tvN celebrates Earth Day with ‘Photography Class in Jeju’

Cable channel tvN is set to air “Photography Class in Jeju,” a special wildlife documentary that will highlight the nature of Jeju, later this month. Featuring actor Ryu Jun-yeol, who have been an activist with the environmental group Greenpeace, “Photography Class in Jeju” revolves around Ryu’s journey as a nature photographer with six other high school students living on Jeju Island. The smartphone-filmed, 50-minute documentary presents Ryu and the rookie photogra

April 4, 2023

National Hangeul Museum embarks on European tour

Amid enhanced global interest in the Korean language, along with the increasing number of avid Hangeul learners, the National Hangeul Museum is hosting a series of special exhibitions across Poland, Germany and Austria this year. After an exhibition in Hungary last year, the museum announced Tuesday its Polish chapter of the tour, "Hangeul Design Project," working in collaboration with the Korean Cultural Center in Warsaw, Poland. The exhibition will open from Wednesday to May 31 at

April 4, 2023

[Herald Interview] S. Korea’s creative content looks to international market from get go

The Netflix original drama series "Squid Game" was the spark which changed everything. While Jo Hyun-rae, president of the Korea Creative Content Agency, was confident about the power of Korean pop culture and recognized its potential when the KBS drama series "Winter Sonata" and its lead actor Bae Yong-joon achieved popularity in Asian markets outside of Korea in 2002, it was not too long ago that he began to feel Korea could play a more active role in the highly competitive

April 2, 2023

NMK to host outdoor music performances

The National Museum of Korea in Seoul's Yongsan-gu is hosting a series of live music performances from April to October. Titled "The Cultural Feast of the Museum," the series will showcase a variety of music genres including gugak, classical music, jazz and martial music for free at the museum's performance venues, the Open Plaza and Eutteum Hall. Launched in 2014, this year’s series will feature a total of 16 performances. At the Open Plaza at 3 p.m. on April 8, well-k

March 31, 2023

[Well-curated] Enjoy cherry blossoms and veggie food; watch Korean stew series at home

Cherry blossoms at Jamsil Cherry blossoms are in full bloom earlier than usual to welcome spring. This weekend is the perfect time of the year to enjoy cherry blossoms with your beloved ones across the country. One of the most popular spots is Seokchon Lake in Jamsil, southeastern Seoul, which was once shut down during the pandemic. The lake is surrounded by beautiful cherry blossoms during the springtime, visited by people strolling around the 2.5-kilometer road round the lake with their belove

March 31, 2023

More green, less distractions

"When the world wearies and society fails to satisfy, there is always the garden." A quote from Minnie Aumonier, a 19th-century poet, still seems valid today, as can be seen at the Suncheon International Garden Expo, which opens Friday evening. With the pandemic finally nearing its end, the Suncheonman International Garden Expo, which runs through Oct. 31, aims to attract 8 million visitors. Launched in 2013, the initial plan of the exposition was to preserve the Suncheon Bay wetland

March 30, 2023

Culture Ministry launches investigation into 'Black Rubber Shoes' contract

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Thursday announced that it has launched a special investigation team that will look into a complaint filed about the contract for the comic and cartoon series “Black Rubber Shoes.” On Wednesday, the Korean Cartoonists Association filed a petition with the ministry to investigate the contract between the original creators of “Black Rubber Shoes” and publishing house Hyungseol that is alleged to have led to the death of Lee

March 30, 2023

Korean gardens to be showcased in 2025 exhibition in Paris

The beauty and ecological value of Korean gardens will be featured in Paris in 2025 in a major exhibition with an estimated cost of 15 billion won ($11.5 million), the Korean-French duo in charge of the project told The Korea Herald. Park Jung-wook and Regis Juvigny, co-presidents of K-Garden Association, said in Seoul last week that they are currently in the process of bringing their plan of showcasing the best aspects of Korean gardens in the Luxembourg Gardens in the heart of Paris. “Ja

March 29, 2023

Foreigners under 19 to get free admission to royal palaces, tombs in S. Korea

Foreigners under the age of 19 can visit major royal palaces and tombs without paying admission fees starting next month, the cultural heritage authority said Wednesday. The Cultural Heritage Administration said it has recently revised its rules on visits to royal palaces and tombs to include free admission for foreign minors. The rules will come into force Saturday, it added. Currently, all foreigners are required to pay admission fees when they visit those sites, while admission is free for Ko

March 29, 2023

Shamans, curses and superstitions in contemporary South Korea

In episode 15 of Netflix's "The Glory," the shaman character, who is involved in the antagonist Park Yeon-jin's shady family business, suddenly drops dead in the middle of performing a ritual, leaving viewers bewildered by the sudden plot twist involving a supernatural scene. Shamanism may appear out of place in a modern-day revenge thriller, but superstitions and shamanistic practices are not far removed from the daily lives of many Koreans, even in their tech-savvy and fast

March 28, 2023

'Protect creators before exulting in K-culture boom'

A committee set up in the aftermath of the death of cartoonist Lee Yoo-young, the original creator of hit cartoon and animation series “Black Rubber Shoes,” on Monday urged the fair treatment of creators. “It’s not the time to celebrate the popularity of K-culture. The most important thing is to protect the lives of creators and their self-esteem,” the committee said in a statement read during a press conference held at the National Assembly on Monday, adding th

March 27, 2023

[Photo News] Baekje 'refrigerator' unearthed

A kind of underground “refrigerator” which is believed to have been built in the Baekje Kingdom (18 BC to AD 660) has been unearthed at a site in Iksan, North Jeolla Province. The Cultural Heritage Administration announced Friday that it confirmed two low-temperature storage facilities made of stones at a construction site at Seodong Historical Park, at Geumma-myeon, Iksan-si. The two excavated units of similar sizes were located side by side. The facilities were both equipped with v

March 24, 2023

[Well-curated] Writers' paradise, Cheonggyecheon that you didn't know and sweet, sticky treats

For those who still love to handwrite their schedules on paper, or decorate their planners with colored pens and stickers, the small stationery shop All Write may be worth a visit. Located in Jongno-gu, central Seoul -- a 10-minute walk from Gyeongbokgung Station Exits No. 1 and No. 2, All Write is a store that doesn’t stand out in the calm, quiet neighborhood of Cheongunhyoja-dong. There is no sign or fancy entrance. Rather, the shop welcomes visitors with small potted plants. Unlike the

March 24, 2023

Gyeongbokgung Palace to open for spring nighttime viewing

The Joseon-era royal palace Gyeongbokgung will hold its annual spring nighttime viewing from April 5 to May 31, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced Thursday. Noted for its beautiful weeping cherry blossoms and azaleas during the season, the Gyeongbokgung nightscape presents a different vibe from the daytime. One of the highlights include the Gyeonghoeru, the largest two-story pavilion structure in Korea, where visitors can capture the scenery of cherry blossoms reflected on the nearby

March 23, 2023

KOCCA to hold open seminar on S. Korea's creative content business

Korea Creative Content Agency announced that its annual, open seminar Content Insight will be held at the Content Human Resource Campus, in Hongreung, Dongdaemun-gu, central Seoul, on March 30. Content Insight invites popular creative content experts to share their thoughts on the current and future trends of the Korean content business. Director Kang Yun-sung, who helmed the hit crime films “The Outlaws” (2017), “The Roundup” (2022) and Disney+’s noir series &ldquo

March 23, 2023

King to appoint palace royal guards in reenactment of court ceremony at Gyeongbokgung Palace

A reenactment of the Joseon Kingdom's royal guard appointment ceremony will take place at Heungnyemun Gate, the second inner gate of Gyeongbokgung Palace, at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Titled “The King Chooses His Palace Royal Guard,” the guard appointment ceremony event will be performed by some 200 people -- including 160 actors, 20 dancers and 20 musicians -- who will reimagine the ceremony based on historical records. During the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), a royal guard unit called t

March 22, 2023

Possible Goryeo remains discovered at construction site

A historical site and numerous cultural relics thought to date back to the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) have been found at a construction site in Sinyeong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration and a private association commissioned to conduct a preliminary survey of the site on Monday. An architectural history survey was launched in December at the site, which had been used as a parking lot and was in the process of being developed into an apartment complex. The

March 20, 2023

Rio Tinto has more work to do, cultural heritage audit finds

MELBOURNE - Rio Tinto has more work to do to protect Indigenous cultural heritage at its mines around the world, according to an independent audit of its practices, the world's biggest iron ore miner said on Monday. Rio Tinto commissioned the audit as part of a pledge to overhaul its practices after it destroyed culturally significant rock shelters at Juukan Gorge in Western Australia for an iron ore mine in 2020. The report noted improved practices particularly at Rio's iron ore ope

March 20, 2023

[From the Scene] ‘Art in Marche’ welcomes spring with fresh greens

On a lazy Saturday afternoon, the cheerful buzz of crowds and live music filled the air, complimented by fresh vegetable crops and colorful flowers on display in front of the National Theater of Korea's Haeorem Grand Theater, in central Seoul. Hosted by the National Theater of Korea, the “Art in Marche” is an open-air eco-friendly crop market where some 50 teams of farmers, artisanal food vendors and handicraftsmen offer their products. This year’s spring chapter of the &l

March 19, 2023

Pianist Cho Seong-jin "The Handel Project" tops Billboard's weekly classical album chart

South Korean pianist Cho Seong-Jin’s latest album, The Handel Project, has topped Billboard's Traditional Classical Albums weekly chart this week, according to the US magazine’s chart. The Handel Project, released on February 3, is a collection of three suites from Handel's first collection of Suites de pièces pour le clavecin, which are some of Cho's favorite pieces of music. The album also features Brahms's Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, a pie

March 17, 2023