Social Affairs Aug. 12, 2023

Culture Aug. 12, 2023

From national museums to musical production companies, South Korea rallied together Wednesday to give young Scouts a memorable experience to make up for the botched World Scout Jamboree that forced tens of thousands to evacuate from the campsite in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, this week.

Culture Aug. 9, 2023

Classic Revolution, Lotte Concert Hall’s summer musical festival which delves into a combination of composers each year, is set to return later this week with nine concerts from Friday to Aug. 20. Leading this year's rendition is Austrian clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer, who said he designed the program to bring joy to audiences and make classical music more approachable by highlighting American conductor, composer, pianist and music educator Leonard Bernstein, as well as other compose

Performance Aug. 8, 2023

The musical "Memphis" presents the story of the white disc jockey Huey Calhoun, who was one of the first in the 1950s to play music by Black artists, and how his love for rock 'n' roll became the catalyst for a groundbreaking chapter in the history of US music. This story takes place in 1950s Memphis, Tennessee where the racial divide was pervasive everywhere, in the night clubs and restaurants, as well as in music and romantic relationships. In its Broadway run from 2009 to

Performance Aug. 4, 2023

Culture Aug. 4, 2023

The Korean National Symphony Orchestra is bringing back its conductor workshop designed to nurture the country’s future maestros. From Tuesday to Aug. 12, the workshop will offer one-on-one instructions and a series of seminars offering practical advice to becoming a professional musician. David Reiland, who has been leading the orchestra as its music and artistic director since 2018, will provide extensive one-on-one instructions tailored to the three young conductors Kim Ri-ra, Par

Performance Aug. 2, 2023

Kim Beom-su, the founder of South Korean internet juggernaut Kakao, will take charge of the sponsorship of performances for the Korea National Opera as the chief of its board of directors for the next three years, according to the Culture Ministry. Kim, who currently serves as the head of Kakao's Future Initiative Center, succeeds Seo Jeong-jin, the founder of biopharmaceutical giant Celltrion, in the non-executive role. This position has previously been held by other prominent corporate

Culture Aug. 2, 2023

What is Hallyu and when did it begin? Although Korean dramas had been steadily gaining popularity in East Asia in the early 1990s, it was not until Dec. 17, 1998 when the term Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, was coined. On that day, Taiwanese newspaper Lianhe Wanbo ran an article titled “Korean Wave has come,” according to an exhibition at the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History. The exhibition, titled “The Pop Culture We Loved and Rise of the Korean Wave,” opene

Culture July 31, 2023

Producer and composer 250 did not say a thing or sing a line during his concert that started at the unusual time of 9 p.m. on July 15 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Without uttering a word, 250, pronounced "Lee O-gong," also known for producing songs for K-pop girl group NewJeans, captured the audience with his music. The stage setting seemed designed to focus on nothing else but music. When the singers and saxophonist that 250 had collaborated with on his last album

Performance July 29, 2023

Ray Chen, a Taiwanese Australian violinist, wears many hats. In addition to performing with top orchestras around the world and bringing life to classical music, Chen, the winner of the 2009 Queen Elisabeth Competition, is also a music educator and music director for video games. Driving the 34-year-old violinist in all these activities is his desire to share the magic of music with others. “Whether it's on stage, in a practice app, or a video online, each platform allows me to reach

Performance July 26, 2023

This summer the stage is set for a series of thrilling arts festivals, starting with the Miryang Summer Performing Arts Festival on Friday. As the season unfolds, various other festivals will return every week through the end of August. The 23rd edition of the Miryang Summer Performing Arts Festival will run until July 29 at Miryang Aria and other venues in the small city located in South Gyeongsang Province. The city has a population of about 100,000, but it will temporarily become the nation

Culture July 21, 2023

The Korea Summer Beauty Sale, a beauty and cosmetics event designed to attract overseas travelers and showcase the best of Korea's beauty industry, kicked off on July 20. The event continues until Aug. 20 with various promotions and discounts on Korean beauty products as well as hands-on programs.

Culture July 21, 2023

YouTube fame and classical music acclaim are both significant achievements in their own right but Japanese pianist Hayato Sumino, who is set to perform in South Korea for his second recital next week, can lay claim to both. Sumino, also known by his name on YouTube, Cateen, not only has 1.24 million subscribers on YouTube, but has also been acknowledged in prestigious competitions. The 28-year-old was born with a talent for playing the piano, but instead of choosing to formally study music,

Performance July 20, 2023

The Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC), a renowned multicultural youth chorus known for its exceptional talent and pioneering diversity model, embarked on its first journey to South Korea this month. A delegation of 100 choristers, aged between 11 and 18, set foot in Gangneung, a coastal city in Gangwon Province, to participate in the 12th World Choir Games from July 3 to 13. Over the course of the 11-day event, the choir showcased its virtuosity and brilliance, earning five go

Culture July 17, 2023