Theater director Ko Sun-woong is a man predicted to be unpredictable; it is not often you see a re-creation of a classic morality tale featuring aliens, like in Ko’s version of “Heungbuga.”For the theatrical remake of 1996 film “L’Appartement (The Apartment),” Ko chose film and TV actor Oh Ji-ho and ballerina Kim Joo-won to play lead characters Max and Lisa. Kim Joo-won (left), Ko Sun-woong (center) and Oh Ji-ho pose for a photo after a press conference at LG Arts Center in Seoul last Tuesday. (

The new edition of “My Straw” generated a buzz on social media after Binggrae rolled out a specially designed straw in the online market Monday. (Binggrae)According to the company, the “S.O.S. Straw” was added to the list of the “My Straw” editions with a price of 8,900 won ($8). The 10,000 available are currently on sale via Gmarket.The straw, which features a distinctive fire extinguisher-shaped design, helps consumers cool down a burning mouth by spraying the drink directly on the tongue.The

Visitors take in the view of a cosmos field in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday prior to the local festival’s opening. A yearly celebration of the season’s blooms, “Guri Cosmos Festival 2017” will take place for a three-day run from Friday.By Park Hyun-koo (phko@heraldcorp.com)

The joint civilian-government committee investigating the Park Geun-hye administration’s blacklist of cultural figures said Monday it will expand its activities to probe the blacklist that precedes the Park administration.Lawyer Cho Young-sun, the head of investigative subcommittee of the group, said that documents indicate that the blacklisting of controversial figures has been going on since at least 2008, when former President Lee Myung-bak was in office. Former politician and actor Moon Sung

Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film “2001: A Space Odyssey” is a sci-fi classic that seems fresh even in 2017 -- particularly as we celebrate the Cassini spacecraft’s plunge into the Saturn last week, ending its 13-year exploration of the ringed planet and its moons. The groundbreaking film has had a lasting influence on popular culture and its discussion of mankind’s place in the universe, particularly with its philosophical outlook.And any mention of the film would be incomplete without reference to t

South Korean writer Han Kang has been chosen to win this year's Malaparte Prize, Italy's most-authoritative literary award, for her latest work, the prize's organizer said. Korean author Han Kang, who wrote the three-part novella "The Vegetarian." (Yonhap)Han was chosen Thursday for her 2014 novel "Human Acts" that tells the story of a young boy named Dong-ho who is killed in the military's bloody crackdown on the Gwangju citizens' pro-democracy uprising of May 1980.The book was published Thursd

Cao Lu,of popular K-pop girl group Fiestar, recently said in a TV show that she hopes to one day open her own store as a side business, confessing even celebrities suffer from financial difficulties and uncertainties. Many celebrities in Korea recently have talked about their struggles with fluctuating income and unsteady employment, even referring to themselves as “nonregular workers.”Whether as an investment for the future or out of pure interest in the business, celebrities are venturing into

Bongeunsa Temple plans to hold a tea ceremony celebrating the Chuseok holiday, offering separate sessions for children and adults. The ceremony will take place on Sept. 28, Oct. 5, 6, 12 and 19 for two hours from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The fee for each session is 20,000 won ($18) for both children and adults.  (Bongeunsa Temple)For the children sessions, up to 10 Korean or foreign children aged between 6 and 8 can apply on a first-come, first-served basis. The children should be accompanied by guardia

In light of revelations that two previous administrations had blacklisted “leftist” cultural figures since 2009, investigators are expected to expand their probe to target the Lee Myung-bak administration as well.A National Intelligence Service investigation on irregularities of past administrations on Monday turned up a blacklist of 82 figures in the culture and entertainment circles that was drawn up during the term of former President Lee.It was revealed earlier in the year that former Presid

The annual Weeding around ancestral tombs is ongoing ahead of the Chuseok holidays at Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province.“Beolcho” is an effort by descendants to maintain their ancestors’ burial spots in respectable conditions. It normally takes place two to four times a year following a Joseon-era tradition.(phko@heraldcorp.com)

Barley, maize noodles and self-cookers lead Korean ramen trend

The UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Award this year went to the Center for the Study of Learning and Performance at Concordia University in Canada and Rana Dajani from Jordan.The annual award honors outstanding contributions made to literacy. 　The center at Concordia University was recognized for a project that uses technology to develop essential educational competencies in Sub-Saharan Africa. 　The project, which seeks to increase literacy through mobile apps, is being expanded to North America, Br

Controversial novelist and literary scholar Ma Kwang-soo was found dead at his home Tuesday, in what appears to be a suicide.The writer‘s family members found Ma’s body around 12:51 p.m. at his home in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and reported it to the police. Officials believe it to be a suicide.It was reported that Ma, 66, had been suffered from depression since retiring as a professor of Korean literature at Yonsei University last August. Ma Kwang-soo (Yonhap)Ma’s bumpy career was marked by years of c

Every time Goksel Turkozu browsed through a bookstore in Turkey, he felt there could be more books of Korean literature in translation in his country where the passion for everything Korean runs high.A devotee of Korean literature and professor at Erciyes University in the city of Kayseri, Cappadocia, Turkozu has adapted several well-known Korean novels into the Turkish language since he first set foot in Seoul in 1990 as a student. His decadeslong dedication to spread Korea’s literary imaginati