Queens of the Joseon era (1392-1910) had an average life span of 51 years and were outlived by royal concubines by an average six years, a new study has found. According to Lee Mi-seon, a researcher at the Academy of Korean Studies, queens lived longer than kings, whose average life span has been estimated to be 47 by other scholars. Compared to women from the noble class of that era, who lived to 45 on average, the queens also had a considerably longer life. But they were outlived by the

Beginning next year, South Korea will work on the restoration of the pylon and the access road of the Ramesseum, a mortuary temple of Pharaoh Ramses 2, located across from the modern city of Luxor in Upper Egypt, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration on Sunday. Kim Hyun-mo, head of the Cultural Heritage Administration and Mostafa Waziry, secretary-general of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities, signed a memorandum of understanding for exchanges and cooperation on the two n

  Thousands of Buddhist monks from across the nation gathered in Seoul on Friday to protest against the “religious bias” that they claim is prevalent within the Moon Jae-in’s government. An estimated 5000 monks demanded an apology from President Moon Jae-in for ”religious bias and discrimination” during the protest which took place at Jogyesa, the chief temple of South Korea‘s largest Buddhist sect, the Jogye Order. They also called for the introduction

An exhibition that features trends of premium and unique sneakers titled “Neck Breakers” is being held at Hoard Gallery in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. The exhibition will run through Sunday. It displays various valuable sneakers including Michael Jordan’s Nike shoes, Kanye West’s Adidas shoes and also sneakers that were considered futuristic in the films of the ‘80s. The exhibition also features some behind stories related to sneaker companies and celebrities’ p

Climb at a multiplex, go out for a maskless movie, immerse yourself in history

The charms of Korean culture and entertainment are being showcased online at the 2022 Korea Grand Sale, until Feb. 28. The festival kicked off Jan. 13, with an online K-pop concert livestreamed on YouTube, featuring boyband Tomorrow X Together, a dance crew from Street Woman Fighter, Lachica and girl group Everglow. This year‘s annual shopping festival focuses on K-beauty as the main theme, bringing together popular Korean beauty products. Some 40 active beauty brands are offering spec

NIKL plans to carry out major revamp of dictionary

Nearly 400 empty school buildings, chiefly in rural areas, are sitting idle after closing their doors due to lack of students, government data showed Tuesday. The Ministry of Education has a thorny task of giving new life to abandoned classrooms. As of May last year, a total of 3,855 schools have closed across South Korea in nearly 40 years since 1982, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Education, as the number of students declined to just 60.3 percent of 1990 levels. The data on

‘Light: Works From the Tate Collection’ shows 110 works by 43 artists

Director Hwang Dong-hyuk, the mastermind behind South Korea’s global phenomenon “Squid Game,” had said that he plans to make a story set in the near future. “I am planning something that is futuristic. I’ve done stories of the past and eccentric things that can happen in the present. I would like to make a social drama, which talks about the problems that we might face within the next 20-30 years,” Hwang said in a pretaped interview with Corea Image Communica

“Squid Game” director Hwang Dong-hyuk on the global streaming platform Netflix, celebrated Korean soprano Sumi Jo and Tokyo Olympics gold medal archer Kim Je-deok were named as the winners of the Korea Image Award on Wednesday. The 18th edition of the annual awards took place at the InterContinental Seoul Coex in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. “Though we are experiencing a challenging time with the COVID-19 pandemic, I am grateful that we are able to have the chance to hold

Conflict over Korean Symphony Orchestra’s name change grows as KBS Symphony Orchestra opposes move

Sunae-dong House is a historic building in Bundang Central Park in Gyeonggi Province.  Built in the 19th century, the house is situated next to the tombs of the Hansan Yi clan, who lived in the area from the 16th to the 18th century. Around 70 houses once formed a clan village in the area, but all but one house, which once belonged to a man called Yi Taek-gu, were demolished as part of the city’s development in the 1980s.  A sizable thatched dwelling, Sunae-dong House consists

Before electricity, people turned to ondol, quilting and other techniques to protect themselves from freezing temperatures

The Gordon Ramsay Burger is finally here. The Michelin-starred chef’s first burger chain in Asia officially opens on Friday at Lotte World Tower in Jamsil, southern Seoul. The news of the premium burger chain landing in Korea a few months ago created a buzz concerning its high price. Its iconic Hell’s Kitchen Burger is priced at 31,000 won ($25.91) here, which is much pricier than other so-called premium burger chains like Shake Shack. Shake Shack burgers‘ prices range from