An ongoing exhibition at the National Palace Museum of Korea shines a light on the life and accomplishments of Crown Prince Hyemyeong, a 19th century regent of the Joseon era (1392-1910) considered a patron of the arts who was gifted in poetry and literature. Opened last week, “Hyomyeong: Crown Prince and Patron of Arts” is being held through Sept. 22 at the museum located inside Gyeongbokgung in Seoul. The exhibition is themed around how Hyomyeong (1809-1830) worked to promote the a

Hong Jung-sil, master of metal inlay arts, hopes for a renaissance of centuries-old craft Inside a building in southern Seoul dedicated to the government-designated national intangible cultural assets, Hong Jung-sil, 72, works, studies and teaches as one of 12 resident artisans. Her area of expertise is “ipsa,” the art of inlaying thin threads of silver, gold and other precious metals onto harder surfaces such as iron, creating exquisite decorative patterns. The craft, which dat

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Monday rolled out a five-year plan to make Korean art and artifacts more accessible to the general public. The plan includes building more art galleries and museums, expanding the conservation system for the collections and creating online and mobile systems for people to acquire information on exhibitions.According to the ministry, the government plans to build an additional 140 museums and 46 art galleries by 2023, which will bring the number of s

LOS ANGELES -- Writer Judith Krantz, whose million-selling novels such as “Scruples” and “Princess Daisy” engrossed readers worldwide with their steamy tales of the rich and beautiful, died Saturday at her Bel-Air home. She was 91.Krantz’s son Tony Krantz, a TV executive, confirmed her death by natural causes on Sunday afternoon. He said he’d hoped to re-create the “Scruples” miniseries before her she died but it is still in the works.“She ha

PARIS -- It was quite literally the final curtain for Kenzo’s Carol Lim and Humberto Leon at Paris Fashion Week on Sunday, after the duo’s eight successful years at the creative helm of the house came to a close.With a 100-meter curtain on set, a surprise performance by singer Solange and thousands of guests in attendance, the duo’s departure was a farewell to remember.Here are some highlights from the final day of spring-summer 2020 men’s and coed collections from the Ke

PARIS -- Dior brought art to Paris Fashion Week on Friday as designer Kim Jones used a monumental plaster sculpture on the runway to inspire his architectural show.Guests including Kate Moss, Christina Ricci and Kelly Osbourne marveled at the giant artwork by American artist Daniel Arsham that spelled out “DIOR” in broken up plaster with jewels surreally glimmering beneath.Here are some highlights of spring-summer 2020 menswear shows.___　 Dior goes back to past“It’s quite

ATHENS -- Climate change could wreak “irreversible damage” on the world’s most precious ancient monuments and other cultural sites, experts warned Saturday as they pushed for UN protection for major global sites.Academics and policy makers gathered in Athens for a meeting on the threats to world heritage called for an array of tools to predict, measure and counter the effects of climate change. They are campaigning to have the issue included on the agenda at the UN Summit for C

ATHENS, Greece -- Greece’s Acropolis Museum opened an excavation site underneath its modern building Friday, allowing visitors for the first time to walk through an ancient Athenian neighborhood that survived from the Classical era to Byzantine times.The museum, which sits at the foot of the Acropolis hill in Athens, houses masterpiece sculptures of Greek antiquity, including works from the Parthenon, one of the most influential buildings in Western civilization. “Visitors can come d

With a crispy crust, juicy meat and a variety of flavors to choose from, South Korean-style deep-fried chicken seems to be the food world’s latest craze. Call it the new KFC. Korean fried chicken joints are springing up in the homeland of Kentucky Fried Chicken, drawing rave reviews from food lovers and critics. Falling hard for the East Asian fare, people even ask on Reddit, “Why is Korean fried chicken so good?” Well, it didn’t happen by chance. With a population o

77-year-old couple find social media stardom with heartwarming drawings, stories

Friday is a big day for yoga, as it marks the fifth International Day of Yoga.In 2014, the UN declared June 21 the International Day of Yoga, saying that the sport could contribute to development and peace. Celebrating the day, around 1,200 people gathered at Gwanghwamun Plaza on Sunday to practice yoga together. The massive yoga session at the center of Seoul drew attention to the thousands-year-old practice, which has lately seen a resurgence.Boosted by a rise in its popularity, yoga classes a

An upcoming global forum in Seoul from June 30 to July 2 will delve into the internet content market. Culture Communication Forum 2019, an annual event organized by the Corea Image Communication Institute, invites figures from around the world to experience Korean culture and promote their own culture. Twelve “content creator” delegates have been invited this year. They are bestselling author Ito Ogawa from Japan; US pop columnist Jeff Benjamin; film director Ilya Khrzhanovskiy

The Cultural Heritage Administration has authorized two early 20th century paintings to be exhibited in Australia, marking the first time state-designated cultural heritage has been allowed to be exhibited permanently outside the country. According to the administration, a Chaekgado painting and a Lotuses painting, originally created as folding screens, were recently sold by a private owner to the National Gallery of Victoria to be exhibited in its Korean exhibition halls.After the go-ahead from

While the Seoul International Book Fair is set to open next week, the Korean Literature Showcase will take place from June 18 to 22 at the Coex Convention and Exhibition Center.Organized by the Korean Culture and Information Service, the event, launched last year, aims to introduce and promote Korean literature to other parts of the world.  This year, 10 overseas publishers from 10 countries who are interested in publishing translations of Korean literature are participating. Around 30 loca

This year’s fair to ‘look at world beyond books’