Webtoon OST goes mainstream

While it has become common for songs from movie and drama soundtracks to hit the top of music charts, songs related to webtoon stories have not generally reached that level of recognition. That may no longer be the case. After its release in July 20, “Slightly Tipsy,” a song from the soundtrack of Daum Webtoon “She is My Type” by K-pop group B1A4’s Sandeul steadily climbed the charts to reach the No. 2 spot on the Melon charts, just after BTS’s “Dyna

CartoonSept. 16, 2020

Free drive-in circus comes to Seoul

A circus to be held in Seoul in the era of COVID-19 will involve cars instead of circus tents. The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture will host the Seoul Circus Festival from Friday to Oct. 11 at Oil Tank Culture Park in Mapo, western Seoul. The event, normally held in May every year, was postponed twice due to the nationwide spread of the new coronavirus. To guard against the further spread of the virus, it will be a drive-in event. The festival will consist of two parts. The Circus C

PerformanceSept. 16, 2020

Brazilian TV series wins best honor at Seoul Drama Awards

Brazilian serial drama “Orphan of a Nation” won the grand prize at this year’s Seoul International Drama Awards, the nation’s biggest international television drama awards event. Instead of the usual live ceremony, a prerecorded version of the awards ceremony conducted without an audience aired at 3 p.m. on Tuesday on MBC. “Orphan of a Nation” is a 154-episode television series revolving around two refugees, a Syrian woman and a Lebanese man, in Brazil who

TelevisionSept. 15, 2020

Drawing the fine line: Artistic expression and offensive content

Following widespread controversy over violent and sexually explicit content in his work, Naver webtoon “Hellper” author Sakk apologized Monday and said he was taking a break. It was the 248th episode of the webtoon’s second season. While controversy over “Hellper” began brewing as soon as the new season kicked off in 2016, things came to a head Sept. 11 when the local media picked up comments that had appeared on an online community site a few days earlier. The w

CartoonSept. 15, 2020

DMZ documentary fest gets underway Thursday with closed-door screenings

After a week of repeated changes of plan due to the resurgence of COVID-19, the 12th DMZ International Documentary Festival released its final schedule Tuesday, two days ahead of the kickoff. Originally slated to take place entirely on-site with members of the general public in the audience, the weeklong festival will now have closed-door screenings, with each screening limited to 30 people. The official festival lineup -- comprising 122 films from 33 countries -- will be screened at the Mega

FilmSept. 15, 2020

Actress Oh In-hye dies aged 36

Actor Oh In-hye died in the hospital Monday after beign found unconscious at her home. Incheon Yeonsu Police on Tuesday confirmed the death of the 36-year-old actor, who was hospitalized after being discovered in a state of cardiac arrest at her home around 5 a.m. on Monday. The police said there were no signs of foul play. An investigation into the circumstances leading to her death will be conducted, the police said. Oh made her film debut in 2011 with “Sin of a Family” and la

FilmSept. 15, 2020

[Video] DIY bead bracelets go viral as way to tackle coronavirus fatigue

People have come up with innovative alternatives to keep themselves entertained as the novel coronavirus persists worldwide. New hobbies tailored for the pandemic era are flourishing on social media, aiming to combat the fatigue induced by extended social distancing and working from home. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a rise in creative DIY activities, including bead bracelets. Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation posted pictures of her self-made bead bracelets, which garnered the attention o

CultureSept. 15, 2020

KF to look into role of K-pop in post-COVID-19 era

The Korea Foundation, the public diplomacy arm of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Asia Society Switzerland will co-host an online conference on K-pop on Wednesday. The event, titled “KF-Asia Society Switzerland Virtual Dialogue on K-Culture” will look into how K-pop is changing the entertainment industry in the post-coronavirus era. Kim Young-min, group CEO of S.M. Entertainment Group, will give the presentation “Online Business Strategy of S.M. Entertainment After th

PerformanceSept. 15, 2020

BIFF to showcase 192 films, but possibility of fest cancellation not ruled out

The 25th Busan International Film Festival is ready to showcase 192 titles from 68 countries, including 23 cinematic works from the 73rd Cannes Film Festival’s official selection. The details of this year‘s festival slated for Oct. 21-30 in Busan were announced Monday during an online press conference held by the BIFF organizing committee. On Friday, the committee announced it would proceed with an onsite festival, but that it would be pushed back two weeks and be significantly down

FilmSept. 14, 2020

120 Taiwanese tourists to experience Korea from high above

Taiwanese travelers are to board a flight that will take off to Jeju Island -- before landing right where it started. The Korea Tourism Organization‘s Taipei office, Taiwanese travel agency Ezfly and airline Tiger Air introduced a flight deal from Taipei to Jeju Island on Friday, selling out in just four minutes. The flight will not land on Jeju Island, however, it will circle above the island before returning to Taipei. To offer an experience of Korean travel, passengers will have a c

TravelSept. 14, 2020

'#Alive' captures global Netflix audience

Korean zombie thriller “#Alive,” by director Cho Il-hyung, continues to be one of the most streamed movies on Netflix in many countries around the globe, currently standing at No. 2 in global Netflix movie rankings worldwide, according to streaming analytics firm FlixPatrol. “#Alive,” starring Yoo Ah-in and Park Shin-hye, is a story about two survivors trapped in an apartment complex during a zombie apocalypse. It was the first movie released since March to sell more th

FilmSept. 14, 2020

Art educators gather virtually to discuss teaching art in pandemic times

The fifth International Teaching Artist Conference, being hosted by the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service this year, kicked off Monday in the virtual space due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. The event runs until Thursday. This year’s online conference, titled “Boundaries into New Pathways: Enacting the power of arts and arts education,” includes programs such as engaging sessions, activities and informal and formal discussions. Registered participants will

CultureSept. 14, 2020

National Museum of Korea‘s largest-ever show of national treasures available online as well

The National Museum of Korea will livestream an online show of its largest-ever exhibition of national treasures at 7 p.m. Tuesday on Naver TV. “We hope the Naver TV livestream show ‘The New National Treasures of Korea 2017-2019’ can be of great comfort to the people who are suffering due to the coronavirus situation,” an NMK official said in a statement. “The New National Treasures of Korea” exhibition, jointly organized by the Cultural Heritage Administ

CultureSept. 14, 2020

Ahn Joo-won becomes ABT's first Korean male principal dancer

Ahn Joo-won became the first Korean male principal dancer of American Ballet Theater. ABT recently announced promotions for six soloists, elevating them to the role of principal dancer. Ahn was promoted to principal dancer a year after being promoted as a soloist in September 2019. Ahn was a student at the Korea National University of Arts in Seoul when he was invited to join the company in 2013 after winning the Gold Medal at Youth America Grand Prix in New York. He joined the ABT as an a

PerformanceSept. 14, 2020

[The Arts Amid COVID-19] Performance arts move to paid streaming

While the second wave of COVID-19 that hit the country in mid-August has canceled virtually all performances, the local performing arts scene is getting ready to take the leap into the world of for-pay virtual shows. In recent years, global performing arts establishments have been sharing their shows online, including the Royal National Theatre in London and Berlin Philharmonic. However, the practice had been limited to internationally renowned establishments with ample budgets and large fan ba

PerformanceSept. 14, 2020

BTS' RM donates 100 million won for MMCA art publications

RM, the leader of K-pop group BTS, donated 100 million won ($84,426) to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Foundation, Korea towards the production of the museum’s art publication that will be donated to public libraries and schools across the country. The donation was made to mark the singer‘s 27th birthday, on Sept. 12, the foundation said Monday. The art publications, some of which are currently out of print, include those on Korea’s representative modern

Arts & DesignSept. 14, 2020

‘Moving On’ wins best feature at New York Asian Film Festival

Director Yoon Dan-bi’s “Moving On” won the Uncaged Award for Best Feature Film, for which freshman and sophomore directors are eligible, at the New York Asian Film Festival on Saturday evening. Now in its 19th year, the film festival celebrating Asian films across genres was held online from Aug. 29 to Saturday due to the spread of COVID-19. In previous years, the two-week festival had been held around June. Several Korean films were presented at the online festival, includ

FilmSept. 13, 2020

ILUV's Minah again attempts to take life amidst ongoing conflict with former agency

Minah, formerly of K-pop group ILUV, was found attempting suicide on the Seongsan Bridge in Seoul around noon on Wednesday, according to the police. The singer posted, “What I am thinking right now. I want to disappear,”on her social media before going to the Han River. On Thursday, Minah, via social media, pleaded for people to stop posting negative comments about her. She also posted a video showing her former agency WKS ENE commenting on her YouTube video a web link that direct

PerformanceSept. 13, 2020

[Eye Plus] Hongjecheon: Seoul stream that courses through history

Of the many streams that weave through the crowded city of Seoul, Hongjecheon one of the first tributaries of the Han River, passes many historic monuments.  The 13.92-kilometer stream starts in the mountains just north of the city, and courses through Seodaemun-gu and Mapo-gu districts in the west of Seoul before reaching the Han. Built on Hongjecheon is Hongjimun, a structure that connected Hanyangdoseong, or the Seoul City Wall, and Bukhansanseong, a nearby mountain fortress. Built du

TravelSept. 12, 2020

Korea‘s major art auction houses implement live online bidding

K Auction, the second-largest auction house in Korea, will introduce a live online bidding system for the first time at an upcoming bimonthly auction event scheduled for Sept. 24 at K Auction’s headquarters in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul. “Introducing the live online bidding system has been long in discussion, and the prolonged pandemic situation motivated us to kick off the new system,” Son Yee-chun, public relations director and principal auctioneer at K Auction, told The K

Arts & DesignSept. 12, 2020