Bong Joon-ho’s social satire “Parasite” made history Saturday by becoming the first Korean film to win the Palme d’Or, the top award at the Cannes Film Festival. According to the jury president Alejandro Inarritu, the nine-person jury had made the decision based on a unanimous vote. “The film has been an astonishing journey, which was made possible with the artists that stood by my side. Above ...

The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil (Korea) Opened May 15 Crime, Action Directed by Lee Won-tae A notorious gangster Jang Dong-soo (Ma Dong-seok) narrowly survives a random attack by a serial killer, and sets out to bring justice to his attacker in his own way: by brutally murdering him. At the same time, a cop Jung Tae-suk (Kim Mu-yeol) seeks to arrest the killer. The two men join forces to fo...

Everland Rose Festival Launched in 1985, the long-running Everland Rose Festival opens every year in May. This year it continues until June 16. With a 20,000-square-meter rose garden, visitors can see various kinds of flowers while enjoying the amusement park. It is held inside Everland, South Korea’s largest theme park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, and is open to visitors of all ages. To find...

Don’t take the Gangbyeonbuk highway during rush hours in Seoul. That was what I screamed in my mind as the bus took the road fare more traveled, an agonizingly slow path eastward, toward Gangwon Province, where the government recently decided to open a new section of the Demilitarized Zone to civilians. The DMZ Peace Trail in Cheorwon County, Gangwon Province, some 90 kilometers from the capita...

Director Ahn Ju-young’s first feature film is not a masterpiece, yet it has a strange appeal to it. The narrative and the plot are a bit plain, and I felt like Ahn dropped the ball a bit in the climax, but it is well-cast, the two leads are fantastic and work extremely well together and the tone of the film is adorable. The small-budget film is getting barely any exposure, and without any big n...

Watching the trailer of the “Aladdin,” 2019 remake of the beloved 1992 Disney animation, I thought it would be either be fantastic or a steaming pile of disappointment. To my surprise, it was neither. The Guy Ritchie film had its fun moments, and was an absolute joy to the eyes. Its characters were likeable, but the flick had some clunky storytelling moments and did not really capture the wonder...

Kang Yoon-sung’s first feature film, “The Outlaws” from 2017, was a bit cliched but had fantastic characters and great action. That was enough to hype up expectations for the director’s next film, “Long Live the King,” set for release June 19. Like his previous movie, the upcoming flick also stars gangsters, but it has a completely different tone. “I aimed to make a fun film above all else. ... ...

Everland Rose Festival Started in 1985, the long-running Everland Rose Festival opens every year in May. This year it opens Friday and continues until June 16. With a 20,000-square-meter rose garden, visitors can see various kinds of flowers while enjoying the amusement park. It is held inside the Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province and is open to visitors of all ages. To find out more about...

Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen will hold a concert in Seoul on Jan. 18-19, marking the first solo concert by the legendary rock band. According to Hyundai Card, the latest artist to be featured in its Hyundai Card Super Concert project are the guitarist and drummer of Queen, who will be joined by singer Adam Lambert. Lambert has been touring with May and Taylor to fill the shoes of Queen’s...

An international tourism fair jointly hosted by Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Korea World Travel Fair will take place next month, encompassing promotions for both inbound and outbound tourism and business-to-business transactions. According to the organizers, 50 countries including China, around 50 regional governments in Korea, and 1,400 tourism companies will take part in the Seoul Int...

Ultra Korea recently revealed new headliners in the third phase of the lineup for the upcoming festival, slated for June 7-9. “Bass-fueled electronic outfit Knife Party and pioneering British luminaries Underworld have been added as headliners for the eighth annual edition, setting the tone for one of the biggest Phase 3 lineups in the festival’s history,” the organizers of the event said. Hot S...

The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil (Korea) Opened May 15 Crime, Action Directed by Lee Won-tae A notorious gangster Jang Dong-soo (Ma Dong-seok) narrowly survives a random attack by a serial killer, and sets out to bring justice to his attacker in his own way: by brutally murdering him. At the same time, a cop Jung Tae-suk (Kim Mu-yeol) seeks to arrest the killer. The two men join forces to fo...

Once a run-down factory in Jeonju, gallery now aspires to landmark status JEONJU, NORTH JEOLLA PROVINCE -- Driving north of Jeonju City Hall, past Jeonju University and onto the industrial complex grounds, you will find a group of run-down factory buildings. Just as you start wondering if you took a wrong turn on your way to the art gallery, what appears to be a rusty old structure with the word...

Disgraced K-pop star Seungri has avoided arrest in connection with allegations of embezzlement and procuring sexual services, after a Seoul court on Tuesday refused to issue an arrest warrant for the former Big Bang member. The Seoul Central District Court said there is still “room for dispute” over the embezzlement case and that there was no risk of him destroying evidence. The court refused t...

The largest musical festival in Korea is winding up for opening next month, with the organizers for Daegu International Musical Festival on Tuesday announcing that this year’s event will feature 23 musicals from eight countries. From June 21 to July 8, the 13th annual DIMF will be held at major theaters across Daegu. Set in the self-proclaimed “musical city,” the DIMF will be promoted by Suho of...