After five years’ hiatus from the small screen here, Yoon Eun-hye is returning in new rom-com “Love Alert.”The new MBN series, set to first air Wednesday night, sees Yoon star opposite Chun Jung-myung as the two form a fake relationship as a popular celebrity and doctor, before it blossoms into genuine romance.The new Wednesday-Thursday nighttime series is Yoon’s first work for South Korean audiences since KBS series “Marry Him If You Dare” in 2013, though the actress appeared on “Goddess Fashio

Television Oct. 31, 2018

Actress Moon Chae-won will star in the upcoming fantasy rom-com “Gyeryong Fairy Tale” as an age-defying fairy, which is scheduled to air Nov. 5.The new tvN series is based on the famous Korean webtoon series of the same title and features a main character played by Moon, a fairy who has spent 699 years waiting for her husband and becomes a barista in the modern world.The show walks a fine line between fantasy and reality, with the main characters having extraordinary ability and an interesting b

Television Oct. 30, 2018

Singer and actor Cha Eun-woo is breaking new ground for Korean dramas with the YouTube Original show “Top Management.”Cha, who appeared in the hit TV series “Gangnam Beauty,” will play the role of Yeon Woo, a young man who wants to be an idol star alongside his friends, in the upcoming 16-episode series.“Top Management” is the fourth original series from YouTube Premium in South Korea. It follows variety show “Run, Bigbang Scout!” and documentaries “BTS: Burn the Stage” and “Kwon Ji Yong Act III

Television Oct. 29, 2018

A growing number of seniors in South Korea are spending less than before, as the focus is shifting toward savings in preparation for a longer retirement.According to a new government report released by the National Assembly Budget Office on Sunday, South Korean elders are spending considerably less of their incomes than their American and Japanese counterparts.The average propensity to consume, which measures the income spent on goods and services, stood at 67.2 percent in 2016, the economic out

Social Affairs Oct. 29, 2018

Seoul’s new campaign to encourage people to help strangers has generated controversy with an illustration that depicts a male figure as the symbol of heroism. Critics argue that the campaign’s visuals suggest it is a man’s job to help others.The Subway Hero Zone, currently installed next to a couple of stairways at City Hall Station, depicts a muscular man with a cape next to a suitcase and a baby stroller.(Seoul Design Governance)The idea was to make asking for help less awkward by creating a d

Social Affairs Oct. 25, 2018

BTS member RM’s mixtape “Mono” has shot to the top of iTunes albums charts in over 80 countries including the US, France, Germany and Russia.Fans can download the mixtape for free.“Mono” consists of seven tracks including “Tokyo,” “Seoul,” “Moonchild,” “Badbye,” and “Forever Rain.” (Yonhap)RM was given more artistic freedom than usual this time, given the nature of a mixtape, and this freedom comes through in the raw lyrics of the track “Seoul,” which he worked on together with the British elect

Performance Oct. 24, 2018

Kim Hyun-joong is coming back to the small screen nearly four years after being mired in a number of scandals.Kim, who faced a paternity dispute with his ex-girlfriend and was caught driving under the influence of alcohol, will star in “When Time Stopped,” KBS W’s first Wednesday-Thursday drama series, which premieres Wednesday.The 12-episode fantasy romance show garnered attention following reports that it would star Kim, who debuted as part of boy band SS501. Kim will play the role of main cha

Television Oct. 23, 2018

A man who sent sexually humiliating messages and videos online to singer Seolhyun has been found guilty.In a statement Tuesday, the singer’s agency, FNC Entertainment, said the online troll who’d sent sexually degrading content in direct messages on Instagram had received a sentence of six months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, after the Incheon District Court delivered its verdict. FNC EntertainmentThe agency also added that it was taking legal steps against other people who had made an

Performance Oct. 23, 2018

Singer Taeyeon, a member of the K-pop powerhouse Girls’ Generation, came into her own Sunday as thousands of fans cheered on during her solo concert in Seoul.Taeyeon’s third solo concert was not only a commercial success, drawing nearly 10,000 people in two days, but also a celebration of her artistic identity as she powered through 24 songs in 2 1/2 hours, showcasing her versatility as an artist.Taeyeon kicked off the last day of her two-day Seoul concert with a new song, “Here I Am,” appearing

Performance Oct. 22, 2018

Among young South Koreans, civic rights activist and Democratic presidential nominee Jesse Jackson’s 1988 campaign T-shirts and French fashion brand Balenciaga’s Bernie Sanders-inspired caps are some of the hottest fashion items at the moment.“What size is it?” “Has it been sold yet?” Comments like these quickly appear when well-kept secondhand Bernie Sanders caps are put up for sale in online communities, as a brand new one could cost nearly 350,000 ($310).A Jesse Jackson T-shirt and a Bernie S

Arts & Design Oct. 22, 2018

Police in northern Gyeonggi Province are encouraging people to cover their phone cameras amid a spike in spycam crimes in South Korea, but the campaign has sparked a backlash from people who think it goes a step too far. The Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency has been distributing adhesive camera protectors for smartphones since Saturday as part of its “Illegal Filming OFF” campaign. Its objective is to create a safer environment in public spaces, where most spycam crimes take place.Police

Social Affairs Oct. 18, 2018

South Korean first lady Kim Jung-sook and her French counterpart Brigitte Macron put on a display of friendship Monday as they locked arms together during a tour around the Louvre Museum.Kim, who accompanied President Moon Jae-in on a state visit to France, spent nearly an hour and a half at the museum, enjoying famous artwork including the original paintings of “Mona Lisa” and “Portrait of Louis XIV” with Macron. (Yonhap)The first ladies of the two countries met for a second time following the

Politics Oct. 16, 2018

(Yonhap)BTS met South Korean President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook during the band’s visit to Paris for a concert celebrating the friendship between Korea and France.The group posted pictures on Twitter of its members with Moon and his wife at the Korea-France Friendship Concert at theater Le 13eme Art on Sunday.(Yonhap)In photos released by the Blue House, Moon looked proud as the group powered through the hit-packed set, including “DNA” and “Idol,” before an audience of 400, inclu

Performance Oct. 15, 2018

Traveling around Seoul on the subway, you’ll often see enormous advertisements featuring fan messages to K-pop idols.As K-pop groups like BTS gain a more prominent place on the global stage, at home in Seoul they are dominating public transport.An onlooker at Hongdae Station takes a photo of an ad celebrating BTS member Jimin’s birthday. (Park Ju-young/The Korea Herald)At Hongdae Station, which has more K-pop-inspired ads than any other station in the South Korean capital, fans make their way pa

Performance Oct. 15, 2018

US President Donald Trump’s statement that Seoul would not lift sanctions on Pyongyang without America’s “approval” did not go down well in South Korea, prompting criticism from activists and politicians from across the political spectrum.A group of student activists climbed up the Statue of King Sejong in central Seoul on Friday afternoon in a protest against Trump’s speech as they flew a banner that read, “South Korea is not a US colony” and chanted, “Trump needs to apologize.” Police remove a

Politics Oct. 14, 2018