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)

With barbed wire fences and stone walls, the Bugaksan trail presents its rich history to trekkers

Cattle have long been an important part of Korean culture as members of the workforce, as Korea has traditionally been an agrarian society.　 Only well-to-do families owned cattle. Owning a cow or bull back then is equivalent to owning a tractor these days.　 Cattle has been widely seen as liquid assets, as rural Korean families often sold cattle to cover their children’s university education costs.　 Before modern commercial feed became available, feeding cooked meals to “hanwoo&rdq

Ven. Seonjae is the first Korean Temple Food Master certified by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Having entered the monastic community at age 25, she has worked hard for over 40 years to make temple food accessible and enjoyable to the public. For three years until 2021, she served as chairman of the board of directors for the Korean Food Promotion Institute, and promoted the excellence of Korean food widely, beyond the boundary of temple food, her area of expertise. “What we eat pr

The 14th Gwangju Biennale, taking place from April 7 to July 9 in Gwangju, will be held under the theme of “Soft and weak like water” as a metaphor for art that permeates deep into individuals, letting us embrace and understand the complexities of the world. The country’s largest biennale will be curated by Lee Sook-kyung, senior curator of International Art at Tate Modern, who will examine the so-called “Gwangju Spirit” -- an expression that connotes the city&r

Artist Kim Ki-ra is part of a generation of glass artists in South Korea to have pursued glass art over the past 40 years. The exhibition “The Stairs into My Memory” at Gallery Sklo in central Seoul showcases 30 new glass works inspired by homes. “Glass is a two-faced material. It can last long like a phoenix, but it is easily broken to pieces once it is hit by an impact. Glass is transparent, but it can be obscure,” Kim told The Korea Herald on Wednesday. With

Have you ever wondered what makes award-winning movies so special? Then try watching director Hong Sang-soo’s 27th feature, “The Novelist’s Film,” in theaters this weekend. The 92-minute long black-and-white film, which was shot in March last year, won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at Berlin International Film Festival in February. Hong’s movie follows female novelist Jun-hee (Lee Hye-young) who goes to a bookstore run by an old friend with whom she has fallen

UNESCO-listed cultural heritage makes colorful return, marking Buddha’s birthday

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

Beartree Park’s Royal Azalea Festival The Beartree Park’s Royal Azalea Festival, which started from April 14, will run through May 8 at Beartree Park in Sejong. After the cherry blossoms and plum blossoms fell off, the azaleas are dressed in red, white and purple, creating some colorful sceneries across the park. The park welcomes the flower-loving visitors of all ages from 9 a.m. Tickets for children are 8,000 won. For teenagers and adults, it is 10,000 won and 12,000 won, respe

Spring offers the perfect weather for enjoying street performances. Taking advantage of the warm sunshine and to support street performers, the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture has organized a festival dedicated to various street arts ranging from puppet shows to a percussions concert. 　From April 23 to May 22, events take place every weekend from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at different places. For this weekend’s edition, Seoul Forest will be the center stage for nine performances. 　“

Forum brings Korean business leaders, academia experts, foreign envoys together to discuss business and investment opportunities.

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

‘A Collector’s Invitation’ at National Museum of Korea is an intimate look at identity of Korean culture

Cultural Heritage Administration stands by discriminatory admission policy on Childrens' Day