Articles by Lee Si-jin
Lee Si-jin
sj_lee@heraldcorp.com-
[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea
Lotus and Water Lily Festival, Jeju Island The Lotus and Water Lily Festival, which began July 7, will run through Aug. 31 at Hallim Park, one of the most popular tourist spots on Jeju Island. The park, spanning almost 100,000 square meters, is home to various types of flowers and plants. More than a hundred types of lotus and water lily flowers are in full bloom during the summer. Admission is 9,000 won, 10,000 won and 15,000 won for children, teenagers and adults, respectively. Online reservat
Travel July 21, 2023
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Korean viewers get ready for second season of ‘D.P.’
South Korean viewers have been unable to hide their long-waiting excitement for Netflix’s upcoming second season of “D.P.,” as the original season ranked No. 10 on Netflix’s Korean top 10 chart for TV series as of Tuesday. “D.P.,” a drama series adapted from a popular webtoon series of the same title by creator Kim Bo-tong, revolves around the lives of Pvt. Ahn Jun-ho (Jung Hae-in) and Cpl. Han Ho-yeol (Koo Kyo-hwan) and their duty to capture Army deserters. W
Television July 19, 2023
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Director says ‘D.P. 2’ focuses on narratives of individual soldiers
While many viewers showed their support for “D.P.” series launched in 2021 for its realistic depictions of South Korean Army life and its controversial sides, the director explained that the upcoming "D.P. 2" focuses more on the narratives of the individuals. Short for “Deserter Pursuit,” the series centers on the lives of Private Jun-ho (played by Jung Hae-in) and Sergeant Ho-yeol (played by Koo Kyo-hwan), to uncover the motivations behind soldiers' attemp
Television July 18, 2023
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Iconic cartoonist’s comics to be recreated with AI technology
Local creative content company Jaedam Media Corp. is scheduled to showcase a series of artificial intelligence-generated comics in December. Since October last year, the company has collaborated with renowned cartoonist and webtoon creator Lee Hyun-se, training AI software on more than 4,000 of Lee's comics, including some of the artist's most beloved comic projects, “Untouchables” (1986), “Armageddon” (1988), “Mythology of the Heavens” (1997) and mo
Books July 17, 2023
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Seo Hyun-jin, Gong Yoo to star in Netflix's 'The Trunk'
Seo Hyun-jin and Gong Yoo were confirmed as lead actors in Netflix’s Korean original series “The Trunk” on Monday. Seo Hyun-jin, 38, will make her Netflix debut with “The Trunk” as In-ji, an employee in a matchmaking company called New Marriage. “Train to Busan” star Gong Yoo, who mesmerized viewers in Netflix’s “Squid Game” (2021) and “The Silent Sea” (2021), will co-star in the series, playing the role of Jeong-won, a musi
Television July 17, 2023
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Dramas depicting dark side of social media gain popularity
Two recent Korean dramas presenting an intimate look into social media-driven lives are enjoying local popularity with unique stories that are easily relatable to many viewers. Though a lot of creative content such as dramas, films and variety shows have included brief scenes depicting social media usage, Netflix’s latest suspense series “Celebrity” and cable channel ENA’s “Battle for Happiness” put the spotlight on characters’ social media interaction
Television July 16, 2023
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[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea
Jangheung Water Festival The Jeongnamjin Jangheung Water Festival will be held from July 29 to Aug. 6 at areas around the Tamjin River and woodland in Jangheung, South Jeolla Province. The event celebrates the clean and refreshing water of the Tamjin River and Jangheung Lake. Various water activities include canoeing, banana boats, water gun fights and more. Admission fees vary by program. Updated information can be found at https://festival.jangheung.go.kr/festival. Haman Sunflower Festival,
Travel July 14, 2023
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[Feature] Explicit gesture or acceptable performance?
Girl group Mamamoo’s Hwasa, 27, is under police investigation after a civic group filed an official complaint over the artist's sexually explicit dance moves at a campus festival in May. Hwasa, a popular K-pop star, was performing at Sungkyunkwan University as part of cable channel tvN's music show, “Dancing Queens on the Road." The show follows South Korea's iconic solo dance artists Kim Wan-sun, Uhm Jung-hwa, Lee Hyo-ri, BoA and Hwasa as they travel around the c
Culture July 13, 2023
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‘King the Land’ producers apologize for show's depiction of Arab prince
The production company behind JTBC’s romantic comedy “King the Land” issued an official apology on Wednesday for its cultural insensitivity. The creators -- Npio Entertainment, BY4M Studio and SLL -- expressed their sincere apology to the viewers in an official apology letter posted on the show's website in Korean, English and Arabic. “We had no intention of caricaturing or distorting any particular country or culture,” the production companies said in the lett
Television July 13, 2023
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Paul Kim, Taekwoncre tapped as ambassadors for 2023 Cheonan K-Culture Expo
The city of Cheonan on Tuesday named popular singer-songwriter Paul Kim and the taekwondo-themed performance crew Taekwoncre as ambassadors for the city's upcoming culture expo in August. Cheonan added two additional members, following members of K-pop boy band Ateez, who were appointed as ambassadors in June, to promote the cultural festival to a wider audience and enhance its reputation. Kim, who has mesmerized many fans with hit songs -- including “Me After You,” “After
Culture July 12, 2023
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WWW 2023 looks for next big web novels
World Wide Web Novels is on the hunt for the next big web novels through a competition running through Aug. 31. Organized by local IT firm Thingsflow, WWW 2023 aims to discover new talents that can lead the Korean creative content industry and promote the web novel-genre that has been growing rapidly in recent years. Many of the web novels, or novels published online, have been adapted as TV dramas and films. JTBC's "Reborn Rich" (2022), starring heartthrob Song Joong-ki, was orig
Books July 12, 2023
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Drama ‘King the Land’ criticized for cultural insensitivity
Cable channel JTBC’s latest rom-com series, “King the Land,” has come under fire over its character Prince Samir, with criticisms directed at the show's misleading representation of Arabic culture. Samir -- who is introduced as a prince with an Arabic background -- made his first appearance in the seventh episode of “King the Land” on July 8, surrounded by the women in a club. As Samir was scheduled to visit South Korea to negotiate the import of Korean warplan
Television July 11, 2023
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Netflix to release new zombie-themed project ‘Zombieverse’
Netflix on Monday confirmed that its upcoming action variety program “Zombieverse” will premiere on Aug. 8. The global streaming service, which mesmerized many viewers with its hit zombie-themed projects -- “Kingdom” (2019) and “All of Us Are Dead” (2022), seeks to expand the Korean zombie sensation in variety shows as well. Popular TV directors Park Jin-kyung, who was behind MBC’s iconic entertainment show “My Little Television,” and Moon Sa
Television July 10, 2023
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Broadcasters experiment with drama release dates, schedules
Responding to the fast-changing environment of the content industry, South Korean broadcasters are changing up drama release schedules. Terrestrial broadcasters SBS and MBC recently announced that they will showcase their upcoming drama projects with a different strategy, parting ways with the traditional schedule in which new episodes are released back-to-back over two consecutive days per week. While many TV channels air new episodes on either Mondays and Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays or
Television July 9, 2023
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[Well-curated] Culinary journey, unique designs and forest trails
Culinary journey around the world at Yongnidan-gil Less than five steps after passing an American-style bistro, you will find yourself in a Vietnamese back alley. However, just around the corner, a casual Japanese diner awaits you. Welcome to "Yongnidan-gil," a cluster of streets between Samgakji Station and Sinyongsan Station in Yongsan-gu. Yongnidan-gil follows on the heels of Itaewon's Gyeongnidan-gil and Haebangchon -- hot spots for both Koreans and foreign nationals alike. Co
Culture July 7, 2023
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