The Korea Film Archive announced the reopening of Korea Film Museum offline on Friday, among other facilities that it manages, after shutting them down due to the spread of COVID-19. At the Korea Film Museum, “Chaotic Times, Crossed Path: Movie People in Liberation Space” exhibition that was shown online starting July 7 will be opened to the public. The exhibition, which shows movie industry professionals who worked in both South and North Korea until the Korean War, marks the 70th

Film July 24, 2020

This year’s Indieforum, or Independent Film & Video Makers Forum, will start its five-day run at the Indie Art Space and the Seoul Art Cinema in central Seoul on Thursday. Along with the screening of 24 movies chosen from 813 submissions, exhibitions, including “Place, Ghost, Spot” that looks at history of a place, and “Roaming Subjects of Cinema” that focuses on the state of independent movies today will be shown at the 24th edition of the country’s old

Film July 22, 2020

Author Kim Bong-gon tweeted on Tuesday that he would return publisher Munhak Dongne’s Young Writer Award and apologized for the trouble he has caused. Kim, who gained popularity for his autofiction -- or fictionalized autobiography -- regarding LGBTQ culture faced criticism when one person, “disexual,” tweeted how her private messages with Kim had been used verbatim in his award-winning short story, “Such Life,” without her consent. Another person, “0,&rdquo

Books July 22, 2020

Warner Bros. Korea is still figuring out a release date for Christopher Nolan’s highly-anticipated movie “Tenet” as Warner Bros. chairman Toby Emmerich announced that the studio is pushing back the US release date of the movie indefinitely from August 12 on Monday (local time). “We are still in the middle of discussions. We will try to make our decision within the week,” said CEO Kim Tae-joo of ROSC, the company in charge of marketing “Tenet” in Korea.

Film July 21, 2020

League of Legends Champions Korea has crossed the halfway point of the summer season, finishing the initial round-robin pairings and starting the first week of the second round last week. For the 10 teams in the LCK, the ultimate goal of the summer season is to emerge from the playoffs and qualify for the World Championships. However, how the World Championships will play out remains to be seen as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause disruptions. With the second biggest tournament in LoL,

More Sports July 20, 2020

Ssak 3 released the group’s newest song, “Here at the Beach Again” at 6 p.m. on Saturday and rocketed to the top of various music charts, including Melon, Flo, Bugs and Genie Music, among others, Sunday. Entertainer Yoo Jae-seok, singers Lee Hyo-ri and Rain came together on MBC’s “Hangout With Yoo” as a trio -- Ssak 3 -- in early June, forming a new powerhouse in the online music charts scene. The trio announced that it would release dance music for the summ

Performance July 19, 2020

Publisher Munhak Dongne announced Friday that it was suspending sales of books featuring author Kim Bong-gon’s works that have come under fire for using without consent an acquaintance’s private messages. Kim gained attention for his vivid autofiction -- or fictionalized autobiography -- regarding LGBTQ culture when he came out of the closet as he embarked on a writing career in 2016. The personal yet fictional stories involving the intense emotional struggles of LGBTQ characters w

Books July 19, 2020

The food and beverage industry is targeting customers unable to travel abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic with international themed menus, partially quenching their longing for travel. One internationally famous restaurant, Eggslut, opened in Korea in COVID-19 era, capturing customers with its Californian taste. Eggslut, famous for its egg sandwiches in California, opened its first store in Korea at Coex mall in Seoul on July 10. As one of the must-try restaurants when visiting California alon

Food July 18, 2020

After just one episode, actor Shin Hyun-joon’s agency, HJ Film, announced that Shin will be temporarily stepping down from KBS’ “The Return of Superman” on Wednesday as trouble with his former manager Kim Kwang-seob continues. Shin and his family appeared on the program for the first time Sunday as scheduled, despite a complaint filed against Shin on July 9 by his former manager of 13 years, alleging unfair treatment. The program, “The Return of Superman,” s

Television July 18, 2020

The Boryeong Mud Festival will be held online this year starting from Friday, due to the continued spread of COVID-19. The annual celebration of mud along its sandy beach in South Chungcheong Province has become the most popular festival in Korea with foreign participants, with 380,000 of the 1.81 million participants last year being foreigners. Mud wrestling and the mud slide are highlights of the annual festival that also aims to promote the beneficial properties of Boryeong mud. For this y

Culture July 15, 2020

YG Entertainment released an official statement on Tuesday apologizing for two members of K-pop group iKON being involved in a drunk driving accident. The accident occurred before dawn Monday when a car with the drunk driver and two iKON members -- Kim Jin-hwan and Koo Jun-hoe -- drove into a highway wall in South Gyeongsang Province. The driver, who is the manager of iKON, had a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent according to police reports, which leads to termination of the driver’s l

K-pop July 14, 2020

Jakob Mebdi, the first non-Korean head coach in the League of Legends Champions Korea, is proving that importing foreign talent can work in the Korean esports scene game after game. Mebdi is also known by his game name “YamatoCannon,” which he started using as a League of Legends esports player.  When Sandbox Gaming announced the hiring of Mebdi as head coach before the summer season, many were surprised at the organization’s bold decision. Although some game indust

More Sports July 13, 2020

When K-pop girl band (G) I-dle member Shuhwa, who hails from Taiwan, appeared on JTBC’s “Knowing Bros” in January, she expressed hopes of appearing on a South Korean talk show someday. However, hosts Shindong and Jang Sung-kyu teasingly suggested that her Korean wasn’t good enough. After the show, many viewers said the comments were inappropriate and made them feel uncomfortable, leading Shuwha to defend the show’s hosts in an Instagram post. As more nonnative K

Culture July 13, 2020

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Crafts & Design Foundation (KCDF) announced Thursday the 22 middle and high schools that will adopt hanbok-inspired school uniforms from as early as October. The hanbok-inspired school uniforms project began in February last year when the Culture Ministry and the Ministry of Education signed a memorandum of understanding to develop hanbok-inspired school uniforms. Of the 50 schools across the nation that applied for the project, 2

Arts & Design July 11, 2020

Over the past week, 5,000 people, equivalent to 12.8 percent of former AOA leader Jimin’s YouTube channel subscribers, had unsubscribed, the highest percentage of users unsubscribing among any such channel in Korea, according to data analysis platform Influencer. Viewers have been unsubscribing from Jimin’s YouTube channel, “Boss Baby Jiminem,” since July 3, when former AOA bandmate Mina posted on social media regarding Jimin’s bullying. Mina posted a series of p

K-pop July 10, 2020