[Herald Review] Cho Seung-woo takes 'Hamlet' crown

When the Seoul Arts Center announced its production of "Hamlet" for the year, it was met with mixed reactions, some asking, "Another Hamlet?" After all, the play had already been staged twice in 2024 -- once by Seensee Company (June 9 - Sept. 1) under the direction of veteran director Sohn Jin-chaek, and again by the National Theater Company of Korea in July in a genre-bending iteration with Princess Hamlet. Both productions had already captured the public’s attention,

PerformanceNov. 14, 2024

Lay Buddhist group donates children’s clothing to Laos

The Lay Buddhist Association of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the country’s largest Buddhist sect, donated 1,000 outfits to preschool girls in Laos on Thursday. “Starting with Laos, we will continue our efforts to assist other Buddhist countries,” said Jung Won-ju, president of the association, during a ceremony held at the headquarters of Daewoo E&C in Seoul. Jung is the chairman of Daewoo E&C and Herald Media Group. Alounkone Boulommavong, deputy chief of missio

PeopleNov. 14, 2024

[Herald Gallery] Gathering seasonal traces brings calm

The exhibition “The Gift” is being held at Gallery Unplugged in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, until Nov. 22. Four artists — An SoHyun, On YeWon, Lee SunGeun and Cho JaeYeon — present a variety of works exploring the preciousness of daily life and themes of hope. Using diverse motifs such as Google Street View, symmetry, the passage of time and fairytale-like imagery, the pieces convey warmth and solace in familiar landscapes and relationships. The exhibition spans various media, in

CultureNov. 14, 2024

National Theater of Korea reignites folk spirit with pansori, folktales

The National Theater of Korea is set to present two new productions that celebrate the rich heritage of Korean performing arts. Featuring iconic pansori, or Korean traditional narrative singing, and an unexpected convergence of characters from classic folktales, these works promise to be a showcase of dynamic storytelling, captivating performances and a fresh take on timeless traditions. Tale of legendary pansori singer featuring greatest hits, tightrope acts Like a flying fish gliding swiftly

PerformanceNov. 13, 2024

Songwriter tied to pro-democracy movement posthumously awarded

Kim Min-ki, a singer-songwriter best known for the once-banned 1971 hit “Morning Dew,” was posthumously given the Woodang Award for promoting national unity and the arts. “His music laid the groundwork that brought the country together. Kim was a humble creator, musician and director, and while leading a theater company, he helped foster singers and actors,” said Lee Jong-chan, president of the Woodang Education and Culture Foundation, at a ceremony Wednesday in Seoul. Th

PeopleNov. 13, 2024

25 cultural, civic groups blast blacklist creator's SPO appointment

Civic and cultural groups have opposed the recent appointment of Cho Yoon-sun as a nonexecutive director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, pointing to her involvement in a blacklist of cultural figures. On Wednesday, an alliance of 25 organizations -- including the Screen Actors Guild of Korea, the Association of Korean Independent Film and Video and Writers Association of Korea -- released a statement condemning Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon for approving Cho’s appointment and demanding its w

CultureNov. 13, 2024

GS Caltex wins Grand Prize of Mecenat Awards

GS Caltex, a South Korean energy and chemicals company, received the Grand Prize at the 2024 Mecenat Awards for promoting regional culture with its multipurpose cultural and arts space in South Jeolla Province. GS Caltex has been operating GS Caltex Yeulmaru for 12 years. Designed by the architect Dominique Perrault, Yeulmaru has hosted over 1,800 performances, along with 2,300 exhibitions and educational programs, attracting approximately 1.33 million visitors as of mid-2024. Additionally, the

CultureNov. 13, 2024

New feature film on Sewol ferry sinking opens next year

The tragic sinking of the Sewol ferry in 2014 gets another look through the film “Sea Tiger” (direct translation) slated to open in the first half of next year. A decade has passed since the disaster, which claimed nearly 300 lives, most of them high school students on a field trip, and there have been several movies — mostly documentaries — made on the tragedy. "Sea Tiger" revolves around a diver, Kim Gwan-hong, who took part in the search and rescue operation

FilmNov. 13, 2024

Activist calls for ban on Chinese game over hanbok dispute

A Chinese game company that abruptly ended services in South Korea four years ago amid a controversy over its presentation of hanbok, has announced the launch of a sequel, stirring calls from an activist for the game to be banned here. Seo Kyoung-duk, professor of general education at Sungshin Women’s University in Seoul, a self-styled promoter of Korean culture and history, on Wednesday called for the South Korean government to block the game “Infinity Nikki” from entering the

CultureNov. 13, 2024

Woman donates organs to 7 after dying of heart failure

The organs of a woman who died after suffering cardiac arrest have been donated to help seven individuals, the state-run organ donation agency said Wednesday. Lee Mi-jeong, who passed away last month at the age of 37, left her heart, lungs, liver, both kidneys and both eyes to be transplanted, according to the Korea Organ Donation Agency. She suffered critical cardiac arrest in July, which left her brain dead. The bereaved family of Lee said they saw organ donation as a way of keeping a part o

PeopleNov. 13, 2024

'Squid Game 2' to explore whether individuals have power to change world: director

"Squid Game," a critique of social and economic inequality as well as widespread mistreatment of the disadvantaged, returns with a new season and a new theme: do individuals have power to change the world? "When Season 1 came out, many journalists asked why it became so popular, and I replied, ‘Maybe it’s because life has become as difficult as the world in 'Squid Game,''" said Hwang Dong-hyuk, director of the first and second seasons of "Squid

TelevisionNov. 13, 2024

Actor Song Jae-rim dies at 39

Actor Song Jae-rim died on Tuesday at the age of 39, with the cause of death still unclear as of Tuesday evening. According to Seoul Seongdong Police Station, Song was found dead at his home in Seoul in the afternoon Tuesday. “Currently, there is no evidence of foul play,” according to an official from the police station. Song's funeral is being held at the Yeouido St. Mary's Funeral Hall in Seoul. The actor had recently changed his Instagram profile message to “A lon

TelevisionNov. 12, 2024

‘About Family,’ a multi-layered soul-warming family comedy

“About Family,” the upcoming feature film by Yang Woo-seok, who directed the 2017 action thriller “Steel Rain,” is a heartwarming story of a family and a community -- a tale that its star Kim Yoon-seok on Tuesday compared to “dumpling soup.” The veteran actor Kim, who played a traumatized vacation rental owner in the recent Netflix series “The Frog,” stars as Ham Moo-ok, the owner of a popular dumpling restaurant. Moo-ok, who has made a fortune as

FilmNov. 12, 2024

[Herald Gallery] Night Walk

APOproject presents “Simply a Walk,” a solo exhibition by Lee Lee MiJu, open until Nov. 2. This marks Lee's (born 1982) first solo exhibition in Korea in three years and features six representative works. Her pieces capture the instability and ambiguity of her experiences as an artist, expressed through seemingly surreal yet tranquil imagery. The exhibition also extends her large-scale solo show “Perfect Days,” currently being held in Spain, and includes the nota

CultureNov. 12, 2024

[Rising virtuosos] From Pororo to Paganini: 13-year-old violinist Lee Hyeon-jeong’s journey to the world stage

It all began with a Maxim Vengerov recital: A little girl in the audience, who, like most kids her age enjoyed singing tunes from the Pororo cartoon series, found herself suddenly drawn to the world of classical music. For most Korean children born around 2010, growing up meant loving Pororo the Little Penguin, affectionately nicknamed "President Po" for the power he wielded over the pre-kindergarten set. As they got older, many of these kids would move on to other music genres, often

CultureNov. 12, 2024

An invitation to Jinchan, a royal banquet of the Joseon era

Seoul Donhwamun Traditional Theater, located in central Seoul, will host a specially curated performance on Friday, with shows at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. This event offers audiences a glimpse into the grandeur of Jinchan, or the royal banquets of the Joseon era (1392–1910). These feasts, held to commemorate special occasions for the king, queen and other members of the royal family, were lavish affairs featuring music, dance and exquisite cuisine. For the first time, the venue is presenting a

PerformanceNov. 12, 2024

Violinist Sarah Chang to embark on recital tour

Violinist Sarah Chang will come to Korea in December, making her long-awaited return to the recital stage after five years. Now approaching her 35th debut anniversary, Chang will tour 13 cities across Korea -- Seoul, Seongnam, Ulsan, Goyang, Iksan, Cheongju, Incheon, Daegu, Gyeongju, Pyeongtaek, Busan, Gwangju and Gangneung. The tour will kick off on Dec. 10 in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, and wrap up Dec. 29 in Seoul. The tour program is centered on works by Brahms and Prokofiev. She will perfo

CultureNov. 12, 2024

Where is LTI Korea headed after Han Kang’s Nobel win?

Winning the Nobel Prize in literature is not the final stop but a beginning, said Chon Soo-young, president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, during a press conference marking her first 100 days in office in Seoul, Monday. “We aim to establish a strong foundation for Korean literature to thrive as a vital part of world literature,” said Chon, who has been leading the government-affiliated institute charged with promoting Korean literature globally since August. The 70

BooksNov. 11, 2024

[History through films] ‘The Spy Gone North’: Real-life espionage story rises above cliches

When it comes to spy flicks, one might think of cat-and-mouse pursuits, action scenes and shootouts. But director Yoon Jong-bin, using very little action, sidesteps the spy formula in his 2018 “The Spy Gone North,” a movie that revolves around a loyal South Korean spy who is caught in a political vortex. “I made it (without a lot of action) because the film is based on a true story,” director Yoon Jong-bin told reporters when the movie came out in 2018. “As a filmma

FilmNov. 11, 2024

Simon Edelmann of Germany wins top prize at KNSO conducting competition

The second edition of the Korea National Symphony Orchestra's International Conducting Competition announced its winners Sunday, ending the five-day competition. The first prize went to German conductor Simon Edelmann, who conducted the first movement of Brahms' Symphony No. 4, the third movement of Rachmaninoff's “Symphonic Dances,” and the first movement of Debussy's “La Mer” in the final round. Edelmann currently serves as the conductor of the Vogtl

CultureNov. 11, 2024