[From the Scene] King Jeongjo's Royal Parade makes journey to Suwon

Crowds gathered around the Donhwamun Gate on Saturday to watch King Jeongjo’s Royal Parade kick off from Changdeokgung in Seoul. After three beats of the drum, marchers dressed as soldiers and courtiers lined up in front of the gate for a ritual. King Jeongjo then made his appearance through the gate. Following the king was his mother, Lady Hyegyeong, who accompanied him on the journey to Yongneung, the royal tomb of Crown Prince Sado -- King Jeongjo’s father -- in Hwaseong City, Gye

CultureOct. 10, 2022

Kukje Gallery signals new focus on Korean artists with Lee Seung-jio solo show

A solo exhibition of Korea’s geometric abstraction pioneer Lee Seung-jio, currently showing at Kukje Gallery, traces how the late artist's unique visual language led the country's avant-garde art scene. Lee started his “Nucleus” series early in his career, with the first work going back to 1967. The first “pipe” form, which would become a familiar motif in his later paintings, emerged in the 10th painting of the series and continued to appear in his "Nuclear&

Arts & DesignOct. 10, 2022

Colombia's Gold Museum explores ceramics from Korea

A special exhibition on Korean ceramics is being held at the Museum of Gold in Bogota, Colombia, through Feb. 20, 2023. “Ceramics From the National Museum of Korea: Voices From an Ancestral Culture" introduces the life, culture and artistic world of Koreans from the prehistoric era up to modern times through some 226 examples of earthenware and ceramics. The exhibition marking the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and Colombia is jointly organized by the National Mus

CultureOct. 10, 2022

[Herald Interview] ‘S. Korea my all-time favorite place on earth,’ says Alec Benjamin

Since in-person festivals and concerts resumed after a two-year pandemic break, big-name global pop artists have returned to South Korea to meet local fans. American singer-songwriter Alec Benjamin is gearing up to please local listeners’ ears once again by throwing a concert in Seoul next month. While the upcoming event will mark the Arizona-bred musician’s third time visiting the country, he still could not hide his excitement. “South Korea is my favorite place on the earth.

PerformanceOct. 10, 2022

‘Belle Epoque’ featured at Lee Kun-hee collection show

  You are invited to the “Belle Epoque,” or “beautiful age,” a period in France spanning the late 19th and early 20th century when the European county enjoyed cultural enrichment from prominent artists who came to Paris from around the world. The exhibition “MMCA Lee Kun-hee Collection: Monet to Picasso, and the Masters of the Belle Epoque” at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province brings together eight a

Arts & DesignOct. 10, 2022

Hallyu-themed Korean culture festival beckons K-pop fans in ‘The-K Concert’

The highlight of the spectacle-filled Korean culture event “K Culture Festival 2022” beckoned fans from in and out of the country to “The-K Concert.” Founded in 2020 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, Tourism and its affiliated private Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, the festival has been held annually to promote Hallyu, or the Korean Wave. Jointly hosted by the two, the Culture Ministry’s annual large-scale, global event commenced on Sept. 3

CultureOct. 10, 2022

Translation work of poet Lee Young-ju’s “Cold Candies” receives award

Kim Jae, the translator of Lee Young-ju’s “Cold Candies,” received an award from the American Literary Translators Association, according to the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, which supported the translation, on Friday. Named after a poet and translator of Buddhist literature, the Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize by the ALTA recognizes the importance of Asian translations for international literature and has been promoting the translation of Asian works into E

BooksOct. 9, 2022

Itaewon Global Village Festival set to return

The annual Itaewon Global Village Festival will return on Oct. 15-16 after a two-year pandemic pause, Seoul's Yongsan-gu Office announced Thursday. During the festival, more than a million visitors are expected to gather in Itaewon. The district is one of Korea's most multicultural areas, with dozens of foreign shops and restaurants found throughout its alleys. Under the slogan, "Let's Get Together," the festival's main events will be held in the Itaewon Special Tou

CultureOct. 9, 2022

Spot Hangeul signboards in downtown Seoul

With its 600 years of history as Korea’s capital, the center of Seoul embraces the essence of Korean culture. Especially near Gyeongbokgung, the main palace of the Joseon dynasty (1391-1910), neighborhoods have been making efforts to show their identity as the historic center of Korea. One of the efforts has been increasing the number of signboards in Hangeul. As most major brands in South Korea write their names in English, visitors to Seoul's boulevards might find more Romanized sig

TravelOct. 9, 2022

[Visual History of Korea] Celebrating Korean America, home to future Koreans

You can take Koreans out of Korea, but for some, you cannot take Korea away from Korean Americans. That's what leads to Korean America, a thriving Korean culture overseas that parallels the motherland. Korean-language newspapers, radio and TV define Korean Americans as Koreans who live in the US away from their homeland. Canada and the US are home to the largest numbers of Koreans outside of Korea, combining for some 3 million out of the 7.3 million documented Koreans living in 193 foreign

CultureOct. 8, 2022

[Eye Plus] Digging for answers

Chi Hye-seol was crouching down inside a pit 1 meter deep. With her face covered in dirt and one hand holding a "homi," a Korean hand plow, she was carefully digging. “I am looking for clues into the past that are deeply asleep under this dust,” said Chi, a senior student majoring in convergence archaeology at Korea National University of Cultural Heritage. When The Korea Herald met her on Sept. 30, she was working on an excavation at Hongsan-myeon, Buyeo, South Chungcheong

PeopleOct. 8, 2022

[Scholars and their spaces] 'The shadow knows where my mind goes'

“Every step I take, you follow me. I bet you know where my mind goes.” Kwon Si (1604-1672) wrote this poem called “The Shadow” at age 9. “Learning is nothing special. You should be perfectly honest with yourself and seek the right way. That is all,” his father said when he was being home schooled. Kwon is not a well-known scholar, but his pen name “Tan-ong” tells us what he sought in his life as a scholar. The pen name was taken from the name of a

CultureOct. 8, 2022

'Grand Expedition': Hop on culinary journey of immersive dining

A group of guests board a replica hot air balloon. Performers dressed as expeditioners serve pork sausage rolls and biscuits with tomato chutney, while dancing and miming. Guests are invited to take part in the preparation for a takeoff. After a hearty Victorian-style picnic, the guests set off on a journey to surprise destinations led by Sylph, the spirit of air. An immersive dining show “The Grand Expedition” kicked off on Sept. 30 at Blue Square, in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul. A un

PerformanceOct. 8, 2022

[Weekender] Drone's new mission: Light up the sky

Drone light shows are taking over local festivals and company promotion events as a new crowd pleaser. The small vehicles, equipped with colorful LED lights and capable of flying at speeds of 6 meters per second, quickly gather and scatter to form various shapes and relay messages, with the night sky serving as a black canvas. At one moment, the light-bearing quadcopters morph into a slow-moving whale and the next into an angry bull, dazzling spectators on the ground. South Korea is fast catchin

CultureOct. 8, 2022

Festival for coffee aficionados to kick off in Gangneung

The 14th edition of the Gangneung Coffee Festival will be held at the Gangneung Olympic Park Ice Arena for four days, from Friday to Monday. The indoor arena's first and second floors will be set up as coffee brewing, tasting, and product selling booths, while food trucks and resting areas will be installed outside the arena. This year's festival will be run as an eco-friendly festival, according to the Gangneung Culture and Arts Foundation, the main host of the event. "We have co

FoodOct. 8, 2022

[Photo News] Riding the Korean Wave with K-pop artists at ‘The-K Concert’

K-pop singers met with the audience at a K-pop concert titled “The-K Concert” on Friday at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul. Jointly hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and its affiliated private Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, the festival has been held annually to promote Hallyu, or the Korean Wave.

CultureOct. 8, 2022

Cartoon, animation groups protest Culture Ministry's sponsorship withdrawal

Korea's cartoon and animation community warned the Culture Ministry Friday that it was violating academic and artistic freedom protected by the Constitution of the Republic of Korea. A statement issued by the Cartoon and Animation Society in Korea (Urimana) and several other groups called for an end to censorship of comics and webtoon artists. The statement also said that freedom of expression must be protected and that the unjust pressure against the Korea Manhwa Contents Agency must stop.

CartoonOct. 7, 2022

Big-name film director Lee Joon-ik’s debut drama ‘Yonder’ premieres at BIFF

BUSAN--Big-name film director Lee Joon-ik’s debut drama “Yonder” premiered Thursday night at Sohyang Theater in Busan during the 27th Busan International Film Festival. After the first three episodes of the six-part series were screened, Lee subtly expressed his disappointment about the theater’s facilities during a guest visitor event. “We are not at a movie theater. This is actually a musical performance stage. So while I was watching the film the sound did not

FilmOct. 7, 2022

Jung Hae-in stars in terror master Takashi Miike's 'Connect'

Rising Korean star Jung Hae-in stars in Japanese horror master Takashi Miike’s Disney+ fantasy thriller series “Connect” as a man with special healing power. Based on the Naver webtoon of the same name by Shin Dae-sung, the series begins with Jung’s character Dong-soo (Jung) being kidnapped by organ hunters. Although he manages to escape, he is unable to retrieve his eye that was pulled out by the organ hunters. He later discovers that his eye has been transplanted to a

FilmOct. 7, 2022

Rock band Sanullim to drop remastered LPs for 45th anniversary

  The first thought that came up in rock singer Kim Chang-wan's mind after hearing the remastered version of his band Sanullim's past LPs was his late brother Chang-ik who had been the band's drummer. "This remastering project brought back memories of our brothers back in 1977, and especially of the youngest. His drumming had been recorded as if he was tapping with wooden spoons. It had been such a shame," Kim Chang-wan said during a press conference on Thursday. "I felt so r

PerformanceOct. 7, 2022