While the authorities are enforcing stricter social distancing rules across the Greater Seoul area to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, the culture sector is confused by the inconsistencies in the restrictions imposed by different governmental authorities. On Saturday, cultural facilities across Seoul that are funded by the Seoul Metropolitan Government were shut down after the city government imposed tighter restrictions. On Sunday, the central government announced that Level 2.5 socia

Performance Dec. 8, 2020

As the stricter social distancing scheme that goes into effect Tuesday does not allow houses of worship in the greater Seoul area to hold in-person Christmas services, some Protestant churches are calling the order “unrealistic.” After the government raised social distancing measures to Level 2.5, the second highest in the five-tier system, in the Seoul metropolitan area in an effort to slow down the fast spreading wave of COVID-19, churches in the greater Seoul area will not be a

Culture Dec. 7, 2020

As the Seoul capital has gone into a partial lockdown and Korea has decided to raise distancing regulations for the metropolitan area, the lights have gone out at performing art stages and cinemas across the city. With the South Korean government announcing the Level 2.5 distancing, the second highest notch in the country’s five-tier COVID-19 scheme, performing arts venues will have to leave the two thirds of audience seats empty from Tuesday. The tight limitations on the audience capac

Performance Dec. 6, 2020

Yeongdeok Snow Crab Festival The Yeongdeok Snow Crab Festival, initially slated for February, will be held online until Dec. 31. The festival, an annual event that celebrates local snow crabs caught off the east coast of North Gyeongsang Province, was scheduled for Feb. 20-23. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has moved online. A cooking show, a lucky draw and online sales of freshly caught snow crabs can be accessed at www.ydcf.co.kr, as well as on the festival’s social media chan

Travel Dec. 4, 2020

The Seoul Arts Center confirmed Thursday another case of coronavirus among its employees, bringing the total to two after another case was detected earlier this week. On Monday, an employee at the state-funded art center in southern Seoul was confirmed to have the new coronavirus. Some 73 employees who had contact with the person were tested for the virus. Among the 73, one employee was tested positive and 70 were tested negative. Two employees are waiting for their results. According to the

Culture Dec. 3, 2020

Pianist Sunwoo Yekwon is planning to show the public around the Lotte Concert Hall in virtual reality. The Lotte Foundation for Arts and LG Uplus, a major local telecom operator, joined hands to present a VR tour of the Lotte Concert Hall in Jamsil, eastern Seoul, featuring celebrated pianist Sunwoo Yekwon as the docent. In the first video, Sunwoo appears in the audience and looks around the venue, joined by a house manager. They walk around the vineyard-style classical music concert hall, bui

Performance Dec. 2, 2020

Pianist Kim Sun-wook will take the stage with violinist Chung Kyung-wha on Dec. 18 at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul. At the recital, the duo will present the complete Johannes Brahms violin sonatas. Chung is one of the first generation of classical musicians in Korea. She has released more than 33 recordings over the past 40 years. She is especially recognized for her repertoire of the three Brahms violin sonatas, having released a recording of the sonatas on EMI Classics with piani

Performance Nov. 28, 2020

Actors Song Kang-ho and Kim Min-hee were included in the list of “The 25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century (So Far),” as arranged by the New York Times. On Wednesday, the New York Times released a list of 25 actors, along with a comment that reads “these are the performers who have outshone all others on the big screen in the last 20 years.” In the list of 25 internationally known screen figures, two Koreans claimed spots: Song Kang-ho and Kim Min-hee. The New York T

Film Nov. 27, 2020

Though inspired by the well-known “Mary Poppins” series, local original musical “Black Mary Poppins” tells a different story of the famous nanny with a magical, black umbrella. The story is loosely based on Australian novelist P. L. Travers’ “Mary Poppins” series, which has been made into numerous films. However, different from other films or drama adaptations, the musical is set in 1926 Germany, amid the impending rise of Nazism. Mary Poppins is giv

Performance Nov. 27, 2020

Korea is set to call on the retrieval of Jikji, the world’s oldest metal-printed book currently stored in France, with a new official website and other promotional activities. Jikji refers to a Korean Buddhism document printed at the temple Heungdeoksa in 1377 during the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392). It was printed 78 years prior to Gutenberg’s 42-line Bible. Jikji was listed in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2001. Brought to France at the end of the 19th century, one sole

Culture Nov. 27, 2020

Sunchang Fermented Sauce Festival The Sunchang Fermented Sauce Festival is an annual event held in Sunchang, South Jeolla Province. The festival celebrates the many different sauces and pastes made from fermented soybeans. This year’s event runs until Nov. 29 and involves a photo contest, a talent show and more. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event is being held online, and festivalgoers at home can upload photos of their sauce pots. Festival organizers are also soliciting suggestio

Travel Nov. 27, 2020

Concert pianist Cho Seung-jin’s encore recital in Seoul slated for Saturday has been canceled, due to a resurgence in COVID-19 cases. Cho, the winner of the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition, was to hold an in-person recital on Saturday at the Seoul Arts Center, following his monthlong 11-city tour across Korea. The recital, which was announced after the completion of the scheduled tour, was to have been streamed live online through Naver TV for pay, too. However, as the num

Performance Nov. 25, 2020

Though more often associated with the names of Romantic composers -- Chopin, Schumann and Schubert, for example -- pianist Sunwoo Yekwon hopes to share the Mozart side of himself through a new album. Concert pianist Sunwoo Yekwon, 31, who rose to global stardom three years ago winning the gold medal at the 15th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, has released his first studio album under the Decca label. The 19-track album was recorded this summer in Neumarkt, Germany. Simply titl

Performance Nov. 24, 2020

Rock musician Yoon Do-hyun issued a statement Monday to clarify a rumor that some 500 attendees at his concert were required to be tested for COVID-19, following the virus infection of a concertgoer. A person who attended Yoon’s concert on Nov. 15 -- the last of his three concerts in Daegu -- tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday. While a number of media outlets reported that some 500 concertgoers would have to be tested for COVID-19, Yoon’s agency Dee Company said the city&rsq

Performance Nov. 23, 2020

While South Korea has decided to raise the social distancing level for the Greater Seoul area, the Lotte Concert Hall hopes to bring chamber music to its stage through its newly launched In House Artist Series. The Lotte Concert Hall in eastern Seoul, a major classical music concert venue, will kick off the program with recitals by the Korea Chamber Orchestra on Thursday and the Esme Quartet on Saturday. As the concert hall’s in-house artists for the 2020-2021 season, the two groups wil

Performance Nov. 23, 2020