Most Popular
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Samsung under pressure after Intel's foundry spin-off: analysts
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Yoon leaves for Prague to cement nuclear energy push
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Heavy rain to fall nationwide over weekend, but warmer fall expected
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Seoul chastises predatory pricing claims over Czech nuclear export deal
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YouTuber under fire for consoling former singer accused of bullying
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NK newspaper 'unusually' silent on new missile tests: Seoul
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Samsung CEO introduces ‘bold growth’ as new target
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Bank of Korea eyes rate cut after US Fed's historic pivot
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3 suspects apprehended for selling celebrity deepfake porn: police
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Hyundai Motor officially becomes KT’s largest shareholder
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NTCK starts new season with ‘Manseon’
The National Theater Company of Korea starts the 2023 season with realism drama “Manseon: The Yearning of a Fisherman” in March. The acclaimed play of depth and energy is slated to run at Myeongdong Theater from March 16 to April 9. Set in a small village on the southern coast, a fisherman named Gomchi harbors dreams of making a fortune with a boatload of fish -- white croakers specifically. However, he becomes penniless when the ship owner charges him extortionate rates of interest
Feb. 21, 2023
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K-pop singer Eric Nam to headline Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art’s centennial show
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art has announced South Korean singer-songwriter Eric Nam will take the stage as the headline performer at the museum’s centennial celebration in May. The museum was established in 1923 with an initial collection by its founder Charles Lang Freer, of which the collection has grown to some 46,000 artworks. The museum became the first fine art museum to be part of a Smithsonian institution in Washington, DC in 1923. In celebration of the museu
Feb. 17, 2023
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Korean plays, gugak musical and stand-up comedy at 2023 Adelaide Fringe
Four groups of Korean artists will perform at this year’s Adelaide Fringe Festival, one of the world's largest annual arts festivals, which starts on Thursday and runs until March 19. Held in Adelaide, Australia, the festival of performing arts draws more than 6,000 artists from around the globe. Around 2.7 million visitors enjoyed the festival in 2019. Two plays, one gugak musical and one stand-up comedy routine, are scheduled as part of the “Korean Season” segment of the
Feb. 16, 2023
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Korea Improvised Music Festival to kick off next week
An improvised music festival exploring different genres, from traditional Korean to electronic music, kicks off at Seoul Namsan Gugakdang on Feb. 22. The Seoul Namsan Gugakdang, in collaboration with the Seoul Donhwamun Traditional Theater, will stage the first inaugural “Korea Improvised Music Festival” with musicians in various fields. The festival hopes to break down the boundaries of music genres, with its focus on traditional music. The main performance of the festival begins Fe
Feb. 15, 2023
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Jeongdong Theater hopes to be cultural destination for all ages
The National Jeongdong Theater, a public performance hall in Jung-gu, Seoul, has unveiled its season line-up for this year, along with major initiatives for the 2023 season. “We will develop and promote performing arts of both the contemporary and traditional style, and for that we're preparing a wide variety of programs for not only enthusiasts in their 20s and 30s, but also for children and families, middle-aged and senior audiences,” said director Choung Soung-sook on Tuesday
Feb. 14, 2023
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'Xcalibur' to be recreated with all-female cast in Japan
“Xcalibur,” a musical by the Korean musical company EMK, will be made into a Japanese version by the Takarazuka Revue, an all-female theater troupe. The Japanese production will take to the stage from July 23 to Aug. 5 at Tokyo Tatemono Brillia Hall. The Takarazuka Revue is an all-female theater troupe founded in 1913 to attract tourists to Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Daiichi Inaba will direct “Xcalibur,” featuring actress Toa Serika and Haruno Sakura in the le
Feb. 13, 2023
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Enjoy latest plays from UK, France and Netherlands at Haeoreum Theater
The National Theater of Korea will screen three plays in February and March as part of “NTOK Live+,” a program introducing prominent overseas theatrical performances. Three classic plays -- Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” Moliere’s “Le Tartuffe ou l'Hypocrite” and Arthur Schnitzler’s “Professor Bernhardi” -- have been reinterpreted by the National Theatre in London, La Comedie Francaise in Paris and the International Theater
Feb. 12, 2023
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[Herald Review] Beethoven vs. Beethoven: two takes on the great musician’s life vie for public and critical acclaim
Currently in Seoul, eight time zones from where Ludwig van Beethoven was born and died, two musicals inspired by the musician are taking place. With the exception of the source of inspiration, the two productions are like chalk and cheese. “Ludwig: Beethoven the Piano” is a small-scale production in the off-off Broadway style, while “Beethoven: The Secret” is an extravagant production that takes place in a cavernous theater boasting 2,200 seats. The former, produced by Or
Feb. 11, 2023
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[Rising Virtuosos] Cellist Han Jae-min, now done with competition, seeks to grow as musician
Cellist Han Jae-min, during the final stage of a competition in November last year, was 12 minutes and 50 seconds into Yun I-sang's Concerto for Cello and Orchestra when the thickest C string snapped. He stopped with a smile on his face, left the stage to restring his instrument and took to the stage again, picking up where he had left off, per competition rules. This happened once again about 13 minutes after Han had resumed playing. His face a bit tenser than the first time, but still wit
Feb. 11, 2023
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National Dance Company of Korea presents surrealistic dance work 'The RoOm'
The National Dance Company of Korea returns with its surrealistic dance work first performed five years ago. “The RoOm,” which will run from March 2 to 4 at Daloreum Theater in Seoul, first premiered in 2018 in collaboration with choreographer and producer Kim Seol-jin. “The RoOm” centers on a space that is shared by many people and filled with memories left there, according to the NDCK. Kim, a contemporary dancer, pieced together the stories of eight NDCK dancers who he
Feb. 10, 2023
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Cellist Yang Sung-won to head Music in Pyeongchang
Music in Pyeongchang, an annual music festival held in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, has appointed cellist Yang Sung-won as its fourth artistic director, festival organizer Gangwon Art and Culture Foundation announced Thursday. Yang will lead the 20th edition of the music festival, which will take place from July 26 to Aug. 5. Yang, a cello soloist and chamber musician who performs worldwide, has worked with renowned musicians, such as pianists Christoph Eschenbach and Pascal Devoyon, and comp
Feb. 9, 2023
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TV actors Kim Yoo-jung, Jung So-min make theater debut with ‘Shakespeare in Love’
Kim Yoo-jung, Jung So-min and Chae Soo-bin play Viola De Lesseps in the Korean production of "Shakespeare in Love" by Kim Dong-yeon at Shownote, adapted from the 1998 film of the same title. The play premiered at the CJ Towol Theater in the Seoul Arts Center on Jan. 28. Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, the three actors said it was a dream come true to play the compelling character of a theater-lover who later becomes William Shakespeare's muse. Kim shared her first impressi
Feb. 8, 2023
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Foreign pansori singers share their sounds, stories on stage
Commemorating the 20th anniversary of pansori being registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, four pansori singers -- three foreign singers and their teacher Min Hye-sung -- performed at Seoul Namsan Gugakdang on Saturday. Min, a certified trainer of pansori, National Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 5, has been holding a month-long pansori workshop each year at Korean Cultural Centers across Europe since 2007. On the stage with Min on Saturday were her students Anna Yates-Lu from Ger
Feb. 7, 2023
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[Herald Interview] Top musical producer Shin Chun-soo sets sights beyond Korea
Shin Chun-soo, chief producer of OD Co., has been dealing with thyroid problems recently, a condition he described as even harder to deal with than his open-heart surgery two years ago. Shin confesses to being less and less stimulated by company. Once an extrovert, he has retreated to literature and musical books in his enduring search for inspiration. But when he talks about musicals and his upcoming projects in and outside Korea, his face lights up. Shin was originally a wannabe movie director
Feb. 3, 2023
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[Herald Review] Classic play ‘Seagull’ brings authenticity, sincerity to stage
The classic tale of Anton Chekhov’s play “The Seagull” fills the stage for two hours and 10 minutes with sympathetic characters and their presence. Classical plays suffer from the general prejudice that they are boring, but in "The Seagull" directed by 88-year-old actor Lee Soon-jae, the cast of veteran actors delivers Chekhov's message that still resonates with audiences today. Set in a countryside mansion belonging to Sorin, a retired civil servant, the play st
Feb. 3, 2023
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Musicians hope to revive love in Itaewon through music
The country's top musicians are coming together to bring hope and revive love in Itaewon through a music festival set to take place Saturday and Sunday. A total of 99 musicians including big-name bands such as Leenalchi and Woongsan Band will perform at 13 venues of concert halls, lounges, pubs and clubs as part of "Let There Be Love, Itaewon." while many concerts and festivals were canceled or suspended to express condolences for the tragic Halloween crowd crush disaster in Itaew
Jan. 30, 2023
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[Herald Review] Musicals that are treats for the ears, feasts for the eyes
With production companies and audiences moving past the pandemic, musicals are returning en masse. "West Side Story," the 65-year-old Stephen Sondheim-Leonard Bernstein romp, the Asian premiere of "Moulin Rouge!" and more Sondheim in the dark tale of London's murderous barber, "Sweeney Todd" are among those warming up the cold winter season. There was a time when someone who had watched a musical on Broadway would be excited to see it in South Korea, only to be
Jan. 28, 2023
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Ajaeng concert to explore reinterpretations of court, folk music
A concert dedicated to the traditional Korean string instrument ajaeng will be held on Feb. 14, at the Seoul Donhwamun Traditional Theater, located in Jongno-gu. Titled “Choi Hye-rim’s Ajaeng with Yang Seung-hwan,” the 60-minute performance is part of the traditional music performance hall’s project for this year, the organizer announced in a press release last week. Ajaeng is a horizontal zither mainly played in court music and folk music. The instrument has seven string
Jan. 27, 2023
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Pianist Lim Dong-hyek brings back Chopin after seven years
Korean classical pianist Lim Dong-hyek is bringing an all-Chopin program in February. This recital is to celebrate Lim’s first LP version released with Warner Music International and is also the first all-Chopin recital in seven years since 2016. Last year, marking the 20th anniversary of his debut, the pianist focused on Schubert for his recital. Under the title of “Regarding Chopin,” Lim will perform Nocturnes, Op. 27 and Scherzo No. 2 and Piano Sonata No. 2 and No. 3. &quo
Jan. 20, 2023
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[Herald Review] Arts on stage: two plays on how music and art shape our lives
Actors on stage do more than just read lines -- they sing songs, appreciate paintings and rekindle inspiration. Two gripping plays currently running in Seoul -- John Marans’ “Old Wicked Songs” and Lee Halls' “The Pitmen Painters” -- bring music and art to the stage, exploring the depth of arts and how they shape our lives. Music school drama in "Old Wicked Songs” Set in the spring of 1986 at a music school in Vienna, the play “Old Wicked Song
Jan. 18, 2023