Actor Song Joong-ki has uploaded a photo of his newborn son's hand grasping his finger Thursday. In January, Song announced his marriage to British former model Katy Louise Saunders a month after confirming their relationship. On Thursday, Song wrote on an online fan site that he has “met with the baby boy in Rome” where his wife was also born. Song said both mother and baby are healthy and that he’s been taking care of his family with gratitude and happiness. “(The

Film June 15, 2023

The fourth annual World Cultural Industry Forum kicked off Wednesday in Daegu. This year’s WCIF focuses on the creator economy and sustainability. On the first day of the two-day event, the ASEAN-Korea Center co-organized the WCIF’s special talk session, “Creative Economy with ASEAN Young People,” on the sidelines of the event where it invited creators from Southeast Asia to hear their visions for creating culture that brings people around the world together. "As K-c

Culture June 14, 2023

Kim Seon-ho is making a silver screen debut through director Park Hoon-jung’s latest noir film “The Childe,” which will open in local theaters June 21. In an interview with The Korea Herald prior to the film's opening, Kim seemed slightly on edge. “It is my first movie. I watched the film for the first time with other staff and reporters on the press screening day. I don’t remember anything except for scenes that I should have done differently and better,&rdquo

Film June 13, 2023

A number of star-studded blockbuster films will vie for audience attention this summer, raising expectations that the projects might bring local moviegoers back to theaters after the majority of films released this year have performed worse than expected at the box office. "Unofficial Operation," an action flick starring Ha Jung-woo and Ju Ji-hoon, will open Aug. 2, according to the film distributor Showbox. The film revolves around Min-joon (Ha), a diplomat who departs for war-torn Le

Film June 12, 2023

Director Park Hoon-jung, who helmed one of the most-loved Korean noir action films “New World” (2013), said he didn’t want any other actor except Kim Seon-ho for the starring role in “The Childe.” This is Kim's first major starring film role since a scandal in 2021. Watching the film at a press screening on Thursday, it was easy to see why Park chose Kim for the role. Far removed from Kim’s roster of attractive, charming male lead roles the audience is us

Film June 11, 2023

When one thinks of Korea University, one might imagine a quaint neighborhood, famous for makgeolli, a Korean-style rice wine, and buchimgae, a type of pancake. Despite the decades-old image of the area, there are many hidden gems and charming brunch restaurants around Korea University. The Korea Herald visited some of the neighborhood's eateries, which were all highly satisfying -- both in terms of taste and value for money. It was well worth the journey to Anam-dong in Seongbuk-gu. Hippo

Food June 10, 2023

“The Roundup: No Way Out” (South Korea) Opened May 31 Action Directed by Lee Sang-yong Seven years after the roundup in Vietnam, Ma Seok-do (Don Lee) joins a new squad to investigate a murder case. He soon starts to dig deeper when he finds out the case involves a synthetic drug and a gang of thugs. “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (US) Opened June 6 Action Directed by Steven Caple Jr. Optimus Prime and the Autobots take on their biggest challenge yet. When a new thre

Film June 10, 2023

The star-studded Netflix film “War and Revolt” confirmed its cast, the first project between award-winning auteur Park Chan-wook and the global contents streaming platform. According to Netflix Korea, this periodic film will star Gang Dong-won, who will play the servant Cheon-young of Jong-ryeo (Park Jung-min). Later, Cheon-young becomes a military officer of the Joseon-era King Seonjo (Cha Seung-won) and encounters Jong-ryeo again. The film will portray the friendship between Jong-r

Film June 9, 2023

South Korean crime action franchise “The Roundup: No Way Out” starring Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok, has become the fourth-highest-grossing film globally by raking in $25.3 million in ticket sales just 10 days after the movie’s opening. According to global box office ranking data aggregator comScore, the third installment of the Korean action franchise ranked fourth globally as of Wednesday. The film has opened not only in South Korean theaters but also in Hong Kong, Mac

Film June 9, 2023

Woo Do-hwan and Lee Sang-yi band together against ruthless loan sharks in the upcoming Netflix original series “Bloodhounds,” the first series project by director Jason Kim, who helmed “Midnight Runners” (2017) and “The Divine Fury” (2019). In the eight-part series, Woo and Lee star as young boxers Gun-woo and Wop-jin, respectively, who seek to take down Myung-gil (Park Sung-woong). Myung-gil preys on the financially desperate, following an unfortunate inciden

Film June 7, 2023

South Korean women filmmakers will screen their works at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles this month, the second K-film project to be held in the American museum. According to the Korea Foundation, this special screening series, titled “A New Wave of K-Cinema: Korean Women Directors,” will run from Thursday until June 29th. The list of films includes contemporary films directed by Korean women such as Yim Soon-rye’s “Waikiki Brothers” (2001) and

Film June 6, 2023

In the poignant social realism film “Dream Palace,” Hye-jung (Kim Sun-young) hopes to begin a new life in an apartment building named Dream Palace with her son Dong-wook (Choi Min-young). The block stands tall in the middle of nowhere, located in somewhat awkwardly new suburb that this family feels unsuited to. But this new home is priceless to Hye-jung, because she has bought it with the compensation she received after her husband was killed in an industrial accident. After fighting

Film June 6, 2023

South Korean crime action franchise “The Roundup: No Way Out” starring Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok, has attracted 4 million ticket sales just four days after the film’s opening on May 31, the record among local box office hits over the last seven years. According to the Korean Film Council, the highly anticipated sequel to "The Roundup" (2022) recorded 4.5 million ticket sales on the opening weekend, after surpassing the 2 million mark on Friday. The film has

Film June 5, 2023

South Korean baritone Kim Tae-han won the Queen Elisabeth Competition on Sunday, becoming the first Asian to win since the competition’s singing category was established in 1988. He will receive the award from Queen Mathilde of Belgium, along with prize money of 25,000 euros ($26,811). Kim clinched South Korea’s second consecutive win at this prestigious competition after cellist Cho Ha-young ranked in first in 2022. Named after Queen Elisabeth of Belgium, the competition is one of w

Performance June 4, 2023

The first image that’s normally associated with action star Don Lee, also known as Ma Dong-seok in South Korea, is his powerful punch in action flicks. He smacks down zombies with his bare hands in “Train to Busan” (2016) and delightfully brings a group of gangsters under his control in “The Roundup” series. Yet, the 51-year-old action star was also an average man who struggled to make ends meet by cleaning stairs and delivering takeout by motorcycle. Doing so many

Film June 4, 2023