For most of her history, Jeju Island was better known as the Tamna Kingdom (2345 BC - 1405). Tamna was one of the nine neighboring enemy countries of Silla (57 BC – AD 918) back in the day. Silla even built the tallest wooden pagoda in Korean history with each level of the nine-story tall pagoda dedicated to fending off the nine enemy states. The Hwangnyongsa wooden pagoda was completed in 645, standing 80 meters tall, before it was burned down by the Mongol invaders in 1238, according t

Society attributes a variety of adjectives to temple food such as healthy, natural, cleaner, etc. Are such words accurate? Ven. Dorim disagreed: “Temple food is not that grand.” Monastics use the same ingredients that 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 Ven. Dorim. Traditionally, temples must make enough

If you are looking for a fantastic range of delicious drinks and delectable dishes, as well as a bewitching night of live jazz and blues in central Seoul, this live music party venue will be a perfect place to visit this weekend. The Iron Fairies Seoul, the Hong Kong-based global bar franchise’s Korean branch located in Itaewon, central Seoul, provides a magical and enchanting experience for visitors by setting the mood in the dim-lit sensual atmosphere as you escape from reality. 

Lotus Lantern Festival The Lotus Lantern Festival, known as Yeon Deung Hoe, is set to start on April 29 and run through May 1 at various places in Seoul, including the streets of Jongno, along the stream Cheonggyecheon and at temples Bongeunsa and Jogyesa. The lighting of the lanterns conveys wishes for peace and happiness. Various programs are offered during the three-day festival free of charge. The lantern parade, which starts at Dongdaemun Gate in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, and proceeds t

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul presents ‘Teppanyaki Gala Dinner’ Tamayura, the Japanese restaurant at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul, presents a teppanyaki gala dinner in collaboration with luxury French Champagne brand Dom Perignon. The highlight of the eight-course menu is the beef tenderloin, a cut of Woorungchan hanwoo grilled on an iron griddle. The dinner is accompanied by Dom Perignon Brut 2012, Dom Perignon Rose 2008 and Dom Perignon P2 2003. The promotion runs from April 20-22, from

The season of buoyant spirits is here, and many are rushing to enjoy the brief window of when spring flowers are in full bloom. But along the trails of flowers and lush trees are remnants of Korea’s valuable history often too easily forgotten. Some 30 kilometers south from central Seoul, approximately an hourlong drive, lies Suwon, the most populous city of Gyeonggi Province. A major destination for spring picnics, Suwon is filled with crowds of families and couples on dates, especially

While webtoon-based drama series such as Netflix’s “Hellbound” and “All of Us Are Dead” drew viewers’ attention and brought global success to content creators, web novels are poised to become the next major source for other multimedia content. A web novel is a written work available primarily on the internet. Global streaming platform Disney+ produced its Korean original series by adapting Naver Series’ famous web novel “Sixth Sense Kiss.”

French luxury fashion house Christian Dior and Ewha Womans University in Seoul will sign a partnership agreement at the end of April to jointly foster the next generation of women leaders, according to officials. “The detailed content of the partnership was set in March. But the ceremony is likely to take place sometime this month ahead of the (Dior) show,” an official at Ewha Womans University told The Korea Herald. The fashion company approached the university, expressing intere

The exhibition of art bequeathed to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea by the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee will run for another two months, the museum announced Tuesday. This is the second extension of the special exhibition “MMCA Lee Kun-hee Collection: Masterpieces of Korean Art,” which opened July 21, 2021. The exhibition will now come to a close on June 6. Some of the most outstanding and best-known works by Korea’s modern and contempora

South Korea will take part as a guest of honor in the Bogota International Book Fair (FILBO) set to open in Colombia's capital this month to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries, the South Korean culture ministry said Wednesday. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said the country will hold various exhibitions, seminars as well as literary and cultural events under the theme of "togetherness, convivencia" at the fair. Launched in 1988, FILBO is

The first of the biannual Moonlight Tour at Changdeokgung Palace series will kick off April 21, welcoming guests to a warm spring night at the royal palace. The tour, which takes around an hour and 40 minutes, is organized by the Cultural Heritage Administration’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation. Visitors can enjoy a nighttime view of downtown Seoul while listening to the sounds of daegeum, a traditional Korean woodwind instrument, at the garden

Keith Motsi, the head bartender at Charles H., a speakeasy-style bar at Four Seasons Seoul, won the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award 2022 on Tuesday. The award given to personalities who have made significant impact on Asia’s bar sector over the voting period is the only peer-judged award for Asia’s 50 Best Bars. “I am extremely honored and humbled to be recognized by my peers for whom I have the utmost respect,“ Keith Motsi said through a press release. “

A longtime journalist covering politics and now a culture minister nominee in the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol administration, Park Bo-gyoon said he has ample experience and deep-seated interest in cultural matters. “I was mainly a journalist at the political news desk, but I wrote a lot of articles about culture, art, content, history, sports and tourism. When I traveled around the world, I visited cultural and artistic sites such as museums and archives first. So this field is by no means un

National Museum of Korea is marking Buddha’s birthday with a special exhibition, “Feast of Light,” which opens Wednesday. This year, Buddha’s birthday falls on May 8. The highlight of the exhibition is a large-scale 17th-century scroll painting featuring Rocana Buddha from Sudeoksa, a Buddhist temple in Yesan, South Chungcheong Province, and a 14th-century Goryeo-era wooden lotus pedestal. Both are state-designated treasures. Gwaebul refers to very large Buddhist banne

Beijing-based gallery representing Southeast Asian artists and China’s contemporary art masters seeks to expand globally