The Korea Herald offers a guide to what's playing in theaters this weekend.For those seeking a thriller, check out "Deep Trap," or "Office." For some more light-hearted fun, "Ant-Man" provides a dose of superhero action, while "Straight Outta Compton” will take you to the 1983 Comptom, a U.S. town where the legendary hip-hop group N.W.A. was born. The much-anticipated Korean historical drama "The Throne" opens on Sept. 16. The Throne (Korea)Opening Sept. 16　Historical drama. Directed by Lee Joon

Major Korean broadcaster MBC will open a new hallyu theme park on Sept. 5, complete with hologram K-pop concerts, virtual reality drama sets and photo booths.A set of the traditional Korean court has been recreated to allow visitors to experience what it is like to appear in Korean period dramas and “be transported back in time,” said MBC in a press release. (MBC)Located at MBC headquarters in Sangam-dong, northern Seoul, “MBC World” aims to offer an entertaining attraction to tourists visiting

Singer-turned-musical actress Ock Joo-hyun will play the 1900s exotic dancer and female spy Mata Hari in an upcoming musical production, the show’s production company in Seoul said Tuesday.  Ock Joo-hyunAccording to EMK Musical, the show, “Mata Hari,” will premiere in March next year with Ock in the lead role. Ock, who debuted in 1998 as a member of the now-disbanded girl group Fin K.L. is one of the most sought-after musical actresses in Korea. Her previous roles have included such coveted char

ENGLISH CONTEST -- Winners of the sixth Seoul National University of Education-Korea Herald English Contest pose during the award ceremony at the British Embassy in Seoul on Wednesday, along with (from left, back row) Hong Sun-ho, English education professor at SNUE, British Ambassador Charles Hay, Herald Corp. CEO Lee Young-man, SNUE President Shin Hang-gyun and Yu Kun-ha, head of digital services at Herald Corp. The biannual event seeks to assess students’ ability to write in English and promp

Supporters celebrate while watching a broadcast of International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach (on screen) announcing Beijing as the host city of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, at the Olympic Park in Beijing on Friday. (EPA-Yonhap)KUALA LUMPUR -- Beijing was selected Friday to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, becoming the first city awarded both the winter and summer games.Beijing narrowly defeated Almaty, Kazakhstan, in a vote of the International Olympic Committee. The vote was surpris

While summer has always offered an excuse to show off some skin, this season, covering up has become more fashionable than shedding clothes. In lieu of scanty beachwear, the long-sleeved, narrow-necked rash guard has hit it big with beachgoers and celebrities both in and out of the country. Photo shoots of Hallyu it-girls like Gain and Hani of girl group EXID posing in rash guards stormed the Internet, gaining a massive number of “likes” and topping the entertainment news section. The rash guard

With about 70 percent of land in South Korea covered by mountainous regions, hiking is a familiar and accessible pastime for many Koreans.During the summer, Koreans often visit the mountains and spend time in the valleys and riverside to ward off the heat and escape from the daily grind. Here are several popular valleys to visit for the summer.　Achimgari Achimgari (Yonhap)Achimgari, a valley located on Mount Bangtaesan in Inje, Gangwon province, is famous for its trekking course.It has earned it

(123rf) As the summer sun takes its toll on the best of outdoorsman, some are turning to night hiking. Exploring the wilderness in the dark is a whole new experience that simulates all one’s senses, enthusiasts say, if one only follows key safety tips. Seoul’s Yangcheon-gu, the first district to launch an official nighttime trekking program in 2011, is holding a weekly group hiking program every Thursday evening until Aug. 27.Approximately 100 people sign up for the 2-hour excursion, said Kim Se

Taste of Thailand at Sheraton D Cube City  Sheraton D Cube City Hotel is presenting authentic Thai dishes for its “Thai@Feast” promotion from Aug.7-27 at the hotel’s signature restaurant Feast on the 41st floor. The menu will be prepared by guest chefs from Thailand’s Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit in Bangkok. The chefs will present an assortment of Thai dishes including the Kaho Samunprai Nai Kratong Tong, or organic crispy rice, and Kanom Pang Na Goog, a deep-fried shrimp toast with sweet plum sauc

 The Incheon International Airport will hold cultural performances to help travelers beat the heat during this summer vacation season. The “Fantastic Summer Concert” will be held from July 28 to Aug. 2 at the airport’s Millennium Hall on the first floor of its passenger terminal. The concert, which is open to all visitors for free, will be held for about 90 minutes on July 28 at 10 p.m., and at 4 p.m. on July 29 through Aug. 2. 　K-pop stars including Lena Park will hold a live-stage concert. Als

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that the Korean Pavilion at the Milan Expo saw more than 1 million visitors since it opened to the public in May.The ministry in partnership with the Korea Tourism Organization and Korean Air awarded a round-trip ticket from Milan to Incheon to the 1 millionth visitor, who came from Rome. The Korean Pavilion at Milan Expo (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)The ministry said that some 12,000 tourists have been visiting the Korean Pavilion a d

Air Busan has started offering direct flight services to the tourist island of Guam from Busan, making it the airliner’s 15th international route.The budget airliner will be offering Busan-Guam flights four days a week on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.Air Busan flight No. BX612 will take off from Busan at 10:15 p.m. and land in Guam in the Western Pacific at 3:10 in the morning the following day. Flight No. BX611 will leave the island at 4:10 a.m. and arrive in Busan at 7:10 a.m. on t

The fugitive shipping tycoon wanted over April‘s ferry sinking was hiding inside a secret closet of his vacation home in southern South Korea during a raid in May, prosecutors said Wednesday.Yoo Byung-eun, a 73-year-old billionaire who owned Sewol operator Chonghaejin Marine Co., had been holed up at the vacation home in the southern city of Suncheon, about 415 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the prosecution. The house is about 2.5 kilometers away from where Yoo’s badly decomposed body w

그룹 엑소가 이달 발표할 새 앨범 타이틀곡 ‘중독’(Overdose)의 음원과 안무 영상이 온라인에 유출됐다.10일 동영상 전문 사이트 유튜브에는 엑소가 한국어와 중국어로 발표할  ‘중독’의 한국어 버전 MP3 파일이 게재됐다. 3분30초 분량의 파일에는 ‘중독’ 음원의 풀버전이 담겨 있다.또 엑소 멤버들이 ‘중독’의 안무를 연습하는 영상도 온라인 커뮤니티에 함께 유출돼 소셜네트워크서비스(SNS) 등을 통해 퍼져 나간 상태다. SM이 저작권 상의 이유로 음원과 영상의 재생을 차단하는 조치를 취했지만 여러 게시자에 의해 다시 공개되며 확산됐다.   소속사 SM엔터테인먼트는 “유출된 안무 영상은 MBC ‘쇼 음악중심’ 방송을 위해 촬영된 것으로 이 영상에서 추출한 오디오 파일이 함께 흘러나간 것이다. 음원은 완성된 버전이 아니다”고 설명했다.    이어 “현재 불법 유포된 동영상에 대해 삭제 조치 중이며, 불법 유출 경위를 파악 중”이라며 “즉시 수사를 의뢰해 이번 영상물의 불법 게시자

An advance team of South Korean officials arrived in North Korea on Saturday to help arrange upcoming reunions of separated families, the South Korean Red Cross said.The visit came a day after the two Koreas agreed in a rare high-level meeting to hold the reunions as scheduled despite a dispute over upcoming U.S.-South Korean military drills.The 15-member team, including South Korean Red Cross officials, crossed the border by car into the North at noon to visit Mount Geumgang, a scenic resort on

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A U.N. panel has found crimes against humanity have been committed in North Korea and will call for an international criminal investigation, the Associated Press has learned.The report, to be released Monday, is the most authoritative account yet of rights violations by North Korean authorities, and is bound to infuriate its unpredictable leader. But justice remains a distant prospect, not least as North Korea's ally, China, would be likely to block any referral to the Interna

LOS ANGELES (Yonhap News) -- The long standing close partnership between South Korea and the United States has moved beyond the security and economic realms and has evolved into an alliance of shared values, Seoul's top diplomat said Friday.In a speech given at the World Affairs Council in Los Angeles, Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan said the two countries should now work together on how best to ha

The No. 3 (right) and No. 4 reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.`s Ohi nuclear power plant in western Japan. AP   TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's government on Saturday approved bringing the country's first nuclear reactors back online since last year's earthquake and tsunami led to a shutdown of reactors nationwide.   Despite lingering safety concerns, the restart could speed the resumption of operations

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a press conference in the White House, Washington, on Friday. AFPU.S. President Barack Obama suspended the threat of deportation against hundreds of thousands of young illegal immigrants Friday, delighting crucial Hispanic voters ahead of November's election."These are young people who study in our schools, they play in our neighborhoods... they are Americ

In an unusual incident, U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday slapped down a heckling journalist who was furious over his move to stop deporting young illegal immigrants.The reporter, Neil Munro, of the conservative Daily Caller website, broke into Obama's remarks as he outlined plans to defer deportations of illegal immigrants between the ages of 16 to 30 brought to America by their parents."Excu