MPyC kicks off 3-week run celebrating Beethoven

The curtain went up on the 17th Music in PyeongChang festival Wednesday, kicking off three weeks of concerts. The biannual classical music festival, organized by the Gangwon Arts & Culture Foundation, will be held across Gangwon Province until Aug. 8. This year, the festival is titled “Must it be? It must be!” paying homage to Beethoven. Like many other music festivals this year, the summer event celebrates the 250th anniversary of the birth of the composer. On Wednesday,

PerformanceJuly 22, 2020

NGC publishes English e-book on gugak instruments

The National Gugak Center recently published the second edition of English-language e-book “Traditional Korean Instruments: A Practical Guide for Composers,” aiming to introduce gugak, traditional Korean music, instruments to foreign composers. The first edition of the guide, containing information about gayageum, geomungo, daegeum, piri, haegeum and ajaeng, was published in 2018. The new e-book, written by gugak musicians and scholars, was published in Korean last year. An Englis

PerformanceJuly 22, 2020

[Video] A cup of coffee brewed with inspiration

Located in Seongsu-dong, known as the “Brooklyn of Seoul,” a cafe named Hisbeans opened its 19th store in March this year. At the counter you notice the sign which reads, “Our coffee is made by 67 professional baristas, and they are not people who have disabilities. They are the truly talented (baristas).” The baristas working at Hisbeans are people who have mental disabilities, experiencing anxiety disorders and depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophreni

CultureJuly 22, 2020

Kim Bong-gon returns Young Writer Award following controversy over use of private messages

Author Kim Bong-gon tweeted on Tuesday that he would return publisher Munhak Dongne’s Young Writer Award and apologized for the trouble he has caused. Kim, who gained popularity for his autofiction -- or fictionalized autobiography -- regarding LGBTQ culture faced criticism when one person, “disexual,” tweeted how her private messages with Kim had been used verbatim in his award-winning short story, “Such Life,” without her consent. Another person, “0,&rdquo

BooksJuly 22, 2020

Resumption of large indoor concerts deadlocked again due to COVID-19

A recent spike in novel coronavirus cases in Seoul and its nearby cities has hindered the scheduled resumptions of large concerts in the capital, which have been on hold for months. On Tuesday, Songpa Ward in southeastern Seoul prohibited all indoor events of more than 5,000 people from taking place at arenas and concert halls in the district, where large indoor sporting facilities, the legacy of 1988 Seoul Olympics, are located. The measure came as the Seoul metropolitan area has been report

PerformanceJuly 22, 2020

MMCA Seoul to hold 'Project Hashtag 2020' exhibition, after reopening

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea will unveil its new exhibition “Project Hashtag 2020” at its Seoul venue, starting Friday. This is MMCA Seoul’s first exhibition after it reopens three venues -- Seoul, Deoksugung and Gwacheon -- in the Seoul metropolitan area on Wednesday as the COVID-19 pandemic shows signs of easing. The project, sponsored by Hyundai Motor, aims to promote young artist groups that collaborate across different fields of art. Amo

Arts & DesignJuly 21, 2020

The minjung art movement: The voices of artists who could not ignore social issues

In the late 1970s, a group of young South Korean artists rebelled against the abstract art that was enjoying widespread popularity across the country. They believed the art world was overly focused on aesthetics at the expense of social issues. At the time, Korea was undergoing rapid industrialization and was ruled by an authoritarian military regime with no regard for human rights. In 1979, around 20 like-minded artists who believed that art should reflect the reality of people’s live

Arts & DesignJuly 21, 2020

Walking above Seoul

Lotte World Adventure will launch its Sky Bridge Tour program Friday from the top of its observatory, Seoul Sky, at Lotte World Tower. Lotte World Tower, a 123-story skyscraper in eastern Seoul, will add the Sky Bridge Tour program to its activity list. The program allows participants to cross the outdoor Sky Bridge, which connects the tower’s two structures.   The 11-meter bridge is situated 541 meters above ground. It will be the first time the tower’s uppermost structure

TravelJuly 21, 2020

Pianist Kim Sun-wook to hold recital in September

Classical music production company Vincero announced Monday that pianist Kim Sun-wook’s much-anticipated recital will be held Sept. 13 at the Seoul Arts Center. Kim’s recital was initially scheduled to take place in March, but was postponed due to the spread of COVID-19. At the recital, celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven, Kim will present the great maestro’s Andante Favori, WoO 57; Piano Sonata No. 30, Op. 109; Piano Sonata No. 31, Op. 110; and P

PerformanceJuly 21, 2020

Shim Eun-kyung says ‘Blue Hour’ is fairytale for grownups

Shim Eun-kyung depicts the bittersweet pain felt in adulthood in the upcoming Japanese film “Blue Hour.” “The film is like a fairy tale for adults. The growing pains we feel as an adult may be different (from that of children), and this film warmly embraces such experience,” Shim said in a live video press conference conducted following the film’s press premiere Monday. Coming from rookie Japanese director Yuko Hakota, “Blue Hour” revolves around 30

FilmJuly 21, 2020

Warner Bros. Korea ponders over ‘Tenet’ release date

Warner Bros. Korea is still figuring out a release date for Christopher Nolan’s highly-anticipated movie “Tenet” as Warner Bros. chairman Toby Emmerich announced that the studio is pushing back the US release date of the movie indefinitely from August 12 on Monday (local time). “We are still in the middle of discussions. We will try to make our decision within the week,” said CEO Kim Tae-joo of ROSC, the company in charge of marketing “Tenet” in Korea.

FilmJuly 21, 2020

Incheon's iconic summer festivals postponed or canceled due to COVID-19

INCHEON -- South Korean city Incheon's iconic summer events -- rock and beer festivals -- will likely be delayed for several months or canceled this year due to the coronavirus outbreak, municipal officials said Tuesday.= The Pentaport Rock Festival and the Songdo Beer Festival, which were held annually in August in Incheon's Songdo international business district, about 50 kilometers west of Seoul, have been tentatively postponed until after mid-October, because of COVID-19-related travel res

CultureJuly 21, 2020

Wesley Snipes praises late father-in-law, legendary S. Korean TV producer

American actor Wesley Snipes on Tuesday honored the life and career of late South Korean television producer and father-in-law Park Cheol, praising him for being a key driving force behind today's wide popularity of Korean culture overseas. In a Korean-language eulogy in honor of Park, Snipes applauded his late father-in-law for leading South Korea "to the forefront of cultural history" and pushing the country forward as "a great powerhouse that created the Korean cultural wave

TelevisionJuly 21, 2020

‘Open Theater 2020’ to run ‘health check’ on drama scene

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced its plans for the “Open Theater 2020” project, aiming to invigorate the theater scene. Instead of presenting a large number of plays, the project will run a diagnostic test on the current state of the country’s drama scene. “Open Theater 2020” will consist of 14 programs -- including seminars, talks and workshops -- all focused on creating a healthier theater scene. The project worth 2.1 billion won ($1.74 mi

PerformanceJuly 20, 2020

National Museum of Korea to reopen with largest exhibition of state-designated treasures

The National Museum of Korea is reopening on Wednesday with its largest-ever exhibition of national treasures. The Cultural Heritage Administration and the National Museum of Korea have jointly organized “The New National Treasures of Korea” running through Sept. 27, showcasing cultural artifacts that were designated as treasures and National Treasures from 2017 to 2019. Online streaming of the exhibition will kick off on Tuesday, as originally planned before Sunday’s announ

CultureJuly 20, 2020

Lotte Museum of Art to host first major exhibition of Jean-Michel Basquiat in Seoul

South Korea‘s largest-ever exhibition of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat -- the American contemporary artist known for his rebellious style -– will open in October at the Lotte Museum of Art in Songpa district, southeastern Seoul. Titled “Royalty, Heroism and the Streets,” the exhibition will showcase 150 paintings, sculptures and drawings made by Basquiat and run from Oct. 8 to Feb 7, 2021. Basquiat was the first African American artist to establish a reputation in the

Arts & DesignJuly 20, 2020

‘Peninsula’ leads Asian box office upon release

“Peninsula” -- a loose sequel to smash-hit zombie flick “Train to Busan” -- topped box office charts in all four countries where it opened over the last five days. The film swept through box offices in Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia, according to the film’s distributor Next Entertainment World on Monday, bringing moviegoers back into local cinemas and reviving the COVID19-hit film scene. “Peninsula” has sold more than 1.8 million tickets in Ko

FilmJuly 20, 2020

How romance is changing in dramas, disappointing viewers

Romantic relationships of young Koreans are changing fast, and marriage -- once considered the destination point of a successful relationship -- is no longer a must, and television dramas are quickly picking up on the trend. Terrestrial broadcaster KBS began airing rom-com “Men are Men” this month, centered on the story of a woman in her 30s, Seo Hyun-joo, who declares “marriage to oneself” three times in her life in the first episode. While producer Choi Yoon-suk said

TelevisionJuly 20, 2020

[Graphic News] Exports of cultural goods top $10b on games, character IP

　South Korea’s annual exports of cultural goods exceeded $10 billion won for the first time in 2019, led by gains in the games and character intellectual property sectors, a government report showed. 　The estimate of combined overseas exports of some 2,500 firms in 11 culture and entertainment sectors last year reached $10.4 billion, up 8.1 percent from 2018, according to the annual content industry statistics produced jointly by the Culture Ministry and its affiliated Korea Creative

CultureJuly 20, 2020

S. Korean soprano Sumi Jo wins art award in Italy

Grammy Award-winning South Korean soprano Sumi Jo has won an award in Italy's global film and music festival, according to the singer on Sunday. Sumi Jo has received the art award in the music division of the 2020 Ischia Global Film and Music Festival for her contribution to the film industry and efforts to help cope with the new coronavirus outbreak, according to Jo. This month, Jo put out a new single album titled "Life is a Miracle" in Italy, paying tribute to the victims of COVI

PerformanceJuly 19, 2020