Seoul is full of novel indoor attractions for foreign tourists, from board game cafes and escape rooms to one-person karaoke booths. One of the most comforting of these sites might be the sheep cafe Thanks Nature, located just in front of Hongik University in the Hongdae district. Owner Lee Kwang-ho brushes the one-year-old ewe Sugar on Feb. 23 at his cafe Thanks Nature in Hongdae, Seoul. (Rumy Doo/The Korea Herald)The cafe, sitting in a sunken garden-like lower story, houses in its outdoors enc

YG Entertainment on Sunday opened its restaurant complex YG Republique at Jeju Shinhwa World, an integrated resort complex on Jeju Island. YG’s new multifaceted dining complex consists of three restaurant brands: a meat place called “Three-Way Butcher,” a salad cafe called “3Birds” and a pub called “K-Pub,” all of which are operated by YG in conjunction with YG Foods, the agency’s restaurant business.  G-Dragon’s cafe Untitled, 2017 (YG Foods) YG Republique (YG Foods)YG Republique also has branc

Korean traditional bronzeware, called bangjja, is the ultimate in sophistication. Artisan Kim Ki-chan, who is a sixth-generation bangjja maker at his family-run business, makes just one pair of a bangjja chopsticks and spoon a day at his workshop in Yanggu, Gangwon Province. To make one bronze spoon, Kim pounds the metal more than 365 times with a hammer, then tempers and files it.  Photo: Park Hyun-koo/The Korea HeraldTo Kim, making bangjja was more than just continuing his family business. It

Artist Byron Kim juxtaposes everyday details against vastness of sky in continuing series started in 2001

More schools requesting condom vending machines for teenagers, in a sign of change

A scene that may seem weird or unique to foreign bystanders is the common ritual in South Korea to celebrate the Lunar New Year: younger family members make a full bow, or saebae, to their elders, as they receive envelopes -- of cold, hard cash -- as gifts carrying messages of the best wishes for the future.As relatives gather for the Seollal holiday, usually at the home of the “highest-ranking” member of the extended family, they dress in neat garments, sometimes traditional hanbok, and take pa

PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province — South Korea took the opportunity to promote Hangeul, the Korean alphabet, with a Hangeul calligraphy performance held on the sidelines of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics on Wednesday. 　Korean Hangeul culture and arts promotion team for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics brought together five local artists for the event.Korean calligraphy, also known as “seoye” in Korean, is the tradition of artistic writing created via careful brushstrokes. Early Korean calligraphy was

The Korean Buddhist Cultural Foundation’s head monk Won-kyung selected five temples in the greater Gangwon Province area where foreign visitors can join special temple stay programs during the Winter Games: Naksansa, Baekdamsa, Samhwasa, Sinheungsa and Woljeongsa Temple. Individuals, who carry tickets to the Olympics and Paralympics, will be able to take advantage of the special temple stay program, receiving an 80 percent discount for a one-night stay including one additional person. Visitors c

Traditional Korean Pavilion and Traditional Experience Booth showcase the essence of Korean culture

Three foreign YouTubers who vlog about Korea talk about what makes Korean viewers tick

#MeToo campaign in Korea spreads to literary world

At every Olympic Game, there is a unique mascot which bolsters Olympic spirit while promoting the culture and values of the event’s host city and country.　And in South Korea, a white tiger named Soohorang and an Asiatic black bear named Bandabi will each be representing the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games set to kick off in PyeongChang this week. There is a rich symbolism and culture behind the two animals, which are closely associated with Korean traditional folklore and mythology. Bandabi

Presumed destroyed, royal document purchased after discovery on French auction site

May J. Lee explains how popular K-pop choreography, at once complex and intuitive, is born

Hwang Byung-ki, a master of the Korean traditional musical instrument “gayageum,” died of pneumonia Wednesday, his family said.“He was treated for a cerebral stroke last December but died of pneumonia that he’d developed as a complication,” a family member told Yonhap News Agency.He died at 3:15 a.m. Wednesday. Hwang Byung-ki (Yonhap)The master, professor emeritus at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, is credited with pushing the boundaries of the Korean traditional music “gukak” and experimenting