Concert pianist Cho Seung-jin, 26, will wrap up his much-appreciated nationwide tour across Korea with an encore recital in Seoul on Nov. 28. The nationwide tour kicked off in Gwangju on Oct. 28 and was followed by more recitals in Daegu, Busan, Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, and Seoul. It was to wrap up at Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, on Nov. 9. However, as tickets sold out within a few minutes of their release, the organizers added more recitals in Seongnam and Suwon in Gyeonggi Prov

The whole world watched the beloved Notre Dame Cathedral burn down last year, but the iconic cathedral is resurrected onstage in Korea every evening to the sound of music. The original French production of musical “Notre Dame de Paris” kicked off its Seoul run Tuesday at the Blue Square Interpark Hall near Itaewon, central Seoul.   The production got off to a bumpy start when 14 of its 30 staff members were confirmed with the COVID-19 infection upon their arrival in Korea in

Ahead of the official release of the Michelin Guide Seoul’s fifth edition on Nov. 19, the arbiter of culinary taste shared a list of 60 Bib Gourmand restaurants in Seoul. According to the company, Bib Gourmand highlights restaurants offering “exceptionally good food at moderate prices.” The price range depends on local economic standards. The maximum price for the Bib Gourmand Seoul edition is 45,000 won ($40.34) this year. There are four new entries this year: vegetarian

  Winter lights at E-World Theme park E-World in Daegu will host its signature Christmas Fantasy festival from Nov. 21.  Earlier this month, the amusement park turned on the lights on its 9-meter-tall Miracle Tree. During the festival period, Lighting Balloon Road will be on display, along with other photo zones themed around Christmas and winter. The Miracle Rose Garden with 100,000 blue light roses will light up, too. On the opening day, Santa Claus will welcome visitors.  T

Korean-language songs sung by a South Korean soprano will be presented around the world by the German classical music label Deutsche Grammophon. Soprano Park Hye-sang, also known as Hera Park, made her Deutsche Grammophon debut with the release of her new album, “I Am Hera,” Nov. 6. The album consists of 18 pieces hand-picked by Park. The album features two works of “gagok,” a traditional Korean music genre: “Like the Wind That Met With Lotus,” a poem by t

A new original musical created to be presented online rather than put on stage is set for release later this month. While it has become the norm for performing arts production companies to stream their shows online during the pandemic, musicals created for the screen remain a novel idea. Produced by EMK Entertainment, affiliated with major musical production company EMK Musical Company, the musical “A Killer Party” consists of nine episodes, with each running about 10 minutes.

Seoul city’s promotional video featuring BTS topped 400 million views two months after its release, announced the Seoul Tourism Organization on Monday. The video “See You in Seoul,” featuring each member of the hit seven-member act introducing the city of Seoul, was released on Sept. 11 on the city‘s tourism platform (www.visitseoul.net) and social media channels.   The promotional video racked up more than 100 million views 10 days after the release, and generat

Temperatures are dropping, days are getting shorter and tree leaves are slowly turning colors. When the autumn season is on the way, Hwadam Botanic Garden becomes a highly sought-after destination.  Hwadam Botanic Garden is an eco-friendly arboretum located at Konjiam Resort in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, about an hour’s drive from central Seoul. Spread across 65,265 square meters, the park has 17 gardens with different themes. Some 4,000 different species of plants and trees make up

In a turbulent, disturbing year, the change of seasons has remained constant and the changing colors of the leaves signal the peak of the autumn season. It is a time to explore the mountains, forests and countryside and enjoy the annual color show, as mountains across Korea turn shades of red, orange, yellow and more.  The color fest will not last long, with the winter season lurking just around the corner.  Before the brilliant explosion of colors makes way for heavy snow and frost

Seoul Lantern Festival The 2020 Seoul Lantern Festival is being held across the city of Seoul this year in an aim to disperse visitors and promote local businesses hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.  While the festival in Jamsil, eastern Seoul, has wrapped up, lanterns will be on display from Nov. 4 to Dec. 31 in Itaewon, central Seoul, inspired by the hit webtoon “Itaewon Class.” Fashion-inspired lanterns are being showcased in Dongdaemun until Nov. 15. In Myeong-dong, lanterns d

The lobby of Seoul Arts Center’s Concert Hall was packed with concertgoers Wednesday afternoon, as if a K-pop band were due to play. The people were eagerly awaiting a performance by concert pianist Cho Seong-jin. Fans lined up to buy Cho’s autographed album. Another line was formed to take a photo in front of the recital placard. Compared to other classical music performances, the audience was mostly relatively younger woman in their 20s and 30s. Cho, 26, who won the 2015 Cho

The first panda cub born in South Korea has been named Fu Bao 100 days after her birth, according to Everland, a theme park under Samsung C&T, Wednesday. The female panda cub was born July 20 at Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Fu Bao is a Chinese name, meaning a treasure that brings happiness. The name was selected by 50,000 people who voted both online and offline. It is an international custom to give a panda cub a Chinese name some 100 days after birth. According to Everland, p

Comedian Park Ji-sun, 36, was found dead Tuesday with her mother at a house in Mapo-gu, western Seoul, police said. 　 Park’s father contacted the police after Park and her mother did not answer their phones. When he entered the house with the police, the two had already passed away. Park was under treatment for a medical condition and Park’s mother was staying with her in Seoul. Police investigating the case said there were no signs of external injuries to Park or her mother.

Under the new five-tier social distancing system announced by the authorities on Sunday, performing arts theaters and cinemas will not be required to leave an empty seat between every audience member when Level 1 social distancing is in effect. 　 When South Korea eased the social distancing scheme to the lowest level of the three-tier system on Oct 12, major performing arts theaters and cinemas, both public and private, continued to leave an empty seat between every audience member in concern

The 25th Busan International Film Festival wrapped up its 10-day run Friday with an online press conference. The acclaimed film fest kicked off Oct. 21 with “Septet: The Story of Hong Kong,” an omnibus work by seven renowned Hong Kong directors, at the Busan Cinema Center in the southern coastal city of Busan. It was a hybrid event, going both online and offline due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  “During the festival, 192 films from 68 countries were screened, gathe

Singer-songwriter and pianist Jung Jae-hyung, known for his appearances on various TV shows, will present a piano ensemble performance at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Gwacheon on Friday. The MMCA’s Gwacheon venue, located south of Seoul, will release a new video titled “MMCA Live x Jung Jae-hyung” on its YouTube channel at 4 p.m. Friday as part of its MMCA Live series. The video will show Jung playing the piano against the backdrop of an outdoor ins

  Seoul International Cafe Show The 2020 Seoul Cafe Show will take place Nov. 4-7 at the Coex Convention and Exhibition Center in southern Seoul.  The annual event was launched in 2002 to promote the coffee, tea, bakery and dessert culture and related industries. The event aims to introduce the latest trends in the cafe scene. This year the organizers have set up a COVID-19 Free Zone to ensure everyone’s safety.  Tickets cost 18,000 won per person for a one-day admission

Only classical music can enlighten us, according to pianist-turned-producer Park Chang-soo. The veteran pianist heads The House Concert, a production company that plans small salon concerts. This weekend, classical music will run from 5 p.m. on Friday to 5 p.m. on Saturday at the recording studio Yul Haus in southern Seoul, as The House Concert presents the third edition of its “24hours Project.” “I want the audience to enjoy the essence of classical music, which forms th

Though 2020 has brought unprecedented changes to the performing arts scene, including the world of ballet, “The Nutcracker” will wrap up the year as it does every year. The holiday tradition of enjoying Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece “The Nutcracker” in the Christmas season will continue despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Universal Ballet will go onstage with “The Nutcracker” Dec. 18-30 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul

The 23rd Seoul International Dance Festival, SIDance for short, will be held online Nov. 6-22, presenting local and overseas dance programs across various genres. As has been the case with most festivals this year, SIDance, organized by the Seoul section of the UNESCO-based International Dance Council, will be held online, streaming dance performances on its official website as well as its channels on Naver TV and YouTube. The festival will be led by Lee Jong-ho, its founder and artistic di