Author Cheon Seon-ran explains her preference for stage adaptations of 'A Thousand Blues'

“A Thousand Blues,” a science fiction novel by young writer Cheon Seon-ran, has been reborn as not one but two different stage performances just less than one month apart. Cheon, 31, had received offers for the adaptation of her award-winning novel, but she had rejected turning it into a movie or drama for a reason. “The aspect that I was most worried about, if ‘A Thousand Blues’ were adapted into a drama or movie, was the use of animals. For a movie or drama, it se

April 21, 2024

[Herald Interview] Lim Yunchan: Chopin album feels like long-awaited eruption

When practicing for the recording of his first solo album, "Chopin Etudes," which was released internationally on April 19, Lim Yunchan, the youngest winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022, paid meticulous attention to each note. He would assess whether they could strike his heart, sometimes spending several hours to perfect just two measures. “When you press the first note, if it doesn't strike your heart, then it's not practice, right? So,

April 19, 2024

[From the Scene] Monks, Buddhists hail return of remains of Buddhas

A group of senior South Korean Buddhist monks entered the Memorial Hall of Korean Buddhism History and Culture in Seoul one by one on Friday, the tranquil mood interrupted only by the sounds of the camera crews that had come to record the event. The solemn ceremony, presided by the Ven. Jinwoo, president of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Korea’s largest Buddhist sect, highlighted why the gathering mattered so much. The monks and Buddhist followers took turns studying the cremated re

April 19, 2024

[Well-curated] Life in miniature, spaces in time

Life in miniature Miniatures, or tiny meticulous artworks, are intuitive. No one has to be schooled about the way they should be looked at or studied. And that only puts added pressure on the artist to create a message navigating analogies and twists, without losing anyone in the process. Tatsuya Tanaka is a Japanese artist doing just that. At the IFC Mall in Seoul, the exhibit “Miniature Life” showcases over 200 miniatures spanning seven themes, including home, life and the world.

April 19, 2024

With 10-year-old classic festival as catalyst, Gyechon evolves into art village

When the Gyechon Music Festival was being considered over a decade ago, residents of the village Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, expressed a preference for popular music genres like trot, rather than classical music -- or at least a mix of the two. Ten years on, no one is talking about a pop music festival. Rather, the village hopes to solidify its identity as an art village, with the rare outdoor classic music festival as the catalyst, according to Lee Dong-yeun, director of the festival and p

April 17, 2024

Verdi's 'La Traviata' embraces time, beauty of Korea in early 20th century

Gyeongseong, as present-day Seoul was called during the Japanese colonial rule of Korea from 1910 to 1945, is the background of many popular TV shows, including “Mr. Sunshine" (2018) and “Gyeongseong Creature" (2023), or even in the musical “Il Tenoro" (2023). While watching “Mr. Sunshine,” the head and artistic director of the Seoul Metropolitan Opera, Park Hye-jin, envisioned Verdi’s opera “La Traviata” set in 1900s to 1930s Korea

April 17, 2024

King Sejong Institute to continue digital innovation for Hangeul learners

Amid heightened interest in Hangeul, the King Sejong Institute, which is at the forefront of Korean-language education abroad, saw a surge in the number of students last year, according to the King Sejong Institute on Friday. The number of online students rose 44 percent to about 88,000 last year. Including some 128,000 offline students, the King Sejong Institute now serves well more than 200,000 Korean-language students. “This shows digital innovation for the King Sejong Institute is very

April 15, 2024

Goryeo relics to come home, finally

South Korean Buddhist monks will bring back long-sought 14th-century Buddhist relics from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, following a transfer ceremony there Tuesday. The event is the latest highlight from a deal struck in February in which the museum agreed to “donate” the sarira, or bead-shaped objects found among cremated remains of Buddhist masters. The agreement between the museum and a delegation of Cultural Heritage Administration officials and monks from the Jogye Order of K

April 15, 2024

Buddhist Lantern Festival gets younger

Outreach to the young will be the focus of this year’s Buddhist Lantern Festival in Seoul, which starts Wednesday in the run-up to Buddha’s Birthday on May 15. The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the organizer of the annual festival, is betting big on an electronic dance music performance by the Ven. New Jean, a comedian who gained a following after he delivered Buddhist verses to EDM at last year’s event. The name, meaning a “fresh move forward,” is a wordplay on t

April 14, 2024

[Weekender] How young Koreans find peace of mind in pet stones

Some perhaps remember a stone slab from director Bong Joon-ho’s Academy Award-winning film “Parasite,” which Ki-woo, one of the main characters, holds onto throughout the film. In the film, his friend Min-hyuk delivers the stone, stolen from his grandfather’s collection, telling Ki-woo the stone will bring wealth to his family. The stone, which is known as "suseok" or scholar’s rock here, is a collectible item that was prominent among scholars during the J

April 13, 2024

[Well-curated] Late bloomers

Enjoy last-minute cherry blossoms with less crowding With the arrival of spring in earnest in the last week or so, popular cherry blossom destinations in Seoul like Yeouido and Seokchon Lake have been packed with people day and night. If you wish to enjoy last-minute cherry blossoms this weekend with fewer people around, try the Seongnae Stream section of the Songpa Trail -- widely known as Seongnaecheonduk-gil --before the delicate pink and white petals drop off. Seongnaecheonduk-gil is a cause

April 12, 2024

Changdeokgung tree tours in English available

Free guided tours exploring the flora of Changdeokgung will be conducted in English on Wednesday and Thursday mornings from April 17 to June 28, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Thursday. The first 20 people to make it to Donhwamun, the palace’s main gate, before tours start at 10:30 a.m. will be allowed to join the tour group upon presenting the 3,000 won admission ticket. The same tour of the only palace in Seoul of the Joseon-era (1392-1910) inscribed on the UNESCO World Herita

April 11, 2024

Attempt to set fire to UNESCO-listed palace prompts calls for action

The disclosure by police of an ongoing investigation of a man charged with attempting to set fire to a UNESCO-listed palace in Seoul has put fresh pressure on officials to roll out measures to protect heritage sites. According to police on Wednesday, the man, whose identity is being withheld, allegedly last month tried to set fire to a door at Changdeokgung’s Daejo Hall -- the queen’s quarters at Changdeokgung, one of the five Joseon-era (1392-1910) palaces. Changdeokgung is the only

April 10, 2024

[Herald Interview] Son Yeol-eom and Svetlin Roussev perfect couple for 'Love Music'

In terms of personalities, celebrated Korean pianist Son Yeol-eum and Bulgarian violinist Svetlin Roussev are polar opposites. Son, an introvert who loves solitude, prefers not to engage in frequent phone conversations. She typically spends less than an hour on personal calls. Roussev, on the other hand, is an extrovert who loves to connect with people and enjoys spending time outside. He easily spends an hour on the phone. “He’s so energetic. Nothing matches outside of music,”

April 10, 2024

Man arrested for attempted arson at Changdeokgung

A man in his 50s, suspected of trying to set fire to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed palace Changdeokgung, has been apprehended by law enforcement. On Tuesday, the Hyehwa Police Station reported it is investigating a man who is believed to have tried to set a fire at Changdeokgung in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on March 23 at approximately 6 p.m. Police are looking into the incident involving the man who purportedly attempted to ignite a fire using a lighter. According to local authorities, during the la

April 9, 2024

[Herald Interview] With musical 'Il Tenore,' Seo Kyung-su 'couldn't be happier'

The strong and positive audience reaction to the new musical, "Il Tenore," has led to a rerun just a month after the two month-long premiere concluded on Feb. 25. Additionally, the musical led Seo Kyung-su, who plays the lead role of Yun I-seon, a medical student with a passion for classical singing, against the backdrop of 1920s Korea during the Japanese colonial occupation, to volunteer to do an interview. Seo alternates the role with two other top actors, Hong Kwang-ho and Park Eun-

April 9, 2024

Oscar-nominated animation director Erick Oh to hold exhibition on Jeju

Multimedia artworks by acclaimed California-based, Korean animation director Erick Oh will be exhibited on Jeju Island starting April 25. According to his agency, Beasts And Natives Alike, a large-scale media art exhibition titled "O: an Erick Oh Retrospective" will be held at the House of Refuge, a multicultural space located in Aewol-eup, Jeju Island. The exhibition will showcase media artworks from Oh's critically acclaimed animation works such as “Opera" and "O

April 9, 2024

[Herald Interview] 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' countertenors aim to win over Verdi, Puccini, Wagner fans

When "A Midsummer Night's Dream," an opera adapted by Benjamin Britten, premieres in South Korea later this week in a production by the Korea National Opera, it will represent two rarities here. An opera with a libretto from William Shakespeare's play of the same title, it will stand out as a rare English-language opera in a country where the works of Verdi, Wagner and Puccini are beloved. Additionally, the opera is one of very few to include countertenors in the leading role

April 8, 2024

Beha Philharmonic celebrates 10th anniversary with concert

The Beha Philharmonic Orchestra will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a concert on April 12 at the Lotte Concert Hall. Conducted by Kim Bong-mi, the first part of the concert will feature vocal performances by three tenors and the second part will have an orchestral performance. Three tenors Jin Sung-won, Kim Dong-won and Lee Dong-myong will together perform ,"” a tenor aria from Verdi's opera "Il Trovatore" and “Nessun dorma” from Puccini's oper

April 8, 2024

[Weekender] Jeju commemorates its deepest scar

The home of the late Jin A-young sits overlooking the rocky shores at Weolryeong-ri 381, Hanrib-eup in Jeju City, in the west of Jeju Island. The unassuming house, preserved in almost the exact state as it was when Jin died on Sept. 8, 2004, at the age of 90, is about the only earthly remnant of her life, torn apart by the massacres that took place there over half a century ago. On a table in her home was a dust-covered pack of antacids, one of her daily necessities. Jin had suffered from chro

April 6, 2024