Personal story of ‘An Old Lady’ sends universal message

During “An Old Lady,” the 69-year-old protagonist Shim Hyo-jung acknowledges that her story might make some people uncomfortable, but says it must be told, reminding us that “living” our lives, is not merely approaching an end to them. While the upcoming film deals with the largely unexplored topic of sex crimes against the elderly, that is where the film starts, not what it centers on. Hyo-jung is sexually abused by a 29-year-old male nurse’s aide while receivin

Aug. 12, 2020

[Herald Review] ‘Moving On’ like flicking through an old photo album

It is strange how a film with no special plotline or incidents could resonate with so many people, making them plunge into their own memories. Taking the words of actor Yang Heung-joo, who takes up the role of father Byeong-ki in the Korean indie film “Moving On,” watching the upcoming movie felt like flipping through an old photo album with yellowed corners that has the extraordinary power to bring back childhood memories fresh as if they were from yesterday. “It made me re

Aug. 12, 2020

[Herald Interview] ‘Beethoven made it happen’

Ludwig van Beethoven was more than just the theme of this year’s festival for pianist Son Yeol-eum. He was the hero. Though hindered by the coronavirus and the heavy downpour, the 17th Music in PyeongChang (MPyC) successfully wrapped up its three-week run of concerts on Saturday, recording a 100 percent sold-out rate for its nine main concerts. “I could have given up if it had not been the year commemorating Beethoven,” Son, the artistic director of the festival, told The K

Aug. 11, 2020

Disney’s ‘Mulan’ confirms September cinema release in South Korea

Disney’s live-action remake of its animated film “Mulan” will be coming to South Korean big screens next month. The film’s local distributor Walt Disney Co. Korea on Tuesday confirmed the film’s upcoming local release. The distributor did not state a specific release date for now. The news comes around a week after Disney announced its decision to cancel the theatrical release of “Mulan” in the US and several other countries and instead debut the film

Aug. 11, 2020

[Herald Review] Twice’s first virtual concert was colorful, tech-savvy and interactive

By embracing top-notch technology backed by a well-knit plot, K-pop powerhouse Twice brought a whole new level of festivity to its first virtual concert Sunday afternoon. The group’s first official concert since its 2019 world tour, “Beyond LIVE - Twice: World in a Day” showed that the multibillion dollar industry has discovered impressive new capabilities during the pandemic era. The 90-minute pay-per-view set was streamed in 126 countries and marked the first collaborative

Aug. 11, 2020

Musical actor under fire after nightclub party

A musical actor currently starring in musical “Ludwig” has become embroiled in controversy after photos of the actor at a club emerged. Kim Jun-young came under fire for partying at a Seoul club from Thursday night to Friday after photos of Kim at the club went viral on social media. Kim is a lead actor in musical “Ludwig: Beethoven the Piano.” As his clubbing photos triggered hailstorm online, Kim stepped down from the show beginning with Saturday’s performance.

Aug. 10, 2020

[Herald Interview] Treasure aims high, sets sights on rookie of the year award

The treasure chest is finally wide open and YG Entertainment’s brand new rookie act, Treasure, is poised to make a splash both in and out of South Korea. Looking fairly nervous, the 12-piece boy band -- the label’s first debut since Blackpink four years ago -- attended its first-ever media interview in Seoul on Monday. After hustling for name tags and making jittery eye contact with each other, the singers broke the tense silence by saying how they felt about their long-awaited deb

Aug. 10, 2020

SPO to mark Liberation Day with concert at former prison for independence fighters

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will hold a special concert on Saturday at the outdoor stage of Seodaemun Prison History Hall, western Seoul, in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Liberation Day. Every year, the SPO, funded by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, holds a commemorative concert celebrating the day at iconic locations across Seoul such as the Sejong Center of Performing Arts, Seoul Plaza and Gwanghwamun Plaza. This year, the concert will be held at the Seodaemun Prison Histo

Aug. 10, 2020

[Newsmaker] Ghanaian TV personality speaks up against racism in Korea, sparks controversy

Ghanaian television personality Sam Okyere apologized after his social media posting lashing out at racism in Korea sparked controversy online. Earlier on Thursday, the 29-year-old had expressed outrage about a yearbook photo of local high school senior students parodying viral Ghanaian dancing pallbearers video. The photo showed five boys from Uijeongbu High School -- famous for their unconventional yet trend-reflecting graduation pictures -- with their faces painted brown. “Time and

Aug. 9, 2020

MPyC shouts ‘It must be’

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- The 17th Music in PyeongChang (MPyC) wrapped up its three-week run of concerts on Saturday amid heavy rain. The music festival, held in the mountainous county of Pyeongchang, commemorated the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig Beethoven this year, like many other music festivals across the world. The event was titled “Es Muss Sein” -- part of an inscrutable note “Muss es sein? Es muss sein!” written by Beethoven in the manuscript

Aug. 9, 2020

Hip-pop artist Simon Dominic to perform at Sejong Center

Hip-pop artist Simon Dominic will be performing in the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts’ Sejong Grand Theater in central Seoul on Sept. 8. The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts said it was special for a hip-pop artist to perform at the center, which usually holds classical music performances. “Rapper Beenzino once performed in our concert hall as a guest singer, but other than that, no other hip-hop artist has performed at the Sejong Center,” the center said in a s

Aug. 9, 2020

BLACKPINK's 'How You Like That' tops 400 mln YouTube views

The music video for BLACKPINK's hit song "How You Like That" topped the milestone of 400 million YouTube views Sunday. The music video surpassed the threshold only 43 days after its release on June 26. The feat makes it the fastest to reach the mark among all K-pop music videos on YouTube. The previous record was by "Kill This Love," another hit by the four-member act, which took 63 days to garner the view total. "How You Like That" is the first of two pre-rele

Aug. 9, 2020

Grand Mint Festival to be held with limited number of audiences

The 14th Grand Mint Festival will take place at Olympic Park, eastern Seoul, on Oct. 24 and 25 with a limited audience due to the spread of COVID-19. The festival organizers said they will sell less than half of the tickets sold in previous years. Last year around 40,000 tickets were sold. There will be no standing room entrance. Attendees will be able to enjoy the festival in the picnic zone apart from each other to comply with social distancing guidelines. The organizers added that they

Aug. 7, 2020

Imported film distributors, local streaming platforms lock horns over payment system

South Korean video-streaming company Watcha released an official statement Wednesday evening in response to the pending termination of deals with the firm and two other domestic over-the-top service providers. Earlier Wednesday, the Association of Korean Buyers and Distributors of Foreign Films announced that its members would stop providing content to Watcha, Wavve and Tving until the OTTs accepted a payment system that would return more royalties to the buyers and distributors. Under the env

Aug. 6, 2020

[Herald Interview] Rocket Punch celebrates first anniversary with ‘Juicy’

Rookie girl group Rocket Punch had a very busy year. Since debuting August last year, the band already released three mini-albums.  The latest one titled “Blue Punch” was released Tuesday, three days before their first anniversary. Following “Pink Punch” and “Red Punch,” this album centers on the theme of summer and consists of six tracks with “Juicy” as the lead track.  “Our debut song ‘Bim Bam Bum’ was also an energe

Aug. 6, 2020

New version of ‘Notre Dame de Paris’ to come to Seoul

The original French production of musical “Notre Dame de Paris” will go on stage in Korea Nov. 10 - Jan. 17 at the Blue Square Interpark Hall in central Seoul, Mast Entertainment confirmed Thursday. The Seoul shows will be of the new version of the beloved musical created in 2017 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the show the following year with detailed upgrades in costumes, choreography and lights. It will be the first time the new version is staged in Korea. The most rece

Aug. 6, 2020

EBS documentary festival to show message of hope

The annual EBS International Documentary Film Festival will be showcasing films to a wider audience through television and an online platform as the coronavirus stands in the way of cinema screenings. The 17th edition of the documentary festival will take place on EBS 1TV channel and video service D-BOX over a one-week period starting Aug. 17, the educational broadcasting network said Tuesday. “Most major films festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival and the Jeonju International F

Aug. 5, 2020

A look at Japanese imperialism from perspective of the guilty

On Aug. 30, 1974, a bombing attack at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries headquarters in Tokyo killed eight people and wounded some 370 others. Through May 1975, eight more explosions occurred at Japanese businesses and groups accused of war crimes, including Mitsui & Co., Taisei Corp. and Kajima Corp. Korean documentary film “East-Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front” tells the story of those who sought to raise awareness of the atrocities of imperial Japan through interviews with people

Aug. 5, 2020

Pentaport Rock Festival to be held Oct. 16-17 both on, offline

The 2020 Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival will take place Oct. 16-17 at Songdo Pentaport Park, the city of Incheon announced on Wednesday. The festival will take place both on and offline, with performances streamed live for the first time in the festival‘s history. While the festival was held for three days in August in previous years, it has been pushed back to October this year with a shortend two-day schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 15th edition of the annual festival aims

Aug. 5, 2020

Uhm Jung-hwa returns in action comedy ‘Okay! Madam’

Singer and actor Uhm Jung-hwa makes her return to the big screen for the first time in five years in action comedy “Okay! Madam.” Uhm teams up with veteran actor Park Sung-woong to play a married couple who, upon their first-ever trip abroad to Hawaii, become involved in the rescue operation of a hijacked aircraft. The film’s director Lee Cheol-ha, Uhm, Park and actors Lee Sang-yoon, Bae Jung-nam and Lee Sun-bin attended a press premiere in Seoul on Monday. “I feel li

Aug. 5, 2020