Around 40 guests were evacuated from the Park Hyatt Busan on Monday night, as fire hit the luxury hotel.According to the authorities, smoke was seen coming out of the ceiling at the entrance of the fitness center on the fifth floor at 9:53 p.m. (Yonhap)A fitness trainer, who saw the smoke, called the maintenance staff and the fire station. Putting out the fire using a fire hose, he inhaled some smoke and was transferred to a nearby hospital. He was discharged from the hospital around 2 a.m. with

Social Affairs Jan. 29, 2019

The biannual concert series “Music in PyeongChang - Winter Festival” aims to bring back memories of the PyeongChang Olympics, while also enriching cultural aspect of Gangwon Province with classical music performances. On Monday, the event’s artistic director pianist Son Yeol-eum and Gangwon Art & Culture Foundation Chairman Kim Sung-hwan attended a press conference held at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul and announced the winter portion of the festival’s program, which is held in summer and winter each

Performance Jan. 28, 2019

Familiar music from Koreans’ favorite films and dramas will be played live, bringing back tears and laughter for fans. A series of concerts featuring orchestral performances of scores from the country’s most beloved visual content will be held in Seoul. As the performances are all based on visual productions, many of the concerts will have clips from the shows screened. Original soundtracks from the tvN drama “Mr.Sunshine” will be played at the Lotte Concert Hall on Feb. 24.  Drama “Mister Sunsh

Performance Jan. 27, 2019

A musical performance created in remembrance of the Sewol ferry tragedy was showcased to the public over the weekend. On Saturday, a preview event for “Song of Jjokbit” -- jjokbit translates to indigo blue -- was held at the Seoul City Hall.  The musical performance “Song of Jjokbit” (Yonhap)The performance centers on the tragic accident in 2014, when the Sewol ferry capsized near waters off Jeju Island, resulting in the death of more than 300 people, mostly high-school students on a field trip.

Performance Jan. 27, 2019

Lunar New Year at Grand Hyatt SeoulGrand Hyatt Seoul Hotel presents the Good Luck 2019 package in celebration of the Lunar New Year holiday. The package includes a one-night stay in a standard room, breakfast buffet for two at Terrace, admission to an ice rink for two hours as well as skate rental for two and hot chocolate for two at the ice rink’s snack bar.Guests will also be offered complimentary shuttle bus services to and from Namsangol Hanok Village, where families can experience Korean tr

Food Jan. 26, 2019

Korean film “Burning” has failed to make the final list of nominees for the Oscars.The final nominees for the 91st Academy Awards were revealed Tuesday. In December, “Burning” had been shortlisted in the Foreign Language Film category, becoming the first Korean movie to be included. The film was selected by the Korean Film Council to represent Korea at the film event. Last year, “Okja” by Korean director Bong Joon-ho was shortlisted in the Visual Effects category, but it was a Netflix original f

Film Jan. 23, 2019

“Beethoven specialist” Rudolf Buchbinder will share his take on Beethoven with the Korean audience through a piano recital. Titled “Rudolf Buchbinder & Beethoven,” the piano performance is slated to take place at the Seoul Arts Center on May 12. Before the performance, Buchbinder will tour cities in Korea, performing in Daegu, Gwangju and eastern Seoul.  Pianist Rudolf Buchbinder (Vincero Arts Management & Entertainment)The recital in May marks the pianist’s first performance here in six years.

Performance Jan. 22, 2019

As YouTube has grown to a major communication platform, there are all kinds of YouTube channels today: from vlogs, beauty, travel, cooking, sports to even farming. With varied topics, YouTube also functions as a platform for people with “differences” to be heard. On Tuesday, the video-streaming business invited YouTubers from three channels -- Studio Guru, Soo Not Sue and Dotface -- to a press event at Google Campus Seoul. YouTube categorized them as “diversity YouTubers” who discuss differences

People Jan. 22, 2019

A collection of 68 writings by Princess Deokon (1822-1844), the last legitimate princess of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1897), and her family has returned home. The National Hangeul Museum and Culture Heritage Administration recently announced the acquisition of the collection, citing that it has great value as an example of court writings in Hangeul, the Korean alphabet. According to officials, the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, a subsidiary of the CHA, purchased the collection from

Culture Jan. 21, 2019

In a first for a South Korean animated film, “Underdog” has been invited to compete in the Tokyo Anime Award Festival. “Underdog” is an animated film about homeless and abandoned dogs. In the film, a dog named Moongchi (voiced by Do Kyung-soo of the K-pop boy band EXO) is abandoned but goes on an adventure to find true freedom with other stray dogs.  (New Entertainment) (New Entertainment)The film opened the 22nd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in July, and went on to win the best

Film Jan. 18, 2019

A photo essay titled “Hi! My Name Is Injeolmi” (unofficial translation) recently became a bestseller, proving the dog’s popularity even outside the realm of social media. The book of photos and short anecdotes about rescued puppy Injeolmi ranked within the top 10 on the Kyobo Book Centre’s best-seller list for the second week of January. Released Monday, the book documents Injeolmi’s life and rescue story.  (Wisdom House) Instagram account @zzangjeolmiA farmer’s daughter rescued Injeolmi from a

Culture Jan. 18, 2019

Here are two Englishmen who are even more famous in Korea than they are back home. To define them, one needs to add one more word to their nationality and get rid of the plural. They are not just Englishmen, they are “Korean Englishman.” YouTubers Josh Carrott and Ollie Kendal -- Josh & Ollie -- are better known as “Korean Englishman” on the global streaming platform. With more than 3 million subscribers on YouTube, they are definitely big players in the new entertainment industry. The duo intro

People Jan. 17, 2019

If you are an Airbnb-style traveler, up for living like a Seoulite while in the city, new guidebook “A Curated Guide: Seoul” (Seoul Selection) may be the right choice.If you have a local friend who knows the latest trends, you may not need this book. But not every tourist visits Seoul with such connections. That‘s when the book comes in handy.The book’s two authors, Robert Koehler and Hahna Yoon, went beyond the traditional tourist destinations that typical Seoul guidebooks suggest and recommend

Books Jan. 17, 2019

Lunar New Year at Grand Hyatt SeoulGrand Hyatt Seoul Hotel presents the Good Luck 2019 package in celebration of the Lunar New Year holiday. The package includes a one-night stay at the Standard Room, a breakfast buffet for two at Terrace, admission to an ice rink for two hours as well as skate rental for two and hot chocolate for two at the ice rink’s snack bar.Guests will also be offered complimentary shuttle bus services to and from Namsangol Hanok Village, where families can experience Korea

Food Jan. 17, 2019

Seoul Jazz Festival has announced its preliminary lineup, including Wynton Marsalis, Omara Portuondo of Buena Vista Social Club and Clean Bandit. Wynton Marsalis (Private Curve)　Nine-time Grammy-winner trumpeter Marsalis was the first jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1997 with “Blood on the Fields,” a jazz oratorio that is an orchestral rumination on slavery. He is currently the managing and artistic director of jazz at Lincoln Center.  Omara Portuondo (Private Curve)　Portuon

Performance Jan. 15, 2019