The Korea Times

'Can you invite BTS to my exhibition?'

The influence of BTS is no longer confined to music. Beyond sold-out concerts and millions of devoted fans, the K-pop boy band is increasingly making its presence felt in areas people might not immediately associate with pop culture. I was reminded of this recently during a conversation with an acquaintance who runs an art gallery in Seoul and has worked extensively with Latin American artists and galleries. She told me that in recent years, she has occasionally received an unusual request from artists preparing exhibitions in Seoul: "Can you invite BTS to visit or attend my exhibition?" The question might sound amusing, but it reflects a growing awareness of the band's cultural and commercial influence in the art world. For artists and galleries, having a global superstar such as a BTS member visit an exhibition could mean more than a celebrity appearance. It could attract new audiences, boost attendance and potentially draw the attention of collectors who might otherwise never have encountered the artist's work. Celebrity influence in fashion, design and popular culture is nothing new

12h agoBy Kim Se-jeong

Travel & Food

PHOTO Visit Yeoncheon's charms

Foreign tourists participate in the Demilitarized Zone tour program organized by Grand Korea Leisure (GKL), the operator of the foreigner-only casino Seven Luck in Seoul, in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, Saturday. GKL organized the tour in collaboration with Yeoncheon to support the county's drive to attract more foreign tourists. The participants visited Taepoong military observatory and Jaein Waterfalls during the tour. Courtesy of GKL

Oct 19, 2026By Kim Se-jeong

Korean Heritage

American helped bring spacing to Hangeul

When it comes to Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, two figures are often mentioned: King Sejong (1397-1450), who initiated its creation, and linguist Ju Si-gyeong (1876-1914), who helped develop and systematize Korea's modern grammar and writing system. Last year, Yoo Hong-june, director of the National Museum of Korea and a historian, highlighted another important contributor to the development of Hangeul: Homer Hulbert (1863-1949), an American educator, Christian missionary and scholar. “Hulbert recommended Ju Si-gyeong use spacing in Hangeul writing, and Ju accepted the recommendation. That decision to accept the recommendation, I believe, made the biggest contribution to Hangeul’s development,” Yoo said during a lecture on Hangeul. Kim Dong-jin, chairman of the Hulbert Memorial Society (HMS), also said historical records provide supporting evidence that Hulbert was behind bringing spacing to Hangeul. Newspaper with Hangeul Hulbert came to Korea in 1886 as a teacher at Yugyeong Gongwon, also known as the Royal English School, one of the country’s first modern schools. Hulbert became

Oct 9, 2026By Kim Se-jeong and Park Jin-hai

American helped bring spacing to Hangeul

Others

Suspected cyberattack hits Seoul's megachurch

Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul said Wednesday it was hit by a suspected cyberattack that might have exposed personal data affecting hundreds of thousands of its members. As the world’s largest congregation, the church reportedly has between 800,000 and 1 million members. It also hosts high-profile visitors, including U.S. Ambassador Michelle Steel who recently participated in a service. The church said it was notified of the breach by the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) Tuesday afternoon. The compromised data involved a file containing the history of changes to membership information, including names, dates of birth and records of address changes. "The file contained 2,629 changes to resident registration numbers, 3,964 changes to phone numbers and 7,202 changes to addresses," the church said in a statement. The church said it was notifying affected members of the breach in accordance with relevant laws and procedures. It also said it had taken additional security measures, including blocking external access to its systems and changing server passwords. Senior Pastor Lee Youn

Oct 7, 2026By Kim Se-jeong

Suspected cyberattack hits Seoul's megachurch

People & Events

Photo Honoring Homer Hulbert

Kim Dong-jin, chairman of the Hulbert Memorial Society, delivers a speech during the 77th commemoration event in Seoul for Homer Hulbert (1863-1949), an American Christian missionary who educated many Koreans during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He also supported Korea's independence from Japan, and the Korean government awarded him the Order of Merit for National Foundation posthumously. Courtesy of Hulbert Memorial Society

Aug 27, 2026By Kim Se-jeong

Opinion

War in Ukraine and emotional scars on Russian men

A war leaves scars not only on those who are attacked, but also in many ways on the people on the aggressor’s side. In these times of general affluence in South Korea, not many can relate to the devastations of the ongoing conflict despite the history of the 1950-53 Korean War. Russia’s war against Ukraine, launched in February 2022, has killed and wounded countless Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. The number of fatalities among Russian soldiers is just as high. There are also stories of North Korean soldiers who fought with the Russian side, killed and seized as prisoners of war. But the war has also driven many Russian men to leave their country to avoid conscription. Some have ended up seeking refuge in Korea. In 2023, Koreans heard stories of Russian asylum seekers stranded for months at Incheon International Airport, unable to enter the country as they sought protection. A few months later, however, those stories disappeared from the news — and, I have to admit, from my mind. Then, in June, more than four years after the invasion began, I encountered a self-described Russian

Aug 12, 2026By Kim Se-jeong

War in Ukraine and emotional scars on Russian men

Travel & Food

Chinese tourists present dilemma for casinos in Korea

Korea's casino industry has been thriving in recent years, fueled by a steady rebound in inbound tourism, as the country's 17 foreigner-only casinos benefit from a growing number of visitors from Asia. This has prompted securities firms to issue bullish outlooks on the sector, as they expect more Chinese visitors in particular, given Korea's visa waiver program for Chinese group tourists. Yet, their visits to casinos here are a thorny issue in the industry because it is illegal for Chinese citizens to gamble overseas. While Chinese travelers are believed to account for a significant share of casino revenue, operators are reluctant to publicly identify them as their primary target market, let alone disclose data on their clients. Although they continue marketing activities in China, they do so discreetly. The Chinese government is aware of the situation. In a recent letter sent to The Korea Times, the Chinese Embassy in Seoul criticized the Korean casinos' practices of specifically targeting Chinese. "Chinese law maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward gambling, and it is also illegal for

Aug 3, 2026By Lee Hae-rin, Kim Se-jeong and Yulu Ao

Chinese tourists present dilemma for casinos in Korea

Korean Heritage

Daily showcase brings Korea's intangible heritage to World Heritage Committee

Through ongoing daily performances, the 48th World Heritage Committee meeting is proving a valuable forum for showcasing Korea's intangible cultural heritage at Busan's BEXCO. The National Intangible Heritage Center's (NIHC) new production, "Hexagram 22" — inspired by the 22nd hexagram of the I Ching — is the key event, with performances already sold out. Visitors and committee participants at the meeting have the opportunity to experience a wide range of traditional performing arts through the Korea Intangible Cultural Heritage Performing Arts Market Showcase. The showcase runs at 1 p.m. every day except Wednesday at the Korea Stage in Exhibition Center 1. With the last events scheduled next Monday, each day features two to four performances by practitioners and preservation organizations for Korea's intangible cultural heritage. July 23 The showcase opens Thursday with "Yowangmaji," presented by the Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut Preservation Association for National Intangible Cultural Heritage. The ritual from Jeju was performed to pray to the sea gods for protection and an abun

Jul 21, 2026By Kim Se-jeong

Daily showcase brings Korea's intangible heritage to World Heritage Committee

People & Events

Ex-vice culture minister wins AI jazz music award

Former Vice Culture Minister Yong Ho-seong won an artificial intelligence (AI) jazz music contest held in Montreux, Switzerland, on Friday (local time), according to the organizer. Yong's composition, "Frozen Edge," took the top prize at the AI.LOVE.JAZZ, which was held alongside the Montreux Jazz Festival, one of the world's largest jazz festivals. This year marked the inaugural edition of the AI.LOVE. JAZZ competition. Yong joined the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 1993 and served as first vice minister from 2024 to 2025 before retiring. Beyond his public service career, he is also known as a drummer and music critic. After retiring, the former vice minister enrolled at SM Universe, an educational affiliate of SM Entertainment, to study AI-assisted music composition. Since then, he has devoted himself to creating music inspired by Shakespeare's 154 sonnets. "Frozen Edge," inspired by Sonnet 97, explores the emptiness following a breakup, comparing the emotion to the biting cold of winter. He submitted three works to the competition and plans to release a series of albums. Sp

Jul 12, 2026By Kim Se-jeong

Ex-vice culture minister wins AI jazz music award

Books

From France to AI: Seoul book fair returns next week

The 68th edition of the Seoul International Book Fair is less than a week away. Scheduled to take place from June 24 to 28, one of Korea's longest-running literary events has already demonstrated its popularity, with early-bird tickets selling out ahead of the opening. This year's fair is bringing together 538 publishers from Korea and abroad, along with 326 speakers and authors participating in book talks, lectures and workshops. The popular event has recently faced criticism from some small publishers, who argued that its growing scale and commercialization have marginalized independent presses from the book fair. Exploring AI and future of humanity Artificial intelligence (AI) will be a major theme throughout the fair. The event's keynote lecture will feature novelist Eun Hee-kyung and poet Hwang In-chan, who will examine representations of the body in literature and the meaning of human embodiment in an AI-driven era. AI will also be the focus of a separate session featuring actor and writer Kim Shin-rok and neuroscientist Chang Dong-seon. Together, they will explore a question: Can h

Jun 19, 2026By Kim Se-jeong

Kim Se-jeong

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