The Preparatory Office for International Center for the Interpretation and Presentation of World Heritage Sites is holding an online lecture series titled “Understanding World Heritage Interpretation and Presentation” from Thursday to Nov. 26. The center’s establishment was approved as a UNESCO Category 2 Center at the 40th UNESCO General Conference held last November. It was created to focus on research, education and dissemination of information related to world heritage in

Culture Sept. 9, 2020

Two groups based in Nepal and the UK that have been campaigning against illiteracy in Nepal and Myanmar have won the 2020 UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize. The Nepal-based organization, Ageing Nepal, was created in 2016 and has helped over 180 seniors learn Nepali in a country where the majority of adults are illiterate. The group was recognized for its innovative and instructive classes, which involved activities such as touring local markets so the students could practice reading street sig

Culture Sept. 9, 2020

Rep. Lee Kwang-jae of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea on Tuesday submitted a revised bill to support the online media content industry, including OTT businesses, jointly with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. “With the prolonged COVID- 19 situation, the demand for OTT service has increased,” Rep. Lee said in a statement on Tuesday. “The bill is aiming to foster the content industry that will lead the untact era.” The Framework Act on the Video Industry

Culture Sept. 8, 2020

The recent news that K-pop sensation BTS had become the first South Korean act to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart with its new single created economic ripple effects worth around 1.7 trillion won ($1.43 billion), according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Monday. The amount is based on an analysis of data from multiple sources, including sales data for BTS’ agency, Big Hit Entertainment, as well as trade statistics from the Korea Customs Service and search statistics f

Performance Sept. 7, 2020

The Cultural Heritage Administration, in conjunction with the Silla Cultural Heritage Research Institute, has unveiled several newly discovered pieces of jewelry to the public for the first time. The relics -- thought to be worn in the early sixth century of the Silla Kingdom -- came from an archaeological excavation of sites of tomb No. 120-2 in Hwangnam-dong, Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, the same place site where a pair of gilt-bronze shoes, among other relics, were discovered in Ma

Culture Sept. 6, 2020

The Korean Culture and Information Service announced on Thursday that it had published an English-language guidebook for foreigners staying in South Korea titled “While in Korea.” “This book contains essential information for those living in Korea so that it may help longterm foreign residents in Korea settle,” a KCIS official said in a statement. The 70-page book contains practical information such as how to get mobile phone service and open bank accounts in Korea. I

Culture Sept. 5, 2020

K-pop sensation BTS becoming the first Korean act to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart with its recently released single has reignited a debate over the seven members’ military service. Under the current law, all able-bodied South Korean men are obliged to serve in the military for 18 to 22 months. The band’s eldest member Jin, whose legal name is Kim Seok-jin, has to start military service before the end of next year, according to Big Hit Entertainment. Jin was set to begin his m

K-pop Sept. 4, 2020

The Korean Cultural Center in Paris will reopen next week with a contemporary art exhibition titled “Real DMZ Project: Negotiating Borders,” after it shut down in March due to the spread of COVID-19. The exhibition will run from Sept. 11 to Nov. 6. “The COVID-19 situation is still bad, but we will reopen our center to invigorate the daily lives of art lovers in France,” a Korean Cultural Center Paris official said in a statement. The special exhibition aims to mark

Culture Sept. 2, 2020

The 2020 World Heritage Festival, cohosted by Cultural Heritage Administration and the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, kicks off Sept. 4 on the southern island. The 17-day festival will allow visitors to enjoy some of the restricted sites, including lava caves on Jeju Island that are not normally open to the public. The agency said it has selected 550 people for the 3-day guided tour around Seongsan Ilchulbong and caves of the Geomunoreum Lava Tube System. It added that the participant

Travel Sept. 1, 2020

Beijing-based Yue Hua Entertainment was penalized by the Chinese government after Wang Yiren, a Chinese member of K-pop girl band Everglow, performed at an event for South Korean military troops in June last year, according to the South China Morning Post. The K-pop girl band is produced and managed by Yue Hua Entertainment’s subsidiary in Korea. The Chinese company is reported to have apologized Thursday for the negative influence it caused through its subsidiary firm Yue Hua Korea&

Performance Aug. 30, 2020

The Cultural Heritage Administration said Thursday that it has designated two printed volumes of the “Samguk Yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms)” as National Treasure No. 306-4. Volumes No. 4 and No. 5 of the “Samguk Yusa,” a collection of legends and folktales mainly from Korea’s Three Kingdoms (Goguryeo, Silla, Baekje) period and printed using wooden blocks, are currently owned by Beomeosa, a Buddhist temple in Busan. They were originally owned by Beomeosa&

Culture Aug. 29, 2020

The National Museum of Korea announced Monday that it has purchased two state-designated treasures from the Kansong Art Museum. The newly acquired items -- Treasure No. 284, Gilt-Bronze Standing Buddha, and Treasure No. 285, Gilt-Bronze Standing Bodhisattva -- will be displayed in the museum’s permanent exhibition hall when it reopens. The museum shut down Aug. 16 after one of its employees tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The two state-designated treasures were put up for a

Arts & Design Aug. 24, 2020

Walt Disney Co. Korea on Thursday confirmed that Marvel’s horror-superhero film “The New Mutants” will hit theaters in South Korea next month. The distributor has not announced the specific release date. “The New Mutants” was scheduled to open here in April this year, but was forced to postpone the plan due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. An extension of the “X-Men” franchise, “The New Mutants” is about young mutants, involving c

Film Aug. 14, 2020

The Cultural Heritage Administration on Friday announced that it will open Gyeongbokgung to visitors in the evening from Sept. 2 to Dec. 4. During this time, the palace will accept up to 4,500 nighttime visitors per day from 7 p.m to 9:30 p.m. The palace is closed on Tuesdays. The CHA added that it will sell 2,500 tickets online, while selling 2,000 tickets on-site. The online tickets can be booked on portal giant Naver’s Booking platform. Before entering the site, people who made res

Travel Aug. 14, 2020

Two events will be held at Gyeongbokgung this month to give visitors a literal taste of Joseon royal life. First held in 2016, the Gyeongbokgung Starlight Tour includes a tasting of an everyday meal for the king and queen, traditional music performances and a guided tour of the grounds. This year’s night tour begins at Heungnyemun Gate and offers an exclusive tour of the two halls--Jipgyeongdang and Hamhwadang -- which are normally not open to the public during the night tour. The to

Travel Aug. 12, 2020