BTS draws French president to Paris concert ahead of World Cup halftime showK-pop powerhouse BTS drew French President Emmanuel Macron and first lady Brigitte Macron to its stadium concert in Paris on Friday (local time), highlighting the global influence of the band ahead of its historic upcoming performance at the World Cup final. President Macron shared a video of the concert on his social media on Saturday with a message in French saying "Bienvenue a Paris," which means welcome to Paris. The K-pop band held the European finale of its world tour, titled "BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG,’” at the Stade de France from Friday to Saturday. During the first show on Friday, the French leader and the first lady surprised the audience by watching the performance from the stands. The presidential couple appeared on the stadium's giant screens during the concert while the band members were moving around the stage to interact with the crowd. The stadium instantly erupted into cheers as the screens showed the couple smiling and holding the official BTS glowing fan light sticks. French media observed the concert took place as Korea and France celebrate the 140th anniversary oJul 19, 2026By Baek Byung-yeul
InterviewCharlie Puth returns to Korea for 1st stadium concertAmerican singer-songwriter Charlie Puth still vividly remembers the night a Seoul crowd refused to stop cheering. "There was this one moment when the crowd cheered for a straight five minutes nonstop. I was stunned," Puth said in a recent written interview with The Korea Times, recalling his first concert in Korea in 2016. "It was very early into my career and I just couldn't believe what was happening. I felt like my life changed overnight." A decade later, the 34-year-old hitmaker is set to return for his biggest Korean show yet. Puth will perform at Goyang Sports Complex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 11 at 7 p.m., marking his first stadium concert in the country. The show, presented by Live Nation Korea as part of his "Whatever's Clever!" world tour, is his first standalone concert here in about two years. "Korea holds such a special place in my heart," he said. "Now seeing it grow to arenas and now a stadium, it's surreal. I'm so grateful for that consistent love over the years." That growth has been steady and striking. Puth's 2016 debut concert in Seoul sold out within 10 miJul 15, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min
Bass Yoo Seung-ho wins 2nd prize at Sumi Jo In'tl Singing Competition in FranceAs the Sumi Jo International Singing Competition wrapped up its second edition in France, Saturday, Korean bass singer Yoo Seung-ho, 25, won second prize in the final round of the contest at La Ferte-Imbault Castle in the Loire region. The top honor went to American baritone Trevor Haumschilt-Rocha, 27, while Romanian soprano Paulo Iancic, 32, finished third. Yoo, a senior in vocal music at Seoul National Univeristy and top graduate of Gyeongbuk Arts High School, was competing abroad for the first time. “I didn’t expect much because all the other participants were so good, and it was my first international competition,” Yoo told reporters after the awards ceremony. “I’m happy to get such a good result. It doesn’t feel real. I want to tell my parents first, and when I return to Korea, I’ll keep studying hard and do my best,” he said. The competition, launched in 2024 as the first international vocal contest named after a Korean soprano, is held every two years for singers aged 18 to 32. Jo serves as part of the jury. This year’s edition drew more than 500 applicants from 5Jul 12, 2026By Lee Hae-rin
Ysaye Int'l Music Competition to stage final round in KoreaThe Ysaye International Music Competition, a global platform for young violinists founded in Belgium, will hold its final round in Korea this year for the first time, reflecting Asia's growing importance in the classical music world. The 2026 finals will take place July 10 and 11 at Incheon Arts Center in Gyeonggi Province, co-hosted by the Korea International Arts School and the Belgian organization. The competition, launched in 2018 in Liege, birthplace of Belgian violinist-composer Eugene Ysaye, has until now held all its stages in Belgium. This year, 121 applicants from 23 countries entered the competition, with preliminary and semifinal rounds already held in Belgium. Twenty violinists are expected to compete at the finals. Competition director and founder Elena Lavrenova said the decision to move the finals abroad for the first time was driven by both artistic philosophy and geography. “We chose Korea because we had the best partners in Korea,” she said during a press conference, adding that the majority of applicants now come from Asia. She stressed that the competition, builtJul 7, 2026By Lee Hae-rin
hathaw9y introduces ‘introvert’s way of loving’ with sophomore albumFor the three members of Busan-based indie-pop band hathaw9y, love is the anchor that best captures the stories they hold close to their hearts. What others may find cheesy or cliche sits opposite for the band, which recently released its sophomore album, “Lovers,” a record that explores the quiet, nuanced ways that introverts love. “I’ve always thought that all the countless emotions we feel in life are ultimately discovered within the biggest emotion of all, which is love. That thought still holds true for me today, which is why I think I keep coming back to the theme of love,” drummer Seyo told The Korea Times. Instead of loud declarations or grand gestures, the band gravitates toward what feels most natural to the members. For instance, the quiet, steadfast presence of the drummer’s childhood cat served as the inspiration for the title track, “Lover,” beautifully capturing the overarching theme of the album. “It’s interesting because we actually are introverts, and we’re becoming even more introverted over time,” main vocalist and guitarist Kiwi mused. While lJun 30, 2026By Mariel Abanes
K-pop rookie CORTIS' debut album racks up 600 mil. Spotify streamsK-pop boy band CORTIS' debut album, "Color Outside the Lines," has surpassed 600 million streams on Spotify, the group's agency said Thursday. The feat comes after the album surpassed the 100 million mark a month after its release in September, according to BigHit Music. Physical album sales have so far reached 2.1 million units, it added. The five-member group's second EP, "GreenGreen," ranked No. 61 on the Billboard 200 in the latest tracking week, after peaking at No. 3 last month.Jun 25, 2026By Yonhap
The Grateful Camp reimagines what music festivals can beAs music festivals in Korea continue to grow in size and scale, The Grateful Camp is going a different direction. The upcoming festival features at least 20 great local acts, including Galaxy Express, Seoul Electric Band, Windy City, Chang Kiha, Tiger Disco, CHS, hathaw9y and Radio Revolution, performing at at Jjangttungeo Beach in Sinan, South Jella Province, from Sept. 4 to 6. Rather than focusing only on bigger stages and larger lineups, The Grateful Camp aims to create a temporary world where music, nature and people come together. For the team behind the festival, the most important part is not what happens on stage, but what happens between people. The festival began in 2020, when tropical psychedelic groove band CHS held a small performance at a campsite in a forest in Gapyeong County, northeastern Gyeonggi Province. Surrounded by nature and a ree-spirited audience, the experience became the foundation of what The Grateful Camp wanted to create. Ahead of its next chapter, Kim Se-hoon, executive director of The Grateful Camp, spoke about the festival’s origins, philosophy and whyJun 25, 2026By Daniela P. Solano
Brazilian DJ Alok to headline Paradise City club event in IncheonParadise City, an integrated resort near Incheon International Airport, will host Brazilian EDM artist Alok on July 4 in the fifth installment of its recurring club event series, CHROMA KEY. The CHROMA KEY 005-MOVE AS ONE event will take place at CHROMA, Paradise City's large-scale nightclub designed to evoke the atmosphere of Ibiza and Las Vegas. The venue features a massive LED installation called the Venetian K-Sphere and a high-end sound and lighting system. Alok, a Latin Grammy-nominated DJ-producer, is ranked No. 1 in Latin America and No. 3 globally by DJ Mag, a leading electronic music trade publication. He has more than 70 million social media followers — the second-highest of any electronic music artist worldwide — along with 33 million monthly Spotify listeners and more than 5 billion cumulative global streams. Known for large-scale live performances, Alok drew approximately 2.5 million people to a New Year's Eve concert on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro last year, a crowd that earned a Guinness World Record. He has collaborated with artists including U.S. singer John LJun 24, 2026By Jhoo Dong-chan
Lim Yunchan wins Instrumentalist of the Year at Germany's top classical awardsKorean pianist Lim Yunchan has been named Instrumentalist of the Year at Opus Klassik 2026, Germany's most prestigious awards for classical music. The non-profit German Association for the Promotion of Classical Music announced on its website Monday (local time) that Lim received the honor for his album "J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations," released in February. He was selected from around 680 recordings and projects submitted for this year's awards. German violinist Christian Tetzlaff and horn player Sarah Willis were also named recipients in the same category. Lim's win marks the second consecutive year a Korean pianist has claimed the title, following Cho Seong-jin's victory last year for his recording of "Ravel: The Complete Solo Piano Works." It adds to a string of international accolades Lim has garnered in recent year. In 2024, he became the first Korean pianist to win a piano category award at the Gramophone Awards with his debut studio album "Chopin: Etudes." Last year, he took home three prizes at the BBC Music Magazine Awards last year, including Recording of the Year.Jun 23, 2026By Yonhap
Baritone Matthias Goerne, pianist Sunwoo Ye-kwon bring Schubert's songs to SeoulGerman Baritone Matthias Goerne and pianist Sunwoo Ye-kwon will guide Seoul audiences through the stark emotional landscape of Schubert’s “Winterreise” on Sunday, bringing the wintry song cycle to life during the sweltering Korean summer. The concert is part of the Hansae Yes24 Foundation’s “Hansae Classic Lied” series, which aims to popularize the German art song repertoire by pairing leading international vocalists with top Korean pianists. This year’s edition reunites Schubert’s 24-song masterpiece with one of its most acclaimed interpreters and a homegrown star pianist who calls the composer “the most personal and human” in his music world. “For me, Schubert is maybe, next to Bach, the most important composer,” Goerne told reporters at a press conference in Seoul Thursday. “Without Shubert, I think I would say I never would have become a singer.” The baritone recalled discovering the composer’s music as a child and now estimates he has performed it at least 250 times for nearly four decades on every continent. Goerne described “Winterreise” as a “reJun 18, 2026By Lee Hae-rin
