Articles by Choi Si-young
Choi Si-young
siyoungchoi@heraldcorp.com-
Minister Yu mulls strategies to boost Korea’s image with overseas culture chiefs
Culture Minister Yu In-chon kick-started a four-day meeting Monday with chiefs from the ministry’s overseas cultural centers to discuss interagency coordination on promoting South Korea. Thirty-five cultural center heads and officials from seven promotional centers across 34 countries took part in the in-person gathering in Seoul. The event follows an announcement by the Culture Ministry two weeks ago on the launch of an office to replace the previous cultural agency, which was criticized
Culture Feb. 19, 2024
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Museum of Fine Arts, Boston to hold Hallyu exhibit
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston will hold an exhibition on Hallyu from March 24 to July 28, showcasing around 250 objects connected to Korean popular culture, including outfits worn by K-pop stars. Titled “Hallyu! The Korean Wave,” the exhibition will explore South Korea’s “meteoric rise to the world stage” in terms of its cultural reach and impact, according to the US museum. The exhibit will cover contemporary works, including pieces by designer Park So-hee, head
Arts & Design Feb. 18, 2024
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[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea
‘Royal taste’ at Korea House Through February, Korea House in central Seoul is offering a “royal desserts” special. The traditional snacks associated with the Joseon era (1392-1910) include rice cakes and jeonggwa -- dessert prepared by boiling dried fruits like apples or edible plants like ginseng in honey. Citron stuffed with jujubes or pomegranates, also braised with honey, is also part of the assortment of royal desserts that are served with mandarin orange tea. A
Travel Feb. 16, 2024
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‘Concept Korea’ ends on high note on sidelines of NY Fashion Week
The “Concept Korea” show, held on the sidelines of the biannual New York Fashion Week, drew to a close Tuesday with the state-run agency supporting the event for 14 consecutive years calling the latest runway a “success.” Womenswear label Mmam and unisex brands Kimmy.J and Charm’s -- each led by a Korean designer -- showcased their fall-winter 2024 collections, leaving behind a lasting impression, according to the state-run Korea Creative Content Agency, which repor
Arts & Design Feb. 15, 2024
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[Bridging Cultures] Overseas outposts promote cultural exchange: Italy culture envoy
The following is the first in a series of interviews with heads of foreign cultural centers at the forefront of cultural exchange. --Ed. Setting up more cultural centers overseas is one way South Korea can bolster its international presence, an effort that requires backing from a centralized leadership, according to the director of the Italian Cultural Institute of Seoul. Italy runs about 90 cultural centers around the world, a little more than twice the number South Korea operates. Such cente
People Feb. 14, 2024
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Heritage agency-run school to help Egypt’s cultural preservation efforts
The Korea National University of Cultural Heritage, run by the Cultural Heritage Administration, plans to help Egypt preserve its cultural heritage, starting by digitizing records as part of a five-year project the school started last year. Through December, KNUCH will finish setting up a center within the Manial Palace Museum in Cairo that will keep digital replicas of key pieces of cultural heritage currently housed in six state-run institutions in the Egyptian capital. The antiquities to be d
Culture Feb. 13, 2024
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[Well-curated] Traditional New Year festivities, clean cup of espresso and writing in solitude
New Year's festival at Namsangol Hanok Village Step into the heart of Korean culture at the Namsangol Hanok Village’s New Year’s festival, a vibrant celebration that takes place 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday to Sunday. Throughout the weekend, visitors can engage in a variety of traditional Korean games. Start with a fortune-telling session using yut, a traditional board game played, offering a glimpse into the fortunes for the year. Visitor can write their wishes on the wish tree. A
Culture Feb. 9, 2024
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[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea
Ansan Star Village Marking its 10th anniversary this year, a light festival that runs year-round in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, is perfect for those seeking a break from the noise of city life. An 8,000 won entrance fee is all it takes to make a tranquil escape to Ansan Star Village. The park, which includes a garden and animal installations, opens from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., with the lights turned on every day at 5 p.m. from November through February. Admission is priced at 5,000 won for grade sc
Travel Feb. 9, 2024
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Seoul Fashion Week: Stories from the outside
Photographing celebrities and influencers kept many carrying a press pass occupied at this year’s Seoul Fashion Week, which ended Monday. But what made the biannual event so lively were those looking in from the outside, many of whom have stories to tell. Lauryne Bouyssy and Caitlin Kantner -- French nationals who are pursuing their goals of becoming professional models -- shared theirs with The Korea Herald, as they were illuminated with camera flashes outside Dongdaemun Design Plaza on M
Arts & Design Feb. 8, 2024
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Seoul Fashion Week tries on new look: Inclusion and diversity
The runway show that kicked off the five-day Seoul Fashion Week on Thursday last week was a dazzling prelude to the 20 runway collections that followed, each celebrating inclusion and diversity. Designer Park So-young, also known as Sooy Park, delivered a resonating 24-minute presentation of her fall-winter 2024 collection, opening the biannual Seoul Fashion Week at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul. The 41-year-old designer said she was surprised to be asked to open Seoul Fashion Week in which s
Arts & Design Feb. 7, 2024
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Goryeo reliquary to return to Korea in loan deal with US museum
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston will loan to South Korea a 14th-century Buddhist reliquary, following a deal reached Monday that marks a dramatic shift in the US museum’s position on the artifact over the last 15 years. A day of negotiations at the museum resulted in the Museum of Fine Arts donating the remains of Buddhist masters found after cremation, called “sarira,” while placing on loan the reliquary from the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) containing the sarira, according to th
Culture Feb. 6, 2024
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New Culture Ministry office takes over promotion of Korea from abolished KOCIS
The Culture Ministry launched Tuesday an office charged with promoting Korea overseas, taking over the duties of the affiliated agency for the last 53 years. The International Cultural Affairs and Public Relations Office will report to the first vice minister, and the two bureaus under the office will each be responsible for cultural affairs and public relations on the international stage. “Interagency efforts and coordinating policy on culture, sports and tourism are important to expandin
Culture Feb. 6, 2024
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Kwak Hyun-joo puts kaleidoscope of colors on runway
KwakHyunJoo Collection’s fall-winter 2024 runway show at Seoul Fashion Week on Sunday was a unisex show of colors -- from clotted cream and pink to bright lime green and light blue -- in a wide array of outwear. At Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, the mix of colors and fabrics on the runway embodied what designer Kwak wants her brand to become: attractive and sexy. Boxy blazers and coats, slouchy crop tops, draped trousers and chiffon skirts set Kwak’s collection apart from others.
Arts & Design Feb. 5, 2024
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Designer Im Seon-oc offers mix of structured and fluid looks
As expected, Im Seon-oc, the womenswear designer known for her use of neoprene, celebrated her synthetic-rubber style at Seoul Fashion Week on Saturday, this time in exuberant bursts of pink, red and lavender. The fall-winter 2024 collection of Partsparts embodied muted luxury or a “uniform for city life.” Long-sleeve tops and draped trousers, with minimal or almost no embellishments, reflected Im’s way of balancing practicality and originality. “Clothes have to be innova
Arts & Design Feb. 4, 2024
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Claims reliquary was stolen will be reviewed if evidence given: museum
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston said it would review any claims of theft if such evidence is presented concerning a Buddhist reliquary that South Korea is looking to repatriate, ahead of talks over the issue Monday morning in the US. Karen Frascona, the museum’s marketing and communications director, told The Korea Herald that “there is nothing in its history to indicate theft, looting or coercive transfer.” Negotiations over the Buddhist relic from the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392
Culture Feb. 4, 2024
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