Which Korean novel became biggest overseas bestseller?

The Korean novel that sold the most copies in translation overseas last year was a quiet story about a neighborhood bookstore. The Turkish edition of Hwang Bo-reum's "Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop" sold more than 60,000 copies in 2025, making it the bestselling translated Korean novel overseas last year, according to the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. The Culture Ministry-affiliated organization said the Turkish-language edition, published in 2023, has sold more than 160,000 co

2026-08-02 14:50:58:00

Overseas Korean dancers return for annual showcase

The 23rd Korea World Dance Stars Festival will feature Korean dancers active on international stages this weekend at Naru Arts Center in Seoul, bringing together artists from major European ballet companies and Japan's renowned butoh troupe Dairakudakan. The two-day event will feature Yun Seo-hoo, soloist with the Paris Opera Ballet; Jeong Seo-hyeon, second soloist with Germany's Semperoper Ballett; Choi Soo-jeong, soloist with Leipzig Ballet; and butoh dancer Yang Jong-ye of Dairakudakan. "We'v

2026-07-30 13:45:48:00

Butoh dancer Yang Jong-ye summons the unknown self we hide

Inside every person, Yang Jong-ye believes, lies a house with countless rooms. One is left untouched, sealed beneath layers of dust and cobwebs. Behind its door waits another self — one we have hidden even from ourselves. With her latest award-winning piece, "Summoning the Unknown X," choreographer and butoh dancer Yang opens that door. The work, which won the grand prize at this year's SAI Dance Festival in Tokyo, excavates the contradictions buried beneath ordinary life, confronting the self t

2026-07-30 13:44:33:00

Paris Opera Ballet's Yun Seo-hoo finds her own color in dance and life

Every summer, South Korea's ballet calendar turns into something of a homecoming. As ballet companies pause for their summer breaks, Korean dancers working overseas return home for gala performances, giving audiences a chance to see artists whose careers have taken them abroad. This year, one long-awaited return stands out: Yun Seo-hoo. Nearly a decade after Korean audiences last saw her as a promising young dancer, the 27-year-old returns home as a sujet of the Paris Opera Ballet, a soloist ran

2026-07-30 07:00:00:00

Park Se-eun welcomes ballet stars from Paris, New York and Milan

When star ballerina Park Se-eun launched a three-year ballet gala in 2024, she set out to bring Korean audiences closer to the Paris Opera Ballet — its distinctive style, unique repertoire and artistic tradition — where she made history as the company's first Asian etoile, or star dancer. Two years later, that vision has grown well beyond Paris. This year's edition, "Etoiles of Our Time 2026," curated by Park and running Wednesday through Sunday at the Seoul Arts Center, expands beyond the Paris

2026-07-28 14:43:47:00

Between stadiums, BTS' V turns to a book on quiet power of everyday life

Between stadium performances and global commitments, BTS' V has drawn attention to a book that explores the quiet power of simply getting through everyday life. Late Thursday night, the singer shared on his Instagram story "The Sensibility of an Everyday Person" (a literal translation of the Korean title), a newly published essay collection by the celebrated Korean lyricist Kim Eana. The publisher, Storyseller, said messages poured in almost immediately after V shared the book. "Seeing the respo

2026-07-27 17:46:03:00

World Heritage map expands for South Korea's tidal flats

Home to more than 2,400 species, including endangered migratory birds, South Korea's tidal flats have gained broader recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site. UNESCO's World Heritage Committee on Saturday approved a major expansion of South Korea's "getbol," or tidal flats, adding four new coastal areas to the World Heritage List during its annual session in Busan. The decision expands the site, first inscribed in 2021, from four to six components with the addition of tidal flats in Seosan, S

2026-07-25 12:31:03:00

Latest K-healing novel 'The Seoul Letter Shop' now available in English

A quiet Seoul letter shop is the latest setting to carry South Korea's bestselling "healing fiction" overseas, with the English release of Baek Seung-yeon's novel "The Seoul Letter Shop." Published by Fourth Estate, an imprint of HarperCollins, the English edition translated by Clare Richards was released on July 16. Translation rights have also been sold in 12 countries, including the United States, according to the publisher. The novel follows Hyo-young, a 28-year-old woman who abandons her dr

2026-07-24 15:07:36:00

National Theater of Korea to screen stage productions at CGV in August

The National Theater of Korea will hold a three-week cinema screening series featuring filmed versions of its steady-selling stage productions at CGV Yongsan from Aug. 4-18 as part of an initiative to broaden public access to the performing arts. Three productions will be screened on consecutive Tuesdays. The series opens on Aug. 4 at 7 p.m. with the National Changgeuk Company's "Farewell My Concubine," which has sold out every run since its 2019 premiere. Directed by Taiwanese Peking opera vete

2026-07-24 14:53:06:00

From GD's heartfelt message to music-led finale, Won Il explains vision behind UNESCO's ceremony

BUSAN — Three thunderous drumbeats echoed across the stage as royal guards in flowing cheollik robes and ceremonial armor held UNESCO flags while one of them struck a traditional drum. Behind them, a digital rendering of Gwanghwamun Gate, the main entrance to Gyeongbokgung, where the royal guard changing ceremony is traditionally held. For the first time, the actual 42-member royal guard team from Gyeongbokgung, part of the Korea Heritage Service, was not guarding the palace but performing in Bu

2026-07-21 18:00:00:00