Articles by Im Eun-byel
Im Eun-byel
silverstar@heraldcorp.com-
Orchestral music to return this spring
The 2021 Korean Orchestra Festival will be held from March 30 to April 22 at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul. Though the COVID-19 pandemic presents new restrictions to classical music performances – especially for symphonic works which require large orchestras – this year’s festival will be held under a “new normal” theme, reflecting the virus-plagued times. The festival features the biggest lineup in nearly a decade with 21 orchestras participating. Las
Performance March 7, 2021
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[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea
Jochiwon Spring Flower Festival The Jochiwon Spring Flower Festival will be held from April 1 to 11. The annual spring festival went online last year due to the COVID-19 virus pandemic. This year, the fesitval will be held both online and offline. The festival, usually held for three days, will be held over 11 days this year. Though the main festival area was the Jochiwon Station main street and along the Jocheon stream, it has been expanded across Sejong City this year to prevent overcrowdin
Travel March 5, 2021
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Quixotic knight sings ‘The Impossible Dream’
Musical “Man of La Mancha” sings of the need to dream in the COVID-19 pandemic-hit era. The Korean-language version, licensed from the Broadway musical production, recently ran at the Charlotte Theater in eastern Seoul after the government relaxed social distancing rules for performing arts theaters with a middle-seat vacancy rule. Prior to the opening, it had been postponed three times. The plot is an adaptation of Miguel de Cervantes’ “Don Quixote.” Taking t
Performance March 3, 2021
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TIMF to take place, reflecting on ‘Changing Reality’
The 2021 Tongyeong International Music Festival will take place from March 26 to April 4, presenting 23 performances under the title of “Changing Reality.” The annual music festival held in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province commemorates the iconic Korean composer Yun I-sang. It features classical music to contemporary music, inviting performances from domestic and overseas artists and orchestras. For the opening concert on March 26, Venezuelan conductor Christian Vasquez will
Performance March 2, 2021
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Allegations of school violence by stars cast gloom over entertainment scene
A series of claims accusing celebrities and sport stars of school violence is spreading like wildfire in Korea via social media. The claims, also being dubbed the “school #MeToo” movement, began with the controversy regarding volleyball athletes and twin sisters Lee Jae-young and Lee Da-yeong. After the Lee sisters admitted to the charges, accusations of school bullying by sport stars and celebrities followed swiftly. Actors Cho Byeong-kyu, Park Hye-su, Kim Dong-hee and K-pop s
People March 1, 2021
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‘Minari’ wins best foreign film at Golden Globes
Following the epic win of “Parasite” last year, “Minari,” a film by a Korean American director, won for best foreign-language film at the Golden Globe Awards on Monday. A semi-autobiographical story by auteur Lee Isaac Chung, the film tells the story of a Korean American family seeking the American dream in rural Arkansas in the 1980s, featuring actors Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Youn Yuh-Jung and more. In a virtual ceremony held in Los Angeles and New York on Sunday even
Film March 1, 2021
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COVID-19 leads tourists outdoors
While the COVID-19 pandemic has nearly shattered the tourism industry around the world, it has sparked new changes to the domestic tourism scene. According to the Korea Tourism Organization’s big data platform (datalab.visitkorea.or.kr) which opened on Feb. 17, the number of visitors to other counties and cities in Korea went fell 18 percent in 2020 compared to 2019. However, some outdoor activity venues such as camping sites and parks near the Greater Seoul area, saw an increase of vi
Travel Feb. 27, 2021
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LG Arts Center announces program for its last season in Gangnam
Set to move to Magok, western Seoul, in 2022, the LG Arts Center released the program for its last season in Gangnam, southern Seoul, Friday. The center’s annual program CoMPAS21 will feature more domestic acts, as visits by international artists and art troupes are limited by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Performances by foreign productions are to be available through screenings. Theater director Yang Jung-ung, who staged the opening ceremony for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic
Performance Feb. 26, 2021
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Master of period films returns with ‘Book of Fish’
Director Lee Joon-ik, a master of period films who directed “Dong-ju: The Portrait of a Poet,” “Anarchist from Colony” and more, is back with his latest work “The Book of Fish.” The film centers around the real-life character of Jeong Yak-jeon, the brother of scholar Jeong Yak-yong. Both brothers were leading scholars from the Joseon era. While living in exile on the remote southern Heuksan Island in South Jeolla Province, Jeong Yak-jeon meets a young fishe
Film Feb. 26, 2021
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[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea
Haeundae Light Festival The Haeundae Light Festival is being held across the Haeundae area in Busan. Light decorations have been installed at the iconic Haeundae Beach and Haeundae Market, creating a spectacular nighttime view. Outdoor events and hands-on experiences and activities, however, have all been canceled. The festival will continue until March 28. Jeju Canola Flower Festival Welcoming spring, the Jeju Canola Flower Festival will open April 9. During the festival, canola
Travel Feb. 26, 2021
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Green witch works her magic in Korea
After months of shutdown, the local performing arts scene has finally begun to return to a new normal. The comeback is led by a green-skinned witch, riding on a broomstick. The musical “Wicked” opened this month at Blue Square in Itaewon, central Seoul. Though still affected by the government’s social distancing rules, which require that every other seat be left vacant, the show is recording sellouts. Based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel “Wicked: The Life and T
Performance Feb. 25, 2021
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Sejong Center’s 2021 season to open with renewed hopes
Though constrained by the COVID-19 crisis for the past year, the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, one of the leading performing arts venues in South Korea, is gearing up for its 2021 season with renewed hopes. The Sejong Center in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, is to present 56 performances and seven exhibitions this year. “Until the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarter calls for the shutdown of performing theaters, the Sejong Center will remain open. If the audi
Performance Feb. 23, 2021
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Actor Yoon Jeong-hee’s daughter files for guardianship over Yoon in Korea
Violinist Paik Jin-hee, daughter of actor Yoon Jeong-hee and pianist Paik Kun-woo, asked a Korean court to designate her as Yoon’s legal guardian in Korea last year, while she and her father were in conflict with her mother’s siblings over Yoon’s legal guardianship in France. According to news reports, Paik Jin-hee filed a case with the Seoul Family Court in October to be designated Yoon’s legal guardian in Korea. Yoon suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. The court
People Feb. 22, 2021
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[Herald Review] 25-year-old ‘Last Empress’ returns with more color
The original Korean-language musical “Last Empress” opened its curtains in Seoul earlier this month. The musical, which had its premiere in 1995, shows the life of 19th-century Empress Myeongseong, who was assassinated by Japanese agents in the years before Japan annexed the Korean Peninsula. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of its premiere, the show went through some major changes to appeal to modern audiences. The musical, which originally featured only musical numbers withou
Performance Feb. 21, 2021
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NTCK to stream ‘Scapin,’ premiere of new ‘Hamlet’
The National Theater Company of Korea is to stream barrier-free play “Scapin” and the premiere of newly-produced “Hamlet” online. Play “Scapin” will be streamed Friday and Saturday. “Scapin,” based on “The Rogueries of Scapin” written by French playwright Moliere, had its Korean premiere with the theater company in 2019. The play is led by Scapin, a cunning, deceitful servant who plays the other characters off against each ot
Performance Feb. 20, 2021
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