Yang Hye-min moves her hand carefully as she gathers and assembles scattered parts of the past, working tirelessly to regain the appearance it once had hundreds of years ago. "A relic that has survived the test of time will inspire future generations " said Yang, who majors in Conservation Science at Korea National University of Cultural Heritage, as she explained why she chose her major. "I want to find the best way to preserve relics for the next generation so they can further d

weekender Feb. 11, 2023

Seungri, a former member of K-pop boy band Big Bang, was released from Yeoju Prison in Gyeonggi Province on Thursday after completing his 18-month sentence, according to the Ministry of Justice. Seungri, whose real name is Lee Seung-hyun, was indicted in January 2020 over his involvement in the “Burning Sun scandal,” a far-reaching sex and drug scandal since 2018. The 33-year-old singer began his military service during trial and was sentenced to three years in prison in a military c

Social Affairs Feb. 10, 2023

Celebrities, corporations and ordinary citizens of South Korea are rallying to help Turkey and Syria in the aftermath of the earthquakes. Celebrities including Lee Hyeri of the K-pop girl group Girl’s Day and actor Yoo Inna donated to people affected by earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Lee donated 50 million won ($40,000) to UNICEF’s emergency campaign for children in the earthquake-stricken area, according to her agency Creative Group Ing. Comedian Lee Yong-jin, also known as &ldquo

Social Affairs Feb. 9, 2023

The South Korean rescue team for the earthquake-damaged parts of Turkey departed Incheon Airport on early Wednesday. The 118 members, mostly from National Fire Agency and South Korean Army, boarded the South Korean Air Force’s KC-330 aircraft after a departing ceremony at the first terminal in Incheon Airport, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This rescue team is the largest-ever dispatched by South Korea for emergency overseas rescue work. They are to headed to Adana Air Base

Foreign Affairs Feb. 8, 2023

An appellate court on Thursday upheld a prison term for a hunter who shot and killed a taxi driver, mistaking the victim for a boar. The 73-year-old professional hunter was sentenced to one year and four months in prison for murder by occupational negligence at an appellate trial in the second criminal appellate division of Seoul Western District Court on Thursday, reducing the sentence by four months from the lower court’s ruling. The shooting took place around 8 p.m. on April 29 during a

Social Affairs Feb. 3, 2023

Residents of Daehyeon-dong, Daegu opposing the construction of a mosque in the area will hold another “meat feast” on Thursday, despite the Supreme Court's earlier ruling that enabled the project to continue. The “Daegu Anti-Mosque Committee,” residents against a mosque in their neighborhood, said Monday they will hold a protest where they will consume boiled pork and beef soup. The town adjacent to Kyungpook National University became a hot spot for conflict after t

Social Affairs Jan. 31, 2023

“Making hanbok can be called ‘linking the past and the present,’” said Kim Ji-hu, a student of textile art at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage. Hanbok-making embodies knowledge and skills developed by people in the past, according to Kim. “I learn all processes of making hanbok at school, from weaving cloth to transforming it into garments,” Kim said. “The work begins with understanding the features of traditional textiles and clothes.

weekender Jan. 28, 2023

Herald Corp. staff photographer Park Hae-mook was awarded three consecutive grand prizes in the monthly news photo contest by the Korea Press Photographer’s Association on Thursday. The association announced the winners of the 238th, 239th and 240th monthly news photo contest. Park won for best portrait in October, November and December. The works by Park are “Korean dance harmonized with nature,” “Joseon era seonbi’s ‘hanryangmu’ as danced by millennial

People Jan. 26, 2023

South Koreans’ Seollal gift packages appear to have no limit on what they can contain. Gift packs full of spam, preserved tuna or soap are the most frequently exchanged. However, there are thousands of different Seollal gift sets. South Korean convenience store chain GS25 in December unveiled its Seollal gift catalog with more than 850 kinds of gift sets, which include a 9 million-won ($7,260) bottle of Le Pin wine while another includes a rabbit-carved gold medal for the coming year of th

Consumer Jan. 23, 2023

Seollal is one of Korea's two main holidays along with Chuseok. Both kick off a mass movement of people going to visit their hometowns. The race to return home involves people competing for bus, train and air tickets online, as well as at ticket booths. Just a few years ago, however, people lined up at train stations and bus terminals, with thousands queueing up for tickets. Some even camped outside, while thousands more braved the expressways in their cars. With the network of expressways

Social Affairs Jan. 21, 2023

AI SDGs Camp “AI X Moonshot 2023” was held on Wednesday, setting the stage for 120 students to compete with their ideas for achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals. “AI X Moonshot 2023” -- a program in the Ministry of Education's “Digital New Software, AI Camp” -- project took place at Interbulgo Hotel in Daegu with 200 attendees, the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) and Daegu National University of Education jointly announced on

People Jan. 18, 2023

A traditional wind player Hong Ji-hye attributes K-pop’s global popularity to its unique features handed over from Korea’s traditions. “At the bottom of the globally appreciated K-pop, there lie Korea’s unique music culture and customs, especially those with ‘Heung’ (joy and excitement),” the 32-year-old musician said. Hong is a member of the National Gugak Center, a state institution responsible for preserving and developing gugak, Korea’s traditi

weekender Jan. 14, 2023

The 48-day Korea Grand Sale 2023 kicked off on Thursday for foreign nationals who look to visit South Korea. Korea Grand Sale, organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, has taken place each year since 2011. The campaign aims at boosting the tourism industry during the winter season, when the lowest number of tourist visit South Korea. Dozens of companies including major airlines and hotel chains opened online booths with special advantages in four categories of “flight,&rdq

Travel Jan. 12, 2023

Murder suspect Lee Ki-young’s four pets have all been adopted, avoiding the alternative of euthanasia. All three cats and a dog left in Lee’s residence were sent to their new families, who had watched reports about the pets and applied for adoption, according to the Paju, Gyeonggi Province, city government and the Korea Animal Rescue and Management Association. The pets were rescued from Lee’s home in Paju on Dec. 29, three days after Lee was apprehended on suspicion of murderi

Social Affairs Jan. 10, 2023

1. Tough living conditions ① COVID cases The number of COVID-19 cases grew by 28.2 million this year due to the highly transmissible omicron subvariant. The figure was 635,253 on Jan. 1 but surged to 28.7 million at the end of this year. ② Inflation Fried chicken: 9.2% Gas: 36.2% Ramen: 12.6% Cooking oil: 43.3% (Nov. 2022, Year-on-year increase) South Korea has been no exception to global inflation, with “everything has risen except my salary” becoming a popular catchphrase. 2. U

Social Affairs Dec. 31, 2022