Media artwork with traditional Korean themes greet arrivals at Incheon Airport

Making an impression on people who have just stepped off their planes are works of media art with traditional Korean cultural elements newly installed at the arrivals hall of Terminal 1 at Incheon Airport. Eight pieces of media art -- three works in the form of media walls, four kinetic artworks and one transparent LED display -- have been installed in the area between the arrival gates and immigration checkpoint, according to the National Palace Museum of Korea on Monday. The three media wa

March 29, 2021

Tongyeong music fest opens after year off amid pandemic

The Tongyeong International Music Festival (TIMF), an annual classical music gala, kicked off on Friday, a year after the annual event was canceled due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. The 2021 festival will run through April 4 in Tongyeong, on the southern coast, presenting 23 classical concerts and performances under the theme "Changing Reality." Organizers canceled last year's event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there has been no let-up in new virus cases, they decided

March 26, 2021

Culture Minister Hwang suggests game theme park as way to promote Korean gaming industry

Meeting with game industry leaders for the first time since assuming office in February, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Hwang Hee said the government was keen on promoting the game industry. “As the Korean economy transitions to non-face-to-face and digital, the gaming industry is showing promise. Games are not only growing in an economical aspect, but are becoming a widespread cultural leisure activity for Koreans,” said Hwang on Monday in his opening remarks before a roundt

March 23, 2021

[Video] Redefining residential spaces in Seoul

A densely populated city, but also individualistic. Huge skyscrapers and state-of-the-art facilities coexisting with old-fashioned street corners. If one asks residents living in Seoul to picture the city, these are a few of the most common answers. The old and new seem to fit harmoniously together in the city, but even greater value is hidden underneath the bustling city when an architect views the landscape. Architect Kim Young-soo is CEO of More Less Architects. Between carrying out projec

March 23, 2021

[Photo News] Beauty beams in the South Sea

Hallyeohaesang National Marine Park, located in South Gyeongsang Province, is known as one of the most beautiful places in Korea for its captivating scenery.  Along the trail, the ocean water shines like an emerald and various small islands scattered all around are visible to the naked eye.　 Hikers, relieved to finally reach the top of Mount Geumsan, admire the beauty of the South Sea from afar. Vibrant colors fill the scene as the sun sets, making the landscape look even more like a pai

March 20, 2021

Online Korea-UAE Festival to kick off on March 31

South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Culture and Youth will hold the online Korea-UAE Festival from March 31 to April 2. In November 2019, South Korea’s Culture Ministry and the UAE Ministry of Culture and Youth held a special meeting during the UNESCO Forum of Ministers of Culture to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. During this meeting, the two countries’ Culture Ministries a

March 20, 2021

[Herald Interview] Erick Oh hopes for Oscar nomination for short animation ‘Opera’

The highly anticipated “Minari” isn’t the only film to watch out for as the announcement of Oscar nominations draws near. Korean director Erick Oh’s “Opera” could also be in the running for best short animation. As Oh awaits the announcement of Oscar nominations on Monday, he shared the creation story behind the film and his journey as an animation director. His unconventional film “Opera,” which won him the Minister’s Award at the 2020 Ko

March 12, 2021

LUXURY TRENDS POST-PANDEMIC

Chairman of Bluebell Korea Daniel Mayran gives a presentation titled “Future of luxury: Post-covid retail trends” during a forum held by the Corea Image Communication Institute on Tuesday at the residence of the Kuwaiti Ambassador Bader Mohammad al-Awadi. Some 20 foreign envoys and opinion leaders, including French Ambassador Philippe Lefort, Egyptian Ambassador Hazem Fahmy, Moroccan Ambassador Chafik Rachadi, Smart Study co-founder Ryan Lee, L‘Oreal Korea President Christian M

March 12, 2021

Busan to host G-Star through 2028

The Korea Association of Games Industry announced on Monday that Busan will continue to host the G-Star gaming exhibition until 2028. G-star is the country’s largest gaming exhibition held annually in November featuring games and developers from around the globe. After kicking off in Seoul in 2005, it relocated to Busan in 2009 and has been held at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center ever since. Previously, K-Games decided the G-Star venue for the upcoming two years and allowed a

March 9, 2021

University of Sheffield students learn Korean with BTS

The Korea Foundation on Thursday said the University of Sheffield in the UK had started an online class using “Learn! Korean with BTS” as its textbook on Feb. 10. This is the first Korean e-lecture series using BTS textbooks launched in the UK. In August last year, the Korea Foundation, K-pop powerhouse Big Hit Entertainment’s education business unit Big Hit Edu and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies joined forces to develop and provide Korean-language learning programs. Th

March 6, 2021

K-pop online concert studio to open at Olympic Park in October

Olympic Park K-Art hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul, will be turned into a venue for online K-pop concerts, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Wednesday. The new studio is scheduled to launch in October. “Contactless online concerts are not an alternative for face-to-face performances. It is a new kind of cultural content. How to create global and differentiated content by combining offline performance and advanced technology is crucial for the development of the future content in

March 3, 2021

KOCCA to plow W14.66b into video content creation

The Korea Creative Content Agency and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Tuesday announced a budget of 14.66 billion won ($13 million) to support the local video content industry. The budget, which was increased by around 3 billion won in total compared to last year. The conventional broadcast sector will receive 4.5 billion won in funding. A new subcategory for documentary series has been made this year under this sector. In the short-form sector, 2.15 billion won has been allot

March 2, 2021

[Feature] Ticketing woes plague live performances

As soon as tickets for the Seoul concerts featuring the 10 finalists of the popular audition show “Sing Again’ became available on Feb. 15, over 130,000 people clicked frantically to purchase a ticket. Interpark, the ticketing website, crashed momentarily and within 10 minutes of going on sale, all three days of shows were completely sold out. The audition program was filmed without an audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making the upcoming concerts the first chance for fans to

March 2, 2021

New Culture Minister stresses cultural infrastructure development

Culture Minister Hwang Hee on Thursday said it is important to inject money into developing cultural infrastructure here during a press conference. He raised putting money into renovating 266 local cultural and arts centers, which are currently only being used for small local events or holding training sessions for reserve forces, into a place that artists can actually perform as one of the example projects the ministry is reviewing. “Currently it is difficult to present any performanc

Feb. 25, 2021

KOCCA to invest W22.4b in Korean games

The Korea Creative Content Agency announced a budget of 22.4 billion won ($20 million) to promote the local games industry and produce global game content. The budget, which is a significant increase from last year's 14.7 billion won last year, will be used to fund four different sectors -- general games, functional games, new technology-based games and new market-creating games. The total number of projects to receive funding also increased to 66, from 46 last year.   Of the 22.4 billion

Feb. 24, 2021

Afreeca user apologizes for derogatory content shot in Brazil

Broadcaster Sijosae on livestreaming platform Afreeca apologized in the early hours of Wednesday for videos he uploaded during his trip in Brazil earlier this month. Videos of Sijosae’s trip stoked controversy as Sijosae presented a Brazilian favela in a derogatory light and commented on the appearance of women walking in front of him. He also was criticized for walking around without properly wearing a mask. Brazil is among the countries that has been worst hit by COVID-19. The videos b

Feb. 24, 2021

[Feature] What it’s like to be a comedian YouTuber

With KBS’ “Gag Concert,” the last regular sketch comedy show on a terrestrial broadcaster, coming to an end last year after a 21-year run, and COVID-19 greatly limiting opportunities for onstage performances, last year saw numerous comedians rushing to start their own YouTube channels. “To be honest, it’s sad that many comedy programs have disappeared. ‘Gag Concert’ and ‘People Looking for a Laugh’ among others disappearing is the reason wh

Feb. 22, 2021

[Weekender] 60 is the new 40, literally

Kang, a 65-year-old resident of Gyeonggi Province, had an eye lift surgery three years ago to restore her vision and to give herself a younger appearance before she got any older. “I am very satisfied with the surgery because it made me look younger and more lively. I strongly recommend that my friends get the operation if they want to,” Kang said. “I also have a friend who recently got a face lift surgery to look younger.” Kang and her friend are among the growing num

Feb. 20, 2021

[Newsmaker] SmartStudy CFO shares knowhows behind Baby Shark’s global success

Korean startup SmartStudy co-founder and CFO Lee Seung-gyu on Thursday shared the secrets behind its character Baby Shark’s global success during an event held by Corea Image Communication Institute at the residence of the New Zealand ambassador. SmartStudy is known for its popular animated characters Pinkfong and Baby Shark. Its YouTube channel has more than 8.92 million subscribers. On Nov 2 last year, the Korean startup’s English version of the “Baby Shark Dance” vi

Feb. 19, 2021

Shor in Seoul: The rise of an unusual composer

Composer Alexey Shor may be considered an enigma of sorts, a composer whose relatively late emergence onto the landscape of classical music has been marked by performances of his works at some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls and by renowned artists from across the world. This year will see further performances of Shor’s works in locations around the world. Described as neo-romantic and neo-classical, Shor’s works present a penchant for traditional harmony and co

Feb. 18, 2021