KTO to showcase K-tourism roadshow in New York

The K-tourism Roadshow event showcasing Korea's traditional and contemporary culture will be hosted in New York from Wednesday to Saturday, the Korea Tourism Organization announced Monday. The event has been strategically organized in New York with the aim to generate interest among global travelers to visit the peninsula, while also commemorating the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-US alliance, the KTO said. As part of the event, the tourism agency will hold a session dubbed “Cel

July 17, 2023

[Herald Interview] Singing together changes lives, says founder of diverse children's choir

The Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC), a renowned multicultural youth chorus known for its exceptional talent and pioneering diversity model, embarked on its first journey to South Korea this month. A delegation of 100 choristers, aged between 11 and 18, set foot in Gangneung, a coastal city in Gangwon Province, to participate in the 12th World Choir Games from July 3 to 13. Over the course of the 11-day event, the choir showcased its virtuosity and brilliance, earning five go

July 17, 2023

CHA aims to enshrine petroglyphs of Ulsan Bangucheon as UNESCO World Heritage Site

Efforts to register petroglyphs at the stream Bangucheon in Ulsan, considered the pinnacle of prehistoric culture on the Korean Peninsula, have officially commenced, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced Thursday. The decision, made Thursday at the meeting of Cultural Heritage Committee, comes 13 years after it was placed on the CHA's provisional candidates list for UNESCO World Heritage Site registration in January 2010. The final decision had been delayed due to insufficient pres

July 14, 2023

Summer festival Dongdaemun Vibe to take place in late July

Update: The Dongdaemun Vibe festival has been canceled due to safety issues from the recent heavy rainfalls. The summer season gets underway at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza with the Dongdaemun Vibe festival later this month. The Seoul Design Foundation announced Friday it will hold the summer festival from July 28 to 30 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul. The main programs of the festival include DD-Pub and DD-Roll, an arcade with beer and wine pop-up shops and a roller-skating area, res

July 14, 2023

[Photo News] Top dogs

The 2023 International Canine Federation (FCI) Seoul International Dog Show is being held at aT Center in Seoul, from Friday to Sunday. On Friday morning, the 103rd Korea Kennel Federation Dog Grooming Competition took place at the venue in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul. Participants carried on a spirited competition, each seeking to make their dog the most beautiful. Until Sunday, the KKF holds the 2023 FCI Seoul International Dog Show, which includes the KKF Championship Dog Show as well. Meanwhil

July 14, 2023

CHA seeks to register hanji as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

Efforts to have Korea's hanji, traditional paper handmade from mulberry tree bark, registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage have officially commenced, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration Friday. At a Cultural Heritage Committee meeting held Thursday, CHA selected the provisional title, "Hanji's traditional knowledge and technology," to use when applying to inscribe the paper on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hum

July 14, 2023

[Well-curated] Night of new Korean sounds, roller skating away stress and inflated sculptures

The mesmerizing sounds of traditional Korean musical instruments mingled with various visual arts, special effects and modern instruments will entertain audiences at the 2023 Yeo Woo Rock festival running through July 22 at the National Theater of Korea in central Seoul. As part of the festivities, the theater is holding an outdoor event called Yeo Woo Ya on July 15, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., at the theater's Cultural Plaza. To boost the lively atmosphere, rising young traditional Korean musi

July 14, 2023

[Feature] Explicit gesture or acceptable performance?

Girl group Mamamoo’s Hwasa, 27, is under police investigation after a civic group filed an official complaint over the artist's sexually explicit dance moves at a campus festival in May. Hwasa, a popular K-pop star, was performing at Sungkyunkwan University as part of cable channel tvN's music show, “Dancing Queens on the Road." The show follows South Korea's iconic solo dance artists Kim Wan-sun, Uhm Jung-hwa, Lee Hyo-ri, BoA and Hwasa as they travel around the c

July 13, 2023

[Herald Interview] VisitKorea relaunch seeks to entice travelers with unique tourism experiences

A crucial factor in attracting potential tourists and ensuring their return visits to Korea post-pandemic is providing up-to-date visual information online that aligns with individual preferences, according to You Jin-ho, the Korea Tourism Organization’s executive vice president of the digital tourism division. The KTO, which relaunched its VisitKorea website and mobile app on July 5, has integrated over 270,000 images alongside travel information and travel routes on the platforms to bett

July 12, 2023

Paul Kim, Taekwoncre tapped as ambassadors for 2023 Cheonan K-Culture Expo

The city of Cheonan on Tuesday named popular singer-songwriter Paul Kim and the taekwondo-themed performance crew Taekwoncre as ambassadors for the city's upcoming culture expo in August. Cheonan added two additional members, following members of K-pop boy band Ateez, who were appointed as ambassadors in June, to promote the cultural festival to a wider audience and enhance its reputation. Kim, who has mesmerized many fans with hit songs -- including “Me After You,” “After

July 12, 2023

Gonjiam Music Festival kicks off with peace gala concert

The 2023 Gonjiam Music Festival commenced Monday with a gala concert harmonizing musicians across diverse genres and backgrounds. The opening was the Opening Peace Gala Concert, highlighting the importance of peace on the 70th anniversary of The Korea Herald’s founding, the 70th anniversary of the Armistice Agreement and the 70th anniversary of the Korea-US Alliance. The Korea Herald was founded on Aug. 15, 1953, less than a month after the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement, which

July 12, 2023

[Herald Interview] Young Chinese interested in musicals starring Korean idols

K-Musical Market was launched in 2021 with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Arts Management Service to promote Korean original musicals internationally. The Korean government's hope is that Korean musicals might replicate the achievements of K-pop, movies and dramas. And that hope is not groundless. Musicals account for 75 percent of ticket revenue in the country's performing arts industry and the musical scene is burgeoning with countless bi

July 11, 2023

Jeonju International Sori Festival to highlight array of pansori sounds

A festival featuring the sounds of pansori in 105 performances will kick off in September. The Jeonju International Sori Festival is scheduled to take place at Jeonju Hanok Village as well as 14 cities across North Jeolla Province, from Sept. 15 to 24. “We aim to create a unique program with top-notch performances that cannot be experienced elsewhere,“ said Lee Wang-jun of the festival’s organizing committee during a press conference held in Seoul on Wednesday. Lee added that a

July 9, 2023

Cultural events to mark global gathering of World Federation of the Deaf

An international event is set to kick off July 11 in Jeju Island, with a variety of cultural activities designed for and prepared by deaf people. The 19th World Conference of the World Federation of Deaf will open with an opening ceremony on July 11 and run until July 15 under the theme of “Securing Human Rights in Times of Crisis.” The WFD is an international organization that represents and promotes the rights of deaf people globally. The World Conference, which takes place every f

July 7, 2023

[Photo News] Diva and 12 cello virtuosos

July 7, 2023

[Well-curated] Culinary journey, unique designs and forest trails

Culinary journey around the world at Yongnidan-gil Less than five steps after passing an American-style bistro, you will find yourself in a Vietnamese back alley. However, just around the corner, a casual Japanese diner awaits you. Welcome to "Yongnidan-gil," a cluster of streets between Samgakji Station and Sinyongsan Station in Yongsan-gu. Yongnidan-gil follows on the heels of Itaewon's Gyeongnidan-gil and Haebangchon -- hot spots for both Koreans and foreign nationals alike. Co

July 7, 2023

Roof tile with 'Yeongmyojisa' inscription found in Gyeongju may shed light on city structure in ancient Silla

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province -- Remnants of roof tiles and Buddhist relics from the Unified Silla to the Goryeo periods were uncovered during sewage pipe construction in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced during a press conference at the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage, on Tuesday. Among the roof tiles, a tile fragment inscribed with Chinese characters, "Yeongmyojisa," meaning "Yeongmyosa Temple Site

July 5, 2023

Gangneung gathers 8,000 choral performers from around the world

GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province -- For 11 days, Gangneung, a coastal city of Gangwon Province, will be bustling with about 8,000 choir enthusiasts from all around the world. The 12th World Choir Games Gangneung 2023 kicked off Monday with 324 teams, including 95 teams from 33 foreign countries, which will perform both in competition and more in six venues in the city. At the grand opening ceremony on Monday, each country entered the Gangneung Arena holding a flag similar to at an Olympic Games

July 4, 2023

Fabric mudguard, gilt-bronze ornaments found in Silla princess's tomb

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province -- Remnants of a pair of fabric mudguards decorated with flower petals made with jewel beetle wings were discovered at Jjoksaem Tomb No. 44 in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced at a press conference at the Gyeongju Jjoksaem site, Tuesday. A total of 780 artifacts were unearthed along with the mudguards during the investigation of the wooden chamber tomb piled with stones and earth mound, a type of tomb specific

July 4, 2023

New Vice Culture Minister Jang Mi-ran makes office debut

Jang Mi-ran, a weightlifting champion recently named to a top post in charge of sports administration, vowed her utmost efforts to exceed expectations as she made her first appearance at her office in a central city Tuesday. In a surprise announcement Thursday, Jang was named the second vice minister of culture, sports and tourism, a position handling sports-related and tourism affairs in the ministry. But some opposition lawmakers, including Rep. An Min-suk, have criticized the appointment, cit

July 4, 2023