Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Korea promotes cultural policy at G20 Culture Ministers' Meeting

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism for Culture and Arts Policy Yu Byung-chae speaks during the G20 Culture Ministers' Meeting held in Varanasi, India, Saturday. Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and TourismBy Kwak Yeon-sooDeputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism for Culture and Arts Policy Yu Byung-chae shared Korea's key cultural policies and called for closer cultural cooperation at the G20 Culture Ministers' Meeting in Varanasi, India, Saturday. The Culture Ministers' Meeting is one of the ministerial meetings organized as part of the G20 Leaders' Summit, which will take place in New Delhi, India, on Sept. 9 and 10.Attending the meeting on behalf of Culture Minister Park Bo-gyoon, Yu emphasized the importance of fostering exchanges in cultural sectors to ensure freedom and solidarity ― values that hold significance for the entirety of humanity.He explained how the government is expanding financial support to nurture the cultural content industry as one of the country's export engines, strengthening copyright protection for creators and supporting artists wi

Aug 27, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo

Korea promotes cultural policy at G20 Culture Ministers' Meeting

Palaces, Cheong Wa Dae welcome fall season with cultural events

Injeongjeon at Changdeok Palace / Courtesy of Cultural Heritage AdministrationBy Kwak Yeon-sooVarious cultural events are expected to take place at Joseon-era (1392-1910) palaces and the former presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, in Seoul beginning September along with the cool autumn breeze. Gyeongbok Palace will offer its fall night tour program from Sept. 1 to Oct. 29 every Wednesday to Sunday, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said Monday. The spring nighttime tour, in the first half of this year, attracted a total of 112,820 visitors.Venues open for the night tour are Gwanghwamun, Heungnyemun, Geunjeongjeon, Gyeonghoeru, Sajeongjeon, Gangnyeongjeon, Gyotaejeon and Amisan areas. Up to 2,700 visitors will be admitted per evening. Reservations are required and can be made through Ticket.11st.co.kr website. Online reservations will open on Aug. 25 for September admissions and Sept. 26 for October admissions, with each person limited to four tickets. Admission fee is 3,000 won but free to people of national merit and their spouses, holders of distinguished service certificat

Aug 21, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo

Palaces, Cheong Wa Dae welcome fall season with cultural events

INTERVIEW 'Thailand aims to bring Buddhist art to Nat'l Museum of Korea in 2025'

Visitors look around "A New Encounter: Immersive Gallery of Korean Art" exhibition at the National Museum of Bangkok. Courtesy of the National Museum of BangkokBy Kwak Yeon-soo"A New Encounter: Immersive Gallery of Korean Art," an exhibition at the National Museum of Bangkok (NMB) exploring Korean cultural heritage, has been extended until October due to its huge popularity.The multi-sensory digital art exhibition features two immersive digital videos: “Journey of the Soul” depicting Buddhist beliefs about the afterlife, and “Royal Procession with the People,” which features the rituals of the Joseon royal court that embodied Confucian belief systems. It also features two Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara ― or “Gwaneum Bosal” in Korean ― sculptures from Korea and Thailand to highlight the long-standing Buddhist traditions and artistic achievements of the two countries. It is jointly organized by the NMB and the National Museum of Korea (NMK).Nitaya Kanokmongkol, executive director of the Office of National Museums at Thailand's Ministry of Culture / Cour

Aug 9, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo

[INTERVIEW] 'Thailand aims to bring Buddhist art to Nat'l Museum of Korea in 2025'

Apps, celebrity-narrated audio guides, designer scents attract young art lovers to exhibitions

Visitors to the Museum SAN, nestled atop a lush mountain in Wonju, Gangwon Province, view the original sketches, blueprints and models exhibited at Japanese star architect Tadao Ando's traveling retrospective, “Youth.” Courtesy of MAG PR & ImageBy Park Han-solA visibly growing number of young art enthusiasts in recent years, coupled with the rising perception of exhibitions as immersive, experience-centered spaces, are bringing changes to the viewing trend of audiences to museums.In the past, blockbuster exhibitions teemed with large group tours ― provided by the museums or independent travel agencies ― with guides using microphones to provide commentaries about the displayed art pieces.Nowadays, however, these excursions have become much more private ― and quiet ― as more visitors choose to focus on their individual experiences with the artworks using audio guides or smartphone apps offered by the museums.Such a change in the viewing trend is evident in two major shows that are attracting a large number of audiences: “Edward Hopper: From City to Coast” at

Jul 31, 2023By Park Han-sol

Apps, celebrity-narrated audio guides, designer scents attract young art lovers to exhibitions

K-beauty: What does it cost to be beautiful?

Plastic surgery clinic signs are listed on a building in Gangnam, southern Seoul, in this April photo. Korea Times fileSome believe K-beauty pushes unrealistic beauty standards By Dami KimDALLAS ― “Her skin is so pale. She seemed so white and pure,” a male contestant on “Single's Inferno,” the hit dating show of 2021, said when he described his first impression of a female contestant. Other male contestants praised the same female contestant and stated she is their type as they “like people who have light skin.”In 2021, along with “Squid Game,” this hit dating show attracted global attention to South Korea, but it also sheds light on the country's obsession with unrealistic beauty standards. Hana Kim is a Korean American who thinks the beauty standards in Korea are outrageous and toxic for women of all ages. As young as she can remember, her family suggested plastic surgery as it would make her look “much prettier in Korea.” Her mother even offered her plastic surgery as a graduation gift when she graduated college. “M

Jul 24, 2023

K-beauty: What does it cost to be beautiful?

Cash-strapped wage earners give up vacations: survey

By Ko Dong-hwangettyimagesbankA majority of wage earners in Korea cannot afford to take a vacation this summer because of their economic conditions, according to the results of a survey released Sunday.Among the country's salary earners who have given up on taking a vacation this year or delayed making plans, 62 percent said they did so because they “don't currently have enough cash in hand.”The survey was conducted by Gabjil119, a civic group advocating for the rights of domestic workers, over a week starting on June 9. “Gabjil,” or “gapjil” as it's more commonly spelled, is Korean for a set of actions taken by workplace superiors or customers in service sectors against others who deem the actions unfair and abusive.The survey, which interviewed 1,000 salary earners aged 19 and older across the country, has found that less than 44 percent have made vacation plans for this summer. Meanwhile, over 36 percent said they had not yet decided whether to take a vacation this summer, while 20 percent said it was not an option. There was a correlation betwe

Jul 24, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan

Cash-strapped wage earners give up vacations: survey

Startup CEO infuses entertainment to learning Korean

KOKIRI, an app-based Korean learning platform using Korean entertainment content, created by education service startup Koylabs / Courtesy of KoylabsBy Lee Gyu-leeK-pop and entertainment have been gaining more and more attention from global audiences lately.For Jeon Ye-ji, the founder and CEO of education service startup Koylabs, this is an opportunity for people around the world to have a more interesting and fun way of picking up not only the Korean language but also its culture. “I want people to feel that it's easy and fun to learn Korean (through our platform) … I hope this can help expand the ways to access Korean culture and content,” she told The Korea Times during an interview at the company's office in central Seoul, Wednesday. “Jeon Ye-ji, founder and CEO of Koylabs / Courtesy of Koylabs“I believe knowing the language is one of the ways to have a better understanding of a culture … So through our service, I hope to provide people learning Korean with an experience to expand their cultural scope.”Koylabs runs KOKIRI, an app-based K

Jul 21, 2023By Lee Gyu-lee

Seoul City launches subsidized pet cremation service

A pet funeral assistant respectfully handles an urn containing the cremated remains of a deceased pet at a crematorium. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government By Ko Dong-hwanThe Seoul Metropolitan Government has launched a new bundle of services for pet owners who wish to cremate their pets but face difficulties due to cost and logistics.Launched on Monday, the service is reserved for the city's socially and economically disadvantaged including those receiving a basic necessities subsidy, households with a single-parent and senior citizens who live alone without regular income. Collaborating with the Korea Animal Funeral Association, the welfare policy is the first of its kind ever launched by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Running as a trial until December, the service is limited to 600 pets. The service has been launched to address the fact that there is no crematorium in the city but rather only outside Seoul in areas of Gyeonggi Province such as Incheon o

Jul 11, 2023By Ko Dong-hwan

Seoul City launches subsidized pet cremation service

Senior women find new lease of life through photography club, filmmaking

From left are Little Garden Sisters members Kim Sook-ryeon, Kim Hee-ja, Jung Ok-ja, Moon Chun-hee, Choi Soon-nam, Park Jung-rye and Kim Hye-sook. Courtesy of Cinema DalBy Kwak Yeon-sooGANGNEUNG, Gangwon Province ― Myeongju-dong is an old downtown area in Gangneung, Gangwon Province with cute little alleys, cultural spaces and trendy cafes. The past and present seem to coexist as colonial-era Japanese buildings and “hanok,” or traditional Korean-style houses, still remain in the small neighborhood. Its relaxed atmosphere comes from the communal garden, where local residents keep plants and flowers in the alleyway.Those who take care of the garden are known as Little Garden Sisters ― women with an average age of 75 who have been living in the neighborhood for over 50 years. They embrace their golden years with enthusiasm, taking up hobbies such as gardening and singing.Wanting to learn how to take better photos using their smartphones, eight seniors took photography classes from 2016 to 2018. After building confidence, they moved on to learning about how to record videos. T

Jul 6, 2023By Kwak Yeon-soo

Senior women find new lease of life through photography club, filmmaking

Designer makes artifact-inspired gifts to help revive Korea's forgotten traditions

Hailey Han, founder and CEO of design brand Mimidar / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Kwak Yeon-sooTraditional cultural products sold in museum stores were once considered tacky and old-fashioned, but now attract great interest from Korea's younger generations.Ancient artifacts and designs have provided inspiration for a range of brand collaborations with Korean museums. According to the National Museum Foundation of Korea, the sales of museum merchandise tripled from 3.8 billion won ($2.9 million) in 2020 to 11.7 billion won in 2022. The number of visits to the National Museum Goods online shop topped 840,000 last year.These design objects transform the purely decorative into something practical, enticing consumers to splurge. A prime example from the National Museum of Korea is the Goryeo celadon-inspired phone cases that sold over 50,000 pieces. They were designed by Mimidar, a design brand that infuses traditional Korean culture with various modern-day items. Hailey Han, founder and CEO of Mimidar, has always seen value in traditional design. Having studied Metal Art & De