[Herald Interview] Jeong Sun-ah reflects on return to stage after becoming a mom

Musical actor Jeong Sun-ah burst into tears as she was declared the best lead actor at the Korean Musical Awards on Jan. 15 for her performance in “If/then.” The award came after a turbulent two years for the actor, who recently became a mom, and harbored doubts over whether she could return to the stage. "Even as I get older, (and as I became a mom), I wanted to prove that with effort, it's possible to (improve),” Jeong, 39, told reporters during an interview on Jan.

Feb. 8, 2024

Concerts that will provide perfect sound for transitioning to spring

From Studio Ghibli's enchanting melodies to the Polish musical spirit embodied by Chopin's compositions, a series of captivating concerts will provide the perfect soundtrack to accompany the transition from the winter chill to spring warmth. On Feb. 14, two concerts will take place -- “one like an elaborate oil painting hung on a large wall, the other one like a modest watercolor decorating a corner of a room.” It was pianist Elizabeth Bright who made this analogy of an orc

Feb. 8, 2024

[Herald Interview] Cho Jung-eun portrays Fantine for last time

Cho Jung-eun, one of South Korea’s leading musical theater actors, said that her performance this year as Fantine in “Les Miserables” is likely to be the last time she plays the role. The 44-year-old actor has taken on the role three times since the show's Korean premier in 2013. After her second appearance in 2015, Cho is currently performing her third and final act as Fantine. “'Les Miserables' is not frequently performed, so I think this season, which is

Feb. 8, 2024

Easing financial burden, supporting K-culture among top priorities for Culture Ministry

Alleviating the financial burden of people's cultural and leisure activities, bolstering the creation of globally competitive cultural and artistic work and attracting 20 million inbound tourists are among the Culture Ministry’s policy priorities for 2024, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Tuesday. In addition, the ministry said it will supply a total of 17.4 trillion won ($13.07 billion) in policy financing this year, up 120 percent from 2023, to boost investment

Feb. 6, 2024

Goryeo reliquary to return to Korea in loan deal with US museum

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston will loan to South Korea a 14th-century Buddhist reliquary, following a deal reached Monday that marks a dramatic shift in the US museum’s position on the artifact over the last 15 years. A day of negotiations at the museum resulted in the Museum of Fine Arts donating the remains of Buddhist masters found after cremation, called “sarira,” while placing on loan the reliquary from the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) containing the sarira, according to th

Feb. 6, 2024

New Culture Ministry office takes over promotion of Korea from abolished KOCIS

The Culture Ministry launched Tuesday an office charged with promoting Korea overseas, taking over the duties of the affiliated agency for the last 53 years. The International Cultural Affairs and Public Relations Office will report to the first vice minister, and the two bureaus under the office will each be responsible for cultural affairs and public relations on the international stage. “Interagency efforts and coordinating policy on culture, sports and tourism are important to expandin

Feb. 6, 2024

With 'Breath,' soprano Park Hye-sang wants to say 'embrace your life while you live'

Park Hye-sang, the first Asian soprano to be signed by Deutsche Grammophon, on Friday released her second album, a project that has engaged her for more than two years. Park learned free diving for the album jacket -- she took photos underwater, symbolizing the theme of "breath." She also went on a pilgrimage to Santiago, Spain last year, walking every day for 25 days. "There wasn't a single day that I did not think about this album in the last 2 1/2 years. The album includ

Feb. 5, 2024

[Herald Interview] Adriana Tomeu's dream unfolds on the stage of 'Il Tenore'

Since Dec. 19, Adriana Tomeu, hailing from the US, has been taking the stage as Madame Becker in the musical “Il Tenore,” or the tenor in English. The musical about a medical student with a passion for classical singing set in 1920s Korea during the Japanese occupation had its world premiere in Seoul. "Il Tenore" marks Tomeu's return to the professional musical stage after almost a decade -- she had chosen a career in science over the musical theater career she had bee

Feb. 5, 2024

Conductor Hong Seok-won to lead Busan Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor Hong Seok-won has been appointed as the next artistic director of the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, according to the Busan city government last week. Hong, who is currently the artistic director of the Gwangju Symphony Orchestra, will begin his two-year term on July 1. He succeeds Choi Soo-yeol, whose term expired in December after six years. Hong previously led the Busan City Symphony Orchestra as a guest conductor in 2020 and 2023. Hong, a graduate of Seoul National University and th

Feb. 5, 2024

Claims reliquary was stolen will be reviewed if evidence given: museum

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston said it would review any claims of theft if such evidence is presented concerning a Buddhist reliquary that South Korea is looking to repatriate, ahead of talks over the issue Monday morning in the US. Karen Frascona, the museum’s marketing and communications director, told The Korea Herald that “there is nothing in its history to indicate theft, looting or coercive transfer.” Negotiations over the Buddhist relic from the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392

Feb. 4, 2024

1-year prison term sought for 'Squid Game' actor O Yeong-su on sexual abuse charges

Prosecutors on Friday sought a one-year prison sentence for O Yeong-su, the winner of a 2022 Golden Globe award for his role in "Squid Game," on charges of sexually harassing a woman in 2017. The 79-year-old O was indicted in November 2022 over allegations that he hugged a woman and kissed her on the cheek against her will between August and September in 2017 during his two-month tour to a regional area for a performance. In a hearing at the Seongnam branch of the Suwon District Court

Feb. 2, 2024

[Photo News] Winter Youth Olympics concludes with celebration of athletic feats

The fourth Winter Youth Olympics concluded in eastern South Korea on Thursday with a celebration of the feats accomplished by teenage athletes over the past two weeks. The closing ceremony began at 8 p.m. Thursday under the theme, "Shine Again" at the open plaza in front of Gangneung Hockey Centre in Gangneung. A highlight video of the 14-day competition was shown on the main screen, and rapper Lee Young-ji and dancing group 1Million performed for the athletes and spectators. The two-w

Feb. 2, 2024

[Well-curated] Tribute to Fu Bao, travel back to '70s Seoul and quiet haven in city

Enjoy Everland’s Bao Haus For precious few chances left to make a special memory with Fu Bao, the first panda to be born in Korea, pay a visit to Bao Haus. Everland -- South Korea’s largest theme park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province -- opened Bao Haus, a Fu Bao-themed exhibition, on Jan. 20, ahead of the scheduled departure of Korea's favorite panda in April. Fu Bao is due to return to her ancestral home China. The indoor exhibition is located at the center of Everland, presenting

Feb. 2, 2024

Tours of Korean historical sites to start in US

Free tours of the Old Korean Legation building in Washington will be offered to the public starting next week, aimed at raising awareness of the Korean historical site. The Cultural Heritage Administration said Thursday a shuttle bus will take participants from Washington, Virginia and Maryland to the building on Wednesdays and Saturdays during the second week of every month from February to November. The agency turned the legation into a museum in 2018 after acquiring it in 2012 to preserve it

Feb. 1, 2024

CHA chief hopes for ‘progress’ in repatriation of Buddhist relics

The chief of the Cultural Heritage Administration said Thursday he is looking to “make some progress” in the talks on the repatriation of Buddhist objects, at his scheduled meeting with officials from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Talks on the repatriation of a Goryeo-era (918-1392) Buddhist reliquary will resume in Boston on Monday amid waning expectations for a breakthrough. The museum has maintained that it can return only the sarira part from inside the reliquary, since the Bu

Feb. 1, 2024

Playlists reveal what inspired top classical musicians

Soviet-era pianist Vladimir Sofronitsky, who passed away 1961, has been brought back to the spotlight in South Korea recently thanks to playlists compiled by top musicians. The pianist is on the playlists of two star Korean pianists -- Cho Seong-jin and Lim Yun-chan -- unveiled on Apple Music Classical last week. In addition to Lim and Cho, another celebrated pianist, Son Yeol-eum, and composer and music director June Jae-il have partnered up with the stand-alone app dedicated to classical m

Jan. 31, 2024

Bangucheon petroglyphs proposed as UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Cultural Heritage Administration has turned in an application to add to UNESCO’s World Heritage Site petroglyphs or rock carvings at the stream Bangucheon in Ulsan, which date back to prehistoric times, the agency said Wednesday. Bangucheon encompasses a series of historical sites in Ulsan’s Ulju-gun, including the Cheonjeon-ri and Daegok-ri petroglyphs, both designated as national treasures. The Cheonjeon-ri petroglyphs, found about halfway down the stream Daegokcheon, are well

Jan. 31, 2024

CHA releases English report on ‘gwaebul’ Buddhist paintings

A research arm of the Cultural Heritage Administration published for the first time an English report on “gwaebul,” large paintings depicting Buddha preaching to his followers that are hung outside temples when rituals take place. Such paintings are rarely found in China and Japan, the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage said Tuesday, citing a project that has been studying gwaebul since 2015. A broader probe into Buddhist paintings took off in the mid-1970s, it added. T

Jan. 31, 2024

Yoon vows to do more to preserve Buddhist heritage

President Yoon Suk Yeol attended a Buddhist New Year's gathering Tuesday and pledged to do more to better preserve Buddhist and other religious heritages. The gathering co-organized by the Association of Korean Buddhist Orders and the Buddhist leaders' forum of the Jogye Order brought together some 800 members of the public, Buddhist leaders, including Jogye leader Ven. Jinwoo, lawmakers and government officials, to mark the 2568th year in the Buddhist calendar. In congratulatory remar

Jan. 30, 2024

[Herald Interview] Meet little big artists who shake up 'School of Rock' live stage

The musical "School of Rock" starts with an announcement by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who wrote the music for the musical, asking a key question: "Do the kids really play their rock instruments live?" The answer is an emphatic "Yes, they do!" Webber declares. The announcement is made because, without the notice, many people find it hard to believe that they are witnessing child actors with an average age of 11.5, rocking out with exceptional musical talent and energeti

Jan. 29, 2024