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?
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
Liquid Sound strips traditional street performance to its core
In pungmul, a traditional Korean form of folk music and dance, the performer leading the troupe wears a hat called sangmo topped with a long paper streamer known as piji that can stretch nearly 180 centimeters. As the drumming builds and the rhythms swell, the streamer whirls in perfect arcs and waves, never tangling, serving as a kinetic emblem of pungmul’s identity. But what happens when you take away that visible identity, wondered Lee In-bo, director of the performance collective Liquid Soun
July 24, 2025 - 18:55:06
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 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 etoil
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
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
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
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
‘Golden time to invest’: Shinhan FDI unit targets global investors
While South Korea faces headwinds from heightened uncertainty in the trade environment, Shinhan FDI partners, a specialized unit dedicated to providing support for foreign direct investment here, sees opportunities in challenges that lie ahead. “Now is the golden time to invest in Korea,” said Jenny Hong, one member of the global investment support team of Shinhan FDI partners. Distinct from other forms of cross-border investment ― such as purchasing stocks and bonds ― foreign direct investment
July 14, 2025 - 15:25:13
Tragic couple of 'Squid Game' Season 3: interview
One of the emotional high points in "Squid Game" Season 3 unfolds with the birth of a baby amid the deadly competition, as contestants find themselves torn between protecting the child or exploiting the situation for their own survival. At the center of this harrowing storyline is the tragic couple Myung-gi, portrayed by Im Si-wan, and Jun-hee, played by Jo Yu-ri. Set against the brutal backdrop where participants risk everything for the 45.6 billion won ($33 million) prize, the couple faces a t
July 10, 2025 - 11:31:54
Close Your Eyes returns with playful new album 'Snowy Summer'
Rising boy band Close Your Eyes is back with a new album just three months after its debut, bringing a refreshing mix of summer heat and winter chill with a playful twist. The band's second EP “Snowy Summer” dropped Wednesday, featuring four tracks, including the double main tracks “Snowy Summer” and “Paint Candy.” While its debut song “All My Poetry” leaned into a soft, lyrical charm, this release adds a splash of mischievous energy and youthful confidence. “‘Paint Candy’ is a total shift from
July 9, 2025 - 16:20:48
