Actor Ha Jung-woo has been painting since when he was in his early 20s. His works were shown at art fairs from time to time, but they did not receive much attention. His works were largely overlooked because of the overall hostility harbored by the art industry toward celebrities picking up the brush. It came as a surprise to many when Hakgojae Gallery, considered conservative in its approach, opened a solo exhibition of Ha’s works on Wednesday. Woo Chung-woo, director of Hakgojae Gallery

President Yoon Suk Yeol and the ruling party chief plan to meet next week to discuss pressing issues, the presidential office said Friday, with controversies involving first lady Kim Keon Hee likely to top the agenda. Yoon and Han Dong-hoon, head of the People Power Party, will meet at the presidential office Monday, the office said, at a time when Yoon and the ruling party seek to recover from waning approval ratings as Yoon is halfway through his five-year term. The president and Han plan to d

North Korea has dispatched special forces to support Russia in its war against Ukraine, with the first batch already having arrived in Russia and a second group of North Korean troops expected to follow soon, South Korea's intelligence agency claimed on Friday. The National Intelligence Service said it "confirmed that North Korea began its participation in the war by transporting special forces to Russia via Russian Navy transport ships from Oct. 8 to 13." However, the NIS provided no

On what might as well be the world’s last day, L and O share beer on a sweltering, humid night, talking about the end of humanity. Their neighbor is under quarantine, a mermaid has been spotted on the Han River, and a sinkhole has formed as the ground collapses beneath their home. Gazing into the abyss, the two joke about who would rescue them if they fell in. The scene is from "River and Liver," the National Theater Company of Korea's surrealist dark comedy playing at Myeon

South Korea's conservative ruling bloc on Friday was divided over the prosecutors' recent decision to not indict first lady Kim Keon Hee over her alleged involvement in a stock price manipulation scandal involving a local BMW dealer. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office on Thursday dismissed the charges that the first lady violated the Financial Investment Services And Capital Markets Act. The announcement came some four years after the probe into allegations that Kim's stock trading ac

Avignon Festival director asks what it means to learn a poem by heart

Hyundai Motor Group said on Friday that it will hold an exhibition to showcase Kia's design philosophy, "Opposites United," in Seoul starting Saturday. The automaker previously held a similar exhibition under the same theme at the Milan Design Week in northern Italy in April this year, drawing about 15,000 visitors for its seven-day run. Kia plans to offer various performances by collaborating with numerous artists at the exhibition, which will be held at Space S1 in Seongsu-dong

South Korea's internet-only K bank will postpone its stock market debut to next year, due to insufficient demand. On Friday, K bank announced it is pushing back its initial public offering, which was originally scheduled for Oct. 30, to early next year. The bank also disclosed that it has filed to withdraw its securities registration with the Financial Services Commission. K bank stated in its disclosure, "The company has decided to withdraw this public offering, with the results of the rec

The ongoing power struggle at Korea Zinc, the world's largest zinc smelter, looks to be taking an unexpected turn, as the CEO of Trafigura, one of Korea Zinc's key partners and strategic investors, prepares to visit Seoul next month. According to local investment industry sources on Friday, Trafigura CEO Jeremy Weir, accompanied by his successor Richard Holtum -- who will assume the CEO role in January 2025 -- will meet with Korea Zinc Chairman Choi Yun-beom during the visit. Korea Zinc has conf

Bereaved families erupted in outrage following the acquittal of former Seoul Metropolitan Police Chief Kim Kwang-ho and two senior officials in a case concerning the Itaewon crowd crush. The court’s Thursday ruling sparked widespread anger among the families and their advocates, who accuse the judiciary of failing to hold top officials accountable for the disaster, which they attribute to inadequate planning and emergency response measures. The Itaewon Disaster Bereaved Families group stro

With heavy rainfall expected nationwide through Saturday, temperatures across South Korea are set to drop sharply from Sunday, ushering in chilly autumn conditions. Some regions may even experience their first snowfall of the season. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, Korea will see nationwide rain until Saturday as a low-pressure system from the west passes over the country. While the rain will cease in most parts of the country from Saturday morning, the rain will likely con