Gwangju’s battle to restore historic landmark nearly over GWANGJU -- In the heart of Gwangju, a decade-long struggle to preserve a site of immense historical significance is finally nearing its conclusion. The former South Jeolla Provincial Office, a key landmark of the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising, was partially demolished in 2015 before protests halted its destruction. Now, after years of fierce opposition, discussions and even a fire that threatened to derail restoration efforts, the proj

CICI holds video contest on 'sustainable K-style' The Corea Image Communication Institute is holding contests on "sustainable K-style" as part of the 16th annual Culture Communication Forum slated for June 12. The contest aims to discover innovative and creative ideas related to K-style that could shape the next wave of Hallyu, according to the organization. The competition is open to anyone residing in Korea. Applications should include ideas related to either music, food, film, drama, webtoons

South Korea's box office saw sluggish performance last month, with ticket sales and attendance declining sharply year-on-year, data showed Wednesday. According to the Korean Film Council, total cinema attendance dropped 52.2 percent on-year to 5.47 million, while sales plummeted more than 60 percent to 26.3 billion won ($18.1 million), largely due to the absence of major hit movies. The comedy-action "Hitman 2" and the supernatural thriller "Dark Nuns," which were released around the Lunar New Y

2025 marks 30th anniversary of Korean Pavilion As the Korean Pavilion marks its 30th anniversary this year since its construction in the Giardini, the waterfront park that serves as the main venue of the Venice Biennale, curators, artists and architects are set to gather at the site to reflect on the past and future of the national pavilion and beyond, as Venice Biennale faces many changes. The most prestigious international art and architecture biennale takes place every year, rotating between

Competition to focus on creating dish using Korean jang As part of South Korea's initiative to expand the reach of "hansik," or Korean cuisine, the Korean Food Promotion Institute said Tuesday it would jointly host hansik cooking contests abroad with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and in collaboration with 13 overseas diplomatic missions. For this year's edition, the competition will focus on creating a dish using Korean jang, or fermented soy-based sauces, to celebrate its

Do picture-perfect bites taste as good as they look? People often look for bakeries dubbed "matjib," places recommended on the internet or social media for great-tasting food, in search of perfect baked goods. Some bakeries boast a long line of customers who would not dream of getting their baked goods and coffee from anywhere else. But are these places worth the hype and wait? Here are the results of a taste test of four popular bakeries in Seoul. Soha Salt Pond A signature item at this Ikseon

Number of participating galleries will be the largest this year The Galleries Art Fair, Korea’s oldest art fair, will return in April with an unprecedented number of participating galleries. The 43rd edition of the art fair — started in 1979 and is run by the Galleries Association of Korea — will kick off April 16 at Coex in southern Seoul, with 168 galleries taking part, a 12 percent increase from last year. Participating galleries rose as more galleries joined the Galleries Association of Kore

Relatively new comer to LoL continues its winning streak since becoming the 2025 LCK Cup champion Hanwha Life Esports rose as the victor of the inaugural First Stand Tournament held in Seoul, continuing its winning streak since becoming the 2025 champion of the League of Legends Champions Korea Cup in February. The 2025 FST, which kicked off March 10 at LoL Park in Jongno-gu, Seoul, is the newest addition to Riot Games' professional LoL esports global events, alongside the World Championship and

An AI-generated video featuring late actress Kim Sae-ron was released online Friday, with the uploader claiming her family was behind it. Titled “A Memorial AI Video Created by Kim Sae-ron’s Family,” the video was uploaded Friday to the YouTube channel of Kwon Young-chan, head of the Korea Celebrity Suicide Prevention Association. According to the video’s description, it was provided by Kim’s family. In the video, an AI-generated version of Kim addresses her fans. "To everyone who loved and supp

MBC said Monday it will edit out actor Kim Soo-hyun's scenes from its variety show "Good Day" as much as possible amid an ongoing controversy over his underage dating allegations. The "Queen of Tears" star has been under intense scrutiny since March 10, when a YouTube channel first raised the allegations that he dated late actress Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor. "We are well aware of the seriousness of the controversy and have been closely monitoring viewer responses" it said, adding it will c

Duarte Sequeira, Esther Schipper move to expanded spaces in Hannam-dong; Massimodecarlo represents Korean artist Hejum Ba Despite the prevailing cautious atmosphere in the Korean art scene amid the country's political turmoil and economic slowdown, some international galleries are pushing ahead with proactive decisions -- expanding their spaces and choosing to represent Korean artists here. Portuguese gallery Duarte Sequeira, which opened its space in Seoul in 2022 in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul,

On March 8, an annual showcase brought together around 400 dancers, including professionals and trainees, who gave 17 performances over a period of four hours at the New Millennium Grand Theater at Konkuk University in Seoul. Each performance at Feedback Stage 2025, incorporating styles ranging from hip-hop and house to jazz and contemporary, was the product of three months of intense training and dedication, highlighting South Korea’s dynamic dance scene. The night celebrated four winners: Hash

For Park Min-ha, 28, reading has always been a hobby. But in the wake of Han Kang’s historic Nobel Prize in literature win last year, her interest has deepened. Lately, she has adopted a new habit: "pilsa," the practice of writing passages from books by hand. "Just reading a book and moving on didn’t feel like I had truly absorbed it," Park said. "Writing a full review felt like too much work, so instead, I started jotting down lines that resonated with me." She finds the process meditative. "Sl

The 2025-2026 fall-winter Paris Fashion Week, held from March 3-11 at Palais de Tokyo, showcased a range of global fashion brands, with some K-fashion labels grabbing the spotlight. As one of the world's four major fashion weeks, Paris is known for its avant-garde and artistic presentations, and this season, Korean designers made a powerful statement with their innovative designs. On the first day of the event, Kimhekim, the brand of Korean designer Kim In-tae, celebrated its 9th anniversary wit

Hyundai Card's newly installed digital wall, identical to one at MoMA, is part of a collaboration between the company and the museum The Hyundai Card MoMA Digital Wall, identical to the one at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, was installed Wednesday at the Hyundai’s headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul. Hyundai has supported MoMA’s digital art program, which is presented on the 7.2-meter-tall digital screen in the museum’s lobby, since November 2022 as part of a partnership with the museum. The i