Newly listed Intangible Cultural Heritage fetes Buddha’s birth The annual “Yeon Deung Hoe,” or lotus lantern festival, will kick off its three-day run on May 18 in Seoul to celebrate Buddha’s Birthday, which falls on May 28 this year. What makes this year’s event more special than previous years, is that the festival was designated an intangible cultural heritage by the Cultural Heritage Admini...

The president of the nation’s largest Buddhist sect released a statement of apology on Friday, following the release of a video clip recorded last month showing its high-ranking monks gambling and drinking at a luxury hotel. Amidst mounting criticism directed at the sect, the Most Ven. Jaseung, president of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, vowed to conduct a thorough investigation into the in...

If you are a collector of tea paraphernalia ― from teacups and pots to saucers and strainers ― don’t miss out on the event’s special exhibition which showcases some 100 pieces of traditional tea equipment. There also will be a hanbok fashion show, a reenactment of a traditional wedding ceremony, as well as an academic forum about international tea drinking culture. The event also features drink...

New chief stresses two-way communication between Korea and ‘middle powers’ With South Korea increasingly flexing its diplomatic muscles on the international stage, it is time to focus on strengthening its soft power, a scholar-turned-diplomat in Seoul said. Korea Foundation president Kim Woo-sang argues that the nation should foster a network of multilateral cooperation, particularly with emerg...

The landscape paintings feature people of the period wearing traditional robes and hats, which led to the emergence of genre paintings that depict scenes of ordinary people and their everyday lives. Kim Hong-do was one of the painters during the late Jingyoung Era who focused on portraying the daily activities of common people. Kim’s use of color and various composition techniques challenged Je...

“They usually pick a couple of soldiers fit to represent the military image. But I told them I wanted to capture the most frank side of the soldiers and I waited for those moments,” said Oh. In order to capture the ambiguous “middleness,” he keeps a neutral attitude with the use of a middle tone and lighting, to reveal just the individuals, not adding any criticism or positive attitude toward th...

PHILADELPHIA (AP) ― If the world ends on Dec. 21, 2012 ― as some believe the Maya predicted ― that leaves plenty of opportunity to see a new exhibit that examines the civilization’s ancient kingdoms, intricate calendar systems and current culture. Experts at the Penn Museum in Philadelphia apparently give little credence to the apocalypse myth, considering the show runs through early 2013. But t...

Various cultural events will be held in Seoul’s historic and cultural areas of Jeong-dong Street and Deoksu Palace from May 25-27 under the theme “Rediscovery of Jeong-dong, No. 1 Place of Modern Cultural Heritage ― Time Travel to the Daehan Empire,” the Cultural Heritage Administration said Monday. The administration said the events are designed to rediscover the historic and geographic signifi...

Experts question legitimacy of ownership on valuable text on Korean alphabet The legal owner of the missing text of Korea’s writing system Hangeul handed over ownership to the government on Monday. The state-run Cultural Heritage Administration said it hoped the ownership transfer could lead to a breakthrough in finding the missing piece as officials need to have the full rights to investigate ...

The Korea Creative Content Agency, affiliated with the Culture Ministry, will open an integrated support center for content providers this month as well as a specialized team for the export of hallyu-related contents, its new head said Friday. Hong Sang-pyo, president and CEO of KOCCA, told reporters that the plan was part of the agency’s restructuring process and was aimed at supporting content...

ISTANBUL (AFP) ― Can the Muslim headscarf be synonymous with glamour? Turkey’s first fashion magazine for conservative Islamic women looks set to prove that it can. In less than a year since it was launched last June, the monthly Ala ― meaning “beauty” ― has become a mainstream glossy. With a circulation of 20,000, it is only slightly behind the Turkish versions of Cosmopolitan, Vogue and Elle ...

Torch Trinity, on the other hand, was established as an English-only graduate university when it was founded in 1997. As an evangelical graduate university and seminary, the founders of the school understood the future of globalization and wanted to equip missionaries whose primary struggle on the field was language. “The university’s founders had a conviction that missionaries and leaders must ...