Enjoy last-minute cherry blossoms with less crowding With the arrival of spring in earnest in the last week or so, popular cherry blossom destinations in Seoul like Yeouido and Seokchon Lake have been packed with people day and night. If you wish to enjoy last-minute cherry blossoms this weekend with fewer people around, try the Seongnae Stream section of the Songpa Trail -- widely known as Seongnaecheonduk-gil --before the delicate pink and white petals drop off. Seongnaecheonduk-gil is a cause

Culture April 12, 2024

South Korean literary giant Hwang Sok-yong's "Mater 2-10" has been shortlisted for the 2024 International Booker Prize, the organizers of the British literary awards announced Tuesday. "Mater 2-10," co-translated by Sora Kim-Russell and Youngjae Josephine Bae, and published by Scribe Publications, is among the six books on the shortlist for one of the world's most prestigious literary awards. The five other titles shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2024 are: &ldqu

Books April 10, 2024

South Korean novelist Hwang Sok-yong's "Mater 2-10" has been shortlisted for the 2024 International Booker Prize, one of the most prestigious literary awards in the world, along with the Nobel Prize in literature and the French Goncourt Prize. The British prize was established in 2005 to honor an author and translator equally for a single work of fiction translated into English, selected from entries published in the UK or Ireland. The novel, co-translated by Sora Kim-Russell and

Books April 9, 2024

The Borkman family's fortunes have been drained following the imprisonment of former banker John Gabriel Borkman. After eight years behind bars and another eight years in solitude, Borkman obsessively dreams of making his comeback. Meanwhile, his wife, Gunhild, insists on restoring the family name. When her sister, Ella, arrives unannounced, the three engage in a fierce battle over young Erhart Borkman, driven by their own obsessions. The story comes from Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen&#

Performance April 9, 2024

The Korean National Ballet is set to perform "Season; Spring" in London this week. The performance comes at the invitation of the Royal Ballet for the KNB to participate in the International Draft Works 2024, jointly hosted by the Royal Opera House and the Royal Ballet. The KNB is scheduled to perform at the Linbury Theater, on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. The International Draft Works serves as a platform where the Royal Ballet, together with various international companies, pres

Performance April 9, 2024

Empty-eyed female dancers gracefully whirl around, their movements intertwined with pounding beats. The scene reinterprets the traditional ritual of ground hardening of burial to protect the resting place from outside intrusion. Set to premiere at Haeoreum Grand Theater on April 25 where it will run through April 27, “Book of the Dead” is the latest work by the National Dance Company of Korea, affiliated with the National Theater of Korea. Choreographed by the state dance company

Performance April 8, 2024

The Korean National Ballet is gearing up for the highly anticipated Korean premiere of John Neumeier's adaptation of "The Little Mermaid" at the Seoul Arts Center from May 1 through 5. Neumeier, who has been the director and chief choreographer of Hamburg Ballet based in Germany since 1973, is widely acknowledged as one of today's foremost choreographers. He has crafted more than 170 works so far, bearing his distinctive interpretation of classic narratives. Neumeier will vis

Performance April 5, 2024

The outdoor plaza in front of the National Theater of Korea's Haeoreum Grand Theater will be filled with weekly festivals and open-air markets every Saturday for two months in April and May. Dubbed "Art in Series," this biannual festival event is hosted by the National Theater of Korea during the spring and fall seasons. Each week in that season will be held under specific themes such as pets, books, crops and artifacts. The event opens with the "Art in Pet" festival whi

Culture April 5, 2024

Every grown-up has been through childhood and adolescence on their journey to adulthood. And the emotions experienced during these formative years are fundamentally universal, with only slight variations depending on where and when, believes writer Lee Geum-yi. As a towering figure in the country’s children’s literature scene, Lee’s narratives prove to extend far beyond times and places. In January, Lee made the shortlist in the writing category for the 2024 Hans Christian Ande

Books April 4, 2024

Among Shakespeare's tragedies, "King Lear" stands out for its portrayal of one of the oldest protagonists. Betrayed by his daughters, losing his kingdom, his sanity, and ultimately his life, the stage is filled with the anguished cries of a monarch in his twilight years. In a groundbreaking departure from convention, young "changgeuk" performers took the lead roles in the sold-out production of "Lear" by the National Changgeuk Company, affiliated with the Natio

Performance April 2, 2024

Set in a dystopian world where fame and popularity have become the most crucial means of survival, the first installment of the gripping young adult duology “Snowglobe” by Park So-young recently hit bookshelves worldwide. The English edition translated by Joungmin Lee Comfort, and published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, made the New York Times Young Adult bestseller list in the third week of March. The novel is slated for release in over 10 la

Books April 1, 2024

In May, Seoul will host two different ballet productions of Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece, "Romeo and Juliet." Universal Ballet's "Romeo and Juliet" choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan will grace the stage of the Seoul Arts Center’s Opera Theater from May 10 to May 12. The production, for which Universal Ballet acquired the performance rights in Korea in 2012, will return to the stage after its last performances in 2016 and 2012. On May 10 at 7:30 p.m. an

Performance March 31, 2024

A collection of 100 representative works of modern Korean poetry has been translated and published in France through a collaboration between the Society of Korean Poets and the Society of French Poets (La Societe des Poetes Francais, SPF). Titled "Anthology of Contemporary Korean Poets" ("Anthologie des Poetes Coreens Contemporains" in French) the book includes works by 100 modern Korean poets such as Han Yong-un, Jeong Ji-yong, Baek Seok and Yun Dong-ju with translations by

Books March 30, 2024

Cyril Kongo’s first graffiti exhibition in Seoul French-Vietnamese graffiti artist Cyril Kongo’s first solo exhibition in Seoul kicked off March 14 at Museum Wave, bringing together some 45 works from the artist's early days to his collaborations with luxury brands such as Chanel, Hermes and Maserati. The artist became interested in graffiti during his adolescent years in the French Congo and launched his career as a graffiti artist in Paris in 1986. The exhibition, “Graff

Culture March 29, 2024

Recently released Netflix film “My Name is Loh Ki-wan,” starring Song Joong-ki, draws from Cho Hae-jin’s 2011 novel, “I Met Loh Ki-wan,” if only very loosely. The film diverges significantly from the novel in characterization and narrative to the extent that one could argue it tells a wholly distinct story. In the cinematic adaptation, Song plays the titular role of a North Korean refugee on a journey to find a new home in a foreign land where he does not speak the

Books March 27, 2024