K-drama ‘Sign’ to get Japanese remake

Korean television series “Sign” is slated to get a Japanese remake, broadcaster SBS which aired the popular drama said Tuesday.A Japanese adaptation of the series about forensic doctors will be aired on TV Asahi starting June, with Nao Omori as the lead star.  “Sign,” which aired from Jan. 6 to March 10, 2011, featured Park Shin-yang as a hot-tempered genius forensic doctor and Kim Ah-joong as a warm-hearted rookie, pairing up to uncover the truth concealed by those

May 28, 2019

Music in PyeongChang to tell ‘A Different Story’

Music in PyeongChang (MPyC), also known as the Great Mountains Music Festival, has revamped its concerts and program, with the aim of becoming a leading music festival here. The program for this season was announced by festival artistic director and pianist Son Yeol-eum and Gangwon Art & Culture Foundation Chairman Kim Sung-hwan during a press conference Tuesday in Seoul.Now in its 16th year, the event was originally launched to promote the PyeongChang Olympics. It is held twice a year, in s

May 28, 2019

Musical ‘The Merchant of Venice’ plays at Sejong Center

A musical adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classic “The Merchant of Venice” is being staged until June 16 at the M Theater of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts.The Korean-language production is directed by Park Geun-hyung and performed by the Seoul Metropolitan Musical Theater.The piece follows the original storyline of the 16th century play, which takes off after Bassanio seeks a large sum of money for his expenses on the way to woo beautiful and wealthy heiress Portia.

May 28, 2019

Canadian director brings monodrama about Quebec childhood to Korea

Canadian theater artist, director and actor Robert Lepage is presenting the production “887” for the first time in Seoul. The piece sheds light on the Quebec separatist movement from his own experience of living as a member of a Francophone family. The production is a work of “autofiction,” Lepage said during a press conference Monday at the Embassy of Canada to Korea. “887” runs between Wednesday and June 2 at the LG Arts Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The arti

May 27, 2019

Jazz festival takes over Olympic Park

This year’s Seoul Jazz Festival drew nearly 40,000 music lovers for a weekend of fun, food and diverse music, though there appeared to be room for improvement. Running from Saturday to Sunday at the Olympic Park in southeastern Seoul, the 13th edition of the annual event featured 48 acts from Korea and abroad, such as 90-year-old Cuban jazz legend Portuondo and crossover band Clean Bandit. Live performances took place at five venues spread across the park.  Highlights of the event inc

May 27, 2019

Young Filipino-Korean dance group debuts on stage with K-pop stars

Dream Key10z, a group of 10 talented Filipino-Korean children aged 8-15, shared a stage with high-profile K-pop groups, demonstrating their talent in dancing that impressed the audience. They’re called “DK10z” for short, where D stands for “dream, dance and diversity” and K for “key, kids and Korea”. Dream Key10z was formed by Korea Cultural Diversity Organization (CDO-Korea) and FILKOHA (Filipino Korean Heritage Association), a group founded in 201

May 27, 2019

Cannes-winning 'Parasite' hits No. 1 in presale tickets

The Cannes-winning film "Parasite" is on its way to creating a sensation in South Korea, as its presale tickets outnumbered big-name movies.With three days to go before the movie's opening, the data from the Korea Film Council showed that the flick has already sold more than 90,000 presale tickets as of Monday morning. That accounted for 42.3 percent of all tickets reserved as of 9:10 a.m., while Walt Disney's live-action film "Aladdin" posted 19.6 percent. Local crime action

May 27, 2019

Bong Joon-ho bags Palme d'Or in Cannes milestone for Korea

Bong Joon-ho’s social satire “Parasite” made history Saturday by becoming the first Korean film to win the Palme d’Or, the top award at the Cannes Film Festival.According to the jury president Alejandro Inarritu, the nine-person jury had made the decision based on a unanimous vote.“The film has been an astonishing journey, which was made possible with the artists that stood by my side. Above all, I wouldn’t have been able to shoot a single scene without great

May 26, 2019

President Moon celebrates Korean film's Cannes victory

President Moon Jae-in on Sunday delivered a congratulatory message for the South Korean film "Parasite" after it won the top Cannes festival award, calling it a big gift to all South Koreans."Parasite" won the top honor at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival on Saturday (French time), making it the first South Korean movie to take the main prize at the eminent film event.  "The status of hallyu culture has risen one step higher," Moon said on his Twitter and other so

May 26, 2019

Bong Joon-ho's films pursue balance of commercial, artistic values

South Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho, who won the top prize at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, is known for works that cater to both commercial and artistic tastes.His films often use metaphors, but they are not too difficult -- not only for film critics but also for audiences -- to understand. Throughout his filmography, he sheds light on chronic social issues like materialism and class division through analogy, and he never fails to cast a warm, good-humored eye over the weak. In his fi

May 26, 2019

S. Korean cinema finally embraces Palme d'Or at Cannes

Thanks to Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" being awarded the Palme d'Or at Cannes on Saturday, South Korea has bagged the highest honor at two of the world's three most acclaimed film competitions -- Cannes, Venice and Berlin.The 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival gave its top prize to Bong's black comedy movie about a poor family becoming obsessed with a rich one after their son gets a job as a tutor for the wealthy family. It is the first time that a South Korean filmmaker has grabbed

May 26, 2019

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil(Korea)Opened May 15Crime, ActionDirected by Lee Won-taeA notorious gangster Jang Dong-soo (Ma Dong-seok) narrowly survives a random attack by a serial killer, and sets out to bring justice to his attacker in his own way: by brutally murdering him. At the same time, a cop Jung Tae-suk (Kim Mu-yeol) seeks to arrest the killer. The two men join forces to form the most unorthodox and perilous team, which will break down the moment they locate Kang.Miss & Mrs. Cop

May 24, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘A Boy and Sungreen,’ a pleasant and loveable coming-of-age story

Director Ahn Ju-young’s first feature film is not a masterpiece, yet it has a strange appeal to it.The narrative and the plot are a bit plain, and I felt like Ahn dropped the ball a bit in the climax, but it is well-cast, the two leads are fantastic and work extremely well together and the tone of the film is adorable. The small-budget film is getting barely any exposure, and without any big names and standout effects will likely drown rather quickly in sea of blockbuster films. But I feel

May 23, 2019

Director Bong Joon-ho: stairs are a key metaphor in ‘Parasite’

CANNES, France -- South Korean auteur Bong Joon-ho said Wednesday that stairs serve as a key metaphor for hierarchical social status and materialism in his Cannes-nominated black comedy “Parasite.” “Nearly 90 percent of the story takes place in a big house, the home of the rich family. It has a vertical structure -- second floor, first floor and basement,” the director said at an official press conference for the 72nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France. &ldqu

May 22, 2019

[Herald Review] ‘Aladdin’ remake is OK, but not enchanting

Watching the trailer of the “Aladdin,” 2019 remake of the beloved 1992 Disney animation, I thought it would be either be fantastic or a steaming pile of disappointment. To my surprise, it was neither. The Guy Ritchie film had its fun moments, and was an absolute joy to the eyes. Its characters were likeable, but the flick had some clunky storytelling moments and did not really capture the wonder and magic of the original.  “Aladdin” / Walt Disney Co. Korea“Street rat” Aladdin (Mena Massoud) is a

May 22, 2019

Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite' receives standing ovation at Cannes

South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" has premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival Tuesday (local time), with the director getting an eight-minute standing ovation.The new movie from the "Snowpiercer" and "Okja" director tells the story of a poor family becoming obsessed with a rich one after their son gets a job as a tutor for the wealthy family. Renowned actor Song Kang-ho stars in the film, along with Lee Sun-kyun and Cho Yeo-jeong.  Th

May 22, 2019

Returning to original job, Super Junior Kyuhyun feels at home

Completing his two-year mandatory military service and coming back to show business, Super Junior's Kyuhyun feels happy to be at home and do a labor of love."I can't believe I've returned to the original place where I used to be," Kyuhyun, 31, said in a recent interview with Yonhap News Agency. "The night before my last day of duty, I couldn't sleep. I was excited that I was on the verge of resuming my dream. I'm happy to come back to my career."The youngest member of the 14-year-old boy band, w

May 21, 2019

BTS wraps up US tour, drawing 320,000 fans

Global K-pop sensation BTS has drawn some 320,000 spectators on the U.S. leg of its world concert tour "Love Yourself: Speak Yourself," its management agency said Monday.BTS wrapped up the US edition of its global stadium tour with the final stop at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, over the weekend, according to Big Hit Entertainment. BTS at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on May 18, 2019. (Photo: Big Hit Entertainment)After opening with performances to sellout crowds at Rose B

May 21, 2019

After a successful debut, Kang shoots for fun in ‘Long Live the King’

Kang Yoon-sung’s first feature film, “The Outlaws” from 2017, was a bit cliched but had fantastic characters and great action. That was enough to hype up expectations for the director’s next film, “Long Live the King,” set for release June 19.Like his previous movie, the upcoming flick also stars gangsters, but it has a completely different tone. “I aimed to make a fun film above all else. ... It’s about a mob boss becoming a hero of Mokpo through a certain incident, and his life getting overtur

May 20, 2019

Kim Go-eun cast in new drama series by star screenwriter

Actress Kim Go-eun has been cast in a new drama series by star screenwriter Kim Eun-sook, the series' production company said Monday.Kim will take on two different roles, as a detective in the present and a criminal in the past, in the fantasy romance series, tentatively named "The King: Permanent Monarch," according to Hwa & Dam Pictures. Actor Lee Min-ho has been cast as the male lead for the drama.(Yonhap)It will be Kim's second time working with Kim Eun-sook following the hit drama "Guardian

May 20, 2019