Pianist Paik Kun-woo’s agency has denied the accusation that Paik and his daughter have been negligent in the care of Paik’s wife actress Yoon Jeong-hee, who suffers from Alzheimer‘s disease. A petition accusing Paik and his daughter of neglect was uploaded Friday, some three months after Yoon’s siblings lost a lawsuit in the French courts challenging the designation of Paik and the couple’s daughter as Yoon‘s legal guardians. On Sunday, Paik’s agency

People Feb. 7, 2021

TV Chosun’s hit audition show “Miss Trot 2” recorded a viewership rating of 30 percent Thursday, emulating the success of the men’s version last year . The 30 percent viewership share has traditionally been the threshold for a local entertainment show being considered a success. “Miss Trot 2” is officially the third season of the audition show series, following “Miss Trot” and its male version “Mister Trot,” which aired in 2019 and 2

Television Feb. 7, 2021

Pianist brothers Lim Dong-hyek and Lim Dong-min are to hold a duo recital at the Seoul Arts Center on March 3 as part of their nationwide tour across Korea. The tour will kick off in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province on Feb. 20, followed by Daegu, Busan, Incheon, Jeju Island and Gwangju. The Seoul recital is held as part of the special gala concert ahead of the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition. The first half will feature works by Chopin, while the piano duo will perform after

Performance Feb. 6, 2021

The LG Arts Center will stream four never-before-seen works in Korea by celebrated choreographer Matthew Bourne. The four pieces created by Bourne -- “The Red Shoes,” “The Car Man,” “Cinderella” and “Romeo and Juliet” -- will be streamed in March, the arts center announced Tuesday. Bourne’s dance company New Adventures was to perform “The Red Shoes” in Korea last year at the LG Arts Center, but was later canceled due to the CO

Performance Feb. 3, 2021

The local culture scene is gearing up for a rebound, after the government announced eased social distancing rules, with a middle-seat vacancy restriction relaxed at performing art venues and cinemas. On Sunday, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism informed local production companies and cinemas that two seats must be left vacant between each party or a seat should be left empty between each audience member under the Level 2.5 social distancing rules. The government initially required t

Performance Feb. 1, 2021

K-pop singers have risen to global stardom in recent years, but their popularity has a dark side: Many have become victims of sexual objectification online. The issue came to the fore recently as controversy surrounding artificial intelligence chatbot Lee Luda led to online debate about the sexual harassment of K-pop singers. The chatbot, developed by local startup Scatter Lab in December, came under fire after users taught it to use vulgar language against women and make discriminatory comme

Culture Feb. 1, 2021

The Korea Tourism Organization has published two books on recent global tourism trends that suggest future developments for the local tourism industry. Like all others around the world, Korea’s tourism industry is facing perhaps the worst crisis in history due to the travel restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a recent survey of 500 tourism businesses by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, 97.6 percent saw a drop in sales from January to September, year-o

Travel Jan. 30, 2021

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization have announced the 100 Must-Visit Tourism Spots of Korea for 2021-2022. Fifty-one of the travel destinations on the list are natural attractions and 49 are cultural attractions, reflecting the demand for tourism related to history, culture and the liberal arts, the ministry said. A total of 19 spots have been selected five consecutive times since the biennial list was launched in 2013, including the five Joseon pa

Travel Jan. 30, 2021

Violinist Kim Dong-hyun will kick off the 2021 Kumho Instrument Bank series with a recital on Feb. 4 at the Kumho Art Hall Yonsei in western Seoul. The Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation has been running the Kumho Instrument Bank program since 1993, lending musical instruments to young artists through an open audition. The program currently owns 10 instruments, including a piano, cello and eight violins. It aims to allow up-and-coming artists to focus on their performances without worrying about

Performance Jan. 29, 2021

Though the theater scene is still suffering as a result of the social distancing rules imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the month of February may be a turning point as a number of original South Korean musicals are lined up for premieres.   “The Adventure of the Final Problem” is slated to run Feb. 15 to May 9 at the Dream Arts Center. 　 The production tells the story of British writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who attained huge success with his “Sherlock Holmes&rdquo

Performance Jan. 27, 2021

With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing the art industry to shift online, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to launch a studio for online streaming in central Seoul to make way for virtual performances. The former Namsan Creative Center, which shut down last year, will be turned into a new studio for production and streaming of virtual art performances. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the new studio will officially open in April 2022 after a test period. The studio will be eq

Performance Jan. 26, 2021

Pianist Cho Seong-jin is set to perform the world premiere of a previously unknown work by Mozart, 248 years after it was composed, in celebration of the great musician’s 265th birthday. Cho will perform Mozart’s Allegro in D major K626b/16 as part of the Digital Mozart Week organized by the Salzburg Mozarteum Foundation on Wednesday, in Austria, according to German classical music record label Deutsche Grammophon. The performance will be streamed through the label’s streami

Performance Jan. 24, 2021

Korea’s recent third wave of COVID-19 had local ballet troupes cancel the iconic “Nutcracker” performances in December, for the first time in many years. Though the virus pandemic dealt a serious blow last year, ballet companies are gearing up for a rebound this year for fans awaiting a new beginning in 2021. The highlight of this year’s seven offerings by The Korea National Ballet is “Jewels,” slated for Oct. 20-24 at the Seoul Arts Center. It will mark th

Performance Jan. 20, 2021

The 42nd Blue Dragon Film Awards, which were postponed last year due to the spread of COVID-19, will be held on Feb. 9, the awards’ organizers said Tuesday. The awards ceremony, one of the most prestigious film events here, was to have been held on Dec. 11 but it was postponed indefinitely due to the spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in late 2020. “The Man Standing Next” has been nominated for 10 awards, followed by “Deliver Us from Evil” for eight awards,

Film Jan. 19, 2021

The National Theater Company of Korea plans to interact with audiences at home through online screenings of high-quality productions in these COVID-19 pandemic times. Kim Kwang-bo, the new artistic director of the state-run company, said in an online conference Monday that the company‘s online screenings would be systematized, offering performances of a high caliber. Kim took office in November for a three-year term. An established stage director, Kim was previously head of the Seoul Met

Performance Jan. 18, 2021