A key figure in a sprawling land development scandal is expected to return home from the United States early next week, legal sources said Saturday. Attorney Nam Wook, who left for the US in mid-September before the investigation into the case began, will arrive in Seoul as early as Monday, they said. Nam played a key role in the residential development project in Seongnam, south of Seoul. The project was initiated in 2015 under then Mayor Lee Jae-myung, who is now the ruling Democratic Party'

A rare exhibition is taking place in the country’s eastern coastal city of Gangneung, Gangwon Province.  More than 120 exquisite celadon ceramics from the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), known locally as cheongja, are on display at “Celadon, the Microscopic World of Goryeo.”  Renowned for its subtle and elegant beauty, various shapes and sizes of celadon ceramics, which get their name from their mystic blue-green glaze, trace the untold story of the kingdom that flourish

Villages in these old cities are full of stories to tell

Bakery crafts riffs off sourdough and jambon-beurre sandwiches

When French diplomat Victor Collin de Plancy (1853-1924) was posted in Joseon Korea, he collected many unique treasures, including rare ancient Korean books. He returned to France with the treasures he found in Korea, including a 1377 Jikji book printed with movable metal type, and a beautiful wife named Lee Shim, a former royal palace dancer he had spotted performing for Emperor Gojong. Lee, who moved to France with Collin de Plancy in 1893 and accompanied him to Africa the following year, la

Artistic director to also celebrate Paik Nam-june’s 90th anniversary at biennale

Much of the household waste that people place in recycling bins is just discarded

Unification Minister Lee In-young on Saturday reiterated South Korea's resolve to revive peace efforts with the North, pinning hopes on the recent reactivation of communication lines between the two Koreas. Speaking during a forum in the eastern city of Chuncheon, Lee said that the Beijing Winter Olympics slated for February next year may offer an opportunity to restore inter-Korean relations. "(The government) will focus its efforts to resume the Korean Peninsula peace process and make p

Cold wave alerts were issued for most of the country Saturday as an Arctic air mass brought an unseasonably chilly weather, the state weather agency said. The Korea Meteorological Administration said that cold wave warnings will take effect for about a dozen central cities and counties at 9 p.m. while Seoul and most other parts of the country will be under cold wave advisories. It will be the first time in 17 years that a cold wave alert has been issued for Seoul in October. The cold wave adv

South Korea's daily new COVID-19 cases stayed in the 1,600s for the second consecutive day Saturday, as the government plans to relax social distancing rules, starting next week, ahead of a gradual return to normal life. The country added 1,618 more COVID-19 cases, including 1,594 local infections, raising the total caseload to 340,978, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The latest tally was down from 1,684 cases reported on Friday and 1,940 on Thursday. The daily in

WASHINGTON -- The United States is committed to working with its allies in denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula, a State Department spokesperson said Friday, also stressing the importance of key US allies, South Korea and Japan, working together to that end. Ned Price made the remark after Japan's newly inaugurated Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held his first call with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday (Seoul time), more than 10 days after his inauguration last Monday. "As you kn

North Korea may be considering engaging with South Korea and the rest of the world, former Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said Friday. Biegun noted the North may be trying to influence the outcome of South Korea's upcoming presidential election, but insisted having a direct communication channel with the reclusive state was more important to South Korea, as well as the United States, than having such consequences. "We've seen a sequence of events that many analysts have interpre

South Korea and Japan should work out their wartime disputes before it is too late, President Moon Jae-in said in his first phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida since he took office last week, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday. But the talks, which came amid worsening ties over disagreements on virtually every issue between the two neighbors, did little to close the widening gap. “We should leave open our communication channels and continue to engage each other for a way out of

The 26th Busan International Film Festival wrapped up its 10-day run on Friday at the Busan Cinema Center, with the closing ceremony hosted by two Korean rookie actors -- Lee Jun-hyuk and Lee Joo-young. This year‘s BIFF, which opened Oct. 6, screened 223 films from 70 countries offline at six selected theaters in Busan. This change was significant as the BIFF organizer held a much scaled-down event last year in light of COVID protocols. Each film was also screened only once at the Busan

In the 1970s, when it was still a struggle for South Korean women to establish art careers, a group of female students from the Hongik University College of Fine Arts gathered together to break stereotypes and defy conservative social norms. In 1982 they formed Hongik Women Artists Association and held an exhibition, which has continued every year uninterrupted for 40 years. Now the 40-year anniversary exhibition -- “Hongik Root Now! Again!” -- is running at the Hongik Museum of A