As the new day of the new year begins, many wonder what the year 2016 has in store for them. Many Koreans visit fortune tellers to learn how their fate will unfold in the new year. But traditional signs and beliefs also offer insight into what to expect for the new year. The year 2016 is the Year of the Red Monkey, the ninth animal of the 12 Chinese zodiac signs. Red monkeys are known to be the liveliest and bossiest among many other types of monkeys. People born in the Year of the Monkey (1944,

Culture Dec. 31, 2015

Maestro Chung Myung-whun was met with howling cheers, applause and standing ovations from his local audience in the conductor’s final concert with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra on Wednesday night. The concert comes just one day after Chung submitted his official resignation as music director, citing the orchestra’s ongoing legal dispute regarding human rights violations by its former head as the reason for his departure after a decade at its helm.   Maestro Chung Myung-whunPrior to the concer

Performance Dec. 31, 2015

The early 20th-century hanok mansion Baek In-je House overlooks Bukchon Hanok Village, high-rise office towers in Jongno and major landmarks of the capital city such as Namsan Tower. Some 75 years ago, the mansion’s first owner Han Sang-ryong (1880-1947), a banker and business magnate, described the view from his house in his memoir: “It’s like looking at the movement of black waves,” looking down long stretches of charcoal-black hanok roofs in the 1940s. Bukchon has traditionally been one of Ko

Culture Dec. 30, 2015

IKSAN, North Jeolla Province -- Restoring the seventh-century Baekje-era stone pagoda at the UNESCO-registered Mireuksa Temple site in Iksan, North Jeolla Province, has been a daunting task for archaeologists. There were no proven historical records that could guide experts to recreate the original form of the ancient Buddhist pagoda.  “I went through every historical record from the 13th-century Samguk Yusa -- memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms. But no book had a record of how tall it was,” said

Culture Dec. 29, 2015

The Independence Hall of Korea has received a presidential accolade for its contribution to promoting patriotism and national symbols. “This prize recognizes the museum’s diverse programs using national symbols and its contribution to attracting interest in national symbols and promoting the understanding of national symbols,” the museum said in a press release.  A Korean flag decoration marks the 70th anniversary of Korea’s independence from Japan. (IHK)The state-run museum, which pays tribute

Culture Dec. 27, 2015

A team of three university seniors won the top award at Herald Design Tech 2015, the design-meets-technology contest co-organized by Herald Corp. and Seoul Design Foundation. The team won the competition with their innovative adhesive portable recorder “Spicki,” which can be carried around easily to record any sound. They received a prize of 10 million won ($8,500). “I am so happy to receive the prize. It started as a school graduation project. We were able to develop our idea at the Herald Desi

Arts & Design Dec. 22, 2015

Japanese photojournalist Shisei Kuwabara, 79, has documented postwar Korea since the 1960s, capturing major historical moments such as massive pro-democracy protests, the dispatch of soldiers to the Vietnam War and Seoul’s urban redevelopment projects. Born in Shimane prefecture, the part of Japan nearest to the Korean Peninsula, Kuwabara has traveled to Korea more than 100 times. His photos have been an honest window into the turbulent time of Korea’s modern history -- major social, political a

Performance Dec. 17, 2015

Top Korean celebrities posed with babies awaiting adoption for an annual charity photo exhibition aimed at raising adoption awareness. The 13th annual photo exhibition “Letters from Angels” features black-and-white portraits of 24 celebrities holding babies and children awaiting adoption. Participating celebrities include singer Roy Kim, Kangin of Super Junior, Lee Moon-se, four-member vocal group Noel, actors, actresses and star athlete Park Chan-ho. Celebrity photographer Cho Sei-hon, well kno

Performance Dec. 15, 2015

Bartomeu Mari, the new director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, tried to play down a censorship controversy that erupted over his decision earlier this year to drop an exhibition at the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, which he headed at the time, during his first press conference as the head of MMCA in Seoul on Monday.“I am against all sorts of censorship, and I stand for freedom of expression,” said Mari, announcing his plans for the museum during his three-y

Culture Dec. 14, 2015

The musical rendition of one of the world’s most recognized horror tales, “Frankenstein” is guaranteed to send chills down the spine this bleak winter.Returning to the stage after premiering last year, the musical version of Frankenstein is one of few original Korean productions. Although based on Mary Shelley’s 19th century novel of the same title, the Wang Yong Beom Production’s musical adds new characters and plot twists to the classic monster tale.  Reportedly costing some 4.5 billion won ($

Performance Dec. 13, 2015

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will fund Korean art exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from 2016 to 2018, the museum has announced. The ministry and the Met signed a memorandum of understanding last Thursday for a three-year partnership to support exhibitions and programs related to Korean art and culture at the museum.  Thomas Campbell, director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (left), and Oh Seung-je, director of the Korean Cultural Service of New Y

Culture Dec. 13, 2015

Tonkatsu once enjoyed the status of today’s dry-aged steak -- some 35 years ago in Korea. In the 1980s, the deep-fried breaded pork cutlet, now one of the most common and popular dishes among Koreans, was only available at Seoul’s top western restaurants. Italiano, a restaurant in Jeong-dong, Seoul, used to serve tonkatsu on a big white ceramic plate with kimchi and “danmuji,” yellow pickled radish. Despite the restaurant’s Italian name, tonkatsu, an import from Japan, was its best-known dish, a

Culture Dec. 10, 2015

This is the first installment in a three-part series featuring athletes who help people transform their lives. – Ed. Park Byung-hoon doesn’t have a special high-tech suit of armor to keep himself strong and invincible like the Tony Stark character in “Iron Man.” Park, who is considered a legendary Asian iron man triathlon athlete with some records that still stand, had relied only on his physical and mental strength -- backed by his family’s love -- to cycle, swim and run the Ironman’s high-inte

People Dec. 9, 2015

Artist Kim Whanki’s (1913-1974) oil painting of small patches of blue repeated endlessly along diagonal lines fetched the highest price ever for a work by a Korean artist when it went on the block in October.The 1971 painting “19-VII-71 #209” sold at the record price of $4 million at a Hong Kong auction. The pioneer of abstract art is one of the best-known Korean artists in the international art market. His large abstract paintings, featuring blue dots and lines, have taken a prominent place in

Performance Dec. 9, 2015