Odong Neighborhood Park, located in Wolgok-dong and Jangwi-dong in Seongbuk-gu, northern Seoul, is a popular destination for local residents. Situated at the top of a 119-meter-high mountain called Wolgoksan, the park offers a gentle walking trail surrounded by a densely forested area. At the starting point of the trail, a unique building captures the eyes of visitors. Odong Book Shelter, which opened May 2, is one of seven "book shelters" that the Seoul Metropolitan Government operate

Books May 13, 2023

Greek contemporary theater director Dimitris Papaioannou is scheduled to premiere his latest project “Ink” in Asia at the National Theater of Korea’s Daloreum Theater from Friday to Sunday. Premiered at the Torinodanza Festival in Italy in September 2020, "Ink," a two-person performance, embarked on a world tour in January with some modifications and enhancements, and new music by Greek composer Kornilios Selamsis. Papaioannou, who describes the performance as one abo

Performance May 10, 2023

The National Jeongdong Theater of Korea is set to open the season with “Chun-hyang: Bird with Broken Wings.” Initially scheduled for a 2022 premiere, it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Chun-hyang” is a modern retelling of the 17th-century Korean folk tale which was orally handed down through the pansori “Chunhyangga.” It tells about the love story between Seong Chun-hyang, the daughter of a retired courtesan, and Yi Mong-ryong, the son of a noblem

Performance May 9, 2023

The Universal Ballet’s iconic original repertoire “Sim Chung: A Legend from the Far East“ returns this week for the first time in four years. The piece is based on the classic Korean folktale of Sim Chung, who sacrifices herself to the King of the underwater world in a desperate attempt to have her blind father's sight restored. The neoclassical choreography is the work of UBC’s first artistic director, Adrienne Dellas. Since its premiere in 1986, “Sim Chung&rd

Performance May 9, 2023

Seven Korean writers, including Bora Chung of “Cursed Bunny” and Bae Suah of “Untold Night and Day,” will participate in the Brisbane Writers Festival in Australia, which kicks off on Wednesday. The festival will run for five days until Sunday, with a total of 10 sessions scheduled for Korean writers, according to the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. South Korea is the Country of Focus for this year. Chung, who was shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker P

Books May 9, 2023

The author of the 2000's national bestseller “The Children of Gwaengiburimal” has returned with yet another heartwarming novel about the lives of people neglected and marginalized in our society. South Korean children’s writer Kim Jung-mi’s “The Guardians of the Zelkova Tree” (tentative English title) hit the shelves on March 31, published by Dolbegae. Set in the fictional rural town of Daepo-eup, where more than half of the children living there are from

Books May 6, 2023

In 2021, a Moroccan detainee in his 30s was subjected to inhumane treatment at the Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center in Gyeonggi Province, where people facing deportation are held. Surveillance footage showed him on the floor with his feet and hands tied together behind his back, with his head covered. In her latest novel, “This is Your Country,” published by Munhak Dongne, novelist Lee U takes us inside these detention centers. The novel follows a first-person narrator, who rece

Books May 6, 2023

This weekend, along with the arrival of Children's Day and warmer weather, there are a variety of options on offer. Among the many choices, this week's "Well-curated Weekend" introduces a drone light show at the Han River, the "Museum of Innocence" and the Myeongdong Festival. 500 drone light show over Han River Seoul is set to light up the night sky with a spectacular drone show featuring over 500 drones this week. As part of the “Seoul Festa 2023” ce

Culture May 5, 2023

Many Koreans may think of “sijo” as a thing of the past. Some may recall learning the sijo of “yangban,” or aristocrats of Joseon, in textbooks or know by heart Hwang Jin-yi’s famous sijo poems. Occasionally, sijo is recited in historical dramas. But the traditional Korean poetic form that emerged in the Goryeo period and flourished during the Joseon period is still being written today. A new collection of sijo poems has been published in Korean and English by Seoul

Books May 3, 2023

Since ChatGPT was first released in November 2022, many have expressed concerns, though some believe that creativity remains a uniquely human domain. Amid the flood of writing now out related to ChatGPT, a collection of short stories co-authored by the chatbot and seven sci-fi writers -- Kim Dal-young, Nappelganger, Shin Jo-ha, Oh So-young, Yoon Y. K., Jeon Yun-ho and Chae Kang D. -- hit the shelves last month. “Manifesto” published by Neofiction, an SF/mystery literature imprint of

Books May 2, 2023

The Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre is set to perform its iconic repertoire “Ilmu” at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts from May 25-28. Premiered in 2022, the performance directed by Jung Ku-ho, is a modern reinterpretation of a traditional dance inspired by Jongmyo Jeryeak, a royal ceremonial performance encompassing singing, music and dance that took place during ancestral rites held at Jongmyo Shrine. Tablets of Joseon kings and queens are preserved at the shrine. Jongmyo

Performance April 30, 2023

Models walk on Jamsu Bridge over the Han River in Seoul, which was turned into a runway for the Louis Vuitton pre-fall fashion show on Saturday. The occasion marked the French luxury powerhouse’s first-ever fashion show for its pre-fall collection, designed by Nicolas Ghesquiere. Traffic was halted for 24 hours on the lower level of the bridge which was used as the runway. Hwang Dong-hyuk, director of Netflix's hit drama “Squid Game," participated in the show's scenogr

Arts & Design April 30, 2023

“A World Without Gyeong-wu” (working title) By Baek Ohn-yu Changbi Publishers In-soo sees ghosts floating like shadows in the corner of his room and every time he sees them, a bone-chilling cold seems to cling to his skin, even though it’s midsummer. He is still suffering from hallucinations and nightmares caused by “the accident” that happened with his gang when he ran away from home 12 years ago. One day, In-soo meets a boy named Yi-ho who extorts money from drive

Books April 29, 2023

“Aoi Garden” By Pyun Hye-young Moonji Publishing Pyun Hye-young, who went on to win the 2017 Shirley Jackson Award for her psychological thriller “The Hole,” has returned to her very first novel, “Aoi Garden.” She has revised her debut collection of nine short stories, which she published 18 years ago in 2005, and invites readers on a literary journey back to where she began. The title piece, “Aoi Garden,” evokes a more intense sense of horror as i

Books April 28, 2023

“You Can't Measure a Meter” By Yang Jee-ye Munhakdongne Publishing The Munhakdongne New Writer Award, a prestigious platform for outstanding new writers’ first full-length novels, released its 28th winning novel in late March. Past winners have included the International Booker shortlisted “Whale” by Cheon Myeong-kwan. The judges described the winning title “You Can't Measure a Meter” by Yang Jee-ye as “overwhelmingly interesting and inno

Books April 28, 2023