Pope Leo XIV invites youth to Seoul for World Youth Day 2027

Registration for World Youth Day Seoul 2027 opened Thursday. On the same day, Pope Leo XIV released a video message inviting young people around the world to the Catholic gathering in the Korean capital next summer. "Today, as registration opens for next year’s World Youth Day, I warmly invite each of you to Seoul," the pope said in the message, which the Holy See Press Office released at 7 p.m. Korea time. "This is not merely an invitation to see a new city. It is a call to set out on a pilgrim

2026-10-22 19:00:00:00

Sibelius' own orchestra brings its home repertoire to Seoul

The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, which gave the first performances of nearly all of Jean Sibelius' symphonies, will make its Seoul debut at Lotte Concert Hall on Thursday. The concert closes the orchestra's first Korean tour, which began in Daegu on Tuesday and stopped in Daejeon on Wednesday. Chief conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste, a 70-year-old Finn who began his career as a violinist, will lead selections from Sibelius' "Pelleas et Melisande" and the composer's Symphony No. 2. Korean violini

2026-10-22 17:20:24:00

18 actors shed 87 kilograms rehearsing for 'The Choir of Man'

Eighteen of the 19 actors in the Korean production of "The Choir of Man" lost a combined 87 kilograms during rehearsals, except for the 19th actor, to his own surprise, who gained 10, according to the production company. The numbers hint at what the show asks of its all-male cast. Besides acting, singing and dancing, they had to play instruments including the piano, guitar, banjo, ukulele, accordion and trumpet, many of which they learned for the show. Yet at the press call earlier this month fo

2026-10-21 18:21:16:00

Why art historian running world's third-busiest museum keeps apologizing

You Hong-june, the 77-year-old art historian whose bestselling "My Exploration of Cultural Heritage" series made him a household name, bowed before lawmakers on Monday in his capacity as director of the National Museum of Korea. It was his third apology since August over a calligraphy scroll the museum had displayed as the work of an independence activist. You, along with the National Museum of Korea — the world’s third-busiest museum — came under fire after it emerged that a calligraphy scroll

2026-10-20 12:24:09:00

Seoul Philharmonic takes on new challenges in Jaap van Zweden's 4th season

Beethoven's 200th death anniversary sits at the center of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra's 2027 season. But the orchestra is also using the year to try things it has never done before. For the first time, the orchestra will perform the same program three times, something CEO Jung Jae-wal said Korean orchestras have not dared to do given the size of the market. Only three programs get the extended run: Mahler's Symphony No. 5 in March, a concert performance of Beethoven's only opera, "Fidelio,"

2026-10-19 14:49:02:00

69-year-old transgender woman's life story meets director who wanted to listen

"People call me first generation only because they don't know. I'm actually not," said Saekja, 69, who is often described as one of Korea's first-generation transgender people, in an interview in Seoul on Sept. 30. There were others before her, she said, who wore makeup and entertained customers long before Seoul had bars that openly catered to them. "There were people before me, but back then there were no bars," she said. "They wore makeup, but there were no bars with signboards." Instead, the

2026-10-10 16:00:00:00

Sohn Minsoo finds a world of Bach in his teacher’s marked score

About a year after pianist and educator Russell Sherman died, his widow and fellow pianist Byun Wha Kyung handed one of their students Sohn Minsoo a score Sherman had studied for years: Bach's "The Well-Tempered Clavier." "Take it home and have a look," she said, according to Sohn, 50, who is now on the faculty of the New England Conservatory, where Sherman and Byun taught for decades. The score was dense with Sherman's markings. There were "so many moments that moved me deeply" as he worked thr

2026-10-08 17:43:47:00

Culture minister says military exemptions should be narrowed

South Korea’s military service exemption system for athletes and artists should have a narrower scope, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Chae Hwi-young said Wednesday. Calls to overhaul the system have intensified following controversy over remarks by Asian Games gold medalists. “I believe there is now broad public consensus that the system should be fairer and applied more rigorously,” Chae told lawmakers during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee. “So,

2026-10-07 15:12:33:00

J.Y. Park testifies over controversy surrounding Fanomenon as his K-pop vision faces scrutiny

J.Y. Park, founder and chief creative officer of JYP Entertainment, testified at a parliamentary audit on Wednesday over controversy surrounding his role in Fanomenon, a government-backed K-pop festival. The K-pop mogul co-chairs the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange, a ministerial-level body formed last year. He attended the hearing session voluntarily. Park was not originally on the committee’s witness list, he told SBS Radio on Monday. He said he contacted the National Assemb

2026-10-07 15:00:16:00

Jarasum Jazz Festival puts French jazz and an AI pianist in spotlight

The Jarasum Jazz Festival opens its 23rd edition Friday in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province. This year it has built its program around France, and its most unusual stage features artificial intelligence. The three-day festival runs over the Hangeul Day long weekend, with 64 acts from Korea and abroad performing on the small island of Jaraseom and at venues across the nearby Gapyeong. The main stage, Jazz Island, is situated on Jaraseom. In town, three free stages run Friday and Saturday: Party Stage

2026-10-06 18:59:49:00