N. Korea asks for delay in joint excavation of historic palace site

North Korea on Thursday requested a delay in the joint excavation of an ancient palace site scheduled to begin later in the day, citing lack of preparations and workforce, the unification ministry said.The two Koreas earlier agreed to launch a three-month joint survey from Thursday on the Manwoldae site in the North's border town of Kaesong where the palace of the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) used to be located for about 400 years."Discussion will continue to resume the planned excavation," a minis

Sept. 27, 2018

[Photo News] Last day of Chuseok holiday

On the final day of Chuseok holiday, Koreans hit the streets with their families to visit key tourist spots and large shopping districts in Seoul and elsewhere.A large crowd gathered at the Korean Folk Village. Located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, the popular tourist attraction offers various traditional cultural events that date back to the late Joseon period. Parents sat on the ground with their children in their laps as they enjoyed the “jultagi,” or acrobatics on a tightrope, performance up

Sept. 26, 2018

[Herald Review] Musical Matilda packs fun, wit, impressive visuals

“Matilda,” the Korean production of “Matilda the Musical,” provides ample doses of what you would expect of the Tony-winning musical, from witty banter, funny and likeable characters to satirical comedy just black enough to still pass for a children’s story.The musical, based on the novel of the same name by Roald Dahl, focuses on brilliant but mistreated girl Matilda, who endures obstacles in her life from her ignorant and obnoxious parents to her principal Miss Trunchbull. (Yonhap)It basically

Sept. 21, 2018

[Weekender] Central Asians celebrate Chuseok at ‘home away from home’

During the Chuseok holiday, many Koreans gather to honor ancestors, reconnect with family members and eat festive meals together. But for non-Koreans, the holiday is different: Many family members live abroad, and more plainly, it lacks cultural significance. This year, the Korean traditional holiday begins Sunday and runs through Sept. 25. Many Korean restaurants and businesses will be closed, with some resting one or two days in addition to the designated days. Even the most bustling streets a

Sept. 20, 2018

[Trending] Rescued puppy Injeolmi gets 800,000-plus followers, meets celeb

A cute puppy named Injeolmi has stolen the hearts of pet lovers throughout Korea, thanks to photos posted on social media that garnered explosive popularity. The 2-month-old female pup, whose breed has not yet been determined, has a black nose, short legs and two black eyes with double eyelids. Injeolmi and actor Kwak Dong-yeon (Kwak`s Instagram)The puppy was rescued from a ditch near an apple farm in August, and the farmer’s daughter began taking care of the young animal. As a new pet parent, s

Sept. 18, 2018

K-culture festival opens in Brazil amid keen public interest

SAO PAULO -- A major K-culture festival got under way in Sao Paulo on Saturday, drawing thousands of people interested in South Korea, local observers said.The Brazil Hallyu Expo 2018, taking place in the country's largest city, is hosted by the South Korea's government-funded culture center here. (Yonhap)It's part of efforts to turn Brazil into an advance base for the spread of "hallyu," or the Korean Wave.More than 8,000 people have applied for participation, according to center officials.A So

Sept. 16, 2018

Culture Ministry requests prosecution probe of officials over blacklist scandal

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Thursday that it would ask the prosecution to investigate seven government officials over their alleged involvement in the blacklisting of cultural figures by the two previous administrations.Of the seven, five belong to the Culture Ministry and accusations had been filed against one of them by a concerned cultural group. Three officials are currently heads of Korean cultural centers overseas, and will be summoned back to Korea as soon as possible

Sept. 13, 2018

[Weekender] Celebrities rush to YouTube bandwagon

In a competitive entertainment world where self-promotion is essential, celebrities have long sought for new strategies to brand themselves. Previously, stars like Jisook of Rainbow showcased her hidden talents in a blog and comedian Song Eun-yi embarked on a second career as a content creator by launching a podcast. With the boom of new media and the ever-expanding realm of YouTube, however, celebrities have been making their voices heard via the popular streaming service beyond the silver scre

Sept. 13, 2018

Koreas to resume joint dig of Kaesong palace site

South and North Korea have agreed to resume the excavation of the ancient palace site of Manwoldae located in the North Korean city of Kaesong, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Tuesday.A study of Manwoldae, where the now-demolished royal palace of the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) once stood, could offer a way for the two Koreas to reconcile their differing views on Korean history. Manwoldae site (Cultural Heritage Administration)South Korean officials held a working-level meeting with the

Sept. 11, 2018

Koreas to restart joint excavation of historic palace site in Kaesong

South and North Korea will resume their joint excavation of the site of an ancient palace in the North's border town of Kaesong late this month, Seoul's cultural heritage authority said Tuesday.The Cultural Heritage Administration said that it has agreed during a working-level meeting with the North's National Reconciliation Council in Kaesong on Thursday to conduct a joint survey and preservation of the Manwoldae site for three months from Sept. 27 to Dec. 27. Manwoldae was the palace of the Go

Sept. 11, 2018

Ambassadors visit DMZ

Do Jong-hwan, the minister of culture, sports and tourism, led a group of Seoul-based foreign diplomats on a visit to the Demilitarized Zone on Friday.The visit, according to the Culture Ministry, was intended to promote DMZ tourism in light of thawing inter-Korea tensions. The ministry said the event would play a part in gaining the international community’s support for peace on the peninsula. Culture Minister Do Jong-hwan leads a group of Seoul-based foreign diplomats on a visit to the Demilit

Sept. 7, 2018

Photographer Yoo Byung-Chang to hold exhibition on Jeju Jusangjeolli

Former Herald Media CEO Yoo Byung-chang is holding his second exhibition as a professional photographer in Seoul next week, themed on the Jeju Island landmark Jusangjeolli.The exhibition, named “The Echo from A Distant Time,” will be held from Sept.12-17 at Gallery Nsart in Insa-dong, Seoul, formerly known as Insa Art Space. Jusangjeolli, a collection of cliffs on Jeju Island formed of hexagonal columns of rock, is a popular tourist sight.In words of the artist, the shots depict the peculiar-sha

Sept. 7, 2018

Gyeongbokgung tour reenacts typical night inside Joseon palace

For commoners in the Joseon era, what went on within the confines of the royal palace and the lavish lifestyle of the royal family was a source of mystery and wonder. The ongoing biannual Gyeongbokgung Starlight Tour, which continues until Sept. 15, offers a peak at a typical night at the main palace of the kingdom during the reign of King Sejong the Great. (Yoon Min-sik/The Korea Herald)Tours, at a cost of 50,000 won per person, are being held from Sept. 2-15 and Oct. 6-20, twice a day. But for

Sept. 5, 2018

BIAF rebrands itself as Korea’s 1st Oscars-qualifying festival

In Korea, people are considered adults when they turn 20. In the same way, the Buchon International Animation Festival is doubly special this year as it enters a new phase with its 20th edition, said its organizers. “Marking the year the festival is entering adulthood, we’ve prepared various events and items for the festival. … Not only is it the 20th anniversary, it is the first year that the BIAF has become an official Oscar-qualifying festival,” said Yoon Gap-yong, chairman of the BIAF, at a

Sept. 5, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘Matilda’ to bring onstage unpredictable imagination, humor of Roald Dahl

“Matilda,” a 1988 novel about a neglected but brilliant girl in Buckinghamshire, is not an easy piece to adapt into a musical. Yet the show has grown beyond expectations set upon its original Royal Shakespeare Company production.It has toured the UK, the US and other parts of the world since its West End premiere in 2011. On Saturday, the British Theater company is set to stage its first-ever non-English production of the show that will run until Feb.10, aiming to capture the quirky nature and e

Sept. 3, 2018

[Herald Interview] MMCA director Bartomeu Mari looks back on 3-year term, looks ahead to coming years

Nearing the end of his three-year tenure as the director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, Bartomeu Mari is still thinking of ways to improve the nation’s public museum.“I hope I learned to adapt to the Korean cultural specificities in a respectful way,” Mari said during an interview held at his office last Monday. “I was asked to come here to make major transformations and improvements and make this museum one of the best in the world. Institutions, we know, are resi

Sept. 2, 2018

[Herald Interview] ‘Korea should remember its roots to sustain prosperity’

In 1991, Indian filmmaker, art historian and photographer Benoy K. Behl became the first person to take pictures of Buddhist paintings inside the Ajanta Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Maharashtra state of India.The experience had a profound impact on him, he told The Korea Herald in an interview, adding he came out of the dark caves enlightened by what he saw.“There’s a world of compassion contained in this ancient art. I spent weeks in these caves, exposed to a world of compassion t

Aug. 30, 2018

[Eye Plus] Time travel through Korea’s schools

To better understand the nation’s everlasting belief in the power of education, a small museum inside the hanok village of Bukchon, northern Seoul, offers a trip to South Korea’s schools of the past.Opened in 1995, the Seoul Education Museum holds a vast range of collections that show how the nation’s schools have evolved, as well as the lives of teenagers from the 1392-1910 Joseon era to present. From the textbooks on farming to classes in the 1960s and ‘70s with stoves in the middle where stud

Aug. 30, 2018

World’s cultural pioneers taste best of Korea for inspiration, sharing

Following the success of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games, global interest in South Korea has continued to surge, ranging from K-pop and TV dramas to language, food and fashion. At the forefront of the country’s worldwide engagement is the Corea Image Communication Institute, a nonprofit public diplomacy organization registered under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It has organized a diverse range of forums, networking functions and cultural events to promote Korea since 2003. In 2010, when Se

Aug. 29, 2018

[Feature] Job seekers wrestling with photoshopped profiles

It’s a sunny mid-August day, just a few days before the arrival of Typhoon Soulik on the Korean Peninsula. Standing in front of a photo studio in tourist-friendly Sinsa-dong, Seoul, 27-year-old Park Chang-wook is about to brave a storm of his own. Having just returned to South Korea after a couple of years working in New York City as a graphic designer, Park is embarking on a rather formidable journey -- job-searching in his homeland, where the unemployment rate for young people between the ages

Aug. 29, 2018