In shock and grief, South Koreans are mourning the losses of innocent young lives at Saturday night’s deadly crowd surge in Itaewon. At least 154 people -- most of them in their 20s -- died in the country’s worst disaster in years. The narrow alleyway where the fatal stampede took place is still blocked for police investigation. But not far from the disaster site, flowers, messages and beverages have been laid out on the ground in memory of the deceased. Mourning altars have been set

Social Affairs Oct. 31, 2022

Thirteen-year-old "painting prodigy" Kim Ha-min received a scholarship from ArtTechTree and Connect Art, the operators of the contemporary art exhibition “Midnightluv,” at Andtree Gallery in southern Seoul on Thursday. Kim received a 2 million won ($1,410) scholarship, which came from the profits from the exhibition, where 63 pieces of works by four artists are on display. “ArtTechTree and Connect Art joined hands with The Korea Herald to support young art talents. On

Culture Oct. 28, 2022

Following a three-year hiatus, the night skies of Busan are to dazzle again, with the Busan International Fireworks Festival on Nov. 5. In its 17th edition, the annual fireworks festival will be held at Gwangalli Beach, Dongbaekseom and Igidae Coastal Park. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival was not held in 2020 and 2021. This year's festival will be held under the theme of "Harmony of Busan." The southern port city's government said it aims to illustrate its features

Travel Oct. 24, 2022

A new immigration center is set to open in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, on Oct. 31, which will provide immigration services to foreigners living in Andong and six cities nearby. The new center, operated by the Daegu Immigration Office, will be located on the Andong National University campus. The center will offer general immigration services, including foreigner registrations and extensions or changes to visa status, according to the Daegu Immigration Office on Monday. It will service for

Social Affairs Oct. 24, 2022

Korean traditional dance is something that comes out “naturally” in the everyday life of Koreans, says Park So-young, a 28-year-old dancer of the National Dance Company of Korea. Park specializes in Korean dance at the national dance troupe, performing works inspired by traditional dances. She focuses on displaying the features of Korea’s traditional emotions and lifestyle into dance while seeking ways to share the tradition with contemporary audience. The young professional da

Performance Oct. 22, 2022

Autumn has arrived across Korea in the middle of October, showing various views full of colors. From the southern resort island of Jeju to Chilbosan mountain in northeastern North Korea, autumn scenery of ripened fruits, autumn flowers, fall foliage, early frost and silver grasses are found in each part of the peninsula. Here are some photos of the mid-October scenes taken in mountains and parks across Korea.

Travel Oct. 18, 2022

With its 600 years of history as Korea’s capital, the center of Seoul embraces the essence of Korean culture. Especially near Gyeongbokgung, the main palace of the Joseon dynasty (1391-1910), neighborhoods have been making efforts to show their identity as the historic center of Korea. One of the efforts has been increasing the number of signboards in Hangeul. As most major brands in South Korea write their names in English, visitors to Seoul's boulevards might find more Romanized sig

Travel Oct. 9, 2022

The National Institute of Korean Language’s use of slang words on its recent social media post has stirred controversy, questioning whether it is right for the state-run language regulator to use a distorted version of the language. To mark the upcoming Hangeul Day on Sunday, the institute had posted an image to announce its special event on its Twitter account last month. In the posted image, it asked the followers what their views are on using the so-called “Yaminjeongeum.”

Social Affairs Oct. 7, 2022

Seoul Metropolitan Government has started providing foreign language services on its personal safety app, Ansimi, in an effort to ensure the well-being of foreign residents and visitors to the city. The service, which was previously only available in Korean, will now offer service in three additional languages -- English, Chinese and Japanese -- starting Saturday. This comes as the number of foreign residents in Seoul grew by 31 percent over a decade, while crimes against foreigners have seen

Social Affairs Oct. 2, 2022

As leaves start to change color, the Korea Forest Service released a map this week showing when fall foliage will peak across major mountains and arboretums in South Korea. If you are planning a trip to spot autumn leaves, late October will generally offer the most beautiful views of mountains, according to the forest authority, with the average peak date at Oct. 26. The average peak date is calculated when the leaves of more than fifty percent of three tree types -- Korean maple, ginkgo and Mon

Travel Sept. 29, 2022

Some 150 Iranians and Koreans took to the streets on Sunday, in solidarity with the widespread protests in Iran sparked by the death of a young Kurdish woman while in Iranian police custody. The protesters gathered at Teheran Street in southern Seoul, a road that was named after the Iranian capital to celebrate the two countries’ friendship. Participants chanted the name of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish woman who died in the custody of Iran's "morality police" for all

Social Affairs Sept. 26, 2022

It was somewhat natural for Gi Yoo-jeong, a 30-year-old gayageum player, to turn to the Korean traditional twelve-string instrument. "My mom was a gayageum player, and I grew up listening to her playing it at home all the time. And naturally, I became one too,” she said. “My mom didn’t say a word about my career. It was solely at my will to play gayageum,” said Gi, as she played the instrument at her home. When she began to play gayageum, her first child Ji-an sat be

People Sept. 24, 2022

The South Korean government has started receiving application from foreign workers who hope to work here on a nonprofessional employment visa. From Sept. 19-29, workers are able to apply for a nonprofessional employment E-9 visa via the Employment Permit System, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor. This is in line with the ministry’s decision on Aug. 31 to raise the total quota of E-9 visas by 10,000 this year, from 59,000 to 69,000. The job additions were made in an attempt

Social Affairs Sept. 20, 2022

RM, leader of K-pop boy band BTS, donated 100 million won ($71,700) for the second year in a row to preserve and restore Korean cultural heritage overseas, the Cultural Heritage Administration and Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation announced Thursday. The K-pop superstar, whose real name is Kim Nam-joon, recently made the donation to the OKCHF, asking that the money be used to promote the beauty of Korean paintings throughout the world, the foundation said. Last September, the singer a

Culture Sept. 15, 2022

A job fair for international students will take place next month in Seoul, providing opportunities for jobseekers to meet with recruiters from various companies. "2022 Job Fair for International Students," organized by KOTRA and the Education and Trade Ministries, will be held on Oct. 21-22 at Coex in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul. Around one hundred companies, including South Korean beauty giant Amorepacific, will participate in the annual event, hoping to employ foreign students. Consul

Social Affairs Sept. 14, 2022