Experts called for the creation of a government organization specializing in media, during a seminar on media credibility, held at the Korea Press Center in Seoul on Wednesday.“In the future, a media-related government body needs to form a policy frame aimed at strengthening the public function of news media such as newspapers, broadcast news and online outlets, and a support system to develop (media) into a competitive industry,” said Kim Dong-kyu, Dean of Konkuk University’s Graduate School of

(The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Folk Museum of Korea will collaborate on a special exhibition to celebrate the 300 days that are left until the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Through the exhibition “Spring Picnic – Mountain, Flower and Food,” the ministry plans to introduce Gangwon Province’s food, nature and culture.The exhibition consists of three sections, “Mountain,” “Flower” and “Food.” In the “Mountain” space, vis

Seoul will transform a street in front of Dongdaemun Design Plaza into a “World Traditional Culture” venue on the third Sunday of each month. Called “Walking in the middle of Hallyu: K-Culture Festival,” various cultural fairs will be held on the 310-meter street from this week. Seoul police will ban vehicles from the street that stretches from the crossroad in front of DDP to Doosan Tower between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. The special events are to run through October, barring July and August when the w

Namsan Library in Seoul plans to hold cultural events to celebrate the 100th anniversary of poet Yoon Dong-ju’s birth. Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said Tuesday that book concerts, exhibitions and lectures will be placed in the library until the end of May. The library plans to hold a book event titled “Meet Dongju” on Saturday. Professor Kim Eung-kyo of Sookmyung Women’s University will recite Yoon’s poems. Music will be played along with the performance. Kim will also give a lecture

Gijisi Juldarigi Festival seeks to preserve tradition while branching out to global partners

An independent candidate running in a regional by-election revealed a photo of what he claims is a centuries-old instruction book for Hangul, deemed missing since 2008.Bae Ik-gi is running for the National Assembly seat for Sangju, Gunwi, Uiseong and Cheongsong regions in Wednesday’s election.　Bae, a self-claimed scholar and collector of old books, released a photo of what he claims is the Sangju edition of the Hunminjeongeum Haerye, an instruction book on Hangul, the Korean alphabet, published

Practical education based on both tradition and recent trends, global opportunities draw Asian students

Once-neglected neighborhood in southeastern Seoul regains vitality with murals

To pursue what one believes in or to compromise is a question that ails nearly every soul, but this question can be even more pressing for someone walking down the path of art.Such a dilemma is what Howard Roark -- protagonist of novel-turned-play “The Fountainhead” -- confronts as the young architect refusing to compromise his artistic and personal vision for worldly success.According to Ivo van Hove, director of the acclaimed drama, this theme was the main motivation in producing a theatrical

The new season of “Saturday Night Live Korea” launched Saturday with the tvN comedy show poking fun at the political situation involving ex-President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil.The return of blatant satire to the show -- which at one point had resorted to relying mostly on sexual innuendo -- is a reminder that the Park administration’s controlling hand over pop culture is no more.In one sketch on Saturday, actor Kim Min-kyo dressed up as the imprisoned Choi. His character was

TOKYO, (AFP) -- If gender bending fashion is suddenly all the rage in the West, think Pharrell Williams promoting Chanel’s new unisex handbag, then nowhere has the look excelled more than in Tokyo.Japan, for decades a pioneer of the androgynous look in the style of Comme des Garcons, Yohji Yamamoto and Kenzo, is spawning young designers blurring the lines expertly between masculine and feminine.Genderless-looking boys are gaining traction in fashion circles and on the streets of Tokyo -- gay but

Nation lags rivals despite its high level of traditional education

WARSAW (AP) -- A major World War II museum opened in northern Poland on Thursday amid plans by the conservative government to change its content to fit the government’s nationalist views.The Museum of the World War II in Gdansk is at the center of a standoff between the historians creating it and Poland’s populist government, which is seeking a court order to have it closed and then wants to reshape its current multi-national focus.The museum was initiated in 2008 by then-Prime Minister Donald T