Samso summit

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang capped his first day in Seoul on Friday with a "samso" gathering — samgyeopsal, or grilled pork belly, washed down with soju — joining SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Naver Chairman Lee Hae-jin at Hyeongnim Jeoyo, a barbecue restaurant near Hongik University Station in Mapo-gu. Crowds packed the surrounding Hongdae streets for a glimpse of the Nvidia chief, who handed out snacks to onlookers and hammed it up for cameras — at one point pr

2026-06-05 22:15:02:00

Jensen Huang and Faker meet, celebrate mutual rise

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang began his five-day Korea visit Friday not in a boardroom but in a packed Hongdae gaming cafe, paying tribute to the Korean gaming culture he says built his company. Fans clutching phones had massed outside T1 Base Camp, a "PC bang," or internet gaming cafe, run by esports organization T1 in the Hongik University area of western Seoul. Staff held them back from the corridor and EDM pulsed through the venue. Huang, fresh off his 1 p.m. arrival at Gimpo International Airport

2026-06-05 17:27:39:00

Nvidia's Jensen Huang to make Faker his first stop in Seoul

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will head straight from the airport to a Seoul gaming cafe Friday to meet Faker, the League of Legends icon he once cheered for from the stage. Huang, set to land at Gimpo International Airport at around 1 p.m., will visit T1 Base Camp, a "PC bang," or internet gaming cafe, run by esports organization T1, according to industry sources — making the gaming powerhouse his first stop ahead of a dinner with the country's top business leaders. There he will meet T1's League of

2026-06-05 10:41:08:00

Pianist Sun Youl cut his practice in half — and started asking why

When Sun Youl arrived in France to study, his new teacher had an unusual request: promise not to practice more than three hours a day. The teacher, French pianist Olivier Gardon, had a question for him too: If you play perfectly, without a single mistake, what are you actually getting out of it? What is all the practice even for? "The question landed like a hard blow to the head. I realized I had been running like a machine, without even knowing why I practice," Sun told reporters in a roundtabl

2026-06-04 14:58:12:00

Classical Bridge turns theme of connection into a family affair

This year's Classical Bridge International Music Festival turns its founding idea —connection — into something the audience can watch unfold onstage. Cellist Mischa Maisky will perform alongside his son and daughter, and Geneva-born violist Lyda Chen will watch her teenage son make his Korean debut. "I'll have the privilege to listen to my own son perform for the first time in Korea. It's his debut," said Chen, the daughter of pianist Martha Argerich. The festival, she added, is "that bridge for

2026-06-02 14:30:29:00

How a photo at Starbucks ended an actor’s musical run

Jung Min-chan lost a role in a musical and won a public defense from his ballet company all within six days, after a social media post about a visit to Starbucks triggered an angry reaction. The 38-year-old musical actor and ballet dancer uploaded the post to Instagram on May 20, just as the controversy over Starbucks Korea's "Tank Day" marketing campaign was erupting. Two days later, musical producer Showplay announced his exit from "Diaghilev," a musical in Seoul's Daehangno theater district w

2026-06-01 06:29:30:00

Korean cellist Kim Tae-yeon claims second prize at Queen Elisabeth Competition

Korean cellist Kim Tae-yeon won second prize in the cello division of the 2026 Queen Elisabeth Competition, which concluded Saturday in Brussels, according to the Kumho Cultural Foundation on Sunday. Kim will receive a cash prize of 20,000 euros ($23,300). "I'm deeply honored and thrilled to finish as runner-up at this year's Queen Elisabeth Competition," Kim said through the Kumho Cultural Foundation. "Over this monthlong journey, I learned so much and grew a great deal through the precious tim

2026-05-31 11:34:04:00

Korea sets sights on W400tr K-culture market, $110b exports by 2030

South Korea's Culture Ministry on Thursday raised its 2030 K-culture targets to a 400 trillion won ($265 billion) market and $110 billion in exports, up from previous goals of 300 trillion won and $35 billion, respectively. The ambitious figures reflect both Korean culture's continued global rise but also the ministry's expanding definition of what counts as K-culture. The ministry expanded the K-culture category this year to include inbound tourism spending and exports of Korean food, beauty an

2026-05-28 16:15:42:00

'Life is full of gratitude': Yoo Yeol on the six months that 'rebooted' his life

Yoo Yeol, a Korean singer who in 2024 received a lung transplant, said Wednesday at the Global Business Forum, organized by The Korea Herald and Herald Business, he is living life anew since his battle with a rare cancer. The 65-year-old singer was diagnosed nine years ago with pleuroparenchymal fibroelastosis, a rare progressive lung disease with no known cause or cure. By May 2024, his weight had dropped from 65 to 41 kilograms, and a bout of influenza pushed him into respiratory failure. The

2026-05-28 14:48:19:00

Music in PyeongChang 2026 balances legacy and new voices

Three conservatory presidents on a single stage, a rare performance of a Strauss opera, and a debut soprano will anchor this summer's flagship classical music festival, its artistic director and cellist Yang Sung-won said Tuesday at a Seoul press conference. Music in PyeongChang's 23rd edition opens July 23 and runs through Aug. 2 at the Alpensia Resort in Gangwon Province, with 19 main-stage concerts, 10 community outreach concerts, five family outreach concerts, a chamber music mentorship prog

2026-05-26 15:09:39:00