As the prolonged pandemic continues into late September, Chuseok -- South Korea’s major traditional holiday -- has become a thorny issue for some families, igniting a generational conflict over whether to have family reunions during the holiday. “I feel reluctant to have a family gathering at this pandemic time, and I am particularly worried about my 3-month-old baby,” one post in an online community reads. “What are you all going to do during Chuseok this year? I don&r

Culture Sept. 30, 2020

A rare painting by Korean folk painting master Kim Hong-do from the Joseon era (1392-1910) has returned to Korea after decades, finding a new owner in the home country. The painting by Kim (1745 -1806) fetched 490 million won ($419,000) at the auction held by Seoul Auction, the largest auction house in Korea, on Sept. 22. Bidding started at 400 million won. Among three entities competing over the painting, the Ansan city government in Gyeonggi Province won, becoming the owner of the artist

Arts & Design Sept. 29, 2020

An art talk show on collecting art for the millennial generation was livestreamed Thursday on the sidelines of the Korean International Art Fair -- the largest art fair in Korea, which kicked off Wednesday online due to the pandemic -- as purchasing art has become a growing trend among the younger generation. “The popularity of artwork collection has increased dramatically among the millennial generation,” said Jackline Byun, founding director of K Artists Art Advisory, at the tal

Arts & Design Sept. 25, 2020

An increasing number of people in South Korea live with companion animals, with approximately 30 percent of households having at least one. As the concept of dogs being a part of the family has grown considerably stronger in the country, more people are asking how people can better coexist with dogs in society. In response, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, has unveiled the first-ever exhibition in Korea that can be enjoyed with companion dogs. The exhibition, titled

Arts & Design Sept. 23, 2020

After the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 fall-winter Seoul Fashion Week earlier this year, the fashion week showcasing the spring-summer 2021 collections will be held next month, reaching out to the global audience on an online platform. Some 45 South Korean fashion designers are participating in the 2021 SS Seoul Fashion Week -- 35 established designers for the Seoul Collection show and 10 rookie designers for Generation Next. The fashion shows, scheduled from Oct. 20-25, will be held

Arts & Design Sept. 22, 2020

Bambi, a 2-year-old Belgian Malinois, was rescued last winter from an abusive owner who starved her. An animal rescue organization saw to her recovery, and last Tuesday Bambi was put on a flight to meet her new family in the US. Bambi, who at 16 kilograms is considered a large dog in South Korea, would have been hard to place domestically in a country where apartments are the predominant form of housing. Large dogs are often sent overseas to countries where they are more widely accepted as co

Culture Sept. 21, 2020

A large painting shaped like the letter A is installed in the middle of a dark room at the Arario Museum in Space. As gallerygoers walk around the structure and turn each corner, they encounter a different theme. The 14-meter-long painting, titled “The Unperceived,” features a collection of surreal scenes scattered across a linen canvas. The scenes were inspired by painter Lee Jin-ju’s personal memories and experiences. “The Unperceived” -- which gave its name to

Arts & Design Sept. 20, 2020

Korean International Art Fair unveiled its online viewing room during the VIP preview session that kicked off Wednesday. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Korea’s largest art fair has moved online with 139 art galleries from 11 countries presenting artworks online. The annual art fair was scheduled to be held in late September at Coex in southern Seoul, but the organizing committee decided to host Korea’s major art fair online through Online Viewing Room that opens to the public

Arts & Design Sept. 16, 2020

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea was awarded the bronze prize at the 17th International Business Awards for the museum’s online campaign “My Museum, MMCA,” which ran last year to commemorate the museum’s 50th anniversary, MMCA announced Wednesday. Around 3,800 organizations from 60 countries were nominated this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, including for achievement, COVID-19 response, public relations, customer service

Arts & Design Sept. 16, 2020

RM, the leader of K-pop group BTS, donated 100 million won ($84,426) to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Foundation, Korea towards the production of the museum’s art publication that will be donated to public libraries and schools across the country. The donation was made to mark the singer‘s 27th birthday, on Sept. 12, the foundation said Monday. The art publications, some of which are currently out of print, include those on Korea’s representative modern

Arts & Design Sept. 14, 2020

K Auction, the second-largest auction house in Korea, will introduce a live online bidding system for the first time at an upcoming bimonthly auction event scheduled for Sept. 24 at K Auction’s headquarters in Sinsa-dong, southern Seoul. “Introducing the live online bidding system has been long in discussion, and the prolonged pandemic situation motivated us to kick off the new system,” Son Yee-chun, public relations director and principal auctioneer at K Auction, told The K

Arts & Design Sept. 12, 2020

The Korean modern ballet, “Into the Pulse,” choreographed by Kang Hyo-hyung -- a soloist at the Korean National Ballet -- was selected to be included in the line-up of an online project by Benois de la Danse. The online project titled “Benois de la Danse. Pages of History” showcases archival recordings from gala concerts that took place at the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia. Founded by the International Dance Association in Moscow in 1991, Benois de la Danse is a prestigiou

Arts & Design Sept. 11, 2020

Korea’s annual expo of Hanbok, traditional Korean costume, kicked off Thursday through an online platform. Hosted by the Hanbok Advancement Center and Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the major hanbok fair brings together 73 hanbok ateliers in Korea. The Hanbok Advancement Center newly launched the online hanbok store (hanbokexpo.com) for the first-ever online hanbok expo, offering nearly 800 of traditional and modernized hanbok and accessories with a 30 percent discount on ave

Arts & Design Sept. 11, 2020

The Korea National University of Arts (KNUA) kicked off the Ars Electronica Garden Seoul Festival to present diverse ideas on how society would transform after the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival is part of the 2020 Ars Electronica Festival, an international new media art festival held annually in Linz, Austria, every September. Due to the pandemic, the festival has been expanded to both online and offline with more than 120 organizations participating across the globe under the theme of &l

Arts & Design Sept. 11, 2020

When the second wave of COVID-19 infections hit South Korea in late August, forcing people to suspend many of their daily activities, the Busan Biennale‘s organizing committee went into crisis mode. With the government announcing that strict social distancing rules would remain nationwide until Sept. 20, the Busan Biennale 2020 -- the international contemporary art show scheduled to open Sept. 5 in the southern port city of Busan -- had to quickly change its plans only a few days before

Arts & Design Sept. 9, 2020