As the prolonged pandemic continues into late September, Chuseok -- South Korea’s major traditional holiday -- has become a thorny issue for some families, igniting a generational conflict over whether to have family reunions during the holiday. “I feel reluctant to have a family gathering at this pandemic time, and I am particularly worried about my 3-month-old baby,” one post in an online community reads. “What are you all going to do during Chuseok this year? I don&r

Millions of people in South Korea are set to drive for hours to reunite with their family members for Chuseok, one of the country’s biggest annual celebrations. Chuseok, also referred to as “Hangawi,” falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, which starts Wednesday and lasts through Sunday this year. Koreans also perform ancestral commemoration rites to honor the year‘s harvest as part of the festival. The time of celebrations and togetherness features a f

The National Museum of Korea’s “The New National Treasures of Korea” exhibition has been extended for two weeks. The largest-ever show of national treasures opened on July 22 and will now be shown through Oct. 11. The new schedule was announced on Friday along with the Sept. 28 reopening of the facility. The exhibition organizer explained that it decided to extend the exhibition‘s run as not many people had an opportunity to enjoy the show because the museum was shut

Although webtoons shown on major portal sites have been popular for almost two decades, they have never been subjected to as much criticism as they are getting now. Controversy over webtoon content has been especially heated since August, when popular webtoon author Kian84 uploaded an episode that was criticized by fans. The most recent controversy occurred Sept. 18, when author Joo Ho-min of “Along With the Gods” made a contentious remark during a Twitch broadcast after a viewer as

The National Palace Museum of Korea on Tuesday announced that it will revive cosmetics products used by Princess Hwahyup from the 18th century jointly in conjunction with the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage and local cosmetics maker Cosmax before the end of this year. The three entities will jointly launch a new brand named “Princess Hwahyup” that will be developed based on findings of cosmetic products that were presumably used by Princess Hwahyup (1733-1752), the

Local animations funded by Korea Creative Content Agency projects are grabbing international attention. KOCCA has been trying to raise the competitiveness of Korean animations with many annual projects, including the domestic animation production support project that funds up to 2 million won ($1,700) for promising animations. One of the funded animations, “Bread Barbershop” by Monster Studio, was listed among the global top 10 most popular TV programs by Netflix just 14 days afte

K-pop band Monsta X will star in an online video series aimed at promoting treasured Korean cultural heritage overseas, according to cultural heritage authorities Wednesday. The YouTube series, titled "Korean Heritage Travelog," will premiere next Tuesday and will feature the six-member K-pop group alongside Seo Kyoung-duk, a liberal arts professor at Sungshin Women's University and a well-known Korea promoter, according to the state-run Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA). The se

  Two major Protestant church groups -- the General Assembly of Presbyterian Church in Korea and the Presbyterian Church of Korea -- failed to make a decision in the case of the controversial Rev. Jun Kwang-hoon during their respective online general meetings on Monday. The two church groups had planned to decide at the meetings whether they considered the Presbyterian pastor a cult leader. But the meetings did not run smoothly and not everyone had a chance to speak, partially due to tech

With international travel halted by pandemic, backlog of dogs awaiting foreign adoption grows

Traditional rites for one of Korea’s largest holidays are likely to be scaled down further as social distancing continues

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will provide links to cultural content from its affiliated bodies that the public can enjoy during Chuseok. The decision to provide this service was announced Friday during a Health Ministry press briefing, where authorities encouraged the public to stay home during the nation’s major traditional holiday. “We expect that many citizens will be staying at home instead of heading to their hometowns for the safety of their families and relat

College classes have gone virtual with a second wave of COVID-19 from last month, and with the prolonged pandemic campus life is changing fast -- including the campus festivals that mark the start of fall semester. On Tuesday, Ewha Womans University in Seoul kicked off a three-day online festival, where students can engage in online games and programs prepared by the student council and watch livestreamed bands. Gone are the usual student pop-up shops and live performances. “From classe

MU:CON 2020 director Yoon Sang praises BTS becoming first Asian hip-hop artists to top Billboard Hot 100

People have come up with innovative alternatives to keep themselves entertained as the novel coronavirus persists worldwide. New hobbies tailored for the pandemic era are flourishing on social media, aiming to combat the fatigue induced by extended social distancing and working from home. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a rise in creative DIY activities, including bead bracelets. Taeyeon of Girls’ Generation posted pictures of her self-made bead bracelets, which garnered the attention o

Conference to discuss unlearning past practices, teaching art in local communities, role of art education in time of confusion