Standing tall at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul is a statue of Adm. Yi Sun-shin, one of the most celebrated figures in Korean history, a national hero who prevailed over the Japanese invaders during the Imjin War (1592-1598). Yi didn’t start his career in the Navy. He was serving in the Army when he was stripped of his rank by adversaries who were jealous of his talent. But 14 months before Japan invaded Korea in 1592, Yi was appointed commander of the Left Jeolla Naval District. It w

Books March 5, 2023

The Daesan Foundation is accepting applications for the 2023 Korean Literature Translation, Research, and Publishing Support program. Applicants for this year’s translation grants will be accepted until 3 p.m. on June 1 through the foundation’s official website. Successful applicants will be announced in August. Applicants can select from Daesan Literary Award-winning works that have not been translated into the target language, or any other literary work in need of translation. The

Books March 5, 2023

Inspiring house items for spring E-commerce platform 29CM’s curation showroom, 29 Seongsu, in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, is holding an exhibition for the spring season under the theme of “inspiring house,” introducing the living and lifestyle brands' items for garden, lounge, dining room and bathroom. Danish brands Hay and &Tradition’s signature color lamps adorn the lounge-like space on the first floor of the showroom, whereas the second floor has been turned into a b

Culture March 3, 2023

The Contemporary Gugak Orchestra under the National Gugak Center returns with a chamber music performance that features the musical works of six leading composers in Korean creative traditional music. "The Korean Composers Series" will be held on March 9, at Umyeondang of the National Gugak Center, located in Seocho-gu, Seoul. The series selects the works of Korean composers who have helped shape contemporary gugak music traditions and provides a stage for reflection on the meaning and

Performance Feb. 27, 2023

In the 1950s, when there was little entertainment available, it was female "gukgeuk" that dominated the entertainment scene in Korea. Like a musical, a "gukgeuk" performance features "pansori," or narrative singing, dance and drama. What was special about gukgeuk in those days was that many troupes featured an all-female cast. The actors took on male roles and dressed up as men, children or the elderly and played heroes or villains in melodramatic tales of war and r

Books Feb. 25, 2023

The unnamed protagonist, referred to only as “the man,” is dispatched by his pharmaceutical company on an extended assignment to Country C -- an imaginary country descending into chaos after a contagious disease has taken over. As soon as he disembarks, the man is whisked away by two health inspectors in their “puffy suits and face masks” that look like “rubber lifeboats bobbing towards him.” The man is detained overnight -- isolated and forgotten. When he fin

Books Feb. 25, 2023

A special exhibition in memory of Korea’s first Culture Minister Lee O-young is being held at the National Library of Korea from Saturday through April 23. To commemorate one of the foremost intellectuals of his time, some 150 people, including current Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon and Lee’s wife Kang In-sook, attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition on Friday. “Thank you for remembering (Lee) even after one year has passed," said Kang. Kang serves as the director

Culture Feb. 24, 2023

Nine-time Grammy-winning trumpeter Wynton Marsalis is scheduled to perform on March 19 at LG Arts Center Seoul as part of the center's signature program CoMPAS23, a specially curated series of eight performances by top Korean and international artists. The American jazz musician is recognized for his wide range of techniques and genres, from classical to modern jazz as well as composition. Sharing the stage with Marsalis are pianist Dan Nimmer, bassist Carlos Henriquez, drummer Obed Calvari

Performance Feb. 24, 2023

The National Changgeuk Company of Korea kicks off the 2023 season with a changgeuk adaptation of the hit webtoon series “Jeong-nyeon” from March 17 to March 29 at Daloreum Theater, the National Theater of Korea in Seoul. Based on the webtoon of the same title by Seo Ireh and Namon, the changgeuk follows Jeong-nyeon, a young actor-singer in the making who dreams of becoming the best "gukgeuk" performer in the the heyday of the performing art form in the 1950s. Gukgeuk, or &q

Performance Feb. 23, 2023

Actor Park Hae-soo is returning to the theater stage after sweeping the globe in Netflix’s “Squid Game,” “Money Heist” and “Narco-Saints.” Park plays Mephistopheles, or Mephisto the devil, in Goethe’s tragic play “Faust” slated to run at LG Arts Center Seoul, from March 31 to April 29. Before his fame in film and television after making a breakthrough performance in tvN’s “Prison Playbook,” Park had been a prolific sta

Performance Feb. 22, 2023

The National Theater Company of Korea starts the 2023 season with realism drama “Manseon: The Yearning of a Fisherman” in March. The acclaimed play of depth and energy is slated to run at Myeongdong Theater from March 16 to April 9. Set in a small village on the southern coast, a fisherman named Gomchi harbors dreams of making a fortune with a boatload of fish -- white croakers specifically. However, he becomes penniless when the ship owner charges him extortionate rates of interest

Performance Feb. 21, 2023

GONGJU, South Chungcheong Province -- Walking around the small garden surrounding the Gongju Pulkkot Literary House, poet Na Tae-joo delights in the sight of tiny buds sprouting through the soil. Sitting in the back garden of the Literary House, basking in the February sunlight, Na talks about language and poetry with The Korea Herald. “The word ‘sunshine’ (byeot, in Korean) sounds as if it came from afar and stopped here, whereas the word ‘star’ (byeol) has a flowi

Books Feb. 20, 2023

Children’s book author Lee Geum-yi and illustrator Kwon Yoon-duck have been selected as the Korean candidates for the 2024 Hans Christian Andersen Award. The Korean Board on Books for Young People, the Korean branch of the International Board on Books for Young People, announced the nominees for the prestigious literary award during a general meeting held at the Suwon Convention Center on Saturday. Lee, 61, debuted in 1984 with the short story “With Younggu and Heukgu.” Her wor

Books Feb. 19, 2023

Explore Seoul's vibe with immersive media What's your image of Seoul when you think of the city? A media art exhibition “Seoul Vibe” at Gallery Gwanghwa, located near Gwanghwamun Square, offers a new interactive and immersive experience of the city we know through digital media technology. Ten different sections of the exhibition shed new light on the image of Seoul. When you first enter the space, 12 zodiac animals on the screen will greet you. Scan the barcode of the ti

Culture Feb. 17, 2023

Four groups of Korean artists will perform at this year’s Adelaide Fringe Festival, one of the world's largest annual arts festivals, which starts on Thursday and runs until March 19. Held in Adelaide, Australia, the festival of performing arts draws more than 6,000 artists from around the globe. Around 2.7 million visitors enjoyed the festival in 2019. Two plays, one gugak musical and one stand-up comedy routine, are scheduled as part of the “Korean Season” segment of the

Performance Feb. 16, 2023