The annual Eagon concert tour will feature special guests from the Berlin Philharmonic Camerata this year. The concert series, now in its 30th year, will kick off in Seoul on Friday at the Lotte Concert Hall before moving on to the Seoul Arts Center and then to Incheon, Gwangju and Busan. The tour will wrap up in Daegu on July 11. This year, the organizers invited eight members of the Berlin Philharmonic Camerata, along with four other individual performers. Together, they have billed thems

While K-pop crossovers have been enjoying momentum, a columnist shared his opinion on the global phenomenon and its development from the perspective of an outsider looking in.Jeff Benjamin is a freelance columnist based in the US who writes about K-pop and other genres of music. He is passionately appreciated by “Army,” referring to the BTS fandom, for actively introducing the K-pop band to the larger Western public.  “I always grew up with this idea that music could be gr

As a part of the 2019 Culture Communication Forum, a debate on the internet content market and Korea’s place in it was held Tuesday at Grand Hyatt Seoul. The delegates present were: bestselling author Ito Ogawa from Japan, US pop columnist Jeff Benjamin, film director Ilya Khrzhanovskiy from Russia, think tank director Bronwen Maddox from the UK, film director Shakun Batra from India, Korean folk singer Lee Hee-moon, photographer Andreas Muhe from Germany, film director Herve Demers f

On the coattails of Son Heung-min’s memorable outing in the UEFA Champions League finals and the Korean national team’s second-place finish in the U-20 World Cup, the country’s soccer scene is now being celebrated on the small screen, with an array of programs related to the kick-happy sport.Leading the way is a documentary series on the Tottenham Hotspur forward himself, a documentary series “Sonsational: The Making of Son Heung-min” on tvN. The six-part docum

Actor Song Joong-ki’s announcement Thursday morning that he has filed for divorce from Song Hye-kyo has raised speculations about whether one of them was responsible for breaking up the marriage. While some are claiming that Song Hye-kyo must be responsible for the divorce as it was Song Joong-ki who announced it, others have argued against such excessive speculation. Song Joong-ki filed for divorce through law firm Lee & Ko on Wednesday. According to the law firm, it was the acto

Actor Song Joong-ki has filed for divorce from actress Song Hye-kyo, 18 months after their much-celebrated marriage. On Thursday, Joong-ki’s attorney announced that the law firm Lee & Ko has filed for divorce on behalf of the actor. The 34-year-old actor revealed his position through his agency Blossom Entertainment. “Rather than criticizing one another and arguing over who is to blame, both of us hope that the divorce process can be wrapped up smoothly,” a statement f

With Song-Song couple’s marriage coming to an end, the house known to be owned by Song Joong-ki in the posh neighborhood of Hannam-dong, has drawn media attention again.In May 2017, The Korea Herald reported Song Joong-ki’s purchase of a luxury house in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul in January. After the couple announced their engagement in July, speculation rose that the newlyweds would move into the house. According to a report by the Ilyo Sinmun newspaper Thursday, the house

Following the Song-Song couple’s shocking divorce announcement, attention is being drawn to “Arthdal Chronicles” featuring Song Joong-ki. The actor stars in the fantasy drama as the main character, playing two characters, Eunseom and Saya.As the tvN Saturday-Sunday drama is a pre-produced show, it will not be affected by the latest development concerning the star. The production team said it is currently editing the latter half of the series. The share price of Studio Drag

Actor Park Bo-gum has denied rumors that he is involved in the Song-Song couple’s divorce. Following Song Joong-ki’s announcement Thursday that he and Song Hye-kyo are filing for divorce, speculation has been rampant that Park may be the reason for the divorce, as he recently starred in the tvN drama “Boyfriend” with Song Hye-kyo. A few hours after the rumor started to spread on websites and social media, Park’s agency, Blossom Entertainment, told local media outlet

With Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo heading for divorce, Song Hye-kyo’s comments at a press conference to promote the tvN drama “Boyfriend” have come under the spotlight.The romance drama, starring Song Hye-kyo and Park Bo-gum, aired from November to January.  “The script was great. Along with producer Park Shin-woo, I thought the results could be beyond imagination,” she said at the event in November. “With Park Bo-gum, I knew the production would be gre

As the “Song-Song” couple files for divorce after some 20 months of marriage, Song Hye-kyo, through her agency, said it is coming after “careful thinking.”  “The divorce proceedings between Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo come after careful thinking,” UAA Korea, the agency representing Song Hye-kyo, said, adding the marriage has come to an end due to irreconcilable differences.The two actors met through the “Descendants of the Sun” drama series

With Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo filing for divorce, an incident involving the couple’s wedding rings has resurfaced. The famed “Descendants of the Sun” couple were married for less than two years. In February, Chinese media outlets suggested the two actors may not be getting along well, as Song Hye-kyo was spotted not wearing her wedding ring on various occasions. In early June, Song Hye-kyo was seen at Incheon Airport by herself without her wedding ring after a vacation in

Actors Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo have started divorce proceedings. On Thursday, Song Joong-ki’s attorney Park Jae-hyun announced that his law firm had filed for divorce on behalf of the actor on Wednesday. “Rather than criticizing one another and arguing over who is to blame, both of us hope that the divorce process can be wrapped up smoothly,” Song said through his agency, Blossom Entertainment.“I ask for your understanding that it is difficult to go into details of

In addition to offering accommodation, Grand Hilton Seoul promotes itself as a venue to host MICE (meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions) events. Large conferences have been held at the convention center of the hotel in northwestern Seoul. The Grand Hilton Seoul Convention Center, the first major convention center operated by a hotel in Korea, is the second-largest convention venue in northern Seoul, after Iksan Kintex.The convention hall spans 8,264 square meters with seven floors.

K-pop girl group WJSN, also known as Cosmic Girls, is set to go on a Japan tour for the first time since the band’s debut. The tour -- titled “Would You Like? Zepp Tour in Japan” -- kicks off in Tokyo on Aug. 17 and will also involve concerts in Osaka and Nagoya on Aug. 24 and 25, respectively.  According to Starship Entertainment, the band’s management agency, WJSN has been enjoying great popularity in Japan. The K-pop act has performed at KCON Japan, a Korean cultu

Though sommeliers are evaluated on their expertise on wine and service skills, for hotel sommeliers, there are other qualities to consider, too. Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas’ sommelier Yoo Seung-min, 43, was recognized for his competence in May, being honored as the Asia Winner of Sommelier of Stelliers. The Stelliers is formally known as the Hotelier Awards. Hoteliers from more than 100 hotels from 19 countries participated in the event, competing in 19 different categories related

With her poetry collection “Autobiography of Death,” Kim Hye-soon brought Asian women’s voices to the forefront of the international literary scene by winning the 2019 International Griffin Poetry Prize earlier this month.It marked the first time the Canadian prize, founded in 2000, had ever gone to two Asian women -- Kim shared the honor with Choi Don-mee, who translated the book into English.  Kim and Choi were not expecting the prize. “At the ceremony, the transla

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra is set to take the next leap in 2020 under the baton of Osmo Vanska, building a “Seoul strategy” together. Vanska was appointed as music director of the SPO in May. He has been chosen for his “affection for orchestra members and broad-minded leadership,” according to SPO CEO Kang Eun-kyung.  Also, Vanska’s fame as an “orchestra builder” was taken in account, Kang said. Leading the Minnesota Orchestra for about 20 yea

Like teacher, like student. The age-old adage goes for cellists Mischa Maisky and Chang Han-na this fall. The two cellists, who were once teacher and pupil, are to visit Korea with their respective tour programs. In October, Maisky is to visit with the Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur as a part of their Asian tour schedule. The Latvian-born Israeli cellist, 71, is famous for being the only cellist who has studied with both Mstislav Rostropovich and Gregor Piatigorsky. 　 In Gangneung, Seoul an

Daemyung Hotel & Resort’s Sono Felice is offering a promotion for foreign guests. The resort is located near Vivaldi Park in Gangwon Province, a two-hour drive from central Seoul.Under the promotion, a night at the silver suite costs 187,000 won ($160.70), the gold suite 212,000 won and the royal suite 234,000 won.  The deal also includes discount coupons for breakfast and other perks, including 40 percent off admission to the Ocean World water park, 30 percent off admission to th