The Korea CQ Forum of the Corea Image Communication Institute held a ceremony Tuesday at Grand Hyatt Seoul to recognize envoys to Korea for their work in promoting ties between Korea and the countries they represent.The Korea CQ Culture Award was given to Malaysian Ambassador to Korea Dato Rohana Ramli for bridging cultural exchanges between Malaysia and Korea during her more than five-year tenure in Seoul. Members of the Korea CQ Forum pose for a group photo at Grand Hyatt Seoul on Tuesday. (CI

Culture June 20, 2018

DJ Soda has partnered with Warner Music Group. The 28-year-old DJ signed a distribution deal for her upcoming record with Warner Music Group, according to her agency House of Music on Wednesday. Warner Music Group is home to big-name pop artists such as Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars and Coldplay.  DJ Soda (House of Music)“I am happy to work with Warner Music Group, which many global artists are a part of. I will work on making better music,” DJ Soda said through her agency. Recently, DJ Soda, whose rea

Performance June 20, 2018

Comedian Lee Young-ja made her first public appearance since she was hit by the “Omniscient” crisis last month. Lee attended a press event held Monday in western Seoul for Olive TV’s upcoming show “Bob Bless You,” a new food reality show about healing oneself through eating tasty foods. Lee Young-ja poses for photos before a press event held Monday at Times Square mall in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. (Olive TV)The comedian was involved in an unexpected controversy last month, when the production team

Television June 18, 2018

Judge Moon Yoo-seok’s first attempt at script writing has so far been well-received by local viewers for its fresh perspective. Moon, a senior judge of the Seoul Central District Court, wrote the script of the drama series “Miss Hammurabi,” which airs Mondays and Tuesdays on JTBC. Rather than dealing with large corporate cases or gruesome murders, the series features stories of desperate ordinary people, from the perspectives of three different judges. Despite being a late-night series on a cabl

Television June 18, 2018

The eyes of the world turned briefly to Singapore early this week, with the historic summit between the United States and North Korea. Now those who became interested in the city-state can go for a Singaporean gourmet experience in the heart of Seoul. Millennium Seoul Hilton is hosting the Singapore Food Festival, offering authentic Singaporean cuisine to diners in Seoul. It has invited chef Bryce Li from the Beast & Butterflies restaurant at M Social Hotel Singapore, a lifestyle design hotel ru

Food June 15, 2018

Black Pink came back with more power than ever before. Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa and Rose of the K-pop act met with the press a few hours before the release of their first-ever EP, and highlighted that the new EP is all about “power.” “The lead track’s title resembles the sound of a gunshot. But it is also like a spell -- a spell to make us strong. It has elements of hip-hop, stronger and tougher than our previous songs,” Jennie said in a press conference, where she and her bandmates talked about thei

Performance June 15, 2018

Summer afternoon tea at Sheraton SeoulSheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel’s Lobby Lounge Bar presents a new afternoon tea set for the summer season. The afternoon tea set, served in a uniquely tiered tray, offers eight desserts, two snacks and a refreshing punch cocktail. The tea set is priced at 22,000 won and can be ordered from Monday to Friday between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sheraton Sweet Collection, consisting of nine signature mini desserts, is available for takeout, targeting guests who want to e

Food June 15, 2018

Korean braised dishes are so easy to cook in the slow cooker, and this spicy braised pork rib (maeun dweji galbijjim) is no exception! You throw the ingredients in the slow cooker and forget about it until the meat is fork tender and ready to be served. Maeun galbijjim (spicy braised ribs) is a popular braised dish in Korea. I like to use baby back ribs for this recipe. They are tender and meaty. This recipe is spicy, but you can certainly make it spicier by adding more gochugaru (Korean red chi

Food June 15, 2018

Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation released the track list for her upcoming solo EP, “Something New.” Along with the neo soul title track, the five additional tracks to be included are “All Night Long,” “Baram X 3,” “One Day,” “Circus” and an instrumental version of the “Something New.”  Taeyeon (S.M. Entertainment)NCT’s Lucas, a labelmate of Taeyeon under S.M. Entertainment, guest raps on “All Night Long.” The new EP will be Taeyeon’s first record since “This Christmas? Winter Is Coming” released in

Performance June 14, 2018

While some may not understand what the word “beauty influencer” means exactly, not many doubt their actual influence these days. Beauty influencers are on the rise, leading the cosmetics market everywhere, including Korea.　The term beauty influencers usually refers to beauty creators and beauty YouTubers, who post beauty-related clips, photos or writings on the web.   Saebyeock's YouTubeOver the past few years, there have been numerous reports on how the influencers are taking over the cosmetics

Arts & Design June 14, 2018

Anchovies come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from 1 to 15 centimeters. In Korea, they are cooked in different ways according to their size.Some end up as myeolchihoe, or sliced anchovy served raw after the scales, internal organs and heads are removed.  Myeolchihoe (By Im Eun-byel / The Korea Herald)It is a dish usually consumed in the southern part of Korea. Fish that die soon after coming out of the water, including anchovies, are described as “short tempered” in Korean. As a sashimi dish h

Food June 14, 2018

Legendary K-pop act Sechs Kies is to release a new album in September, solidifying its status as a five-piece act. YG Entertainment’s head Yang Hyun-suk uploaded a photo of himself with Sechs Kies on his social media account Tuesday. He wrote the caption in English, which reads, “Today’s Agreement New Song Release This September.” Yang also hinted that the new songs will be “epic” in Korean.  Sechs Kies (YG Entertainment)Called “the first-generation idol group” here, the band regrouped in 2016 a

Performance June 13, 2018

Despite the multiple testimonies of alleged sexual misconduct against him, filmmaker Kim Ki-duk remains adamant he is innocent, and has even gone on to bash his accusers as being ungrateful.“Making movies, I think I have respected actors and staff in my own way. Some parts may have been disappointing, but it is sad that (the accusers) are repaying my kindness in a hurtful way,” Kim said in front of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.The disgraced director has filed false accusation a

Film June 13, 2018

Designer brand Blindness showcased its collection at London Fashion Week Men’s Spring-Summer 2019, making its international debut. On Monday, Blindness presented its 2019 spring-summer collection titled “You are at once both the quiet and the confusion of my heart” at BFC Show Space in central London.  Blindness showcases its 2019 spring-summer collection at London Fashion Week Men’s. (Seoul Design Foundation) Blindness showcases its 2019 spring-summer collection at London Fashion Week Men’s. (S

Arts & Design June 12, 2018

Late actor Jo Min-ki’s daughter Cho Youn-Kyoung has refuted a recent media report that her debut was called off after her father was accused of sexually attacking students.A news-entertainment show reported Friday that Cho had been set to sign a deal with a talent agency two weeks before her father was accused of sexually harassing students, which emerged as part of the #MeToo movement here. The report said that Cho’s debut had to be called off. (Cho Youn-kyoung`s Instagram)On Sunday, Cho addres

Film June 10, 2018