Most Popular
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Seoul chastises predatory pricing claims over Czech nuclear export deal
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3 suspects apprehended for selling celebrity deepfake porn: police
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Xiaomi takes 2nd spot after Samsung in August smartphone sales
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[Herald Interview] Kim Woo-bin grew to appreciate ‘unseen’ heroes with ‘Officer Black Belt’
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Hybe acquires US PR agency
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Heavy rain, strong winds to lash Korea this weekend
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Yoon, Fiala seek wider range of cooperation beyond nuclear energy
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'Music Bank' team demands apology from Real Madrid for cancellation of Madrid concert
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[Exclusive] [Herald Interview] MBK incapable of running Korea Zinc’s Australia business: Aussie renewable energy CEO
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Car crashes into restaurant; 1 dead, 5 injured
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Culture Ministry vows action on pirated K-pop songs
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Friday that it would take action against Chinese music labels that infringed copyrights by uploading translated versions of K-pop songs on YouTube. There has been active discussion online about the practice of registering translated K-pop songs as original works by Chinese artists, without approval from the rightful copyright holders. IU’s “Tear Drops in the Morning,” Brown Eyes’ “Already One Year” and
May 21, 2021
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[Herald Interview] There is fantasy in mime
There is more to mime than just being trapped in an imaginary box, pretending to walk down the stairs, or pulling a rope, says mime artist Yu Jin-gyu. Yu, 69, is a first-generation mime artist in Korea. Quitting veterinary science studies at Konkuk University, he joined the drama company Ejotto in 1970. He made his debut in 1972, presenting the country’s first mime show. “Mime refers to the art form of delivering one’s thoughts without words, with just movements and express
May 20, 2021
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[Herald interview] ‘Every passing moment is a source of music’
Twenty years since starting out as a session guitarist, and 12 years since debuting with a single, guitarist Park Ju-won believes he still has a long way to go. Just like Dorothy who meets the scarecrow, the tin man, the cowardly lion, and all the friends with different spiritual strengths, the guitarist believes that the support from fans who await his music is what cheers him along the musical road. Known as the “Paco de Lucia of Korea,” among guitar lovers, Park, in his early 4
May 19, 2021
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Renovated Haeoreum Theater set for new era
After a four-year renovation, the Haeoreum Grand Theater at the National Theater of Korea is ready to welcome audiences back to its seats. The first complete overhaul of the theater since its opening in 1973 cost 65.8 billion won ($58.3 million). The theater‘s 2004 renovation was limited to the lobby and theater seats. “The theater was outdated and the stage needed to be modernized,“ NToK CEO Kim Cheol-ho said during a press tour of the theater on Tuesday. “There wer
May 19, 2021
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Traditional gugak orchestra to reinterpret BTS music
The National Orchestra of Korea will use traditional instruments to perform one of BTS’ hit albums and a mobile game soundtrack, targeting young audiences who may be unfamiliar with “gugak,” traditional Korean music. The orchestra, under the National Theater of Korea, will hold a recital June 11 at the theater in central Seoul, introducing the gugak version of K-pop act BTS’ 2019 track “Mikrokosmos” and the soundtrack from hit mobile game “Cookie Run:
May 18, 2021
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Two Koreans among winners of the Met Opera competition
Soprano Kim Hyo-young and tenor Duke Kim are among the five winners of the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition, formerly known as the Metropolitan Opera National Council Award. Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the 67th edition of the prestigious annual competition was held virtually for the first time in its history, garnering a total of 1,200 applicants from around the world. The competition, originally founded in 1954, changed its name this year, in recognition of
May 18, 2021
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14-year-old refugee sings for Myanmar spring
Wanyiwah Phondphaothanandon, one of Myanmar’s Karen ethnic minority, paid tribute to democracy and peace in Myanmar through a song, “The Spring of Myanmar.” The 14-year-old is a refugee in Korea with her mother and two younger brothers. Phondphaothanandon, who uses Wanyiwah as her stage name, attends a boarding school in Yongin, focusing on her studies and exams just like any teenager, but apart from the daily routine, she shares the pain and sorrow of the current situa
May 17, 2021
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62 singers deliver message of hope
Well-known singers have come together with a message of hope in a remake of the 1999 song “Become One” (unofficial translation). The original song was created to deliver that message amid the 1997 financial crisis in South Korea. Big-name singers of the time, from Shin Seung-hun and Kim Jong-seo to Um Jung-hwa and hit K-pop acts such as H.O.T, Sechs Kies and Fin.K.L, took part in the recording, earning the iconic song the moniker “the Korean version of ‘We are the World
May 17, 2021
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Pianist Kim Su-yeon wins top prize at Concours Musical International de Montreal
Kim Su-yeon became the first Korean pianist to win the first prize at the Concours Musical International de Montreal. The list of winners for this year’s competition, held for the piano discipline, was unveiled Friday, with Kim announced as the first prize winner. Kim will receive awards and scholarships valued at a total of over $180,000, along with a concert tour in three North American cities, a concerto performance with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal and a solo album record
May 16, 2021
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BTS company Hybe unveils music museum dedicated to fans, artists
Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind BTS, Seventeen and Enhypen, has opened what it calls a "music museum" for its artists and fans at its new headquarters in central Seoul. The 4,700-square meter venue spread across two basement floors at Hybe Yongsan features giant screens that show a rotating selection of videos of its artists as well souvenirs from music production and miscellaneous objects that helped create the K-pop powerhouse. A preview of Hybe Insight on Wednesday began with an
May 14, 2021
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Musical ‘Dracula’ set for opening after COVID-19 hit
Musical “Dracula” has postponed its opening by two days, following a string of infections involving four of its cast members. Actor Son Jun-ho, who performs in the musical, was confirmed with the virus infection on April 23, followed by more infections among its main cast members such as Shin Sung-rok, Jeon Dong-seok and Kang Tae-eul. “To put on a performance of better quality, the opening date of the musical ‘Dracula’ has been postponed from May 18 to May 20,&r
May 13, 2021
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Finnish conductor takes helm of KBS Symphony Orchestra
The KBS Symphony Orchestra has appointed Finnish conductor Pietari Inkinen as its chief conductor and music director. The orchestra announced Tuesday that the Finnish conductor, 41, would fill the post. It had remained empty for two years, since conductor Yoel Levi left in 2019. The new conductor will begin in January and is set to stay until the end of 2024. Inkinen, who is also a violinist, studied conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. He is currently the chief conductor of the
May 12, 2021
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S. Korean dance company teams up with Coldplay for Brit Awards performance
The South Korean dance group Ambiguous Dance Company has made a surprise appearance during British rock band Coldplay's latest performance at the Brit Awards. The dance company, known for its unique choreography and playful vibe, performed alongside Coldplay in its performance of its new single "Higher Power" during the music awards ceremony held in London on Tuesday (local time). Six members of the dance group appeared as neon-colored holograms as the British rock band sang the gala
May 12, 2021
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‘Les Miserables’ concert mired in copyright feud
The “Les Miserables” concert by K&P Entertainment, slated to take place this month in Seoul and Busan, has become mired in a copyright dispute. On Monday, Les Miserables Korea, which holds performance rights to the Korean-language version of the English musical in Korea, claimed that the upcoming concert is an unauthorized production that violates the musical’s copyrights. K&P Entertainment on Tuesday refuted the claim, saying that the upcoming concert is based on
May 11, 2021
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Coldplay, Ambiguous Dance Company make buzz with ‘Higher Power’
Ambiguous Dance Company, which rose to stardom with its 600-million-view YouTube hit video “Tiger is Coming” with alternative pop band Leenalchi, has joined hands with celebrated rock band Coldplay for its new single. The British rock band, led by lead singer and frontman Chris Martin, released its new single “Higher Power” Friday. In a performance video of the single shared on YouTube, Ambiguous Dance Company dancers appear as hologram dancers, dressed in eccentric co
May 10, 2021
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Gugak center shares sound source featuring master singers
The National Gugak Center has released some 2,800 sound sources of traditional Korean music sung by celebrated master singers online for free. Over the past year, the state-funded center dedicated to traditional Korean music has been working on developing sound sources of traditional Korean music on its Musical Instrument Digital Interface platform, also known as MIDI. In September, the NGC released 407 sound sources of notes performed on traditional Korean instruments, along with 2,226 soun
May 10, 2021
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Musical ‘Midnight Sun’ to be screened live at cinemas across Asia
A local production of the musical “Midnight Sun” will be screened live at cinemas in five Asian countries, including Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. According to the production company Shinswave on Friday, it is the first time a local musical will be screened live in cinemas abroad. On Friday, the performance will be screened at 29 CGV branches in Korea, 15 cinemas in Indonesia, three in Hong Kong, four in Taiwan and two in Singapore. On Sunday, 20 cinemas in
May 7, 2021
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15 Korean pianists compete at Queen Elisabeth Competition
A total of 15 Korean pianists are competing in the first round of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, a prestigious international musical competition held in Brussels, according to the Korean Cultural Center in Brussels. Known as one of the most challenging competitions for instrumentalists, the Queen Elisabeth Competition’s piano section will see 58 pianists -- nine women and 49 men -- from 16 countries vying for the top spot. At 15, Koreans account for 26 percent of the contestants. The
May 5, 2021
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Musicals brace for disruptions with new COVID-19 infections
Hit by a series of COVID-19 infections, the musical scene is bracing for perhaps another virus crisis, following earlier shutdowns in March and August last year. Four cast members of the musical “Dracula,” set to run from mid-May, have confirmed to have been infected with the coronavirus, sounding an alarm for musical productions. Musical actors Shin Sung-rok who plays Dracula, Kang Tae-eul and Jeon Dong-seok playing the role of Van Helsing in the musical have tested posit
April 29, 2021
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[Herald Interview] Soprano Im Sun-hae still thirsts for the stage
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping across the globe, last year was still a major milestone for soprano Im Sun-hae who celebrated her two decadelong career. Since making her debut with conductor Philippe Herreweghe in Antwerp, Belgium in 1999, Im, 45, has been leading a singing career around the globe for more than 20 years. “Who knew this would happen? I had not known that I would debut in Europe, sing for more than 20 years,” Im said during a recent interview with The Korea
April 28, 2021