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'Phantom of the Opera' returns to Seoul for 40th anniversary

"Phantom of the Opera" is coming back to South Korea as part of a celebration of the musical's 40th anniversary. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical will open Dec. 22 at Blue Square in Seoul and run through Feb. 28, 2027, according to producer S&Co. The Korean-language production is a two-month, Seoul-only engagement — one of several special seasons staged in major cities around the world this year to mark the show's 40th anniversary. The show last played in Korea in 2023, when it ran in Busan befor
K-Music Festival to send folk, hip-hop and game music to nine London stages

The K-Music Festival returns to London for its 13th edition this fall, sending Korean folk, hip-hop, jazz and gaming soundtracks across nine venues over two months — an expanded lineup organizers say reflects how far Korea's musical identity has grown beyond K-pop. Organized by the Korean Cultural Centre UK and running from Sept. 28 to Nov. 23, the festival includes a National Gugak Center orchestra performance of newly arranged songs from online game "Black Desert" and video game "Lies of P" at
Where Seoul celebrates this fall

The Seoul Metropolitan Government released the autumn edition of its citywide festival map Monday, adding a new 'night-specialized festivals' theme built around fireworks, lighting and live music to help residents find things to do after dark dark
Japan and S. Korea remain each other's top destination

South Korea was the top overseas destination for Japanese travelers by market share, as a weak yen and the country's growing cultural pull draw record numbers of visitors, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday. Japanese arrivals reached 2.28 million in the first seven months of 2026, up 18.8 percent from 1.92 million a year earlier, the ministry said. That growth far outpaced the 4.1 percent rise in Japanese overseas travel overall, which totaled 8.14 million people through Jul
A decade in, Korea's overseas fact-checkers chase subtler mistakes

This week, a decade-old government hotline built to correct the world's mistakes about Korea marks a milestone: roughly 20,000 error reports logged and answered since it opened. The service, called Facts: Korea, launched Sept. 1, 2016, under a prime ministerial directive, initially run by the ministry's now-defunct Korean Culture and Information Service before the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism took it over directly in 2024. Anyone — Korean or foreign — can flag an error about the count
Flood devastation

A catastrophic flash flood that swept through Nepal's Himalayan border region on Aug. 26 has killed more than 600 people in Nepal and neighboring Tibet, destroying homes, roads and bridges and leaving survivors in hard-hit areas such as Nuwakot waiting for relief supplies as rescue teams dig through thick mud and debris. Combined with 554 missing in Tibet, the total unaccounted for now stands at nearly 3,000, including more than 500 foreigners from over 30 countries such as India and the United
A couple brought together by music, Korea and now Wagner

French conductor Adrien Perruchon led the Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra in a four-hour concert version of Richard Wagner's "Ring" cycle — four operas that run about 15 hours when performed in full — earlier this month. Singing the role of Brunnhilde was his wife, soprano Lee Myung-joo. It was the first time Perruchon had conducted the work in any form, and the first time Lee had sung the role. "Der Ring des Nibelungen" is among the most demanding works in the classical repertoire. The four oper
Korean religious groups offer condolences, aid after Nepal-Tibet floods

South Korea's major religious communities have expressed condolences and announced emergency relief plans after devastating floods and landslides struck the Himalayan border region between Nepal and China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Wednesday. The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul and the National Council of Churches in Korea all issued statements on Thursday and Friday, offering prayers for the dead and the swift rescue of survivors. The disaster, centered
South Korea's ticket scalping crackdown: What changes on Friday

South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Friday began enforcing sweeping anti-scalping regulations that expose ticket resellers to administrative penalties of up to 50 times their total sales and introduce cash rewards for tipsters who report violations. The enforcement decrees, which are amendments to the Performance Act Enforcement Decree and the National Sports Promotion Act Enforcement Decree, took effect Friday, six months after the parent statutes were revised in February.
Pianist Kim Saehyun looks beyond virtuosity after Long-Thibaud win

For 19-year-old pianist Kim Saehyun, the year since his Long-Thibaud Competition victory has been a period of rapid expansion, both in music and beyond it. In 2025, at 17, he won the competition in Paris by unanimous decision, sweeping the audience, press jury and Paris prizes as well. About a month later, he performed at a peace concert marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day at the Arc de Triomphe. Since then, he has toured internationally while pursuing bachelor's and master's d
Changgeuk festival returns with diverse world of music theater

The World Traditional Opera Festival returns for a second season on Sept. 3, bringing together six domestic productions and two international troupes for a 24-day run at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul. The festival, themed "Music Drama Odyssey," opens with the National Changgeuk Company's "Rabbit's Eight Sufferings" and its barrier-free music drama "Mr. Ong," and runs through Sept. 26. This year's lineup expands the festival's domestic reach, featuring original works from the Namwon-base
From Sumi Jo to Kim Koo: Commemorative medals capture culture, history

Soprano Sumi Jo joined a list of Korean cultural and sporting icons — among them BTS, Son Heung-min, Faker, Seventeen and An Se-young — honored with commemorative medals by the Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation (KOMSCO), which last week released a medal marking the 40th anniversary of her debut on the world stage. Her portrait appears on the medal's face, while the reverse depicts her performance in the title role of Gilda in the opera "Rigoletto," the performance that launched her
Sopranist Samuel Marino gives Handel a Korean myth

When Samuel Marino read the Korean folk tale of Princess Bari — a royal daughter abandoned at birth who years later crosses into the underworld to save the parents who cast her out — he thought of Handel. "The connection between Handel and Bari is simply this: being left behind," Marino said in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Aug. 14, hours before his first rehearsal for an upcoming concert. "Handel wrote so many operas about characters like that — abandoned. So when I read the st
Has Hallyu peaked? After 30 years, Korea’s cultural wave faces a reckoning

The Korean Wave, or Hallyu, is usually dated to 1997, when Chinese state broadcaster CCTV aired the Korean drama "What is Love" (1991-92), an unlikely hit that is often credited as the phenomenon's starting point. Almost three decades later, the industry that emerged from it has become one of Korea’s most closely watched exports, with dramas, K-pop, webtoons and games driving revenue growth and global success, and spilling over into related industries such as tourism, beauty, food and fashion. T
Singer Lee So-eun debuts as script writer for family musical 'Battery Mommy'

Singer-turned-lawyer Lee So-eun will make her debut as a scriptwriter with "Battery Mommy," a sequel to the hit production "Battery Daddy," set to premiere in January 2027. The musical, produced by NHN Link, continues the storyline of its predecessor, this time centering on the role of mothers within a family. The production combines fantasy and realistic elements and is built around themes of courage and family love. Lee, who debuted as a singer in 1997 before becoming a lawyer, wrote the scrip