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?
Chef To Kwok Wai: Merging tradition and innovation at Yu Yuan
“It is about rooting myself in tradition while constantly innovating to reinvent the contemporary dining experience. I believe in respecting traditional methods and recipes, but also in evolving them with the times and in response to the expectations of diners,” says To Kwok Wai, defining his culinary philosophy. To is the head chef of Yu Yuan, the Cantonese fine-dining restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul. By focusing on accentuating the natural taste of the ingredients, just as traditional C
June 12, 2025 - 12:00:01
SBS sets sights on Asia’s version of Eurovision
Asia is getting its own take on the Eurovision Song Contest. Apparently, “Veiled Musician,” an upcoming global audition show from leading South Korean broadcaster Seoul Broadcasting System, was made with the world's longest-running television music competition in mind. Featuring participants from 13 countries — Korea, Japan, China, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar and Laos — the show, slated to premiere later this year, will kick off
June 11, 2025 - 15:14:31
Violinist Yang In-mo on freedom found in collaboration
In his 20s, Korean violinist Yang In-mo made his mark with high-profile wins — from the Paganini Competition in 2015 to the Sibelius Competition in 2022. Back then, most of his time was spent in solitude, immersed in rigorous practice. More recently, however, the 29-year-old's career has entered a new phase of collaboration. Performing with orchestras around the world, he is having one of his busiest seasons yet, having played 16 concertos, including several contemporary premieres. “In my 20s, m
June 10, 2025 - 15:25:12
Romance and solidarity in one, a perfect gateway to changgeuk
“The Merchants of Venice,” the changgeuk adaptation of Shakespeare’s famed comedy, returns to the stage two years after its 2023 premiere with renewed focus and deeper camaraderie among its cast. For changgeuk performers Min Eun-kyung and Kim Soo-in, this reprise has brought more rigorous rehearsals and a deeper sense of artistic collaboration. Min plays Portia, the witty and wise heiress in Belmont. Her commanding vocals and expressive phrasing add rich dimension to a character who is at once a
June 9, 2025 - 18:06:23
Doyoung soars with wider musical spectrum
Many say that a person should think of what they love and do best and turn it into a career. In that sense, NCT’s Doyoung was born to be a singer. Singing brings him the most joy and confidence, and now he returns not just as a member of an idol group that electrifies tens of thousands of fans, but as a solo vocalist carving out his own musical path with a second full-length album. “I’m incredibly grateful to be releasing a second album. It captures the stories I wanted to tell, and I had the ch
June 9, 2025 - 16:03:28
Korea steps up as science connector in Asia-Pacific
South Korea, once considered a scientific backwater, is now solidifying its position as a regional leader in fostering cooperation among science communities in the Asia-Pacific region. As part of its broader global initiative, the Ministry of Science and ICT is launching a program to invite scientists from across the region ahead of the upcoming APEC summit to be hosted by Korea in October. “For scientists seeking new technological experiences, Korea is, in my opinion, the number one country in
June 8, 2025 - 14:26:02
N.Flying eyes 'Everlasting' future
This year marks several milestones for boy band N.Flying. It marks 10 years since the group's anniversary, the first full-unit comeback after all five bandmates completed their mandatory military service and the release of "Everlasting" — the group's long-awaited second full-length album, arriving four years after the first. Leader Lee Seung-hyub took part in writing and composing all the tracks. “It still feels like a dream that our second full album is finally out. I had been waiting for the m
June 4, 2025 - 14:51:06
Interview: Byron Mann's Hollywood-to-Seoul stint
"I thought they had made a mistake -- they know I don't speak Korean, they know I'm not Korean, so why would I ever be in a Korean movie?" Byron Mann recalls his initial reaction when his manager called about the offer in 2023. The Hong Kong-born, 58-year-old Hollywood veteran thought someone had their wires crossed. He wasn't wrong to be confused. While Mann had seen a couple of Korean movies before, most memorably "Parasite," the country itself was still pretty much a mystery to him. So much s
June 2, 2025 - 14:50:53
[Interview] Smithsonian will continue to flourish: NMAA director Chase F. Robinson
When Chase F. Robinson, director of Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, visited Seoul in 2022, he expressed his hope to bring the donated works by the late Samsung Chair Lee Kun-hee to the US. Fast-forward to 2025, the exhibition, the first-ever overseas exhibition of Lee's donated work as a collection, will finally arrive at the musueum in Washington. Titled "Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared," the exhibition will run from Nov. 8 to Feb. 1, before traveling to Chicago and L
June 2, 2025 - 09:29:02![[Interview] Smithsonian will continue to flourish: NMAA director Chase F. Robinson](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2025/06/02/news-p.v1.20250601.5e4b4e8d412a48e5a33de471abde2194_T1.jpg?type=h&h=320)
Sands China eyes growing Korean market with opening of Londoner Grand in Macao
Sands China, a Macao-based developer, owner and operator of integrated resorts and casinos, is preparing for the June 8 opening of its newly refurbished Londoner Grand, a key component of the company’s ongoing $1.2 billion transformation of the integrated resort The Londoner Macao. The revamped property aims to appeal to the growing number of premium Korean travelers visiting Macao. In an exclusive interview with The Korea Herald ahead of a showcase event in Seoul on Thursday, Wilfred Wong, exec
June 1, 2025 - 15:37:41
Strategic pivot, not pullback, if US troops relocate from Korea, says Harris
SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island — Repositioning of US forces on the Korean Peninsula, even if it occurs, would not signify a diminution of America’s defense commitment to South Korea, but rather reflect a strategic and holistic recalibration to meet regional challenges across the Indo-Pacific region, former US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris said. Harris repudiated stovepiped approaches, underscoring the improbability of conceiving of a contingency on the Korean Peninsula as discrete from a Taiwan
June 1, 2025 - 14:33:01
Sibelius winner Park Sueye on new milestone in distinctive career
At just 25, violinist Park Sueye has already forged a distinctive path in the classical music world, having released five albums since her debut at age 16 in 2017. On Friday, she made headlines by winning the 13th International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition -- becoming the third Korean to win the prestigious prize after Yang In-mo in 2022 and Korean American violinist Christel Lee in 2015. Founded in 1965 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius’ birth, the Helsi
June 1, 2025 - 14:10:24
Korea is building an AI workforce, but not the citizenry: global AI governance adviser
South Korea is investing heavily in AI. The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to train 10,000 AI professionals annually. Major companies like Microsoft and Intel are backing education programs. But what if all this is missing the point? “Korea is doing what every ambitious country does when a new technology arrives: it’s training specialists,” said Vilas Dhar, president of the $1.5 billion Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, in an interview with The Korea Herald. “But building an AI future isn’t j
May 28, 2025 - 08:30:00
Conducting across borders: Roderick Cox makes Asia debut with visionary Shostakovich performance
American conductor Roderick Cox, a rising star based in Berlin, is set to make his Asia debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra on Friday at GS Arts Center in Gangnam. He will lead "Shostakovich 10: Oh To Believe in Another World" — a visually reimagined rendition of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10 conceived by renowned South African artist William Kentridge. Cox, making his first appearance in the region, was drawn to the project not only by his long-standing affinity for Shostakovich, but a
May 27, 2025 - 15:45:42
Lee Hye-young reclaims ‘Hedda Gabler,' says magic of theater makes age irrelevant
Lee Hye-young recently starred as a cold-blooded assassin in "The Old Woman with the Knife," and now commands the stage in the National Theater Company of Korea’s revival of Henrik Ibsen’s "Hedda Gabler," which opened May 16 at Myeongdong Theater in central Seoul. The titular antiheroine who refuses to be defined by men, marriage or societal expectations, is considered one of modern drama’s most enigmatic female protagonists. Lee first took on the role in 2012 in a sold-out production that earne
May 26, 2025 - 14:41:40
