencils has recently been attracting more interest amid the prolonged COVID-19 threat. Minhwa, which refers to Korea’s folk painting style, prospered during the Joseon era (1392-1910). The art form, though it originated among commoners, was widely enjoyed among people regardless of their social classes. Minhwa reflects people’s wishes, as each draw

Arts & DesignApril 8, 2020

Churches prepare for Easter with online services, drive-in-worship

Local churches laid out their plans for Easter this coming Sunday after the government announced Saturday that it was extending its social distancing campaign for another two weeks. Initially, South Korean churches hoped they could normalize their activities this Monday, the day after Palm Sunday. Holy Week, the week preceding Easter, is a meaningful time in the church calendar. Nonetheless, due to COVID-19, most of Korea’s Protestant megachurches have decided to hold their Easter serv

CultureApril 7, 2020

NGC to highlight traditional art performers online

Keeping up with the trend of online streaming for art performances amid the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the National Gugak Center plans to support traditional art performers by streaming their performance videos online. The center will offer performance opportunities for 61 artist individuals and teams. Though the center is currently conducting its “Daily Gugak” series -- releasing a video clip that focuses on one instrument or art form at a time every weekday -- this time, the list

PerformanceApril 7, 2020

Actor So Ji-sub, TV presenter Cho Eun-jung tie the knot

Actor So Ji-sub and former TV presenter Cho Eun-jung have tied the knot, So’s agency, 51k, said Tuesday. According to the agency, the 42-year-old actor and his girlfriend of two years registered their marriage Tuesday and are now officially husband and wife. “In respect to the couple’s wish to cherish their happiest and most important moment quietly, the wedding ceremony will be held in private with only family members present,” the agency said in a statement. “

EntertainmentApril 7, 2020

Global project ‘MaytoDay’ to remembering Gwangju Democratic Uprising to launch in May

The Gwangju Biennale Foundation is embarking on a global project titled “MaytoDay” to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising, hosting exhibitions around the world in an effort to promote the spirit of the democratization movement. The project, “MaytoDay,” will take place in five cities in four countries -- Taiwan, South Korea, Germany and Argentina -- from May to November. The project will also be showcased at next year’s Venic

Arts & DesignApril 7, 2020

Korean films expected to hit theaters in summer

Though the ongoing coronavirus crisis has stopped the clock for most industries, some big players in the film scene are sticking to their original plans and preparing to release new works this summer. 　　 In recent months, the local film industry has been struggling hard with the ongoing pandemic. Film productions have been postponed or halted. Numbers of cinemagoers have drastically dropped, hitting the lowest point in history, as people refrain from visiting public spaces.　 Meanwhile, amid s

FilmApril 7, 2020

Indie films set off on screening tour

The Seoul Independent Film Festival on Monday announced the full lineup of its annual screening tour “Indie Picnic,” hosted by the organization. The lineup of 24 independent films that received awards or premiered at last year’s film fest includes five feature-length films and 19 short films. “Evaporated,” by director Kim Sung-min, winner of last year’s award for best long feature, tells the story of the family of a young child who disappears without a tra

FilmApril 6, 2020

Culture Ministry orders affiliated institutions to remain closed until April 19

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Monday that its affiliated institutions -- museums, art galleries, libraries and performance venues -- will remain closed until April 19. The Culture Ministry’s announcement follows the government’s announcement on Saturday that it was extending its social distancing campaign for another two weeks. The campaign was originally scheduled to end Sunday, but the Ministry of Health and Welfare extended it to April 19 in an effort

CultureApril 6, 2020

‘Phantom of Opera’ production confirms 2 cases of COVID-19, others test negative

While two cast members of the international tour of musical “The Phantom of the Opera” have been confirmed with COVID-19 infection, the rest have tested negative. A Canadian ensemble cast member was confirmed with the virus infection on March 31. Two days later, her colleague, an American actor, was also confirmed.  The final test results came Monday, confirming the rest of the 128-member team had tested negative for COVID-19. However, they all remain in self-quarantine at a

PerformanceApril 6, 2020