[Newsmaker] Shin Sung-il dies of cancer at 81

Actor Shin Sung-il died of lung cancer Sunday. He was 81.Shin was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer in June 2017 and was undergoing chemotherapy when his condition recently deteriorated.Shin was born Kang Shin-yeong in Daegu in 1937. He attended Kyungbock High School, an elite school in Seoul, but gave up going to college due to his family’s financial circumstances. In 1957, he joined director Shin Sang-ok’s studio, where he adopted the stage name Shin Sung-il at the director’s suggestion. Shin

FilmNov. 4, 2018

Red Velvet unveil US tour schedule in 2019

K-pop girl group Red Velvet will have concerts in five US cities starting next February, their Seoul-based agency confirmed on Saturday. According to SM Entertainment, Red Velvet will start their US tour in Los Angeles on Feb. 8, 2019, and will go to Dallas two days later. They will also perform in Miami on Feb. 13, followed by Chicago on Feb. 15 and Newark, New Jersey, on Feb. 17.  (Yonhap)This will be the first time that the five-member group has given concerts in the United States as the sole

PerformanceNov. 3, 2018

[Exclusive] Angelina Jolie spotted at Korean barbecue restaurant in Seoul

What is Angelina Jolie doing in Seoul? American actress Angelina Jolie has been spotted in a restaurant in Samcheong-dong, a traditional area in central Seoul, by a number of people who shared her photos on social media on Friday. 　　According to the witnesses, the mega star was having samgyeopsal, the famous Korean style grilled pork dish, inside the restaurant at about 10 p.m.(Reader contribution/The Korea Herald)　“I just bumped into Angelina Jolie. She was eating Samgyepsal,” a Korean shared o

FilmNov. 2, 2018

Grape variety with mango taste grows popular in Korea

A new grape variety called shine muscat is an increasingly popular choice on South Korean dinner tables.Shine muscat is distinguished by its unique taste, which includes mango flavors. The yellow-green berries carry a musky flavor, but without much sourness.  Shine Muscat (Yonhap)The variety is more expensive than others in Korea. E-commerce platform E-mart Mall sells the grapes for 1,890 won ($1.68) per 100 grams, while green grapes imported from the US cost 770 won per 100 grams. According to

FoodNov. 2, 2018

Pet ‘sky shot’ trend fires animal abuse controversy

In recent months, a number of photos on social media showing pets thrown up in the sky have sparked criticism over animal abuse.To get a photo of pets in the blue sky, some pet owners throw them in the air or hold them up high in what has been called the “sky shot” trend. Pet owners comment on how cute their pets’ faces are as they are thrown up in the air, adding hashtags “sky shot” and “flight shot” to the photos on social media. Most photos show the pets’ scared expressions with enlarged eyes

CultureNov. 2, 2018

[Herald Review] ‘The Wrath’ an outdated remake of a horror classic

When I first learned that Apink’s Son Na-eun was going to star in “The Wrath,” a remake of the 1986 horror classic of the same name, I thought that K-pop star’s acting would ruin the film. I was clearly wrong. It wasn’t just Son that brought the whole film down.It was everything, from the corny dialogue and nauseating camerawork to the director’s decision to directly bring an 80s-style horror film into the 2010s without proper adaptation.Director Yoo Young-sun’s film takes place in the household

FilmNov. 2, 2018

Are K-pop singers allowed to date?

When singer HyunA parted ways with Cube Entertainment after going public with her relationship with fellow singer E’Dawn, many fans, particularly those outside Korea, did not seem to understand the fuss.“This is one thing I really don’t understand about the Korean entertainment industry. These performers don’t belong to the fans or the companies who manage them. Let them date or marry who they want ... they’re entitled to a life of their own,” one Twitter user said of the dating scandal.Emotions

TelevisionNov. 2, 2018

Can soulless Seoul landscape inspire world’s hearts and minds?

The Seoullo 7017 park opened in May 2017, having been refashioned from a dilapidated overpass as part of the Seoul government’s urban regeneration program. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)Walking on the Seoullo 7017 Skypark on a chilly autumn day, I didn’t feel a trace of delight or pleasure, but sheer tedium. A cracked concrete floor stretched for a kilometer, flanked by large pots of flowers, trees and shrubs. Maudlin poetry excerpts and purple prose bedecked the pots, with tourists trying to

TravelNov. 1, 2018

‘Dear My Room’ sheds light on meaning of home

Upcoming cable series “Dear My Room,” which bills itself as a “do-it-yourself life drama” hopes to bring attention to interior design and the meaning of home on the small screen.The show, which first airs Tuesday on cable channel O’live, features four young main characters with design and arts backgrounds and their tangled relationships, including Shim Eun-joo, a former editorial designer now unemployed, played by Ryu Hye-yeong. Cast members and producers (from left) Yoon Ji-on, Park Ji-hyun, Ry

TelevisionNov. 1, 2018

‘Lion King’ a musical with animals, but story of humans

“The Lion King,” one of most beloved Disney animations of all time, is also one of the most successful and well-made musicals of all time. However, the reason the show has been enjoyed by over 95 million theatergoers across 25 productions across the past two decades extends beyond its brilliant music, clever use of props, masks and the energy that bursts from the onstage re-enactment of an African savanna.“The Lion King” (Clip Service)“With the ‘Lion King,’ one of the best things about the show

PerformanceNov. 1, 2018

Korea’s archaeological research presented in English

Non-Korean speakers will now have easier access to the Paleolithic-era archaeological findings in Korea with the publication of an English-language book on research related to the field. The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, affiliated with the Cultural Heritage Administration, has published the “Dictionary of Korean Archaeology–The Paleolithic,” an English-language version of the book of the same title that was published in Korean in 2013. It also includes research conducted aft

BooksNov. 1, 2018

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Intimate Strangers(Korea) Opened Oct. 31Drama, ComedyDirected by Lee Jae-kyooA married couple of Seok-ho (Cho Jin-woong) and Ye-jin (Kim Ji-soo), invite a group of lifelong friends to their housewarming party: Tae-soo (Yoo Hae-jin), Soo-hyun (Yum Jung-ah), Joon-mo (Lee Seo-jin), Se-kyung (Song Ha-yoon) and (Yoon Kyung-ho) all join with their seemingly perfect lives. After Ye-jin suggests they all reveal contents of their phone, however, a series of life-altering events unravels.Bohemian Rhapsody

FilmNov. 1, 2018

Intricate French-style desserts at L’Aubenuit

L’Aubenuit owner-patissier Lim Ho-yeon patiently waited for the opportunity to serve his patisserie’s namesake dessert. “This was something I had in mind when I was in France,” Lim, 30, said. Lim was in France for six years. Before France, Lim studied Korean cuisine in college. He then started to develop an interest in desserts. In 2011, he decided to delve further into the realm of sweets, traveling to France to study dessert at two schools. Fast forward six years to Lim’s return to Korea and t

FoodNov. 1, 2018

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights around Korea

Pohang Guryongpo Gwamegi FestivalThe Pohang Guryongpo Gwamegi Festival celebrates gwamegi -- dried mackerel -- along with other local specialties of the Pohang city region, including snow crab and squid.The festival presents events like folk games, traditional Korean music performances, specialty product competitions and free samples.The festival is Nov. 10-11. Admission is free.Prior to the festival, a promotional event for the festival is being held at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in

TravelNov. 1, 2018

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Mediterranean cuisine at Grand Hilton SeoulGrand Hilton Seoul presents the “World Gourmet Travel – Mediterranean Cuisine” promotion, introducing a variety of Mediterranean dishes. During the promotion, the buffet restaurant offers over 100 choices of European dishes, such as veal sirloin with potato salad, sea bass with citrus dill sauce and beef stroganoff pilaf, mussel salad and more. The promotion will continue until the end of January. The price ranges between 70,000 and 85,000 won per perso

FoodNov. 1, 2018

[Eye Plus] Decades after bombing, Maehyangri seeks reemergence as ‘Peace Village’

Striving to move on from its decades-long history of bombings and explosions, South Korea’s coastal village of Maehyangri in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, is working to rebrand itself as a symbol of peace and ecological preservation.Two islets around Maehyangri Village were used as a bombing range for the US Air Force -- the Kooni Firing Range -- between 1954 and 2005. Given this, the town’s residents had to endure what they said was life similar to a war zone, even after the Korean War ended in

CultureNov. 1, 2018

[Weekender] No more chicken? Getting pulse read in Korean medicine and matching dietary habits

The contents in this article are subjective and not intended as a professional recommendation. – Ed. Believe it or not, I am to stay away from chicken.Or at least that was the result of my recent trips to a traditional Korean medicine clinic.While most Koreans are used to herbal medicine and acupuncture, finding out one’s body type based on constitutional typology and sticking to respective dietary recommendations requires slightly more devotion and well, faith. With constitutional medicine trea

CultureNov. 1, 2018

What dirt could Han Seo-hee have on T.O.P and YG? Speculations abound

Han Seo-hee, the controversial K-pop trainee who came to public attention in 2017 after being found that she had smoked marijuana with Big Bang’s T.O.P at his apartment, uploaded a lengthy Instagram post Wednesday night, implying she had undisclosed dirt on T.O.P and YG Entertainment.T.O.P, who had been serving as a conscripted policeman when he failed a drug test, has since been removed to serve alternative duty at a cultural center in Itaewon, Seoul. (Han Seo-hee's Instagram)Meanwhile, Han was

PerformanceNov. 1, 2018

[Trending] Shin Se-kyung’s YouTube channel creates online buzz

Top Korean actress Shin Se-kyung launched her YouTube channel and social media is abuzz concerning the celebrity’s self-made vlogs.The actress opened the channel in late September and uploaded her first video on Oct. 7 with the lengthy title “Daily life with JinSa, baking a spinach flatbread, mom makes me a red velvet cake, going for a walk and hanging out with friends.”“Hello, I’m a sister of Jinkook and Sarang,” Shin wrote in the caption of the video, referring to the featured dogs.  (Shin`s Y

TelevisionNov. 1, 2018

Yoon Eun-Hye learns true love in ‘Love Alert,’ following long hiatus

After five years’ hiatus from the small screen here, Yoon Eun-hye is returning in new rom-com “Love Alert.”The new MBN series, set to first air Wednesday night, sees Yoon star opposite Chun Jung-myung as the two form a fake relationship as a popular celebrity and doctor, before it blossoms into genuine romance.The new Wednesday-Thursday nighttime series is Yoon’s first work for South Korean audiences since KBS series “Marry Him If You Dare” in 2013, though the actress appeared on “Goddess Fashio

TelevisionOct. 31, 2018