A body struggling to keep its balance. Another unable to find rest under the midnight sun. A boxer counting the seconds before getting back on his feet. These are the starting points for three new works by emerging choreographers in the National Dance Company of Korea's 2026 Choreographer Project, which will present Lee Ei-sul's "Can't Kill It," Song Yun-joo's "White Night," and Seon Seung-hoon's "COUNT" from Friday through Sunday at the Daloreum Theater in Seoul. Launched in 2023, the project a

South African novelist Damon Galgut, whose fiction explores his country's history, racial inequality and the lives shaped by both, has been named the recipient of the 15th Park Kyongni Prize. At a news conference Wednesday in Seoul, Galgut spoke of his wish to write beyond the historical and political constraints that have long shaped South African literature, while acknowledging the obligation he feels to reckon with his country's turbulent past. "To confess to you, I would love to be free of t

Jeon Gun-woo's occult mystery novel "You Must Not Hear This," published in April, has secured translation rights deals in 11 countries, including the US and several European markets, the Korean publisher Rabbit Hole said. The deals cover the United States, Italy, France, Spain, Germany and Japan, among other countries. The total advances for the rights sold so far have exceeded 300 million won ($225,000). The worldwide English-language rights deal followed a preemptive offer from Evil Twin, a ho

A drowned girl returns from the dead. The rain will not stop. And something hungry is stalking a quiet California town. In Yun Ji-hyun's young adult gothic novel "And the River Drags Her Down," a teenage girl, Soojin, breaks the oldest rule of her family's ancestral magic to bring back her older sister, Mirae, who was found drowned in a river. At first, the resurrection feels like a miracle. The sisters slip back into their old rhythms, stealing late-night moments together. But Mirae soon grows

The Portable Shrine of Gilt-bronze Buddhas at Cheoneunsa Temple in Gurye, South Jeolla Province, the largest surviving Buddhist "bulgam" of its kind, is set to be designated a National Treasure, according to the Korea Heritage Service on Friday. A bulgam is a miniature structure made of materials such as wood, stone or metal to house Buddhist statues. The shrine stands just 43.3 centimeters tall on a square base and has a hip-and-gable roof, with doors at the front. The doors' exteriors are deco

A live-action series based on PUBG, the hit battle royale video game, is being developed with Donald Glover set to write, direct and star in the project. Krafton, the South Korean game developer behind the global gaming franchise, is teaming up with Netflix to produce the series. Glover, best known for creating and starring in the television series "Atlanta," for which he won Emmy and Golden Globe awards, will also serve as an executive producer. PUBG is a player-versus-player shooter in which u

A mosaic dating to the Hellenistic period has been unearthed at the Kultepe archaeological site in Kayseri, central Turkey. The 2.6-square-meter section of mosaic is the first discovery of remains from the Hellenistic period, from 323 to 30 BC, since excavations began at the site in 1948. The excavation is being conducted jointly by Korea's National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, under the Korea Heritage Service, Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Ankara University. Kultepe

"The rules of engagement have changed already." So begins Min Jin Lee's "American Hagwon," her first novel since the million-selling "Pachinko," the multigenerational saga that became an international bestseller and transformed her career. The opening sentence sets the terms for a new story about Korean families, migration and the enduring belief that education can secure a better future — even as the world makes that promise increasingly difficult to keep. "The first sentence of each of my book

An essay collection honoring the late author Baek Se-hee, best known for her international bestseller "I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki," has been published a year after her death. Titled "Buttermilk Way," the book was released last week by three people who were among the closest to Baek: Kim Gang-to, her partner of seven years; Lee Su-hyun, a friend of 20 years; and her younger sister, Baek Da-hee. Baek died on Oct. 16, 2025, at age 35. The three contributors said they had never befor

Jinyoung did not grow up as an enthusiastic reader. In fact, he only turned to books after becoming an idol. The repetitive rhythm of life as a performer had started to wear on him. Days were filled with rehearsals, schedules, makeup and performances, often following much the same pattern. Despite the demands of the job, he felt his mind growing sluggish. "I felt like my brain was swelling," he said. "We tend to work in similar patterns. We're freelancers, working on contracts, and even without

The Seoul Metropolitan Ballet will pay tribute to Dutch choreographer Hans van Manen (1932-2025), a leading figure in European contemporary ballet, with a program of three of his works marking the first anniversary of his death. The company, run by the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, will present "All for Hans van Manen" from Nov. 19 to 22 at the Sejong M Theater. The triple bill will close the company's 2026 season, its second full season since it was founded in 2024. The three works spa

A nationwide court network outage disrupted access to the judicial case management system for about two hours on Thursday, but services were restored by 6 p.m., the National Court Administration said. The administration said the outage began at around 3:50 p.m., affecting the national case management system, online case searches that provide updates on court proceedings, and other judicial information systems, including those used to process arrest warrants. The administration said the outage wa

Books by South Korean authors, including Nobel laureate Han Kang and Hwang Sok-yong, were among the works listed as eligible for compensation in a copyright settlement involving Anthropic, the US artificial intelligence company behind the chatbot Claude. The Literature Translation Institute of Korea said it had identified at least 21 English-language editions of books by Korean authors on a list of works eligible for compensation under the settlement. The institute has notified the authors conce

A revised and expanded English edition of "Jingbirok," a Joseon-era chronicle of Japan's invasions of Korea in the late 16th century, has been published, offering an account of the war and its lessons by Ryu Song-nyong (1542-1607), a prominent scholar-official who reflected on the failures that led to the conflict. The new edition was revised and expanded by Choi Byong-hyon, a former professor at Honam University, more than 20 years after he published the first English translation, titled "The B

For nearly six decades, a stretch of mountain behind Cheong Wa Dae, Korea's presidential compound, remained off-limits to the public. Starting Saturday at 9 a.m., visitors will be able to explore the last restricted section of Bugaksan, a forested peak north of central Seoul, along a trail offering sweeping views of the city. The newly opened 1.32-kilometer route winds along the mountain's southwestern slopes in Cheongun-dong, Jongno-gu. From four newly built viewing areas, hikers can look out t