One of the most celebrated living artists, David Hockney revealed his new 2 1/2-minute video, “Remember you cannot look at the sun or death for very long” on a large LED screen on K-pop Square at Coex in Samseong-dong, Seoul on Saturday. The animated video shows the sun rising slowly over the plains until it bursts into radiance to fill the entire screen. The video represents a symbol of hope as the world awakens from COVID-19 lockdowns. The video was released on iconic screens in

Hybe, the company behind BTS, and its leaders have made it onto the lists of two international media outlets in recognition of their growing influence in the world. Time magazine announced its annual “Time100 Most Influential Companies” on Wednesday. Hybe and Samsung were the only two South Korean companies on the list, which also included Google, Apple and Netflix. This was the first time Hybe made the list, with Time crediting the entertainment company with “creating a BTS-f

Lounge at Park Hyatt Busan presents Mango Afternoon Tea Set Lounge at Park Hyatt Busan presents the Mango Afternoon Tea Set from May 5 to June 20. The Mango Afternoon Tea Set consists of scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam, delicate desserts and a savory menu featuring fresh ingredients. Desserts include mango passion fruit mousse with fresh and sweet mangoes, mini mango eclairs, mango and raspberry panna cotta and more. The Mango Afternoon Tea Set at Lounge is available from 2 p.m.

Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk was born into a Catholic household in Seoul on Dec. 2, 1931, although his registered birthday is Dec. 7. He was baptized four days after he was born and received the baptismal name Nicholas. While Cheong’s mother was pregnant with him, she dreamt of a young man calling her mother and telling her that he has become a bishop. Cheong was born and raised in his wealthy maternal grandfather’s house. His mother’s side of the family had been devout Ca

With Youn Yuh-jung making history by becoming the first Korean to win an Academy Award for acting, social media was flooded with posts congratulating the feat by the 73-year-old veteran actor. Actors Lee Seo-jin, Choi Woo-sik, Park Seo-joon and Jung Yu-mi who appeared with her on recent tvN entertainment show “Youn’s Stay” all congratulated the veteran actor. “As I’ve said many times, I thought Youn would win this award and despite her saying that I was counting

The two biggest music streamers Spotify and Apple Music are attempting to penetrate the Korean market with unique playlists and music charts. Spotify, the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service, announced the launch of “Jazzy Korea,” a new playlist curated to introduce a wide range of rising Korean jazz artists and tracks to celebrate the upcoming International Jazz Day on April 30. The new playlist containing 30 tracks by 30 Korean jazz artists was launc

Since making her film debut in 1971 as the lead actor in “Women of Fire,” Youn Yuh-jung has taken on numerous roles, eventually winning the Best Supporting Actress at the 93rd Academy Awards for her portrayal as quirky grandmother Soon-ja in “Minari.” Here are some of her major films. Woman of Fire (1971) After gaining domestic fame with her TV drama appearances, Youn debuted on the big screen with “Woman of Fire” in 1971 by director Kim Ki-young, starting

Maestro Chung Myung-whun is returning to the stage as a pianist with the release of his second piano album Thursday. Chung will be on a recital tour of five cities -- Seoul, Gunpo and Suwon in Gyeonggi Province, Gwangju and Daegu -- this month, the first time he is going on a recital tour in seven years. The recitals will focus on late piano works by Haydn, Beethoven and Brahms. In addition to Haydn’s Piano Sonata No. 60, Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 30 and Brahms’ 4 Piano P

With three days left before the 93rd Academy Awards, Youn Yuh-jung of “Minari” bagged another best supporting actress award at the 36th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards on Friday. The Spirits, a prelude to the Oscars, are dedicated to independent filmmakers. The event is organized by nonprofit arts organization Film Independent, which organizes the LA Film Festival. Youn is considered by many to be the favorite to win the Oscars for best supporting actress on Sunday (local t

With the daily number of new COVID-19 cases almost reaching 800, the musical industry is on high alert as actor Son Jun-ho who is to appear in the musical “Dracula” next month tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday. “Son Jun-ho wasn’t feeling well recently, so he voluntarily tested for COVID-19. He tested positive and went into self-quarantine,” Son’s agency Sidus HQ said. “All staff who came in contact with Son have been or will be tested.&rdq

A traditional Korean outfit worn by BTS’ Jimin that was scheduled to go under the hammer was removed last minute on Thursday. His fans however are calling for the modern “hanbok” suit to be put up for auction as planned. The K-pop superstar wore it for a September performance on NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Myart Auction on Thursday removed the outfit from its online auction list last minute and it was only available for preview as the a

InterContinental launches Children’s Day promotion InterContinental Seoul Coex in Samseong-dong announced its collaboration with global content company Smartstudy and Pinkfong Baby Shark. The “Kids For-Rest Package” will launch in May ahead of the Children‘s Day holiday. The package offers exclusive concept rooms decorated with Pinkfong characters such as Baby Shark from the world’s most-viewed YouTube video, limited editions of the “Pinkfong Baby Shark Kids

As the movie “Seobok” hit the top of South Korean box office, lead actor Gong Yoo conducted interviews and promoted the movie. However, co-star Park Bo-gum was nowhere to be seen – he is serving his mandatory military service. Still, with last year’s tvN drama series “Record of Youth” featuring Park, “Seobok” currently in theaters and upcoming movie “Wonderland” scheduled for release later this year, Park’s absence from the ente

With paiN Gaming winning the Brazil league finals Monday, all 12 teams heading to the League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational have been locked in. However, Riot Games announced Tuesday that the Vietnamese Championship Series will not be participating due to COVID-19 restrictions. “We explored numerous solutions that would allow the VCS team to compete in Iceland, but we were unable to find a way to make this happen. We are deeply disappointed to have to continue without one of our most

Rising pop star Jeremy Zucker became the fourth foreign label artist to join Weverse, the fan community platform run by Hybe, on Monday. Zucker gained worldwide fame in 2018 with his song “comethru.” Thereafter, acoustic melodies and honest lyrics in his collaborations with American singer-songwriter Chelsea Cutler that included “You were Good to Me,” “All the Kids are Depressed,” “Always, I’ll Care,“ among others, helped him build up a sol

Left-wing radio host Kim Ou-joon of Traffic Broadcasting System’s “News Factory” is under fire from right-wing party members as they challenge Kim’s outspoken political partisan views on a public-funded traffic news radio station, as well as his pay. TBS’ “News Factory” has been the most popular radio program in Korea since 2018, according to Hankook Research. Kim, who has been the show’s host since 2016, was listed as the second most influential

Gallery 7 at Fairmont Ambassador Seoul presents ‘Taste of Spring’  Fairmont Ambassador Seoul presents “Taste of Spring,” a seasonal promotion offering private dining experiences in the elegant event spaces of Gallery 7, through the end of May. Located on the seventh floor of the hotel, Gallery 7 is home to a portfolio of small and medium-scale meeting spaces with interior designs evoking an art gallery. The venues offer customization for events, while a business din

Controversy surrounding actor Seo Yea-ji has continued to mount, as more allegations of bullying have surfaced, despite denials from her agency in an official statement. An alleged staffer that used to work with the actress posted on an online portal early Wednesday morning that Seo had regularly mistreated her staff members in her agency, Gold Medalist. “As a staff member going around in the same car with her for several years, verbal abuse was nothing. She smoked in the car, so I suff

The entertainment industry is on high alert for Chinese money in South Korean dramas after the SBS historical drama “Joseon Exorcist” was canceled after just two episodes last month. One of the criticisms leveled at “Joseon Exorcist” was that Chinese foods -- such as moon cakes and Chinese-style dumplings -- as well as Chinese-style sets and props were used in the drama, which was set in Korea’s Joseon Kingdom. Although the drama was made with 100 percent Korean

An online petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website demanding a halt to the production of the upcoming JTBC drama “Snowdrop” awaits an official response from the presidential office, having gathered more than 200,000 petitioners as of Monday. The Cheong Wa Dae website states that a Cheong Wa Dae representative will respond to any online petition signed by more than 200,000 people within 30 days of its posting. As of 2 p.m. on Monday, 205,812 people had signed the petition. “Sno