“Memories of the Sword” is set to hit the big screen next month, intensifying summer box office competition with “Assassination,” “Veteran,” “The Beauty Inside” and the Hollywood blockbuster “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.” Starring a stellar ensemble cast of actor Lee Byung-hun, actresses Jeon Do-yeon and Kim Go-eun and directed by Park Heung-sik, the film is a martial arts epic about a ma...

Music label Mystic Entertainment, home to artists such as Lim Kim, Eddy Kim and Jane Jang, and peer-to-peer content streaming site Afreeca TV have joined to create a new content company, the companies announced Thursday. Afreeca TV Seo Soo-kiel (left) and Mystic Entertainment CEO Yoon Jong-shin pose for press at CGV Apgujeong Thursday. (Mystic Entertainment) The joint venture, called Freec, wil...

Ha Jung-woo has never been an actor to turn down a challenge. For “Kundo: Age of the Rampant” (2014), he shaved his head and played the part of a lowly 19th-century butcher who ferociously avenges his family. In “The Terror Live” (2013), he was an anchorman rigged with an armed bomb. “The Berlin File” (2012) transformed him into a deadly North Korean agent. Despite Ha’s chameleon talents, when ...

Lee Young-man, the chief executive officer of Herald Corp., has been named the first president of the Foreign Language Newspapers Association of Korea. The association, which registered as a nonprofit organization last month, aims to boost understanding of Korea in the international community through the foreign-language media and mobile technology. Lee Young-man The Korea Herald, Korea Times,...

“The Piper” is an interesting hodgepodge that borrows elements from various genres and weaves together several plotlines. There is the fantastical motif of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, set against the historical backdrop of postwar Korea, filled with the mystery of a remote village ruled by a tyrant trying to hide a terrible secret, and the paternal love of a man desperately trying to save his s...

Super Junior’s Siwon and Secret’s Sunhwa were officially proclaimed the spokesmodels of the 11th Jecheon International Music & Film Festival Tuesday at a press conference at the Conrad Hotel in Seoul. The two Hallyu stars were chosen for their extensive cultural influence both in Korea and around the world, stemming from their successful careers in both music and acting. Siwon and Sunhwa pose f...

This year marks the 11th anniversary of the Jecheon International Music & Film Festival, a partially competitive festival that offers a balance of movie screenings and outdoor concerts. Official poster of the JIMFF (JIMFF) The festival will open with the film “Try to Remember” from Korean director Kim Dae-hyun, and screen a total of 101 films from 25 countries. The competitive section “World Mu...

The first half of 2015 was not kind to the Korean film industry. With the exception of “Ode to My Father” and “Twenty,” no Korean movies were able to make a big splash in theaters. Korean moviegoers opted for blockbuster Hollywood films like “The Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Furious 7,” “Mad Max” and “Jurassic World” or smaller surprise hits like “Kingsman: The Secret Service” and “Whiplash.” Kor...

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Emilia Clarke have landed in Seoul to promote the summer blockbuster “Terminator Genisys“ directed by Alan Taylor, the fifth installment in the “Terminator” franchise. As an actor who has become an icon through the “Terminator” series and a new face taking on the legendary role of Sarah Connor, they shared their different thoughts and experiences about the movie at a ...

The press conference for the upcoming summer action film “Veteran,” at CGV Apgujeong Wednesday, was a gathering of some of the most trusted names in Korean cinema. Director Ryoo Seung-wan and the cast of "Veteran" at CGV Apgujeong Wednesday (CJ E&M) The film is helmed by Ryoo Seung-wan, the director behind “The Unjust” (2010) and “The Berlin File” (2012), and the cast includes veteran actors ...

Boy band 2PM celebrated eight years together with their fans at two “House Party” concerts at the Olympic Park Gymnastics Arena on Saturday and Sunday in Seoul. Kicking off the performance with a rendition of “Go Crazy” packed with special effects, 2PM sped forward with their past hit “I Hate You,” two songs from their new album, “Jump” and “Magic,” and their party song “Hands Up.” 2PM performs...

“Madonna,” the latest work from director Shin Su-won, which played in Cannes' Un Certain Regard section, takes place in two central settings. The first is the VIP ward at a hospital where the nurse‘s assistant Hae-rim (Seo Young-hee) works. The other is a red-light district in a slum where the streetwalker Madonna (Kwon So-hyun) works. At first glance, it is difficult to understand how they come ...

Four of Korea’s top celebrities take off on a trip across Jejudo Island to discover their very own travel routes on O’live TV’s new reality show “Maps.” Korea’s most famous travel destination will be explored over four days-three nights by two teams -- actress Choi Gang-hee and Girls’ Generation’s Yuri, and Super Junior’s Heechul and hip-hop artist Simon D -- riding around in cars (called Maps...

If one good thing came from the years of communist control in Hungary, it was to hew Hungarian winemaking to its traditions. For the most part, Hungary’s wine is still made as it has long been made, by small vineyard owners and wineries and down-to-earth, everyday folk. Fertilizer use is infrequent; sustainable farming practices are common. This somewhat bucolic image belies Hungary’s past...

Private cabanas at Banyan Tree Macau Urban luxury resort Banyan Tree Macau -- located in Galaxy Macau, the region’s largest resort complex -- has opened Pool Cabana, a luxurious, private poolside shelter. The pool deck is surrounded by palm trees and provides a well-serviced space for relaxation. The cabana is located nearby the Grand Resort Deck, the world’s largest man-made wave pool locate...