Hakchon Theater, an iconic venue for Korean performing arts in Seoul's Daehangno theater district and a lasting legacy of Kim Min-gi, who died Sunday, has begun a new chapter in its storied history. Four months after its closure in March, the theater resumed its operations Thursday, rebranded as the Arko Kkumbat Theater, which translates to Arko Dream Field Theater, dedicated to performances for children and youth. “Arko Kkumbat Theater aims to inherit the historical and cultural lega

Performance July 22, 2024

Singer-songwriter Kim Min-gi, founder of the iconic small theater Hakchon in Daehangno, died on Sunday at the age of 73. Kim had been undergoing chemotherapy after being diagnosed with stomach cancer last fall. Kim began his music career in 1970 while studying art at Seoul National University, forming the folk duo Dobidu with his friend Kim Young-se. In 1971, he released his debut solo album featuring the popular song "Morning Dew." This song, better known through singer Yang Hee-eun&#

Performance July 22, 2024

The National Theater of Korea unveiled its 2024-25 season programs which will “emphasize its identity as producing theaters.” The new season, which runs from Aug. 28 to June 29, 2025, will feature 61 titles, including 23 new works, 8 productions from repertoires, 14 regular performances and 16 co-hosted works. “We have prepared works that focus on two trajectories: Contemporary creative productions based on tradition and encore performances from our repertoires that audiences h

Performance July 21, 2024

Ballerina Park Sae-eun, the first Asian etoile (or principal dancer) of the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet, returns to the Korean stage for "Paris Opera Ballet Etoile Gala 2024” performance alongside French colleagues. This performance, taking place Saturday to Wednesday at the Seoul Arts Center's Opera Theater in Seoul, will be her first time meeting Korean audiences since giving birth. When Paris Opera Ballet performed "Giselle" in Korea in March last year, Park was u

Performance July 18, 2024

National Theater Company of Korea’s newly appointed director and artistic director Park Jeong-hee has an ambitious vision to create a Korean repertoire for performances overseas. Park began her three-year term in April. She held her first press conference Tuesday at the Myeongdong Theater in Seoul, where she talked about her vision and blueprint for the state theater company. “While foreign directors have often worked with NTCK, our company has rarely showcased its own productions ab

Performance July 17, 2024

We all have that experience of waking up from a delightful dream, only to find it slipping away after a few hours, or suddenly waking up in a cold sweat from a nightmare. What if there was a store where dreams could be bought? Which would you buy? Enter a mysterious shopping village that you can only visit when asleep. And here at Dallergut Dream Department Store, dreams are for sale. Day and night, visitors shuffle in to purchase their latest adventures. Each floor specializes in a specific typ

Books July 16, 2024

"International Between the Two" By Kim Ki-tae Munhakdongne Publishing Writer Kim Ki-tae, who debuted in 2022, has quickly garnered attention in the literary scene, earning many recognitions such as the Young Writer Award and the Yi Sang Literary Award. In a field dominated by female writers, Kim stands out as a rare male voice among those with less than a decade-long writing career. (All recipients of the 2023 and 2024 Young Writer Awards were female, except Kim in 2024.) His debut col

Books July 15, 2024

"See You Again" By Kim Ji-yun Clayhouse Embark on a heartwarming journey with a hearty meal through “See You Again,” a new novel by bestselling author Kim Ji-yun, centered around a small "dosirak" eatery in Hyehwa-dong. (Dosirak is a meal packed in a box for school, work or a picnic.) The story revolves around the owner, Madam Jeong Geum-nam, affectionately known as “Hyehwa-dong Grandma,” who brings together a group of people with her wholesome dosirak

Books July 14, 2024

"Office Pantry" By Lee Mi-ye Hanki Following the runaway bestselling healing fantasy, "DallerGut Dream Department Store," which sold over 1.5 million copies in Korea, author Lee Mi-ye returns with a new venture into hyperrealism with "Office Pantry." "Who do you dislike the most?" -- Is it the person who freezes coffee/cola in the communal ice tray, the one who takes all the instant coffee mix, the colleague who unplugs the microwave to charge his phone, t

Books July 13, 2024

An old film prop warehouse in Paju unfolds an array of items of seemingly everything. A wooden case, in particular, stands out, atop a weathered piano and beside a Segovia guitar case. The wooden case houses a Type 99 Arisaka rifle from 1945 -- one of the last legacies left behind by the Japanese Army as the war came to a close. The rifle, affectionately named Bbangya, becomes the unlikely protagonist in “Trigger” by award-winning playwright Kim Eun-sung. The play premiered in 2023

Performance July 12, 2024

The Seoul Metropolitan Ballet will debut “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” from Aug. 23-25. Choreographer and director Joo Jae-man will explore the Shakespeare comedy from the perspective of the fairy Puck. The Seoul Metropolitan Ballet will be the first in the world to reinterpret the piece as a contemporary ballet, according to the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. The US-based Joo -- who previously worked with American ballet companies like Complexions Contemporary Ballet and

Performance July 12, 2024

Kyobo Book Centre will hold the 10th Kyobo Handwriting Contest with a new category for foreign nationals this year, the largest bookstore chain in Korea announced Thursday. The contest aims to promote an appreciation for the beauty of Korean handwriting and provide an opportunity for foreign residents in Korea to experience Korean culture. The application period is open from Thursday to Sept. 1, and foreign nationals living in Korea are eligible to participate. Participants can choose a sentence

Books July 11, 2024

Author and acclaimed translator Anton Hur has been appointed as a judge for the prestigious International Booker Prize for next year, becoming the first Korean to serve on the panel since the prize introduced its international category in 2005. Hur joined the panel of five judges, chaired by bestselling author Max Porter, according to the Booker Prize Foundation on Wednesday. The panel includes Caleb Femi, a prize-winning poet, director and photographer, Sana Goyal, a writer and publishing direc

Books July 11, 2024

During the Joseon era (1392-1910), the two most important ceremonies personally overseen by the king were Jongmyo Jerye, a royal ancestral memorial rite held to pay respect to the late kings and queens; and Sajik Daeje, a national rite to gods of lands and crops. This was when Jongmyo and Sajik were considered the very essence of the nation. Thus the Jongmyo Shrine housing the tablets of deceased royal ancestors is located to the left of Gyeongbokgung, the main Joseon royal palace, while the Saj

Performance July 11, 2024

Korean literature continues to make notable strides on the global stage this year. Three Korean works have won international awards and five more have been nominated in the first half of 2024, according to the Literature Translation Institute of Korea. Acclaimed poet Kim Hye-soon's collection "Phantom Pain Wings," translated by Don Mee Choi, won the poetry prize at the National Book Critics Circle Awards in the US in March. Kim was the first Korean to receive the prestigious award

Books July 9, 2024