[Subway Stories] Samgakji becomes home to K-pop, K-beauty powerhouses

The following is part of Seoul Subway Stories -- a newly launched Korea Herald series exploring subway stations and their surrounding areas across the city. – Ed.  Located in Yongsan in central Seoul, Samgakji Station sits one stop away from Noksapyeong Station, where people would ride past to go partying in Itaewon or head to dine out at restaurants in Gyeongnidan and Haebangchon. It is also within walking distance of Sinyongsan and Yongsan stations. Stuck between the more popular d

March 13, 2022

Kakao Entertainment aims for next ‘Itaewon Class’ through upgraded Super Webtoon project

Kakao Entertainment announced that it has selected webtoon “The Siren” as its first task for the upgraded Super Webtoon project to create the next “Itaewon Class.“ Released on Dec. 26 last year on Kakao’s webtoon platform, “The Siren” written by Saengyam and illustrated by Poya is a Korean webtoon produced based on the web novel “Becoming the Villain‘s Family” by Seol I-su. Web novels are written works of literature available primarily

March 13, 2022

[Eye Plus] Moment of peace and silence in the evening at National Museum of Korea

When it comes to nightlife, Seoul may be a restless city with its glittering building signs, rowdy car horns and packed crowds spilling out from work. But there is always a place to take a break from urban life and take a small emotional refuge. With numerous ancient sculptures and artworks, the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, is a home to art from Korea and beyond. But the serene museum is also a place of peace and silence.  In a darkened part of the museum, a bl

March 12, 2022

[Weekender] Deliver us...pretty much everything

When 65-year-old retiree Kim Ji-yeon decided to move to the outskirts of Seoul, she found that shopping for groceries could become a sizable hurdle for a senior couple living in a town several transfers away from the nearest retail store. Solution? Delivery apps. “There’s pretty much everything on Coupang, from food to daily necessities. There are also applications run by retail stores like E-mart or Costco, so I don’t really have to go shopping,” Kim said, adding that

March 12, 2022

Traditional Korean music learning platform launched in German

Amid the global popularity of Korean cultural content, an online education platform for learning traditional Korean music in German has been launched. The Korean Cultural Center in Germany has started the service to assist Germans interested in studying traditional Korean music, according to the KCCG on Thursday. The platform was built in collaboration with the Hamburg University of Music and Theater with funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany, as part of the J

March 11, 2022

[Well-curated] Take time out for tea, enjoy wine at a secret den or solve your way out of an escape room

The culture of daily teatime with guests and acquaintances is prevalent in most ASEAN countries. Many artists have been inspired by the soothing ritual that offers a moment of quiet contemplation and an opportunity to recharge. A special exhibition, “Teatime and Coffee Break,” is being held at ASEAN Culture House’s Exhibition Gallery in Haeundae, Busan. The exhibition centers around three concepts -- coffee, tea and moments of pause.  The exhibition features some 40 work

March 11, 2022

'Support but do not interfere’: Culture industry expresses concerns, hopes over Yoon

During the presidential campaign that ended with a narrow victory for opposition candidate Yoon Suk-yeol early Thursday morning, cultural issues took a backseat as the candidates focused on issues like soaring housing prices and recovery from the ongoing pandemic. But the culture industry, still reeling from the trauma of the previous conservative administrations’ blacklist of artists and cultural figures and hit hard by the pandemic, is urging the incoming administration to provide supp

March 10, 2022

Daegu musical festival drops plans for Russian musical

The organizers of Daegu International Musical Festival on Tuesday said it has decided to scrap plans to close the weekslong festival with a Russian musical, joining a growing movement in the art world to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. DIMF organizers said they had planned to introduce the Russian musical, which would have been the first overseas musical in two years at the festival, and that talks had been underway. They declined to name the musical. “We worked hard over t

March 8, 2022

Goryeo fire signal beacon damaged in wildfire

Following the wildfire damage of Eodalsan Bongsudae, a coastal fire signaling beacon from the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392), on-site teams are on high alert and in full operation to save cultural assets throughout Gangwon and North Gyeongsang provinces from the fire, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration on Sunday.  “Since the beacon is built with stones, the scale of damage and the degree of cracks need to be further investigated,” the head of the emergency dispatch te

March 6, 2022

[Visual History of Korea] Gongjae Yun Du-seo, avant-garde painter of Joseon

The portrait of Gongjae Yun Du-seo, National Treasure No. 240, is a striking and unforgettable image. One of best known Joseon-era seonbi -- a virtuous scholar -- and a brilliant painter, Yun Du-seo (1668-1715) is credited with changing the practice of portraiture in Korea with his self-portrait, hailed as a masterpiece. During the Joseon era, a nobleman‘s beard was a symbol of his authority. Portraits of Joseon men of stature and significance were commissioned to be hung over their ne

March 5, 2022

[Well-curated] Revisit historic fight for independence at new museum

This Tuesday marked the 103rd anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement against Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule. If you are planning on commemorating the historical event, a newly opened museum dedicated to the Korean Provisional Government is a must-visit site this weekend. The National Memorial of Korean Provisional Government located in Seodaemun-gu, western Seoul, opened Wednesday. It came nearly two years after the groundbreaking ceremony held on the anniversary of the April 11

March 4, 2022

Hallyu fans exceed 156.6 million: KF report

The number of Hallyu, or Korean Wave, fans around the world has increased 17 fold in the last decade, proving the firm global popularity of Korean content and stars. According to a survey published by the Korea Foundation in cooperation with 152 overseas missions on Thursday, the number of Korean Wave fans recorded 156.6 million as of December last year. A total of 116 countries were surveyed for the latest report, 31 more countries than the 85 in 2012 when the first survey was conducted. The

March 3, 2022

Joseon-era lacquered boxes to be permanently housed at Australian museum

Two lacquered boxes with inlaid mother-of-pearl designs from the late Joseon era (1392-1910) will be transferred to the National Gallery of Victoria in Australia as part of its permanent exhibition. They are the fourth and fifth Korean artifacts to leave the country and find their homes in an overseas museum. The two artifacts were held by Yenaleu Gallery in Seoul, and the Australian national gallery expressed a wish to acquire the items in September 2021. A committee under South Korea’

March 2, 2022

[From the Scene] Korea’s first Culture Minister Lee O-young laid to rest

The official send-off ceremony for the Korea’s first Culture Minister Lee O-young took place at the National Library of Korea at 10 a.m., Wednesday. The ceremony was held at the library to commemorate Lee, who devoted his life to writing as an author and played a major role in the development of the library during his tenure as culture minister, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Along with the family of the deceased, more than 250 people including former culture

March 2, 2022

S. Korea opens new museum dedicated to history of govt.-in-exile

South Korea on Tuesday opened a Seoul museum memorializing its provisional government at the forefront of the country's independence fight against Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule. The launch of the National Memorial of the Korean Provisional Government coincided with the 103rd anniversary of the March 1 Independence Movement, a watershed event that gave birth to the government-in-exile in Shanghai in 1919. Nestled on a hillside in central Seoul, the four-story museum displays photos, documents, vi

March 1, 2022

[Newsmaker] First Korean Culture Minister Lee O-young dies at 89

Lee O-young, who passed away on Saturday at 89 after a long battle with liver cancer, was Korea’s first culture minister and considered one of the foremost “intellectuals of this era” here. In 2017, Lee was diagnosed with liver cancer and underwent two surgeries. Since then, he had been refusing cancer treatment and continued writing books and conducting various interviews to share his insights. Recently, he published “Memento Mori” in January and “Where Ar

Feb. 27, 2022

[Eye Plus] ‘Age of Light’ showcases immersive media project in Gwanghwamun

Located in the heart of Seoul, Gwanghwamun has been an essential hub for Korea’s history, culture and art. A new project there offers a glimpse of what the future might look like, with the help of cutting-edge 5G and artificial intelligence technologies. 　 The immersive media art project “Age of Light,” or “Gwanghwa Sidae” in Korean, was unveiled by the Korea Creative Content Agency and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.  The project provides eight dif

Feb. 26, 2022

[Visual History of Korea] Jeju citrus fruit variety delivers juicy, sweet and sour oranges

Jeju Island has been known for its citrus fruits since its days as the Tamna Kingdom -- its identity before it was taken over by the Goryeo Kingdom in 1105. When residents of Jeju Island, who were forced to send citrus fruits to the Joseon king in the capital Seoul during the Joseon period (1392-1910), were not always able to meet growing demand, the issue was elevated to the Kingdom's policy. “The Joseon government nationalized citrus farms to secure harvests and managed 36 citrus orcha

Feb. 26, 2022

Number of bookstores in S. Korea marks first rise on record

The number of bookstores in South Korea exceeded 2,500 at the end of last year, increasing by more than 200 from two years prior. The yearly increase in bookstores was the first recorded since 2003, when the tally began. According to the Handbook of Korean Bookstores, a biyearly publication by the Korea Federation of Bookstore Association released Thursday, the number of bookstores recorded 2,528 as of December last year. That number was a 0.9 percent increase from 2,320 in 2019. The initial fi

Feb. 25, 2022

[Well-curated] Discover all things hanji, Yongsan Park

For those wondering how hanji, traditional Korean paper made from mulberry trees, is used in everyday life, a visit to the Hanji Culture and Industry Center is a one-stop place to learn all there is to know. Different types of hanji are on display at the center located in Bukchon, showing how the traditional material has been developed to meet modern design applications. Hanji feels coarse but lustrous to the touch, revealing the nature of the raw ingredient used to make hanji – the in

Feb. 25, 2022