Journalist
Yoon Ju-hye
jujusun@ajunews.com
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South Korea Requests Police Probe Into 105 Suspected Scalped BTS Tickets South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it is stepping up its crackdown on ticket scalping. The ministry said on the 11th it asked the National Police Agency to investigate four suspected cases involving 105 BTS concert tickets believed to have been sold illegally. After intensively monitoring major online secondhand marketplaces for BTS concerts in Gwanghwamun and Goyang, the ministry said it found posts offering a total of 1,868 tickets, including duplicates. It said it secured multiple tickets for the same performance and referred 105 tickets for a police probe. The ministry also warned that buying scalped tickets may make it effectively impossible to attend. For the BTS Gwanghwamun concert, entry uses a QR-code system that does not allow screenshots. Once a code is scanned for first use, it cannot be reissued or scanned again under any circumstances. It said all attendees will be required to verify their identity with a designated ID at entry and wear a wristband that cannot be reattached if damaged. Wristbands will be checked for re-entry after movement such as restroom visits, and organizers may conduct random identity checks inside the venue, removing anyone caught attempting a transfer. The ministry said organizers are also monitoring online posts to detect transactions that violate ticketing policies and are canceling tickets when buyers fail to respond to requests for explanation or cannot substantiate purchases. Minister Choe Hwi-young said scalping violates organizers’ ticketing policies and warned that strengthened on-site identity checks make transfers “virtually impossible.” He said buyers also face a high risk of fraud, including sellers disappearing, and urged fans to purchase tickets only through official sellers. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-11 17:05:29 -
National Museum, HYBE Team Up on BTS Goods Inspired by Korean National Treasure Korean national treasures are increasingly being recast through K-pop, with the 1,250-year-old Bell of King Seongdeok now serving as inspiration for BTS-linked merchandise aimed at global fans. The “Hip Tradition” trend that has spread in South Korea in recent years is moving onto the international stage through K-pop, broadening interest from K-content to Korean culture more broadly, including traditional heritage. Industry officials said Wednesday that the National Museum of Korea has become a key venue for collaborations between K-pop and traditional culture. A leading example is “Mu:ds,” the museum’s cultural merchandise line. Reinterpreting heritage through a modern lens, Mu:ds topped 40 billion won in annual sales last year. Its reach has grown further through partnerships with globally recognized K-pop, helping bring traditional culture to a wider audience. Riding the popularity of the Netflix animation “K-pop Demon Hunters,” a “magpie and tiger” badge sold about 90,000 units over the year, prompting “open-run” lines for purchases. This year, BTS is set to take over the Mu:ds spotlight. The National Museum Foundation of Korea said it will begin selling products developed with HYBE starting on the 20th to mark the release of BTS’ fifth full-length album, “ARIRANG.” The collaboration draws on patterns from the Bell of King Seongdeok, a national treasure held by the Gyeongju National Museum. Designers developed graphics based on donor figures and cloud motifs engraved on the bell’s surface and applied them to items including hairpins, shoulder bags, card holders and layered skirts. With BTS set to stage a comeback performance blending tradition and modernity at Gyeongbokgung Palace on the 21st, to be livestreamed worldwide on Netflix, the foundation expects the new Mu:ds products to draw interest from ARMY fans around the world. The Hip Tradition wave has been driven in large part by K-pop. After years of emphasizing a more borderless image, K-pop artists over the past five years have increasingly incorporated traditional elements such as hanbok, helping spark interest in heritage among Generation Z. BTS leader RM has also been credited with boosting Mu:ds’ visibility. Public attention grew after it became known that he owns a Mu:ds miniature modeled on the gilt-bronze pensive bodhisattva, a national treasure. Performances and videos have reinforced the trend, including BTS wearing reinterpreted hanbok while performing in front of Geunjeongjeon Hall at Gyeongbokgung Palace, and Blackpink featuring a jeogori jacket in a music video, the report said. Collaborations are also expanding into museum spaces. The National Museum of Korea and Blackpink recently set up a listening zone inside the museum timed to the group’s new album release, allowing visitors and fans to hear tracks from the album. The museum also offered a docent program in which Thai member Lisa introduced museum artifacts in Thai, the report said, as a way to present Korean heritage to overseas K-pop fans. Experts said the synergy between K-pop and traditional culture is a positive development. Pop culture critic Jeong Deok-hyeon said, “We are moving from the era of K-content to the era of K-culture,” adding that events featuring globally recognized K-pop artists at the National Museum of Korea can be “highly effective” in promoting K-culture. Reinterpreting heritage through goods, he said, has become a channel for showing that “our culture is hip.” 2026-03-11 10:21:32 -
Choreographer Sharon Eyal on ‘Jakie’: ‘Come with an open mind and feel it’ “Come with an open mind and feel it.” Choreographer Sharon Eyal said at a March 10 talk at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts that dance is about “freedom, connection and emotion.” “Movement makes us better people and brings better things,” she said, adding, “Everyone needs dance.” The Sejong Center will present the Seoul Metropolitan Ballet’s first program of its 2026 season as a double bill: Johan Inger’s “Bliss” and “Jakie” by Eyal and Gai Behar, staged at the Sejong M Theater. “Jakie,” which premiered in 2023 at Netherlands Dance Theater (NDT), will be performed for the first time for audiences in South Korea through the Seoul company. It is Eyal’s first time working with Korean dancers, though she said nationality is not central to her process. “My work is with people. It’s about working with new people — nationality doesn’t matter much,” she said. Still, she said she appreciates that Korean dancers “respect rigor,” and added that drawing out emotion “could be a challenge.” Eyal said she has made small adjustments for this production. “I tailor it little by little to each individual,” she said. “Rather than keeping the Korean audience in mind, I look for what can bring out the dancers’ sincerity in this moment. I believe that’s how communication happens.” Calling herself a “dreamer,” Eyal repeatedly pointed to “life” when asked what inspired “Jakie” and whether the title refers to a specific person. “I don’t make works for the sake of making works. I drew inspiration from life. (‘Jakie’) is an extension of life,” she said. She said the answer to what “Jakie” is meant to be remains open. “You can think of Jakie as a bear. You can think it’s not a person,” she said. “Rather than explaining it, I want you to feel it directly. I don’t like reading a plot summary before going to the movies — I want to experience it. I hope audiences do, too.” The program runs March 14-22 at the Sejong M Theater for seven performances. There are no performances on March 16, 17 and 21.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-10 15:51:21 -
BTS, National Museum Foundation and HYBE launch merch inspired by Silla-era Emille Bell The National Museum Foundation of Korea said Tuesday it will release “2026 BTS X MU:DS Collaboration Merch,” developed with HYBE. The products were made to mark the release of BTS’ fifth full-length album, “ARIRANG.” The designs take their motif from the patterns on the National Treasure “King Seongdeok Divine Bell,” a cultural heritage item held by the Gyeongju National Museum. Following “2024 BTS Dalmajung X MU:DS,” this is the second series and includes five items: a shoulder bag, card holder, hair clip, hairpin and layered skirt. The bell is a National Treasure representing Unified Silla and is regarded as a masterpiece in Korea’s history of bronze temple bells. King Gyeongdeok, the 35th ruler of Silla, began the project using 120,000 geun of copper to pray for his father King Seongdeok, but died before completing it. His son, King Hyegong, finished the bell in 771. The bell stands 365.8 centimeters (12 feet) tall. Its surface features arabesque and lotus bands, as well as carved panels and striking points. Among the most notable elements is a donor figure carved at the center, depicted holding a handled incense burner while floating on clouds, with finely rendered drapery and a solemn pose. The foundation and HYBE said they developed graphics based on the donor figure and surrounding cloud patterns and applied them across the product designs, giving new use to motifs created by artisans about 1,250 years ago. Jeong Yong-seok, president of the National Museum Foundation of Korea, called the bell “the essence of our cultural heritage, recognized worldwide for its outstanding beauty and casting technique,” and said he hopes the collaboration will help the craftsmanship of Silla artisans reach BTS fans around the world. The items will go on sale at 1 p.m. March 20 at the shop inside the National Museum of Korea’s permanent exhibition hall and at BTS’ offline pop-up, and at 2 p.m. the same day on HYBE’s global superfandom platform, Weverse. The National Museum of Korea shop will sell a limited run of eight items — the five collaboration products plus a poster, link keychain and message keychain — and sales will end early if stock runs out. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-10 09:51:28 -
New Books: 'Venturenomics' Urges Shift From Real Estate to Startups in South Korea Venturenomics=By Kim Gi-yeong, Jium Media. The author says South Korea’s economy is confronting a “trilemma” of real estate dependence, a low birthrate and U.S.-China tensions, and argues the country must break through with innovation. He writes that “the Republic of Korea’s runway is rapidly getting shorter.” In startup terms, “runway” means how long cash reserves can sustain survival. Without innovation, he warns, the national “aircraft” could fail to take off. As what he calls the only solution to secure a runway for a new leap, he proposes a “venture nation” strategy. A central argument is that a real estate-centered structure has weakened innovation capacity. Money tied up in property, he writes, not only resists innovation but also reinforces preferences for jobs at large companies, in professional fields and in the public sector, creating a social climate that discourages entrepreneurship and moves to startups. By contrast, the book says the Chinese government, despite a multiyear property downturn, has refrained from large-scale stimulus and instead focused on strategic industries such as electric vehicles, batteries and artificial intelligence. It says China’s advanced-technology competitiveness has been strengthening quickly, citing the release of DeepSeek as an example. The author calls for “more innovative startups” and points to overseas examples readers can study: Israeli startups targeting the U.S. market from the earliest stages, and Finnish tech firms such as Supercell rising through what he calls the “Nokia diaspora.” He repeatedly notes that domestic-focused Korean startups such as Toss, Baedal Minjok and Zigbang have posted large operating losses, and again stresses the need to expand overseas. He also proposes creating a “startup sovereign wealth fund.” He adds that South Korea’s education structure — often labeled a “medical school republic” — could, paradoxically, become an opportunity to grow K-bio and K-health care industries. The book, however, does not address how to actively cultivate physician-scientists or how the government could build conditions for entrepreneurs to try again after failure, a gap the article notes. Another challenge is breaking what it calls the long-entrenched “myth that real estate never loses.” Soaring home prices are widely seen as obstacles not only to innovation but also to consumption, marriage and childbirth. The president has repeatedly used X to call for stabilizing the real estate market, but the article says no one can guarantee whether the current “war on home prices” will change the market’s direction. “The problem is the nature of capital. Money tied up in real estate rejects innovation. Even when new technology emerges, that capital does not take risks. The entire country’s appetite for risk declines, and the total amount of innovation shrinks. It means capital that flowed into ‘Eterno Cheongdam’ is unlikely to create next-generation semiconductor IP or become seed money for an AI startup. In Korea, real estate is not just an asset but the center of the financial order. As a learned result over the past 20 years, ‘rational’ Koreans came to trust leverage more than labor. Real estate is seen as almost the only ‘investment that does not fail’ in Korean society.” (p. 10) You Are a Runner, Too=By Runnerimba (Yoo Moon-jin), Editor. The author, an experienced runner who logs 800 kilometers a month, writes that “running is the easiest start and creates the biggest change.” He presents running not as simple exercise but as a force that can reshape daily life. Even on days when the body feels heavy, he says, pushing oneself outside to run can ultimately build the confidence of “I can do it.” The book describes benefits of running, saying even short runs can improve cardiovascular endurance and help relieve stress. It also offers practical advice for beginners, including a two-week start plan: for 20 minutes, walk for one minute and run for two minutes, repeating the cycle to build consistency. It also covers when and where to run, pros and cons of morning versus evening runs, and seasonal clothing. The book addresses how to run without knee pain, what to eat before running, how office workers can design routines, how to overcome slumps, and how to prepare for marathons. At the end of each chapter, short tips labeled “Runnerimba’s one-line comment” aim to steady readers when they feel like quitting. Among them: “What a first-time runner needs is not a speedometer but the will to run,” and “Consistency isn’t running every day; it’s continuing to run.” “So the best standard when you jog is this: ‘Can you run while talking?’ It’s simple and applies to anyone. If you can keep a natural conversation while running alongside a friend, that’s jogging. If you’re gasping and can’t finish a sentence, that’s not jogging but high-intensity training. And if you can speak a full sentence without needing to catch your breath afterward, you’re jogging at an appropriate pace. This standard works even when you run alone. You don’t have to actually speak. Count ‘one, two, three, four...’ in your head, hum lyrics, or think, ‘At this pace, I could talk if someone were next to me.’ If you feel that, you’ve already found a great jogging speed.” (pp. 68-69)* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-09 16:03:27 -
Arts Council Korea Wins Top Prize at U.S. LACP Vision Awards for Sustainability Report Arts Council Korea (ARKO) said its sustainability reports have received top ratings from recognized evaluators at home and abroad, underscoring its ESG management capabilities. ARKO said Monday it won a domestic Global Standard Management Award (GSMA) for its first-ever “2024 Sustainability Management Report,” and then took the top prize for its “2025 Sustainability Management Report” at the U.S.-based LACP Vision Awards. The organization said it has now won major awards in Korea and overseas for two consecutive years. ARKO’s 2025 report won the grand prize in the nonprofit integrated report category at the LACP “2024/25 Vision Awards.” In the evaluation, which drew participation from more than 1,000 organizations worldwide, ARKO scored 99 out of 100. It received perfect scores in seven of eight categories, including first impression, cover design and message clarity. ARKO also won the Technical Achievement Award for report-writing quality. ARKO said its 2024 report won the grand prize in the sustainability management report category at the 23rd GSMA awards hosted by the Korea Management Certification Institute (KMR), marking the first such achievement in the culture and arts sector. It said the LACP win shows its ESG strategy and results meet global standards. The “2025 Sustainability Management Report” describes ARKO’s efforts on carbon neutrality practices, inclusive arts support and stronger transparent management, the organization said. ARKO Chairman Jeong Byeong-guk said, “Achieving results for two consecutive years, from our first published report to this global award, is a meaningful outcome that shows ARKO’s ESG management efforts have been recognized worldwide.” He added that ARKO will continue to make ESG management a core value in its operations in line with the government’s push to strengthen ESG management at public institutions. The full sustainability management report is available on the ARKO website. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-09 15:21:15 -
Actor Park Shin-yang Brings ‘Fourth Wall’ Solo Exhibition to Seoul “When I looked closely, and for a long time, it was far from something round and red. I kept thinking about whether an apple has to be round and red,” actor Park Shin-yang said. Park said he began painting after two apples given to him by the late Bishop René Dupont started to rot and he could not bring himself to throw them away. As he painted, he moved from asking how to draw an apple to asking what painting itself is. He has since painted about 40 apples, he said, and over time the apples in his work became neither red nor round. Through that process, he said, he found his own sense of movement: an apple does not have to be round and red. Park is holding his second solo exhibition at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts’ museum. At a March 6 news conference at the venue, he said, “Everything is expression,” adding, “The word ‘expression’ doesn’t hold unless you talk about ‘me.’” He also stressed the need to understand one’s feelings before trying to talk about them. “To speak about my emotions and express them, I first have to know what kind of emotion it is,” he said, underscoring the importance of knowing oneself. As he painted and examined his emotions, Park said he traced the roots of his longing to a friend named Kirill, whom he studied with while in Russia. “Kirill is the person I know who looks at people with the most generosity,” he said. “He’s a friend with a gaze that opens up the possibilities of existence, a friend who puts you at ease.” Like the apples, Park said he painted Kirill in different ways. He said people told him, “If you miss your friend, you can just go see him,” but that was not the point. He said he asked himself when and where the longing began, when it grew strongest, how it eased, how it guided him, and whether longing is a common or even necessary human emotion. He said he tried to place on the canvas not only feelings toward the person he missed, but also his attitude toward those feelings. Interpreting his emotions and trying to understand himself, he said, naturally led to painting. The exhibition is closely tied to that self-exploration. Calling theater the background of his life, Park said he designed the show as what he described as Korea’s first theatrical exhibition. In the exhibition, which he calls a “studio,” 15 actors perform like spirits between the paintings and visitors. The staging is meant to let the “fourth wall” — the invisible boundary between stage and audience — shift freely between reality and imagination. Park has described himself as having lived as a clown. In his book <Discovery of Emotions>, he mentions the fourth wall and recalls, “The distance I tried to forget keeps catching my eye now.” In the exhibition, the spirit-like figures in clown form cross that unseen boundary. Asked near the end of the news conference why he pursued theatrical elements even if some visitors might feel uncomfortable, Park replied: “I don’t know why I shouldn’t try. No one knows whether it will be uncomfortable or enjoyable,” he said. The exhibition runs from March 6 to May 10. 2026-03-09 00:03:23 -
Kwon Noh-kap to Hold Book Launch for ‘Kwon Noh-kap: 100-Year Biography’ at National Assembly Museum Kwon Noh-kap, chairman of the Kim Dae-jung Foundation (96) and a standing adviser to the Democratic Party, will hold a publication ceremony on March 6 at the National Assembly Museum in Yeouido for his book, “Kwon Noh-kap: 100-Year Biography,” which sums up his political life. The book features comments on Kwon from 117 people, ranging from presidents and first ladies to National Assembly speakers, prime ministers, ministers, political allies and juniors, rivals and friends. It is both a tribute to a veteran politician and a record of modern South Korean political history. Congratulatory messages (to be read on behalf of the speakers) are scheduled from President Lee Jae-myung, former first lady Kwon Yang-sook and former President Moon Jae-in. Video messages are also planned from National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik and Democratic Party leader Jung Cheong-rae. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, former National Assembly speakers, the head of the National Assembly Alumni Association and other senior political figures are expected to attend and offer remarks. The book is divided into four parts. Part 1 includes recollections of Kwon by figures such as Moon, Woo and Kim. Part 2 traces an era marked by industrialization and democratization, division and solidarity, portraying Kwon as guided not by power but by what he believed was the right direction. Part 3 describes years of hardship endured in the struggle for democratization and persistent preparations aimed at a change of government. Part 4 focuses on Kwon’s present, depicting him as someone who, even as he nears 100, chooses to keep learning rather than to teach. Kwon said, “I cannot fully express my gratitude to the colleagues and juniors who wrote for this book.” * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-06 16:31:13 -
Arko Marks 10 Years of Small Museums Turning Idle Spaces Into Local Arts Hubs The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Arts Council Korea (Arko) held an anniversary event on March 5 at the Artists House in Daehangno, Seoul, to mark the 10th year of the “Small Museum Creation and Operations Support” program, share results and recognize outstanding operations. Launched in 2015, the program converts unused public spaces in areas without museums into cultural venues to expand residents’ access to the arts. Since then, 38 small museums have been established in 34 cities and counties nationwide. The event reviewed the program’s progress and recognized small museums and organizations that have served as local cultural hubs, as well as individual planners, for exemplary work. The top prize went to the Bogugot Small Museum in Gimpo, created by repurposing a civil defense shelter. Judges cited its decade of exhibition and education programs involving a nearby military unit and local residents, reflecting the site’s location in a border area. The award for expanding the value of local resources went to the Sacheon Small Museum in South Gyeongsang Province, built between Samcheonpo Bridge Park and the sea. The award for excellence in local cooperation governance went to the Bupyeong Bae-dari Itda Space Small Museum in Incheon, created by renovating an old inn building. The award for operational sustainability went to the Naju Small Museum, converted from a rice mill. In the individual category, Arko presented citations to planners who designed and ran programs and to a village residents’ representative for contributions to the project. The operations merit award went to Kim Hyeon-ju, director of the Angye Small Museum, and to Lee Myeong-gyu, chairman of the Naju Small Museum (Naju Eupseong Village Management Social Cooperative). The outstanding planner award went to Kim Sin-ae, a planner at Samcheok Small Museum AND (Tantan Village Management Social Cooperative). Arko Chairman Jeong Byeong-guk, who took part in the awards, said the past decade showed how “barren spaces” could be reborn as cultural venues “where art can breathe,” thanks to the dedication of artists, planners and residents. He said Arko would continue support so that “anyone can encounter art close to everyday life.” More information on the program is available on Arko’s website. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-03-06 14:57:26 -
BTS Ticket Scalping Persists as Free Gwanghwamun Seats and Goyang Show Listings Soar BTS concert ticket scalping is surging, with seats for a free Gwanghwamun performance being resold for hundreds of thousands of won and scalped tickets for an Arirang show in Goyang approaching 1 million won. The resale market has effectively turned BTS tickets into a money-making venue, industry officials said, raising doubts about whether the government’s response is working. They argue safeguards remain weak, including what they describe as a hands-off approach to online resale platforms. On the 6th, social media was filled with posts offering BTS tickets for resale, including seats that were originally distributed for free. On X, resale activity was taking place openly. As of that day, posts claiming to transfer tickets for the Gwanghwamun comeback performance appeared in rapid succession, and simple keyword searches were enough to find sales channels. Sellers said they could hand over access through methods they called “account transfer” and “wristband transfer,” and sought buyers accordingly. Despite the visibility of these transactions on social media, enforcement appeared ineffective. Industry sources criticized what they said was a market operating in plain sight despite government crackdowns. Scalped tickets are also widespread for “BTS World Tour Arirang in Goyang,” scheduled for April 9-12. Face-value prices range from 198,000 won to 264,000 won, but resale prices have jumped severalfold. Listings were easy to find not only on social media but also on Ticketbay, described as the country’s largest ticket-transfer platform. Prices posted there ranged from 390,000 won to 999,000 won per seat — about two to three times the original price. Sellers have also exploited Ticketbay’s “price cap” introduced in January that limits the per-ticket listing price to under 1 million won, posting tickets at 999,000 won — just 1,000 won below the ceiling. Critics said a formal cap alone is unlikely to curb scalping. Industry officials said weak platform regulation and enforcement have left the scalping market effectively operating in the open, even as the government has recently declared a war on scalping. Choi has described scalping as a long-standing problem in the cultural industry and has pledged a tougher response. The government has pushed revisions to the Performance Act and the National Sports Promotion Act to sharply increase penalties, including fines of up to 50 times the amount of scalped sales and provisions allowing authorities to confiscate and recover illicit profits. But critics say the bills were prepared quickly and that detailed enforcement rules remain insufficient. On the ground, many say current measures fall short of rooting out scalping. They argue that strengthening punishment alone, while leaving online scalping platforms untouched, is unlikely to be effective. An industry official who requested anonymity said it was welcome that recent legal revisions allow scalping to be sanctioned, but called it contradictory to say authorities will crack down while tickets are traded openly on platforms such as Ticketbay. The official said the broader ticket distribution system needs an overhaul, including tougher action against resale platforms and stronger identity verification comparable to airline ticketing. 2026-03-06 11:54:23