Has Clara-Jumi Kang reached her prime?

Violinist Clara-Jumi Kang opens an 11-city Korean recital tour with pianist-conductor Kim Sun-wook at the Sejong Arts Center on May 19, the duo's first joint appearance in Korea in five years. Apart from one Monday, when Korea's performance halls are typically closed, the duo will perform every night of the tour — a marathon pace the musicians requested themselves. "We told the presenters we didn't want a day off," Kang told reporters during a press conference on Thursday in Seoul. "On orchestra

2026-05-11 14:03:32:00

Korea to distribute 2.25 million movie discount vouchers from May 13

The South Korean government will distribute 2.25 million movie discount vouchers worth 6,000 won ($4.08) each starting May 13, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Friday, accelerating support for a film industry it describes as still in structural decline despite recent box office hits. The rollout, conducted with the Korean Film Council, comes just over a month after the National Assembly passed a supplementary budget on April 10. It arrives more than two months earlier than the fi

2026-05-08 22:16:29:00

Disney's 'Frozen' reveals Korean cast for Seoul musical premiere

Disney's "Frozen" has unveiled the principal cast for its Korean premiere, with three actors each set to share the roles of sisters Elsa and Anna when the musical opens Aug. 13 at Charlotte Theatre in Seoul. Jeong Sun-ah, Jung Yu-ji and Min Kyung-ah will alternate as Elsa, while Park Jin-joo, Hong Geum-bi and Choi Ji-hye take on Anna. Cha Yoon-hae and Shin Jae-beom will play Kristoff, Kim Won-bin and Hwang Geon-ha are to share the role of Hans and Jung Won-young, Han Gyu-jung and Lee Chang-ho wi

2026-05-08 14:19:35:00

Japanese, Chinese visitors to South Korea jump 41% during overlapping May holidays

South Korea drew about 220,000 visitors from Japan and China during overlapping early-May holidays, the Culture Ministry said Thursday, a 41 percent jump from a year earlier that officials credited to targeted marketing in both countries. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said preliminary figures showed 112,000 Japanese tourists arrived during Japan's Golden Week, which ran from April 29 to May 6, while 108,000 Chinese tourists visited during China's Labor Day holiday from May 1 to 5.

2026-05-08 11:05:42:00

For Sunwoo Yekwon, Liszt was once 'just showy.' Not anymore.

In middle school, Sunwoo Yekwon could play almost any Liszt piece thrown at him. He picked up the Hungarian Rhapsody and tossed off the impossible tempos without a slip; he learned Balakirev's "Islamey" in two weeks. Then, somewhere in his 20s, he stopped playing Liszt entirely. "I had a great deal of ambition toward Liszt growing up," the pianist, who in 2017 became the first Korean to win gold at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, said at a Seoul press conference Thursday for his

2026-05-08 00:02:00:00

For Sumi Jo, four decades on stage is only the beginning

Forty years after Sumi Jo first stepped onto a European opera stage, the Korean soprano is not quite ready to look back. "I'm still moving forward as I've done before" she said Wednesday in Seoul. "And I keep asking myself what more I can give to myself and to the world." Speaking at a press conference marking the 40th anniversary of her 1986 European debut, the 63-year-old soprano certainly shows no sign of stopping, with an impressive range of new projects on the go: a 14-track album titled "C

2026-05-07 17:29:46:00

Head east for summer air and storied classical music festivals

Gangwon Province has long been one of Korea’s favorite summer escapes, known for its mountain air, resort towns and green valleys. It has also become a recurring destination for classical music, with two established festivals — Music in PyeongChang and the Gyechon Classical Music Festival — drawing artists and audiences east each summer. Music in PyeongChang brings the scale and ambition of an international festival, while Gyechon offers a village-based model rooted in local participation and ar

2026-05-06 13:49:27:00

Celebrities celebrate Children’s Day with donations for children in need

South Korean celebrities marked Children's Day — celebrated in South Korea on May 5 — with donations, extending support to children in hospitals, welfare facilities and underserved communities. Singer and actress IU donated 100 million won ($72,000), her agency Edam Entertainment said Tuesday. The donation was split equally between two organizations — the Korea Association of Child Welfare (translated) and the Korea Association of the Community Child Center. The funds will be used to provide goo

2026-05-05 19:45:16:00

Lahav Shani brings Munich Phil's 'Germanic sound' to Seoul with Cho Seong-jin

When Lahav Shani took the podium of the Munich Philharmonic in 2022, the encounter was immediate. “It was love at first sight, love at first sound,” the Israeli conductor said Monday at a press conference in central Seoul. Four years later, Shani, 36, has returned to Korea with the orchestra he is set to officially lead from the 2026-27 season — and with pianist Cho Seong-jin as a soloist. Cho, who first collaborated with Shani during the conductor’s 2022 Munich Philharmonic, appears in the orch

2026-05-05 12:31:32:00

Why ‘Billy Elliot’ still resonates: Young talent, enduring story

In one of the most moving scenes in "Billy Elliot," a young boy meets his older self in a dreamlike duet — his hesitant, searching steps echoed and lifted by graceful, assured movement. For a brief moment, the two dance as one before drifting apart, tracing a quiet arc of longing, distance and the self he is still becoming. The scene — among the production’s most striking moments — was performed on Wednesday at a press call. Lim Sun-u, a principal dancer with Universal Ballet, played the adult B

2026-05-02 16:00:00:00