In the dark reality of the pandemic, a long-running classic has brought a sense of hopeful nostalgia to the stage. “The Lion King” is back in Seoul after nearly 3 years, and has once again shown why it captures so many hearts. As the curtains go up, the audience is immediately enraptured by the march of animals as Futhi Mhlong, who has been playing mandrill Rafiki for the past 14 years, sings “Circle of Life.” Even though the iconic entry of the animals through the a

Performance Feb. 14, 2022

While “short form” or “mid form” content which immerse audiences in a story with rapid plot developments appear to be an irreversible trend in movies and TV dramas, a number of stage plays have gone against the tide with productions that run as long as eight hours. “Angels in America,” “The Brothers Karamazov,” and “The Geumjo Story,” are among the many recent works that are far longer than the typical play length of 80 to 100 minute

Performance Feb. 14, 2022

Korean cultural contents, led by the rise of K-pop and K-dramas, continued to gain global popularity in the past year, a survey showed on Monday. An annual report jointly released by the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, revealed consumption of Korean cultural contents rose in all categories -- beauty, drama, fashion, entertainment show, game, animation, publication -- in 2021. Some 61.1 percent of all respondents who said

Culture Feb. 14, 2022

An exhibition that underlines the daily use of Korea traditional clothing, hanbok, launched on Wednesday in Seoul. The exhibition, co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports and Korea Craft & Design Foundation, introduces uniforms created by hanbok designers Kwon Hye-jin of Hyeon, Kim Nan-hee of Dolsilnai, Baek Dahami of Daham Hanbok, Hwang Sun-tae of Hanbok Moon, Shin Sang-hwa as well as You Eun-chae, a college student whose hanbok design received an award last year. &ldqu

Arts & Design Feb. 10, 2022

Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman is set to perform in Korea in the coming weeks after a couple of delays in ticketing. The celebrated pianist will visit Korea later this month with some changes in the schedule, according to Mast Media, the organizer of Zimerman‘s recitals. Previously, it was unclear whether Zimmerman, who travels with his own instrument, would be able to make it to the country as the recent surge in COVID-19 cases got in the way of transporting his piano. Amid the uncer

Performance Feb. 8, 2022

Two of Korea’s leading dance troupes are adopting creative ways to become a more familiar face to the public. Ambiguous Dance Company, a contemporary dance group known for its collaborative works with bands Coldplay and Leenalchi, has joined forces with the audience for its latest performance while Ahn Eun-Me Company, led by iconic contemporary dancer and choreographer Ahn Eun-me, unveiled an online dance game. Ambiguous Dance Company’s “Whole Like Dankeschon,” which

Arts & Design Feb. 5, 2022

The Korean Chamber Orchestra on Friday said it is set to resume hosting eight all-Mozart concerts next month after the project was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the Mozart Project, the KCO aims to perform all 46 symphonies by the Austrian composer. Led by Finnish-German pianist and conductor Ralf Gothoni and music director Kim Min, the KCO will take the composer’s masterpieces on stage in eight concerts from March 13 to Feb. 8, 2023. The orchestra kicked off the 10-conce

Performance Feb. 4, 2022

Pietari Inkinen, the 9th music director of the KBS Symphony Orchestra, said Wednesday that he hopes to take the helm of the orchestra’s development into a leading Asian orchestra. The 42-year-old conductor who officially kicked off his three-year term in January 2022 and has many plans in mind, ranging from more frequent concerts to a music academy for children. “During the upcoming seasons, I‘d like to increase the number of concerts held across the country, to go and meet

Performance Jan. 26, 2022

In the six months since Kwak Hyo-hwan took the helm of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea , there have been swift changes at the 26-year-old institution, according to staff. Over the last half-year, Kwak has established a new vision for the organization‘s future, believing that the LTI Korea has a bigger role to play, not only for Korean literature but also in making other Korean content popular internationally. His goals for the organization include transforming it into a comp

Culture Jan. 25, 2022

South Korean contents enjoyed robust demand overseas in 2020, defying the overall decline in exports and tepid growth in the domestic market, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism data showed on Monday. A 2021 research study on the cultural content industry which encompasses 11 sub-areas showed that the exports in 2020 jumped 16.3 percent to $11.92 billion from the previous year. “Exports of cultural contents have been setting a new record each year, but this time it is worth n

Culture Jan. 24, 2022

  Thousands of Buddhist monks from across the nation gathered in Seoul on Friday to protest against the “religious bias” that they claim is prevalent within the Moon Jae-in’s government. An estimated 5000 monks demanded an apology from President Moon Jae-in for ”religious bias and discrimination” during the protest which took place at Jogyesa, the chief temple of South Korea‘s largest Buddhist sect, the Jogye Order. They also called for the introduction

Culture Jan. 21, 2022

The KBS Symphony Orchestra appointed renowned South Korean conductor Chung Myung-whun as its first-ever conductor laureate, according to the orchestra on Thursdsay. Chung’s tenure began this month. Conductor laureate is an honorary position given to a conductor who has international repuation or contributed to the development of the orchestra. This is the first the KBS Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1956, has awarded the title. The news came days after Chung saved the orchestra&rsquo

Performance Jan. 13, 2022

As the Korean Symphony Orchestra, which is often mistaken as a private orchestra, is set to change its name to include “national,” the KBS Symphony Orchestra, which was once the National Symphony Orchestra, stands in opposition to the move, which was decided without consultation with them. After making the decision to change its name last year, the Korean Symphony Orchestra is considering several options for its new name, including simply “National Orchestra,” and wil

Culture Jan. 12, 2022

Sunae-dong House is a historic building in Bundang Central Park in Gyeonggi Province.  Built in the 19th century, the house is situated next to the tombs of the Hansan Yi clan, who lived in the area from the 16th to the 18th century. Around 70 houses once formed a clan village in the area, but all but one house, which once belonged to a man called Yi Taek-gu, were demolished as part of the city’s development in the 1980s.  A sizable thatched dwelling, Sunae-dong House consists

Culture Jan. 8, 2022

Despite being founded 50 years ago to promote Korea’s national brand, Korean Culture and Information Service is far from a household name within Korea, though it intends to change that this year. The organization plans to push for greater cultural exchange with Korea‘s partner nations, according to Park Jung-youl, the director of the KOCIS, who took the helm in September 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of Hallyu. A veteran government official, Park told the Korea He

People Jan. 7, 2022