Despite apologies by broadcaster SBS and the production companies involved over what viewers criticize as historical inaccuracies and distortions in the TV series “Joseon Exorcist” on Wednesday, public anger continues unabated. As of Thursday, over 156,500 people had signed a petition on the Blue House website asking for the cancellation of all future ”‘Joseon Exorcist” episodes. The period drama sparked controversy immediately after the first episode aired Monday

Television March 25, 2021

NEW ID, a digital platform business subsidiary of movie distributor Next Entertainment World, announced on Wednesday that it has launched seven additional channels on Samsung TV Plus for viewers in Korea. Samsung TV Plus is a free OTT platform pre-installed on Samsung’s Smart TV operating systems. The platform is available in 12 different countries, and this year Samsung aims to double the number of countries the service is available. Different from OTT platforms like Netflix that provi

Television March 24, 2021

Close to 3 out of 4 women in the movie industry said they have experienced sexual violence or harassment, according to a survey conducted by the Center for Gender Equality in Korean Film. Findings of the survey aimed at gauging the prevalence of sexual harassment and sexual violence in the Korean film industry were released during an online event held Monday marking the third anniversary of the center that was launched in March 2018 by the Korean Film Council and Women in Film Korea. The sur

Film March 23, 2021

South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Culture and Youth will hold the online Korea-UAE Festival from March 31 to April 2. In November 2019, South Korea’s Culture Ministry and the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth held a special meeting during the UNESCO Forum of Ministers of Culture to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. During this meeting, the two countries’ Culture Ministries a

Culture March 20, 2021

Director Lee Joon-ik, a master of period films, chose to focus on the life of Joseon scholar Jeong Yak-jeon in his upcoming movie “Book of Fish.” “I think there is an error in looking into and defining certain periods only by historical events and wars,” Lee said during a press conference at the Megabox Coex theater in Samseong-dong, Seoul, Thursday. He added that audiences are simply used to this because many existing period films approach stories this way. “By

Film March 19, 2021

The Mauritanian (US) Opened March 17 Drama Directed by Kevin Macdonald Attorney Nancy Hollander (Jodie Foster ) and her associate Teri Duncan (Shailene Woodley) decide to take on the case of Mohamedou Ould Salahi (Tahar Rahim), who has been held for years at Guantanamo Bay Prison Camp by the US Government without a single charge or the possibility of a trial. Nobody was willing to take his case because Slahi was captured on the suspicion that he was involved in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist atta

Film March 19, 2021

On Monday night, Youn Yuh-jung became the first South Korean actor to be nominated for an Oscar for best supporting actress. She is being recognized at the 93rd Academy Awards for her performance in the US film “Minari,” directed by Lee Isaac Chung. “I am actually honored just to be nominated,” Yoon said in a statement released through her management agency after the announcement on Monday. “I am not a big fan of competition. I cannot even watch TV programs that r

Film March 16, 2021

The Korea Herald is publishing a series of articles on eco-friendly fashion highlighting new fabrics, manufacturing processes and trends that aim to improve environmental sustainability. - Ed.  Roanna Tan from Singapore found out about Korean vegan fashion brand Marhen J from an advertisement on social media Instagram and decided to make a purchase. The fact that it was made with vegan leather initially drew Tan’s interest but she was also happy with the design and quality. &ldq

Arts & Design March 16, 2021

Megabox, a South Korean multiplex operator, on Sunday announced that it would join hands with the Korea International Trade Association to hold a startup meet up event to find a partner with fresh ideas in May. “We joined hands to respond to the industrial ecosystem, which changed after COVID-19 broke out, as well as look for a new growth engine together,” Megabox official said in a statement. The Korean multiplex operator said it will mainly look for startups with new business i

Film March 14, 2021

Chairman of Bluebell Korea Daniel Mayran gives a presentation titled “Future of luxury: Post-covid retail trends” during a forum held by the Corea Image Communication Institute on Tuesday at the residence of the Kuwaiti Ambassador Bader Mohammad al-Awadi. Some 20 foreign envoys and opinion leaders, including French Ambassador Philippe Lefort, Egyptian Ambassador Hazem Fahmy, Moroccan Ambassador Chafik Rachadi, Smart Study co-founder Ryan Lee, L‘Oreal Korea President Christian M

Culture March 12, 2021

Raya and the Last Dragon (US) Opened March 4 Animation Directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada, Donald Hall In the world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. As villainous monsters known as the Druun started attacking the land, magical dragons united their forces and sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Five hundred years later, the monsters have returned and it‘s now up to warrior Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) to save Kumandra. Minari (US) Opened March 3 Drama Directed by L

Film March 12, 2021

Kakao Entertainment and Spotify Technology on Thursday announced that it will make songs distributed by the Korean company available on the Swedish audio giant’s streaming platform across the globe, after a one-week suspension. The agreement will allow listeners overseas to resume enjoying songs by popular Korean artists, including IU and Zico, which were removed temporarily from the Spotify platform from the beginning of March. The platform operator at the time explained that the song

Performance March 11, 2021

ASEAN Culture House, run by the Korea Foundation, will host the 2021 ASEAN Cinema Week, screening 15 films from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, both in theaters and via online platforms from Friday to March 25. This is the second year that the ASEAN Culture House, located in Busan, is holding the cinema week. The event aims to present new perspectives on Southeast Asian culture through the films. The films selected this year reflect diverse cultures and traditions fr

Film March 9, 2021

It is no secret that Korea, a country well-known for its grilled meat like samgyeopsal, or pork belly, has not been particularly vegetarian-friendly. Celebrities revealing their love for meat is seen as natural, whereas stars who reveal their vegetarian diets are often treated as out of the ordinary in the media.   However, recent years have seen a growing number of Korean stars going vegetarian and actively talking about it. Claudia Kim, also known as Kim Soo-hyun, who appeared in 201

Food March 8, 2021

The 22nd edition of the JEONJU International Film Festival will be held from April 29 to May 8, under the slogan “Film Goes On.” Last year, the 21st edition of the international film fest, which was initially scheduled to commence April 30, was pushed back once and then was forced to be held behind closed doors in May due to the spread of COVID-19. The organizer at the time held a hybrid event, going both online and offline, for 114 days. This year’s festival will also be a h

Film March 6, 2021