Dia TV creators head to VR world of Zepeto

Dia TV and Naver Z have teamed up to support virtual reality creators. CJ ENM’s content creator support business, Dia TV, announced the signing of an memorandum of understanding with Naver Z on Tuesday. By having creators on Naver Z’s avatar service app Zepeto, Dia TV hopes to expand the audience for its creators who are popular with the “MZ Generation” -- those born between the 1980s and the early 2000s -- on a global scale, as well as exploiting advertising and mark

Dec. 8, 2020

[Video] Personality tests gain popularity as icebreaker

A host of psychology and personality tests supposedly shedding light on one‘s personality are picking up popularity in South Korea. The internet questionnaires show specific explanations of one’s self that align with the psyche. These tools help people draw conclusions about who they are as a person. The complicated human condition triggers people to characterize themselves by taking the test. By evaluating the results, people can better find out about the different aspects of the

Dec. 7, 2020

Christmas canceled in churches as COVID surges

As the stricter social distancing scheme that goes into effect Tuesday does not allow houses of worship in the greater Seoul area to hold in-person Christmas services, some Protestant churches are calling the order “unrealistic.” After the government raised social distancing measures to Level 2.5, the second highest in the five-tier system, in the Seoul metropolitan area in an effort to slow down the fast spreading wave of COVID-19, churches in the greater Seoul area will not be a

Dec. 7, 2020

[Weekender] Zero waste movement grows amid pandemic

With the pandemic raging on for nearly a year, people are using more online delivery services for foods and daily necessities while staying at home. Although the new normal has brought a lot of convenience, more people have begun to feel uncomfortable about throwing away packaging and disposable plastic containers, and some have been pushing back against the deluge of disposables. “I bring my reusable containers for take-out food these days. It was sort of embarrassing at first to ask

Dec. 5, 2020

[Photo News] Haehakbandodo returns to S. Korea for display at the National Palace Museum of Korea

The royal folding screen, Haehakbandodo, is to be displayed in a public exhibition in Korea for the first time in about 90 years after having been kept in the US. The National Palace Museum of Korea holds the exhibition slated for Friday and will run until Jan. 2021. The Haehakbandodo illustrates symbols of the sea, cranes and peaches, which represent prosperity and desire for longevity. Necessary restorations for its rare gold plated designs have been completed for display. Visitors will be g

Dec. 5, 2020

[Photo News] Snow whitens Hallasan

The grandeur of Baengnokdam Crater Lake of Hallasan dazzles with snow as winter sets in. The winterscape of the mountain stands out vividly, as snow on the branches shines in the clear sky.  The snowfield of the scenery may be appreciated throughout the snowy season of winter. (Photos: Ko Won-sang - Yonhap) By Lee Jae-Eun (leeje16@heraldcorp.com)

Dec. 5, 2020

[Eye interview] ‘Everyone is born with ability to do magic’

If you see a young man in black walking along the walls of Gyeongbokgung, cloaked in the darkness of the witching hours as he is wont to do most days, you may have just run into Kwon Joon-hyuk, better known as magician Ed Kwon. Just a semester short of graduating from university in Las Vegas, where he majors in hospitality management, Kwon has been in South Korea since June, waiting to serve his mandatory military service. Walking in the middle of the night became a way to clear his mind at a

Dec. 4, 2020

Seoul Arts Center on alert with 2 COVID-19 cases

The Seoul Arts Center confirmed Thursday another case of coronavirus among its employees, bringing the total to two after another case was detected earlier this week. On Monday, an employee at the state-funded art center in southern Seoul was confirmed to have the new coronavirus. Some 73 employees who had contact with the person were tested for the virus. Among the 73, one employee was tested positive and 70 were tested negative. Two employees are waiting for their results. According to the

Dec. 3, 2020

Earliest monument from Silla Kingdom to go on permanent display in Gyeongju

The Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage under the Cultural Heritage Administration announced Monday that it will start exhibiting the Silla Monument in Jungseong-ri, Pohang from Dec. 8 at a permanent exhibition hall in Gyeongju National Museum. The artifact from the Silla Kingdom (57 BC-935) was designated as National Treasure No. 318 on April 22, 2015. The artifact was accidentally discovered at a road construction site in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, in May 2009.

Nov. 30, 2020

A long journey worth taking

Official development assistance, government aid designed to promote the economic development and welfare of developing countries, is often channeled into projects to build infrastructure such as highways, schools, hospitals and bridges. But there is also cultural heritage ODA, another important form of assistance that the South Korean government provides to developing countries. “ODA projects to build bridges and roads are important, but it is also crucial to preserve cultural heritages

Nov. 29, 2020

[Eye Plus] Seoul reveals traces of old Hangyang

For modern-day Seoulites living, it is sometimes hard to imagine the megapolis as Hanyang, the capital of Joseon for several centuries. To this day, historical artifacts are discovered across the city, revealing the lives of royalty and commoners of the old kingdom. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has recently opened to the public the historic site of Hanyangdoseong, or Hanyang’s town castle wall, on the hillside of Namsan. The site includes a 189-meter stone wall on some 43,000 squar

Nov. 28, 2020

Website for oldest metal-printed book opens in multiple languages

Korea is set to call on the retrieval of Jikji, the world’s oldest metal-printed book currently stored in France, with a new official website and other promotional activities. Jikji refers to a Korean Buddhism document printed at the temple Heungdeoksa in 1377 during the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392). It was printed 78 years prior to Gutenberg’s 42-line Bible. Jikji was listed in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2001. Brought to France at the end of the 19th century, one sole

Nov. 27, 2020

[Eye interview] German musician who put Tongyeong on international map

When I met Florian Riem, CEO of the Tongyeong International Music Foundation, for the first time at the Tongyeong International Music Festival in the spring of 2015, I noticed he was speaking through an assistant who spoke Japanese and Korean. He had worked in Japan prior to coming to South Korea and spoke Japanese. “Oh boy,” I thought. “This is going to be some ride for both the city, his employer and him.” I was anxious for the small port city in the southwest, led by

Nov. 27, 2020

[Eye Plus] Sharing warmth with trees this winter

As the cold winter approaches, a community organization in Incheon has embarked on a project to share some warmth with the trees.  In the city’s Mansu district, trees lining the streets are clad in colorful patterned blankets knitted by members of the Dream Village Community.  Some feature hearts and flowers, while others draw on winter themes and depict characters such as Olaf, the snowman from “Frozen.” The Dream Village Community reportedly began knitting not on

Nov. 21, 2020

Hanbok-inspired school uniforms worn at two schools

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Crafts & Design Foundation announced Friday that two local middle schools -- Jakcheon Middle School and Daechang Middle School -- had adopted hanbok-inspired school uniforms on Nov. 16. This is the first uptake of hanbok-inspired school uniforms, which were created as part of a project, led jointly by the Culture Ministry and the Ministry of Education, which began in February last year.   “Along with 53 uniform designs th

Nov. 20, 2020

Angbuilgu sundial from Joseon era goes on display

Angbuilgu, a hemispherical metal sundial from the Joseon era (1392-1910), has been brought back to Korea from the US and is now on display at the National Palace Museum of Korea. The exhibition of the sundial will run until Dec. 20. The Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation under the Cultural Heritage Administration said it first found out about the sundial in January. “Our staff in the US conducted a close research and investigation of the item, which came up for auction”

Nov. 18, 2020

Gyeongju city plans to sue driver of SUV parked atop ancient tomb

The city government of Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, plans to sue the driver of the vehicle that was photographed parked atop a Silla Kingdom tomb, a city official said Wednesday. The official added while there was no visible damage to the tomb, a thorough examination will be conducted to determine any harm done to it. Even if no damages are discovered, the city will sue for illegal parking, the official told The Korea Herald. “It appears the driver drove through the fence surro

Nov. 18, 2020

[Video] Offbeat products fizz with upsurge in popularity in Korea

South Korean food makers are reaching out for unique collaborations by adding a little twist to their original products. Convenience store GS25 has teamed up with Miwon Group and launched Miwon Matsogeum Popcorn, touching on the “newtro” trend of blending established, sometimes unfashionable brands with new products they are not usually associated with. Matsogeum is a kind of seasoning and in Korea, Miwon is a household name associated with it. And while the Buldak brand, more

Nov. 18, 2020

Level 1.5 social distancing impacts culture sector

As South Korea decided Tuesday to tighten the social distancing rules to Level 1.5 in the Greater Seoul area from the current Level 1, the cultural sectors will have to make adjustments to comply with restrictions for state-run and public facilities, performance halls, religious facilities and movie theaters. The stricter social distancing rules will go into effect Thursday in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, and Monday in Incheon. The announcement came after the region began to see a coronavir

Nov. 17, 2020

South Korea’s lotus lantern lighting festival at final stage before UNESCO world heritage inscription

Yeondeunghoe, a lantern lighting festival in South Korea, reached the final stage before being inscribed on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural assets at 2 a.m., Tuesday, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration. In March 2018, the CHA applied for the listing of Yeondeunghoe to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In its application, the agency explained that the lantern lighting festival‘s value lays in being a cultural festival for

Nov. 17, 2020