The Korea Times

Government to help market small firms through hallyu

A scene from the tvN series, “Link: Eat, Love, Kill,” where plates and cups made by ceramic artist Cho Sin-hyun were featured as a part of government project to support marketing for small companies through Korean dramas and entertainment shows / Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and TourismBy Kim RahnThe government will support small- and mid-sized companies' marketing and exports of their products by taking advantage of “hallyu,” or the Korean wave, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, Wednesday. According to the ministry, it has launched the “K-brand hallyu marketing support project” together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.The project aims at providing government-level marketing by linking goods and cultural content created by small companies to overseas companies or agencies, with hallyu programs and content as the medium.The culture ministry will help the companies have their products appear in Korean dramas, films or enter

Jul 27, 2022By Kim Rahn

Government to help market small firms through hallyu

Shows & Dramas

'Squid Game' actor, 'Street Woman Fighter' dancer to promote performing arts

Actor O Yeong-su, left, and dancer Monika, center, pose with Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Park Bo-gyoon in Seoul, Monday, after being appointed honorary ambassadors to promote Korea's performing arts. Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and TourismBy Kim RahnActor O Yeong-su and dancer Monika have been named honorary ambassadors to promote the nation's performing arts. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Monday, gave the honorary positions to O to promote performing arts-centered tourism, and to Monika to promote the 2022 Welcome Daehangno festival, which will be held later this year, in an attempt to better promote Korea's performance shows and relevant festivals as well as the Daehangno neighborhood, a mecca of plays and theater performances in the capital.O started his acting career by joining the theater company Kwangjang in 1967 and has appeared in more than 200 plays at theaters mostly in the Daehangno area. Although he had been familiar to Korean audiences for numerous supporting roles on TV, the 78-year-old rose to international fame last year for his rol

Jul 26, 2022By Kim Rahn

'Squid Game' actor, 'Street Woman Fighter' dancer to promote performing arts

Shows & Dramas

Hackberry tree in 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' draws visitors to small village

A hackberry tree sits atop Dongbu Village in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, which is witnessing a large number of visitors after it was recently featured in the series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.” The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) decided to review whether to designate it as a natural monument. Courtesy of CHA By Kim RahnA small farming village in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, is seeing a sharp increase in the number of visitors after a large hackberry tree there appeared recently in the hit series, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.”The 500-year-old tree was featured in episodes 7 and 8 last week, where a fictional village called Sodeok-dong faces damage due to a road construction plan that bisects the hamlet and requires the tree to be cut down.Located atop a small hill at the center of the village, the so-called “guardian tree” symbolizes the value of the village in the ENA drama. A government review initiated to designate the tree as a natural m

Jul 25, 2022By Kim Rahn

Hackberry tree in 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' draws visitors to small village

Entertainment

'Lore Olympus' named best webcomic at Eisner Awards

“Lore Olympus,” a webcomic created by Rachel Smythe and released by Webtoon, has become the winner in the Best Webcomic category at Eisner Awards. Screenshot from Webtoon Twitter By Kim Rahn“Lore Olympus,” a webcomic released by Webtoon, the American unit of Naver Webtoon, has won an award at the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards.According to the San Diego Comic-Con International website, the organizer of the prestigious annual awards, “Lore Olympus” by Rachel Smythe was named the winner in the Best Webcomic category.The webcomic revolves around romance and other stories of the gods of Greek mythology, which are presented in a modern setting. It was first uploaded on the platform's “Canvas” section, where amateur webtoonists can showcase their works and get the chance to debut them on the platform as professional webtoonists if the works receive good responses from viewers.“(Smythe) started out as Webtoon Canvas and saw the creation of 'Lore Olympus' as a creative c

Jul 24, 2022By Kim Rahn

'Lore Olympus' named best webcomic at Eisner Awards

Trends

'Hanbok lifestyle' named national intangible cultural heritage

A family dressed in hanbok takes a selfie at Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul in this May 5 photo. Korea Times file By Kim RahnThe wearing of hanbok, a kind of traditional Korean outfit, and the cultural conduct associated with it, has been designated as national intangible cultural heritage. The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said, Wednesday, it gave the designation to “hanbok lifestyle” as it embodies Korean identity and values.Hanbok lifestyle refers to a series of cultural practices, ranging from making the clothes and wearing them to the specific etiquette for its use on different occasions such as during rituals, ceremonies and recreational events. Ancient relics and records, such as murals at tombs dating to the Goguryeo Kingdom (37 B.C.―A.D. 668) and clay figures from the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.―A.D. 676), show people on the Korean Peninsula had already been wearing hanbok in the Three Kingdoms period ― a basic two-part hanbok consisting of a “jeogor

Jul 20, 2022By Kim Rahn

'Hanbok lifestyle' named national intangible cultural heritage

Shows & Dramas

Seoul drama awards to collect viewers' votes on best Korean, Asian actors

By Kim RahnThe logo of the Seoul International Drama Awards / Screenshot from the SDA websiteDrama fans around the world are being encouraged to vote for their favorite stars for the 2022 Seoul International Drama Awards (SDA), according to the organizer of the event, Tuesday. The organizing committee of the annual SDA said it will collect votes for the three categories of awards: Outstanding Asian Star, Outstanding Performance (in a Korean drama), and Best OST. The voting for the 17th SDA will open from Aug. 1 for one month on Idol Champ, an app developed by Neowiz and MBC Plus, where fans can vote for various competition programs, having some 8 million users.For the Outstanding Asian Star category, fans will select up to five actors and actresses from Asian nations except for Korea. Last year's winners were Marcus Chang from Taiwan for “Lost Romance,” Amanda Manopo from Indonesia for “The Ties of Love,” Kentaro Sakaguchi from Japan for “Signal Special Episode,” Lusi Zhao from China for “Chang Ge Xing ― the Long Ballad,” and PP-Krit Am

Jul 19, 2022By Kim Rahn

Seoul drama awards to collect viewers' votes on best Korean, Asian actors

Shows & Dramas

Kang Daniel to host 'Street Man Fighter'

Singer Kang Daniel / Courtesy of CJ ENM By Kim RahnK-pop star Kang Daniel will emcee “Street Man Fighter,” the male version of the dance competition show “Street Woman Fighter,” to be aired next month. CJ ENM said, Friday, that Kang will host the survival dance program on cable channel Mnet, which already gained a lot of public attention and brought a dance boom to Korea with its two previous shows last year, “Street Woman Fighter” and “Street Dance Girls Fighter.” On both shows, Kang was also the emcee.With the programs, the former B-boy has been dubbed a “dance-specialist host,” helping viewers better understand dance moves and rules of dance battles with easy explanations. He also danced with the contestants to draw cheers and reactions from the audience.“It is an honor to be an emcee of a dance program again with 'Street Man Fighter.' The upcoming show will be more exciting and more dynamic (than the previous ones), and I'll be the link between the dancers and t

Jul 15, 2022By Kim Rahn

Kang Daniel to host 'Street Man Fighter'

Films

Jecheon festival to present film concerts

A scene from the 2001 film “One Fine Spring Day” / Courtesy of SidusBy Kim RahnA poster for 1982's “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” / Courtesy of Universal PicturesFilm concerts, where film screenings are accompanied by original scores played by a live orchestra, will be presented at this year's Jecheon International Music & Film Festival (JIMFF), the organizer said, Tuesday. The Film in Live program will be offered on the evenings of Aug. 12, 13 and 14 during the six-day festival that starts on Aug. 11.Films to be screened in the program include “One Fine Spring Day” (2001) starring Lee Young-ae and Yoo Ji-tae and directed by Hur Jin-ho, with music produced by Cho Sung-woo; the 2011 Korean animation “Leafie: A Hen into the Wild” directed by Oh Sung-yoon with music by Lee Ji-soo; and “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” (1982) directed by Steven Spielberg with music by John Williams, marking the 40th anniversary of its release.It will be the world's first film concert featuring Korean films, and the JIMFF plans to hold such events e

Jul 5, 2022By Kim Rahn

Jecheon festival to present film concerts

Music

Maroon 5's world tour image with Rising Sun design causes stir

The promotional image for Maroon 5's 2022 world tour / Captured from Maroon 5 website By Kim RahnA promotional image for U.S. pop rock band Maroon 5's world tour is causing a stir as it incorporates the Rising Sun flag, which was used by the Japanese imperial military during World War II and is regarded as a symbol of its wartime aggression.The band recently disclosed its 2022 world tour schedule on its official website, which includes a concert at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Nov. 30. It is the group's first concert in Seoul since February 2019.Other cities also include Quebec, Orlando, Singapore, Tokyo, Osaka, Manila and Bangkok.What drew controversy is the promotional image of the tour, which has a black-and-white Rising Sun flag design. People in Korea and other Asian countries that had been invaded by Japan before and during WWII take offense to it.But some Western bands, such as Metallica and Led Zeppelin, have used the design in their posters or merchandise.

Jul 4, 2022By Kim Rahn

Maroon 5's world tour image with Rising Sun design causes stir

Films

Cha Eun-woo eyes starring role in 'K-Pop: Lost in America'

Singer-actor Cha Eun-woo / Courtesy of Fantagio By Kim RahnSinger-actor Cha Eun-woo is considering taking a role in a film about K-pop that will be jointly made by Korean and Hollywood producers.Cha's agency, Fantagio, said Friday that Cha is positively considering joining the movie, “K-Pop: Lost in America,” as he was offered to play the role of a K-pop group member. It said whether he will take the role will be confirmed after scheduling and contract details are set.“K-Pop: Lost in America” will revolve around a K-pop boy group that mistakenly lands in Texas two days before its global debut performance in New York. With no money and no time, the group members struggle to make it to New York.The film has drawn a lot of attention since the production outline was made public last year, as it will be co-produced by Hollywood producer Lynda Obst and CJ Entertainment Vice Chairwoman Miky Lee. Korean director Yoon Je-kyoon, known for “Haeundae” (2009) and “Ode to My Fath

Jul 2, 2022By Kim Rahn

Kim Rahn

Read more

Government to help market small firms through hallyu

'Squid Game' actor, 'Street Woman Fighter' dancer to promote performing arts

Hackberry tree in 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' draws visitors to small village

'Lore Olympus' named best webcomic at Eisner Awards

'Hanbok lifestyle' named national intangible cultural heritage

Seoul drama awards to collect viewers' votes on best Korean, Asian actors

Kang Daniel to host 'Street Man Fighter'

Jecheon festival to present film concerts

Maroon 5's world tour image with Rising Sun design causes stir

Cha Eun-woo eyes starring role in 'K-Pop: Lost in America'

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