All of Black Pink’s music videos top 100m views each

All five of the K-pop group Black Pink’s music videos have each exceeded the 100-million-view mark on YouTube, as of Monday afternoon.According to the group’s agency YG Entertainment, the official music video of “Stay,” released in November 2016 on their second single “Square Two,” reached 100 million views at around 12:40 p.m. on Monday.This comes two days after the music video for “Playing with Fire,” also included in “Square Two,” topped 200 million views on Saturday. A poster released by YG

PerformanceApril 2, 2018

A case against ‘creative’ translation of ‘The Vegetarian’

Literary translator and professor Kim Wook-dong asserted in his recently published article that the English version of the novel “The Vegetarian” has a significant number of mistranslations.In his article published online on March 30, Kim wrote that “The Vegetarian,” a winning novel of the 2016 Man Booker International Prize, contains many more mistranslations than what “one would expect from a professional translator.”Professor Kim Wook-dong (Photo courtesy of Kim Wook-dong-Yonhap)Kim is a prof

BooksApril 2, 2018

Rapper Junoflo to perform in Germany, before Europe tour

Junoflo is expanding his range outside Korea, as he is slated to hold a showcase in Germany on Friday before planning a European tour in the second half of this year.According to his agency Feel Good Music, the rapper will visit Germany after completing the media tour in the US, most recently performing in New York on Friday. Last month, he performed at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas.  Junoflo (Feel Good Music)The live performance will take place at the Matrix nightclub in Boch

PerformanceApril 1, 2018

[Newsmaker] Government launches sexual violence center for culture sector

In response to the #MeToo movement resonating within the country, the Korean government has launched a response center for sexual violence occurring within the culture and entertainment sector. The Korea Creative Content Agency and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism jointly held an opening ceremony for the gender equality center “Bora” on Thursday. Bora’s function includes taking reports of sexual violence cases and providing professional psychological help, therapy and legal counseling

CultureApril 1, 2018

BTS grow beards for April Fools’ Day?

April Fool’s Day has arrived, and K-pop band BTS’ fans are having a field day making hilarious alterations to photos of their beloved group. In celebration of the annual day dedicated to hoaxes and jokes, global BTS fans made the boy band members digitally sprout extravagant beards and mustaches on Sunday.  (Online community)The retouched images show BTS members V, Jungkook, Jimin, J-Hope, RM, Jin and Suga proudly sporting lush, multicolored facial hair that puts Santa Claus to shame.  (Online c

PerformanceApril 1, 2018

Suran ‘distressed’ over dating rumors with BTS‘ Suga

K-pop singer Suran took to social media to express her distress about the cyberbullying that she has faced after dating rumors between her and Suga of BTS surfaced.The singer wrote on her social media account Saturday that she is not romantically involved with Suga, and was distressed from the online personal attacks by those who were angry at her over clarified misunderstandings.  Suran (Million Market)“My relationship with Suga, whom I met last year, was entirely related to music. It was nothi

PerformanceApril 1, 2018

Yura in love with sweet villain character

In films as well as TV, there are villains viewers simply cannot hate. They may even fall in love with the poorly tempered characters, sympathizing with them.Yura of Girl’s Day has become beloved for playing a villain in the recently wrapped TV drama “Radio Romance,” on KBS2. She played Jin Tae-ri, an actress struggling to gain fame – at any cost. Many viewers fell for Yura’s character, as she portrays a sweet villain. The character is mischievous, yet delicate, selfish yet honest. Yura herself

TelevisionApril 1, 2018

Koreans top tourists to Japan in early 2018

South Koreans took up the largest percentage of foreign tourists visiting Japan in January and February this year.The number of Koreans visiting Japan early this year surpassed that of Chinese tourists, who topped the list last year, the Japan National Tourism Organization announced Sunday. The surge came after the Chinese government staged economic retaliation against Korea following diplomatic tensions around the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, driving Koreans to Japan instead, rep

TravelApril 1, 2018

Around the Hotels

Taste of Asia at InterContinental Seoul CoexDiners who wants to devour on Asian food but don’t know specifically what they want can visit Asian Live, a fine dining restaurant located on the second floor of InterContinental Seoul Coex. To celebrate the first anniversary of its grand reopening, Asian Live features a special gourmet promotion through the end of April. It is to launch a special set-course menu of dishes from Korea, China, Japan, India and Arab countries. Diners will also be gifted w

FoodApril 1, 2018

Artisanal charcuterie at Maison Jo

It started with salami, charcutier Jo Woo-ram, confessed, taking a break from hours spent crafting wobbly, luscious blocks of pate and meltingly soft wheels of blood sausage to explain how it all began. “I went to study cooking in Italy,” Jo, 31, said, where he developed a fondness for salami.When he returned to Korea, he found himself craving salami and decided to make it himself. “It tasted good but I wasn’t sure if it was accurate,” he recalled. Maison Jo sells a diverse selection of pate, sa

FoodMarch 31, 2018

Less is more for Koreans renting lifestyle products

One of 33-year-old newlywed Nam Ji-hyun’s newfound hobbies of late is to cook roasted meals for herself and her husband after work, using her rented oven.　　Nam, who lives in a two-bedroom apartment with her husband of one year, rented the Balmuda Toaster oven for one month at 21,900 won ($20.45). The oven retails for over 300,000 won ($277.16). Not an everyday home cook, she found it wasteful to splurge on a full oven, but wanted to try a few simple recipes for two. Renting seemed like the best-

CultureMarch 30, 2018

[Photo News] Anatomy of string instruments

Approaching the violin studio, visitors can smell a mix of scents lingering in the alley. Maple, spruce and the varnish applied to them that fill the air inside of the workshop spill out over into the alley through the front door. Located in central Seoul, the workshop run by master violinmaker Kim Dong-in, offers an unusual atmosphere.　Hung on the walls by the necks, the violins wait to be diagnosed by a “geigenbaumeister” -- or master violinmaker -- with notes that include the owners’ names an

CultureMarch 30, 2018

‘Infinite Challenge’ producer explains why he had to end program

For the last 13 years, MBC’s “Infinite Challenge” has been more than a just a ludicrous variety show. As one of Korea’s oldest-running and most successful shows, it was like a welcome-rain to people who used to say “Watching the show on Saturday is the highlight of my week.” And when MBC announced the show’s finale for this Saturday, many might have felt wistful, as if bidding goodbye to an old friend.  For the show’s program director Kim Tae-ho, however, those years haven’t always been joyful.

TelevisionMarch 30, 2018

TIMF holds memorial ceremony celebrating Yun I-sang‘s return to homeland

The Tongyeong International Music Foundation on Friday held a memorial ceremony paying homage to composer Yun I-sang, who finally returned home 23 years after his death in Germany. The ceremony was held at the site where his ashes are buried, located on a cliff above the sea, right next to the TIMF concert hall.  More than 100 people joined the ceremony to commemorate Korea‘s internationally acclaimed composer. Tongyeong International Music Foundation Chairman Kim Dong-jin, President Florian Rie

PerformanceMarch 30, 2018

[Video] ‘Beginning again’ as buskers in Portugal, Hungary

Traveling to a completely unknown place is a great way to escape from the routine, to reinvigorate, or to begin again. But it can also be a huge challenge, if the travelers are musicians with a reputation and solid career, if they have to play music in front of a crowd who have no idea who they are. (Shot and edited by Park Ju-young / The Korea Herald)The second season of JTBC’s music variety show “Begin Again” focuses on how renowned Korean musicians turn into buskers and deal with performing t

TelevisionMarch 30, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘Small is beautiful’

It was over a meal with a foreign friend that Yeol Chairwoman Kim Young-M’Young’s interest in conserving Korean culture was sparked. Today, what originated from three friends brainstorming has grown into a non-profit organization with the mission of conserving, developing and promoting Korean cultural heritage with some 620 members. Yeol Chairwoman Kim Young-M’Young poses at the organization‘s headquarters in Bukchon, Seoul, on March 22. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)“We wanted to start small,

CultureMarch 30, 2018

[Video] Tour service to link Korean ‘oppa’ with foreign visitors

A South Korean software company has launched a specialty tour service targeting foreign visitors hoping for their own “oppa,” as depicted in Korean TV dramas. Korean women use the term “oppa” to address an older male family member, friend or romantic partner of the same generation. The service -- “Oh My Oppa” -- allows foreign visitors to “rent an oppa.” “It started out as a joke that foreigners coming to Korea expect to find men like the ones they see on dramas, but no, there aren’t any men on

TravelMarch 30, 2018

Super Junior’s new single to feature foreign artists

K-pop act Super Junior has teamed up with foreign artists for the first time since its debut.The act’s agency Label SJ said Friday that “Lo Siento,” a Latin-pop tinged lead track of Super Junior’s upcoming repackaged edition of its eighth full-length album “Play,” will feature vocals from Leslie Grace, an American singer-songwriter known for her specialty in Latin pop. Play N Skillz, a renowned DJ duo from the US, produced the album, according to the agency.  Super Junior (Label SJ) Leslie Grace

PerformanceMarch 30, 2018

Ha Ri-su reveals emotional suffering, blaming ‘sole existence’

Lee Kyung-eun, better known by her stage name Ha Ri-su, shared the emotional turbulence she has been experiencing via her Instagram late Thursday night. In the post, the 43-year-old celebrity wrote: “The people I love are called ‘dirty,’ the public criticizes them for loving me and everything falls apart because of me. My sole existence is to blame. Should I just drop everything and rest for a while? I cried too much that I can‘t see or breathe right. I don’t want to live like this any longer.”

TelevisionMarch 30, 2018

[Weekender] Reality dating contents cater to viewers' fantasies

Lizz Warner, 26, senior manager of US-based online media company Buzzfeed, met Mexican Olympian skier Robert Franco, 24, through the popular dating app Tinder during their stay in South Korea for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics last month.To make their first date in PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, extra special, they agreed to film their meet-up on camera, and posted it on social media-- Snapchat, Facebook, Instragram, YouTube. The video instantly captured attention.The viewer count of the two vi

TelevisionMarch 30, 2018