Soy sauce-preserved crabs are called a “rice thief” in Korea, as people find it hard to stop eating when the succulent raw crabs are served. But there is a new contender for that coveted title -- raw prawns marinated in soy sauce. Called “saeujang” in Korean, this delicacy is popular among foodies who sing praises of raw seafood preserved in soy sauce.  Saeujang (Photo by Im Eun-byel / The Korea Herald)To make saeujang, the prawns are soaked in a special soy sauce marinade, painstakingly boiled

Rising actor Lee Tae-hwan will star in upcoming drama “What‘s Wrong With Secretary Kim” (tentative title).Lee has joined the crew of the much-anticipated drama series, the production company announced Wednesday. The drama is based on a popular web novel of the same title. Due to its popularity, the work has been made in to a web cartoon series as well. Lee Tae-hwan (Fantagio)Actress Park Min-young is to take the lead role, playing the character of Kim Mi-so, a secretary to a wealthy business man

The word “myeoneuri,” which means daughter-in-law in Korean, denotes much more than just a legal familiar relationship. It is a word loaded with layers of meaning, reflecting the position that a daughter-in-law occupies in the patriarchal Korean society.In recent years, entertainment contents discussing daughters-in-law have been a hit, such as documentary film “Myeoneuri: My Son’s Crazy Wife” and webtoon “Myeoneuragi.” Both works explore the reality of marriage, portraying what it is like to be

Upcoming SBS drama series “Secret Mother” will focus on the overheated education system in Korea, starring Kim So-yeon and Song Yoon-ah as the main leads. From left, Kim So-yeon (J,Wide-Company) and Song Yoon-ah (Snowball Entertainment)Kim is to take the role of a Kim Lisa, a mysterious person overseeing student’s academic endeavors. She takes care of students’ schedules, goals and scores, like a mother would. The production team referred to her as an “academic surrogate mother.” Song will play

Every spring for the past five years, the song “Cherry Blossom Ending” has topped the local music charts. Released in 2012 by local band Busker Busker, the track is recognized as Korea’s national spring song. People often say, the track will tell our descendants what spring was like for us when the delightful season disappears from severe global warming, as cherry blossoms are a symbol of Korea’s spring. It’s almost an annual ceremony to step outside to enjoy walks under small pinkish-hued flowe

In front of many local hair salons, signboards reading “Welcome foreign guests” and “We speak English” are put up, as a large number of foreign tourists seek to have their hair done while staying in Korea. The outlanders search for a proper glint of “K-style,” while experiencing premium service from head to toe. All-in-one beauty parlors in Korea offer full beauty service, from haircuts to makeup and nails.From the point of walking in, customers are continuously offered to have some beverages an

Chef‘s afternoon tea plating at Millennium Seoul HiltonFor a sweet and satisfying weekend afternoon, Millennium Seoul Hilton’s delicatessen Cilantro Deli offers an afternoon tea set, under the presence of its pastry chef. On Saturdays and Sundays, 2:30 to 6 p.m., guests can enjoy some afternoon tea, including sandwiches, boutique cakes and fruit tarts, accompanied by coffee, tea or juice of choice. While the menu may seem ordinary, the delicatessen added a fun twist to it, by having the pastry c

Gamja jorim is a braised potato dish. It’s very popular as a side dish at home and restaurants and for home-packed lunch boxes. The potatoes are braised in a slightly sweet, soy-based sauce until the sauce is reduced and the potatoes are tender. It’s a filling, inexpensive dish we all grew up on.This dish can be made with a few staple ingredients in your pantry. I used a carrot and some green pepper for colors, but you can use other colorful vegetables of your choice or simply omit them.You can

Yuksashimi is a dish of sliced raw beef. It is considered a challenging dish, even for many Koreans, as one has to get over the uncomfortableness of eating raw meat. The dish became trendy on social media in the early 2010s, attracting the younger generation, and today raw beef eateries are filled with young people taking pictures of the food for online posts.  Yuksashimi (Photo by Im Eun-byel / The Korea Herald)While the National Institute of Korean Language asserts the food should be called sa

KUALA LUMPUR – The global halal industry’s eyes are on Malaysia, as World Halal Week 2018 takes place in the nation’s capital, Kuala Lumpur.The opening ceremony of World Halal Week 2018 was held Wednesday, stressing the aim of bringing halal brands around the globe together and gather insight, under the concept of “Building for the Future.”Halal, meaning “permissible” in Arabic, refer to what can be permitted in Islam. It can apply to any aspect of life, including food and beverages, finance, co

K-pop singer Suran took to social media to express her distress about the cyberbullying that she has faced after dating rumors between her and Suga of BTS surfaced.The singer wrote on her social media account Saturday that she is not romantically involved with Suga, and was distressed from the online personal attacks by those who were angry at her over clarified misunderstandings.  Suran (Million Market)“My relationship with Suga, whom I met last year, was entirely related to music. It was nothi

In films as well as TV, there are villains viewers simply cannot hate. They may even fall in love with the poorly tempered characters, sympathizing with them.Yura of Girl’s Day has become beloved for playing a villain in the recently wrapped TV drama “Radio Romance,” on KBS2. She played Jin Tae-ri, an actress struggling to gain fame – at any cost. Many viewers fell for Yura’s character, as she portrays a sweet villain. The character is mischievous, yet delicate, selfish yet honest. Yura herself

Taste of Asia at InterContinental Seoul CoexDiners who wants to devour on Asian food but don’t know specifically what they want can visit Asian Live, a fine dining restaurant located on the second floor of InterContinental Seoul Coex. To celebrate the first anniversary of its grand reopening, Asian Live features a special gourmet promotion through the end of April. It is to launch a special set-course menu of dishes from Korea, China, Japan, India and Arab countries. Diners will also be gifted w

Actress Choi Ji-woo’s surprise announcement about her wedding hours before the ceremony Thursday has garnering a significant amount of interest from the public. A local news agency revealed a photo compilation of Choi in a wedding dress. As the wedding ceremony is private, the public wondered about the star’s dress. The news agency, searching through old drama series, found shots of Choi wearing a white dress.  (Shisedo)Numerous Japanese media outlets reported on the news saying “The great actre

Actress Choi Ji-woo announced her marriage hours before the event, Thursday. Choi Ji-woo updated a photo of a handwritten letter on her fan club website Thursday, saying, “Today is the day I have promised for a new beginning with my partner for life.”  Choi Ji-woo (Golden Dew)She added that she had to be cautious about revealing the news to not burden her in-laws. Her management agency, YG Entertainment, confirmed the announcement saying that Choi will marry through a small, private wedding cere

Based on the idea that one’s love life can be more important than a foreign war, JTBC’s new drama “Something in the Rain” hopes to portray the beauty of ordinary yet real love. Actress Son Ye-jin and actor Jung Hae-in take the lead roles in the new Friday-Saturday drama series. Son’s character, who works as a coffee franchise supervisor, falls for her friend’s younger brother, a character designer at a computer game company, played by Jung. Producer Ahn Pan-seok directs the production. He is kno

In the past, oxen were an important asset for Korean farmers and it was very rare for ordinary folk to have the luxury of eating beef as the oxen had to farm the land and beef was exorbitantly priced. In those days, beef dishes could only be eaten at wedding feasts or other celebrations. Even at those events, not a single part could be wasted. Oxen heads, tails and leg bones, were used to stretch the dishes that could be made.  Someori gukbap (Photo by Im Eun-byel / The Korea Herald)Those parts

Oh Yeon-seo and Kim Beom admitted that they are in a romantic relationship. A news report on the relationship surfaced Monday morning. According to the report, the two have been spotted multiple times, dating in the neighborhood of Cheongdam-dong, Seoul.  On the left, Oh Yeon-seo (Celltrion Entertainment) and Kim Beom (Yonhap)The couple’s agencies quickly confirmed the news, explaining that the two stars met at a gathering after Oh’s recent drama “Hwayugi” ended in early March. Finding it easy t

Actress Choi Yu-hwa will be featured in the upcoming legal drama “Suits.” Choi will take the role of an informant for actor Jang Dong-gun, who plays a legendary lawyer. Her character will collect information and complete missions in secret for Jang. The actress, who debuted in 2010, has starred in films, such as “The Age of Shadows” and “Worst Woman.” The new Wednesday-Thursday series “Suits” is a remake of the popular US drama of the same name. Its cast also includes Park Hyung-sik and Chae Jun

K-pop singer Eric Nam is ready to release an EP, according to his management agency CJ E&M on Tuesday. The singer-songwriter participated in writing all the songs and lyrics for the EP. Furthermore, he personally recruited all the staff working on the album. The music video for the title track was shot in Mexico in early March. Eric Nam (CJ E&M)In an interview with a local fashion magazine, Nam had hinted that the new EP would be “completely different” from his previous works. It will be his fir