Thousands of people make kimchi with hands, heart More than 2,300 people gather at the 2014 Seoul Kimchi Making & Sharing Festival, joining a giant kimchi-making event at Seoul Plaza on November 14. During this time of the year, families, their relatives and next-door neighbors sit around together and prepare kimchi, the range…
Popular snacks for more than 50 years Across the cities of Korea, we can find many bakeries on the street. It is easy to see people enjoying well-baked buns and coffee or drinks of their choice inside the bread and pastry shops. Bread has become an essential part of the Korean diet, which…
‘Hamlet’ wraps up year of celebrating Shakespeare Starting earlier this year, timeless pieces like “Macbeth,” “The Tempest,” “King Lear,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Othello” and “Julius Caesar” took to the stage to perform for local audiences on the occasion of the 450th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s birth. From the famous to the lesser-known,…
New twist on ancient love tale: Chun-hyang on the stage The classical tale of the “Chunhyangjeon,” the love story between Seong Chun-hyang and Lee Mong-ryong, is a much-read and familiar story to the Korean world. Now, a U.S.-based theater director is telling the love story from a different point of view. Theater director…
KAI continues to widen his musical spectrum “You can call me a jack-of-all-trades kind of musician who always ventures out to seek things new and curious.” So said Chung Ki-yeol, the singer and actor who goes by the stage name of KAI. The musician has so far released two full-length albums. Those albums…
Autumn colors: when the skies turn blue and the hillsides crimson, Korea is at its best Any expat that has lived in Korea for more than a month has undoubtedly been treated to one or more short lectures on the country’s four distinct seasons. Along with Korean food, the weather and seasons are…
Ssireum Lives On Four Korean ssireum wrestlers performed on Switzerland’s Gornergrat ridge, directly in front of the iconic peak of the Matterhorn, as part of the Swiss Alpine wrestling festival from Sept. 12–14. Demonstrating the essence of their sport before Swiss spectators, the wrestlers received a warm welcome from the fans. Spectators were…
NYT describes festive atmosphere of Korean baseball The celebratory atmosphere of Korean baseball is no less dynamic than in any other country. Cheerleaders kick and jump and spectators bang out a rhythm with their noise-making plastic tubes, chanting and singing in perfect unison to support their team. This is an everyday scene at…
Rural experience with expats in Korea A farm tour took place in Gyeonggi-do (Gyeonggi Province) on November 8. Over 30 people took part in the event, including foreign correspondents and their families, taking the opportunity to look around some of the pastoral tourist attractions surrounding Seoul. Participants toured Soomy Village, the Euna Farm…
Joseon white porcelain found underwater off west coast Some 111 pieces of white porcelain have been discovered underwater off the west coast near Taean County, Chungcheongnam-do (South Chungcheong Province). The collection of white porcelain is believed to be from late Joseon times (1392-1910), produced sometime between the late 18th century and the early…
