Korea's first global webtoon festival lights up Seongsu-dong

Seongsu-dong, a vibrant cultural hub in Seoul, is currently buzzing with activity as it hosts South Korea's first global webtoon festival and awards ceremony, held as a part of Korea's ambitious initiative to position itself as a leader in the global webtoon industry. The 2024 World Webtoon Festival, organized by the culture ministry and Korea Creative Content Agency, kicked off its four-day run Thursday with the 2024 World Webtoon Awards, designed to recognize exceptional webtoons tha

CultureSept. 27, 2024

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Grand Hyatt Seoul entertains guests with moon photo zone Grand Hyatt Seoul, located in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, presents a full moon-themed photo zone for guests to capture an autumn moment with family and friends. The light installation, available since Sept. 13, continues to be a great photo spot for the guests at the hotel’s Waterfall Garden until Oct. 20. While the Waterfall Garden is open exclusively for hotel members and guests from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. until Sept. 23, it will be av

TravelSept. 27, 2024

[Well-curated] Movies and art in hanok, superior sound at Listening Room

Listening Room by Ode at The Hyundai Seoul Visitors can easily spend hours exploring major international brands and local shops at The Hyundai Seoul, Seoul's largest department store and pop-up store mecca. Among all the shops, entertainment facilities and restaurants vying for attention, be sure not to miss Listening Room by Ode when visiting the mall. Located on the second basement floor near the main escalator, the shop welcomes music lovers with colorful LPs and record players. Visitors

CultureSept. 27, 2024

'City View' shines light on urban shadows

Gazing at the gleaming glass facades of the skyscrapers in Songdo, Incheon, author Woo Sin-young wondered how they could remain so sleek and beautiful. Then, she recalled reading news about workers who were injured or lost their lives while cleaning those windows. “As I delved deeper into these articles, I felt that someone should speak out on their behalf and give a voice to their stories and narratives,” said Woo, a debut novelist whose "City View" recently won the 14th H

BooksSept. 27, 2024

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Festival of fall flowers in Wonju At Yonsugol Village in Wonju, Gangwon Province, a festival kicked off last week for flower lovers, especially of those coming to full bloom in the fall. The Gangwon Fall Flower Festival shows everything from zinnias to cockscombs, fireweeds and petunias -- in addition to cosmos. The village is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 6. Admission costs 3,000 won, and grade school students and younger enter for free. For more information, visit poppystore.modo

TravelSept. 27, 2024

[Box office] Movies in theaters this week

“Transformers One” (US) Opened Sept. 25 Animation/Science fiction Directed by Josh Cooley Set on Cybertron, the home planet of the Transformers, future sworn enemies Optimus Prime and Megatron are friends who have bonded like brothers. “I, the Executioner” (South Korea) Opened Sept. 24 Crime/Action Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan Veteran detective Seo Do-cheol (Hwang Jung-min) teams up with rookie cop Park Sun-woo (Jung Hae-in) to track down a serial killer taunting police b

FilmSept. 27, 2024

Seon meditation practitioners emphasize conflict resolution

Buddhist seon meditation practitioners said internalizing Buddhist teachings could help the world counter a polycrisis -- a web of multiple global threats to the safety and security of peoples and nations -- at a press conference Thursday in Seoul. The conference took place a day before the five-day Seon Meditation Summit kicks off in Seoul, as the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism looks to promote the kind of meditation backed by the largest Buddhist sect in the country. “Both the Buddhist v

CultureSept. 26, 2024

Kang Ik-joong's monumental 'Hangeul Wall' unveiled at Korean Cultural Center New York

A 22-meter high wall with 20,000 colorful blocks of Korean letters, or Hangeul, was unveiled Wednesday at the newly opened Korean Cultural Center New York, on E. 32nd Street in Manhattan. The monumental work was created by New York-based artist Kang Ik-joong, known for his iconic works of Hangeul blocks. Kang’s installation “Hangeul Wall: Things I Love to Talk About” was created in collaboration with participants from more than 50 countries around the world. Some 7,000 submissi

Arts & DesignSept. 26, 2024

‘Dirty Money’ follows ironic situation of detectives on the run

Kim Min-soo, one of the writers behind crime noir films “The Merciless” (2017) and “Kingmaker” (2022), will release his debut crime flick “Dirty Money” on Oct. 17. “Dirty Money” revolves around detectives Myung-deuk (Jung Woo) and Dong-hyuk (Kim Dae-myung), who become involved with tainted money and make the choice to run away with it, dreaming of committing a perfect crime. Seung-chan (Park Byung-eun), a cynical team leader of an investigative squ

FilmSept. 26, 2024

Georgia Wine Festival celebrates popularity of Georgian wine in Korea

The Georgia Wine Festival, featuring high-quality wines from the country with the earliest known traces of winemaking, was held in Seoul for the first time amid increasing demand for Georgian wines in Korea, the event organizer said Thursday. Held at the Ambassador Seoul Pullman Hotel in Jung-gu, central Seoul, on Tuesday, the Georgia Wine Festival featured engaging activities such as a concert by popera group Bellavoce, a buffet featuring dishes regularly paired with wines, as well as a quiz sh

CultureSept. 26, 2024

[Herald Interview] After 'Good Partner,' Jang Na-ra sees marriage as miracle

Jang Na-ra, who portrayed Cha Eun-kyung, the skilled divorce lawyer cheated on by her husband in the popular series "Good Partner," expressed that the show prompted her to reflect deeply on marriage and divorce -- and that the series led her to consider all marriages as "miracles." "Good Partner" follows the stories of divorce lawyers as they tackle a range of clients and their legal challenges. While depicting various divorces faced by modern Koreans, the series al

TelevisionSept. 26, 2024

Global drama stars gather for 2024 Seoul International Drama Awards

Top stars, producers, and writers from the global drama industry gathered Wednesday afternoon for the 2024 Seoul International Drama Awards. The event, which honors excellence in drama series worldwide, saw a record 346 entries from 48 countries this year, featuring shows that aired between June 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. This year, the spotlight was on film figures winning major awards, with renowned South Korean director Park Chan-wook taking home the Golden Bird Prize -- the highest honor in

TelevisionSept. 25, 2024

[Herald Interview] Dmytro Udovychenko, winner of Queen Elisabeth Competition, on uplifting Ukraine with violin

Dmytro Udovychenko, a Ukrainian violinist, is experiencing his busiest season after winning the 2024 Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition in June. With the latest triumph adding to a long list of prizes won at international competitions, including first prize at the Montreal International Violin Competition in 2023 and third prize at the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition in 2022, Udovychenko is finally done with competitions and set to launch his journey as a musician in earnest. Reca

CultureSept. 25, 2024

2025 Trend Forecast: Small details, new happiness trend amid sluggish economy

After completing his annual bestselling series “Trend Korea” for the upcoming year, Seoul National University professor Kim Rando lamented that "grandeur has disappeared." Next year, Kim explained, will mark a shift from the grand to the details, with an emphasis on paying attention to small details and subtle differences. Now in its 17th year, the "Trend Korea" series forecasts consumer trends for the upcoming year through 10 key predictions, with allusion to the

BooksSept. 25, 2024

French writer Sylvie Germain wins 13th Pak Kyongni Prize

French writer Sylvie Germain has been named the recipient of the 13th Pak Kyongni Prize, the award’s organizers announced Wednesday. The award, an annual international literary award established in 2011 to honor the legacy of novelist Pak Kyong-ni (1926-2008), recognizes novelists worldwide who have made a significant impact on the literary landscape while preserving its intrinsic value, according to the Toji Cultural Foundation. Pak is best known for her monumental "Toji (The Land),&

BooksSept. 25, 2024

'Gyeongseong Creature Season 2': faster and ready to confront past

The second season of "Gyeongseong Creature," one of Netflix Korea's largest projects, promises a faster pace as well as an exciting new plot and characters to address viewer comments about the slow pace of the first season, director Jung Dong-yoon said Wednesday. The first season of "Gyeongseong Creature" is set in 1945 Gyeongseong, where Chae-ok (Han So-hee) and Tae-sang (Park Seo-jun) uncover secret experiments intended to transform humans into monsters. The series dra

TelevisionSept. 25, 2024

Cho Yong-pil to drop 20th studio album

Legendary singer Cho Yong-pil is returning with his 20th studio album. Cho announced the Oct. 22 release of a new studio album his website Wednesday. The album marks his first full-length album in 11 years since "Hello" released in 2013. The new album features several new tracks in addition to previous releases, such as the 2022 single "Road to 20 - Prelude 1" and "Road to 20 - Prelude 2" issued last year. The release of the 20th album was originally planned for las

CultureSept. 25, 2024

[Herald Interview] Portraying a version of god for young people in 'Hadestown'

When Kim Min-seok sees veteran musical stage actor Choi Jung-won on stage during the musical performance of "Hadestwon," the singer-turned-musical-actor hopes the audience can see her up close from his perspective. "Her face is full of expression, giving a sense of warmth and courage," Kim, who portrays poor dreamy musician Orpheus, said during an interview with The Korea Herald on Sept. 12. And that is exactly how Choi, 55, intends to portray Hermes, a role originally create

CultureSept. 24, 2024

'Stage Fighter' to showcase Korea's top dancers

The new dance survival program "Stage Fighter" is set to dazzle viewers not only with performances from some of Korea's most celebrated dancers, but also with appearances by auteur Park Chan-wook, the program’s producer said Tuesday. "Stage Fighter" is the latest installment in Mnet's successful dance survival series, following the hit shows "Street Woman Fighter" and "Street Man Fighter." The new series will feature 64 male dancers special

TelevisionSept. 24, 2024

[Herald Interview] Korean ballet sensation Jeon Min-chul pours his heart into dancing

For Jeon Min-chul, the 20-year-old sensation who has captured the hearts of Korean ballet fans, dancing has been at the center of his world. Asked about hobbies outside of dance, he struggled to find an answer. “That’s actually the hardest question for me. I think I’ve spent all the time I could’ve used for hobbies on dancing. From high school on, it’s all I thought about. Ballet reflects the time and effort you put into it, so I didn’t have the energy for any

PerformanceSept. 24, 2024