The latest issue of the English journal "The Review of Korean Studies," published by the Academy of Korea Studies, explores Confucianism in 19th century Joseon and the belief system's response to the challenges it faced at the time. Presenting three analyses by specialists in Joseon-period Confucianism -- Prof. Baek Min-jung of the Catholic University of Korea, Prof. Kim Seon-hee of Ewha Womans University and Prof. Lee Haeng-hoon of Hallym University -- the journal explores how th

Netflix Korea on Wednesday confirmed the return of its flagship survival competition show, “Physical: 100,” for a second season. “Physical: 100,” which premiered in January, caught local and global viewers’ attention as 100 contestants battled it out in intense survival matches for the title of the most physically fit. It became the first Korean variety show to soar to the No. 1 slot in the platform's global top 10 chart of non-English TV shows. The nine-part s

Making a Disney+ return with “The Zone: Survival Mission 2,” comedian Yoo Jae-suk hopes Korean variety shows would one day reach the same heights of popularity that Korean dramas and films have around the world. “I still believe we (entertainment shows) have a long way to go to impress both local and global viewers," Yoo said in a press conference held at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, on Tuesday. "I, of course, wish my upcoming show to b

Choi Min-yeong, a rising 20-year-old actor who captivated the hearts of drama fans with his role as Back Yi-hyun in the smash hit coming-of-age series “Twenty Five, Twenty One” (2022), has recently made a splash with the American Netflix original “XO, Kitty.” While Choi treasures every role, regardless of the character's importance in a project, the actor felt that his latest stint as Dae, a Korean high school student and Kitty's boyfriend in "XO, Kitty,&qu

When veteran actress Ra Mi-ran walked in for an interview with a group of local reporters at a cafe in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul on Thursday, the traces of her latest character, Jin Young-soon, were long gone. Sporting a platinum blonde hairstyle for her upcoming project and speaking in a low tone, she appeared to have metamorphosed from her role as the rural pig farmer and single mother of “The Good Bad Mother.” The actress, who has starred in more than 60 projects -- including mus

DAMYANG, South Jeolla Province -- Recognizing the importance of the natural world to health, many in Korea visit forests and mountain trails to enjoy "forest bathing" as an eco-antidote to tech-boom burnout. Such ecological sites offer a tranquil atmosphere for visitors to fully immerse themselves in nature, taking in the sounds of the forest, fresh air and sunlight shining through the leaves and trees -- and to clear their minds. Damyang’s Juknokwon -- “bamboo forest&rdquo

Hong Kong waffles at Ikseon-dong hanok village It would be a perfect weather this weekend to stroll around the maze-like hanok village at Ikseon-dong in Jongno-gu, central Seoul. The narrow alleys that run through this cluster of traditional houses are paced with hip cafes, restaurants, pubs and shops. Among the cafes is Iksun Jutaek, literally meaning Iksun house, which offers Hong Kong-style bubble waffles. Bubble waffles, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, are a common street sna

Boryeong Mud Festival The 26th edition of the Boryeong Mud Festival will take place in various parts of Daecheon Beach in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province. This year’s festival will start on July 21 and run through Aug. 6. Ranging from a mud train, body painting and a mud water park to beach parties and a K-pop concert featuring rapper San E, boy band Pentagon, girl group WJSN, Billlie and more, the festival promises a fun-filled time. Admission to the Boryeong Sea Mud Exhibition is 12

Local streaming service Wavve on Tuesday confirmed the return of its popular reality dating show “His Man” with a second season. “His Man,” which premiered in July 2022, was South Korea’s first gay dating reality show. The 11-part series initially caught many viewers’ attention with its cast of gay male participants, the first ever in a dating reality show. As their romances developed, the couples' stories were seen as more real and sincere than any other

Lotte Cinema, a South Korean cinema operator, confirmed Monday that it will livestream this year’s Champions League final on June 11. A total of 10 screens, including Lotte Cinema World Tower, Gimpo Airport, Konkuk University, Pyeongchon, Suwon, Ulsan and Centum City will feature the clash of Manchester City and Inter Milan, according to the cinema chain. Lotte Cinema World Tower and Lotte Cinema Daejeon Central are scheduled to open two separate screens, one each for the respective team&#

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province -- Gyeongju, a coastal city in the southeast, is South Korea’s iconic tourist destination, with the almost thousand-year history of the Silla Kingdom (57 BC - 935 AD) as its main draw. With great accessibility to Silla’s legacies -- which include centuries-old temples, palaces, royal tombs and treasures -- Gyeongju is considered the “roofless museum” to many South Koreans. The city offers a blend of nature, history and culture during th

Disney+’s star-studded, unscripted “The Zone: Survival Mission” will return on a bigger scale with expanded stories for its second season on June 14. The show features comedian Yoo Jae-suk alongside actors Lee Kwang-soo and Kwon Yuri as they endure catastrophic situations in eight different disaster scenarios for four hours. Adapting escape room-style games, the first season presented disaster situations such as a water shortage and zombie apocalypse. The upcoming series is set

Hueree Hydrangea Festival The Hueree Hydrangea Festival, which started April 7, runs through Saturday at Hueree Natural Park on Jeju Island. Visitors can stroll around the park near South Korea’s highest peak of Hallasan and enjoy the flower field. The annual festival highlights Jeju Island’s splendid scenery and colorful hydrangeas with photo zones. For children, there will be horseback riding and a small parade of Jeju black pigs. Admission fees vary by age and program. Updated inf

Text alerts have become a dominant channel of communication for emergencies in South Korea. Though some might have become tired of messages about someone going missing or the latest COVID-19 figures, the system has led many people to pay more attention to public safety issues. But, when internet servers temporarily crash due to a sudden surge of traffic in a crisis situation, paralyzing data and other internet-related services when they are most needed, people turn to the emergency broadcasts on

After looking up to the West for a long time, many Koreans are perceptive to what Westerners think about the country and its people and yearn for their acknowledgement. Stories about Korean culture being featured in overseas projects -- mostly produced in the US -- regularly make local headlines. Back in 2017, people in Busan shared their excitement about how their port city would be shown in Marvel’s 2018-action flick “Black Panther” as soon as the news about the production te

Haman, South Gyeongsang Province, is a little-known county located some 350 kilometers southeast of Seoul. The small, quiet village was overflowing with people from around the country who had come to see this year's Nakhwa Festival on Saturday. Though the event was originally a regional festival enjoyed by only those who knew about it, the local fireworks display went viral during the COVID-19 pandemic when public broadcaster KBS featured the cultural event in its variety show “1 Nigh

JINAN, North Jeolla Province -- Isolated from the bustling cities and loud car sounds, many Korean Buddhist temples allow visitors to immerse themselves in tranquil nature and find inner peace. While many Korean temples welcome both Buddhists and tourists with spacious yards covered with sand, charming ponds and the centuries old, iconic trees, Tapsa and Eunsusa in Jinan, North Jeolla Province, both have their own unique features. Tapsa Maisan, a mountain located some 25-kilometers east of J

Pohang International Fire and Light Festival The Pohang International Fire and Light Festival is scheduled to be held at Hyeongsangang Sports Park from May 26-28 in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. The three-day event offers a spectacular fireworks competition, parade and a concert featuring vocalists Lee Mu-jin, HYNN and more. Teams from four countries -- South Korea, Sweden, Italy and the Philippines are taking part in the competition that takes place at 9 p.m. on May 27. More information

Though no Korean drama so far this year has created an international sensation to the extent of “Squid Game” (2021), or even “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” (2022) or “Reborn Rich” (2022), there are many series that are enjoying popularity overseas, especially in the Southeast Asian market. Cable channel tvN’s fantasy series “Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938” has landed on Amazon Prime Video's top 10 charts in 19 countries as of Tuesday, accord

Naver Webtoon, South Korean tech giant Naver’s digital comics platform, announced that the company is scheduled to launch an English version of its recent artificial intelligence art generator Toon Filter on Monday. Toon Filter is Naver Webtoon’s AI image maker, which recreates the users’ selected photos in an art style from one of the company’s 10 beloved webtoon artists, including Lee Dong-geon of “Yumi’s Cells,” 232 of “Love Revolution,” P