[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

Oct. 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

Oct. 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

Oct. 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

Oct. 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.

Oct. 8, 2022

Dinosaur expo takes place in Goseong

The Gyeongnam Goseong Dinosaur World Expo has returned for the sixth time this year, in Goseong, South Gyeongsang Province. Known as a treasure trove of dinosaur fossils and footprints, the first dinosaur footprints in Goseong County discovered in 1982 in the area of Sangjogam. In 1999, the footprints of Brontosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Allosaurus and other species found at Sangjogam were designated Natural Monument No. 411. The Goseong Dinosaur Expo began in 2006, highlighting the fossils and footp

Oct. 7, 2022

A journey through Seoul in honor of Hangeul and its famed creator

King Sejong of the Joseon era, or simply Sejong the Great, is arguably the Korean who has left the biggest mark on the nation’s history. Every single day, people across the country use the monarch’s creation --- Hangeul, the Korean writing system. How highly Koreans think of him can be seen in numerous instances. Among the many things named after him are a Seoul street, a city, a university, a performing arts center, a naval Aegis destroyer, a satellite and the country’s Antarc

Oct. 7, 2022

[Well-curated] Let colors and lights take you away

If you are a Monbebe, the name of K-pop band Monsta X’s fandom, you might be familiar with the colorful rainbow background in Monsta X member Kihyun's live performance video of his solo song "Voyager" for the “Vocals Only Live” program on YouTube. Get That Shot, a cafe that is perfect for filming live music content, is a well-known Instagram spot. From the entrance of the cafe, located on the first floor of the Lotte Department Store’s Yeongdeungpo branch in sou

Oct. 7, 2022

[Box Office] Movies in theaters this week

Life is Beautiful (Korea) Opened Sept. 28 Drama Directed by Choi Kook-hee Housewife Se-yeon (Yum Jung-ah) has devoted her entire life to her family, but her family does not appreciate this. One day, she finds out that she has lung cancer and only a few months left to live. As her last birthday present, she asks her husband (Ryu Seung-ryong) to help find her first high school crush. Though reluctant at first, her husband decides to go on this strange journey with Se-yeon. Honest Candidate 2 (Ko

Oct. 7, 2022

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and packages

Four Seasons Hotel Seoul launches collaboration cake with Chantecaille In celebration of the hotel's upcoming seventh anniversary, Four Seasons Hotel Seoul has launched a gluten-free cake, Tasty Palette, in partnership with Chantecaille, a premium cosmetic brand. Pastry chef Jimmy Boulay created the special cake using local ingredients. Acacia honey from Korea and coconut is used in place of gluten-free flour, sugar, or artificial sweeteners, and domestic figs are used as the main ingredien

Oct. 7, 2022

Kim Jang-sil appointed Korea Tourism Organization head

Former Vice Culture Minister Kim Jang-sil has been appointed the new head of the Korea Tourism Organization, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Thursday. The post had been vacant since May, when Ahn Young-bae stepped down. Passing the civil service examination in 1979, Kim has served in various posts in the government. In 2008, during the Lee Myung-bak administration, Kim was appointed vice minister at the Culture Ministry. From 2009 to 2012, he served as the head of the Seoul

Oct. 6, 2022

2 Michelin-star Latin American female chef visits Korea

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and the Dominican Republic, the Dominican Embassy in Seoul has invited two-star Michelin chef, Maria Marte, to introduce Dominican cuisines to Korea. Hosted by the Four Seasons Hotel Seoul in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, Marte has been introducing a series of Dominican dishes, desserts and cocktails, through the hotel's promotion, "Dominican Week," since Monday. Dishes by Marte as well as Elaine De W

Oct. 6, 2022

Annual performing arts festival explores changes in our times

The Seoul Performing Arts Festival, in its 22nd edition this year, will explore changes in our times with domestic and overseas projects that test the boundaries of performing arts, the organizers said during a press conference on Tuesday. The SPAF is an annual festival held in the Daehangno neighborhood of Seoul, considered the mecca of performing arts in Korea. It is co-organized by the Korea Arts Management Service under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Seoul Foundation for

Oct. 5, 2022

University festivals return in full glory after pandemic hiatus

With cooler and crisp air, the season of university fall festivals has arrived. Since mid-September, major universities across the country are holding their biggest and most exciting campus event of the year. During the past two years of the pandemic, university festivals had faced a hiatus, like many other in-person events. But with social distancing rules and the outdoor mask mandate lifted, the festivals are back in all their glory, with their typical elements of K-pop, student-run food sta

Oct. 5, 2022

Lim Yun-chan's 'Emperor Concerto' live recording to be released November

A live performance recording of Beethoven’s “Emperor Concerto” by Lim Yun-chan, the youngest winner of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, will be released in November, Universal Music announced Tuesday. Lim will take the stage with the Gwangju Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Hong Seo-kwon, on Saturday at Tongyeong Concert Hall to perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73, known as the "Emperor Concerto." The album, to

Oct. 4, 2022

[Herald Interview] Versatile flutist Choi Na-kyung discovers new adventures during pandemic

On July 13, 2011, South Korean flutist Choi Na-kyung, also known as Jasmine Choi, played at a recital for the celebration of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s re-election. There she met people she considered to be truly selfless, people who live their lives for the purpose of tackling famine, climate change, improving women's rights and other pressing global issues. Unexpectedly, the joyful event made her depressed for months. “I love music so much, but I couldn’t help

Oct. 4, 2022

'Ulysses' European tour seeks modern touch for Joyce's epic novel

MARSEILLE -- A festival dedicated to James Joyce's novel "Ulysses" is touring 18 European cities, with artists and writers linking the work to contemporary issues such as immigration. "Ulysses," published in 1922, counts among the 20th century's key novels, and its centenary has already sparked much celebration in Joyce's native Ireland. But Liam Browne, co-artistic curator of "Ulysses European Odyssey," said the tour is to go beyond the kind of liter

Oct. 4, 2022

Reenactment of King Jeongjo’s Royal Parade to take off this weekend

In 1795, King Jeongjo traveled from Changdeokgung in the capital to Suwon Hwaseong Fortress to visit his father’s grave, Yongneung, in Hwaseong. Accompanying King Jeongjo on the eight-day journey was his mother, Lady Hyegyeong, celebrating her 60th birthday. Often cited as the expression of King Jeongjo's filial piety, the royal parade will be reenacted on Saturday and Saturday. The parade will set off at 10 a.m. at Changdeokgung, located in Jongno-gu, and course through areas of Seoul on

Oct. 3, 2022

‘Leeds era’: How one English city's name became a buzzword in Korea

Buzzwords come and go in Korea after a few years. But one has stood the test of time -- “Leeds era,” which is read as “lijeu sijeol” in Korean. The term, believed to have originated from online football communities around 2005, is used to refer to a period of one’s greatest success or popularity, similar to a heyday or a golden era. It is used in various contexts including the appearance of celebrities to the performance of athletes. Since July this year, local cabl

Oct. 2, 2022

[Well-curated] Exhibits, night tours and street performances

Time travel to Japan's Edo period in Seoul An exhibition will take you on a time and space travel journey this weekend to 17th century Japan, without having to leave the city. An exhibition introducing urban customs and lifestyles of Japan's Edo period (1603-1867) is ongoing at the Seoul Museum of History, in central Seoul, through Oct. 23. Edo is the former name of Tokyo and the capital of the military government at the time, the Tokugawa shogunate. Titled "Scenes Around Sumidagawa River i

Oct. 1, 2022