Enjoy Everland’s Bao Haus For precious few chances left to make a special memory with Fu Bao, the first panda to be born in Korea, pay a visit to Bao Haus. Everland -- South Korea’s largest theme park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province -- opened Bao Haus, a Fu Bao-themed exhibition, on Jan. 20, ahead of the scheduled departure of Korea's favorite panda in April. Fu Bao is due to return to her ancestral home China. The indoor exhibition is located at the center of Everland, presenting

Culture Feb. 2, 2024

US ice dance duo Alex Hideo Shibutani and Maia Shibutani, siblings who secured two bronzes at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, have returned to Gangwon Province after six years to celebrate and support the first Youth Winter Olympics in Asia. They set foot in the region for the first time in six years, yet their connection with students remained steadfast through a mentoring program they initially joined in 2017 and 2018. The mentorship program was part of the “Thank You PyeongChang”

People Feb. 1, 2024

Soviet-era pianist Vladimir Sofronitsky, who passed away 1961, has been brought back to the spotlight in South Korea recently thanks to playlists compiled by top musicians. The pianist is on the playlists of two star Korean pianists -- Cho Seong-jin and Lim Yun-chan -- unveiled on Apple Music Classical last week. In addition to Lim and Cho, another celebrated pianist, Son Yeol-eum, and composer and music director June Jae-il have partnered up with the stand-alone app dedicated to classical m

Culture Jan. 31, 2024

The musical "School of Rock" starts with an announcement by Andrew Lloyd Webber, who wrote the music for the musical, asking a key question: "Do the kids really play their rock instruments live?" The answer is an emphatic "Yes, they do!" Webber declares. The announcement is made because, without the notice, many people find it hard to believe that they are witnessing child actors with an average age of 11.5, rocking out with exceptional musical talent and energeti

Culture Jan. 29, 2024

South Korean composer Chin Unsuk was awarded this year's International Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, a prestigious award that honors a composer, performer or musicologist who has made a distinguished contribution to the world of music, according to the Tongyeong International Music Festival, Thursday. Chin is the first Asian and fifth woman to receive the main prize since it was first given in 1974. Chin has shown new paths in contemporary music and has captivated a broad audience, annou

Culture Jan. 25, 2024

On Tuesday evening, the 112th performance of the third run of the musical “Les Miserables” took place at Blue Square in Seoul. During the intermission, a couple in seats in the 10th row discussed whether Eponine was biracial, while two other women in the same row, seemingly in their 50s, praised her singing. Eponine is a character from Victor Hugo's 1862 novel "Les Miserables." Despite being the daughter of the unscrupulous Thenardiers, she assists her friend Marius, w

Culture Jan. 24, 2024

Apple Music’s app exclusively for classical music launched in Korea on Wednesday with the endorsement of South Korean star pianists Lim Yun-chan, Cho Seong-jin, Son Yeol-eum and more. South Korean musicians who collaborate with Apple Music Classical expressed their expectations for the new platform. Son said, "I believe it will be a valuable platform that significantly contributes to classical music becoming not just the music of past eras but our music today." "Streaming pr

Culture Jan. 24, 2024

It was early morning when Munich-based pianist Kim Jun-hyung received a phone call from Kumho Art Hall at Yonsei University. Over the phone, the second-prize winner of the 2022 ARD International Music Competition’s piano category was invited to be Kumho Art Hall’s artist-in-residence for 2024. Kim, a night owl who goes to sleep at 4 or 5 in the morning, couldn’t fall back to sleep. As the artist-in-residence, he would be given a chance to design his own program for four concert

Culture Jan. 23, 2024

"The Great Gatsby," a musical production by South Korean producer Shin Chun-soo, will open at the Broadway Theatre in New York in March. After the one-month pre-Broadway run from Oct. 12 to Nov. 12 last year at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, Shin’s company, the OD Company, decided to bring the musical, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel of the same title, to Broadway. The preview will run from March 29 before it officially kicks off on April 25. Jer

Culture Jan. 22, 2024

The Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games kicked off Friday evening with a grand opening ceremony at the Gangneung Oval, some 160 kilometers east of Seoul, and PyeongChang Dome in Gangwon Province. A total of 1,802 athletes aged between 15 and 18 from 78 National Olympic Committees, including 102 South Koreans, are taking part in the Fourth Winter Youth Olympic Games, according to the Organizing Committee of the Winter Youth Olympic Games Gangwon 2024. Gangwon 2024 also marks the first Asian

Culture Jan. 19, 2024

Han Jae-min, who won first prizes at the Isangyun Competition in 2022 and George Enescu International Competition in 2021, will present one of his most anticipated programs this year as the artist-in-residence at Lotte Concert Hall. The 18-year-old cellist, the youngest musician to be named Lotte's artist-in-residence, will take the stage at least twice this year, in the Solo Cello Recital on March 27 and Trio Recital on Oct. 30. Labeling the March 27 concert as one of the most anticipated

Culture Jan. 19, 2024

The creators and actors of “Memphis,” “The Phantom of the Opera” and “If, Then” were recognized as the most accredited musicals, while the “failed” “SheStars!” was named best musical of the year at the eighth Korea Musical Awards that took place Monday evening. Co-written by Kolleen Park and Jeon Su-yang and directed by Park, “SheStars!” traces back through various girl K-pop groups from the 1930s to 1970s. “We faile

Performance Jan. 16, 2024

The year 2023 was characterized by visits from world-class orchestras and the realization of numerous previously postponed concerts. While there will be fewer such performances this year, South Korea's classical music scene is anticipated to maintain its vibrancy with competition among top domestic orchestras and star performers. Two of the four leading South Korean orchestras now have new artistic directors -- Jaap van Zweden for the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and Kim Sun-wook for the

Culture Jan. 15, 2024

The focus of the opening ceremony for the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games will be on celebrating each young individual’s potential, said Yang Jeong-woong, executive creative director for the ceremony, Thursday. The opening ceremony will take place on Jan. 19. Yang, who served as executive producer of the opening ceremony for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, likened the potential of the youth to the universe, which is the main theme of the opening ceremony, set to take place si

More Sports Jan. 12, 2024

Facing increasing competition from business, The Sejong Center for the Performing Arts will introduce more in-house productions and adopt innovative marketing and sales strategies, its CEO Ahn Ho-sang said during a press conference Tuesday. “Hotels and resorts have emerged as new competitors as they sell experiences rather than mere consumer goods. We are considering how to deliver meaningful experiences to our audience,” Ahn explained. The Sejong Center’s new season, which run

Culture Jan. 9, 2024