More people drink alone at home, while alcohol consumption per sitting has dipped since pandemic

 Stepping into the modern Seoul Station, South Korea’s central train station, one might wonder how far back the history of Korean trains and railroads goes.  Only one hour from Seoul Station by subway, the Railroad Museum in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, offers a glimpse into more than 100 years of history of Korean trains and railroads. The museum is run by national railway operator Korail. In the two-story museum, which was moved to its current location in 1988, models of Kore

Winter holidays at Westin Chosun Seoul The Westin Chosun Hotel presents the Little Playcation package for families with children seeking for winter holiday getaways. The package deal offers coloring paper, crayons and fabric-cover sketchbook. After a cozy night, guests can have breakfast at the hotel’s all-day buffet restaurant Aria. For those who make reservations for Junior Suite or above, bath salt and a bath bomb from French kids cosmetics brand Nailmatic Kids will be provided, al

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea kicked off a new online program to introduce Korea’s contemporary artists whose works have been shown at the national museum this year or will be on display next year as part of its efforts to beef up its online content during the pandemic. Titled “MMCA Artist Talk,” the online program -- which aims to introduce a total of 52 artists -- will be released every week through December 2021 on MMCA’s YouTube channel a

ROVANIEMI, Finland (AFP) -- In Finland’s snowy far north, international visitors normally flood the Santa Claus Village amusement park, in search of reindeer rides, snow castles and a meeting with the jolly man himself. Under the pandemic travel restrictions, however, crowds in the Lapland town of Rovaniemi have dwindled to just a trickle and the joyful winter wonderland feels ghostly and abandoned. “It’s been an exceptional and difficult year,” Santa tells AFP from beh

Family activities replace partying as people observe social distancing rules

Career bureaucrat Kim Jung-bae was appointed to be the new second vice minister at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Monday, as part of a reshuffle of vice ministerial posts. Kim Hyun-mo was named new head of the Cultural Heritage Administration. The new second vice minister replaces Choi Yoon-hee, a former swimming star who was appointed to the post last year in December. Born in 1966, Second Vice Minister Kim graduated Pohang High School in North Gyeongsang Province and studie

The Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation on Tuesday announced Maria Eugenia Olsen Aguilar’s “Anniquin Arirang” as the winner of its “Arirang”-themed video contest. The contest -- held jointly by the Cultural Heritage Administration and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation -- called for short videos featuring diverse versions of the Korean folk song “Arirang.” “(Through the competition) we discovered that our national intangible cultural heritag

Critics question ethics of president’s son getting 14 million won from Seoul City-run foundation

K-pop singers RM and Henry have been named This Year’s Art Patron by the Arts Council Korea. The state-run Arts Council Korea on Monday announced six firms and four individuals selected for seven awards related to art patronage. The awards highlight supporters of the local arts scene. BTS’ RM, who donated 100 million won ($91,000) to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea in September made the individual awardee list. The MMCA used the donation to publish its ou

December is a hectic time for those trying to catch up with friends and wrap up the year with colleagues. Bars, restaurants and cafes are typically crowded with people in a festive mood. This year, however, the pandemic has effectively taken away that treasured time of the year. The unexpected surge in infection cases last month in Korea ended up shutting down all restaurants in the capital area after 9 p.m., and people are choosing to stay home. Seeking alternative ways to interact with lov

The domestic gaming market in 2019 was worth 15.575 trillion won ($14.1 billion), a 9 percent increase from 2018, according to the Korea Creative Content Agency’s 2020 White Paper on Korean Games. Korea accounted for 6.2 percent of the global gaming market, putting it as the fifth biggest market. A survey of 3,084 people showed that 70.5 percent of respondents had played games at least once since June 2019, with 91.1 percent of those who responded in the affirmative having played mobile

Arario Gallery presents exhibition dedicated to artist Choi Byung-so

Ansan city asks streaming platforms to takedown contents concerning child rapist Cho Doo-soon

Hwangudan Altar, located next to the Westin Chosun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, is an artifact in the middle of the city, but not many people know it. The altar, which was designated as Historical Site No. 157 on July 15, 1967, was where an emperor performed sacrifices to heaven. King Gojong performed sacrifices to heaven at the end of the Joseon Dynasty when he proclaimed the Korean Empire in 1897 after the First Sino-Japanese War.  King Gojong’s declaration of the Korean Empire and