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Kim Se-jeong

Korea Times K-Culture Reporter

I am covering trend, food and fashion. Previously, I covered diplomacy, city, environment and unification.

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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

1d agoBy Kim Se-jeong
From France to AI: Seoul book fair returns next week
K-pop

Grammy Awards to add Asian pop category

The Grammy Awards announced Tuesday (U.S. local time) the creation of a new category for Asian pop music, following previous nominations of K-pop stars BTS and BLACKPINK member Rosé in major categories. The Recording Academy, the organizer of the prestigious music awards, said it will add the Best Asian Pop Music Performance award. Other additions include Best R&B Collaboration or Duo/Group Performance, Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance, Best Traditional Folk Album and Best Latin Song. Earlier this year, "Golden" from the hit animated film "KPop Demon Hunters" won Best Song Written for Visual Media, becoming the first K-pop song to receive a Grammy Award. BTS, meanwhile, became the first K-pop act to perform at the awards show and earn a Grammy nomination when the group's song "Dynamite" was nominated in the Best Pop/Duo Performance category in 2020. The global stars have since earned multiple nominations in the succeeding years. BLACKPINK's Rosé also made Grammy history for being the first K-pop artist to open the awards ceremony when she performed her global hit "APT." with pop

Jun 17, 2026By Kim Se-jeong
Grammy Awards to add Asian pop category
Music

EJAE, Andrea Bocelli perform at World Cup opening ceremony

Singer-songwriter EJAE, who performed the hit song “Golden” from the popular animated film “KPop Demon Hunters,” joined renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli in performing FIFA's official World Cup anthem, “DNA,” at the tournament's opening ceremony in Mexico City, Thursday (local time). Wearing a sleeveless blue gown with crossed halter straps, the Korean American singer drew attention from Korean audiences by singing a brief line in Korean: “Although I fall, I stand up again.” FIFA said “DNA” embodies the spirit of solidarity and unity for the historic tournament, which is being co-hosted for the first time by three countries — the United States, Canada and Mexico. The competition will be held across 16 cities and feature 48 teams until July 19.

Jun 12, 2026By Kim Se-jeong
EJAE, Andrea Bocelli perform at World Cup opening ceremony
K-pop

Former BTS music producer to attend music conference next week

K-pop music producer Alex Karlsson, who has made music for boy group BTS, will speak at a music conference slated for Monday in Seoul. According to Leeway Music & Media, Karlsson will be among the panel at a music conference organized to celebrate the 140th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and France this year. The venue for the conference will be THILA Ground in the Hongdae area of western Seoul. Karlsson was behind BTS’ “We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal” (2020). He has also worked on music for other popular K-pop groups, such as SuperM, ENHYPEN, TXT, ATEEZ and Le Sserafim. Other speakers at the conference include jazz artist Amy Gadiaga, Mutant Ninja founder Tarafa Sahloul and Salpot Music Group's Andnew. They will share their thoughts and insights on K-pop, its globalization and the power of music. Monday’s conference will be followed by two other sessions, scheduled for June 15 and 22. The final session is set for the day after the French global music festival, “Fete de la Musique,” which will also take place in Seoul this year.

Jun 6, 2026By Kim Se-jeong
Former BTS music producer to attend music conference next week
Korean Heritage

4 additional tidal flats move closer to UNESCO World Heritage status

Four tidal flats in southern Korea have received a recommendation for inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List from an international advisory body, the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) said Friday, in a positive development for the Korean government ahead of the World Heritage Committee's session in Busan in July. Korea's tidal flats, also known as "getbol," were first inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2021. Since then, the government has sought to expand the site by adding four additional tidal flats — in Yeosu, Goheung and Muan in South Jeolla Province, and Seosan in South Chungcheong Province — to the existing World Heritage tidal flats in Gochang in North Jeolla Province, Seocheon in South Chungcheong Province, and Boseong and Suncheon in South Jeolla Province. According to the KHS, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) concluded that Korean Tidal Flats Phase II satisfies the World Heritage criterion for biodiversity conservation and the protection of threatened species, and recommended the World Heritage Committee approve a major boundary modification

Jun 5, 2026By Kim Se-jeong
4 additional tidal flats move closer to UNESCO World Heritage status
Opinion

When nobody wants a piano anymore

I was in the fourth grade when my parents bought me a piano. I had been taking lessons for two years and wanted one desperately. When it arrived in the room I shared with my brother, I felt as if I had the whole world. Part of the excitement came from the sense of privilege. Few children in my class had a piano at home, and I suddenly became one of them. The instrument my parents bought was not new. It was a secondhand upright piano. Yet that hardly mattered to me. What mattered was that I finally had a piano to practice on — and, to be honest, to show off to friends who visited me at home. That sense of pride stayed with me for years. In fact, the piano remained in my childhood room longer than I did. When I left home for college, it stayed. When I graduated from graduate school and started working, it was still there. In 2008, when I was 28, the piano moved to my aunt's apartment in Seoul, where it served her two children, then ages 7 and 10, who were learning to play. Years later, she passed it on to an acquaintance. Three years ago, another piano entered my life. An acquaintance of

Jun 3, 2026By Kim Se-jeong
When nobody wants a piano anymore
Others

Gojong’s 1905 letter to US president found after 121 years

The original copy of Korean Emperor Gojong’s 1905 letter to U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt was found last month at the U.S. Library of Congress, 121 years after it was written, the Hulbert Memorial Society said Wednesday. The letter, written in Chinese, was recovered on April 20 along with a six-page handwritten English translation by U.S. missionary and educator to Korea Homer Hulbert (1863-1949), whom the emperor had appointed as a special envoy to deliver it to the U.S. president. On Oct. 16, 1905, Gojong wrote the letter amid mounting pressure from Japan to turn Korea into a protectorate, appealing to Washington in a diplomatic effort to keep Japan at bay. “Japan has assumed the position of an enlightened power and she cannot thus break her pledged word and revert to purely oriental methods without losing in the minds of all thoughtful people the moral prestige which her avowed principles would secure for her if strictly adhered to,” the letter read. “For the sake of the Korean people we beg of you to use your powerful influence in this direction and to refuse to become a

May 7, 2026By Kim Se-jeong
Gojong’s 1905 letter to US president found after 121 years
Music

Chung Myung-whun brings ‘Carmen’ to Korea Times spring concert

The Korea Times Spring Concert, Friday, featured maestro Chung Myung-whun and the KBS Symphony Orchestra at Seoul’s Lotte Concert Hall, presenting French composer Georges Bizet’s opera “Carmen,” one of the most popular works among Korean audiences. Instead of a traditional staged opera, the performance presented a concert version, a format that places greater emphasis on the music rather than elaborate sets and staging. Premiered in Paris in 1875, “Carmen” is a tragic love story between the Romani woman Carmen and the soldier Don Jose, set in Seville, Spain. Unlike many operas centered on love and sacrifice, “Carmen” is driven by jealousy, desire and obsession, culminating in death. For this reason, it was initially criticized as vulgar and immoral. Over time, however, it came to be recognized as a masterpiece for its realistic portrayal of love as a clash between possession and personal freedom. “Carmen” is filled with melodies familiar to many in the audience. The 120-minute performance opened with the prelude and featured highlights including “Habanera,” “To

Apr 18, 2026By Kim Se-jeong
Chung Myung-whun brings ‘Carmen’ to Korea Times spring concert
K-pop

BTS comeback brings cheers from fans worldwide

Fans from around the world, ranging from teenagers in Argentina to a housewife in Korea, gathered at Gwanghwamun Square, Saturday night, united by one sentiment: “It’s great to see BTS back together.” Tens of thousands of ARMY members screamed, chanted and waved purple light sticks throughout the 60-minute concert, “BTS COMEBACK LIVE: ARIRANG,” the group’s first live performance in three years and five months. “From the moment they said, ‘we’re back’ at the very beginning, I was already getting emotional. Seeing how well they prepared for their comeback show — it was really moving,” Bella Lai, 16, from Taiwan, told The Korea Times. Lai, who has followed the group for four years, also said: “All the ARMYs were chanting and singing together — the atmosphere was just amazing.” Ann, a fan from the Philippines, said, “The show was overwhelming. The scale, the energy, the music — everything made it unforgettable. We’re just happy to be here.” For Park Jee-yoon, a 49-year-old housewife from Korea, the struggle to secure tickets and the sacrifices she made t

Mar 22, 2026By Kim Se-jeong
BTS comeback brings cheers from fans worldwide
People & Events

Korea is cool, trendy country to Spaniards: cultural center chief

When Korea was named guest of honor at La Mar de Musicas, an annual music festival in the southern Spanish city of Cartagena, the Korean Cultural Center in Spain saw an opportunity to do more than play a few songs. It turned the stage into a window to Korean culture, drawing some 40,000 visitors and wide local media coverage. That effort helped earn the center a special recognition from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which recognized it alongside centers in Vietnam, Thailand, China and Japan at its annual gathering of representatives from roughly 40 Korean cultural centers worldwide. The Seoul meeting, held each year, gives center directors a chance to share experiences and learn from one another. Korean Cultural Center in Spain Director Shin Jae-kwang said the recognition reflected the work his center carried out over the past year. “For many Spaniards, Korea is seen as a cool and trendy country with much to offer. I feel honored to be part of introducing different aspects of Korean culture to Spanish audiences,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times Wednes

Mar 12, 2026By Kim Se-jeong
Korea is cool, trendy country to Spaniards: cultural center chief
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