[Korean Dilemma] Is time up for feasts for ghosts of Korea's patriarchal past?

The Korean tradition of ancestral rites has been passed down through generations for thousands of years. But it may be only a matter of time before the ritual disappears for good. The lighting of incense, circling of rice wine and bowing before a table of assorted food items offered to one’s dead ancestors are called “charye” on major holidays like Seollal (New Year’s Day) and Chuseok, and “jesa” on their death anniversaries. The tradition itself means well. B

Jan. 17, 2023

[Herald Interview] Former TV host Grace Lee hopes to bridge gap between Korea, Philippines

In Korean, "heung" means exhilaration and "han" refers to deep sorrow or suffering. Grace Lee, a TV-host-turned-businesswoman who calls both South Korea and the Philippines home, sees the people in the Philippines are full of heung, while South Koreans have han emotion underlying their respective identities. Koreans with han often touch emotions when singing or acting, while with innate heung, Filipinos present great talents for singing and dancing and have great potential to

Jan. 16, 2023

Concerts, gugak show to be held at Cheong Wa Dae over Lunar New Year holiday

A series of cultural events will be held at Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential compound, during the Lunar New Year's holiday, from Jan. 21 to 24, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced Monday. A special talk and performance series titled "Looking forward to the Lunar New Year at Cheong Wa Dae" is scheduled to take place at Chunchugwan, Jan. 21 to 23, featuring scholars and experts on Cheong Wa Dae's history, culture and ecological landscapes. The event is jointly

Jan. 16, 2023

[Newsmaker] [Herald Interview] Hangeul as more than just a hobby: KSIF chief

The following series is part of The Korea Herald’s “Hello Hangeul” project of interviews, in-depth analyses, videos and various other forms of content that shed light on the stories of people who are learning the Korean language and the correlation between Korea’s soft power and the rise of the language within the league of world languages. – Ed. The ever-growing popularity of Korean content has sparked a boom in Korean language learning worldwide. Standing at the v

Jan. 16, 2023

[Well-curated] Enjoy hanok cafe, Yayoi Kusama collaboration with LV and seafood ramen

Hanok-themed Cafe Onion in Jongno If you’re looking for a place to rest while strolling through Bukchon Hanok Village, a cluster of old-style Korean houses, pay a visit to a hanok-themed cafe for delicious desserts in a unique traditional setting. If you walk toward the Hyundai Building for two to three minutes from Anguk Station Exit No. 2 or 3 on Subway Line No. 3, you can see wooden doors supporting a traditional tiled roof -- called “giwa” -- signaling the entrance to Cafe

Jan. 13, 2023

[Graphic News] Korean mask dance added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list

The traditional Korean mask dance, or “talchum” in Korean, was inscribed onto a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list on Nov. 30. UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage decided to put “Talchum, Mask Dance Drama in the Republic of Korea” on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during its 17th session in Rabat, Morocco. Talchum is a performing art that encompasses dance, music

Jan. 13, 2023

CICI honors those who boost Korea's image

Well-known figures who have contributed to building a positive image of Korea at home and overseas were honored at the Korea Image Awards ceremony organized by the Corea Image Communication Institute at the InterContinental Seoul Coex in southern Seoul, Wednesday. Emmy-winning actor Lee Jung-jae from Netflix’s global phenomenon “Squid Game," former Olympic figure skating champion Kim Yuna, teen swimmer Hwang Sun-woo and European fashion houses received this year's awards, w

Jan. 12, 2023

[Newsmaker] Fallen ancient Buddha statue to be put upright by 2025

A 1,300-year-old rock-carved Buddha statue in Gyeongju’s Namsan, discovered with its face down a mere 5 centimeters away from a giant rock, is to be reerected, the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism announced Wednesday. The Jogye Order announced the Maaebul restoration project during its New Year’s press conference held at the Korean Buddhism History and Culture Memorial Hall in Jongno, central Seoul, on Wednesday. "The Buddha (statue) spent a thousand years lying face down, to bear

Jan. 12, 2023

16th century mother-of-pearl-inlay stationery box donated to National Museum of Korea

A 16th century mother-of-pearl inlay lacquered floral stationery box and cover from the Joseon era was donated to the National Museum of Korea on Wednesday by the Young Friends of the Museum which purchased the piece at a Sotheby's auction late last year. Young Friends of the Museum is a group of young entrepreneurs who sponsor and promote Korean culture and arts. Established in 2008, the group bought and donated a Goryeo-era Buddhist relic to the museum in 2018. Finely inlaid with mother

Jan. 11, 2023

[Graphic News] South Korean art market surpasses 1tr won in 2022

The South Korean art market surpassed 1 trillion won ($782 million) in total sales for the first time in 2022 on strong sales of artworks through galleries and art fairs, the Culture Ministry said. The trade volume of artworks increased 37.2 percent from 756.3 billion won in 2021 to 1.037 trillion won in 2022 despite the global economic woes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said. By sector, art fairs experienced the largest growth of 59.8 percent from

Jan. 10, 2023

Jindo National Gugak Center invites overseas groups for gugak training

Overseas groups who perform gugak, or traditional Korean music, can apply to receive free training in Korea. The Jindo National Gugak Center, located in South Jeolla Province, is accepting applications for the “2023 Invitation Program for Overseas Koreans and Gugak Groups” until Jan. 20. Around eight sessions will be held from March to October. Each session -- with 10 to 20 people per session -- will run for two weeks. Selected participants can choose one to three areas of interest,

Jan. 8, 2023

[Eye interview] Intercultural communication key to sustainability of Hallyu

In 2003, interpreter to statesmen and global leaders Choi Jung-wha launched the Corea Image Communication Institute with the goal of communicating Korea’s image to the world. Both frustration and optimism motivated her. “People ask why a private individual took on the task of promoting Korea’s image. Well, I traveled to many different countries as an interpreter. But, really, no one ever asked ‘Are you Korean?’ This really upset me,” said Choi in a recent inte

Jan. 7, 2023

[Newsmaker] Culture Ministry prioritizes boosting content, tourism industries in 2023

  The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will focus on boosting South Korea’s content and tourism industries in 2023, it said on Thursday during a New Year’s policy briefing to President Yoon Suk Yeol. The ministry has set out a goal to achieve $22 billion in content exports by 2027, significantly up from $12.4 billion in 2021. The ministry will inject 790 billion won ($625 million) in policy funds to help boost content exports in 2023. For tourism, the ministry aims to inc

Jan. 6, 2023

[Well-curated] New year calls for rabbit-shaped cakes, redecorating and historic accessories

Celebrate Year of the Rabbit with NewJeans' rabbit-shaped cake Hop into the Year of the Rabbit at pop-up store "OMG! NU+JEANS" near Dosan Park in Gangnam-gu for a sweet pick-me-up and all things NewJeans. The pop-up is a collaboration between dessert brand Nudake and the K-pop group and runs through Jan. 21. The signature item is the rabbit-shaped “OMG! NU+JEANS” cake that comes in five different colors -- white, yellow, pink, blue and green. You also won't be abl

Jan. 6, 2023

[Newsmaker] Goryeo relics found at Cheong Wa Dae

  A number of relics presumed to be from the Goryeo (918-1392) and Joseon (1392-1910) era, have been found in eight different locations within the Cheong Wa Dae grounds, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration on Tuesday. The CHA's Royal Palaces and Tombs Center unveiled the result of its four-month-long preliminary study of the site. Two associations, including the Korea Association for Architectural History, were commissioned to conduct the study, which took place Aug. 28 to Dec

Jan. 4, 2023

Winners of six music, dance competition no longer eligible for military exemption

South Korea’s Military Manpower Administration has excluded six international competitions from the list of competitions that entitle the winners to military service exemption. Effective Jan. 1, winners of two classical music contests -- The International Tchaikovsky Competition and Le Concours International de Chant de Toulouse -- and four ballet competitions -- The International Ballet Competition in Moscow, Arabesque: Russian Open Ballet Competition, International Ballet Competition-V

Jan. 4, 2023

What's new in national museums 2023

Following the explosive popularity of two exhibitions at the National Museum of Korea -- “A Collector’s Invitation” showcasing the late Samsung Chair Lee Kun-hee's art collection and "Six Centuries of Beauty in the Habsburg Empire" -- which attracted thousands to the museum daily, national museums in Seoul have more exhibitions of historical artifacts from both home and abroad in store this year. In late May, the National Museum of Korea will present a special ex

Jan. 3, 2023

[Newsmaker] Rich enough to ‘flex’ but not enough to pay taxes, apparently

The South Korean national health insurance operator's list of heavy defaulters – those whose overdue premiums payments exceed 10 million won ($7,833) – includes self-styled “rich” rapper Dok2. He has failed to pay 16.6 million won from 2018 to 2019, it showed. The revelation came just a month after the National Tax Service made public the same rapper’s overdue balance of 320 million won in taxes. When this was disclosed, Dok2 posted promotional images of his

Jan. 3, 2023

Park Chan-wook, Lee Jung-jae, Park Eun-bin named visionaries of Korean entertainment

Cannes-winning director Park Chan-wook, Emmy-winning actor Lee Jung-jae, “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” star Park Eun-bin and Korean American movie star Don Lee, better known as Ma Dong-seok in Korea, were among the 10 cultural icons announced as recipients of the 2023 Visionary Awards on Tuesday. The third edition of the annual awards, presented by South Korean media and entertainment giant CJ ENM, recognizes individuals who have raised the country’s profile in the entertainment

Jan. 3, 2023

Musical industry made dramatic comeback in 2022

Rebounding from two years of pandemic-related difficulties, South Korea's performing arts industry came back last year stronger than ever, backed by record ticket sales in musicals. According to the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System, which collects and analyzes ticket sales data, the total number of ticket sales for performing arts reached 545.2 billion won ($429 million) as of Dec. 28. Out of 545.2 billion won, 76.2 percent (415.5 billion won) was attributed to ticket sal

Jan. 3, 2023