Journalist

Yoon Juhye
  • Cho Seong-ha, Shim Eun-kyung cast as leads in National Theater Company’s Banya Ajae
    Cho Seong-ha, Shim Eun-kyung cast as leads in National Theater Company’s 'Banya Ajae' Actors Cho Seong-ha and Shim Eun-kyung will star in the National Theater Company of Korea’s play “Banya Ajae,” which opens in May, the company said on the 19th. “Banya Ajae” is a Korean adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s classic play “Uncle Vanya.” Cho will play Park I-bo (Vanya), a man who devoted his life to supporting his late sister’s husband, only to realize his brother-in-law is an incompetent intellectual, leaving him overwhelmed by the sense that his life has been denied. Shim will play Seo Eun-hee (Sonya), Park’s niece, who is kind and diligent but lives with the pain of a failed unrequited love and insecurity about her appearance. Lim Kang-hee will play Oh Young-ran (Yelena), and Kim Seung-dae will play the doctor Ahn Hae-il (Astrov). The cast also includes Son Sook (Yang Mal-rye), Nam Myeong-ryeol (Seo Byeong-hu), Ki Ju-bong (Lee Ki-jin) and Jeong Gyeong-sun (Ma Jeom-jeom). The production runs May 22-31 at the Haeoreum Theater at the National Theater of Korea. Tickets are available through the National Theater Company of Korea, the National Theater of Korea and the NOL Ticket websites. 2026-02-19 12:24:00
  • Charlotte Theater Marks 20th Anniversary, Unveils 2026 Musical Lineup Including Dream of the Peach Blossom Land and Frozen
    Charlotte Theater Marks 20th Anniversary, Unveils 2026 Musical Lineup Including 'Dream of the Peach Blossom Land' and 'Frozen' South Korea’s first theater dedicated exclusively to musicals, Charlotte Theater, on the 19th announced its 2026 season lineup. Marking its 20th anniversary this year, the venue said it will continue to present a wide-ranging slate of productions from Korea and abroad. The long-running musical ‘Kinky Boots’ will continue through March 29 for its grand finale. Beginning in April, the original Korean musical ‘Dream of the Peach Blossom Land’ will take the stage, which the theater described as a showcase of Korean storytelling and aesthetics. Starting in August, the musical ‘Frozen (FROZEN)’ will open its first run in South Korea. The production is a stage adaptation of the hit film ‘Frozen.’ To mark the 20th anniversary, Charlotte Theater also plans promotions including an in-theater guestbook and photo zone. Using stories and photos submitted online, it will produce and release a “Charlotte Theater poster made by the audience.” The theater also plans to roll out a series of 20th-anniversary limited-edition merchandise items.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-19 10:03:00
  • Lee Ufan Works Lead Seoul Auction and K Auction Sales in Late February
    Lee Ufan Works Lead Seoul Auction and K Auction Sales in Late February The year’s first art auction delivered stronger-than-expected results, raising expectations of a market rebound, and major houses are now preparing a new round of February sales. According to the art auction industry on the 19th, Seoul Auction and K Auction will hold their February auctions on the 26th and 27th, respectively. Together, the two houses will offer 226 works by artists whose value has been tested in domestic and international markets, with a combined estimate of about 17.6 billion won. Seoul Auction will feature Lee Ufan’s “Dialogue,” a work defined by minimal brushwork set against broad areas of open space. It is estimated at 950 million won to 1.8 billion won. Works by key figures in modern Korean art, including Lee Jung-seob, Chang Ucchin and Choi Young-rim, will also be offered. K Auction will also lead with large-scale “Dialogue” paintings by Lee, including No. 300 and No. 100, and will add a wider range of works, from ceramics to small terracotta pieces. The No. 300 painting, made in 2007, is described as a rare, extra-large format within Lee’s output. It is estimated at 1.35 billion won to 2.4 billion won. Lee’s ceramic works and terracotta pieces offered alongside the paintings highlight another side of his practice. His painted ceramic work titled “Untitled” extends the relationship between dots and empty space from his flat canvases into three-dimensional form. At Seoul Auction, Kim Tschang-yeul’s “Sunflower” and “Return” are also expected to draw attention. “Sunflower,” made in 1955, shows the artist’s early style before his well-known water-drop series and is estimated at 250 million won to 500 million won. “Return,” a large folding-screen-format work made in 1996, is estimated at 120 million won to 250 million won. K Auction will also offer works by Dansaekhwa masters including Park Seo-bo and Yun Hyong-keun, alongside international names such as Yayoi Kusama, Bernard Buffet, Gerhard Richter and Yoshitomo Nara. Kusama’s 1991 “Pumpkin” will be included. Chun Kyung-ja’s “Woman,” selected for the auction catalog cover, is also positioned as a key work in the sale. A K Auction official said the January auction ended with strong interest, confirming steady demand and high collector participation. The official added that the positive start to the year is fueling expectations for more active movement in the art market in 2026. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-19 00:03:00
  • ACC to Stream Children’s Theater and Contemporary Dance on YouTube During Lunar New Year Holiday
    ACC to Stream Children’s Theater and Contemporary Dance on YouTube During Lunar New Year Holiday During the Lunar New Year holiday, viewers can watch children’s theater and contemporary dance at home on the ACC YouTube channel. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s National Asian Culture Center said Sunday it will run an online program, “Lunar New Year with ACC,” on the ACC YouTube channel from Feb. 14 to 18. The streamed performances are the children’s play “Eoduksini” and the dance work “1℃,” which raises questions about the climate crisis. “Eoduksini,” created for the “2023 ACC Children and Youth Original Production,” reinterprets Korean folktales in a modern way. The production has continued to tour after winning an acting award at the 2024 Seoul Children’s Theater Awards, earning praise for balancing artistic quality and popular appeal. It follows a traditional Korean goblin, Eoduksini — a creature said to exist only when it receives human attention — and a human child who has retreated into the darkness. As they comfort each other’s wounds, they search for the value of existence in a journey that is dark yet warm. ACC said the play offers children imagination and gives adults a chance to reflect on overlooked beings. A “2025 ACC International Cooperation Performance,” “1℃” is a contemporary dance work by choreographer Heo Seong-im and was selected for the 2025 Seoul International Performing Arts Festival. The piece asks, “Can art spur action in the face of the climate crisis?” and draws audiences into the reality of climate change. It portrays the serious threat that a temperature shift of just 1 degree Celsius can pose to Earth’s ecosystems through dynamic movement, lighting and music, and delivers the message that “every small gesture matters in shaping the future.” The work premiered last October at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts and later completed invited performances at three theaters in the U.K., including London’s Southbank Centre. ACC said the program was planned to expand public access to culture during the holiday and to improve access to ACC original productions. No reservation or fee is required, and anyone can watch through the official ACC YouTube channel. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-15 16:03:00
  • National Gugak Center to Stage Lunar New Year Show Seol Majung Gase on Feb. 17
    National Gugak Center to Stage Lunar New Year Show 'Seol Majung Gase' on Feb. 17 The National Gugak Center said Sunday it will present a Lunar New Year family program, “Seol Ma(馬)jung Gase,” at 3 p.m. on Feb. 17 at its Yeakdang Theater. The show was planned for 2026, the Byeongo Year (丙午年), described as the “Year of the Red Horse.” It will pair traditional and newly created Korean music and dance to welcome New Year’s blessings and deliver a message of hope about moving forward. The program opens with the center’s Court Music Orchestra performing “Sujecheon.” It continues with the Folk Music Orchestra’s “Binari” and a medley of folk songs, offering wishes for peace and good fortune. The center’s Dance Company and Folk Music Orchestra then join for a fan dance, followed by “Pangut” and a janggu drum dance. A one-act changgeuk excerpt from “Simcheongga,” titled “The Road to Hwangseong,” will feature National Changgeuk Company members Seo Jeong-geum and Choi Yong-seok, among others. In the second half, the center’s Creative Music Orchestra will perform “Sound of Hoofbeats,” filling the stage with driving rhythms. The orchestra will also team with Ssinggeut Arariga for a traditional Korean children’s song set aimed at young audience members. On the day of the performance, the center will run a Lunar New Year hands-on program, “Umyun Land Returns,” from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on its lawn. Activities include traditional folk games, clay dumpling-making and crafting lucky pouches. A center official said the Lunar New Year program “brings together tradition and new works, music and dance,” and will serve as “a place to welcome New Year’s blessings and start the year with hope.” The performance will be held at the Yeakdang Theater, with folk and craft activities for attendees on the lawn beginning two hours before curtain. Tickets are available through the National Gugak Center website or by phone. All seats cost 20,000 won* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-15 13:06:00
  • National Museums in South Korea Offer Lunar New Year Events, Free Exhibits
    National Museums in South Korea Offer Lunar New Year Events, Free Exhibits National museums across South Korea are marking the Lunar New Year holiday with cultural programs designed for families nationwide. The National Museum of Korea said Sunday the events were planned to celebrate Seollal, the country’s traditional New Year, and to offer visitors more hands-on opportunities to experience traditional culture. At the National Museum of Korea, the spring plum blossom exhibit "Ipchun Maehyang" is being held during the holiday period. The exhibit began Feb. 3 and runs through Feb. 18, featuring plum blossoms in full bloom. From mid-March, the museum will continue the seasonal theme with a spring flower festival, "Geoulmot Plum Blossom Fragrance," timed to the blooming of plum trees around the Mirror Pond on the museum grounds. The museum is also running a Seollal-themed, visitor-participation SNS event tied to the plum exhibit: visitors who post a verification photo after viewing and register it with the event post will be entered in a drawing for small souvenirs. During the Lunar New Year holiday, visitors can also see the "Our Yi Sun-sin" exhibition free of charge. The museum will be closed on Seollal itself. The National Museum of Korea is also displaying the full 22-panel set of "Daedongyeojido" by cartographer Kim Jeong-ho (1804?~1866?) starting Feb. 12 on the first floor of the permanent exhibition hall along "The Road of History." The display offers a rare chance to view the complete "Daedongyeojido," produced by Kim in 1861 (Cheoljong 12), at a glance. The National Folk Museum of Korea will hold its 2026 Seollal festival, "Bok-it-Seol," on the 16th. In the main building lobby, visitors can use a yut-stick fortune-telling kiosk for a New Year’s fortune experience titled "Byeongo Year Seen Through Yut." The museum will also run a "Well-Wishes Archive" where families and neighbors can leave New Year messages. Other offerings include a special Seollal performance, the family pansori-style theater piece "Finding the Sound of Princess Bari"; a "Sodam Play Yard" featuring traditional games such as jegi, ttakji and spinning tops; and videos exploring the meaning of Seollal. At the museum’s Paju branch, the Seollal seasonal program "Seolma-jung — A Soft-and-Lively Seasonal Playground" will be offered. In a storage-linked activity based on the tradition of exchanging well-wishes on Seollal, "New Year’s Greetings Completed With Horse-Related Words," visitors will find horse-related artifacts and use their meanings to complete a New Year greeting. Those who finish the activity sheet will receive a Seollal souvenir inspired by tteokguk. Regional national museums are also hosting Seollal events reflecting local themes. The Gwangju National Museum will offer a multi-stamp bookmark-making activity at its ceramics culture center and a workshop to make a horse-insignia plaster air freshener. At the Buyeo National Museum, visitors can try folk games including yutnori, tuho and jegichagi. The Daegu National Museum will host hands-on sessions where visitors can make items such as a card-holder-style horse insignia and a gat key ring. Other national museums around the country have prepared additional programs, including traditional games such as jegichagi, rolling hoops and spinning tops, Seollal lucky pouches, and gonggi. Visitors can join on site without reservations, and participation is free. Yoo Hong-jun, director of the National Museum of Korea, said the museum "carefully prepared" a range of events so people can spend the holiday enjoying traditional culture with their families. He added that the museum will continue developing programs so it can serve not only as a place to view artifacts but also as a cultural hub connecting generations and local communities. * This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-15 11:27:00
  • Seollal Holiday: Seoul’s Royal Palaces Free Admission Ahead of BTS Gwanghwamun Show
    Seollal Holiday: Seoul’s Royal Palaces Free Admission Ahead of BTS Gwanghwamun Show The ceremonial “royal route” that BTS is expected to walk during its upcoming Gwanghwamun performance will be open to the public for free during the Lunar New Year holiday, offering visitors a chance to see the area ahead of what officials expect could be massive crowds on the concert day. The Korea Heritage Service said it will offer free admission to palaces and royal tombs during the holiday period. From Feb. 14 to 18, Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung and Changgyeonggung will be open free of charge, along with Jongmyo Shrine and the Joseon royal tombs, with no closure days during the five-day period. Jongmyo, which normally operates on timed entry, will allow self-guided visits during the holiday. Changdeokgung’s rear garden is excluded. All four palaces, Jongmyo and the royal tombs will be closed Feb. 19, the day after the free-admission period ends. BTS is scheduled to hold a concert Feb. 21 in and around Gwanghwamun Square and Gyeongbokgung to mark the release of its fifth full-length album, “Arirang.” Organizers have applied to use areas inside Gyeongbokgung, including Geunjeongmun and Heungnyemun gates and the stone platform in front of Gwanghwamun. Observers expect the group to pass along the “eodo,” the path reserved for the king, from Geunjeongmun to Gwanghwamun before the main performance begins at Gwanghwamun Square. The agency also said it will hold a traditional New Year’s folk-painting giveaway at Heungnyemun Square in Gyeongbokgung from Feb. 16 to 18. This year’s “sehwa” was produced in collaboration with Jeong Gwi-ja, a holder of Seoul’s intangible cultural heritage designation for minhwa, or folk painting, under the theme “Twelve Zodiac Guardians: Red Horse Gate Guard.” Sehwa are meant to ward off illness and disasters and to wish for good fortune in the year ahead, a custom that traces back to the Joseon era, when the king presented paintings to officials and the practice later spread among the public. The giveaway will be held twice a day, at 10:20 a.m. and 2:20 p.m., after the palace guard changing-of-the-guard reenactment ends at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Organizers will distribute 1,000 copies per session, for a total of 6,000, on a first-come, first-served basis. Digital versions can be downloaded via QR codes posted on-site and on the National Heritage Promotion Agency website. More details are available on the Korea Heritage Service’s Palace and Royal Tombs Headquarters website, the National Heritage Promotion Agency website and the agency’s Instagram account. The Korea Heritage Service said it will raise its national heritage disaster alert during the holiday period by one level, from “attention” to “caution.” An agency official said, “We will do our best so that national heritage can be preserved and managed safely and systematically even during the holiday.” The article said BTS will be the first singer to hold a solo concert at Gyeongbokgung and Gwanghwamun Square. With BTS described as a global artist, some expect crowds could reach hundreds of thousands on the day. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said it will strengthen crowd monitoring and safety management, using real-time city data and CCTV through its disaster and safety control center. The city also plans traffic measures, including possible subway pass-through at nearby stations without stopping and bus detours due to road controls. It also plans to secure additional restrooms, suspend rentals of public bikes and shared personal mobility devices in the area to improve pedestrian safety, and crack down on illegal street vending and illegal parking.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-15 08:15:00
  • National Folk Museum to Host Lunar New Year Festival on Feb. 16
    National Folk Museum to Host Lunar New Year Festival on Feb. 16 The National Folk Museum of Korea said it will hold its 2026 Lunar New Year festival, titled “Bok-It-Seol,” on Feb. 16 to mark Seollal, Korea’s traditional holiday. The museum said the event is designed as an on-site, hands-on program open to visitors of all ages, including international guests. It aims to reinterpret Seollal in a modern way and encourage participants to share “good fortune” from the individual to family and neighbors. In the main building lobby, visitors can check their New Year fortune through a yut-stick divination kiosk in a program called “Byeongo Year Seen Through Yut.” A “Deokdam Archive” will also invite participants to leave written New Year’s wishes for family and neighbors. The museum will also offer craft activities such as making envelopes for New Year’s gift money and sewing lucky pouches, allowing visitors to create items meant to wish for a family’s well-being. Other programs include a “Bok-It Mission” giveaway event for visitors who take 인증 photos at Seollal-related exhibits and a special exhibition for the Year of the Horse; a Seollal performance titled “Finding the Sound of Princess Bari,” a family pansori-style theater piece; a “Sodam Play Yard” featuring traditional games such as jegi, ttakji and spinning tops; and video screenings exploring the meaning of Seollal. The museum said the festival centers on the message that “good fortune is not something you receive alone, but something you share and carry on,” proposing that blessings expand from individuals and families to the wider community. In Paju, the museum will run a Seollal seasonal program titled “Seolma-majung — Soft and Playful Year of the Horse Seasonal Playground.” In an activity linked to the museum’s storage collection, “New Year’s Wishes Completed With Horse Artifacts,” visitors will find horse-related objects, gather their meanings and complete a sentence of New Year’s greetings. Those who finish the worksheet will receive a Seollal souvenir inspired by tteokguk, the traditional rice-cake soup. Additional craft sessions include making a horse-shaped key ring; creating New Year’s cards using tteoksal stamps with auspicious patterns; making a rattan lucky pouch inspired by traditional bokjori and lucky-pouch customs; creating New Year pictures such as the Ten Symbols of Longevity and peony designs with beads; and making a kite and flying it with written wishes. More details and participation information are available on the National Folk Museum of Korea website.* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-15 07:00:00
  • Book Sellers Pitch Reading Picks for Lunar New Year Holiday
    Book Sellers Pitch Reading Picks for Lunar New Year Holiday The publishing industry is rolling out promotions and curated recommendations for the Lunar New Year holiday. Kyobo Book Centre said Sunday it has launched a Lunar New Year seasonal promotion featuring a curated selection of so-called “brick books” for immersive holiday reading, along with an e-book event. The campaign, titled “Perfect Rest With Books,” spans multiple reading themes. A key feature is “Challenge: Finish a Brick Book,” a promotion focused on long, dense works of 400 pages or more. Running through March 12, it encourages readers to complete lengthy novels and major works during the period that includes the holiday. Titles highlighted include “Sapiens (Brick Edition)” in the 400-plus-page category, “Cosmos” in the 700-plus-page category, and “Lee Yun-gi’s Greek and Roman Mythology” in the 1,000-plus-page category. Kyobo said the list is meant to help readers tackle books they might not normally attempt. Kyobo is also running an e-book promotion through Feb. 24 to reflect demand for digital reading. Marking the 2026 Year of the Horse, the “2026 Horse! Horse! Horse! Year” event introduces e-books through nine themed “good-wishes” shelves recommended by its merchandisers, including “Words of Greeting” and “Words of Good Fortune.” KT Millie’s Library recommended a range of content across genres, from Millie Originals to film-based novels, webtoons, web novels and docent books. Its picks include Millie Originals such as “Jokes From an Old World” by Lee Da-hye, the SF novel “Pieces of Light” by Yeon Yeoreum, and the reincarnation fantasy “Not Dead, Just Paused” by Lee Jae-moon. It also recommended film-based titles including “Pavane for a Dead Princess.” Other suggestions include “Bullshit Jobs,” recommended by professor Kim Sang-uk, who appeared on “Alssulbyeoljap,” and “The Origin of Species,” a signature work by thriller writer Jeong Yu-jeong. The service also pointed to its exclusive audio web novel “Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint.” For readers looking to fill short breaks during holiday routines, Millie’s Library also highlighted snackable content. A popular serialized feature on its publishing platform Millie Road, “Seasonal Movies,” has film critics Lee Hwa-jeong and Kim Do-hoon recommend films to watch each season. 2026-02-15 06:57:00
  • New Books: Planet of Ants, A Cultural History of Form and Why Innovation Fails
    New Books: 'Planet of Ants,' 'A Cultural History of Form' and 'Why Innovation Fails' Planet of Ants=By Susanne Foitzik and others, translated by Nam Gi-cheol, Bookshill. The author, a biology professor at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany, is widely regarded as a leading ant researcher. Drawing on expeditions around the world, the book recounts encounters with ants and explains how colonies divide labor among queens, workers and scouts. It also describes survival strategies such as raiding other colonies like slave hunters, enslaved ants that eventually rebel, and ants that raise mites like livestock. The society can look familiar at first glance, but the closer view shows how different it is from human life. “Ants take John F. Kennedy’s famous line to an extreme: ‘Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.’ A Malaysian ant’s answer is: ‘I can even blow myself up!’ Ants do not explode their bodies because they are too stupid and doing it for fun. It is a last resort chosen in a fierce struggle for survival.” (p. 310) A Cultural History of Form=By Seo Gyeong-uk, Hangilsa. The author, a professor at Northumbria University in the U.K., argues that human-made forms carry traces of the human body and senses. Starting with hands and feet, the book traces the origins of shapes found in homes and roads, as well as knockoffs and vintage goods. It concludes that civilization is an extension of the body — and that those extensions, in turn, standardize our bodies and senses. Using the shapes of coins and banknotes, the author says circles and rectangles are optimal forms chosen by human hands. He also describes how wheel width can set road width, which then limits wheel size, showing how human-made forms can end up shaping human behavior. The book even raises the possibility that, in the distant future, human hands could lose fine control and become organs optimized for only the simplest tasks. “Many products, not just banknotes, are made in rectangular shapes for spatial efficiency. From small items to buildings and cities, our world works by fitting smaller things into larger frames. Rectangles and box shapes are better than other forms at using space because they can be packed together without gaps. That is also why the blocks in the game Tetris combine into rectangles: It delivers the satisfaction of filling the screen tightly, without empty spaces.” (p. 183) Why Innovation Fails=By Park Jong-seong, Sejong Books. A business consultant, the author argues that innovation often collapses because of a structural illusion that almost anyone can fall into — what he calls a “meta illusion.” The book tracks five recurring “meta illusions” over more than a century, from the electrical revolution of the 1900s to generative AI in the 2020s. It cites 25 cases of failed innovation by global companies, including GM’s $9 billion robot factory, the BBC’s 170 billion won digital project, and data behind Microsoft’s AI chatbot once touted as a world-changer. The author says recognizing and preventing these illusions can help companies pursue genuine innovation. “During the Ocado fire, the fact that reporting was delayed by as much as an hour even amid loud alarms strongly suggests that automation bias was at work — the complacent belief that ‘Could there really be an error in this perfect system?’ Excessive trust in the system paralyzed critical thinking and stripped away instinctive crisis-response judgment.” (p. 256)* This article has been translated by AI. 2026-02-14 06:15:00