Baekje king of ancient fables may have been found

King Mu of Baekje, the protagonist of a “Romeo and Juliet”-esque fable, may have been found, as researchers said Wednesday human remains uncovered in April are likely to be his.Buyeo National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage held a press conference to reveal the results of their examination of remains found inside what is believed to be a royal tomb from Baekje Kingdom, which existed in the southwestern Korean Peninsula from 18 BC to AD 660. The tomb in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, was d

July 18, 2018

Fourth Hangeul Idea Award to be held

A state-organized contest for Hangeul-themed content will be held in July and August.The fourth Hangeul Idea Award -- hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency and sponsored by Naver -- is about creating new products based on Hangeul.The poster for the fourth Hangeul Idea Award (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)The award categories are: content, referring to product plans introducing Hangeul-themed content, such as publications,

July 18, 2018

Tourism agency seeks to expand vacation subsidy, border tourism

The newly appointed chief of the state-run tourism body presented his vision on its future operation, including expansion of government vacation subsidy programs and inter-Korea border tourism, during a press meeting Monday.Ahn Young-bae, newly appointed president of the Korea Tourism Organization, expressed hopes that the KTO would lead the trend of work-life balance for Koreans. “I learned that so far this year, some KTO employees have not taken a single day off. ... Maintaining a high quality

July 16, 2018

[Photo News] Korean students go all-out for yearbook photos

Students at Uijeongbu High School in Gyeonggi Province dressed up for their yearbook photo shoot Monday, keeping their wacky tradition of creating eye-catching graduation photos. Uijeongbu High is an all-boys school that has made headlines both at home and abroad for its unconventional graduation pictures. The class of 2018 chose to dress up as Hog Rider of the mobile game “Clash of Clans,” a demon clown from the horror movie “It,” Sanrio’s lazy egg character Gudetama, South Korean Skeleton Olym

July 16, 2018

Daegu Chimac Festival to offer a mix of fried chicken and beer

The 2018 Daegu Chimac Festival will run from Wednesday to July 22 in Daegu, North Gyeongsang Province. The festival's name is based on a compound word of chicken and beer in Korean that reflects Koreans’ enthusiasm for pairing fried chicken with beer. Daegu started the festival in 2013 with a crowd of 270,000. The number of attendees steadily grew in the following years, and topped 1 million in 2016 and 2017.Photo from 2017 Daegu Chimac Festival (DaeguChimacFestival)This year’s event is set to t

July 16, 2018

19th Seoul Queer Culture Festival kicks off with preliminary roundtable

The 19th Seoul Queer Culture Festival kicked off Friday with the event “PRISM OF ART: Human rights bloom in culture and art.” Sponsored by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Seoul, the event took place on the 11th floor annex of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The occasion served as a preliminary roundtable discussion for the exhibition of the “Amsterdam Rainbow Dress,” featuring Arnout van Krimpen and Diederik Lujit from the Amsterdam Rainbow Dress Foundation,

July 13, 2018

Culture Minister meets Vatican diplomat to S. Korea

Do Jong-hwan, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism met Friday with Archbishop Alfred Xuereb to discuss exchange and cooperation between South Korea and the Vatican, the ministry said.According to the ministry officials, the meeting between Do and the Vatican envoy to South Korea was held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul. Do Jong-hwan, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, shakes hands with Archbishop Alfred Xuereb in Seoul on Friday. (Yonhap)“Minister

July 13, 2018

[Eye Plus] Indulging in books near the border

When you think of Paju, a city in Gyeonggi Province northwest of Seoul, the first thing that comes to mind is its vicinity to the de facto border with North Korea. Driving along Jayuro toward Paju on a good day, you can even get a glimpse of the northern side. Paju, through which the Imjin River flows into the Han River, was loved by ancient sages. As if to live up to its heritage, the city has developed into a cultural site for visitors in recent decades. At the heart of the city’s culture are

July 12, 2018

Have a ‘mud-tastic’ time at Boryeong Mud Festival

Boryeong Mud Festival, a “feast of mud,” is set to open Friday at Daecheon beach in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province.The festival is an extravaganza of mud, first held in 1988 to promote mud-based organic cosmetics. Similar to Spain’s iconic tomato-throwing Tomatina festival, the mud festival has settled in Korea as one of its most representative summer events. Since 2009, the mud festival has been exported to China, England, Spain and New Zealand.This year’s festival runs to July 22, offeri

July 12, 2018

Amateur cartoonists rush to Instagram in search of new path

Choi Seol-a, better known by her nickname “Tyeodya,” had never thought she would make her name as a cartoonist until she uploaded her first comic in October 2017. She was not formally taught how to draw cartoons, nor had she decided to become a professional cartoonist before. In her spare time, Choi just doodled some episodes that came straight from her daily life and posted it on her Instagram page. The comics grew into the popular Instagram account @Tyeodya, which has amassed more than 51,

July 11, 2018

Bringing flowers into everyday life

Flowers do not have to be only for special days. Over the past few years, they have acquired an increasing presence in daily life. It is easy to spot flower cafes all over Seoul -- a kind of cafe-flower shop combination. Decorated heavily with greenery, visitors can enjoy cafe spaces themed like a botanical garden.“A lot of people walk in for coffee and buy flowers after seeing the decorations,” said Jang Jung-in, who runs flower cafe Heima in Yeonhui-dong, Seoul. At her cafe, flower vases are p

July 10, 2018

Government clamps down on copyrights infringement from abroad

The Korean government on Tuesday said it has shut down 12 illegal websites related to cartoons and other media content, and announced plans to continue its watch over such activities for the next two to three years.The pangovernmental task force announced the results of a crackdown that commenced in May, and which monitored foreign-based illegal websites that allowed users to share content without regard of the copyrights. Officials from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korea Com

July 10, 2018

‘Star on Stage’ gathers top classical musicians on one stage

A concert next month will offer local classical music enthusiasts a rare opportunity to listen to ensembles performed by several internationally acclaimed musicians in one place on a single day.A total of 10 teams of 15 artists will perform as ensembles on Aug. 15 at the Lotte Concert Hall. The 15 featured soloists include pianists Kim Sun-wook, Sunwoo Ye-kwon, Lim Dong-hyek, cellists Mun Tae-guk and Isang Enders, violinists Kim Suyoen, Kim Bom-sori and Soprano Hwang Su-mi. Seven artists from No

July 8, 2018

[Photo News] Water Gun Festival in Sinchon quenches summer heat

The sixth Water Gun Festival in Sinchon, Seoul, brought some much needed relief to the scorching summer heat on Saturday.On the first day of the two-day fiesta, the main street that rolls down from Sinchon subway station to the front gate of Yonsei University was crammed with people of all nationalities and ages, armed with water guns and raincoats.Several were dressed up as DC and Marvel’s super heroes, including the intergalactic villain Thanos of the latest Avengers movie. The festival runs u

July 8, 2018

[Weekender] Ever-changing Euljiro

Euljiro, a major road that runs through central Seoul, is enjoying its second boom in an unexpected way as young social media users have begun frequenting the area. The street and its nearby area have long been the center of Korea’s industrialization and economic growth, housing small metal workshops, print shops, lighting stores and much more. Getting out of Euljiro 3-ga Station, a funky smell pierces through your nose, proving that the workshops in the area are still up-and-coming. A passerby

July 6, 2018

[Photo News] Meet newly crowned 2018 Miss Korea Kim Soo-min

Kim Soo-min, 23, was crowned winner of Miss Korea 2018 in the final round of the annual beauty pageant in Seoul on Wednesday.Representing Gyeonggi Province, Kim studied international business at Dickinson College. With her eyes set on becoming an international journalist, Kim said her hobbies include dancing, singing and impersonating voices.This year’s 62nd Miss Korea pageant was held Wednesday night at the Olympic Hall in Sonpa-gu, southeastern Seoul, with 32 contestants competing in the final

July 5, 2018

More foreign cartoonists debut in Korea’s webtoon market

A growing number of foreign cartoonists are debuting in South Korea’s webtoon industry, as the local market is expanding at a rapid pace. Japanese cartoonist Akiko Higashimura is one of the foreign cartoonist to join Naver Webtoon, one of the biggest online comic portals in Korea, with “Fake Affair” (literal translation). A screenshot of Akiko Higashimura‘s online comic series “Fake Affair“ (Naver Webtoon)Known for her romance comic series “Princess Jellyfish,” Higashimura’s new work entitled “F

July 3, 2018

Culture Ministry urged to impose stronger penalties for sex crimes

A government committee on Monday rolled out a series of recommendations for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for sexual offenses, including banning the perpetrators from receiving any subsidy. The ministerial committee on measures against sex offenses announced the four major tasks to eradicate sexual violence in the culture sector: implementing a system to prevent and deal with the aftermath of a sex crime, including related legislations and help centers for the victims; banning atta

July 2, 2018

Seven S. Korean Buddhist temples inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List

South Korea added seven Buddhist mountain temples to the UNESCO World Heritage list on Saturday, earning international recognition for another set of historical sites.  The unanimous decision was announced on Saturday during the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee held in Manama, Bahrain, which runs from June 24 to July 4. South Korea submitted an application in February last year for the seven mountain temples.The temples, all located on mountains, include Seonamsa on Mount Jogye and D

July 1, 2018

Experience tradition at Imperial Palace Seoul

People try traditional Korean games at the newly opened Traditional Culture Experience Center of the Imperial Palace Seoul. The center also allows Korean and foreign visitors to take pictures with a Korean traditional house in the background, wearing hanbok, or traditional Korean clothing. The Club Lounge on the 20th floor features the interior of a traditional Korean house, too. (Imperial Palace Seoul)

June 29, 2018