Actor Jung Woo-sung to visit Rohingya refugee camps

South Korean actor Jung Woo-sung will visit refugee camps for Rohingya people in Bangladesh early next month in the capacity of a national goodwill ambassador of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said Artist Co., the actor’s agency, on Wednesday.The actor’s destination is Cox’s Bazar, a city near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, where approximately 307,500 people sought asylum after fleeing violence in Buddhist-dominated Myanmar.According to a UN report, they suffer from a chronic

Nov. 29, 2017

Nigerian-Korean model meets Congo’s ‘royal brothers’

Model Han Hyun-min was pictured with two of the Congo’s “royal brothers.” Nigerian-Korean fashion model Han uploaded the photo to his social media account last Saturday. In the photo, Han posed with the two brothers from Congo, Rabbi and Jonathan. He captioned the photo as “With Congo’s princes.”  (Han Hyun-min`s Instagram)The two brothers have amassed a large following for their YouTube videos about life in Korea.The brothers are sons of Yiombi Thona, who was born king of a little tribe town Ki

Nov. 28, 2017

Yoo Ah-in moves to end ‘gender bashing’ dispute with netizens

Actor Yoo Ah-in attempted to wrap up his lengthy online battles with fans concerning one of the most sensitive issues in Korea: gender bashing.On Sunday, he posted a lengthy letter on his Instagram page, through which he said that he has always been a feminist. It appeared to be his way of denying accusations of misogyny by some netizens.“I am a feminist. Although I do not know which authorities may bestow such license on me, I wish to discuss feminism with conviction, love and the spirit of my

Nov. 26, 2017

WWF names environmental economist as new board president

World Wide Fund for Nature International has named Pavan Sukhdev, an environmental economist and former head of the UN Environment Program’s Green Economy Initiative, as the new president of its board.  Pavan Sukhdev, the new president of the board for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)The announcement came during a board meeting Sunday attended by Sukhdev. He will succeed Yolanda Kakabadse, who had served two consecutive four-year terms.Sukhdev played a key role in a major green economics stu

Nov. 22, 2017

K-pop couple with 17-year age gap open up about romance

A celebrity couple, with a 17-year age difference, carried out an interview on their love story with a local magazine. Both Mina and Ryu Philip -- 45 and 27 years old respectively -- are singers in Korea, who have been in a romantic relationship with each other for more than two and a half years. The couple admitted that were dating in April 2015. (bnt)The couple did a photo shoot with local magazine bnt, with an accompanied interview, in which they shared stories on how they met and fell in lov

Nov. 21, 2017

[Herald Interview] ‘Seoul taking its rightful place in gastronomical scene’

When the Michelin Guide launched its first Seoul edition last year, it was greeted with enthusiasm by foodies but it also spawned skepticism as well.“First editions provoke passionate debate and we welcome that,” said Michael Ellis, international director in charge of the Michelin guides, during an interview with The Korea Herald on Nov. 8, following the launch of the second Seoul edition earlier in the day.“It is a sign that there is a healthy, dynamic community,” he said. This year, 24 restaur

Nov. 17, 2017

S.M.’s Lee Soo-man, CJ’s Jeong Tae-sung among Variety’s 500 most powerful entertainment leaders

Lee Soo-man, founder and head producer of K-pop behemoth S.M. Entertainment, and CJ E&M Pictures CEO Jeong Tae-sung were selected among the top 500 most influential business leaders in the international entertainment industry by Variety on Wednesday. 　The two names are included in the annual “Variety 500” index, which lists the most influential business leaders in the global entertainment scene, reflecting their accomplishments over the past 12 months. 　Lee and Jeong are included in the “Oversea

Nov. 15, 2017

Korean artist Kim Hun-kyu wins Chadwell Award

Korean artist Kim Hun-kyu won this year’s Chadwell Award in early October.The Chadwell Award, established by Andrew Post and Mary Aylmer in 2010, names an artist every year among the recent fine art master‘s degree graduates from Royal College of Art, Royal Academy Schools or Slade School of Fine Art.  “Don‘t Be Afraid My Love,” by Kim Hun-kyuKim, known for his use of traditional Korean painting techniques, is currently an instructor at Kyung Hee University in Seoul. He has previously lectured a

Nov. 14, 2017

Police say no alcohol or drugs found in late actor's body

Police said Tuesday they have found no traces of alcohol or drugs in late actor Kim Joo-hyuk's body, reaffirming the preliminary conclusion that he died of a severe head injury inflicted in the tragic car accident late last month. Police released the autopsy and biopsy results on the veteran actor's system conducted by the National Forensic Service, which indicated he was neither under the influence of alcohol nor drugs at the time of the crash. The state crime lab also said it found nothing oth

Nov. 14, 2017

Soo Joo reveals life story on TV

Fashion model Soo Joo starred as a guest on “Live Talk Show Taxi” on tvN, Wednesday night, to share her story.  (Instagram)The model revealed she had graduated from the department of architecture at University of California, Berkeley. She was later cast as a model while shopping at a vintage shop in nearby San Francisco when she was in her early 20s.   (The Cut)“I used to work at a company in Silicon Valley, but I gave the job up to be a model,” she said. “It wasn’t easy, as I was Asian and also

Nov. 2, 2017

[Newsmaker] Actor Kim Joo-hyuk laid to rest in Seosan

The funeral ceremony of actor Kim Joo-hyuk, who passed away in a car accident Monday, took place Thursday at the Asan Medical Center in southeastern Seoul. 　The private ceremony was held at 10 a.m. and was attended by Kim’s surviving family, close friends and staff at the actor’s longtime management agency Namoo Actors. A video clip featuring snippets of the late Kim was shown, according to reports.　The funeral procession took place at 11 a.m.　 Kim Joo-hyuk’s funeral procession takes place Thurs

Nov. 2, 2017

Song couple’s marriage dominates Chinese media

Stars of “Descendants of the Sun” Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo’s private wedding on Tuesday grabbed the attention of many, but especially their fans in China, where the TV drama was a big hit, with the event dominating headlines of various Chinese media outlets. On Tuesday evening, the event headlined Chinese online media outlets including Baidu, ifeng and Tencent, while the couple’s wedding trended as the No.1 real-time topic on Weibo. On Weibo, the wedding had been searched for about 160 mil

Nov. 1, 2017

Official wedding photos of Song couple released

Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo tied the knot in a tightly guarded private ceremony that nevertheless was the target of heated media attention Tuesday.Their agencies Blossom Entertainment and UAA Entertainment released official wedding photos Monday night after the celebrations. The photos show the newlywed couple during Tuesday’s outdoor ceremony at The Shilla Seoul’s Yeong Bin Gwan. Some black-and-white shots were also taken in San Francisco in September, ahead of the wedding.(doo@heraldcorp.co

Nov. 1, 2017

[Video] Big day: Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo wed in private ceremony

Shot by Lim Jeong-yeo / Edited by Lim Jeong-yeo Life imitated art as actors Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, who starred as romantic leads in the hit drama series “Descendants of the Sun,” married in a private ceremony in Seoul on Tuesday. 　Drone camera photos taken by Chinese media outlets showed groom Song Joong-ki in a black tuxedo and bride Song Hye-kyo in a white dress with a squared neckline.  　The ceremony took place with some 300 invited guests, consisting of family and friends, amid stri

Oct. 31, 2017

[Video] Actor Kim Joo-hyuk dies in car crash

Actor Kim Joo-hyuk, 45, died in a car crash Monday that occurred around 4:30 p.m. in Samseong-dong, Seoul, police said. Kim’s Mercedes-Benz SUV was driving along Yeongdong Daero when it hit a car and then fell down a staircase leading to an apartment building entrance.(Yonhap)Kim was rescued by firefighters and transferred to the Konkuk University Medical Center where he died around 6:30 p.m. Kim most recently played a reporter in the miniseries “Argon” in September. The second son of the late a

Oct. 30, 2017

Song-Song couple to tie knot in tightly guarded ceremony

It may be the wedding of the year, but little is known about Tuesday’s much-anticipated wedding of Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, as the pair remain tight-lipped on the details.The couple’s wedding is set to take place at 4 p.m. at The Shilla Seoul’s Yeong Bin Gwan, a Korean-style banquet annex that can accommodate about 300 guests. Only family and close friends will be in attendance, with the media being kept out. There will be no press conference or photo op for the media. While a few details

Oct. 30, 2017

Ven. Seoljeong elected to head Jogye Order

Ven. Seoljeong was elected the new leader of the Jogye Order, South Korea's largest Buddhist group, on Thursday.The Jogye Order announced that Ven. Seoljeong won 234 votes from 319 electoral college members representing more than 14,000 Buddhist monks, overwhelming his sole rival, Ven. Subul, who received 82 votes. (Yonhap)Ven. Seoljeong will begin his four-year term as the 35th chief of the order on Oct. 31 after receiving approval from the order's elders' committee.The victory by the 75-year-o

Oct. 12, 2017

[Newsmaker] Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner dies at 91

Playboy founder Hugh M. Hefner, the pipe-smoking hedonist who revved up the sexual revolution in the 1950s and built a multimedia empire of clubs, mansions, movies and television, symbolized by bow-tied women in bunny costumes, has died at age 91. Hefner died of natural causes at his home surrounded by family on Wednesday night, Playboy said in a statement.  This Oct.13, 2011 file photo shows American magazine publisher, founder and Chief Creative Officer of Playboy Enterprises, Hugh Hefner at h

Sept. 28, 2017

Herald Corp. chairman appointed to WWF board

World Wide Fund for Nature, the world’s leading conservationist organization, has appointed Jungwook Hong, chairman of Herald Corp. and its premium food brand Organica, as its newest board member. Jean-Paul Paddack, co-chairman of WWF-Korea, visited the company’s headquarters in Seoul on Friday to hand-deliver the letter of appointment to Hong.  Jungwook Hong (right), chairman of Herald Corp., receives a letter of appointment from Jean-Paul Paddack, co-chairman of WWF-Korea, at the company‘s hea

Sept. 17, 2017

Novelist Ma Kwang-soo found dead

Famed novelist Ma Kwang-soo was found dead at his residence in Seoul on Tuesday. His body was discovered by his family around 1:50 p.m. at his house in Yongsan-gu. A will was found next to him leaving his belongings to his family. Ma Kwang-soo (Yonhap)The police are treating the case as a suspected suicide. Ma, 66 was a former professor of Korean literature at Yonsei University. He gained public recognition with his sexually explicit novels, including “Happy Sara,” for which he served an eight-m

Sept. 5, 2017