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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

Life more dramatic than fiction: Writing contest winner shares story of resilience

“I couldn’t tell anyone I was pregnant,” wrote Cha Ea-kyoung, now 58, recalling one of the most harrowing moments of her life in her autobiographical essay, "A Teenage Mom’s Courageous Struggle in Tumultuous Life." "My mom’s business had failed and she was constantly on the run from loan sharks. Telling a friend wouldn’t have made any difference… Then, one sunny spring day in my senior year of high school, I suddenly blacked out. It happened right after I picked up the paperwork I needed to get my ID card." Despite having no formal writing background, Cha’s powerful life story found a spotlight on Brunch, an online platform for aspiring authors. Operated by Kakao, the platform periodically selects standout works to help publish, providing an opportunity for non-professional writers to reach a wider audience. Cha’s essay was one of the winners in the platform’s 12th Brunch Book Project, chosen from more than 10,000 entries. Early motherhood Her family’s hostility meant Cha and her partner had to stay strong and go it alone. They cut ties with their families for the mo

Oct 14, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
Life more dramatic than fiction: Writing contest winner shares story of resilience
Others

BTS member Jin among guests at YouTuber KwakTube’s wedding

Jin of K-pop group BTS was among the guests at the wedding of YouTuber and TV personality KwakTube, held in Seoul on Saturday. According to photos circulating on social media, Jin stood among dozens of guests for a group photo at the ceremony. Jin and KwakTube appeared together on "Kian’s Bizarre B&B," a Netflix reality show set on Ulleung Island, where Jin served as a guesthouse manager and KwakTube helped as a part-timer. The show aired early this year. In addition to Jin, the wedding was attended by several other celebrities including TV personality and cartoonist Kian84, YouTuber Pungja and actor Ryu Hyun-kyung. The ceremony was emceed by TV personality Jun Hyun-moo, and the music performance was provided by the vocal duo Davichi. The identity of KwakTube’s spouse has not been revealed, other than the fact that she is not a celebrity. KwakTube, whose real name is Kwak Joon-bin, began making travel vlogs in 2018 with videos from Azerbaijan, where he was working at the time. His YouTube channel gained popularity for its authenticity, as he shared personal stories and experiences. Hi

Oct 12, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
BTS member Jin among guests at YouTuber KwakTube’s wedding
Korean Heritage

National heritage recognition sought for forgotten cabinet gifted by King Gojong

Sitting in the headquarters of the Hulbert Memorial Society in Seoul, an antique cabinet once belonging to Homer B. Hulbert (1863-1949), decorated with shimmering mother-of-pearl inlay, is no ordinary piece of furniture. Standing at more than 170 centimeters tall, the cabinet is adorned with delicate motifs of flowers, trees, grasses and animals rendered with a level of craftsmanship rarely seen in furniture made for common use. The cabinet was a gift from King Gojong, the last king of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), to Hulbert, American missionary and educator who served in Korea for more than 20 years during one of the nation’s most turbulent eras. Although the exact timing and circumstances of the presentation remain unclear — likely sometime in the late 19th century — the gift symbolizes the close relationship between the monarch and the foreign scholar. Arriving in Korea in 1886, Hulbert taught the children of the Joseon Dynasty's royal family and other aristocrats. He also authored “Saminpilji,” a textbook written in Hangeul (Korean alphabet) for his students, and publi

Oct 3, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
National heritage recognition sought for forgotten cabinet gifted by King Gojong
Foreign Affairs

APEC summit promo features Korean president alongside star-studded cast

A promotional video for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, released Thursday, is drawing attention for its star-studded cast — including an appearance by President Lee Jae Myung guiding an airplane on the tarmac. The video features G-Dragon, DJ Peggy Gou, film director Park Chan-wook, former footballer Park Ji-sung, Jang Won-young of the K-pop group IVE and Korean American chef Anh Sung-jae. The promotion was directed by commercial and film producer Shin Woo-seok. In the clip, G-Dragon plays a pilot who enters a restaurant where the celebrities appear as diners. Just as he is about to speak, a waitress in hanbok played by IVE’s Jang calls him to move the plane. Outside, the scene shifts to a hanok that is near an airport runway where Lee appears and assists by directing a plane. The APEC summit will take place Oct. 31–Nov. 1 in Gyeongju, a historic city in southeastern Korea.

Oct 2, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
APEC summit promo features Korean president alongside star-studded cast
Korean Heritage

Gov't unveils Park Bo-gum photos to promote hanbok worldwide

Five photos of actor Park Bo-gum in hanbok (traditional Korean attire) were unveiled Thursday by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Park, who gained global fame with the Netflix series "When Life Gives You Tangerines," has been appointed the government’s hanbok ambassador for 2025. The newly released images spotlight the elegance of hanbok in both traditional and modern interpretations. In one, Park dons a pale lavender robe embroidered with floral patterns, holding a Hibiscus syriacus — the national flower of Korea — in his hand. Two other photos feature him wearing a "gat" (a traditional Korean hat), which has recently gained popularity thanks to the Netflix animated film "Kpop Demon Hunters." The photos will go public next Monday through large-scale displays in New York’s Times Square, Milan’s Piazza del Duomo, Tokyo’s Shinjuku district and Citadium Caumartin in Paris. In Seoul, the images will be featured in the popular shopping area of Myeong-dong. The effort is part of the ministry’s “2025 Hanbok Wave” initiative, which aims to boost global awareness of

Oct 2, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
Gov't unveils Park Bo-gum photos to promote hanbok worldwide
Music

Seoul Int’l Music Festival returns with dance-inspired program

The Seoul International Music Festival (SIMF), one of Korea’s three major classical music festivals, is returning for its 17th edition later this month with a program inspired by dance. “I wanted to bring people fun and happiness through the festival,” said Ryu Jae-joon, the artistic director, at a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday, explaining why he chose dance-themed music for this year’s program. Along with the Tongyeong International Music Festival and Music in PyeongChang, SIMF is considered one of the country’s leading classical music events. All three festivals organize their own orchestras that are active during the festival period. The opening concert on Oct. 30 at Lotte Concert Hall will feature Astor Piazzolla’s “Histoire du Tango,” originally for flute and guitar but arranged for orchestra, as well as Mozart’s Divertimento No. 17 in D major; Haydn and Rosetti’s Concerto for Two Horns, M.C56Q; and Saglietti’s Suite for French Horn and String Quartet. “Just as translation was crucial for Han Kang to win the Nobel Prize in literature, so is arrangement

Oct 1, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
Seoul Int’l Music Festival returns with dance-inspired program
Korean Heritage

Cosplay contest brings Korea’s national treasures to life

The Buddha, tiger and magpies, golden earrings and crowns, and Goryeo celadon — symbols that usually appear in Korean relics and folk paintings came to life Saturday as costumes at a heritage cosplay contest organized by the National Museum of Korea. The award ceremony took place in the plaza outside the museum and 10 winners strutted down a red carpet, showing off their elaborate creations to a cheering audience. The grand prize went to two men who transformed themselves into a pair of gold earrings once worn by royals of the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C.-A.D. 935). The earrings are designated national treasures. “We chose the earrings because they are less well-known. I hope more people will learn about them through us,” the winners told a local Korean news outlet. Second place went to three Japanese participants who cosplayed as a tiger and magpies, a common motif in Korean folk paintings, or “Hojakdo,” made during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). “We were inspired by the tiger in the film 'KPop Demon Hunters,'” one of them said. Other winners included a woman who paid tribute to

Sep 28, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
Cosplay contest brings Korea’s national treasures to life
People & Events

PHOTO UNESCO aids learners with limited education access

Participants and organizers of UNESCO's BRIDGE Programme make hand gestures during its opening ceremony in Seoul, Tuesday. Launched by the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, the BRIDGE Programme aims to empower people with limited access to education around the world. This week's workshop in Seoul, which runs through Friday, shares knowledge with participants from 13 countries. Courtesy of Korean National Commission for UNESCO

Sep 25, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
[PHOTO] UNESCO aids learners with limited education access
Music

'Squid Game' composer to premiere ‘Inferno’ with Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra

Composer Jung Jae-il, known for his haunting music in films and dramas such as "Parasite" (2019) and "Squid Game" (2021), is stepping into the classical spotlight with his first original orchestral creation written for the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO). The 15-minute piece, titled "Inferno," will premiere Thursday and Friday during SPO’s concerts at Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul. Next month, it will make its America debut during the orchestra’s U.S. tour, including a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City. "What set this project apart from my previous works was that everything had to start and end with the music itself,” Jung, 43, said during a press conference on Tuesday. “In the process, I endured days of despair that felt like hell.” The composition, structured in four movements, draws inspiration from the final lines of Italo Calvino’s novel "Invisible Cities" (1972) and depicts a descent into inferno, then ascends toward peace through orchestral structure. Despite his impressive resume, the project pushed Jung to his limits. Without formal education in classical mu

Sep 23, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
'Squid Game' composer to premiere ‘Inferno’ with Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra
People & Events

How opera director Ahn Joo-eun uses music to connect world

When Ahn Joo-eun left for Russia in 2000 after one year at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, the desire for the music student was to seek independence from her famly. "I didn't let my parents know that I was leaving Italy. And I kept it like that for two years," Ahn, a 45-year-old opera director, told The Korea Times during an interview in Seoul Monday. She studied vocal music at a university in Novosibirsk, a city in central Russia. Looking back, she believes that the random decision to move to the Russian city laid the foundation for her career as an opera director who is also actively connecting Korea with the wider world through music. When Ahn arrived in the Russian city over two decades ago, she didn't speak a word of Russian. “I didn’t leave my room for three days until I had memorized the alphabet," she recalled. She pushed herself to learn the language quickly. After acquiring a bit of fluency in the Russian language, she took side jobs to support herself, among which was an interpreter position with Orion, the Korean snack company known for Choco Pies, assist

Sep 23, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
How opera director Ahn Joo-eun uses music to connect world
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