Deoksugung Palace, Seoul (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)As dusk turns to darkness, the palace of Deoksugung in the heart of Seoul is illuminated by vivid lights and silhouettes. Visitors revel in the venue’s magnetic optics created by palace buildings from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897), including forested gardens, fountains and neoclassical structures. Deoksugung’s main structures are its principle hall Junghwajeon, two-story building Seokeodang, reception room Jeonggwanheon and Hamnyeongjeon,

The government said Thursday it will construct the country's first-ever national museum to promote Korean literature in northwestern Seoul.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that the land where a state-invested housing complex for journalists was once located in Seoul's Eunpyeong district was finally chosen to be the location of the National Museum of Korean Literature. (The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)The government plans to spend 60 billion won ($53.6 million) to

A Hangeul booth will be set up at The Language Show exhibition, Europe’s largest language event, which is being held from Friday to Sunday in London.Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Thursday it would run a Hangeul exhibition booth together with the King Sejong Institute Foundation at Olympia West Hall in London. (The ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism)The Hangeul exhibition will promote Hangeul, Korean and Korean culture under the theme “Light up the Hangeul, Korean langu

VR games may entertain young Koreans, but uncertainty shadows content market

In recent months, a number of photos on social media showing pets thrown up in the sky have sparked criticism over animal abuse.To get a photo of pets in the blue sky, some pet owners throw them in the air or hold them up high in what has been called the “sky shot” trend. Pet owners comment on how cute their pets’ faces are as they are thrown up in the air, adding hashtags “sky shot” and “flight shot” to the photos on social media. Most photos show the pets’ scared expressions with enlarged eyes

Striving to move on from its decades-long history of bombings and explosions, South Korea’s coastal village of Maehyangri in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, is working to rebrand itself as a symbol of peace and ecological preservation.Two islets around Maehyangri Village were used as a bombing range for the US Air Force -- the Kooni Firing Range -- between 1954 and 2005. Given this, the town’s residents had to endure what they said was life similar to a war zone, even after the Korean War ended in

The contents in this article are subjective and not intended as a professional recommendation. – Ed. Believe it or not, I am to stay away from chicken.Or at least that was the result of my recent trips to a traditional Korean medicine clinic.While most Koreans are used to herbal medicine and acupuncture, finding out one’s body type based on constitutional typology and sticking to respective dietary recommendations requires slightly more devotion and well, faith. With constitutional medicine trea

A 50-minute K-pop playlist titled “Labor Song” is taking over the internet with its fast-paced tempo and vibrant melody. Listeners say it’s an incredible productivity booster.The clip was first uploaded on YouTube in 2015, but the song has gone viral three years after making its debut on the platform and had garnered more than 1.7 million views as of Monday. No one seems to know why the video has suddenly reappeared on users’ YouTube feed, but people say the song helps them push themselves while

Korean authorities are closing in on their bid to include ssireum, a traditional form of wrestling, on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural assets, as the evaluation body of the UNESCO recommended its inscription.According to the Cultural Heritage Administration, the assessment panel of the international body recommended the inscription for 29 of the 40 applicants, including ssireum. Whether Korean wrestling will be included in the list will be confirmed after a deliberation at the 13th sessio

Pastors from the Christian Leaders Fellowship hold a news conference in Seoul on Thursday to mark the 500 years since the Protestant Reformation. They spoke on Christian reformation and the future direction for churches. (CLF)

Emily Doran, an English teacher in Seoul, has found homes for more than 140 dogs over the past two years -- many of them “last-day dogs” from city shelters, where unclaimed strays can be killed after a 10-day holding period under South Korea’s Animal Protection Act. Her rescue group, Domo’s Friends, has more than 1,000 followers on Facebook. Doran is one of a number of advocates concerned about the animal rescue system in Korea and trying to mitigate its shortcomings through private efforts.  (H

Human-cat cohabitation efforts in Seoul begin at city's bars and cafes

College student Baek Seung-heon, better known by his nickname, “Seungheonss,” has gained explosive popularity among younger people in Korea with his funny livestreaming and videos on social media platforms.  YouTube creator Seungheonss (YouTube channel Feel like Feel)The 21-year-old YouTuber’s debut was in 2014, when he uploaded his first dance video on a Facebook group called “Seungheonss and kids.” He launched the group to share fun high school memories with friends, but the videos of Baek dan

Foreign students will get a chance to experience Korean culture at an event at Chungnam National University in Daejeon on Thursday, the Korean Culture and Information Service said.The event, consisting of a forum to culturally engage foreign students in South Korea and a cultural concert titled “Hello, Mr. K!” is the fourth of its kind, having been co-organized by KOCIS and the Korea International Broadcasting Foundation every year since 2015. (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism via Yonhap)

South Korea will hold a cultural festival at a former US army base near the inter-Korean border this weekend as part of efforts to transform the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone into a hub of peace-themed tourism, organizers said Monday.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Gyeonggi Provincial Government said they will co-host a fall seasonal cultural festival called "DMZ Transformation Peace Hanmadang" at Camp Greaves just south of the DMZ on Saturday and Sunday. (Yonhap)The f