A rare exhibition of Goryeo celadon including 20 state-designated National Treasures opens Tuesday at the National Museum of Korea. The exhibition “Sculpted Celadon of the Goryeo Dynasty,” running through March 3, 2025, showcases 274 Goryeo celadon pieces that were used as utensils or held as objects of value. In the form of humans, animals and plans as well as vases, pots and jars, these objects reflect the aesthetics of the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392). National Museum of Korea Direct

In Korea, presale of apartments prevails, meaning home buyers base their purchases on model houses and blueprints. Apartment units of a certain size generally have similar floorplans and buyers have an idea of what they will look like when completed. Construction companies, which are also developers in most cases, sell apartment units that are considered investments as well as dwellings. The hope is that apartment prices will rise, at which point some homeowners may choose to sell, only to begin

GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province -- An immersive exhibition highlighting Korean cultural heritage including intangible cultural properties has opened in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. The eight-minute multimedia show entitled “Heritage Garden: Threads of Connection” showcases 146 items, from Goryeo celadon and Joseon moon jars to the Jinkwansa Bronze Bell and the Seokguram Grotto on the walls of Arte Museum, a private museum operated by d’strict design company. Eight such museums oper

One might easily surmise that there are only a few types of housing in South Korea, and rightly so. The urban landscapes in the country are dominated by towering apartment blocks and low-rise multi-unit buildings called "villas." What is less well known is that new types of homes are being built that aim to break the isolation and monotony of apartments by creating shared spaces. These buildings, while still few in number and mostly hidden from sight in the densely packed city of Seoul

The Korea Herald cordially invites you to join us for Architecture Talk: More than APT on Nov. 27 at Seosomun Shrine History Museum in Seoul. This year’s Architecture Talk expands upon the five-part series titled “More than APT” published in The Korea Herald that examined apartment complexes and alternative housing forms that, by their design, promote a sense of community. A panel of leading architects and experts will further expound upon the concepts introduced in the series.

Over 80 items of traditional Korean attire including hanbok will be exhibited at the Free University of Berlin from Friday to Jan. 17. The exhibition is a project by the state-run Korea National University of Heritage. The “Korean Traditional Attire, Hanbok: Art of Dignified Manner” exhibition will feature not only everyday attire like hanbok, but uniforms worn by royals and a large collection of fabrics used for each season, such as silk and ramie. The items on display have all been

When Rose chants "apateu, apateu" in the hit song "APT.," most Koreans of a certain age will think "apartment buildings," not the drinking game that inspired the K-pop singer. The ubiquity of cookie-cutter apartments that look pretty much the same all over urban South Korea may be a curiosity to most outsiders but, for the majority of Koreans, they represent an ideal living environment and crucial investment. Some 62.9 percent of Korea's housing consists of apa

The National Museum of Korea has rolled out a new way for children to appreciate the country’s cultural heritage: a redesigned Children’s Museum that will engage children with interactive features. The exhibition “Heritage Quest: Discovering the Magic of the Past” marks the reopening of the Children’s Museum after an 18-month renovation. Children can view artifacts through vivid color displays and zones that invite them to touch the heritage artifacts rather than re

A special exhibition featuring around 200 royal dishes from the Joseon era (1392-1910) will run from Wednesday through Feb. 2 at the National Palace Museum of Korea. “Joseon’s Royal Cuisine: A Table for Food, Reverence and Sharing” explores everything from dinnerware to dining tables, cooking equipment and paintings, as well as documents related to royal cuisine. The first section of the two-part presentation focuses on how royal chefs prepared meals for kings -- from screening

Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson unveiled his new work “Breathing earth sphere” on Friday in Sinan county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, as part of the county’s public art project. Known for integrating natural phenomena with human sensory experiences by using elemental forces such as light, water, and air, Eliasson's new work resonates with his ongoing exploration of the natural world, particularly synthesizing the inherent characteristics of Dochodo, one o

Registration for a free classical concert at Deoksugung, featuring a local ensemble of a violinist, cellist and pianist, starts Monday. On Nov. 27, violinist Song Ji-won, cellist Lee Kyung-jun and pianist Son Jung-bum will present three works from Czech composer Antonin Dvorak’s -- Op. 11, Op. 68/5 and Op. 90 -- in a biannual music festival at the Joseon-era (1392-1910) palace’s Seokjo Hall, a Western-style neoclassical stone building completed in 1910. The musicians come from the Ku

Performances of traditional Korean music and dance will take place later this month in Argentina to reciprocate a tango performance by dancers from the South American nation last year in Korea. The National Intangible Heritage Center, run by the Korea Heritage Service, will host the performance “K-Intangible Heritage Festival: Noldagasena” twice at the Central Theater of Salta and once at the National Sarmiento Cultural Center in Buenos Aires on Nov. 16, 17 and 24. “Noldagasena

A gallery dedicated to the Joseon-era (1392-1910) book of rites compiling royal ceremonies and protocols, called “Uigwe,” opened at the state-run National Museum of Korea on Thursday. The Oegyujanggak Uigwe Gallery, named after a royal library built on Ganghwa Island off the west coast in 1782 by King Jeongjo, represents NMK’s shift in focus from history to art, according to Director General Kim Jae-hong. “Uigwe shows how our culture achieves balance through calligraphy a

The exhibition “The Gift” is being held at Gallery Unplugged in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, until Nov. 22. Four artists — An SoHyun, On YeWon, Lee SunGeun and Cho JaeYeon — present a variety of works exploring the preciousness of daily life and themes of hope. Using diverse motifs such as Google Street View, symmetry, the passage of time and fairytale-like imagery, the pieces convey warmth and solace in familiar landscapes and relationships. The exhibition spans various media, inc

APOproject presents “Simply a Walk,” a solo exhibition by Lee Lee MiJu, open until Nov. 2. This marks Lee's (born 1982) first solo exhibition in Korea in three years and features six representative works. Her pieces capture the instability and ambiguity of her experiences as an artist, expressed through seemingly surreal yet tranquil imagery. The exhibition also extends her large-scale solo show “Perfect Days,” currently being held in Spain, and includes the nota

Once shunned by art enthusiasts for its quality, the National Museum of Contemporary Art's annual Korea Artist Prize exhibition is now drawing noticeably bigger audiences this year as it honors four promising artists. Acknowledging the criticism the 12-year-old prize had received for its low recognition and exhibition quality, the museum decided to overhaul the process starting last year. The renewed show now includes major works from each artist’s earlier career along with new commi

Artists Bae Sun-hee and Park Sung-jin have opened an exhibition that sheds light on the souls of UN veterans of the 1950-53 Korean War and pays tribute to the soldiers with jewelry works featuring skeleton crafts with diamonds. The exhibition “Life, Death and Joy” kicked off Monday at Gallery and Cafe G-Arche in Gangnam, southern Seoul. The artists’ works at the exhibition feature eternal diamonds and blood-red ruby pieces dedicated to those who left with “youth and blue

An exhibition for children has opened that invites them to take action on reducing light pollution and appreciate the stars. “Starry Starry Night!,” running through August 2026 at the National Folk Museum of Korea, explores night and darkness. Children up to elementary school age are led to study the diminishing presence of stars, which are being drowned out by artificial light, said curator Yoo Min-ji, who led the preopening tour Monday. “Of all the topics that could help rais

The Korean art market saw a difficult third quarter, with auction sales falling a 27.2 percent on-year to 23.8 billion won ($17 million). According to a report from the Korea Art Authentication and Appraisal Institute, the market is expected to remain subdued in the long term, as it typically responds to economic trends as a lagging indicator. “The Korean art market saw the worst third quarter and what the market actually experiences seems more pessimistic,” the market report release

A number of new art exhibitions have begun in Seoul, inviting the aesthetically inclined to take an autumn stroll to one of the city's many galleries. The following is a selection of three shows that stand out, featuring works by international artists. Galerie Eva Presenhuber’s pop-up exhibition in Seoul Based in Zurich and Vienna, Galerie Eva Presenhuber has opened a pop-up exhibition with Seoul-based P21 gallery in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, showcasing a solo exhibition by Scottish artist