With expanded global tourism infrastructure and distinctive travel themes, Seoul looks to become a landmark city like Paris and London, according to Kil Ki-yon, head of the Seoul Tourism Organization. The STO announced its “endemic tourism” initiative, a strategy to promote tourism in the latter half of the year, during a press conference on Monday in Seoul. The organization will work together with Seoul Metropolitan Government to achieve its goal of attracting an average of 28 mi

A study of Gyeongbokgung’s rear garden -- the site of Cheong Wa Dae -- will be conducted more than two months after the former presidential office was opened to the public. The Korea Association for Architectural History, which won the bid to conduct the research, has 120 days to report its findings, according to the Cultural Heritage Administration on Monday. Historical records show that the area functioned as part of the rear garden of Gyeongbokgung, the main royal palace during the Jo

Among Korea’s oral traditions, “pansori,” or narrative singing of epic stories and folklore drama, is performed with audience participation. A solo performer who sings and narrates folktales must have an audience who verbally cheers, reacts to the climax of a scene, and helps the performer build up the spiritual and physical energy needed for the culmination of the story. A combination of singing, called “chang,” plus verbal storytelling called “aniri,&rdqu

What first seemed to be a simple trend is now a major part of how many Koreans define themselves. People often ask each other what their MBTI is – between friends, on blind dates and even in job interviews. But why are Koreans so obsessed with MBTI and who brought it to Korea? Let’s find out! Kim Su-hyeon, Park Sun-yeong and Lee Ji-min contributed to this report. By Kim Min-jung (minjung.kim@heraldcorp.com) Choi Jeong-yoon (jychoi@heraldcorp.com)

If you want a new look for your house, but don’t have many ideas how to go about it, visit Postershop located near Hongik University Station for inspiration. A 7 to 10-minute walk from Hongik University Station Exit No.9 on Subway Line No. 2, following the road at Gyeongui Line Forest Park in Mapo-gu, western Seoul, a glass covered building with a red-colored sushi restaurant on the ground floor can be easily spotted. Postershop, on the third floor, sells posters whose subjects range fro

The majority of visitors gave positive reviews of their Cheong Wa Dae visits, according to a survey conducted by Cultural Heritage Administration on Wednesday. About 89.1 percent of the respondents answered that they were satisfied with the visit, while 87.5 percent said they would recommend visiting the iconic site to others. More than 60 percent answered that the most satisfying point of the visit was “walking around Cheong Wa Dae grounds and appreciating its landscape.” The mos

Hanbok experts have mixed feelings about traditional attire’s popularity among tourists

Kim Hoyeonjae (1681-1722) and Hoyeonjae Historic House (1714)

　 Korean history has always favored the victors as the kingdoms which have disappeared have no voice except for their legacy. 　 The Gaya Kingdom of Korea, more accurately Gaya Confederacy, founded in 42CE, had a relatively short history by Korean standards, but we are still learning about them from their music and the artifacts buried with their rulers. 　 The Three Kingdoms, Goguryeo (37 BC - AD 668 ), Baekje (18 BC - AD 660) and Silla (57 BC - AD 935), had a formidable neighbor called Gaya in

If high-end jazz clubs with pricey finger food are beyond your budget, “Take-out Jazz” might be the place for you, where you can bring your own food and drinks and watch live jazz performances. A 20-minute walk from Yangjae Citizen Forest Station in Gangnam, the Naeum Art Hall hosts four sessions of “Take-out Jazz” on weekends. The performances are held at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Fridays and at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sundays. The basement club has a cozy ambience, co

This year’s Sinchon Water Gun Festival, which had been scheduled for two days starting July 30, was canceled by the Seodaemun-gu Office on Wednesday, according to Heyway, the main organizer of the event. Jointly sponsored by the city of Seoul, Seodaemun-gu Office and Sinchon Merchants’ Association, the Sinchon Water Gun Festival attracted over 1 million cumulative participants from 2013 to 2019. The festival has been halted for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The

The National Palace Museum of Korea and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation are presenting a special exhibition titled, “Treasures of Ours Treasured by Others: Journey of Korean Cultural Heritage,” starting Thursday. The museum is presenting a selection of 40 cultural artifacts that have been brought back from abroad, six of which are being shown to the public here for the first time. A considerable number of Korean cultural artifacts were plundered and taken out of

Park Bo-gyoon, the new minister of culture, tourism and sports, said BTS‘s military service depends on public opinion and Cheong Wa Dae, the former presidential office, could be turned into a cultural complex. Park, who came into office 50 days ago, met with reporters for the first time and shared his position on current issues such as a possible military exemption for K-pop stars and Cheong Wa Dae’s future. 　 Calling military service a solemn obligation, he acknowledged BTS&lsquo

Ten concerts will start at 11 a.m. at various spots in Seoul on Thursday as the Seoul Cultural Foundation‘s concert series Seoul Stage 11 returns for the month of July. Launched in April, the concert series is held on the first Thursday of every month at venues across the city that are operated by the foundation. Under the theme of "musical heat shelter," this month’s performances have been organized to offer a bit of cool relaxation in the midday heat. Seoul Arts Edu