There are different ways of feeling the passage of time -- looking at the leaves changing colors to seeing fine wrinkles around a loved one's eyes. The 10-story stone pagoda in the center of the first floor of the National Museum of Korea, one can feel the country's history embodied in the stone structure. Towering 13.5 meters high, the pagoda was built at a temple called Gyeongcheonsa in 1348, during the reign of King Chungmok of the Goryeo Kingdom, according to the inscription on

The number of United Airlines flights from Incheon to San Francisco will exceed pre-pandemic levels starting from June as the Star Alliance member hopes to serve as a connecting bridge among travelers from Korea and the US, according to a top executive at the air carrier. The airline has increased the number of flights from Incheon to San Francisco, from seven flights weekly to 12, since April 24, to reach pre-pandemic levels. Starting June 2, it will expand the flights for the route to 14 per w

Traveling to experience Jeju Island's natural wonders as a non-resident may soon require paying a daily entry fee of approximately 8,000 won ($6). A decade-long debate over an "environmental fee" or "entry fee" has been reignited after the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province announced on April 16 that the island is discussing legislation which mandates visitors to pay tourism fees to support environmental preservation. Specific plans on the collection method of such payments

"Jangni Cheonmado," the heavenly horse painting on a Silla-era (57 B.C. to 935 A.D.) saddle strap from the Cheonmachong Tomb, a National Treasure, is now on public display for the first time in nine years at the Gyeongju National Museum's Special Exhibition Hall. Titled, "Return of Cheonma," the exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the Cheonmachong Tomb in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, alongside various artifacts unearthed from the Silla royal

진행자: 김혜연, Naomi Garyan 1. In trilingual Hong Kong, Korean is the new kid on the block 기사 요약: 홍콩 대학생들 뿐 아니라 초·중·고등학교 학생들에게 인기를 얻고 있는 한국어 배우기 열풍 관련 학교 현장 취재 With surging interest in Korean culture, city’s public schools are starting to introduce Korean as part of curriculum [1] At the chime of the school bell, a group of 10 fifteen-year-olds rises from their seats and bows to the teacher, chirping in unison, “annyeonghaseyo,” or “hello” in Korean. * c

The 24th Jeonju International Film Festival announced its award winners on Wednesday evening during a ceremony that took place at Jeonbuk National University's Samsung Cultural Center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. A total of 17 awards in four categories -- international competition, Korean competition, Korean competition for shorts and special award -- were given out. Under the international competition category, Ota Tatsunari won the grand prize with his film, "There is a Stone.&q

Korea Museum Week kicked off Wednesday with 280 museums and art galleries nationwide participating in the event that runs through May 28. "Korea has hosted Museum Week since 2012 in celebration of International Museum Day, May 18," said Kim Yong-sam, CEO of the National Museum Foundation of Korea, at a press conference held at Whanki Museum in Seoul, Tuesday. More than 600 events and festivals have been prepared for this year's edition, which Kim noted as a major accomplishment

Sixty-five Buddhist temples of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, South Korea's largest Buddhist sect, will waive admission fees to the general public from Thursday. However, temples managed by cities or provincial governments, such as the Bomunsa Temple in Incheon and the Goransa Temple in South Chungcheong Province, will continue to charge admission fees. The final decision was made on Monday through a memorandum of understanding signed between the Cultural Heritage Administration and th

The evolution of Korean ceramics reflects the evolution of society itself, having developed through three main historical periods, each with its own unique characteristics. From the humble earthenware of the Three Kingdoms period to the Goryeo era's celadon and the refined white porcelain of the Joseon era, Korean ceramics have captivated art historians and art enthusiasts alike. The late William Bowyer Honey, a renowned ceramics specialist, noted in his book, "The Ceramic Art of Chi

Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan's iconic art piece -- a ripe banana duct-taped onto a wall -- on display at an art museum in Seoul, was eaten by a college student in an act which he described as "artwork." The student ate the banana from Cattelan's "Comedian" at around 1 p.m., Thursday. The work is part of Cattelan's solo exhibition “WE” currently running at the Leeum Museum of Art, according to the private museum. At the exhibition showing some 38

The spring edition of the K-Royal Culture Festival offers a range of programs that can be enjoyed at Seoul's royal palaces through May 7. The biannual festival showcases a variety of cultural heritage events and artistic performances that take place across five Joseon-era (1392-1910) palaces -- Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Deoksugung, Changgyeonggung and Gyeonghuigung. Jongmyo, a royal shrine housing the ancestral tablets of Joseon kings and queens, and Sajikdan, a Joseon altar used for

There has been a longstanding perception that Koreans are not so much into dairy products. But since the early 2000s, Koreans have been adding cheese to a variety of popular Korean dishes, such as gimbap, dakgalbi and ramyeon. This trend, along with the growing number of people traveling abroad, has made Koreans fall in love with cheese. Today, restaurants and shops that specialize in cheese are crowded with guests, proving the popularity of what was once disdained here as something stinky.

The restoration project of Gwanghwamun's "woldae," an elevated stage for royal rituals and ceremonies located in front of Gyeongbokgung's main gate, will be completed by October to be opened to the public. The Cultural Heritage Administration announced partial findings from the woldae's ongoing excavation and restoration project, which started in the 1990s, at a press conference held at the National Palace Museum of Korea on Tuesday. Although the exact time of the woldae

"Time to lose yourself deep in wandering thought," the text at the entrance to “Room of Quiet Contemplation,” in the permanent exhibition hall at the National Museum of Korea, reminds visitors. Opened in November 2021, the exhibition attracted over 660,000 viewers during its first year, making it one of the museum's most viewed exhibitions. Inside the 439-square-meter space where the dim lights cast against red soil-covered walls create a calm, mysterious aura, sit t

A series of guided tour programs at the royal tombs of the Joseon era (1392-1910) will be conducted May 13 to Nov. 11, the Cultural Heritage Administration’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center announced Monday. Titled “Wangneungcheonhaeng,” meaning “A thousand ways to travel the royal tombs,” the program will offer 22 tours led by experts in the field on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays. The program takes a two-month break in July and August. There are six themes under th

An exhibition introducing traditional craftworks by artisans against a backdrop of pop-art designs is open at Gyeol, the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Training Center exhibition hall, in Gangnam, until Oct. 31. Titled “The Greatest Artisan’s Market,” the exhibition features some 72 craftworks by 21 National Intangible Cultural Heritage title holders and instructors. Among the highlights of the exhibition are "ipsa," an in-lay of ornamental silver or gold strin

Hop on Swiss train Imagine a quick train ride to some of the most popular sights and landmarks in Switzerland this weekend without having to leave Korea. At the Gyeongui Line Book Street in Mapo district, western Seoul, an exhibition set up inside a spacious train replica takes visitors on a taster of Switzerland's Grand Train Tour, a panoramic 1,280-kilometer route across the country. The Swiss Spring Street Festival, organized by Switzerland Tourism, showcases scenic tourist spots, from

Four Seasons Hotel Seoul launches new cocktails symbolizing iconic cities Four Seasons Hotel Seoul's speakeasy bar Charles H. is offering four new cocktail creations inspired by different cities -- London, Havana, New Orleans and Hong Kong. The reimagined menu is a collaboration between head bartender, Odd Strandbakken, and beverage creative director, Alyssa Heidt. The duo have crafted 20 distinct cocktails inspired by the world travels of Charles H. Baker Jr. Alongside each artful cocktail

Four members of a traditional female nongak band from the 1950s will team up to bring the community band music to stage at the Seoul Namsan Gukakdang on Saturday. Inscribed on the UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014, nongak translates as "farmer's music" and is a performing art derived from traditional communal rites and rustic entertainments. Different regions of the country have their variations, but nongak generally combines a percussion and wind ense

This article is the first in a series introducing well-known cultural artifacts from different periods in Korean history. -- Ed. Stepping into the National Museum of Korea's Silla Hall, one enters a place of serenity. Glistening under the hall's faint lights are delicate golden and gilt-bronze objects. A separate room displays a gold crown and belt from the Hwangnam Daechong Tomb in Gyeongju (present-day North Gyeongsang Province), the capital of Silla, designated National Treasures in