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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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Films

Documentary revives legacy of ‘Pig Father’ who helped lift Jeju from poverty

The selfless and dedicated life of Irish Catholic missionary Patrick James McGlinchey (1928-2018), who devoted himself to helping Jeju residents, is well remembered on the island — but little known in the rest of Korea. That may soon change with the release of a new documentary highlighting the priest and his legacy. The 30-minute film "Do You Know the Pig Priest of Jeju?" was among 22 winners of a video content award organized by Arts Council Korea (ARKO). ARKO funded the project and screened it Thursday at the Korean Film Archive, along with other award-winning works. “When I visited Jeju for work last year, I learned about him for the first time. I was shocked that I had never heard of him and wanted to tell his story,” said Kwag Tae-gwan, a media artist who directed the documentary. “St. Isidore Farm is a popular place in Jeju and attracts many tourists. I hope more people will watch the film and learn about the priest and the great things he did for the island.” Father McGlinchey, known in Korea as Im P.J. arrived on Jeju in 1954 as a member of the Missionary Society of St

Nov 21, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
Documentary revives legacy of ‘Pig Father’ who helped lift Jeju from poverty
  • Irish priest helps islanders get out of poverty through farming
Music

Korean Chamber Orchestra celebrates 60 years with finale of Beethoven Symphony Project

The Korean Chamber Orchestra (KCO) will present Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 and No. 5 in an upcoming concert in December, marking the ensemble’s 60th anniversary. The performance serves as the final celebratory event of the year and the culmination of the orchestra’s yearlong Beethoven Symphony Project. “This concert will mark the end of our journey for the KCO — and the first step toward a new beginning," according to the orchestra in a statement. “Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 marked the beginning of his creative musical world. The chamber orchestra will offer audiences its characteristically rich, concentrated sound and delicate interpretation,” the KCO added. Regarding Symphony No. 5, the orchestra noted: “One of the world’s most famous symphonies, Beethoven’s 5th symphony embodies themes of struggle, perseverance and triumph. Under the artistic vision of Music Director Kim Min and conductor Choi Soo-yeoul, the orchestra’s dense, cohesive ensemble will come together to convey the powerful message of ‘Fate Symphony.'" The program will also feature Samuel Barber

Nov 19, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
Korean Chamber Orchestra celebrates 60 years with finale of Beethoven Symphony Project
Music

Chung Myung-whun, renowned soloists to lead KBS Symphony’s 70th anniversary season

As the KBS Symphony Orchestra prepares to celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2026, it is planning a series of large-scale performances featuring major conductors and renowned Korean soloists in the classical music world. Founded in 1956, the KBS Symphony Orchestra was the first orchestra in Korea to be affiliated with a broadcasting organization. It played a significant role in raising public awareness of classical music and providing wider access to the genre. The 2026 lineup prominently features Korean maestro Chung Myung-whun, a former chief conductor of the orchestra. Even after stepping down, Chung has continued to collaborate with the orchestra; next year he will conduct Mahler’s Symphonies No. 4 and No. 5 at project concerts on March 13 and Oct. 12, respectively, after leading Symphonies No. 1 and No. 2 this year. He is also expected to conduct a concert version of Bizet’s opera, "Carmen," on April 18. Other conductors in the spotlight include Eliahu Inbal, who will conduct Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 13 on Feb. 28; Marek Janowski, who will lead Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4 o

Nov 18, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
Chung Myung-whun, renowned soloists to lead KBS Symphony’s 70th anniversary season
Arts & Theater

Adoptee artist Henrik Uldalen explores identity, acceptance through raw portraits

Born in Seoul in December 1986, Henrik Uldalen was adopted by a Norwegian couple when he was just a few months old. He grew up in Asker, a small town outside Oslo, with what he describes as a “loving family” of parents and two siblings as well as friends. A quiet child, he found refuge in drawing and once imagined becoming an art teacher. Instead, he became an artist and settled in London about a decade ago. For most of his life, he focused on blending into the communities around him. “I spent the majority of my life up until last year actively avoiding conversations about adoption,” he recalled in an interview with The Korea Times on Nov. 12. “I shut down any attempt from my parents to talk about Korea and learn more about my life there.” Uldalen just “wanted to be a ‘normal’ Norwegian.” “But over the years, it became clear that many things in my life directly correlated with refusing my true self — a lack of belonging anywhere, rootlessness, and biological and physical differences from Norwegians and most Westerners.” That changed last year, when Whitestone Gall

Nov 18, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
Adoptee artist Henrik Uldalen explores identity, acceptance through raw portraits
Books

‘Be frugal, keep writing’: Advice from ‘Second Chance Convenience Store’ author to aspiring writers

For the many aspiring authors in Korea who dream of becoming bestselling writers, let alone Nobel laureates like novelist Han Kang, author Kim Ho-yeon offered a dose of realism. “You need to learn how to live a frugal life,” said Kim, author of international bestseller “The Second Chance Convenience Store,” during a book talk at Mapo Central Library in Seoul on Friday. “Until you become well-known, you generally don’t earn much, so you have to learn to spend less.” Since 2021, “The Second Chance Convenience Store” has sold more than 2 million copies in Korea and been translated into various languages, including English, Japanese, Chinese and Polish. The story, a blend of humor and drama, follows Dokgo, a homeless man struggling with alcoholic dementia, and Yeom Young-sook, a convenience store owner who hires him as a part-timer. To Yeom’s surprise, he turns out to be a diligent worker who improves the store’s operations and sales. Kim’s emphasis on frugality comes from experience. His career as a novelist didn’t truly begin until 2013, when he was in his late 30s

Nov 16, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
‘Be frugal, keep writing’: Advice from ‘Second Chance Convenience Store’ author to aspiring writers
Shows & Dramas

AI makes its way into K-dramas as new narrative tool

It is amazing to watch how rapidly language-based artificial intelligence (AI) has seeped into everyday life. People now turn to AI for almost everything, from summarizing reports to planning their weekend. Some seek help with deeply personal issues, including health or relationships. This shift is now beginning to appear in Korean drama narratives. In the second episode of Tving’s 16-part romantic comedy "Nice to Not Meet You," Lim Hyun-joon (Lee Jung-jae), a middle-aged actor facing an identity crisis, consults an AI chatbot — voiced by singer and actor Jeong Eun-ji — for career advice. The series follows Hyun-joon, who has played only one role throughout his career — a detective. The character makes him both famous and wealthy, but has also left him creatively stagnant. His failed attempts to branch out into new roles leave him frustrated, anxious and increasingly depressed. In the third episode, the AI reappears as Hyun-joon seeks guidance on what to wear and how to style his hair for a blind date with journalist Wi Jeong-shin (Lim Ji-yeon). "Nice to Not Meet You" isn’t the

Nov 15, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
AI makes its way into K-dramas as new narrative tool
Music

FEBC-Korea honors Korean War veterans with fall concert

Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC)-Korea commemorated fallen soldiers of the 1950-53 Korean War and the 75th anniversary of the Incheon Landing Operation with its annual fall concert at Lotte Concert Hall in southern Seoul, Tuesday. The event coincided with U.N. Veterans International Memorial Day, designated to honor soldiers who fought under the United Nations flag during the war. Korea has observed the day since 2007. The concert’s lineup featured soprano Jungwon Choi, tenor John Noh, bass-baritone Yoo Myung-heon, the Mostly Philharmonic Orchestra and the FEBC Children’s Choir. The 100-minute program opened with John Williams' "Superman" theme song by the Mostly Philharmonic, followed by Choi and the children’s choir performing a medley from “The Sound of Music” and the Christian hymns “How Great Thou Art” and “Precious Lord, Take My Hand.” Noh then took the stage, moving the audience with a solo performance of “Grace,” followed by a duet with Choi of the hymn “Amazing Grace” and the Korean folk song “Arirang,” accompanied by pipe musician Byun Woo-rim.

Nov 13, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
FEBC-Korea honors Korean War veterans with fall concert
Films

'Hallan' revisits lingering pain of Jeju's April 3 Uprising

Almost seven months after the Jeju April 3 Uprising archives were added to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, a new film about the tragedy is set to hit theaters, inviting audiences to revisit one of the darkest chapters in modern Korean history and to remember its victims once more. Starring actor Kim Hyang-gi, “Hallan” follows Ah-jin, who struggles to protect her six-year-old daughter Haesaeng (Kim Min-chae) while hiding in the forests of Mount Halla from police and soldiers in the late 1940s. The title, “Hallan,” refers to an orchid native to Jeju Island. Director Ha Myung-mi said the film was born from her deep empathy for Jeju residents. “In 2013, I moved to Jeju Island. Every year, I took part in the memorial ceremony for the uprising. But just feeling sad didn’t seem enough — I felt guilty for the islanders,” Ha said during a press conference in Seoul, Wednesday. “I began to wonder how I could truly empathize with them, and realized that understanding their stories could be a way to share that sorrow. That’s why I decided to make this film.” The Jeju Apr

Nov 12, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
'Hallan' revisits lingering pain of Jeju's April 3 Uprising
Shows & Dramas

Inside mind of ‘Dear X’: Monster made by absence of love

Is a monster born or made? That was the question Ban Ji-un asked herself while adapting her webtoon “Dear X” into a Tving drama. By the fourth episode of the thriller-romance, it’s clear: Baek Ah-jin (Kim You-jung) wasn’t born a monster. She became one. As a child, Ah-jin endured brutal abuse — first from her alcoholic mother, then her father and stepmother. By the time she reaches adolescence, the rules of life were clear: No one will protect you, so use them before they use you. Behind her flawless beauty and sharp intelligence, Ah-jin hides psychopathic tendencies and skill in manipulation, which she uses in her career as an actress as well as when the cameras are off. Kim plays Ah-jin with unnerving restraint, with a cold gaze and voice. She exploits and discards people, especially men, watching their lives collapse with a smile. Yoon Jun-seo (Kim Young-dae) is her willing victim. Aware of Ah-jin’s cruelty, he still devotes himself to her, even aiding in the murder of her father. “If God existed, I’d ask why I fell in love with this devilish girl,” he says in a hauntin

Nov 12, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
Inside mind of ‘Dear X’: Monster made by absence of love
  • Kim You-jung becomes angel-faced devil in thriller romance 'Dear X'
Books

Author Jang Ryu-jin says AI may write stories, but not 'Parasite'

Best-selling author Jang Ryu-jin said that no matter how smart or creative artificial intelligence becomes, it will never be able to produce a masterpiece like "Parasite," the 2019 Academy Award-winning film co-written by director Bong Joon-ho. “I think AI (artificial intelligence) can very quickly produce certain types of stories — like, ‘make me a story like this’ or ‘make me a story like that,’ especially ones that follow a certain formula or structure,” Jang said during a book talk organized by The Korea Times alongside the award ceremony for the 56th Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards at Kyobo Building in central Seoul Tuesday. “But when it comes to stories that reach a certain level of depth or artistry, I don’t think AI could ever create those ... For example, AI can write mass-produced kinds of stories, like when you tell it, ‘Put in this element, add that, include this part and write it like this.’ It can definitely do that," Jang said. "But I really don’t think AI could ever make something like Bong Joon-ho’s 'Parasite.' I actually think AI

Nov 5, 2025By Kim Se-jeong
Author Jang Ryu-jin says AI may write stories, but not 'Parasite'
  • Korea Times Translation Awards recognize voices bridging Korean literature with world
  • Sugar-dusted Korean bestseller 'To the Moon' takes off in English edition
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