[PyeongChang 2018] Concerts commemorate countdown to PyeongChang Olympics

As Korea counts down to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, local authorities are hosting concerts to commemorate the event.Pride of Korea, a music festival marking 100 days to the Winter Games, will take place Friday to Sunday at Yes 24 Live Hall in Gwangjin-gu and Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul.Hosted by the Culture Ministry and organized by Arts Council Korea, the three-day event will bring together traditional Korean musicians, classical musicians and jazz artists. Artists perform a tradition

Oct. 31, 2017

Chonbuk National University in Jeonju to build ‘hanok’ gate

A South Korean university is building its front gate in traditional style. Chonbuk National University started the construction of its new front gate. The cost, 7 billion won ($6.2 million), will be covered by state subsidies and donations.  (Chonbuk National University)The front gate, which is to be a two-story “hanok” (a traditional housing of Korea), will also be used as a venue for liberal arts classes. The state-run university said on Monday that the gate will work as a bridge between the u

Oct. 31, 2017

‘Flash mob’ in Sao Paulo to celebrate PyeongChang Olympics

A ‘flash mob’ event was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sunday to mark the 100 days left until the Winter Games get underway in Pyeongchang, South Korea. A ‘flash mob’ event was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sunday to mark the 100 days left until the Winter Games get underway in Pyeongchang, South Korea. (Yonhap)The event, organized by the Korean Culture Center in Brazil, was attended by some 100 people, most of whom were K-pop fans. They staged coordinated dance moves to a K-pop song, drawing loud

Oct. 30, 2017

Historic and contemporary Korean fashion in San Francisco

Historic and contemporary Korean fashion will go on display in San Francisco next month.　“Couture Korea,” running form Nov. 3 to Feb. 4, is presented jointly by Seoul-based Arumjigi Culture Keepers Foundation and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. It aims to showcase the artistry of Korean traditional dress and its legacy in contemporary Korean fashion. 　The exhibition seeks to connect the courtly costumes from centuries ago to those on the runways of today’s fashion capitals through more th

Oct. 26, 2017

A guide to Seoul's best Halloween haunts

It’s that time of the year again when people get excited about their costumes and stores put out the usual pumpkins and skeletons to promote their wares specially prepared for Halloween.Though Halloween is not a holiday traditionally celebrated in Korea, it has now become yet another excuse to party.A scene from the 2016 box office hit “Train to Busan” will come alive at LetsRun Park Seoul in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province on Saturday.“Zombie Run Halloween Festival” engages its participants, dubbed

Oct. 26, 2017

Marvel Experience to open in Busan

The Marvel Experience will open in Busan on Thursday, marking the first Marvel heroes-themed interactive attraction in Asia.The attraction’s operator WoW Planet said on Wednesday that Marvel Experience will begin to operate from 10 a.m. Thursday without an opening ceremony.The attraction was originally scheduled to launch on Oct. 12, coinciding with the opening of the Busan Film Festival. WoW Planet said the delay was due to make extra preparations to beef up the safety and convenience features

Oct. 25, 2017

Singles with jobs invited to Halloween matchmaking

Employed singles are invited to spend a “romantic Halloween” at Gran Seoul in Gwanghwamun, downtown Seoul on Saturday. Hosted by GS Engineering & Construction Corp., a total of 300 male and female singles aged between 25 and 35 are eligible to sign up for the matchmaking event at saemip.com. The ticket price of 29,000 won ($25) for women and 39,000 won for men includes food and free-flowing beverage during the event time which runs from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.With the ticket, participants can freely ro

Oct. 25, 2017

‘Legs-hiding curtain’ gains popularity among female students

Some female students in Korea are resorting to “desk curtains” in a bid to hide their legs during classes. Photos of female students at a high school were updated on a website Sunday. In the photos, the lower part of the students’ desks were covered with curtains.  (Online community website)Most female middle and high school students in Korea wear skirts for school uniforms. Many have been complaining that it’s uncomfortable to sit on chairs for long time, while wearing skirts. The “desk curtain

Oct. 24, 2017

How artificial intelligence will impact culture

Experts in the artificial intelligence and content industries gathered to address the impact of new technology on culture at the Next Content Conference on Monday. The conference, hosted by the Korea Creative Content Agency and the Culture Ministry, is taking place at Coex in southeastern Seoul through Tuesday. New media theorist and computer science professor Lev Manovich addressed the potential of Korean content in the international market. “With the rise of K-pop from around 2009, Korea’s con

Oct. 23, 2017

Residents leave Bukchon due to ‘touristification’

Local residents of the Bukchon Hanok Village in northern Seoul are suffering from the side effects of an influx of tourists in front of their homes, Hankook Ilbo reported Monday. Bukchon Hanok Village, situated east of the Gyeongbokgung palace in Jongno, is a cluster of old-style Korean houses that has attracted both local and foreign tourists in recent years. There are about 1,200 hanok structures in the Bukchon neighborhood. (Yonhap)The latest demographics data show that the number of people l

Oct. 23, 2017

[Herald Interview] The professor campaigning for human rights in cyberspace

A man put a question to a group of anonymous people. He asked, “Should I die?” One person replied, “Yes, you should.” Another said, “Why don’t you give me your iPhone before you kill yourself?”These comments posted to an online chat site in an Asian country. The man claimed that he had broken up with his girlfriend.“(After a variety of comments were posted), the man was found to have really killed himself,” Min Byoung-chul, professor at the College of International Studies at Kyung Hee Universit

Oct. 20, 2017

[Eye Plus] Letting loose in sea of birch trees

Every year around this time of the season, Korea’s forests turn into a palette of colors, palpably signaling the onset of autumn and advent of winter on the horizon.Wondaeri Birch Forest in Inje County, Gangwon Province, is an ideal place to experience the fall foliage, as groves and greeneries bring out their inner colors of reds, scarlets and ambers toward a clear blue sky. The park, which opened in 2012 as an ecological tourism site, has over 700,000 birch trees that were planted between 1989

Oct. 20, 2017

Photos of traditional marketplace exhibited in Seoul

Photos of Korea‘s traditional markets are being displayed in Seoul, offering a peak at the lives of ordinary people over the past few decades.Jangteo Photo Club -- jangtae meaning marketplace -- is holding an exhibition at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongro-gu, central Seoul from Wednesday to next Tuesday. The exhibition consists of photos taken by the club members, which encompass people from education, cultural and business circles and headed by former Dankuk University professor

Oct. 20, 2017

[Weekender] Playground shortage hits low-income families

Children in Korea, especially those living in low-income areas, are missing out on play opportunities because of a shortage of accessible playgrounds, according to a report by Save the Children Korea on Sept. 5.The lack of safe open spaces in urban areas means play options for children from low-income families are lackluster, it said. They often cannot afford pay-per-use playgrounds or the kids cafes now proliferating across cities. Many playgrounds in poorer residential areas also have been clo

Oct. 20, 2017

[Weekender] Falling in love with baking at specialty kids cafes

For tired parents and bored children, kids cafes have become a top option to spend family time in Korea. Since the concept was first introduced into the country in the late 2000s, the themes of the cafes also have evolved. Most kids cafes these days feature specific themes, such as racing, swimming and crafting. The interior of Bonbon Kids Goyang (Park Ju-young/The Korea Herald)Baking kids cafes are part of the fast-growing kids cafe businesses in general, targeting children and their parents. B

Oct. 20, 2017

[Weekender] Parents with children go for alternative space to relax

Korea is witnessing a boom in the kids cafe business due partly to a shortage of space in which parents with young children can idle away the time. A handful of big shopping malls have noticed the potential for such demand and are taking steps to catch up. One case in point is Starfield shopping mall, which recently opened in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, just west of Seoul. The mega shopping center comes with a variety of children-friendly stores to allow families to spend a day together.While sho

Oct. 20, 2017

[Weekender] More than just a playground

Son Tae-wook, a father of an 8-year-old, thinks kids cafes have become indispensable for both children and adults in Korea. Son has raised his daughter with trips to kids cafes since she was 3 years old.“There aren’t enough play spaces for children in the urban environment. And the world isn’t safe enough to let kids just frolic about on their own outside,” Son said. News of children abducted and inappropriately touched at public playgrounds has raised alarm among parents, many of whom dote over

Oct. 20, 2017

[Herald Interview] Girls’ Generation’s stylist caps K-pop fashion industry over years

After over eight years of curating the looks of K-pop fashion icon Girls’ Generation, stylist Seo Soo-kyung is often called the ninth member of the group for her family-like bond and history with the members. Since her initial engagement with the sensational girl group for its third full-length album “The Boys” in 2011, Seo has evolved side by side with Girls’ Generation to become a super-stylist who now has an impressive portfolio highlighted by partnerships with global stars Psy and Seventeen.

Oct. 18, 2017

Art project seeks to recreate Korean colors in modern context

The digital beauty and fashion magazine 0/1 Creative Book released Monday its new photo series “The Power of Korea’s Special Colors” themed on blue and red threads. Blue and red are considered to be the most Korean colors and they are embedded in Korean people’s lives and culture. The photos depicted the charm of Korea with threads that represent the two colors. The photos are part of the magazine’s long-term project themed “A Splash of Old and New,” which aims to reinterpret and recreate the un

Oct. 17, 2017

Remains indicate East-West exchange in ancient times

A Korea-Mongolia joint archaeological dig has uncovered the mummified remains of a Chinese man in the Altai Mountains, seemingly indicating ample cultural exchange between the East and West some 2,000 years ago.The project was conducted at the Shiveet Khairkhan mountain in Mongolia, across where Pazyrik culture-style stone tombs are scattered. Pazyrik refers to a Scythian Iron Age archaeological culture that existed between the 6th and 3rd century BC.  An ancient tomb and a mummy of what is pres

Oct. 16, 2017