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Chin Unsuk-led music festival opens with two emerging artists at forefront
Pianist Lim Yunchan, cellist Pablo Ferrandez take center stage at 23rd Tongyeong International Music Festival TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province — The Tongyeong International Music Festival, founded in 2002 to commemorate the late composer Isang Yun, opened Friday in the Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, along the southern coast as wildfires rage on near the city and political turmoil gripped the country. The annual classical music festival typically includes a slate of fringe performances
March 28, 2025 -
Travis Scott to perform in Korea for the first time
US rapper confirms Seoul concert on Oct. 25 American rapper Travis Scott has officially confirmed his first-ever concert in South Korea. Scott recently uploaded a poster to Instagram revealing additional dates and locations for his ongoing world tour, "Circus Maximus Tour." The poster confirms the long-rumored Seoul concert as taking place on Oct. 25. The "Circus Maximus Tour" began as a celebration of Scott’s fourth studio album, "Utopia," released in 2023. The tour, which kicked off Oct. 11, 2
March 28, 2025 -
ScreenX and 4DX theaters to expand across US, Europe
Multiple panoramic screens, as well as motion chair-equipped cinematic experience to be available at more locations More ScreenX and 4DX theaters, which offer enhanced viewing experiences through changes in film projection formats and motion effects, will be coming to the US and Europe starting this summer. According to CJ 4D Plex, a subsidiary of CJ CGV, 25 ScreenX theaters and 40 4DX theaters will open across the US and Europe. CJ 4D Plex currently operates 1,211 special screening theaters, in
March 28, 2025 -
'Resident Playbook,' set to air in April, faces backlash
Highly anticipated 'Hospital Playlist' spinoff delayed over year due to doctors' strike "Resident Playbook" is finally set to air in April, following a yearlong delay credited to negative public sentiment stemming from a prolonged nationwide doctors' strike. But the series is facing criticism before its release, as many residents who resigned in protest of the government's decision to increase the quota for medical school admissions have yet to return to work. "Resident Playbook," a highly antic
March 28, 2025 -
Korea’s worst wildfires prompt massive artifact relocation
27 cases of damage to cultural heritage tallied since last week Over 1,000 cultural artifacts protected by the government have been moved as a precaution as South Korea races to contain its worst wildfires on record. According to the Korea Heritage Service, 1,566 such items of historical importance have been taken out mostly from temples and old houses in the southeastern Gyeongsang provinces, where the blazes started last week. Unmovable objects like pavilions and halls have been covered with f
March 28, 2025 -
Online reservations open for Gyeongbokgung dessert tours
Fancy some tea and dessert at a royal palace? Online reservations have opened for “dessert tours” of Saenggwabang, the royal kitchen at Gyeongbokgung, the main Joseon-era (1392-1910) palace in Seoul, running April 16 to June 23. Reservations for the tours, offered four times daily between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., can be made through April 1 on Ticketlink. Admission costs 15,000 won. Participants can enjoy royal snacks such as “juak,” or deep-fried glutinous rice cakes, and herbal tea prescribed by ro
March 28, 2025 -
Killer at sixty-one
Age meets action in 'The Old Woman with the Knife,' a Korean thriller that made an unexpected splash at Berlinale "I got the role because I haven't had Botox," said Lee Hye-young, sending the room into laughter at Thursday's press conference for "The Old Woman with the Knife" at Lotte Cinema Konkuk University. The 61-year-old actor, whose illustrious career spans four decades of Korean cinema, stars as a legendary assassin thrust into one last deadly chase in director Min Kyu-dong's action thril
March 28, 2025 -
Damage to heritage grows amid raging wildfires
Key UNESCO sites in Andong still intact, officials say The tally of damage to cultural heritage overseen by the government has been steadily increasing since last week, when one of the worst wildfires in South Korean history started in the country’s southeastern region. The Korea Heritage Service has so far reported 18 cases of damage, including natural monuments, two state-designated treasures and three scenic sites. No National Treasures — the highest rank of state-designated treasures — has b
March 27, 2025 -
Royal kitchen at Gyeongbokgung to show jang-making
April 4 event to mark UNESCO recognition of practice last year The traditional Korean ways of making fermented pastes and sauces, or “jang,” will be showcased at Gyeongbokgung, a Joseon-era (1392-1910) palace in Seoul. On April 4, the palace will open to the public a space dedicated to jang-making, inviting visitors to look around the place and study the tools and ingredients used for jang-making. At Saenggwabang, the palace kitchen where desserts and refreshments were prepared for the royals, v
March 27, 2025 -
Two classical masters boycotting US over Trump to perform in Korea
Two prominent classical musicians who recently canceled performances in the US in protest of its President Donald Trump are set to perform in South Korea this spring. Eminent pianist and conductor Andras Schiff, 71, will perform with his Cappella Andrea Barca ensemble at the Daegu Concert House on Friday and at the Seoul Arts Center Concert Hall on Sunday. Founded in 1999 by Schiff, the ensemble comprises soloists and chamber musicians who perform internationally and are unaffiliated with any si
March 27, 2025 -
The soft power of 'jang'
Rich, deep flavor of fermented condiments offers taste of age-old Korean culture: Congdu CEO Han Yoon-joo Hansik, or Korean cuisine, has been a powerful tool to foster strong international relations by offering a taste of Korean culture through its culinary riches, according to a pioneer of modern Korean fine dining. Han Yoon-ju, CEO of Congdu, a modern hansik fine dining restaurant, underscored that food serves as a bridge between countries, and she builds such bridges by finding the common cul
March 27, 2025 -
Tteokbokki: South Koreans' longtime soul food
Searching for soul food in Seoul? Head over to Ssangdungne in Apgujeong for tteokbokki There is one thing we can all agree on. Everybody has a particular soul food they reach for when they feel out of sorts and need a taste of comfort. A magical go-to food enjoyed by South Koreans is "tteokbokki," a popular snack of chewy rice cakes slathered in a spicy sauce made from red pepper paste with additions of fish cakes and boiled eggs, as the case may be. If you are looking for a place to get your fi
March 27, 2025 -
2025 LCK league games to feature major changes
One of most premier leagues in League of Legends landscape to kick off next week The 2025 League of Legends Champions Korea league games begin next week, with significant changes aimed at making the tournament more exciting for esports fans. LCK, South Korea’s professional LoL esports league, is one of the five major regional leagues in the LoL scene, alongside China’s LPL and North America’s LCS. The league is widely regarded as one of the premier leagues in the LoL ecosystem, holding the recor
March 26, 2025 -
Firefighters race to protect cultural heritage
Two UNESCO sites in Andong remain at risk One of the deadliest wildfires in South Korean history has culture officials scrambling to protect cultural heritage in the country’s southeastern region ravaged by the fast-burning blazes. Officials at the Korea Heritage Service, the agency handling sites and items of historic importance, have raised the four-level disaster alert to its highest level for the first time in response to the fires, which began Friday in the Gyeongsang provinces. The unprece
March 26, 2025 -
'Bob Dylan brought me back to songwriting': legendary folk music couple returns
Singer-songwriters Joung Tae-choon, Park Eun-ohk release 12th album and literary project after 13 years It was American music legend and Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Bob Dylan who inspired Korean singer-songwriter Joung Tae-choon to resume writing songs after a decade. Joung, 71, who marks the 45th anniversary of his singing career this year, discovered Dylan's "The Lyrics," a more than 1,500-page book containing the singer’s works, at a public library he was visiting with his granddaughte
March 26, 2025