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Korea Herald
4 days ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
Thailand opens new consular office in Seoul
Thailand officially opened a new consular office in Seoul on Wednesday. Inaugurating the office, Thai Ambassador to Korea Tanee Sangrat underlined that the Thai Embassy in Korea currently serve a Thai community of approximately 200,000 people and foreigners in Korea. According to Ambassador Sangrat, Thailand's consular office in Korea is among the busiest globally, serving around 400 visitors each day. "Current consular facilities have long been insufficient to meet this growing demand," acknowledged the ambassador. Sangrat also underlined that Thailand's Foreign Ministry is committed to enhancing consular services in Korea, guided by the slogan: "Proactive Diplomacy for the People —We Care, Wherever You Are." The new office is part of a broader initiative to modernize Thai consular services abroad, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. 'The ministry has generously supported the relocation of our Consular Section to a new and improved facility,' Sangrat added. The new consular office has three main floors, with services divided by function: The second floor handles visas and civil matters, the third issues passports and emergency travel documents and the fourth provides ID card services and support for Thai nationals in Korea. Located at 45 Daesagwan-gil in Yongsan-gu, Seoul — directly across from the existing embassy — the new office will officially commence full operations on Wednesday, the embassy said in a press release. sanjaykumar@
Korea Herald
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
J-Hope to drop new track on 12th BTS anniversary
K-pop sensation to drop third song of solo single project J-Hope of BTS is set to release a new single, 'Killin' It Girl (Feat. GloRilla),' on June 13, marking the 12th anniversary of the boy band's official debut. The hip-hop track candidly expresses the fluttering excitement of falling in love at first sight. It follows J-Hope's solo singles released in March, 'Sweet Dreams (Feat. Miguel)' and 'Mona Lisa,' making it the third installment in his ongoing solo single project. A snippet from the track reveals a sleek, rhythmic flow paired with a heavy beat, hinting at another addictive release. Ahead of the official drop, concept photos and a music video teaser will be unveiled sequentially to build anticipation. The track features GloRilla, a rising star in the global hip-hop scene known for her bold raps and powerful energy. Her studio album "Glorious," released last year, reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200. She was also named as best new hip-hop artist at the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards. On June 13 and 14, coinciding with the release, J-Hope will hold the finale concerts of his solo world tour 'Hope on the Stage' at Goyang Sports Complex in Gyeonggi Province, where he will perform 'Killin' It Girl' live for the first time. J-Hope recently appeared on Apple Music's radio program "The Zane Lowe Show" and shared his thoughts about the solo single project. He stressed that the sequence was designed by the flow and order of emotions in the overall composition. "The last single is my personal favorite, so please look forward to it," he said. jy@
Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
'The Rising World' - a message-driven opera that wades through cloudy narrative
While not perfect, 'The Rising World' marks a bold and promising step for the Seoul Arts Center. "Tick, tick, tick, tick ..." A chorus encircles a giant ticking clock as they chant. Inside is a figure -- an artisan who sacrifices herself to restore order. Her act saves the princess and many others from a world submerged by water. What follows, the scene shows, is left to those who remain. One might read this as an allegory -- a warning about climate change, or a meditation on the power of unconditional sacrifice. In its first-ever original opera production, the Seoul Arts Center on Sunday premiered 'The Rising World,' composed by Mary Finsterer with a libretto by Tom Wright. While the music -- performed by the cast and the Korean National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Steven Osgood -- was solidly executed, the narrative's arrival at that core message required the audience to wade through water -- slow and murky. The new opera presents a female-driven drama performed by top singers, soprano Hwang Soo-mi and mezzo-soprano Kim Jung-mi, set in an imaginative world that suffers from rising water after the princess becomes possessed by a water spirit. It offers no explanation of why the princess is possessed. That lack of exposition might have been forgivable -- even compelling -- had the narrative flowed with greater emotional momentum. A dramatic scene in which court advisers argue over how to handle the princess' possession stretches on without a dramatic payoff. One wonders if, with tonal variation -- even humor -- this segment could have landed more effectively. Musically, the score feels accessible and at times gently textured. Fluidity runs through the opera, echoing the motif of water throughout its orchestration, but it falls short of a powerful moment of catharsis. Visually, the aesthetic of the set and costumes evokes Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" -- a world defined by slate grays and deep blues. The stage is minimal yet symbolic, evoking ancient ruins. With this work, the Seoul Arts Center signals its ambition to reach global audiences through an English-language opera, backed by an international creative team -- including director Stephen Carr, who ensured that the production also incorporated culturally resonant elements for Korean audiences, such as traditional jars, the melancholic twang of the geomungo, and chants delivered in Korean. "The Rising World" will be presented two more times on May 29 and 31. gypark@
Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Travel ban lifted for South Korean men before military duty
● Updated law: Enforcement Decree of the Passport Act What it does: Eases regulation on the issuance of multientry passports to South Koreans who did not complete their military service Took effect: May 1 Since May 1, those who have not completed their mandatory military service are eligible to receive multientry passports valid for 10 years, the same as the general public. This is because the regulation that limited the validity of multientry passports for those who had not completed mandatory military service to five years was abolished in order to eliminate discrimination against them. The abolition applies to all passport applications submitted on or after May 1, and applicants are now able to apply for a passport without the need to verify military service information, such as submitting military service documents. However, despite the latest abolition, those who have not fulfilled their mandatory military service will still be required to obtain government permission for overseas travel. Preventing violence in and around schools ● Updated law: Act on the Prevention of and Countermeasures Against Violence in Schools What it does: Strengthens the role of superintendents of education as supervisors in coping with school violence Took effect: May 22 From this year, superintendents of education in each special city and province will be required to draft and implement an annual action plan for prevention of school violence, taking into account local conditions and the results of a school violence survey. The role of the superintendent of education is greatly strengthened to prevent school violence more effectively. Superintendents of education must annually publish performance results of the previous year's action plan and the action plan for the following year. They are expected to take a leading role in building a more systematic and effective response system to school violence. -- In collaboration with the Ministry of Government Legislation, The Korea Herald publishes a monthly article on laws that have recently been updated in South Korea. The ministry's Easy Law service ( provides accessible summaries of Korean laws grouped by category in English and 11 other languages: Arabic, Bengali, Cambodian, Simplified Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Mongolian, Nepali, Thai, Uzbek and Vietnamese -- Ed. mkjung@
Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Travel ban lifted for South Korean men before military duty
● Updated law: Enforcement Decree of the Passport Act What it does: Eases regulation on the issuance of multientry passports to South Koreans who did not complete their military service Took effect: May 1 Since May 1, those who have not completed their mandatory military service are eligible to receive multientry passports valid for 10 years, the same as the general public. This is because the regulation that limited the validity of multientry passports for those who had not completed mandatory military service to five years was abolished in order to eliminate discrimination against them. The abolition applies to all passport applications submitted on or after May 1, and applicants are now able to apply for a passport without the need to verify military service information, such as submitting military service documents. However, despite the latest abolition, those who have not fulfilled their mandatory military service will still be required to obtain government permission for overseas travel. Preventing violence in and around schools ● Updated law: Act on the Prevention of and Countermeasures Against Violence in Schools What it does: Strengthens the role of superintendents of education as supervisors in coping with school violence Took effect: May 22 From this year, superintendents of education in each special city and province will be required to draft and implement an annual action plan for prevention of school violence, taking into account local conditions and the results of a school violence survey. The role of the superintendent of education is greatly strengthened to prevent school violence more effectively. Superintendents of education must annually publish performance results of the previous year's action plan and the action plan for the following year. They are expected to take a leading role in building a more systematic and effective response system to school violence. -- In collaboration with the Ministry of Government Legislation, The Korea Herald publishes a monthly article on laws that have recently been updated in South Korea. The ministry's Easy Law service ( provides accessible summaries of Korean laws grouped by category in English and 11 other languages: Arabic, Bengali, Cambodian, Simplified Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Mongolian, Nepali, Thai, Uzbek and Vietnamese -- Ed. mkjung@
