The characters in Frances Cha’s debut novel, “If I Had Your Face,” at first will not surprise those who are familiar with South Korean pop culture, especially dramas and movies, or who follow news from Korea. “My book is about a group of young women in Korea -- mostly orphans who grew up in the provinces and moved to Seoul the first chance they got,” Frances Cha said. “They are hustling to stay afloat in a very fast, competitive and glamorous society, and wi

Books May 17, 2020

The Cultural Heritage Administration on Thursday announced that nine forest trails inside compounds of Joseon era royal tombs will be open from Saturday to June 30. The nine trails include two tracks near “Donggureung,” also known as “East Nine Royal Tombs” in Guri, Gyeonggi Province. The CHA also emphasized that this is the first opening of the 1.4-kilometer trail between royal tombs Huireung and Wonreung. The route was originally set to open in the second half of the

Travel May 16, 2020

Korea’s first-generation avant-garde artist Kim Ku-lim has sought 130 million won ($105,720) in compensation for his artworks that were damaged during an exhibition at Chang Ucchin Museum of Art in Yangju, just north of Seoul. The issue was first raised on April 25 when Kim posted about his two damaged artworks including “Stone,” which he created in 1981, on his social media account. One artwork was hung on the wall and the other was installed on the floor in front of the wa

Arts & Design May 15, 2020

The Korean Culture and Information Service announced Friday that it is hosting the “Talk Talk Korea 2020” contest from May 15 to Sept. 15 jointly with the Foreign Ministry. The contest was established in 2014. According to KOCIS, it is the largest global contents contest in Korea, with more than 30,000 foreigners participating each year. It accepts diverse content such as videos, photos, illustrations, and webtoons that can promote a positive image of Korea. “The importance

Culture May 15, 2020

Arts & Design May 15, 2020

It has been 40 years since the Gwangju Democratic Uprising, when hundreds of citizens were killed in a deadly military crackdown during the authoritarian regime of Chun Doo-hwan, who came to power in a military coup in 1979. Due to the ongoing spread of the novel coronavirus, however, many events to commemorate the anniversary have been canceled or postponed. An annual event that was scheduled to take place on the eve of May 18, the historic day when the uprising started, has been canceled

Culture May 12, 2020

Some musical productions are finding it difficult to reopen as performance venues comply strictly with government guidelines requiring a seat between audience members to be left vacant so that they can be seated in a zigzag configuration. This seating arrangement was emphasized after the government on April 19 announced guidelines for relaxed social distancing. Although such a seating configuration is only recommended, performing arts centers, including Seoul Arts Center in southern Seoul,

Performance May 10, 2020

A Korean film and series released via streaming service Netflix -- “Time to Hunt” and season two of “Kingdom,” respectively -- have been nominated for the Baeksang Arts Awards, set to take place in June. This is the first time that Netflix releases have been nominated for the annual Baeksang Arts Awards. This year’s nominees were chosen among TV programs, films and plays presented between April 1, 2019 and April 30 this year. On Friday, the second season of &ld

Film May 10, 2020

Culture Minister Park Yang-woo on Thursday announced a plan to support the Korean gaming industry with the aim of leading the future global market. “We will lead innovative growth of the game industry by actively revising the regulatory system,” Park said during a press briefing held in Seoul on Thursday. “Large global conglomerates such as Google and Facebook are expanding in the global gaming market with new technologies. However, there is criticism that our regulations

Culture May 7, 2020

The National Intangible Heritage Center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, reopened its permanent exhibition hall on Wednesday. According to the center, it has renovated the “Traditional Craftsmanship” exhibition hall ahead of the reopening. The renovation that began in September re-creates traditional craftsman‘s workshops and displays craft materials and tools. The center originally planned to reopen the center in April, but the reopening was delayed due to the spread of C

Culture May 6, 2020

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Tuesday announced that it will select 20 middle and high schools that will adopt hanbok-inspired school uniforms in conjunction with the Ministry of Education. “We hope that a new value of hanbok can be discovered through hanbok-inspired uniforms that look good and feel comfortable,” a Culture Ministry official said in a statement. This project began in February last year when the Culture Ministry and the Ministry of Education signed

Arts & Design May 5, 2020

The National Museum of Korea’s permanent exhibition hall will reopen Wednesday, more than two months after the entire museum was shut down in late February due to the spread of COVID-19. The museum will accept 300 individual visitors per hour in observance of the government’s social distancing guidelines. To minimize personal contact, exhibition commentary service will not be provided until further notice. Visitors will have to make an online reservation in advance to enter the fa

Culture May 5, 2020

Postings on online communities by alleged victims who claim they were bullied by TV celebrities in their school years are rattling the show business industry. Freelance TV producer Kim Yoo-jin, who appeared on the MBC reality show “Don’t Be Jealous” with her husband-to-be, star chef Lee Won-il, was reportedly hospitalized Monday after posting a message that said she had been falsely accused and that hinted at a suicide. On Monday afternoon, Kim’s sister posted on soc

Television May 4, 2020

As the number of new COVID-19 infection cases continued to fall, the government began applying a relaxed social distancing advisory starting April 20. Despite the eased guideline, many Koreans are still following “rules” that emerged following the virus spread. “While taking our lecture using ‘Zoom,’ we have to wear earphones,” Kim Ki-wook, a graduate school student told The Korea Herald. He explained that if the online livestreaming lecture participants d

Culture May 2, 2020

The Cultural Heritage Administration on Wednesday announced that it will designate the Ven. Hyunjin’s earliest sculpture from the 17th century as treasure. The piece is called “Jangseong Baekyangsa Mokjoamitayeoraejwasang,” or “Wooden Seated Amitabha Buddha” from the temple Baekyangsa in Jangseong, South Jeolla Province. The sculpture is a 208-centimeter-tall statue that the Ven. Hyunjin created with the Ven. Hueil and the Ven. Moonseub in 1607. The Ven. Hyunjin

Culture May 2, 2020