Chuseok, the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving, is all about families returning to their hometowns and paying tribute to their ancestors by visiting graves and sharing a big meal. Also, the Chuseok holidays are the busiest time of the year for movie theaters with lots of new family movies being released. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has the Health Ministry strongly encouraging the public to stay home and keep a safe distance during the nation’s major traditional holiday. Although foll

Television Sept. 29, 2020

It was the ’90s vibe that director Lee Jong-pil was after in his upcoming film “Samjin Company English Class,” which captures the mood of the country when it was on the cusp of globalization. The viewers are first introduced to three young women who work for Samjin Company -- Lee Ja-young, played by Ko Ah-sung, Jung Yoo-na, played by E Som, and Sim Bo-ram, played by Park Hye-soo. The year is 1995. The three women have been working at the company for eight years and are bett

Film Sept. 28, 2020

Korean entertainment behemoth S.M. Entertainment is changing to adapt to the contactless era while utilizing its intellectual properties. “Like how Disney achieved an IP empire, K-pop will overcome this (pandemic) situation and become a genre that forms an IP empire in the music industry,” said S.M. Entertainment co-CEO Lee Sung-soo on Friday in his speech at MU:CON Online 2020. MU:CON is a four-day international music industry annual gathering organized by the Korea Creative Cont

Performance Sept. 27, 2020

The National Museum of Korea’s “The New National Treasures of Korea” exhibition has been extended for two weeks. The largest-ever show of national treasures opened on July 22 and will now be shown through Oct. 11. The new schedule was announced on Friday along with the Sept. 28 reopening of the facility. The exhibition organizer explained that it decided to extend the exhibition‘s run as not many people had an opportunity to enjoy the show because the museum was shut

Culture Sept. 27, 2020

The National Palace Museum of Korea on Tuesday announced that it will revive cosmetics products used by Princess Hwahyup from the 18th century jointly in conjunction with the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage and local cosmetics maker Cosmax before the end of this year. The three entities will jointly launch a new brand named “Princess Hwahyup” that will be developed based on findings of cosmetic products that were presumably used by Princess Hwahyup (1733-1752), the

Culture Sept. 26, 2020

“When I first read the script, I was puzzled,” Lee Mi-do, one of the main actors in the upcoming science fiction comedy “Night of the Undead,” said during a press conference held at the CGV Yongsan movie theater in Seoul on Tuesday. The conference was held through livestreaming, with reporters and actors in separate parts of the theater due to the ongoing spread of COVID-19. Lee’s reaction was understandable as the film’s director, Shin Jung-won, was not a

Film Sept. 23, 2020

  Two major Protestant church groups -- the General Assembly of Presbyterian Church in Korea and the Presbyterian Church of Korea -- failed to make a decision in the case of the controversial Rev. Jun Kwang-hoon during their respective online general meetings on Monday. The two church groups had planned to decide at the meetings whether they considered the Presbyterian pastor a cult leader. But the meetings did not run smoothly and not everyone had a chance to speak, partially due to tech

Culture Sept. 21, 2020

Actor Yoo Ah-in’s second film of the year has him playing a character with no lines. In the upcoming criminal drama “Voice of Silence,” Yoo plays Tae-in, whose job is to dispose of corpses and clean up crime scenes for an organized crime syndicate. “As an actor, a character without any lines was easy to act but at the same time challenging,” Yoo said during an online press conference Monday. “My character does make some noise in the movie, so I think he ca

Film Sept. 21, 2020

Models strutting and posing on the runway in a hall packed with celebrities and fashion industry movers and shakers. A crowded backstage where makeup artists stand tightly next to models, applying colorful eye shadow and lipstick. This year, it may be difficult see any of these scenes unfold as the COVID-19 pandemic has halted on-site fashion shows. In their place, the fashion industry has begun to embrace online shows. The Korea Creative Content Agency was the first to adapt to the “n

Arts & Design Sept. 19, 2020

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will provide links to cultural content from its affiliated bodies that the public can enjoy during Chuseok. The decision to provide this service was announced Friday during a Health Ministry press briefing, where authorities encouraged the public to stay home during the nation’s major traditional holiday. “We expect that many citizens will be staying at home instead of heading to their hometowns for the safety of their families and relat

Culture Sept. 18, 2020

The 2020 Korea Art Week will kick off Thursday under the theme of “Your Life Is Art,” providing a variety of art programs offered by nearly 300 art institutes across the country and reaching out to the public through virtual reality programs. The country’s largest art festival, organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, this year aims to promote local exhibitions and the art market hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual art festival will run through Oct

Arts & Design Sept. 18, 2020

Yoon Sang, a seasoned recording artist and a prolific producer, said he hopes to provide more opportunities for local indie musicians to connect with global music business operators through the international music festival MU:CON 2020. Yoon is an art director of this year’s showcase, which will be held during the four-day international music industry gathering organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency that runs from Sept. 23-Sept. 26. “BTS topping the Billboard chart as an As

Culture Sept. 16, 2020

The fifth International Teaching Artist Conference, being hosted by the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service this year, kicked off Monday in the virtual space due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. The event runs until Thursday. This year’s online conference, titled “Boundaries into New Pathways: Enacting the power of arts and arts education,” includes programs such as engaging sessions, activities and informal and formal discussions. Registered participants will

Culture Sept. 14, 2020

The National Museum of Korea will livestream an online show of its largest-ever exhibition of national treasures at 7 p.m. Tuesday on Naver TV. “We hope the Naver TV livestream show ‘The New National Treasures of Korea 2017-2019’ can be of great comfort to the people who are suffering due to the coronavirus situation,” an NMK official said in a statement. “The New National Treasures of Korea” exhibition, jointly organized by the Cultural Heritage Administ

Culture Sept. 14, 2020

The Cultural Heritage Administration on Thursday announced it is to apply for the listing of the Gaya Tumuli as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Gaya Tumuli is a serial property consisting of seven different tumuli sites -- Gimhae Daeseong-dong Tumuli, Haman Marisan Tumuli, Hapcheon Okjeon Tumuli, Goryeong Jisan-dong Tumuli, Goseong Songhak-dong Tumuli, Changnyeong Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli and Namwon Yugok-ri and Durak-ri Tumuli -- located along the Nakdong River in the southern pa

Culture Sept. 10, 2020