YouTube spotlights Korean game content creators

YouTube held a mentoring program that focused on the development of Korean game-related content creators this week. Creator mentoring program YouTube NextUp was held for the first time in Korea in Seoul from Monday to Wednesday, inviting 12 game content creators, who shared videos of themselves playing mobile and PC games. According to YouTube, game content creators with 1,000 to 100,000 subscribers were invited to apply for the program. More than 120 creators signed up, and YouTube employe

TelevisionNov. 13, 2019

First-generation variety show emcees reach new career heights

Comedians Yoo Jae-suk and Kang Ho-dong were top hosts on local TV entertainment programs for more than a decade.In the 2010s, they led countless smash hit variety and reality shows including "Infinite Challenge," "Running Man," "Two Days, One Night" and "Golden Fishery" and swept year-end TV awards given to the brightest entertainers of the year.But their presence had diminished in the last few years as the media landscape expanded to cable TV channels and

TelevisionNov. 13, 2019

Chinese novelist Yan Lianke to meet local readers with upcoming Korean editions

Chinese novelist Yan Lianke is known for realistically describing Chinese society in his novels, naturally unveiling unpleasant sides the privileged class would prefer to keep in the dark. “Although China has grown to a superpower, becoming one of the ‘G2,’ I want people to have more interest in the lives of the ordinary people in China,“ Yan, 61, said on the recent China-US trade war at a press conference held in Seoul Tuesday. ”China’s economy has improved s

BooksNov. 12, 2019

[ASEAN-ROK summit] ASEAN Cinema Week 2019 to be hosted in Busan

A film festival showcasing works from Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states will take place in Busan on Friday and Saturday, on the sidelines of the upcoming ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit. The venue for ASEAN Cinema Week 2019 -- ASEAN Cinema NOW! is the Busan Cinema Center, a landmark of the southern port city that is best known for hosting the annual Busan International Film Festival. Ten films will be screened at the ASEAN event, one from each member state. The films are &ldquo

CultureNov. 12, 2019

[Video] Exhibition offers unique joy of taking pictures

Karl Lagerfeld famously said, “Pictures capture a moment that is gone forever, impossible to reproduce.” Whipping out a camera and taking photos yourself helps you grab the precious memories. This is mainly because when you see yourself in pictures, you can flashback to how you laughed, posed and even smiled during that particular click. The Korea Herald’s intern reporters visited today’s trendiest photo studio exhibition, located in Garosugil, southern Seoul, and explore

Arts & DesignNov. 12, 2019

Yoon Jung-hee, beloved actress and icon of Korean cinema

The nationwide reaction to the recent news that Yoon Jung-hee has Alzheimer’s disease was a testament to her place in South Korean cinema today.　Yoon, perhaps not the best-known actress to the younger crowds as she appeared in only one film after 1994, commanded the spotlight in the 1960s and 1970s as one of a “troika” of actresses considered the best and most influential of their time. The other two were Moon Hee and Nam Jeong-im. Born in 1944 as Son Mi-ja, she debuted in 1967

FilmNov. 12, 2019

Wolmi Sea Train celebrates 1-month anniversary

Wolmi Sea Train, a monorail connecting the island of Wolmido to Incheon, celebrated one month of operations Friday.The monorail sold 37,365 tickets in the first month of its existence, according to Incheon Transit Corporation. It added that the number of people using nearby Incheon Station had jumped 25 percent.Enterprises at Wolmido have been launching promotional products related to the Wolmido Sea Train; for example, those who arrive by train can buy tickets for the Wolmido Cruise at 15,000 w

TravelNov. 12, 2019

Park Jin-young returns as singer with vaudeville-style number

Park Jin-young, the founder and chief producer of JYP Entertainment, will return as a singer next month with a vaudeville-inspired fusion song, his agency said Tuesday.The singer-songwriter-cum-entrepreneur, also known as J.Y. Park, will officially release the song, "Fever," on Dec. 1, returning to the K-pop scene as an entertainer, according to the K-pop agency.  The self-produced song brings together the vaudeville music genre with hip-hop. Its choreography is also a reinterpret

PerformanceNov. 12, 2019

‘Parasite’ biggest commercial success among foreign films in N. America this year

The Cannes-winning Korean film “Parasite” has garnered more than $11 million in revenue in North America, becoming the most commercially successful foreign language title of this year so far, industry data showed Monday. The film’s revenue from the one-month period since its North American release on Oct. 11 till Sunday came to $11.28 million, according to the data by the US box office and the American magazine Variety. This marks the most revenue garnered by a foreign-lan

FilmNov. 11, 2019

‘Women can be great conductors,’ without qualifiers

Cellist-turned-conductor Chang Han-na will embark on a South Korean tour with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra from Wednesday to Sunday. Chang, 37, is the artistic leader and chief conductor of the Norway-based orchestra. The orchestra’s first-ever Korean tour will kick off at the Seoul Arts Center on Friday, followed by concerts in Busan (Thursday), Daegu (Saturday) and Iksan (Sunday). The program includes Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 1

PerformanceNov. 11, 2019

Korean society through the eyes of a female minjung artist

Just a few minutes ahead of the exhibition tour on Thursday, Nho Won-hee, 71, asked visitors for their names. With a pen in her hand, Nho approached her painting “People in the Square” (2018) and started to write their names on the canvas.“It’s OK,” she said of her rather unusual decision to modify a work on display on the spot. “I have already been adding the names of the people who came to see the exhibition. I have been adding any names of individuals, both

Arts & DesignNov. 11, 2019

Singer Kim Gun-mo to end tour in February

Singer Kim Gun-mo, who will tie the knot with a pianist in January, will wrap up his nationwide concert tour in February. The 51-year-old has been touring the nation since December 2016, a month after he released the EP “50” in celebration of the 25th anniversary of his debut.  The final stop of the two-year tour will be held at KSPO Dome in Olympic Park in eastern Seoul on Feb. 29. Since his debut in 1992, Kim has been one of the most celebrated artists with his unique voice, r

PerformanceNov. 11, 2019

'Parasite' biggest commercial success among foreign films in North America this year

The Cannes-winning Korean film "Parasite" has garnered more than $11 million in revenue in North America, becoming the most commercially successful foreign language title of this year so far, industry data showed Monday.The film's revenue from the one-month period since its North American release on Oct. 11 till Sunday came to $11.28 million, according to the data by the US box office and the American magazine Variety.  This marks the most revenue garnered by a foreign-language ti

FilmNov. 11, 2019

Audition show's fall from grace derails high-flying careers of winning bands

A fall from grace by "Produce 101," South Korea's most sensational idol audition show to date, is derailing the burgeoning K-pop careers of the show's winners.Last week, police put in custody An Joon-young, the director of the Mnet cable show, and the program's chief producer over suspicions of rigging the results of the fan-voted competition show's four seasons.The police have reportedly secured circumstantial evidence alluding to the production staff's collusion with talent agencies

PerformanceNov. 11, 2019

Senior citizen group hosts hanbok fashion show to bring harmony to society

The Korea Senior Star Association, a civic group for senior citizens, hosted a fashion show Saturday to promote the beauty of the Korean traditional costume, hanbok, and break down the barriers that divide generations.Around 1,000 people attended the event, titled “Our Beautiful Costume Hanbok That Moves Forward Into the Future,” held at Namsangol Hanok Village, a collection of five Korean traditional houses at the foot of Namsan’s north side. “We hope this event hel

CultureNov. 10, 2019

J Ahn’s photographs capture daily life in urban setting

Photographer J Ahn is holding her solo exhibition at Art Space J in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Titled “City Colors II,” introduces photographs taken on Ahn’s travels to major urban tourist destinations, such as New York, Paris and Seoul. 　 The latest exhibition, which is the second edition of her 2009 exhibition “City Colors,” features 52 photographs. Each city has its own color, and the photographer’s aim is to capture the different colors. “I grew up

Arts & DesignNov. 10, 2019

With 2 more Big Bang members discharged from military, what now?

Taeyang and Daesung of K-pop group Big Bang returned to civilian life on Sunday after finishing their 20-month compulsory military service, drawing attention on Big Bang’s next move with all members now having completed military service. The two vocalists -- who enlisted in March last year -- greeted hundreds of fans who gathered to congratulate them on their discharge early Sunday morning at Ground Operation Command in Yongin, Gyeonggi province. “I have spent meaningful time an

PerformanceNov. 10, 2019

Structural artist weaves a tangled web

Bolting out of his chair during a press conference at a restaurant next to Gallery Hyundai, artist Tomas Saraceno headed straight for a small maintenance closet where cleaning tools were kept. Saraceno opened the door, looked up at the corners and pointed at a spider web. “There is a work of art,” he said. This rather eccentric Argentine artist based in Berlin was at Gallery Hyundai on Oct. 30 for his solo exhibition, which features a series that has gained attention not just wi

Arts & DesignNov. 10, 2019

As 2019 draws to a close, a preview of Korea’s 2020 film scene

As 2019 slips away, it’s clear that comedy and Hollywood blockbusters have dominated South Korea’s box office this year.Four films -- two domestic and two Hollywood blockbusters -- have broken the 10 million ticket sales mark this year. “Extreme Job” became the second most successful film in Korean box office history with 16.2 million and the top-selling comedy, while “Avengers: Endgame” became the most successful foreign film of all time. They were followed b

FilmNov. 10, 2019

BIGBANG members set to return to show biz amid ongoing scandal

With all of its members coming back to public life over the weekend, popular K-pop band BIGBANG is set to return to show business, but the future of the group remains unknown due to an ongoing corruption scandal.As a well-known fashion icon across Asia, its leader G-Dragon, who was discharged from the military on Oct. 26, resumed his entertainment activities with a fashion collaboration with Nike.He participated in designing the US-based firm's flagship sneaker line of the Air Force 1 Para-noise

PerformanceNov. 10, 2019