The Korea Times - Home

Site Map PDF Subscription Register LogIn
Site Map PDF Subscription Register LogIn

Did you know that ...

Wed, June 20, 2018 | 08:36

Culture > Korean Traditions >

Improvisation extends possibilities of Korean music

At the Yeowoorak Festival, which celebrates unlimited possibilities of Korean music, there is something new and unique every year. This year, the festival set stages for reunions of legendary Korean music performers such as master pansori singer Ahn Sook-sun and her friends for "Ahn Sook-sun & Jieum" and the return of Korean music ensemble Baramgot in six years for "Bari Sina...

Korean Traditions | 2018-06-14 17:20

Korean music ventures out at Yeowoorak Festival

Korean music ventures out at Yeowoorak Festival

Yeowoorak Festival, a popular festival experimenting with the possibilities of Korean music, returns to the National Theater of Korea on Namsan Mountain from July 6-22. The festival's title comes from an abbreviation of a Korean sentence "yeogi woori eumagi itda," meaning "here is our music." Though "our music" refers to "gugak" (Korean traditional music), Yeowoorak is open t...

Korean Traditions | 2018-06-14 17:14

Improvisation extends possibilities of Korean music

Palace concert emerges as tourist hotspot

A group of musicians clad in "hanbok" (Korean traditional costume) gather in front of Heungnyemun Gate of Gyeongbok Palace, the largest among Seoul's five grand palaces from the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom. As they start to play "Daechwita," traditional Korean military music, visitors flock to the energetic tune and stroll through the palace with the musicians.

Korean Traditions | 2018-05-23 17:57

Gov't to open 16 more King Sejong Institute centers abroad

The government said Wednesday it will establish 16 new state-run King Sejong Institutes in 13 countries for foreigners wanting to learn Korean language and culture. They were chosen among 56 applicants in 31 countries, mostly national or state universities with courses in the Korean language.

Korean Traditions | 2018-05-23 10:25

Becoming adult a solemn affair [PHOTOS]

About 100 Korean teenagers took part in a traditional coming-of-age ceremony on Monday to celebrate becoming adults.

Korean Traditions | 2018-05-21 15:36

Peterson to offer 'frog out of well' view

Mark Peterson, 71, a “Koreanist,” has enjoyed a charmed life, according to his and his late mother’s account. “That’s what my mother used to say, because I travel between Korea and the United States so often,” said Peterson, associate professor of Korean, Asian and Near Eastern languages at Brigham Young University in Utah. His mother said traveling between her hometown of Sn...

Korean Traditions | 2018-05-04 08:25

'Simcheong-ga': no tricks, but eye-opening

The tale of Sim Cheong, which revolves around a girl who sacrifices herself to regain her father's eyesight, is a popular folktale. This well-known story also exists in the form of pansori (Korean traditional narrative singing) and traditionally a pansori singer would have to spend four to five hours telling the whole story.

Korean Traditions | 2018-05-02 17:59

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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Daily life in North Korea