Muju Firefly Festival The Muju Firefly Festival is scheduled to take place across the areas of Muju Deungnamu Stadium, North Jeolla Province, Aug. 27-Sept. 4. The Muju’s pristine environment provides a natural habitat for fireflies. Night-time programs include firefly explorations, stargazing experiences, traditional performances and concerts. Most of the programs are free, but the firefly exploration costs 15,000 won per person, with 1,200 spaces opened per day; the stargazing ex

A festival “Colorful Sanji,” jointly hosted by the Jeju Island and the Jeju Tourism Organization, is scheduled to kick off Saturday at Jeju Island’s Tamna Culture Plaza. The festival runs through Sept. 12, and the highlight is a media art exhibition which features a 30-meter giant whale installation made of three thousand model sardines. The whale display will be decorated with colorful lighting, videos and music, throughout the festival period, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

A collection of four hand-written letters and postcards by Yi Yuksa (1904-1944), a Korean independence activist and writer of resistance poetry, will be registered as cultural heritage, South Korea’s Cultural Heritage Administration announced Thursday. The letters were written during the Japanese colonial period, expressing hardships working for the country’s independence and his deep emotions to relatives and friends. The collection includes a letter sent to his close relative Le

An impressive collection of national treasures and artworks donated to the country by the family of the late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee, also known as the Lee Kun-hee Collection, will be taken overseas as early as 2025, according to Yoon Sung-yong, head of the National Museum of Korea. Just a month into Yoon’s appointment as NMK head, a plan was introduced during a press conference held at the museum on Thursday, with Lee Kun-hee’s collection placed on top of the agenda. It was

Four Seasons Hotel Seoul presents signature set menu for office workers Oul, a Korean contemporary bar situated on the second floor of Four Seasons Hotel Seoul, presents the “OUL signature set” suitable for dinner gatherings. The signature set menu comprises the lamb jerky and kimbukak, lobster tteokbokki, yukhoe, naeng-bossam, bada ramyeon, jeon, and the tiramisu croffle as dessert. Prices start at 200,000 won. A minimum order of 160,000 won is needed to book a private room wit

After the unexpected record downpour that wreaked havoc over South Korea, this weekend is a good time to halt the usual weekend routine and give ample rest to your mind and body. Surrounded by two grandiose mountains that reach some 600 meters high, Awon Gotaek, also known as Awon Museum and Hotel, stands in one of the most serene wilderness locations of Wanju, North Jeolla Province. At Gotaek, meaning “old house,” the place re-created the original framework of a 250-year-old hanok

Korean artist Lee Jung-seop (1916-1956) is one of the most beloved artists in South Korea, where his unique style of painting or drawing has captured the hearts of many. An upcoming exhibition based on South Korea’s richest man’s collection might show the underlying force for his art: a yearning for family. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea will shed a light on the artist in an exhibition through 90 of his works, with “Chicken and Chicks” and &l

The World Heritage Festival, an annual event to celebrate UNESCO-designated World Heritage Sites in South Korea, is set to take place in the country’s major historic sites for a seven-weeks period, its hosts, the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, said on Wednesday. Marking its third year, this year’s festival, titled “World Heritage in Transit,” will take place in Andong and Yeongju in North Gyeongsang Province, Suwon in G

A total of 19 cases of damage to nationally recognized cultural heritage sites and items have been damaged by the heavy rain in the Greater Seoul area this week, the Cultural Heritage Administration reported Wednesday. Major mountain fortresses partially collapsed, while trees dating back hundreds of years were overturned with their branches broken. Burial mounds and stone works have been washed away. Walking trails at cultural heritage locations’ flooded within hours, which were shut

Gimhae City has withdrawn its application for the Gusan-dong Dolmen to be designated as a national historic site. The city sent an official document to the Cultural Heritage Administration for the withdrawal after mounting criticism had been made by experts who visited the site for preinspection on July 28, to find out that damage had occurred during the restoration process. The city had mapped out the restoration project and taken action since December 2020. A total of 1.6 billion won ($1.2

A furniture promotion video showing a sofa placed at multiple locations within Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential office compound, is facing public criticism after its release on Friday. Entertainment and media firm iHQ’s streaming service platform Babayo, uploaded an eight-minute video to its YouTube channel titled, “Everywhere Ep. 1: Cheong Wa Dae.” The video was taken down on Tuesday afternoon, after the Cultural Heritage Administration asked the iHQ to delete the clip

Author of “Pachinko” discusses a long journey and intention behind her Korean diaspora novels

In line with the official opening of Ecological Peace Tourism Information Center located near the banks of the Imjin River in Paju, on Monday, a newly created DMZ LIVE Experience Hall on the premises is inviting guests to a vivid experience of the adjacent neighborhood near the Korean peninsula’s military demarcation line. The establishment of the center has been jointly planned by the Korea Tourism Organization and the city of Paju since February 2018, with aims to build a cutting-edge

The city of Seoul and the Seoul Tourism Organization are adding new routes on the “Seoul Guided Walking Tour” program starting Tuesday. The three new courses are the “Gyeongbokgung Stonewall Walkway and Cheong Wa Dae Course,” the “Gwanghwamun Square Course” and the “Yulgok-ro Palace Wall Road Course.” Each walking tour involves a narration about the site’s history by professional tour guides, as well as an introduction of popular spots such

A 350-metric-ton Bronze Age dolmen in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province -- one of the largest dolmens in the world -- was discovered to have been damaged during a recent restoration process. The damage was reported to the Cultural Heritage Administration by Cultural Heritage Committee members who visited the site on July 28 to conduct preliminary research for the dolmen’s designation as a national historical site. The CHA halted all restoration work on Aug. 1. The city of Gimhae initiate