“Everyone Knows: K-Diaspora Art Exhibition & Panel Talk,” organized by the K-Diaspora Worldwide Network, provided a platform for discussions on Korean culture and the Korean diaspora. Over 200 Korean Americans and local citizens interested in Korean culture gathered at LUME Studio in New York City from July 21-22. The nonprofit organization, K-Diaspora Worldwide Network, is led by five co-representatives: Ko Do-won, Morning Letter Cultural Foundation chair; Kim Jong-ki, Blue Tree

Culture Aug. 3, 2023

Seoul’s iconic Gwanghwamun Square is gearing up for a remarkable transformation into a space for dancing, DJ parties and an opera performance later this month. The outdoor Sejong Summer Festival will be held under a “Groove” theme from Aug. 11 to Sept. 9, according to the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts on Monday. This is the first outdoor event organized by the Sejong Center in four years and the first since the pandemic. Five performances are scheduled, with seating cap

Performance Aug. 1, 2023

“For those who are looking for ‘home’ even if there is ‘house,’” Lee So-ho writes in the dedication to her third and latest poetry collection, “Home Sweet Home.” Lee describes the collection as "poetry of the outsider.” “I often see myself as a stranger, an outsider even within my own family. People do have moments when they feel like they don’t belong in their own homes. This sense of alienation and marginalization is the co

Books July 31, 2023

Must-read canonical Korean short stories are now available in English through "The Penguin Book of Korean Short Stories," part of the Penguin Classics collection. The anthology, co-curated and edited by Bruce Fulton, a translator and professor of Korean Literature and Literary Translation at the University of British Columbia, marks a milestone as the first collection of Korean literature to join the esteemed Penguin Classics series. The book is described as an “eclectic, moving

Books July 29, 2023

As Liberation Day approaches, a creative ballet performance titled "An Jung-geun: A Dance in the Heaven" is scheduled to take place at the Mapo Art Center on Aug. 11-12. The performance draws its inspiration from the last words of An, a Korean independence activist who, moments before his execution at Lushun Prison in China in March 1910, declared, “When the day comes that I hear of Korea’s independence, I will dance and shout ‘Hurrah!’” The story of An&rs

Performance July 28, 2023

The Hanwha Foundation of Culture and the Centre Pompidou in France have officially finalized a deal to establish and operate a Pompidou branch in Seoul, the cultural arm of Hanwha Group said Friday. The announcement follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding for a partnership by the two parties in France on March 19. The parties have been discussing the outlines of the basic framework for the establishment and operation of the art center at 63 Square -- more commonly known as 63 Buildi

Arts & Design July 28, 2023

The National Theater of Korea is set to host a series of outdoor screening events on the first-floor balcony of the Haeoreum Theater, starting at 7:30 p.m. over three consecutive Wednesdays. Live performance recordings of three productions from the 2022-2023 NTOK Repertory Season will be screened. The event will kick off on Aug. 9 with the National Changguek Company’s innovative production of “Rabbit's Eight Sufferings.” This reinterpretation of the traditional pansori &ld

Performance July 28, 2023

Tensions between the Culture Ministry and the Korean Publishers Association, the organizer of the Seoul International Book Fair, reached a boiling point Tuesday as the two exchanged allegations and criticisms over the association's earnings disclosure. On Tuesday morning, the ministry said in a statement that the chairman of the KPA is attempting to "evade responsibility" and "distort facts" over the ministry's audit of the book fair, in which it said it found finan

Books July 25, 2023

The organizer of the Seoul International Book Fair allegedly did not disclose breakdowns of its earnings from the fair since 2018, the culture minister said Monday. Minister Park Bo-gyoon also accused the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea, a public institution under the ministry that oversees distribution and use of government subsidies to the fair organizer, of lax supervision. The Korean Publishers Association, the organizer of the annual book fair, failed to provide detailed info

Books July 24, 2023

The National Theater of Korea is in full-swing preparations to showcase captivating works that blend novelty with tradition for the upcoming season, including a grand-scale musical cantata featuring 300 artists and a traditional concert accompanied by liquor. The artistic directors of three national troupes affiliated with the theater -- the National Changgeuk Company, National Dance Company and National Orchestra -- unveiled the lineup for the 2023-24 program scheduled for Sept. 1 to June 30, 2

Performance July 23, 2023

"The Tidal Future" By Seo Yoon-bin Hubble Seo Yoon-bin, who won the grand prize at the Fifth Korean Science Literature Award for medium-length and short stories last year, has published his first collection of short stories, "The Tidal Future." As an emerging and promising young sci-fi writer, Seo has captured considerable attention after securing the prize previously won by notable figures in the genre like Kim Cho-yeop and Cheon Seon-ran. In his award-winning short story, &

Books July 23, 2023

"The Training" (working title) By Jang Ryu-jin Changbi Publishers Jang Ryu-jin's latest compilation of six short stories titled “The Training” makes for a delightful reading experience with its fast-paced plot and witty dialogue. Jang’s second collection follows in the footsteps of her first work, “The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work” (2018), offering a lighthearted consolation to young individuals worn out by the daily grind. As one of the leading youn

Books July 22, 2023

"The Weight of 1 Gram" By Yim Jae-hun Book Recipe The novel “The Weight of 1 Gram” is based on the true story of a former drug dealer. Having served four years in prison for drug dealing in Cambodia in 2018, Yim Jae-hun reflects on his past as he shares his penitential journey. The book also serves as a warning call to address the grave dangers of drugs that plague our society. Seduced by the promise of a quick fortune, the narrator nicknamed “Baksa” (meaning &l

Books July 22, 2023

The decision to make a television adaptation of his 2016 Pulitzer-winning novel "The Sympathizer” was a double joy for Vietnamese American writer Viet Thanh Nguyen. “It's a thrill for any writer to have their book adapted to the screen, and in my case, a particular thrill because I'm very excited to be working with Park Chan-wook, whose work I've greatly admired even before I wrote the novel,” Nguyen said in an interview with The Korea Herald in June. Powere

Books July 22, 2023

Explore art and architecture at Songeun Art Space Songeun Art Space is located in a building designed by world-renowned Swiss architecture firm, Herzog & de Meuron, in Cheongdam-dong, an affluent neighborhood in southern Seoul. Opened in 2021, visiting the building that houses Songeun Art and Cultural Foundation offers a chance to check out the architects’ first-ever project in South Korea, as well as an exhibition of an emerging media artist Kwon Hye-won. The geometric 11-story buildi

Culture July 21, 2023