Humble ‘baekban’ eateries offer value-for-money home-style meals

The Korean language has evolved over the millennia amassing an extensive lexicon. The Korean language is comprised of words indigenous to Korean people, original Korean characters, Hanja-rooted words, and foreign words which have taken root in modern Korean culture. Currently, the Korean online dictionary has more than 1.1 million words, the largest number of all languages. For reference, the total number of words in English is about half that. No wonder, the US State Department, which rates

Ppopgi vs dalgona Any Korean who grew up in 1970s Korea (like myself) will have a memory of two special Korean candy treats - ppopgi and dalgona. They were slightly different; while ppopgi is made with plain sugar, dalgona was made with glucose solid. These two candies were popular among Korean children in the ‘70s through early ’80s. Interestingly, over the past few decades people have confused the names. What most people now call “dalgona” should really be called ppo

Thanks to the soaring popularity of Korean culture, 26 words and phrases of Korean origin have been included in the latest update to the Oxford English Dictionary. The dictionary was first published in 1884, and the word “Korean” was first added in a 1933 supplement. Food features prominently in the recent update: Banchan are small side dishes served along with rice as part of a typical Korean meal. Bulgogi is a dish consisting of thin slices of beef or pork, which are marinated a

Night of Jeonju and Heritage Story The Night of Jeonju and Heritage Story will take place Oct. 22-23 at Gyeonggijeon Shrine, Jeonju Hanok Village and Jeolla Gamyeong, the provincial government office. The annual event was postponed from September due to a COVID-19 surge. The two-day festival seeks to remember Korea’s cultural heritage and ancestors, and Jeonju is home to many Joseon-era historical sites. The festival will be held both online and offline. While admission fees vary for d

'Glamping Suite: Seoulite’ at L’Escape Hotel L’Escape Hotel in Seoul presents its “Glamping Suite: Seoulite” package, allowing guests to enjoy private hotel getaways in the boutique-style hotel’s cozy suites. To conjure up a glamorous camping mood, prior to check-in the hotel will set up camping items from high-end outdoor brand Nordisk. Modern Chinese restaurant Palais de Chine offers a Dajeong Set -- including Cantonese-style deep-fried pork with black

Benjamin Hubert, founder of London-based design studio Layer, has long pondered how he can contribute to the world as a designer, creating products that satisfy consumers and that are beneficial to society at the same time. The pandemic has led him to think about the issue more deeply. “There is a lot of greenwashing that happens where it is quite difficult to understand what is truly sustainable. Designers are responsible for some of that, but it takes a group of people and a village

Autumn is here. And the best way to enjoy the glorious colors of trees and scent of pine while learning about Korean history is to visit forest trails inside Joseon royal tomb compounds which will stay open through Nov. 30. For those who want to enjoy trails in the city, there are two trails in Seoul — a trail at royal tombs Taeneung and Gangneung and a trail at Mount Cheonjang near Euineung. The trail between Taeneung and Gangneung is around 1,800 meters long and the trail near Euineu

Contemporary artist Lee Kun-yong lets the natural movements of his body dictate where the lines fall on the canvas. Instead of directly facing the canvas he stands behind or against it, and sometimes next to it without seeing his work as he is creating it. Lee named the series “Body Scape,” presenting nine painting methodologies that he created since 1976. “Lee Kun-yong: Body Scape” at Gallery Hyundai in central Seoul shows how Lee developed the series over the decade

To celebrate Hangeul Day, the newly created Princess Deokon Font, will be released free of charge on Friday, according to the National Hangeul Museum. The font is based on Princess Deokon’s handwritten Hangeul translation of “Jagyeongjeonki,” a book originally written by King Sunjo in Chinese characters. Princess Deokon (1822-1844) was the last princess of Joseon and the youngest daughter of King Sunjo -- the 23rd king of Joseon -- and Queen Sunwon. It is said that Queen Su

Opening its first thematic exhibition in four years, Leeum Museum of Art poses a fundamental question of what it means to be human at a time when fast-developing technology and the pandemic has exposed widening and persistent social inequality around the world. “We wanted to make the most of our collection for the thematic exhibition and found many of works are related to humans. We found it quite timely to present the exhibition in the pandemic time,” Kwak June-young, a curator a

Kim Hyun-mo, head of the Cultural Heritage Administration, answered lawmakers‘ questions about the controversy surrounding apartments near an UNESCO-listed royal tomb in Gimpo during the parliamentary inspection Tuesday. The Joseon-era royal tomb Jangneung in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, houses the parents of King Injo, the 16th ruler of Joseon, and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009, along with several other Joseon royal tombs around the country. According to the CHA, it

An exhibition about the Korean alphabet titled “Hangeul: The Korean Alphabet Meets Design” is being held at the Korean Cultural Center in Paris. The exhibition, organized jointly by the National Hangeul Museum and the Korean Cultural Center in Paris, will go on until Nov. 12. The museum explained that the exhibition is held as part of its Hangeul experience project, which aims to promote the Korean language globally. Also, the exhibition is held to reflect the recent Korean lang

Closing the distance between French luxury brand Hermes and its customers while the pandemic has kept them physically apart has been the goal of Sang Jeon, Hermes’ art director for digital platforms. “I provide some whimsical and humorous contents on social media to people who cannot visit the store during the pandemic and keep them familiar with the brand, narrowing the physical distance between the two, which grew due to the pandemic,” Jeon said in a recent email interview

To say that Korea wouldn’t be here today without Korean Gakgung Bow would be an understatement! Since ancient times, Gakgung, which means “bow made with animal horn,” was the weapon of choice for hunting and for protection of Koreans from invaders. The fact that the majority of Korean land is mountainous makes the bow and arrow a perfect weapon to defend fortresses from invaders. Koreans have always been known to be excellent archers. Neighboring kingdoms were even afraid to