The Korea Times

Harmonicist to team up with orchestra

Harmonicist Park Jong-seong performs during a press conference held at ODE Port, Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Music & Art Company Poster for “Harmonicist Orchestra” / Courtesy of Music & Art Company By Park Ji-wonHarmonicist Park Jong-seong is set to show the versatility of the instrument in his upcoming performance with an orchestra. Park, the first Korean ever to win first prize at the World Harmonica Festival in 2009, will be playing various pieces such as composer Kim Hyun-joon's harmonica concerto titled “Harmonica Memorial,” and James Moody's “Toledo, Spanish Fantasy” with PRIME Philharmonic Orchestra and pianist Cho Young-hoon at its upcoming concert “Harmonica with Orchestra” in Gangdong Arts Center on June 13.“I have been performing harmonica in concerts where orchestras took the lead. But this is the first time to lead a concert with the

Jun 3, 2021By Park Ji-won

Books

Korean children's books win big at Bologna Children's Book Fair

Seen is the cover of the book “Iparapa Yamooyamoo” by Lee Gee-eun which won the BolognaRagazzi Award for comics in the early reader category at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. Courtesy of Bologna Children's Book FairKorean book 'Iparapa Yamooyamoo' wins comics category; two others earn special mentions at prestigious children's book awards By Park Ji-wonLee Gee-eun's book “Iparapa Yamooyamoo” won the prestigious BolognaRagazzi Award in the Comics/Early Reader category in awards announced prior to the 58th Bologna Children's Book Fair, the world's largest children's book expo and one of the most prestigious events of its kind.Two other children's books written by Korean authors also won special mentions. “Rice Rice Rice” written by Bamco and “So Much Snow” written by Park Hyun-min were awarded in the non-fiction and debut work categories, respectively.Considering that the BolognaRagazzi Award is regarded as the most illustrious prize for children's literature, the world-class book fair's recognition of three Korean books is an encourag

Jun 2, 2021By Park Ji-won

Korean children's books win big at Bologna Children's Book Fair

Arts & Theater

INTERVIEW Migrant workers' lives explored in dance performance, 'A Seventh Man'

A performance of “A Seventh Man” in 2010 / Courtesy of LG Arts CenterBy Park Ji-wonChoreographer Jung Young-doo / Courtesy of LG Arts Center“A Seventh Man,” a dance piece by choreographer Jung Young-doo dealing with migrant workers, will be performed again, 11 years following its creation in 2010.The work, inspired by the book with the same title, “A Seventh Man,” (1975) a book by John Berger and Jean Mohr about the lives of migrant workers in Europe, explores the movements of people and their emotions working and living in other parts of the world.Starting with the cleansing process of a gut, a shamanic ritual in Korea, 10 performers aim to show both the struggles and the hopes of people who were forced to leave their homes for various reasons throughout the 80-minute performance.It premiered at LG Arts Center in 2010 and was selected among six best dance performances in the same year. This year, it will be performed in three different places: LG Arts Center (June 4-5), Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Center (June 11-12) and Guri Arts Hall (June 18-19).&ldq

Jun 1, 2021By Park Ji-won

[INTERVIEW] Migrant workers' lives explored in dance performance, 'A Seventh Man'

Shows & Dramas

KBS' survey results about license fee hike raise eyebrows

The KBS Headquarters in Yeouido / Courtesy of KBSBy Park Ji-wonThe results of a recent survey by the state-run national public broadcaster, Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), showing support for increasing TV license fees, have bewildered many people, because they contradict similar surveys conducted recently.KBS announced the results of a survey conducted of 209 citizens who joined a debate on the broadcaster's future, held between May 22 and 23, which showed that 8 out of 10 respondents support an increase in KBS' license fee. The broadcaster said that 72.2 percent agreed with the increase in the first poll, while 79.9 percent agreed with the increase in the second poll.Currently, the license fee is 2,500 won ($2.24) per month, which has remained unchanged for the last 40 years, and the broadcaster has been seeking to raise it to 3,840 won.The respondents said that a reasonable price for the fee is 3,256 won in the first survey and 3,840 won in the second survey. According to the survey, 28.1 percent of respondents felt the license fee needs to be raised to “operate KBS and pr

May 28, 2021By Park Ji-won

KBS' survey results about license fee hike raise eyebrows

Arts & Theater

INTERVIEW 'Beetlejuice' restaging director says 'Seoul run will be highlight of my career'

Alex Brightman in the Broadway run of the musical “Beetlejuice” / Courtesy of Matthew MurphyBy Park Ji-wonPoster for the musical “Beetlejuice”“Beetlejuice,” the musical adaptation of Tim Burton's 1988 film, which premiered on Broadway in 2019, will hit Korea from June 18 to Aug. 7 at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, which is its first run outside of Broadway.The musical revolves around Beetlejuice, a ghost who lived for 9.8 billion years by himself, and Lydia, a strange and unusual teenager who can see ghosts. As Lydia's family moves to a new house, which used to belong to a deceased ghost couple who were killed in a recent accident, the ghosts try to scare the new inhabitants out of the house. Beetlejuice, who can be summoned by Lydia when she calls his name three times, tries to keep the couple there so that he will not be left alone again.For the Korea performances, A-list actors Jung Sung-hwa and Yu Jun-sang will play Beetlejuice while the rising actresses, Jang Min-Je and Hong Na-hyun, will play Lydia.The show is famous for its extra

May 27, 2021By Park Ji-won

[INTERVIEW] 'Beetlejuice' restaging director says 'Seoul run will be highlight of my career'

Arts & Theater

Korean musicals shine brighter as domestic market grows

A scene from the musical “Marie Curie” / Yonhap By Park Ji-wonAn office worker who asked to be named only by her surname of Choi said that she became one of the avid watchers of the Korean musical, “Marie Curie.” She watched it twice. “I wanted to discover if there are any differences in the two different versions of the same musical, as they feature different lead and supporting actors. This explains how I became a two-time watcher of the show,” she said. Choi is a well-prepared audience member. She purchased the necessary goods ― such as collectible binoculars developed by a local production house ― to enjoy the musical. Musicals have emerged as a popular pastime for culture-loving Koreans, with tickets for several musicals getting sold out minutes after they went on sale online. “Marie Curie” revolves around the Polish physicist who won the first Nobel Prize, against all odds. The musical portrays her overcoming various adversities as a female scientist and immi

May 27, 2021By Park Ji-won

Korean musicals shine brighter as domestic market grows

K-pop

Korean music industry falls victim to Chinese labels' copyright infringements

By Park Ji-wonAmid a tense social atmosphere in which China's government and nationalists are laying claim to some elements of Korean culture ― from kimchi and samgyetamg to hanbok ― Korean netizens have recently discovered that China-based musicians and labels have been infringing on several K-pop artists' copyrights on YouTube. Chinese companies have claimed they own the copyrights to g.o.d's “Road,” IU's “Morning Tears,” Toy's “Good Person” and Younha's “Waiting” among others, and have been illegally collecting the associated royalties.Musicians and recording companies receive these “neighboring rights royalties” when their recording is performed, broadcast or streamed on platforms. The YouTube content description box of IU's “Morning Tears,” for example, reads that it is a song by “Qingchun Jilu Ce,” and is sung by “Huang Yiyun” and “Chen Yajie,” on the album “Qingchun Jilu Ce.” It also states that the song is licensed to YouTube by “Believe Music (on beha

May 26, 2021By Park Ji-won

Music

Korean Symphony Orchestra to hold first international conducting contest in Seoul

Conductor Kim Yu-won conducting the Korean Symphony Orchestra (KSO) / Courtesy of KSOBy Park Ji-wonPoster for the KSO International Conducting Competition / Courtesy of KSOThe Korean Symphony Orchestra (KSO) will hold its first international conducting competition in Korea from Nov. 10 to 14, aiming to cultivate and foster young talent from all over the world.Candidates who were born between Nov. 10, 1998 and Nov. 11, 1986 can apply for the competition. They will conduct pieces from a set repertoire that includes one piece composed by a Korean composer and one concerto work, which will be announced after the first round of the competition. The official languages of the competition are Korean and English, with a basic English proficiency requirement for all contestants.The application deadline for “The 1st KSO International Conducting Competition” is July 17. The competition entrants need to pass two qualifying rounds and the semi-final round to enter the finals, which will be held in November.The first prize winner will receive 50 million won ($44,583) while the second an

May 25, 2021By Park Ji-won

Korean Symphony Orchestra to hold first international conducting contest in Seoul

Arts & Theater

President to award certificate to holders of intangible cultural heritage

Samples of presidential certificates awarded to intangible cultural heritage holders and organizations / Courtesy of Cultural Heritage AdministrationBy Park Ji-wonThe Cultural Heritage Administration will start giving out presidential certificates next month in addition to its certifications of people and organizations designated as intangible cultural heritages, to express respect to them for preserving the customs and tradition of Korea. The move came after the administration revised the law on heritage preservation on May 25 which will be implemented on June 23.Until now, when a person or an organization was designated as a holder of an intangible cultural heritage, the only certificate given was under the name of the administrator of the government organization. The Cultural Heritage Administration said it decided to improve the environment for the preservation of traditional assets by introducing the rule to show more respect to the holders of intangible cultural heritage and improve morale.The status of intangible cultural heritage has been given by the state-run agency to thos

May 25, 2021By Park Ji-won

President to award certificate to holders of intangible cultural heritage

Arts & Theater

INTERVIEW Violinist Clara-Jumi Kang plays Bach to express freedom in suffering

Violinist Clara-Jumi Kang / Courtesy of Vincero Poster for violinist Clara-Jumi Kang's ”Bach Complete Sonatas & Partitas” / Courtesy of Vincero By Park Ji-wonPlaying “The Complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin” has been one of the most challenging works for violinists as it is technically difficult to execute and of long duration at approximately 2 hours. But award-winning violinist Clara-Jumi Kang is set to take on the challenging task. She will be performing Bach's notable work throughout the country as part of her lifelong project from May 25 at the Daejeon Arts Center and from June 1 at the Gyeonggi Arts Center.Noting that playing Bach's “Complete Sonatas and Partitas” is something she wanted to do since she was in her early 20s, Kang said, “It is a project that I want to keep doing, because I can play the repertoire anywhere with the vio

May 23, 2021By Park Ji-won

Park Ji-won

Read more

Harmonicist to team up with orchestra

Korean children's books win big at Bologna Children's Book Fair

INTERVIEW Migrant workers' lives explored in dance performance, 'A Seventh Man'

KBS' survey results about license fee hike raise eyebrows

INTERVIEW 'Beetlejuice' restaging director says 'Seoul run will be highlight of my career'

Korean musicals shine brighter as domestic market grows

Korean music industry falls victim to Chinese labels' copyright infringements

Korean Symphony Orchestra to hold first international conducting contest in Seoul

President to award certificate to holders of intangible cultural heritage

INTERVIEW Violinist Clara-Jumi Kang plays Bach to express freedom in suffering

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