BTS, Twice most talked about K-pop groups

K-pop groups Bangtan Boys and Twice were respectively the most talked about boy band and girl group in Korea, according to a report by a local think tank. The Korea Corporate Reputation Research Center, using a big data system, looked at the positive evaluation of K-pop groups by the public and their popularity in the media. It examined factors such as the “(consumer) participation rate” and “(consumer) communication rate.”It found that BTS’ brand reputation was the highest among all boy bands,

PerformanceJan. 15, 2017

K-pop singer HyunA goes on global tour

K-pop singer HyunA will embark on a global tour of North America next month, her management agency said Friday.HyunA (Yonhap)Starting off in Vancouver on Feb. 22, she will hold a concert in 8 cities total: Toronto on the 24th, Montreal on the 26th, Chicago on March. 1, New York on the 3rd, Dallas on the 6th, San Francisco on the 9th and Los Angeles on the 10th, according to Cube Entertainment. A former member of the now-disbanded girl group 4minute, she held fan events titled "The Queen's Back"

PerformanceJan. 13, 2017

‘The King’ delves into mania of power and corruption

What is it like for a person of power to live in Korean society?Apparently, it’s like being royalty, according to director Han Jae-rim’s latest flick “The King.”From childhood, protagonist Park Tae-su yearned for power. He reigned over fellow students with his fist before he caught a glimpse of what he called “real power” -- the sight of his thug father being beaten up by a pencil-neck prosecutor. It was then that he decided to pursue a career in law.Park soon realizes that real power comes at a

FilmJan. 13, 2017

‘Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films’ Review -- Molly Haskell trains her keen eye on the director

“Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films” By Molly HaskellYale University Press (228 pages, $25)Film critics are not usually celebrated for their sense of charity. They’re not usually celebrated at all, actually. But the celebrated Molly Haskell is not your usual film critic, and she commits the first of her many acts of kindness toward Steven Spielberg in the very title of her new biography.“A Life in Films”? Not “A Life in Movies”? It’s a distinction that means something. It certainly would mean som

BooksJan. 13, 2017

[The Palate] Yukkal, the perfect winter hybrid

Seoul has an array of vibrant new restaurants and food shops that show its progressive and forward momentum on the international food scene. For locals, it’s a breath of fresh air to find foreign restaurants sprinkled around the city that bring new flavors closer to home.But time and time again, whether one is a native or an expat living in Korea, “matjip,” the more humble “mom and pop” restaurants that serve tried-and-true local dishes as authentic as they come, are still enjoyed by all. It is

FoodJan. 13, 2017

[Around the Hotels] Packages and promotions

New Year package at Grand Hyatt Incheon Grand Hyatt Incheon is offering a Lunar New Year package, which includes access to an indoor playground and Nintendo play zone, from Jan. 27 to 29. The “fun” package includes a one-night stay in a guest room, breakfast for two adults and access to an indoor playground, Nintendo play zone, three swimming pools, sauna and fitness center. The “full” option includes all of the above services plus dinner for two adults.The indoor playground features kinetic san

FoodJan. 13, 2017

[Travel Bits] Festivals in Korea this week

Mulmalgeun Icefish Festival The Mulmalgeun Yangpyeong Icefish Festival takes place in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, each winter. Visitors can eat warm fish cakes and roasted chestnuts at the festival. Aside from ice fishing, other traditional winter games and activities such as kite-flying, top spinning, sledding and making jjimbbang (steamed buns with red bean filling) will be available.The festival will continue until Feb. 12, and online reservations are available at soomyland.winterfesti

TravelJan. 13, 2017

[Home Cooking] Sataejjim (slow cooker braised beef shank)

Sataejjim is a traditional braised dish that’s made with bite-sized beef shank meat (satae). Beef shank meat is a tough cut of meat with lots of connective tissue. Slow cooking breaks down the collagen into a rich, flavorful gelatin. Sataejjim is often a cheaper or less fatty alternative to galbijjim (braised short ribs).In Korean cooking, beef shank meat is a popular cut of meat for making soup and braised dishes such as jangjorim. If you are using bone-in pieces, cut the meat off the bones int

FoodJan. 13, 2017

Dazzling German concert hall premieres to standing ovation

HAMBURG (AFP) -- Germany late Wednesday opened a spectacular concert house in Hamburg to the strains of Beethoven and Wagner that has been touted as a new global attraction, albeit after a cost explosion.Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Joachim Gauck joined 2,100 guests at the inaugural concert under tight security in the grand hall of the Elbphilharmonie, which has electrified critics with its audacious design and world-class acoustics.The three-hour-long program met with a long standing

PerformanceJan. 13, 2017

Sistar’s Hyolyn to perform at SXSW

Hyolyn of the Korean girl group Sistar will have a showcase at this year’s South by Southwest festival, according organizers Thursday.On its website, SXSW included Hyolyn among its newly announced artist lineup, describing her as the “Korean Beyonce.”Launched in 1987, SXSW is an annual collective showcase of film, music and interactive media held every March in Austin, Texas. This year’s festival will run from March 10-19.SXSW highlighted Hyolyn’s career outside of South Korea, citing her perfor

PerformanceJan. 13, 2017

Films to look forward to in 2017

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Hollywood might still be patting itself on the back for its 2016 films, but there‘s a lot to look forward to in film this year -- in all genres. Here are some films to put on your radar for the year. “John Wick: Chapter 2” (Feb. 10), “The Fate of the Furious” (April 14) Two franchises, both unlikely, both silly and both endlessly watchable get new installments this year. Keanu Reeves is back as the vengeful hit man John Wick in the sequel to the 2014 sleeper hit. And the Fast

FilmJan. 13, 2017

[Movie Review] In uplifting ‘Hidden Figures,’ three women’s rise

Theodore Melfi’s buoyant “Hidden Figures” is an old-fashioned feel-good movie with powerful contemporary relevance, spearheaded by a trio of unstoppable actresses playing black women who wouldn’t be stopped. Set in 1961 Virginia, the fact-based “Hidden Figures,” adapted from Margot Lee Shetterly’s non-fiction book, is about three peripheral characters at NASA who made important contributions to the space race. Their workplace, at Langley, is segregated (with separate bathrooms and drinking fount

FilmJan. 13, 2017

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Moana(US)Opened Jan. 12Animation, adventure. Directed by Ron Clements, John MuskerMoana, the strong-willed daughter of the chief of a Polynesian tribe, has been chosen by the ocean to deliver a mystical stone relic to the goddess Te Fiti. When calamity strikes her island, its vegetation dying out and fish becoming scarce, Moana ventures out into the ocean in search of the demigod Maui, in hopes of saving her people. Your Name(Japan)Opened Jan. 4Fantasy, animation. Directed by Makoto Shinkai Mits

FilmJan. 13, 2017

[Herald Interview] The infectious joy of ‘Weightlifting Fairy’ Lee Sung-kyoung

When Lee Sung-kyoung put on a few kilograms for her role as a weightlifting trainee, she was “a little depressed” to find patches of dry skin and stretch marks throughout her body.　“The best way to put on weight was to eat late at night and go straight to bed,” said the model-turned-actress at an interview at a cafe in Hapjeong-dong, Seoul, Thursday. “My face would be puffy the next morning.”But the toll the extra weight posed on her health was forgotten once she began filming “Weightlifting Fai

TelevisionJan. 13, 2017

[Video] ‘The King’ delves into mania of power and corruption: Herald Review

What is it like for a person of power to live in Korean society?Apparently, it’s like being royalty, according to director Han Jae-rim’s latest flick “The King.”From childhood, protagonist Park Tae-su yearned for power. He reigned over fellow students with his fist before he caught a glimpse of what he called “real power” -- the sight of his thug father being beaten up by a pencil-neck prosecutor. It was then that he decided to pursue a career in law.Park soon realizes that real power comes at a

PerformanceJan. 12, 2017

Golfer Pak Se-ri presented Korea Image Award

The Corea Image Communications Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Korean culture worldwide, hosted the 2017 Korea Image Award ceremony at the InterContinental Seoul Coex on Wednesday. The winners of this year’s awards were Korean golfer Pak Se-ri, artificial intelligence program AlphaGo and Cho Tae-kwon, chairman of porcelain company Kwangjuyo and a promoter of Korean culinary arts.Since 2005, the event has recognized individuals who have enhanced Korea’s image abroad. Ab

CultureJan. 12, 2017

‘Infinite Challenge’ to go off air for seven weeks

One of the longest-running TV variety shows in the country will take a seven-week break, with the head of “Infinite Challenge” saying it needed the time to “normalize” itself.The show’s production team has confirmed reports it will be taken off air for seven weeks starting Jan. 28. The broadcaster is planning to air the pilot program and special editions of “Infinite Challenge” consisting of clips from past episodes.“Infinite Challenge” (MBC)Kim Tae-ho, the mastermind behind MBC’s hit, told loca

TelevisionJan. 12, 2017

Symposium celebrates what’s gained in translation of literature

Marking the 10th anniversary of its founding, the Yoo Yeong Research Foundation hosted a symposium Wednesday that reflected on Korea’s progress in literary translation and honored those who have helped bridge the country and the world through cultural reinterpretation. The event held at Yonsei University bestowed the Yoo Yeong Translation Award to Uhm Il-nyeo, who translated Sarah Waters’ “The Little Stranger” into Korean in 2015. In partnership with the university’s English Literature Research

CultureJan. 12, 2017