The long-brewing dispute between Seoul and Tokyo over history has come to a head, spilling over into the economic realm, with Japan restricting the exports of key materials for manufacturing chips and displays to South Korea and removing it from its whitelist of trade partners.While the Korean government has responded with retaliatory measures of its own and citizens here are boycotting Japanese goods and travel, there are concerns about bilateral relations and how the current situation will pan

Politics Aug. 14, 2019

A desk with an old computer, a chair and a potted plant -- the room installation by Hwang Moon-jung does not require any sophisticated jargon to explain. You just need to sit and play the game installed on the computer: “Great Artist Maker” -- a remake of famous 1990s Japanese simulation game “Princess Maker.” “Great Artist Maker” has you arrange Hwang’s schedule and plan her activities to grow her career and get her recognized as a great artist. Hwang&r

Arts & Design July 15, 2019

When former first lady Lee Hee-ho, who passed away Monday night aged 96, and Kim Dae-jung tied the knot in 1962, they entered into a lifelong partnership that would endure numerous hardships and tribulations.By all accounts, most people on Lee’s side opposed the marriage. She was a well-educated woman who had studied sociology in the US and was playing an active role in the country’s nascent women’s rights movement. Her colleagues and family thought that marriage to Kim, an opp

Viewpoints June 12, 2019

Dulwich College Seoul students pose for a photo at the Dulwich College campus in London on March 24.Some 60 students and teachers from Seoul participated in the Dulwich Olympiad London 2019.(Dulwich College Seoul)The Olympiad, which took place March 24-29, included sports, music and drama events marking the 400th anniversary of the college’s founding.More than 900 students from 11 Dulwich schools around the world took part in the celebrations.

Social Affairs April 4, 2019

The largest-ever David Hockney exhibition in South Korea is underway at the Seoul Museum of Art, featuring some of the artist’s iconic paintings such as “The Bigger Splash” (1967) and “A Bigger Grand Canyon” (1998) -- as well as “In the Studio, December 2017,” which is being shown to the general public for the first time.  David Hockney’s double portraits are on exhibit at the Seoul Museum of Art on Thursday. (Yonhap)Born in 1937, Hockney is the world’s most famous, beloved and expensive living

Arts & Design March 25, 2019

In Gwangju for the first time a few years ago, I walked down Geumnanro, the site of violent clashes between Gwangju locals and troops enforcing martial law on May 18, 1980. Events were being held on the broad avenue closed off to traffic for the day -- a play, a concert and a samulnori performance to name but a few, all commemorating the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement. There were few people in attendance, but that didn’t seem to matter. These were people remembering the massacre in whic

Viewpoints Feb. 20, 2019

Taking the steep, narrow staircase to meet architect Seung Hyo-sang, or Seung H-Sang as his business card says, one almost fears for one’s life, tottering down the steps in heels with one hand against the wall for support in the semidarkness.Upon reaching the floor, there is a sigh of relief and a sense of salvation as one follows the sound of choral music to Seung’s office. It is a few days before Christmas, and there is something of a sacred quality to the space, crammed with bookcases and a l

Arts & Design Jan. 3, 2019

The third summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang last week had many Instagrammable moments.There was the pomp and ceremony of Moon’s arrival at Sunan International Airport where he was greeted by Kim and his senior officials, ceremonial guards and a 21-gun salute. A motorcade through the Pyongyang thoroughfare saw the two leaders standing side by side in an open-top car waving at the crowds of people in colorful hanbok chanting “Unifica

Viewpoints Sept. 26, 2018

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Thursday that it would ask the prosecution to investigate seven government officials over their alleged involvement in the blacklisting of cultural figures by the two previous administrations.Of the seven, five belong to the Culture Ministry and accusations had been filed against one of them by a concerned cultural group. Three officials are currently heads of Korean cultural centers overseas, and will be summoned back to Korea as soon as possible

Culture Sept. 13, 2018

Sex crime reports are continuing to increase in Korea despite a decline in overall crimes.One of the reasons is because more people are speaking up amid a changing social perception of sex crimes.“Sex crimes are the most underreported crimes,” according to an official the National Police Agency. (123rf)“Previously, many women were reluctant to report that they were victims of sex crimes, but now more people are reporting, and this is one of the reasons of the increase in the number of cases.”Whi

Social Affairs Aug. 1, 2018

A funny-looking vampire in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts dancing to “Gangnam Style” is how I would describe “Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation.”That is exactly the yardstick to determine who will enjoy the film and who will hate it. Does that image -- actually in the movie, and exactly as it sounds -- have you rolling on the floor? You are in for a treat. Are you grinding your teeth? Leave now. "Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation" (Sony Pictures Korea)The movie briefly looks at the pa

Film July 29, 2018

Looking for Mark Tetto’s house in Gaehoe-dong, Seoul, Monday morning, I encounter groups of foreign tourists -- from the Philippines and Vietnam, mostly -- posing and taking pictures against the backdrop of narrow alleys lined with Korea’s traditional hanok. After walking up and down a hill, going round in circles under the blazing morning sun, I finally locate Tetto’s house, its slim gate hard to find between the walls of houses next to it on either side. I swear I had walked past this street 1

Culture July 19, 2018

Receiving an email a few weeks ago that violist Richard Yongjae O’Neill’s press conference for this year’s Ditto Festival would take place in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, my immediate reaction was “Why?”For most Koreans, the industrial city southwest of Seoul is a place of great sorrow -- most of the more than the 300 passengers who died in the Sewol ferry sinking on April 16, 2014 were second year students from a high school in Ansan, on their way to what should have been a fun-filled school trip

People June 15, 2018

World-renowned French intellect and author Guy Sorman has been a longtime observer of Korea -- and at times its sharp critic.Sorman’s connection to Korea goes back to his friendship with the late video artist Paik Nam-june in the early 1980s. The New York-based artist was not well-known in his home country, but spoke a lot about Korea as a source of inspiration, recalled Sorman. Curious about the little-known country, Sorman decided to visit. “It was still an unknown country in the West,” he tol

People May 3, 2018

A prosecutor who misused parking space for the disabled has resigned after an inspection found he was having an extramarital affair.The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission received a complaint late last year that a vehicle without a disability decal was constantly occupying a parking lot for the disabled at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.An inspection by the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office found that a prosecutor in the special investigation department had bought the car unde

Social Affairs April 27, 2018