Culture Ministry to recommend online cultural content to enjoy during Chuseok

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will provide links to cultural content from its affiliated bodies that the public can enjoy during Chuseok. The decision to provide this service was announced Friday during a Health Ministry press briefing, where authorities encouraged the public to stay home during the nation’s major traditional holiday. “We expect that many citizens will be staying at home instead of heading to their hometowns for the safety of their families and relat

Sept. 18, 2020

Emptied campuses prompt college festivals to move online, cancel

College classes have gone virtual with a second wave of COVID-19 from last month, and with the prolonged pandemic campus life is changing fast -- including the campus festivals that mark the start of fall semester. On Tuesday, Ewha Womans University in Seoul kicked off a three-day online festival, where students can engage in online games and programs prepared by the student council and watch livestreamed bands. Gone are the usual student pop-up shops and live performances. “From classe

Sept. 17, 2020

Indie musicians, global music businesses to connect at MU:CON 2020

Yoon Sang, a seasoned recording artist and a prolific producer, said he hopes to provide more opportunities for local indie musicians to connect with global music business operators through the international music festival MU:CON 2020. Yoon is an art director of this year’s showcase, which will be held during the four-day international music industry gathering organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency that runs from Sept. 23-Sept. 26. “BTS topping the Billboard chart as an As

Sept. 16, 2020

[Video] DIY bead bracelets go viral as way to tackle coronavirus fatigue

People have come up with innovative alternatives to keep themselves entertained as the novel coronavirus persists worldwide. New hobbies tailored for the pandemic era are flourishing on social media, aiming to combat the fatigue induced by extended social distancing and working from home. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a rise in creative DIY activities, including bead bracelets. Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation posted pictures of her self-made bead bracelets, which garnered the attention o

Sept. 15, 2020

Art educators gather virtually to discuss teaching art in pandemic times

The fifth International Teaching Artist Conference, being hosted by the Korea Arts & Culture Education Service this year, kicked off Monday in the virtual space due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. The event runs until Thursday. This year’s online conference, titled “Boundaries into New Pathways: Enacting the power of arts and arts education,” includes programs such as engaging sessions, activities and informal and formal discussions. Registered participants will

Sept. 14, 2020

National Museum of Korea‘s largest-ever show of national treasures available online as well

The National Museum of Korea will livestream an online show of its largest-ever exhibition of national treasures at 7 p.m. Tuesday on Naver TV. “We hope the Naver TV livestream show ‘The New National Treasures of Korea 2017-2019’ can be of great comfort to the people who are suffering due to the coronavirus situation,” an NMK official said in a statement. “The New National Treasures of Korea” exhibition, jointly organized by the Cultural Heritage Administ

Sept. 14, 2020

[Photo News] Chestnut picking in Gongju

Farmers are busy harvesting chestnuts for the upcoming Chuseok holiday in Banpo, a district in Gongju of South Chungcheong Province.  The Gongju district is the largest chestnut-producing region in South Korea. The chestnuts are ripe and ready for picking -- despite the COVID-19 pandemic and a series of typhoons hitting the nation. Farmers are preparing to offer a chestnut picking event to last until October. (Photos: Yonhap) By Song Donna (donnadsong@heraldcorp.com)

Sept. 12, 2020

CHA plans to apply for Gaya Tumuli’s UNESCO listing

The Cultural Heritage Administration on Thursday announced it is to apply for the listing of the Gaya Tumuli as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Gaya Tumuli is a serial property consisting of seven different tumuli sites -- Gimhae Daeseong-dong Tumuli, Haman Marisan Tumuli, Hapcheon Okjeon Tumuli, Goryeong Jisan-dong Tumuli, Goseong Songhak-dong Tumuli, Changnyeong Gyo-dong and Songhyeon-dong Tumuli and Namwon Yugok-ri and Durak-ri Tumuli -- located along the Nakdong River in the southern pa

Sept. 10, 2020

Post COVID-19 music industry to be discussed at MU:CON 2020

The four-day international music fair “2020 MU:CON” will take place online Sept. 23 - Sept. 26, according to the Korea Creative Content Agency on Wednesday. Now in its 9th year, MU:CON gathers members of the music industry and artists for discussions about the industry and to showcase performances from both Korean and international groups. “The music industry has shown the power of K-pop through a fast transition to contactless concerts, despite the tremendous damage due to

Sept. 9, 2020

Online lectures on UNESCO World Heritage open Thursday

The Preparatory Office for International Center for the Interpretation and Presentation of World Heritage Sites is holding an online lecture series titled “Understanding World Heritage Interpretation and Presentation” from Thursday to Nov. 26. The center’s establishment was approved as a UNESCO Category 2 Center at the 40th UNESCO General Conference held last November. It was created to focus on research, education and dissemination of information related to world heritage in

Sept. 9, 2020

Nepalese, UK groups win UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize

Two groups based in Nepal and the UK that have been campaigning against illiteracy in Nepal and Myanmar have won the 2020 UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize. The Nepal-based organization, Ageing Nepal, was created in 2016 and has helped over 180 seniors learn Nepali in a country where the majority of adults are illiterate. The group was recognized for its innovative and instructive classes, which involved activities such as touring local markets so the students could practice reading street sig

Sept. 9, 2020

Revised bill aimed at supporting local OTT industry submitted to National Assembly

Rep. Lee Kwang-jae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Tuesday submitted a revised bill to support the online media content industry, including OTT businesses, jointly with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. “With the prolonged COVID- 19 situation, the demand for OTT service has increased,” Rep. Lee said in a statement on Tuesday. “The bill is aiming to foster the content industry that will lead the untact era.” The Framework Act on the Video Industry

Sept. 8, 2020

Frenzied fans of ‘Emperor of Trot’ Na Hoon-a crash KBS website

K-pop fans from all over the world fawning over young K-pop idols is one thing. Fans flocking to online registration for a chance to see a 73-year-old trot singer’s concert is another. Upon the announcement of “Emperor of Trot” Na Hoon-a’s first online-streamed concert, fans around the globe filled out application forms explaining why they had to be chosen as part of the audience for the special show. Local broadcaster KBS 2TV’s “2020 Chuseok Grand Plan Rep

Sept. 8, 2020

CHA unveils newly excavated set of jewelry

The Cultural Heritage Administration, in conjunction with the Silla Cultural Heritage Research Institute, has unveiled several newly discovered pieces of jewelry to the public for the first time. The relics -- thought to be worn in the early sixth century of the Silla Kingdom -- came from an archaeological excavation of sites of tomb No. 120-2 in Hwangnam-dong, Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, the same place site where a pair of gilt-bronze shoes, among other relics, were discovered in Ma

Sept. 6, 2020

English guidebook published for foreigners in Korea

The Korean Culture and Information Service announced on Thursday that it had published an English-language guidebook for foreigners staying in South Korea titled “While in Korea.” “This book contains essential information for those living in Korea so that it may help longterm foreign residents in Korea settle,” a KCIS official said in a statement. The 70-page book contains practical information such as how to get mobile phone service and open bank accounts in Korea. I

Sept. 5, 2020

Korean Cultural Center in Paris to reopen with contemporary art exhibitions

The Korean Cultural Center in Paris will reopen next week with a contemporary art exhibition titled “Real DMZ Project: Negotiating Borders,” after it shut down in March due to the spread of COVID-19. The exhibition will run from Sept. 11 to Nov. 6. “The COVID-19 situation is still bad, but we will reopen our center to invigorate the daily lives of art lovers in France,” a Korean Cultural Center Paris official said in a statement. The special exhibition aims to mark

Sept. 2, 2020

[Video] Celebrating the 30th episode of ‘The Trend Herald’

Being a YouTuber, or YouTube content creator, is gaining more traction in the South Korean job market. People are drawn to the video-sharing platform because of the money-making potential and the unique features YouTube offers. One of the biggest perks for YouTubers is the ability to shoot and showcase different content to an audience relatively freely. The creative control and flexibility make it easier to convey various ideas to a rising number of viewers across the world. The Trend Herald

Sept. 1, 2020

[Newsmaker] Police look into Travelholic after porn found on Instagram account

Seoul Gangnam Police Station said it has started an internal investigation into popular social media page Travelholic on Sunday, a day after its CEO Jo Jun-ki allegedly uploaded illegal porn to its Instagram account. Travelholic, a company that introduces travel destinations and tourist attractions via social media platforms, uploaded a post introducing a sheep farm in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province, to its Instagram account with over 1.2 million followers at around 6 p.m. Saturday. However, on

Aug. 30, 2020

[Weekender] Coronavirus and weddings: Tying the knot in virus times

Without a doubt, 2020 has not been a great year to hold events. Some events, however, cannot easily be canceled or postponed. Like most other countries, weddings are big business in Korea, and celebrations are typically planned out at least a year in advance. People often travel across the country to attend, and guests are tightly packed in during a ceremony, which is followed by a reception that often involves buffet stations. With the government imposing stringent health measures to cur

Aug. 29, 2020

Cultural Heritage Administration designates two volumes of ‘Samguk Yusa’ as national treasure

The Cultural Heritage Administration said Thursday that it has designated two printed volumes of the “Samguk Yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms)” as National Treasure No. 306-4. Volumes No. 4 and No. 5 of the “Samguk Yusa,” a collection of legends and folktales mainly from Korea’s Three Kingdoms (Goguryeo, Silla, Baekje) period and printed using wooden blocks, are currently owned by Beomeosa, a Buddhist temple in Busan. They were originally owned by Beomeosa&

Aug. 29, 2020