Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Faces behind Korea's road to liberation in spotlight

Behind Korea’s decades-long struggle for independence from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule were countless names and faces — some etched into history, others faded with time. To mark the 80th anniversary of liberation that falls on Aug. 15, a new exhibition titled “Faces We Meet Anew” brings these lives back into the light. On view are 100 objects, drawn from the collections of the National Museum of Korea and the National Institute of Korean History. These include handwritten oaths by independence activists Yi Bong-chang and Yun Bong-gil, as well as a poignant calligraphy piece penned by Ahn Jung-geun during his final days in prison, after he was sentenced to death for the 1909 assassination of Ito Hirobumi, Japan’s first resident-general of Korea. But the true highlight of the show is the first-ever public display of surveillance dossiers compiled by the Japanese empire to identify and monitor individuals it deemed threats. First produced in the wake of the March 1 Independence Movement in 1919, these documents were used by Japanese authorities to track Korean activists — thei

Jul 17, 2025By Park Han-sol

Faces behind Korea's road to liberation in spotlight

Korea to host 2026 UNESCO World Heritage Committee session in Busan

Korea is officially named host of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee's 48th session, planned for July next year. The selection was announced Tuesday (local time) during the committee's 47th session in Paris. This global gathering dedicated to the inscription and preservation of humanity’s shared heritage worldwide, will take place in 2026, in the southeastern coastal city of Busan. This is the first time Korea will host the session since the committee’s inception in 1977. Past Asian host cities include Thailand’s Phuket in 1994, Japan’s Kyoto in 1998, China’s Suzhou in 2004 and Cambodia’s Phnom Penh in 2013. Korea will lead the coordination of the committee’s work during the 2026 session, overseeing the schedule of meetings and managing procedural arrangements that shape the course of the gathering. Established under the 1972 World Heritage Convention, the World Heritage Committee is an intergovernmental body entrusted with determining whether a cultural, natural or mixed property merits inscription on the World Heritage List. It also reviews reports on the state of conser

Jul 16, 2025By Park Han-sol

Korea to host 2026 UNESCO World Heritage Committee session in Busan

UNESCO recognition for Ulsan petroglyphs rekindles preservation, water supply dilemma

Following UNESCO’s decision on Saturday to grant World Heritage status to the petroglyphs of Bangudae Terrace in the southeastern city of Ulsan, attention has turned to the long-standing dilemma facing the city: how to preserve the ancient rock art while ensuring a stable supply of clean drinking water for its residents. The petroglyphs, which stretch along a 3-kilometer section of the Bangucheon Stream, were recognized for their vivid depictions of prehistoric marine life, including whale hunting, on the Korean Peninsula, dating back nearly 7,000 years. Just 5 kilometers upstream from the UNESCO-designated site sits the Sayeon Dam, the source of Ulsan’s preservation controversy. Built in 1965 to supply water to the city’s newly established industrial complex, the reservoir later became a critical source of drinking water for Ulsan’s 1.1 million residents. Due to the dam’s design, water overflows naturally without human control. As a result, the petroglyphs begin to submerge when the dam’s water level reaches approximately 53 meters and are completely underwater at 58 meters

Jul 14, 2025By Kim Se-jeong

UNESCO recognition for Ulsan petroglyphs rekindles preservation, water supply dilemma

Korea's 7,000-year-old petroglyphs gain UNESCO World Heritage status

Dinosaur expert tapped to lead Korea Heritage Service

Huh Min, a professor of geology at Chonnam National University, has been tapped as the new chief of the Korea Heritage Service, the state agency tasked with safeguarding the country’s cultural and natural legacy. The announcement came Sunday, as President Lee Jae Myung named five vice ministers and seven vice ministerial-level officials in the latest round of high-level appointments. Huh is the first expert in geology and paleontology chosen to helm the agency — a position traditionally held by scholars of archaeology, art history or historical studies. His appointment may signal a shift toward greater recognition of Korea’s natural heritage as an integral part of its heritage preservation efforts. The 64-year-old specialist is credited with bringing international attention to Korea’s dinosaur research. His work has centered on vertebrate paleontology, with particular emphasis on dinosaur and pterosaur fossils. In 2003, his team made a landmark discovery in Boseong, South Jeolla Province, unearthing fossils belonging to a previously undiscovered dinosaur that once roamed Korea’s

Jul 14, 2025By Park Han-sol

Dinosaur expert tapped to lead Korea Heritage Service

N. Korea's Mount Kumgang named UNESCO World Heritage site

North Korea's Mount Kumgang, noted for its striking natural beauty, has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site on Sunday. During the 47th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee in Paris, the decision was made to inscribe the mountain and the historical relics in and around it on the list of protected landmarks and sites of internationally recognized cultural, historic or scientific value. For more than a thousand years, Mount Kumgang (Geumgang in South Korean romanization) has enchanted artists, lyrists and travelers alike with its breathtaking panorama of craggy granite peaks, tumbling waterfalls and mist-veiled gorges. Eighteenth-century Joseon-era painter Jeong Seon immortalized its splendor in his career-defining masterpiece, “Complete View of Geumgangsan Mountain.” Beyond its landscape, Mount Kumgang is home to a rich array of indigenous flora and fauna, as well as centuries-old relics of Korean Buddhism — temples perched at high altitudes, secluded hermitages and statues carved directly into the mountain’s jagged stone. With this latest addition, North Korea

Jul 13, 2025By Park Han-sol

N. Korea's Mount Kumgang named UNESCO World Heritage site

Korea's 7,000-year-old petroglyphs gain UNESCO World Heritage status

Prehistoric petroglyphs carved into rocks nearly 7,000 years ago at the southeastern tip of Korea have been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, recognized for their vivid depictions of marine life and what is believed to be the world’s oldest portrayal of whale hunting. The decision to inscribe the Neolithic rock carvings, found along Ulsan’s Bangucheon Stream, was made Saturday (local time) during the 47th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee in Paris. The newly listed site encompasses the petroglyphs of Bangudae Terrace and nearby Cheonjeon-ri, both of which are state-designated national treasures. First discovered in 1971, the Bangudae engravings are etched into the lower portion of a cliff in the upper reaches of Bangucheon Stream. Spanning 3 meters in height and 10 meters across, the rock face holds 312 distinct imprints: humans, land and sea animals, ships and tools — each one an image of ancient life along the Korean coast. Among the sea creatures portrayed, whales appear most frequently. Rendered with striking finesse, they have made the site famous as the w

Jul 12, 2025By Park Han-sol

Korea's 7,000-year-old petroglyphs gain UNESCO World Heritage status

PHOTO Goryeo, Joseon-era Buddhist masterpieces return home from Japan

A rare set of paintings of "The Ten Underworld Kings" from the early Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), recently retrieved from Japan, is unveiled at the National Palace Museum of Korea in Seoul, Tuesday. Also unveiled there on the same day was the "Transcription of the Zhou Version of the Avatamsaka Sutra (The Flower Garland Sutra), Vol. 22" from the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392). The Buddhist paintings and the scripture were returned following efforts made by the Korea Heritage Service and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation. Yonhap

Jul 8, 2025By Park Han-sol

[PHOTO] Goryeo, Joseon-era Buddhist masterpieces return home from Japan

From tigers to grim reapers: Korean folklore easter eggs in 'KPop Demon Hunters'

The breakout appeal of Netflix’s supernatural action-comedy animation “KPop Demon Hunters” has stretched beyond screens and soundtracks into the world of traditional Korean art and folklore that helped breathe life into its unique visuals. From its memorable animal sidekicks to the Saja Boys’ grim reaper-inspired swagger, here’s a closer look at the cultural roots behind some of the film’s most iconic moments. Tiger and magpie Without a doubt, the movie’s ultimate scene-stealers are an unlikely duo: a delightfully “derpy” tiger and its cunning magpie companion. This odd-couple pairing may seem random at first, but it traces back to Korean folk art and genre paintings called “minhwa.” Flourishing in the later centuries of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), minhwa broke away from the refined conventions of court painting. Rather than following rigid formalism, the genre embraced raw charm and unrestrained spontaneity. Brimming with whimsical, often mischievous details, these works reflected the imaginative desires and everyday humor of ordinary people. One recurring motif

Jul 4, 2025By Park Han-sol

From tigers to grim reapers: Korean folklore easter eggs in 'KPop Demon Hunters'

Joseon royal shrine returns home after a century in Japan

Gwanwoldang, a royal shrine from the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty, has returned to Korea nearly 100 years after it was taken to Japan during the colonial era. This marks the first time a complete Korean building has been repatriated from abroad, setting a new model for international cooperation in cultural heritage preservation. The Korea Heritage Service (KHS) and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation (OKCHF) announced Tuesday that they had formally received the disassembled components of the Gwanwoldang building from Kotoku-in Temple in Kamakura, Japan. The repatriation was made possible through an agreement with the temple’s chief priest Takao Sato. The shrine's parts are now stored at the Korea Foundation for Traditional Architecture and Technology in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, where the restoration process is set to begin. "This return is a meaningful achievement, made possible by the sincere cooperation of the owner and the ongoing efforts of both Korean and Japanese experts. It stands as a model case of mutual respect and understanding through cultural heritage," Choi Eung

Jun 24, 2025By Baek Byung-yeul

Joseon royal shrine returns home after a century in Japan

Restored to life, Joseon folding screens reunite with homeland before departure to US

A quiet homecoming unfolds at the National Palace Museum of Korea, devoted to just two objects: a pair of late Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) folding screens that crossed the ocean in the last century and found new homes in American museums. Their return will be marked by a yearlong restoration, carried out here in the land that first gave them life. Currently on view in Seoul are “Cloud Dream of the Nine,” from the Portland Art Museum in Oregon, and “One Hundred Boys at Play,” from the Denver Art Museum in Colorado. The screens will remain on display until July 20, before making their way back across the Pacific. Time has taken its toll since their creation in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. As the two artifacts passed through many hands, their surfaces accumulated stains and were altered by earlier repair efforts. The latest conservation, part of an initiative by the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, has sought to return the relics to their original state through a restoration that began in October 2023. The 10-panel folding screen, “Cloud Dream of the Nine,”

Jun 23, 2025By Park Han-sol

Korean Heritage