Korea.net’s honorary reporters report on coronavirus in Korea

Korea.net, the South Korean government’s online platform, announced Monday that its ninth group of honorary reporters had begun their first assignment and were covering the spread of COVID-19 in Korea. Korea.net is operated by the Korea Culture and Information Service, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and has a mandate to promote Korean culture globally. The reporters’ first task was to produce a video about how the Korean government is dealing

March 9, 2020

Boosted by YouTube, trademark applications for media surge

With more individuals jumping on to online video platforms in recent years, Korea has seen a sharp increase in the number of related trademark applications, according to data released by the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Sunday. Last year, a total of 5,174 trademark applications within the broadcasting and communication industry were filed, marking a 57 percent increase from 3,298 cases in 2015. The number began to spike by 28.8 percent with around 4,000 cases in 2018, and saw the bi

March 8, 2020

Protestant churches ask government to investigate Shincheonji

Mainstream Protestant church groups -- the National Council of Churches in Korea and the United Christian Churches of Korea -- on Friday asked the government to investigate leaders of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus here. “The government should clarify facts about the spread of the infectious disease and arrest Shincheonji leader Lee Man-hee and the leaders of its 12 tribes to investigate them,” the two Christian groups said in a joint statement. The groups stated that Shincheonj

March 6, 2020

Museum of Korea Emigration History seeks materials from South America

The Museum of Korea Emigration History on Friday announced that it is asking Korean emigrants in South America to donate historic items for a special exhibition to be held in early July. “It has been 60 years since Korea officially began emigrating to Brazil in 1961. The first immigrants, who were adults at the time, are now in their 80s and 90s, and many of them have already passed away. Before it‘s too late, we would like to exhibit the history of early emigrants,” The Mus

March 6, 2020

[From the Scene] Shincheonji victims ask Moon to investigate religious group

National Solidarity for Shincheonji Victims on Thursday asked President Moon Jae-in to order an investigation into the religious group Shincheonji. “We are filing charges against Shincheonji and also urging the president to have a meeting with us,” the group’s head Shin Kang-shik said at a press briefing held in front of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. Shin explained that he was holding the briefing in front of the presidential office because the organization had already filed char

March 5, 2020

Seoul to further boost content, 'hallyu' in 2020 after BTS, 'Parasite' win big

After historic global successes by South Korean movie "Parasite" and K-pop band BTS, South Korea will focus on further nurturing local creativity and the global sales of Korean cultural content in 2020, the culture ministry said Thursday. To meet the policy direction, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will pour a total of 1.69 trillion won ($1.42 billion) into assistance funds to help local content creators better finance their projects, including an 80 billion-won venture

March 5, 2020

Coronavirus hits Korea‘s gaming scene

As the number of people infected by the novel coronavirus increases daily, the gaming scene in Korea is suffering -- especially esports. The most popular esports league in Korea, the 2020 League of Legends Champions Korea decided on Tuesday to postpone the start of the second round-robin event for the spring season, following the first, initially held without spectators to prevent the spread of new coronavirus. “2020 Woori Bank LCK Spring has decided to take a temporary break from the fi

March 4, 2020

Culture minister urges churches in Korea to halt gatherings amid coronavirus spread

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Tuesday urged Protestant churches in South Korea to halt gatherings as the novel coronavirus continues to spread. Culture Minister Park Yang-woo on Tuesday visited the central office of the United Christian Churches of Korea in Jongno, central Seoul, to ask the organization’s head, Kim Tae-young, for active cooperation. He emphasized that now was a crucial moment in the effort to stem the spread of COVID-19. Park also expressed gratitude

March 4, 2020

Cabin fever sets in for those in isolation for coronavirus

A 32-year-old librarian in Gumi-dong, Gyeonggi Province, who is expecting a baby in May, has not left her house for four days. Her daughter, 4, has been home all day since her day care center shut down due to the COVID-19 outbreak. “I am pregnant so I am very cautious about the ongoing situation, and there is no place for my first child to play these days. ... It is really stressful for me and my daughter,” the woman said. “Over the past four days, a 15-minute walk to the groc

March 3, 2020

Luxury hotels hit by ‘Korea phobia’

High-end hotels in Korea are struggling with the COVID-19 outbreak, as guests cancel stays on concerns over possible viral infection. Five-star hotels in Seoul are experiencing a rapid drop in occupancy rate, with locals canceling their staycation plans and foreign business travelers canceling business trips. Various events and meetings held at large-sized hotels are also being canceled or postponed.  Local hotel franchise Lotte Hotels & Resorts -- with properties in Seoul highly po

March 3, 2020

'Baby Shark Dance' second most viewed video on YouTube

The English version of the “Baby Shark Dance” video overtook Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” to become the second most viewed video on YouTube on Monday. South Korea’s children’s educational brand Pinkfong’s “Baby Shark Dance” video sits at 4.67 billion views over Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” which has 4.64 billion views as of 10 a.m. on Tuesday. The most viewed video on YouTube remains Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi&rsq

March 3, 2020

[Newsmaker] Shincheonji founder Lee Man-hee refuses to answer question about eternal life

Shincheonji founder Lee Man-hee, the figure at the center of the spread of COVID-19 in Korea, refused to answer a question about eternal life, concerning a claim he is said to have made to his believers, during a press briefing held in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. As of 4 p.m. on Monday, the number of novel coronavirus patients had jumped to 4,335 in Korea with more than half of the patients either Shincheonji Church of Jesus followers or those who had contact with them. Before the

March 2, 2020

[Herald Interview] National Library of Korea expands space for digital content creators

When National Library of Korea Chief Executive Suh Hye-ran, 65, took office in August, one of the first things she did was expand the media center for digital content creators. “We used to have three booths for creating media content. Now we have more than 10,” Suh said during a recent interview with The Korea Herald at the National Library of Korea in Seoul. “We also created a Maker Space at the National Library for Children and Young Adults,” Suh added. Maker Space

March 2, 2020

Biggest church in Korea halts Sunday services

Yoido Full Gospel Church in Yeouido, Seoul, the biggest church in Korea, will stop its Sunday services starting this weekend out of concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.  A megachurch with around 560,000 followers, Yoido Full Gospel Church said Friday that it had made the decision to halt its Sunday services out of concern for the safety of its followers and the wider public. On Thursday, the church said it would not halt its Sunday worship services, but would downscale the seven-ses

Feb. 28, 2020

[Eye plus] Where nobles lived

Black tile roofs of traditional Korean houses are tightly gathered at Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul, offering a glimpse of how life must have been during the country’s last and longest-lived Joseon Dynasty. Located between Gyeongbok Palace and Changdeok Palace, Bukchon was the neighborhood of choice for yangban, upper-class aristocrats of the imperial dynasty. Today’s Bukchon is divided into two areas, displaying a co-existence of both modern and traditional architecture. On

Feb. 28, 2020

Coronavirus affect life pattern for Koreans, foreigners

With the snowballing numbers of COVID-19 infections in Korea, more people are staying indoors and staying away from public areas. The Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) conducted a survey on changes to daily life due to the coronavirus from Monday to Thursday morning. The online survey involved 204 Koreans and 175 foreigners who visited or are staying in Korea.   When asked what changed the most after the coronavirus epidemic, allowing multiple answers, Korean and foreign responde

Feb. 28, 2020

Churches in Korea consider canceling Sunday services as coronavirus spreads

Protestant churches in South Korea are considering canceling Sunday worship services this week due to the spread of COVID-19. The disease became an even more serious concern for churches after a pastor at Myungsung Church in eastern Seoul, which has more than 100,000 members, was diagnosed with the virus on Tuesday. He is reported to have attended several services on Feb. 16. Myungsung Church announced Tuesday that it is shutting down its facility and its Sunday services will be canceled unti

Feb. 26, 2020

Membership-based Sojeonseolim library offers space for writers, readers to mix and mingle

A goose-shaped chair with a gigantic art book in front of it dominates the room. If you came expecting a typical library, you might think you came to the wrong place. Sojeonseolim, which means “forest of books covered with white bricks,” is a new library in Cheongdam-dong, southern Seoul, which opened Saturday. “Swiss architect Davide Macullo designed this building in 2016 as an art museum. We changed it into a library and Korean architect Choi Wook, director of One O One Ar

Feb. 25, 2020

National Museum of Korea presents religious implication of Buddhist sculptures at Smithsonian

The National Museum of Korea held a symposium last week at the Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery to introduce the religious implication embedded in Korean Buddhist artifacts, the national museum said Tuesday. The symposium -- held from Thursday to Friday at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, known as the Smithsonian’s Asian art museum -- coincided with the exhibition “Sacred Dedication: A Korean Buddhist Masterpiece,” jointly organized by the Freer Gallery, Sackler Ga

Feb. 25, 2020

Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism shuts down temple stay program due to spread of coronavirus

  The Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism announced Monday that it would suspend the operation of its Templestay program until March 20 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism, an affiliate of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, currently operates a Templestay program at 137 temples around the country. “As people’s concerns about the coronavirus rise due to the number of confirmed cases increasing day by day, we have inevitably decided to suspend o

Feb. 25, 2020