[Herald Interview] Hwaseong, Korea's newest special city, aims to become sustainable metropolitan hub

As Hwaseong Mayor Jeong Myeong-geun reaches the midpoint of his term, he reflects on both the progress he has made and his ambitious plans for the city's future. "On Jan. 1, 2025, Hwaseong is set to debut as South Korea's fifth special city officially, ‘Hwaseong Special City,’" Jeong told The Korea Herald. "We are fully preparing to make it more livable, work-friendly, and enjoyable." Achieving special city status requires surpassing a population of 1 mi

Social AffairsAug. 28, 2024

[Herald Interview] Lee Min-ho, Kim Min-ha talk about what ‘Pachinko’ means to them

Apple TV+’s Korean original series “Pachinko” aired its first episode of season two on Aug. 23. The show’s main protagonists Lee Min-ho and Kim Min-ha, who played a fish broker tied to Yakuza Hansu and a sturdy, hard-working young woman from a small town Sunja, respectively, said they assimilated to their characters. The second season of the period drama chronicles the life of a Korean family spanning four generations, who moved to Japan in the early 1900s. Over the eight

TelevisionAug. 28, 2024

[Herald Interview] Korean art history on view at Venice

Marking the 30th anniversary of the Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, the history of the pavilion is being presented at Palazzo Malta-Ordine di Malta, a few minutes walk from the Giardini Garden, one of the main venues of the Venice Biennale. Entitled “Every Island is a Mountain,” the exhibition at Palazzo Malta-Ordine di Malta brings together 36 artists who have participated in the prestigious biennale over the last three decades, as well as archival material on the Korean Pav

Arts & DesignAug. 26, 2024

[Herald Interview] ‘Korea needs more disabled in Cabinet posts’

While South Korea’s infrastructure for people with disabilities has significantly improved in the past decades, the government still needs to appoint more of them to key posts in the administration, a former member of the US National Council on Disability said. Pak Dong-woo, known to people around him as Joe Pak, who served as the first Korean American member of the NCD under US President Barack Obama's administration from 2009 to 2013, highlighted the importance of such inclusivity w

PoliticsAug. 26, 2024

[Herald Interview] YouTube star seeks reach in creator economy

For Ddoddunam, a creator who runs an eponymous YouTube channel, his first career in marketing was something he entered by accident, but which, in hindsight, readied him for a more fulfilling life as a creator. “I never thought I would end up as a marketer in the credit card business, fresh out of college. I was thinking more retail,” said the video creator, who shares travel tips with about 512,000 subscribers on his channel. The 37-year-old quit Shinhan Card in April after nine year

PeopleAug. 26, 2024

[Herald Interview] Oh My Girl presents soothing music to bring listeners comfort

K-pop summer queens Oh My Girl return Monday with their 10th EP, “Dreamy Resonance,” led by “Classified,” a fresh track that brings something new to the table. “It’s a dreamy and lyrical music, which is quite different from our popular summer songs that involve energetic rhythm. This song conveys a message of comfort to those who need someone by their side for support. As you would see in the music video for the song, we are portrayed as dolls that comfort chi

K-popAug. 26, 2024

[Herald Interview] K-Wave a model for I-Wave: Indonesian diplomat

Joannes Ekaprasetya Tandjung, minister counselor for the creative economy and digital affairs at the Indonesian Embassy in South Korea, suggested Indonesian artists embrace Korean training and education as models to nurture the Southeast Asian country's creative industry. With an aim to promote Indonesian culture globally, Jakarta initiated the "Promoting Creative Economy for Sustainable Development" resolution at the 78th UN General Assembly in 2023. The initiative marks the firs

Foreign AffairsAug. 21, 2024

[Herald Interview] Traveling to ‘see the human side of North Korea’

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- When British traveler Zoe Stephens, 30, decided to tour North Korea for the first time in 2017, she didn’t think she would be doing it for a living. “I went to North Korea as a tourist first, pretty much the same way as everyone else. I realized it’s nothing like what the media says,” she told The Korea Herald. She said “the real North Korea” took her by surprise and charmed her. “So I decided that I wanted to start doing tours to show

North KoreaAug. 20, 2024

[Herald Interview] Jeep Avenger looks to repeat European success in Korea

Jeep is launching its first all-electric vehicle, the Avenger, in Korea next month. “The Avenger was the first Jeep nameplate offered with an all-electric power train. It marks the Jeep’s brand entrance in the (battery electric vehicle) arena in Korea,” said Matt Nyquist, vice president of global product planning at the Jeep brand, in an online interview with a group of reporters Tuesday. The Jeep official pointed out that the country’s sports utility vehicle segment was

MobilityAug. 20, 2024

[Herald Interview] Finding inspiration in school life

Eleven-year-old singer and content creator Seo Eve rapidly rose to stardom with her debut digital single “Malatanghulu” released in April which went viral on Instagram and TikTok. Seo proved she had the talent to be a singer by writing the lyrics to her songs and choreographing her dance, belying her age. “I wrote the lyrics based on my school life. ‘Malatanghulu’ is about asking someone I like to take me out on a hot pot date as hot pot is one of the most popular f

K-popAug. 20, 2024

[Herald Interview] Kim Seon-ho says he was scared to take on entirely different character in 'The Tyrant'

Actor Kim Seon-ho described taking on the role of a cold-hearted elite agent in "The Tyrant" as a "scary" experience, but said he is eager to face more challenges that will help him become a versatile actor across genres. "The Tyrant" follows the story of individuals vying to secure the last sample vial of the Tyrant Project, which endows living organisms with immense powers. Kim portrays Director Choi, the hard-hearted head of the National Intelligence Service, w

TelevisionAug. 20, 2024

[Herald Interview] Chat with your favorite webtoon character

The line between fiction and reality is becoming increasingly blurred. The AI planning team at Naver Webtoon has rolled out an official AI chatbot service, which lets users chat with fictional characters. Character Chat is a chatbot service available on the Naver Webtoon app which leverages Naver's AI language model, HyperClova X, to facilitate conversations with characters from webtoons. Users can interact with four popular webtoon characters of their choice, including Ki Sang-ho from &quo

CultureAug. 19, 2024

[Herald Interview] Flutist Kim Yu-been on his journey from France to the US, first album

About 11 years ago, at the age of 16, aspiring South Korean flutist Kim Yu-been moved to France to pursue his passion for the instrument. Since then, Kim's journey as a flutist has taken him from France to Germany and now to the US, winning major competitions along the way and serving as the principal flutist at two prestigious orchestras. Kim studied at prestigious French music institutions, including the Conservatoire National Superieur Musique et Danse de Lyon and the Conservatoire Natio

CultureAug. 15, 2024

[Herald Interview] Cheeze shifts from lovable to chilling for summer song

Cheeze, a one-person band known for vocalist Dalchong's lovely and clear voice, has returned with a hair-raising summer song. "Many people know me for my bright and lovely image, but I have various sides, including ballads and melancholy songs. I wanted to show that this image is also part of Cheeze," said Dalchong, the vocalist and producer of Cheeze during a group interview on Aug. 5. The band Cheeze, which debuted in 2011, started out as a quartet but has been a one-person band

K-popAug. 15, 2024

[Herald Interview] Kard returns with easy-listening summer song

Coed K-pop quartet Kard releases its seventh EP, “Where to Now? (Part 1: Yellow Light)," Tuesday evening, the group's first album in 15 months. Known for its reggae music and powerful performance, Kard is presenting an easy-listening song for the first time on the new album. “New attempts were made in this album hoping that it will satisfy the public's listening needs. We've worked with songs with strong characteristics that many listeners could have found hard to

K-popAug. 13, 2024

[Herald Interview] Why Korean investors can benefit from US equity exposure

With the US stock market representing more than half of the world’s total equity market capitalization, adopting a US perspective for investment decisions can be helpful for Korean investors, Hamish Preston, head of US Equity Indices at S&P Dow Jones Indices, said in a recent interview held online with The Korea Herald. Over the years, Korean investors have been showing an increased appetite in US-listed stocks. Their holdings of US equity stood at $88.23 billion in end-July, displayin

MarketAug. 12, 2024

[Herald Interview] TmaxTibero eyes global expansion with certified DBMS tech

TmaxTibero, a Tmax Group subsidiary specializing in database management systems, or DBMS, is set to make significant strides in the global market and public sector following the recent recognition of its technological capabilities by the Ministry of Science and ICT. Last month, TmaxTibero's research center was named one of the top corporate research facilities in the first half of this year. Kim Tai-kyoung, director of TmaxTibero, shared his pride with The Korea Herald. "We have been d

IndustryAug. 11, 2024

[Herald Interview] K-drama remakes aim to cater to streaming viewers

Masterpiece K-dramas from the early 2000s are soon to make a return this time as reimagined by their original creators. Korean streaming platform Wavve is currently undertaking a "New Classic" project, which will bring popular K-dramas from the past such as "My Lovely Sam Soon" and "I'm Sorry, I Love You," in a new format. The original 70-minute, 16-episode series will be condensed into 40-50 minute episodes with 6-8 episodes per series, and will feature new so

TelevisionAug. 8, 2024

[Herald Interview] Procurement chief aims for greater transparency, charts global path for SMEs

The Public Procurement Service, responsible for managing procurement contracts worth 209 trillion won ($152 billion) last year — a third of the South Korean government's entire spending — serves as both an allocator of domestic demand and a driver of innovation for the country’s thriving small and medium-sized enterprises. Lim Ki-keun, who was appointed as PPS administrator in December last year, has taken on this critical responsibility during a period of mounting global

IndustryAug. 7, 2024

[Herald Interview] Meet the Japanese actor in Korean musical 'Hero'

In the later part of the Korean musical "Hero," there is a scene where the imprisoned independence activist Ahn Jung-geun (1879-1910) awaits his sentencing day. In a somber atmosphere, a Japanese prison officer appears with mixed feelings. They have a conversation about Ahn’s dream for the realization of peace in East Asia, a topic he had been writing about in prison and which remained unfinished. Then the officer hands out a funeral shroud sent by Ahn's mother. The role

CultureAug. 6, 2024