The Korea Times

Professor bridges Korea, Zimbabwe with lecture on culture

Korean scholar and English educator Min Byoung-chul has become a one-day lecturer on Korean culture for teenagers in Zimbabwe, Friday. At the invitation of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Zimbabwe, Min, an endowed chair professor at Chung-Ang University and the author of “Land of Squid Game,” delivered a 70-minute interactive online lecture on Korean culture to Zimbabwean youth, explaining Korean customs and everyday expressions. Participants gathered in a lecture hall set up at the residence of Korean Ambassador to Zimbabwe Park Jae-kyung, where each segment of the talk reportedly prompted lively discussion. The session followed a simple loop — watching short YouTube videos from Min’s channel, followed by his commentary and a Q&A — but quickly turned into a two-way exchange as students compared Korean customs with their own. Min spotlighted everyday cultural codes — from the greeting “Have you eaten?” and birthday seaweed soup to missing fourth floors, chopstick taboos and the “ppalli-ppalli” (hurry-hurry) mindset behind Korea’s rapid postwar rise. What drew

Jun 9, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Professor bridges Korea, Zimbabwe with lecture on culture

Trends

How plogging turns eco-anxiety into lifestyle for young Koreans

As Koreans brace for another sweltering summer, a grim joke has taken hold in casual conversation: “This will be the coolest summer for the rest of our lives.” For many young people, that line is no longer dark humor but a blunt summary of how the climate crisis feels — relentless, immediate and deeply personal. Among Korea’s young generations, a wave of what experts call “climate anxiety” reshapes their daily lives, from how they exercise and shop to whether they plan to marry or have children. Rather than taking to the streets with placards in protest, many are turning their unease into what they describe as “liveable” eco-friendly lifestyles woven into ordinary routines. A 2024 study by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs found that more than 90 percent of Korean adults feel anxious about the climate crisis. Young adults in their 20s recorded the highest scores among all age groups. Researchers also noted a “functional” side to this anxiety: the more worried people were, the more likely they were to adopt eco-friendly behaviors, rather than disengag

Jun 6, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

How plogging turns eco-anxiety into lifestyle for young Koreans

Films

‘Pilgrims’: Korean SF animation utopia that chooses to fall short

What would it take to walk away from a world without grief, illness or heartbreak — and is that kind of paradise even worth staying in? “Pilgrims,” the new Korean animated feature adapted from Kim Cho-yeop’s widely translated short story of the same title, poses that disquieting question. The film centers around a group of young adults who abandon a meticulously utopian planet where pain and sorrow have been engineered out of existence for a flawed and wounded Earth and confront the emotional and ethical costs of a life without suffering. In recent years, Korean SF, particularly by female writers like Kim, has been increasingly recognized for centering questions of care, otherness and the limits of progress. Rather than racing toward distant galaxies or celebrating technological conquests, these works dwell on relationship, fragile bodies and ethical ambiguities of “improvement,” in quiet contrast to the long-dominant strain of Western mainstream SF. The film arrives with substantial anticipation against that backdrop. Kim’s “If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light,” whic

Jun 5, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

‘Pilgrims’: Korean SF animation utopia that chooses to fall short

Korean Heritage

5 must-see Korea-France treasures at National Palace Museum

An ongoing exhibition at the National Palace Museum of Korea called “Gifts and Records: 140 Years of Korea-France Friendship" offers visitors a rare glimpse into 140 years of Korea-France ties through a handful of carefully selected diplomatic gifts. The exhibition features a variety of items exchanged between leaders of both countries for more than a century. Among the numerous items on display, five objects stand out as visual symbols of Korea-France relations and its ups and downs. Wine bottle One of the most disarming objects in the show is a plump brown pottery bottle once used to serve alcohol. The earthenware vessel, now housed at France’s Sevres National Ceramics Museum, is linked to a shipwreck off the shore of today’s Shinan County, South Jeolla Province, in 1851, indicating face-to-face exchanges decades before the 1866 French invasion of Ganghwa Island and the 1886 Treaty of Friendship and Commerce. According to historic records, a French whaling ship, the Narval, drifted to the Korean coast after being battered by rough seas while sailing from Le Havre toward the Yello

Jun 4, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

5 must-see Korea-France treasures at National Palace Museum

Arts & Theater

Inside National Museum of Korea's boom: star director's special lecture makes heritage come alive

While the National Museum of Korea may be best known for its wildly popular souvenirs, there is something else that makes the place a hot cultural destination: its own director, You Hong-june, a star cultural commentator and public intellectual, and his popular public lectures. Over the past year and into early this year, You — former head of the national heritage agency, Korean art history professor and writer — has invited the general public to the museum for story-driven special lectures on the arts world and lives of the painters featured in the museum’s ongoing exhibitions. This week, he returned with a two-hour immersion in art and history about Danwon Kim Hong-do (1745-1806?), the beloved painter cherished for his vivid depictions of everyday life, landscape paintings and pioneering realism during the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty. The 750-seat auditorium was filled to capacity, with a cross-generational crowd ranging from Gen Z students to middle-aged office workers and retirees with gray hair, many clutching exhibition leaflets and notebooks. Online registration for the free e

Jun 3, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Inside National Museum of Korea's boom: star director's special lecture makes heritage come alive

Arts & Theater

Korean struggles reflected in dueling renditions of Chekhov classic

Two versions of an unhappy uncle have drawn Korean theatergoers this May, as Anton Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya” arrived in Seoul in contrasting productions at two of the country’s best-known venues. The dueling “Uncle Vanya” productions opened weeks apart at LG Arts Center and the National Theater Company of Korea. The two stagings of the 19th-century Russian classic with television and film celebrities in key roles sparked buzz before the productions even opened. Both succeeded in attracting audiences and selling out performances for reasons that went well beyond their celebrity casts. Many Koreans found they could relate with Chekhov's weary uncle and circumstances he was in. 'Ajeossi' meets Chekhov’s worn-out Vanya The original work, first staged in 1899, centers on Vanya, who devotes his life to managing a rural estate in Russia for his late sister’s husband, a professor. He confronts the possibility that his sacrifices may have been in vain when the professor returns with his young, beautiful new wife Yelena, destroying the fragile peace Vanya has maintained with his niec

Jun 2, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Korean struggles reflected in dueling renditions of Chekhov classic

Politics

Broadcasters gear up for high-tech showdown on election night

Korea’s three major terrestrial broadcasters are gearing up for a high-stakes, high-tech ratings battle on June 3, as they are expected to roll out lavish election night specials for the nationwide local elections. Election night coverage has emerged as a signature battleground for Korean media in recent years, with broadcasters pouring resources into data visualization, star panelists and eye-catching graphics to distinguish their shows. This year, KBS, MBC and SBS are doubling down on artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and extended reality (XR) to entice viewers and interpret the vote. For the first time, KBS will stage its election night broadcast from the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, turning a venue of recent cultural sensation into a symbolic arena for democracy. A special set around the museum’s central Mirror Pond will serve as a metaphorical pool reflecting public sentiment, while artifacts from the museum are expected to help visualize local voters’ choices. Inside the main studio, a massive LED screen, 30 meters wide and 7 meters high, will display

Jun 1, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Broadcasters gear up for high-tech showdown on election night

Society

9 opinion leaders stress importance of dialogue for peace on Korean Peninsula

Experts and religious leaders gathered for a Korea Times Roundtable on Tuesday, emphasizing the urgent need for dialogue and mutual respect as essential foundations for achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula. At the event held in Seoul, participants discussed South Korea’s role in global peacemaking, shifting generational attitudes toward North Korea and recent incidents that have exposed social divisions. Lee Young-hoon, senior pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church, opened the discussion by describing peace as a shared global responsibility that requires persistent communication across borders. “Many people around the world are worried because of wars and conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and Iran and the Middle East,” Lee said. “In times like this, I believe the most important thing we need is peace. We must respect one another and work together to create a peaceful future. This cannot be achieved by one nation alone — it requires cooperation, understanding and sincere communication among all countries.” The roundtable, moderated by Oh Young-jin, president and publisher of

Jun 1, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

9 opinion leaders stress importance of dialogue for peace on Korean Peninsula

Music

Cellist Kim Tae-yeon wins 2nd prize at Queen Elisabeth competition

Cellist Kim Tae-yeon won second prize at the 2026 Queen Elisabeth Competition, one of the world’s most prestigious classical music contests in Brussels, Sunday. The 20-year-old was named runner-up during the final award ceremony held Saturday at the Bozar concert hall in Belgium's capital. Italy’s Ettore Pagano took first place, while Leland Ko of the United States and Canada finished third. Founded in 1937, the Queen Elisabeth Competition is widely regarded as one of the top three international music competitions, alongside the Chopin and Tchaikovsky competitions. It rotates annually among violin, voice, cello and piano disciplines, with this year dedicated to cello. Kim was among 64 finalists selected from 185 applicants worldwide, including five Koreans. Twelve advanced to the final round, held from Tuesday to Saturday, where they performed with the Belgian National Orchestra. As the youngest finalist, Kim took the stage last, performing Chinese American composer Fang Man’s commissioned work “Four Odes to the Tidings of Flowers” and Witold Lutoslawski’s Cello Concerto unde

May 31, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Cellist Kim Tae-yeon wins 2nd prize at Queen Elisabeth competition

Films

Na Hong-jin's 'Hope' falls short of Palme d’Or win at Cannes

Director Na Hong-jin’s film “Hope” fell short of winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday, but the genre-bending work remained one of the most talked-about entries in this year’s competition. Set in a remote harbor village near the Korean Demilitarized Zone, "Hope" follows a police chief and a rookie officer as they confront a mysterious being. Anchoring the spectacle, the ensemble cast — including Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung and Jung Ho-yeon alongside Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Taylor Russell — gives performances anchored in fraught human reactions: fear, panic, denial and opportunism. Despite missing the top prize, “Hope” drew significant attention throughout the festival, emerging as a dark horse with its unconventional mix of thrills, comedy, action and science fiction. The film generated strong buzz at Cannes, selling to major international markets and mirroring the success of Park Chan-wook’s "Decision to Leave" (2022). Critics described it as a rare surprise in an otherwise subdued lineup. Na said the film stems from his contemp

May 24, 2026By Lee Hae-rin and Baek Byung-yeul

Lee Hae-rin

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