Herald Interview In series
A series of in-depth interviews.
#Interview
# In-depth
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Herald Interview In series
A series of in-depth interviews.
Would you like to subscribe?
We were all first-time daters once
Jae-yoon dived head-first into a pile of grass to avoid approaching women; Jung-mok confessed he's already thinking about marriage just days into the experience. These raw, awkward and often hilarious portrayals of first love quickly helped "Better Late Than Single" to become a breakout hit. Following 12 participants, most of them in their late 20s, who had never been in a romantic relationship, the Netflix Korea show has gained global popularity since its July premiere. Just one week after its
23 hour ago
Koo Jeong-a illuminates the invisible
ARLES, France — At first, “Seven Stars,” an installation of 10 paintings by Koo Jeong-a, also known as Koo Jeong A, on view at LUMA Arles in southern France, appears to be a set of abstract paintings. But in a single moment, the space turns into a cosmic world with stars appearing to glow in the dark — like the stars in the sky that are invisible in daylight, but always present. Only 10 people at a time are allowed into the maze-like space at Koo’s new solo exhibition. When the light fades out,
Aug. 2, 2025 - 16:00:00
What would you do if you had a gun?
Guns and South Korea are two subjects rarely linked in everyday discourse. Netflix’s new series “Trigger” tests Korea's strict gun control, imagining what could happen if guns were suddenly introduced into a society already grappling with deepening social divisions. “Trigger” follows Yi-do (Kim Nam-gil), a police officer who begins to suspect that civilians are receiving shipments of guns. As violent incidents escalate, Yi-do races to uncover the root of the crisis. The series premiered Friday,
July 30, 2025 - 13:12:16
'All you need is a phone and your voice': Adoo's TikTok rise is just the beginning
Adoo, whose real name is Choi Sory, always dreamed of becoming a singer. But her path to success has been anything but easy. Now in her late 30s, Adoo is finally gaining recognition — not through music programs or major entertainment companies, but through TikTok. "Ever since I was a child, I loved singing," she said during an interview with The Korea Herald on July 21. "But I wasn't the most confident person." From idol setbacks to viral resurgence Her first experience in the music industry cam
July 28, 2025 - 16:51:46
Lee Jung says dance is her 'source of life'
K-pop continues to dominate the global stage — not just through its chart-topping idol groups, but also thanks to the choreographers and creative minds behind the scenes who are now gaining long-overdue recognition. Among them is one of the hottest names in the game: Lee Jung, the 26-year-old star choreographer who recently appeared in Mnet’s dance survival competition "World of Street Woman Fighter," the third installment of the hit competition franchise "Street Woman Fighter" (2023). The serie
July 27, 2025 - 14:02:29
Interview: Jo Jung-suk gets personal in his latest role
Jo Jung-suk has, in recent years, built a career on beating the odds. His 2019 disaster comedy "Exit," made on a modest budget, became that year’s breakout hit with 9.4 million viewers. Even more impressive was last year’s cross-dressing satire "Pilot," which drew 4.7 million admissions in a brutal post-pandemic market where even big-budget blockbusters were falling flat. Now he’s back with "My Daughter is a Zombie," a family-friendly zombie comedy that sounds like a tough sell — until you remem
July 25, 2025 - 12:13:51
From sponsored child to World Vision Korea chief
For much of his career, Cho Myung-hwan, president of international humanitarian NGO World Vision Korea, stayed quiet about two facts from his early life: that he was once a sponsored child, and that he struggled in school. An emeritus professor at Konkuk University and a long-respected authority in HIV/AIDS research, Cho first shared both publicly at age 60, during a lecture attended by some 3,000 people. “I wanted to tell how someone without exceptional talent could work hard, earn a Ph.D., and
July 23, 2025 - 10:26:11
Park Sae-eun, fellow Paris Opera Ballet etoiles bring favorites to Korea
Building on a banner year for international ballet galas in South Korea ― with the American Ballet Theater in April and the UK’s Royal Ballet in early July ― the Paris Opera Ballet is also making its return this summer. From July 29 to Aug. 1 at the Seoul Arts Center and Aug. 3 at the Daejeon Arts Center, the POB Etoiles Gala will bring an unprecedented number of the company’s top dancers to Korean stages. Leading the gala is Park Sae-eun, who in 2021 became the first Asian dancer to be named an
July 21, 2025 - 14:33:49
Interview: Lee Min-ho's curious antihero turn
Lee Min-ho needs no introduction in Korea’s entertainment world. Since his breakout as the imperious, poodle-permed Gu Jun-pyo in "Boys Over Flowers" at 22, he’s cornered the market on romantic leads: the tortured chaebol in "The Heirs," the morally ambiguous mogul in "Pachinko," the starry-eyed astronaut in the recent flop "When the Stars Gossip." Always the hero, always front and center. But for a star who’s built his career on main character energy, this latest role marks a left turn. In "Omn
July 20, 2025 - 15:31:43
UN land mine experts visit S. Korea to discuss reducing minefield risks
Two land mine experts from the United Nations Development Program visited South Korea this week, as the devices remain a serious concern on the Korean Peninsula, particularly due to the risk of displacement caused by flooding. The visit by Sean Moorhouse, UNDP technical adviser for mine action, and Kwon Goo-soon, UNDP chief technical adviser in Vietnam, was made at the invitation of South Korea's Defense Ministry. Their visit aims to "provide technical advice on managing previously undocumented
July 20, 2025 - 14:54:33
How Lee Min-seo turned drum leather into award-winning jewelry
Lee Min-seo, a graduate student at Hongik University in Seoul, was named the first university category winner of the Kering Generation Award X Jewelry, a global competition that champions sustainability and innovation in design. The award, presented by French luxury group Kering — owner of brands such as Gucci, Saint Laurent and Boucheron— was announced during the JCK Las Vegas Show on June 7. Lee’s winning jewelry collection, titled “Rhythm Reborn,” reimagines discarded leather from the traditi
July 19, 2025 - 16:00:00
Renowned human rights lawyer urges Korea to adopt forced labor import ban
American human rights lawyer Martina Vandenberg has called on South Korea, an important economy in the global supply chain, to enact an import ban on goods made with forced labor during her recent visit to Seoul, saying such a measure would benefit not only exploited workers abroad but Korean workers as well. "Forced labor is ubiquitous, and it is so frequently found in global supply chains" said Vandenberg, president of Washington-based Human Trafficking Legal Center, in an interview with The K
July 19, 2025 - 16:00:00
Interview: Ahn Hyo-seop on playing everyone and no one
Ahn Hyo-seop sits at the Samcheong-dong cafe looking every inch the K-pop idol he once trained to be — even in glasses and a casual sweater, he carries that unmistakable aura. The kind that makes heads turn. Which presents a problem, considering he's about to promote his role as Kim Dok-ja, who's supposed to be the definitively unglamorous protagonist of the upcoming blockbuster "Omniscient Reader: The Prophet." The film, adapted from the wildly popular web novel and later web comic, follows an
July 17, 2025 - 15:11:07
The sound of now: young Korean creators redefine tradition and form
Composer-conductor Choi Jae-hyuck and haegeum player-composer Joo Jeong-hyeon have been on the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts’ radar since the launch of its summer contemporary music series, The Sync Next, in 2022. This year, for the first time, the center brought them together to explore what kind of synergy might emerge. The performance, part of the Sync Next 25 program running from July to September at the Sejong Center’s S Theater, pairs Choi’s ensemble, Ensemble Blank, with Joo, an e
July 15, 2025 - 15:10:41
Gyeonggi's Gwangju readies for population of half a million
Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, located less than 40 kilometers from Seoul and within commuting distance to Pangyo’s tech cluster, is rapidly emerging as a popular destination for those seeking both proximity to their workplaces and a more relaxed, residential environment. The city’s population, which was just 324,000 in 2015, surpassed 400,000 for the first time in 2022 and exceeded 412,600 as of June 2025, according to city data. During the same period, the number of foreign residents also rose fr
July 15, 2025 - 13:16:36
