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UNESCO World Heritage in Gyeongju
Traces of a civilization’s radiant legacy Gyeongju, the ancient capital of the Silla Kingdom (57 BC-AD 935), stands as a living testament to Korea’s golden age, where culture, science and the arts flourished for a millennium. Its remarkable heritage includes Seokguram, Bulguksa and the Gyeongju Historic Areas — all inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Gyeongju Historic Areas comprise five zones — Mount Namsan, Wolseong, Tumuli Park, Hwangnyongsa and Sanseong Fortress — each represent
Oct. 29, 2025 -
Gyeongju exhibitions connect heritage with contemporary life
GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province — As world leaders gather in Gyeongju this week for high-profile APEC 2025 meetings under the theme “Building a Sustainable Tomorrow: Connect, Innovate, Prosper,” a parallel exhibition and its satellite show engage in the same dialogue, translating themes of connection and innovation into the language of Korean craft. “Heritage for Tomorrow,” at the Cheongun Hybrid Complex, and "Harmony," at the House of Choi, a centuries-old family estate where several world
Oct. 29, 2025 -
'Squid Game' star Lee Jung-jae returns to Korean TV with a rom-com about chasing different roles
"I'm starting to think she brought me on just to mess with me," Lee Jung-jae said during Tuesday's online press conference, only half-joking. "I keep asking, 'Why are you treating me like this?' The Emmy winner for "Squid Game" is making his return to Korean television after wrapping three seasons of the Netflix survival drama, and he's picked something deliberately lighter: "Nice to Not Meet You," a rom-com that's all banter, casual misunderstandings, and zero deadly games that drench you in bl
Oct. 29, 2025 -
Forum discusses Gyeongju's historical significance
In commemoration of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which opened Thursday in the southeastern city of Gyeongju, a forum was held Sunday to discuss the city's value as a UNESCO-designated cultural heritage site and its place in the ancient network of economic and cultural exchange between the East and West known as the Silk Road. Scholars from around the world and local citizens participated in the forum "The Starting Point of the Silk Road, Gyeongju," held at Singyeongju University
Oct. 29, 2025 -
Folk hero Hong Gil-dong soars back in 'Madangnori' spectacle with gender-swap twist
Madangnori performed by theater company Michoo is returning to the National Theater of Korea’s year-end madangnori series, offering a joyful Korean-style celebration to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new. Directed by Sohn Jin-chaek, with music by Park Bum-hoon, choreography by Guk Su-ho and traditional performance direction by Kim Seong-nyeo -- the original creative team that defined the golden age of madangnori in the 1980s -- the new production “Madangnori Hong Gildong” reimagine
Oct. 29, 2025 -
Historic Grand Bell Awards back on auction block after failed sale
The trademark rights to South Korea's Grand Bell Awards are being auctioned for the second time in less than two years after the organization that acquired the rights earlier this year failed to complete payment. The bankruptcy trustee for the Federation of Korean Filmmakers, an umbrella organization representing film industry associations that hosted the awards, recently announced the auction of the Grand Bell Awards trademark, a legal representative for the federation confirmed to The Korea He
Oct. 29, 2025 -
'Children of the Fourth Person' gives voice to victims
Author Kim Ana, who was announced as the winner of the 15th Honbul Literary Award earlier this month for her novel "Children of the Fourth Person," began writing the book as a way to reach out to those who might have lived through the same painful experiences she had. The story begins with two children, Gwangji and Aurora, who grow up in a town called “P.” They are sent to an island facility named Happy Children's Welfare Foundation, also called “Haengabok,” which sounds similar to the Korean wo
Oct. 28, 2025 -
AI filmmakers set sights on global stage as Seoul festival connects to Cannes
By Kim Young-sang The World AI Film Festival is bringing its celebration of artificial intelligence and cinema to Seoul, with WAIFF Seoul 2026 set to unfold March 6-7, 2026, at Lotte World Tower in Songpa-gu. The event is organized by Vision Culture, a content strategy agency, and sponsored by Lotte. WAIFF represents an international network of festivals exploring the artistic merger of film and AI. The festival was founded by Institut EuropIA in Nice, France, before expanding to Brazil, Japan,
Oct. 28, 2025 -
'Little Amelie' from France wins feature grand prize at Bucheon, AI debate takes center stage
France's "Little Amelie" by Mailys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han claimed the grand prize at the 27th Bucheon International Animation Festival on Sunday, as the festival announced the winners of its feature-length competition midway through the five-day event. "Little Amelie," a watercolor-toned portrait of childhood empathy and growth, which premiered at Cannes in May, competed against nine other international features. Japan's "Zombie Land Saga: Yumeginga Paradise" secured the audience award, while
Oct. 27, 2025 -
Three generations of Korean ballet on one stage
Three generations of Korean ballet dancers will share the stage this week — not as fellow dancers, but as choreographer, stager and performer. Together, Hue Young-soon, Kim Ji-young and Kang Hyo-jung embody Korea’s evolving presence on the world’s ballet stages, from its early pioneers to its contemporary stars. The three stars come together for Seoul Metropolitan Ballet’s season finale “Hans van Manen & Hue Young-soon” at Sejong Center’s M Theater, from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2. The double bill pairs
Oct. 27, 2025 -
KTO hosts K-beauty, medical fair in Japan to boost medical tourism
The Korea Tourism Organization announced on Monday its hosting of the 2025 Korea Beauty & Medical Fair in Japan, the largest source of medical tourists to Korea, through Tuesday. The fair opened in Tokyo on Friday, drawing over 10,000 visitors, and continues in Osaka through Tuesday. Japanese actress Kyoko Hasegawa was appointed as Korea’s honorary tourism ambassador and, during a talk, shared her travel experiences in Korea. According to KTO, Japan accounted for over 37 percent of Korea’s 1.17
Oct. 27, 2025 -
No free G-Dragon performance during APEC, Gyeongju confirms
The city of Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, announced Sunday that online rumors that K-pop superstar G-Dragon would perform at a free, outdoor concert during the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit are false. “Recent online posts about a ‘G-Dragon performance at Cheomseongdae’ are all not true,” the city said in a statement, adding that “there are no official plans for a G-Dragon concert at Cheomseongdae.” Cheomseongdae is one of Asia’s oldest surviving astronomical observator
Oct. 27, 2025 -
Silla's ancient gold crowns reunited for 1st time in exhibition marking APEC summit
Six exquisite gold crowns from the ancient Silla Kingdom, normally scattered across different museums, have been brought together for the first time in a landmark exhibition celebrating South Korea's hosting of the APEC summit. The Gyeongju National Museum announced Monday it will host the special exhibition, "Silla Gold Crowns: Power and Prestige," to commemorate the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and the museum's 80th anniversary. The summit is set to take place Friday and Saturday i
Oct. 27, 2025 -
15-yr-old S. Korean violinist ranks No. 3 at Paganini competition
South Korean violinist Kim Hyun-seo, 15, has ranked third at the Premio Paganini international violin competition held in Italy, becoming the youngest finalist of the prestigious competition. Kim clinched the third prize at the 58th Premio Paganini competition that took place in Genoa from Oct. 14-26, according to the competition's web site and Kumho Cultural Foundation on Sunday. The violinist also won the Mario Ruminelli prize, given to the finalist with the highest number of votes from the pu
Oct. 26, 2025 -
In New York, a night at the museum -- five years in the making
Oct. 26, 2025