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...

Korea’s prestigious Yi Sang Literary Award postponed its announcement of this year’s winners on Monday after three writers refused to accept their awards. “We decided to delay the awards due to writers’ refusals,” a representative of Munhaksasang, the awards’ organizer, said Monday. The Korean publishing company added that a revised schedule for the 44th Yi Sang Literary Award had not been decid...

The K-pop chart manipulation issue has once again come into the spotlight, following an SBS investigative journalism show that aired Saturday. The episode about the controversial issue caused an immediate stir on social media platforms and in search engine trends. On the latest episode of “Unanswered Questions,” industry insiders highlighted suspicions of music chart manipulation when a song, e...

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Thursday that it will hold the 2020 Dream Program with the PyeongChang 2018 Legacy Foundation from Monday to Jan. 18. This year, 123 teenagers from 29 countries will take part in the program held mainly in Gangwon Province. “We will spread the Olympic values of fair competition and hard physical training through the 2020 Dream Program. Moreo...

The rising popularity of South Korean cultural content is drawing interest among US consumers in Korea’s culture and its products, according to a recent survey by a state-run agency. The Korea Creative Content Agency on Friday released the results of a survey it conducted from July to September on consumer trends in the US market related to Korean content. The online survey had three categories...

Organizers of a world-famous ice fishing festival on Thursday decided to delay its opening to Jan. 11 from the originally announced Jan. 4 due to safety issues. On Wednesday, the organizers -- local government of Hwacheon and Nara Foundation -- tested the ice condition of Hwacheon River, where the Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival’s signature program that allows visitors to catch sancheoneo -- a spec...