The National Jeongdong Theater, a public performance hall in Jung-gu, Seoul, has unveiled its season line-up for this year, along with major initiatives for the 2023 season. “We will develop and promote performing arts of both the contemporary and traditional style, and for that we're preparing a wide variety of programs for not only enthusiasts in their 20s and 30s, but also for children and families, middle-aged and senior audiences,” said director Choung Soung-sook on Tuesday

Performance Feb. 14, 2023

What happens when two people who love each other very much believe completely different things about the world? “The story began with the question more than anything,” said R.O. Kwon at an online interview Saturday about her 2018 English-language novel, “The Incendiaries.” The Korean edition of her bestselling debut novel hit the shelves in January, published by Moonji Publishing Co. Growing up religious, Kwon had planned to become a pastor. But, it was her own experience

Books Feb. 13, 2023

The National Theater of Korea will screen three plays in February and March as part of “NTOK Live+,” a program introducing prominent overseas theatrical performances. Three classic plays -- Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” Moliere’s “Le Tartuffe ou l'Hypocrite” and Arthur Schnitzler’s “Professor Bernhardi” -- have been reinterpreted by the National Theatre in London, La Comedie Francaise in Paris and the International Theater

Performance Feb. 12, 2023

The National Dance Company of Korea returns with its surrealistic dance work first performed five years ago. “The RoOm,” which will run from March 2 to 4 at Daloreum Theater in Seoul, first premiered in 2018 in collaboration with choreographer and producer Kim Seol-jin. “The RoOm” centers on a space that is shared by many people and filled with memories left there, according to the NDCK. Kim, a contemporary dancer, pieced together the stories of eight NDCK dancers who he

Performance Feb. 10, 2023

Have your cup of joe surrounded by unique stationery goods There are tons of Instagrammable cafes in Seoul with unique coffee and ambience, but cafe Young and Daughters stands out as one dedicated to making its own coffee culture. Bassist-turned-barista and composer-turned-coffee bean roasting manager are in charge of this cute, small cafe -- there are only three standing tables here -- located in Gongdeok, Mapo-gu, where a good mix of office workers and residents pass through everyday. The sign

Culture Feb. 10, 2023

A translator who is not fluent in Korean winning the webtoon category at the 2022 Korea Translation Award has sparked controversy about the use of artificial intelligence in translation. A local newspaper reported Wednesday that Yukiko Matsusue, a Japanese translator who won Rookie of the Year at the annual award organized by the Korean Literature Translation Institute in December, had used Naver’s AI-translating system Papago while translating Gu A-jin’s occult thriller “Mirae

Books Feb. 9, 2023

Kim Yoo-jung, Jung So-min and Chae Soo-bin play Viola De Lesseps in the Korean production of "Shakespeare in Love" by Kim Dong-yeon at Shownote, adapted from the 1998 film of the same title. The play premiered at the CJ Towol Theater in the Seoul Arts Center on Jan. 28. Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, the three actors said it was a dream come true to play the compelling character of a theater-lover who later becomes William Shakespeare's muse. Kim shared her first impressi

Performance Feb. 8, 2023

Commemorating the 20th anniversary of pansori being registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, four pansori singers -- three foreign singers and their teacher Min Hye-sung -- performed at Seoul Namsan Gugakdang on Saturday. Min, a certified trainer of pansori, National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 5, has been holding a month-long pansori workshop each year at Korean Cultural Centers across Europe since 2007. On the stage with Min on Saturday were her students Anna Yates-Lu from Ger

Performance Feb. 7, 2023

With the success of the Apple TV+ original series “Pachinko” and the novel of the same title by Korean American author Min Jin Lee, literature of Korean diaspora has come under the spotlight. The genre has been around since the 1940s, its early writers mostly ethnic Koreans living in Japan and the US. There were around 300 Korean diaspora writers who hail from around the world in 2020, according to a study published in the Journal of Korean Library and Information Science Society las

Books Feb. 7, 2023

The Korean edition of the science fiction fantasy novel “Phoenix Extravagant” by Korean American author Yoon Ha Lee hit local bookshelves on Jan. 17. The book was published by Hubble, a sci-fi imprint of East-Asia Publishing Co. The English edition was released in October 2020. The three-time Hugo Award nominee for his space opera trilogy “Machineries of Empire” -- which includes “Ninefox Gambit,” “Raven Stratagem” and “Revenant Gun” --

Books Feb. 4, 2023

The classic tale of Anton Chekhov’s play “The Seagull” fills the stage for two hours and 10 minutes with sympathetic characters and their presence. Classical plays suffer from the general prejudice that they are boring, but in "The Seagull" directed by 88-year-old actor Lee Soon-jae, the cast of veteran actors delivers Chekhov's message that still resonates with audiences today. Set in a countryside mansion belonging to Sorin, a retired civil servant, the play st

Performance Feb. 3, 2023

The country's top musicians are coming together to bring hope and revive love in Itaewon through a music festival set to take place Saturday and Sunday. A total of 99 musicians including big-name bands such as Leenalchi and Woongsan Band will perform at 13 venues of concert halls, lounges, pubs and clubs as part of "Let There Be Love, Itaewon." while many concerts and festivals were canceled or suspended to express condolences for the tragic Halloween crowd crush disaster in Itaew

Performance Jan. 30, 2023

Best known for playing the archetypal Korean mother, Kim Hye-ja, 81, has established herself as an iconic actor in the Korean entertainment industry. Over some 60 years, the beloved actress has starred in more than 100 drama series and films, including the recent series “Our Blues” (2022), “The Light in Your Eyes” (2019) and “Dear My Friends” (2016). Kim’s recent memoir, “Thank You For Life” (Suo Books), released Dec. 22, is a "confessio

Books Jan. 28, 2023

A concert dedicated to the traditional Korean string instrument ajaeng will be held on Feb. 14, at the Seoul Donhwamun Traditional Theater, located in Jongno-gu. Titled “Choi Hye-rim’s Ajaeng with Yang Seung-hwan,” the 60-minute performance is part of the traditional music performance hall’s project for this year, the organizer announced in a press release last week. Ajaeng is a horizontal zither mainly played in court music and folk music. The instrument has seven string

Performance Jan. 27, 2023

Seoul City will launch an outdoor reading project at Gwanghwamun Square this spring, following the open-air library at Seoul Plaza showcased last year. Titled “Gwanghwamun Book Yard,” five open libraries and reading spaces will open on April 23 for World Book Day and run until November, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The book yard will operate at three outdoor venues around Gwanghwamun Plaza, which opened to the public in August after two years of renovation, and at

Books Jan. 27, 2023