The Korea Tourism Organization is receiving applications to join K-Friends, its online team of online supporters. With in-person marketing almost impossible these days due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the KTO hopes to attract tourists to Korea through contactless promotions, according to the KTO. Application is open to foreign nationals with more than 100 social media followers. The organization hopes to gather 10,000 supporters this year, 50,000 by 2023, and 100,000 by 2025. The parti

Culture Oct. 22, 2020

While Broadway remains in a prolonged shutdown and the West End is just now coming back to life after seven months of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the felines of “Cats” continue to sing and dance in South Korea. Three cast members from the international tour production of “Cats” -- Joanna Ampil, playing Grizabella; Dan Partridge, playing Rum Tum Tugger; and Brad Little, playing Old Deuteronomy -- spoke about being part of the hit Andrew Lloyd Webber musical in

Performance Oct. 21, 2020

The Herald Design Forum 2020 will be held virtually Thursday, envisioning the next 10 years of innovation by design. The 10th edition of the annual event, which celebrates the art of design and its value, will be held under the title of “Another 10 Years.” In response to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, the forum will be held virtually. In compliance with the government’s social distancing guideline, fewer than 50 speakers and officials will attend the event held at Paradise

Arts & Design Oct. 20, 2020

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra is gearing up for a new start, after months of lull due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Like most other orchestras and music acts around the world, the SPO has had a rather underwhelming 2020. This year, the SPO took to the stage stage in February -- when its music director Osmo Vanska led two inaugural concerts in Seoul -- and in June and July, before performances were halted again as the number of COVID-19 cases spiked in August. But as Korea has eased

Performance Oct. 19, 2020

Camping has come under the limelight in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an outdoor activity that guarantees fresh air, some space from others and also individual freedom. But because campsites are not virus-free zones, campers must be responsible when using common areas. Larger, less crowded campsites may be better options under the current circumstances. Here is a list of some campsites recommended by the Korea Tourism Organization.  Meonguri Valley Camping Site Pocheon, Gyeong

Travel Oct. 17, 2020

Though 40 years have passed, memories of 1980 still cast a shadow over the city of Gwangju. This year, those memories have been woven into a story and put onstage in a new original musical: “City of Light,” produced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Gwangju Metropolitan City. The May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising, which marked its 40th anniversary this year, took place in the metropolitan city surrounded by South Jeolla Province. Hundreds of pro-democracy protest

Performance Oct. 17, 2020

Busan Fireworks Festival The 16th Busan Fireworks Festival will take place on Nov. 7. Organized by the Busan Culture & Tourism Festival Organizing Committee, the annual festival is held every autumn along Gwangalli Beach. During the festival, visitors can enjoy a myriad of unique and colorful fireworks at sites across Hwangnyeongsan, Dongbaek Island and Igidae Coastal Park. For more information in Korean and English, visit www.bfo.or.kr. Mungyeong Chasabal Festival The Mungyeong Cha

Travel Oct. 16, 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic brings a more contactless world, a rock music festival -- an event usually associated with heat and sweat -- will go online. Iconic rock music event the 2020 Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival will be streamed live online Friday and Saturday. It will be the first online-only event in the festival’s 15-year history. Organized by Incheon Metropolitan City, the annual festival is held every August at Songdo Moonlight Festival Park. This year, due to the COVID-19 pan

Performance Oct. 13, 2020

Hit K-pop act BTS has come under fire in China for a remark about the Korean War, according to a Chinese news outlet. BTS recently received the General James A. Van Fleet Award from the Korea Society, a US-based nonprofit organization. The award, named after a US commander who fought in the Korean War (1950-1953), is given to South Korean and US nationals who have strengthened the ties between the two nations. In a video clip released by the organization on Wednesday, BTS member RM made an

Performance Oct. 12, 2020

The international tour production of “Cats” will extend its Seoul run for a month. The West End musical opened Sept. 9 at the Charlotte Theater in eastern Seoul. Though initially slated to run until Nov. 8, the show will now close on Dec. 6. After the Seoul run, the musical will tour Korea, though details of that have yet to be finalized. Adjusting to the time of the novel coronavirus, the musical sold half of the 1,241 available seats. Cast members also wore masks featuring cat

Performance Oct. 12, 2020

Celebrating the legacy of iconic composer Yun I-sang (1917-1995), the Isang Yun Peace Foundation honored Venezuelan conductor, pianist and economist Jose Antonio Abreu (1939-2018) with the 2020 Isang Yun Prize. Since 2007, the Isang Yun Peace Foundation has recognized musicians who carried on Yun’s legacy. According to the foundation, the prize celebrates artists who are actively involved in society and who have made contributions to “peace, reconciliation and harmony.” In 1

Performance Oct. 11, 2020

The 2020 Seoul Performing Arts Festival will be a contactless event, connecting with audiences at home via livestream. The SPAF, organized by the Korea Arts Management Service under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is an annual festival held in the Daehagno neighborhood in central Seoul. This year, however, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the event will be streamed online. It will be the first major performing arts festival here to adopt a paid online streaming model. The

Performance Oct. 11, 2020

  It took him about 60 years to understand Robert Schumann (1810-1856). After all those years, concert pianist Paik Kun-woo finally gets the German Romantic composer. Paik will hold a Seoul recital in October followed by a nationwide tour marking the release of a new album last month dedicated to Schumann. “I now understand the life that Schumann lived, and with what thoughts he packed up and admitted himself to a psychiatric hospital,” Paik, 74, said during an online press

Performance Oct. 7, 2020

The two-day online screening of musical “Mozart!” gathered 15,000 paid audience members in Korea over the Chuseok holiday. EMK Musical Company, the production company behind the hit musical, offered a paid online stream of its hit musical “Mozart!” on Saturday and Sunday via Naver V Live, a local video streaming platform. A total of 15,000 people purchased online tickets for the musical screening, according to EMK Musical Company Tuesday. Some 12,000 were individual t

Performance Oct. 6, 2020

State-run cultural facilities reopened Monday following a monthlong shutdown, but COVID-19 threats still exist. To safely indulge in holiday traditions during the Chuseok holidays, virtual visits to cultural sites are an option. For families with young children, who may be uncomfortable with the idea of visiting crowded places, some royal palaces are available online, enhanced with the latest technologies - from virtual reality to augmented reality -- offering users a more interactive experienc

Culture Oct. 1, 2020