The presence of Korean literature is growing widely in the world as local translations have won or been nominated for multiple prizes from literature awards outside of the country. An English translation of Chung Bora's "Cursed Bunny" published by British publisher Honford Star was chosen as one of the six finalists for this year's International Booker Prize announced Thursday. She became the s...

Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Festival The Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Festival has returned after a two-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival, which started on March 25, is scheduled to run through April 16 at various sites in Gyeongju, including Gyeongju Expo Grand Park, the park of royal tombs, or also known as Daereungwon, and more. Celebrating the return of in-person festivities, vi...

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul offers spring season’s signature menu The Margaux Grill at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul will offer a new signature menu starting April 15. The new menu features a variety of wood fire-grilled steaks, served with a selection of appetizers, salads and seafood dishes. The Margaux Grill’s central open kitchen serves handpicked beef cuts including strip loin, rib eye and tenderlo...

A large pond called Chundangji greets visitors ahead of the greenhouse. With a short stroll at the circular path around the pond, visitors can see the Western-style greenhouse, built with large panes of glass and steel painted in white and wooden-framed structures. Inside, the greenhouse features colorful flowers and trees including bay laurel, ardisia crenata, citrus junos, camellia and more. ...

South Korean novelist Bora Chung’s “Cursed Bunny,” translated by Anton Hur, has been selected as one of six books for the prestigious 2022 International Booker Prize short list, organizers said Thursday. “It’s getting even more unrealistic, but I’m thrilled to even witness that Korean genre literature is recognized this much and loved worldwide,” Chung told The Korea Herald after the announceme...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, watching videos on YouTube, cooking and regularly washing hands became part of a new routine to Koreans and foreigners alike, according to a recent survey by the Corea Image Communication Institute. The CICI’s survey titled “Effects of COVID in our daily lives” involved 417 participants -- 214 Koreans and 203 foreigners who have visited or resided in Korea, with mor...

Lee Kun-hee collection will go on three-year nationwide tour of 10 museums

Buoyed by the popularity of Korean cultural products, a Korean language learning frenzy is spreading around the world. Unlike in the past, when most Korean learners studied for practical reasons like for academic research or jobs, more people now seem to do so out of interest in the country itself. As of 2020, some 1,669 elementary, junior high and high schools in 39 countries have opened and op...

Pier 1 of Busan Harbor will be among the four venues of the 65-day biennale, which will start on Sept. 3 under the theme of “We, on the Rising Wave.” The 4,093-square-meter warehouse at the harbor will be turned into an exhibition space during the biennale. The pier was built in 1912 by Japanese colonialists to ship Korea’s resources out of the country. During the Korean War, the pier was where p...

Just in time for spring and the downward slope of the omicron variant peak, two new theme parks opened in South Korea offering a bunch of new thrill rides and attractions. One in Busan is a Lotte World franchise and the other in Chuncheon, a city in the mountainous Gangwon Province, is part of the global Legoland chain. Here’s a quick look at the new amusement parks and their most anticipated at...

Korean collectors exceptionally knowledgeable, have sophisticated appreciation of art, according to Austrian gallerist Ropac

Kansong Art Museum -- South Korea’s first private museum and home to some 5,000 artifacts including 10 state-designated national treasures -- will open its doors for the first time in seven years on April 16. A new exhibition at Bohwagak, the museum’s original building, coincides with the recent completion of a new storage facility on the museum grounds. The exhibition will showcase 44 artifacts...

Flowers expected to be at peak bloom mid-April and remain through May

TOKYO -- An exhibition featuring art works on victims of the Japanese military sexual slavery kicked off in Tokyo on Saturday despite protests from Japanese right-wing activists. "Non-Freedom of Expression Exhibition" opened for a four-day run at a public gallery in Kunitachi, Tokyo Prefecture, to showcase works by 16 artist collectives, including a statue symbolizing victims of the Japanese mil...

Boisterous sounds from machinery and the clash of folded steel in Mullae-dong, southwestern Seoul, welcome visitors who pass by the vicinity. Mullae-dong was once home to steel foundries during the 1970s. Also dubbed as the “place that can make everything,” the area housed around 1,700 iron plants to manufacture South Korea’s components. But the nondescript neighborhood was left empty as factori...