Tourists watch in awe as warriors in colorful armor swing their crescent moon swords and cut through thick bamboo and bundles of straw.  Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and also the stage for the revival of the Joseon-period’s 24 Martial Arts. The 24 Martial Arts refer to 24 martial art techniques of the Muyedobotongji, a comprehensive illustrated manual comprised of four volumes complied in 1790 by King Jeongjo, the 22nd king of

Staff of the Jeju Stockbreeding Promotion Institute release Jeju horses at Jeju Horse Pastureland, located on the side of Hallasan. Before being set free in the pastures of Hallasan, 83 Jeju horses spent the last winter in pastureland inside the institute.  The horses, designated as National Treasure No. 347, enjoy their freedom in Yonggang-dong of Jeju City. (Photos: Yonhap) By Yoon Chae-won (choenayoon@heraldcorp.com)

Millennials and Gen Z are trend leaders in tourism amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Korea Tourism Organization. The KTO, which analyzed data from local mobile carrier KT from January 2019 to December 2020, said that different generations travel in a different manner. In 2020, the total movement rate for tourism decreased by 7.1 percent compared to the previous year, while movement in one’s own residential area increased by 3.4 percent. Generation Z, or the Zoomers, visit

The Korean Pavilion at the Venice Biennale’s 17th International Architecture Exhibition will present “Future School,” curated by architect Shin Hae-won, at the national pavilion and virtual platform of “Future School Online.” The upcoming Venice Architecture Biennale will run May 22 to Nov. 21 in Venice, Italy under the theme of “How will we live together?” curated by Lebanese architect and scholar Hashim Sarkis. The Korean Pavilion at this year&rsqu

  Art Busan is gearing up for its 10th edition, scheduled to kick off May 13 at the Bexco Exhibition Center in Busan with 110 galleries. Among them are some renowned international galleries, joining for the first time amid rapidly growing interest in the art market in South Korea. Participating galleries from abroad include Neugerriemschneider and Esther Schipper from Berlin, Commonwealth and Council from Los Angeles and Pilar Corrias from London. A total of 4,000 artworks will be on dis

Gallery 7 at Fairmont Ambassador Seoul presents ‘Taste of Spring’  Fairmont Ambassador Seoul presents “Taste of Spring,” a seasonal promotion offering private dining experiences in the elegant event spaces of Gallery 7, through the end of May. Located on the seventh floor of the hotel, Gallery 7 is home to a portfolio of small and medium-scale meeting spaces with interior designs evoking an art gallery. The venues offer customization for events, while a business din

Haman Watermelon Festival The county of Haman, South Gyeongsang Province, will host the 2021 Haman Watermelon Festival online from April 23 to May 2. More than 14 percent of watermelons produced in Korea come from Haman. Though the festival is being held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there will be kits to help people make watermelon-inspired dishes and diverse activities related to the summer fruit. During the festival period, watermelons from the area will be sold at live commerce ev

Fashion industry sees new future in piles of waste

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea has announced a shortlist of four Korean artists for the Korea Artist Prize 2021 who will be sponsored to produce works for an upcoming exhibition. Bang Jeong-a, Kim Sang-jin, Oh Min and Choi Chan-sook -- were selected by a committee consisting of art experts from Korea and abroad appointed every year for the national museum’s annual award.  The exhibition of the four artists will be unveiled on Oct. 20 at MMCA Seoul title

Following is the first article in a three-part series that explores housing in the post-pandemic era. - ed. The pandemic has suspended our everyday life, giving us a chance to think about how we are living. The impact of COVID-19 has permeated in our residential environment more over in the urban environment. South Korea has seen rapid development since the 1960s, but this has led to a monotonous residential environment -- rows and rows of apartments. In Korea, about 6 people out of 10 liv

The 10th Busan Annual Market of Art, the largest since the event’s inception in 2012, closed Sunday having attracted a huge number of visitors and a record number of participating galleries.  Also known as BAMA, the art fair kicked off Thursday with 176 galleries from South Korea and abroad and showcased nearly 4,000 artworks -- more than ever before in the fair’s history.  “We are still aggregating the number of visitors but we saw a lot of visitors despite the

The virtual Seoul Fashion Week fall-winter 2021 wrapped up last week, bringing together unique designs from 43 fashion brands based in Seoul. Retro style and Korean traditional beauty stood out on the runway.  Rookie design brand SETSETSET invited audiences into a “Sarang bang,” the guestroom in a hanok, a Korean traditional house. Its fall-winter collection featured baggy jeans as well as kitsch and lovely dresses in bright colors. The woman’s fashion brand was launched