The Joseon-era royal tomb Jangneung in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, had many visitors on Sunday as families traveled there to enjoy the lush forest trail. The tomb houses the parents of King Injo, the 16th ruler of Joseon, and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009 along with several other Joseon royal tombs around the country. While children and parents posed for photos in front of Jangneung, which like most royal tombs stands at the foot of a mountain ridge -- its location was dec

Culture Sept. 27, 2021

Candyman (US) Opened Sept. 22 Mystery Directed by Nia DaCosta Visual Artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) goes back to his hometown in search of inspiration for his new artwork. In the city, Anthony is told a ghost story about the Candyman, a supernatural killer, and becomes fascinated by it. He then creates a mirrored art exhibit based on the legend and showcases it at his girlfriend’s art gallery. From that night, unexpected murders start happening. Miracle: Letters to the Pre

Film Sept. 24, 2021

After COVID-19 emerged last year, taking body profile photos quickly became a new trend. “My company started working from home and we couldn’t have hoesik (nighttime drinking gatherings). So I thought it was a great opportunity for me to work out more and eat healthier for a body profile photo,” said Han Ji-sung, 28. He added that the studio where he had his photos taken was fully booked for a month in June last year, reflecting the popularity of body profile shots. About a y

Culture Sept. 22, 2021

A growing number of popular Korean webtoons are being turned into drama series, moving their creative storylines and strong fanbases to a new medium. For those who have not seen the original webtoons, the Chuseok holiday can be the time to catch up on some reading before watching the two highly anticipated drama series soon to be launched. “Yumi’s Cells,” written and drawn by Lee Dong-gun, is a popular webtoon with a whopping 512 episodes. After the last episode was presen

Television Sept. 19, 2021

The 26th Busan International Film Festival will return nearly to how it previously operated before the pandemic. The festival is set to be held from Oct. 6 to 15 in Korea’s second city, Busan. Last year, the BIFF organizer had to scale down and hold the fest without large crowd-gathering events such as the opening and closing ceremonies, outdoor greetings and open talk sessions. Each film was also screened only once at the Busan Cinema Center. “This year we are screening all 100 p

Film Sept. 18, 2021

Miracle: Letters to the President (Korea) Opened Sept. 15 Drama Directed by Lee Jang-hoon In a small remote village in North Gyeongsang Province, there were no stations or pedestrian roads. People in the village had to walk on the railroad to get to the nearest town, which constantly exposed them to the danger of being hit by trains. Joon-kyeong (played by Park Jung-min), a high school student, starts writing to the president, asking him to build a train station at the foot of his village for

Film Sept. 17, 2021

The National Palace Museum of Korea, an affiliate of the Cultural Heritage Administration, is holding an exhibition titled “In Pursuit of the Aesthetic Legacy of the Goryeo Era” through Oct. 17. The museum is showcasing eight works of art from the Goryeo Kingdom, which are part of a collection at the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels. It is the first time the six celadon vessels and two metal items are being shown to the public since undergoing conservation and restora

Culture Sept. 15, 2021

Pastor Cho Yong-gi, the founder of Yoido Full Gospel Church, died at the age of 85 at Seoul National University Hospital on Tuesday. He had been hospitalized since July 2020 after suffering a brain hemorrhage. The pastor emeritus of Yoido Full Gospel Church is known for establishing and developing Yoido Full Gospel Church as the world‘s largest church. Cho started a church in Bulgwang-dong, western Seoul, on May 18, 1958, with the late Rev. Choi Ja-sil, who died on Nov. 9, 1989. Throug

Culture Sept. 14, 2021

The Gongju National Museum is holding a special exhibition to showcase artifacts excavated from the tomb of King Muryeong, the 25th king of the Baekje Kingdom, from Tuesday. The museum in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, said the exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of the tomb’s discovery. On July 5, 1971, a large earthen mound in Gongju was discovered by chance during work to fix a drainage system in the area. Two stone plaques engraved with epitaphs for the king and queen were

Culture Sept. 13, 2021

Producers of the hit South Korean drama “The Penthouse 3: War in Life” apologized again for including inappropriate scenes in an episode the previous week. The apology was featured at the beginning of the latest episode of the drama, which aired Friday. “In our Sept. 3 episode of ‘The Penthouse 3: War in Life,’ a few scenes inappropriately included news footage of a building collapse in Gwangju and the earthquake in Pohang,” the statement read. “We a

Television Sept. 12, 2021

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (US) Opened Sept. 1 Action Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton Xu Wenwu (Tony Leung) has been ruling the world of darkness for centuries with the power of Ten Rings, which grants immortality and great power to the user. Wenwu’s son Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) was trained as an assassin as a kid under him, but he later chooses to live a normal life. One day, Sang-Chi is attacked and realizes there is a fate that he has to accept. CODA (US) Opened Aug. 31

Film Sept. 10, 2021

Director Yeon Sang-ho’s Netflix original series “Hellbound” will be screened at the 65th BFI London Film Festival, which will be held from Oct. 6 to 17, according to Netflix on Thursday. The festival in London will screen the first three episodes. “Hellbound,” which is based on the popular webtoon of the same title, features the story of supernatural events in which random people suddenly receive a text saying they will be sent to hell. Amid the chaos, the New Tru

Film Sept. 9, 2021

For Park Jung-min, 34, performing in “Miracle: Letters to the President,” directed by Lee Jang-hoon, was a huge gift as he learned so much from it. “I became a different person after shooting the movie,” Park said during an interview with a group of reporters Tuesday. “Before, I used to think that I have to do everything on my own. I thought that if someone helps me then the result is not entirely mine. I was not used to getting help.” Park added that he al

Film Sept. 8, 2021

An archaeological dig by the Cultural Heritage Administration has found more human remains under the west walls of Wolseong in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, adding toe evidence that human sacrifices mere made in the Silla Kingdom. “The west walls of Wolseong drew the public’s attention in 2017 when bones of two people were found. After that, we have been researching the site mainly to find out civil engineering techniques that were used to build Wolseong. In the process, we

Culture Sept. 7, 2021

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Jeonju announced surprising news on Wednesday about the remains of three Korean martyrs that were recovered in Wanju, a county in North Jeolla Province, two centuries after their deaths. The remains were identified as those of Paul Yun Ji-chung and James Kwon Sang-yeon, who were beheaded for their faith in 1791, and Yun’s younger brother Francis Yun Ji-heon, who was quartered in 1801, according to the diocese. All three were beatified by Pope Francis in 201

Culture Sept. 6, 2021