The Korea Times

Hong Kongers find Itaewon tragedy reminiscent of past, question lack of crowd control in Seoul

Women talk at West Kowloon Cultural District near Victoria Harbour during sunset in Hong Kong, Oct. 28. Reuters-YonhapBy Park Ji-wonHONG KONG ― Some claim the Saturday crowd crush in Itaewon, which killed at least 154 people as of Monday, was like a natural disaster that no one could have prevented. However, many Hong Kongers who learned lessons from a similar incident in Lan Kwai Fong in 1993 think it was the government's job to control the crowds to prevent such a tragedy from happening.“As a Hong Kong government official, what I thought first when I saw what happened in Itaewon was why the government did not control the crowd,” an official working for a Hong Kong government administration said on condition of anonymity.“That is what the government would do in Hong Kong during any events such as Christmas, Lunar New Year, fireworks, national holidays and of course Halloween. It is part of their responsibility preventing such incidents from happening.”In Hong Kong, the police can control crowds based on the Public Order Ordinance for every event that is expec

Nov 1, 2022By Park Ji-won

Hong Kongers find Itaewon tragedy reminiscent of past, question lack of crowd control in Seoul

K-pop

K-pop industry reduces dependence on Chinese market

In this undated file photo, the 2021 the MAMA Awards take place at CJ ENM Content Studio in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Courtesy of CJ ENMBy Park Ji-wonHONG KONG ― Since the early 2010s, K-pop groups recruiting Chinese members had been a common phenomenon. Most successful idol groups, such as EXO, have at least one foreign member from Greater China ― including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan ― to target fans from the area. Many of those members led their bands' activities in the region, creating fan bases there and therefore contributing to ticket and album sales.However, major and middle-sized Korean entertainment companies are now cutting ties with China, amid the industry's global expansion and uncertainties about the market, according to entertainment industry officials and data. They are also reducing the number of members from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan in new groups or downsizing some of their main businesses in the region, based on the risks involved there. “Hong Kong had been playing the role of an entertainment hub to lure Chinese tourists fr

Oct 24, 2022By Park Ji-won

K-pop industry reduces dependence on Chinese market

Entertainment

Soprano Sumi Jo, HK idol band Mirror's Keung To sing in harborfront concert in Hong Kong

The poster for “Music on the Harbourfront” / Courtesy of Hong Kong Generation Next Arts LimitedBy Park Ji-wonHONG KONG ― Soprano Sumi Jo and Keung To of Hong Kong's idol boy band Mirror will be singing a Mirror song in Cantonese and Korean during the opening concert on Nov. 18 for a music festival scheduled at Hong Kong's scenic West Kowloon harborfront. It will be one of the first large-scale concerts to be held as well as the first public appearance of a Mirror member singing since the COVID-19 outbreak.The Music on the Harbourfront festival is scheduled to be held from Nov. 18 to 20 on the Great Lawn of West Kowloon Artpark, which can host 4,000 audience members.The duet will be singing one of the Hong Kong group's most famous songs, which has yet to be disclosed. HKGNA Music Festival Youth Orchestra and Refiner Drums will play the song led by conductor Andrew Ling.“When Keung To joined our festival, we asked Sumi Jo if she could sing together one song with Keung To. She generously said yes and was open to a suggestion,” Michelle Kim, founder and artistic d

Oct 22, 2022By Park Ji-won

Soprano Sumi Jo, HK idol band Mirror's Keung To sing in harborfront concert in Hong Kong

Entertainment

'We love you': Hong Kong's Tony Leung finds new generation of fans in Korea

Hong Kong actor Tony Leung attends a Q&A session at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) on Oct. 7. Courtesy of BIFFBy Park Ji-wonHONG KONG ― Legendary Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai has been the center of attention at this year's Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), held in South Korea's second-largest city. Not only was the star of the much-loved films, “In the Mood for Love” (2000), “Infernal Affairs” (2002) and “Lust, Caution” (2007) crowned the 2022 Asian Filmmaker of the Year, but fans hung on his every word during a special Q&A at the festival, and his merchandise packs have been selling like hotcakes.A festival official said that the demand for the Tony Leung merchandise pack had taken organizers by surprise. Fans have queued for hours to snap up one of the 150 packs put on sale each day of the event, which ends on October 14. Costing 35,000 won ($24.50), each pack contains a poster, badge, postcards, letters, photographs of the actor's previous visits to the festival, as well as Tony Leung autographs.An extra 600

Oct 13, 2022By Park Ji-won

'We love you': Hong Kong's Tony Leung finds new generation of fans in Korea

Trends

Korean language education expands in Hong Kong

Mu Kuang English School students attend a Korean language class, a regular foreign language subject at the school, Wednesday, Hong Kong. Korea Times photo by Park Ji-wonBy Park Ji-wonHONG KONG - Learning a foreign language is difficult and it takes a lot of time and energy to see certain visible outcomes. But a growing number of people in Hong Kong are learning Korean nowadays. Once a hobby restricted to K-pop fans, learning Korean is now more common, being included in the foreign language category for the university entrance exam as well as among regular school language subjects.At Mu Kuang English School, a local secondary school in Hong Kong, it is pretty common to see Korean letters in classes or in the library. It was the first secondary school in Hong Kong to introduce the Korean language as a regular course from the 1st grade last year, providing Korean classes once a week.Up to 12 first graders gathered for a 40-minute class on Wednesday. They learned the pronunciations for the Korean letters, ㄴ, ㄷ, ㄹ and vowels, while answering questions from Canny Lai, the Korean teacher an

Oct 9, 2022By Park Ji-won

Korean language education expands in Hong Kong

Belated Hangeul learners find life blossoms after literacy

Shows & Dramas

Festive Korea held to promote Korean culture in HK

Poster for Festive Korea 2022 / Courtesy of Korean Cultural CenterBy Park Ji-wonHONG KONG ― Festive Korea, the largest cultural event held by the Korean Cultural Center and the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Hong Kong, is being held in Hong Kong, hosting up to 35 cultural events between October and November.Themed “Fun of Korea,” the annual event, which began 12 years ago, will focus on presenting more offline venues than last year, which include soprano Jo Su-mi's performance at “Music on the Harbourfront” on Nov. 18. It is also co-hosted by Hong Kong Generation Next Arts, a local organization promoting young Hong Kong artists by hosting events and concerts.K-Pop Community Festival will be held on Nov. 5 where selected local K-pop dance crews will perform while K-pop girl group OH MY GIRL will join online. Korea Square, an open market, will be held from Oct. 22 to 23, where Korean food, culture and lifestyle products will be sold and displayed. On the sideline of the event, Taekwondo and dance performances will be presented.During Fine Art Asia

Oct 7, 2022By Park Ji-won

Festive Korea held to promote Korean culture in HK

Arts & Theater

Korean immersive art exhibition to be held in HK

The ARTE MUSEUM exhibition's “Beach Aurora” / Courtesy of d'strictBy Park Ji-wonHONG KONG ― D'strict, one of Korea's leading commercial design companies famous for its site-specific media art installations, will present its first overseas exhibition in Hong Kong on Oct. 7.Dubbed “ARTE M,” a curated exhibition of its flagship “ARTE MUSEUM” exhibition, six of the company's works themed with “eternal nature” will occupy an 850-square-meter space at K11 HACC, a shopping complex and art hall, aiming to show a balance with the immersive visuals as well as sensuous and ambient sounds.The curated exhibition consists of four spaces, displaying art reinterpreting the elements and spaces of nature. It shows the life of flowers, endlessly crashing swells, boundlessly stretching seashore and a jungle in a tropical rain forest.“The realistic representation of the eternity of nature and its graphic depiction through the convergence of visual creativity and digital media technology, including projection mapping and sensor-based interaction, allow

Oct 6, 2022By Park Ji-won

Korean immersive art exhibition to be held in HK

Trends

Korean choreographer's work called 'Chinese dance' by Hong Kong troupe as 'kimchi wars' extend to the stage

A scene from “Myth of the Dancing Durumi,” performed by Hong Kong Dance Company Courtesy of Hong Kong Dance CompanyBy Park Ji-wonHONG KONG ― The Hong Kong Dance Company (HKDC) has discovered to its cost that the “kimchi wars” can extend to dance, as it defends its latest program against South Korean claims of Chinese cultural imperialism.On Wednesday, one of the choreographers behind the company's “Myth of the Dancing Durumi” program, which runs until Sept. 18, demanded that the troupe remove the Chinese term “chaoxian” from the description of her work “The Moon,” a new commission rooted in Korean traditional dance, Korean shamanism and folklore.Korean choreographer Han Hyo-lim, based in Seoul, told the Post she was surprised that the program notes claimed her work embodies “Chaoxian sentiments,” which to her is a specific reference to ethnic Korean culture in China and not a description that applies to her work.Descriptions of the troupe's outreach programs also use chaoxian dance and #ChineseDance to introduce

Sep 21, 2022By Park Ji-won

Korean choreographer's work called 'Chinese dance' by Hong Kong troupe as 'kimchi wars' extend to the stage

Travel & Food

Korean food industry sees diversification in HK amid pandemic and hallyu

A Korean restaurant opening in October is seen in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, where some small and fancy restaurants form a restaurant district, Sept. 3. Korea Times photo by Park Ji-wonBy Park Ji-wonHONG KONG ― For foodies, Hong Kong has been a go-to place to enjoy various cuisines from all over the world even though it has never been known as a place for Korean eats. If you ask Hong Kong residents about Korean food, they mostly think of Korean BBQ or spicy things, with many other dishes remaining unfamiliar for the majority. But the trend has been changing with the diversification of Korean restaurants and Korean grocery stores amid the growing popularity of Korean cultural content, as well as following the implementation of strict restrictions on travel to and from Hong Kong with the COVID-19 pandemic. Sandy Li, 32, an office worker, regularly goes to Korean restaurants to have Korean dishes with friends and family members. She also often buys ready-to-eat meals to enjoy at home.“I eat Korean-style chicken at least once a month and often go to eat Korean together with a couple of f

Sep 10, 2022By Park Ji-won

Korean food industry sees diversification in HK amid pandemic and hallyu

Music

Jaap van Zweden should give Seoul orchestra 'unique sound,' critic says

Jaap van Zweden / Courtesy of Brad TrentBy Enid Tsui, Park Ji-wonJaap van Zweden, the music director of the New York Philharmonic and Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, will be heading to Seoul after his contract with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra finishes in 2024 and his other contract with the New York Philharmonic ends at the end of the 2023-24 season. The Dutch conductor has accepted the post of music director of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO), soon to be vacated by Finnish maestro Osmo Vanska.Announcing the appointment on Sunday, the chief executive officer of the Seoul Philharmonic, Sohn Eun-kyung, said van Zweden's presence will “upgrade” the orchestra's performances and help it establish itself as a “world-class orchestra.”In Hong Kong, van Zweden, 61, has been credited with raising standards and lifting the international profile of the city's flagship orchestra, which in 2019 became the first Asian orchestra to win Gramophone magazine's “Orchestra of the Year” award.Highlighting the extent of South Korea's cultural ambition,

Sep 6, 2022By Park Ji-won

Park Ji-won

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