S. Korean cinema chains remain in slump in Q2 amid COVID-19

South Korean cinema chain operators remained in a slump in the second quarter of 2021 but found a glimmer of hope for a rebound amid the protracted novel coronavirus pandemic, financial data showed Tuesday. CJ CGV, the No. 1 multiplex operator under the wing of entertainment giant CJ Group, said its operating loss reached 57.3 billion won ($49.9 million) over the April-June period, narrowing from an operating deficit of 130.5 billion won a year ago. Its sales shot up 288 percent to 161.7 billi

FilmAug. 10, 2021

BTS song 'Butter' ranks No. 4 on Billboard Hot 100

South Korean superband BTS' Billboard-topping hit "Butter" came in at No. 4 on this week's Billboard main singles chart, slipping from last week's top spot. "BTS' "Butter" drops to No. 4 after nine weeks atop the Hot 100," Billboard said on its website on Monday (US time). "It posts a 10th week at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales (79,200, down 30%) and returns to its No. 20 high on Radio Songs (31.6 million, up 4%)," it added. The summery song had sat atop t

PerformanceAug. 10, 2021

‘Holiday Memories,’ exhibition of works by Spanish photographer Yosigo, brings beaches to Seoul

In yet another summer of COVID-19, many people are longing for the beautiful sight of the ocean, trips to the beach and a chance to swim in the sea. The scenery that so many of us miss can be found in Seoul in the work of Spanish photographer Yosigo. The exhibition “Photographs by Yosigo: Holiday Memories” has become one of the most popular exhibitions in Seoul since it opened in June, having gone viral among young people who can’t go to the beach. The exhibition is so popula

Arts & DesignAug. 10, 2021

Yim Kyeong-sook appointed head of Korean Food Promotion Institute

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs appointed Yim Kyeong-sook as the sixth president of the Korean Food Promotion Institute on Friday, the institute announced. Yim has served as a professor at Suwon University’s food and nutrition department since 1992. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 1980 from Seoul National University’s department of food and nutrition. She went on to earn a master’s degree and a doctorate at the same school. Yim will continue in

CultureAug. 9, 2021

Rookie artist Lee Mu-jin emerges as new powerhouse in Korean music chart

Rookie singer-songwriter Lee Mu-jin has topped the country’s biggest streaming platform Melon with his digital single “Traffic Light,” which was released in early May. “Traffic Light,” written and composed by Lee, sits atop the 24 hits and daily chart beating out other hit songs such as MSG Wannabe’s “Foolish Love,” Aespa’s “Next Level” and BTS’ latest single “Permission to Dance.” Unlike most chart-topping so

PerformanceAug. 9, 2021

Freewheeling Seoul book club spurs global insights, stories

In 2015, two bookworms from the US working as English language instructors in Korea, opened Itaewon Book Club in Seoul, hoping it would be a space to share their thoughts on their latest reads. Six years on, the book club is still going strong, with some 1,800 people from all over the world having trickled in and out over the years. As the book club’s name says, the usual gathering spot before the pandemic had been at one of the well-known pubs in Itaewon, central Seoul. However, the str

BooksAug. 9, 2021

Soprano Sumi Jo's mother dies at 85

Soprano Sumi Jo’s mother passed away Sunday, after a lengthy hospitalization. Kim Mal-sun, the mother of the celebrated soprano, had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for years, according to Jo‘s agency SMI Entertainment, which announced her passing. She was 85. Jo mentioned in multiple interviews that it was her mother who made her become a celebrated soprano. Kim -- who had once dreamt of becoming a soprano herself -- was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and T

PeopleAug. 8, 2021

Say Sue Me meets fans with ‘So Tender’

Indie rock band Say Sue Me's “So Tender” from the soundtrack of Korean drama series “Nevertheless” was released Saturday, according to JTBC Studio. The eighth track on the soundtrack, written and composed by the band, is sung entirely in English like most of the music from the band. Say Sue Me is a surf rock-inspired band from Busan with four members -- vocalist Choi Sumi, guitarist Kim Byung-kyu, bassist Kim Jae-young and drummer Lim Sung-wan. The band debuted formall

PerformanceAug. 8, 2021

Hwang Jung-min returns as abductee in ‘Hostage: Missing Celebrity’

For veteran actor Hwang Jung-min, playing a character who shares his name in the upcoming movie “Hostage: Missing Celebrity” was huge challenge. “When I was asked to play Hwang Jung-min, I was concerned with how I should act in the movie, because I had never experienced being kidnapped before and was not able to imagine how I would behave if I was really abducted,” Hwang said during an online interview after the press preview on Thursday. Director Pil Gam-seong’s

FilmAug. 8, 2021

City in the mountains is a classical music sanctuary

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- With cool breezes signaling the imminent arrival of fall, the 18th Music in PyeongChang closed Saturday, wrapping up its 11-day run. While Seoul had been baking in scorching heat for the past few weeks, the air in PyeongChang, a mountain city located some 700-meters above sea level, was cool and refreshing. This summer edition of the music festival kicked off on July 28 featuring a total of 15 performances. On Friday, the Alpensia Concert Hall was filled wit

PerformanceAug. 8, 2021

[Weekender] Gotjawal: The mysterious forest that keeps dying to survive

South Korea’s Jejudo, an oval shaped island located in the Korea Strait between Korea and Japan, is teeming with life. Formed through an underwater volcanic eruption some 1.8 million years ago, basalt shaped and covered the land, with Hallasan standing at its core. Yet death pays a crucial role to the island’s survival. English writer Virginia Woolf’s observation on life and death in humans also applies to mother nature: “Someone has to die in order that the rest of us s

TravelAug. 7, 2021

[Photo News] The summer sea of Jeju

Under the beaming sunlight, the coast of Geumneung-ri, Hallim-eup, Jeju Island seems to glow a turquoise blue. In the summer, colorful beach parasols dot the beaches of the island as visitors frolic in the cool, clear waters.  On cloudless days, the blue-green sea blends into the horizon, making for a scenic ocean view. (Photos: Yonhap)

TravelAug. 7, 2021

Art Center Nabi, Kansong Foundation launches heritage NFT project

Art Center Nabi has launched a project combining cultural heritage and NFTs -- “me.Duck” -- with the Kansong Art and Culture Foundation in efforts to expand NFTs to the cultural heritage realm. “We will initiate the NFT-based cultural project with an aim to preserve the value of cultural heritage and to show respect to Kansong Jeon Hyeong-pil, the founder of the Kansong Art and Culture Foundation,” the art center said in a press release. The Kansong Art and Culture Fo

Arts & DesignAug. 7, 2021

Three Paik Nam-june masterpieces to find new home in Ulsan

Three masterpieces by video art pioneer Paik Nam-june -- “Turtle,” “Sistine Chapel” and “Forest of Cage-Revolution of the Forest” -- will find a new home at the Ulsan Museum of Art in the southeastern port city. The three pieces will become part of the core collection at the museum, which is under construction and will open to the public in December. “The masterpieces are from different owners. They will be showcased at the museum’s inaugural e

Arts & DesignAug. 7, 2021

Culture Ministry commits W115b to employ 2,000 workers in performing arts

To support workers in the performing arts sector, including performing artists who are experiencing hardship as a result of the lingering pandemic, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will spend 115 billion won ($100.6 million) in the form of an extra budget to employ some 2,000 individuals, the ministry announced Friday. It is the second supplementary budget this year that the ministry has allotted for employment in the performing arts. The ministry approved extra budget expenditures

CultureAug. 6, 2021

Obama to talk about personal life story on 1st Korean TV appearance

Former US President Barack Obama will make his first appearance as a guest of a South Korean television program on Friday to share his personal life story, a local cable channel said. According to tvN, a cable channel specialized in entertainment, Obama will connect to the channel's late night "Monthly Connect" show as a guest later in the day. The monthly show invites world-class leaders of various fields to impart their knowledge and experiences. Previously, Michael Sandel, a Harva

TelevisionAug. 6, 2021

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Escape from Mogadishu (Korea) Opened July 28 Action, Drama Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan Set in 1991 Somalia, South Korean Ambassador to Somalia Han Shin-sung (Kim Yoon-seok) and National Security Planning Agency agent Kang Dae-jin (Jo In-sung) are competing against North Korean Ambassador (Heo Jun-ho) for South Korea’s membership in the United Nations. When a civil war breaks out in the African country, South and North Korean diplomats have to cooperate to escape the country together. Th

FilmAug. 6, 2021

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Yeondong Grape Festival The Yeongdong Grape Fesitval will take place online, due to the extended COVID-19 pandemic, and is scheduled to run for 30 days starting Aug. 17. Originally offering various programs, including picking, eating and stepping on the grapes and making different products, including wine and chocolate, the festival this year will only hold live commerce events selling grapes. Sponsored by Yeongdong in North Chungcheong Province, the festival seeks to promote both Yeongdong g

TravelAug. 6, 2021

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Josun Palace Hotel in Seoul Gangnam offers Bentley rides Josun Palace Hotel in Seoul Gangnam has launched a “Summer in the Royal Palace” package for families and couples with a chance to ride a Bentely and enjoy a private vacation at one of the hotel’s luxury suites. The Bentley cars are randomly chosen from three different models -- Bentayaga, Flying Spur, and Continental GT -- and can be used for up to five hours during the two-night stay. Prices range from 1.6 million to 1

TravelAug. 6, 2021

Olympic athletes most sought after TV guests

As the Tokyo Olympics come to an end this week, South Korea’s Olympic stars are setting off on their victory tours meeting the public not at sports arenas, but on TV and radio shows.　 Triple Olympic gold medalist archer An San, one of the athletes most in the news during her time in Tokyo, appeared on MBC’s radio show “Pyo Chang-won’s News High Kick,” on Wednesday. On the live radio show, An shared her experience at the Tokyo Games and her childhood stories.　 Tw

TelevisionAug. 5, 2021