Kongjwi and Patjwi: Cinderella tale offers insight into old Korea The story of Kongjwi and Patjwi is a beloved and popular Korean folktale made around the late Joseon period. The folktale is known to exist in 17 variant forms, and the novel version was first published in 1928. Often compared to the Western…
DetailsFashionista: Jeon Ji-hyun in ‘My Love From the Star’ There is a growing number of people today who watch Korea-made soap operas and listen to Korean hip hop and dance music. This recent uptick in media consumption has brought increased attention to elements of the nation’s mass media and content industry. One of this…
DetailsKorean classical music, dance, theater showcased in London A wide range of Korean culture from music to dance has been shown in and around London as one of the main themes – Seoul in the City – of the 52nd City of London Festival, which started on June 22. The “Seoul in…
Details‘Cultural Partners’ bridge different cultures On July 12, all spotlight was focused on a group of international musicians as they started playing unfamiliar, exotic musical instruments on a domestic stage. Their instruments, including Uzbekistan’s stringed gijjak, similar to a violin, Mongolia’s morin khuur, a violin-sized string instrument, the Nigerian sekere, a type of shaker and bata drum, a double-headed…
DetailsSingin’ in the room noraebang nights Ask a Korean the biggest cultural oddities facing a Westerner in his country, and you will likely hear a commentary on terrifyingly spicy food, unfailing reverence for the elderly or the perils of trying to master chopsticks. Ask a Westerner, however, and the list transforms. What the…
DetailsJeju Island offers paradise for fireflies Fireflies light up the Cheongsu Gotjawal forest of Jeju Island in summer. A lot of Hotaria unmunsana, an “unmunsan” variety of fireflies, have recently been confirmed to be inhabiting the Cheongsu Gotjawal area, said the Warm-temperate and Subtropical Forest Research Center of the Korea Forestry Promotion Institute…
DetailsShopping haven: Dongdaemun district The tide of popularity of Korean soap operas is sweeping into shopping forays. There is a constant inflow of foreign visitors to Korea who are eager to purchase “Korean-made” goods, rather than simply sitting and watching a flood of cultural content come into their home territories. According to the…
DetailsKorea’s medical tourism boom Korea’s cutting-edge, low-cost medical services are drawing a global audience. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, over 200,000 overseas patients came to Korea to receive treatment last year. Some 211,218 patients from 191 different countries underwent treatment at Korean hospitals in 2013, generating KRW 39.34 billion in…
DetailsReality TV shows come under global spotlight Korean reality TV shows are attracting a growing amount of interest from international fans. It was the traditional perception of the media that, unlike soap operas and K-pop music that help people communicate via melodies, rhythm and subtitles, reality programs would not so easily connect to…
DetailsLG Display unveils flexible, transparent OLED displays A display panel is rolled up like paper. It is also as transparent as glass. This is not a scene from a movie any more. In a world’s first, LG Display has unveiled both an 18-inch flexible Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED) panel and an 18-inch…
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