When online reservations for the exhibitions of art donated by the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee at the National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea opened last week, the slots filled up quickly, reflecting the public’s keen interest in the single-largest art donation ever in Korea. The family of the late Lee donated more than 23,000 works of art in April that Lee had collected, most of them going to the National Museum of Korea and Na

Arts & Design July 28, 2021

The Margaux Grill, the luxury steak restaurant, at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul was recognized by Wine Spectator, winning the Best of Award of Excellence. The Margaux Grill houses a wine cave that holds 4,000 bottles of some 800 varieties of wines that encompass tastes from wine beginners to professional sommeliers. The guests to the restaurant can take a tour of the wine cave to select wines. Wine Spectator is an internationally renowned wine magazine published in the US and annually recognizes

Food July 23, 2021

A large quantity of pioneering sculptor Kwon Jin-kyu’s artworks has been donated to the Seoul Museum of Art after the artist’s bereaved family had struggled for decades to find a place to house his sculptures. The donated 141 artworks consist of the 96 sculptures, 10 paintings, six drawings and 29 sketch books, as well as five artworks produced by Kwon’s wife, Kasai Tomo. Kwon’s family has founded Kwon Jin Kyu Commemoration Foundation to manage the artist’s work

Arts & Design July 23, 2021

Wellness package at Fairmont Ambassador Seoul Fairmont Ambassador Seoul offers a wellness package that features a 60-minute body treatment at spa ESPA located at the hotel. The wellness package includes one night stay at a Fairmont Room, buffet restaurant for two, a body treatment for one, Balmain travel hair kit and complimentary use of swimming pool and fitness center. ESPA at Fairmont will deliver a 60-minute inner calm massage body treatment that helps relieve fatigue and restore energy.

Food July 23, 2021

Kansong Art and Culture Foundation plans to tokenize Hunminjeongeum Haerye, National Treasure No. 70, in an effort to raise funds to operate the foundation. If realized as an NFT, the book will become the first national treasure to be traded on a blockchain platform. The 33-page book from the Joseon era details the promulgation of Hangeul, the Korean writing system, and usages of the letters.   An NFT, or nonfungible token, is a unit of data on the blockchain that represents ownership

Arts & Design July 22, 2021

Some of the artworks from the collection of highly prized art donated by the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee and his family in late April were unveiled to the press Tuesday in a special exhibition preview. A total of 135 masterpieces, including a number of National Treasures, are being shown in exhibitions at two state-run museums in Seoul from Wednesday. “A Great Cultural Legacy: Masterpieces from the Bequest of the Late Samsung Chairman Lee, Kun-hee” will be held at th

Arts & Design July 20, 2021

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea is showcasing a total of 54 modern art masterpieces in its Gallery 1. The masterpieces by 34 artists were selected based on their significance to modern art, according to the museum. Among the 1,488 artworks donated to the MMCA, around 60 percent are Korean modern artworks. Although what constitutes as Korea’s modern art period still remains controversial, the exhibition focuses on modern artists who were born in the 1930s or ear

Arts & Design July 20, 2021

A large magnolia tree stands in front of MMCA Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province. The tree became diseased in 2019 and will be cut down soon as it has now died. Artist Han Seok-hyun revitalized the tree, transforming it into a work of art. He covered the dead tree with wood scraps -- cut timber and broken furniture, which ultimately come from other dead trees -- and added plants such as geraniums, trumpet creepers and even green onions in the spaces in this new covering.  The Cheo

Arts & Design July 19, 2021

High tea at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas offers a special tea time for the summer season at The Lobby Lounge from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The promotion runs through August. Summer Passion Royal High Tea comes with premium tea or coffee and desserts featuring seasonal fruits and savory dishes, including coconut shrimp and a beetroot sandwich. A to-go option is also available for those who want to enjoy tea time at home or for special occasions. Summer Passi

Food July 16, 2021

Nam June Paik Art Center, the only art center dedicated to the video art pioneer, is showcasing two special exhibitions to help understand Paik’s philosophy when he was part of Fluxus -- an avant-garde art movement in the 1950s that challenged conventional art -- and how his legacy lives on today. The art center, located in Gyeonggi Province, kicked off “Open Codes: Networked Commons” this month in collaboration with ZKM Karlsruhe, a media art museum in Germany. The exhibitio

Arts & Design July 15, 2021

Sculptor Yi Hwan-kwon’s works easily catch people’s attention. His signature sculptures, made using 3D scanning techniques, create distorted illusions that provoke curiosity and are readily recognized by many people. While he has gained much popularity with his iconic sculptures, it hit him one day that he was finding it difficult to put his works into words. He then became skeptical about his own work. “Over the past several years, I strived to search for something. I don

Arts & Design July 13, 2021

The Arts Council Korea has announced that a new committee will be formed for the selection of the curator of the Korean Pavilion for the upcoming Venice Biennale after the previous committee resigned en masse over controversy surrounding alleged conflicts of interest in the screening process. "The selection committee members have decided to quit their positions in pursuit of fairness. It seems they felt pressured about the issue,” an official from the council told The Korea Herald

Arts & Design July 12, 2021

Art lovers may wonder how Korea’s ancient culture influenced its modern and contemporary artists. The exhibition “Dynamic & Alive Korean Art” is an effort to answer that question by delving into Korean aesthetics. The exhibition from the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, brings together 35 cultural assets and some 130 artworks from the modern and contemporary era. Presenting modern works along with Korean cultural artifacts from the National Museum

Arts & Design July 10, 2021

Biking in Seoul, you can come across historic traces of the city which you may otherwise miss when taking bus, subway or car to get around. Here is a bike-ride course that takes you around the heart of Seoul -- from Deoksugung Palace’s stonewall road to Insa-dong. If you don’t have a bike – don’t worry – the city has a bike rental service named Seoul Bike or Ddareungi, through which you can rent bikes at Ddareungi stations across the Seoul. You can start your bik

Culture July 10, 2021

Ddareungi is Seoul city’s public rental bike service, which you can use across the city. You can download the Seoul Bike app on your phone then register or log in with Naver, Facebook or a Kakao account. The app is available in both Korean and English. You can select “Buy Pass” and select the plan that fits you -- one-time, weekly, monthly and annual pass. There are one or two-hour rentals for each time you check out a bike. A one-time pass for one hour costs 1,000 won ($0.88)

Travel July 10, 2021