In hopes of promoting intangible cultural heritage to the public, the National Intangible Heritage Center in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, is holding special workshops onsite every Saturday until November. The program is divided into three sections -- outdoor folklore games, traditional handicraft workshops, and intangible heritage in everyday life. Visitors can learn traditional games, including arrow-throwing “tuho,” traditional board game “yutnori,” “jegichagi

Gyeongbokgung, the Joseon royal palace, will host its spring season starlight tour from May 18 to 29. Organized by the Cultural Heritage Administration’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, the tour takes visitors through the northern area of Gyeongbokgung, where they can enjoy a dining experience, watch a traditional music performance and go for a stroll under the stars by the moonlit palace. Tours will be held twice a day starting at 6:40 p.m. an

 After 11 years of numerous obstacles and criticisms, the Lego blocks are finally stacked and Legoland Korea Resort is ready to open on Children’s Day. However, historical artifacts found near the site and the surrounding areas -- the source of opposition to the theme park in Chungcheon, Gangwon Province -- remain neglected inside plastic greenhouses. As Legoland Korea Resort’s Thursday grand opening nears, the amusement park is under fire once again for dragging its feet wit

Four national museums across Seoul will be holding exhibitions and events to mark Children’s Day on May 5 and the family month of May. This year marks the centennial of Children’s Day, established in 1922 by Bang Jeong-hwan, a children’s rights activist and a pioneering children’s literature writer. The National Museum of Korea will hold an activity-based exhibition titled “The Child in All of Us” from Tuesday, at the Special Exhibition Gallery of the Childr

The Lotus Lantern Parade, one of the highlights of Yeondeunghoe, illuminates Seoul’s Jongno district Saturday evening.  Starting at Heunginjimun, the parade proceeded to Jogyesa, a Buddhist temple in central Seoul. This year marked the first Yeondeunghoe after its UNESCO listing in December 2020.  More than 35,000 faithfuls participated in this year’s parade, according to the Yeondeunghoe Preservation Committee. By Kim Hae-yeon (hykim@heraldcorp.com)

In celebration of Buddha’s 2,566th birthday which falls on May 8 this year, major Buddhist temples and the Cheonggye Stream area in central Seoul have been lit up with thousands of lotus lanterns. Although the official Yeondeunghoe, the lantern lighting festival, will be held for three days starting Friday, the festive mood will continue on with most lanterns staying lit through May 10. In December 2020, Yeondeunghoe was officially inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific

Grand Hyatt Seoul launches new steak dishes The Steak House at Grand Hyatt Seoul brought a fresh change to its menu starting early April, offering a variety of steak options using its signature cooking methods. To go along with different steak options, the restaurant has created their own four different mustard sauces for the best pairings. Guests will be able to enjoy a customized dining experience with live cooking performances for the three options: aged Korean beef tartare, Avruga caviar

문화재청 궁능유적본부가 다음달 5일 어린이날 7개 궁능을 전면 무료개방으로 전환한다. 또한, 내국인과 외국인에 대하여 별도의 궁능유적 관람료 체계를 적용하고 있는 부분에 대해서도, “문화적 다양성을 존중해나가는 사회적 추세를 반영하지 못하고 있다”고 판단된다며 “관람료 규정체계를 정비할 예정”이라고 밝혔다. 　 이로써 어린이날 외국인 어린이에 대하여 차별을 두었다는 지적은 일단락이 되었지만, 평상시 내외국인 궁능 관람료 차등에 대한 규정은 문화재청이 해결해야 할 다음 과제로 남게 된다. 　 문화재청은 최근 공개한 5월 궁능 무료개방 범위에 관한 안내 글에서 어린이날 궁능 무료 입장 제한 사항에 ‘외국인 어린이 제외’라는 문구로 대중들로부터 거센 비난을 받았다. 　 덕수궁관리소 홈페이지에 게시된 위 안내문을 두고 소셜미디어와 온라인 커뮤니티 등에서 항의글이 빗발치자, 문화재청 궁능유적본부는 해당 안내문을 수요일 오전 삭제

In response to public outrage over the exclusion of foreign children from free admission to local historical sites on Children’s Day, the Cultural Heritage Administration on Thursday announced plans to revise the policy and will now allow all visitors, regardless of age or nationality, to enter at no cost. The original post, which was taken down Wednesday morning, said two accompanying guardians of children under the age of 12 would be admitted free of charge to seven designated palaces a

Children’s Day in Korea is a day that all kids look forward to, but it may not carry the same meaning for foreign children in Korea, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration’s understanding of Children’s Day. The CHA’s recent online announcement posted on the Deoksugung website that appeared to say that foreign children are excluded from free admission to palaces on Children’s Day sparked public outrage after it was brought to light in a social media post

As the weather gets warmer and pandemic restrictions are mostly lifted, ice cream shops and vendors are hoping to present their frozen delights to more customers. The cold dessert has been loved by Koreans through more than half a century of changes. In the ‘60s and ’70s, summer months saw ice pop vendors selling the cold treats from their carts in downtown streets and market alleys. Carried in a portable wooden box, the vividly colored frozen ice pops were sold for 5 won (3 cen

Although the pandemic brought the tourism industry worldwide to a virtual standstill starting in 2020, the years 2015 to 2017 saw the global wellness industry’s average growth rate reach 6.4 percent, according to the Global Wellness Institute in 2018. That was almost double the global economic growth rate during the same period. In 2020, the global wellness tourism market was estimated at 908 trillion won ($735.8 billion), according to the GWI’s Wellness Tourism-Global Market Trajec

Fairmont Ambassador Seoul unveils new signature bakery collection The Atrium Lounge at Fairmont Ambassador Seoul presents a new collection of signature bakery goods, crafted by head baker Morgan Muller in accordance with authentic French recipes combined with natural Korean ingredients. The signature collection features natural sourdough-style fermentation techniques. Options include the plain sourdough baguette, multigrain sourdough baguette and pistachio, apricot and cranberry sourdough.

“Seokjojeon at Night,” an evening tour program at Deoksugung, will operate from May 3 to June 12, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Wednesday. The 80-minute tours will start at 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The program starts with a stroll around the Joseon-period palace in downtown Seoul, led by a guide offering brief historical explanations. At Seokjojeon, the first European-style building in the country that was used for diplomatic meetings during King Gojong’s

Since the release of Netflix’s mega-hit Korean original “Squid Game” last year, English-language online posts related to Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, have increased approximately 30-fold, according to a Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange report released Monday. The Culture Ministry and KOFICE jointly analyzed data from three online media platform categories -- video and social media, community sites and review platforms -- from June to December last year. Th

To celebrate the nation’s Day for People with Disabilities on April 20, the Cultural Heritage Administration will hold a special performance played by leading musicians from the Korean Traditional Music Orchestra of the Blind, at Gyeongbok Palace on Wednesday. Jointly hosted by the CHA’s Gyeongbok Palace Management Center and the Siloam Center for the Blind, this will be the second performance of its kind, after the first was held last year in the front yard of Sujeongjeon, the pal

As part of a new post-COVID-19 scheme, audience number limits will be lifted starting Monday, according to the Culture Ministry. The change is expected to revitalize the performing arts and theater sectors hit hard by the pandemic. Food consumption inside all cultural facilities, including movie theaters, indoor sports stadiums and religious facilities will be allowed starting April 25. Masks should still be worn at all times both indoors and outdoors, before and after eating or drinking. M

When Koreans think of clams, bajirak will most likely be the first thing that comes to mind. The most popular and widely used littleneck clams in Korea, bajirak can be boiled, steamed or stir-fried. After the very first sip of hot bajirak broth, Koreans often exclaim, “siwonhada!” savoring the clean flavor of the sea with the soul-clearing, refreshing taste.  While bajirak is available year-round, the best time of the year to taste their chewy, succulent meat is from spring

Society attributes a variety of adjectives to temple food such as healthy, natural, cleaner, etc. Are such words accurate? Ven. Dorim disagreed: “Temple food is not that grand.” Monastics use the same ingredients that Koreans used to eat in leaner times and prepare them in ways to enhance the taste. Temple food is neither extravagant nor special. The most important factor in temple food is the person who prepares it, according to Ven. Dorim. Traditionally, temples must make enough

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul presents ‘Teppanyaki Gala Dinner’ Tamayura, the Japanese restaurant at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul, presents a teppanyaki gala dinner in collaboration with luxury French Champagne brand Dom Perignon. The highlight of the eight-course menu is the beef tenderloin, a cut of Woorungchan hanwoo grilled on an iron griddle. The dinner is accompanied by Dom Perignon Brut 2012, Dom Perignon Rose 2008 and Dom Perignon P2 2003. The promotion runs from April 20-22, from