When Han Hyun-min met with The Korea Herald last spring, the then-15-year-old budding model had never traveled outside of Korea. He had never even been on a plane. 　Since then, the Nigerian-Korean model has quickly ascended to global fame. He began garnering modest media attention after debuting on Korean brand Heich Es Heich’s runway during the 2016 Fall-Winter Seoul Fashion Week. His striking visuals and smooth walk had caught fashion insiders’ eyes. In November, Time magazine named him one of

Arts & Design Feb. 14, 2018

From Korean dramas, “Gangnam Style” and BTS to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Korea has been on the receiving end of tremendous exposure to global audiences in recent years. 　But there are two influencers on YouTube who want to share with foreigners what “real life” -- often less glamorous but more human -- is like in Korea. The Korea Herald sat down with Lee Kyu-ho and Whitney on Feb. 7 at Google’s Campus Seoul to discuss their content.   Whitney (left) and Kyu-ho talk with The Korea Herald o

People Feb. 14, 2018

The much-anticipated opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics was finally revealed to the world on Friday. Global media scampered to comment on the ceremony’s prominent points, which included the use of drones to create the Olympic flag mid-air and a creepy yet intriguing bird puppet with a human face. The following are three additional pieces of trivia about some of the ceremony’s other highlights.   The PyeongChang Winter Olympics opening ceremony took place last Friday. (Yonhap)1.

Olympic Games Feb. 12, 2018

A record number of viewers is expected to tune into the PyeongChang Winter Olympics’ television broadcasts, according to a report released by the International Olympic Committee on Friday.The Media Guide released by the IOC predicts that this year’s event will score record statistics in both the scale of media coverage and number of worldwide broadcast hours. PyeongChang has already set the record for the most number of participating countries -- 92, compared to previous Winter Games. Some 5 bil

Olympic Games Feb. 9, 2018

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s powerful younger sister Kim Yo-jong was all smiles as she met with South Korean officials upon touching down in South Korea on Friday.Striding confidently through Incheon Airport, Kim Yo-jong presented a contrasting image to the rigidity of the reclusive North Korean regime. South Koreans Unification Minister Cho Myung-kyun met with Kim Yo-jong in a special guest room at the airport. Kim Yo-jong, who wears multiple hats in the North Korean government, arrived he

North Korea Feb. 9, 2018

Bright lights showered Gangneung’s most famous lake Thursday evening as a moonlight-inspired spectacle captivated those attending the Olympics. The light art show “Moonlight Lake” took place at Gyeongpo Lake in Gangneung, Gangwon Province as part of the 2018 PyeongChang Cultural Olympiad, a series of cultural events taking place during the Olympics.Visitors will be able to witness the light show thrice every day for 10 minutes at 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. until Feb. 25. The show features a gigan

Olympic Games Feb. 9, 2018

Shinhan Bank will offer a 0.5 percent bonus rate to clients participating in the “Sunfull” clean Internet campaign, the bank said in a ceremony held at its Seoul headquarters Tuesday.The Sunfull Internet Peace Movement involves leaving positive comments online to encourage support and consideration among online users, Shinhan Bank said in a statement.The campaign is jointly hosted by the Sunfull Foundation, which aims to spread peace through non offensive online comments and educate

Market Feb. 7, 2018

According to English YouTuber Emil Price, the way to Korean viewers’ hearts is through their stomachs. 　As a foreign YouTuber living in Korea and creating content about the country mainly for a Korean audience, Price, 25, is keenly attentive to the tastes of local viewers. When food is visible in a video’s thumbnail image, the number of views soars, he noted at a talk with foreign YouTubers at Google’s Campus Seoul on Wednesday. 　The internet has seen a rise in foreign social media influencers l

Culture Feb. 7, 2018

South and North Korean pair figure skaters shared the ice for the first time during a practice session at the Gangneung Ice Arena on Monday. The two pairs from each half of the peninsula, Kim Kyu-eun and Kam Kang-chan from the South and Ryom Tae-ok and Kim Ju-sik from the North, practiced side by side ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, which start Friday. It was the first time the Kim-Kam duo practiced at the Gangneung Ice Arena. Ryom and Kim arrived in South Korea last Thursday and began

Olympic Games Feb. 6, 2018

Both local and global media predict that PyeongChang could be the coldest Winter Olympics witnessed in recent decades. The northeastern Gangwon Province, where Pyeongchang county is located, is generally considered the coldest region in South Korea. This year is seeing a particularly cold winter, with ice sheets in rivers and lakes freezing some 25 centimeters thicker on average than last year, according to reports.The following are several tips for braving the cold and ingenious heat-trapping i

Olympic Games Feb. 5, 2018

The PyeongChang Winter Olympics is revving up for its opening night on Feb. 9. A rehearsal for the opening ceremony took place Saturday, while the PyeongChang Cultural Olympiad, a program of cultural events, also began. A rehearsal for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics opening ceremony took place at 6 p.m. at the Gangneung-Wonju National University, featuring Korean traditional performance teams and bands.Gangwon Province Gov. Choi Moon-soon and actor-singer Jang Keun-suk, honorary ambassador for

Olympic Games Feb. 4, 2018

Each generation of South Koreans seems to cherish a different type of soul food that reflects the socio-economic mood of its respective era.The Korea Herald spoke with people from various walks of life to find out what constitutes soul food for them. The conversations resulted in a wide selection of memory-triggering snacks, and a surprisingly revealing journey spanning the nation’s modern history from 1945.Budding economy, sticky riceFor 58-year-old economic researcher Park Sung-il, chalbap, or

Food Feb. 2, 2018

A handful of Korean Instagram users have gained popularity for their inspiring content. The following are three Instagram influencers with distinctive personalities garnering global followers on the photo-sharing platform. Longboarding to freedom  Ko Hyojoo(@hyo_joo)님의 공유 게시물님, 2016 5월 10 9:54오후 PDTGliding on the pavement, hair flipping in the wind and arms weaving through the air freely, Ko Hyo-joo grabbed attention on social media in 2016 through her longboarding videos. The 29-year-old former

People Feb. 2, 2018

For choreographer May J. Lee, K-pop dance comes off as a mix of two conflicting features.It’s complex, incorporating all different genres of dance depending on a song’s concept, but still simple enough to be catchy, says Lee, the co-creator of the dances for Twice’s “Knock Knock” and Jay Park’s “All I Wanna Do.”Choreography has become inseparable from K-pop, from Psy’s easy-to-follow “Gangnam Style” gallop to BTS’ vigorous on-stage performances, where its members showcase complicated routines in

Culture Jan. 31, 2018

Nearby residents have been sharing eye-witness accounts of the fire that broke out Friday morning at a hospital in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, both on social media and through news interviews. “There was so much smoke that it was hard for people to approach (the building),” said one passerby in an interview with a local television news outlet. “Even from 10 meters away, it was frightening.”A firefighter evacuates patients from the Sejong Hospital in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, on

Social Affairs Jan. 26, 2018