The Mapo Oil Depot, located near the World Cup Park in Mapo, western Seoul, was once a level-one security facility that was off limits to the public for almost 40 years. The facility has recently been refurbished as a cultural space for citizens.  A lantern exhibition, titled “Sea of Light,” is currently running at the once abandoned oil tank, offering a cultural experience for those who are feeling exhausted amid the prolonged coronavirus pandemic.  The exhibition hall f

For South Koreans living in a country where the old is compulsively replaced with the new, finding a place that no longer serves its original purpose but has maintained its true form is a venture. Still, there are unexpected nooks in and near bustling Seoul where time seems to go very slow, allowing you to quietly evoke past memories. These are way stations.Way stations are relatively small train stations, set apart by the absence of a stationmaster and the lack of passengers. As time went by, n

 미국여자프로골프(LPGA) 투어에서 활약 중인 고진영 선수가 15일 서울 중구 더플라자호텔에서 니콘이미징코리아의 골프 거리측정기 ‘쿨샷(COOLSHOT)’ 신제품을 소개하고 있다. 코리아헤럴드 / 박현구 기자 (phko@heraldcorp.com)

While most of Seoul sleeps, Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul comes alive with freshly caught seafood and merchants preparing for early morning auctions. Dazzling lights brighten the bustling market at 1 a.m., while moving trucks as well as handcarts and boxes being unloaded create an energized atmosphere. The timings of the auctions differ by the types of seafood. Auctions selling shellfish and squid usually start at 1 a.m., while live-fish auctions begin at 3 a.m.  Before these

The largest official stores of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics opened in Gangneung Olympic Park and PyeongChang Olympic Plaza on Thursday and Friday respectively. On Sunday afternoon, the Super Store in Gangneung was packed with sports fans, who were looking for souvenirs and gifts. Super Store in Gangneung Olympic Park. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)The store features some 1,100 official licensed products, including Olympic mascots Soohorang and Bandabi rag dolls. The Super Stores will r

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder (right) and his Korean fiancee Kim So-yeon held a press conference to announce their engagement at Seoul Press Center on Thursday. Schroder and Kim announced they will tie the knot in autumn and split their time between Korea and Germany. Schroder and Kim met two years ago at a global conference. Kim currently represents Korea for the regional economic development of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, and also acts as Schroder’s interpreter. (Park Hyun-k

The Han River was seen solidly frozen over Tuesday, with a cold wave warning issued in the capital city of Seoul. Temperatures in the city dropped to minus 17 degrees Celsius. In the usually busy city center in Gwanghwamun Square, people burrowed in to their thick coats and hurriedly moved to their destinations.Cold wave warnings were also issued in some areas of the Gangwon and Gyeonggi provinces. In Gangwon Province, mountainous regions such as Yanggu, Inje and Cheorwon were issued the advisor

People of Seoul pass by the Love Thermometer Tower at Gwanghwamun Square, Tuesday.The makeshift thermometer is annually erected by nonprofit organization Community Chest of Korea around the end of the year as a fundraiser for “neighbors in need.” This year’s charity event started Nov. 20 and will continue for 73 days through Jan. 31.The mark on the thermometer goes up a degree each time the raised money notches 1 percent of the target figure. The meter on Tuesday shows the temperature at 13 degr

As the trees shed their foliage, the cold winter looms over mountains across the country.Seemingly disappointed in winter coming so early, the leaves did not fall so quickly.A snow-covered mountain peak welcomes the change of the seasons.The first snowfall of winter arrived in Gangwon Province on Nov. 3 and the first big snow storm dropped up to 16.2 centimeters of snow in the Daegwallyeong distirct, Pyeongchang-gun, on Sunday.A blueberry farm located in Yanggu-gun, a northern district of the pr

Korean poet Ko Un was contemplative at the launching ceremony of the Maninbo Library, Tuesday, where his old study was recreated and officially opened to the public. The Maninbo Library is situated at Seoul Archival Services, on the third floor of the Seoul Metropolitan Library. Ko Un (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald) Ko Un at the Maninbo Library (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald) The Maninbo Library (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald) Inside the Maninbo Library (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald) The Ma

A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea through the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone on Monday, sustaining gunshot injuries from North Korean forces, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.The photos below show the JSA border area dividing the South and North, and the small bridge connecting the two sides called the Bridge of No Return. Bridge of No Return (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)Bridge of No Return (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)The relationship between the two Kore

Ginkgo trees, beautiful in the fall season with their bright golden hues, are both loved and hated for the picturesque sight they provide and the rancid stench emitting from its rotting berries. A mistaken step on the ginkgo berries leaves the smell of stinky socks throughout the day. In Seoul, talks are being thrown around to switch the female trees to male trees. But as the smelly period of the fallen berries only goes on for about a month, some environmentalists argue it is unreasonable to ge

Celebrating the 60th anniversary of Turkish-Korea relations, Turkey’s Anatolia Color military band visited Korea and performed in the Gwanghwamun area in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Tuesday. The band held up signs in Korean, reading, “Brother land Turkey supports PyeongChang Winter Olympics (which is slated for February 2018).”The Mehters Military Band of Turkey is the world’s first military band established as a regular branch of the military service in the Turkish Ottoman Empire. (phko@heraldcorp.com)

Full-blown globe amaranth drew people to Nari Park in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Globe amaranth is originally from South America. Their meaning, in the language of flowers, is of unfading love.By Park Hyun-koo (phko@heraldcorp.com)

Buckwheat and canola flowers cover Banpo Seoraeseom Island in Seoul on Tuesday. With temperatures falling to 9 degrees Celsius in the mornings and nights in the capital city, Korea has fully entered the fall season. By Park Hyun-koo (phko@heraldcorp.com)

Tourists enjoy the multicolored chrysanthemums at the Jogyesa temple in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Tuesday. Chrysanthemums are one of the representative flowers for fall in Korea.(phko@heraldcorp.com)

Gyeongdong Market, a traditional market, in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, saw brisk foot traffic on Monday, with people shopping for their Chuseok offerings and food for the upcoming 10-day-long holiday. This year’s holiday is a record stretch of 10 days that begin Saturday, linking National Foundation Day on Oct. 3 with the Chuseok holiday from Oct. 4-6 and Hangeul Proclamation Day on Oct. 9.People purchased food such as dried fish, fruits and vegetables at Gyeongdong Market. Traditional markets offer

Visitors take in the view of a cosmos field in Guri, Gyeonggi Province, on Tuesday prior to the local festival’s opening. A yearly celebration of the season’s blooms, “Guri Cosmos Festival 2017” will take place for a three-day run from Friday.By Park Hyun-koo (phko@heraldcorp.com)

The annual Weeding around ancestral tombs is ongoing ahead of the Chuseok holidays at Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province.“Beolcho” is an effort by descendants to maintain their ancestors’ burial spots in respectable conditions. It normally takes place two to four times a year following a Joseon-era tradition.(phko@heraldcorp.com)

 From streams to the deepest oceans, water, covering more than two-thirds of the planet’s surface, is the home to a myriad of creatures.As many as 1 million different species are thought to inhabit Earth’s oceans, the majority of which have yet to be fully described. Aquariums are windows into this vast, mostly unexplored world. At the Lotte World Aquarium in southern Seoul, visitors can see organism from diverse aquatic habitats including sturgeons, sharks, and pirarucu, one of the largest fres