GFriend’s car accident caused by inattentive driver: agency

Source Music issued a statement Sunday on a recent car accident that involved GFriend, saying that the singers did not sustain any major injuries and that the accident was caused by the inattentive driving of the group’s manager.  (Source Music)According to the agency, GFriend was on its way to Incheon Munhak Stadium for the 2017 Incheon K-pop Concert when its car hit the vehicle in front of it while changing lanes on the Second Gyeongin Expressway at around 5:30 p.m. Saturday. “The recent accid

PerformanceSept. 10, 2017

Del Toro’s ‘The Shape of Water’ wins Golden Lion at Venice

Guillermo del Toro’s monster thriller “The Shape of Water” took the top prize at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, capping an 11-day event where the demons of social division and environmental disaster loomed large on the screen.Del Toro was named winner of the Golden Lion by a jury headed by US actress Annette Bening, beating contenders including George Clooney’s “Suburbicon” and Alexander Payne’s “Downsizing.” Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro holds the Golden Lion award he received for

FilmSept. 10, 2017

An urban underwater adventure

 From streams to the deepest oceans, water, covering more than two-thirds of the planet’s surface, is the home to a myriad of creatures.As many as 1 million different species are thought to inhabit Earth’s oceans, the majority of which have yet to be fully described. Aquariums are windows into this vast, mostly unexplored world. At the Lotte World Aquarium in southern Seoul, visitors can see organism from diverse aquatic habitats including sturgeons, sharks, and pirarucu, one of the largest fres

TravelSept. 8, 2017

[Herald Interview] Designing for ‘dynamic woman on the go’

It is often said that it is never a good time to start a fashion brand, but for Lee Ji-min, founder and creative director of J.Cricket, it meant that now is as good as ever.So Lee, armed with years of experience in high-end fashion retail in China as well as a creative desire, plunged once again into designing. Lee had her own fashion brand which she folded after the 9/11 attack. In 2003, together with an Italian partner, she set up a fashion consultancy business in Shanghai with major European

Arts & DesignSept. 8, 2017

[Korean Bapsang] Jjolmyeon (spicy chewy noodles)

Jjolmyeon is a cold noodle dish of chewy noodles in a sweet and tangy gochujang sauce. The word “jjolmyeon” actually means chewy noodles, but it also refers to the dish made with them. The noodles are made from wheat flour and starch, and they are slightly thick, chewy, and bouncy. You can find these noodles either in the refrigerator or frozen section. 　Typically, kongnamul (soybean sprouts), green cabbage, carrots, and cucumbers are the vegetables included in this dish. These crunchy vegetable

FoodSept. 8, 2017

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

White asparagus meals at Millennium Seoul HiltonThe Millennium Seoul Hilton’s Italian restaurant Il Ponte is holding a promotion of Italian dining featuring a five-course menu of white asparagus throughout September. The meal starts with a salad of white asparagus, shrimps and micro leaves, followed by a white asparagus veloute with truffle-flavored parsley and garlic croutons. The next course offers pan-fried sea scallops on white asparagus in lemon butter. The entree is US beef tenderloin serv

FoodSept. 8, 2017

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Memoir of a Murderer(Korea)Opened Sept. 6Drama, thriller. Directed by Won Shin-yun Byung-soo (Sol Kyung-gu), a former serial killer, is now an emaciated elderly man suffering from early stage Alzheimer’s disease. His unsuspecting daughter Eun-hee (Kim Seol-hyun) looks after her erratic father, who disappears for lengthy periods into the bamboo forest. During one of his outings, Byung-soo’s car collides into the car of police officer Tae-joo (Kim Nam-gil), who seems to have a corpse hidden in his

FilmSept. 8, 2017

[Travel bits] Festivals, sights around Korea

Cultural Night Walk in Jeonju Cultural Night Walk in Jeonju, a program selected by the Cultural Heritage Administration in a competition, offers visitors the chance to walk through hundreds of traditional Korean homes at the Jeonju Hanok Village under the moonlight.Highlights include a moonlight photography competition, traditional music, Jeonju traditional opera, a shadow orchestra and night views of Jeonju.The event is being held until Sept. 13. For more information, visit www.jeonju-night.kr

TravelSept. 8, 2017

Seychelles to build on decadelong ties with Korea

Floating atop the Indian Ocean, the island nation of Seychelles has been a travel destination that boasts both scenery and culture, but has stayed under the radar in Korea for the most part due to accessibility and relative obscurity.“Ten years ago, when there was the idea to promote Seychelles in South Korea, no one had heard of it,” said Sherin Francis, CEO of Seychelles Tourism Board.Commemorating the 10th anniversary of its Korea office, the tourism board is looking to build on the budding r

TravelSept. 8, 2017

Modern-day hanbok to grace Cheonggyecheon catwalk

Modern interpretations of Korean traditional attire hanbok will showcase at the “Seoul 365 Fashion Show” slated for Saturday along the Cheonggyecheon stream in central Seoul.The area is known as one of the spots for the weekly Seoul Bamdokkaebi Night Markets that is open through Friday to Sunday.Counting down to the fashion show, 25 of the modern hanboks by designer Moon Hyun-seung were teased at Gwanghwamun square in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace on Monday. (Yonhap) (Yonhap) v (Yonhap) (Yonhap)

Arts & DesignSept. 8, 2017

Seo Taiji to hold encore shows for 25th-anniversary concert

K-pop icon Seo Taiji will hold concerts at the end of the month, as encore for his 25th-anniversary concert that took place last week.Seo Taiji Company said Friday that in return for the fans’ support on Seo Taiji’s 25th-anniversary concert on Sept. 2, the singer will hold “Time: Traveler Encore” at the Olympic Hall inside Olympic Park on Sept. 29-30.“The 25 years of Seo Taiji is the 25 years of history with fans,” the agency said, adding that the show was prepared to give fans an opportunity to

PerformanceSept. 8, 2017

R&B artist G.Soul soars high with ‘Circles’

The eagle is finally soaring. G.Soul, a soulful R&B artist relatively new to the K-pop scene, waited a long time to take flight, honing his skills under the watchful eyes of JYP Entertainment for 17 years before his debut. But it’s at his new label that he’s really been able to spread his wings.He returned with the self-produced EP “Circles” featuring the lead track “Can’t” on Thursday. But while his voice is warm and sweet as a melting marshmallow, it also carries the flavor of alcohol on his n

PerformanceSept. 8, 2017

'Love in the Moonlight' wins best drama at Seoul Int'l Drama Awards

KBS 2 TV's "Love in the Moonlight" received two awards from this year's Seoul International Drama Awards while the annual event was overshadowed by the on-going labor strike at the network. The popular drama, which aired Aug. 22-Oct. 18, 2016, and featured Park Bo-gum and Kim Yoo-jung, won best drama and best actor in the Korean Wave or, or hallyu, category.The awards ceremony took place at KBS Hall in Seoul's Yeouido on Thursday at 7 p.m. The show was planned to air live, but was forced to canc

TelevisionSept. 8, 2017

Veteran film director dies at 83

A veteran film director best known for his melodrama hit "Barefooted Youth" in the 1960s died on Thursday after battling lung cancer. Kim Ki-duk, a former professor at Seoul Institute of the Arts, passed in the afternoon about four months after he was diagnosed with the terminal illness, according to sources familiar with the matter. He was 83.  This file photo shows late South Korean film director Kim Ki-duk on Sept. 7, 2017. (Yonhap)Born in Seoul, he directed some 60 films during his 16-year c

FilmSept. 7, 2017

Moon Geun-young to return with new film at Busan Film Fest

Moon Geun-young will return to the big screen with “Glass Garden” (unofficial translation), according to reports.In February, the actress was diagnosed with acute compartment syndrome, which prevents blood flow to the nerves and muscle cells. She has since underwent four surgeries.In the new film, Moon stars as Jae-yeon, a doctoral student who witnesses an odd reality after living a secluded life. Shooting for the film took place from May to July last year.  Moon Geun-young (Herald Pop)Actor Kim

FilmSept. 7, 2017

[Album review] Where did EXO’s power go?

EXO“The War: The Power of Music”Genie Music　Before anything else, there is one question that needs to be answered regarding “Power” from EXO’s extended re-release of July’s “The War”:  What’s up with the line “We got that power, power”? The reigning K-pop act intended to show off its comical side in the music video, morphing into animated extraterrestrial characters wielding superpowers. But it is difficult to shake off the feeling the song sounds like a childish cartoon theme song. Starting wit

PerformanceSept. 7, 2017

UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Award goes to Concordia University, Jordan’s Rana Dajani

The UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Award this year went to the Center for the Study of Learning and Performance at Concordia University in Canada and Rana Dajani from Jordan.The annual award honors outstanding contributions made to literacy. 　The center at Concordia University was recognized for a project that uses technology to develop essential educational competencies in Sub-Saharan Africa. 　The project, which seeks to increase literacy through mobile apps, is being expanded to North America, Br

CultureSept. 7, 2017

BTS caught up in blackmail, marketing controversy

K-pop group BTS’ label Big Hit Entertainment has come under fire, suspected of using expedient means to promote its Billboard award-winner BTS. (Big Hit Entertainment)On Wednesday, Seoul Central District Court sentenced a former business associate of the label, surnamed Lee, to one year in prison for blackmailing the agency and receiving payments. The man threatened to reveal information about the company’s inappropriate methods used to promote BTS.  In an official statement released Wednesday e

PerformanceSept. 7, 2017

U-Kiss’ Kiseop suffers second-degree burns while filming music video

Kiseop of U-Kiss suffered burns from an explosion during the filming of a music video “U-Kiss member Kiseop was in an accident involving an explosion while filming a music video,” said the K-pop group’s agency in a statement Wednesday night.According to NH EMG, the smoke emitter that the singer was holding exploded toward his face. He suffered second-degree burns and was hit by dozens of shrapnel. He was rushed to a hospital in Incheon, near the filming set. “He received primary care at a nearby

PerformanceSept. 7, 2017

S. Korean band Hyukoh announces N. American tour

South Korean indie rock sensation Hyukoh will embark on an eight-city North American tour, according to its management agency Thursday.The band will kick off the tour at The Opera House in Toronto on Friday (local time) and later travel to six US cities, including New York, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles, according to DRDRamc. Hyukoh will finish the tour in Vancouver on Sept. 23.The band will also participate in Vancouver's Albatross Music Festival and the Modern Sky Festival 2017 in Arca

PerformanceSept. 7, 2017