[Visual History of Korea] Hanji flowers for all life events, from birth to afterlife celebrations

Flowers are omnipresent in Korean life, which is a series of celebrations, one after another. One of the essential components of the Korean psyche is the “heung” and the “kki.” Heung represents the rhythms of life, while the kki is the enthusiastic energy that moves us. While modern greenhouses today produce an almost unlimited selection of colorful flowers throughout the year, fresh flowers were not always readily available in Korea until the late 20th century. Not to

April 23, 2022

[Well-curated] Up for some indoor sports? How about plant-watching and coffee-tasting?

Looking to grow your own greens this spring, but don’t know how? Sikmulsung Dosan, a cafe and showroom that presents indoor farming methods, is the place to visit. Located near Dosan Park in a fashionable Gangnam-gu neighborhood of luxury fashion houses, Sikmulsung Dosan serves salad bowls, coffee and other beverages made using vegetables grown in the store’s own indoor farm. Customers can peek at the vegetable cultivation room, where plants are grown under a controlled environmen

April 22, 2022

[Photo News] Hanbok Talk

Front row from left: Didier Beltoise, president of Cs ; Hye-kyung Kim, vice-president of Enzychem Lifesciences ; Kim Young-jin, CEO of Tchai Kim ; Sripriya Ranganathan, Indian Ambassador to Korea; Choi Jung-wha, president of Corea Image Communication Institute CICI; Mukund Santhanam, RE 100 Strategic advisor; Mozes Csoma, Hungarian Ambassador to Korea and Nam Sun-mi, spouse of the Hungarian Ambassador, pose for a photo at the Indian ambassador‘s residence in Seoul on Tuesday before atten

April 20, 2022

Deoksugung offers night tour program

“Seokjojeon at Night,” an evening tour program at Deoksugung, will operate from May 3 to June 12, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Wednesday. The 80-minute tours will start at 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The program starts with a stroll around the Joseon-period palace in downtown Seoul, led by a guide offering brief historical explanations. At Seokjojeon, the first European-style building in the country that was used for diplomatic meetings during King Gojong’s

April 20, 2022

SLL aims to become global content provider

Studio LuluLala, formerly known as JTBC Studios and a subsidiary of cable channel JTBC, will invest 3 trillion won ($2.42 billion) over the next few years into producing 30 TV series and five films, seeking to become a global content studio. “We have changed our name from JTBC Studio. It reflects our determination to become a leading production company in the world entertainment industry,” SLL CEO Jung Kyung-moon said during a press conference at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Jung-gu,

April 20, 2022

Bogota intl. book fair kicks off with S. Korea as guest of honor

The 2022 Bogota International Book Fair (FILBO) has opened in Colombia's capital with South Korea as the guest of honor. Launched in 1988, FILBO is the second-largest event of its kind in South America, where an average of 600,000 people visit every year. The event returned in person for the first time in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 34th edition kicked off in a ceremony held Tuesday (Colombia time) with attendance of about 200 figures from the two countries, including Colombian

April 20, 2022

English Hallyu posts on YouTube jump thirtyfold after ‘Squid Game’

Since the release of Netflix’s mega-hit Korean original “Squid Game” last year, English-language online posts related to Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, have increased approximately 30-fold, according to a Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange report released Monday. The Culture Ministry and KOFICE jointly analyzed data from three online media platform categories -- video and social media, community sites and review platforms -- from June to December last year. Th

April 19, 2022

Orchestra performance of the blind from Joseon to be reborn at Gyeongbok Palace

To celebrate the nation’s Day for People with Disabilities on April 20, the Cultural Heritage Administration will hold a special performance played by leading musicians from the Korean Traditional Music Orchestra of the Blind, at Gyeongbok Palace on Wednesday. Jointly hosted by the CHA’s Gyeongbok Palace Management Center and the Siloam Center for the Blind, this will be the second performance of its kind, after the first was held last year in the front yard of Sujeongjeon, the pal

April 18, 2022

Limit on audience numbers lifted for theaters, performance halls

As part of a new post-COVID-19 scheme, audience number limits will be lifted starting Monday, according to the Culture Ministry. The change is expected to revitalize the performing arts and theater sectors hit hard by the pandemic. Food consumption inside all cultural facilities, including movie theaters, indoor sports stadiums and religious facilities will be allowed starting April 25. Masks should still be worn at all times both indoors and outdoors, before and after eating or drinking. M

April 17, 2022

[Eye Plus] Sogyeok-dong: where past and present coexist

Located across the street from Gyeongbok Palace, Sogyeok-dong is a small neighborhood where Korea’s history overlaps with Seoul’s bustling culture. The name Sogyeok-dong derives from Sogyeokso, the National Taoist Temple that was built in 1396 during the reign of King Taejo of the Joseon era (1392-1910). It was established to preserve Taoism and hold sacrificial rites to ward off bad omens. People went to the temple to worship the stars and the earth.  The temple is nowhere

April 16, 2022

[Visual History of Korea] Jeju horses, natives of ancient Tamna Kingdom

For most of her history, Jeju Island was better known as the Tamna Kingdom (2345 BC - 1405). Tamna was one of the nine neighboring enemy countries of Silla (57 BC – AD 918) back in the day. Silla even built the tallest wooden pagoda in Korean history with each level of the nine-story tall pagoda dedicated to fending off the nine enemy states. The Hwangnyongsa wooden pagoda was completed in 645, standing 80 meters tall, before it was burned down by the Mongol invaders in 1238, according t

April 16, 2022

Enjoy magic of moonlit Changdeokgung

The first of the biannual Moonlight Tour at Changdeokgung Palace series will kick off April 21, welcoming guests to a warm spring night at the royal palace. The tour, which takes around an hour and 40 minutes, is organized by the Cultural Heritage Administration’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation. Visitors can enjoy a nighttime view of downtown Seoul while listening to the sounds of daegeum, a traditional Korean woodwind instrument, at the garden

April 13, 2022

Culture minister nominee rebuffs accusations of inexperience

A longtime journalist covering politics and now a culture minister nominee in the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol administration, Park Bo-gyoon said he has ample experience and deep-seated interest in cultural matters. “I was mainly a journalist at the political news desk, but I wrote a lot of articles about culture, art, content, history, sports and tourism. When I traveled around the world, I visited cultural and artistic sites such as museums and archives first. So this field is by no means un

April 12, 2022

‘Not Seoul’: Photo exhibition rediscovers ordinary aspects of the city with vivid colors

As borders were closed by travel restrictions due to COVID-19, one photographer in South Korea decided to embark on a new challenge at home: photographing Seoul in his own way. K. Chae, a 43-year-old street photographer whose full name is Chae Kyung-wan, has traveled to 85 countries for his photography work. His goal was to take his camera to 100 countries. But his last planned trip to Central Asia in 2020 was forced to be canceled due to COVID-19. And in a way, his latest exhibition and photo

April 11, 2022

‘Lord Buddha would have done the same’: Monks defend Moon’s conduct

A number of Buddhist monks have come to the defense of President Moon Jae-in after the president and first lady Kim Jung-sook came under fire for sitting on the cornerstones of a Buddhist temple during a hiking event last week. “I speak (of the incident) as a Jogye Order monk,” Ven. Yeongdam, director of the Youngdam Hanji Museum in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province wrote on Facebook, Friday. “If you happen to come across a cornerstone at a vacant temple, you can sit down a

April 11, 2022

[Visual History of Korea] King cherry trees of Korea replicated with cloning science

Among a variety of Korean cherry blossom trees, one of the most spectacular is the King cherry tree that uniquely grows naturally in Korea. In April each year, King cherry blossoms bloom like popcorn from bare branches before the leaves burst out of the buds. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that the rest of the world learned about Korean King cherry blossoms. Upon encountering an ancient forest of King cherry trees on Jeju Island‘s Hallasan in 1908, French botanist and Cat

April 9, 2022

59% favor active duty exemption for top pop artists: survey

A new opinion poll out Friday showed some 6 in 10 South Koreans think K-pop sensation BTS and other top artists who have contributed to boosting the country’s image should be exempted from active duty military service. A Gallup Korea survey of 1,004 Koreans aged 18 and older, conducted from Tuesday to Thursday, showed nearly 59 percent responding that K-pop artists should be able to carry out an alternative military duty or be granted exemption from military service. Thirty-three percent

April 8, 2022

[Newsmaker] MMCA recruits foreign residents to promote Korean art

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea is recruiting foreigners living in South Korea to collaborate with the museum in promoting Korean art and the national museum globally, as the number of overseas visitors have plummeted during the pandemic. Under the “#helloMMCA” program, the museum will pick 10 foreign residents in Korea to work for its campaign from May 2 to July 31. The influencers will post a variety of contents about the museum and exhibitions on their

April 8, 2022

Presidential office highlights respect for Buddhism

Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday released a photo of President Moon Jae-in putting his palms together and bowing in front of a Buddha statue located behind the presidential office, after the Buddhist community criticized the president and first lady for sitting on cornerstones of the presumed site of the temple Beopheungsa, during a hike Tuesday. The hike was organized to commemorate the opening of the southern side of Bukaksan to the public. “President Moon appeared to be at a loss after receiv

April 8, 2022

[Well-curated] Discover new artists, peruse film magazines and view flowers at palace greenhouse

Tired of waiting in a line to view art in packed big-name galleries? At the HoHo Art Festival, you will have ample space to enjoy art, coffee and music.  Contemporary artwork and installations by some 78 emerging artists are on display at Collabo Haus Dosan, a 10-minute walk from Apgujeong Station Exit No. 3. Hosted by Art Blending, an artists’ agency, the festival is self-directed by the participating artists. Guests can vote for the three best pieces. Upon voting, they are eligibl

April 8, 2022