South Korea has made a bid to add “hanji,” or traditional Korean mulberry paper, to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List. “Traditional knowledge and skills associated with the production of hanji and related cultural practices in the Republic of Korea will undergo an evaluation procedure,” the Cultural Heritage Administration said in a statement Monday, referring to the submission the previous day to the UN culture body. The Republic of Korea is the formal nam

Culture April 1, 2024

Light festival at Cheongdo Provence Photoland A trip to Cheongdo County in North Gyeongsang Province is well worth it for the photos of a lifetime. Cheongdo Provence Photoland, dotted with installations and attractions, is running the Cheongdo Light Festival, which has been a fixture of the county since 2012. Open through November, the park charges 13,000 won for middle schoolers and older and 9,000 won for those younger. For more information, visit cheongdo-provence.co.kr. Canola Flower

Travel March 29, 2024

For former Methodist pastor Lee Dong-hwan, an encounter with one of his congregants in early 2015 changed his life. About a year into his pastoral work at a church in Suwon, a churchgoer came out to Lee, prompting him to learn everything he could about homosexuality. Lee admitted that he did not know enough about it to adequately comfort and advise the congregant. “The thing is, I too thought homosexuality was a crime back then. I said I’d get back to the person with an answer and st

People March 28, 2024

Tickets for the annual spring nighttime tours of Changdeokgung will go on sale at 4 p.m., Thursday. On Thursday through Sunday from April 11 to June 2, six tours will take place per day -- three starting a little past 7 p.m. with another three starting around 8 p.m. The guided tours will start at Donhwamun, the palace’s main gate, making stops at the various halls and residential quarters -- including Injeongjeon, the palace’s main hall, where Joseon-era kings oversaw state affairs,

Culture March 27, 2024

Tickets for Changdeokgung nighttime tours featuring a performance of “gugak,” or traditional Korean music, taking place April 3-6 went on sale online Tuesday. There will be two tours daily, at 6:30 p.m. and 6:40 p.m., each limited to 15 people, starting with a look inside Huijeong Hall and ending at Daejo Hall, where musicians from the National Gugak Center will give a 30-minute performance. The tours end at 8 p.m. “The musicians will perform royal court music on traditional st

Culture March 26, 2024

대한불교조계종 문화부장 혜공 스님이 다음 달 16일(현지시간) 일제강점기에 반출된 것으로 추정되는 14세기 고려 선사(禪師)의 사리 환수를 위해 미국 보스턴미술관(Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)에서 열리는 전달 기념식에 참석한다. 25일 코리아헤럴드 취재를 종합하면, 혜공 스님은 봉선사 주지 호산 스님과 함께 16일 행사를 마치고 18일 오후에 귀국할 예정이다. 귀국 당일 총무원 고불식(부처님께 알리는 의식)이 예정돼 있고, 사리는 5월 중으로 원 소장처로 추정되는 봉선사 말사(末寺)인 경기도 양주 회암사에 안치될 계획이다 이는 지난 2월 초 미술관과 대면 협상에서 합의된 내용으로, 당시 미술관은 올해 부처님 오신 날(5월 15일) 전까지 사리를 기증하겠다고 약속했다. 협상에 참여했던 문화재청에 따르면 사리를 담은 ‘은제도금 라마탑형 사리구’는 현재 임시 대여를 목표로 양측이 조율 중이다. 최응천 문화재청장의 기념식 참석 여부는 막판 논의 중

한국어판 March 25, 2024

A repatriation ceremony will take place on April 16 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston after which two Korean Buddhist monks will bring back to Korea long-sought 14th-century Buddhist religious relics. The arrangement is the latest development following an agreement last month between the museum and the Korean representatives from the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, once the owner of the relics, and the Cultural Heritage Administration, the government agency handling the matter. “The cerem

Culture March 25, 2024

A spectacle of contrasts from colors to styles was what the audience was treated on the second day of the 2024 Fashion KODE, a biannual event meant to advance Korea’s fashion industry by engaging a wider public. A joint fall-winter runway show Friday by Minasong and Valoren -- the womenswear and menswear brands, respectively -- juxtaposed minimalism with deconstructed fashion, giving out a taste of the latest trends both young and old could find relatable. A distinct palette of black and c

Arts & Design March 22, 2024

Cherry blossoms in Daegu The season of cherry blossoms is finally coming all across the country -- and more so in Daegu in the south. Those looking to not only see the trees bursting with white and pink petals, but sit back on amusement park rides while looking at them, need an “all-pass” to E-World -- priced at 35,900 won until April 7. Tickets, available online, grant access to the Blossom Road and attractions -- plus discounts on drinks at the observatory cafe on the 77th floo

Travel March 22, 2024

Tickets for nighttime tours of Gyeongbokgung, the main Joseon royal palace, go on sale online at 2 p.m. on Friday, with the first round of the highly popular tours starting April 3. Available through Ticket Link, the tickets cost 60,000 won ($45). The ticket covers a royal “dosirak,” or a boxed meal of dishes enjoyed by the Joseon (1392-1910) royals, followed by a guided tour of the palace’s northern side. The first round of tours will take place April 3 to April 21, twice dail

Travel March 21, 2024

Registration opened Monday for an English temple stay program for foreign nationals seeking a time out from urban life. The first 1,000 applicants who book the overnight stay at eng.templestay.com will be able to participate in the program priced at 30,000 won ($22) from April 1 to July 31, according to the Culture Corps of Korean Buddhism -- an arm of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the largest local Buddhist sect. “This is the definitive content we can offer as Korean tradition, rega

Travel March 21, 2024

The Tripitaka Koreana, the most complete collection of Buddhist texts, laws and treaties carved on 81,258 wooden printing blocks in the 13th century, will be digitized for public viewing by 2027, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration. The agency will make prints of the woodblocks housed at Haeinsa, a temple in South Gyeongsang Province, on hanji, Korea’s traditional mulberry paper, and scan the pages. The public will be able to access the digital files as early as 2027. “

Culture March 19, 2024

Tickets went on sale Monday for Seoul’s late-April spring festival, which will include exhibitions and performances across the city’s five palaces. The tickets to the K-Royal Culture Festival cost 10,000 won ($7.5) and will be sold through April 26, according to the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation. Tickets will be available at the following websites: seoultravelpass.com; travelnote.net; trippose.com; klook.com and kkday.com. Tickets for the 9-day event starting April 27 allow unli

Travel March 18, 2024

Special palace tours opened Sunday to raise awareness of the historic grounds of Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung captured in a 19th century painting, a national treasure. Every Sunday until May 12, the first 20 visitors to arrive at the Okcheon Bridge just past the main gate of Changgyeonggung will be able to tour areas depicted in “Donggwoldo,” or the Painting of the East Palaces. The paintings depicting the palaces east of the main palace, Gyeongbokgung, are believed to be made s

Travel March 17, 2024

Roses, freesias at Manorblanc Featuring roses, freesias and Scotch brooms, Manorblanc beckons tourists to Jeju Island. The garden is open for free to visitors who purchase at least one drink from the namesake cafe. Those who don’t feel like drinking anything can also enter for a fee of 4,000 won. The garden is open all year round from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Entrants have to be at least grade schoolers or older, with no exceptions. Pets are welcome as long as they are on a leash and weigh les

Travel March 15, 2024