Korean Literature Showcase hopes to pave way for ‘K-literature’ trend

While the Seoul International Book Fair is set to open next week, the Korean Literature Showcase will take place from June 18 to 22 at the Coex Convention and Exhibition Center.Organized by the Korean Culture and Information Service, the event, launched last year, aims to introduce and promote Korean literature to other parts of the world.  This year, 10 overseas publishers from 10 countries who are interested in publishing translations of Korean literature are participating. Around 30 loca

CultureJune 11, 2019

Blockbuster 'Arthdal Chronicles' under fire for similarity with famous dramas, films

The blockbuster fantasy series "Arthdal Chronicles" has been struggling not only with its lower-than-expected viewership ratings but with a ballooning controversy over its apparent resemblance to famous TV dramas and movies.First aired on June 1 by cable channel tvN, the weekend drama is about a story when politics is just being birthed in the ancient city of Arthdal.It was in the center of media attention even before the premiere thanks to its star-studded cast, including movie stars

TelevisionJune 11, 2019

NCT 127 to set out on European tour

Boy band NCT 127 on Monday confirmed that it will commence a tour across Europe later this month, starting in Russia and ending in Paris. According to S.M. Entertainment, the 10-member band will kick off the tour with a concert at the Ice Palace arena in St. Petersburg, Russia, June 26. It will move on to perform at the Megasport Sport Palace in Moscow and the SSE Arena, Wembley, in the UK before wrapping up the tour in Paris at La Seine Musicale.Prior to heading to Europe, the band will hold co

PerformanceJune 10, 2019

Imprisoned Egyptian publisher to be awarded prize during Seoul International Book Fair

With an award recognizing an imprisoned Egyptian publisher’s struggle for freedom of the press, Seoul International Book Fair 2019 is set to open next week.The annual fair will take place June 19-23 at the Coex Convention and Exhibition Center in Gangnam, southern Seoul.　This year, the festival will highlight the importance of the freedom of the press, organizers said during a press conference Monday in central Seoul. On June 21, the International Publishers Association will award the

CultureJune 10, 2019

NCT 127 announces European leg of ongoing world tour

Rising global stars NCT 127 announced Monday a new European leg of their ongoing world tour "Neo City - the Origin."The European part of the concert tour will kick off at Russia's Ice Palace on June 26 and move to Megasport Sport Palace in Moscow on June 29, according to SM Entertainment.Those will be followed by performance at the SSE Arena, Wembley in London on July 7 and La Seine Musicale in Paris on July 10. As part of their world-trotting concerts, NCT 127 has toured 20 North Amer

PerformanceJune 10, 2019

Kang Daniel gears up for return to show biz with new talent agency

Kang Daniel, a member of the disbanded boy band Wanna One, is expected to finally return to the K-pop scene as a solo artist with the establishment of a management agency for himself.His aides said Monday the singer has recently established Konnect Entertainment, a one-person company, in Seoul to launch his solo career. The move came a month after a local court accepted his request to suspend the efficacy of his exclusive management contract with LM Entertainment.Having finished as the front run

PerformanceJune 10, 2019

‘Spider-Man’ Tom Holland to visit Korea

English actor Tom Holland, star of “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” is slated to visit South Korea from June 30 to July 1 to promote the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ahead of its opening.According to local promoters of the Sony Pictures action-adventure flick, Holland will participate in a press conference and fan events. The movie opens July 2, both here and in the US.This marks the 23-year-old’s third visit to Korea for an official promotional event. He first trav

FilmJune 10, 2019

'Spider-Man' actor Tom Holland to visit S. Korea

The lead actor in Marvel's upcoming superhero film, "Spider-Man: Far From Home," will visit South Korea later this month to promote the movie ahead of its release in the country, the film's distributor said Monday.Tom Holland, who plays Spider Man in the flick, will be in Seoul on June 30-July 1, according to Sony Pictures. It is Holland's third trip to South Korea, following visits in 2017 and 2018 as part of Marvel's global promotional tours for "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and

FilmJune 10, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Long Live the King’ settles for cookie-cutter fun

With his directorial debut, “The Outlaws,” Kang Yoon-sung showed he was capable of creating quality action and characters, although the storytelling was a bit formulaic and cliched. “Long Live the King,” an upcoming comedy/drama about a reformed gangster, shows the director’s strengths and weaknesses with an interesting protagonist, a slightly overdone but promising premise and humor -- but also a weak narrative and clumsy storytelling. The film stars Kim Rae-won as

FilmJune 9, 2019

‘Is it mine if I add some yellow?’ -- B. D. Graft makes his mark

It all started as a young college student’s escapism. For Brian de Graft, making collages was a form of recreation, something to take his mind off his studies. His hobby went viral online and now he makes a living out of it. Graft is an Amsterdam-based German artist who has become popular for the yellow collages on his Instagram page. The Instagram influencer-artist is holding an exhibition at a space owned by local fashion brand Mutemuse, located near Seoul Forest in Seongdong-gu, S

Arts & DesignJune 9, 2019

BTS concert north of Paris draws fans from all over Europe

Tens of thousands of fans traveled from all over Europe to Saint Denis, just north of Paris, where the K-pop boy band BTS performed for the second night on Saturday.Following the band's concerts at Wembley Stadium last weekend, the septet came to rock France on Friday and Saturday, their last stop in Europe under the ongoing "Love Yourself: Speak Yourself" world tour.  Hours ahead of the Saturday concert at Stade de France, which accommodates up to 80,000 spectators, excited fans

PerformanceJune 9, 2019

'Parasite' likely to be remade into US drama series

Following the previous globally acclaimed film "Snowpiercer," director Bong Joon-ho's latest, Cannes-winning "Parasite" is presumed to become his second flick to be dramatized in the United States.Winning the top Palme d'Or prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival, the film was sold to film distributors in 192 foreign countries, becoming the most exported South Korean film title ever. With its piercing depiction of economic class division universally appealing to internation

FilmJune 9, 2019

Palme d'Or-winning 'Parasite' on its way to topping 7 mln admissions

The Cannes-winning Korean film "Parasite" has surpassed an accumulated 6.5 million admissions in South Korea and is on its way to topping the 7 million milestone, data showed Sunday.On Saturday alone, the tragicomedy film drew 637,677 moviegoers to local movie theaters, dominating the box-office No. 1 position every day since its official release on May 30, according to the data from the Korean Film Council.As of Saturday, accumulated admissions had reached 6.51 million, and the film i

FilmJune 9, 2019

BTS offered Recording Academy membership, to vote for Grammys

Korean pop sensation BTS and its producer Bang Si-hyuk has been invited to join the Recording Academy, an elite US group of pop music figures most well-known for voting for the Grammy Awards.The Los Angeles-based group on Thursday announced the list of 1,340 people in the music industry that have been invited to be members, and therefore eligible to vote for next year’s awards. All seven members were invited as “voting members” while Bang -- the head of its agency Big Hit Enter

PerformanceJune 7, 2019

BTS songs to hit playlist of NASA's next lunar journey

Three BTS songs will hit the playlist of the American space agency's next journey to the moon as the agency is planning to make another lunar landing by 2024, the agency's SNS feeds have shown. In a Twitter feed Tuesday, the Johnson Space Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said three BTS songs -- "Moonchild," "Mikrokosmos" and "134340" -- will be added to the playlist for the planned lunar journey. "Wow, there are a lot of BTS &a

PerformanceJune 7, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Parasite(Korea)Opened May 30Drama, Black ComedyDirected by Bong Joon-hoThe Kims, a poor, jobless family of four, find their way into the wealthy glamorous Park family by landing jobs through deceitful means. They earn the affection of the Parks, who are worlds apart from them and yet are somewhat alike. Their new way of life is turned upside down when an unexpected visitor comes knocking on the door, kicking off a series of unexpected events.Aladdin(US)Opened May 23Adventure, Comedy, Family Dire

FilmJune 7, 2019

Balwangsan Mountain has more than just skiing

Daegwallyeong county in Gangwon Province is mainly known for its ski resorts and sheep farms, but its 1,458 meter-high Balwangsan offers beautiful natural scenery and an opportunity to relax all year round. The 12th-highest mountain in the country has trekking courses, but one can also reach the top via one of the longest gondola rides in Korea, which departs from Yong Pyong Resort. This makes the experience more of a pleasant stroll than a challenging mountain hike.  On the 20-minute, 7.4

TravelJune 7, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Everland Rose FestivalLaunched in 1985, the long-running Everland Rose Festival opens every year in May. This year it continues until June 16. At a 20,000-square-meter rose garden, visitors can see various kinds of flowers while enjoying the amusement park.It is held inside Everland, South Korea’s largest theme park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, and is open to visitors of all ages.To find out more about the event, including admission fees and how to get there, visit everland.com for inform

TravelJune 7, 2019

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

Relaxing spa at Grand Hyatt SeoulGrand Hyatt Seoul’s The Spa presents special spa treatment programs for the summer. The Vitamin Pulse Facial program includes a 30-minute back massage and one-hour anti-aging massage. The Green & Citrus treatment consists of a 90-minute body massage along with a bottle of organic cleanse juice. The Spa allows customers to choose the type of music to be played during its treatments. Treatments cost 220,000 won each. For more information or reservations,

FoodJune 7, 2019

[Weekender] Meet Korea’s age-defying social media icons

Social media may still be the domain of millennials. But they are also producing a new crop of age-defying influencers in their 60s, 70s and even 80s. Call it a graynaissance. From fashion blogging to ASMR, seniors are rallying massive followings on YouTube and Instagram with inspiring content drawn from fascinating life stories. Park Mak-rye, 72, YouTuber Park Mak-rye, known as the Korean Grandma on YouTube, is the biggest breakout star of the Korean graynaissance. Born in 1947, three

PeopleJune 7, 2019