Changgyeonggung's Grand Greenhouse under the stars With spring just around the corner, the Grand Greenhouse inside Changgyeonggung invites visitors to taken an enchanting stroll through the palace garden. Located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, the Joseon-period palace offers a peaceful retreat in the heart of the bustling city, having recently reopened its nighttime viewings in March, As you walk through the gates and into the palace court, the night lights cast a dreamy glow on the surroundings, cas

Sergei Rachmaninoff's music holds a special place in the hearts of many Koreans, with his Piano Concerto No. 2 consistently ranking among the top five classical music pieces in surveys conducted by KBS Classic FM in 1982, 2009, 2016 and 2021. The Piano Concerto No. 3 has become more familiar for Korean audiences after Korean pianist Lim Yun-chan's captivating performance during the final of the 2022 Van Cliburn International Competition. The video of his performance on YouTube has garn

South Korea, today famous for its K-pop culture, had a different reputation only a few decades ago, as a country that achieved rapid economic growth through the tireless work of its people. Emerging from the depths of war-induced poverty, Koreans had a deep-rooted thirst for higher education. This thirst not only resulted in accomplishments like Korea's students ranking among the top three countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development in computer-based problem-sol

The National Gugak Center is scheduled to go on a nationwide tour to perform Jongmyo Jeryeak, which is royal ancestral ritual music featured at Jongmyo Shrine. The tour will be followed by an overseas tour later in the year. The tour will start at Sejong Art Center in Yeongi-gun, Sejong City on Saturday. It will then be performed at Yeak-dang in the National Gugak Center in Seoul from June 14-16, followed by performances at the Daejeon Municipal Yeonjeong Korean Traditional Music Center on July

The musical “The Phantom of the Opera” will kick off in Busan in March, a significant event on many levels. Not only is it the third Korean production of the iconic musical that took the local musical industry by storm with its debut in 2001, it is returning to Korea after 13 years. Danny Sihn, CEO and producer of S&CO, told reporters during a press conference on Monday that the latest production is focused on preserving the original vision of the 35-year-old musical created by l

A special tour of the palace Changgyeonggung's architecture and history has returned with the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. Launched in 2018, the 90-minute tour comparing the present day palace with the one depicted in Donggwoldo, a palace map painted sometime between 1826 and 1831, is led by a cultural heritage curator. The participants are given pamphlets with a scaled down version of the old map. This year’s tour, the first since the pandemic, began 1:30 p.m. on Sunday at the

The National Museum of Korean Contemporary History and the Korean Broadcasting System on Friday released some 335 videos documenting major historical and social events in Korea, from the early 1900s to the 1980s. The short films and video clips collected by KBS is posted on the museum’s website. The total running time of the entire archive reaches more than 40 hours. KBS converted the films into high-resolution video format for streaming while the museum categorized and labeled each record

“While young, I suffered from the disease I have in my heart. At that time, my symptoms were very similar to postpartum depression that affects new mothers who were so exhausted that they lose consciousness and wake up in the middle of the night fearing that their babies might suffocate because their breast presses their babies’ mouth in their sleep.” Park Ji-won (1737-1805), a Silhak scholar and novelist who wrote renowned satirical novels exposing social irregularities such

Megabox, a South Korean cinema operator, Thursday announced that it would live stream South Korea’s World Baseball Classic matches in its theaters, starting March 10. The WBC is an international baseball tournament that has taken place every four years since 2009 The last tournament, scheduled for 2021, was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. South Korean outfielder Lee Jung-hoo of the Kiwoom Heroes, considered Korea's next Major League Baseball hopeful, and Major Leaguer Kim Ha-s

Young Korean pianist Cho Seong-jin and Maestro Chung Myung-whun hug after a passionate accompanied performance with the German orchestra Staatskapelle Dresden on Friday at the Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul. Around 2,000 attendees rose to their feet and broke into applause when the concert was adorned with the finale Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1. (Yonhap)

South Korean piano sensation Lim Yun-chan will make his debut at Carnegie Hall in New York in February next year, according to his management company MOC Production on Friday. Lim, 18, will take the stage as part of Carnegie Hall’s Keyboard Virtuosos and perform Chopin’s Trois Nouvelles Etudes, 12 Etudes Op. 10 and Chopin -- 12 Etudes Op. 25 on Feb. 21, 2024. He became an instant sensation after winning the gold medal at the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition as

Inspiring house items for spring E-commerce platform 29CM’s curation showroom, 29 Seongsu, in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, is holding an exhibition for the spring season under the theme of “inspiring house,” introducing the living and lifestyle brands' items for garden, lounge, dining room and bathroom. Danish brands Hay and &Tradition’s signature color lamps adorn the lounge-like space on the first floor of the showroom, whereas the second floor has been turned into a b

The Staatskapelle Dresden, one of the world's oldest orchestras, joins forces with celebrated Korean conductor Chung Myung-whun for six performances, four of which will feature Korean pianist Cho Seong-jin, showcasing the enduring relationship between the passage of time and musical excellence. The 475-year-old orchestra, founded as a royal court ensemble in 1548, has worked with many renowned conductors, as well as internationally celebrated instrumentalists and composers. Previous directo

“May I begin by singing you a song that I listen to as a hobby?” Kim Jang-sil, president of the Korea Tourism Organization, said to the reporter as soon as he sat down for an interview with The Korea Herald at his office in Seoul on Friday. The 66-year-old chair then spontaneously turned on his favorite 1970s trot music song on his phone and began singing along. As soon as the song ended, he explained with passion how the tune and lyrics came to be. "It is a story depicting a

Efforts to compile the first Korean dictionary in the early 1900s gave two Koreas the same foundation