[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Geoje Island Flower Festival The free flower festival will run from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Sunday at the Geoje Agricultural Development Institute, which also serves as a theme park in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province. Over 100 different types of chrysanthemums and 250 kinds of camellias will be showcased. Artworks like paintings and photos shedding light on the region will be on exhibit as well. Check out the latest at geoje.go.kr. Pink Muhly Festival Admire the shining pink muhly g

TravelNov. 1, 2024

[Exclusive] MCM to open flagship store in Lotte’s metaverse next week

Luxury fashion and leather goods company MCM plans to launch its metaverse flagship store on a platform powered by Lotte Innovate as early as Nov. 7, joining global luxury brands tapping into the virtual world with a digital second life. MCM products can be purchased directly on the platform Caliverse once a market develops, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter. “Initially, we will link users interested in buying to the official MCM website. We’ll see how that pan

Arts & DesignOct. 31, 2024

World Pansori Festival to celebrate unique vocal art form

The second annual World Pansori Festival will kick off at Namsangol Hanok Village in Seoul this weekend, showcasing a blend of traditional culture and modern musical innovation. Co-hosted by the World Pansori Association and Namsangol Hanok Village, the festival running from Friday to Sunday celebrates pansori, Korea’s expressive vocal art form of narrative singing of epic stories and folklore. The Main Concert will have live pansori beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday, followed by pansori buski

PerformanceOct. 31, 2024

Lim Yunchan named artist in residence for 2025 TIMF

South Korean piano sensation Lim Yunchan, the youngest winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, has been named artist in residence for next year’s Tongyeong International Music Festival, one of South Korea's most celebrated music festivals which is held annually in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province. The 20-year-old pianist, recently honored with the Gramophone Classical Music Awards prize in the piano category and named its young artist of the year, will join anot

CultureOct. 31, 2024

KTO names best public campgrounds of 2024

The Korea Tourism Organization unveiled a list of 20 top public campgrounds of 2024 to promote the excellence of the country’s public campsites and continue to develop sustainable camping cultures across the country. The public camping grounds were recommended by the provincial, city governments and public institutions and they were organized and evaluated in four categories -- family-friendly, pet-friendly, eco-friendly area and barrier-free. The campsites were assessed once again with th

TravelOct. 31, 2024

Looking for love, and drama? 'I am Solo' now casting foreign residents

"I am Solo," one of Korea’s most popular dating-themed reality shows, is accepting applications from foreign nationals interested in joining its matchmaking program. According to the program, the show is seeking "single foreign nationals living in Korea who are fluent in Korean," as well as "Korean national men who are interested in marrying foreign national women." Applicants should send a self-introduction email to lovematch911@naver.com. Selected candidates

TelevisionOct. 31, 2024

[Herald Interivew] Composer and conductor Yoon Han-kyeol on why 'Grium' is 'Grium'

The year 2024 has been a whirlwind of a year for Yoon Han-kyeol, winner of the 2023 Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors Award. The rising conductor led the Hankyung Arte Philharmonic in all-Brahms symphony concerts in May and many other performances in Europe. Earlier this month, he debuted with the Munich Philharmonic, an unexpected opportunity that he enjoyed immensely. Then, there was his debut with the ORF Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna in August at the Salzburg Festival. Returning to the

CultureOct. 30, 2024

[Herald Interview] Park Sang-young aims to break taboos through his works

Novelist Park Sang-young is now a screenwriter, following the release of the television adaptation of his 2019 novel, “Love in the Big City.“ Park wrote the script for all eight episodes of the drama which explores the romantic and personal life of a young gay man in Seoul. The series was released in full on the local streaming platform Tving on Oct. 21. “As you may have guessed, it took some time to cast the actors and confirm the platform on which it will air due to the uni

TelevisionOct. 30, 2024

Has ‘SNL Korea’ satire devolved into mere insults?

Treading precariously on the fault line of socially accepted norms, satire often becomes a source of controversy. “Saturday Night Live Korea” -- running since 2011 with a three-year break before it was rebooted in 2021 -- enjoys the distinction of being the longest-running international adaptation of the iconic US show, and is appreciated by fans for its weekly satirical commentary on current affairs. However, not everyone approves of how its subjects are satirized. In a recent case,

TelevisionOct. 30, 2024

Stop-motion animation auteur wins top prize at Bucheon animation fest

This year's top prize at the 26th Bucheon International Animation Festival, one of Korea's largest animation film events, was clinched by Adam Elliot, the Oscar-winning Australian director behind "Memoir of a Snail." According to the festival's committee on Tuesday, the BIAF Grand Prize for the feature film category was awarded to Elliot for his 94-minute stop-motion animation film, which follows the story Grace. She is raised by her father Percy, who lives with parapleg

CultureOct. 30, 2024

Hankook Ilbo chief editorial writer takes office as new head of Korea News Editors’ Association

Lee Tae-gyu chief editorial writer of The Hankook Ilbo, a local daily, was elected as the 26th president of the Korea News Editors’ Association on Tuesday. The association, established in 1957, is a society of senior journalists from 62 South Korean media outlets. It works toward cooperation between news companies and promotes the freedom of the press. Lee was named the new president at the periodical meeting of the association held at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. The new president

PeopleOct. 30, 2024

Painter Hwang In-ran's exhibition at Art Cube 2R2 shows abyss, solitude

Painter Hwang In-ran has unveiled her solo exhibition “Abyss at Noon: Beatrice of Silence.” The new paintings feature meticulous brush strokes and repetitive, layered lines to convey the artist’s solitude and silence. Hwang's acrylic paintings at the exhibition are based on the artist's meditative imagery, some of which show images of flowers, birds and a woman. The exhibition kicked off on Oct. 24, running through Nov. 28 at the Art Cube 2R2 in Gangnam-gu, southern S

Arts & DesignOct. 29, 2024

Once known for heavier themes, DMZ and Pohang to get new energy through music festivals

Located on opposite ends of the country, the Demilitarized Zone and the southeastern city of Pohang are emblematic of two contrasting features of the Korean Peninsula: the tension of a frozen conflict and the prosperity of South Korea as an industrial powerhouse. The DMZ stands as a stark reminder of the Korean War, while Pohang is a bustling coastal city of about 500,000 people, whose identity is deeply intertwined with heavy industry, particularly steelmaker Posco, which was founded there in 1

CultureOct. 29, 2024

[Herald Interview] ‘Uprising’ shows unprecedented sides of Gang Dong-won, Park Jung-min

A scruffy man with windblown hair is dragged down to kneel on the ground. Despite his untidy looks, his glaring eyes are fixed on the enemy as he swings his sword, a movement akin to dancing. The man is Gang Dong-won, portraying a seemingly unlikely character for the actor: Cheon-young, a main character in Netflix’s “Uprising.” Ranking third in some 190 countries on Netflix’s non-English Global Top 10 movie chart soon after its Oct. 11 release, the period action flick fol

FilmOct. 29, 2024

[From the Scene] Anti-LGBTQ+ rally exposes divide

It was almost 2 p.m., churchgoers descended on Seoul Plaza and the crowds were growing by the minute. A buoyant mood took over as a pastor announced the start of the Sunday service in the plaza, part of planned worship gatherings spanning from Gwanghwamun Square to Seoul Station, as well as around Yeouido Park. The rallies across the capital were organized by conservative Protestant groups led by the Communion of Churches in Korea, one of Korea’s four biggest ecumenical Protestant groups.

CultureOct. 29, 2024

Painter Hwang In-ran's exhibition at Art Cube 2R2 shows abyss, solitude

Painter Hwang In-ran has unveiled new paintings that feature meticulous brush strokes with repetitive and layered lines. Her solo exhibition “Abyss at Noon: Beatrice of Silence” reveals the artist’s solitude and silence. Hwang's acrylic paintings at the exhibition are based on the artist's meditative imagery, some of which show images of flowers, birds and a woman. The exhibition kicked off on Oct. 24, running through Nov. 28 at the Art Cube 2R2 in Gangnam-gu, souther

Arts & DesignOct. 29, 2024

[Herald Review] How musical ‘Kinky Boots’ became stronger than ever, 10 years on

When “Kinky Boots” returned in July 2022 for its fifth run, the lively musical gave audience members a much-needed chance to release their pent-up desires with cheers and shouting -- perhaps for the first time since the pandemic. In comparison, the sixth run -- which also marks the show’s 10th anniversary -- is best described as “record-breaking.” It is a record-breaking in many aspects: from audience numbers and the volume of their cheers to the number of participa

CultureOct. 29, 2024

Song Kang-ho plays unfortunate volleyball coach in ‘One Win’

In the upcoming sports movie “One Win” Song Kang-ho depicts a down-and-out coach who, despite a life miserable with continued failures, is betting on a single win. “One Win” was written and directed by Shin Yeon-sik, who Song worked with in the recent Disney+ drama “Uncle Samsik.” The movie revolves around Woo-jin, a volleyball coach who has never won before and players who have no idea how to win a game. As a team, however, they head toward their mutual goal

FilmOct. 28, 2024

Year-end melodies to light up the winter season

As the year draws to a chilly close, it's time to book year-end concerts by your favorite artists. Peppertones, a duo known for bright and warm music, will cap off their 20th debut anniversary year with a year-end concert. The band will host "Twenty" on Dec. 14-15 at Daeyang Hall of Sejong University, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. "Twenty" marks Peppertones' 20th anniversary and follows their successful sold-out tour in July, "Party Plenty." Singer Crush's ye

PerformanceOct. 28, 2024

Deoksugung exhibition to explore traditional crafts

An annual exhibition of traditional Korean crafts by select master artisans will take place from Tuesday to Nov. 10 at Deoksugung, one of the five palaces of the Joseon era (1392-1910) in Seoul. The exhibition entitled “Brilliance” will showcase 24 pieces by four artisans: Park Seon-hee, a “maedeupjang,” or decorative knots master; Ahn Yoo-jin, a “dancheongjang,” or decorative painting mater; Yoon Soon-il, a “somokjang,” or master carpenter; and Le

Arts & DesignOct. 28, 2024