Even as borders closed around the world last year due to the pandemic, that didn’t stop the spread of the Korean Wave, or “hallyu,” from reaching new heights. There were a total of 100 million members in 1,835 Korean Wave-related clubs across the world as of September 2020, marking a 5.45 million increase from the year before, according to the latest report from the Korea Foundation, a public di...

The foundation released the video with seven foreign language subtitles: English, Chinese, Spanish, Arabic, French, Vietnamese and Indonesian, to reach a wider global audience. “Korean content is attracting global interest. I participated in this project, seeing that it would be a good opportunity to promote the beauty of Hangeul as I am supported by international fans. I hope more people can ex...

Big names in K-pop are launching new K-pop bands this year, promising a fresh crop of talented musicians. Shinsadong Tiger was the producer of K-pop sensation EXID and has written hit tracks for several girl bands such as APink, T-ara and Momoland. By Im Eun-byel ( silverstar@heraldcorp.com )

After months of perseverance, pianist Sunwook Kim finally made his formal debut as a conductor Tuesday, following in the footsteps of the great maestros before him. Amid a heavy snowfall that hit the greater Seoul area, Kim took the baton at Lotte Concert Hall, leading the KBS Symphony Orchestra. Kim’s concert with the KBS Symphony Orchestra was initially set to be held in December, but was pos...

Musical “Marie Curie” won four awards at the Korea Musical Awards held Monday, recognized as an outstanding original Korean musical production. Presented by the Korea Musical Theater Association, the annual awards ceremony, the largest of its kind in Korea, was held at the Blue Square culture complex in Seoul. Featuring star stage actor Ock Ju-hyun, “Marie Curie” won the grand prize, as well ...

Though the COVID-19 pandemic crisis is yet to be resolved, the classical music scene is filled with high hopes for 2021, waiting to welcome audiences back to concert halls. Pianist Kim Sun-wook kicked the year off with a solo recital Monday. Initially slated for March 2020, the recital had been postponed three times due to surges of COVID-19 cases. On Tuesday, Kim will go on the stage with the...

With the COVID-19 pandemic requiring a paradigm shift for survival, the local performing arts scene is striving to produce shows fit for the screen beyond just the stage. In the earlier stages of the pandemic, the performing arts scene tried to stay connected with audiences at home by streaming performances online. Limitations existed, however, as the productions were originally created for the ...

Actress Song Hye-kyo will return to the small screen in a new drama written by screenwriter Kim Eun-sook, “The Glory.” According to the production company Hwa & Dam Pictures, “The Glory,” an 8-part drama series, tells the story of a person who dreamed of being an architect when she was young but had to quit school due to severe bullying from her classmates. She later becomes a teacher to take re...

American burger franchise Shake Shack has launched new Korean-inspired menu items for its branches across the US. The burger franchise recently announced through its official website that it rolled out its Korean-style Fried Chick’n Sandwich and Korean-style Gochujang Chick’n Bites for all US stores. Inspired by gochujang, traditional Korean red pepper paste, the two items were first introduced...

Though 2021 has begun with a gloomy outlook for the theater scene amid prolonged social distancing rules, small musical productions in the theater district of Daehangno are continuing their run, even recording sold-out performances. With the government’s social distancing scheme requiring performing arts venues to leave two-thirds of audience seats empty, several big musical productions have hal...

Clarinetist Kim Han hopes to show off the charms of the clarinet through a series of four recitals slated to take place at the Kumho Art Hall as its artist-in-residence for this year. Each year, the art hall, run by the Kumho Art Cultural Foundation, selects a classical musician under the age of 30 in the early stages of their career to provide an opportunity for the musician to further develop ...

The classical music scene hopes to feature soloists -- who have agreed to the two-week, self-quarantine rule -- instead of inviting large orchestras from abroad. Cellist Mischa Maisky will go onstage in Seoul in May, Beethoven specialist Rudolf Buchbinder is to come to Seoul in September, American pianist Robert Levin in November, followed by pianists Eliso Virsaladze and Lang Lang in December. ...

But local digital learning platforms Coloso, Class 101, Wonderwall and Vible, among others, mostly created by startups, are quickly expanding the cyber learning market. In the raging pandemic era, they are offering “premium internet classes,” with diverse curriculums encompassing subjects from drawing and acting to filmmaking and music producing. Prices differ, but for most classes they range fr...

Like most people now, conductor Sebastian Lang Lessing’s plans for the festive period have been thwarted. The 54-year-old conductor stayed in Korea for more than three months to lead two operas with the Korea National Opera. The German-born conductor, who has led the Hamburg State Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin and other orchestras around the world, has been maintaining a close relationship wi...

Voices of criticism rose in Hollywood concerning the Golden Globes refusal to consider “Minari” for the main film categories because of its heavy use of Korean dialogue. The film by Korean-American director Lee Issac Chung depicts a story of a first-generation Korean immigrant family in pursuit of the American dream based in Middle America in the 1980s. “Minari,” which premiered at the Sundance...