Young people, artists to gain most as culture budget tops W9tr for first time

South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will channel record funding into young people and artists next year, as its overall budget passes 9 trillion won for the first time. The ministry set its 2027 budget proposal at 9.634 trillion won ($7.09 billion), up 22.6 percent from this year's 7.855 trillion won, the ministry said Friday. That growth rate nearly doubles the 12.8 percent increase in the government's total spending, raising culture's share of total government spending to 1.1

2026-09-04 10:59:54:00

Chung Myung-whun returns to the piano, this time for patients

GOYANG, Gyeonggi Province -- “I might not play it well, but I wanted to play something today anyway,” Chung Myung-whun told the audience on Sept. 3 before taking the stage — this time not as a conductor, but as a pianist, in the unlikely setting of a hospital hall. Chung has played piano in a hospital setting several times before, in Japan for children with cancer. But the performance at Myongji Hospital in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, was his first in a Korean hospital, for an audience of patient

2026-09-03 19:02:09:00

Ven. Jinwoo reelected to lead Jogye Order

The Ven. Jinwoo, the incumbent head of the Jogye Order, South Korea's largest Buddhist denomination, has been reelected, becoming the first leader to serve a second term in 13 years. The Jogye Order held its election for Executive President on Thursday at the Korean Buddhist History and Culture Memorial Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and selected the Ven. Jinwoo as the 38th head. The Ven. Jinwoo received 183 votes out of 321 total electors, while his rival, the Ven. Gyeongwoo, received 138 votes. Thi

2026-09-03 17:32:38:00

'Phantom of the Opera' returns to Seoul for 40th anniversary

"Phantom of the Opera" is coming back to South Korea as part of a celebration of the musical's 40th anniversary. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical will open Dec. 22 at Blue Square in Seoul and run through Feb. 28, 2027, according to producer S&Co. The Korean-language production is a two-month, Seoul-only engagement — one of several special seasons staged in major cities around the world this year to mark the show's 40th anniversary. The show last played in Korea in 2023, when it ran in Busan befor

2026-09-02 12:47:41:00

K-Music Festival to send folk, hip-hop and game music to nine London stages

The K-Music Festival returns to London for its 13th edition this fall, sending Korean folk, hip-hop, jazz and gaming soundtracks across nine venues over two months — an expanded lineup organizers say reflects how far Korea's musical identity has grown beyond K-pop. Organized by the Korean Cultural Centre UK and running from Sept. 28 to Nov. 23, the festival includes a National Gugak Center orchestra performance of newly arranged songs from online game "Black Desert" and video game "Lies of P" at

2026-09-01 17:34:13:00

Where Seoul celebrates this fall

The Seoul Metropolitan Government released the autumn edition of its citywide festival map Monday, adding a new 'night-specialized festivals' theme built around fireworks, lighting and live music to help residents find things to do after dark dark

2026-09-01 14:43:58:00

Japan and S. Korea remain each other's top destination

South Korea was the top overseas destination for Japanese travelers by market share, as a weak yen and the country's growing cultural pull draw record numbers of visitors, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday. Japanese arrivals reached 2.28 million in the first seven months of 2026, up 18.8 percent from 1.92 million a year earlier, the ministry said. That growth far outpaced the 4.1 percent rise in Japanese overseas travel overall, which totaled 8.14 million people through Jul

2026-08-31 16:17:49:00

A decade in, Korea's overseas fact-checkers chase subtler mistakes

This week, a decade-old government hotline built to correct the world's mistakes about Korea marks a milestone: roughly 20,000 error reports logged and answered since it opened. The service, called Facts: Korea, launched Sept. 1, 2016, under a prime ministerial directive, initially run by the ministry's now-defunct Korean Culture and Information Service before the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism took it over directly in 2024. Anyone — Korean or foreign — can flag an error about the count

2026-08-31 15:03:19:00

Flood devastation

A catastrophic flash flood that swept through Nepal's Himalayan border region on Aug. 26 has killed more than 600 people in Nepal and neighboring Tibet, destroying homes, roads and bridges and leaving survivors in hard-hit areas such as Nuwakot waiting for relief supplies as rescue teams dig through thick mud and debris. Combined with 554 missing in Tibet, the total unaccounted for now stands at nearly 3,000, including more than 500 foreigners from over 30 countries such as India and the United

2026-08-29 12:18:14:00

A couple brought together by music, Korea and now Wagner

French conductor Adrien Perruchon led the Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra in a four-hour concert version of Richard Wagner's "Ring" cycle — four operas that run about 15 hours when performed in full — earlier this month. Singing the role of Brunnhilde was his wife, soprano Lee Myung-joo. It was the first time Perruchon had conducted the work in any form, and the first time Lee had sung the role. "Der Ring des Nibelungen" is among the most demanding works in the classical repertoire. The four oper

2026-08-28 13:42:37:00