Song Hye-kyo makes first appearance after divorce announcement

Actress Song Hye-kyo made her first official public appearance on Saturday, about a week after her husband, Song Joong-ki, announced that he had filed for divorce. On July 6 the actress attended an event in Sanya, on the Chinese island of Hainan, to promote South Korean cosmetic brand Sulwhasoo.Photos of her at the event immediately went viral as Harper’s Bazaar Hong Kong shared them on its Instagram page.The pending divorce between the two was announced June 27 through Song Joong-ki&rsquo

July 7, 2019

[Herald Interview] Living the Korean dream at the pool table

Sports stars often say they never expected to become such big players. This is easy to believe from Sruong Pheavy, the Cambodian-born Korean billiards star. She had absolutely no reason to believe she would become the women’s three-cushion champion in South Korea: She had never grabbed a cue before coming here.Pheavy, 29, came to Korea about 10 years ago to marry her husband, Kim Man-sik. Kim, twice her age, runs a small printing shop in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. Like so many c

July 5, 2019

[Herald Interview] Chef without restaurant but 1 million diners

Though she does not have a restaurant, there are still nearly 1 million diners who enjoy Gabriela Kook’s food around the globe. 　More widely known as Kook Gabie, or Gabie Kook, Kook, 30, is a content creator, who shares her life via YouTube. Her videos have diverse subjects from lifestyle to beauty, but she is most well-known for her recipe videos. “Everything led me to cooking and eating,” Kook said during an interview held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on Wednesday as a part of th

July 4, 2019

[Herald Interview] Drag queen singer opens up new future for traditional Korean music

Korean singer Lee Hee-moon sometimes goes onstage in gender-bending attire. Wearing a curly wig and high heels, Lee commands the stage, backed by a rock band.The music, however, is inspired by traditional Korean music. 　Though gugak -- Korean traditional music -- singers are usually associated with an old-fashioned image, Lee sets himself apart with his music, manner and appearance. The Korea Herald met with the 44-year-old singer for an interview at the Grand Hyatt Seoul on Wednesday. He was a

July 4, 2019

CCF 2019 discusses content creation culture of Korea and beyond

As a part of the 2019 Culture Communication Forum, a debate on the internet content market and Korea’s place in it was held Tuesday at Grand Hyatt Seoul. The delegates present were: bestselling author Ito Ogawa from Japan, US pop columnist Jeff Benjamin, film director Ilya Khrzhanovskiy from Russia, think tank director Bronwen Maddox from the UK, film director Shakun Batra from India, Korean folk singer Lee Hee-moon, photographer Andreas Muhe from Germany, film director Herve Demers f

July 2, 2019

Actor Lee Min-ho named as promotional envoy for Korean language education institutes

The government said Tuesday it plans to designate South Korean actor Lee Min-ho next week as a promotional ambassador to promote overseas institutes, established by South Korea, that offer foreigners Korean language courses and Korean culture activities.The culture ministry and the Seoul-based King Sejong Institute Foundation are scheduled to hold a ceremony in Seoul next Tuesday to mark the designation of Lee, an icon of "hallyu," or the Korean wave, as an envoy for the state-run King

July 2, 2019

Song Hye-kyo and her counterparts in TV dramas

Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, the two top-profile couple, are taking legal procedures for a divorce after two years of marriage. As the two met on set, the other male actors Song Hye-ko have acted with are gaining attention. In 2000, Song Hye-kyo played a central character in a romantic television drama “Autumn in My Heart’ with Song Seung-heon and Won-bin. A year later, she starred in a TV drama series “Guardian Angel” along with Kim Jong-min.  In 2003, Song appea

June 27, 2019

‘Respect their choice’: Zhang Ziyi on Song-Song couple

Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi seems to be one of the first celebrities to have broken her silence on the pending divorce between Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo.On Thursday Zhang wrote on her official Weibo account, “Respect their choice, believe it to be the best choice, and hope to see them at their best in the future.” While she did not mention the high-profile couple by name, many believe the post alluded to Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, who on Thursday announced their plans t

June 27, 2019

Song Joong-ki’s divorce announcement has people guessing who is responsible

Actor Song Joong-ki’s announcement Thursday morning that he has filed for divorce from Song Hye-kyo has raised speculations about whether one of them was responsible for breaking up the marriage. While some are claiming that Song Hye-kyo must be responsible for the divorce as it was Song Joong-ki who announced it, others have argued against such excessive speculation. Song Joong-ki filed for divorce through law firm Lee & Ko on Wednesday. According to the law firm, it was the acto

June 27, 2019

Song Hye-kyo to continue acting

Actress Song Hye-kyo is reportedly planning to continue her acting career regardless of the divorce proceedings underway. Local media reported Thursday that Song would soon begin work on a film titled “Anna.” Her agency, UAA, said, “Song Hye-kyo is positively discussing her appearance in the new movie directed by … Lee Joo-young.”  Song had been offered the role of a lawyer in “Haena,” which is set to air later this year, but turned it down. She sa

June 27, 2019

Song Hye-kyo suffered distress from marital problems: report

A source close to Song Hye-kyo has disclosed that she has suffered from both mental distress and physical weight loss due to marital problems, according to a local media report. Newsen on Thursday cited a source allegedly close to Song as saying that she cried while talking about her marital problems and had lost around 5 kilograms from related distress.“(Song) is usually quiet and doesn’t normally talk about her feelings, but she cried as she talked about her marital problems,&rdquo

June 27, 2019

Fairytale TV romance proved untenable in real life

Actor Song Joong-ki has filed for divorce from actress Song Hye-kyo, 18 months after their much-celebrated marriage. On Thursday, Joong-ki’s attorney announced that the law firm Lee & Ko has filed for divorce on behalf of the actor. The 34-year-old actor revealed his position through his agency Blossom Entertainment. “Rather than criticizing one another and arguing over who is to blame, both of us hope that the divorce process can be wrapped up smoothly,” a statement f

June 27, 2019

Song-Song couple’s divorce brings Itaewon luxury house into spotlight

With Song-Song couple’s marriage coming to an end, the house known to be owned by Song Joong-ki in the posh neighborhood of Hannam-dong, has drawn media attention again.In May 2017, The Korea Herald reported Song Joong-ki’s purchase of a luxury house in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul in January. After the couple announced their engagement in July, speculation rose that the newlyweds would move into the house. According to a report by the Ilyo Sinmun newspaper Thursday, the house

June 27, 2019

Will Song Joong-ki’s divorce affect ‘Arthdal Chronicles’?

Following the Song-Song couple’s shocking divorce announcement, attention is being drawn to “Arthdal Chronicles” featuring Song Joong-ki. The actor stars in the fantasy drama as the main character, playing two characters, Eunseom and Saya.As the tvN Saturday-Sunday drama is a pre-produced show, it will not be affected by the latest development concerning the star. The production team said it is currently editing the latter half of the series. The share price of Studio Drag

June 27, 2019

Park Bo-gum denies involvement in Song-Song couple’s divorce

Actor Park Bo-gum has denied rumors that he is involved in the Song-Song couple’s divorce. Following Song Joong-ki’s announcement Thursday that he and Song Hye-kyo are filing for divorce, speculation has been rampant that Park may be the reason for the divorce, as he recently starred in the tvN drama “Boyfriend” with Song Hye-kyo. A few hours after the rumor started to spread on websites and social media, Park’s agency, Blossom Entertainment, told local media outlet

June 27, 2019

Song Hye-kyo, Park Bo-gum’s latest drama, ‘Boyfriend,’ gets renewed attention

With Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo heading for divorce, Song Hye-kyo’s comments at a press conference to promote the tvN drama “Boyfriend” have come under the spotlight.The romance drama, starring Song Hye-kyo and Park Bo-gum, aired from November to January.  “The script was great. Along with producer Park Shin-woo, I thought the results could be beyond imagination,” she said at the event in November. “With Park Bo-gum, I knew the production would be gre

June 27, 2019

Song Hye-kyo says divorce comes after ‘careful thinking’

As the “Song-Song” couple files for divorce after some 20 months of marriage, Song Hye-kyo, through her agency, said it is coming after “careful thinking.”  “The divorce proceedings between Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo come after careful thinking,” UAA Korea, the agency representing Song Hye-kyo, said, adding the marriage has come to an end due to irreconcilable differences.The two actors met through the “Descendants of the Sun” drama series

June 27, 2019

Song-Song couple’s divorce sheds light on wedding ring incident

With Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo filing for divorce, an incident involving the couple’s wedding rings has resurfaced. The famed “Descendants of the Sun” couple were married for less than two years. In February, Chinese media outlets suggested the two actors may not be getting along well, as Song Hye-kyo was spotted not wearing her wedding ring on various occasions. In early June, Song Hye-kyo was seen at Incheon Airport by herself without her wedding ring after a vacation in

June 27, 2019

Song-Song couple start divorce proceedings

Actors Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo have started divorce proceedings. On Thursday, Song Joong-ki’s attorney Park Jae-hyun announced that his law firm had filed for divorce on behalf of the actor on Wednesday. “Rather than criticizing one another and arguing over who is to blame, both of us hope that the divorce process can be wrapped up smoothly,” Song said through his agency, Blossom Entertainment.“I ask for your understanding that it is difficult to go into details of

June 27, 2019

Sunfull holds campaign in support of Prince William’s anti-cyberbullying program

Sunfull Foundation held an anti-cyberbullying campaign for youth in Seoul last week, in recognition of Prince William and the Royal Foundation’s efforts to counter cyber violence.Sunfull Foundation on Thursday hosted an anti-cyberbullying campaign at Kwangwoon Middle School in Seoul, calling on students to stay away from violence and hate speech on the internet. The event was held as part of the Sunfull Foundation’s support for the Stop, Speak, Support campaign launched last year by

June 23, 2019