Most Popular
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[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
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Korean, Romanian leaders discuss defense tech, nuclear energy
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S. Korea calls on Japan to confront history amid Yasukuni Shrine visit
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Yoon’s jailed mother-in-law excluded from latest parole list
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Hybe and Min Hee-jin, CEO of Hybe sublabel Ador, lock horns
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[Pressure points] Leggings in public: Fashion statement or social faux pas?
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Korea’s homegrown nanosatellite successfully launches into space
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[Herald Interview] 'Amid aging population, Korea to invite more young professionals from overseas'
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Nicaragua shuts down Seoul embassy
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Rocket engine expert, ex-NASA exec to lead Korea's new space agency
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Dismissal of KNB’s ballet dancer caught in legal dispute
The Korea National Ballet’s firing of a member earlier this year for traveling abroad during the home-quarantine period has come to the center of a legal dispute, as the state labor committee viewed it to be an “unfair dismissal.” According to the performing arts scene on Monday, the National Labor Relations Commission officially acknowledged that the national ballet troupe’s dismissal of Na in March was unfair. The labor committee viewed that Na had the responsibili
Dec. 14, 2020
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Kim Sun-wook’s performances rescheduled for January
Concert pianist Kim Sun-wook’s duet recital with violinist Chung Kyung-wha in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, will take place as scheduled Dec. 20, although Kim’s other engagements for December were postponed due to the resurgence of COVID-19. According to classical music show agency Vincero on Wednesday, three of Kim’s December performances have been rescheduled for January, after stricter social distancing measures came into force for Seoul. Under the revised schedule, Kim&r
Dec. 12, 2020
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KNB cancels plans for ‘Nutcracker’
The Korea National Ballet canceled its “The Nutcracker” show slated for the Christmas holidays, following the recent resurgence of COVID-19 infection cases here. The national ballet troupe announced Friday that the iconic performance of “The Nutcracker” in December would have to be fully canceled due to the rapid spread of COVID-19. The ballet troupe was to hold the performances at the Seoul Arts Center from Dec. 19-30, leaving two-thirds of seats empty under the gov
Dec. 11, 2020
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Broadway actors of Korean heritage to connect via YouTube
While the iconic Broadway remains shut down until at least May, Broadway stage actors with Korean backgrounds will connect with international audiences at home via YouTube. The Korean Culture Center New York, affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced it will host the year-end musical gala concert “Farewell 2020,” featuring Korean or Korean-American stage actors working on Broadway through its official YouTube channel on Dec. 17. The concert wi
Dec. 10, 2020
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Flurry of COVID-19 restrictions cause fatigue across culture scene
While the authorities are enforcing stricter social distancing rules across the Greater Seoul area to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, the culture sector is confused by the inconsistencies in the restrictions imposed by different governmental authorities. On Saturday, cultural facilities across Seoul that are funded by the Seoul Metropolitan Government were shut down after the city government imposed tighter restrictions. On Sunday, the central government announced that Level 2.5 socia
Dec. 8, 2020
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Rookie girl group NiziU tops Japan's weekly music chart with debut album
JYP Entertainment's new girl group NiziU has topped Japan's Oricon weekly music chart with its debut single album, the company said Tuesday. The nine-member group's album, "Step and a Step," ranked No. 1 on Japan's Oricon weekly singles chart for the first week of this month, just five days after it topped the daily CD singles chart of the Japanese music publisher, according to the agency. NiziU is only the second girl group to reach the top of the weekly Oricon chart with its debut
Dec. 8, 2020
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Spike in COVID-19 cases puts S. Korean music industry on edge
Random cluster infections are breaking out across the country and the South Korean music industry is no exception from the new coronavirus. In most cases, infections have escalated into bigger cases involving consecutive screening tests, as music programs and events often feature multiple artists and a big production staff. Earlier this month, Kogyeol and Bit-to of boy group UP10TION tested positive for the infectious virus after Bit-to came into contact with a COVID-19 patient. While no addi
Dec. 8, 2020
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Artists' voices re-created with AI
With the development of artificial intelligence and deep learning, things that were once impossible are now becoming possible, including re-creating the voices of deceased musical artists to sing contemporary songs. Music channel Mnet will show AI music project “Once More Time” on Wednesday and Dec. 16, “resurrecting” deceased artists through holograms and AI voice covers. The first episode will feature Turtleman, leader of trio Turtles, who died of a heart attack in 2
Dec. 7, 2020
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Stage lights go off after Seoul orders shutdown
As the Seoul capital has gone into a partial lockdown and Korea has decided to raise distancing regulations for the metropolitan area, the lights have gone out at performing art stages and cinemas across the city. With the South Korean government announcing the Level 2.5 distancing, the second highest notch in the country’s five-tier COVID-19 scheme, performing arts venues will have to leave the two thirds of audience seats empty from Tuesday. The tight limitations on the audience capac
Dec. 6, 2020
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Pianist Kim Sun-wook’s recital canceled due to pandemic
Kim Sun-wook’s piano recital scheduled for Monday at the Lotte Concert Hall in Jamsil, eastern Seoul, has been canceled. Classical music concert organizer Vincero said the decision to indefinitely postpone Kim’s recital was made soon after the Seoul city government announced Friday afternoon that stricter social distancing rules would be in effect from Saturday to Dec. 18. This is not the first time that a performance of Kim’s has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dec. 4, 2020
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W400m budget created for project to support Asian artists’ K-pop training
The National Assembly on Wednesday passed a budget of 400 million won ($365,000) for the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism’s project to support Asian artists’ K-pop training. The amount is far less than the 1.5 billion won the Culture Ministry initially hoped for to conduct the project with six groups from three other Asian countries. “Since the budget has been slashed to 400 million won. we will have to adjust our initial plan and conduct a program with less than six g
Dec. 3, 2020
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Pianist Sunwoo Yekwon to give virtual reality tour of Lotte Concert Hall
Pianist Sunwoo Yekwon is planning to show the public around the Lotte Concert Hall in virtual reality. The Lotte Foundation for Arts and LG Uplus, a major local telecom operator, joined hands to present a VR tour of the Lotte Concert Hall in Jamsil, eastern Seoul, featuring celebrated pianist Sunwoo Yekwon as the docent. In the first video, Sunwoo appears in the audience and looks around the venue, joined by a house manager. They walk around the vineyard-style classical music concert hall, bui
Dec. 2, 2020
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Kim Sun-wook, Chung Kyung-wha duo to go onstage on Dec. 18
Pianist Kim Sun-wook will take the stage with violinist Chung Kyung-wha on Dec. 18 at the Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul. At the recital, the duo will present the complete Johannes Brahms violin sonatas. Chung is one of the first generation of classical musicians in Korea. She has released more than 33 recordings over the past 40 years. She is especially recognized for her repertoire of the three Brahms violin sonatas, having released a recording of the sonatas on EMI Classics with piani
Nov. 28, 2020
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Musical delves into the dark side of ‘Black Mary Poppins’
Though inspired by the well-known “Mary Poppins” series, local original musical “Black Mary Poppins” tells a different story of the famous nanny with a magical, black umbrella. The story is loosely based on Australian novelist P. L. Travers’ “Mary Poppins” series, which has been made into numerous films. However, different from other films or drama adaptations, the musical is set in 1926 Germany, amid the impending rise of Nazism. Mary Poppins is giv
Nov. 27, 2020
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Pianist Cho Seung-jin’s encore recital canceled
Concert pianist Cho Seung-jin’s encore recital in Seoul slated for Saturday has been canceled, due to a resurgence in COVID-19 cases. Cho, the winner of the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition, was to hold an in-person recital on Saturday at the Seoul Arts Center, following his monthlong 11-city tour across Korea. The recital, which was announced after the completion of the scheduled tour, was to have been streamed live online through Naver TV for pay, too. However, as the num
Nov. 25, 2020
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BTS gets Grammy nod in another landmark feat
WASHINGTON/SEOUL -- South Korea's K-pop megastar BTS was nominated for the Grammy Award in best pop duo/group performance, becoming the first South Korean pop artist to be nominated for the US music award. The South Korean boy group was nominated for its latest hit single "Dynamite" in a virtual ceremony streamed live on Tuesday morning (US time). BTS was one of five nominated in the category, which included "Intentions" by Justin Bieber, featuring Quavo, "Rain On Me&q
Nov. 25, 2020
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Sunwoo Yekwon shares his ‘Mozart soul’ through new album
Though more often associated with the names of Romantic composers -- Chopin, Schumann and Schubert, for example -- pianist Sunwoo Yekwon hopes to share the Mozart side of himself through a new album. Concert pianist Sunwoo Yekwon, 31, who rose to global stardom three years ago winning the gold medal at the 15th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, has released his first studio album under the Decca label. The 19-track album was recorded this summer in Neumarkt, Germany. Simply titl
Nov. 24, 2020
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Rock star Yoon Do-hyun clarifies COVID-19 rumors about Daegu concert
Rock musician Yoon Do-hyun issued a statement Monday to clarify a rumor that some 500 attendees at his concert were required to be tested for COVID-19, following the virus infection of a concertgoer. A person who attended Yoon’s concert on Nov. 15 -- the last of his three concerts in Daegu -- tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday. While a number of media outlets reported that some 500 concertgoers would have to be tested for COVID-19, Yoon’s agency Dee Company said the city&rsq
Nov. 23, 2020
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Chamber music gets a push
While South Korea has decided to raise the social distancing level for the Greater Seoul area, the Lotte Concert Hall hopes to bring chamber music to its stage through its newly launched In House Artist Series. The Lotte Concert Hall in eastern Seoul, a major classical music concert venue, will kick off the program with recitals by the Korea Chamber Orchestra on Thursday and the Esme Quartet on Saturday. As the concert hall’s in-house artists for the 2020-2021 season, the two groups wil
Nov. 23, 2020
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Cho Seung-jin recital goes pay-per-view
Concert pianist Cho Seung-jin’s recital in Seoul on Saturday will be streamed live to audiences at home for 10,000 won ($8.95). According to Credia, the organizers of the Cho’s month-long nationwide tour across Korea, Saturday’s recital at the Seoul Arts Center will be streamed live via its Naver TV channel. For the access to the streaming, users can donate 10,000 won through the “sponsorship feature” on Naver TV, a streaming platform operated by the local port
Nov. 22, 2020