[Better Together] Where anyone who loves LG Twins is welcome

Kim Yong-ki, a passionate, 31-year-old LG Twins fan who has been heading to Jamsil Baseball Stadium -- the home turf for the Twins -- in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul, every baseball season since 2011, started watching baseball games with total strangers in 2023. He knew nothing about them, but that was not a problem as long as they were LG Twins fans. “‘LG Eopsineun Motsara’ -- meaning ‘No LG, no life’ in Korean -- is a live baseball game-watching crew whose member

June 1, 2024

Filmmaker Park Chan-wook among winners of inaugural Musan Cultural Awards

The Manhae Musan Foundation held the inaugural Musan Cultural Awards ceremony Friday at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan, presenting prizes to three winners -- acclaimed filmmaker Park Chan-wook in the arts category, poet Moon Tae-jun in the literature category and the Sisters of the Little Flower of Jesus in the social-cultural category. The Musan Cultural Awards was established in honor of the late poet Cho Oh-hyun, to promote his artistic spirit and dedication to mutual prosperity and harmony

May 31, 2024

Ador CEO Min offers to reconcile with Hybe

Ador CEO Min Hee-jin said Friday that she was willing to settle the ongoing dispute and find common ground with Hybe, the parent company of Ador, for the interest of the label and its popular K-pop group NewJeans. “I hope we (Hybe and Min) meet halfway. We have (NewJeans’) Tokyo Dome concert coming up in June and a world tour next year. I don’t want all these opportunities to disappear on account of this issue,” Min said during a press conference in Seoul on Friday. &ldqu

May 31, 2024

[Well-curated] Fruity gelato, palace library and cat exhibition

Gnocchi Bar turns into summer fruit market Gnocchi Bar, a restaurant specializing in gnocchi in Hannam-dong, central Seoul that opened in 2018, has introduced a new seasonal menu, turning the store into a summer fruit market. Under the new theme, the restaurant is decorated with lemons, oranges, dragon fruit and pottery. The new menu includes light brunch choices including: strawberry burrata salad, corn basil soup, sweet potato gnocchi and gno-bokki, which is gnocchi served like tteokbokki. The

May 31, 2024

SM founder Lee Soo-man urges K-pop industry's quick adoption of AI, blockchain technology

K-pop pioneer Lee Soo-man urged a speedy adoption of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology to strengthen the competitiveness of the cultural content business and maximize economic efficiency in the global music industry, Thursday. “I am a believer in AI chatbots. AI and chatbot technologies are changing how creators and consumers communicate at the speed of light. AI will help K-pop connect with its fans around the world. It’s a convergence of culture and technology tha

May 30, 2024

Hybe chairman meets UAE president to discuss possible K-pop business in Middle East

  Hybe Chairman Bang Si-hyuk on Tuesday met with United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in South Korea on a two-day state visit, to discuss possible cooperation in K-pop ventures. While the details of the discussion have not been disclosed, Bang has reportedly shared his ideas of expanding K-pop's presence in the UAE, particularly by holding the entertainment company’s “The City” project in the country. "The City" project is a citywide festiv

May 29, 2024

G-Dragon to deliver speech at 2024 Innovate Korea forum

K-pop singer G-Dragon of Big Bang will give a speech at the 2024 Innovate Korea forum, a science and technology festival jointly hosted by Herald Corporation, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the National Research Council of Science and Technology, at KAIST’s campus in Daejeon, June 3. G-Dragon will share his ideas and thoughts on the combination of K-pop and artificial intelligence during the panel discussion with KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyung and Galaxy Co

May 28, 2024

Government adopts new strategy to boost national image

The South Korean government is adopting a new four-year plan aimed at enhancing Korea's perception abroad. The comprehensive plan considers the rapid advances in digital technology as well as the country's world standing, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Tuesday. The ministry will implement three major strategies with 11 key initiatives from 2024 to 2027. Central to these strategies is the integration of messages directed overseas, making Korea-related informatio

May 28, 2024

National music groups to bring Korean opera 'Tcheo Yong' to Europe in June

The Korea National Opera, together with the Korean National Symphony Orchestra and the National Chorus of Korea, will embark on their first joint international tour to showcase the Korean opera “Tcheo Yong.” The three national music organizations will bring the opera to Paris, Germany and Austria in June in the form of a concert opera, featuring selected major scenes such as "A Warning : The Song of Lamentation for the Kingdom" from Act 1 and "The Song of the Buddhis

May 27, 2024

Free Pansori workshop seeks foreign participants

A free pansori workshop invites foreign residents in Seoul to immerse themselves in the traditional Korean art of the narrative singing art. Titled the 2024 Ojakgyo Bridge Project: Today’s Small Pansori Class, it is part of Seoul Municipal City’s initiative to support the discovery and succession of traditional culture and organized by the World Pansori Association. In addition to providing educational value, the project aims to foster cultural exchange and deeper understanding of Ko

May 27, 2024

[Around the hotels] Promotions and packages

The Plaza celebrates ‘Family Month’ with kids program Hanwha Resorts' The Plaza, located in Jung-gu, central Seoul, will offer a new program for children, “Happy Kid’s Moment,” through June 9. The upcoming promotion includes a one-night stay in either a deluxe room or premier suite, a coloring book and colored pencil set, paper toys and desserts from Boulangerie, the hotel's bakery and cafe. Priced from 360,000 won, the package can be reserved until June 7

May 24, 2024

[Well-curated] Explore aquatic life, Nordic art, world food

Explore Play Aquarium Bucheon Feast your eyes on colorful fish and remarkable marine life at Play Aquarium Bucheon in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. Though Play Aquarium Bucheon is not as big as the country’s better-known aquariums -- Lotte Aquarium and Coex Aquarium -- it still has everything there is to satisfy young visitors by showing them exciting sea creatures up close. The aquarium greets its visitors with a wide range of fish tanks that house various fish species from around the world

May 24, 2024

Culture Ministry unveils streamlined policies to support Hallyu

South Korea boasts talented content creators, but despite the increasing demand for Korean cultural products, policy measures have proven ineffective. This was the assessment made by the Culture Ministry, which established the International Cultural Affairs and Public Relations Office in February to enhance Korea's cultural presence and influence on the global stage, ensuring that the country's cultural policies and initiatives are on par with its growing global cultural footprint. On

May 23, 2024

NewJeans headlines Korea On Stage festival, no mention of ongoing feud

The popular K-pop girl band NewJeans of Ador, a sublabel under Hybe, kept their silence on the ongoing dispute between their CEO Min Hee-jin and the parent company, at the 2024 Visit Korea Heritage Campaign & Korea On Stage in Seoul on Tuesday. It was the group’s first appearance on the public stage since the feud erupted last month. Group member Danielle, who hosted the event, also did not mention anything about the controversy throughout the 90-minute event. The youngest member, Hy

May 22, 2024

Illit’s agency sues Ador CEO Min Hee-jin for defamation

Belift Lab, a K-pop agency home to a rookie girl band Illit and a sister subsidiary to Ador under Hybe, sued Ador CEO Min Hee-jin for obstruction of business and defamation, the company said Wednesday in a statement. Min has been arguing that Illit had plagiarized NewJean’s style shortly after Illit's debut in March. It is the first time Belift Lab spoke out regarding the ongoing feud. Hybe had been speaking in place of Belift Lab when addressing Min’s allegations until now. Bel

May 22, 2024

Korean National Opera to premier Korngold's 'Die tote Stadt'

The Korean National Opera is set to premier "Die tote Stadt" at the Opera Theater of the Seoul Arts Center from Thursday to Sunday. Based on Georges Rodenbach's novel "Bruges-la-Morte," the opera was composed by Erich Korngold at the age of 23 and premiered in 1920. The KNO explained the Korean premiere of "Die tote Stadt" is known for its extreme difficulty, demanding high notes and stamina from singers. The role of Paul requires sustained singing with high B

May 22, 2024

SM, Hybe’s investment in game business still questioned

Hybe and SM Entertainment have revealed their plans to launch new game content using K-pop bands’ intellectual property (IP) this year, but questions are still being raised over the games' chances of success. SM Entertainment said last month it is developing a mobile phone game tentatively titled “SM Game Station” in collaboration with Kakao Games, which will be available to the public in the second half of this year. A local game developer Com2us is also set to release a

May 21, 2024

[Herald Interview] TikTok, K-pop are evolving together: TikTok exec

In the globalization of K-pop, TikTok has played a very large role. “People used to listen to music by playing CDs or tuning into the radio, and with the advent of MTV and YouTube, it became the era of watching music through video media such as music video," said You Kyung-cheol, head of TikTok’s artist and label partnership, artist services in Northeast Asia. "Then, TikTok ushered in an era where people don't just consume music passively but actively participate in it

May 21, 2024

Women in 50s take stage by storm in hit musical 'Spring, Again'

The musical “Spring, Again,” produced by the Seoul Metropolitan Musical Theatre, holds significant meaning for its actors, most of whom are women in midlife. It’s a rare production that features women in their 50s as its main characters. In developing the piece, the creative team observed their conversation during workshops and incorporated it into the work, making it a devised theater. As a result, the story is a familiar one to both the actors and the audience, the four actor

May 21, 2024

Sejong Center's Sync Next aims to attract new audiences

The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, one of the country’s best-known performing arts centers, is bringing back Sync Next 2024, the name for its program this summer, to contemplate the future of art and to “synchronize” with the audience, which is always “ahead.” “Art has always strived and transformed desperately to connect with its audience in every era. Artists have endured immense suffering to gain audiences, and art has continuously evolved to meet

May 20, 2024