Amid the buzz caused by Hybe’s merger with Ithaca Holdings, key figures from the two companies expressed their excitement through a video released on YouTube Monday. Hybe, formerly known as Big Hit Entertainment, announced Friday it would acquire Ithaca Holdings and its properties, including SB Projects and its management clients Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato. “Hybe has achieved continued growth by facing head-on new challenges that drive change such as the recent r

Virtuoso pianist Son Yeol-eum is set to embark on a 10-day tour this month. According to tour organizer Credia on Monday, the upcoming tour will kick off in Daejeon on April 15, followed by more recitals in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, on April 16, Seoul April 17-18, Ulsan April 22 and Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, April 23. The tour will wrap up in Busan on April 24. In Seoul, Son will go on the stage at Nowon Culture & Arts Center on April 17 and Gangdong Arts Center on

Comedian Park Soo-hong plans to take legal action against his brother and sister-in-law, following a financial dispute over his earnings. Park will file suit against his brother and sister-in-law for alleged embezzlement on Monday, Park’s lawyer Noh Jong-eon said Saturday. “Park and his brother established an entertainment company, agreeing to share the earnings 7 to 3. The agency’s earnings all came from Park,” the announcement read. “Park’s brother an

The 20th Uijeongbu Music Theatre Festival is to take place May 7-16 throughout the city north of Seoul. This year’s theme, “Colorful Tradition,” highlights the unique value of traditional culture. The annual festival held in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, by the Uijeongbu Cultural Foundation, features performances that combine music and drama. Some 20 performances will be featured this year. Opening the 10-day festival is the Korean Traditional Performing Arts Foundation pr

Though the arrival of vaccines has recently boosted hopes for international travel, the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute expects domestic tourism will continue to be strong in the post-pandemic era. Last year, the number of international tourists across the world decreased by 74 percent from the year before, dropping to a point similar to that of the 1990s, according to the World Tourism Organization. On Thursday, the KCTI shared a report written by its official, Choi Gyeong-eun, titled

Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival The 25th Jeonju Hanji Culture Festival is to open May 5. Every year, the city of Jeonju holds a hanji festival, celebrating the legacy of traditional handmade paper. In concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 edition of the festival will be held both offline and online for a month. The online part of the festival will feature lectures, contests, hands-on activities related to hanji, spanning over three weeks. In early June, the festival will wrap up wit

Live clubs in the Hongdae area will now be able to hold performances under the current social distancing scheme, as details of the infectious disease prevention and control measures have been changed. “The Mapo-gu district office has decided general restaurants with stages and performance facilities in its jurisdiction can host performances while complying with the government’s infectious disease prevention and control measures for performing arts facilities,“ the Korea Live

Ballerino Kim Ki-min will not perform at the staging of “La Bayadere” in Seoul in April, as the organizer said on Wednesday he was not granted an exemption from a mandatory two-week, self-quarantine in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kim, the principal dancer of the prestigious Mariinsky Ballet in Russia, was to perform in the Korea National Ballet’s “La Bayadere“ scheduled for next month, along with Olga Smirnova, a prima ballerina with the Bolshoi Ballet. The K

With music halls and auditoriums shut down or under strict limitations due to the COVID-19 pandemic for more than a year, bands are turning to “performing” at local cinemas. Under the government’s social distancing scheme, audience numbers at concerts are limited to under 100. Though the rules were relaxed in late-February for musicals and classical music performances -- the number of people in the audience is not capped as long as the middle-seat vacancy rule is practiced -

Despite an apology from comedian Park Na-rae for making sexually explicit remarks and gestures on a YouTube show, controversy over her appearance on the small screen continues. Park has come under fire over the past several days for making “inappropriate” remarks and gestures on CJ ENM’s web reality show “Hey Narae.” While there have been calls for terrestrial broadcaster MBC to pull Park off from its weekly entertainment shows “I Live Alone” and &

TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province -- The hosting of the 2021 Tongyeong International Music Festival may bring hope to the entire music performance scene, says the festival foundation’s new head Lee Yong-min. Lee has been appointed as CEO of the Tongyeong International Music Foundation, following the previous German CEO Florian Riem. “I have been part of this team for a long time. Not much has changed. But yes, I am learning that there are certain responsibilities tied to my post

TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province -- During the last week of March, the city of Tongyeong was covered in pink, with cherry blossoms at their peak and pink banners displayed across the city for the 2021 Tongyeong International Music Festival. The annual festival kicked off Friday under the title “Changing Reality.” Last year’s festival was canceled due to COVID-19 -- the first cancellation since the festival started in 2002. Though the virus continues to spread rapidly ac

Hwadam Botanic Garden　 Hwadam Botanic Garden is to open its doors for the 2021 season Friday. The eco-friendly arboretum located at Konjiam Resort in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, about an hour’s drive from central Seoul, is spread across 65,265 square meters, featuring 17 gardens with different themes. This year, the park will receive visitors who first make reservations online to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Hwadam Botanic Garden will remain open until late November.

Conductor Chung Myung-whun is to return as a pianist for the first time in seven years. Chung is to release his second piano album in April and will hold recitals in Seoul, Gunpo and Suwon in Gyeonggi Province and Daegu. The album, featuring the late piano works by Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms, among others, will be released under the Deutsche Grammophon label. Though more familiar to the classical music audience as a conductor, Chung was the first Korean to win the joint-second place at the

Composer Texu Kim is set to release his first album “Playful” Thursday, under classical music label Kreis Classic. The album consists of six works, performed by violinists Baek Ju-young and Kim Gye-hee, cellist Mun Tae-guk, pianist Ilya Rashkovskiy. Pianist Kim Jung-won participated in the recording as the producer. “I always compose works with the goal that the works should be fun,” Kim said at a press event held Monday in southern Seoul. “I want the fun to be

The musical “Phantom” reveals another layer of the tragic, ghostly character who lives at the Paris Opera House, and who has stolen the hearts of many for ages.  Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit’s “Phantom” -- long overshadowed by Andrew Lloyd Weber’s smash hit “The Phantom of the Opera” -- opened Wednesday in Seoul at the Charlotte Theater in Jamsil, eastern Seoul. The Korean-language version of the licensed musical, which features original mu

Choreographer Ahn Eun-me has set out to uplift people’s spirits amid the COVID-19 pandemic with her latest project “Dragons,” which features a group of young dancers from across Asia. “Dragons” will go on stage at Yeongdeungpo Art Hall in western Seoul on Saturday and Sunday. For the piece, Ahn sought out Generation Z dancers, those born between 1996 to 2010. Having grown up in a world dominated by mobile technology, Ahn believes the Gen Z dancers are “d

World-class violinist Chung Kyung-wha has abruptly called off several performances due to an injury in her left hand. The 73-year-old virtuoso violinist was to hold a solo recital on Saturday at Namdong Sorae Arts Hall in Incheon. The sell-out recital, however, was canceled on the day, following Chung’s injury. “The recital has been unfortunately canceled due to the artist’s left hand injury. We ask for the understanding of the audiences who have waited for the recital,&rd

Though the dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to linger, it is a good time of the year to leave the house, hit the road and explore the wilderness. South Gyeongsang Province, often represented by the metropolitan city of Busan, boasts more tourist destinations imbued with the beauty of local cultures, such as Jinju, Tongyeong, Namhae and more. Four hours by car from Seoul, the region is characterized by strong regional dialects and distinctive culinary cultures. There are also trails

Hadong Tea Festival The 24th Hadong Tea Festival will be held online from May 15 to 23. The organizers of the festival discussed canceling the annual event due to concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they decided to hold the festival to promote the 2022 Handong World Tea Expo. To prevent spread of the virus, this year‘s festival will mainly feature contactless online programs with limited offline activities held across Hadong, South Gyeongsang Province. To hel