Netflix's first original Korean drama 'Kingdom' unveiled to media

Netflix on Monday unveiled to media its first original Korean drama series, which has drawn much anticipation for its big budget and acclaimed creative team."Kingdom," which premieres globally on the U.S. video streaming service Friday, is a genre-defining six-episode zombie mystery thriller set in the last Korean kingdom of Joseon. It took nearly eight years to produce the series, with its production cost reaching 2 billion won (US$1.7 million) per episode, according to the producers.Netflix ch

TelevisionJan. 21, 2019

[Video] Lee Na-young, Lee Jong-suk to show romance in publishing industry in new rom-com

Actress Lee Na-young, who is more well-known in the film industry, is returning to the small screen with the new rom-com series “Romance is a Bonus Book” (direct translation), in which she stars opposite Lee Jong-suk.She plays Kang Dan-Yi, a former top copy editor at a PR firm who was happily married with a daughter but who is now divorced, with her career put on halt. She strives to excel in the workplace again, representing many South Korean women who face similar struggles. Women whose career

TelevisionJan. 21, 2019

Writings by last princess of Joseon return home

A collection of 68 writings by Princess Deokon (1822-1844), the last legitimate princess of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1897), and her family has returned home. The National Hangeul Museum and Culture Heritage Administration recently announced the acquisition of the collection, citing that it has great value as an example of court writings in Hangeul, the Korean alphabet. According to officials, the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, a subsidiary of the CHA, purchased the collection from

CultureJan. 21, 2019

[K-talk] Black Pink wraps up Jakarta concerts, sets out for Hong Kong

Black Pink held a two-day concert in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saturday and Sunday as part of the band’s ongoing international concert tour. 　The quartet entertained fans throughout each two-hour show with a series of hits from their early days such as “Boombayah,” “Whistle” and “Ddu-du Ddu-du.” The latter, released in June 2018, recently hit the 617 million views mark on YouTube, overtaking BTS’ “DNA” as the most viewed K-pop video on the website. 　 2019 concert tour “Blackpink in Your Area” (YG Ente

PerformanceJan. 21, 2019

[K-talk] JYP Entertainment teases debut of new girl group ITZY

A brand new girl group called ITZY is debuting under JYP Entertainment, the first to do so since Twice made its debut in October 2015.JYP Entertainment released a teaser video titled “Prologue Film: ITZY? ITZY!” Sunday at midnight on the music label’s online channels YouTube, Naver TV and V Live. The 70-second video garnered 1.2 million views on YouTube as of Monday morning. (JYP Entertainment)The five-member act is composed of Yuna, Ryujin, Chaeryeong, Lia and Yeji. Three of the five already ha

PerformanceJan. 21, 2019

BTS' 'Blood Sweat & Tears' tops 400 m YouTube views

South Korean boy group BTS' "Blood Sweat & Tears" music video has garnered over 400 million views on YouTube.The video passed the threshold at about 8 p.m. Sunday, the group's management, Big Hit Entertainment, said Monday. (Yonhap)With the achievement, the BTS renewed its own record as K-pop artists with the largest number of music videos with more than 400 million views. The five other videos in that category are "DNA," "Fire," "Dope," "Fake Love" and a remix of "MIC Drop.""Blood Sweat & Tears

PerformanceJan. 21, 2019

'Collection of Korea' exhibits relics, struggles for Korean culture

Armed resistance was not the only line of defense to keep alive the spirit of Koreans living under Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule. Some fought for preservation of the language with their lives, others for its literature and other forms of art. Chun Hyung-pil’s battle was to keep the country’s cultural properties within its territory.Achievements of Chun, also known by his penname “Kansong,” are commemorated in the special exhibit “A Collection for Korea” that will continue through March 31 at Don

CultureJan. 20, 2019

[K-talk] Seventeen to drop winter EP ‘You Made My Dawn’ Monday

Seventeen is releasing a new album this week, the first since its summer extended play “You Make My Day” in July.The 13-member group’s upcoming winter album “You Made My Dawn,” slated for release Monday, has been named one of Billboard’s 10 most highly anticipated K-pop albums of 2019 alongside Astro’s “All Light,” GFriend’s “Time For Us,” g.o.d’s “Then & Now” among others. Album cover of Seventeen’s new cover ‘You Made My Dawn’ (Pledis Entertainment)“Home,” an urban future R&B song, fronts Seve

PerformanceJan. 20, 2019

[Herald Interview] A rare glimpse of the ‘factorylike’ K-pop idol training system

Lee Jong-im, a pop culture expert and author of “Idol Trainees’ Sweat and Tears,” goes beneath the surface of the heavily fortified K-pop industry and lays bare some ugly truths about the challenging idol training system. Sitting down at a cafe in central Seoul, she shared valuable insight gained through months of research and numerous attempts at interviews since 2016 -- a time when idol training shows like Mnet’s “Produce 101” were just starting to gain a presence on South Korean TV.After docu

PerformanceJan. 18, 2019

Korean film ‘Underdog’ invited to Japanese animation festival

In a first for a South Korean animated film, “Underdog” has been invited to compete in the Tokyo Anime Award Festival. “Underdog” is an animated film about homeless and abandoned dogs. In the film, a dog named Moongchi (voiced by Do Kyung-soo of the K-pop boy band EXO) is abandoned but goes on an adventure to find true freedom with other stray dogs.  (New Entertainment) (New Entertainment)The film opened the 22nd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in July, and went on to win the best

FilmJan. 18, 2019

Photo essay about rescued puppy Injeolmi becomes best-seller

A photo essay titled “Hi! My Name Is Injeolmi” (unofficial translation) recently became a bestseller, proving the dog’s popularity even outside the realm of social media. The book of photos and short anecdotes about rescued puppy Injeolmi ranked within the top 10 on the Kyobo Book Centre’s best-seller list for the second week of January. Released Monday, the book documents Injeolmi’s life and rescue story.  (Wisdom House) Instagram account @zzangjeolmiA farmer’s daughter rescued Injeolmi from a

CultureJan. 18, 2019

[Exclusive] JR to unveil new, bigger Louvre project

French photographer and artist JR will unveil a new project at the Louvre Museum in Paris in the last week of March.In Seoul for his first solo photo exhibition at Galerie Perrotin in downtown Seoul, JR told The Korea Herald on Thursday that the upcoming project, which will be much larger in scale than his previous project at the Louvre, will be completed in collaboration with visitors to the site. The artist and the visitors will be painting in the Louvre’s plaza to create one gigantic black-an

Arts & DesignJan. 17, 2019

[Weekender] A seer’s guide to marriage

It is undeniable that many things in life are determined by the circumstances of one’s birth -- nationality, genetics and socioeconomic class not least of all. Added to that list, it was the three-hour window in which I was born in June 1985 that determined I’d be focused on justice and live a life defined by wanderlust. Similarly, the time of my partner’s birth almost exactly a year later decided she would be a “straightforward and simple” person who speaks her mind with a strong will. Moto Saj

CultureJan. 17, 2019

[Herald Interview] Hip-hop film seeks to show realities of life in the Philippines

For Philippine director Treb Monteras II, hip-hop has always been about politics and social issues, and no situation is more pressing today for the country than that of de facto martial law under authoritarian President Rodrigo Duterte.Director Treb Monteras II (Treb Monteras II)“Respeto” -- “respect” in both Tagalog and Spanish -- is the director’s first feature film, after helming more than 300 music videos since 2004. The main role of aspiring street rapper Hendrix is played by Abra, while th

FilmJan. 17, 2019

[Weekender] How does saju experience measure up?

Fortunetelling. Is it frivolous entertainment, or a glimpse of another dimension? And is the saju any different from other fortunetelling methods I’ve tried over the years? I had a chance to find out this past weekend. Since my dog passed away in 2016, I’ve asked fortunetellers about her with disappointing results. One long-distance psychic in Canada came highly recommended, but he charged me for an hourlong reading about my dog and emailed me a 10-minute audio recording that had nothing to do w

CultureJan. 17, 2019

[Weekender] Can ‘saju’ tell a person’s luck in a certain year? Believe it or not, Koreans think so

Whether you are a believer or a skeptic of divination, the following are questions you may ask a Korean “saju” reader: Is 2019 a good year to change jobs, start a business, or relocate to a new country? Will I meet “the one” this year? When is a good year to get married, if ever, and will I have a wholesome family? If I heighten my nose through plastic surgery, will my luck slide down my newly straightened nose bridge?Visiting a saju shop is easy. Compared to a “mudangjip,” the house of a shaman

CultureJan. 17, 2019

[Herald Interview] Englishmen in Seoul, London and all over YouTube

Here are two Englishmen who are even more famous in Korea than they are back home. To define them, one needs to add one more word to their nationality and get rid of the plural. They are not just Englishmen, they are “Korean Englishman.” YouTubers Josh Carrott and Ollie Kendal -- Josh & Ollie -- are better known as “Korean Englishman” on the global streaming platform. With more than 3 million subscribers on YouTube, they are definitely big players in the new entertainment industry. The duo intro

PeopleJan. 17, 2019

[Herald Review] Indie film ‘February’ stops halfway toward greatness

From the reader’s perspective, I imagine the most annoying thing to read in a film review is “I can’t quite put my finger on it, but ...” Having said that, this is the cop-out I choose in describing Kim Joong-hyun’s “February”: an indie film that shows a lot of promise, great characters jointly created by the actors and the smart director, impressive imagery and controlled emotions, but lacking the critical “it” factor that weaves the narrative together.The film stars Jo Min-kyoung as Min-kyoung

FilmJan. 17, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Mal-Mo-E: The Secret Mission(Korea) Opened Jan. 9DramaDirected by Eom Yu-naWith Korea colonized by the Japanese, a handful of scholars, including Ryu Jeong-hwan (Yoon Kye-sang), attempt to keep the Korean language alive by publishing a dictionary. Ryu runs across Kim Pan-su (Yoo Hae-jin), who end up working with him. But this does not prove easy under the ironfisted Japanese authorities.Inside Me(Korea) Opened Jan. 9Comedy, FantasyHigh school student Dong-hyun (Jin Young) falls from a building a

FilmJan. 17, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Ulsan Grand Park Light FestivalThis year’s Ulsan Grand Park Light Festival features five different themes under “Draw the Light Dream” until Jan. 27.The highlight of the festival is the 11-meter star structure in front of the Rose Garden Fountain, where a multimedia light show is displayed. Admission fees are 2,000 won for adults, 1,000 won for teenagers and 500 won for children. Senior citizens 65 years old and above can enter for free, upon presentation of an ID. It is open to visitors of all

TravelJan. 17, 2019