Bukchon Hanok Village offers a glimpse into life in Joseon era

Sitting 480 meters above sea level, Namhansanseong is a mountain fortress 25 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The fortress stretches 12 kilometers, and is said to have been built during the Unified Silla Kingdom in the seventh century. Namhansanseong’s significance as a fortress emerged in 1624 when King Injo designated the city to serve as an emergency capital and administrative center in the Joseon era in times of war. Namhansanseong is protected dually under the Cultural Heritag

The former Seoul Station building -- now Culture Station Seoul 284 -- has been transformed into a hotel complex for an exhibition. With the building symbolic of Korea’s shift to modernity, the exhibition “Hotel Express 284,” organized by the Korea Craft & Design Foundation, highlights the venue as a place where voyages start.  Foreigners flooded into Seoul after the opening of ports in thelate 19th century. Their need for accommodation marked the beginning of hot

Subway lines crisscross Seoul, with stations dotting the roadsides. With a combined length of nearly 1,000 kilometers and over 340 stations, the subway is an inseparable part of Seoul’s underground. For years, the role of the stations has been focused on utility and commercial aspects. However, many stations have taken on new functions.  Jonggak Station in central Seoul is one such station, and it is now home to an underground garden whose plants bask in real sunlight. The garde

Curiosity about the world has fanned many cultural byproducts. The Multiculture Museum in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, is one such example. Tucked inside the four-story museum is director Kim Yoon-tae’s private collection of cultural objects from 40 countries, including the US, Canada, Russia, China, Mongolia, India, Thailand, Turkey, Egypt, Kenya, Italy, France, Brazil and Peru. Miniature replicas of the Tower of Pisa or a Dutch windmill and Venetian gondolas are only part of the vast coll

Across from Changdeokgung Palace’s main gate are two Korean traditional-style buildings where efforts are being made to preserve Korean traditional music and rekindle interest in the heritage through cutting-edge technologies.Opened in March 2018, the Seoul Donhwamun Traditional Theater is dedicated to performances of gugak, or traditional Korean music. Right next to the theater, the Seoul Museum of Korean Folk Music, which opened in November 2019, boasts an archive of 20,000 Korean folk s

The Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, dates back to the latter part of the Joseon era (1392-1910).Designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in December 1997, the 5.74-kilometer-long fortress wall was constructed from 1794 to 1796, taking two years and nine months. The fortress was intended to display King Jeongjo’s filial piety toward his father and create a new city with its own economic power.Jeong Yak-yong, a prominent Silhak -- practical learning -- scholar, led the

An exhibit in Seoul until March 1 guides you through 2,000-year-old artifacts, ranging from iron armors and swords to pottery and accessories like gold crowns.The National Museum is holding an exhibition on Gaya, an ancient confederacy of small city-states in the central-southern region of the Korean Peninsula from AD 42-562.Under the title of “Gaya Spirit -- Iron and Tune,” the exhibition displays some 2,600 artifacts from 31 institutions here and abroad, including the Tokyo Nationa

At the turn of each year, Korean people buzz about the new animal of the year based upon the Chinese zodiac and everything it stands for.The deep-rooted culture, which goes all the way back to ancient totemism, has been transfigured in modern society into a wish-making slogan or marketing keyword.Following the year 2019, which marked the year of the “Golden Pig,” this is the year of “White Mouse,” a symbol of wealth, fortune and prosperity. While the mouse is the first an

The history of Seoul dates back nearly 2,000 years, but citizens and visitors alike find it difficult to imagine what life here must have been like just half a century ago. From the 1950s to the present, the city has undergone the most dramatic transformation in its history, one that is almost unparalleled from a global perspective as well. Rising from the ashes of war to attain economic prosperity, the city has abandoned the remnants of its impoverished past and embraced futuristic skyscrapers,