Kang Sue-jin has been reappointed as artistic director of the Korean National Ballet for the next three years, her third term after first taking the post in 2014. “We expect Kang to continue to interact with well-known national ballet groups and choreographers abroad to improve the level of our national ballet company. We also hope she will create original pieces based on Korean traditions for t...

Composer Chin Un-suk, 58, has been named the winner of Leonie Sonning Music Prize 2021. The Leonie Sonning Music Prize is awarded every year to an internationally recognized composer, instrumentalist, conductor or singer. Chin is the first Asian to receive Denmark’s highest music award since its founding in 1959. Chin will receive 133,000 euros ($146,529), according to the Leonie Sonning Music ...

Reaching the heart through the stomach, the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism on Wednesday laid out its plan to Korean promote temple food internationally. Established in 2004, the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism promotes Korean Buddhism and its cultural contents by providing traditional cultural experience programs, education, exhibition and campaign. “We will promote Korean temple food over...

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Tuesday announced five cities across the country will be developed into tourism hubs. “Five cities were picked based on their potential. We will inject around 15.9 billion won ($13.51 million) in total this year,” Culture Minister Park Yang-woo said during a press conference in Seoul. The move is aimed at promoting destinations outside of Seoul, whi...

Even a major broadcaster has joined the bandwagon. KBS on Nov. 30 launched a new weekly entertainment variety program called “Joy of Ssireum.” The ssireum association says that it is planning more aggressive promotion to further bolster the sport’s presence in 2020. The association is preparing a ranking system, which provides players’ detailed profiles and information about teams. Korea Ssire...

K-pop powerhouse YG Entertainment on Wednesday warned fans about fake tickets for K-pop band Big Bang’s leader G-Dragon’s rumored concert in China. In an official statement, YG said it has spotted fake news about G-Dragon’s supposed concert in China on several online websites, including WeChat, a widely used social media platform in China. While G-Dragon will not perform in a concert in China, t...

Diverse cultural events will be held at Korean Cultural Centers located in countries that mark the Lunar New Year’s holiday, introducing Korea’s own Lunar New Year traditions and customs. Eighteen Korean Cultural Centers in 15 countries will organize Lunar New Year’s events, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korean Culture and Information Service announced Tuesday. The centers are ...

Although it is tempting to stay in bed late during the long Lunar New Year’s holiday, there will be diverse traditional cultural events and opportunities that people should not miss. The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on Monday that four Joseon-era palaces in Seoul -- Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung and Changgyeonggung -- will keep their doors open throughout the four-day ho...

The norm of interviewers having limited roles in front of the camera no longer holds true, as more South Korean interviewers are starting to shine on YouTube. Interviewer and producer Lee Eun-jae of variety show “MMTG,” a program that kicked off on SBS’ YouTube platform in February 2018, is one such example. The program, which features interviews with stars in different fields, has a separate Yo...

The first part of the book introduces several novels and motion pictures that present how a legal system can turn violent against individuals while it is being enforced. “The Devil ‘s Advocate,” a 1997 film about how a successful young lawyer ends up defending the unjust, is cited as a film that reflects both the dark and light sides of the legal system. The second part of the book then focuses ...

The Cultural Heritage Administration announced Thursday it will hold a New Year’s concert at the palace Deoksugung at 5 p.m. on Tuesday. Korean violinist Chung Kyung-wha and pianist Kim Tae-hyung will perform in the first concert of the year at Deoksugung’s Seokjojeon Hall. The two artists will be performing violin sonatas of Beethoven and Mozart. Admission is by invitation only. The Cultural ...

The 92nd Academy Awards on Monday named “In the Absence,” directed by Yi Seung-Jun and produced by Gary Byung-Seok Kam, as a nominee for best documentary (short subject). The category comprises released nonfiction motion pictures with a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits. Along with Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite,” which earned six nominations for the upcoming Academy Awards, “...

Fans of Pengsoo have reacted angrily after comments were blocked on YouTube videos starring the EBS penguin character, after the streaming sites enforcement of stricter children’s content rules starting Tuesday. The strengthened regulations came into effect after the US’ Federal Trade Commission last September announced that it was fining Google $170 million for violating children’s privacy law ...

The Korean entertainment industry is beginning to take animal rights issues more seriously as criticisms arise from related organizations. The producer of tvN variety show “The Meow is Fake” issued an official apology for violating animal rights after its first episode aired Sunday. The producer apologized for not providing sufficient information required during the adoption process to nonprofi...

Many Koreans are willing to spend money to achieve their New Year’s goal to read more books. Around 12.25 percent of Koreans said that their top New Year’s goal is to achieve personal development, mainly through reading books, according to online survey platform Now N Survey. Buying a house, at 17 percent, topped the list of responses in the survey conducted among 1,420 people from Dec. 10 to Ja...