Despite the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the South Korean performing arts sector saw a steady recovery this year, data showed on Wednesday. In this month so far, revenue from theatrical plays, musicals, classical concerts and other performances stood at 47.7 billion won ($40.21 million), surpassing the 40-billion-won mark for the first time since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System (KOPIS). The December reco

Performance Dec. 30, 2021

During the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent social distancing measures, musical producer Eom Hong-hyeon may well have been depressed. The CEO of EMK Musical Company, although previously upbeat and outgoing, recalled spending many of his days in despair. This wasn’t without good reason. Just before the pandemic hit, Eom had been planning to launch an office in the US, having been left frustrated and disappointed after meeting renowned musical producers in the

Culture Dec. 20, 2021

A 30-something female filmmaker strives to make her first movie, a film about a widow; it’s a commercial failure and, ironically, she gets divorced shortly afterward. Although this trajectory of trial and failure feels common in modern society, now imagine this same story occurring in 1954, right after the Korean War. This is no fiction, but rather the real life of South Korea’s first female filmmaker, Park Nam-ok. The movie director’s story has been brought back to life in

Performance Dec. 19, 2021

On the first Saturday of December, it was another full house for the musical “Frankenstein” at Shinhan Card Hall, a space dedicated to musicals within Blue Square. In its fourth run, the Korean original musical written, composed and produced by Korean creators, has attracted roughly 500,000 people since its 2014 premiere. Among the theatergoers that day were several foreigners with limited understanding of Korean -- a newly dispatched US soldier and several English teachers, on

Performance Dec. 15, 2021

A team behind the translation of “Yi Sang: Selected Works” received a literary translation award from the US-based Modern Literature Association, the Literature Translation Institute of Korea said Monday. This is the first time the award has been given for a work of Korean literature, according to LTI Korea, which sponsored the book‘s translation and publication. Jack Jung, a visiting assistant professor of English at Davidson College, Sawako Nakayasu, an assistant profes

Books Dec. 13, 2021

  The Literature Translation Institute of Korea on Tuesday awarded 13 translators for excellence in the translation of Korean literature into foreign languages, with the top prize going to Park In-won for her German translation of Kim Young-ha’s 2013 bestselling novel “Diary of a Murderer.” Park, a German literature professor at Ewha Womans University, won the top prize and 20 million won ($16,900) in prize money for her translation of the novella into “Aufzeich

Books Dec. 7, 2021

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra has unveiled its schedule for the first half of 2022, with 15 concerts planned. SPO music director Osmo Vanska kicks off the season by taking the baton for Mozart‘s Requiem on Jan. 29 and 30. The music director, who has been leading the SPO since January 2020, will team up with violist Richard Yongjae O‘Neill on May 19 and 20. 　 In March and April, Vanska will collaborate with Augustin Hadelich, an Italian German American Grammy-winning classic

Performance Dec. 6, 2021

Lotte Concert Hall, a major classical music concert venue in South Korea, on Monday unveiled two artists-in-residence and the programs they have designed. Pianist Shin Chang-young and cellist Mun Tae-guk will each present two concerts next year as its artists-in-residence. This is the second year that the concert hall is running the program. “The biggest attraction of the artist-in-residence program is that I can try more challenging things that I’ve been dreaming about. So I t

Performance Dec. 6, 2021

Gina Alice Redlinger’s marriage to superstar pianist Lang Lang has perhaps dominated the headlines more than her professional career as a pianist, though this may be set to change. On Thursday, the 27-year-old Korean German musician, who has trained as a pianist for 23 years, released her debut album, “Wonderworld,” produced by Universal Music. Featuring 30 pieces that cover a variety of genres, including classical, modern, traditional and even Korean children songs, the br

Performance Dec. 6, 2021

The wall of a secondhand bookstore that enjoyed brief media attention in July for its politically provocative murals has generated yet more controversy this week, when a new painting by the artist Tanksy appeared, depicting the various scandals of the Democratic Party of Korea’s presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung. In what has been described by organizers as an “art battle,” Tanksy’s participation lifted a wooden panel covering a mural by graffiti artist Ninbolt, whic

Culture Dec. 2, 2021

A campaign to promote carols in the holiday season launched jointly by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and major Protestant and Catholic organizations was met by strong opposition from the country’s largest Buddhist sect on Wednesday, which said it could take legal action to stop it. The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism on Wednesday told The Korea Herald that it is “deeply shocked” by the campaign to promote carols by the government and public organizations and is

Culture Dec. 1, 2021

LG Arts Center’s new CEO Lee Hyun-jung officially took the reins of the cultural institution Wednesday. The 50-year-old Lee replaces Sim Woo-seob. Her appointment was announced in the annual reshuffling of conglomerate LG Group’s executives last week. Lee joined LG Arts Center, operated by LG’s nonprofit organization LG Yonam Cultural Foundation, in 1996 as the group was gearing up to launch the cultural complex and served as the head of programming for 22 years. Lee play

People Dec. 1, 2021

Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung on Tuesday retired as the Catholic archbishop of Seoul, after some 10 years of service in the post. Yeom, who also held the post of apostolic administrator of the diocese, Pyongyang of North Korea, will soon leave Myeongdong Cathedral and move to Bishop’s Hall at the Catholic University of Korea Songsin Campus in Seoul where many of the country’s priests are educated. “Even after I leave the diocese, I will be grateful for every moment and pra

People Nov. 30, 2021

The Asia Culture Center, located in the old center of Gwangju, has developed a reputation as having a strength in experimental arts, but it aims to become a more familiar face to the local population and everyday visitors after a reorganization, the acting chairman of the center said Wednesday. Having opened six years ago this month, the multicultural complex has attracted 11.26 million visitors during its short lifespan despite spending two years of its short lifespan dealing with the COVID-1

Culture Nov. 27, 2021

In 2011, when a sprawling 29,492-square-meter, eight-story building opened its doors near Itaewon, Seoul’s vibrant nightlife district, not many could have imagined what was in store for Korea’s musical scene. Fast forward to a decade later, the building, Blue Square, has welcomed more than 10 million visitors coming to see 7,743 performances of 1,031 musicals, according to Interpark Group, which operates a major ticketing platform. Interpark built and runs the cultural complex, whi

Performance Nov. 27, 2021