[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Autumn stay for ladies at Seoul Shilla Hotel Seoul Shilla Hotel presents the Urban Ladies package for female guests who want to enjoy a city getaway. The package includes a one-night stay at the Business Deluxe Room. The room can hold three guests, and the guests will have access to the Executive Lounge. The guests can also enjoy the outdoor swimming pool complex, Urban Island. The sunbeds are equipped with warmers and the pool is maintained at a warm temperature. The pool is open from 10 a.m. t

FoodOct. 4, 2018

[Weekender] Natural, matte and rose for this fall

In line with the #MeToo movement in Korea, there have been ongoing efforts among women here to break free of their “social corsets” either consciously or subconsciously. The metaphorical corset has found its way into modern slang. Korean women call the movement to reject the requirement to wear makeup and dress a certain way “tal-corset,” “tal-co” or “corset-free.” But not everyone feels the same, and even some of those who reject the obligation might wear occasional makeup. So it still wouldn’t

Arts & DesignOct. 4, 2018

[Eye Plus] Walk along Seoul Fortress in autumn

The Seoul Fortress consists of an 18.6-kilometer-long wall that surrounds Hanyang, the former capital of the Joseon era. Though parts of it were damaged during Japan’s colonial rule and the Korean War, the wall has been standing for some 600 years and today overlooks the urbanized capital, Seoul.One of the four trail sections, which goes around Naksan, offers a scenic route where visitors can enjoy both historic sites and the massive urbanscape of the city. (Photographed by Park Hyun-koo/The Kor

TravelOct. 4, 2018

Despite anti-fur sentiment, fur stays in fashion scene, targeting young

Though the fur-free movement has been sweeping the fashion industry, some designers continue to experiment with the natural material, targeting the younger generation with hip, trendy designs. The anti-fur movement is not new. In September, the British Fashion Council announced all the designers for London Fashion Week would ditch fur for the shows. The city of Los Angeles is currently planning to ban the sale of fur.  Models wear fur creations by rookie designers at Asia Remix fashion show held

Arts & DesignOct. 4, 2018

Enjoy city picnic amid flowers, trees at Seoul Garden Show

Seoul Garden Show kicked off Wednesday at Yeouido Park, aiming to offer a picnic-like experience for visitors. This year, the annual show now in its fourth edition, is held under the theme of “Seoul Picnic.” Around 95 gardens are spread across the park. Local and foreign garden designers created the small garden spaces, showcasing gardening trends as well as the hobby’s beauty. Thirty-two gardening equipment businesses have also set up booths, with parasols, benches, interior plants and home gar

CultureOct. 4, 2018

Vestiges of melting pot in fallen city Ayutthaya

PHRA NAKHON SI AYUTTHAYA, Thailand -- Before a brutal Burmese invasion in the late 18th century, the city of Ayutthaya, the second capital of the Siamese Kingdom for four centuries, was a grand Buddhist city where international trade and art prospered. Its population rivaled that of contemporary London or Paris in its prime.  A large stone Buddha statue and headless statues sit in front of a prang in Wat Mahathat. (Son Ji-hyoung/The Korea Herald)Buddhist temples and royal relics were strewn acro

TravelOct. 4, 2018

Pop artist Kenny Scharf brings visual chaos to Seoul

American pop artist Kenny Scharf’s solo exhibition “Super Pop Universe,” which launched Wednesday at the Lotte Museum of Art in Seoul, opens up a whole new universe for viewers and encourages them to reflect on reality.A visual celebration of the daily lives of people and the world they inhabit, Scharf’s paintings and sculptures are colorful and witty -- for the most part. The world that the artist presents requires a bit of effort to comprehend, however.  Installation view of Kenny Scharf’s “Co

Arts & DesignOct. 4, 2018

Soyou to drop new EP ‘Part.2 Re:Fresh’

Soyou from now-defunct Sistar is returning to the music stage with an EP after a 10-month hiatus. “Part.2 Re:Fresh” set to be released Thursday at 6 p.m. is a follow-up to her first solo EP, “Part.1 Re:Born,” dropped in December 2017.  (Starship Entertainment)The EP features collaborations with well-known producers like Groovyroom and rapper Sik-K, and diverse singers. The tracks span various genres to showcase Soyou’s diversity. The lead track “Black Night” has catchy Latin rhythm and lyrics th

PerformanceOct. 4, 2018

‘Goo Ha-ra being blackmailed with revenge porn’

Singer Goo Ha-ra has reportedly been sent threats of the release of revenge porn from an ex-boyfriend, according to a new bombshell report. Local media outlet Dispatch on Thursday revealed screenshots of Goo’s KakaoTalk conversations with the man, which shows him threatening the singer with a short clip identified as a sex video. The 30-second-long clip with no thumbnail is alleged by Dispatch to be video footage of the two engaged in sexual intercourse, filmed by Goo’s boyfriend. (Goo Ha-ra's I

TelevisionOct. 4, 2018

Korean food festival kicks off in Seoul

A festival of traditional Korean food, known as hansik in Korean, kicked off in Seoul on Thursday as South Korea pushes to promote the country's food culture around the world, the government said.The two-day 2018 World Hansik Festival, featuring cooking shows by star chefs and a program of making traditional Korean pastes, among other events, is taking place at the Convention and Exhibition Center in Seoul, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said. (Yonhap)The event, the third of

FoodOct. 4, 2018

EXO poised to release album next month

K-pop heavyweight EXO will return to the music scene with a new album in early November.The nine-piece group, which performed at the closing ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, will release its fifth studio album, “Don’t Mess Up My Tempo,” on Nov. 2, its agency S.M. Entertainment announced Thursday.Fans are in for a treat as all the nine members including Chinese member Lay will get together and take part in the making of Chinese work for the album.  (S.M. Entertainment)The group’s

PerformanceOct. 4, 2018

‘Normalized’ BIFF vows new beginning with 323 films

Busan International Film Festival has been limping on since the “Diving Bell” incident of 2014, which resulted in a number of cinema groups boycotting Korea’s largest cinema event.With the reinstatement of key members of the festival who had been sacked -- including the appointment of Lee Yong-kwan as the new chairman and bringing Jay Jeon back on board -- the organizers said 2018 will mark the first year of the normalization of BIFF. The 23rd BIFF, running Oct. 4-13, will feature 323 films from

FilmOct. 3, 2018

Police mull bodily harm charges against Goo Ha-ra

Police are reportedly considering bodily harm charges against singer Goo Ha-ra over an alleged assault on her beau during a late-night row at her apartment last month.Several media outlets, including Edaily, reported that the Gangnam Police Station might bring criminal charges against the troubled singer.If she faces bodily harm charges, which are of a more serious nature than assault charges in Korean law, Goo will be investigated by the prosecution and still face criminal penalties even if the

TelevisionOct. 3, 2018

Gyeongju calls on presidential office to return Buddhist statue

A civic group in the southeastern city of Gyeongju said Tuesday it will form a committee with the city government and the city assembly as part of its efforts to have a ninth century Buddhist statue returned from the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul more than 100 years after it was displaced by a Japanese man.    The committee, if launched, will visit the presidential office and related institutions to obtain the return of the statue to the city, the civic group told a press conference

CultureOct. 2, 2018

Carla Bruni to throw her first concerts in S. Korea next month

Carla Bruni, an Italian-French singer-songwriter and the wife of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, will throw her first concerts in South Korea next month.    The first of the two performances will take place on Nov. 2 at a concert hall at Seoul's Kyunghee University before moving to Busan's Bexco Auditorium the next day, the events' organizer, Dream Maker Entertainment, said. French model Carla Bruni poses for photographs upon her arrival prior to the Yves Saint Laurent Spring-Summer 201

PerformanceOct. 2, 2018

Approaching minimalism with current perspectives

Interpretations of minimalism by 11 Korean artists went on show at the Seoul National University Museum of Art on Monday. The works on display at “Minimal Variation” depict forms of beauty that are aesthetically simple and austere.However, the works of the participating contemporary Korean artists often run counter to the principles espoused by minimalism in the past: The artists have arrived at their own interpretations of minimalism.  Oh Wan-seok’s “Underpainting” (MoA)Minimalism, popular in t

Arts & DesignOct. 2, 2018

Stella McCartney embraces roots, talks animal rights

PARIS (AP) -- Stella McCartney presented her first Paris Fashion Week collection since taking full control of her eponymous design house this year by buying the 50 percent stake owned by luxury product giant Kering.The British-American designer used her independence to go back to her artistic roots on the runway Monday and spoke to the Associated Press about fashion’s fledging steps to go fur-free and about animal rights in the industry. Models wear creations for Stella McCartney’s Spring/Summer

Arts & DesignOct. 2, 2018

Seo Hyun-jin on way to find ‘Beauty Inside’ herself

“Rom-com queen” Seo Hyun-jin will take on the role of a top star in JTBC’s upcoming Monday-Tuesday drama series “Beauty Inside.” The character has a secret -- her face changes into that of another person for a week every month.  Seo Hyun-jin poses for photos at a press event Monday at Times Square mall in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. (Herald DB)Co-star Lee Min-ki plays a successful director of an airline firm who also has a secret -- he cannot recognize anyone’s face. For him, it is always as if he i

TelevisionOct. 1, 2018

BTS to appear on BBC's 'The Graham Norton Show'

The massively popular boy band BTS will appear on "The Graham Norton Show," a popular BBC talk show, next week, the group's agency said Monday.The band will appear on an episode of the show at 10:35 p.m. on Oct. 12 alongside actors Whoopi Goldberg, Rosamund Pike, and Jamie Dornan as well as singer Harry Connick Jr., according to Big Hit Entertainment.The seven-piece group will be in Europe from Oct. 9-20 as part of its world tour. Tickets for the upcoming concerts were sold out as soon as their

PerformanceOct. 1, 2018

[Trending] Masked rapper ‘Mommy Son’ creates buzz on Korean hip-hop scene

A rapper in a pink mask has created a buzz on social media after debuting on Mnet’s rap competition show “Show Me the Money 777.” The first episode of the program featured the story of the masked rapper, “Mommy Son,” who refused to take off his pink mask until the end of the competition to hide his identity. (Mnet)“I feel my confidence get a boost when I wear the mask,” Mommy Son said when asked why he chooses to perform in disguise. “There are some weird sides to me. When I put this mask on, I

TelevisionOct. 1, 2018