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Kwon Mee-yoo

Korea Times Politics & City Reporter

Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.

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Korean Heritage

New Cultural Heritage Administration head seeks more exchanges with North Korea

Chung Jae-suk, new Cultural Heritage Administrator / YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooChung Jae-suk, the new head of the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), said cultural heritage can contribute to improving inter-Korean relations as the two Koreas join hands in excavating and preserving cultural assets together."There certainly is a gap in many aspects between the two Koreas after separation, but there's no such thing as a gap in heritage and cultural assets will contribute to exchanges between Pyongyang and Seoul," Chung said at a press conference in Seoul, Tuesday.Chung, named as the CHA head on Aug. 30, brings 30 years of journalism experience as a culture reporter. Chung is the first journalist-turned-cultural heritage administrator in Korea and third woman to assume the role, following Byun Young-sup and Rha Sun-hwa."I am really nervous to take the helm here since I was on the other side just a few days ago. I feel like I should be throwing questions to the new CHA head," Chung said. "What we do at CHA is not very visible and doesn't take effect immediately. However, cultural propertie

Sep 11, 2018By Kwon Mee-yoo
New Cultural Heritage Administration head seeks more exchanges with North Korea
K-pop

Chung, Cho presents duo concert transcending generations

Violinist Chung Kyung-wha, left, and pianist Cho Seong-jin pose for a photo during a press conference at Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul, Monday. Chung and Cho will together perform the music of Beethoven, Bach, Schumann and Franck on Sept. 12. YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooViolinist Chung Kyung-wha, 70, and pianist Cho Seong-jin, 24, will perform a duet at Seoul Arts Center on Sept. 12, playing four violin sonatas.Chung and Cho have been performing together across the country since January and the SAC concert will be the grand finale of their tour, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of Korea's top classical music hall.Chung and Cho first met six years ago. Chung is known for being quite particular about her accompanying pianist, but six years ago she picked Cho, who was a high school student back then, as her pianist."My brother (conductor) Chung Myung-whun said he'd never seen such a talented musician like Cho, and he is usually stingy with compliments," Chung recalled.Cho said he feels honored to be performing with the Chung sibling, whom he remembers reading about in music textboo

Sep 10, 2018By Kwon Mee-yoo
Chung, Cho presents duo concert transcending generations
Arts & Theater

3 artists, trio shortlisted for Korea Artist Prize

Jung Eun-young, also known as siren eun young jung, a candidate for Korea Artist Prize 2018 / Courtesy of MMCAArtists tackle social, gender issues By Kwon Mee-yooFrom nearly extinct female-only theater and the imaginary International Date Line to science fiction animation from the 1960s and the reason for being of a community, the four nominees of the Korea Artist Prize 2018 explore social issues in aesthetic and political ways.The annual award, established in 2012, is co-organized by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) and SBS Foundation.Artist Jung Eun-young, also stylized as siren eun young jung, has spent about a decade researching "yeoseong gukgeuk," a type of female-only theater that was most popular in the 1950s. Her latest work analyzes the sociopolitical background of the forgotten theatrical practice.The exhibit begins with a hallway of archival photos, videos and newspaper clippings about yeoseong gukgeuk. Due to its all-female nature, female performers played the male roles like Japan's famous all-female troupe Takarazuka Revue. "I picked yeos

Aug 14, 2018By Kwon Mee-yoo
3 artists, trio shortlisted for Korea Artist Prize
Arts & Theater

'Lion King' will roar into Korea in November

Scar, left, and Mufasa in scene from "The Lion King" /Courtesy of DisneyBy Kwon Mee-yooDisney's musical “The Lion King,” one of the most successful stage shows in history, will visit Korea once again after 12 years and for the first time in the original English production.The international tour of “The Lion King” will begin at Daegu's Keimyung Art Center in November and then move to Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul in January 2019 and the newly opening Dream Theater in Busan in April.“'The Lion King' is a global phenomenon like no other in the history of live entertainment. We are incredibly proud this show keeps on living, with nine different productions currently staged,” Felipe Gamba, director of International Strategy for the Disney Theatrical Group, said at a press conference in Seoul on July 30.Based on the animated film of the same name, “The Lion King” musical has attracted over 95 million viewers from 100 cities in 20 countries since its 1997 Broadway debut.Felipe Gamba, director of International Strategy for the Disney Thea

Aug 9, 2018By Kwon Mee-yoo
'Lion King' will roar into Korea in November
Arts & Theater

German photographer Candida Hofer takes portraits of empty spaces

Candida Hofer poses in front of her work on display at Kukje Gallery in central Seoul. / Courtesy of the artist and Kukje GallerBy Kwon Mee-yooGerman photographer Candida Hofer explores how humans and space influence each other and interprets the relationship from a contemporary perspective. The most notable characteristics of Hofer's photographic works are that she captures the empty interior of public spaces. The absence of humans highlights what people do in those spaces and what spaces do to them. Works displayed on the first floor of the Kukje Gallery K2 for the artist's fourth solo exhibition, "Spaces of Enlightenment," in Seoul mainly feature theaters and opera houses, which represent the change in social status in modernization.The spatial composition and use of a theater is closely related to the dissolution of the class-based society and the philosophy of enlightenment. From ancient times until the 18th century, music was possessed and enjoyed by churches in the center. Composers transacted music personally with patrons and they were the main audiences for music. So, back t

Aug 1, 2018By Kwon Mee-yoo
German photographer Candida Hofer takes portraits of empty spaces
Books

Scandals reshape publishing world

Shin Kyung-sook  Park Min-kyuBy Kwon Mee-yooIt has been about three months since famed novelist Shin Kyung-sook admitted plagiarizing and the Korean literary circle is still suffering from the aftermath.Shin is one of the most acclaimed and widely read novelists in Korea, who won the Asian Man Booker Prize. She is best known internationally for "Please Look After Mom," which was translated into 19 languages.In June, novelist and poet Lee Eung-jun contributed to online news outlet the Huffington Post, claiming that Shin plagiarized passages of her 1996 short story "Legend" from the Korean translation of the late Japanese author Yukio Mishima's "Patriotism."Shin denied the allegations at first, but later admitted copying phrases partially and publisher Changbi stopped printing the story."I sincerely apologize to the literary writer who raised the issue as well as all my acquaintances, and above all, many readers who read my novels ... Everything is my fault," Shin said in an apology.Korea's top writer's plagiarism and the publishers coping with the issue in a half-hearte

Sep 11, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo
Scandals reshape publishing world
Arts & Theater

Take your first piece of art home

Kim Yul-hee, director of Affordable Art Fair SeoulCourtesy of Affordable Art FairBy Kwon Mee-yooEverybody has to start somewhere. Now is a good time to start gathering an art collection in Seoul because galleries are offering reasonably priced fine art for the duration of the first Affordable Art Fair (AAF) in Seoul.Held from this Friday until next Sunday at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in downtown Seoul, the AAF Seoul will feature some 2,000 artworks from over 80 galleries located in 14 countries. Prices will range from 500,000 won ($420) to 10 million won ($8,400). The AAF was founded by Will Ramsay and aims to make contemporary art more accessible.Kim Yul-hee, the fair director of AAF Seoul, shared tips for beginners on how to start an art collection."The Korean art market has been steady for a while, and is neither dull nor on the rise. There are many art fairs in Korea, but most of them are similar ― the same art galleries participate with similar sorts of artworks. The AAF is an addition to the market which needs a change," Kim said.The Ramsay Fairs researched the Korean

Sep 8, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo
Take your first piece of art home
Arts & Theater

New Asian Arts Theatre explores contemporary geopolitical diversity

Frie Leysen, left, curator of the upcoming Asian Arts Theatre in Gwangju, explains the 2015-16 season program "Our Masters" at a press conference at the Foreign Press Center in central Seoul, Tuesday. On the right is Asian Arts Theatre artistic director Kim Seong-hee. / YonhapBy Kwon Mee-yooThe Asian Arts Theatre (AAT), part of the new Asia Culture Center in Gwangju, announced its 2015-16 season program which begins in September. It will highlight milestones in contemporary performing arts and current issues in Asia.The season consists of two major sections ― "Our Masters" and "Asia Window." The Our Masters program is curated by Belgian festival director Frie Leysen, who has been at the forefront of discovering new forms of theater. Asia Window is co-organized by five curators from five different Asian countries, representing the vibrancy of performing arts across Asia.Kim Seong-hee, artistic director of the theater, said the two programs complement each other, providing a better understanding of Asia from the perspective of inside and outside as well as past and prese

Jul 28, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo
New Asian Arts Theatre explores contemporary geopolitical diversity
Arts & Theater

Artist Yang Hae-gue's work on display around the world

Yang Hae-gue’s “Sallim”(2009) is on display at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. / Courtesy of Kukje GalleryBy Kwon Mee-yooThe works of Korean artist Yang Hae-gue's are on show at leading contemporary art museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.Since her solo exhibition "Haegue Yang: Shooting the Elephant Thinking the Elephant" finished at Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art earlier this year, the artist, 44, has been working internationally, including solo exhibitions "Sample Book" at Dependance in Brussels, Belgium and "Temporary Permanent" at Galerie Wien Lukatsch in Berlin, Germany.Two of Yang's artworks that substitute artistic experiment for ordinary daily life have been selected for the MoMA and the Guggenheim's exhibitions from their collections.The MoMA's "Scenes for a New Heritage: Contemporary Art from the Collection," running through April 10, 2016, features artworks representing the political, social, and cultural flux that shape today’s global landscape. Yang's in

Jul 12, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo
Artist Yang Hae-gue's work on display around the world
Arts & Theater

Seoul Theater Festival marred by venue problems

Park Jang-ryul, center, president of the Seoul Theater Association, shaves his head along with other executives of the association in a protest against the Arko Arts Theater’s sudden closure at a press conference in front of the theater in Daehangno, Seoul, Monday. The Arko Arts Theater’s main theater is usually home to the Seoul Theater Festival, organized by the Seoul Theater Association. / YonhapArts Council Korea suddenly closes festival’s main venueBy Kwon Mee-yooThe 36th Seoul Theater Festival (STF) opened on April 4 with a variety of plays, but the festivities have been overshadowed by a feud revolving around the festival's main venue.With the theme of "Theater is the soul and hope of the times," the festival aims to promote theatrical works reflecting the spirit of the time, but the thespians faced a closure of the Arko Arts Theater, the venue for its opening and closing plays, in the midst of the festival this year.Established in 1977 as the Korea Theater Festival, the STF is the oldest performing arts festival in Korea dedicated to plays. The festival

Apr 13, 2015By Kwon Mee-yoo
Seoul Theater Festival marred by venue problems
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