Han Na-yeon, a pseudonym for a 34-year-old office worker, experienced an anxiety attack during a job interview six months ago, almost having a breakdown in front of interviewers. This encounter preceded a months long period of depression and repressed anger. Beginning to wonder if she had anxiety or some other issue, she delved into various online communities in an attempt to get to the bottom of her problem. Following a readily available online test, she was presented with a diagnosis of atten

Technology Feb. 26, 2022

Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Hwang Hee on Tuesday said that he plans to officially propose “Culture Olympics” to the International Olympic Committee. Hwang said that he pitched the idea to IOC President Thomas Bach at the Beijing Olympics, saying that an Olympics dedicated to culture would fit the goal of the sports event which brings the global communities together, providing opportunities for athletes to have various exchanges, reduce differences and enhance harmony. &ld

Culture Feb. 22, 2022

Sejong Center for the Performing Arts unveiled Monday a series of plans to revitalize the ageng cultural complex that is facing competition from newer facilities as well as financial difficulties. Ahn Ho-sang, who took the helm of the center in October, said that the Sejong Center faced competition not just from other performance facilities but also digital content platforms such as Nexflix. Ahn, a former CEO of the National Theater of Korea, said it was therefore “inevitable that center

Culture Feb. 22, 2022

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Monday said it will inject another batch of capital to support workers in the performing arts sector, which has been hit hard by COVID-19. The ministry and the Arts Council Korea, a state-run organization dedicated to supporting the arts and performers, will support 2,000 workers in the sector with a budget of 22.8 billion won ($19 million). The latest plan follows three similar three packages in 2020 and 2021, totaling 73.9 billion won which went

Culture Feb. 21, 2022

Park Chan-wook, the director of ‘Oldboy,’ and ‘The Handmaiden,’ unveiled a short martial arts fantasy filmed with Apple iPhone 13 Pro on Friday. “Life is But a Dream ‘’ revolves around an undertaker, played by Yoo Hae-jin, who needs wood to build a coffin for the savior of his village, played by Kim Ok-vin, and digs up an abandoned grave. But while doing so, he accidentally awakens the ghost of an ancient swordsman, played by Park Jeong-min, who want

Film Feb. 19, 2022

Five years after a blacklist of cultural figures drawn up by previous administrations was first revealed, efforts to recover from the scandal and prevent a repeat are still ongoing, the minister of culture, sports and tourism said on Thursday. Culture Minister Hwang Hee named a legislation that guarantees status and rights of artists, which is expected to take effect in September, as the biggest accomplishment. Out of the 85 subtasks that had been set, 62 have been completed while the rest ar

Culture Feb. 17, 2022

The first official chairman of the Asia Culture Center finally took office on Tuesday after years of an interim head system. Lee Kang-hyun became the first chair to lead the organization for the next three years. Previously, ACC was run by several interim heads since it was launched in 2015 as its previous five attempts failed to find a qualified person. ACC, located in the old center of the southwestern city of Gwangju, is a multicultural complex backed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports an

Culture Feb. 16, 2022

At least two classical concerts that were slated for later this month at Tongyeong Concert Hall have been canceled due to the highly transmissible omicron variant, but the organizers who are also preparing the Tongyeong International Music Festival in March said that its flagship music gala will take place as planned. The New York Philharmonic String Quartet, which was scheduled to play at Tongyeong Concert Hall on Sunday will skip the city, which was to have been the first of their performanc

Performance Feb. 15, 2022

In the dark reality of the pandemic, a long-running classic has brought a sense of hopeful nostalgia to the stage. “The Lion King” is back in Seoul after nearly 3 years, and has once again shown why it captures so many hearts. As the curtains go up, the audience is immediately enraptured by the march of animals as Futhi Mhlong, who has been playing mandrill Rafiki for the past 14 years, sings “Circle of Life.” Even though the iconic entry of the animals through the a

Performance Feb. 14, 2022

While “short form” or “mid form” content which immerse audiences in a story with rapid plot developments appear to be an irreversible trend in movies and TV dramas, a number of stage plays have gone against the tide with productions that run as long as eight hours. “Angels in America,” “The Brothers Karamazov,” and “The Geumjo Story,” are among the many recent works that are far longer than the typical play length of 80 to 100 minute

Performance Feb. 14, 2022

Korean cultural contents, led by the rise of K-pop and K-dramas, continued to gain global popularity in the past year, a survey showed on Monday. An annual report jointly released by the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, revealed consumption of Korean cultural contents rose in all categories -- beauty, drama, fashion, entertainment show, game, animation, publication -- in 2021. Some 61.1 percent of all respondents who said

Culture Feb. 14, 2022

An exhibition that underlines the daily use of Korea traditional clothing, hanbok, launched on Wednesday in Seoul. The exhibition, co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports and Korea Craft & Design Foundation, introduces uniforms created by hanbok designers Kwon Hye-jin of Hyeon, Kim Nan-hee of Dolsilnai, Baek Dahami of Daham Hanbok, Hwang Sun-tae of Hanbok Moon, Shin Sang-hwa as well as You Eun-chae, a college student whose hanbok design received an award last year. &ldqu

Arts & Design Feb. 10, 2022

Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman is set to perform in Korea in the coming weeks after a couple of delays in ticketing. The celebrated pianist will visit Korea later this month with some changes in the schedule, according to Mast Media, the organizer of Zimerman‘s recitals. Previously, it was unclear whether Zimmerman, who travels with his own instrument, would be able to make it to the country as the recent surge in COVID-19 cases got in the way of transporting his piano. Amid the uncer

Performance Feb. 8, 2022

Two of Korea’s leading dance troupes are adopting creative ways to become a more familiar face to the public. Ambiguous Dance Company, a contemporary dance group known for its collaborative works with bands Coldplay and Leenalchi, has joined forces with the audience for its latest performance while Ahn Eun-Me Company, led by iconic contemporary dancer and choreographer Ahn Eun-me, unveiled an online dance game. Ambiguous Dance Company’s “Whole Like Dankeschon,” which

Arts & Design Feb. 5, 2022

The Korean Chamber Orchestra on Friday said it is set to resume hosting eight all-Mozart concerts next month after the project was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the Mozart Project, the KCO aims to perform all 46 symphonies by the Austrian composer. Led by Finnish-German pianist and conductor Ralf Gothoni and music director Kim Min, the KCO will take the composer’s masterpieces on stage in eight concerts from March 13 to Feb. 8, 2023. The orchestra kicked off the 10-conce

Performance Feb. 4, 2022