[Visual History of Korea] The Baekje Empire of East Asia distilled in gilt-bronze incense burner

During Korea‘s tumultuous history, the Baekje Empire had a significant presence in East Asia for about 700 years starting about two thousand years ago. Korean civilization which is one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations, had profound spiritual and philosophical foundations in Dohak, or Taoism, and Buddhism during the Baekje period. The Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje, which was excavated at an ancient temple site in Buyeo County in South Chungcheong Province in 199

Sept. 11, 2021

[Photo News] Swallowtail Butterflies Welcome Autumn

Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies but they have been becoming harder to spot since the destruction of nature that accompanied industrial development in the 20th century. On the morning of Sept. 9, a swallowtail butterfly is seen sitting on a Lycoris radiata in full bloom at Heungguksa, a temple in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. Usually, Lycoris radiata bloom in early September, welcoming fall with a bright touch of red. Swallowtail butterflies feed on nectar from the flow

Sept. 11, 2021

‘Nego King’ wins top prize at Korean content fair

YouTube show “Nego King” won the grand prize Thursday at Broadcast Worldwide 2021, a Korea Creative Content Agency fair held to recognize outstanding new media content and bring South Korean content to the international market. The video show centers on TV personality and singer Hwang Kwang-hee and his efforts to negotiate the prices of franchise companies, including Lotte Department Store, BBQ and GS25. Widely acclaimed for Hwang’s lively performance and for the active com

Sept. 10, 2021

King Sejong Literacy Prize goes to organizations in Guatemala, India, South Africa

Three organizations -- one from Guatemala, one from India and one from South Africa -- received the 32nd UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize for promoting literacy in developing countries. UNESCO awarded the prize to Limitless Horizons Ixil in Guatemala, the National Institute of Open Schooling in India and the Puku Children’s Literature Foundation in South Africa, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Limitless Horizons Ixil is a nongovernmental organization that su

Sept. 10, 2021

[Well-Curated] In-person festivals return, focusing on pandemic’s impact

Some 1,039 works by 421 artists, collectives and companies from more than 50 countries are on show at the 2021 Gwangju Design Biennale, which opened Sept. 1. The 61-day biennale aims to show designs that reflect differences in gender, race, ideology and culture and how to embrace the differences by exploring the beauty of each one. An example is Dutch designer Inge Kuipers’ “Tea-Set Touch,” a teapot and cups designed for people with arthritis. Running through Oct. 31, the b

Sept. 10, 2021

More evidence unearthed of Silla-era human sacrifice

An archaeological dig by the Cultural Heritage Administration has found more human remains under the west walls of Wolseong in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, adding toe evidence that human sacrifices mere made in the Silla Kingdom. “The west walls of Wolseong drew the public’s attention in 2017 when bones of two people were found. After that, we have been researching the site mainly to find out civil engineering techniques that were used to build Wolseong. In the process, we

Sept. 7, 2021

Professor takes Baidu to task over hanbok description

China’s top search engine giant, Baidu, is facing criticism for its misrepresentation of hanbok. Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women’s University, strongly criticized Baidu’s encyclopedia portal, demanding a correction to the entry on hanbok, via email Tuesday, according to Seo. Baidu states that hanbok originates from “hanfu,” and that the costume represents “traditional clothing of ethnic minority Koreans (living in China),” and therefore

Sept. 7, 2021

How 200-year-old remains of Korea’s first Catholic martyrs were discovered

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Jeonju announced surprising news on Wednesday about the remains of three Korean martyrs that were recovered in Wanju, a county in North Jeolla Province, two centuries after their deaths. The remains were identified as those of Paul Yun Ji-chung and James Kwon Sang-yeon, who were beheaded for their faith in 1791, and Yun’s younger brother Francis Yun Ji-heon, who was quartered in 1801, according to the diocese. All three were beatified by Pope Francis in 201

Sept. 6, 2021

[Herald Interview] Artistic director discusses cultural communication in COVID-19 pandemic

After a remarkable career in the entertainment industry, artistic director of PMC Production Song Seung-whan has set his sights on a different field. Debuting as a child actor in 1965, it is no exaggeration to say Sung has been involved in almost every field of Korean culture and the entertainment business. Sung spent his adolescence acting in movies, dramas and musicals. The actor then moved to stage production, creating the legendary nonverbal drumming performance “Nanta.” Sung

Sept. 6, 2021

[Visual History of Korea] World’s first case of press oppression

The power of the media is in its right and capacity for selective truth telling. King Seonjo, the 14th king of the Joseon Kingdom, clearly understood that “newspapers write the first draft of history,” during what was to be the world’s first case of press oppression in 1577. “The first commercial newspaper printed with movable types was in Korea during the years of King Seonjo,” said the Ven. Jibong of the Yeongcheon History Museum. Following three months of th

Sept. 3, 2021

Culture minister communicates with youth via metaverse

Culture Minister Hwang Hee discussed future policies on arts and culture in communication with the nation’s young artists through the metaverse on Thursday, the ministry announced the following day. The event in the metaverse was organized to celebrate and evaluate the results of the ministry-led campaign, “The Youth Made Changes - Culture Ministry,” which had been in operation since May. Hwang accessed the metaverse space provided and supported by ifland, a social communica

Sept. 3, 2021

‘The Letters of Saint Andrew Kim Dae-geon’ published in English

The Research Foundation of Korean Church History has published an English-language version of “The Letters of Saint Andrew Kim Dae-geon” to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the first Korean Catholic priest and saint. “We look forward to sharing the deep faith of St. Andrew Kim Dae-geon and his pioneering spirit with the world by publishing the English version of the book of letters. Our ancestors are the only ones in the world that accepted Catholicism by thei

Sept. 2, 2021

Forum explores cultural communication, diversity at global level

The pandemic has changed the way people communicate. While the world appears hyperconnected thanks to the internet, connectivity does not necessarily mean communication, say participants in the 2021 Culture Communication Forum. The forum kicked off Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan, central Seoul. “Cultural communication has never been more important since the outbreak of COVID-19, making the forum’s theme ‘cultural communication as a way to share core values of in

Sept. 1, 2021

Culture Ministry sets W7tr budget for 2022

The Culture Ministry‘s budget has surpassed 7 trillion won ($6.05 billion) for the first time. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Wednesday the passage of its budget for next year at 7.15 trillion won, marking a 4.2 percent increase from last year’s 6.8 trillion won budget. In 2022, the Culture Ministry plans to expand the support for cultural content production and hallyu, globally promoting Korea. It will also work on the recovery of various culture, sports a

Sept. 1, 2021

Culture Ministry releases COVID-19 manual for art theaters

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Theater Safety Center have jointly released a manual on theaters’ response to COVID-19 to effectively respond to virus infectious disease situations. According to the Culture Ministry, performing art halls have been evaluated to be relatively safe facilities, as there have been no audience-to-audience infections or actor-to-audience infections since the spread of COVID-19 early last year. However, there has been a need for a manual for thea

Sept. 1, 2021

K-pop girl group ITZY debuts in Japan

K-pop girl group ITZY has debuted in Japan with a digital album containing its hit songs and opened an official Japanese website, the group's label said Wednesday. The album "WHAT'z ITZY," was released through Warner Music Japan at midnight Tuesday, carrying the tracks "Dalla Dalla," "Icy," "Wannabe," "Not Shy" and "Mafia in the Morning," according to JYP Entertainment. "We plan to share news on (the group's) Japan debut in stage

Sept. 1, 2021

Koreans and foreigners perceive COVID differently: survey

While vaccines are the first thing that come to mind among foreigners to Korea regarding COVID-19, masks top the list among Koreans, according to a survey conducted by the Corea Image Communication Institute and released at the Culture Communication Forum Tuesday. Half of the 432 survey participants were Koreans and the other half were foreigners who have experienced Korean culture during their stay or visit to Korea, according to CICI. Among foreigners, vaccines topped the list with 88.9 pe

Aug. 31, 2021

W5.8b earmarked for Lee Kun-hee art collection next year

The government has earmarked 5.8 billion won ($5 million) in next year’s budget for managing and exhibiting artworks donated by the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee. A total of 3.3 billion won has been allocated toward research personnel, equipment and facilities as well as establishing a database to manage the artworks, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday. Another 2.5 billion won will be used to organize a special exhibition slated to take place at the National

Aug. 31, 2021

MMCA launches global projects to promote Korean art

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea has launched a project with art institutes in Asia to promote art globally, such as online virtual reality programs and a Korean art website in English, so audiences can enjoy them from the comfort of their own homes during the pandemic lockdown. A subscription-based online streaming service, “Watch and Chill,” was jointly launched with the M+ West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong, MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum in Tha

Aug. 29, 2021

Incheon's annual rock festival to be held virtually in Oct.

The annual Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival will be held virtually for the second consecutive year on Oct. 9 and 10, its organizers said Sunday. The festival's 16th edition will feature '90s top artists such as Lee Seung-hwan and Yoon Sang, and other popular acts including 10cm, Daybreak and Leenalchi, according to the organizing committee. The names of participating artists from other countries will be revealed at a later date. As one of South Korea's biggest music events, the Incheon Pentapo

Aug. 29, 2021