The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency scored the highest satisfaction among foreign correspondents based in South Korea in a survey conducted by the Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club. The SFCC, which has a registered membership of 286 correspondents from around 100 international media organizations, conducted the “Satisfaction survey on newsgathering conditions of government agencies” with the aim to address difficulties foreign journalists face in covering key gov

Culture Nov. 12, 2020

A series of geometrical semi-abstract paintings “wrapped up” inside antique wooden frames is on display, each one appearing to show a fragment of an old memory. Japanese painter Hiroshi Sugito’s recent paintings are showcased at his first solo exhibition in South Korea, featuring a series of small oil paintings. The works are reminiscent of dream scenes with objects such as trees, fruits, small houses and clouds. Some paintings are based on the artist’s sketches of rur

Arts & Design Nov. 11, 2020

Two artworks by British artist Banksy will be unveiled for the first time in South Korea at 2020 Global Break Art Asia, which opens Thursday at Coex in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul. The third edition of the annual art fair, which runs through Sunday and focuses on urban contemporary art, will showcase Banksy’s “Queen Victoria” and “Love Is in the Air.” Urban art, which encompasses diverse forms of visual art arising in urban areas, such as graffiti, flourished in t

Arts & Design Nov. 10, 2020

Korea Disability Arts and Culture Center kicked off “No Limits in Seoul,” an international art show that introduces artists with disabilities who perform to break perceptions about people with disabilities and global art groups that integrate disabled and nondisabled artists. “No Limits in Seoul,” which runs from Monday to Nov. 19 online, explores diverse performing art groups from around the world and how contemporary art can be interpreted from diverse perspectives.

Culture Nov. 10, 2020

A guidebook that introduces South Korea’s representative architectural works has been published by the Korea Tourism Organization for foreigners interested in exploring the country. Published in English, Japanese and Chinese, “Korean Architecture Tour: Past to Present” introduces 56 architectural works, from traditional buildings with historical significance to award-winning contemporary buildings. The traditional buildings highlighted in the book include the shrine Jongmyo

Arts & Design Nov. 9, 2020

Painter Nam Hea-kyoung, who is known for sentimental paintings of water drops streaming down windows featuring different themes, has opened up a solo exhibition “The Story of Rain and You” in Gangnam-gu, central Seoul. The exhibition, which runs through Nov. 17 at I Have A Dream, a multicultural space, showcases 10 recent oil paintings and 30 pencil drawings. Along with Nam’s signature water drop paintings, the exhibition is special because it also features her portrait pe

Arts & Design Nov. 8, 2020

When you pass by the palace Deoksugung at the center of Seoul, you might notice the sign “Art Plant Asia 2020: Hare Way Object,” the title of the exhibition that offers a chance to appreciate the beauty of the architecture in the palace complex as well as the works of art from established artists across Asia. The exhibition features the works of 33 artists installed inside and outside the palace complex in harmony with the beauty of its architecture. The palace had served the long

Arts & Design Nov. 8, 2020

Artist Kwon Ji-an -- better known as K-pop musician Solbi -- was at the center of attention in the art scene in September with her new finger painting “Palette Garden” fetched 9.2 million won at an auction by Korea’s major auction house, recording the highest price. “I was fascinated with painting because it was one of the few ways that I could express my feelings freely as an entertainer who is always exposed to people’s eyes. I actually began painting as a means

Arts & Design Nov. 7, 2020

In recent years, the terms “nationalism,” “refugee crisis” and “racism” have appeared often in media around the world, reflecting the growing indifference to others. It may be argued that this tendency has only grown stronger as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to keep a distance from each other. The question of “How to live together at this time” is presented at three different exhibitions at Art Sonje Center in central Seoul through the wor

Arts & Design Nov. 4, 2020

GWANGJU - A dingy building that once served as the Armed Forces’ Gwangju Hospital had remained closed for years. It had treated the people of Gwangju wounded during the May 18 Democratization Movement in the city, but at the same time was also covertly used to conduct investigations and torture those involved in the movement.  After the Army hospital moved to a different location in Gwangju as the city began to develop, the building was left vacant for more than 10 years, gradually

Arts & Design Nov. 2, 2020

Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2021 -- which is scheduled to be held in September next year in Seoul -- will discuss how the city of Seoul can be more resilient, accommodating a population of some 10 million people. “Today, ‘resiliency’ is not a pointless word. The current situation forces us to build resilient cities,” said Dominique Perrault, the general director of the biennale, at a “pre-biennale” event Thursday. Its purpose was to declare t

Arts & Design Oct. 30, 2020

The 2021 spring-summer Seoul Fashion Week ended Sunday, attracting some 670,000 views of the runway videos. Korea’s largest fashion show kicked off on Oct. 20, live-streaming the runway show of Miss Gee Collection, womenswear brand headed by the veteran designer Gee Choon-hee who was named the honorary designer of the year. Miss Gee Collection has participated in Seoul Fashion Week for the past 20 years. The live digital runway was viewed by more than 20,000 people online, according to

Arts & Design Oct. 29, 2020

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art unveiled its inaugural MMCA Cheongju Project 2020 at its Cheongju venue, titled “Kwon Minho: Clouded Breath.” The artist combines architectural drawings with media technology to convey the narrative of South Korea’s industrialization. Kwon Min-ho, who “tells” the story of Korea’s economic history through imaginative large-scale drawings that resemble an architect’s blueprints, was the first artist to

Arts & Design Oct. 28, 2020

The income gap among artists in the entertainment industry in Korea has widened over the past several years with the disparity among singers the most stark, surpassing that among actors and models, government figures showed. The total annual income of 63 singers in Korea – the top 1 percent of singers in Korea in terms of earnings -- recorded 217 billion won ($192.2 million) in 2018, accounting for 53 percent of the total income of singers, according to the document submitted by the Nati

Culture Oct. 26, 2020

The paintings of water drops by Kim Tschang-yeul are familiar both home and abroad, but how the artist began to associate water drops with text is not so widely known. Gallery Hyundai, a major commercial art gallery in Korea that has a special relationship with the 90-year-old artist, sheds light on that history through an exhibition dedicated to the artist. “The Path” is an exhibition that shows how Kim highlights his personality through the painting series that combines text a

Arts & Design Oct. 25, 2020