Yoo In-taek, head of the Seoul Arts Center, sees the potential of “gagok” -- a genre of Korean vocal music with poetry -- as many feel nostalgic for the nearly forgotten genre of music in South Korea. “We have a 100-year history of gagok, which may be remembered by the older generations. Some 15 million people from the older generations have nostalgia about gagok they used to learn in class and ...

The 16th edition of BCM offered its participants a broad insight into the latest worldwide trends in various creative industries, as well as how best to respond to them. The offline events of BCM 2022 are set to close on Friday while its online booths will run until June 24. By Lee Si-jin ( sj_lee@heraldcorp.com )

A month on from the opening of Cheong Wa Dae to the public, guidelines for visits and use of the Blue House compound was issued Tuesday by a special team under the Cultural Heritage Administration, spelling out activities that are banned on the former presidential grounds. Foods that generate large amount of wastes, such as melons, and soups, including cups of instant noodles, cannot be brought ...

Test your knowledge of Korea with our weekly quiz on the language, culture, history or anything K-related. Answer: c Like in other countries, there are family names in Korea that can be traced back to royal lineages or aristocrats, known as “yangban,” during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). For example, a person with the last name Kim originating from Gimhae is part of the Gimhae Kim clan. This...

A series of guided tour programs to royal tombs of the Joseon era (1392-1910) will be conducted starting next Monday to Nov. 7, the Cultural Heritage Administration’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center announced Tuesday. The program titled, “Wangneungcheonhaeng,” which means “a thousand ways to travel the royal tombs,” will offer 23 tours led by a number of experts in the field. There are five them...

The gaksi, or bride, mask has a sealed mouth, one eye looking down with no ears, a reflection of advice given to newlywed daughters “to turn a blind eye for three years, be deaf for three years and be mute saying nothing for three years,” said Kim. The female entertainer, Bune, mask has a sliver of an opening for the mouth, while the granny mask has a sizable opening, reflecting social tolerance...

“If my appeal to the king is improper, hit my neck with an axe.” Jo Heon (1544-1592), who came to Seoul from Okcheon, North Chungcheong Province, appealed to the king in front of the palace for three days to behead the Japanese envoy who demanded that Joseon make way for the Tokugawa shogunate -- the military government of Japan -- going to war against Ming Dynasty China. While most government ...

One of the new government’s core commitments underscored was to “return Cheong Wa Dae to its citizens” promptly, but a month into its term, roles are yet to be defined of the former presidential office’s current and future usage. In the meantime, another outdoor event is expected to be held at Cheong Wa Dae, following the KBS’ “Open Concert” on May 22, this time, an hourlong solo performance sta...

Adagio from Aram Khachaturian’s “Spartacus” and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol are also in Saturday’s program. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the Multi Plaza near Yeouinaru Station Exit No. 2. Admission is free and no registration is required. Visitors can bring their own mats or chairs. The event will be livestreamed via SPO’s YouTube channel. ( sj_lee@heraldcorp.com )...

Although they are based on traditional designs, the modern touches and usage of the items make them cool and chic for the MZ generation to use,” she said, referring to millennials and Generation Z. In the early days of her business, Kim often visited the Japanese city of Kanazawa, which is well known for regional handicrafts. “Craftsmen-led classes and crafts shops that sell modern items filled ...

When the grand opening of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games unfolded, it wowed viewers with various spectacular scenes, including 1,217 drones in the air and hundreds of South Korean snowboarders in light-emitting jumpsuits who slid down the slopes with the drones flashing above them. There was also a controversial feature: Inmyeonjo, a mythological bird with a human face that often appears in a...

Park Chang-woo, founder and CEO of multichannel networking firm Soon Ent, said businesses should not misunderstand TikTok and must grab opportunities the platform presents. Speaking at The Korea Herald’s Global Business Forum on Wednesday, Park emphasized that TikTok, a short-form video hosting service owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is more than an alternative to video-streaming juggernaut ...

The CHA harshly criticized the Seo-gu Incheon Metropolitan City Office for not communicating with the agency and failing to fulfill its duties as a public entity. “This issue was slated to be discussed at an international level and we were preparing for it. It was to have been discussed at the World Heritage Committee meeting at the end of June, but the meeting has been delayed due to the war (i...

A 19th century folding screen painting from Korea, “The Joyous Banquet of Guo Ziyi,” owned by the Art Institute of Chicago, is revealed to the press Monday after extensive conservation work. Jung-jae Conservation Center began work on the Joseon period work last August, funded by the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation. Regarded by experts as being on par with royal court paintings, the ...

The following prayer was offered to the spirits of the ancestors: “On this beautiful occasion, please experience a number of ceremonial dishes which have been prepared with a longing heart while adhering to proper guidance.” Reflecting the practice of ancestor worship, a number of visual clues were observed during the annual Jongmyo rite which are evident in Hanja writing. For example, a Hanja...