Population decline can't be all bad; just avoid the worst by helping parents relax a little

“The mesmerizing moment of turning a wheel and the soft feeling of the clay led me to seek a career here,” said Kim You-jin, a student studying pottery at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage. “There wasn't anything special in how I decided on my major, it was just like any other college student,” she added. “It might be destiny that ties me with pottery,” Kim’s schoolmate Ki Jung chimed in, saying majoring in pottery was a natural cho

Korean descendants from war ravaged Ukraine search for their roots, future in a village near Gwangju

“’Geumeo’ is a magic fish guiding the way to find a tree which grants wishes in changgeuk ‘Tree, Fish, Moon,’” actor Kim Su-in explained his role. “Changgeuk” refers to a traditional play form, in which many performers participate in the story, singing songs called “chang.” Kim simply calls the traditional art genre "Korean style opera or musicals." In the play, Kim wears a costume that looks like colorful fish scales, with a

Yang Hye-min moves her hand carefully as she gathers and assembles scattered parts of the past, working tirelessly to regain the appearance it once had hundreds of years ago. "A relic that has survived the test of time will inspire future generations " said Yang, who majors in Conservation Science at Korea National University of Cultural Heritage, as she explained why she chose her major. "I want to find the best way to preserve relics for the next generation so they can further d

In Gangnam’s education-mad neighborhood, a child’s academic score defines mother’s success

“Making hanbok can be called ‘linking the past and the present,’” said Kim Ji-hu, a student of textile art at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage. Hanbok-making embodies knowledge and skills developed by people in the past, according to Kim. “I learn all processes of making hanbok at school, from weaving cloth to transforming it into garments,” Kim said. “The work begins with understanding the features of traditional textiles and clothes.

A traditional wind player Hong Ji-hye attributes K-pop’s global popularity to its unique features handed over from Korea’s traditions. “At the bottom of the globally appreciated K-pop, there lie Korea’s unique music culture and customs, especially those with ‘Heung’ (joy and excitement),” the 32-year-old musician said. Hong is a member of the National Gugak Center, a state institution responsible for preserving and developing gugak, Korea’s traditi

“I want to leave drawings that can be publicly praised by people in the present,” Kwak Seon-hye, majoring in traditional fine arts at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage said. Kwak studies Korea’s traditional Buddhist arts in college. She sees her role as a bridge between the past and future, underlining the importance of drawing beautiful and valuable works of the traditional genre. “As (ancestors’ present) became our tradition from the past, what we

Park Hyatt Busan presents festive promotions Dining Room, the Steak & Seafood Grill restaurant, located on the 32nd floor of Park Hyatt Busan, offers a “Festive Lunch,” featuring an appetizer buffet with a variety of fresh seafood items such as sashimi, king prawns, crabs, oysters, abalone, and classic Mediterranean appetizers, followed by scrambled eggs with caviar, grilled lobster tail, Australian beef tenderloin steak and dessert. A five-course dinner menu includes Dining Room

“Sounds from machines and tools echo in this huge space. I feel comfortable listening to the sounds while working with the timbers here,” said traditional architecture students Kim Jun-ha and Kwon Seong-jun as they showed their workspace. Kim and Kwon are students at the Korea National University of Cultural Heritage, which specializes in training students in traditional crafts. With a plane and saw in hand, they are on their way to being masters of traditional Korean building constr

Are you warm-toned or cool-toned? The current craze for South Koreans is to take personal color tests -- or consultations that provide recommendations for people's personal color types. The tests, largely held offline for accuracy, have professional analysts evaluate whether people fall under the category of "warm-tone" or "cool-tone," by scrutinizing their skin tone. According to the tests, warm-toned people generally have a yellow-base skin undertone, while cool-toned

How would "seonbi," Confucian scholars during the Joseon era (1392-1910), have fun, if they lived today? As a response to his curiosity, Hwang Tae-in, 35, created “sansunoleum,” a reinterpretation of “hanryangmu.” The word "hanryang" has had different meanings throughout history, ranging from those who retired from public office to those trying for a military position, but today the word is used to refer to unemployed or carefree people. The hanryangmu

“The process attracts me more than the results,” says Kim Na-yeon a spinner and weaver of Hansan ramie fabric, which is made from the plant ramie, used to make traditional summer costumes. Ramie fabric from Hansan, South Chungcheong Province, has a long tradition that goes hundreds of years, and its production process was designated as a cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2011. The making process of Hansan ramie fabric starts with making strings with parts of ramie stems to weaving the

Fatigued by information and social media overload, Koreans search for a digital detox