A museum dedicated to celebrating the world's various writing systems and their historical value was launched in Songdo, Incheon, on Thursday. Nine years after the initial plan came together in 2014, the National Museum of World Writing Systems, occupying 15,650 square meters in Songdo is finally set to open its doors to the public on Friday, with a series of celebratory events and seminars to follow. “The greatest invention of humanity is the writing system. Through it, history has e

Culture June 29, 2023

SayNo, a won billionaire whose real name is unknown to the public, has seen his book, "The Lessons of SayNo," (translated) top the Yes24 and Kyobo Book Center charts for a whopping 15 weeks since its release on March 2. There are several interesting facts to note about this book: Although it was published earlier this year, much of its contents are nearly two decades old. The author is not receiving any payment or royalties for the book. The book is 734-pages long but costs only 7,20

Books June 29, 2023

Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder is finally bringing all 32 Beethoven piano sonatas to South Korea, marking his 60th cycle since he embarked on the journey in the 1970s. Starting from Wednesday, he takes the stage seven times at Seoul Arts Center through July 9. Several hours before his first performance of the complete Beethoven piano sonata cycle, for which he will perform Nos. 1, 4, 10, 13 and 14, the famed "Moonlight Sonata," he met with reporters and delved into his dedication t

Performance June 28, 2023

Korean violinist Park Sueye and her parents decided to move to Germany when she was 9 years old to pursue Park's music education. She had been offered a chance to study with Ulf Wallin after attending his masterclass in Seoul. Fast forward to 2023, and the 23-year-old has been increasingly active in her motherland. She has been steadily making a name for herself without having to win a major competition -- one of the fastest ways to gain broader recognition. She has created an impressive tr

Culture June 27, 2023

HJ Culture, a South Korean musical theater production company, embarked on its musical journey with an enchanting production of "Vincent van Gogh" in 2014. This inaugural musical set the stage for the company's commitment to introducing historical figures through musicals, bringing to life the stories of legendary artists and other luminaries in musicals "Rachmaninoff," "Farinelli," "Paganini," "Egon Schiele," "Modigliani" and &q

Performance June 24, 2023

Musical "Mozart!" has returned for its seventh run in South Korea since its premiere in 2010. The musical follows the struggles of the genius composer and pianist until his death. EXO member Suho, musical actor Lee Hae-jun, N.Flying member Yoo Hwe-seung and singer Kim Hee-jae, who makes his musical theater debut, will take turns in the role of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. All four actors portraying Mozart are making their debut in the role. "The director and I expected a lot of work

Performance June 23, 2023

Kammerorchester Wien-Berlin, a chamber orchestra consisting of members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, will make its debut in Korea later this month. The first encounter that led to the formation of the ensemble in 2008, was made possible by maestro Simon Rattle in 2005. It is led by Rainer Honeck as the music director and concert master. The string section of Kammerorchester Wien-Berlin is solely entrusted to members of the Vienna Philharmonic, who ad

Performance June 23, 2023

Culture June 23, 2023

For those unfamiliar with Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" and the genre of Changgeuk, the combination of the two might not sound so appealing. After watching such an attempt, "The Merchants of Venice" by the National Changgeuk Company of Korea, one might change their mind. Changgeuk is akin to a Korean version of opera. It derives from pansori, Korea's traditional narrative singing form that is registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. “Chang&r

Performance June 20, 2023

American violinist Randall Goosby had a profound revelation at the age of 14: Composers could be Black. That was seven years after he had started playing the violin. Goosby, the son of an African American father and a mother who is a third-generation Korean who grew up in Japan, was troubled by the realization, which only intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. “There was a lot of attention on the divide between races in America and I think in classical music that divide is as clear as i

Performance June 20, 2023

South Korean teen pianist Hong Seok-young became the winner of the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival that ended Saturday in Dallas, Texas. For the final round that took place on Saturday, the 15-year-old performed Rachmaninov’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, op. 43.” Hong also took home the Audience Award. The third edition of the junior competition designed for pianists age 13 to 17 took place from June 8 to Saturday, with 37 pianists out of 248

Culture June 19, 2023

South Korean tenor Kim Sung-ho became the Song Prize winner at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition held at St David's Hall, Cardiff, on Thursday. Kim, 32, took home the prize for his rendition of “Let Beauty Awake” by Ralph Vaughan Williams, “Mit Myrten und Rosen” by Schumann, “Do not sing, my beauty” by Rachmaninoff, “Morgen!” by Strauss and “Dongsimcho” by Kim Seong-tae. The winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the Wor

Performance June 18, 2023

In South Korea, the term "fringe" is increasingly being used at various festivals, such as the DIMF Fringe of the Daegu International Musical Festival, the Kocaca Fringe Festival alongside the Jeju Haevichi Arts Festival, the Dynamic Street Fringe of the Busan International Performing Arts Festival, the Seoul Fringe Festival and many more. The term "fringe" has typically referred to the border or outer edges, and now represents the inclusive and experimental nature of perfo

Performance June 15, 2023

Standing behind the annual Jeju Haevichi Arts Festival is Kocaca, the new branding for the Korea Culture and Arts Centers Association. The rebrand was introduced in 2020 by Lee Seung-joung, who was voted as the president of the organization in October 2019. The association was founded in 1996 to promote balanced development and networks among regional culture and arts centers. It became a legal entity related to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports in 2012. After taking on the positio

Culture June 13, 2023

JEJU ISLAND - The 16th Jeju Haevichi Festival, which aims to connect South Korean cultural and arts institutions with performing arts productions, kicked off Monday at the Haevichi Hotel & Resort on Jeju Island, with an opening forum themed “Pioneer.” The annual event is co-organized by the Korea Culture and Arts Centers Association and Jeju Island government. Four speakers -- Choung Byoung-gug, chairman of the state-run Arts Council Korea, William Burdett-Coutts, founder and d

Culture June 13, 2023