[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Gangneung Coffee Festival The Gangneung Coffee Festival is held every year to promote coffee culture and celebrate Gangneung’s growth as a leading coffee hub in Korea. The coastal city in Gangwon Province is known as the city of coffee and is home to a number of legendary baristas in Korea. This year’s festival, slated to be held Oct. 12-15 at the Gangneung Ice Arena and Gyeongpo Lake Square, has invited big names from the local coffee scene for talks and seminars. Barista competitio

TravelOct. 6, 2023

[Herald Interview] 8 lives in 1 saga: Debut novel transcends time and identity in '8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster'

Mirinae Lee's genre-defying debut novel, inspired by her great aunt who defected from North Korea, weaves eight dark yet spellbinding chapters spanning the eight different lives of the main character, Mrs. Mook, who begins her saga by declaring that she was born Japanese (under occupation), lived as a North Korean and is now dying as a South Korean. Lee's "8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster," published by Harper, the fiction imprint of HarperCollins, hit the shelves in the Un

BooksOct. 5, 2023

Seminal texts on Hangeul reproduced right down to hanji pages

When King Sejong the Great promulgated Hangeul in 1446 -- after creating the writing system in 1443 -- the announcement was accompanied by the publication of "Hunminjeongeum Haerye," a book written by the king and eight scholars involved in the creation of Hangeul that explains the creation of Hangeul and the principles behind its letters and the writing system. The book was written in Hanja, or Chinese characters. Later, during King Sejo's reign, "Hunminjeongeum Haerye&quo

CultureOct. 5, 2023

Indo-Korea Business Culture Center chairman takes part in India’s tree planting initiative

Indo-Korea Business Culture Center Chairman Zena Chung participated in a tree planting event in India in line with the 154th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth earlier this week. Chung was invited to the event by India’s Gandhi Mandela Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes the values and ideals of Gandhi and South Africa's former President Nelson Mandela. The event was held at Sri Venkateswara College within the Delhi University campus in New Delhi on Monday. Chu

PeopleOct. 5, 2023

Wavve’s ‘The Deal’ to expand into 200 countries

Wavve announced Wednesday that its upcoming mystery thriller, “The Deal” is scheduled to be released in some 200 countries, including South Korea, Taiwan and more. Domestically, “The Deal” will be released on Wavve. Overseas, Taiwan-based streaming platform FriDay and global streaming service Rakuten Viki will offer the eight-part crime thriller. Adapted from a popular 2021-webtoon series of the same title by author Woonam20, the show tells the story of a reunion betw

TelevisionOct. 5, 2023

Jeonju International Sori Festival comes to a close with global push

The Jeonju International Sori Festival ended on Sept. 24, with the organizers adding global and cross-cultural elements to this year's event as part of their aim to elevate the Korean traditional music festival on the global stage. The festival, one of the leading cultural events held in North Jeolla Province, ran from Sept. 15 to 24 around Jeonju Hanok Village and 14 other cities and districts of the province. Launched in 2001, this year’s festival was held under the theme of “

CultureOct. 5, 2023

[Herald Interview] Kim Nam-gil says 'Song of the Bandits' was full of new challenges

Veteran actor Kim Nam-gil, 43, remembers his debut Netflix series, “Song of the Bandits,” as a project full of never-before-seen challenges in his 24-year acting career. From handling rifles to weathering the elements in sandstorm scenes, Kim said almost every aspect in shooting the show was new to him, especially as not many Korean films and dramas have been inspired by the Western genre. Kim explained that he spent a lot of time getting used to an unfamiliar weapon, the Winchester

TelevisionOct. 4, 2023

Zandari Festa kicks off with local, foreign indie bands

Zandari Festa, an indie rock festival launched in 2012, kicks off Thursday for a three-day run. This year's festival will feature up-and-coming indie bands as well as well-established musicians, including Galaxy Express, Band Nam, Leenalchi, Teresa in the Moon and the Royston Club. The lineup comprises 35 acts from South Korea, the US, France, the UK, China and the Philippines. Performances will take place at four live music venues in Seoul's Hongdae area -- Musinsa Garage, Veloso Hong

PerformanceOct. 4, 2023

Actor Park Eun-bin opens 28th Busan International Film Festival’s opening ceremony

Actor Park Eun-bin opened this year’s Busan International Film Festival Wednesday, Asia’s largest film festival which will showcase a total of 269 films from 69 countries on 25 screens in Busan throughout the 10 day-long festival. The related Asian content and film market will be held Oct. 7-10. Park, the breakout star of hit drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022), was the festival’s first-ever solo host for the opening ceremony, due to a sudden surgery of actor Lee Je-hoon. L

FilmOct. 4, 2023

Jarasum Jazz Fest to kick off Friday

The Jarasum International Jazz Festival kicks off Friday on the small river island of Jaraseom in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, for a four-day run. The festival is to open Friday with performances by Yejurang, a trio of a pianist and two vocalists, and Breath of 8, which consists of eight saxophonists, a pianist, a drummer and a bassist. South Korean ska band Kingston Rudieska and the Ju Hyun Mi Project -- vocalist Ju Hyun-mi and jazz musician Phil Yoon -- will also perform Friday. Admission to F

PerformanceOct. 4, 2023

Live music festival Block Party to return to Haebangchon

“Tiger is Coming” band Leenalchi will join more than 100 performers in Haebangchon this weekend as 10 venues in the area open for a cultural festival. Showcase music festival Block Party will return for a second year Saturday and Sunday with more stages and a wider variety of performances. Music will still be at the heart of the event, with alternative pop band Leenalchi being joined Saturday by the hard rock sounds of Galaxy Express and Drinking Boys and Girls Choir, as well as Ja

CultureOct. 3, 2023

[Book Review] 'The Korean Wave in a Post-Pandemic World' delves into Hallyu's past, present and future

“The Korean Wave in a Post-Pandemic World” By Shin Geon-cheol, Mark Whitaker Springer Since the late 1990s, South Korean pop culture has gained popularity overseas, with music, TV dramas and films becoming major exports to other Asian countries. The spread of Korean culture has continued, expanding beyond Asia. The term Hallyu, or Korean Wave, was first introduced in China in 1999 to describe the influx of Korean cultural products to the country. The Korean Wave is now defined by t

BooksOct. 3, 2023

[Our Museums] Journey to the Paleolithic era at Jeongok Prehistory Museum

YEONCHEON, Gyeonggi Province --- Situated on a prehistoric site of Jeongok-ri in Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province, the Jeongok Prehistory Museum stands as a testament to the prehistoric heritage of Korea, inviting visitors on a journey through time. The museum officially opened to the public in April 2011 on the wider Jeongok-ri site, which was designated Historic Site No. 268 in 1979. The site first became known to the world in 1978, when Greg Bowen, a US airman stationed in South Korea, accidental

CultureOct. 3, 2023

[Eye Plus]Geomungo, a beloved ancient instrument, still captivates

“The geomungo has been called ‘baekakjijang,’ which means the ultimate instrument,” Park Chae-won said, introducing her instrument. Park is a Korean music major specializing in the geomungo at Seoul National University. The geomungo is an ancient Korean instrument with a hollow wooden body and six silk strings. It is played with a pencil-sized bamboo stick called a suldae. Since being invented by Wang San-ak, a prime minister during Korea’s Goguryeo kingdom (37 B.C.

CultureOct. 2, 2023

[Herald Interview] When ‘comedy freak’ filmmaker makes rom-com '30 Days’

Director Nam Dae-jung who directed comedy flicks “The Last Ride" (2016) and “Homme Fatale” (2019), has returned with “30 Days,” a rom-com featuring a couple with amnesia going through a comical divorce. Nam said he watched the film hundreds of times while editing. “The film ended shooting in February this year. Since then until the opening of the film, I think I’ve watched the film more than 600 times while editing. This is because, for comedy films

FilmOct. 2, 2023

Fall festivals to take place across Seoul

With autumn now here, Seoul's district offices will be hosting a variety of festivals open to everyone and free of charge. The festivities will take place Oct. 3-9 and include dance performances, a city run, K-pop performance, a competitive parade, a street sports beer party and fashion shows. The following is a list of the district festivals set to take place celebrating the return of fall. World Folk Dance Festival in Seongdong After a four-year hiatus, Seongdong-gu in eastern Seoul wil

TravelOct. 1, 2023

Seoul launches annual pet festival

Seoul City has announced that it will host the 2023 Seoul Pet Festival at the Pyeonghwa Plaza in the World Cup Park on Oct. 8. The festival, the first of its kind in Seoul, will feature a variety of programs, including experiences and lectures. One of the notable events at the festival is the Fashion Run, which starts at 10 a.m. after a warm-up exercise at 9:30 a.m. It is a walking competition where participants, accompanied by their pets, wear matching outfits or accessories and complete a cour

CultureOct. 1, 2023

2023 LoL World Championship to entertain esports fans

The annual League of Legends World Championship will begin its 41-day run at LoL Park, the stadium for LoL Champions Korea, in Jongno-gu, central Seoul. A total of eight esports teams -- including PSG Talon of Taiwan, GAM Esports of Vietnam, Detonation FocusMe of Japan, Loud of Brazil and more, will compete in a double elimination tournament at the Play-In Stage. Sixteen teams -- two qualifying teams from the Play-In Stage and 14 prequalified teams -- join the Swiss Stage, a noneliminating tou

CultureOct. 1, 2023

Maestro Bychkov to debut in Korea with all-Dvorak program

Semyon Bychkov, a Soviet-born conductor who denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is set to make his Korean debut in October, leading the Czech Philharmonic for an all-Dvorak program. The program -- Dvorak’s "Carnival Overture," Op.92, Piano Concerto in G minor, Op.33, and Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op.70 -- is more of a practical choice as it includes pieces that are being performed during their regular season in Prague, where they will perform Dvorak’s three symphoni

PerformanceSept. 30, 2023

Same day, different holiday: Mid-autumn festivals across East Asia

People staring at screens to book tickets to home, jammed highways and families enjoying festive foods are typical scenes associated with Chuseok, one of South Korea's biggest traditional holidays. Along with Seollal, Chuseok is one of two holidays that span three consecutive days. The origins of Chuseok are unclear, but similar holidays are celebrated across East Asia on the same date -- Aug. 15 on the lunar calendar -- though some have come to mark Aug. 15 on the solar calendar as well.

CultureSept. 29, 2023