Samulnori Ttamtti, a Korean traditional music quartet composed of four individuals with disabilities, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a concert titled "Ttamtti's 20-Year Journey to Fly High." The group was formed in 2003 as part of a music therapy program for disabled individuals, bringing together Ko Tae-woog, who has a developmental disorder; Park Jun-ho, who has autism; Lee Seok-hyun, who has a brain disorder; and Cho Hyeong-gon, who has Down syndrome. All four members

A South Korean DJ-comedian in a Buddhist monk’s robe is riding growing popularity to step onto the global stage, but he is increasingly forced to deal with resurfacing complaints questioning his way of spreading the religion. Youn Sung-ho -- the comedian known as NewJeansNim, “snim” meaning monk in Korean -- stepped into the global spotlight in late April during his first overseas tour in Taiwan, where he delivered his electronic dance music performance of echoing Buddhist vers

On-stage dialogue brings new dimension in ballet

The 14th Korea Ballet Festival is set to kick off next week at the Seoul Arts Center, boasting a lineup of 12 works, including one special production, three invited pieces and eight selected through open submissions. A diverse array of ballet performances ranges from classics like "Don Quixote" and "The Barber of Seville" to reimagined literary works such as "Scent of Chrysanthemums" and "The Desolate House," alongside contemporary productions forecasting

Seven Korean dance groups are scheduled to tour Budapest and the US from Tuesday to June 16. The tour will cover four cities: Budapest in Hungary, Seattle, Hudson Valley and Manhattan in the United States, starting with the 11th International Monodance Festival held at the Bethlen Theater in Budapest on Tuesday. On June 2, the "Seoul-Mate Korea Dance Festival" will be showcased at the Stissing Center for Arts and Culture in Hudson Valley, New York, and at the Cosmopolitan Club in Manha

Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi and Yang Sung-won to commemorate legendary cellist, educator

On a white Christmas, a building collapses trapping a woman named Bo-gyeong in the basement. Amid the ruins and darkness, Darpa, a rescue robot navigates the debris to locate signs of life. Outside, people gather in despair, praying for a miracle, while the woman’s mother pleads for her daughter’s rescue. Darpa spots Bo-gyeong and calculates the survival odds: body temperature at 35 degrees Celsius, an 88 percent chance of another collapse, and only 20 seconds left. It estimates Bo-g

Singer Rain, also known as Jung Ji-hoon, is set to meet fans through performances in Korea and Japan. Rain will hold the solo concert "Still Raining" on June 8-9 at the Olympic Hall in Olympic Park, Songpa-gu, Seoul. The upcoming concert marks Rain's first solo performance in Korea since his "The Squall" concert in 2015. It is also an extension of the tour concert held in the United States last November under the same title. The title "Still Raining" signifies

South Korean pianist Paik Kun-woo kicked off his Mozart trilogy project Tuesday with the release of “Mozart: Piano Works 1." The Deutsche Grammophon album marks the first Mozart album by the 78-year-old pianist, who has an extensive discography of more than 30 albums. "Mozart's works are inherently difficult. It feels like bringing pure, natural music just as it is. After much contemplation on how to interpret it, I discovered the 'as is' music that Mozart captu

Despite heavy rain, the KSPO Dome in Seoul on Saturday was packed with fans who had to come to see the boy band Highlight perform a Seoul concert of its Asia tour "Lights Go On, Again." The three Seoul concerts on May 10-12, Highlight's first concerts in two years, marked the group's 15th anniversary. Amidst crimson lights and lasers, the quartet emerged and opened the show with intense performances of "Switch On," "Alone," "Paper Cut," and other

The fourth installment of the National Changgeuk Company of Korea's "Peerless Pansori" series returns this weekend with emerging "pansori" performers Cho Yu-ah and Kim Soo-in. The shows, scheduled for Friday and Saturday at the Daloreum Theater, were sold out soon after tickets sales opened. The "Peerless Pansori" concert series was launched in 2021 to create opportunities for young and emerging pansori singers to explore the music and mise-en-scenes with conte

The soundtracks of popular online games such as Black Desert and Lineage have been rearranged as traditional Korean music. The National Gugak Center is unveiling a series of single albums titled "National Gugak Center x Game Sound Series," which rearranges 13 popular game melodies into traditional Korean music, starting from last Thursday to May 24. Among the tracks are theme songs and background music from Lies of P, Skul, Sanabi, MapleStory, TalesWeaver, Epic Seven, Lost Ark, Guardia

BTS’ digital single “Dynamite” has reached a new milestone in the US. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the digital single released in August 2020 was certified with "5X Platinum" for recording more than 5 million units of download sales. This is BTS' first 5X platinum certification from RIAA. The K-pop sensation currently has a total of nine platinum certifications from RIAA for its singles including “Idol,” “Bo

American pop star Olivia Rodrigo will hold her first concert in South Korea in September. Rodrigo will perform at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium, Seoul on Sept. 20, according to the concert planning agency Bonboo Entertainment. Born in 2003, Rodrigo rose to stardom in 2021 with “Drivers License,” her debut single and lead single of her first studio album, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The track "Sour," released in the same year, stayed in the top 10 of the Billboard al

Benois de la Danse winner Kang Mi-sun, ABT principal dancer Seo Hee, newcomer Lee You-rim to perform as Juliet