Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Hangeul, Chinese characters or both? Long battle over Gwanghwamun's nameboard

Should the signboard of Gwanghwamun, the historic main gate of Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul, be written in Chinese characters or in Hangeul, the Korean alphabet? What appears to be a simple question has stirred decades of heated debate in Korea. At present, the nameboard displays “Gwanghwamun” in Chinese characters, the same as the original inscription from 1395, when the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) palace was first built. But this has not always been the case. In 1968, amid a state-led push to promote a distinctly Korean national identity, it was replaced with a Hangeul version handwritten by then-President Park Chung-hee. In 2010, after more recent large-scale restoration work was completed, the Hangeul sign was replaced again with Chinese character plaque, continuing the history of the gate being repeatedly rebuilt. The debate has been reignited once again. Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young told President Lee Jae Myung at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday that the ministry seeks to review a proposal to install an additional Hangeul signboard beneath the existing Chinese character plaque. “G

Jan 23, 2026By Park Han-sol

Hangeul, Chinese characters or both? Long battle over Gwanghwamun's nameboard

Heritage agency files complaint against Kim Keon Hee over private use of cultural sites

The Korea Heritage Service (KHS) filed a criminal complaint against Kim Keon Hee, the wife of former President Yoon Suk Yeol, with Seoul’s Jongno Police Station, Wednesday, following an internal audit that found state-managed cultural heritage sites and resources were allegedly used for private purposes. The complaint stems from a special audit launched by the agency last November to investigate matters related to state heritage involving the former president and his spouse. The KHS noted this internal investigation was separate from a special probe already transferred to police. According to the audit findings, Kim allegedly held a private tea gathering at Mangmyoru Pavilion inside Jongmyo Shrine, an area normally closed to the public, for reasons unrelated to official state events or diplomatic receptions. The report also states that Kim exceeded her authority regarding national heritage affairs by conducting advance inspections of an official commemorative event for the restoration of Gwanghwamun’s Woldae platform and signboard and by touring restricted areas of the National Pal

Jan 21, 2026By Kwon Mee-yoo

Heritage agency files complaint against Kim Keon Hee over private use of cultural sites

Korea Heritage Service warns development around Jongmyo could hurt national reputation

The Korea Heritage Service (KHS) warned Monday that Seoul’s continued refusal to comply with UNESCO’s request to conduct a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) on its development plan — which permits high-rise construction across from Jongmyo Shrine — could ultimately “damage the country’s reputation internationally.” The agency added that while it currently lacks domestic legal grounds to formally demand such an assessment, it plans to do so once revisions to the Enforcement Decree of the Special Act on Conservation, Management and Utilization of World Heritage are finalized within the first quarter. “There are a few nations that have been unable to carry out HIAs due to unforeseeable factors such as armed conflict or climate disasters,” KHS Administrator Huh Min said at a press conference at Government Complex Seoul. “But to my knowledge, there are no cases in which a country has declined to conduct an assessment after being explicitly asked to do so.” Founded in 1395, Jongmyo has served as the site of ancestral rites for the kings and queens of the 1392-1910 Joseon

Jan 19, 2026By Park Han-sol

Korea Heritage Service warns development around Jongmyo could hurt national reputation

Seoul eyes joint UNESCO bid with Pyongyang to list taekwondo as shared heritage

South Korea aims to join forces with North Korea to seek UNESCO recognition for the traditional martial art of taekwondo as a shared intangible cultural heritage, officials said Monday. The Cultural Heritage Committee, an advisory body to the Korea Heritage Service (KHS), has selected taekwondo as the next candidate for a joint or expanded inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during a recent meeting, according to the KHS. "We plan to submit an application to the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguard of the Intangible Cultural Heritage by March," a KHS official said on condition of anonymity. The move comes after Pyongyang submitted its own application in March 2024 to list "Taekwon-Do, traditional martial art in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea." The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is North Korea's official name. A review of the North's bid is currently under way, with a final decision expected during the committee's 21st session in Xiamen, China, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 5. If successful, the move would mark the

Jan 19, 2026By Yonhap

Seoul eyes joint UNESCO bid with Pyongyang to list taekwondo as shared heritage

Painting peonies and tigers: Where to learn minhwa in Korea

“Dip your finest brush in color. Keep your brush vertical — this is very important. Lower it gently onto the paper. Don’t apply pressure. You’ll see tiny yellow dots appear,” a teacher told students learning Korean traditional folk painting, demonstrating how to add stamen and pistil to a peony painting during a class in Insa-dong, central Seoul, Jan. 6. Known as minhwa, Korean folk painting thrived during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The works, often created by anonymous artists, depict animals, trees, flowers and everyday objects, and were traditionally painted with the hope of warding off bad luck and ushering in good fortune. The class is run by the Korea Minhwa Association, an organization dedicated to promoting minhwa at home and abroad. “There are many places where people can learn minhwa, but the classes offered by our association are the longest-running and among the most widely recognized in Korea,” said An Mi-gyung, the association’s vice president and a class instructor. An said interest in minhwa has been growing steadily in recent years. “We receive many

Jan 14, 2026By Kim Se-jeong

Painting peonies and tigers: Where to learn minhwa in Korea

Modern minhwa artist paints luck, everyday hope in Korean folk art

When Kim Kyung-hee first picked up a traditional Korean paint brush, she wasn’t chasing a lifelong dream. A former stay-at-home mom with a master’s degree in ceramic arts, she was recovering from illness and searching for something to anchor her again. What she found, unexpectedly, was minhwa — a once-dismissed form of Korean folk painting rooted in people's everyday hopes, featuring symbols of good fortune. “During that period of rest, I asked myself what I truly wanted to do,” she recalled in an interview with The Korea Times at her home studio. “That’s when I enrolled in a folk painting class.” That decision reshaped her life. Today, Kim is a full-time minhwa artist whose colorful paintings echo centuries of tradition while connecting with a new generation of viewers. Minhwa flourished during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), created primarily by anonymous, non-elite artists. Unlike court or literati painting, it was closely tied to people's everyday lives, beliefs and rituals, and used by ordinary people to decorate their homes. Common subjects include animals, flowers,

Jan 14, 2026By Kim Se-jeong

Modern minhwa artist paints luck, everyday hope in Korean folk art

Horses from history gallop back to life at Shinsegae The Heritage

Witness horses from history thunder back to life at Shinsegae The Heritage, a century-old bank reborn as a cultural venue in central Seoul. “The Horse: Galloping into Eternity,” an exhibition presented by the Korea Heritage Service and retail giant Shinsegae Group, casts light on Korea’s national heritage through the enduring figure of equines as the country looks ahead to the 2026 Year of the Horse. Running from Friday through Jan. 25 inside the former headquarters of Korea First Bank — now an annex of Shinsegae Department Store’s main branch — the five-part show moves from excavated replicas and traditional crafts to modern sculpture and digital photography. It traces the animal’s many roles since prehistoric times, as a means of transport, a companion on the front lines and an emblem of authority. Among the highlights are horse-shaped “tou” (clay figurines) and pottery engraved with cavalry processions from the Silla Kingdom (57 BC–935 AD), alongside horse armor and battlefield regalia from the Gaya Confederacy (42 BC–562 AD). The refined aesthetics of equestria

Jan 8, 2026By Park Han-sol

Horses from history gallop back to life at Shinsegae The Heritage

Royal palaces, tombs draw record visitors in 2025

A record 17.8 million people visited royal palaces, tombs and Jongmyo Shrine last year, officials said Monday, as public interest in traditional Korean culture continued to rise. The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center of the Korea Heritage Service said a total of 17,805,664 people visited these major heritage sites in 2025, up 12.8 percent from 15.78 million the previous year. The number marks the highest annual tally on record and the first time combined visitors to the four main palaces — Gyeongbok, Changdeok, Changgyeong and Deoksu — as well as Jongmyo Shrine and the royal tombs have surpassed 17 million. Jongmyo is where the ancestral tablets of the royal family of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) are enshrined. Visitor numbers had plunged to just 6.7 million in 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic but have since rebounded, staying above 10 million for four consecutive years. Annual figures reached 14.37 million in 2023, 15.78 million in 2024 and 17.81 million in 2025, each setting a new record, the agency said. Gyeongbok Palace, the largest of Seoul's royal complexes, drew the biggest crowd

Jan 5, 2026By Yonhap

Royal palaces, tombs draw record visitors in 2025

Korean traditional goods sales hit record high amid 'KPop Demon Hunters' boom

Sales of traditional Korean cultural products hit an all-time high last year, boosted by the global popularity of the Netflix animated film "KPop Demon Hunters," government data showed Friday. The Korea Heritage Agency said combined sales of its "K-Heritage" souvenir brand across its online and offline stores reached an estimated 16.1 billion won ($11.13 million) in 2025, the highest since the agency was founded in 1980. The figure marks a 35.5 percent jump from the previous year's 11.9 billion won, with sales surpassing the 10 billion-won mark for the third consecutive year. The agency develops traditional cultural goods featuring heritage-inspired designs and sells them at major tourist spots, such as Gyeongbok Palace, Deoksu Palace, the National Palace Museum of Korea and Incheon International Airport. Officials attributed the surge partly to the worldwide boom of Korean culture sparked by "KPop Demon Hunters." Popular items included a tiger porcelain doll modeled after the film's character Duffy and cups shaped after the traditional Korean hat of "gat" worn by the Saja Boys, the in-f

Jan 2, 2026By Yonhap

Korean traditional goods sales hit record high amid 'KPop Demon Hunters' boom

National Museum of Korea's gift shop posts record $29.9 mil. in sales amid K-culture boom

The National Museum of Korea's official merchandise brand MU:DS has surpassed 40 billion won ($29.9 million) in annual sales for the first time, driven by surging global interest in Korean traditional culture, officials said Tuesday. The National Museum Foundation of Korea said provisional data showed that cumulative sales of MU:DS products exceeded 40 billion won this month, breaking the previous record just two months after crossing the 30 billion-won mark in October. It marks the highest sales figure since the foundation was established in 2004. Launched as a line of goods inspired by national museum artifacts, MU:DS combines the words "museum" and "goods" in its name. Its hit products include jewelry modeled after Silla-era gold crowns, lamps shaped like the Seokguram Grotto, and a miniature of the Pensive Bodhisattva, which is famous among BTS fans for being owned by member RM. Sales jumped sharply in mid-2025, fueled by the global wave of Korean culture. Monthly revenues, which had averaged around 2 billion won in the second quarter, more than doubled to about 4.95 billion won in

Dec 30, 2025By Yonhap

Korean Heritage