[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Roses, freesias at Manorblanc Featuring roses, freesias and Scotch brooms, Manorblanc beckons tourists to Jeju Island. The garden is open for free to visitors who purchase at least one drink from the namesake cafe. Those who don’t feel like drinking anything can also enter for a fee of 4,000 won. The garden is open all year round from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entrants have to be at least grade schoolers or older, with no exceptions. Pets are welcome as long as they are on a leash and weigh les

TravelMarch 15, 2024

[Around the hotels] Promotions and packages

Sheraton Grand Incheon Hotel brings in spring Sheraton Grand Incheon Hotel, located in Incheon’s Songdo-dong, presents the “Blooming Viewcance” package to welcome the spring. The promotion includes a one-night stay in a deluxe or club room, a special wine set and a 50 percent discount on freshly baked goods at the hotel bakery Haute Patisserie. Visitors with young children or dogs can rent the WonderFold wagon from the hotel for free as well. The spring-themed package runs t

TravelMarch 15, 2024

‘Oldboy’ with Hello Kitty hairband: The lengths Korean stars go to please fans

In South Korea's fan culture of aegyo, which emphasizes stars appeasing fans with adorable and cutesy behaviors, even the legendary "Oldboy" star is not exempt. In fact, his wholehearted embrace of this playful interaction with fans is earning him even more respect. As Choi Min-sik, globally acclaimed for his charismatic role in the 2003 film, attends audience meet-and-greet events held at local theaters as part of promotions for his latest film “Exhuma,” photos of t

CultureMarch 14, 2024

CHA helps reopen Uzbek museum in aid push

An Uzbekistan-based museum housing some of the country’s oldest archeological artifacts reopened Wednesday with the help of official development assistance from South Korea. The first-floor exhibition halls at the two-story Afrasiab Museum of Samarkand -- located at the historical site of Afrasiyab, an ancient city in Uzbekistan -- underwent a two-year renovation led by Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration. The makeover included halls featuring royal murals or wall paintings that

CultureMarch 14, 2024

Bong Joon-ho's "Mickey 17" to open in Korea on Jan. 28 next year

Moviegoers will have to wait a little bit more to finally see Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho’s upcoming work "Mickey 17." The movie distributor Warner Bros. Pictures said Thursday that Bong’s first new work in six years will first release in theaters here on Jan. 28, 2025, before opening in other countries around the globe. “Mickey 17,” which completed production in England in December 2022, will be Bong’s first movie since “Parasite.” The

FilmMarch 14, 2024

Philippe Parreno invites you to play at illusionary show

As you approach the Leeum Museum of Art in Hannam-dong, the venue for South Korea's first solo exhibition of French artist Philippe Parreno, you may hear an unfamiliar sound, as if aliens were speaking to visitors. The sound comes from the 14-meter-tall tower “Membrane” installed on the outdoor deck of the museum. The structure functions as a control tower that breathes life into objects inside the museum. The cybernetic character is equipped with a sensing system that collect

Arts & DesignMarch 14, 2024

Two Korean drama series invited to Canneseries

Two Korean dramas "Tarot" and "Pleasant Outcast" are set to appear at Canneseries, held from April 5 to April 10 in France. "Tarot," produced by Studio X+U, a mid-form content production studio under telecommunications provider LG Uplus, was invited to compete in the short film competition section of the Cannes International Series Festival. With this, "Tarot" became the first Korean title to compete in the short film section. "Tarot" revolves ar

TelevisionMarch 14, 2024

'Physical:100 Underground' to feature skilled participants, quests of increased difficulty

The second season of Netflix Korea's flagship survival competition show "Physical: 100" will feature formidable participants, including renowned national athletes, taking part in quests of increased difficulty, the show's producers said Thursday. "Physical: 100" series features 100 contestants competing in survival matches to see who is the most physically fit. The winner gets prize money of 300 million won ($228,000). Its first season unveiled last year became a gl

TelevisionMarch 14, 2024

[Herald Review] Two Victor Hugo stories unfold on musical stage

Two musicals based on works by French author Victor Hugo are attracting audiences in Korea: “Les Miserables” and “Notre-Dame de Paris.” Both musicals are inspired by stories written by the prominent French writer, poet, and playwright and utilize a sing-through format, where the majority, if not all, of the dialogue is sung rather than spoken. The musicals include melodies that are iconic numbers worth enjoying on a live stage. “Belle (Beautiful),” sung by Q

CultureMarch 13, 2024

[Indie spirit] With gentle comfort, Kim Sawol portrays raw emotions

Singer-songwriter Kim Sawol is a sincere yet mysterious figure, a quality that is often reflected in her music. Not much is known about the soft-voiced musician, including her real name and age. She uses the stage name "Sawol," the Korean word for April, which is the month of her birth. Kim explained that she began her musical journey without disclosing any of her personal details because she is shy. "I am a musician, which means I need an audience. But paradoxically, I didn&rsquo

PerformanceMarch 13, 2024

A decade on, survivors, bereaved siblings share untold stories of Sewol ferry disaster

It has been almost a decade, but for the families of the victims, the Sewol ferry disaster is still ongoing. On April 16, 2014, the sinking of the Sewol ferry took the lives of 304, many of them high school students on a field trip to Jeju Island. The failure to rescue hundreds of people trapped in the slowly sinking ship, the live television broadcasts and the frantic chaos that ensued have left an indelible scar on the nation. Reflecting on the past decade, two official records -- “520 F

BooksMarch 13, 2024

Netflix original 'Chicken Nugget' brings creativity of Korean storytellers to life

Netflix mystery comedy original "Chicken Nugget," set to premiere Friday, will bring to life the creativity and ingenuity of Korean storytellers via its surprising plot. "Chicken Nugget" narrates the story of Go Baek-joong (played by Ahn Jae-hong) and Choi Seon-man (played by Ryu Seung-ryong), who endeavor to turn Choi Min-ah (played by Kim You-jung) back into a human. In the story, Min-ah, the daughter of Seon-man, is accidentally turned into a chicken nugget by a mysterious

TelevisionMarch 13, 2024

[Herald Interview] Jung Sung-hwa on challenge of playing Quasimodo

Jung Sung-hwa, a comedian-turned-musical actor, has been synonymous with the character of Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun in the hit musical “Hero,” which was also adapted into a film in 2022. He is also remembered by many for memorable roles like Jean Valjean in the musical “Les Miserable” or Daniel Hillard in “Mrs. Doubtfire.” Taking the role of Quasimodo in “Notre-Dame de Paris,” the 20-year veteran of musicals hopes people can forget

CultureMarch 13, 2024

Deoksugung palace tours to open next week

Free guided tours of palace buildings at Deoksugung, one of Seoul’s main palaces, will run from March 22-28, with reservations set to open from Friday. According to the Cultural Heritage Administration on Wednesday, each tour will take up to 90 minutes and take place twice a day at 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. -- with fifteen applicants who have booked a tour at royal.cha.go.kr. Major stops include Seogeodang, a two-story building that was rebuilt after being burned down in 1904. King Seonjo had

TravelMarch 13, 2024

Disney+ unveils lineup, strategy for Korean market

Emphasizing the importance of the Korean market, Disney+ said Tuesday that it will focus on quality over quantity going forward. "Disney Korea is evolving from playing the role of a distributor of global stories and content to producing content here and bringing it outside of Korea. The quality and the storytelling of Korean content is so attractive to audiences not only in APAC, but beyond," said Carol Choi, executive vice president of original content strategy at The Walt Disney Comp

TelevisionMarch 13, 2024

New Mecenat Association Chair Yoon Young-dal stresses arts in corporate culture

“Mecenat is about strengthening the roots of businesses,” according to Yoon Young-dal, the new chairperson of Korea Mecenat Association, on Tuesday. Mecenat, derived from the name of Gaius Maecenas, a politician of ancient Rome who promoted the creative activities of artists and contributed to the revival of Roman art, refers to patronage or sponsorship of the arts, culture or education by individuals, businesses or organizations. The 30-year-old organization with 215 member companie

CultureMarch 12, 2024

'The Best Sopranos' concert highlights Maria Callas' life through familiar tunes

A tribute to American and Greek soprano Maria Callas took place Monday at Lotte Concert Hall. The concert, titled “The Best Sopranos” brought together five sopranos, whom the artistic director Ha Man-taek of the concert and CEO of Korea ARTS Group, said “are the best sopranos to me, even though they are so far less-well known to the world.” The sopranos -- Park Mi-ja, Kim Ra-hee, Shin Eun-hye, Lee Yun-jeong and Veronica Yoo -- were joined by two tenors Ha and Son Ji-hoon

CultureMarch 12, 2024

Spanning over century of Korean history, Hwang Sok-yong’s 'Mater 2-10' longlisted for International Booker

South Korean literary giant Hwang Sok-yong’s “Mater 2-10” has been longlisted for the 2024 International Booker Prize, the organizers of the British literary awards announced Monday. "Mater 2-10," co-translated by Sora Kim-Russell and Youngjae Josephine Bae, and published by Scribe Publications, is among the 13 books on the longlist for one of the world's most prestigious literary awards. This is the second time Hwang has been longlisted for the award. In 2019, h

BooksMarch 12, 2024

History foundation highlights ‘objective perspective’

A South Korean state-run foundation launched to set the record straight on shared histories with neighbors said it will work on instilling an “objective and future-oriented” perspective on history. At a press conference Tuesday, Park Ji-hang, president of the Northeast Asian History Foundation, said such efforts will potentially help the country win over the international community when its vital national interests are at stake. Park did not elaborate on the specifics. “We are

CultureMarch 12, 2024

Latest case of Lee Ufan forgery allegedly involves politician's spouse

A new case of allegedly forged artwork credited to Korean artist Lee Ufan is reported to involve a Korean politician’s wife. Kukmin Ilbo, a local newspaper, exclusively reported late Monday that the prosecution recently began investigating a case in which the spouse of a Korean politician seeking to run in the April general election is alleged to have traded fake paintings last year. The woman allegedly traded forged Lee Ufan paintings to raise election campaign funds for her husband. The

Arts & DesignMarch 12, 2024