[Well-curated] Indoor climbing, splashing at Han River swimming pools and a taste of Honduras

Indoor climbing in the heart of Seoul The rainy season is approaching, but rock climbers still have options. Damjang gym, located in Eulji-ro, Seoul is a minimalist bouldering gym with creatively designed routes suitable for climbers of all levels. If you are trying indoor climbing for the first time, join a newcomers' group and receive an hour of instruction from a professional trainer to learn the basics. Regular classes are also available, where experienced instructors teach bouldering t

June 23, 2023

Korean heritage sites gear up for this year's World Heritage Festival

The 2023 World Heritage Festival is to take place in eight cities from July to October, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced Wednesday during a press conference held at Korea House in Jung-gu, Seoul. The festival, which began in 2020, aims to invite people to explore the UNESCO world heritage sites in Korea and engage in various programs, including performances, activities and exhibitions that help visitors understand the sites' values and significance. Organized by the Korea Cult

June 21, 2023

HiKR Ground celebrates first anniversary with HiKR Festa

Celebrating the one-year anniversary of the HiKR Ground tourism center, the Korea Tourism Organization will hold HiKR Fest at the center located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, from June 30 to July 1. Actor Lee Jae-wook from the tvN drama series "Alchemy of Souls" will host a talk concert at the HiKR Ground on June 30. On July 1, an outdoor stage will feature performances by K-pop group Oh My Girl, rapper Woo Wonjae and dance crew HolyBang. Various events will be held at the center building, feat

June 20, 2023

Kim Jae-kyung's timber architecture showcased at Hanyang University

Hanyang University Museum currently has on display a solo exhibition introducing the work of architect Kim Jae-kyung, an associate professor at Hanyang University in Seoul and director of the JK-AR architecture practice. Kim's work explores how legacies of East Asia’s wooden architecture can be applied in contemporary ways. Kim has delved into East Asia’s wooden architecture, comparing the styles of Korea, Japan and China, and came to focus on the structure of brackets – &

June 19, 2023

Reconstructed Joseon ship to set sail for Tsushima Island festival

A reconstructed Joseon-era ship, the Joseon Tongsinsa, originally built for emissaries to sail to Japan, will cross the Korea Strait in time for Japan's regional festival on Tsushima Island in August. The National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage, who was responsible for the reconstruction of the Joseon Tongsinsa ship, forged multilateral agreements with the Busan Cultural Foundation, Tsushima City and the Izuhara Port Festival Promotion Association on Friday at Japan's

June 19, 2023

South Korea's Hong Seok-young nabs top prize at junior edition of Cliburn Piano Competition

South Korean teen pianist Hong Seok-young became the winner of the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival that ended Saturday in Dallas, Texas. For the final round that took place on Saturday, the 15-year-old performed Rachmaninov’s “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, op. 43.” Hong also took home the Audience Award. The third edition of the junior competition designed for pianists age 13 to 17 took place from June 8 to Saturday, with 37 pianists out of 248

June 19, 2023

Goryeo-era sutra in gold and silver returns to Korea

A Goryeo-era manuscript of a Buddhist sutra has been repatriated to South Korea from Japan. The Cultural Heritage Administration and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation unveiled the manuscript -- Vol. 6 of Saddharmapundarika Sutra, also known as the Lotus Sutra -- during a press conference held at the National Palace Museum of Korea in Seoul, Thursday. The sutra, bound in a folding screen format, is written in gold and silver paint on indigo-dyed paper. It is presumed to have been p

June 16, 2023

CHA recruits college students to join Global Cultural Heritage Ambassador program

The Cultural Heritage Administration and the Voluntary Agency Network of Korea, an NGO that focuses on promoting international exchanges, are seeking foreign college students to join this year's Global Cultural Heritage Ambassadors program. The program aims to foster the promotion and exchange of Korean culture and history with the world. A total of 30 people who are currently enrolled in Korean colleges as international or exchange students will be appointed as ambassadors. Selected ambass

June 16, 2023

[Well-curated] Stone cafe, art exhibition for your dog, tastes of world at Gwanghwamun

Giant, surreal stone cafe in Daelim-dong Lostone, a four-story cafe in Daelim-dong, Seoul, offers a unique spacial experience beyond just visiting a cafe for a cup of coffee. Lostone is an abbreviation of “lost stone.” Dozens of giant stone pieces make up part of the wall on each floor, creating a unique atmosphere. The cafe building took three years to come together. Inspired by oddly formed rocks and strangely shaped stones frequently seen in Korean and Chinese landscape paintings,

June 16, 2023

Academy of Korean Studies releases English journal on Joseon Confucianism

The latest issue of the English journal "The Review of Korean Studies," published by the Academy of Korea Studies, explores Confucianism in 19th century Joseon and the belief system's response to the challenges it faced at the time. Presenting three analyses by specialists in Joseon-period Confucianism -- Prof. Baek Min-jung of the Catholic University of Korea, Prof. Kim Seon-hee of Ewha Womans University and Prof. Lee Haeng-hoon of Hallym University -- the journal explores how th

June 16, 2023

Culture Communication Forum highlights communication through immersion and hidden talent

Culture Communication Forum 2023 offered a place of communication and exchange, where participants were able to reveal their "hidden talents." The forum hosted by the Corea Image Communication Institute took place Tuesday evening at the French ambassador's residence in Seodaemun-gu, western Seoul. Six people, including a number of ambassadors to Korea, gave special performances to rounds of enthusiastic applause from the audience. French Ambassador Philippe Lefort surprised the au

June 14, 2023

ASEAN influencers gather in Daegu to discuss K-content

The fourth annual World Cultural Industry Forum kicked off Wednesday in Daegu. This year’s WCIF focuses on the creator economy and sustainability. On the first day of the two-day event, the ASEAN-Korea Center co-organized the WCIF’s special talk session, “Creative Economy with ASEAN Young People,” on the sidelines of the event where it invited creators from Southeast Asia to hear their visions for creating culture that brings people around the world together. "As K-c

June 14, 2023

[Herald Interview] 'Without artists, culture and arts centers cannot survive': Kocaca president

Standing behind the annual Jeju Haevichi Arts Festival is Kocaca, the new branding for the Korea Culture and Arts Centers Association. The rebrand was introduced in 2020 by Lee Seung-joung, who was voted as the president of the organization in October 2019. The association was founded in 1996 to promote balanced development and networks among regional culture and arts centers. It became a legal entity related to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports in 2012. After taking on the positio

June 13, 2023

Jeju Haevichi Arts Festival gathers domestic, international performing arts experts

JEJU ISLAND - The 16th Jeju Haevichi Festival, which aims to connect South Korean cultural and arts institutions with performing arts productions, kicked off Monday at the Haevichi Hotel & Resort on Jeju Island, with an opening forum themed “Pioneer.” The annual event is co-organized by the Korea Culture and Arts Centers Association and Jeju Island government. Four speakers -- Choung Byoung-gug, chairman of the state-run Arts Council Korea, William Burdett-Coutts, founder and d

June 13, 2023

[Weekender] New force in Korean entertainment industry: Middle-aged women

On March 15, fans clad in purple crowded Sejong Center for the Performing Arts near Gwanghwamun, central Seoul. Some wore purple clothes, while others wore purple hats, scarves, brooches -- anything purple representing their beloved singer. The color, enthusiasm and dedication of these fans immediately brought to mind BTS' fan community, Army. However, what set these particular fans apart was something truly remarkable -- their age. According to the 2022 BTS Army Census, a survey of BTS Army mem

June 10, 2023

[Well-curated] Hong Kong waffles, Tom Cruise films and tomb guardians

Hong Kong waffles at Ikseon-dong hanok village It would be a perfect weather this weekend to stroll around the maze-like hanok village at Ikseon-dong in Jongno-gu, central Seoul. The narrow alleys that run through this cluster of traditional houses are paced with hip cafes, restaurants, pubs and shops. Among the cafes is Iksun Jutaek, literally meaning Iksun house, which offers Hong Kong-style bubble waffles. Bubble waffles, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, are a common street sna

June 9, 2023

Exhibition showcases reproductions of Emperor Gojong’s gifts to Prince Henry of Prussia

A special exhibition of Emperor Gojong’s diplomatic gifts to Prince Henry of Prussia in 1899 will open at Deokhongjeon Hall inside Deoksugung Palace on June 20. The event commemorates the 140th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and Germany. Titled, "Gifts for Prince Henry of Prussia in 1899," the exhibition, hosted by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation and sponsored by Porsche Korea, presents three key gifts that Emperor Gojong presented to Prince Henry (1862-1929)

June 8, 2023

'Supporting young artists enriches our life'

Economic ties may have their ups and downs, but not so with cultural bonds, said Abu Dhabi's leading patron of the arts recently in Seoul, when discussing cultural exchanges between the two sides, whose strategic partnership covering business, energy and defense got a boost in January with a state visit to the United Arab Emirates by President Yoon Suk Yeol. “Once you connect in culture, this is solid because when your culture means something to me, I will protect it no matter what,

June 7, 2023

Exhibition unveils century-old pansori, court music sounds

The National Gugak Center and the Arumjigi Culture Keepers Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting traditional Korean culture, have collaborated to showcase a unique exhibition featuring the captivating sounds of pansori, court music and traditional folk songs from century-old records. The “House of Records, See the Sound" exhibition, held at the Arumjigi cultural center in Jongno-gu, Seoul, aims to recreate the auditory experience of traditional Korean music fr

June 6, 2023

[Stories of Artifacts] Joseon-era sundial part of King Sejong's efforts to empower people

Before the advent of modern technology, having knowledge of time equaled power. By knowing time, one could control the everyday activities of ordinary people who did not have such resources. Those without access to time telling were entirely dependent on the sun and the ringing of the palace bell to structure their daily lives. "Angbuilgu," a type of hemispherical metal sundial created in 1434 during the reign of King Sejong the Great, did away with such a power dynamic. A sundial tell

June 5, 2023