As the sweltering Korean summer sets in, theaters are gearing up to open a series of horror movies for audiences wishing to cool off with goosebumps and chills.　Coming soon to the screens are a diverse horror films, from spectral and psychological to survival thrillers. 　American supernatural horror flick “Sinister 2,” set to open in local theaters on July 7, features ghostly children and demonic sacrifices taking place inside an isolated farmhouse. Directed by Ciaran Foy, it is the sequel to th

Film July 1, 2016

Police questioned Park Yoo-chun of K-pop group JYJ for eight hours on Thursday evening regarding a series of assault complaints that have been filed against him in the past three weeks. “I’m sorry to have upset many people. I will comply diligently with police inquiries,” Park told reporters before going in for questioning at Gangnam Police Station on Thursday at around 6:30 p.m.Police said they questioned Park on whether coercion was involved in his sexual relations with the four complainants i

Performance July 1, 2016

Content streaming service Netflix, which launched here in January as part of its global expansion efforts, will be announcing plans for original Korean series within the year, Netflix leadership said at a press conference in Seoul on Thursday. Netflix’s current projects here include the film “Okja,” directed by Bong Joon-ho, and Korean-English drama series “Dramaworld,” produced in partnership with streaming service Viki.This is only the beginning of Netflix’s foray into the Korean market, said

Film June 30, 2016

In a scene in “Big Bang Made,” G-Dragon sits in his dressing room barefaced and in his underwear, while Seungri ambushes the shower to take candid shots of T.O.P, who proceeds to spew expletives at his bandmate.The documentary-style movie, a project that celebrates the wildly popular K-pop boy band’s 10-year anniversary, follows the group’s five members -- G-Dragon, Seungri, T.O.P, Taeyang and Daesung -- as they perform in 32 cities in 13 countries as part of the group’s 2015 world tour. It is a

Film June 29, 2016

Hotel Lotte Co. is to award a concert production agency damages for canceling a concert featuring the internationally renowned rhythm and blues singer Ne-Yo, a Seoul court ruled Tuesday.The Seoul Central District Court found that the hotel had canceled the concert after organizing it, ruling in favor of the complainant. It ordered Hotel Lotte to pay 200 million won ($170,000) in damages to the concert production agency, whose name was not revealed.  According to the findings, the agency, which h

Performance June 28, 2016

Lee Juno, a member of the hit 1990s boy band Seo Taiji and Boys, has been booked on a charge of sexual assault, reports said Monday. 　Lee, 49, is suspected of sexually abusing two women at an Itaewon club at around 3 a.m. on June 25, the reports said, citing the Yongsan Police Station. 　Police are currently analyzing video footage from surveillance cameras inside the club. “We will summon Lee for questioning once the basic investigations are complete,” police said. Lee Juno (The Korea Herald)　Po

Performance June 27, 2016

Actor and singer Jang Keun-suk, nicknamed “Asia Prince” by fans for his popularity throughout the region, will be touring the continent in the coming months. 　The tour, titled “2016 Jang Keun Suk Asia Tour, It’s Show Time” will kick off on July 2 in Seoul. It will then move on to Tokyo and Osaka in Japan and Shanghai and Shenzhen in China, before moving on to other cities in Asia.  Actor Jang Keun-suk (Official Website)　The tour marks Jang’s return to the stage following his regional tour last y

Performance June 27, 2016

Four-member indie rock band Hyukoh made a quiet debut in the Korean music scene in September of 2014, dropping the EP “20.” 　Soon, however, word of the band’s moody, hip tunes began spreading via social media and the band began selling out at small clubs. And when Hyukoh appeared on popular variety program “Infinite Challenge” in 2015 and rose to even wider acclaim, it grabbed the attention of YG Entertainment, which was seeking to extend its musical reach. In July that year, Hyukoh became the f

Performance June 26, 2016

The leaders of the Busan International Film Festival, Asia’s largest film festival which has been mired in a turbulent battle for autonomy over the past two years, said they will strive to officially secure the festival’s full independence before its 21st installment set for this October. 　Kim Dong-ho, who was appointed BIFF’s chairman on May 24 after former chairman and Busan Mayor Suh Byung-soo stepped down, expressed a firm resolve to make the festival into one that is “operated by filmmakers

Film June 23, 2016

When Brother Anthony was teaching English literature at Sogang University in the 1980s, he would frequent bookstores on weekends -- bookstores that were filled with students of all ages sitting on the floor, reading poetry.　“They expected to find sincerity in poetry,” he told The Korea Herald last Friday in an interview at his office in Seoul, filled to the brim with books and teapots -- Brother Anthony is a renowned Korean tea enthusiast.　“If you’re searching for some kind of in-depth meaning i

Books June 22, 2016

Actress Kim Min-hee of “The Handmaiden” and Cannes award-winning film director Hong Sang-soo, who is married with one daughter, are having an affair, local media reported Tuesday.According to reports, the two apparently met last year while filming “Right Now, Wrong Then,” which was directed by Hong and starred Kim as the female lead, and they have since been involved in an affair. The film opened in theaters last September.Since then, Hong and Kim have worked together on two yet to be released w

Film June 21, 2016

Singer and actor Park Yoo-chun on Monday filed a counterclaim against the first woman who had filed a sexual assault complaint against him. She withdrew the complaint a few days after filing it. Park’s complaint against the woman involves claims of a false statement and blackmail. Park’s legal representative from the law firm Shin & Kim filed the complaint at Gangnam Police Station on Monday afternoon. Park is reportedly considering whether to file similar complaints against the second, third an

Television June 20, 2016

Writers such as Han Kang and Haruki Murakami are “rapturously received” by the international audience not because they document a certain culture or ethnicity, but because of the artistic value of their work, according to award-winning translator Deborah Smith.　“When a writer succeeds on the international stage, they become, for an audience, an international writer,” Smith said at a forum on Korean literature’s global expansion held Sunday as part of the Seoul International Book Fair. Smith join

Books June 20, 2016

The ambitious new project “Boys 24” combines the television audition program, long-running Las Vegas-style shows, and the K-pop boy band model. 　It features 49 contestants culled from 5,500 applicants from Korea and other countries, who compete in singing and dancing contests to win a place as part of the new six-member group formed at the end of the program.　The all-encompassing, global entertainment model, in the works for the past three years, is a 25 billion-won ($21 million) project underta

Television June 17, 2016

Unforgettable. That’s how fans felt about Disney’s 2003 hit “Finding Nemo,” and about the film’s breakout supporting character, the infectiously energetic and forgetful blue tang Dory, voiced by Ellen DeGeneres. So unforgettable that anticipation is at a fever pitch for the sequel 13 years in the making, “Finding Dory.” It’s safe to say that fans will be delighted to be reunited with these characters in this charming and heartwarming voyage under (and above) the sea.“Finding Nemo” writer/directo

Film June 17, 2016