Most Popular
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First-ever meeting of president, opposition chief set to finally happen
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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Naver’s Line ownership in jeopardy as Japan ups pressure
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South Korea to launch space security center under spy agency
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More med professors to take day off each week while govt. urges them to stay
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Hybe refutes Ador CEO Min's denial of breach of trust
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S. Korea, Japan could consider simplified entry agreement: Seoul official
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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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[Today’s K-pop] NewJeans' single teasers release amid intrigue
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[Herald Interview] Korea Forest Service on keeping the country green
Forestry body chief talks multiple green projects and goals during his tenure Amid the prolonged coronavirus pandemic, more South Koreans are rediscovering the joy of immersing themselves in nature, heading out to rugged mountains away from crowded cities. With some 63 percent of its land covered in forest, as opposed to the global average of 30 percent, Korea is indeed a country for hikers, with mountaineering being one of the favorite hobbies of many. While more people are reconnecting
IndustryAug. 24, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Film on film: ‘The Rain Comes Soon’ is comedy about releasing movie during pandemic
It was a hot summer day last year when director Ko Bong-soo decided to start making his new comedy film, “The Rain Comes Soon,” about a director who releases a film during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Since the virus outbreak, many people had been saying that they felt depressed. As a filmmaker, I thought about what I could do to make the situation better. Since my specialty is making comedy films, I decided to make people laugh,” Ko said during an interview with The Korea H
FilmAug. 23, 2021
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[Herald Interview] ‘Sinkhole,’ disaster movie with comedy twist: Cha Seung-won
Veteran actor Cha Seung-won, 51, is not afraid of challenges. When choosing movies, he tries to pick something out of the ordinary. “I don’t like films that have a single genre. I am into stories with twists. I liked ‘Sinkhole’ because it is a movie about the disaster, but there are comedy elements to it. I love how humor is being used in an extreme situation,” Cha emphasized during an interview via Zoom with a group of local reporters. “It was really funny
FilmAug. 20, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Gangwon aims to go carbon neutral by 2040
Gangwon Province will achieve carbon neurality in 2040 and lead South Korea into a more eco-friendly future, says Choi Moon-soon, the province’s governor. Speaking on the sidelines of JeongSeon Forum 2021, which aims to develop solutions to achieve carbon neutrality and weather the climate crisis, Choi said that new technologies coupled with the province’s natural assets will help make the goal a reality. “At this year’s forum, the issue of going carbon neutral is bei
PoliticsAug. 19, 2021
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[Herald Interview] ‘Finding balance between heritage and development’
Soon after South Korea’s tidal flats were inscribed onto UNESCO’s world heritage list in July as “Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats,” the Cultural Heritage Administration announced its plan to submit an additional list of tidal flats for UNESCO to review in 2025. While the Culture Ministry’s romanization guidelines recommend the spelling “gaetbeol,” UNESCO’s spelling is consistent with past usage by heritage experts, according to the CHA. But the l
CultureAug. 18, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Yanolja envisions self-check-in hotels with app-controlled rooms
When travel and leisure platform operator Yanolja raised $1.7 billion from SoftBank Vision Fund 2 last month, it drew comparisons with e-commerce giant Coupang, drumming up excitement over the recent startup boom in South Korea. “We have the super app Yanolja at home and a cloud-based automation solution for the international market. They are fast-growing markets with great potential and we believe the funding acknowledges our technology to keep things going and our great team,” Lee
TechnologyAug. 17, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Parliament should represent teens, LGBT people
South Korea’s youngest member of parliament believes the National Assembly should be more inclusive and represent the diversity of the Korean public, not just middle-aged men. “They say the National Assembly should resemble the citizens, but that’s not what the current parliament does,” said 29-year-old Rep. Ryu Ho-jeong of the progressive Justice Party in an interview with The Korea Herald. “Currently, 80 percent of the members are male, and those in
PoliticsAug. 17, 2021
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[Herald Interview] ‘Arirang Peoples’ Diaspora’: Shedding light on families and friends around the world
Arirang is a Korean folk song cherished as the song of “han,” a mix of emotions similar to grief and resentment flowing through the hearts of Koreans. While Arirang is recognized today as a song that represents Korea, less is known of the Koreans who migrated overseas in modern times. “Arirang Peoples’ Diaspora” by author Hye-ok (the Korean-language edition of the book notes her name as Lee Hye-ok, following the Korean custom of women keeping their family name even
BooksAug. 17, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Say Sue Me to start afresh after pandemic-forced break
When the Busan-based indie band Say Sue Me released their debut album “We’re Sobered Up” in 2014, they never expected the international attention they would get. “Byung-kyu, our guitarist, was already playing in a band and I was a huge fan of that band. Since there were not a lot of indie band fans in Busan, we naturally got to know each other,” Choi Sumi, the vocalist of Say Sue Me, told The Korea Herald in an online interview Wednesday. When Kim Byung-kyu was
PerformanceAug. 16, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Turn N. Korea into ally, Army general says
South Korea and the US should not miss a rare opportunity to gradually turn North Korea into their ally by helping out Pyongyang, which is desperate to find a way out of its worst economic crisis, said Leem Ho-young, former deputy commander at the allies’ Combined Forces Command. “Let’s think beyond denuclearization. We have to eventually bring North Korea to the alliance-led order. That’s the ‘Grand Bargain,’” the retired four-star Army general said in
North KoreaAug. 15, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Lee Kwang-soo returns as relatable office worker in disaster comedy ‘Sinkhole’
Lee Kwang-soo, 36, returns to the big screen as a relatable young office worker in the disaster comedy “Sinkhole,” directed by Kim Ji-hoon. “Sinkhole” centers on the residents of Chungwoon Villa, one of the cheaper apartment buildings available in pricey Seoul. It took Dong-won (Kim Sung-kyun), an office worker, over 10 years to finally become a homeowner. Soon after moving in, Dong-won invites his co-workers over to his new place for a housewarming party. After the o
FilmAug. 15, 2021
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[Herald Interview] DMZ reimagined as ‘ecotopia’ in new media art
A beautiful green landscape unfolds for three minutes at 8:21 p.m. every day on the country’s largest LED billboard, at Coex K-Pop Square in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul. Whether they are waiting for a bus or walking down the street, people look up at the display and see the dense, lush forest appear in the city’s concrete jungle. The landscape is the Demilitarized Zone, a 250-kilometer strip of land that serves as a border between the two Koreas. The land has become an “ec
Arts & DesignAug. 15, 2021
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[Herald interview] Former ambassador recalls harrowing escape from Mogadishu in 1991
The blockbuster film “Escape From Mogadishu,” released July 28, has drawn more than 1.85 million theatergoers, becoming the biggest box office hit so far in a year that is seeing many of the films originally set for release last year finally make it to screens despite the continued pandemic. The harrowing escape scene and the exotic location -- the film was shot in Morocco for three months last year before the pandemic halted virtually all international travel -- are certainly rivet
FilmAug. 12, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Weirdos change the world: KAIST chief
The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology President Lee Kwang-hyung is hoping to put the institution on the global map, by starting with “failures.” KAIST is one of Korea’s leading universities, but its standing on the global stage remains far behind its local reputation. According to the QS Global World Rankings 2022, KAIST came in 41st spot as one of the two Korean schools along with Seoul National University to crack the top 50. KAIST’s standing among t
Social AffairsAug. 11, 2021
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[Herald Interview] A.C.E keeps moving higher, step by step
Boy band A.C.E, whose name stands for “Adventure Calling Emotions,” splashed into the music scene with bold ambitions on May 23, 2017. Its five members have come a long way since then, establishing an energetic presence and delving into unique performance styles. But the group’s path to stardom was not an easy one. Online reality shows and popular audition programs on television often function as gateways for K-pop idol-hopefuls looking to make their debut. But in 2016, A.C.
K-popAug. 9, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Young CEO sets sights on future of construction
It was Kim Hwang-su’s father who built Dongnam Construction Chemical from scratch and grew it into a leader in the local concrete admixture market. Now, the second-generation chief, 38, aims to take on the conservative industry with technological innovations. “I think my father had faith in the local constructions market,” said Kim, who took over as CEO in 2018, as he recalled memories of his father. “He believed there would come a time when our country also starts bui
IndustryAug. 8, 2021
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[Herald Interview] How Frances Cha wrote her debut novel ‘If I Had Your Face’
From plastic surgery, K-pop fandom to chaebol marriage and women at work. Frances Cha’s debut novel “If I Had Your Face” runs the gamut of hot topics in modern Korean society. The journalist-turned-novelist, who worked as travel and culture editor for CNN in Seoul, doesn’t only lightly touch on the subjects, she dives into each topic through the story of young women characters living in the same apartment in Seoul. Although Cha does not believe that doing thorough rese
BooksAug. 2, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Star screenwriter Kim Eun-hee returns with darkest ‘Kingdom’ episode
Living up to her nickname as the “Korean Agatha Christie,” screenwriter Kim Eun-hee came back with the darkest episode yet of the global hit Netflix series “Kingdom” (2019). “Kingdom: Ashin of the North,” which was released on July 23, centers around a new character Ashin (played by Jun Ji-hyun, or Gianna Jun, and Kim Sia) who is a lower-class tribe member living in what is now known as Hamgyong Province, North Korea. After Ashin finds out about her father&r
FilmAug. 1, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Bill allowing politicians to take babies to work look set to pass
After Rep. Yong Hye-in, 31, of the Basic Income Party, brought her 2-month-old son to her workplace on July 5, her photos went viral on social media. On the day, she held a press conference to urge the passage of her bill that would allow a lawmaker to enter a plenary session with an infant who needs nursing. Under the current law, only lawmakers, the prime minister, state council members and those authorized by the assembly speaker are allowed. When her photos made headlines, opinions were
PoliticsAug. 1, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Global zombie sensation ‘Kingdom’ director hopes to quench fans’ thirst
A single 92-minute episode of historical zombie thriller “Kingdom” was not meant to be a hit, according to director Kim Seong-hun, who has headed the series since 2019. “‘Kingdom: Ashin of the North’ is more like a prequel or a stepping stone for the next season,” Kim said during an online interview with a group of reporters on Wednesday. “I was very focused on expanding the “Kingdom” universe and explaining the story of Ashin, I was glad t
FilmJuly 29, 2021