National Hangeul Museum to reopen in 2028 after fire damage repairs

Severe structural damage from a February fire has pushed the projected reopening of the National Hangeul Museum to 2028, the museum announced Tuesday following a safety inspection. The museum, which opened in 2014 and closed temporarily in October 2024 for expansion work, had been set to reopen on Hangeul Day, Oct. 9. “Based on the inspection results, the museum plans to begin design work this October and start construction in July 2026. The museum will reopen in October 2028,” the museum said.

Sept. 9, 2025

Dress up like 'KPop Demon Hunters,' discover magpies, tigers

With global buzz around Netflix's “KPop Demon Hunters” still going strong, two major museums are rolling out special programs allowing visitors to enjoy Korean culture not only through art, but through playful engagement. Leeum Museum of Art in Yongsan, central Seoul, recently opened its “Tigers and Magpies” exhibition, featuring the two beloved animals frequently found in Korean traditional paintings. The tiger and magpie are often shown as Korean cultural mascots. They also prominently appear

Sept. 9, 2025

Seoul PopCon returns with games, webtoons, K-dramas and celebrity guests

Seoul Pop Culture Convention, also known as Seoul PopCon, is set to take over Coex in southern Seoul this weekend, uniting fans of gaming, webtoons, K-dramas and more. Now in its fourth year, the convention has grown into a global showcase for all things Korea, spanning games, comics, animation, film, television and music — serving both as a fan playground and a business platform for industry insiders. This year, the convention is mainly divided into three themed zones: GameCon, ComicCon and Liv

Sept. 9, 2025

Frieze Seoul proves Asian strength, but Korean collectors still wary

Having become the biggest art event in Seoul, the fourth collaboration between Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul wrapped up Sunday at Coex, attracting more than 80,000 visitors, including representatives from over 160 leading museums and institutions, according to the two fair organizers. Frieze Seoul, inaugurated in 2022, has swept in the whole city, immersing the capital in art every year from late August to early September. The city responded with the introduction of Seoul Art Week to coincide with

Sept. 8, 2025

Korea Heritage Service invites N. Korea to UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Busan next year

The Korea Heritage Service aims to have North Korea attend the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee to be held in Busan in July next year. "We are planning to invite North Korea. However, rather than carrying this out solely on our own, I have sent a letter to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay," said Huh Min, administrator of the Korea Heritage Service, during a press briefing in Seoul on Monday. Huh said he asked Azoulay to mediate so that the two Koreas can participate toge

Sept. 8, 2025

Sawasdee Seoul Festival 2025 marks Thai-Korean ties with culture and ceremony

Thailand’s biggest cultural showcase in South Korea wrapped up Sunday after drawing thousands of visitors to Cheonggye Plaza in downtown Seoul, marking expanding cultural and diplomatic ties between the two countries as the festival celebrated its 10th anniversary. The Sawasdee Seoul Thai Festival 2025, held on Sept. 6 and 7, was hosted by the Royal Thai Embassy in Seoul and supported by both Thai and Korean government partners. This year’s edition, held under the theme “Discover Thailand,” was

Sept. 8, 2025

Thai drama star Nanon on stage in Seoul: “We carry warmth into our stories”

Just minutes after stepping off stage at Cheonggye Plaza, Thai actor and singer Korapat “Nanon” Kirdpan met with The Korea Herald during the opening day of the Sawasdee Seoul Thai Festival 2025 on Saturday, his voice still warm with adrenaline from a performance that pulled one of the day’s largest crowds. The rain had been steady throughout the day, but the energy in the plaza remained high. Despite the weather, crowds lined the area from early morning, with many fans waiting under umbrellas or

Sept. 7, 2025

[Interview] When snake eats its own tail: Pace Gallery's Marc Glimcher sees art world at turning point

In the eyes of Pace Gallery CEO Marc Glimcher, the global art world moves in 30-year cycles — and the current one is nearing its end, making way for the next. Over the past three decades, the art world has expanded at a frenetic pace, with galleries, fairs and auction houses growing even faster than the artists themselves. “In the past 30 years, the art world has undergone a period of super, hyper expansion. The commercial aspect got overemphasized in those years,” Glimcher told The Korea Herald

Sept. 7, 2025

G-Dragon meets PUBG: Battlegrounds

K-pop icon G-Dragon is making his gaming debut through a major collaboration with Krafton’s global hit shooter game, PUBG: Battlegrounds. The crossover will roll out across platforms throughout September, starting with the PC version Wednesday, followed by the console version Sept. 18 and the mobile version on Sept. 19. While Krafton has yet to disclose specific details of its collaboration with G-Dragon, the company stated that the tie-in will feature a range of special events and experiences d

Sept. 7, 2025

Thai traditions and T-pop energy share the spotlight at Cheonggye Plaza in Seoul

Rain swept through central Seoul on Saturday, but it didn’t stop the crowds from showing up early, and staying late, for one of the capital’s liveliest cultural weekends in recent months. The Sawasdee Seoul Thai Festival 2025, held at Cheonggye Plaza, returned for its 10th anniversary with a program that blended tradition, pop music and community pride. According to organizers at the Royal Thai Embassy in Seoul, thousands of visitors attended on the first day alone, despite periods of heavy rain

Sept. 7, 2025

'Golden' from 'Kpop Demon Hunters' OST tops British Official chart for 5th week

"Golden," the smash hit single from the original soundtrack of the Netflix animation film "Kpop Demon Hunters," has topped the British Official Singles Chart Top 100 for a fifth week in total. According to the chart unveiled Friday, "Golden" claimed the top spot for the fourth consecutive week. It first reached No. 1 on the chart on Aug. 1. The song by the film's fictional girl group Huntr/x was sung by Ejae, a composer who trained at SM Entertainment; Korean American singer Audrey Nuna; and Sou

Sept. 6, 2025

R.O.K.A.: the Korean Army T-shirt that's taking over the streets

In South Korea, every man is required to serve in the military, usually between the ages of 18 and 28. Because of that, spotting young men in uniform or military-related clothing is nothing unusual. What might surprise outsiders, however, is how a plain black T-shirt stamped with “R.O.K.A.,” which is short for Republic of Korea Army, has suddenly become one of the country’s hottest fashion staples. Middle and high school students wear one to class, college students sport one on campus, and even

Sept. 5, 2025

LG OLED brings Park Seo-Bo's nature-inspired colors to life at Frieze Seoul 2025

Park Seo-bo, a master of Korean dansaekhwa, believed that nature speaks in colors beyond words. He drew inspiration from the hues of his surroundings — from the orange of ripe persimmons and the green of spring leaves to the deep black of soot. A pioneer of Korean contemporary art, Park rooted dansaekhwa, an art movement that emerged in Korea in the late 1960s, in the principles of repetition, emptiness and healing. The late artist’s iconic "Ecriture" series — which evolved from early pencil wor

Sept. 4, 2025

Frieze, Kiaf Seoul 2025: quieter opening, stronger Asian presence

Now in its fourth year, Frieze and Kiaf Seoul opened to VIPs and media Wednesday at Coex, southern Seoul, to a quieter scene, seemingly past the excitement and buzz the global art fair received when it first arrived in the city. Frieze Seoul, which has collaborated with Seoul-based art fair Kiaf Seoul since its inaugural edition in 2022, has been the talk of the town every September, attracting local and international art lovers, collectors, curators and experts to the some 300 galleries taking

Sept. 3, 2025

[Design Forum] Creative voices shape conversation on Korean design's global stature

Design Miami's inaugural Asian edition entered its second day Tuesday at Seoul's Dongdaemun Design Plaza, shifting from exhibition halls to the conference room as the Design Talks program brought together artists and industry leaders to discuss Korean design's rapidly evolving global presence. The panel discussions, co-organized with the Herald Design Forum, drew approximately 200 attendees to DDP's Lawn Room for four sessions exploring how Korean creative practices are reshaping the internation

Sept. 3, 2025