Designated Treasure No. 1761, Hyangwonjeong -- a two-story hexagonal pavilion on a small artificial island in the middle of a pond on the northern grounds of Gyeongbokgung -- was built by King Gojong around the time of the construction of the royal couple’s private quarters, between 1867 and 1873. The Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea on Wednesday unveiled the unique floor heating system found at the pavilion. Korea’s traditional heating system ondol generates warmth using di

Culture Nov. 20, 2019

The National Museum of Korea will hold an exhibition next year featuring national treasures designated in recent years, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration on Tuesday. The upcoming exhibition between April and June 2020 will unveil some 100 newly designated national treasures and treasures. The items include those owned by temples, private galleries and individuals.One highlight is “Annals of the Joseon Dynasty,” a representative written record of the history of th

Culture Nov. 19, 2019

A national maritime museum has opened in Taean-gun, South Chungcheong Province, opening up its entire exhibition space and its maritime artifact collection to the public. The Taean Maritime Museum partially opened its exhibition space in December last year and introduced some of its collection. About 60,000 visitors have come to the museum to date, the institution reported.  The museum has recently finished works to open its other exhibition halls, in which the museum will present its 30,00

Arts & Design Nov. 18, 2019

Just a few minutes ahead of the exhibition tour on Thursday, Nho Won-hee, 71, asked visitors for their names. With a pen in her hand, Nho approached her painting “People in the Square” (2018) and started to write their names on the canvas.“It’s OK,” she said of her rather unusual decision to modify a work on display on the spot. “I have already been adding the names of the people who came to see the exhibition. I have been adding any names of individuals, both

Arts & Design Nov. 11, 2019

Photographer J Ahn is holding her solo exhibition at Art Space J in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. Titled “City Colors II,” introduces photographs taken on Ahn’s travels to major urban tourist destinations, such as New York, Paris and Seoul. 　 The latest exhibition, which is the second edition of her 2009 exhibition “City Colors,” features 52 photographs. Each city has its own color, and the photographer’s aim is to capture the different colors. “I grew up

Arts & Design Nov. 10, 2019

Bolting out of his chair during a press conference at a restaurant next to Gallery Hyundai, artist Tomas Saraceno headed straight for a small maintenance closet where cleaning tools were kept. Saraceno opened the door, looked up at the corners and pointed at a spider web. “There is a work of art,” he said. This rather eccentric Argentine artist based in Berlin was at Gallery Hyundai on Oct. 30 for his solo exhibition, which features a series that has gained attention not just wi

Arts & Design Nov. 10, 2019

In 1957, a dog was put on Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2, becoming the first live animal to orbit Earth. Some five decades later, it was revealed that Laika, the dog, died a few hours after the launch, due to overheating in the payload caused by a mechanical failure. Kim Se-jin’s video work “Messenger(s)” (2019), on show at SongEun ArtSpace, pays tribute to Laika, as well as those who had to move as part of mankind’s relentless efforts to conquer alien worlds.The work i

Arts & Design Nov. 6, 2019

A 19th century Korean Buddhist painting has returned home after being lost more than half a century ago. On Tuesday, the Jogye Order, South Korea’s largest Buddhist sect, displayed the painting at the Memorial Hall of Korean Buddhist History and Culture. The large-sized 1891 painting by Joseon-era Buddhist monk-painter the Ven. Minkyu, titled “Guardian Deities of Beomeosa Temple,” depicts multiple guardian deities. The piece, originally owned by Beomeosa, a Buddhist temple

Culture Nov. 5, 2019

Sitting at the center of Pyeongchon Central Park in the city of Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, is Daan Roosegaarde’s giant outdoor purifier “Smog Free Tower.” Roosegaarde’s seven-meter tall outdoor air purifier is designed to filter about 30,000 cubic meters of air per hour using little electricity. The tower at the park will capture particulate matter and release clean air for the next two years.The Dutch artist’s large-scale air purifier has been installed as part of

Arts & Design Nov. 4, 2019

The recent rise of machine and computer vision systems not just allow machines to actually see things, but also automatically and seamlessly collects and interprets images for various purposes. An upcoming Seoul exhibition will delve into such technologies and the potential they may hold in understanding today’s world.“Throughout history, images have needed somebody to look at and interpret them. But, that’s changing now. With things like computer visions, we can now build mach

Arts & Design Nov. 3, 2019

Louis Vuitton on Thursday opened its new Frank Gehry-designed flagship store in Seoul, featuring interior design by Peter Marino.The new Louis Vuitton Maison Seoul, located in Cheongdam-dong in southern Seoul, is Gehry’s first work in Korea, according to the company.The new building features Korean heritage and culture, while maintaining its architectural ties with the Louis Vuitton Foundation’s iconic building in Paris, specifically, Gehry’s large glass-and-steel sails that en

Arts & Design Nov. 1, 2019

Park Chan-kyong’s solo exhibition “Gathering” is an exhibition that explores what art museums can become in the contemporary world with constant man-made disasters.On Saturday, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art kicked off a solo exhibition of Park, who has been selected as sixth artist of the MMCA Hyundai Motor Series, a 10-year series of solo exhibitions featuring prominent Korean artists, sponsored by Hyundai Motor. “What art language can be possible af

Arts & Design Oct. 30, 2019

The South Korean national baseball team eked out a 5-1 win over the military club Sangmu on Tuesday in a tuneup game for the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournament. Starter Park Jong-hoo tossed three shutout innings and slugger Choi Jeong had two of the team's seven hits at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, where pitchers generally looked sharper than hitters.Managed by Kim Kyung-moon, South Korea is gearing up for the Premier12 tournament, which begins next week as the Olympic qualification event. Sou

Baseball Oct. 29, 2019

MONTREUX, Switzerland -- Swiss Education Group held its 22nd International Recruitment Forum from Oct. 21-22, inviting 56 hotel businesses from around the world and students from five hospitality schools under the group -- Cesar Ritz Colleges, Swiss Hotel Management School, Hotel Institute Montreux, IHTTI School Of Hotel Management and Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland. SEG students are required to finish two internships to graduate, and the IRF forum -- held twice a year -- is an opportuni

Travel Oct. 27, 2019

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea is holding the exhibition “The Square: Art and Society in Korea 1900-2019” in celebration of its 50th anniversary this year. 　The exhibition takes place in the three MMCA venues, including the main branch and the Deoksugung branch in central Seoul, Gwacheon branch in Gyeonggi Province. It’s the first time for the museum to hold an exhibition at three different venues.The binding motif for the exhibitions at three separ

Arts & Design Oct. 17, 2019