US, South Korea in contact over martial law declaration

The US and South Korea are communicating over Seoul’s emergency martial law declaration Tuesday night. “The Administration is in contact with the ROK government and is monitoring the situation closely,” the White House National Security Council told Voice of America in a statement, referring to South Korea by its official name, the Republic of Korea. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law late Tuesday.

Dec. 4, 2024

Interactive ceramics exhibit opens in Gwangju

An interactive exhibition of ceramics from the Joseon era (1392-1910) to Korea’s 1945 independence from the Japanese colonial rule is running through March 30 at the Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province. The exhibition “Touching Ceramics: An Immersive Experience” will enable people with disabilities to touch replicas of some 70 ceramics on view, marking the museum’s first showing geared towards accessibility. Ceramic replicas and fragments will be availab

Dec. 3, 2024

Korea Heritage Service to prepare list of heritage for UNESCO nominations

The Korea Heritage Service will prepare a list of cultural heritage it wants UNESCO to recognize starting next year, the state-run agency said Monday. The preliminary list, shared internally, would serve as a pool of heritage for the Tentative Lists maintained by UNESCO. All nominations must be on the Tentative Lists for consideration. “The reason we’re drawing up the internal list is for us to stay tuned to the latest trends in UNESCO nominations,” an agency official said. &ld

Dec. 2, 2024

‘Vienna 1900’ at National Museum of Korea shows Austrian pioneers of modernism

An exhibition of 191 items from paintings to crafts and furniture at the National Museum of Korea in Seoul aims to explore Vienna’s art scene of the early 1900s, which embraced a new art and design movement called modernism. The three-month exhibition entitled “Vienna 1900: The Dreaming Artists,” opening Saturday, will focus on works from pioneers such as painters Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele as well as architect Josef Hoffmann. The 191 objects on view, all from Vienna’s

Nov. 29, 2024

Sajikdan destroyed by Japanese to be restored

The Korea Heritage Service will restore parts of Sajikdan, a Joseon-era (1392-1910) altar in Jongno-gu, Seoul that was destroyed by Japan during the colonial period, according to the state-run agency. Restoration will take place around Anhyangcheong, a building north of the altar where Joseon kings and their subjects prepared for ancestral rites. Musical instruments and other ceremony supplies were kept there as well. The restoration will be complete by 2026, the agency said, adding it will enli

Nov. 29, 2024

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

10,000 mums at Hallim Park Hallim Park on Jeju Island, known for showcasing different flower varieties each month, is highlighting over 10,000 chrysanthemums of 50 types for November. Available at the park, open everyday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., are flower beds and smaller gardens with ponds and hiking trails. A shuttle covers major stops on the ground. Admission is 15,000 won for adults. Visit hallimpark.com. All-in-one park in Paju First Garden Park in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, offer

Nov. 29, 2024

Palaces shut down over record snow

Historic sites in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, including royal palaces, royal tombs and the Jongmyo royal shrine, will be closed Thursday over safety concerns prompted by record snow. According to the Korea Heritage Service, the four of the five Joseon-era (1392-1910) palaces -- Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung, Changgyeongung and Deoksugung -- and Jongmyo, all in Seoul, will be closed. The royal tombs in the capital and Gyeonggi Province will also be closed. The state-run agency cited concerns over

Nov. 28, 2024

Maedeup exhibition opens in Manila

An exhibition of some 130 “maedeup,” the traditional Korean knots used as ornaments, is running at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila in the Philippines through Jan. 29. The “Maedeup: Korean Knots” presentation, which opened Friday, is jointly hosted by the National Folk Museum of Korea and the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippine capital. Among the items on display are “buchae,” or traditional handheld fans, with maedeup, and “norigae,” decorat

Nov. 27, 2024

Goryeo celadon highlighted at National Museum of Korea exhibition

A rare exhibition of Goryeo celadon including 20 state-designated National Treasures opens Tuesday at the National Museum of Korea. The exhibition “Sculpted Celadon of the Goryeo Dynasty,” running through March 3, 2025, showcases 274 Goryeo celadon pieces that were used as utensils or held as objects of value. In the form of humans, animals and plans as well as vases, pots and jars, these objects reflect the aesthetics of the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392). National Museum of Korea Direct

Nov. 25, 2024

[From the Scene] Immersive heritage exhibit opens in Gangneung, Las Vegas

GANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province -- An immersive exhibition highlighting Korean cultural heritage including intangible cultural properties has opened in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. The eight-minute multimedia show entitled “Heritage Garden: Threads of Connection” showcases 146 items, from Goryeo celadon and Joseon moon jars to the Jinkwansa Bronze Bell and the Seokguram Grotto on the walls of Arte Museum, a private museum operated by d’strict design company. Eight such museums oper

Nov. 24, 2024