Designer’s four menswear lines target both high-end and mass market with classic twist This is the seventh in a series of articles on up-and-coming Korean designers. ― Ed. If the South Korean designer best recognized in Paris had to be named, it would be Jung Wook-jun. Since the 2007 F/W collection, Jung has been showcasing his designs at Paris Fashion Week every season. Chanel head designer Ka...

Old tobacco factory hosts international craft biennale; soy sauce factory spruces up Two of South Korea’s oldest and dullest-looking factories have been given a makeover. Although they may not be as dazzling as Willy Wonka’s magical factory in Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” the old tobacco factory in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, and the fully operating Sempio soy sau...

Its title and the location almost perfectly complement each other. But the plot? Not so much. “Prince Puzzle,” a musical which is being held at Gyeonghuigung ― one of the five grand palaces in Seoul built by the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) ― delivers a heart-wrenching story of young star-crossed lovers in the Joseon era, surrounded by the site’s beautiful historical buildings and crisp autumn bre...

Sun Yuan and Peng Yu break boundaries, seek freedom at Arario Gallery Seoul Six wax figures, apparently a family, sit on sofas set in Arario Gallery Seoul in Samcheong, Seoul. They look freakishly human, all dressed up and accessorized, except for one strange thing: They have big stones where their heads should be. Every now and then a teenager comes in and plays with a soccer ball, as if to en...

Rep. Cho Yoon-sun of the Grand National Party was named goodwill ambassador for the upcoming 2011 Korean Fashion Culture Centennial Awards on Tuesday at the Imperial Palace Hotel in southern Seoul. Organized and hosted by Korea Fashion Centennial Culture Festival Organizing Committee, headed by Won Dae-yun, chairman of Korea Fashion Association, the awards will honor those who have greatly contr...

Chung Myung-whun to conduct Seoul Philharmonic for Oct. 27-30 shows Korean ballet has grown phenomenally in the past few years, said conductor Chung Myung-whun at a press conference held Thursday at the Press Center in central Seoul. “Korea National Ballet used to be like our old orchestras. It was rather humiliating. But I was really surprised to see how quickly it has developed. We inserted s...

A giant red metallic ribbon swivels towards the sky at Sindorim D-CUBE City’s Millefleur Park in Guro-dong, western Seoul. Taking a closer look, one can see about 24,000 tiny LED screens lined on the outside of the 17-meter-tall installation work, which features images and text such as poetry and even daily horoscopes. “It is a carrier for more content. It avoids the failure of most public art t...

Forum brings world perspectives on Korean cuisine, literature and popular culture promotion International cultural figures gathered on Tuesday in Seoul for a series of discussions on Korean culture and ways of promoting it globally. The Culture Communication Forum, which kicked off Sunday, has provided an opportunity for 14 cultural leaders from 13 countries to experience diverse Korean culture...

The Creators Project, a global cultural and technology initiative by global media company VICE and Intel, will be held from Sept. 7 to 10 at Platoon Kunsthalle in Nonhyeon-dong, southern Seoul. Launched in 2010, The Creators Project is an ongoing global initiative to support emerging and leading artists who push the boundaries of creative expression using cutting-edge technologies. Tens of thous...

Bahk Yiso, Lee Kang-so, Im Ok-sang and Oh Chi-gyun hold solo shows in Seoul A number of South Korea’s veteran artists are holding solo exhibitions in Seoul after a considerable hiatus. Im Ok-sang, an artist who has been wandering outside galleries painting murals and making installation works in Seoul’s poorest neighborhoods, has gathered his work for his first show in eight years. At the exhi...

The preview of this year’s Korean Eye exhibition will take place over five days starting Monday in the lobby of the National Assembly in Yeouido. Visitors will be able to sneak a peek of what the exhibition “Korean Eye: Energy and Matter” will look like when it kicks off in New York in November. Seven participating artists ― Hong Young-in, Kang Hyung-koo, Park Seung-mo, Debbie Han, Kim Joon, Bae...

SongEun ArtSpace showcases 22 contemporary artworks from François Pinault collection In considering artworks for his extensive collection, François Pinault, a noted art collector, listens to himself more than anything else. “Rather than listening to critics’ opinions, I focus on artworks that give me passion and make my heart beat,” said Pinault, at a press conference at SongEun ArtSpace in Che...

Nun Seonjae’s popular cooking class has over 2,000 on waiting list About 40 middle-aged women and a few men were all eyes and ears as Buddhist nun Seonjae related to them how she refused to cook at Hotel Shilla when treated like a regular cook. “Temple food is not some random cheap food. I told them I don’t use factory-made soy sauce, and that I would do it if they provide me with soy sauce mad...

Theater “Mahoroba”: Young theater company “DreamPlay” is bringing Japanese playwright Horai Ryuta’ s theatrical account on women of different ages and their shared experiences. The play begins as Midori, a single working woman who lives alone in Tokyo while refusing to get married, visits her family in the countryside after breaking up with her boyfriend. She gets into an argument with her mothe...

Lee Ho-jae, head of Gana Art Center, one of the most prominent art galleries in South Korea, donated 128 Korean artifacts to Seoul Arts Center last week. The donated items ― 74 rubbed copies of epigraphs from the ancient and medieval times and 54 calligraphy works done with Chinese black ink from the Joseon Dynasty ― were purchased by Lee in Korea or overseas, or handed down to him in the family...