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?
Quiet comeback of Lee Na-young, the A-list mystique
In the Korean entertainment scene, few married couples command as much fascination, or maintain as much distance, as Lee Na-young and Won Bin. Despite their status as perennial A-listers, the two are famously selective about their work, often letting years pass between projects. While Won Bin has remained on a cinematic hiatus since his 2010 blockbuster "The Man from Nowhere," Lee recently ended her own seven-year television drought with the ENA legal drama "Honor." The series proved to be a rat
March 12, 2026 - 14:10:41
'I need my heart to connect': Olivier winner on taking Korea's 'The Last Man' to London
In a cramped studio in Sillim-dong — a neighborhood where young Koreans gather to study for exams that can shape the rest of their lives — a young man prepares for a test he may never take. Outside, the city has collapsed. Inside, he may be the last person alive. It is the premise of a one-man Korean musical that British playwright and dramaturg Jethro Compton is now bringing to the British stage. Compton is serving as dramaturg for the UK premiere of "The Last Man," a Korean one-person rock mus
March 10, 2026 - 15:22:22
Stablecoins can cut costs of cross-border payments: Woori Financial digital chief
Woori Financial Group is exploring global partnerships to expand stablecoin-based cross-border payments as the government moves toward regulating digital assets. “Companies with overseas subsidiaries constantly need to send money abroad,” Ok Il-jin, executive vice president of digital innovation at Woori Financial, said in an interview with Herald Business in Seoul. “Stablecoins can significantly shorten settlement times and reduce transaction costs.” The group is reviewing ways to integrate sta
March 10, 2026 - 14:04:27
Time to buy Korean won: FX strategist
The Korean won is poised for a rebound, making the deeply undervalued currency an appealing bet for investors, particularly when paired against the overvalued Thai baht, according to a seasoned foreign exchange strategist. Before the US-Israeli strikes on Iran that rattled global markets earlier this month, the Korean equity market had been booming; the benchmark Kospi briefly topped the 6,300 level for the first time, roughly doubling from a year earlier. Despite the rally in stocks, the local
March 8, 2026 - 15:09:41
No borders, just music: Takashi Lorenz Waschkau’s journey from Berlin to Seoul
Violinist Takashi Lorenz Waschkau was shaped by more than one inheritance. Born in Berlin in 2001 to a German father and a Japanese mother, and later drawn to Seoul, the violinist embodies a generation of musicians whose identities are formed across continents. Waschkau began violin at 4 and piano at 6. His mother, a pianist and vocal coach who studied at the New England Conservatory, raised him in a household where music was both a language and a discipline. “She was a mom, but also a trainer,”
March 6, 2026 - 15:21:20
'Show Me the Money' retakes place at center of Korean hip-hop
Tom Cruise's iconic line from "Jerry Maguire" — "Show Me The Money" — occupies a special place in Korean culture. The phrase has become virtually synonymous with hip-hop, as the name of the country's flagship hip-hop survival program. The ultimate reward is literal, with the season's winner traditionally "shown" a 100 million won ($68,000) cash prize. In a music market dominated by K-pop, hip-hop increasingly occupies its own niche. So the show's return for its 12th season, its first in four yea
March 5, 2026 - 07:00:00
Korean dance crew The Stories reflects on second Vibe win
When The Stories were announced as the winner of the 2026 Vibe Dance Competition on Sunday in Costa Mesa, California, it marked the crew’s second title on the prestigious stage. But for choreographer Kalvin Kim, the moment was less about the trophy and more about something harder to measure. “I don’t even know how to put this joy into words,” Kim said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Tuesday. “To experience two victories on a stage I’ve dreamed of since I was young, representing Korea, s
March 3, 2026 - 16:27:53
The analyst who never sleeps: LG’s AI scans 5,500 US stocks daily
In a traditional equity research team, labor is divided. One analyst dissects corporate filings. Another tracks industry data. Others monitor macro indicators and breaking news. Their views are debated, refined and ultimately distilled into investment calls. But even the most sophisticated teams face hard limits. Coverage typically centers on large-cap stocks. Reports are produced weekly or monthly. Thousands of mid- and small-cap companies remain thinly analyzed. LG AI Research and London Stock
March 3, 2026 - 14:50:46
Kim Sungkyu steps ‘Off the Map’ with gratitude, grit and a louder future in mind
For Infinite leader Kim Sungkyu, the tagline of his upcoming album, is not about dramatic reinvention. Instead the phrase — “Off the map. Onto my path” — reflects where he stands now: A veteran K-pop artist returning after three years away, guided by his own creative choices and a renewed sense of gratitude. Kim’s sixth EP, “Off the Map,” arrives Monday. Since his last solo release in 2023, he has remained active through Infinite’s 15th anniversary promotions, group concerts, musicals and appear
March 2, 2026 - 10:39:57
Korea’s new travel playbook: closer trips, richer stories
For Korean travelers, distance is measured not only in miles, but in vacation days. “Usually, Korean travelers travel for about four to seven days,” said Jay Lee, regional director for North Asia at Agoda, in an interview with The Korea Herald on Wednesday. “They don’t want to go someplace that’s too far and spend one day going and one day coming. Proximity is an important piece.” That practical calculation continues to shape outbound travel patterns in 2026. Short-haul destinations dominate: To
Feb. 28, 2026 - 16:00:00
Kim Junsu's boldest role yet
Singer-turned-musical actor Kim Junsu has built a reputation for leaving a lasting impression with nearly every character he takes on. From the enigmatic genius detective L in "Death Note" to the brooding Count Dracula in "Dracula" and the flamboyant Genie in "Aladdin," his performances have consistently blended vocal power with a highly physical, larger-than-life stage presence. That's why taking on the chaotic title role in "Beetlejuice," a high-energy dark comedy packed with rapid-fire dialog
Feb. 26, 2026 - 15:04:44
'Pavane' stars talk chemistry behind an unlikely romance
A pavane is a slow court dance, stately and deliberate. Lee Jong-pil's Netflix film borrows the name and the tempo from the dance. Its rise on the charts, though, has been anything but slow. Since its Feb. 20 release, "Pavane" has climbed to No. 1 among movies in South Korea and No. 7 on Netflix's global chart for non-English films. Adapted from Park Min-gyu's 2009 novel "Pavane for a Dead Princess," the film follows two young department store workers: Gyeong-rok (Moon Sang-min), an aspiring dan
Feb. 26, 2026 - 14:20:06
On the battlefield of sound, Jambinai stands alone
In the epics, battles unfold in waves of iron and fire: metal clashing, dust rising, a roar that shakes the ground. Imagine that ancient clash rendered entirely in sound. A Korean crossover band carving its own singular path invites audiences into that sonic terrain, into the heady rush of combat and its fierce exhilaration. What if a battle could be painted not with images but with distortion and breath, rhythm and silence, an epic not merely narrated but physically felt? On that battlefield of
Feb. 24, 2026 - 14:12:29
Why UK tech firm TeraView picked Korea for listing
While high-profile Korean startups such as Toss and Yanolja chase Wall Street valuations — following Coupang’s US listing — a British chip-equipment maker is betting on Seoul instead. TeraView, a UK firm that commercialized terahertz technology for ultraprecision semiconductor inspection, chose to list on Kosdaq rather than in London or New York. The company counts Samsung Electronics, Intel and Nvidia among its customers, supplying critical components used in advanced chip manufacturing. “TeraV
Feb. 22, 2026 - 11:07:12
Chip complexity to fuel materials surge, says Merck Korea chief
Merck Korea’s top executive sees the semiconductor materials market entering a structural growth phase, driven not only by artificial intelligence but also by emerging fields such as quantum computing and robotics. “The current driving force of the chip industry is AI growth and high-performance computing,” Kim Woo-kyu, managing director of Merck Korea, said in an interview with The Korea Herald on Feb. 13. “In the coming years, quantum computing and robotics will also require large volumes of c
Feb. 18, 2026 - 14:13:35
