Lifestyle

Korean professor selected as member of new UN AI panel

A Korean expert has been selected as a member of a new U.N. body on artificial intelligence (AI) tasked with assessing various aspects of AI and its impact on human lives, the foreign ministry said Friday. Kim Ju-ho, a professor at the School of Computing of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), was among the 40 experts selected to the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI, the ministry said. Kim is known for his expertise in the human-computer interaction and human-AI interaction research. The panel was established under a U.N. resolution adopted in August last year. It has been mandated to assess opportunities, risks and impacts of AI in the non-military domain and produce an annual report, which will be presented at the U.N. dialogue on AI governance.

Feb 13, 2026By Yonhap

Korean professor selected as member of new UN AI panel

Korean Heritage

Beyond tourist trinkets: A guide to K-heritage souvenirs (1)

As interest in Korean heritage grows both at home and abroad, so too does the market for heritage-inspired merchandise — souvenirs that move beyond generic trinkets and instead reinterpret cultural assets in contemporary, usable forms. The most notable producer of these gift items is the National Museum of Korea, which has sold its official merchandise under the rebranded name MU:DS, a portmanteau of “museum” and “goods,” since 2022. These products aim to translate the value of traditional culture into creative, practical objects suited to modern life. One of the biggest hits is the miniature replicas of Pensive Bodhisattva statues Nos. 78 and 83, which gained unexpected popularity after appearing on BTS member RM’s social media. The items later expanded into limited editions, including one marking the 80th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan, featuring Owen N. Denny’s Taegeukgi flag in the figure’s hand, alongside more playful variations incorporating the K-heart hand gesture or a thumbs up pose. Beyond these viral successes, MU:DS offers an extensive range

Feb 13, 2026

Beyond tourist trinkets: A guide to K-heritage souvenirs (1)

Beyond tourist trinkets: A guide to K-heritage souvenirs (2)

Arts & Theater

From cosmos to erasure, late Korean masters revisited at global galleries

As 2026 begins, a string of international blue-chip galleries are turning their Seoul spaces over to late Korean masters. One exhibition stages a quiet, transnational conversation between artists shaped by exile; another turns its gaze to the final decade of a painter’s life. Together, these shows linger on masters whose legacies continue to unfold well beyond their lifetimes. Exile and cosmos: Rhee Seundja, Etel Adnan at White Cube Seoul At White Cube Seoul, a dialogue takes shape between two late women artists — Korea's Rhee Seundja (1918-2009) and Lebanese American Etel Adnan (1925-2021). Born 5,000 miles apart, both gravitated toward Paris, where they forged their respective languages of abstraction. Titled “To meet the sun,” the exhibition gathers their paintings and tapestries, tracing an encounter between practices shaped by displacement. Rhee’s move to France during the upheaval of the 1950-53 Korean War marked a decisive turning point. Separated from her three young sons, she arrived in Paris confronting both personal loss and the male-dominated terrain of postwar abstr

Feb 13, 2026By Park Han-sol

From cosmos to erasure, late Korean masters revisited at global galleries

K-pop

BLACKPINK teams up with National Museum of Korea to launch new EP 'DEADLINE'

K-pop girl group BLACKPINK is expanding its upcoming album rollout beyond music, launching a collaborative project with the National Museum of Korea (NMK) that blends the band's global influence with Korean cultural heritage. According to the museum and the group's label, YG Entertainment, the “National Museum of Korea X BLACKPINK” initiative will run from Feb. 27 to March 8 to coincide with the release of the group’s third EP, “DEADLINE.” The project marks the first time a K-pop act has undertaken a large-scale collaboration with the state-run museum, with global audio streaming platform Spotify joining as an official partner. As part of the event, the museum's exterior and outdoor plaza will be illuminated in pink lighting — the group's signature color — daily from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., offering a nighttime viewing experience for the public. Inside the museum, a dedicated listening zone will be installed along a “Path to History,” located in the east wing of the museum, allowing visitors to hear the full album starting on Feb. 27 at 2 p.m., the moment of its official re

Feb 12, 2026By Pyo Kyung-min

BLACKPINK teams up with National Museum of Korea to launch new EP 'DEADLINE'

Lifestyle

Culture minister says BTS’ Gwanghwamun concert will showcase Korea to world

Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young said BTS’ upcoming concert in Seoul will be a major opportunity to promote Korea and its culture to the world, pledging full government support to ensure the event is both successful and safe. “We see this as a prime opportunity to showcase Korea’s traditional culture as well as the very essence of the country to the world. That’s why the ministry has been closely consulting with the BTS team to make the concert successful and safe,” Chae said during a press conference, Thursday. The mega K-pop group's free concert is slated for March 21 at Gwanghwamun Square in downtown Seoul. According to local police, the event could draw as many as 260,000 people to the venue. “The fact that an artist like BTS is kicking off a new chapter at Gwanghwamun Square, Korea’s most iconic spot, is very meaningful and I feel truly grateful to BTS,” Chae said. He added that the government will ensure that BTS fans visiting from abroad have a memorable experience during their stay. "As many tourists are expected from overseas, we will make sure their visit is fun

Feb 12, 2026By Kim Se-jeong

Culture minister says BTS’ Gwanghwamun concert will showcase Korea to world

Korean Heritage

6.7-meter map of Joseon unfurls in full at National Museum of Korea

“Daedongyeojido” is a landmark 19th-century map of the Korean Peninsula created by cartographer Kim Jeong-ho. Completed in 1861 during the late Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), it was designed as a folding atlas divided into 22 accordion-style panels for portability. When joined together, the panels form a national map measuring approximately 6.7 meters in height and 3.8 meters in width. Regarded as the quintessential portrait of 19th-century Joseon, “Daedongyeojido” is celebrated for its cartographic precision. Mountain ranges and waterways are rendered in meticulous detail, while evenly spaced dots along the roads allow viewers to gauge actual distances. The map also incorporates a system of symbols denoting administrative centers, military facilities, transportation routes and economic hubs. The National Museum of Korea in central Seoul unveiled the artifact in its fully unfolded form in the building’s main hallway on Thursday, printing high-resolution images from its collection onto hanji (traditional Korean paper). Installed along the passageway, the display allows visitors to

Feb 12, 2026By Park Han-sol

6.7-meter map of Joseon unfurls in full at National Museum of Korea

Arts & Theater

Christine Sun Kim to turn sign language into animation at MMCA Seoul

Korean American artist Christine Sun Kim has been selected as this year’s invited creator for “MMCA X LG OLED,” an exhibition series launched by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA), in partnership with LG Electronics. Introduced last year, the annual initiative highlights contemporary visual experiments that push and expand the language of media in today’s ever-evolving digital landscape. Each edition invites one artist or collective to produce a large-scale, site-specific installation for Seoul Box, MMCA Seoul’s open exhibition space defined by its 14-meter-high ceilings. Drawing on her lived experience as a Deaf artist navigating a hearing-centered world, Kim explores sound not as a purely acoustic phenomenon but as a socially constructed system shaped by power and access. Working through the body, American Sign Language (ASL) and graphic notation, she reveals how meaning is transmitted and often distorted across different systems of communication. For her Seoul Box presentation, the artist is set to unveil a large-scale animated video installati

Feb 12, 2026By Park Han-sol

Christine Sun Kim to turn sign language into animation at MMCA Seoul

Travel & Food

Theme parks, resorts offer Korean holiday experiences for Lunar New Year staycations

Korean theme parks, resorts and hotels are rolling out family-friendly events that blend tradition with modern entertainment for the Lunar New Year, offering travelers alternatives to going abroad. From folk games to fortune-telling markets and rooftop fusion concerts, destinations are racing to turn the holiday break into a full “K-holiday” experience. In Seoul, Lotte World is using its cluster of attractions to position Jamsil as an all‑in‑one holiday destination. At Lotte World Adventure, mascots will greet visitors in traditional Korean clothes during the main holiday period, with photo sessions and folk games scheduled throughout the day. The adjacent Lotte World Folk Museum is pushing a more traditional angle. During the holiday, visitors can try folk games such as the board game "yutnori" and "tuho," a target game, and take part in workshops exploring wishes for prosperity and protection, like hanging talismans or filling fortune pouches with symbolic grains. Lotte World Aquarium will present aquarists in hanbok in ecology talks and New Year's greeting sessions. They will

Feb 12, 2026By Lee Hae-rin

Theme parks, resorts offer Korean holiday experiences for Lunar New Year staycations

People & Events

Korea Foundation appoints Rami Kim as inaugural Korea Chair at UK’s IISS

Rami Kim, an expert in nuclear technology and East Asian security, has been appointed as the inaugural Korea Chair at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London. The Korea Chair at IISS is the first permanent Korea-focused research professorship established at a European policy institute. Korea Foundation, which created the position with support from Hanwha, said the appointment marks a milestone in strengthening Korea’s presence within European security and policy networks. IISS, founded in 1958, is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading security think tanks. It publishes The Military Balance, a globally referenced assessment of defense capabilities, and hosts high-level international security forums including the Shangri-la Dialogue in Asia. Based at IISS headquarters, Kim will conduct research on advanced technologies and defense and security issues, areas expected to grow in strategic importance as geopolitical competition intensifies. Kim officially assumed the role Monday (local time). Before joining IISS, Kim served as a professor at the Daniel K

Feb 12, 2026By Jung Da-hyun

Korea Foundation appoints Rami Kim as inaugural Korea Chair at UK’s IISS

Arts & Theater

What happens when art refuses to be timeless?

What happens when art refuses to obey its most basic promise: to endure? At the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA) Seoul, an exhibition turns that question inside out, finding poetry not in permanence but in decay. It comes with a rather evocative title, “Sak-da: The Poetics of Decomposition.” “Sak-da” is a layered Korean verb. Depending on context, it can mean “to rot” or “to lose vitality.” But it can also describe fermentation, a process which does not destroy, but transforms, producing new flavors and aromas. That dual meaning runs through the show, binding together more than 50 works by 15 artists and collectives. The materials here are restless. They rot, dry out, sprout and gather mold. Sometimes, they fall apart entirely — conditions museums typically try very hard to prevent. Traditionally, the museum has cast itself as a guardian of the timeless: a place that preserves objects in their most ideal conditions, so they may be passed down intact to future generations. “Sak-da” deliberately pushes against that mandate. Here, decay is not a fla

Feb 11, 2026By Park Han-sol

For KOFICE chief, MyK FESTA goes beyond K-pop

Singing bowls and Buddhist temples: Seoul's certified tour program shows different side of city

Speaking contest witnesses growing influence of Korean culture

New sanctuary reinterprets classical Korean garden on Mount Nam

To draw K-pop fans beyond Seoul, Korea leverages their 'BIAS'

Korea hits 10 mil. tourist milestone month ahead of last year’s pace

Meet Korea’s pioneering ‘instant noodle critic’

Kim Dan-bi promoted to principal at Houston Ballet

Lifestyle

For KOFICE chief, MyK FESTA goes beyond K-pop

Singing bowls and Buddhist temples: Seoul's certified tour program shows different side of city

Speaking contest witnesses growing influence of Korean culture

New sanctuary reinterprets classical Korean garden on Mount Nam

To draw K-pop fans beyond Seoul, Korea leverages their 'BIAS'

Korea hits 10 mil. tourist milestone month ahead of last year’s pace

Meet Korea’s pioneering ‘instant noodle critic’

Kim Dan-bi promoted to principal at Houston Ballet

Read more

Korean professor selected as member of new UN AI panel

Beyond tourist trinkets: A guide to K-heritage souvenirs (1)

From cosmos to erasure, late Korean masters revisited at global galleries

BLACKPINK teams up with National Museum of Korea to launch new EP 'DEADLINE'

Culture minister says BTS’ Gwanghwamun concert will showcase Korea to world

6.7-meter map of Joseon unfurls in full at National Museum of Korea

Christine Sun Kim to turn sign language into animation at MMCA Seoul

Theme parks, resorts offer Korean holiday experiences for Lunar New Year staycations

Korea Foundation appoints Rami Kim as inaugural Korea Chair at UK’s IISS

What happens when art refuses to be timeless?

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