[Weekender] Ringing in 2024: Six places to see the sunrise

For many Koreans, watching the sunrise on New Year’s Day is an important ritual, where wishes are often made for the days and months to come. The routine is typically enriched with celebrations across the nation, featuring vibrant musical performances and events to add to the New Year atmosphere. Sky Park in Seoul Located in Mapo-gu, the park is an ideal place for those who want to see the sunrise without having to travel far from the capital. The area’s district office said this w

Dec. 31, 2023

Over 8,000 enjoyed Korea’s cultural heritage: data

A total of 8,171 Koreans and foreign nationals enjoyed Korea’s intangible cultural heritage performances this year, according to the National Intangible Heritage Center on Thursday. The center, run by the Cultural Heritage Administration, said shows took place 36 times between May and December, mostly in the two halls the center operates in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, where the center has its headquarters. The highlight of the performances was the K-Festival, which was held in Berlin on

Dec. 30, 2023

Who'll be 'lucky' in the new year? Who has to watch out?

Chinese zodiac is a system of belief that assigns an animal to each year and assumes one's fate is closely linked to this classification. As such, there are "lucky" and "unlucky" years for each person. In the year 2024, which is the year of the blue dragon, those born in the year of the monkey are expected to be lucky. The dragon and the monkey are part of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac system, in the order of: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, mo

Dec. 30, 2023

Record-high 14 million visit Joseon palaces, tombs, shrine this year

South Korea’s popular royal palaces, tombs and shrine connected to the Joseon era (1392-1910) attracted 14.2 million visitors this year, the highest number since the Cultural Heritage Administration began compiling data in 2011. The number of visitors jumped 28.5 percent on-year, exceeding the previous record of 13.3 million in 2019, particularly on the strength of domestic visitors. Foreign visitors to the cultural sites marked 1.9 million this year, well below the figure of 2.5 million i

Dec. 29, 2023

Salvation Army raises record in donations

The Salvation Army in South Korea said it has raised 1.4 billion won ($1.08 million) through its joint campaign with the local finance industry, the highest annual figure ever since the campaign was launched in 2011. “The donations will be used to rebuild old public welfare facilities and provide necessities and emergency cash to households in dire need,” the charity said Thursday. The group and 23 financial services companies – banks, brokerage firms, insurance and credit card

Dec. 29, 2023

[Around the hotels] Promotions and packages

Park Hyatt Seoul offers lucky bag event The Park Hyatt Seoul, located in Gangnam, southern Seoul, plans to celebrate the New Year with a total of 200 lucky bags. Each lucky bag, valued at 600,000 won, consists of a hotel room voucher and two special dining vouchers. The hotel room voucher includes an opportunity to have a one-night stay in the Park Hyatt Seoul’s premium suite room, the “Diplomatic Suite,” or a two-night stay at the Park Hyatt Bangkok for two winners. The dining

Dec. 29, 2023

[Best Brand] Hyundae Rose Garden leads Korea's rose industry

Since beginning to cultivate roses in 1995, Hyundae Rose Garden has led the rose industry in South Korea, introducing numerous species of roses and developing unique roses to boost the country's flower industry. Hyundae Rose Garden CEO Kim Song-rae has led the domestic flower market by signing technology contracts with international companies that produce quality rose varieties. The company currently has about 600 species of roses and produces 400,000 to 500,000 seedlings annually to distri

Dec. 27, 2023

Fee waivers spark surge in temple visits

The number of visitors to temples across South Korea this year increased by 33 percent on average from the previous year, likely thanks to fee waivers instituted in May. According to the Cultural Heritage Administration, the agency handling the grant, the surge in visits to 31 temples across the country between May and September was led by Hwaeomsa, a temple in South Jeolla Province that saw a 42 percent jump in the number of visitors. Next up was Haeinsa in South Gyeongsang Province and Seonams

Dec. 27, 2023

Korean artifacts reclaimed from overseas rise 9-fold

The number of South Korean artifacts that have been retrieved from abroad this year increased to 1,550 from 170 in the last year, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration. The artifacts were collected through purchases made on behalf of the CHA’s Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation as well as personal donations by collectors, the agency said. Such items include Daedongnyeojido, or the Territorial Map of the Great East by cartographer Kim Jeong-ho. This map is more detai

Dec. 25, 2023

[Eye Plus] 'Sangmo' adds wings to gugak

“The 'sangmo' can be called the ‘wings for gugak,’ as it enriches gugak performances,” says nongak performer Kim Ji-won. The "sangmo" is a Joseon-era military hat with ornaments. The ornaments -- attached to the top of the hat -- come in diverse shapes, such as ribbons, feathers or flowers. Performers wearing the sangmo spin their heads while playing an instrument alongside other band members in nongak, a type of traditional music and dance created by

Dec. 23, 2023

[Well-curated] Lantern festival, PC room and animations galore

Seoul Lantern Festival The annual Seoul Lantern Festival, held until Jan. 21, 2024, is made all the more memorable this year with the event spanning areas from Gwanghwamun Square to Seoul Plaza. The areas light up from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The lighting show, which first began in 2009, features installations and media facades, as well as on-site programs. The festival is taking place concurrently with the Gwanghwamun Flea Market, a pilot program that took off last year. The market offers not only ha

Dec. 22, 2023

[Around the hotels] Promotions and packages

Paraspara Seoul presents unique Christmas Paraspara Seoul is offering a special Christmas-themed package for visitors who check in on Christmas Eve. The “Santa Claus Coming to Bukhansan” package allows parents to leave Christmas presents they have prepared at the hotel’s front desk before checking in. Santa Claus will then later visit the guests’ rooms to deliver the gifts in person. Paraspara Seoul’s Christmas cookies are offered to children as well. The package al

Dec. 22, 2023

KOCCA to open 10 more overseas business centers

The Korea Creative Content Agency announced on Tuesday its plans for 2024 to support Korean content firms and revamp internal management, in a bid to promote K-content both domestically and globally. The agency's main goals for next year center around K-content export, structural reorganization and the implementation of environmental, social and governance values in its business activities. To accelerate the export of K-content, KOCCA said it will increase the number of its overseas busines

Dec. 19, 2023

Koreans warm to Instagram webtoons

Social networking service Instagram is slowly rising as one of Korea's most popular platforms for reading webtoons. The new content format known locally as "instatoon" is growing in popularity as people increasingly seek freely serialized webtoons, autobiographical content and easy access to webtoons. In a Korea Creative Content Agency survey of 3,500 Korean webtoon readers aged 10 to 69 conducted between July 2022 and May 2023, Instagram was ranked as the fifth most-used platform

Dec. 19, 2023

[Herald Review] 'Crescendo' unveils Lim Yun-chan's rise to top at Van Cliburn

“South Korean pianist Lim Yun-chan becomes the youngest winner of Van Cliburn Int'l Piano Competition,” The Korea Herald’s headline read when Lim triumphed at the competition in June 2022. For those whose interest lies beyond the headlines -- perhaps fierce tension and other participants who left the competition empty-handed or why they participated in the competition in the first place and how the youngest Korean participant slowly grabbed the hearts of the judge, audienc

Dec. 19, 2023

[Reporter’s Notebook] Mohegan Inspire Resort to be new Incheon landmark… but not just yet

YEONGJONGDO, Incheon -- For many Koreans, heading to Yeongjongdo means excitement and thrills. The island -- located some 50 kilometers from Seoul -- has popular cafes, tasty seafood restaurants and beautiful beaches, but Yeongjongdo is visited mostly because of air travelers using the country’s main international gateway, Incheon International Airport. After Mohegan Inspire Entertainment Resort started its soft opening on Nov. 30 and hosted the Melon Music Awards (MMA), one of the nation&

Dec. 18, 2023

Hyundai's Genesis gets CICI award

Hyundai Motor's luxury vehicle brand Genesis has won an award for its contribution to raising South Korea's image globally, the Corea Image Communication Institute said Monday. The award will be presented at the Korea Image Award ceremony in Seoul on Jan. 10, 2024. The Korea Image Stepping Stone Award, awarded to Genesis, recognizes individuals or businesses who played a part in advancing South Korea's image on the global stage. Swiss architect Mario Botta was named the Korea Imag

Dec. 18, 2023

[Newsmaker] Police investigate after Gyeongbokgung walls vandalized

Gyeongbokgung, one of Korea's significant cultural heritage sites, was vandalized with spray paint Saturday. The police are tracking down the person behind the graffiti that spans some 44 meters of wall. The incident occurred around 1:50 a.m., when an unidentified suspect wrote graffiti with red and blue spray paint on various sections of the palace, including both the left and right sides of Yeongchumun (The West Gate), and the side gate near the National Palace Museum of Korea, according

Dec. 17, 2023

[Well-curated] Harry Potter, Warner Bros. and an experimental bakery

Chewy rusk? Experimental bakery at Haebangchon Located on the way down the steep Haebangchon hill, O’pato, which has been loved for its homely European brunch and dining menu from soup to sandwiches, has newly opened a bakery offering a variety of experimental but irresistible bread. Although the bakery opened just a month ago, O’pato bakery’s chewing bread -- a chewy rusk made with a whole loaf of bread or salted butter roll -- has gone viral and can be purchased online and d

Dec. 15, 2023

[Around the hotels] Promotions and packages

Moxy Seoul Myeongdong presents holiday season promotion Moxy Seoul Myeongdong, located in one of Seoul’s main tourist districts Myeong-dong, is offering a special holiday food promotion featuring a chop steak with Champagne. The juicy chop steak topped with the chef’s special sauce and a bottle of Beaumont Des Crayeres will be available during the holiday season. Two specialty cocktails -- the snow red velvet cocktail and the ruby mojito – are available as well. The promotional

Dec. 15, 2023