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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

Korea’s traditions come to life in Toronto in September

As Korean culture — from K-pop and Korean dramas to traditional crafts and cuisine — continues to captivate global audiences, Korean Intangible Cultural Heritage Week 2025 arrives in Toronto this fall. Organized by the Korea Heritage Service and Korea Heritage Agency, the event marks the program's first major overseas expansion in North America. The two-week celebration invites Canadians to experience the richness of Korean intangible heritage not as relics of the distant past, but as vibrant cultural practices that remain relevant today. The centerpiece of the event is the exhibition, “Once Upon a Day of Lady Kim with K-craft,” running from Sept. 11 to 23 at Arta Gallery in Toronto’s Distillery District. Rather than a conventional historical showcase, the exhibition reimagines the life of a fictional Lady Kim, exploring the daily lifestyle and wisdom of Korean women through handcrafted works passed down over generations. The exhibit features 192 pieces across 91 categories, including a gold-and-silver inlaid peony wedding chest by National Intangible Cultural Heritage traditi

Aug 27, 2025By Kwon Mee-yoo
Korea’s traditions come to life in Toronto in September
Arts & Theater

Inside ‘Sleep No More’ Seoul: How Livi Vaughan turned former cinema into immersive theater

Entering the McKithan Hotel in Chungmuro, Seoul, feels like slipping into a fever dream. Behind its doors, reality fragments into a series of vignettes: A man scrubs blood from his hands in a porcelain basin; a glamorous ball hides secrets and betrayals; a woman in a red dress manipulates a haunting ritual; a maid offers a suspicious milky drink; and a nurse beckons a lone guest to her eerie hut. This is “Sleep No More,” British theater company Punchdrunk’s immersive experience that reimagines Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” through Alfred Hitchcock and film noir, which has finally arrived in Korea after years of anticipation. The show rewrites the rules of traditional theater, trading fixed seats and prosceniums for masked audiences who chart their own paths. “Immersive theater is not just a show, it’s a world, and we plunge the audience into the epicenter of that world,” said Felix Barrett, artistic director of Punchdrunk and creator of “Sleep No More.” “Once they’re in there, it’s a living, breathing environment where a narrative occurs around them and the audien

Aug 26, 2025By Kwon Mee-yoo
Inside ‘Sleep No More’ Seoul: How Livi Vaughan turned former cinema into immersive theater
People & Events

Michigan State University students explore Korean culture during Seoul trip

As Korean pop culture continues to resonate far beyond the peninsula, a group of Michigan State University (MSU) freshmen experienced the Korean Wave firsthand through a new First-Year Seminar Abroad program that brought them to South Korea. From palace grounds to K-pop studios and from historic landmarks to immersive musical productions, the two-week course offered students a dynamic introduction to Korean society and its global cultural impact. The course, titled "K-cultures: Stories and Identity in Korean Cultures," was led by professor Laura MacDonald from MSU’s Residential College in the Arts and Humanities, who did a fellowship at Ewha Womans University and studied Korean musical theater. Designed to help new students develop critical thinking and intercultural understanding, this year marks MSU’s first-ever overseas seminar to Korea, reflecting the growing appeal of Korean culture among young Americans. For many students, the trip was a way to deepen their understanding of Korean culture beyond what they had encountered online. Emad Shahjahan, a double-major in comparative cu

Jul 25, 2025By Kwon Mee-yoo
Michigan State University students explore Korean culture during Seoul trip
Arts & Theater

Korean musical 'Swag Age' makes UK debut in one-night-only concert

The award-winning Korean musical “Swag Age: Shout Out, Joseon!” will make its London debut this autumn in a concert performance at the Gillian Lynne Theatre on Sept. 8. Titled “Swag Age in Concert,” the one-night-only staging will bring the genre-bending production to a global stage for the first time, introducing U.K. audiences to a unique fusion of Korean history, hip-hop and the universal message of resistance and freedom. Set in a fictionalized Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910), the musical imagines a society where sijo — a traditional poetic form once embraced by common people as a way to endure life’s hardships — is banned in the wake of a political conspiracy. The story follows the revival of sijo through a national poetry competition and a secret rebel group known as Golbindang, who risk everything to reclaim artistic expression and cultural identity from the grip of a powerful court official who monopolizes the genre. “It is truly meaningful to have this piece held in London at this amazing venue through ‘Swag Age in Concert,’” playwright Park Chan-min said in

Jul 24, 2025By Kwon Mee-yoo
Korean musical 'Swag Age' makes UK debut in one-night-only concert
Arts & Theater

‘The Great Gatsby’ readies to roar to life in Seoul in August

After dazzling audiences in New York and London, “The Great Gatsby” is making its way to Seoul, marking a rare moment in theater history where a Broadway-originated production runs simultaneously in three global capitals. The 15-week Seoul engagement begins with previews on Aug. 1, before officially opening at GS Arts Center in southern Seoul on Aug. 8. The musical, adapted from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel, was first brought to life on stage by Korean producer Shin Chun-soo. In 2024, Shin made history as the first Korean and first Asian to serve as a solo lead producer on Broadway. Just one year later, the show premiered in London’s West End. Now, with its Seoul debut, Shin admitted that unveiling the show in his home country comes with a unique sense of pressure. “To be honest, I feel even more nervous here than I did for Broadway or the West End,” he said during a showcase at Mood Seoul on Some Solvit, Tuesday. “There, it was an exciting kind of tension. But here in Korea, it's more of an anxious kind of tension — because this is my home turf and I feel the wei

Jul 15, 2025By Kwon Mee-yoo
‘The Great Gatsby’ readies to roar to life in Seoul in August
Arts & Theater

CJ ENM to adapt film 'Dancing Queen' to musical, sets sights on global stage

CJ ENM is set to turn its 2012 hit film “Dancing Queen” into an original musical with ambitions beyond Korea, tapping top-tier Broadway creatives to bring the story to life on stage. Leading the charge is Tony Award-winning director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell, best known for Broadway hits such as “Kinky Boots,” “Hairspray,” and more recently “Boop! The Musical” and “The Devil Wears Prada.” Joining him is New York-based Korean American composer Helen Park, who made history as the first Asian woman nominated for Best Original Score at the Tony Awards with “KPOP.” Playwright Cho Min-hyung, behind Korean musicals such as “Let Me Fly” and “ChaMe,” will write the book. Originally released in 2012, the film “Dancing Queen” features Uhm Jung-hwa and Hwang Jung-min in a heartwarming comedy about a woman who reignites her dream of becoming a singer while juggling life as a politician’s wife. “This story, grounded in the belief that dreams have no expiration date, is universally resonant,” Mitchell said in a statement Tuesday. “I see great potential

Jul 8, 2025By Kwon Mee-yoo
CJ ENM to adapt film 'Dancing Queen' to musical, sets sights on global stage
Opinion

After 'Squid Game,' world sees Korea differently

Last weekend, a "Squid Game" parade brought downtown Seoul to a standstill as the final episodes of the global hit's third and final season dropped. Giant floats of the menacing Young-hee doll and nostalgic "dalgona" candy, as well as legions of pink-suited guards, rolled through the streets. It felt like a scene out of fiction, but instead, it was a reminder of how a Korean drama has evolved into a full-fledged global phenomenon. When I first saw that "Squid Game" had become Netflix’s most-watched series of all time, I initially assumed it meant the most-watched among Korean titles. But no — it surpassed global hits such as "Wednesday," "Stranger Things" and "Bridgerton." A Korean series, in the Korean language, outpaced English-language juggernauts to become a household name worldwide. Even now, the scale of its success feels almost surreal. “Squid Game” didn’t just dominate entertainment headlines. It marked a turning point in the history of global content. More than a hit, it cracked open the cultural hegemony long dominated by English-speaking productions. It proved that

Jul 2, 2025By Kwon Mee-yoo
After 'Squid Game,' world sees Korea differently
Lifestyle

11 new King Sejong Institutes open in 9 countries as global demand for Korean language surges

As global enthusiasm for the Korean language continues to grow, the Korean government designated 11 new King Sejong Institutes (KSIs) in nine countries this year, following a record-high competition rate of 8.5 to 1. The additions bring the total number of institutes to 252 locations across 87 countries, signaling the Korean language’s unprecedented international appeal. This year’s expansion includes six new centers in Asia, two in Africa and three in Europe, each chosen to respond to surging local demand for Korean language and culture education. In Egypt, where the only existing KSI, located at the Korean Cultural Center in Cairo, faced a waitlist of 1,285 students, two new centers will open at Ain Shams University in Cairo and Alexandria University. The expansion comes as Korean businesses increase their presence in the African country. Uzbekistan, already home to seven KSIs, will see the addition of another at Ajou University in Tashkent. The decision reflects a rise in demand for Korean language education geared toward employment and overseas study in the country, supported by

Jun 30, 2025By Kwon Mee-yoo
11 new King Sejong Institutes open in 9 countries as global demand for Korean language surges
K-pop

Why K-pop’s rise in London is about more than just music

LONDON — It’s a Sunday afternoon near Covent Garden. A crowd begins to form as dancers glide through the sharp, synchronized moves of TWICE’s “I Can’t Stop Me.” The performers — members of iKloud, one of London’s grassroots K-pop cover crews — channel the song’s sleek energy with striking precision. Diverse in race, gender and background, they move as one, drawing out phones and smiles from curious onlookers. Scenes like this — whether K-pop cover shoots, TikTok challenges or random play dances — are now a regular sight at London’s landmarks. From the Southbank to King’s Cross, K-pop’s influence in London runs deeper than dance moves or catchy tunes, reshaping how young Londoners express themselves, build community and foster cultural connection. Community built from ground up London's K-pop fan community flourished in unexpected ways during the COVID-19 pandemic. For Bee and Katie, co-founders of BKT K-pop Events, it started online — watching music videos, discovering new groups and admiring the fashion and choreography. What began as casual fandom soon

Jun 26, 2025By Kwon Mee-yoo
Why K-pop’s rise in London is about more than just music
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Arts & Theater

With trophies on table, Hue Park reflects on Tony win, sets sights on new stages

Hue Park, writer of this year's Tony Award-winning musical “Maybe Happy Ending,” is living through whirlwind days just weeks after making history as the first Korean national to win Broadway’s highest honor. Park described seeing his two Tony trophies sitting on his New York kitchen table as surreal — a daily reminder of the responsibility he now carries. “I haven’t found a proper place for them, so I just put them on the table. I had breakfast looking at them. It’s still strange to me that these symbolic trophies are now in my humble home,” Park said during a press conference in Seoul, Tuesday. “Maybe Happy Ending” is a musical about two Helperbots in near-future Seoul who discover fireflies, love and the meaning of goodbye. It was first staged in Korea in 2016 and made its Broadway debut in November 2024. Park’s visit to Korea, initially intended as a quiet family reunion, quickly turned into a media frenzy as congratulations poured in for the historic achievement. Despite the fanfare, Park revealed that he and composer Will Aronson kept expectations low during aw

Jun 24, 2025By Kwon Mee-yoo
With trophies on table, Hue Park reflects on Tony win, sets sights on new stages
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