[Video] ‘Beginning again’ as buskers in Portugal, Hungary

Traveling to a completely unknown place is a great way to escape from the routine, to reinvigorate, or to begin again. But it can also be a huge challenge, if the travelers are musicians with a reputation and solid career, if they have to play music in front of a crowd who have no idea who they are. (Shot and edited by Park Ju-young / The Korea Herald)The second season of JTBC’s music variety show “Begin Again” focuses on how renowned Korean musicians turn into buskers and deal with performing t

TelevisionMarch 30, 2018

[Video] Tour service to link Korean ‘oppa’ with foreign visitors

A South Korean software company has launched a specialty tour service targeting foreign visitors hoping for their own “oppa,” as depicted in Korean TV dramas. Korean women use the term “oppa” to address an older male family member, friend or romantic partner of the same generation. The service -- “Oh My Oppa” -- allows foreign visitors to “rent an oppa.” “It started out as a joke that foreigners coming to Korea expect to find men like the ones they see on dramas, but no, there aren’t any men on

TravelMarch 30, 2018

[Video] Finding ‘Something in the Rain’

Based on the idea that one’s love life can be more important than a foreign war, JTBC’s new drama “Something in the Rain” hopes to portray the beauty of ordinary yet real love. Actress Son Ye-jin and actor Jung Hae-in take the lead roles in the new Friday-Saturday drama series. Son’s character, who works as a coffee franchise supervisor, falls for her friend’s younger brother, a character designer at a computer game company, played by Jung. Producer Ahn Pan-seok directs the production. He is kno

TelevisionMarch 29, 2018

[Video] ‘Switch’ to show swindler serving justice to ‘corrupt’ society

The new SBS series “Switch: Change the World” depicts a petty conman serving justice to the corrupt rich by faking the role of a prosecutor.The aim of the program is to deal a cathartic blow to the world where true villains live in penthouses while petty criminals are put behind the bars.The satisfaction will be thrilling, promised director Nam Tae-jin, at the press conference for the show held at SBS headquarters in Mok-dong, Seoul, Wednesday, where he was joined by the main stars Jang Geun-suk

TelevisionMarch 28, 2018

[Video] Finding love at ‘Cafe Amor’

On weekends, cafes are often frequented by young men and women on blind dates. With a cup of tea or coffee in front of them, they wonder if the person sitting across the table might be that perfect match.A special cafe that caters to such customers is now open in Seoul; special, not for its menu, but for its guests -- only people who have reserved a blind date can visit the cafe. . TvN’s new variety show “Cafe Amor” is to feature a special cafe for blind dates. The cast -- actress Yoo In-na, sin

TelevisionMarch 27, 2018

[Video] Celebrity trio’s food truck challenge in Thailand

Spicy, aromatic and rich in taste and texture, phad tai and tom yang goong are definitely one of the most ubiquitous Thai dishes served in Thai restaurants in Korea. While many of them are said to be cooked up in the most authentic way, tvN’s new variety show “Will This Do Well Locally?” asks, “Will Thai food cooked by Koreans capture hearts of Thai people?”  From left, Lee Min-woo, Hong Suk-chun and Yeo Jin-gu pose during a press conference for tvN’s new variety show “Will This Do Well Locally?

TelevisionMarch 26, 2018

[Video] Backstage of the 2018 fall-winter HERA Seoul Fashion Week

The six-day 2018 fall-winter HERA Seoul Fashion Week came to a close Saturday, but not without leaving a lasting imprint of the vibrant fashion scene that is to unfold in Korea this coming season.If the head-turning runway shows were the flame, the magic that took place backstage was what stoked the fire of the fashion week. (Shot and edited by Lim Jeong-yeo)Makeup artists expertly maneuvered their brushes and powdered models to prepare them for the runways. Amorepacific’s cosmetics brand HERA w

Arts & DesignMarch 26, 2018

[Video] ‘What A Man Wants,’ romantic comedy of affairs

The upcoming romantic comedy film “What A Man Wants” features the tempestuous affairs of four middle-aged characters.“Why is it that we are constantly lonely, even if we fall in love, even if we get married?” reads the film’s tagline.Shin Ha-kyun stars as Bong-soo, who once dreamt of being a top chef but is now the meek husband of Mi-young, played by Song Ji-hyo.Bong-soo is led into the world of social media dating through his friend Seok-geun, played by Lee Sung-min. Shin Ha-kyun (left) and Son

FilmMarch 23, 2018

[Video] New melodrama to feature Han Hye-jin as dying woman

The upcoming series “Let’s Look at the Sunset Holding Hands” is a melodrama featuring mid-life adults, a genre which has become relatively rare among the deluge of police thrillers in Korea recently, according to director Jung Ji-in. Han Hye-jin stars as Nam Hyun-ju, a woman who discovers she is afflicted with a fatal hereditary brain tumor. In the last days of her life, she wavers between her architect husband, Kim Do-young, played by Yoon Sang-hyun, and her doctor, played by Kim Tae-hoon.Han H

TelevisionMarch 21, 2018

[Video] ‘Realway’ looks at Seoul Fashion Week

(Shot and edited by Park Ju-young / The Korea Herald)With the 2018 fall-winter HERA Seoul Fashion Week having just opened, well-dressed visitors off the runway are another element to look forward to.Groups of fashionistas could be seen flaunting their outfits on their way to and from Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, the main venue, on the first day of shows.As a number of fashion bloggers, influencers on Instagram and photographers from newspapers and magazines gather at DDP during the week, vi

Arts & DesignMarch 20, 2018

[Video] TV show ‘I Live Alone’ at its heyday

With the reality TV show “I Live Alone” enjoying a purple patch, the program’s real-life couple, Jun Hyun-moo and Han Hye-jin, opened up about their relationship at a press conference held Monday to mark the show’s fifth anniversary. TV personality Jun Hyun-moo and fashion model Han Hye-jin admitted to the relationship at the end of last month, after news reports regarding the two surfaced. The two have been dating since Christmas.  Jun Hyun-moo and Han Hye-jin pose for photos at a media briefin

TelevisionMarch 19, 2018

[Video] An afternoon in Seoul: Vegan cafe

More and more vegan and vegetarian visitors have headed for Korea in recent years, but the concept being relatively new here, some foreign visitors have struggled to find eateries that assure their food is meat-free. Plant is a 100 percent plant-based vegan restaurant in Itaewon, one of a handful of vegan restaurants to pop up around Seoul in recent years. The restaurant offers a wide range of vegan dishes, from the peanut soba bowl and chickpea avocado sandwich to burgers, stews and sandwiches.

FoodMarch 15, 2018

[Video] Promoting ‘Beauty’ of Korea globally

Sheet masks, lip stain and BB creams have been mainstays of the tidal wave of Korean beauty around the world, but new beauty entertainment show “The Beauty” hopes to add more to the list. The show, which aired in August via KBS World to more than 110 countries, is to return with its second season on March 24 with six new episodes. The cast of “The Beauty,“ (from left) makeup artist Park Tae-yun, Choi Jong-hun of FT Island, comedian Jang Do-yeon and actress Han Eun-jung pose for photos at a media

TelevisionMarch 14, 2018

[Video] An afternoon in Seoul: Making candles

Subtle scents waft through the air in a tiny alley in Seoul’s northwestern Yeonnam-dong. The source is Yvonne Morgun, an artisan candle shop that offers candle making classes for tourists and locals, and its own line of carefully concocted fragrances.The shop’s owner Lee Myung-seong, who majored in Western painting, infuses every item in the shop with her own sensibility -- a mix of coziness and elegance. Each candle glass, label and fragrance has been tailored by Lee. Dried flowers, embroidered

CultureMarch 12, 2018

[Video] Mamamoo gets mellow, returns with yellow spring vibe

Having been one of the few K-pop groups that brought booming girl power to the stage, Mamamoo this time portrayed a mellow and bright image. The four-piece act’s new spring-inspired EP “Yellow Flower,” released Wednesday, veers away from the group’s previous powerful image. Mamamoo’s sixth EP, “Yellow Flower,” is the first of the group’s new project series called “Four Seasons,” through which the act will showcase four albums that combine one seasonal color and a matching member’s characteristic

PerformanceMarch 8, 2018

[Video] Extraordinary stories of ordinary police officers

TvN’s new drama series “Live” features countless police officers. But there aren’t any amazing heroes, thrilling cases or exciting mysteries. Rather than focusing on spectacular events, the overall plot centers on the everyday lives of average police officers.Jung Yu-mi and Lee Kwang-soo play the lead roles in the Saturday-Sunday drama, as rookies who just started at a busy patrol division. They learn to handle drunken citizens, find lost children and help out with the daily difficulties of the

TelevisionMarch 6, 2018

[Video] No fish in fish-shaped bread? ’Cause it’s bungeoppang

If you walk down the street in Korea in winter, you may have seen stalls decorated with fish characters that sell fish-shaped bread called “bungeoppang.”  Bungeoppang (Park Ju-young / The Korea Herald)After encountering the snack for the first time, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay said, “Is it like something out of ‘Finding Nemo?’” (Read more at: Chef Gordon Ramsay spurs Korean street food)“Bungeo” means carp and “ppang” refers to bread in Korean. The combination of the two words may prompt people

FoodFeb. 28, 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

CultureFeb. 28, 2018

[Video] Japan's massacre of Korean sex slaves during WWII disclosed

A video was made public Tuesday for the first time of the scene of a 1944 massacre by Japanese troops of Korean women during World War II.The video adds to the existing documentary evidence that the Japanese military shot 30 Korean girls to death in the western Chinese city of Tengchong, near Myanmar, on Sept. 13, 1944.A team of South Korean scholars and researchers discovered the video in the US National Archives and Records Administration and made it public Tuesday during an international conf

Social AffairsFeb. 27, 2018

[Video] Best season to enjoy lava-like ‘hotteok’

If you watched the latest episode of tvN’s “Youn‘s Kitchen,” you might notice the Korean traditional dessert “Hotteok.”By serving the Korean sweet pancake with a scoop of ice cream and chocolate sauce, the restaurant featured a posh dessert menu and captivated Spanish customers’ taste buds. (Shot and edited by Park Ju-young / The Korea Herald)“Hottoek,” however, is one of the popular street snacks which has been loved by locals for decades.The details about when and where this tasty dish came fr

FoodFeb. 27, 2018