Chin Unsuk-led music festival opens with two emerging artists at forefront
TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province — The Tongyeong International Music Festival, founded in 2002 to commemorate the late composer Isang Yun, opened Friday in the Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, along the southern coast as wildfires rage on near the city and political turmoil gripped the country.
The annual classical music festival typically includes a slate of fringe performances in smaller or alternative venues across Tongyeong. However, this weekend's events have been postponed due to a major wildfire in neighboring Sancheong County — the birthplace of Isang Yun. The wildfires began March 21 and were still causing extensive damage in the region as of Friday afternoon.
Renowned composer Chin Unsuk, now in her fourth year as the festival's artistic director, emphasized, "Many people are suffering due to the wildfire and both domestic and international affairs remain highly complex. With a sense of humility, we plan to carry out the festival."
Explaining the theme 'Journey Inwards,' Chin — recipient of the 2024 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize and the 2025 International Classical Music Award for Contemporary Music — said, 'In a time when political and economic conflicts are erupting around the world, and everyone is having to endure so much, perhaps listening to music — even if only for a moment — can be a chance to take an inner journey and rediscover something within ourselves.'
Running through April 6, the festival places two rising stars at its center: South Korean pianist Lim Yunchan and Spanish cellist Pablo Ferrandez, both serving as artists-in-residence.
'Even before I took the directorship, many musicians who had been to TIMF recommended it to their fellow artists,' Chin had remarked three years ago, her first year in the role, adding, 'TIMF is perhaps more recognized outside Korea.'
While the festival has long been a destination for classical music enthusiasts in Korea, it is drawing broader public attention this year thanks in large part to the soaring popularity of Lim Yunchan, the 20-year-old pianist who became a global sensation after winning the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2022.
Tickets for the opening concert — featuring Lim with the TIMF Orchestra under the baton of conductor Fabien Gabel — and Lim's solo recital sold out within one minute and 58 seconds, respectively.
'After Isang Yun's music, I believe my mission is to support and foster young musicians from Korea,' Chin said. 'That's why I invited artists like Yang In-mo and Kim Sun-wook in previous years. Thankfully, Lim Yunchan, who considers Tongyeong a place that feels like home, was available to join this year.'
Lim shares a deep connection with the festival: In 2019, he became the youngest winner of Korea's Isangyun Competition, which is organized by the Tongyeong International Music Foundation.
'Cellist Pablo Ferrandez is an emerging artist who is rapidly gaining recognition,' Chin added. 'We invited him this year, and I have high expectations for his performance.'
This year marks both the 30th anniversary of Isang Yun's passing and the 100th anniversary of Pierre Boulez's birth, with major works by the two composers featured in the festival program. Composer-in-residence Hans Abrahamsen's works will be also introduced.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
4 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Korean version of 'Baby Shark' wasn't plagiarized: Supreme Court
Top court says US composer's arrangement of the children's song cannot be considered an original work The South Korean iteration of "Baby Shark" cannot be considered to have violated the copyright law, the Supreme Court confirmed on Thursday, as it upheld an earlier court ruling against the US plaintiff's claim that accused the popular song of being plagiarized. The country's top court confirmed the earlier ruling in the legal proceedings launched by New York-based composer Johnny Wright — known as Johnny Only — in 2015. He claimed that the globally famous song produced by the education company Pinkfong (previously named SmartStudy) had plagiarized his 2011 version of the popular children's song. The underlying song and the characters are believed to be in the public domain, according to the New York Times, since the song has been popular among children for decades. "In case of a new song based on a preexisting one, one needs to add sufficient revision for it to be socially accepted as a new work, in order for it to be protected as a copyrighted material. ... Minor changes added to the original material cannot be considered an original creative work, and thus cannot be protected by the copyright law," the court said in its ruling. Both the works of Wright and Pinkfong Company are based on the well-known children's song, which had been arranged into different versions multiple times before. The versions of the songs can be traced back to the 20th century, often used at children's summer camps and kindergartens in the form of a sing-along. Wright released his version of the song, targeting toddlers by removing elements that could be interpreted as violent. He claimed that the Korean company's version is directly derivative of his version, but Pinkfong Company claimed that its version was an arrangement of the original song. Pinkfong Company's version of "Baby Shark" has become a global hit via YouTube since its 2016 release. It became the first YouTube video to achieve 10 billion views, and is currently the most-watched video on the platform with over 16 billion views.
Korea Herald
5 days ago
- Korea Herald
Lawyer-turned-CEO aims to rewrite rules of entertainment industry
After decades working at the crossroads of law and entertainment — from serving as a prosecutor and entertainment lawyer to leading CJ ENM as its chief executive officer — Kang Ho-sung is taking on a new challenge: Building an agency that redefines what it means to professionally represent South Korean celebrities. His latest venture, KHS Agency, goes beyond traditional management, he said. 'Korea's management system still hasn't properly developed a specialized agency system,' Kang told The Korea Herald. 'Now that the Korean market is one of the leading markets in the global entertainment industry, I believe it's time for the level of care and support for artists and creators — the core of the entertainment business — to be significantly upgraded.' While most Korean management agencies focus on scouting and training new talent, KHS Agency aims to offer what Kang calls 'one-stop strategic care,' a full-service model inspired by the "total talent management" model in the US — popularized by major agencies such as Creative Artists Agency and William Morris Endeavor. A total talent management agency not only focuses on discovering and developing talent and booking opportunities for their clients, but also offers end-to-end strategic support, such as contract negotiation, image branding, legal advice, global expansion and crisis management. 'Once an artist becomes famous, they're often left to figure things out on their own,' said Kang, who launched his venture more than three decades after he started his legal professional career as a prosecutor in 1993. KHS Agency, founded in July, consists of lawyers and other legal experts Kang got to know as he built his career as an entertainment lawyer 'We fill that gap ... so our artists can focus entirely on their creative work,' he explained. For Kang, the shift to this model is a 'necessary evolution.' 'In Korea, a professional agency system still hasn't properly taken shape,' he said, bringing up Hollywood's agency landscape, where agent qualifications are strictly regulated and legally protected. 'Our industry here in Korea has grown a lot in terms of quantity,' Kang said. 'But we haven't quite set up the right systems or rules.' The reality of being a celebrity in Korea is often fraught with risk — especially in an environment where rumors or privacy breaches can go viral in minutes. 'In the Korean market, digital content spreads so quickly that scandals, privacy leaks and fake news can go viral in an instant,' Kang said. 'Celebrities often find themselves completely alone in those moments, scrambling to respond without professional support.' To counter this, KHS built an in-house risk management team consisting of lawyers and PR experts as well as a risk detection system powered by AI, to monitor online activity, flag early warning signs, and respond swiftly in a crisis. "Crisis response is a highly specialized field, but in Korea, it's still not treated that way," he said, adding his expertise as a career attorney dealing with countless similar cases in the field could help him handle the matters of celebrities from a third-person point of view. "The celebrity isn't left to handle it alone,' he said. Kang also boasts years of experience in watching domestic agencies negotiate with foreign platforms. "It's not just about signing the contract — it's about what happens after," he said. "Up until now, after contracts are signed, there's often no proper oversight over how the project is managed, how profits are distributed, or how it wraps up. It tends to follow the foreign partner's terms.' That, he says, is where many Korean agencies fall short. They "step away too early," he said, adding it leaves artists vulnerable to being sidelined in post-deal processes. Kang says his agency will make sure they're not treated as just 'foreign talent' in unfamiliar territory. 'We'll stay involved as a strategic overseer, someone who understands both sides of the industry and ensures fair, long-term outcomes,' Kang said.
Korea Herald
05-08-2025
- Korea Herald
An hour romance: How South Korean kids escape 'mosol' tag
South Korean singer Jang Yoon-jeong was taken aback when her children shared an unusual aspect of their peers' dating culture: dating for just one period of the school day to avoid being labeled as 'mosol.' These '1-period couples' start dating during recess and break up before the next class begins, Jang said in a recent TV appearance. Given that a single period in South Korean elementary schools is 40 minutes, these fleeting relationships last less than an hour. Adults may wonder what these kids do during this time, whether such brief relationships can even be called "real," and why they engage in them at all. One of the primary motivators behind this dating trend is an eagerness to avoid the dreaded 'mosol' label, a Korean slang term for someone who has never been in a relationship, which directly translates to 'single since birth.' To escape the label, some are engaging in brief, practically symbolic relationships, lasting as little as an hour, just to prove they have dated. 'You just give a note to a friend you like, saying, 'Do you want to go out with me?' and if he says yes, then we are girlfriend and boyfriend. Then we break up after the class ends,' said an 11-year-old student surnamed Kim. 'This way, I am no longer a person with no experience, and can say I have had a boyfriend to my friends,' she explained. Asked about what she does when she has a boyfriend, or what a boyfriend means to her, she said they are 'a closer friend.' And they play hide-and-seek. In South Korea, where relationships are often seen as a marker of social competence and normalcy, the fear of being a 'relationship virgin' has started to impact young children. These brief relationships act as a social shield, allowing children to feel included and accepted. This stigma, combined with social media's relentless promotion of ideal relationships, has trickled down to the youngest members of society, pushing children into developing their own dating practices. For example, confessions of affection are sometimes outsourced. Students post messages on social media asking for volunteers to confess on their behalf. One posts something on social media like: 'I like someone. Can you guess who it is? I'll reveal it to the first person who comments.' Then, the first commenter conveys that romantic interest on behalf of the original poster. 'When my son explained this culture to me, I was stunned,' said 45-year-old Kim Joong-whan in an interview with The Korea Herald. ''Is this some kind of stand-in for real emotions?' I asked. It's shocking how what used to be a heartfelt, nerve-wracking moment of confession has turned into a playful online trend.' To avoid the embarrassment of rejection, children have also adopted a strategy called 'janggo,' a term made by kids, which is short for 'confession joke.' If a romantic overture is declined, one can quickly backtrack by claiming it was just a joke and save face. This method has gained popularity among children as a way to protect feelings while testing the waters of a potential relationship. Experts point to the pervasive influence of social media as a key factor driving these behavioral trends. 'Platforms are flooded with content that glamorizes relationships, from romantic confessions to curated couple aesthetics,' said Shin Kyung-ah, a sociology professor at Hallym University. 'This constant exposure influences children to emulate the behaviors they see, often without fully understanding the implications.' Relationship-oriented terms such as 'ppoppo' (a peck on the lips or cheek), 'kiss' (typically used in a romantic, intimate context in Korean), 'skinship' (a Korean word created from English terms to mean physical affection) and referring to one another as 'lovers' have become part of children's everyday vocabulary, according to a 31-year-old elementary school teacher. 'My students openly discuss these terms with their peers. Words like 'kiss,' which were once whispered, are now casually thrown around,' the teacher said. While some parents find the innocence of such interactions endearing, others express discomfort at the accelerated pace of their children's emotional development. Educators and experts also highlight the importance of teaching children about boundaries and consent to navigate relationships responsibly. Experts stress the need for age-appropriate education on relationships and emotional boundaries. Sex education specialists emphasize that parents should avoid harsh criticism and instead provide calm guidance, explaining the responsibilities and limits associated with relationships. Teaching children how to express and accept rejection is particularly crucial, as an inability to handle rejection has been linked to issues such as bullying and retaliatory behaviors.
