Lighting Festival at The Garden of Morning Calm The Garden of Morning Calm in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, is hosting its annual Lighting Festival until March 14. According to the Garden of Morning Calm, it is the first light festival in Korea to add lights to natural surroundings. The environment-friendly LED lights shine throughout the 330,000-square-meter garden. Admissions cost 9,500 won per adult, 7,000 won per middle and high school student, and 6,000 won per children.  Daegu Na

Travel Feb. 19, 2021

The Wicked Witch of the West has returned to Seoul, with the musical “Wicked” officially opening its Seoul run on Tuesday. Inspired by the classic “The Wizard of the Oz,” and based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel “Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West,” tells the story of two unlikely friends, Elphaba, the wicked green witch of the west, and Glinda, the good white witch. Featuring musical divas Ock Joo-hyun and Jeong Seon-ah, and

Performance Feb. 17, 2021

In recent years, gender-bending casting, where actors are cast for roles regardless of their gender, has come under the spotlight for its fresh take on the traditionally male-oriented performing arts scene. Gender-bending casting, more often referred to as gender-free casting in Korea, is about giving actors opportunities to perform regardless of their gender. Veteran stage actor Kim Seong-nyeo is to take the role of Faust in the National Theater of Korea’s upcoming play “Faus

Performance Feb. 17, 2021

A dancer at the National Gugak Center has been confirmed with novel coronavirus infection. The person tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, along with her family, including her husband and two children. She had previously tested negative on Feb. 8, but her husband tested positive. Prior to the COVID-19 test, the dancer went onstage at the center in southern Seoul on Feb. 6 for a weekly performance show. Sixty-eight members from the Court Music Orchestra, Folk Music Group and Dance Theate

Performance Feb. 16, 2021

Despite the trade war between Korea and Japan and restrictions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, up-and-coming K-pop acts are enjoying a strong presence in the Japanese entertainment industry, topping the local music charts. 　While hit K-pop groups such as Twice and IZ*ONE have already risen to major stardom in Japan, more K-pop groups are making their way in Japan, releasing Japanese-language albums targeted to the wider public.   　Big Hit Entertainment’s TXT, also known as Tomorrow

Performance Feb. 13, 2021

Rock musician Han Kyung-rock, a bassist in the legendary punk rock band Crying Nut, is celebrating his birthday Thursday with a 17-hour virtual concert. Han will be hosting “2021 Kyungrockjeol in the House,” which starts Thursday at noon and features 83 music acts. The lineup includes rock bands Crying Nut, No Brain, Galaxy Express, Broccoli You Too, Romantic Punch and Jannabi, along with hip-hop singer Jay Park, singer Seonwoo Jung A, Glen Matlock from the Sex Pistols, Japanese p

Performance Feb. 10, 2021

Despite the prevalence of digital scheduling applications, it seems that demand for paper diaries never dies out. In fact, the pastime of decorating journals -- “dakku” in Korean -- is more popular than ever. Dakku, an abbreviation for a Korean word for decorating, refers to the use of colorful tape, memo pads, stickers and other stationery products to adorn journals. Dakku has always been popular among schoolchildren, but recently the trend has spread to those in their 20s and 30

Culture Feb. 10, 2021

With pianist Paik Kun-woo and his wife Yoon Jeong-hee at the center of attention over accusations of Paik‘s neglect in the care of Yoon, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, Yoon’s siblings released an official statement Tuesday, acknowledging it was they who posted the petition on the Blue House website that accuses Paik and his daughter of neglecting Yoon. The siblings apologized for going public with family matters. “Paik kept his distance from his wife and her f

People Feb. 10, 2021

The Korea National Opera will start the 2021 season with a series of gala concerts to offer opportunities to local opera singers hit by the COVID-19 pandemic to perform. Though it has been customary for the state-funded opera troupe to begin the year with full-act operas, the 2021 season will begin with five gala concerts across Korea from March to May, taking into consideration the unstable pandemic situation in different regions of the country. Also, the gala concerts can support local op

Performance Feb. 9, 2021

As musical productions return to the stage with the easing of social distancing rules for performing arts halls, shows featuring big names such as Ock Ju-hyun and Cho Seung-woo are sold out.  Of the first 25 performances in the Seoul run of “Wicked” from Feb. 12 to March 5, the shows featuring Ock and Jeong Seon-ah are already sold out. VIP tickets for shows featuring Ock, originally priced at 150,000 won ($134), are being resold illegally for up to 400,000 won on ticket res

Performance Feb. 8, 2021

Gugak, traditional Korean music, is having a moment, buoyed by a growing appreciation from a wider audience both in and out of Korea. While a new generation of gugak artists have been breathing new life into the centuries-old genre over the past few years, outreach to a broader audience had eluded them in a country where contemporary music, especially K-pop, dominates. Recently, however, gugak has caught the attention of a broader audience with a wider spectrum of traditional music. Video gi

Performance Feb. 8, 2021

Pianist Paik Kun-woo’s agency has denied the accusation that Paik and his daughter have been negligent in the care of Paik’s wife actress Yoon Jeong-hee, who suffers from Alzheimer‘s disease. A petition accusing Paik and his daughter of neglect was uploaded Friday, some three months after Yoon’s siblings lost a lawsuit in the French courts challenging the designation of Paik and the couple’s daughter as Yoon‘s legal guardians. On Sunday, Paik’s agency

People Feb. 7, 2021

TV Chosun’s hit audition show “Miss Trot 2” recorded a viewership rating of 30 percent Thursday, emulating the success of the men’s version last year . The 30 percent viewership share has traditionally been the threshold for a local entertainment show being considered a success. “Miss Trot 2” is officially the third season of the audition show series, following “Miss Trot” and its male version “Mister Trot,” which aired in 2019 and 2

Television Feb. 7, 2021

Pianist brothers Lim Dong-hyek and Lim Dong-min are to hold a duo recital at the Seoul Arts Center on March 3 as part of their nationwide tour across Korea. The tour will kick off in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province on Feb. 20, followed by Daegu, Busan, Incheon, Jeju Island and Gwangju. The Seoul recital is held as part of the special gala concert ahead of the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition. The first half will feature works by Chopin, while the piano duo will perform after

Performance Feb. 6, 2021

The LG Arts Center will stream four never-before-seen works in Korea by celebrated choreographer Matthew Bourne. The four pieces created by Bourne -- “The Red Shoes,” “The Car Man,” “Cinderella” and “Romeo and Juliet” -- will be streamed in March, the arts center announced Tuesday. Bourne’s dance company New Adventures was to perform “The Red Shoes” in Korea last year at the LG Arts Center, but was later canceled due to the CO

Performance Feb. 3, 2021