[Weekender] Like it hot!

Late last month, two giant chili statues occupied a corner of Seoul Plaza, in front of City Hall, drawing interest from foreign tourists and passers-by. The air carried the unmistakable scent of the fiery spice. Farmers’ booths nearby had loads of freshly harvested, sun-dried red chilies, ready to be ground into gochu-garu -- chili powder -- or to be aged into thick, fermented chili paste, gochujang. The Aug. 27-29 Yeongyang H.O.T. Festival led to on-the-spot sales and delivery orders

FoodSept. 6, 2019

William Lim, architect of many things

William Lim wears many hats. He is a Hong Kong-based architect, artist, art collector and educator, though he is best known for having designed the glass building standing on Hong Kong’s Queen’s Road Central.Speaking with The Korea Herald after delivering a lecture on art collecting at Seoul Auction Gangnam Center on Monday, Lim said he is a regular visitor to South Korea.  This time, he went to the historic city of Gyeongju, where he visited Bulguksa, a famous Buddhist temple t

Arts & DesignSept. 5, 2019

Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism to kicks off Saturday

The 2019 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism is set to begin its 65-day run, starting Saturday. Titled “Collective City,” the event explores the interactive relationship between architecture and urbanism through exhibitions, programs and extra activities. Organized by the Seoul Design Foundation, the biennale was inaugurated in 2017. “We hope to suggest an alternative for the future of cities. The biennale is to function as a place where people can start a discourse on

Arts & DesignSept. 5, 2019

MMCA’s Deoksugung outdoor project remembers Gojong, last Joseon king

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea kicks off an outdoor exhibition in the area around Deoksugung and its main branch in Samcheong-dong on Thursday.“Architecture and Heritage: Unearthing Future” features works by architects from five architectural firms based in Asia -- Space Popular, CL3, Bureau Spectacular, OBBA and Obra Architects.It celebrates the 100th anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement and the death of Emperor Gojong, the last king of the Jos

Arts & DesignSept. 4, 2019

BIFF award recipients to open and close this year’s festival

Films by directors who previously received commendations will open and close the upcoming 24th Busan International Film Festival, which organizers said was a testament to the annual film festival’s contributions to the Asian film scene.Opening BIFF 2019 is “The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time” by Kazakhstan’s Yerlan Nurmukhambetov and Japan’s Lisa Takeba. The film is about a boy, his encounter with horse thieves and his life after his childhood is dismantled following

FilmSept. 4, 2019

BTS agency to hold global audition to launch girl group in 2021

The music label of boy band BTS said Wednesday it will throw a global audition this year to launch a K-pop girl group around 2021."In cooperation with Source Music, Big Hit is set to host the 'Plus Global Audition' to recruit members for a new girl group with a view to get it to debut in 2021," Big Hit Entertainment said, referring to the label for GFriend, which was merged into Big Hit earlier this year. The global audition will start off with its first sessions in Los Angeles and New

PerformanceSept. 4, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Bad Guys’ epitomizes why we love Don Lee

Don Lee, known here better by his Korean name Ma Dong-seok, has a unique place in Korean cinema. Never before had a muscle-bound, middle-aged man -- who looks like he could move a tank with his right hook -- become the image of “cuddly and cute.” What’s more bizarre is that he built the image not by playing family-friendly roles, but by bashing bad guys’ brains on screen.Comparisons of Lee to pro wrestling superstar and Hollywood darling Dwayne “The Rock” John

FilmSept. 4, 2019

Royal palaces and tombs open doors to all during Chuseok

Joseon-era landmarks of royal tombs and palaces in Seoul and adjacent areas will be open free of charge during the upcoming Chuseok holidays, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Tuesday.This measure applies to the palaces Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung and Changgyeonggung along with Jongmyo Shrine, all located in the center of Seoul in Jung-gu and Jongno, from Sept. 12-15. Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, registered as on the UNESCO World Heritage list and distributed across th

CultureSept. 3, 2019

'The Passionate Keyboard' of young pianists

Though the label “young pianist” may be subjective, “The Passionate Keyboard” event defines them as artists with potential and talent who have yet to become fully established. The Passionate Keyboard, a five-day event organized by Young Artist Forum & Festival, is aimed at finding such young pianists. The inaugural event featuring five performances, a pitch session and a forum will be held at the Sejong Center in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, Oct. 8-12. “We chose

PerformanceSept. 3, 2019

Fans create forest in celebration of BTS leader's birthday

In celebration of the 25th birthday of RM, the leader of the popular boy band BTS, his fans created a forest in his name at a public park along the Han River in Seoul, an environmental group said Tuesday.Some 250 fans gathered around the landmark clock tower on the Jamsil side of Han River Park last Saturday to celebrate RM's birthday, which falls on Sept. 12, with the forestation project, according to the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement.   The fans planted 1,250 trees at

PerformanceSept. 3, 2019

Amid divorce row, actress Ku Hye-sun temporarily suspends show biz career

Actress Ku Hye-sun, engulfed in a widely publicized divorce row, announced Monday that she will temporarily suspend her show business career. "Ku Hye-sun will halt her show business activities. She plans to resume her academic career at Sungkyunkwan University," an official at Liwu Law Group, representing the actress, told Yonhap News Agency. The news came one day after Ku alluded to the departure on her Instagram account.Announcing the release of her new book, "I Am Your Pet

TelevisionSept. 2, 2019

Yang Hae-gue brings world of transformations, juxtapositions to Seoul

Yang Hae-gue has turned a gallery space into a place full of ill-matched images. Colors on the walls both dazzle and confuse visitors. Sitting in the middle are sonic and mobile sculptures. Scented gym balls roll between movable versions of her signature venetian-blind sculptures. And shallow layers of artificial fog from the corners fill the floor. Berlin-based Korean artist Yang is holding a solo exhibition titled “When the Year 2000 Comes” at Kukje Gallery, Samcheong-dong, Seoul.

Arts & DesignSept. 2, 2019

BoA to hold Seoul concert in October

BoA will hold a stand-alone concert in Seoul next month, her agency said Monday.According to S.M. Entertainment, the singer will take the stage at the Olympic Hall within Olympic Park, southern Seoul, Oct. 26-27. It will be her first concert in South Korea since December.Tickets will be made available at local online booking website Yes 24 at 8 p.m. on Sept. 19, and members of her official fan club will be able to book the tickets two days earlier at 8 p.m. Sept. 17. Prior to the concert, BoA wi

PerformanceSept. 2, 2019

EDC Korea attracts 90,000 with creative stage designs

Electric Daisy Carnival Korea premiered last weekend, attracting some 90,000 festivalgoers for two days of electronic dance music at Seoul Land.The event, known as EDC Korea and hosted by US festival company Insomniac for the past 23 years, is based in Las Vegas but travels around the world to countries including Mexico, China and Japan. The global festival landed in South Korea for the first time this year at Seoul Land, an amusement park in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, a 30-minute drive from c

PerformanceSept. 2, 2019

LDP's 'Triple Bill' blends different contemporary dance choreographers

Laboratory Dance Project, a South Korean contemporary dance company that marks its 20th anniversary next year, is collaborating with guest choreographers in a project that might just lead to a stylistic breakthrough. 　The dance company has invited two well-known Korean choreographers, Jung Young-doo and Kim Seol-jin, in “Triple Bill,” its latest production that will run Sept. 26-29 at LG Arts Center in Seoul.“There is no reason not to be open to collaboration,” LDP&r

PerformanceSept. 1, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Tazza: One Eyed Jack’ a mediocre, but fun sequel

All that glitters is not gold, and all hit films are not masterpieces. But just because a movie isn’t that well made doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyable.Director Kwon Oh-kwang’s “Tazza: One Eyed Jack,” the third in a series about swindling gamblers, is a far cry from a masterpiece, but manages to be fun and loose in its own way. It trades in most of the characters and philosophy of the original comic book that it was based on for a much simpler story and origin

FilmSept. 1, 2019

Taste of Argentina in Seoul

Park Hyatt Seoul recently held the Argentina-inspired gastronomy event “Comilona” as part of the global hotel brand’s Masters of Food & Wine program. Comilona, a Spanish word meaning “a feast” in English, is a nomad food festival held by Argentine chefs. It was founded in 2014 by three chefs -- Diego Jacquet, Soledad Nardelli and Martin Baquero -- hoping to introduce the culinary arts of their home country.  The festival travels around the world and is host

FoodAug. 30, 2019

Perfume brand launches cologne for pets

Local perfume brand Edenique has launched a label exclusively for pets. Comoella Puppy Label comprises three types of cologne approved as quasi-drugs for animals. The scents were inspired by lavender, lilac and apple mango. The products are being sold through online channels and offline shops for pet-related products. According to the brand, they are set to be exported to Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, the US, Brazil and more.  “Components harmful for humans are harmful to animals,

CultureAug. 30, 2019

Korea, Japan, China vow cultural cooperation despite diplomatic spat

Despite diplomatic and trade tension between Korea and Japan, the two countries, along with China, laid the groundwork Friday for cultural cooperation over the next 10 years.Culture Minister Park Yang-woo and his counterparts Masahiko Shibayama and Luo Shugang signed the Incheon Declaration containing the 10-year vision during the 11th annual meeting of cultural ministers of the three countries in Incheon. The declaration stated that the conference -- first held in China in 2007 -- has contribut

CultureAug. 30, 2019

[Eye Plus] Garden of dignity

In the forest of the Soswaewon garden in Damyang, South Jeolla Province, there stands a colony of bamboo trees that symbolize the pride of the “seonbi,” the noble scholars of the Joseon era (1392-1910).Standing upright and reaching straight toward the sky, bamboos were seen as a symbol of dignity and the principles of the scholars. Built in the 16th century by Yang San-bo, the garden functioned as a place where great scholars of the time interacted with each other, discussing politic

TravelAug. 30, 2019