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Say 'kimchi': How photobooths have filled Korean streets
"Look at the camera and pose within 10 seconds after you hear the sound beep." After the countdown cue begins, put on your best smile, strike a pose, switch it up and let your best angle shine. And get ready for the next shot. After the minute-long shoot, flip through the snap photos, pick your favorites and print them out to take home. This is a scene at a self-service photo booth where anyone can snap fun shots and instantly print out bookmark-sized keepsakes that capture the moment. The photo
June 7, 2025 -
4 BTS members to complete military service next week
Four members of the K-pop supergroup BTS -- RM, V, Jimin and Jungkook -- will be discharged from their mandatory 18-month military service next week, the boy band's agency said Saturday. RM, the leader of the group, and V will complete their military service Tuesday, followed by Jimin and Jungkook the next day, according to BigHit Music. For safety reasons, there will be no public event to mark their military discharge, the agency said, asking BTS fans to refrain from visiting the locations wher
June 7, 2025 -
Annual Culture Communication Forum to crown winners of sustainable K-Style contest
The Corea Image Communication Institute will hold its 16th annual Culture Communication Forum on Thursday at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, wrapping up a monthslong global contest centered on "sustainable K-style." The event will bring together senior diplomatic and business leaders for a ceremony recognizing the competition's finalists and winners. KAIST President Lee Kwang-hyung will deliver opening remarks, with congratulatory messages from Italian Ambassador Emilia Gatto and Japanese Ambassador Koic
June 6, 2025 -
Centuries-old house of Confucian scholars, freedom fighters to be listed as folklore heritage
A 17th-century house in Korea home to Confucian scholars and independence fighters will be named National Folklore Cultural Heritage. According to the Korea Heritage Service, Samsan House of the Jeonju Ryu clan in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, is significant in that it has kept a shrine for prominent Confucian scholars like Ryu Jeong-won, nicknamed Samsan. He taught Crown Prince Sado, the second son of King Yeongjo of Joseon (1724-1776). The house also was a birthplace of at least 10 freedo
June 6, 2025 -
Seoul government, British Embassy in Seoul to cooperate for upcoming 5th SBAU
From left: British Ambassador Colin Crooks, Seoul Vice Mayor Kim Seong-bo, and Thomas Heatherwick, general director of the 5th Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, sign letters of intent for cultural exchange of architecture and urbanism between the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland at the British Embassy in Seoul on Thursday. (Seoul Metropolitan Government )
June 5, 2025 -
Cheong Wa Dae’s future in flux amid renovations, relocation plans
With Lee Jae-myung elected as South Korea’s new president, the future of Cheong Wa Dae — the former presidential compound in Seoul — is once again in the spotlight. Lee pledged to begin his term at the current presidential office in Yongsan, a few kilometers to the south, but plans to relocate the office back to Cheong Wa Dae after necessary renovations are completed. He also reaffirmed his commitment to solidifying the status of the city of Sejong as the administrative capital by establishing a
June 5, 2025 -
Seoul Mediacity Biennale to embrace the mystical in media art
The 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale, scheduled to kick off on Aug. 26, will bring together 49 artists and collectives under the theme of “Seance: Technology of Spirit." The term “seance,” derived from French, refers to an attempt to communicate with spirits. The 13th edition of the biennale, running through Nov. 23 at the Seoul Museum of Art, or SeMA, will be led by Anton Vidokle, artist and founder of e-flux; Hallie Ayres, art historian and curator; and Lukas Brasiskis, curator of video and film
June 4, 2025 -
Wael Shawky, Akram Zaatari tell political history through art
History can be hard to recount when it holds sorrow and trauma or multiple interpretations. But recreated as art, such stories can resonate powerfully, sparking diverse questions and interpretations in the viewers, regardless of where they are or what language they speak. Presented by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, “MMCA Collection Otherlands II: Wael Shawky, Akram Zaatari” showcases two media works by two leading contemporary artists who explore and reinterpret speci
June 3, 2025 -
Photography Seoul Museum of Art opens in nothern Seoul
Seoul's first public museum solely dedicated to photographic media opened Friday in Dobong-gu Seoul, creating an art cluster in the northern part of the capital where Buk-Seoul Museum of Art is located. The Photography Seoul Museum of Art, spanning four floors above ground and two below, holds more than 20,000 works of photographic art and archival materials, according to the museum. “By exploring photography as one of the most accessible yet critically positioned mediums in both the history of
June 2, 2025 -
Changdeokgung’s Bullomun to undergo repairs
Bullomun at Changdeokgung, one of the most visited gates at the Joseon-era (1392-1910) palace in Seoul, will be shut down while undergoing repairs. According to the Korea Heritage Service, the stone gate, built to wish the king a long and healthy life, has sustained damage from climate conditions, necessitating conservation work. “The last time we brought in our conservation experts was 20 years ago, and it’s time we did that again,” a Korea Heritage Service official said of the repair plans. “I
June 2, 2025 -
Violinist Park Sue-ye wins prestigious Sibelius competition
South Korean violinist Park Sue-ye has won the 13th International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, one of the most prestigious competitions for the instrument in the world. Park was announced as the first prize winner of the competition, which took place in Helsinki from May 19 to 29, according to the competition's website Friday. "I am so happy to have won the competition," she was quoted as saying by her agency, Mok Production. "It means a lot to me, and I was delighted to be able to communic
May 30, 2025 -
Novelist Kwon Yeo-sun, cellist Yang Sung-won, Lee Tae Seok Foundation receive Musan Cultural Awards
The Manhae Musan Foundation held its second Musan Cultural Awards ceremony Friday at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan, central Seoul, presenting prizes to three winners: writer Kwon Yeo-sun, cellist Yang Sung-won and the Lee Tae Seok Foundation. The Musan Cultural Awards were established to honor the life and legacy of the late poet and Buddhist monk Cho Oh-hyun, known by his pen name Musan. Each prize carries a cash prize of 100 million won ($72,500). In the literature category, novelist Kwon w
May 30, 2025 -
Learn how to drink like a Korean
A shot of soju is not just about what is in the glass — there is culture involved. For those wishing to dive deeper into Korean drinking culture, head to Jongno in central Seoul next month for an immersive experience with soju, the ubiquitous alcoholic beverage of choice in Korea. Come June, Jonggak Street of Youth in Gwancheol-dong, Jongno-gu, will turn into an interactive exhibition space about Korea's beloved alcoholic drink and the drinking culture. The monthlong event has been designed and
May 30, 2025 -
Frieze Seoul, Kiaf Seoul to kick off Sept. 3
The annual art fairs Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul will both start at Seoul’s Coex on Sept. 3, running four and five days, respectively. According to the Galleries Association of Korea on Friday, Frieze Seoul will host some 120 galleries from over 30 countries, including New York’s Gagosian Gallery, Switzerland’s Hauser & Wirth, Hong Kong’s 10 Chancery Lane Gallery and Korea’s Gallery Hyundai. A Frieze Masters section will focus on art from antiquity to the 20th century, and Focus Asia will introd
May 30, 2025 -
Australian museum removes display wrongly labeling Chinese clothing as ‘Korean traditional attire’
The Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australia, has removed a display that mistakenly labeled Chinese-style clothing as “Korean traditional attire” following complaints from the Korean community in Australia. Seo Kyung-duk, a professor of liberal arts at Sungshin Women’s University and a prominent advocate for promoting Korean culture abroad, shared this news of the display’s removal on his Instagram on Thursday. "I heard about this from a lot of Koreans in Australia. It’s such a great outco
May 29, 2025