Bigman dropped by our studio and shared his story with us! Check it out! By Team Konnect Kim Min-jung (minjung.kim@heraldcorp.com) Jung Ji-eun (jungje@heraldcorp.com) Choi Jeong-yoon (jychoi@heraldcorp.com) Kim Jeong-ryul (ryul@heraldcorp.com)

Despite being founded 50 years ago to promote Korea’s national brand, Korean Culture and Information Service is far from a household name within Korea, though it intends to change that this year. The organization plans to push for greater cultural exchange with Korea‘s partner nations, according to Park Jung-youl, the director of the KOCIS, who took the helm in September 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of Hallyu. A veteran government official, Park told the Korea He

South Korea and Singapore should use the pandemic as an opportunity to plan and prepare for the future, the Singaporean ambassador and Herald Corp. chairman said in a meeting on Wednesday. Singapore Ambassador to Korea Eric Teo paid a courtesy visit to Herald Corp. headquarters in central Seoul where he, The Korea Herald CEO Choi Jin-young and Herald Corp. Chairman Jung Won-ju exchanged views on the emerging trends amid the COVID-19 pandemic, such as education trends, carbon neutrality, d

   COVID-19 provided valuable lessons for future cooperation between Indonesia and South Korea in health, biopharmaceuticals, energy and technology, said Indonesian charge d’affaires Zelda Wulan Kartika at the Eurasian Economic and Cultural Forum on Wednesday. According to Kartika, by promoting strategic projects and investments in infrastructure, the food industry and the digital economy, and expanding market access through e-commerce, tourism and digital platforms, Indonesia

A London-based Korean curator has been appointed to head the 2023 Gwangju Biennale. Lee Sook-kyung, senior curator of International Art at the Tate Modern, will take on the role of artistic director of the 14th Gwangju Biennale scheduled to take place in April 2023, the Gwangju Biennale Foundation announced Tuesday. Lee, who has been active in the global art scene for the past 28 years, specializes in “transnational curating.” Her previous posts include being commissioner and curat

India is an attractive investment destination for Korean entities, with the country’s $1.4 trillion infrastructure development plan representing attractive opportunities, Indian Ambassador to Korea Sripriya Ranganathan said at the Eurasian Economic and Cultural Forum 2021, hosted Wednesday by The Korea Herald. The ambassador said that the size of Indian economy, India’s infrastructure development plans, demography and digital ecosystem, outstanding human resource, private equity, v

Singer and entertainer Kim Jong-kook released his doping test results Thursday, in a bid to clear himself of suspicions of steroid use. Kim uploaded an 18-minute video on his YouTube channel on Thursday, showing clips of videos showing himself submitting to doping tests on Nov. 13 and receiving the test results on Dec. 9. The video included his message to the public and to the Canadian bodybuilder Greg Doucette, who had alleged steroid use by Kim. Kim’s doping tests were conducted by th

Walking through the bustling streets of Seoul and encountering a rose sprouting from a piece of charcoal, one might wonder, “Is this installation art or a personal message to someone?’ The artist who made the piece says it is both. Lee Hyo-yeol, 36, better known as Yeol, considers himself a freelance advertiser by day and a guerilla artist by night. Since 2014, when he made “Flowers Bloom Through Heat,” Lee has worked on over 20 guerilla installation projects in the c

Korean pianist Lee Hyuk was declared the winner of the 17th Animato Piano Competition and also took home the special Mazurka award, Lee’s management agency Etoile Classic announced on Friday. The recital competition, held by the Animato Association, ended on Tuesday (local time) in Paris, France. The contestants were young pianists in their late teens to mid-20s recommended by prominent pianists and educators under the slogan of “The Future Great Pianists Today” (unofficial

Entertainer Yoo Jae-suk has been chosen as the top comedian of the year for the tenth consecutive year. According to the survey released by Gallup Korea on Thursday, the 49-year-old took first place in the entertainment broadcaster/comedian category of the "person of the year" for the tenth straight year, gaining 56.9 percent of votes. The pollster canvassed 1,700 people aged 13 or over across the country from Nov. 5-28, and those surveyed were asked to select up to two comedians who

  The Woodang Foundation for Education and Culture is honoring James Edward Hoare, former member of the British diplomatic service and current research associate in Korean studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies University of London, for his contributions to the nation with this year’s Woodang Award. Initiated in 2019, the annual award goes to domestic and foreign figures who follow the spirit and vision of Woodang Lee Hoi-young, who worked for the nation’s indepe

South Korea should implement a “new Western policy” to further strengthen ties with Israel, Israeli Ambassador to Korea Akiva Tor proposed at the Eurasian Economic and Cultural Forum on Dec. 1. Tor recommended forging a new defense alliance, as Korea and Israel are both democracies facing severe nuclear and missile threats. “We need a new Western policy for Korea and a new Eastern policy for Israel: Korea should seek to form an alliance in West Asia based on relations with t

Seoul awards 9 foreigners for contributions to local community

LG Arts Center’s new CEO Lee Hyun-jung officially took the reins of the cultural institution Wednesday. The 50-year-old Lee replaces Sim Woo-seob. Her appointment was announced in the annual reshuffling of conglomerate LG Group’s executives last week. Lee joined LG Arts Center, operated by LG’s nonprofit organization LG Yonam Cultural Foundation, in 1996 as the group was gearing up to launch the cultural complex and served as the head of programming for 22 years. Lee play

Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung on Tuesday retired as the Catholic archbishop of Seoul, after some 10 years of service in the post. Yeom, who also held the post of apostolic administrator of the diocese, Pyongyang of North Korea, will soon leave Myeongdong Cathedral and move to Bishop’s Hall at the Catholic University of Korea Songsin Campus in Seoul where many of the country’s priests are educated. “Even after I leave the diocese, I will be grateful for every moment and pra