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Baek Byung-yeul

Korea Times K-Culture Reporter

Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.

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People & Events

Korean language morphs from cultural curiosity into lifelong opportunity

Watching the winners of the third Korean Language Speaking Contest on stage at the Korea Cyber University on Wednesday brought a wave of quiet emotion to the hall. The winners delivered their speeches with highly impressive and fluent Korean. However, the real emotion came from their personal stories of growth, which connected different parts of the world to Seoul, thanks to their command of the Korean language. Organized by The Korea Times, this year’s contest drew a record-breaking 3,908 entries from 110 countries, a massive 120 percent jump from the previous year. The diversity of the participants clearly reflected the growing global popularity of the Korean language. While Asia still represented the largest group of applicants at 72.3 percent, a significant number came from Europe, with 12.8 percent, followed closely by a growing presence of applicants from Africa, with 6.8 percent. This wide geographic spread showed the language is becoming a practical tool for youth worldwide. Viewed through the lens of national pride, it is easy to simply celebrate these record numbers. However,

Jun 26, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
Korean language morphs from cultural curiosity into lifelong opportunity
K-pop

Le Sserafim to return to BlizzCon stage

K-pop girl group Le Sserafim will return to the BlizzCon stage this year to deliver the closing performance for Blizzard Entertainment’s flagship community event in September, the U.S. game developer said Friday. The five-member act is scheduled to take the main stage on Sept. 13 (Pacific Time) at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. The performance will take place just ahead of the group's upcoming U.S. tour. This marks their return to the event three years after the group’s appearance in 2023, where they became the first K-pop artists to perform at BlizzCon, one of the world's largest single-franchise gaming conventions. BlizzCon is a massive weekend-long festival that draws gaming fans from around the world to celebrate major announcements, esports tournaments and cosplay, centering on Blizzard’s iconic franchises such as "World of Warcraft," "Diablo" and "Overwatch." Le Sserafim has established a strong global presence since their 2022 debut. The quintet's return to the prominent game event underscores their rising status in the mainstream American music scene.

Jun 26, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
Le Sserafim to return to BlizzCon stage
Arts & Theater

Global dance festival brings world beats to Seoul

The ninth edition of the Arts in Tank Dance Festival (ADFK) in Korea is set to kick off in Seoul on Sunday, transforming a public park into a vibrant hub for international artistic exchange. Running through July 3, the annual event will take place at Oil Tank Culture Park in western Seoul, a prominent culture and arts complex built from repurposed oil tanks. Under the leadership of artistic director Choi Moon-ea, this year's festival will feature artists from 12 countries, including the United States, France, Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, China and Japan. The organizer said in a press release that the event has expanded its role beyond a traditional performance-based festival to serve as a comprehensive global dance platform. “We aim to build a sustainable network where local and international choreographers can actively inspire one another and co-create beyond borders," the organizer said. To foster international exchange, the festival has established partnerships with eight overseas institutions. These include the Seattle International Dance Festival and the Los Angeles Danc

Jun 25, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
Global dance festival brings world beats to Seoul
People & Events

Speaking contest witnesses growing influence of Korean culture

The Korea Times witnessed the growing global influence of Korean culture and language as it awarded winners of the Korean Language Speaking Contest during a ceremony at the Korea Cyber University's Inchon Hall in Seoul, Wednesday. Now in its third year, the event has seen explosive growth, cementing its status as a premier global platform for Korean language learners. This year’s contest drew 3,908 entries from 110 countries. This marks a 120 percent increase in number of applications compared to the previous year, with participants submitting short and long videos across platforms including YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Jung Hyang-mi, deputy minister of the culture and arts policy office at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, emphasized the deep cultural connections fostered by learning the language. She noted that the number of students at the King Sejong Institute, a state-run Korean language education center with branches around the world, nearly doubled from 138,000 in 2021 to 239,000 last year. "Learning a language goes beyond mastering a communication tool. It is a proc

Jun 24, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
Speaking contest witnesses growing influence of Korean culture
Travel & Food

Hong Kong teams up with Korea's travel industry group to invite tourists back

The Hong Kong Tourism Board launched a new global marketing campaign named and signed a strategic partnership with the Korea Association of Travel Agents (KATA) in Seoul, Tuesday, to boost bilateral tourism and attract more Korean travelers. The new marketing initiative, named “Only in Hong Kong,” focuses on highlighting Hong Kong's distinctive cultural blend, year-round large-scale events and lifestyle activities to encourage travelers to experience the city through a deeper, more emotional perspective. To drive this growth, Hong Kong's official tourism agency plans to expand its seasonal festivals, launch new events and use the newly opened Kai Tak Sports Park for international sports matches and concerts. To accommodate travel demand from across Korea, the tourism board is expanding its promotional efforts beyond Seoul by holding another event in Busan, Thursday. Anthony Lau, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, emphasized the long-standing significance of the Korean market and expressed strong optimism about the partnership. “Korea has always been one of Hong Kong

Jun 23, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
Hong Kong teams up with Korea's travel industry group to invite tourists back
People & Events

Korea-US Friendship Conference highlights enduring alliance, honors UN veterans

Political, religious and civic leaders from South Korea and the United States gathered in Seoul on Sunday to reaffirm the enduring strength of the bilateral alliance and discuss ways to permanently honor the sacrifices of United Nations veterans who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War. The Korea-U.S. Friendship & Peace Conference brought together about 150 leaders and officials to reaffirm the blood-forged alliance between the two nations. The event focused on finding ways to pass this legacy of cooperation down to future generations. The event was hosted by the Korean War United Nations Veterans Memorial Foundation. Officially established in November 2025 by Yoido Full Gospel Church, the foundation’s mission is to commemorate sacrifices of U.N. troops who defended South Korea's freedom and peace, most notably through an ongoing initiative to construct a dedicated memorial park in Seoul. Rev. Lee Young-hoon, senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church and the founding chairman of the memorial foundation, opened the event by stressing the importance of gratitude and historical remembrance. "

Jun 23, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
Korea-US Friendship Conference highlights enduring alliance, honors UN veterans
Films

Megabox crisis raises concerns over future of Korean cinema

The financial crisis facing Megabox JoongAng is raising concern across Korea's film industry, with filmmakers and distributors warning that the problems extend far beyond a single theater chain. As one of the country's three major multiplex operators and a leading film investor through Plus M Entertainment, Megabox has become deeply embedded in the Korean movie business. Industry officials said any disruption to its operations could impact filmmaking and distribution at a time when the sector is already struggling to recover from the pandemic and the rise of streaming platforms. On June 12, Megabox JoongAng was among five affiliates of JoongAng Group that filed for corporate rehabilitation with the Seoul Bankruptcy Court. The move came days after JTBC, the group’s flagship broadcaster, declared a default on 20.6 billion won ($13.5 million) in debt repayments. While Megabox theaters continue to operate normally, the filing has sent shockwaves to the industry. For more than two decades, Megabox has stood alongside CGV and Lotte Cinema as one of Korea's three major multiplex chains. Throug

Jun 21, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
Megabox crisis raises concerns over future of Korean cinema
Films

'Summer’s Camera' captures gentle first love, grief

Director Divine Sung makes a memorable feature debut with "Summer’s Camera," a movie that explores the delicate intersection of teenage romance and family grief. The film approaches complex human relationships through a soft lens, focusing on how memories can cause grief but also help a person grow. The story centers on a high school freshman named Summer (Kim Si-a), who stops taking photos after her father passes away. She constantly carries her late father’s old film camera around in her bag, but she cannot bring herself to shoot the remaining four pictures left on the roll. Her frozen world begins to change during a warm summer day at school. Summer encounters Yeon-woo (Yu Ga-eun), a star player on the school football team, and feels an immediate attraction. This sudden spark motivates her to pick up the camera again to capture Yeon-woo’s daily moments. The movie takes a turn after Summer discovers old photographs of a man named Maru (Kwak Min-gyu) on the roll. Through these pictures, Summer uncovers a deep secret — her father had a male lover during his high school years. Wond

Jun 19, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
'Summer’s Camera' captures gentle first love, grief
Trends

From Labubu to Chagee, Chinese lifestyle brands find growing market in Korea

On a recent afternoon in Seoul's Yongsan I'Park Mall, dozens of customers lined up for drinks from Chinese tea chain Chagee. Inside the same mall, other shoppers browsed shelves stocked with Labubu, the quirky collectible dolls that sparked a buying frenzy among young consumers last year. The scene highlights a notable shift in Korea's consumer landscape. While anti-China sentiment frequently surfaces in political and diplomatic discussions, Chinese food, toys, travel destinations and lifestyle brands are becoming increasingly familiar parts of everyday life for Korean consumers. Industry experts say the trend is being driven by changing consumer preferences in an era where social media, travel and global cultural exchanges increasingly shape purchasing decisions. Children in Korea grow up eating "malatang," a spicy Chinese noodle soup dish, and "tanghulu," a traditional Chinese snack made of sugar-coated fruit skewers. Young adults are visiting cities such as Shanghai and Chengdu in growing numbers and bringing home consumption trends they discover there. Older generations have long emb

Jun 18, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
From Labubu to Chagee, Chinese lifestyle brands find growing market in Korea
People & Events

Integrated resorts under pressure to reinvent themselves ahead of Japan's megacomplex

Korea's tourism and casino industry faces a critical turning point as it races to overhaul its public image and ease regulatory burdens before Japan opens its massive integrated resort in 2030. Industry experts and academic figures gathered at The Korea Times' roundtable discussion in Seoul on Thursday to share survival strategies against Japan's upcoming integrated resort in Osaka, which could trigger a massive outflow of tourists and capital. Kang Sung-sook, a professor at Tezukayama University in Japan, stressed that the Osaka development is designed to be much more than a simple gaming venue. "The Osaka integrated resort is not merely a facility to attract tourists," said Kang, who joined the meeting online. "It aims to become an innovation hub for international conferences, exhibitions and corporate activities." The Osaka project is spearheaded by a consortium where U.S. entertainment giant MGM Resorts International and Japanese financial services group Orix each hold an investment ratio of about 44 percent. The remaining 12 percent is backed by 22 local minority shareholders. The ma

Jun 17, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
Integrated resorts under pressure to reinvent themselves ahead of Japan's megacomplex
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