[Weekender] Following palace murder trail on jaunty trip

YEONGWOL, Gangwon Province -- As the ferry leisurely sailed toward Cheongnyeongpo Cape, Gangwon Province, a needle-floored pine forest gradually rose from a distance. In the thick of sweltering summer heat, the verdant woodland provided an umbrella of shade and cool breeze, a stillness suspended from the trappings of modern life.It was here, on a sequestered patch of greenery, that King Danjong (1441-57), the sixth king of the Joseon era, was sent into a brief exile before his death at the age o

TravelJuly 19, 2018

Minhwa, unsung paintings waiting for reassessment

Embracing a childlike perspective and naive expression in their work, artists like Paul Klee and Chang Uc-chin explored a then-undiscovered area of art.Minhwa paintings have similarities characteristic of the aforementioned artists. Instead of being restrained by artistic and cultural orthodoxies, late Joseon-era minhwa -- or folk paintings -- show forms of expression that are rough yet free and innocent.Two minhwa exhibitions are currently running in Seoul: “Flower Paintings from the Joseon Dyn

Arts & DesignJuly 19, 2018

Monsta X’s Hyungwon releases single with DJ Jimmy Clash

Monsta X’s Hyungwon, who has been active as a DJ recently, released a single with DJ Jimmy Clash on Thursday. According to his agency Starship Entertainment on Thursday, the single “My Name” is an energetic electronic dance music track featuring a female vocalist.  Hyungwon of Monsta X and Jimmy Clash (Starship Entertainment)The two artists met in June as they performed together at Ultra Korea 2018, Seoul’s biggest musical festival, the agency said. Hailing from the Netherlands, Clash is an awar

PerformanceJuly 19, 2018

BTS' upcoming album becomes Amazon best-seller on first day of preorders

K-pop superstars BTS' upcoming album, "Love Yourself: Answer," claimed the No. 1 spot in the CD category of the biggest American online retailer Amazon.com in the first day of preorders, its management agency said Thursday.Preorders for the new BTS album, set for release on Aug. 24, began Wednesday, and the album has since become the best-seller in the CD & vinyl category, according to Big Hit Entertainment and the Amazon website. (Yonhap)This marks the third time a BTS album has topped the Amaz

PerformanceJuly 19, 2018

Coffeesmith CEO sentenced for threatening celebrity ex

The CEO of a popular coffee chain has been given a suspended jail sentence for threatening his ex-girlfriend. Seoul Central District Court said Wednesday it had sentenced Coffeesmith chief Son Tae-young, 49, to a year in prison, suspended for two years, and 120 hours of community service for threatening Kim Jung-min, 29. On July 11, 2017, Son was prosecuted without detention after the actress filed a report to the police in April 2017. Kim claimed she had been blackmailed by Son several times fo

TelevisionJuly 18, 2018

Wiz Khalifa not sorry for controversial Korean eyes lyric

US rapper Wiz Khalifa has refused to apologize for the controversial “eyes looking Korean” lyric in his song “Hot Now” and defended himself by saying he has Korean friends.The rapper was asked about the controversy over the lyric while on the New York-based radio show “The Breakfast Club” and said, “I have Korean friends that are not offended so I don’t know these people who are saying that.”He told the critics to “chill out” and added he is “not racist” and loves Koreans. (Twitter)Khalifa’s new

PerformanceJuly 18, 2018

[Video] Sweetness overload at 2018 Seoul Dessert Fair

Thousands of people with a sweet tooth descended on the 2018 Seoul Dessert Fair to satisfy their cravings for all-things sweet on Saturday at the Setec Exhibition Hall.The theme for the two-day weekend event was watermelon. Many stalls infused watermelon elements into their desserts, such as green-and-red sweet bread, watermelon fruit punch and watermelon-flavored macarons.(Video shot and edited by Lim Jeong-yeo/The Korea Herald)Beyond indulging their taste buds, visitors were also treated to a

CultureJuly 18, 2018

Apink’s Yoon Bo-mi to be featured in hip-hop duo Mighty Mouth’s new single

K-pop act Apink’s vocalist Yoon Bo-mi will be featured in hip-hop duo Mighty Mouth’s new single. Shorry of the duo broke the news on his social media account, saying that the collaborative song with Yoon titled “Pretty Woman” will be released Friday.  Mighty Mighty Mouth and Yoon Bo-mi (Allmighty Records)Mouth and Yoon Bo-mi (Allmighty Records)“After seeking a female vocalist that fits best with our new song, we thought of her. Thanks to her, the song got much brighter,” he said.According to Mig

PerformanceJuly 18, 2018

[Album review] Mamamoo’s new album is everything you can expect for summer

Mamamoo“Red Moon”Loen EntertainmentWhile tropical bubblegum sounds with sun-bleached lyrics have long defined “summer tunes” in K-pop, Mamamoo’s new album is nothing to be expected from such a standard: It adds more heat to the fire. But hey, it works. Like the group’s distinct vibe and character, Mamamoo’s new EP “Red Moon” is successful in that there is no single track to lose. Never forgetting the soulful vocal group’s own identity, the six tracks on the EP show what “variety” means, embracin

PerformanceJuly 18, 2018

Baekje king of ancient fables may have been found

King Mu of Baekje, the protagonist of a “Romeo and Juliet”-esque fable, may have been found, as researchers said Wednesday human remains uncovered in April are likely to be his.Buyeo National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage held a press conference to reveal the results of their examination of remains found inside what is believed to be a royal tomb from Baekje Kingdom, which existed in the southwestern Korean Peninsula from 18 BC to AD 660. The tomb in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, was d

CultureJuly 18, 2018

Fourth Hangeul Idea Award to be held

A state-organized contest for Hangeul-themed content will be held in July and August.The fourth Hangeul Idea Award -- hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency and sponsored by Naver -- is about creating new products based on Hangeul.The poster for the fourth Hangeul Idea Award (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)The award categories are: content, referring to product plans introducing Hangeul-themed content, such as publications,

CultureJuly 18, 2018

More foreigners seek to visit southeastern port city of Busan

More foreigners have shown interest in visiting South Korea's southeastern port city of Busan, industry data showed Wednesday, amid the government's efforts to pursue balanced regional tourism growth. According to the data from Skyscanner, an online site that compares trip prices, the number of searches for a round-trip ticket to South Korea from abroad in the July-August period on its website increased 63 percent on-year.Among others, Busan, the country's second-largest city, located 450 kilome

TravelJuly 18, 2018

'On Your Wedding day' confirms Aug. 22 opening

A classic boy-meets-girl drama starring Park Bo-young and Kim Young-kwang will hit theaters next month, as producers of “On Your Wedding day” confirmed Aug. 22 as the opening date.A poster and a trailer for the romantic drama, directed by Lee Seok-geun, were released earlier in the day.The poster of “On Your Wedding Day” (Megabox)The film centers on Seung-hee -- played by Park -- who believes in true love at first sight, and Kim’s character Woo-yeon, who believes Seung-hee is “the one.” It will

FilmJuly 18, 2018

[Video] When French luxury brand meets Korean traditional beauty

French crystal maker Baccarat held an exhibition in Seoul from July 13-18 in collaboration with South Korean creative director Kan Ho-sup, featuring the blend of Eastern and Western beauty.Under the theme “the beauty created by combining Baccarat and a scroll dress,” the exhibition presented a collection of Baccarat’s crystal pieces and director Kan’s artworks. The scroll dresses are parts of Kan’s signature artworks, which has gained a worldwide reputation among the fashion industry. The dresse

Arts & DesignJuly 18, 2018

S.M. Entertainment composer Yoo Young-jin booked for false license plate

S.M. Entertainment composer Yoo Young-jin, 47, was booked without detention for swapping the license plate on his motorcycle according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Wednesday.Yoo used another license plate on his imported vehicle because it had not passed environmental testing requirements in Korea. He bought the motorcycle in March and swapped the license plate with that of his other motorcycle.This finally came to light in May after a motorcycle accident in Seoul. As Yoo filed for

PerformanceJuly 18, 2018

BTS charts on Billboard list of 200 albums for 8th week

K-pop boy band BTS' latest album "Love Yourself: Tear" charted on the key Billboard ranking of 200 popular albums for the eighth week in a row, the American music chart showed Wednesday.The 11-track album ranked 48th on the Billboard 200 chart, retaining its presence since it landed atop the competitive chart less than two weeks after its release on May 18.This week's result marks one step below the 47th place recorded last week. (Big Hit Entertainment)It was a further extension of BTS' record a

PerformanceJuly 18, 2018

f(x)’s Amber ‘keeps in touch with’ Krystal

Amber has confirmed via social media that she has been keeping in touch with bandmate Krystal.The singer was asked by a fan via Twitter on Saturday whether she has missed Krystal, as four-piece girl group f(x) has been on hiatus for about two years.In response Amber said she talks to “that little one” every other day. (Yonhap)The Taiwanese-American singer also responded to a YouTube video the fan linked chronicling moments in their friendship.“Good song and lyrics. The story had a nice build but

PerformanceJuly 17, 2018

Fulfill your nostalgia for the past with Technicolor motion pictures

Movie buffs will soon have a rare chance to watch old films in Technicolor on proper widescreen.Starting Wednesday, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul will hold “The History of Visual Magic in Technology Pt. 2: Technicolor,” featuring 12 films produced in Technicolor from the 1930s to the 1950s.“Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” (Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.)Technicolor is one of the earliest film coloring systems developed by the American company Technicolor Motion Picture

Arts & DesignJuly 17, 2018

BTS to return with new album on Aug. 24

After breaking records with its “Love Yourself: Tear” album in May, BTS will return with a new album on Aug. 24, according to its agency.Big Hit Entertainment said Tuesday that the upcoming album dubbed “Love Yourself: Answer” will be the last part of the act’s record-setting “Love Yourself” series, following last year’s “Love Yourself: Her” and May’s “Love Yourself: Tear” albums.  BTS (Big Hit Entertainment)Featuring seven new songs and the group’s previous songs, the upcoming album will depict

PerformanceJuly 17, 2018

Tom Cruise’s ‘Top Gun’ to return to big screen in Korea

“Top Gun” fans are in for a treat, as the 1986 film starring Tom Cruise will return to the big screens in Korea.The much beloved action film will hit cinema screens again on Aug. 23, 31 years since the film premiered in South Korea, the film’s distributor Little Big Pictures said Tuesday.The surprise return of the megahit comes only a month after the release of Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” which is scheduled to be released July 25. (Little Big Pictures)Cruise’s fans will be able to

FilmJuly 17, 2018