Journalist
Yoon Juhye
jujusun@ajunews.com
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Arts Council Korea, 10 Partners Form Network to Expand Children’s and Youth Theater Arts Council Korea, known as ARKO, signed a multilateral memorandum of understanding with 10 organizations on the 24th at the ARKO KkumBat Theater to promote children’s and youth arts and expand awareness of its value. Participating organizations include the Gwangjin Cultural Foundation, the National Children and Youth Theater Company, the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People (Korea), the Geumcheon Cultural Foundation, the Nowon Cultural Foundation, the Bucheon Cultural Foundation, the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, the Yongin Cultural Foundation and the Jongno Cultural Foundation. Under the agreement, the organizations will cooperate on developing works and co-producing projects for children and teens; jointly planning and operating programs at performance venues for young audiences; and exchanging human, material and other resources to broaden access to cultural and arts experiences for children and youth. ARKO said the partnership is expected to connect areas that had been run separately — creation support, venue operations and festival management — into a more integrated system. In particular, works selected for the 2026 Arts Support Program for Children and Youth will be presented in coordination with children’s theaters, ARKO said. ARKO also plans to pursue practical, field-focused cooperation through creation and production projects led by the National Children and Youth Theater Company and the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People (Korea), along with joint efforts tied to programming at children’s performance venues. ARKO Chairperson Jeong Byeong-guk said the agreement is “a starting point” for more closely linking creation, distribution and audience access through cooperation among children’s and youth arts organizations. He added that ARKO will continue working toward a sustainable cooperation model so children and teens can experience art in everyday life, reflecting voices from the field. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-25 17:12:16 -
Samsung TV Veteran Lee Seung-hyeon Announces Bid for Seoul Mayor “ I will make Seoul’s heart beat strongly.” Lee Seung-hyeon, chairman of Infac Korea and a businessman often described as a “Samsung man,” made the pledge on the 25th as he formally announced his bid for Seoul mayor. He spoke at a book concert in Seoul’s Jongno district marking the publication of his book, “Make Seoul’s Heart Beat Again,” held at the Korea Buddhist History and Culture Memorial Hall. Lee said Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee told people in Seoul 34 years ago not to be intimidated, including in front of Japanese people, and that the message shaped him. Calling himself a CEO who can do business with anyone, Lee said he would “report” his ideas as the CEO of “Seoul Inc.” Born in 1958 on Eoryongdo, a small island in Wando County, South Jeolla Province, Lee worked as a Samsung Electronics representative in Japan and later served as the first PM group head for Samsung Electronics LCD TVs. He is credited with helping lift Samsung TVs to No. 1 in global market share. He now leads Infac Korea and also serves as senior vice chairman of the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation, a non-standing vice chairman of the Korea International Trade Association, and head of the lay association at Jogyesa Temple. Lee repeatedly argued that Seoul needs change. “Just as a heart must move to beat, Seoul must change,” he said, stressing innovation. He said what he learned from Samsung founders Lee Byung-chul and Lee Kun-hee was change and innovation, adding that a leader’s foresight and vision can determine the fate of a country and a company. He said that in the late 1990s, Samsung TVs were stacked in a corner of U.S. retail stores and sold to international students with limited means, but that he helped make Samsung TVs the world’s top brand. He also described himself as a key figure who laid the foundation for “electronics powerhouse” South Korea. Lee said Seoul has “lost its engine,” arguing that young people in their 20s and 30s are leaving for jobs in Gyeonggi Province and overseas. “Seoul has no middle,” he said, citing a lack of vision and good jobs, and warning that the city could “grow old and die” if nothing changes. He presented a plan to build a “world No. 1 Seoul,” listing seven major pledges: hosting the 2036 Summer Olympics in Seoul; creating “20-minute living zones,” including an underground bus terminal in Itaewon; joint public-private use of Seongnam Airport; attracting global corporate headquarters; establishing public boarding schools in northern Seoul; sharply easing regulations on ultra-high-rise mixed-use buildings; and building an AI trade center. Lee said an AI trade center would help small business owners use AI to do business worldwide without language barriers, and that self-employed people should be able to export anywhere around the clock. Attendees at the book concert included Ven. Wonmyeong, chief monk of Jogyesa Temple; Lee Ki-nam, a former justice minister; Yang Hyang-ja, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party; Choi Jae-hyung, a former Board of Audit and Inspection chairman; and Kim Yong, a chair professor at Paichai University. In congratulatory remarks, Yang said Lee was at the center when Samsung TVs “conquered” the global market, calling it history not only for Samsung but for the world. She described him as someone who steps forward even when the path is difficult and supports others even when it is painful. 2026-02-25 17:04:25 -
K-Food Gains Global Attention Alongside K-Content Boom, Report Finds The Korean Wave has moved beyond a pop-culture fad, emerging as a strategic asset that boosts South Korea’s national brand and industrial competitiveness. According to the “2025 Global Hallyu Trend Analysis Report Based on Foreign Media and Social Data,” released on the 25th by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Culture Information Service Agency, K-food gained worldwide traction last year, riding the popularity of K-content such as the Netflix animated film “K-pop Demon Hunters,” known in Korean as “K-pop Demon Hunters (KDH).” The report reflects 5,608 stories from about 460 major overseas outlets, along with about 1.49 million Hallyu-related items collected from platforms including YouTube and X. The data covered October 2024 through September 2025. By sector, the global rise of “K-food” stood out. Along with core terms tied to popular and traditional dishes — including kimchi, soju, ramen and bibimbap — “chef” and “Squid Game” newly emerged as closely linked keywords. The report attributed that shift to Korean food being naturally featured on OTT platforms, including the cooking variety show “Culinary Class Wars” and the drama “Squid Game,” prompting renewed global attention. The report said “K-pop Demon Hunters,” which became a global hit, blended traditional cultural motifs such as grim reapers and dokkaebi with Korean elements including gimbap and ramen, helping the content’s ripple effects spread across industries, including traditional culture and K-food. It cited positive impacts extending into tourism and consumption, including an increase in foreign visitors to the National Museum of Korea and a surge in reservations for K-culture experience products. The drama “When Life Gives You Tangerines,” set on Jeju Island, also boosted demand for Jeju tourism after its Netflix release, the report said. It added that voluntary social media sharing — including the “My Own Gwansik Challenge” — was recognized as a case of local content going global. “Squid Game,” meanwhile, continued to generate industrial spillovers through global brand collaborations, wins at major U.S. awards shows and expanded OTT investment. After author Han Kang won the Nobel Prize in Literature, the share of “K-literature” coverage rose by more than 30 percentage points from the previous quarter, the report said. “The Vegetarian” and “Human Acts” drew particular attention. Foreign media highlighted the symbolism of her being the first Asian woman to win the prize and said Korean literature had opened a new horizon in world literary history. In 2025, foreign media coverage related to Hallyu was highest in Asia (44%), followed by Europe (20.8%) and North America (16.9%), the report said. In most regions — including Asia, Europe, North America and Central and South America — K-pop accounted for the largest share. In Africa, “K-literature” ranked highest, while in Oceania, “K-film” led. By country, the United States, India, Argentina and Vietnam produced the most coverage. Japan showed a relatively higher share of “K-literature,” Vietnam of “K-drama,” and Brazil of “K-film.” The culture ministry said the report is significant because it integrates foreign news articles and social media data to provide a comprehensive big-data analysis — including coverage volume by continent, country and content type, shifts in keywords, sentiment analysis and network maps — and “quantitatively demonstrates the structure of Hallyu’s spread.” The report is available on the Culture Big Data Platform. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-25 09:45:24 -
Kim Tae-heon Elected Head of Korea Publishers Association, Pledges Book Fair Transparency Kim Tae-heon, CEO of Hanbit Media Co., was elected the 52nd president of the Korean Publishers Association. The association held its 82nd regular general meeting at 2 p.m. on Feb. 24 at the Korea Press Center International Conference Hall and elected Kim to a three-year term. Kim won the most votes among 351 member companies that cast ballots, out of 519 eligible voting members. His pledges include strengthening publisher-led policy capacity, rebuilding cooperation with the public sector, boosting the public nature and transparency of the Seoul International Book Fair while improving its business performance, and establishing the fixed book price system and a fair publishing distribution order. “I will restore policy consultations with the government so the association can again play a central role in talks,” Kim said. He also pledged to build a joint response system against illegal copying. “We will strengthen the public nature and transparency of the Seoul International Book Fair and create a consultative structure involving multiple groups and publishers,” he added. Kim serves as CEO of Hanbit Media. He has also served as president of the Korea Publishers Association of Korea, a director of the Korea Publishing Industry Promotion Agency, vice president of the Korean Publishers Association, and head of the SBI program at the Korea Publishers Association of Korea. The nine members of the selection committee were Na Young-chan (Gijeon Research Co.), Kwon Hyuk-jae (Hakyeon Munhwasa), Joo Yeon-seon (EunHaengNamu Publishing), Kim Han-cheong (Dareun), Kang Il-woo (Pentacle), Lee Mi-rae (Cmas), Cho Hyung-joon (Saemulgyul), Ryu Won-sik (Kyomunsa) and Hong Young-tae (Business Books). * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-24 17:37:06 -
New Musical 'Jeokto' Recasts Romance of the Three Kingdoms Through a Warhorse’s Eyes “It’s not a familiar hero tale. It’s the story of the warhorses that carried those heroes,” lyricist and playwright Han Areum said Monday at a news conference at Daehakro Arts Theater in Seoul. “It starts with Jeokto’s birth, follows its life as a warhorse on the battlefield, and shows it growing through brutal reality and coming to understand life.” The original musical ‘Jeokto_History of the Reins and Saddle’ (3.7.~3.29. SH Art Hall) reinterprets the classic ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ from the viewpoint of a warhorse rather than a hero. Through the stories of horses that went unrecorded and were used up, it looks back on human life as something not unlike war. The production is one of the March premieres in the 18th Performing Arts Creative Stage Lab’s “New Works of the Year,” which opened in January and has reached its midpoint. Han said the reins and saddle in the work symbolize “power, the era and personal choice.” Citing “Lu Bu’s charge, Cao Cao’s power and Guan Yu’s loyalty,” she said the musical argues that “it’s not the strongest who survive, but those who endure to the end.” Asked why audiences should see it, Han said she hopes it prompts people to think about what they are running toward. “We, too, got here riding on someone else’s back,” she said. “I wanted to stage this piece so we could reflect on that humility.” The fourth lineup announced for the Creative Stage Lab includes ‘Jeokto_History of the Reins and Saddle’ as well as the plays ‘Tulip’ and ‘In the House Where I Lived,’ the original musicals ‘Joker’ and ‘ROGER,’ the dance work ‘I Have Been Bitten by a Dog,’ and the music program ‘An Old Man Who Lends Romance.’ The works will open sequentially between March 1 and 13 at major venues around Seoul’s Daehakro theater district, including Arko Arts Theater and Daehakro Arts Theater. ‘Tulip’ (3.1.~3.8. Daehakro Arts Theater Grand Theater) is set in a Tokyo household in the late 1920s and traces the marks war leaves on life and relationships through a character who has lost even family and name and lives under someone else’s identity. Director Jeon In-cheol said the play centers on a man who comes to an upper-class Tokyo mansion in the 1920s to find his missing son. He said it portrays how imperial violence destroys individual lives through a father who, instead of seeking revenge, must sacrifice himself for his child. ‘In the House Where I Lived’ (3.7.~3.15. Daehakro Arts Theater Small Theater) is set in the late 1970s and the present and tells the stories of women who did not fit into their era or society. Writer Ma Jeong-hwa said the story follows four women who do not belong in their respective societies — women who struggle to escape their circumstances, run away, cannot run away, or believe they now must run. Performance details for the 18th Creative Stage Lab are available on its official website and social media channels. Tickets can be booked through the Arko and Daehakro Arts Theater websites and NOL Ticket. 2026-02-24 17:30:57 -
Silla Gold Crown Exhibition Draws 285,401 Visitors at Gyeongju National Museum Gyeongju National Museum said Monday that its special exhibition “Silla Gold Crowns: Power and Prestige,” which ended Feb. 22, drew a total of 285,401 visitors. The exhibition opened to the public on Nov. 2, 2025, and ran for 110 days through Feb. 22, 2026. The museum estimated average daily attendance at about 2,594. Attendance was capped at 150 people per time slot, or 2,550 a day, but every slot sold out, with more than 270,000 visitors coming during the run. The show also sparked an “open run” trend, with visitors lining up before the museum opened, popularizing the term “gold crown open run.” Boosted by the exhibition, the museum’s cumulative visitor total this year reached 401,683 as of Feb. 22, about 2.4 times the 169,464 recorded over the same period last year. The surge was also evident during the five-day Lunar New Year holiday period (2. 14.~2. 18.). Even with the museum closed on Lunar New Year’s Day, attendance totaled 72,005. “The golden culture of Silla is a defining feature of Silla culture,” the museum said, adding that it plans to hold related exhibitions every 10 years by compiling research findings from Korea and abroad, aiming to make them signature shows for the museum and for Gyeongju. In the next exhibition, the museum said it will broaden the scope of “gold crowns” in spatial and conceptual terms, presenting not only six Silla gold crowns but also a range of crowns from Korea and overseas. It also plans to expand beyond band-style crowns (帶冠) to include hat-style crowns (帽冠). Director Yoon Sang-deok said the museum will continue working to promote the excellence of Silla culture by actively staging special exhibitions in Korea and abroad. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-24 16:45:39 -
National Museum of Korean Literature Unveils Original 'Paris Petition' for March 1 Anniversary The National Museum of Korean Literature on Monday released the original manuscript of the “Paris Petition” to mark the March 1 Independence Movement anniversary. The document is the original letter sent to the Paris Peace Conference shortly after the March 1 Movement, drafted by a nationwide coalition of Confucian scholars. The museum said it was prepared in consultation by organizers Kim Chang-sook and Kwak Jong-seok, written in Kwak’s own hand, and later supplemented with notes by classical scholars Lee Ga-won and Jeong Mu-yeon, giving it high historical value. The “Paris Petition incident” began after Confucian scholars across the country, disappointed at not being included among the national representatives on the March 1 Declaration of Independence, decided to send an independence appeal to the Paris Peace Conference. Kim served as the representative, gathering support by dispatching envoys to scholars in each region and meeting scholars in North Gyeongsang Province. He asked Kwak, his teacher and academic ally in Geochang, to draft the text, and the two finalized the wording together. To help Kim, who was expected to travel to Paris via Shanghai, Kwak introduced people in Shanghai who could assist him. To evade police, the original text was torn into thin strips, line by line, and woven into straw sandals, the museum said. While Kim was preparing the original in North Gyeongsang, scholars in the Chungcheong region, led by Kim Bok-han, separately drafted an independence appeal. After discussions, they adopted Kwak’s original, revised it, and produced a final version signed by 137 scholars. The petition was mailed to Kim Kyu-sik, who was in Paris as a Korean representative, and Chinese-language and translated versions were distributed to media outlets, consulates and local Confucian schools in Korea. Japanese police investigating the March 1 Movement later uncovered the effort, and more than 20 people, including Kwak and Kim Bok-han, were imprisoned. Although the petition’s contents have been cited in multiple sources, the original manuscript has not previously been made public, the museum said, adding that the release allows the document to be verified in full. The museum said the handwritten original also calls for renewed attention to the petition’s present-day meaning. Along with the release, the museum selected Kwak and Kim as its “featured literary figures of the month” and said it will hold an academic event on March 26 at Sungkyunkwan University highlighting the Paris Petition. The “featured literary figures of the month” is a new museum initiative that will name notable writers each month, with related website columns and events aimed at revisiting figures who left a major mark on Korea’s literary history. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-24 16:03:29 -
Korea to Invest 19.8 Billion Won in 2026 AI Content Production Support The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency said Tuesday they will invest a total of 19.8 billion won in the 2026 “AI Content Production Support” program. The initiative will be offered in three tracks based on a company’s growth stage: entry, advanced and partnership. The entry track will help small and midsize companies with AI-based production capabilities enter the market and grow. It will select about 24 projects, with up to 200 million won per project. The advanced track aims to produce globally competitive content using more sophisticated AI technology, supporting about 10 projects with up to 700 million won each. The partnership track will back collaboration between large or mid-sized companies and small and midsize firms to boost commercialization and shared growth, selecting about 16 projects with up to 400 million won each. The entry track includes “genre convergence” to upgrade production processes in existing genres; “new-technology convergence” to create new consumer experiences through technology-driven formats such as extended reality (XR), interactive and immersive content; and development and pilot testing of AI-based solutions and platforms that can be used in production. The agency said it aims to expand services tailored to content production beyond general-purpose technology use. The partnership track will expand sharply from four projects last year to 16. It will also encourage cooperation not only between large and small companies but also between the content sector and other related industries to develop new commercialization models. The agency plans to hold a public briefing in March for small and midsize companies interested in joining the partnership track. More details are available on the agency’s website. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-24 09:51:16 -
Kim Junsu Says ‘Beetlejuice’ Role Fueled by Desire to Take on Something New “Junsu is really good at finding roles that fit him.” Musical actor Kim Junsu said that kind of reputation helped shape his decision to take on “Beetlejuice” — in part because he wanted to answer it with a different kind of role. He said he wanted to show he could do well even in work that people might not immediately associate with him. In an interview with reporters on Feb. 23 in Seoul’s Gangnam district, Kim said he chose “Beetlejuice” because it felt different from what he had done before. “My desire to challenge myself played a part,” he said. “People always say, ‘He’s good at finding roles that suit him.’ But every production has been a challenge for me,” he said. “Whether it was ‘Dracula’ or ‘Todd,’ I started those projects hearing, ‘That doesn’t suit you.’” He said shifting reactions left him both pleased and uneasy. “I took it positively, thinking, ‘I must have done well,’ but at the same time I wondered, ‘How long do I have to keep hearing this?’” he said. That pushed him to look for something new. Kim said many people were puzzled when the casting was announced, and he also had doubts. “Right up until the announcement, I was so torn my mind changed every day,” he said. “In the end, I think it was the right decision.” To create his own take on the character, Kim said he tried to let go of his usual approach, while adjusting elements that felt too far from him through discussions with the production team. Rather than changing for the sake of it, he said he focused on bringing his own color to the role. “I thought I could make it my strength if I played him like a spoiled kid throwing a tantrum because he doesn’t know any better,” Kim said. “No matter how funny or bizarre a face I make, I didn’t think I could beat Seonghwa (Jung Seong-hwa). So I approached it thinking I should create my own charm for the character.” He said the pressure before opening was intense, to the point he had nightmares about going onstage without knowing his lines. “There were so many words I don’t normally use,” he said. “There are sexual lines and profanity, too. Tempo matters. It has to come out like rapid-fire.” Kim said he prepared until the lines would come out instantly on cue, without thinking, so he could also weave in ad-libs. “I paid even more attention to it,” he said. He also said he prepared two or three different reactions depending on how the audience responded. For example, when describing Beetlejuice — a character no one notices — as “like your boyfriend passing by next to Kim Junsu,” he said he had multiple follow-ups ready depending on the crowd’s response, such as “You like that?” or “They say they like it.” Still, he said he could not predict how fans would react until opening night. Only after the audience burst out laughing at his first ad-lib did he feel relieved. “I worried about what if people hesitate over whether to laugh,” he said. “More than anything, I only felt at ease after the first show.” Kim said Beetlejuice has become a character he feels attached to. “I can’t say I’m attached to every character I’ve played. There aren’t many I want to do again — not even half,” he said. “But Beetlejuice is one of them. I’ve done about 10 productions so far, and it’s in my top five.” The musical “Beetlejuice” is based on the film of the same name directed by Tim Burton. The show runs at LG Arts Center Seoul in Gangseo-gu through March 22. 2026-02-24 08:04:16 -
National Museum of Korea chief calls for second permanent gallery, deputy director post Yu Hong-jun, director of the National Museum of Korea, said Monday the museum urgently needs to expand both its facilities and its organization as visitor numbers continue to climb. Speaking at a Kwanhun Forum at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul, Yu said the museum should push ahead with building a second permanent exhibition hall. The museum currently operates one permanent exhibition building and two special exhibition halls. The permanent galleries include seven sections and 39 rooms. Yu said the museum, which drew 6.5 million visitors last year, can no longer meet growing demand at its current scale. He said the existing exhibition space was designed for an annual target of 2 million visitors, with a maximum daily capacity of 15,000, but more than 40,000 people enter during peak periods. He also called for creating a deputy director post, saying it is urgently needed in line with international practice. Yu said related ministries, including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, share that view and are in close talks. On charging admission, Yu stressed the goal is not to raise revenue. He said the museum is not pursuing paid entry to prevent overcrowding, and “certainly not” to bolster finances, but to maintain order through measures such as reservations and fast-track entry. Yu also said museums and art museums often miss chances to buy needed artifacts because purchasing procedures are complex and accounting rules are strict, suggesting directors should be given more discretion. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-23 15:51:18