The Korean poster for Hong Sang-soo’s “On the Beach at Night Alone,” which competed in the Berlin International Film Festival last month, was revealed by the film’s production and distribution company Jeonwonsa on Thursday.It features Kim Min-hee, who won the award for best actress at the film fest, gazing into the distance on a beach at the break of dawn. The film’s title in Korean, handwritten by Hong, is featured in the center of the poster, according to Jeonwonsa. The Korean poster for “On t

Film March 9, 2017

The sci-fi crime action thriller “Ghost in the Shell” will have its world premiere in Korean theaters on March 29, the film’s local distributor Lotte Entertainment said Wednesday. The film’s director Rupert Sanders and its cast, including Scarlett Johansson, Juliette Binoche and Pilou Asbaek, will visit Korea on March 17 to promote the film.The film will hit US theaters on March 31 and Japanese theaters on April 7.  Scarlett Johansson stars in “Ghost in the Shell.” (Paramount Pictures)A promotio

Film March 8, 2017

“Taxi Driver,” a film about the 1980 Gwangju uprising, will hit local theaters this summer, the film’s distributor Showbox said Tuesday. 　The film stars Song Kang-ho as the taxi driver Man-seob who picks up Peter, a German journalist, played by German actor Thomas Kretschmann, and heads to Gwangju, not knowing what will unfold in the city.The film centers on the historic event also known as the May 18 Democratization Movement, in which more than 100 civilians protesting the authoritarian regime

Film March 7, 2017

Seoul is a vibrant megalopolis with modern high rises crowding the city’s major arteries. Nestled among the gleaming buildings are maze-like alleys that appear to have escaped the passage of time. The Korea Herald explores the many nooks and crannies of Seoul, proclaimed the capital of Joseon in 1392, that reveal a multifaceted city. -- Ed. Navigating through the Haebangchon neighborhood of Yongsan can be a challenge. Houses are perched on steep hills. Cars squeeze past labyrinthine roads while

Culture March 6, 2017

Hugh Jackman’s final Wolverine movie “Logan” was tops at the box office here, data showed Monday. 　The sci-fi action flick featuring actor Jackman’s return as the clawed Marvel superhero sold some 633,000 tickets at local theaters nationwide during the March 3-5 weekend, according to box office statistics gathered by the Korean Film Council. 　The latest “X-Men” film opened here on March 1 and had sold a total of more than 1 million tickets as of Sunday. 　 Hugh Jackman in “Logan” (20th Century Fo

Film March 6, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- The various bodies moving through “Kiki,” an energetic and enveloping documentary about New York City’s LGBT ballroom scene, are capable of astonishing, even superhuman physical feats. They dance and gyrate on underground subway platforms, down half-empty streets, and on the grass at Christopher Street Pier. They pour themselves into stunningly elaborate costumes before hitting the dance floor, performing under hot lights, thundering music and the eyes of hundreds of enthusiastic

Film March 3, 2017

LOS ANGELES -- As unexpectedly enchanting as its title is initially perplexing, “My Life as a Zucchini” is short but oh so satisfyingly bittersweet, an example of the kind of movie magic that’s always hard to find.A word-of-mouth phenomenon since its premiere at Cannes last year, this 70-minute stop-motion feature took the grand jury prize and the audience award at the top-drawer Annency International Animation Film Festival.More impressive still, it managed the almost unheard of double feat of

Film March 3, 2017

Song Ji-hyo and Shin Ha-kyun have been cast in an upcoming film tentatively titled “Wind Wind Wind” (unofficial translation), the film’s distributor Next Entertainment World said Friday. Directed by Lee Byeong-heon, who was behind “Twenty” (2015), the film is a comedy about four people seeking love and adventure on Jeju Island. Shin, previously in “Empire of Lust” (2015), will play a dispirited husband who once had dreams of becoming a renowned chef. Song, who was in “New World” (2013), will pla

Film March 3, 2017

Party music guru Pitbull is coming to Korea. The rapper will hold his first concert in Korea on May 18 at the Seoul Olympic Park’s Olympic Hall at 8 p.m., according to the event’s host Live Nation Korea on Thursday. Pitbull debuted in 2004 and has since come to be known for fusing danceable Latin pop and electronic hip-hop sounds in his music. Hits by him include the 2013 song “Timber” featuring Kesha and the 2014 song “Time of Our Lives” featuring Ne-Yo. Tickets can be purchased from Thursday a

Performance March 3, 2017

For those weary of typical travel itineraries -- looking at landscapes, eating local food, sightseeing -- The Korea Herald recommends a number of unique, and somewhat strange, places to visit, ranging from interesting accommodations to unusual places of interest. Robotic comfortsIn Nagasaki, Japan, there is a hotel staffed almost entirely by robots, from automated employees at the reception desk and electric bellboys to droid waiters at a restaurant. 　Upon entering the futuristic establishment,

Travel March 3, 2017

A slew of entertaining shows have hit the small screens recently, featuring familiar themes and characters -- the hierarchy of the Korean office and wealthy, psychopathic villains -- but with new twists. Several once much-hyped series, meanwhile, are proving to be less engaging despite their star-studded casts.Also noteworthy is that the most popular shows at the moment do not center on romance, unlike recent hits such as “Descendants of the Sun” and “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God” that foc

Television March 2, 2017

Iconic Korean actor Choi Min-sik will be returning to the big screen next month with “Special Citizen.” A trailer for the film was released by its distributor Showbox on Thursday. Best known to international audiences for his striking performance as a vengeful prisoner in the 2003 Park Chan-wook thriller “Oldboy,” Choi plays Byun Jong-goo, the ambitious mayor of Seoul running for his third term, in the upcoming film. The trailer features the unknowable and multifarious politician Byun, who in on

Film March 2, 2017

Bluebeard(Korea)Opened March 1Thriller. Directed by Lee Su-yeonSeung-hoon (Cho Jin-woong) is a doctor whose failed marriage and career have put him on edge financially and psychologically. Forced to give up his hospital in Seoul’s affluent neighborhood, he moves to a provincial city to work at a clinic. During a sedated endoscopy, one of his elderly patients makes a confession to murder. The corpse of a woman is also found on the Han River, reviving a murder case. Logan(US)Opened March 1Action,

Film March 2, 2017

Hyolyn, the lead vocalist of K-pop girl group Sistar has signed a contract with Spinnin’ Records, the world’s largest electronic dance music label, according to her agency Starship Entertainment Tuesday.Hyolyn has become the first K-pop singer to sign with the company, the agency said in a statement. “Her collaboration with Justin Oh will be released globally in March,” Starship Entertainment said. Oh is a Korean DJ and producer who has garnered international fame and is also signed to Spinnin’

Performance Feb. 28, 2017

From chart-topping solo singers to rising female bands, the K-pop scene will be rife with returning female acts this week. K-pop group Lovelyz dropped its second album “R U Ready?” on Sunday with the title track “WoW!” Lovelyz (Woolim Entertainment)Power vocalist Ailee, whose original sound track for “Guardian: The Great And Lonely God,” “I Will go to You Like the First Snow” is enjoying popularity here, is set to return Monday with a new track titled “Old Longing” (unofficial translation). Gugu

Performance Feb. 26, 2017