K-wave AI News

Hello and welcome to your AI guide to the latest cultural updates from Korea. Here's our top story.

Amid surging global interest in Korean culture, the National Museum of Korea has welcomed more than four million visitors so far this year. From January through August 20, attendance reached four million seventy three thousand, nearly double the figure from last year.

The museum has steadily gained popularity, attracting nearly 4.2 million visitors in 2023 and ranking sixth among the world's most visited museums, according to the UK's Art Newspaper.

The museum's annual attendance is on track to set a new record this year, fueled in part by the success of the smash-hit animated film "KPop Demon Hunters."

On Thursday, the film's director, Maggie Kang, visited the museum and toured the exhibits with Museum Director You Hong-june.

Korea's largest art fairs, Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul, will kick off at Seoul's COEX on September 3.

The two fairs will showcase a wide range of works, from multi-billion-won masterpieces to works by emerging artists, presented by galleries from Korea and abroad.

Frieze Seoul will feature more than 120 galleries worldwide, highlighting works from American abstract pioneer Adolph Gottlieb, Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami, and leading Korean artists such as Ha Chong-hyun and Kim Yun-shin.

Kiaf Seoul, or Korea International Art Fair, will bring together 175 galleries, about one-third of which are international.

A modern reinterpretation of the Joseon Dynasty's royal ritual dance, "Jongmyo Jeryeak," is captivating audiences.

The performance by the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre titled "Ilmu," meaning "One Dance," premiered in 2022 and has since evolved each year with refinements in choreography, costumes, and staging.

Praised for embodying the Korean aesthetics of restraint and empty space, Ilmu reflects the evolution of traditional values into a modern language.

Creative director Jung Ku-ho noted that while the production maintains Korea's traditional roots, it seeks to present transformation for today's audiences.

Ilmu runs at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts through Sunday, before moving to the Gangneung Arts Center on August 29 and the Daegu Arts Center on September 4 and 5.

That's all from me. Stay tuned to the Kulture Wave.