Herald Interview In series
A series of in-depth interviews.
#Interview
# In-depth
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Herald Interview In series
A series of in-depth interviews.
Would you like to subscribe?
Nam Joo-hyuk's renaissance: moving from 20s to 30s
The transition from one’s 20s to 30s is rarely seamless, but for Nam Joo-hyuk, it represents a chance to redefine himself. His 20s were marked by a rapid ascent as one of South Korea's most recognizable youth stars, endearing himself to audiences through a string of popular romantic comedies and coming-of-age dramas. Now entering his 30s and returning from his military service hiatus, the actor is ready to begin a new phase of his career. Netflix's upcoming tentpole series "The East Palace" is b
July 24, 2026 - 09:00:00
Circle warns Korea risks falling behind on stablecoins
South Korea risks falling behind in stablecoins as regulatory uncertainty keeps banks and fintech firms from moving beyond pilot projects, according to Circle's chief strategist. "You can afford to be late to the regulation, but you don't necessarily want to be late to the technology," Dante Disparte, Circle's chief strategy officer and head of global policy and operations, said in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Thursday. Korea's sophisticated banking and payments infrastructure
July 23, 2026 - 15:54:03
Hyolyn channels Y2K nostalgia on ‘OriginaLyn’
Sixteen years after debuting as Sistar’s powerhouse vocalist, Hyolyn says she no longer feels the need to reinvent herself. Instead, with her fourth EP, “OriginaLyn,” the singer chose to strip away the layers she had built over the years and return to the artist she was before the arrival of concepts, expectations and labels. The seven-track album, her first physical release in four years since 2022’s “Ice,” revisits the music that first inspired her while embracing the confidence she has gained
July 22, 2026 - 07:00:00
From GD's heartfelt message to music-led finale, Won Il explains vision behind UNESCO's ceremony
BUSAN — Three thunderous drumbeats echoed across the stage as royal guards in flowing cheollik robes and ceremonial armor held UNESCO flags while one of them struck a traditional drum. Behind them, a digital rendering of Gwanghwamun Gate, the main entrance to Gyeongbokgung, where the royal guard changing ceremony is traditionally held. For the first time, the actual 42-member royal guard team from Gyeongbokgung, part of the Korea Heritage Service, was not guarding the palace but performing in Bu
July 21, 2026 - 18:00:00
'Recovery, not liquidation': How Tailwind navigates US real estate workouts
As South Korean institutional investors grapple with a wave of distressed overseas real estate assets, the need for specialized workout capabilities has become increasingly important, according to Tailwind Real Estate Partners. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, local institutional investors aggressively expanded their overseas real estate exposure, snapping up high-profile properties in the US, such as trophy office assets in Manhattan. The sharp rise in interest rates and structural changes in the
July 19, 2026 - 14:57:41
How a K-pop translation app became Big Tech's data supplier
In July 2013, with "Gangnam Style" past a billion views on YouTube and still climbing, Psy sent his global followers to a tiny Seoul startup: "Use flitto.com to read my tweets in your own language." Flitto was then a small Seoul-based translation app built around K-pop fans translating celebrity posts for reward points. K-pop gave the young service a ready-made global community. Thirteen years later, the app is a Kosdaq-listed AI language data company whose largest customers are US technology gi
July 19, 2026 - 10:51:18
How a Korean immigrant’s English struggle helped deaf users make phone calls
When Joseph Lee moved from Korea to the United States in the late 1980s, ordinary phone calls were among the hardest parts of daily life. Still learning English, Lee relied on closed captions to understand movies and television. But phone calls offered no such help. Before important calls, he would write down what he wanted to say and sometimes fax it in advance so he could follow the conversation more easily. The experience stayed with him. Years later, it became the basis for InnoCaption, a Ca
July 13, 2026 - 10:19:42
Simular sees Korea’s hardware edge in AI agent era
Korea’s next artificial intelligence opportunity might not stop at chips, smartphones or devices. It may hinge on whether those devices can become the “bodies” for AI agents that operate computers and carry out work on behalf of humans. For Ang Li, CEO and co-founder of California-based AI agent startup Simular and a former Google DeepMind researcher, the shift now underway in AI is not simply from one chatbot to another. It is from AI that responds to users to AI that can use computers for them
July 10, 2026 - 15:53:58
In a defector's new life, Kim Min-ha finds a story for everyone
"It didn't feel like I was reading fiction," Kim Min-ha says of the script for "Hana Korea." "It felt like reading someone's diary." She had her reasons. The film casts her as Hye-sun, a 21-year-old from North Korea's Ryanggang Province who defected to the South to pay her mother's medical bills back home. Her narrative is built around a series of letters she writes home in voice-over. Stories like Hye-sun's are hardly scarce on Korean screens, but they mostly belong to documentaries and talk sh
July 10, 2026 - 09:00:00
S. Korea, UNDP look to next phase of anti-corruption work as AI risks rise
A decade after Korea began sharing its integrity systems with developing countries, the head of its anti-corruption agency says the next challenge lies in artificial intelligence, digital government and the new accountability risks they create. Ahead of a forum marking 10 years of cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme, Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission Chairperson Jung Il-yeon said the partnership should strengthen connections between participating countries as they
July 7, 2026 - 15:04:59
Kihyun embraces confidence, maturity in ‘Borderline’
Nearly four years after releasing his first solo album, Monsta X vocalist Kihyun is returning not simply with new music, but with a clearer understanding of who he has become. His second EP, “Borderline,” set for release on Tuesday, marks his first solo release in three years and nine months since his 2022 EP “Youth.” The seven-track album arrives after his military service, Monsta X’s group activities and ongoing world tour, and Kihyun said the long wait allowed him to make an album he could fe
July 7, 2026 - 07:00:06
Korea sets out stall as global heritage rule-maker
DAEJEON — Two weeks before delegates from around the world gather in Busan for the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, officials at the Korea Heritage Service are conducting last-minute inspections, coordinating with partner agencies and fine-tuning every detail ahead of the country's biggest heritage diplomacy event to date. The committee meeting, scheduled for July 19-29, will mark the first time Korea has hosted UNESCO's annual World Heritage gathering and chaired the committ
July 6, 2026 - 07:00:00
Josh Safdie on 'Marty Supreme': 'Life is what happens when you're dreaming'
"I'm very interested in seeing characters do the things that sometimes we cannot do," Josh Safdie said Thursday. "There's something somewhat heroic in that." The impulse to root for someone you probably shouldn't cuts straight through "Marty Supreme," a rambunctious odyssey of a glory-obsessed ping-pong player that's now the highest-grossing title in A24's history. It opened in Korea on Wednesday months after its stateside run, arriving with a reputation built as much on the film itself as its s
July 3, 2026 - 09:00:00
AI to boost Korea growth, but demand remains key: S&P
S&P Global Ratings said South Korea's government-backed artificial intelligence push is likely to support economic growth over the next few years, but warned that the long-term payoff depends on whether demand ultimately matches expectations. "The near-term impact is clearly positive because today's investment translates into capital spending and economic growth," said Kim Eng Tan, managing director of S&P Global Ratings' Asia-Pacific sovereign ratings team, in an interview with The Korea Herald
July 2, 2026 - 14:33:13
'My Royal Nemesis' creators on turning an unapologetically Korean romance into a global hit
The global success of "My Royal Nemesis" had come as a shock to the series' writer, who didn't expect the time-slip romance between a Joseon-era woman and a modern-day Seoulite to have such wide appeal. "In truth, I didn't set out to write for a global audience," screenwriter Kang Hyun-joo told The Korea Herald in a recent written interview. "My only goal was to tell a story I truly enjoyed and portray the characters I cared about with as much sincerity as possible." Yet, that intimate approach
July 1, 2026 - 14:11:06
