The Korea Times - Home

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

Did you know that ...

Tue, November 13, 2018 | 07:41

Culture > Korean Traditions >

[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

Kimchi-making becomes intangible heritage

Kimchi-making, one of the major food cultures of Korea, has been designated as an intangible cultural property. The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) announced Wednesday it had designated kimchi-making as Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 133, after it received preliminary notice in September. The concept of kimchi-making is broader than "gimjang," or making and sharing kimchi in Korean, which was inscribed in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013, along with the tradition in North Korea.

Korean Traditions | 2017-11-15 17:52

[Joseon Images] Luigi Casati: The last Italian consul in Joseon

On the northern bank of the Han River near Hapjeong lies Yanghwajin Foreign Cemetery -- a quiet oasis that, according to historian Donald Clark, “represents the life of the foreign community in Korea, its purposes, its diverse people, the contributions they made, and the hardships they suffered.” He further went on to say that “a walk along the cemetery paths is a tour back t...

Korean Traditions | 2017-11-12 17:05

Cheongju to host UNESCO documentary heritage center

Korea has been selected as the site for the new International Centre for Documentary Heritage (ICDH), an institute under UNESCO, the National Archives of Korea announced Tuesday. The center will be built in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, and take charge of the preservation and follow-up management for UNESCO’s documentary heritage. Cheongju and the National Archives of Korea submitted a proposal to UNESCO and it was approved unilaterally at UNESCO’s 39th general meeting in Paris, Monday.

Korean Traditions | 2017-11-07 17:34

US Marine's love in the time of war

Recently, The Korea Times had the opportunity to interview George V. Lampman who, as a young Marine, was assigned to the American Embassy from 1949 to 1951. Despite being 90, Lampman has a youthful, if not mischievous, twinkle in his eyes, and is quick to smile as he recalls his time in Korea. He arrived in Korea on Jan. 9, 1949, as part of the security detachment of the Amer...

Korean Traditions | 2017-11-06 17:10

Barcelona music museum introduces Korean instruments

Museu de la Musica de Barcelona, one of the major museums dedicated to music in Spain, will hold a special exhibition on "gugak" (Korean traditional music) starting Nov. 2. Titled "Eolssigu, the Sounds of Korean Music," features some 80 objects with 22 of them donated to the museum from the National Gugak Center. The exhibit came to fruition through the efforts of Spanish musician Horacio Curti, who visited Korea in 2015 to attend the National Gugak Center's international gugak workshop.

Korean Traditions | 2017-11-01 22:27

Cultural Heritage Administrator seeks balance between conservation and development

New Cultural Heritage Administrator Kim Jong-jin is an old hand in the field. He is someone who knows how to strike the balance between the conservation and utilization of cultural heritage. Kim took the post in August when the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) had piles of controversial issues such as the approval of the Seoraksan Mountain cable car connecting Osaek to ...

Korean Traditions | 2017-11-01 22:20

Chiwoonjung offers regal Korean dining, boarding

Korea’s longing to modernize still has the country racing toward the cutting-edge. As that speed accelerates, the longing to hold onto what remains of traditional Korea has strengthened. More people and spaces are living out the longing, such as Chiwoonjung, a boutique hanok hotel atop Bukchon. Bukchon is where traditional Korean houses known as “hanok” huddle in clusters - s...

Korean Traditions | 2017-10-27 14:34

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Choking on worsening air pollution