The Korea Times - Home

Site Map PDF Subscription Register LogIn
Site Map PDF Subscription Register LogIn

Mon, January 21, 2019 | 12:39

Culture > Korean Traditions >

Kim Yul-hee blends pansori, reggae

Many music scholars consider folk music universal across all cultures. This may help explain why pansori, a traditional Korean narrative musical genre, blends so well with reggae, a Jamaica-originated musical genre drawing on its own local traditions.

Korean Traditions | 2018-01-31 11:21

Brewer's unwavering enthusiasm for traditional spirit

Homemade potato wine, better known as “seo-ju,” has been a mission-driven project for Hong Jin-ho, the owner of Odae Seoju Brewery located in the rustic Olympic host city of PyeongChang. The family-owned business has never been profitable since he succeeded it from his father over a decade ago.

Korean Traditions | 2018-01-28 17:02

Potato wine: The president's choice for New Year holiday gifts

New Zealander discovers hidden delights in Baekdu Daegan mountain trails

South Korea is off the beaten track for world mountain hikers, despite 70 percent of its territory being mountainous. Few outside the country know there’s a 1,400-kilometer-long mountain range with a magnificent view stretched vertically from Mt. Baekdu in North Korea all the way down to Mt. Jiri in the South. Koreans call it the “Baekdu Daegan,” which means “gigantic mountai...

Korean Traditions | 2018-01-18 17:35

Dogs are loyal, courageous

Dogs have been part of Koreans' lives for a long time, even before they became Koreans' favorite companion animal today. In some old literatures, the animal was depicted as a close friend that even sacrificed itself to save its owner's lives.

Korean Traditions | 2018-01-02 17:01

'Year of Golden Dog' raises hope for Koreans

Around this time every year, there's a ritual Koreans perform _ they characterize the New Year based on Chinese astrology and predict how it will turn out. According to the Chinese zodiac which relates each year to an animal of the 12-year cycle, 2018 is the “Year of the Golden Dog,” a characterization derived from the “Year of Musul.” In Chinese character, “mu” means yellow ...

Korean Traditions | 2017-12-31 17:31

Ahn Sook-sun wraps up year with 'Heungboga'

Master pansori singer Ahn Sook-sun will perform "Heungboga" in its entirety in a year-end concert on Dec. 31 at the National Theater of Korea (NTOK). Ahn is one of the top pansori singers of her generation, listed as Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 23 for "gayageum sanjo and byeongchang" (singing while playing the 12-stringed zither). She has also worked for various organiza...

Korean Traditions | 2017-12-19 16:46

Last Joseon court paintings restored and on view

The last decorative court paintings of the Korean Empire from Changdeok Palace were revealed to the public for the first time in 97 years. The National Palace Museum of Korea (NPM) revealed two mural paintings from Huijeongdang Hall in Changdeok Palace at a special exhibition that opened Wednesday. "Wonderful Views of Chongseokjeong Pavilion" (1920) and "Extraordinary Views o...

Korean Traditions | 2017-12-13 15:57

[Joseon Images] People believed in magic of wells in 1900s

In 19th century-Seoul, an integral part of the city’s infrastructure was the community well. These wells served between 50 and 300 houses each and were built from stone blocks placed in a circle, which one American visitor described as “among the most picturesque objects” in Seoul. Located in “out-of-way corners of the streets, just off the current of travel, at once in the h...

Korean Traditions | 2017-11-27 19:21

[Joseon Images] Korea's earthquake history

Aug. 24, 1886, was hot -- oppressively hot -- causing even greater torment for the uneasy residents of Seoul. Over the past month, cholera had wreaked havoc upon the population and claimed thousands of lives. The green hills surrounding Seoul were transformed into “vile and disgusting” masses of red earth, the greenery of summer stripped away in the construction of countless ...

Korean Traditions | 2017-11-21 14:42

1 in 5 national treasures needs restoration

After a powerful earthquake of 5.4 magnitude hit the country, Wednesday, attention has been drawn to damage-prone cultural assets in the vicinity. Two out of 10 national treasures and architectural sites have been found in need of repair or restoration according to the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (NRICH), the Cultural Heritage Administration said, Friday. NRICH examined 242 cases of 751 national treasures and architectural sites from February to December last year. The organization classified them in alphabetic order from A to F to distinguish them as “satisfactory,” “mi...

Korean Traditions | 2017-11-20 21:29

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Children deserve better