Gyeongbokgung, the main royal palace of the Joseon era located in downtown Seoul, will stay open in evening hours for nighttime viewing from Sept. 1 to Nov. 6. The palace will offer nighttime viewings from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Wednesday to Sunday, with last admission at 8:30 p.m. Over the Chuseok holiday of Sept. 10-12, the palace will offer nighttime viewing on Monday as well. The palace will also stay open for nighttime viewing on Oct. 3-4, Monday and Tuesday, during the 2022 Palace Cultu

Culture Aug. 23, 2022

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul presents signature cocktails for end of summer Mobo Bar at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul presents a trio of signature cocktails for the end of the summer season, paired with a diverse menu of small bites in a terrace garden. The three signature cocktails are created from a unique blend of premium liquors and natural ingredients grown in the bar’s own greenhouse. The wild pearl is a Korean-style martini made with local spirit Hwayo and dry vermouth. The alpine tonic co

Food Aug. 19, 2022

Sotbap, various ingredients topped on rice and cooked in its own pot -- usually made of stone, metal or stainless steel -- is a hearty meal beloved by Koreans throughout the distinctive seasons. Although sotbap can be enjoyed by itself, the meal has its origins in the traditional gamasot -- a large and heavy pot used for heating and cooking rice or soup -- which dates back to the Goguryeo era. The longstanding custom of serving rice cooked in a giant gamasot, with an amount enough to be shar

Food Aug. 14, 2022

A collection of four hand-written letters and postcards by Yi Yuksa (1904-1944), a Korean independence activist and writer of resistance poetry, will be registered as cultural heritage, South Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration announced Thursday. The letters were written during the Japanese colonial period, expressing hardships working for the country’s independence and his deep emotions to relatives and friends. The collection includes a letter sent to his close relative Le

Culture Aug. 12, 2022

An impressive collection of national treasures and artworks donated to the country by the family of the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee, also known as the Lee Kun-hee Collection, will be taken overseas as early as 2025, according to Yoon Sung-yong, head of the National Museum of Korea. Just a month into Yoon’s appointment as NMK head, a plan was introduced during a press conference held at the museum on Thursday, with Lee Kun-hee’s collection placed on top of the agenda. It was

Culture Aug. 12, 2022

Four Seasons Hotel Seoul presents signature set menu for office workers Oul, a Korean contemporary bar situated on the second floor of Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, presents the “OUL signature set” suitable for dinner gatherings. The signature set menu comprises the lamb jerky and kimbukak, lobster tteokbokki, yukhoe, naeng-bossam, bada ramyeon, jeon, and the tiramisu croffle as dessert. Prices start at 200,000 won. A minimum order of 160,000 won is needed to book a private room wit

Food Aug. 12, 2022

The World Heritage Festival, an annual event to celebrate UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites in South Korea, is set to take place in the country’s major historic sites for a seven-weeks period, its hosts, the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, said on Wednesday. Marking its third year, this year’s festival, titled “World Heritage in Transit,” will take place in Andong and Yeongju in North Gyeongsang Province, Suwon in G

Culture Aug. 10, 2022

A total of 19 cases of damage to nationally recognized cultural heritage sites and items have been damaged by the heavy rain in the Greater Seoul area this week, the Cultural Heritage Administration reported Wednesday. Major mountain fortresses partially collapsed, while trees dating back hundreds of years were overturned with their branches broken. Burial mounds and stone works have been washed away. Walking trails at cultural heritage locations’ flooded within hours, which were shut

Culture Aug. 10, 2022

What if a rusty train that had stopped its operation between the two Koreas for over 70 years can move back in time through a wish that transcends generations? The musical “Wonder Ticket” centers around such plot, with a young girl listening to her grandfather’s love story and reminiscing on his days before the division of the Korean Peninsula. The musical, which debuted in 2020 during the pandemic, is making its third run outdoors at the Pyeonghwa-Nuri Park in the Imjingak

Performance Aug. 10, 2022

Gimhae City has withdrawn its application for the Gusan-dong Dolmen to be designated as a national historic site. The city sent an official document to the Cultural Heritage Administration for the withdrawal after mounting criticism had been made by experts who visited the site for preinspection on July 28, to find out that damage had occurred during the restoration process. The city had mapped out the restoration project and taken action since December 2020. A total of 1.6 billion won ($1.2

Culture Aug. 9, 2022

A furniture promotion video showing a sofa placed at multiple locations within Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential office compound, is facing public criticism after its release on Friday. Entertainment and media firm iHQ’s streaming service platform Babayo, uploaded an eight-minute video to its YouTube channel titled, “Everywhere Ep. 1: Cheong Wa Dae.” The video was taken down on Tuesday afternoon, after the Cultural Heritage Administration asked the iHQ to delete the clip

Culture Aug. 9, 2022

In line with the official opening of Ecological Peace Tourism Information Center located near the banks of the Imjin River in Paju, on Monday, a newly created DMZ LIVE Experience Hall on the premises is inviting guests to a vivid experience of the adjacent neighborhood near the Korean peninsula’s military demarcation line. The establishment of the center has been jointly planned by the Korea Tourism Organization and the city of Paju since February 2018, with aims to build a cutting-edge

Travel Aug. 8, 2022

The city of Seoul and the Seoul Tourism Organization are adding new routes on the “Seoul Guided Walking Tour” program starting Tuesday. The three new courses are the “Gyeongbokgung Stonewall Walkway and Cheong Wa Dae Course,” the “Gwanghwamun Square Course” and the “Yulgok-ro Palace Wall Road Course.” Each walking tour involves a narration about the site’s history by professional tour guides, as well as an introduction of popular spots such

Culture Aug. 7, 2022

A 350-metric-ton Bronze Age dolmen in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province -- one of the largest dolmens in the world -- was discovered to have been damaged during a recent restoration process. The damage was reported to the Cultural Heritage Administration by Cultural Heritage Committee members who visited the site on July 28 to conduct preliminary research for the dolmen’s designation as a national historical site. The CHA halted all restoration work on Aug. 1. The city of Gimhae initiate

Culture Aug. 7, 2022

During boknal, Koreans look for boyangsik, dishes with high nutritional value, to reenergize themselves for the dog days of summer. Long lines form at popular samgyetang restaurants on the three hottest days, and it is not uncommon to find many closing earlier than usual, having sold out. There are several boyangsik dishes that people turn to help them cope with the summer heat other than samgyetang, such as a steaming bowl of chicken soup with ginseng- and-glutinous rice-stuffed whole chicke

Food Aug. 6, 2022