South Korean author Han Kang has won this year's Nobel Prize in literature, becoming the first South Korean to be honored with one of the world's most prestigious literary awards. The Swedish Academy's Nobel Committee announced the winner Thursday in Stockholm. Han was recognized “for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life,” said Mats Malm, permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy. The committee said that &q

BUSAN -- The Busan International Performing Arts Market (BPAM) concluded its five-day run Tuesday in the southern harbor city. The marketplace, organized by the Busan Cultural Foundation, aims to facilitate the domestic and international distribution of various performance genres, including dance, theater, music and multidisciplinary art. The event drew more than 300 industry professionals and 700 artists from 37 countries, including executives and programmers from major international festivals

Busan -- With the opening of a classical concert hall and an opera house next year, Busan is gearing up to position itself as an international city for the performing arts, said Lee Mee-yeon, CEO of the Busan Cultural Foundation. Speaking at the Busan International Performing Arts Market, now in its second year, Lee expressed her hopes for the event’s growing impact. “Many works produced in Busan are often confined only locally. That’s why we launched BPAM last year -- to promo

Three French architects -- Anne Lacaton, Jean Philippe Vassal and Jean-Michel Wilmotte -- shared their core philosophies that have guided their decades-long careers during an architecture roundtable and Q&A following their presentations at the Herald Design Forum 2024, held in Seoul, on Tuesday. “The most important thing will be for whom we are doing this work,” said Lacaton, the Pritzker Prize-winning architect who received the award with Vassal in 2021. “Architecture is a

“The 63 Building is a major landmark in Seoul. It will soon become an icon that promotes the Centre Pompidou Seoul," said Jean-Michel Wilmotte, the celebrated French architect, during a session at the Herald Design Forum 2024. The 76-year-old architect -- with three offices in Paris, one in Nice, two in Italy, one in London and one in Seoul -- has been chosen to refurbish 15,000 square meters of the Yeouido skyscraper, from the underground level to the fourth floor above ground, for t

Space, matter and light define beautiful architecture, says renowned French architecture luminary Jean-Michel Wilmotte, who has been chosen to design the Centre Pompidou Hanwha Seoul, set to open in 2025. Celebrated for his visionary work at locations such as the Louvre Museum and the Elysee Palace, the 76-year-old architect will speak at the Herald Design Forum 2024, scheduled to take place at Sevit Island in Seoul on Tuesday under the theme of “Inspiration, Limitless?” In a written

The 24th Seoul Performing Arts Festival (SPAF) kicked off Thursday with Seongbukdong Beedoolkee Theater's "Gulliverse," a play loosely inspired by Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels." Directed by Kim Hyun-tak, the production presents multiple actors portraying young Gullivers navigating different societal landscapes, as the Gullivers have become trapped in the worlds within their smartphones. Running at Daehakro Arts Theater in Daehangno, English subtitles wi

‘Culinary Class Wars’ meets intimate yakitori Nestled in a quieter part of Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul, Atari is a hidden treasure for yakitori lovers. Run by "Chicken President," a food researcher and contestant on Netflix’s “Culinary Class Wars,” this intimate yakitori spot has built a loyal following thanks to its exceptional course-style dining experience. While the restaurant boasts a large sign, it doesn’t display its name, adding a touch of m

“Dear members of Tanztheater Wuppertal, I am Lee Kyung-sung, a theater director from South Korea.” The play “Dancing with P” opens with this letter Lee wrote in the summer of 2021 to the renowned German dance company founded by Pina Bausch (1940-2009), the legendary figure who transformed the landscape of contemporary dance. “After Pina passed away in 2009, I often saw her works performed on stage, because Tanztheater Wuppertal was still touring worldwide. While it

In a world increasingly shaped by the displacement of people due to war, climate crises, and economic hardship, diaspora literature has the power to counter rising waves of hate and discrimination. This was the message shared by Jennifer Kwon Dobbs, a Korean American poet and adoptee, and Cho Hae-jin, author of "I Met Loh Ki-wan," the novel that inspired the Netflix film "My Name is Loh Ki-wan." The two writers met on Sunday during a diaspora literature event hosted by the Li

The second edition of the Korean Traditional Music Orchestra Festival is set to kick off on Oct. 15 with more audience-friendly repertoire and collaborations with performers from other genres. The festival, launched last year in collaboration with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, will run through Oct. 26 at the Sejong Center’s M Theater in Seoul. During a press conference Monday, Ahn Ho-sang, CEO of the Sejong Center, Park Bum-hoon, composer and

The National Theater of Korea brings recent acclaimed international drama productions to the screen in Seoul as part of its NTOK Live Plus program. From Oct. 16 to 20, three productions -- including two premieres and a rescreening of "Ibsen House" -- will be screened at the National Theater’s Daloreum Theater in Seoul. Director Rupert Goold’s "Dear England," which will be screened Oct. 15 and 19, is a critically acclaimed play that won the Best New Play and Best S

Gazing at the gleaming glass facades of the skyscrapers in Songdo, Incheon, author Woo Sin-young wondered how they could remain so sleek and beautiful. Then, she recalled reading news about workers who were injured or lost their lives while cleaning those windows. “As I delved deeper into these articles, I felt that someone should speak out on their behalf and give a voice to their stories and narratives,” said Woo, a debut novelist whose "City View" recently won the 14th H

After completing his annual bestselling series “Trend Korea” for the upcoming year, Seoul National University professor Kim Rando lamented that "grandeur has disappeared." Next year, Kim explained, will mark a shift from the grand to the details, with an emphasis on paying attention to small details and subtle differences. Now in its 17th year, the "Trend Korea" series forecasts consumer trends for the upcoming year through 10 key predictions, with allusion to the

French writer Sylvie Germain has been named the recipient of the 13th Pak Kyongni Prize, the award’s organizers announced Wednesday. The award, an annual international literary award established in 2011 to honor the legacy of novelist Pak Kyong-ni (1926-2008), recognizes novelists worldwide who have made a significant impact on the literary landscape while preserving its intrinsic value, according to the Toji Cultural Foundation. Pak is best known for her monumental "Toji (The Land),&

For Jeon Min-chul, the 20-year-old sensation who has captured the hearts of Korean ballet fans, dancing has been at the center of his world. Asked about hobbies outside of dance, he struggled to find an answer. “That’s actually the hardest question for me. I think I’ve spent all the time I could’ve used for hobbies on dancing. From high school on, it’s all I thought about. Ballet reflects the time and effort you put into it, so I didn’t have the energy for any

South Korean author Park Sang-young's "Love in the Big City" has been longlisted for the Prix Medicis etranger, one of France's major literary awards for foreign-language novels translated into French, alongside the Goncourt, Prix Femina and Renaudot. The French edition of "Love in the Big City" ("S'aimer dans la grande ville" in French) is among 14 titles nominated for the first round of this year’s prize. The novel, which follows a Korean quee

World-renowned French director and choreographer Philippe Decoufle, known as a pioneer of imaginative multidisciplinary performances, is returning to Korea with his masterpiece "Shazam!" Since its 1998 premiere commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival, "Shazam!" has been performed over 200 times at major theaters worldwide. One of the iconic and steady hits of Decoufle's DCA Company, "Shazam!" is scheduled to be performed at the LG Arts Ce

"The Novice Shaman Reading Past Lives" By Lee Sun-young Clayhouse A pair of novice shamans claim that past-life insights can unravel present-day problems. With their help, people find a second chance at life in this heartwarming drama infused with comedy and emotion. The fortune-telling shop Miss Korea has garnered a reputation for helping clients discover their past lives. The vibrant place is run by two shamans: There's the enigmatic Madame Go, whose age remains a mystery, and D

"To Where the Light Leads" By Baek Hee-sung Book Romance Lumiere Clerget is a disheartened architect who, despite designing beautiful homes for others, struggles to find a place he can call his own. One day, he receives a call from his real estate agent who has miraculously found him an affordable listing in Paris. The house, with its peculiar features like an unusually low staircase handrail, intrigues Lumiere. He discovers that the house belongs to Peter Waltzer, a wealthy man living