Changdeokgung’s nocturnal splendor to be showcased virtually

  Now that the muggy summer days are here, the state-run Cultural Heritage Administration’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation will invite visitors to experience a royal palace in Seoul on a summer night. Nighttime tours of Changdeokgung will be made available online starting Tuesday so that disadvantaged people outside the capital can experience the popular Moonlight Trip to the palace and its grounds. After receiving “moonlight packag

June 28, 2021

Will drive-in theaters give film industry pandemic solace?

Being unable to walk into theaters freely in the non-face-to-face era has changed moviegoers’ behavior and boosted streaming platforms such as Netflix and Watcha. But for many, the big screen in a cinema is still the ideal choice. According to movie industry reports on June 26, CGV and Lotte Cinema recently opened drive-in theaters in Incheon and Busan -- the first in South Korea to be operated by large multiplex theater chains with branches throughout the country. The most obvious advan

June 27, 2021

[Eye Plus] Boramae Park, a place to relax and see airplanes

First-time visitors to Boramae Park in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, may be surprised to see eight airplanes on display. They are often occupied by children who want to take a closer look and have their pictures taken with them. The retired planes include a transport aircraft, a Cessna T-37, a helicopter and a fighter aircraft. The airplanes are there to show that the park was established on the former site of the Republic of Korea Air Force Academy.  The academy was located in the area from 1958

June 26, 2021

First walking tour in London held to introduce Korean history

A walking tour has been held in the United Kingdom for locals interested in Korean culture and history. The Korea Tourism Organization, along with the Korean Cultural Center UK, jointly launched a walking tour on Wednesday, to showcase locations and symbolic features in the city that have a connection to Korea. The two-hour tour was designed to reach out to British citizens craving future visits to Korea, while still waiting for the relaunch of cross-border travels following the pandemic.&nbs

June 26, 2021

S. Korea submits application to host 2030 World Expo to BIE

South Korea on Wednesday handed in its official application to host its first World Expo in the southeastern port city of Busan in 2030, which will cover a wide array of themes ranging from climate change to technology. Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee visited Paris to submit the candidature letter to the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which oversees the event, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The BIE plans to receive applications through October, with the fina

June 23, 2021

THANKING VETERANS

The Sae Eden Presbyterian Church in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, organized a special event via Zoom on Wednesday to honor Korean War veterans from South Korea and four foreign countries -- the US, Canada, the Philippines and Thailand. More than 150 foreign representatives attended, some veterans and others standing in for family members who had served in the war and died. The event, which has taken place every year since 2007, was also attended by 50 Korean soldiers who fought during the 1950-53

June 23, 2021

Miss Chunhyang beauty pageant winner says contest was learning opportunity

Kim Min-seol, a 22-year-old student at the Seoul Institute of Art, won the top award at the Miss Chunhyang beauty pageant in Namwon, North Jeolla Province, May 19. “For me, it was a learning opportunity,” Kim said during a recent interview with The Korea Herald. “I understand that beauty pageants are becoming an issue. By participating in the contest and winning, I found out that the Miss Chunhyang beauty pageant does not focus only on external beauty but also provides a chan

June 23, 2021

National Folk Museum of Korea offers intimate look into life in Busan of yore

A maritime city on the southeastern tip of the Korean Peninsula, Busan is the country’s second-largest city with a population of some 3.4 million. Since the mid-19th century Busan has served as a gateway for new ideas and exchanges with foreign countries. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, it became a haven for war refugees. The National Folk Museum of Korea’s exhibition “Busan, Gateway to the World,” which opened June 2 as part of the 2021 Year of Busan Folk Culture

June 22, 2021

Naver under fire for kimchi translation on BTS program amid Chinese claims over dish

Naver’s V Live is being criticized for translating kimchi as “pao cai” -- a pickled vegetable dish eaten in China -- in the June 15 episode of BTS’ variety program “Run BTS!” 　 On the show, the BTS members are divided into two teams and make two different types of kimchi with restaurateur Paik Jong-won. Each time kimchi is mentioned in the video, the Chinese subtitles read “pao cai.” With Chinese media having claimed kimchi originated from pao c

June 21, 2021

[Eye Plus] Seoul Yangnyeongsi Market, mecca of Korean traditional herbal medicine

The Seoul Yangnyeongsi Market, located in Dongdaemun-gu, eastern Seoul, is the capital’s hub of herbal medicine. Walking through the market, one may be struck by the fragrances in the air created by the wide variety of herbal ingredients -- from ginseng and dates to milk vetch roots. The smell of “hanyak,” traditional Korean herbal medicine, provides comfort and relaxation for many, as it invokes memories of aromas they may have smelled at their grandparents’ homes.&nbs

June 19, 2021

Bandi & Luni’s, Korea’s third-most-popular bookstore, goes bankrupt

With books going digital and online buying the preferred means of purchasing books, one of the major bookstore chains in South Korea has declared bankruptcy. The Seoul Book Center, operator of the country’s third-largest offline bookstore franchise, Bandi & Luni’s, was officially declared bankrupt as of Wednesday. The Seoul Book Center failed to clear some 160 million won ($143,000) on Tuesday, according to the Korean Publishers Association and publishing companies. Bandi &

June 17, 2021

Bid to smuggle out 92 Korean cultural artifacts foiled

DAEJEON--The Cultural Heritage Administration and Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency on Tuesday jointly announced that 11 suspects who attempted to smuggle out 92 valuable Korean cultural artifacts have been caught. The two agencies also unveiled the items the suspects allegedly tried to take out of the country during a press briefing held at Daejeon Metropolitan Police Agency on Tuesday. “We started working together with the CHA from 2018,” Kim Jae-chun, an official from Daejeon

June 15, 2021

Seoul seeks donations of used musical instruments

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is receiving donations of used musical instruments through its Instrument Donation and Sharing Campaign that started Monday and is expected to run through the end of July. With the goal of creating a society where “all citizens can learn and enjoy musical instruments,” the project coordinates the donation and repairs of the donated instruments by skilled artisans at Nakwon Musical Instrument Arcade, located in Jongno, central Seoul. Once the repai

June 14, 2021

Seoul Institution of Arts to dive deep into Korean culture through Summer at SeoulArts

Summer at SeoulArts, hosted by the Seoul Institute of Arts, the most prominent art institute in Korea, will be held this summer for international college students interested in learning more about Korean culture. All classes are to be held online in English and will feature two courses that incorporate K-pop and Korean film. The first course, “The Kpop Phenomenon,” instructed by professor Woody Pak, will cover the history, development, processes, cultural impact and globalization

June 13, 2021

Korean bishop named to head Vatican Congregation for Clergy

Pope Francis appointed the South Korean bishop Lazzaro You Heung-sik as the new prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Clergy, the Vatican said Friday. You, 69, who currently heads the diocese of Daejeon in central South Korea, became the first South Korean to be appointed to a secretary position. The congregation is responsible for overseeing matters regarding priests and deacons not belonging to religious orders. It is known for overseeing more than 400,000 Catholic priests around

June 11, 2021

'Visit Korean Heritage' campaign back with global promotion project

The Visit Korean Heritage campaign, which began last year, is back, and this time with some new global projects, according to its co-organizers the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation. “We can sense people’s sentiment toward Korean culture changed recently through contents like BTS’ Daechwita, band Leenalchi’s Korea promotional videos and Minari,” Kim Hyun-mo, head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, said during a press

June 11, 2021

British Council of Korea, Korea Foundation to look for ideas to tackle climate change

The British Council of Korea and the Korea Foundation on Friday announced that they were looking for creative ideas to tackle climate change. Cross-border teams from the UK and Korea can compete for funds to support their projects by submitting applications by July 2. “We hope this program can expand the cooperation and conversations between Korea and the UK about climate change issues we face,” said Sam Harvey, director of the British Council of Korea. Nationals from the two co

June 11, 2021

[#WeFACE] Artists warn looming climate crisis through data-driven projects

Artists from different parts of the globe joined Herald Corp.’s first H.eco Forum on Thursday to showcase their artistic approach in responding to the looming climate crisis and to communicate with the public through data. Five artists came together from different time zones for an hourlong session to present their experimental works of art from “Heartbeat of the Earth.” The series was created in collaboration with the Google Arts & Culture Lab and the United Nations Frame

June 10, 2021

Sejong Center's Hong Kong Week event postponed to 2023

The “Hong Kong Week 2021@Seoul” event will be pushed back by two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts announced Wednesday. The change in schedule comes as the art center failed to get a green light from the government in February to have visiting artists from Hong Kong exempted from mandatory self-quarantine measures. The decision to postpone the event was made last week, an official from the Sejong Center said. The postponement was necess

June 9, 2021

[Eye Plus] Nights shine bright on Seoul’s Nodeulseom

Nodeulseom, an artificial island built a century ago, is a unique place from which to view Seoul’s nightscape over the Han River, especially in early summer. While you’re staring at reflections of the Han River at night near a dock, an art installation shaped like a giant moon may catch your attention. The 12-meter-tall installation, “Dalbitnodeul,” meaning “Nodeul Under the Moonlight,” is made up of two circular metal structures. It is a popular spot for nig

June 5, 2021