S. Korea's Confucian academies inscribed on UNESCO list

The Nine Seowon, Confucian academies from the Joseon era, have officially been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration said late Saturday.　The CHA said it had been decided earlier in the day at the 43rd meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Baku, Azerbaijan, that “Seowon, Korean Neo-Confucian Academies” are to be included as a world heritage, bringing the number of South Korean items on the list to 14. 　Seowon were educa

CultureJuly 7, 2019

Boy band Pentagon kicks off world tour

Boy band Pentagon has kicked off a world concert tour, bringing it to 23 cities across the globe, its management agency said Friday.The world tour, named “Prism,” kicked off with its inaugural concert in Seoul in April and will take the band on a journey to perform in 23 cities in Asia, the United States, Europe and South America from August to December.  The list of destinations includes Santiago, Milan, Lisbon, Berlin, Paris, Moscow and Tokyo in addition to major U.S. cities,

PerformanceJuly 5, 2019

‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ continues to echo throughout Korea

It seems like the “Bohemian Rhapsody” phenomenon may never die out, evidenced by the concerts, shows and even a Seoul art exhibition paying tribute to Queen and the band’s legendary frontman Freddie Mercury.Piling onto the onslaught of Queen-mania here, the exhibition “Bohemian Rhapsody: The Queen Exhibition” is to take place at Ara Art Center in Insa-dong, central Seoul, from Sunday to Oct. 6. The exhibition has been officially approved by Queen Productions. 

CultureJuly 5, 2019

Study tips aimed at helping Korean adults to restart learning process

“Let’s Study for 1 Hour Today”By Yang Sung-jin(Memento) In one Simpsons episode, Homer is confronted by a stack of homework that Bart has failed to complete. When Homer is assured he doesn’t have to help his kid to do it, his reaction evokes a mix of pride and awkwardness for many Koreans: “I say this boy needs more homework. … Pile it on! I want him to be Korean by the time he’s done.”Homer’s playful reference to Korea reflects the widespre

BooksJuly 5, 2019

Ivanka Trump makes headlines by donning Korean designer’s dress

White House adviser and first daughter Ivanka Trump turned heads during her recent visit to South Korea by wearing a dress designed by a Korean designer.Trump, known as a fashion enthusiast, arrived in Korea with US President Donald Trump last Saturday. During a forum held Sunday to discuss gender role issues at Grand Hyatt Seoul, she sported an ivory coat-style dress.  The dress was designed by designer Jong Go-en who leads her namesake label Goen.J. The creation was a part of the 2019 Re

Arts & DesignJuly 5, 2019

[Weekender] Behind South Korea’s ‘fatcaron’ sensation

Around 8 o’ clock on a recent Sunday morning, more than 30 people waited in line outside a building in eastern Seoul. At the end of the line stood a sign reading “You will not be able to buy from here on.” Just before 9 a.m., a man came out, opened the door and started clearing the street where people stood in line, as they rushed into a small shop. Inside, there’re no tables, just a stack full of very fat and thick macarons. In less than 50 minutes, the door closed again

FoodJuly 5, 2019

[Eye Plus] Making science fun for kids

With the summer vacation season now upon us, parents with school-aged children can visit city-run science centers for kids instead of crowded indoor playgrounds and shopping malls. The Seoul Metropolitan Government runs a center in Hagye-dong, Nowon-gu, where children and teens can have fun learning about science. The Seoul Science Center is a three-story building on 12,330 square meters of land, with four exhibition halls. It is the first city-run science museum in the northern part of the city

CultureJuly 5, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Spider-Man: Far From Home(US) Opened July 2Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi Directed by Jon WattsPeter Parker (Tom Holland), aka Spider-Man, is unsure of himself and is torn between wanting a normal life as a high school student and wanting to shoulder his responsibilities as a superhero. Peter decides to use the school field trip to Europe to get close to Michelle “MJ” Jones (Zendaya), for whom he has developed affection, but troubles follow him, as well as a run-in with a mysterious super

FilmJuly 5, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Korean bingsu with Danish flair at Grand InterContinental Seoul ParnasIn celebration of its 30th anniversary, Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas presents bingsu in collaboration with Danish porcelain brand Royal Copenhagen.Retro Mugwort Bingsu will be served in an exquisite bowl from Royal Copenhagen until the end of August. The bingsu comes with mugwort jelly, mugwort-flavored fresh chocolate, mugwort-flavored condensed milk, injeolmi rice cake, adzuki beans and granola on top.Those who order

FoodJuly 5, 2019

Housemade pasta and more at It’el JAE

When the tajarin arrives tableside at the newly minted It’el JAE, it is a decadent, mouthwatering affair -- a sumptuous tangle of handmade pasta bathed in sage-infused butter, strewn with translucent slices of black truffle and showered with pungent Pecorino and Grana Padano cheeses. A barely poached yolk, golden and glossy, is nestled in the center. After politely waiting for diners to document the dish in photos, the servers use a fork and spoon to break the yolk and delicately blend eve

FoodJuly 5, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Mega Wave Festival at Caribbean Bay The Caribbean Bay water park at Everland is celebrating summer with a 50-day Mega Wave Festival.The festival, which kicked off June 21 and runs through Aug. 18, offers flyboard performances and other fun events for visitors of all ages. The Mega Pool Party music festival, which takes place at the wave pool and features popular acts like Mamamoo and DinDin, is one of the highlights. Outdoor attractions such as the Aqualoop and Water Bobsleigh will be rolled out

TravelJuly 5, 2019

[Herald Interview] Living the Korean dream at the pool table

Sports stars often say they never expected to become such big players. This is easy to believe from Sruong Pheavy, the Cambodian-born Korean billiards star. She had absolutely no reason to believe she would become the women’s three-cushion champion in South Korea: She had never grabbed a cue before coming here.Pheavy, 29, came to Korea about 10 years ago to marry her husband, Kim Man-sik. Kim, twice her age, runs a small printing shop in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. Like so many c

PeopleJuly 5, 2019

[Weekender] The dessert craze

Beside a coin launderette and a convenience store inside a dowdy, two-story building in a not-so-fancy residential neighborhood in Gayang-dong, Seoul, nestles a small dessert shop specializing in French macarons. Selling the colorful confections for 1,800 ($1.55) to 2,300 won apiece, shop owner and baker Kim Hyun-seo also makes party favor boxes and occasionally hosts macaron-baking classes. “Being a dessert lover myself, I have been baking at home for years and recently decided to open a

FoodJuly 5, 2019

[Graphic News] Number of museums to rise to 1,310 by 2023

　The number of museums, including art galleries, in South Korea will increase by 16 percent over the next five years under a government proposal to make representative cultural infrastructure more accessible to the public, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said.　The ministry unveiled a medium and long-term museum expansion plan to raise the number of museums nationwide by 186 from the current 1,124 to 1,310 in 2023.　By the target year, the nation will have 1,013 museums, up from 873, a

CultureJuly 4, 2019

Korean sitcom on multicultural families in Jeju exported to Vietnam

Korean sitcom “Haiphong Families,” which deals with the realities of multicultural families here, will soon be shown in Vietnam.Aired from May to October last year, the 20-episode sitcom by broadcaster KCTV Jeju was sold to Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group, a state-operated company that is the second-largest entity in the country.  This marks the first time a program by a regional cable broadcaster in Korea is being exported to Vietnam, according to KCTV Jeju. The one-

TelevisionJuly 4, 2019

[Herald Interview] Chef without restaurant but 1 million diners

Though she does not have a restaurant, there are still nearly 1 million diners who enjoy Gabriela Kook’s food around the globe. 　More widely known as Kook Gabie, or Gabie Kook, Kook, 30, is a content creator, who shares her life via YouTube. Her videos have diverse subjects from lifestyle to beauty, but she is most well-known for her recipe videos. “Everything led me to cooking and eating,” Kook said during an interview held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on Wednesday as a part of th

PeopleJuly 4, 2019

[Herald Interview] Drag queen singer opens up new future for traditional Korean music

Korean singer Lee Hee-moon sometimes goes onstage in gender-bending attire. Wearing a curly wig and high heels, Lee commands the stage, backed by a rock band.The music, however, is inspired by traditional Korean music. 　Though gugak -- Korean traditional music -- singers are usually associated with an old-fashioned image, Lee sets himself apart with his music, manner and appearance. The Korea Herald met with the 44-year-old singer for an interview at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on Wednesday. He was a

PeopleJuly 4, 2019

WINNER stages seven-city tour in Japan

Four-piece K-pop boy band WINNER has started its sixth Japanese tour that will take it to seven cities, its management agency said Thursday.As the first leg of its "WINNER Japan Tour 2019," the group held a concert at Nakano Sun Plaza Hall in Tokyo on Wednesday, according to YG Entertainment. During the two-hour concert, WINNER performed 25 songs, including its latest number "Ah Yeah," "Really Really" and "Everyday.""We want to show our maturity on th

PerformanceJuly 4, 2019

Disney live-action ‘Little Mermaid’ to star a black Ariel

R&B singer Halle Bailey is to play Ariel in a live-action version of “The Little Mermaid,” she said Wednesday, in a rare casting of a black actress as a Disney princess.Bailey, 19, who rose to fame under the wing of pop queen Beyonce, said it was a “dream come true” to play the lead role. She tweeted a cartoon image of the princess in which the traditionally red-headed Ariel has dark skin, brown eyes and black hair. Director Rob Marshall said Bailey had been cast afte

FilmJuly 4, 2019

CJ ENM launches project to promote its child celebrities

CJ ENM said Wednesday it was seeking to develop the next generation of celebrities through its cartoon and anime channel Tooniverse, dubbed “Toonistar” proejct.The cable channel announced the key projects for the second half of 2019, including the upcoming broadcast of its new children’s anime series, during a press conference in Seoul.According to Tooniverse producer Park Yong-jin, Tooniverse has selected seven children through auditions on the basis of their acting, dancing a

TelevisionJuly 3, 2019