The 13th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival wrapped up after an eight-day run on Thursday at Megabox Baekseok branch in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. “Though I am thankful and satisfied with the safe ending of the festival, I wish more people were able to enjoy and learn about the outstanding works from many documentary directors,” festival director Jung Sang-jin said during the closing ceremony. “Since we are slowly entering the era of living with COVID-19, the organiz

The National Palace Museum of Korea, an affiliate of the Cultural Heritage Administration, is holding an exhibition titled “In Pursuit of the Aesthetic Legacy of the Goryeo Era” through Oct. 17. The museum is showcasing eight works of art from the Goryeo Kingdom, which are part of a collection at the Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels. It is the first time the six celadon vessels and two metal items are being shown to the public since undergoing conservation and restora

Pastor Cho Yong-gi, the founder of Yoido Full Gospel Church, died at the age of 85 at Seoul National University Hospital on Tuesday. He had been hospitalized since July 2020 after suffering a brain hemorrhage. The pastor emeritus of Yoido Full Gospel Church is known for establishing and developing Yoido Full Gospel Church as the world‘s largest church. Cho started a church in Bulgwang-dong, western Seoul, on May 18, 1958, with the late Rev. Choi Ja-sil, who died on Nov. 9, 1989. Throug

Music producer and composer Kim Hyung-suk was named the executive producer of the K-Culture Festival, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Monday. The K-Culture Festival kicks off Nov. 13-14 at the country’s largest convention center, Kintex, northwest of Seoul in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. The K-Culture Festival is the leading global festival connecting Korean culture with the world, further expanding Hallyu, or the Korean Wave. The two-day festival aims to encourage visitor

More sophisticated solutions needed to improve user interface and enhance accuracy in building digital archive platforms

The Gongju National Museum is holding a special exhibition to showcase artifacts excavated from the tomb of King Muryeong, the 25th king of the Baekje Kingdom, from Tuesday. The museum in Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, said the exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of the tomb’s discovery. On July 5, 1971, a large earthen mound in Gongju was discovered by chance during work to fix a drainage system in the area. Two stone plaques engraved with epitaphs for the king and queen were

The National Folk Museum of Korea invites sightseers to view its open storage space in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, that contains everyday items from times past, allowing them to revel in nostalgia.  The museum has made a tweak to its preservation paradigm. Thanks to such changes, the remains of the past have shed light on the lives of Koreans’ ancestors and expanded public understanding of the historical timeline.  The antiquities used to be stored underground, but became availabl

During Korea‘s tumultuous history, the Baekje Empire had a significant presence in East Asia for about 700 years starting about two thousand years ago. Korean civilization which is one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations, had profound spiritual and philosophical foundations in Dohak, or Taoism, and Buddhism during the Baekje period. The Gilt-bronze Incense Burner of Baekje, which was excavated at an ancient temple site in Buyeo County in South Chungcheong Province in 199

Swallowtail butterflies are large, colorful butterflies but they have been becoming harder to spot since the destruction of nature that accompanied industrial development in the 20th century. On the morning of Sept. 9, a swallowtail butterfly is seen sitting on a Lycoris radiata in full bloom at Heungguksa, a temple in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. Usually, Lycoris radiata bloom in early September, welcoming fall with a bright touch of red. Swallowtail butterflies feed on nectar from the flow

YouTube show “Nego King” won the grand prize Thursday at Broadcast Worldwide 2021, a Korea Creative Content Agency fair held to recognize outstanding new media content and bring South Korean content to the international market. The video show centers on TV personality and singer Hwang Kwang-hee and his efforts to negotiate the prices of franchise companies, including Lotte Department Store, BBQ and GS25. Widely acclaimed for Hwang’s lively performance and for the active com

Three organizations -- one from Guatemala, one from India and one from South Africa -- received the 32nd UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize for promoting literacy in developing countries. UNESCO awarded the prize to Limitless Horizons Ixil in Guatemala, the National Institute of Open Schooling in India and the Puku Children’s Literature Foundation in South Africa, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Limitless Horizons Ixil is a nongovernmental organization that su

Some 1,039 works by 421 artists, collectives and companies from more than 50 countries are on show at the 2021 Gwangju Design Biennale, which opened Sept. 1. The 61-day biennale aims to show designs that reflect differences in gender, race, ideology and culture and how to embrace the differences by exploring the beauty of each one. An example is Dutch designer Inge Kuipers’ “Tea-Set Touch,” a teapot and cups designed for people with arthritis. Running through Oct. 31, the b

An archaeological dig by the Cultural Heritage Administration has found more human remains under the west walls of Wolseong in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, adding toe evidence that human sacrifices mere made in the Silla Kingdom. “The west walls of Wolseong drew the public’s attention in 2017 when bones of two people were found. After that, we have been researching the site mainly to find out civil engineering techniques that were used to build Wolseong. In the process, we

China’s top search engine giant, Baidu, is facing criticism for its misrepresentation of hanbok. Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women’s University, strongly criticized Baidu’s encyclopedia portal, demanding a correction to the entry on hanbok, via email Tuesday, according to Seo. Baidu states that hanbok originates from “hanfu,” and that the costume represents “traditional clothing of ethnic minority Koreans (living in China),” and therefore

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Jeonju announced surprising news on Wednesday about the remains of three Korean martyrs that were recovered in Wanju, a county in North Jeolla Province, two centuries after their deaths. The remains were identified as those of Paul Yun Ji-chung and James Kwon Sang-yeon, who were beheaded for their faith in 1791, and Yun’s younger brother Francis Yun Ji-heon, who was quartered in 1801, according to the diocese. All three were beatified by Pope Francis in 201