Chung Myung-whun to lead Classic Busan for two more years

Busan has extended conductor Chung Myung-whun's contract as artistic director of Classic Busan by two years, the city government said Friday. Under the renewed term, Chung will work with the city on the long-term operational direction of the Busan Opera House, slated to open in September next year, as well as on planning its opening festival. Chung was appointed in July 2023 as the inaugural artistic director of Classic Busan, the foundation overseeing both the Busan Concert Hall and the Busan O

2026-07-10 21:32:42:00

Seoul Philharmonic to open Prague Spring Festival in 2027, a first for a non-European orchestra

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will perform the opening concerts of the Prague Spring International Music Festival on May 12 and 13, 2027, at the Smetana Hall of Prague's Municipal House, becoming the first non-European orchestra to open the festival in its 81-year history. The orchestra's CEO Jung Jae-wal announced the news at a press event on Wednesday, describing the invitation as both an honor and a serious responsibility. "This is not simply taking part," he said. "Opening the festival me

2026-07-10 13:44:57:00

Shenzhen built an architectural icon and then filled it with trash

Korea Herald correspondent SHENZHEN, China — A building featured in a Yale University Press survey stands in Shenzhen's Longgang District. Wrapped in a vast circular shell — a form its Scandinavian designers borrowed from the Hakka roundhouses native to the district — the structure is one of 55 that critic Hugh Pearman selected for "About Architecture," his June 2023 survey of structures that help explain the world. The identity of this building is the Longgang Energy Ecological Park, and it is

2026-07-08 14:49:10:00

Culture minister and Park Ji-sung to chair new K-Soccer Innovation Committee

Amid mounting calls to reform South Korean soccer following the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will launch the K-Soccer Innovation Committee on Monday, the ministry announced Friday. The committee will be a temporary body aimed at reforming South Korean soccer, with Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young and retired Korean soccer star Park Ji-sung, who is a member of the FIFA Men's Football Stakeholders Committee, serving as co-chairs. The committee brings together a d

2026-07-03 15:16:18:00

Seoul libraries become summer's coolest hangouts

Seoul's public libraries are transforming into summer retreats this July and August, offering air-conditioned refuge from the heat alongside books and cultural programming. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said on Friday that 223 public and small neighborhood libraries, including Seoul Metropolitan Library, are participating in a two-month campaign called "Libraries Are Cool: Off & Library," featuring 1,665 programs of lectures, performances, exhibitions, hands-on activities and film screenings

2026-07-03 11:00:04:00

Sejong Center's Sync Next stretches from teen composer to 50-year veteran

This summer's lineup at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, which the center bills as its most contemporary season yet, has it all: from a teen composer and a singer entering his 50th year onstage, to French medieval song, Korean mask dance and K-pop. The youngest, Lee Hanurij, is a 19-year-old classical composer who has claimed top prizes at international competitions. Lee reconstructs the folk tale "The Three Little Pigs" into a music-driven stage work on Aug. 15-17. Veteran Kim Chang-w

2026-07-02 13:39:03:00

Namwon's Gwanghallu Pavilion named a national treasure

The Korea Heritage Service designated Gwanghallu Pavilion in Namwon, North Jeolla Province, as a national treasure on Wednesday — its highest heritage tier. The move comes 63 years after the pavilion was first listed as a treasure in 1963. Gwanghallu is best known as the setting of "Chunhyangjeon," or "The Story of Chunhyang," the classic Korean novel and pansori tale of lovers Chunhyang and Yi Mong-ryong. Built as a government pavilion in the Joseon era (1392-1910), it was a place where officia

2026-07-01 17:35:17:00

Classic Revolution traces classical music to its folk roots

Classic Revolution, the annual summer classical music festival organized by Lotte Concert Hall, will trace the canon back to its folk roots this year, gathering some of the world's busiest performers under the theme "Origin: From Folk to Classic." From Aug. 28 to Sept. 4, the festival presents seven concerts, balancing orchestral programs with chamber music and solo recitals. Greek violinist and conductor Leonidas Kavakos returns as artistic director for a second year, after leading last year's

2026-06-30 14:40:57:00

Koreans kept it local in 2025 as domestic tourism rebounds

Koreans took more domestic trips, traveled for longer and spent more doing so last year, reversing a yearlong dip, with growth concentrated in provincial regions outside the Seoul metropolitan area, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday. The 2025 National Travel Survey found that 97 percent of Koreans took at least one domestic trip in 2025, up 1.6 percentage points from 2024. They made 300.9 million domestic trips spanning 472.5 million days and spent 39.5 trillion won ($25.5

2026-06-30 11:42:49:00

Culture Ministry to launch special audit of Korea Football Association

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will conduct a special audit of the Korea Football Association to determine the causes behind what it called the dismal failures of Korean soccer, Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young said in a social media post Monday. The ministry will form an investigative committee including outside experts to examine the incompetence, mismanagement and complacency the association has shown, Chae wrote. If the inquiry uncovers irregularities, misconduct or unlawful acts

2026-06-29 18:05:09:00