KBS’ ‘The Unit’ kicks off to mixed responses

KBS’ new idol competition program “The Unit” started its 28-episode run Saturday with a moderate viewership rating, but failed to settle controversies it had already aroused.The first episode kicked off with a viewership rating of 5 percent, while ratings for the second episode rose slightly to 6.2 percent, according to Nielsen Korea.Alternatively dubbed “Idol Rebooting Project,” the idol show brings together singers who have already debuted professionally but failed to gain public recognition t

TelevisionOct. 29, 2017

Seventeen to showcase new subunit

The upcoming album from Seventeen, “Teen, Age,” will feature not only the boy band’s songs performed as a whole, but also in various subunits.Prior to its Nov. 6 release, Seventeen revealed the album’s track list Saturday, showing that that some of the tracks will be by smaller groups within the band.  Seventeen (Pledis Entertainment)“Hoshi” and “Woozi” will team up for the fifth track “Shoot Me Before You Go,” while Joshua and Vernon will feature in “Rocket.” “Hello” will be by Jun, Mingyu and

PerformanceOct. 29, 2017

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotion

Singapore national dishes at Millennium Seoul HiltonMillennium Seoul Hilton’s all-day-dining and international buffet restaurant, Cafe 395, has added two signature dishes of Singapore -- Bak Kut Teh and Laksa -- to its menu. Bak Kut Teh is a pork rib dish simmered in an aromatic broth of herbs and spices and slow-cooked to tenderness. Laksa is a popular spicy noodle soup with a base of spicy curry or tamarind with rice vermicelli and topped with chicken, prawns or fish.Cafe 395 uses fresh market

FoodOct. 29, 2017

Raffine presents take on Parisian neo-bistro

 　Texture, flavor and presentation are all accounted for at Raffine, a French establishment that showcases cerebral cuisine from its 18-seat perch in Sinsa-dong, Seoul.　“We want the food to be fresh but not flamboyant,” said head chef Lee Dae-ryuk, 31, explaining how the goal is to give diners something new but not something over-the-top. 　This attitude is in line with Paris’ neo-bistro trend, where chefs are stepping away from tradition to present their own personal takes on cuisine, often in s

FoodOct. 28, 2017

Indie icon 10cm to be EXO Chen’s new partner-in-harmony

Chen of K-pop behemoth EXO announced a surprise collaboration with Korean indie icon 10cm on S.M. Entertainment’s weekly music project “SM Station.” According to the agency Friday, the duet will release a project single track titled “Bye Babe” on Nov. 3. The sweet voice of EXO’s main vocalist Chen, which has been a signature element to the band’s colorful musical spectrum, will crisscross with the indieman’s emotive vocal to create a new harmony. (S.M. Entertainment)Earlier last month, Chen had

PerformanceOct. 27, 2017

[Newsmaker] Fans, family remember rocker Shin Hae-chul on third anniversary of death

ANSEONG, Gyeonggi Province -- The late Shin Hae-chul was a spiritual father to many Koreans, healing hearts with songs like “Here I Stand for You,” which was dedicated to the people he loved. Friday marked the third anniversary of the legendary rocker‘s untimely death from medical complications, and people still mourning for him gathered to pay their respects.  The memorial service for Shin was held at Utopia Memorial Hall in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, where Shin’s ashes are kept, attended by f

PerformanceOct. 27, 2017

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights around Korea

Seoul Lantern FestivalThe Seoul Lantern Festival will take place from Nov. 3-9 in Seoul‘s Cheonggyecheon area. 　Lanterns of various shapes will be showcased along 1.2 kilometers of the manmade stream, stretching from Cheonggye Plaza to Supyo Bridge. 　Many whimsically shaped lanterns have adorned the festival throughout the years, from animation characters to historical figures. 　This year’s festival will celebrate the upcoming 2018 PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, with various sp

TravelOct. 27, 2017

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Glass Garden(Korea)Opened Oct. 25Mystery, drama. Directed by Shin Su-wonScientist Jae-yeon (Moon Geun-young) has been studying artificial blood created using chlorophyll when her research, and her lover, are stolen. Deeply depressed, Jae-yeon locks herself away in a glass garden in the forest, where she grew up. Writer Ji-hoon (Kim Tae-hoon) learns about her secluded life and begins to observe her from afar, eventually writing a novel about a woman whose veins contain green blood, which becomes

FilmOct. 27, 2017

Actress Clara wins popularity award at Tokyo Film Fest

Actress Clara received the popularity award at the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival’s Gold Crane Awards Thursday.　Clara has recently starred as Korean model Yoyo in “Some Like It Hot,” a Chinese rom-com released last year. 　The film, directed by Song Xiaofei and Dong Xu stars Chinese actor Xiao Yang as Xiao Han, an anxious and bored man who decides to make himself feel young and vibrant again by chasing after Yoyo. 　 The film topped box offices in China.　 Clara steps on the red carpet at t

FilmOct. 27, 2017

[Herald Interview] Peering into Korean society with sociological imagination

“Korean Society: An Introduction” by Andrew Eun-gi Kim; Korea University Press (732 pages, $30) For observers of Korean society, including all its idiosyncrasies and mystique, a new book attempts to help interpret the country by offering a sweeping elucidation on crosscutting issues.“Korean Society: An Introduction” is an academic compilation scrutinizing wide-ranging topics, covering ethnological culture, gender politics, family patterns, educational fever, nationalist religion, ageing society,

BooksOct. 26, 2017

Historic and contemporary Korean fashion in San Francisco

Historic and contemporary Korean fashion will go on display in San Francisco next month.　“Couture Korea,” running form Nov. 3 to Feb. 4, is presented jointly by Seoul-based Arumjigi Culture Keepers Foundation and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. It aims to showcase the artistry of Korean traditional dress and its legacy in contemporary Korean fashion. 　The exhibition seeks to connect the courtly costumes from centuries ago to those on the runways of today’s fashion capitals through more th

CultureOct. 26, 2017

A guide to Seoul's best Halloween haunts

It’s that time of the year again when people get excited about their costumes and stores put out the usual pumpkins and skeletons to promote their wares specially prepared for Halloween.Though Halloween is not a holiday traditionally celebrated in Korea, it has now become yet another excuse to party.A scene from the 2016 box office hit “Train to Busan” will come alive at LetsRun Park Seoul in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province on Saturday.“Zombie Run Halloween Festival” engages its participants, dubbed

CultureOct. 26, 2017

Documentary spotlights Koreans on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula

Between 1946 and 1949, just after Korea’s liberation from Japanese occupation in 1945, thousands of Koreans were recruited by the Soviet Union as contract laborers. They settled en masse on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Russian Far East, some 3,500 kilometers northeast from Seoul. 　The upcoming documentary “Where is Your Homeland” by veteran filmmaker Chung Soo-woong follows the lives of the last few Koreans in the area, opening with scenes from 1995, when some 2,000 Koreans were living in Kamc

FilmOct. 26, 2017

Rain to release new album in December

Singer Rain has teamed up with Brand New Music to return with a new album in December, reports said Thursday.　Rain and Taewan, an R&B singer and producer with the music label Brand New Music, are currently working on the final stages of Rain’s album, reports said. 　Most of the tracks on the album have been co-written and co-produced by Rain and Taewan. 　 Rain (Rain Company)Taewan participated in producing Rain’s 2008 album “Rainism” and his 2010 album “Back to the Basic.” He has also worked as a

PerformanceOct. 26, 2017

Ex-girl group member working as delivery person

Yang Ji-won, an “ex-idol” member, took a part-time job as a green juice delivery person.An idol audition program “The Unit” on KBS2 released a teaser clip. In the footage, Yang was spotted in uniform working part-time as a green juice delivery person dropping the juice off at an apartment.  (KBS)It was revealed that Yang picked up the job to pay for the cost of living after her group’s disbandment last February. Yang debuted as a member of the now disbanded K-pop group Spica in 2012. Yang will t

TelevisionOct. 26, 2017

‘Little Forest’ starring Kim Tae-ri wraps up shooting

Filming for the film “Little Forest,” starring actress Kim Tae-ri and helmed by Yim Soon-rye, has wrapped up after a year of shooting, its distributor Megabox Plus M said Thursday.　Actress Kim, who previously starred in Park Chan-wook’s “The Handmaiden,” will play Hye-won, a woman who, exhausted by city life, decides to return to the countryside. 　Cooking and living alongside childhood friends Jae-ha, played by Ryu Jun-yeol, and Eun-sook, played by Jin Ki-joo, Hye-won strives to heal herself fro

FilmOct. 26, 2017

SIWA set to host annual fundraising market

People looking to do some early Christmas shopping will get a chance to help good causes in the process as Seoul International Women’s Association is set to host its annual fundraising bazaar.Now in its 55th year, the SIWA and Diplomatic Community Bazzaar has been a mainstay of the local community in the build-up to the festive period, raising millions of won for charity each year.Volunteers mind a stall at a previous SIWA Bazaar (SIWA)It’s traditionally been a place to pick up unusual gifts and

Expat LivingOct. 26, 2017

Migrant film fest explores ‘Remapping the Borders’

With the ongoing problems facing migrants who cross the Mediterranean and increasingly hostile attitudes to migrants in Europe and the US, times are bleak for the world’s migrants.And for the organizers of the Migrant World Film Festival this weekend, there is much less optimism than when they started out 10 years ago.“Our first festival had the slogan of ‘A World Without Borders, Imagination in Motion,’ which was very positive and progressive. But starting again 10 festivals later, for the 11th

Expat LivingOct. 26, 2017

Kids get taste of the game at fundraising ‘Hockey Day Korea’

Kids joined national hockey coach Jim Paek and Team Korea Ball Hockey players on a beautiful, sunshine filled afternoon for the second annual “Hockey Day Korea!” at the Jamsil Sports Complex inline rink in Seoul on Oct. 14. HDK aims to promote awareness of hockey in Korea and most importantly, to raise money for charity, this year’s cause being Make-A-Wish Korea, which works to give special experiences to children with life-threatening illnesses. Eric Walsh, Canadian Ambassador to Korea, helped

Expat LivingOct. 26, 2017

Camarata invites patrons to ‘Fall into Music’

Camarata is inviting guests to join it for a networking night accompanied by food, wine and performances from its chamber singers for its autumn fundraiser on Friday.As well as performances and a standing buffet, the “Fall into Music” event will run a raffle with prizes including return trips to the US and holiday getaways in Vietnam and Korea.Camarata is a registered nonprofit organization set up to provide performing opportunities to people in Korea of various nationalities. It runs an auditio

Expat LivingOct. 26, 2017