The Korea Foundation on Thursday said the University of Sheffield in the UK had started an online class using “Learn! Korean with BTS” as its textbook on Feb. 10. This is the first Korean e-lecture series using BTS textbooks launched in the UK. In August last year, the Korea Foundation, K-pop powerhouse Big Hit Entertainment’s education business unit Big Hit Edu and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies joined forces to develop and provide Korean-language learning programs. Th

Olympic Park K-Art hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul, will be turned into a venue for online K-pop concerts, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Wednesday. The new studio is scheduled to launch in October. “Contactless online concerts are not an alternative for face-to-face performances. It is a new kind of cultural content. How to create global and differentiated content by combining offline performance and advanced technology is crucial for the development of the future content in

The Korea Creative Content Agency and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Tuesday announced a budget of 14.66 billion won ($13 million) to support the local video content industry. The budget, which was increased by around 3 billion won in total compared to last year. The conventional broadcast sector will receive 4.5 billion won in funding. A new subcategory for documentary series has been made this year under this sector. In the short-form sector, 2.15 billion won has been allot

Ticket resellers crowd out genuine ticket buyers, driving up black market prices for admissions

Culture Minister Hwang Hee on Thursday said it is important to inject money into developing cultural infrastructure here during a press conference. He raised putting money into renovating 266 local cultural and arts centers, which are currently only being used for small local events or holding training sessions for reserve forces, into a place that artists can actually perform as one of the example projects the ministry is reviewing. “Currently it is difficult to present any performanc

The Korea Creative Content Agency announced a budget of 22.4 billion won ($20 million) to promote the local games industry and produce global game content. The budget, which is a significant increase from last year's 14.7 billion won last year, will be used to fund four different sectors -- general games, functional games, new technology-based games and new market-creating games. The total number of projects to receive funding also increased to 66, from 46 last year.   Of the 22.4 billion

Broadcaster Sijosae on livestreaming platform Afreeca apologized in the early hours of Wednesday for videos he uploaded during his trip in Brazil earlier this month. Videos of Sijosae’s trip stoked controversy as Sijosae presented a Brazilian favela in a derogatory light and commented on the appearance of women walking in front of him. He also was criticized for walking around without properly wearing a mask. Brazil is among the countries that has been worst hit by COVID-19. The videos b

With KBS’ “Gag Concert,” the last regular sketch comedy show on a terrestrial broadcaster, coming to an end last year after a 21-year run, and COVID-19 greatly limiting opportunities for onstage performances, last year saw numerous comedians rushing to start their own YouTube channels. “To be honest, it’s sad that many comedy programs have disappeared. ‘Gag Concert’ and ‘People Looking for a Laugh’ among others disappearing is the reason wh

Baby boomers increasingly turn to plastic surgery to shave off years as more seniors stay active

Korean startup SmartStudy co-founder and CFO Lee Seung-gyu on Thursday shared the secrets behind its character Baby Shark’s global success during an event held by Corea Image Communication Institute at the residence of the New Zealand ambassador. SmartStudy is known for its popular animated characters Pinkfong and Baby Shark. Its YouTube channel has more than 8.92 million subscribers. On Nov 2 last year, the Korean startup’s English version of the “Baby Shark Dance” vi

Composer Alexey Shor may be considered an enigma of sorts, a composer whose relatively late emergence onto the landscape of classical music has been marked by performances of his works at some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls and by renowned artists from across the world. This year will see further performances of Shor’s works in locations around the world. Described as neo-romantic and neo-classical, Shor’s works present a penchant for traditional harmony and co

As the harsh winter season is gradually coming to an end, fresh spots are opening up on the street corners of Hongdae, Seoul, for those who can sing, dance and are ready to perform in front of crowds this coming spring. The Mapo-gu district office’s tourism department said Monday it will begin recruiting artists for the event, “2021 Hongdae Culture Tour - To Hongdae, to culture, and to tourism,” to be held at the Walking Street in the popular district. 　 The categories for th

Starting this year, award certificates presented by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will be on “hanji,” Korea’s traditional paper handmade from mulberry trees. The purpose is to support the nation’s hanji industry, which is suffering from a lack of demand despite its competitive quality, the ministry announced. The ministry stated on Tuesday that they had established a hanji consultative body in October 2020, with the participation of both central and local

Visiting theaters in Daehangno Sunday, new Culture Minister Hwang Hee suggested testing audiences with rapid coronavirus tests, as part of measures to prop up the hard-hit sector. Hwang suggested establishing two temporary centers in the art neighborhood for rapid polymerase chain reaction testing, which is currently under review by authorities. If the audiences can be tested right before using the facilities, the theaters would be able to operate without the one-seat-apart social distancing r

With the rise of US social media app Clubhouse, Korean celebrities also quickly hopped on the trend to socialize with their celebrity acquaintances as well as fans. Developed by California-based startup Alpha Exploration, the buzzy app is a new type of social network based on voice. The platform allows users to start and join its unique group chat room. Creators of the room and few others that are chosen by the creators can talk freely in this conversation room, while others listen. These li