Winter sports and art for Seoul's coldest weekend yet

Try a figure-skating class, go sledding in Yeouido or explore up-and-coming artists One-day skating classes for all levels Ice Works, a large skating facility on the fourth floor of the E-Mart Yeoksam branch near Hanti Station in Seoul, offers one-day classes to those interested in trying ice skating. The venue spans approximately 5,000 square meters and boasts the largest ice rink in Gangnam. Ice Works offers a variety of activities on its four separate rinks, including figure skating, ice hock

Jan. 10, 2025

[Herald Gallery] Untitled-88002

At the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea in Jongno-gu, Seoul, the exhibition "Lee Kang-so: Where the Wind Meets the Water" is on view until April 13. Lee Kang-so (b. 1943) is a leading figure in contemporary Korean art, renowned for his conceptual experiments in perception and cognition through various media, including painting, sculpture and installation. This exhibition showcases Lee’s artistic world, featuring over 100 works that reflect his diverse conceptual explorations

Jan. 8, 2025

Museum highlights of the new year

Joseon art to headline exhibitions at National Museum of Korea Museums around the country have released their exhibition plans for the year, with the National Museum of Korea announcing “Art of Early Joseon,” a three-month exhibition that opens in June. Museum officials characterized the exhibition as one of the most definitive to date at the state-run institution. “It will be about highlighting the expressive and technical achievements in art of the early years of Joseon. We’ve been working wit

Jan. 8, 2025

MMCA to see biggest global collaborations yet, this year

Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea will open the year with hyper-realist sculptor Ron Mueck's first museum show in Asia in collaboration with Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art in Paris The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea will collaborate with foreign institutions on the largest scale ever this year, co-hosting exhibitions with more than six foreign institutions in Asia, Europe and the US. “We are getting many calls from overseas institutions for outbound exh

Jan. 7, 2025

Tak Young-jun wins 24th SongEun Art Award

Media artist is known for works exploring LGBTQ+ identity Media artist Tak Young-jun, 35, whose art often explores LGBTQ+ identities won the 24th SongEun Art Award, the SongEun Art and Cultural Foundation announced Wednesday afternoon. Tak's third ongoing choreographic film series “Love at First Sight,” which transforms the nature of orally transmitted transcendent love stories into choreography, is on view as part of the exhibition entitled “The 24th SongEun Art Award” underway at SongEun Art S

Jan. 7, 2025

Seven Korean words added to Oxford English Dictionary

The Oxford English Dictionary just got a K-culture upgrade. In its December 2024 update, the dictionary added seven Korean words — "dalgona," "hyung," "noraebang," "maknae," "jjigae," "tteokbokki" and "pansori" — reflecting the growing presence of Korean culture in the English-speaking world. This is not the first time Korean words have made the cut. Back in 2021, the dictionary added 26 Korean terms, including K-drama, Hallyu, mukbang and daebak. Its inclusion of Korean terms reflects the rise

Jan. 7, 2025

Gucci introduces special campaign for Year of Snake

Italian fashion house Gucci has launched a special campaign for the 2025, which is recognized as the Year of the Blue Snake in the Chinese zodiac. The campaign celebrates family, tradition and a new start, according to Gucci. The luxury brand’s creative director Sabato De Sarno introduced a selection of goods motivated by the symbolic heritage of a graceful, elegant snake. The snake represents change and a new beginning that aligns with the brand's modern creativity, Gucci explained. Most of the

Jan. 7, 2025

Gallery exhibitions in Seoul to add to your calendar

Galleries prepare for another milestone year, shedding light on renowned Korean artists and international artists being shown in Korea for the first time Galleries in Seoul have unveiled a roster of exhibitions for 2025 that will have collectors and art enthusiasts alike looking forward to the openings. Arario Gallery will focus on presenting Asia-based artists of different generations who are expanding their career globally. The new year began with the solo exhibition of Kim Byung-ho who, using

Jan. 7, 2025

[Herald Gallery] Bodyscape 76-3-2023

The solo exhibition titled “Lee Kun-Yong” by artist Lee Kun-Yong (b. 1942) is being held at Gallery Hyundai Dugahun in Jongno-gu, Seoul until Jan. 9. This exhibition features two pieces from his representative series,"'Bodyscape 76-3," along with fifteen drawing works that expand on the series, titled "Bodyscape 76-3 Drawing." Lee creates unique forms by combining chance and intention, drawing lines through the movement of his body as he shakes both hands while deliberately avoiding looking at t

Jan. 6, 2025

Buddhist sect opposes government funding for Catholic event

Bill supporting 2027 World Youth Day violates Constitution, Jogye Order argues Korea’s largest Buddhist sect is ramping up opposition to a bill that would allow the government to fund the hosting of World Youth Day, a Catholic event that Seoul is set to hold in 2027. The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism launched a committee to block the National Assembly from passing the bill, which was floated in November. A review by the relevant parliamentary committee -- the first of the three-stage enactment

Jan. 6, 2025

Celebrities shape fashion, beauty industries with own brands

With their hands-on involvement, celebrities are proving their brands can grow beyond fandoms to make a lasting mark Korean celebrities are expanding their reach into fashion and beauty by launching their own brands. Though many celebrity-launched brands seem to disappear without much success when the products are perceived as merchandise for fans, some brands are making new waves with unique brand identities. These brands have the celebrities themselves leading direction, promotion, and communi

Jan. 6, 2025

Museums to bring mega shows to Seoul with foreign partners

From prominent international artists to leading Korean artists, art museums here are gearing up to present highly anticipated exhibitions. This year will see a variety of collaborations between art foundations and museums from home and abroad including M+ museum, Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art and Punta della Dogana. Leeum Museum of Art will kick off the year with its exhibition of works by Pierre Huyghe on Feb. 27. Fourteen of the French artist's works including media art, installation

Jan. 5, 2025

Architecture seen in different context through video art at SeMA

When it comes to architecture, one might think only of spatial structures and building design. The exhibition at Nam-Seoul Museum of Art expands on such perceptions, offering a view that emphasizes cultural context through video art. “Frames of Architecture” shows video works created by architects or artists, each reflecting different themes relating to architecture. Among the eight featured artists, architects and collectives is New York-based architecture studio MOS Architects, whose strength

Jan. 3, 2025

Korea's webtoon industry surpasses W2T in market size for the first time

Webstoon Industry Survey shows illegal activities also persist The domestic webtoon industry has surpassed 2 trillion won ($1.36 billion) in market size for the first time. Meanwhile, the illegal webtoon market is estimated at 446.5 billion won, approximately 20 percent of the legitimate webtoon market. On Thursday, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Creative Content Agency published the 2024 Webtoon Industry Survey, highlighting these findings. In 2023, the webtoon indust

Jan. 3, 2025

MMCA records most ever foreign visitors in 2024

The number of visitors from abroad to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea marked a record-high last year, reaching 220,000, rising 36 percent from just before the pandemic in 2019. The museum that runs four venues ― to main Seoul location, at the palace Deoksugung near Seoul City Hall, Gwacheon in Gyeonggi Province and Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province ― opened 20 exhibitions last year, attracting the highest number of foreign visitors since the main Seoul venue opened

Jan. 3, 2025