Lifestyle

Yoogeum Museum sheds light on roof tiles from East Asia

Yoo Chang-jong, one of the founders of Yoogeum Museum, explains exhibits during the Korea CQ Forum at the museum in Seoul, May 21. Courtesy of CICIBy Dong Sun-hwaYoogeum Museum is the only museum in Korea dedicated to collecting and exhibiting roof tiles from different East Asian countries ― Korea, China and Japan. Founded in March 2008, it is home to some 5,000 roof tiles and other stones used to decorate the walls and floors of ancient buildings. In particular, Yoogeum Museum displays traditional Korean roof tiles collected by Japanese physician Isao Iuchi (1911-1992), one of the biggest collectors of Korean roof tiles, along with other works from the Three Kingdoms period (57 B.C.―A.D. 668) to the 1392-1910 Joseon era.“Each kingdom had its own distinctive roof tiles,” Yoo Chang-jong, one of the founders of Yoogeum Museum, said during the Corea Image Communication Institution's (CICI) Korea CQ Forum that took place at the museum, May 21. The forum intends to bring together opinion leaders and promote cultural exchanges worldwide. “The Goguryeo roof tiles, for inst

INTERVIEW How brewery waste turned into pizza dough, energy bars at RE:harvest

Food upcycling startup RE:harvest's energy bars are made from discarded grain from breweries in Korea. / Courtesy of RE:harvestRE:harvest transforms breweries' leftover grain into sustainable flourBy Park Han-solWheaty scones, juicy slices of pizza and nachos grande garnished with fresh guacamole sound perfect for a spring picnic.But in the eyes of food upcycling startup RE:harvest, these dishes become the playground for the company's signature flour ― made from the tons of grain discarded every day by breweries nationwide.Brewing drinks like beer and “sikhye” (Korean sweet rice punch) requires crushed grain, typically malted barley, which is soaked in hot water to extract its sugar and other carbohydrates. The resulting sugary liquid can be fermented with yeast to produce beer or with rice to create sikhye. But what happens to the used barley that gets left behind?Alex Min, founder and CEO of RE:harvest / Courtesy of RE:harvest“It gets thrown out ― despite its high nutritional value ― with only a fraction reprocessed as compost or animal feed for farms,” Alex

Song Hae gets Guinness recognition as 'oldest show host'

Veteran emcee Song Hae poses at KBS in Seoul, Monday, after receiving a certificate from Guinness World Records acknowledging him as the “oldest TV music talent show host.” Courtesy of KBSBy Kim RahnVeteran entertainer Song Hae, who has emceed the “National Singing Contest” for 34 years, has been recognized as the “oldest TV music talent show host” by Guinness World Records, local broadcaster KBS said, Monday.Song received a certificate from Guinness which confirmed he was “94 years and 350 days old” at the time of verification on April 12.“I attribute this to Korean TV viewers who have loved 'National Singing Contest' for such a long time,” Song was quoted as saying by KBS.Born in 1927, he began his career as an entertainer in 1955 by joining the Changgong musical troupe. While working as a comedian, actor and ratio presenter, he has since 1988 hosted the singing contest which is held at a different location every week, with thousands of residents at each location gathering at outdoor venues.While the show was planning to r

Korean Air seeks to resume Incheon-Bali flight from mid-July

Korean Air Lines aircrafts sit on tarmac at Incheon International Airport on May 16. Korean Air is seeking to resume the direct flight between Incheon and Bali from mid-July after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, industry sources said Monday. YonhapFlag carrier Korean Air Lines Co. is seeking to resume the direct flight between Incheon and Bali from mid-July after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, industry sources said Monday.Korean Air filed for resuming the direct Incheon-Bali flight July 14 to the land ministry on the day, they said.If approved, Korean Air plans to operate its A330 carrier with 272 seats twice a week, Thursdays and Sundays, on the route.Before the coronavirus, the direct flight between Incheon and the Indonesian island was one of the most popular routes offered by Korean Air and Indonesian flag carrier Garuda Indonesia. Korean Air alone floated nine direct flights for the Incheon-Bali route, until the first confirmed case of the COVID-19 in Indonesia in early March.Indonesia suspended non-visa entrance from Korea from the end-March, leading to the closu

DAILY FORTUNE - MAY 24, 2022

Night markets in Seoul set to reopen after 2-year hiatus

Streets bustle with visitors to the Seoul Bamdokkaebi Night Market in this 2016 file photo. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan GovernmentSeoul's major night markets are set to reopen, their operator said Monday, after a more than two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Seoul Metropolitan Government previously operated a number of night markets at different locations to attract tourists and offer more business opportunities for small vendors.The city government said it has begun recruiting vendors and traders that wish to participate in "Dokkaebi" night markets, although locations and the opening schedule have yet to be decided. Bamdokkaebi Night Market at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul / Courtesy of Seoul Design FoundationNight markets previously opened from 6 p.m. to midnight in locations such as Hangang Park in western Seoul, Dongdaemun Design Plaza in eastern Seoul and Cheonggye Plaza in central Seoul. A total of 3.41 million people visited the markets in 2019, the city government said.A record high of 125 food trucks and 206 vendors participated in the market in one day, it sa

Interior of some Cheong Wa Dae buildings opens to visitors

Cheong Wa Dae / YonhapOrdinary citizens visiting Cheong Wa Dae will be allowed to tour the interior of some facilities of the former presidential office in the heart of Seoul from this week, a government agency said Monday.The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said the interior of Yeongbingwan, the state reception hall, and the Chunchugwan Press Center will be partially open to visitors, beginning Monday.Visitors can check out the history of Yeongbingwan, which was previously used for state dinners and other diplomatic events, while looking at panels installed in the first floor hall and walking along the designated path, CHA said.At Chunchugwan, visitors can experience the role of a presidential spokesperson at a photo zone on the first floor before looking around the briefing room, where government policies were announced, on the second floor, it noted.Cheong Wa Dae was open to the public beginning May 10 in line with President Yoon Suk-yeol's campaign pledge.More than 5 million people applied to visit Cheong Wa Dae as of Sunday, and 377,888 successful applicants toured the va

Traditional Korean food served at state dinner for U.S. president

Seen are the Korean traditional foods made of local specialties and American ingredients served during the Korea-U.S. summit dinner at the National Museum of Korea, Seoul, Saturday. Courtesy of Presidential OfficeBy Lee Hae-rin“Hansik” or Korean cuisine was served during a state dinner hosted by President Yoon Suk-yeol for visiting U.S. President Joe Biden at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan District, Seoul, near the presidential office, on Saturday, following their summit.According to the Presidential Office, the menu served at the summit dinner was traditional Korean food made using the country's regional specialties mixed with some ingredients of American origin to represent “harmony between Korea and the U.S.”The main dish was “bibimbap” ― a mixed rice topped with cooked vegetables ― using seasonal greens from the country's eight provinces, and American beef ribs cooked sous-vide with Korean soy sauce. Rice cake with American nuts and rice from Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, was served as dessert.The dinner menu was paired with three wines f

DAILY FORTUNE - MAY 23, 2022

2 artists of Korean descent question hegemonic frameworks of race, gender

Two artists of Korean descent ― Busan-born Dutch creator Sara Sejin Chang, left, and Korean-American artist Young Joon Kwak ― speak during a press preview at the Arko Art Center in Seoul, Wednesday, for “All About Love,” their first-ever exhibition in Korea. / Courtesy of Arko Art Center Exhibition features Sara Sejin Chang's examination of transnational adoption industry, Young Joon Kwak's exploration of body and gender identitiesBy Park Han-solContemporary viewers have been bearing witness to the art world's trend in recent years of questioning, critiquing and dismantling hegemonic cultural frameworks ― Western-centric, patriarchal and heteronormative ― in efforts to bring “peripheral” narratives into the spotlight. Such long-overdue challenging of normative ideas around race, gender, sexuality and nationality is now being highlighted at the Arko Art Center in central Seoul, specifically through the works of Busan-born Dutch creator Sara Sejin Chang and Korean Ame