“Nongak is close as a friend to me. I experienced happiness, anger, sorrow and joy, developing love with it,” said Jeong Hyun-ji, who plays the sogo -- a small, traditional Korean hand-held drum -- in the Gochang Nongak Cheongchun Gutpae. Gochang Nongak Cheongchun Gutpae is an official youth troupe that performs Gochang Nongak, the traditional music created and developed by farmers in the coastal county of Gochang, North Jeolla Province. “I always swim into the meaning of nonga

Culture Oct. 14, 2023

Two people have died and two have been injured in an accident involving a 15-ton cargo truck, which crashed into a traffic control office Thursday morning in Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon Province. As a result of the impact, much of the temporary building was destroyed and fell into the adjacent Jijangcheon, a stream running through the area. Three people, all employees of the Jeongseon-gun Traffic Management Office, were reported to be inside the temporary structure at the time of the crash. Among th

Social Affairs Oct. 6, 2023

A passerby saved three people trapped in a car in a farm waterway on Tuesday, near Maekdo River in western Busan, getting instruction from firefighters through a video call. Bae Do-yoon, 39, spotted a car suddenly going over the curb as he headed to work on Tuesday morning. Despite the illuminated brake lights at the rear, the car kept moving and flipped into the muddy waterway upside down, according to dashboard camera footage provided by the Busan Metropolitan City Fire Safety Headquarters. Th

Social Affairs Oct. 5, 2023

A 6-year-old Uzbek girl was found dead in the Nakdong River in Daegu on Tuesday. The girl was found in the river about 200 meters from Dalseongbo Weir, six hours after the National Fire Service began a search, according to local media reports quoting police. Her parents had reported her missing at 12:21 p.m that day. Police secured CCTV footage showing the girl heading to a riverside park near the weir, also near her home, riding her scooter alone. A witness reportedly told the police that she p

Social Affairs Oct. 4, 2023

“The geomungo has been called ‘baekakjijang,’ which means the ultimate instrument,” Park Chae-won said, introducing her instrument. Park is a Korean music major specializing in the geomungo at Seoul National University. The geomungo is an ancient Korean instrument with a hollow wooden body and six silk strings. It is played with a pencil-sized bamboo stick called a suldae. Since being invented by Wang San-ak, a prime minister during Korea’s Goguryeo kingdom (37 B.C.

Culture Oct. 2, 2023

People staring at screens to book tickets to home, jammed highways and families enjoying festive foods are typical scenes associated with Chuseok, one of South Korea's biggest traditional holidays. Along with Seollal, Chuseok is one of two holidays that span three consecutive days. The origins of Chuseok are unclear, but similar holidays are celebrated across East Asia on the same date -- Aug. 15 on the lunar calendar -- though some have come to mark Aug. 15 on the solar calendar as well.

Culture Sept. 29, 2023

South Korea's Ministry of Education will offer all Ukrainian college students in South Korea scholarships and living subsidies from October, the National Institute for International Education announced Tuesday. The ministry revised its basic plan to support the Global Korea Scholarship, a scholarship program for government-invited students, to offer a total of 780 million won ($578,000) to cover the tuition and living costs of Ukrainian students enrolled at South Korean colleges for the fal

Social Affairs Sept. 27, 2023

The Gangwon Forestry Exhibition 2023 kicked off on Friday around Gangwon Province's Seoraksan National Park, including the areas of Sokcho, Yangyang, Goseong and Inje. Under the theme of “Seeking the Future of the World and Mankind in the Forest,” the exposition showcases the strong connections between the forest and humanity. The GFE 2023 is the first forestry exposition in Korea. It includes diverse exhibitions, performances and academic conferences related to forestry. The

Social Affairs Sept. 24, 2023

“Gochang nongak first came into my life at a college traditional music band. Since then, I've gone to Gochang every summer and winter to learn the music,” said Kim Mi-jung, a kkwaenggwari player of Gochang nongak, a type of traditional farmers’ music developed in Gochang-gun, North Jeolla Province. The kkwaenggwari is a metal percussion instrument or gong with a radius the length of the span of one's outstretched hand, and a wooden mallet. With its high-pitched tone,

Culture Sept. 9, 2023

“When I started learning 'gochang nongak,' it was completely different from anything I had learned before," said Jeong Ha-rin, an amateur gochang nongak performer from Busan. “Now, gochang nongak brings me so much joy. It became an escape from life's heaviness and seriousness,” Jeong added. Gochang nongak is a type of traditional music developed by farmers in Gochang, North Jeolla Province. “My father was a member of the Korean traditional art's c

Culture Aug. 26, 2023

A documentary commemorating the 70-year legacy of South Korea and The Korea Herald will be released online on Aug. 15, the day the newspaper printed its first issue in 1953. Titled “I Was There,” the eight-minute video revisits the most memorable and historical moments in Korea’s postwar history through reporters of The Korea Herald. "A lot has transpired at The Korea Herald over the past 70 years," a voice narrates at the beginning of the film. It is followed by inte

70th anniversary Aug. 14, 2023

Oh Hai-sun, 25, first joined a nongak crew as a middle school student. There he fostered his interest in the traditional Korean music genre. “I have never lost a day to practice performances with my friends every lunchtime. I enjoyed the moment. We participated in a series of competitions and won some prizes, which also increased my interest in nongak,” Oh said. Oh plays jing for Gochang Nongak, traditional music created and developed by farmers in the coastal county of Gochang, Nort

weekender Aug. 12, 2023

An underpass has been flooded by water overflowing from the Miho River in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, rescue workers said Saturday. The number of people trapped in the tunnel is unclear. As of 9 p.m. police said 11 people have been reported missing, and confirmed 15 vehicles including a public bus to be trapped in the underpass. Gungpyeong 2 Underpass in Osong-eup was submerged around 8:40 a.m. Saturday after the banks of the river collapsed and water flooded into the four-lane tunnel.

Social Affairs July 15, 2023

Performers wearing hats that look like huge flower bouquets walk in single file while beating rapidly on instruments slung over their shoulders. Thunder-like sounds from the leather drum skins reverberate across the auditorium, filling the space with booming rhythms. Among the instruments, the sounds of the "janggu," a traditional percussion instrument consisting of a two-headed drum covered with leather and carried with a sash, moved Lee Chang-geun to become a performer of "Gocha

weekender July 15, 2023

Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo announced on Wednesday that he will file criminal complaints against Daegu Queer Festival operators and Daegu Police over the injury of city officials and occupation of public roads at the annual LGBT pride parade held on June 17, which the mayor claims was illegal. Hong on Wednesday said he would bring queer rights advocates and Daegu Police to justice for blocking traffic by occupying roads without the city's permission and causing injury to three city officials

Social Affairs July 12, 2023