Articles by Hwang Dong-hee
Hwang Dong-hee
hwangdh@heraldcorp.com-
[Well-curated] Explore aquatic life, Nordic art, world food
Explore Play Aquarium Bucheon Feast your eyes on colorful fish and remarkable marine life at Play Aquarium Bucheon in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. Though Play Aquarium Bucheon is not as big as the country’s better-known aquariums -- Lotte Aquarium and Coex Aquarium -- it still has everything there is to satisfy young visitors by showing them exciting sea creatures up close. The aquarium greets its visitors with a wide range of fish tanks that house various fish species from around the world
Culture May 24, 2024
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[Off the Pages] SF novel 'A Thousand Blues' comes alive on stage with language of theater
In April and May, the heartwarming story "A Thousand Blues," the bestselling SF novel by Cheon Seon-ran, found new life through different adaptations by two performing arts troupes -- the National Theater Company of Korea and the Seoul Performing Arts Company. First published in 2020, the story envisions a Korea of 2035, where humanoid robots are commercialized. The plot weaves two storylines. One follows Collie, a humanoid jockey, and his partner horse, Today. A researcher's mist
Books May 23, 2024
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[Herald Interview] Universal Ballet's 'The Ballerina' peeks behind curtain
The Universal Ballet is set to present its original production, 'The Ballerina," a work that offers a glimpse into the daily lives of ballet dancers striving for a shining moment on stage. The performances will take place at the Seoul Arts Center's CJ Towol Theater from May 31 to June 1. This is the first time the production will be performed in Seoul, following its premiere in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, and subsequent regional tours in 2022 and 2023. Choreographed by artistic dire
Performance May 22, 2024
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Ballet Festival Korea brings diverse lineup to Seoul Arts Center
The 14th Korea Ballet Festival is set to kick off next week at the Seoul Arts Center, boasting a lineup of 12 works, including one special production, three invited pieces and eight selected through open submissions. A diverse array of ballet performances ranges from classics like "Don Quixote" and "The Barber of Seville" to reimagined literary works such as "Scent of Chrysanthemums" and "The Desolate House," alongside contemporary productions forecasting
Performance May 22, 2024
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Hwang Sok-yong's 'Mater 2-10' misses out on International Booker Prize
South Korean literary giant Hwang Sok-yong's missed out on the 2024 Booker International Prize after making the shortlist with "Mater 2-10." The prestigious literary award ceremony took place at the Tate Modern in London on Tuesday, where the jury announced German author Jenny Erpenbeck's "Kairos," translated by Michael Hofmann, as this year's winner. Erpenbeck's winning title tells the story of a tangled love affair during the final years of East Germany.
Books May 22, 2024
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National Museum of Korean Literature set to open doors in 2026
The National Museum of Korean Literature broke ground Monday at Gijachon Neighborhood Park, in Eunpyeong-gu, northern Seoul, five years after the plan for the museum was announced in 2019. The museum, located in Jingwan-dong, Eunpyeong-gu, at the foot of Bukhansan National Park, will have a total floor area of 14,993 square meters and a site area of 13,248 square meters. The building with two underground floors and two above-ground floors is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2026. T
Books May 21, 2024
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7 contemporary Korean dance groups to tour Hungary, US
Seven Korean dance groups are scheduled to tour Budapest and the US from Tuesday to June 16. The tour will cover four cities: Budapest in Hungary, Seattle, Hudson Valley and Manhattan in the United States, starting with the 11th International Monodance Festival held at the Bethlen Theater in Budapest on Tuesday. On June 2, the "Seoul-Mate Korea Dance Festival" will be showcased at the Stissing Center for Arts and Culture in Hudson Valley, New York, and at the Cosmopolitan Club in Manha
Performance May 20, 2024
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Seoul International Book Fair to kick off in June
The 2024 Seoul International Book Fair, the country's largest literary festival, will kick off June 26 at Coex in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Over 90 overseas publishers and publishing-related organizations from 17 countries and 350 Korean publishers will participate in the five-day event. Visitors can look forward to various activities including markets, book exhibitions, talks and signing events. This year's theme, "Houyhnhnm," is inspired by Jonathan Swift's satirical 1726 nov
Books May 17, 2024
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Robots, puppetry breathe life into musical adaptation of ‘A Thousand Blues’
On a white Christmas, a building collapses trapping a woman named Bo-gyeong in the basement. Amid the ruins and darkness, Darpa, a rescue robot navigates the debris to locate signs of life. Outside, people gather in despair, praying for a miracle, while the woman’s mother pleads for her daughter’s rescue. Darpa spots Bo-gyeong and calculates the survival odds: body temperature at 35 degrees Celsius, an 88 percent chance of another collapse, and only 20 seconds left. It estimates Bo-g
Performance May 15, 2024
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[Latest Read] Bora Chung on finding utopia amid dystopian worlds
Few voices resonate as uniquely as that of Bora Chung, whose gripping stories like the haunting narratives of “Cursed Bunny” captivate readers worldwide. With her genre-defying short story collection, translated by Anton Hur, Chung became a finalist for the UK International Booker Prize in 2022 and the US National Book Award in 2023. Chung once again plunges readers into her blend of horror and absurdity, sprinkled with dark humor in her second short story collection “Your Utop
Books May 14, 2024
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Rising pansori stars bring 'Chunhyang' to 'Peerless Pansori'
The fourth installment of the National Changgeuk Company of Korea's "Peerless Pansori" series returns this weekend with emerging "pansori" performers Cho Yu-ah and Kim Soo-in. The shows, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the Daloreum Theater, were sold out soon after tickets sales opened. The "Peerless Pansori" concert series was launched in 2021 to create opportunities for young and emerging pansori singers to explore the music and mise-en-scenes with conte
Performance May 13, 2024
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Popular online game soundtracks rearranged as traditional music
The soundtracks of popular online games such as Black Desert and Lineage have been rearranged as traditional Korean music. The National Gugak Center is unveiling a series of single albums titled "National Gugak Center x Game Sound Series," which rearranges 13 popular game melodies into traditional Korean music, starting from last Thursday to May 24. Among the tracks are theme songs and background music from Lies of P, Skul, Sanabi, MapleStory, TalesWeaver, Epic Seven, Lost Ark, Guardia
Performance May 12, 2024
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[New in Korean] Bee expert solves mysterious murder in 1930s Korea
"The Yellow Lady" By Lee Alam Safehouse Inc. In the gloomy and turbulent period of the 1930s, Han Kyung-ae, also known as the "Yellow Lady," returns to Gyeongseong, the name for present-day Seoul during the Japanese colonial period. Benefiting from her affluent pro-Japanese family background, she traveled the globe and studied entomology in the US following her education at a Japanese medical school. In the US, she was regarded simply as "the Asian woman," and upon
Books May 12, 2024
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[New in Korean] Million-selling Kim Ho-yeon returns with nostalgic novel
"My Don Quixote" By Kim Ho-yeon Namu Bench Novelist Kim Ho-yeon, known for his bestselling "The Second Chance Convenience Store" series (previously known as the "Uncanny Convenience Store"), which has sold a whopping 1.5 million copies, returns with “My Don Quixote." Inspired by Cervantes' "Don Quixote," the novel delves into the aspirations and pursuits of young individuals chasing their dreams, anchored in the backdrop of a bygone era. Th
Books May 11, 2024
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[New in Korean] Aching first love in revamped coming-of-age novel 'Elsa's Ha-in'
"Elsa's Ha-in" By Kang Ji-young Jaeum & Moeum Publishing Author Kang Ji-young, best known for the novel "A Shop for Killers," which has been adapted into a Disney+ drama series of the same title starring Lee Dong-wook, revised and rewrote the ending of her 2013 coming-of-age novel "Elsa's Ha-in." "It was completely unplanned. After receiving a revision suggestion, I slowly reread the manuscript, and suddenly something came to mind, so I just wrote
Books May 11, 2024
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