As 'Me Too' sweeps Korea, conspicuous silence within K-pop

Since late January, the "Me Too" movement in South Korea has spread like wildfire throughout all avenues of society, with the arts and cultural circles, similar to Hollywood in the United States, revealed as one of the most predatory areas in terms of sexual violence.But it's worth pointing out that the alleged sexual perpetrators exposed within the cultural industries have been mostly identified in the film and TV community, leaving many observers of Korean culture asking -- Is K-pop, an indust

March 7, 2018

Top poet denies sexual abuse allegations

Ko Un, the renowned South Korean poet, has denied allegations that he sexually harassed a junior poet, his British publisher said Sunday.(The Guardian)Female poet Choi Young-mi revealed her experience of being groped by an unnamed senior poet in a poem titled "Monster"released in early February. She did not disclose the name of the perpetrator, but news media have pointed to Ko Un based on the details described in the poem."I flatly deny the allegations of habitual sexual harassment that have be

March 4, 2018

[Photo News] In full bloom for March

Graduation and school entrance season, which comes around in March in Korea, has arrived. The record-breaking cold temperatures are slowly fading away as spring creeps up.Along with the change in seasons, people are flocking to the flower market in Yangjae-dong, southeastern Seoul. The Yangjae Flower Market is the largest in Korea, a hub of some 120 wholesale and retail stores, an auction house and greenhouses that sell all sorts of flowers, succulents and bouquet-making material.Customers can b

March 4, 2018

[Trending] #Daeboreum

If you stroll down the street tonight, you’d better stop for a while, raise your head and make a wish. Today is “Jeongwol Daeboreum” or “Daeboreum,” which means the first full moon of the Lunar New Year. It is one of Korea’s traditional holidays.To mark the special day, the word Daeboreum featured on Naver’s trending keyword bar Friday morning, while over 3,000 tweets were posted on the social media platform on the same day.Ancestors in the nation were believed to celebrate the day by wishing a

March 2, 2018

Teen clubbers rock the house

A backstreet in Hongdae bustles with well-dressed teenagers. The area, famous for its night life, teems with youngsters on most nights. But this alley’s crowd is younger than usual -- some are even still in their school uniforms.Even in the twilight, the alley reverberates with the music as the young students excitedly line up with groups of friends to get into the nightclub.  Teen-clubbers wait outside in a line to enter a nightclub in Hongdae (Photo by Im Eun-byel / The Korea Herald)Wave, a te

March 1, 2018

[Video] An afternoon in Seoul at a sheep cafe

Seoul is full of novel indoor attractions for foreign tourists, from board game cafes and escape rooms to one-person karaoke booths. One of the most comforting of these sites might be the sheep cafe Thanks Nature, located just in front of Hongik University in the Hongdae district. Owner Lee Kwang-ho brushes the one-year-old ewe Sugar on Feb. 23 at his cafe Thanks Nature in Hongdae, Seoul. (Rumy Doo/The Korea Herald)The cafe, sitting in a sunken garden-like lower story, houses in its outdoors enc

Feb. 28, 2018

YG Entertainment opens dining facility in Jeju Shinhwa World

YG Entertainment on Sunday opened its restaurant complex YG Republique at Jeju Shinhwa World, an integrated resort complex on Jeju Island. YG’s new multifaceted dining complex consists of three restaurant brands: a meat place called “Three-Way Butcher,” a salad cafe called “3Birds” and a pub called “K-Pub,” all of which are operated by YG in conjunction with YG Foods, the agency’s restaurant business.  G-Dragon’s cafe Untitled, 2017 (YG Foods) YG Republique (YG Foods)YG Republique also has branc

Feb. 25, 2018

[Photo News] Beating until perfection, bangjja

Korean traditional bronzeware, called bangjja, is the ultimate in sophistication. Artisan Kim Ki-chan, who is a sixth-generation bangjja maker at his family-run business, makes just one pair of a bangjja chopsticks and spoon a day at his workshop in Yanggu, Gangwon Province. To make one bronze spoon, Kim pounds the metal more than 365 times with a hammer, then tempers and files it.  Photo: Park Hyun-koo/The Korea HeraldTo Kim, making bangjja was more than just continuing his family business. It

Feb. 23, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘Sunday Paintings’ record life of artist

In this age of Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, people’s lives seem to be fully on display, feeding our exhibitionist and voyeuristic tendencies at the same time. To be seen and to see has come to define our times.Yet, viewing US-based artist Byron Kim’s “Sunday Paintings” series at the Kukje Gallery in Sojeok-dong, Seoul, is an oddly discomfiting experience. In a series of 35.5 centimeter-by-35.5 centimeter canvases, the artist depicts the sky over wherever he may be on a given Sunday and write

Feb. 23, 2018

[Video] Social venture chief calls on Korea to nurture positive view of sex

On Valentine’s Day in Korea, contrary to traditions elsewhere, it is the women who busily prepare for the upcoming date night. Homemade chocolates and candlelit dinners are just a few items on the extensive checklist. While women here shower men with gifts on Feb. 14, men get the chance to reciprocate on March 14, known as White Day.On Valentine’s Day, many local hotels and accommodations offer promotions and special packages for lovers. “Rooms get fully booked around Christmas and Valentine’s D

Feb. 14, 2018

[Weekender] Koreans spend century standing by Lunar New Year

A scene that may seem weird or unique to foreign bystanders is the common ritual in South Korea to celebrate the Lunar New Year: younger family members make a full bow, or saebae, to their elders, as they receive envelopes -- of cold, hard cash -- as gifts carrying messages of the best wishes for the future.As relatives gather for the Seollal holiday, usually at the home of the “highest-ranking” member of the extended family, they dress in neat garments, sometimes traditional hanbok, and take pa

Feb. 14, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] South Korea promotes ‘Hangul’ calligraphy at Winter Olympics

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province — South Korea took the opportunity to promote Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, with a Hangeul calligraphy performance held on the sidelines of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Wednesday. 　Korean Hangeul culture and arts promotion team for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics brought together five local artists for the event.Korean calligraphy, also known as “seoye” in Korean, is the tradition of artistic writing created via careful brushstrokes. Early Korean calligraphy was

Feb. 14, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] 5 temple stay programs offer exclusive experience for visitors to PyeongChang

The Korean Buddhist Cultural Foundation’s head monk Won-kyung selected five temples in the greater Gangwon Province area where foreign visitors can join special temple stay programs during the Winter Games: Naksansa, Baekdamsa, Samhwasa, Sinheungsa and Woljeongsa Temple. Individuals, who carry tickets to the Olympics and Paralympics, will be able to take advantage of the special temple stay program, receiving an 80 percent discount for a one-night stay including one additional person. Visitors c

Feb. 13, 2018

[Video] PyeongChang Winter Games promote traditional Korean culture

For the next two weeks, the world’s best winter sports athletes will be vying for the coveted gold in the PyeongChang Winter Games. But organizers of the international event seek to take this opportunity to also promote Korea’s traditional culture through what they have dubbed “Cultural Olympiad.”(Shot and edited by Park Ju-young)From Feb. 9 - 25, various cultural events will take place across Gangwon Province, including Olympic venues, temples, tourist spots and stations.  PyeongChang Olympic P

Feb. 11, 2018

‘Koreans want to see foreigners reacting to food on YouTube’

According to English YouTuber Emil Price, the way to Korean viewers’ hearts is through their stomachs. 　As a foreign YouTuber living in Korea and creating content about the country mainly for a Korean audience, Price, 25, is keenly attentive to the tastes of local viewers. When food is visible in a video’s thumbnail image, the number of views soars, he noted at a talk with foreign YouTubers at Google’s Campus Seoul on Wednesday. 　The internet has seen a rise in foreign social media influencers l

Feb. 7, 2018

[Newsmaker] Poet alleges sexual harassment by acclaimed literary figure

The #MeToo movement is gathering momentum in Korea, as public figures continue to come forward with stories of sexual harassment involving prominent individuals.In a televised interview on JTBC’s news program Tuesday, Choi Young-mi shed light on sexual harassment in the literary world.Choi has published several volumes of poetry, including the popular “At Thirty the Party was Over” and “Things Already Hot.”The interview revolved around a poem titled “Monster,” in which Choi makes thinly veiled a

Feb. 7, 2018

[PyeongChang 2018] Meet the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics mascots: Soohorang and Bandabi

At every Olympic Game, there is a unique mascot which bolsters Olympic spirit while promoting the culture and values of the event’s host city and country.　And in South Korea, a white tiger named Soohorang and an Asiatic black bear named Bandabi will each be representing the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games set to kick off in PyeongChang this week. There is a rich symbolism and culture behind the two animals, which are closely associated with Korean traditional folklore and mythology. Bandabi

Feb. 5, 2018

Joseon era cultural artifact repatriated from France after more than 150 years

A royal document from the Joseon era has returned to South Korea, the Overseas Cultural Heritage Foundation said during a press conference at the National Palace Museum of Korea in Seoul on Wednesday.The OCHF, an affiliate of the Cultural Heritage Administration, said that the document returned home on Jan. 20, 152 years after it went missing. It added that the royal document has been handed over to the National Palace Museum of Korea.  The royal document dedicated to Crown Princess Hyomyeong in

Jan. 31, 2018

[Video] Exploring the art of K-pop dance

For choreographer May J. Lee, K-pop dance comes off as a mix of two conflicting features.It’s complex, incorporating all different genres of dance depending on a song’s concept, but still simple enough to be catchy, says Lee, the co-creator of the dances for Twice’s “Knock Knock” and Jay Park’s “All I Wanna Do.”Choreography has become inseparable from K-pop, from Psy’s easy-to-follow “Gangnam Style” gallop to BTS’ vigorous on-stage performances, where its members showcase complicated routines in

Jan. 31, 2018

Korean music master Hwang Byung-ki dies at 82

Hwang Byung-ki, a master of the Korean traditional musical instrument “gayageum,” died of pneumonia Wednesday, his family said.“He was treated for a cerebral stroke last December but died of pneumonia that he’d developed as a complication,” a family member told Yonhap News Agency.He died at 3:15 a.m. Wednesday. Hwang Byung-ki (Yonhap)The master, professor emeritus at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, is credited with pushing the boundaries of the Korean traditional music “gukak” and experimenting

Jan. 31, 2018