When “Kinky Boots” returned in July 2022 for its fifth run, the lively musical gave audience members a much-needed chance to release their pent-up desires with cheers and shouting -- perhaps for the first time since the pandemic. In comparison, the sixth run -- which also marks the show’s 10th anniversary -- is best described as “record-breaking.” It is a record-breaking in many aspects: from audience numbers and the volume of their cheers to the number of participa

Veteran senior actors Shin Gu and Kang Boo-ja will receive the Eungwan Order of Cultural Merit, the second-highest medal, at the 2024 Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards to be held at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul on Thursday. According to the Culture Ministry and the Korea Creative Content Agency, a total of 31 celebrities including singers, actors, comedians, voice actors, screenwriters and musicians will receive awards this year. The annual awards, now in its 15th edition, are the

Author Yi Mun-yeol, 76, and theater director Kim Jeong-ok, 92, received the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit, the nation's highest honor is given to artists, on Friday. The two legendary cultural icons were honored for their contributions to literature and performing arts, respectively. Since his debut in 1979, Yi contributed to the popularization and advancement of Korean literature by crafting over 90 works spanning various themes and subjects that have garnered wide public acclaim. His w

The 26th Bucheon International Animation Festival, showcasing animated works from across the globe, will begin its five-day run starting this Friday afternoon. BIAF 2024 is set to kick off with an opening ceremony at 6 p.m. on Friday at the Korea Manhwa Museum in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. The opening ceremony, attended by a number of renowned animation industry officials, including Raul Garcia, the animator behind Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" and "Aladdin," and Rhie

Hidden dumpling shop Mandu are Korean dumplings filled with ingredients such as seasoned minced meat, tofu and vegetables like napa cabbage and green onions. They're a classic food enjoyed by all ages, found in small eateries and street stalls across Korea. Gwi-Il Dumpling, a local gem in Geumho-dong, Seoul, offers six varieties of mandu -- meat, kimchi, shrimp, galbi (Korean marinated ribs), spicy galbi and a mix of meat and vegetables. The restaurant also serves jjinppang, steamed buns fi

The Salzburg Festival is more than a festival celebrating Mozart, although the connection between Mozart and the festival held in the city of the composer's birth continues to be strong. “I believe that Mozart plays a crucial role in the festival, but what truly sets the Salzburg Festival apart is its dedication to showcasing a diverse array of programs,” Kristina Hammer, the president of Salzburg Festival, told reporters in Seoul on Wednesday. Hammer, president of the festi

Singer-songwriter Lee Seung-yoon, known for profound messages and intense sound, has returned with his third full-length album, "Yeok Seong," pouring out his stories into the music. “With this album, I feel like I’ve achieved everything I’ve wanted as a musician," Lee said in a group interview in Gangnam, southern Seoul, Monday. "There’s a sense of pride in realizing the songs and albums I’ve dreamed of creating since the moment I started music.&

Cho Yong-pil, a living legend of the Korean music scene, has returned with his 20th full-length album, “20.” The album is composed of seven tracks, including new songs as well as songs from the project singles “Road to 20—Prelude 1” and “Road to 20—Prelude 2,” which were released in 2022 and 2023. The album spans a variety of genres, including rock, electronica and ballads. Marking the 56th anniversary of his debut this year, the 74-year-old singer

Foreign envoys, CEOs and their family members pose for a photo during a weekend program at the Hanok Heritage House in Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon Province. Front row from left: Tourist guide Park So-young, Ignacio Montojo Salazar, husband of EU Ambassador to Korea Maria Castillo Fernandez; the ambassador; New Zealand Ambassador to Korea Dawn Bennet; Renault Korea CEO Stephane Deblaise and his wife Marie Deblaise; Fernandez's friends; Italian Ambassador Emilia Gatto and Yoon Kyung-hae, the advise

Irish director of paranormal horror flick 'Oddity' nods to Korean cinema's influences

Cellist Han Jae-min and pianist Park Jae-hong to showcase their love for cello

When temperatures drop and leaves begin to change color, many Koreans turn to Korean ballads, wallowing in the lonesome mood associated with falling leaves and the passing of the year close at hand. Numerous artists have continued the legacy of these nostalgia-evoking Korean ballads known for their soft vocals and sorrowful melodies. Sung Si-kyung -- 'On The Street' When talking about Korean ballads, singer Sung Si-kyung is almost always mentioned. His uniquely beautiful and expressi

Pokemon Card Shop at HDC IPark Mall For those particularly passionate for Pokemon -- perhaps the digital Pokedex is already full several times over and you've already consumed 25 years of the anime -- the next format to collect them all in is cardboard. And nowhere is better than the eighth floor of HDC IPark Mall in Yongsan, central Seoul. Pokemon Card Shop, which opened in August 2023, is where Pokemon Korea -- the Korean branch of Nintendo-owned The Pokemon Co. -- beckons Pokemon fans wi

The revitalization of the domestic literary market and critics' activities are prerequisites for Korea to achieve its next major literary milestone, according to experts in literature Wednesday. Less than a week after Han Kang was announced the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism gathered experts -- ranging from writers to translators -- at the Literature Translation Institute of Korea in southeastern Seoul to brainstorm ways to sus

Much anticipated opera inundated with scathing reviews, refund demands