Latest posts
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Jeong Gwan Seunim Teaches French Chefs Doenjang in 2026
Can eight French chefs really fall in love with a bowl of soybean paste? Apparently, yes. At Cheonjinam Temple in Jangseong, South Jeolla Province, eight chefs from across France spent four nights and five days learning Korean fermentation straight from Buddhist nun Jeong Gwan Seunim. They mashed meju, they salted jars, and they left saying…
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National Museum of Korea Pulls Artifacts Amid Identity
What happens when a museum honors the wrong man by mistake? That question is now facing the National Museum of Korea, one of the country’s most respected cultural institutions. It just pulled artifacts from display after realizing they might belong to a completely different person with the same name. This is not a small clerical…
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Choi Whi-young Meets Young Artists to Reshape Culture Policy
Can a government meeting actually change an artist’s daily life? That question sat at the center of a gathering in Seoul this week, led by Culture Minister Choi Whi-young. On August 12, Choi Whi-young sat down with young culture and arts workers at Art Korea Lab in Jongno-gu, Seoul. He wanted to hear their concerns…
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Ahn Jin-soo, Legendary Korean Drama Actor, Dies at 81
Remembering Ahn Jin-soo, a Familiar Face on Korean Screens Have you ever watched a Korean drama and instantly recognized a face, even if you couldn’t recall the actor’s name? That’s exactly the kind of presence actor Ahn Jin-soo built over decades. Ahn Jin-soo passed away on August 10, 2026, at the age of 81, closing…
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Seodaemun Museum of Natural History Streams Meteor Shower
Have you ever wanted to watch a meteor shower but couldn’t find a dark enough sky? This week, the Seodaemun Museum of Natural History in Seoul is solving that problem for you. On August 12 and 13, the museum will livestream the peak of the Perseid meteor shower directly to your screen. No mountain hike…
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Killers’ Shopping Mall Season 2: A Sequel Done Right
Can a sequel actually be better than the original? Fans of Killers’ Shopping Mall think so, and they are not being shy about it. Disney+’s hit action series has returned with bigger fights, sharper writing, and a confidence that only a well-earned second season can bring. Since late last month, new episodes of Killers’ Shopping…
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Sacheon City’s 2026 Shift to Stay-Type Tourism Explained
What if a city decided that fewer visitors could actually mean more success? That’s exactly the bet Sacheon City in South Gyeongsang Province is making right now. Sacheon City is shifting its tourism strategy away from simple visitor counts. Instead, officials want travelers to stay longer and spend more inside the local economy. This move…
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Kim Jong-un Hails Orchestra as Key to National Revival 2026
A Rare Cultural Moment in Pyongyang What does a dictator do to celebrate an orchestra’s 80th birthday? He shows up for a photo, of course. Kim Jong-un met with members of North Korea’s National Symphony Orchestra this week, marking the ensemble’s eight-decade history with a group portrait at the Moranbong Theater in Pyongyang. According to…
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Uiryeong-gun 2026: Hanji and Ureuk Festival Unveiled
What do paper and music have in common? In Uiryeong-gun, they share the same stage every autumn. This small county in South Gyeongsang Province is gearing up for its 2026 Sinban Hanji Ureuk Culture Festival. Mark your calendar for September 5, because Uiryeong-gun wants you there. Uiryeong-gun Prepares a Festival Worth Celebrating Uiryeong-gun announced on…
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Seongnam City’s 2026 Youth Symphony Festival Returns
Seongnam City Hosts Its Third Youth Symphony Festival Can a free concert change how a whole community sees its own young people? Seongnam City seems to think so. Starting August 16 and running through September 6, 2026, the city is throwing open its doors to the third annual Seongnam Youth Symphony Festival. Ten performances. Zero…
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Korean Egg Tarts Explained: History, Taste & Where to Try Them
A Korean egg tart is Korea’s everyday remake of the Macau-style egg tart: a thin, crisp shell holding silky baked custard, sold in bakery chains and convenience stores nationwide — cheap, everywhere, and eaten warm as a daily snack rather than a special-occasion dessert. From a Portuguese Monastery to a Seoul Counter: The Short History…
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Vermeer 2026: Osaka Exhibition Reveals a Costly Stolen
Would you pay over 260 million dollars for a painting you can never see again? That is roughly the estimated value of a missing Vermeer, one of the most expensive stolen paintings in the world. This month, Osaka is bringing his surviving masterpieces together, and the story behind them is stranger than fiction. Johannes Vermeer…
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Okjeong Lake 2026: Korea’s Four-Season Eco-Tourism Mecca
Have you ever seen a lake bloom with a different flower every season? At Okjeong Lake in Imsil, North Jeolla Province, that’s not a poetic exaggeration. This once-quiet reservoir is now drawing crowds year-round, and local officials call it a rising eco-tourism mecca. Okjeong Lake sits at the heart of a bigger story about small…
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Comic Villain Drama Trend Takes Over Korean TV in 2026
A Villain Comedy Wave Hits Korean Screens What happens when the bad guy meets someone even badder? Korean television and theater have found the answer, and audiences can’t get enough. A new comic villain drama trend is spreading across dramas and stage plays, and it’s changing how Koreans laugh at corruption. This isn’t your typical…
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Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Council: Jeonbuk
Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Council Confronts a Frozen Arts Fund A Fund Stuck at Zero for Four Years Can a welfare fund help anyone if it never receives a single won? That question sits at the center of a new controversy raised by a member of the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Council. Kim Seong-su, who…