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Kwak Yeon-soo
Kwak Yeon-soo
Reporter, Culture
Kwak Yeon-soo is a reporter with The Korea Times. She is currently based in Hong Kong, writing for both the South China Morning Post and The Korea Times, under an exchange programme. She covers a wide range of topics including film, TV, music, performing arts and literature.

Philip Chu, the director of Hong Kong-based music ensemble Cantabile, talks about recording a whole Hollywood film score over a weekend, helping young musicians and pursuing his dreams.

Janice Lee, CEO of Viu, talks about how the Hong Kong-based streaming platform approaches adapting series like K-dramas to the Asian audience, and develops original productions like Running Man.

Seattle-based dietitian Jessie Wong’s Instagram channel offers advice on reducing symptoms of IBS, which she and her husband have both had. Her tips include good hydration and finding your ‘food triggers’.

Teenage British phenomenon who will perform two of her own works and conduct another in Hong Kong talks about shedding her ‘wonderkid’ mantle and the inspiration she gets from living in Vienna.

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Korean boy band Enhypen thrill 32,000 fans – known as Engenes – over three nights at the Galaxy Arena in Macau, belting out their hits in three-hour performances as part of their ongoing Fate world tour.

In his new photo book Abandoned Villages of Hong Kong, British urban explorer Stefan Irvine documents ‘eerie’ deserted buildings and furniture found inside them to preserve the memory of them.

Soju, the popular Korean distilled spirit, is riding the K-wave overseas – including Hong Kong, where bartenders are mixing the rice spirit into cocktails and the drink has its own pop-up store.

People born in the Year of the Dragon are said to be creative, confident and curious – and there are several who are K-pop and K-drama stars, from actors Park Seo-joon and Kim Soo-hyun to rapper G-Dragon.

Chilean-Italian conductor Paolo Bortolameolli talks about coming to Hong Kong to conduct Latin American-themed New Year concerts with the HK Phil and his journey to achieve his life goal.

Harry Potter: The Exhibition, spread out over more than 30,000 square feet at The Londoner Macao, is ‘a unique experience that connects the fans’ with a world that they love.

Millennials are more health conscious than generations before them – but they are also ageing faster than their parents did. Experts explain why – and how to slow the ageing process.

After K-pop girl group’s four members all sign new contracts with agency YG Entertainment, fans celebrate. ‘Real music is coming back’, one posts on X. A new album and world tour are coming.

Mirinae Lee, the Korean author of 8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster, reveals how a great-aunt’s escape from North Korea inspired her protagonist, who claims to have been a slave, a murderer, and more.

Alexandria Smith, an African-American artist whose 3D paintings feature zany alien-human figures, holds her first solo exhibition in Asia at Hong Kong’s Gagosian Gallery.

More contemporary Korean books are being translated into Chinese as novels deal with social issues that chime with fiction fans in China. The popularity of K-dramas and K-pop also has an influence.

Park Seung-hun, the new executive chef at Hansik Goo, Hong Kong’s only Michelin-star Korean restaurant, talks celebrating high-end Korean cuisine in the city and how he got started in the kitchen.

Korean exports of coffee mix and instant coffee sticks rose as the world’s K-drama fans saw them in series such as Moving, Vincenzo and My Mister. Entrepreneurs are remaking the humble product.

Six years after joining the cast of Korean television variety show Running Man, Jeon So-min is leaving to ‘focus on her acting’. Stunned fans of the actress post messages of support online.

‘Jisoo and Ahn recently ended their relationship,’ K-pop superstar’s management agency says, confirming earlier report. The Korean power couple acknowledged in August 2023 that they were dating.

Actor Song Kang-ho, star of Parasite and Broker, was at the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival 2023 with his new film, Cobweb. He tells the Post what makes his movies so successful outside Korea.

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The Vienna Boys Choir, returning to Hong Kong as part of a world tour to mark its 525th anniversary, has been through many changes since its early days, including the setting up of the Vienna Girls Choir.

Seeing a lot of high school yearbook photos on TikTok and Instagram lately? People are not digging out their real throwback shots – they have been using an app to generate them with AI.

Blackpink members Rosé, Jisoo, Jennie and Lisa have come to the end of their contracts with YG Entertainment, causing rumours over whether they are breaking up and three members going elsewhere.

From Hyun Bin’s breakthrough in the 2005 drama My Lovely Sam Soon to huge hit Secret Garden to Netflix series Crash Landing on You, five of the Korean actor’s career-defining roles as he turns 41.

K-pop star IU’s concert film IU Concert: The Golden Hour opens this week, but she’s a screen regular already as an actress in K-dramas and K-movies. We pick four of her best films.

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Chinese candied fruit, or ‘tanghulu’, is trending in South Korea. We look at how and why the centuries-old snack became popular with young Koreans, how it’s evolved, and whether the food craze is here to stay.

Korean-British pianist Hyung-ki Joo talks about his tribute to Joseph Haydn featuring original pieces and works by Debussy and Ravel that he will perform with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

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