Heading to the movies this weekend? The Korea Herald offers a guide of what's playing on the big screen.Thrill and adventure abound at this weekend's box office in Korea. "The Martian" starring Matt Damon continues to ride strong, with moviegoers recommending the 3D theater experience. Crime thriller "The Phone" draws fans in with its fast-paced plot, while "The Exclusive" is gaining traction with its well-crafted balance between comedy and thriller. New openers are the dizzying "The Walk" starr

Film Oct. 30, 2015

This is the second in a two-part series examining Korea’s digital music industry. – Ed.　If it’s hard to name more than a few Korean artists who are currently active and not idol stars, K-pop ballad singers or TV discoveries, it’s not because they don’t exist.“There are only two genres in today’s Korean music,” said Shin Dae-chul, head of the Barun Music Cooperative, at a forum in Seoul. “Idol music, non-idol music. The rest is meaningless. ... (The current digital music system) has naturally pus

Performance Oct. 29, 2015

Boy group BTOB member and actor Yook Sung-jae said that he’s “confident about playing someone in unrequited love.”At a press conference for his current drama “The Village: Achiara’s Secret,” Tuesday at the SBS Ilsan Production Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Yook was asked how he felt about his character’s subtle romantic feelings for the character played by Moon Geun-young. Yook plays a police officer named Woo-jae, while Moon plays a teacher named So-yun.“My fans tell me that I’m an actor

Television Oct. 27, 2015

Cast members of the SBS mystery drama “The Village: Achiara’s Secret” said that they are just as clueless about the show’s ending as the viewers.The drama focuses on a small village called Achiara, which seems peaceful and uneventful until the body of a young woman is suddenly discovered -- and the dark secrets of the villagers are exposed one by one through the search for the murderer. Cast of "The Village: Achiara's Secret" (SBS)The cast members sat down for a press conference Tuesday at the S

Television Oct. 27, 2015

This is the first in a two-part series examining issues pertaining to Korea’s digital music industry. – Ed. 　Ever wondered why K-pop has so many chart-topping debuts or new releases? How trustworthy do you think the K-pop charts are? According to some industry insiders and experts, the online charts are prone to manipulation. Melon charts (Melon official website screenshot)A major issue with the charts today is “hoarding,” efforts allegedly coordinated by fans or brokers to push certain songs up

Performance Oct. 27, 2015

Created by one of the original producers of “Saturday Night Live Korea,” tvN‘s new Friday night series “Conte and the City” hopes to reach a bigger audience than “SNL” with comic skits focusing on a wider range of social topics.“The show is an omnibus serialized comic drama,” producer Yoo Sung-mo told press at the Amoris Wedding Hall in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul on Monday. “Even though it’s a comedy show, we focused on keeping it high quality. We also emphasized the dramatic narrative aspect, and i

Television Oct. 26, 2015

Snoopy and the Charlie Brown gang from Charles Schulz’s timeless comic strip “Peanuts” are some of the most recognized characters in the world, which made it no small task to translate the four-panel strip into a feature-length 3-D movie. After running tests with various production agencies, the Schulz family, who still own the rights to the characters, decided to give that task to Blue Sky Studios -- a small but strong U.S. production company that created the “Ice Age” and “Rio” films. “(The fa

Film Oct. 26, 2015

At 43, Bae Sung-woo is no newbie to acting.He says he’s always been working since he graduated from college at 29 -- but it wasn’t until this year that he made his mark with the general public. Bae was the face of a distraught office worker driven to murder in the Cannes-invited “Office.” He played Woo-jin, the man who wakes up with a different appearance every morning in “The Beauty Inside.” He was the leader of an illicit international car dealership in the runaway hit “Veteran.” On Oct. 22, h

Film Oct. 25, 2015

Seven-member boy band Click-B joined the ranks of g.o.d, Fly to the Sky and Buzz on Wednesday, becoming the next group from the first generation of K-pop stars to make a long-awaited comeback. Click-B debuted in 1999 during the height of the first wave of idol groups, which included H.O.T, Sechs Kies, Fin.K.L and S.E.S, and had enjoyed hits like “Undefeatable” and “Cowboy” before breaking apart to pursue other solo and smaller group projects. Their new two-track album “Reborn” would be the first

Performance Oct. 21, 2015

After a summer of blockbuster action movies and dramas over the Chuseok weekend, the Korean box office is opening its fall-winter lineup with a healthy dose of thrillers. Three Korean films are poised to open in the last two weeks of October and keep you on the edge of your seat, each with a different kind of story and vibe.　Action thriller: “The Phone”Opening Oct. 22　Presented by new director Kim Bong-joo, time-travel suspense flick “The Phone” offers a cast with excellent thriller credentials

Film Oct. 21, 2015

Performing to a sold-out audience at the 1,000-seat LG Arts Center in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, one of Korea’s most iconic rock bands demonstrated the secret to its vibrant two-decade career: its continued evolution in music with its songs growing together with their fans.“Music is made by musicians,” said YB bassist Park Tae-hee on Sunday, the last day of the four-day Seoul concert “20-years.” “But music also matures the musician. It’s right here, when we’re connecting with our fans, that we

Performance Oct. 19, 2015

As Seoul has a reputation for fashionable men whose devotion to fashion and skin care tops in the world, menswear collections by Seoul-based designers are some of the must-see shows at the ongoing Seoul Fashion Week. Here are the highlights of menswear shows from Friday to Sunday. 　Munsoo Kwon　One of the hottest emerging menswear designers in the Korean fashion scene, Munsoo Kwon presented light, sporty looks for the 2016 spring-summer season Saturday.Inspired by some youngsters turning to fishi

Arts & Design Oct. 19, 2015

Upscale guest rooms and outdoor pools at Banyan Tree Club and Spa Seoul will transform into art gallery space during the four-day BANYAF Art Fair next week. The premiere edition of the art fair, organized by the resort company, presents some 400 works of art selected by 20 art galleries and agencies, including Arario Gallery, Park Ryu Sook Gallery, Gallery Kong and Gallery Koo. The works will be on display in the hotel’s exclusive club rooms from Oct. 22-25. Plate and tea bowl by Kim Nam-hee (Ga

Performance Oct. 19, 2015

Heading to theaters this week? The Korea Herald gives you a rundown of what's playing on the big screen.This weekend's box office in Korea has a lot of thrills and chills to offer up, with Korean flicks "Circle of Atonement" and "The Advocate" both chasing down murder mysteries, and the American "Regression" adding a hint of supernatural horror. For some more light-hearted fun, check out "The Martian," which is going strong in Korea, or the romantic Chinese remake "Only You."Circle of Atonement

Film Oct. 16, 2015

Singaporean director Royston Tan is known for several signature touches in his films, two of which are his love for items from the past and his use of color and music. For Tan, these touches serve as tools that help to preserve snapshots of Singaporean history.“In Singapore, we are changing too quickly,” Tan told The Korea Herald at the Busan International Film Festival, where his latest film “3688” made its international premiere.“Every 20 years, there’s a big, major change in our society. Ever

Film Oct. 13, 2015