Korean Heritage

Korea Heritage Service to invite NK to 2026 UNESCO Heritage talks in Busan

As South Korea prepares to host next year's session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in the southeastern port city of Busan, the Korea Heritage Service (KHS) is pursuing to extend an invitation to North Korea to join the gathering. The 48th session, slated for July 2026, will convene some 3,000 delegates from around the world to deliberate on the inscription and preservation of humanity’s shared heritage, wherein global attention will focus on which submitted entries will be added to UNESCO’s prestigious heritage lists. “We hope to bring the North to next year’s event. But this isn’t something we can achieve alone, so we have written to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, asking her to help mediate ways for the two Koreas to come together,” Huh Min, the KHS’ newly appointed chief, said at a press conference Monday at central Seoul’s Deoksu Palace. The administrator added that he had also raised with the U.N. cultural agency the idea of advancing inter-Korean cultural exchanges through the joint preservation of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). “The DMZ stands as t

Korea’s traditions come to life in Toronto in September

As Korean culture — from K-pop and Korean dramas to traditional crafts and cuisine — continues to captivate global audiences, Korean Intangible Cultural Heritage Week 2025 arrives in Toronto this fall. Organized by the Korea Heritage Service and Korea Heritage Agency, the event marks the program's first major overseas expansion in North America. The two-week celebration invites Canadians to experience the richness of Korean intangible heritage not as relics of the distant past, but as vibrant cultural practices that remain relevant today. The centerpiece of the event is the exhibition, “Once Upon a Day of Lady Kim with K-craft,” running from Sept. 11 to 23 at Arta Gallery in Toronto’s Distillery District. Rather than a conventional historical showcase, the exhibition reimagines the life of a fictional Lady Kim, exploring the daily lifestyle and wisdom of Korean women through handcrafted works passed down over generations. The exhibit features 192 pieces across 91 categories, including a gold-and-silver inlaid peony wedding chest by National Intangible Cultural Heritage traditi

Culinary experts stress education in global promotion of Korean temple food

Education is key to bringing Korean temple food to the world, according to culinary experts gathered in Seoul this week. Speaking at an international symposium organized by the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism (CCKB) on Tuesday, professor Yang Jong-jip of the Culinary Institute of America in New York emphasized that educating people is the most effective way to promote temple cuisine. “By educating people through experiences and books, you can leave a lasting impact,” Yang said, noting that his students are largely unfamiliar with temple food. “But when I explained what it is, they showed interest and said they were keen on learning more about it.” Tuesday’s symposium followed the Korean government’s recent designation in May of temple food as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Korea Heritage Service cited temple food’s historical continuity, its development into a unique culinary culture rooted in the Buddhist spirit, its diverse cooking methods reflecting regional and climate conditions, and its contribution to cultural diversity and creativity as key reasons f

'Wednesday' stars bring Korean twist to Gothic style in Seoul

Earlier this week, the production team of "Wednesday," the Netflix drama series, visited Korea to promote its second season, released on Aug. 6. The drama follows Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega), an unusual girl attending the eerie Nevermore Academy, where she gets embroiled in solving a string of mysterious murders. "Wednesday" became Netflix’s most-watched English-language drama after its 2022 premiere, racking up over 1.7 billion viewing hours worldwide. In Seoul, actors Ortega and Emma Myers (who plays Wednesday’s roommate, Enid Sinclair) and director Tim Burton participated in a special photo shoot, combining the series’ gothic aesthetics with traditional Korean flair. The shoot, held at the Seoul Furniture Museum, showcased elements of traditional Korean culture, from crafts to costumes. The red and black flower-shaped fans held by Myers and Ortega were created by Merdefils, the atelier of textile artist Park Jung-yeon. Her work was recently featured at the Hanbok Expo, an annual exhibition dedicated to hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) and related crafts. More of her desi

Last Joseon royal murals from Changdeok Palace step into light

What lingered on the walls of Seoul’s Changdeok Palace a century ago, when the air still carried the last breath of the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty? The answer awaits at the National Palace Museum of Korea (NPMK), where murals that once breathed color into the royal palace’s residential quarters now stand in the light once more, revealed to the public under one roof for the first time following their restoration. On view in the museum’s “Respectfully Portrayed Murals at Changdeokgung Palace,” the six murals, along with a rare draft sketch, are monumental in scale, stretching up to 9 meters wide and 2 meters tall. They were painted in 1920, during the Japanese colonial period (1910-45), to grace three private halls — Huijeongdang, Daejojeon and Gyeonghungak — rebuilt after a devastating fire in 1917. At the time, King Sunjong, the final king of Joseon, long since stripped of the throne, and Empress Sunjeong, still lived within the palace grounds. The works stand as a notable example of royal court painting in its final phase, according to curator Lee Hong-joo. They were first r

80th Liberation Day Remembering foreign footprints on Korea’s road to liberation

Commemorating Korea’s liberation from Japan in 1945 would be incomplete without remembering the tens of thousands of independence fighters and activists who risked their lives for the country’s freedom. According to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, a total of 18,258 people have been officially recognized as independence fighters, among whom 76 are non-Korean nationals. The real number is likely much higher. Although the efforts of those 76 foreigners is immeasurable, little is known about them, let alone details of their contributions. Marking the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation, The Korea Times compiled stories of 11 non-Korean independence fighters and activists — each linked to a place that commemorates their contribution. 1. Severance Hospital — Horace Allen, Frank Schofield Severance Hospital in Seoul is Korea’s first Western-style hospital, founded by American missionary Horace Allen (1858-1932) in 1885. Originally called Gwanghyewon, the hospital was later called Jejoongwon before it finally became Severance Hospital. At a time when Joseon-era medicin

New culture minister links museum to K-culture’s success

Chae Hwi-young, the new minister of culture, sports and tourism, emphasized that Korea’s traditional heritage is essential to driving the high-value K-culture industry envisioned by the Lee Jae Myung administration. “The museum is the foundation for the identity and sustainability of K-culture, as well as a key base for high-value cultural industries,” Chae said during his visit to the National Museum of Korea in Seoul, Sunday. “Assets such as museums and our traditional heritage will serve as engines of growth to help achieve the ambitious 300 trillion won ($216 billion) K-culture market.” Chae’s visit to the nation’s flagship museum — his second official engagement after traveling to Gyeongju on Thursday, his first day in office — highlights how central museums have become to the government’s vision for a thriving K-culture sector. During Sunday’s visit, Chae, accompanied by Yoo Hong-jun, director general of the museum and Choung Yong-suk, president of the National Museum Foundation of Korea, toured current exhibitions. Fueled by global interest in K-pop and Korean

Original draft of Korea's founding charter restored

A rare manuscript offering a window into the Korea envisioned by the Provisional Government after liberation from the Japanese colonial rule of 1910-45 was restored to its original form. The Conservation Science Center at the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage announced Tuesday that it had completed preservation work on the draft of Korea’s founding charter. Handwritten by politician Jo So-ang (1887-1958), the document outlines a vision for the independence movement and future nation-building, based on his philosophy of the Three Principles of Equality. The theory calls for an ideal society rooted in equality among individuals, ethnic groups and countries, with political, economic and educational parity as its core pillars. Adopted in 1941 by the Provisional Government, the manuscript would later serve as the philosophical cornerstone of Korea’s first Constitution in 1948. The 10-page draft bears Jo’s own handwritten text in ink, along with visible corrections — a testament to its historical value. But time had taken its toll. Over the decades, deep crease marks form

National Museum to open exhibition on monumental Olympic marathon triumph during Japan's colonial era

The National Museum of Korea announced Thursday it will launch a new exhibition this week on a Korean-born marathoner's record-breaking Olympic victory during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial period. Set to open Friday under the title "The Radiant Strides, Moving the World," the exhibition will celebrate the achievements of the late runner Sohn Kee-chung, who won the men's marathon gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics while wearing the Japanese flag. He set an Olympic record with 2:29:19. Though Sohn was the first Korean-born athlete to win an Olympic gold, he went into the record books as a Japanese medalist in Berlin. During the medal ceremony, Sohn famously held an oak sapling in front of him to hide the Japanese flag on his chest, while Korean newspapers altered the image to remove the Japanese flag from Sohn's running tunic. The exhibition features Sohn's handwritten postcard, on which he signed "Korean" in English, along with his name written in Korean. It is dated Aug. 15, 1936, six days after his gold medal race. According to the museum, Sohn signed his name in Korean at every opp

PHOTO Back from Japan, Joseon shrine components brought to light