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Fri, April 27, 2018 | 00:23

Culture > Korean Traditions >

Changsin-dong shows rise, fall of sweatshops

The sound of sewing machine runs down the maze-like small alleys from a ventilating pipe that is connected to a basement workshop of a family-owned small sewing factory. Fabric rolls are sitting in corners and motorcycles carrying fabrics and clothes run down the alleys. Located in Seoul's central district of Jongo, Changsin-dong, a region densely packed with textile factorie...

Korean Traditions | 2018-04-15 16:42

The first steam engine car in Joseon

In early spring 1909, a great beast, 15 feet long, five feet wide and weighing nearly three tons, roared through the streets of Seoul. Slow-moving oxen, heavily laden with firewood, stately gentlemen out for a morning stroll, peddlers with their ponderous burden of wares, Korean ponies (notorious for their orneriness and biting) and snarling dogs were all forced to scramble f...

Korean Traditions | 2018-04-05 20:56

Korea pushes lantern festival for UNESCO heritage list

The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) submitted Yeondeunghoe (Lotus Lantern Festival) to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, according to the CHA Monday.

Korean Traditions | 2018-04-02 15:10

Pansori singer Kim Jun-sun completes first full episode

The 26-year-old pansori singer Kim Jun-su completed a full recital of "Sugung-ga" at the KB Haneul Round Theater of the National Theater of Korea in central Seoul, Saturday. He performed the pansori piece, which is South Jeolla Provincial Intangible Cultural Property No. 29-4. It is known for its humorous style, featuring personification of animals such as a terrapin and a ra...

Korean Traditions | 2018-03-27 16:57

Donkeys in Korea

Donkeys were once a source of pride in Joseon -- at least according to Horace Allen, the U.S. minister to Korea, who wrote: “Formerly, when a man had attained a certain rank he might ride a donkey. This gentle animal therefore became the pride of the hearts of the lesser officials. A donkey with a good loud bray and a tendency to exercise his vocal organs was most highly prized, since every one near would, on hearing the noise, realize at once that that was the house of an official, while the less favored neighbors would take pride to themselves from the thus loudly proclaimed fact that thei...

Korean Traditions | 2018-03-26 18:50

Honoring Confucian sages [PHOTOS]

Sungkyunkwan University students perform a traditional Korean dance “palilmu” during a grand ritual in honor of Confucius and Confucian sages called “Seokjeon” at the school’s shrine, Daeseongjeon, Monday. The performance is designated as Korea’s 85th Intangible Cultural Asset.

Korean Traditions | 2018-03-26 15:29

Hit by high rent, Insa-dong loses its identity

Hong Soo-hi, the owner of Koohasanbang, Insa-dong's oldest remaining “pilbang” or ink brush store, deplores the fact the cultural heritage street is no longer what it used to be.“There's nothing to see,” the 70-year-old complains as he prepares instant coffee behind the counter. “That's why most tourists just leave after a quick glance.”

Korean Traditions | 2018-03-25 18:02

Pansori meets contemporary dance in 'Red Cliff'

The dynamic battle of Red Cliffs became a performance combining "pansori" (Korean traditional narrative music) and powerful choreography at the Jeongdong Theater in central Seoul.While traditional pansori is commonly decried as outdated and boring these days, the Jeongdong production condensed the contents to 90 minutes and added contemporary choreography.

Korean Traditions | 2018-03-18 17:16

Clash of superstitions

By Robert Neff In May 1899, superstition and modernization clashed in the streets of Seoul. The country was suffering from a severe drought and some Korean leaders, who objected to modernization, used the superstitions of the common people to blame the American-owned Seoul Electric Railway for the lack of rain. They insisted the electrical wires interfered with the spirits governing the rain while others argued the electrical plant's power house had desecrated the hallowed ground upon which it was built and no rain would fall until it was removed. Others, probably after the streetcars began...

Korean Traditions | 2018-03-16 17:04

Why Seoul expats choose Korean names

A Brazilian executive at a major South Korean brewery made headlines Tuesday when he announced that he now had a Korean name. Oriental Brewery CEO Bruno Cosentino is now Ko Dong-woo. The brewery, owned by Brazilian-Belgian transnationalbeverage and brewing company AB InBev, said Tuesday Cosentino got the Korean name from a professional naming office. The name was chosen after...

Korean Traditions | 2018-03-07 17:55

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Missile attack on Syria