"Forest of Moss" (working title) By Cheon Seon-ran Giant Books With its dark fairy tale-like atmosphere and poignant narrative, the three interconnected stories featured in “Forest of Moss” depict the love, friendship and adventure of six friends set in the near future of mankind, exiled to the underground city after the destruction of Earth. Hope remains despite their current generation merel...

"The Way We Have Passed the Winter" (working title) By Moon Mi-soon Namu Bench The first full-length novel from the award-winning writer Moon Mi-soon captures the challenges of caregiving and the burdens of tending to sick loved ones. The novel vividly portrays the mental, physical and economic hardships faced by families in this role. The narrative revolves around Myung-joo, a woman in her 5...

"Seasons of Its Own" By Kwon Yeo-sun Munhakdongne Publishing Several years ago, Kwon Yeo-sun, residing at a writers’ residence in Wonju, Gangwon Province, overheard a memorable dialogue between a fellow writer and the residence’s security guard. “Where could such a large bug (referring to a deer beetle) possibly come in?” After contemplating for a moment, the security guard said, “Bugs can co...

Four international writers, including Cormac McCarthy of the US and Canada's Margaret Atwood, have been nominated for the 12th Park Kyung-ni Literary Prize, according to the award’s organizers on Wednesday. Antonio Lobo Antunes from Portugal and Christoph Ransmayr from Austria are the other two foreign nominees. A novelist and retired medical doctor, Antunes has long been considered a strong co...

The stage undergoes transformations through the interplay of video and lighting. Video artist Boris Labbe spearheads the video design while Eric Soyer handles the lighting. The costume is the work of Russian fashion designer Igor Chapurin, who drew inspiration from origami to create white layered tutus for the swans. The music mostly consists of Tchaikovsky’s original compositions, accompanied ...

Fashion-designer-turned stage director Jung, who is renowned for his simplicity and originality, brings picturesque mise-en-scenes to the stage by visualizing the essence of sanjo. Jung teamed up with choreographer Choi Jin-wook, choreographer-composer Kim Jae-deok and two-time Grammy-winning sound engineer Hwang Byeong-joon for the choreography and music. Choi, who was also a senior member of ...

Female narratives and universality In Gendry-Kim’s works, the female narrative takes center stage as it navigates the tragic and turbulent times of Korean history. “Grass” portrays the life of a “comfort woman,” or a victim of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery. The story was based on the testimony of comfort woman Lee Ok-sun, from Busan. “The Waiting” revolves around the heart-wrenching stories o...

The top five finalists from the Asian competition will advance to the semifinals of the AsLiCo Competition held in Como, Italy in January. They will also receive air travel, accommodation and prize money of 9,000 euros ($9,700). More information and a detailed schedule can be found on the official website.

The National Theater of Korea is set to premiere its production of the heartwarming play “Our Town” at the Daloreum Theater from June 22-25. The Korean adaption of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by American playwright Thornton Wilder explores the beauty and significance of everyday life, weaving a narrative around a family with a disabled member. Im Do-wan, who directed the National Theater Co...

“Reading habits have undergone considerable changes,” Lee said. “We are aware of the challenges the magazine is facing, but fortunately, our loyal readers have helped to create a solid foundation for publication.” Changbi said it has maintained a circulation of 10,000 copies per issue, and the number of regular subscribers has been at 5,000 over the past 20 years. The editorial team emphasized ...

Notably, Kim became the first Asian woman to win Canada’s prestigious International Griffin Poetry Prize in 2019 for her "Autobiography of Death” (2016), also translated by Choi. Korean American poet-translator Choi became the two-time winner of the Lucien Styrk Asian Translation Prize for her translation of Kim's “All the Garbage of the World, Unite!” and “Autobiography of Death” in 2012 and 20...

Act 3, “Jungmu,” a newly incorporated dance piece this year, bridged the gap from the more traditional Acts 1 and 2 to Act 4, “New Ilmu,” which is completely contemporary. The choreography involved more vigorous movements with dynamic arm gestures and jumps, emanating intense power reminiscent of an ancient ritual or scene from a martial arts film. Dancers ran, spun and jumped at high speeds th...

On June 16, two productions -- Yang Seungkwan Dance Project’s “Sole” and BK Dance Project’s “Type R” -- will premiere at the festival. “Taking Care of Me” by RAT Dance is a work that contemplates the journey of human beings as they navigate toward death. The dance focuses on the emotions surrounding death and expresses them through a flow of consciousness. Hoo Dance Company will perform “Elegan...

How does the sci-fi writer with an 18-year career envision a future with ChatGPT? If ChatGPT were to write fiction full-time, the number of novels produced would increase tremendously and in the long term a consumer robot would need to diligently buy books to keep up with the speed, according to Bae. Similarly, his story “The Guardian of Demand Curve” portrays an AI robot named Masaro designed ...

“The Fox” By Bora Chung Potion Bora Chung, author of “Cursed Bunny,” a 2022 Booker Prize International finalist, has finally released her unpublished debut work, “The Fox.” Despite winning the prize in the mobile category of the 2008 Digital Literature Awards, which was discontinued in 2012, the book never made it to print. Now published by Potion, a genre literature imprint of Itta Publishin...