'Game of Thrones' prequel series confirmed by HBO

LOS ANGELES (AFP) -- A prequel series to "Game of Thrones" titled "House of the Dragon" has been ordered, WarnerMedia announced Tuesday, as it set out launch details for its new HBO Max streaming service.The new show in George RR Martin's epic fantasy world will be set 300 years before the events of TV smash hit "Thrones," and is based on the book "Fire and Blood.""It's my pleasure to announce today that we are ordering 'House of the Dragon' straight

TelevisionOct. 30, 2019

With tears and sweat, BTS wraps up globe-trotting concert tour in home country

Tears and sweat wrapped up K-pop superband BTS' year-long world concert tour in the capital of their home country on Tuesday. The famous home ARMY's fan chant consecutively naming the seven BTS members brought to a close BTS' "Love Yourself" world tour at the thundering Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul, 14 months after the same chant launched the band from here onto the forefront of the world music scene.The finale edition of the three days of concerts officially capped the band's hea

PerformanceOct. 30, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Black Money’ tells a convincing tale in a questionable manner

There is a certain risk in making a movie based on a true story: The creator takes sides and ends up having an agenda. When the audience is on board with the idea, it’s great. Otherwise, it becomes a problem.“Black Money” is a movie that has a clear purpose and a message to get across, which is to raise awareness about the ongoing multibillion-dollar investor-state dispute between the South Korean government and a private equity firm. “‘Black Money’ is differe

FilmOct. 29, 2019

[Herald Interview] YCH to start over as newbie in global fashion scene

Despite the fact that it has been only three years since he launched his own label, designer Yoon Choon-ho is an established name in the fashion scene here.Yoon, a graduate of Istituto Marangoni in Milan, is widely known for having starred in fashion-related TV shows “Project Runway Korea” and “New Sold Out.” The 37-year-old also headed fashion label Arche prior to YCH.  This September, his presence became more internationally established, following his debut at Lon

Arts & DesignOct. 29, 2019

BTS brings historic world tour to close with finale in Seoul

K-pop superband BTS' more than one-year-long globe-trotting concert journey will come to a successful close Tuesday with the finale show in Seoul, the capital of the septet's home country.The final edition of BTS' three-day concerts in Seoul, set for Tuesday evening at Seoul Olympic Stadium, caps the sensational "Love Yourself" world tour and its extension, "Love Yourself: Speak Yourself." The concert tour kicked off in Seoul in August 2018 to promote the band's career-making

PerformanceOct. 29, 2019

Camarata Chamber Singers win national choir award

The Camarata Chamber Singers won the “Best of the Best” Presidential Award at the 23rd National Choral Competition in Daejeon.The multicultural choir was among 40 that entered Saturday’s national choral competition, the only amateur competition recognized with a presidential award. Sixteen choirs made it to the final, where they each sang twice, with at least one Korean song. The Chamber Singers sang “Nyon Nyon” by Jake Runestad, and Aeo-rang, based on a North Korea

PerformanceOct. 29, 2019

Bronx steps in 'Joker' movie become a tourist attraction

NEW YORK (AP) -- Move over, Rocky, there's a new stairway to climb.A set of outdoor steps in the Bronx has become a tourist attraction in recent weeks since the release of the movie "Joker."The stairs are between two buildings on Shakespeare Avenue, about a half-mile from Yankee Stadium. In the movie, lead actor Joaquin Phoenix dances as he goes down the steps, wearing a bright red suit and clown makeup.These days, neighborhood residents using the steps are being joined by tourist

FilmOct. 29, 2019

With special event zones for fans, BTS concerts evolve into ARMY festival

A package of outdoor activities and fan services will be awaiting excited fans at Jamsil Sports Complex in southern Seoul when global superband BTS throws the finale of its world tour this week. The septet is poised to finally wrap up the much-acclaimed "Love Yourself: Speak Yourself" tour in the capital of its home country on Tuesday.The first two of a series of three concerts took place at the complex's Seoul Olympic Stadium over the weekend, entertaining 88,000 fans in total. On Tue

PerformanceOct. 28, 2019

Hungarian surgeon's photos capture dying days of Joseon era

Among Korean men dressed in white traditional garments and women covered with pale green cloak-shaped headgear, Japanese walk in geta, traditional Japanese wooden sandals. Brand new Japanese and German-style houses stand out amid aged Korean homes. These were what Hungarian doctor Dezso Bozoky photographed in 1908 when Korea was undergoing modernization under pressure from Japan, just two years before the country was formally annexed by Japan. As a medical officer, Dezso Bozoky traveled around E

CultureOct. 28, 2019

[Herald Review] Parking lot turns circus tent for Halloween

The first edition of the Escape: Psycho Circus Korea music festival lit up the pre-Halloween weekend in Seoul.The Halloween-themed festival, organized by US festival company Insomniac, landed in Korea this year at the parking lot of Seoul Grand Park in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province. The lot was transformed into a circus-themed wonderland, filled with sounds from more than 27 notable dance music names. The mainstage Slaughter House set up inside a large circus tent featured a stage designed in

PerformanceOct. 28, 2019

Comedienne Park Na-rae's new stand-up show creates buzz in S. Korean show biz

Making off-color jokes is taboo in the South Korean entertainment industry, especially for a woman.Comedians have to be mindful of broadcasting regulations and harsh criticism when they engage in explicit and inventive dirty talking.But Park Na-rae, a 34-year-old who made her debut on KBS' flagship Gag Concert in 2006, is pushing the boundaries in comedy."Park Na-rae: Glamour Warning," which was released on Oct. 16 on global media giant Netflix, is a stand-up comedy that delivers a fun

TelevisionOct. 28, 2019

Netflix to release 'Kingdom' season 2 next year

Global media giant Netflix said Monday its original Korean drama series "Kingdom" will return for a second season next year.The first season of "Kingdom," a genre-defining six-episode zombie mystery thriller set in the last Korean kingdom of Joseon, premiered globally on the US video streaming service in January. "The second season of Netflix's original 'Kingdom' will be released in March next year," the US-based company said in a press release.In the new season, th

TelevisionOct. 28, 2019

9 in 10 K-pop fans want to visit S. Korea: poll

Nine in 10 K-pop fans would like to visit South Korea in the future, a survey showed Monday, highlighting K-pop's positive impact on the local tourism sector.In a survey of 12,663 people in 111 countries who identified themselves as K-pop fans, 89.8 percent of the respondents said they would like to visit the country, according to the Korea Tourism Organization. Of those who expressed their desire to visit South Korea, 76.4 percent said they would like to visit within a year."K-pop's popula

PerformanceOct. 28, 2019

TWICE announces Tokyo Dome edition of world tour

K-pop girl band TWICE will hit the Tokyo Dome stadium next year on a new Tokyo leg of its ongoing world tour, the band's management agency said Monday. The girl band is currently on the globe-trotting concert tour, with its Japanese leg having kicked off last week in Hokkaido. According to JYP Entertainment on Monday, the ongoing Japanese leg will newly include two days of concerts at Tokyo Dome from March 3-4.It will be the girl band's second year in a row to perform at one of Japan's biggest c

PerformanceOct. 28, 2019

Despite Penderecki’s absence, SIMF continues with Polish-themed concerts

In spite of numerous hiccups -- the biggest one being the unexpected absence of Polish maestro Krzysztof Penderecki -- the 11th Seoul International Music Festival kicked off as planned and continues to introduce classical music to a wider audience. The 86-year-old composer and conductor was to visit South Korea for a concert Saturday at the Seoul Arts Center, but canceled a few days prior due to health concerns. Polish composer Maciej Tworek filled in and led the KBS Symphony Orchestra for

PerformanceOct. 27, 2019

Jonasson's '100-Year-Old Man' meets Kim Jong-un in sequel

Bestselling Swedish novelist Jonas Jonasson visited South Korea upon the release of his latest novel, “The Accidental Further Adventures of the 100-Year-Old Man,” a sequel to his bestseller “The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared.” Jonasson’s first story about 100-year-old Allan Karlson sold more than 10 million copies around the world and was made into a film. Though the sequel came out in English in July 2018, it took more than a year f

BooksOct. 27, 2019

Hospitality students in Switzerland look for job opportunities at IRF 2019

MONTREUX, Switzerland -- Swiss Education Group held its 22nd International Recruitment Forum from Oct. 21-22, inviting 56 hotel businesses from around the world and students from five hospitality schools under the group -- Cesar Ritz Colleges, Swiss Hotel Management School, Hotel Institute Montreux, IHTTI School Of Hotel Management and Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland. SEG students are required to finish two internships to graduate, and the IRF forum -- held twice a year -- is an opportuni

TravelOct. 27, 2019

[Newsmaker] G-Dragon discharged from military

G-Dragon, the leader of K-pop boy band BIGBANG, was discharged from the military Saturday, bracing himself for a return to show business. Meeting with media and fans in front of the Ground Operations Command in Yongin, south of Seoul, G-Dragon, whose real name is Kwon Ji-yong, thanked his fans for their support. Some 3,000 fans came to the military base to greet the 31-year-old singer.   "I want to thank all the fans who have been waiting for me," said Kwon, using a megaphone

PerformanceOct. 26, 2019

Cho Ji-hoon's poems capture beauty of Korean life

“News in brief from New York” was a small book party in which outgoing Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Cho Tae-yul read a poem from “Shedding of the Petals,” the first book of poetry by his father Cho Ji-hoon in English, published here in New York last month. A famous poet in the 1940s-60s, Cho passed away in the late 1960s. I knew both well. I read the senior Cho’s poems during my high school and college days. I met the junior Cho when he started his diplom

BooksOct. 25, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

 Trick or treat at Millennium Hilton Seoul Millennium Hilton Seoul’s all-day buffet dining restaurant Cafe 395 will feature a special Halloween-inspired dessert buffet station in addition to its usual buffet spread, from Saturday to Oct. 31. Creepy fingers cake, eyeball gelatin, witch cupcakes and much more will be prepared at the station, alongside jack-o’-lanterns and other Halloween decorations. Children who come dressed in Halloween costumes will receive a special gift.Cafe

FoodOct. 25, 2019