The area around Yeongdeungpo Station is an odd mix of old and new. The main street is lined with major department stores and shops. But just behind the street stretches an overlooked side of Seoul. One of the city’s few remaining red-light districts and a cluster of shanty houses known as “jjokbangchon” in Korean appear just a few meters from the crowded Shinsegae Department Store. The street toward Moonrae-dong west of Yeongdeungpo is lined with drab little ironworks and unfrequented stores, tr

A group of six jewelry designers will present a collection inspired by the Christmas ritual ballet performance “The Nutcracker” for the coming Christmas season. The jewels are made in collaboration with the Korea National Ballet and The Showcase Lab, which consists of leading jewelry designers in Korea. They will be on exhibit at the trendy shopping spot 10 Corso Como in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, from Dec. 11-25. The collection features 50 jewelry pieces with five Nutcracker characters adorned with

The Korean woman in a traditional white dress with delicately pulled-back hair is seen through a long ramie veil with ripples created by wooden sticks. Viewers can’t get a firm grasp of the mysterious figure behind the veil, but those familiar with traditional Korean life would start to feel the nostalgia of the old lifestyle through simple objects such as a laundry paddle used to wash clothes and fabrics made at home. This painting symbolizing traditional rural life in Korea was made by artist

‘Christmas Delight’ at Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel’s Lobby Lounge.Bar is providing a new afternoon tea set in time for the festive Christmas season. The tea set consists of dessert items arranged on a tiered tray and a choice of cocktails, coffee or tea. Desserts include cinnamon raisin scone, blue cheese macaron, Earl Grey panna cotta, red velvet cupcake and snacks such as turkey bruschetta, salmon tataki with yuzu jam and more. The tea cocktails are non-al

World-renowned thinkers and practitioners of design on Wednesday explored the growing role of design in making human life richer, healthier and more sustainable in the fourth annual Herald Design Forum in Seoul. Top architect Rem Koolhaas, advertising guru Alex Schill and other prominent figures shared their vision, philosophy and professional knowledge at the nation’s largest conference on design held in Dongdaemun Design Plaza. “The biggest adversary of a good design is not a bad design, but a

A female photographer reads braille text on a work in an exhibition of photographs by the visually impaired at Sangmyung Art Hall Gallery in Seoul. (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald)Sangmyung University is holding an exhibition of photographs taken by the visually impaired in Sangmyung Art Hall Gallery in Seoul until Nov. 30.The exhibition, “The World Seen Through Mind,” in its eighth year, is showcasing about 70 works, with scenes from Seoul that include Itaewon alleys, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, C

Two emerging fashion designers, Kye Han-hee of KYE and Park Jong-woo of BAJOWOO, won the 2014 Samsung Fashion Design Fund, an annual award given to talented young Korean designers, on Tuesday.Launched in 2005, the award offers its recipients financial and logistical assistance to help them prepare collections and promote their brands. It is the only fashion award in Korea that offers $100,000 to young designers as well as administrative and logistical assistance. Recipients also have a chance to

Seoul Design Week kicks off Wednesday, introducing homegrown designers and their products while facilitating discussions on design with some of the world’s most renowned creative minds. The five-day design festival, co-organized by the Seoul Design Foundation, Herald Corp. and Design House, will provide programs throughout the capital city with two hub venues, Coex and Dongdaemun Design Plaza, hosting the main events.Design product exhibitions and markets will be held at Coex and DDP from Wednes

The fourth edition of the Herald Design Forum is bringing together the world’s most prominent designers and industry experts in Seoul to discuss innovations driven by design thinking. Gurus in architecture, product design, fashion, urban design and art toys will give lectures and lead discussions between industry experts and Korean audiences. Here are brief introductions of the key speakers at the 2014 Herald Design Forum, to be held at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul on Nov. 26. Rem Koolha

A couple asked architect Cho Min-suk to build “the most unique house in the world” in the scenic area of Heyri in Paju, a town near the border with North Korea. The couple believed that the design of their house would affect their children’s behavior and thinking. “The couple told me they didn’t want their kids to grow up in a thicket of identical-looking box-like apartments and look at the same views as others,” said Cho at the press preview of his architecture exhibition on Tuesday. Experts sa