Outdoor concert returns to Olympic Park with top-notch lineup

The Credia Park Concert, the first full-scale outdoor classical music concert launched in Korea in 2010, returns in September after five years, running from Sept. 6 to 8 at the Olympic Park 88 Garden in southeastern Seoul. The concert on Sept. 6, titled "Forest of Music," features pianist Yuhki Kuramoto, violinist Danny Koo and Fortena, a group of four tenors along with Korea Coop Orchestra led by Kim Sung-zin. On the second day of the Park Concert, "Disney in Concert” will

June 27, 2024

New type of Silla tomb discovered in Gyeongju

Archaeologists have made a groundbreaking discovery in the ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom (57 BC-AD 935) that challenges long-held assumptions about early Korean burial practices. The Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage announced Wednesday that two newly excavated tombs in the Jjoksaem district of Gyeongju represent a previously unknown burial type for the era. Gyeongju is known for its numerous ancient royal tombs and exquisite artifacts. Jjoksaem, where Silla’

June 26, 2024

42 years in the making, monumental Buddhist encyclopedia completed

In May 1982, Ven. Jikwan, then 50 years old, knelt in prayer at Gyeongguksa, a Buddhist temple nestled in the foothills of Seoul's Bukhan Mountain. The monk, dean of Buddhist studies at Korea’s largest Buddhist university and highly respected for his scholarly demeanor, had a grand ambition: make Buddhism’s extensive history accessible to ordinary people, in plain Korean. "After all these years, I begin to write an encyclopedia," he prayed. "May the eight guardian

June 26, 2024

Black's unchallenged reign in Korean wardrobes confirmed in poll

In South Korean wardrobes, one color dominates: black. The timeless hue continues its reign as the most popular clothing color among Koreans, maintaining its top spot for 20 years now, according to a recent poll by Gallup Korea. In the poll of 1,777 Korean nationals aged 13 or older, 34 percent of male and 17 percent of female respondents named it their top choice. The preference for black was most solid among men in their teens to 30s, with nearly 40 percent choosing it as their favorite colo

June 26, 2024

Police investigate knife attack threats against NewJeans

A recent online post threatening knife attacks against popular K-pop girl group NewJeans is being investigated by police, Ador, the group's agency, confirmed Wednesday. "We are preparing to enhance security measures (for NewJeans) in cooperation with the Japanese concert planning company. Police are investigating the matter domestically, and we are actively cooperating with them," Ador said. The threat was made on a local online community site Monday. "I bought this to use at

June 26, 2024

Winners of CICI's New Korea Ideas competition revealed

A proposal inspired by the aesthetic beauty of Hangeul won the top prize in a competition of new ideas to represent Korea, organized by the Corea Image Communication Institute as part of its 15th Culture Communication Forum, held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, Monday. Also at the event, an AI-generated image of a Korean person wearing a blend of traditional and modern clothing won the grand prize in the Korea Image Created by AI Contest. The winners were selected through online voting by the forum pa

June 25, 2024

Amid high demand for Korean learning, 18 new King Sejong Institutes designated

Eighteen new King Sejong Institutes will officially open in 15 countries next year, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and King Sejong Institute Foundation announced Monday. With the new additions, Korean language and culture classes will now be offered at 256 locations in 88 countries worldwide. This year, 97 institutions from 40 countries applied to be selected to host King Sejong Institutes, demonstrating enthusiasm for learning Korean and marking the highest competition ratio of 5.4

June 24, 2024

French musical 'Holidays' featuring Madonna's hits kicks off Daegu musical fest

DAGEU - The Daegu International Musical Festival opened its 18th edition Friday, with the Korean premiere of “Holidays,” a French jukebox musical based on Madonna's hit songs, at Daegu Opera House. “We invited ‘Holidays’ as the opening performance because Madonna is truly a legendary pop star and the musical based on her music would resonate deeply with Korean audience,” Bae Sung-hyuck, executive director of the DIMF, told reporters during a press confere

June 23, 2024

Digital platform for Korean heritage launched

An online platform for access to digitized works of art at institutions including museums and libraries has been officially launched, the National Library of Korea said Friday. The “Korean Memory” website, host to some 260,000 works -- from books to photographs to music clips -- from 122 institutions, marks the latest push by the government to make “nationally important” data available to the public. “With the advent of artificial intelligence, we need more high-qua

June 23, 2024

[Well-curated] Popular select shop, unique souvenirs and nighttime stroll at Deoksugung

Kith Seoul emerges as Seoul’s premier flagship store Seongsu-dong has become a hot spot for young locals and international tourists alike. Among the bustling streets, the newest attraction drawing crowds is Kith’s flagship store, which opened its doors on May 31. Originating from New York, Kith is both a select shop and a fashion brand. What sets Kith Seoul apart is its distinction as the only Kith flagship store worldwide occupying an entire four-story building. The ground floor

June 21, 2024

SPO to present Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky with Ray Chen

The Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra is set to hold two performances titled "Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky with Ray Chen” next week at Lotte Concert Hall, under the baton of Vasily Petrenko, the music director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Both concerts will commence with Weber's "Euryanthe" Overture before featuring Taiwanese violinist Ray Chen who will perform Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor on June 28 and Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D major,

June 20, 2024

Poetry plaque linked to freedom fighter repatriated from Japan

The Korea Heritage Service on Wednesday repatriated a poem plaque created by the father of Korean independence fighter Song Jin-woo from Japan, which ruled Korea between 1910 and 1945. The Johyeon Myogagun plaque is believed to have been made between the mid-19th century and early 20th century. On it is a poem by Song Hun, who wanted to mark the establishment of “myogak,” a hall set up next to a tomb for rituals, in Johyeon -- the old name for areas now known as Gwangdeok-ri in Jeoll

June 19, 2024

Billie Eilish to make Korean TV debut with 'The Seasons - Zico's Artist'

Global pop sensation Billie Eilish is set to make her debut appearance on Korean television this Friday by appearing as a guest on KBS music talk show "The Seasons - Zico's Artist." According to KBS, Eilish's segment was recorded at KBS headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, on Tuesday. "The Seasons," a successor to the popular music talk show "Yoo Hee-yeol's Sketchbook," invites popular musicians and celebrities for talks and performances. The show is now i

June 19, 2024

Olive trees, poems at Park No-hae photo exhibition

A photo exhibition titled "Beneath the Olive Tree," featuring 37 photographs by poet and photographer Park No-hae, is currently running at the Ra Cafe Gallery in Jongno, central Seoul. Best known for his 1984 collection of poems "Dawn of Labor," Park is a revolutionary-turned-poet and photographer who emerged as an icon of resistance during the repressive 1980s. The exhibition showcases photographs taken between 2005 and 2008, capturing olive trees in various locations such a

June 19, 2024

Musical weeks kick off with international market and festival

Musicals are at the center of attention this week as two major events bring together domestic and international musical production companies, performers, experts and investors in Seoul and Daegu. On Tuesday, the K-Musical Market, an annual event launched in 2021 to promote Korean original musicals internationally, kicked off with a forum on the latest trends in musical markets in Asia. The event serves as a platform for participants to share information on overseas expansion, local developme

June 19, 2024

Infamy as fashion trend catalyst

In the ever-shifting realm of fashion trends, a public dispute between K-pop tastemaker Min Hee-jin and her company, Hybe, has inadvertently launched an unconventional style statement. Min, CEO of Hybe subsidiary Ador, found herself embroiled in controversy in April when Hybe filed a breach-of-trust complaint against her with police. However, it wasn't just the legal battle that captured public attention. Min's attire during her April press conference, in which she swung between a te

June 19, 2024

Korea aims to boost content industry to world's top 4 by 2027

Recognizing the content industry as the country’s next growth engine, South Korea on Tuesday unveiled a series of strategies to support the content industry, including opening up policy funds to global capital. For the next five years, the government plans to inject funds totaling 3.4 trillion won ($2.5 billion), which includes 2.4 trillion won for the cultural account of the Fund of Funds, which pursues both profitability and public interest, and 1 trillion won for the K-Content and Media

June 18, 2024

[Better Together] Cherishing the human-canine bond

ILSAN, Gyeonggi Province -- Hamggehagae is a club of dog shelter volunteers who have come together to care for abandoned dogs. Some are dog owners, some have no experience with dogs. Moon Seung-bae, 40, who has been leading some 300 club members since 2020, shared that the group wishes to be of even the smallest help to the dogs, which deserve to be loved and happy. “Hamggehagae has been doing different kinds of work related to abandoned dogs, ranging from building and maintaining dog shel

June 18, 2024

Govt. announces multiministry plan to ramp up foreign tourists

South Korea aims to enhance the entire experience for foreign tourists, from streamlining entry procedures to providing diverse tourist programs, the government announced Monday. The measures aim to address the slow recovery of tourism revenue -- the amount that inbound visitors pay for goods and services in the country -- despite the fast rebound of the number of tourists. According to the Korea Tourism Organization Thursday, the number of foreign tourists visiting the country stood at 4.86 m

June 17, 2024

National library to open ‘Korea space’ in Taiwan

The state-run National Library of Korea will open a space dedicated to learning about Korea at the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan in December. So far 35 such spaces have opened globally. “Window on Korea,” a space that opened this week at the National University of Mongolia, contains some 1,500 books about Korea. The university was the first to launch a department on the Korean language in 1991, and currently offers degrees in Korean interpretation and translation as well as Ko

June 14, 2024