“May I begin by singing you a song that I listen to as a hobby?” Kim Jang-sil, president of the Korea Tourism Organization, said to the reporter as soon as he sat down for an interview with The Korea Herald at his office in Seoul on Friday. The 66-year-old chair then spontaneously turned on his favorite 1970s trot music song on his phone and began singing along. As soon as the song ended, he explained with passion how the tune and lyrics came to be. "It is a story depicting a

Efforts to compile the first Korean dictionary in the early 1900s gave two Koreas the same foundation

A space dedicated to the artist will be established in May next to Gizi Art Base in Seoul

Society attributes a variety of adjectives to temple food -- healthy, natural, clean, etc. Are such words accurate? The Ven. Dorim disagrees, saying, “Temple food is not that grand.” Monastics use the same ingredients that ordinary 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 the Ven. Dorim. Traditionally, temples m

Compelling webtoon adapted into traditional Korean musical, TV series

The unnamed protagonist, referred to only as “the man,” is dispatched by his pharmaceutical company on an extended assignment to Country C -- an imaginary country descending into chaos after a contagious disease has taken over. As soon as he disembarks, the man is whisked away by two health inspectors in their “puffy suits and face masks” that look like “rubber lifeboats bobbing towards him.” The man is detained overnight -- isolated and forgotten. When he fin

It is rare for a fine dining chef to suddenly close his restaurant for months just to study the ingredients he wants to know about -- especially soon after the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star. Kim Do-yun, head chef at the Michelin-starred Yun Seoul in Mapo-gu, Seoul, reopened his restaurant in March last year, eight months after closing its doors. “I went to France, Germany, Italy and cities like New York just to study ingredients, like food that can give noodle aroma and certain

A special exhibition in memory of Korea’s first Culture Minister Lee O-young is being held at the National Library of Korea from Saturday through April 23. To commemorate one of the foremost intellectuals of his time, some 150 people, including current Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon and Lee’s wife Kang In-sook, attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition on Friday. “Thank you for remembering (Lee) even after one year has passed," said Kang. Kang serves as the director

The National Museum of Korea announced plans to improve its exhibition on the period of the Goguryeo Kingdom, including a complete renovation of the current Goguryeo Room under the Permanent Exhibition Hall of Prehistory and Ancient History. The project is set to be completed by November 2024. The museum unveiled the plan for this year’s research and exhibitions in a press release Wednesday, which also includes a project on Wolji Pond in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, the ancient cap

A bestselling writer and scholar named Lee Ji-sun -- whose story of surviving a severe injury inflicted by a drunk driver inspired many across the country -- said Friday that she has become a professor at her alma mater, Ewha Womans University. The 44-year-old author of the autobiographical essay collection “I Love You Jisun” will start her tenure as a professor of social welfare starting March 1, according to the university. Lee was involved in a seven-vehicle collision that occurre

A feast for the eyes Lovers of Jinro soju and its Jinro Toad mascots will descend onto the streets of Seoul’s bustling Gangnam neighborhood. Just a two-minute walk from Gangnam Station Exit No. 11, you can see the sky blue and pink Dookkeop Arcade pop-up store. Many people flock to distiller HiteJinro’s megasized iconic mascots -- blue and pink Jinro Toads -- at the store’s entrance. After a quick ID check to verify visitors are of the legal drinking age, guests can freely brow

Park Hyatt Hotels present ‘Suite Escape’ package Park Hyatt Seoul and Park Hyatt Busan present "Suite Escape," offering romantic staycations for couples until March 31. The package includes the standard benefits of one night at the Park Hyatt's suite room, a hotel dinner in the evening, and breakfast for two to begin the day. Park Hyatt's own welcome amenities are provided for all package guests. World of Hyatt members will receive the additional benefit of chocol

Hueree Maehwa Festival, Jeju The Hueree Maehwa Festival, which kicks off Friday, runs through March 24 at Hueree Natural Park on Jeju Island. Maehwa is plum blossom in Korean. The park, near Mount Halla, offers a chance to stroll, relax and enjoy the early spring. The annual festival highlights Jeju Island’s splendid scenery and its beautiful plum blossoms, among many other flowers blooming in the spring season, offering multiple photo zones for families and friends to take memorable pictu

Hwang Dal-sung, president of Keumsan Gallery, was reelected as president of the Galleries Association of Korea on Thursday, renewing his position for another two years, defeating rival candidate Do Hyung-teh, president of Gallery Hyundai, by only one vote, according to the association. The two-way election, conducted Thursday afternoon at the Westin Josun Seoul, turned out to be so competitive that Hwang barely maintained his position, earning 69 votes against Doh's 68. The association re

South Korea’s content trade surplus reached $11.25 billion in 2021 and figures indicate that the sector has become a core service export. To maintain the momentum of the sector’s growth, which grew at an annual average of 9 percent from 2017-2021, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism unveiled a plan to achieve 137 trillion won ($106 billion) in exports of content by 2027, up from $12.4 billion in 2021. This goal will be achieved by supporting the overseas expansion of small an