The Hanwha Foundation of Culture and the Centre Pompidou in France have officially finalized a deal to establish and operate a Pompidou branch in Seoul, the cultural arm of Hanwha Group said Friday. The announcement follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding for a partnership by the two parties in France on March 19. The parties have been discussing the outlines of the basic framework for the establishment and operation of the art center at 63 Square -- more commonly known as 63 Buildi

The National Theater of Korea is set to host a series of outdoor screening events on the first-floor balcony of the Haeoreum Theater, starting at 7:30 p.m. over three consecutive Wednesdays. Live performance recordings of three productions from the 2022-2023 NTOK Repertory Season will be screened. The event will kick off on Aug. 9 with the National Changguek Company’s innovative production of “Rabbit's Eight Sufferings.” This reinterpretation of the traditional pansori &ld

Tensions between the Culture Ministry and the Korean Publishers Association, the organizer of the Seoul International Book Fair, reached a boiling point Tuesday as the two exchanged allegations and criticisms over the association's earnings disclosure. On Tuesday morning, the ministry said in a statement that the chairman of the KPA is attempting to "evade responsibility" and "distort facts" over the ministry's audit of the book fair, in which it said it found finan

The organizer of the Seoul International Book Fair allegedly did not disclose breakdowns of its earnings from the fair since 2018, the culture minister said Monday. Minister Park Bo-gyoon also accused the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea, a public institution under the ministry that oversees distribution and use of government subsidies to the fair organizer, of lax supervision. The Korean Publishers Association, the organizer of the annual book fair, failed to provide detailed info

The National Theater of Korea is in full-swing preparations to showcase captivating works that blend novelty with tradition for the upcoming season, including a grand-scale musical cantata featuring 300 artists and a traditional concert accompanied by liquor. The artistic directors of three national troupes affiliated with the theater -- the National Changgeuk Company, National Dance Company and National Orchestra -- unveiled the lineup for the 2023-24 program scheduled for Sept. 1 to June 30, 2

"The Tidal Future" By Seo Yoon-bin Hubble Seo Yoon-bin, who won the grand prize at the Fifth Korean Science Literature Award for medium-length and short stories last year, has published his first collection of short stories, "The Tidal Future." As an emerging and promising young sci-fi writer, Seo has captured considerable attention after securing the prize previously won by notable figures in the genre like Kim Cho-yeop and Cheon Seon-ran. In his award-winning short story, &

"The Training" (working title) By Jang Ryu-jin Changbi Publishers Jang Ryu-jin's latest compilation of six short stories titled “The Training” makes for a delightful reading experience with its fast-paced plot and witty dialogue. Jang’s second collection follows in the footsteps of her first work, “The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work” (2018), offering a lighthearted consolation to young individuals worn out by the daily grind. As one of the leading youn

"The Weight of 1 Gram" By Yim Jae-hun Book Recipe The novel “The Weight of 1 Gram” is based on the true story of a former drug dealer. Having served four years in prison for drug dealing in Cambodia in 2018, Yim Jae-hun reflects on his past as he shares his penitential journey. The book also serves as a warning call to address the grave dangers of drugs that plague our society. Seduced by the promise of a quick fortune, the narrator nicknamed “Baksa” (meaning &l

The decision to make a television adaptation of his 2016 Pulitzer-winning novel "The Sympathizer” was a double joy for Vietnamese American writer Viet Thanh Nguyen. “It's a thrill for any writer to have their book adapted to the screen, and in my case, a particular thrill because I'm very excited to be working with Park Chan-wook, whose work I've greatly admired even before I wrote the novel,” Nguyen said in an interview with The Korea Herald in June. Powere

Explore art and architecture at Songeun Art Space Songeun Art Space is located in a building designed by world-renowned Swiss architecture firm, Herzog & de Meuron, in Cheongdam-dong, an affluent neighborhood in southern Seoul. Opened in 2021, visiting the building that houses Songeun Art and Cultural Foundation offers a chance to check out the architects’ first-ever project in South Korea, as well as an exhibition of an emerging media artist Kwon Hye-won. The geometric 11-story buildi

Jeju-born writer Hyun Ki-young said he penned his three-volume novel, “Oh, Jejudo,” as an homage to the spirits of the April 3 Incident. On April 3, 1948, when Hyun was 6 years old, Jeju islanders began protesting against US military-led rule after Korea's liberation from Japan's colonial rule (1910-1945). The then-government distorted the uprising as a communist riot and brutally massacred an estimated 30,000 civilians, roughly 10 percent of the island's population, i

The popular web novel “Under the Oak Tree” by Kim Su-ji is set to make its official debut in print in English, announced the Ridi Corp. on Tuesday. The digital content platform company has signed worldwide English publishing rights of the web novel and webtoon with Penguin Random House. The first volume of the English version is scheduled to hit bookshelves in the second half of 2024, followed by the release of e-books and audiobooks. When asked about the translator and the potential

The number of books translated and published into Korean for local readers decreased last year, but Japanese titles maintained their popularity, data from the Korean Publishers Association showed on Wednesday. According to the KPA's annual "Korean Publication Yearbook," the number of foreign books translated and published in Korean for the domestic market last year was 10,472, a decrease of 14.2 percent compared to the previous year's total of 12,210. Out of 10,472 translated

Much like how global warming gradually alters the climate over time, and war and terrorism stem from a series of political incidents in the competition for power, the prominent social challenges we encounter today are results of "silent transformations." So says French philosopher Francois Jullien, who used the concept as the title of his book. In "The Silent Transformations," originally published in French in 2009 and recently translated into Korean, the French scholar explo

The K-Diaspora Worldwide Network is to hold an art event, “Everyone Knows: K-Diaspora Art Exhibition & Panel Talk” in New York on Friday and Saturday. The event takes place at LUME Studios (393 Broadway) in New York during the Lincoln Center's Korean Arts Week, scheduled from Wednesday to Saturday. A range of engaging activities, including panel discussions, media art displays and community engagement initiatives, will be showcased during the event. The event will feature di

The Woodstock festival initially scheduled to take place for the first time in Korea from July 28-30 has been postponed to October, the festival's main organizer SGC Entertainment announced Friday. The company addressed safety concerns arising from the rainy season, while adding that it plans to enhance the festival lineup in light of the delay, according to local media reports. “Due to safety concerns and to improve the overall quality of the program, we have decided to postpone the

"Jeong Chi-in: The Politician" (working title) By Jeong Jin-young Annapurna Publishing Novelist Jeong Jin-young has chosen the National Assembly as the setting for the final work in his trilogy dealing with organizations. Following “Silent Warning” (direct translation 2018) and “Jenga” (direct translation 2020), the final part of the trilogy explores the realm of politics, specifically focusing on lawmakers. The story follows a man named Jeong Chi-in, whose name

The mesmerizing sounds of traditional Korean musical instruments mingled with various visual arts, special effects and modern instruments will entertain audiences at the 2023 Yeo Woo Rock festival running through July 22 at the National Theater of Korea in central Seoul. As part of the festivities, the theater is holding an outdoor event called Yeo Woo Ya on July 15, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., at the theater's Cultural Plaza. To boost the lively atmosphere, rising young traditional Korean musi

South Korean experimental music group Gongmyoung is set to perform at the Seoul Donhwamun Traditional Theater on Friday and Saturday. Known for experimenting with sounds from both Western and traditional Korean wind and percussion instruments, Gongmyoung has been an in-house artist at the traditional Korean music performance venue in Jongno-gu since 2022. The upcoming performance titled “With Sea” will take the audience on a musical voyage to the sea. The band has selected 10 songs t

On a scorching summer day in June, The Korea Herald met award-winning South Korean author Shin Kyung-sook at a cafe nestled in the foothills of Bukhansan in Seoul. In such a place brimming with vitality, she spoke about farewells and the art of saying goodbye. “In your twenties and thirties, there are countless opportunities to make new friends,” said Shin. “Of course, that still happens. But lately, I find myself living in a time where goodbyes and separations have become more