As Korea counts down to the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, local authorities are hosting concerts to commemorate the event.Pride of Korea, a music festival marking 100 days to the Winter Games, will take place Friday to Sunday at Yes 24 Live Hall in Gwangjin-gu and Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul.Hosted by the Culture Ministry and organized by Arts Council Korea, the three-day event will bring together traditional Korean musicians, classical musicians and jazz artists. Artists perform a tradition

A South Korean university is building its front gate in traditional style. Chonbuk National University started the construction of its new front gate. The cost, 7 billion won ($6.2 million), will be covered by state subsidies and donations.  (Chonbuk National University)The front gate, which is to be a two-story “hanok” (a traditional housing of Korea), will also be used as a venue for liberal arts classes. The state-run university said on Monday that the gate will work as a bridge between the u

A ‘flash mob’ event was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sunday to mark the 100 days left until the Winter Games get underway in Pyeongchang, South Korea. A ‘flash mob’ event was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sunday to mark the 100 days left until the Winter Games get underway in Pyeongchang, South Korea. (Yonhap)The event, organized by the Korean Culture Center in Brazil, was attended by some 100 people, most of whom were K-pop fans. They staged coordinated dance moves to a K-pop song, drawing loud

Historic and contemporary Korean fashion will go on display in San Francisco next month.　“Couture Korea,” running form Nov. 3 to Feb. 4, is presented jointly by Seoul-based Arumjigi Culture Keepers Foundation and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. It aims to showcase the artistry of Korean traditional dress and its legacy in contemporary Korean fashion. 　The exhibition seeks to connect the courtly costumes from centuries ago to those on the runways of today’s fashion capitals through more th

It’s that time of the year again when people get excited about their costumes and stores put out the usual pumpkins and skeletons to promote their wares specially prepared for Halloween.Though Halloween is not a holiday traditionally celebrated in Korea, it has now become yet another excuse to party.A scene from the 2016 box office hit “Train to Busan” will come alive at LetsRun Park Seoul in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province on Saturday.“Zombie Run Halloween Festival” engages its participants, dubbed

The Marvel Experience will open in Busan on Thursday, marking the first Marvel heroes-themed interactive attraction in Asia.The attraction’s operator WoW Planet said on Wednesday that Marvel Experience will begin to operate from 10 a.m. Thursday without an opening ceremony.The attraction was originally scheduled to launch on Oct. 12, coinciding with the opening of the Busan Film Festival. WoW Planet said the delay was due to make extra preparations to beef up the safety and convenience features

Employed singles are invited to spend a “romantic Halloween” at Gran Seoul in Gwanghwamun, downtown Seoul on Saturday. Hosted by GS Engineering & Construction Corp., a total of 300 male and female singles aged between 25 and 35 are eligible to sign up for the matchmaking event at saemip.com. The ticket price of 29,000 won ($25) for women and 39,000 won for men includes food and free-flowing beverage during the event time which runs from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.With the ticket, participants can freely ro

Some female students in Korea are resorting to “desk curtains” in a bid to hide their legs during classes. Photos of female students at a high school were updated on a website Sunday. In the photos, the lower part of the students’ desks were covered with curtains.  (Online community website)Most female middle and high school students in Korea wear skirts for school uniforms. Many have been complaining that it’s uncomfortable to sit on chairs for long time, while wearing skirts. The “desk curtain

Experts stress value of creativity in tech-savvy content industry

Local residents of the Bukchon Hanok Village in northern Seoul are suffering from the side effects of an influx of tourists in front of their homes, Hankook Ilbo reported Monday. Bukchon Hanok Village, situated east of the Gyeongbokgung palace in Jongno, is a cluster of old-style Korean houses that has attracted both local and foreign tourists in recent years. There are about 1,200 hanok structures in the Bukchon neighborhood. (Yonhap)The latest demographics data show that the number of people l

10-year anniversary of ‘Sunfull Movement’ on cyberbullying issue draws attention overseas

Every year around this time of the season, Korea’s forests turn into a palette of colors, palpably signaling the onset of autumn and advent of winter on the horizon.Wondaeri Birch Forest in Inje County, Gangwon Province, is an ideal place to experience the fall foliage, as groves and greeneries bring out their inner colors of reds, scarlets and ambers toward a clear blue sky. The park, which opened in 2012 as an ecological tourism site, has over 700,000 birch trees that were planted between 1989

Photos of Korea‘s traditional markets are being displayed in Seoul, offering a peak at the lives of ordinary people over the past few decades.Jangteo Photo Club -- jangtae meaning marketplace -- is holding an exhibition at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongro-gu, central Seoul from Wednesday to next Tuesday. The exhibition consists of photos taken by the club members, which encompass people from education, cultural and business circles and headed by former Dankuk University professor

Underprivileged children left with poor play options

Baking kids cafe targets young customers and parents by featuring friendly cooking class