Travel back in time at retro destinations

Korea is not known for preserving its modern history, but there are still places where you can get a taste of 20th-century Korea. The Korea Tourism Organization this month recommended several travel destinations outside of Seoul that might evoke nostalgia among older travelers and entertain younger people with a time travel-like experience. Dongkwang Cinema in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province Located in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, Dongducheon has long been famous as a US military bas

TravelFeb. 3, 2024

LIE’s Lee matches elegance with Olympic spirit at Seoul Fashion Week

At Seoul Fashion Week on Friday, Lee Chung-chung, the iconic womenswear designer famed for elegantly juxtaposing bold colors with soft features, added something new to his fall-winter 2024 collection: the Olympic, or “All-lympic,” spirit. An abstract painting of the five Olympics rings drawn by a performer with prosthetic arms kicked off LIE’s runway show at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in eastern Seoul. Some of the models came out in wheelchairs. “A sense of togetherness was

Arts & DesignFeb. 2, 2024

1-year prison term sought for 'Squid Game' actor O Yeong-su on sexual abuse charges

Prosecutors on Friday sought a one-year prison sentence for O Yeong-su, the winner of a 2022 Golden Globe award for his role in "Squid Game," on charges of sexually harassing a woman in 2017. The 79-year-old O was indicted in November 2022 over allegations that he hugged a woman and kissed her on the cheek against her will between August and September in 2017 during his two-month tour to a regional area for a performance. In a hearing at the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court

Social AffairsFeb. 2, 2024

Timothee Chalamet to visit Korea ahead of release of 'Dune: Part Two'

American actor Timothee Chalamet will visit South Korea ahead of the release of "Dune: Part Two" later this month, according to a local news outlet on Friday. Chalamet will be visiting Korea during the week leading up to the release of the film, according to the media outlet. In Korea, "Dune: Part Two" is to be released on Feb. 28. The detailed schedule of the visit, including dates and the lineup of actors participating in the visit, are currently being coordinated, the news

FilmFeb. 2, 2024

Film director Park Kwang-su appointed as new chairman of BIFF

Veteran film director Park Kwang-su has been appointed as the new chair of the Busan International Film Festival. Via a general meeting held at the Busan Cinema Center on Thursday, Park was designated to lead the annual film festival for the next four years. Park’s four-year term began Friday, and can be extended for one additional term. The appointment comes as the BIFF Executive Recommendation Committee unanimously nominated Park as the sole candidate for the position on Dec. 22, 2023, f

FilmFeb. 2, 2024

On first day of Seoul Fashion Week, runways play up power of heritage, personality

Starting off the biannual Seoul Fashion Week on Thursday were runway shows that touched on the themes of reverence for heritage and personality. Designer Park So-young, who goes by Sooy Park, delivered a powerful 24-minute catwalk that featured worn-out shirts and monotone suits, which the womenswear designer brought back to life, a reinterpretation of the old while reaching for aesthetic sophistication. Oversized garments in muted tones and nuanced color palettes, rather than bold and vivid, un

Arts & DesignFeb. 2, 2024

[Herald Interview] Ahn Jae-hong, Esom capture realism in modern romance via 'LTNS'

South Korean actors Ahn Jae-hong and Lee So-young, better known as Esom, said they attempted to capture realism, portraying romance of the modern couples living through the contemporary age, in their latest work "LTNS." Korean streaming platform Tving's six-part comedy drama series "LTNS," which is short for "Long Time No Sex," centers around the story of Woo-jin (played by Esom) and Samuel (played by Ahn) -- a sexless, married couple -- as they chase unfaithfu

TelevisionFeb. 2, 2024

Iksan offers cheap bus tours

This year may be the best time to tour around Iksan, an UNESCO World Heritage city, as the city presents an affordable bus tour service starting from February. Celebrating the Visit Iksan 2024 campaign, the city -- some 190 kilometers south of Seoul in North Jeolla Province -- offers three different bus tours for 2,000 won. The circular type bus tour operates on weekends and holidays, from 9:50 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. Departing from Iksan Station, the bus visits the city’s popular tourist destin

TravelFeb. 2, 2024

SG Wannabe to celebrate 20th anniversary with concert

One of the representative South Korean R&B groups, SG Wannabe, will return with a concert to celebrate their 20th debut anniversary. The trio’s upcoming concert will be held under the title “Our Song,” keeping the name of the group’s concert last year. The title "Our Song" became the concert brand of the trio, starting with a concert in March last year at SK Handball Gymnasium in Olympic Park and Seoul. The first "Our Song," was SG Wannabe's f

PerformanceFeb. 2, 2024

[Photo News] 'Squid Game' to return with second season in 2024

"Squid Game," the South Korean Netflix original drama series which took the world by storm upon its release in 2021, will return with a second season in 2024, according to Netflix. The new season of the thriller will follow the story of Sung Ki-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae), who gives up his flight to the United States after discovering that the organizers of the death game are continuing to recruiting participants. The drama series will also follow the stories of various contestants wh

TelevisionFeb. 2, 2024

[Photo News] Winter Youth Olympics concludes with celebration of athletic feats

The fourth Winter Youth Olympics concluded in eastern South Korea on Thursday with a celebration of the feats accomplished by teenage athletes over the past two weeks. The closing ceremony began at 8 p.m. Thursday under the theme, "Shine Again" at the open plaza in front of Gangneung Hockey Centre in Gangneung. A highlight video of the 14-day competition was shown on the main screen, and rapper Lee Young-ji and dancing group 1Million performed for the athletes and spectators. The two-w

CultureFeb. 2, 2024

First foreigners-only casino in 19 years to open on Saturday

The first foreigners-only casino in almost two decades is set to open on Saturday in Yeongjongdo, Incheon. Mohegan Inspire Resort, the integrated entertainment resort that will house the casino, confirmed its opening on Friday. The resort, Incheon's latest landmark, got its license from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Jan. 23 to open a new foreigners-only casino in South Korea for the first time in 19 years. Mohegan Inspire Resort’s casino is considered the country&rsqu

TravelFeb. 2, 2024

[Well-curated] Tribute to Fu Bao, travel back to '70s Seoul and quiet haven in city

Enjoy Everland’s Bao Haus For precious few chances left to make a special memory with Fu Bao, the first panda to be born in Korea, pay a visit to Bao Haus. Everland -- South Korea’s largest theme park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province -- opened Bao Haus, a Fu Bao-themed exhibition, on Jan. 20, ahead of the scheduled departure of Korea's favorite panda in April. Fu Bao is due to return to her ancestral home China. The indoor exhibition is located at the center of Everland, presenting

CultureFeb. 2, 2024

[Around the hotels] Promotions and packages

Haevichi Hotel and Resorts unveils Lunar New Year gifts Haevichi Hotel and Resorts is offering new, limited-edition gift sets for the upcoming Lunar New Year's holiday. The sets include pine mushrooms, abalone in soy sauce, perilla oil bibim sauce and a hanwoo sukiyaki meal kit, handpicked by the chefs at Haevichi restaurants. Hanwoo refers to premium Korean beef. The Lunar New Year's gift sets are available on Haevichi’s official website. Gift sets can be ordered in person or by

TravelFeb. 2, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Citizen of a Kind” (South Korea) Opened Jan. 24 Drama Directed by Park Young-ju Duk-hee (Ra Mi-ran), who usually lives an ordinary life, travels to Qingdao, China, to capture the boss of a criminal organization after she falls victim to a voice phishing scam. She decides to travel to the country after the person who scammed her, Son Jae-min (Gong Myung), calls her from Qingdao asking for help. “Wish” (US) Opened Jan. 3 Animation Directed by Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasuntho

FilmFeb. 2, 2024

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Strawberries, tomatoes at Yulbom At Yulbom, a botanical garden in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, visitors can pick strawberries. Visitors have 30 minutes to pick up to 1 kilogram of strawberries at the daily market price, which is charged on top of the 5,000-won entrance fee. Making strawberry jelly or jam costs 15,000 won for a 600-milliliter bottle and a 500-gram jar of jam. Tomato picking is priced at 15,000 won for 1.2 kilograms, and making tomato gochujang, a Korean fermented chili paste,

TravelFeb. 2, 2024

Korean art scene comes together to tout presence at Venice Biennale

Different players spanning the Korean art scene came together Wednesday in Seoul to discuss plans for presenting Korean art at the upcoming Venice Biennale, where more than 50 Korean artists are to be shown. It was an unprecedented joint press conference held ahead of the global art event with the participation of a government entity, a museum, commercial galleries, art foundations and the Gwangju Biennale. The joint press conference was led by Arts Council Korea, the commissioner of the Korean

Arts & DesignFeb. 1, 2024

Son Suk-ku, Choi Woo-shik explore ethics of eye for an eye in ‘A Killer Paradox'

South Korean actors Son Suk-ku and Choi Woo-shik will raise a philosophical question -- whether it is just to condemn evil through murder -- in "A Killer Paradox," a new Netflix original drama series. The eight-part drama series revolves around Yi Tang, (played by Choi Woo-shik) a college student who, under extreme stress, murders those who antagonize him. After discovering that all his victims were serious evildoers "worth killing," Yi comes to believe that he has a supernat

TelevisionFeb. 1, 2024

US Ice dance siblings Maia and Alex Shibutani continue PyeongChang's legacy at 2024 Youth Winter Olympics

US ice dance duo Alex Hideo Shibutani and Maia Shibutani, siblings who secured two bronzes at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, have returned to Gangwon Province after six years to celebrate and support the first Youth Winter Olympics in Asia. They set foot in the region for the first time in six years, yet their connection with students remained steadfast through a mentoring program they initially joined in 2017 and 2018. The mentorship program was part of the “Thank You PyeongChang”

PeopleFeb. 1, 2024

Tours of Korean historical sites to start in US

Free tours of the Old Korean Legation building in Washington will be offered to the public starting next week, aimed at raising awareness of the Korean historical site. The Cultural Heritage Administration said Thursday a shuttle bus will take participants from Washington, Virginia and Maryland to the building on Wednesdays and Saturdays during the second week of every month from February to November. The agency turned the legation into a museum in 2018 after acquiring it in 2012 to preserve it

CultureFeb. 1, 2024