The Korean Culture and Information Service, affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced that its 11th group of “Friends of Korea” began activities from Friday. Friends of Korea is a group of people whose main task is to report erroneous information about Korea in foreign media to the Korea Culture and Information Service’s online platform, “Fact:Korea.” Over the next four months, the group will also promote Korean culture to foreigners

Entrances to Seokchon Lake, a famous sightseeing destination for its cherry blossom trees that bloom in spring in Jamsil, southeastern Seoul, will be temporarily shut down until mid-April to prevent people from visiting the area during the COVID-19 outbreak. The decision came after the Songpa District Office announced the cancellation of its annual Cherry Blossom Festival last week. The festival was originally scheduled to take place from April 3 to 12. Seokchon Lake is one of the most popu

As the new coronavirus infections continue to spread, people have been stuck indoors without physical activity for many days, if not weeks. A report by the US National Institute of Health said the virus can stay on stainless steel and plastic surfaces up to three days, leading people to avoid gyms. Trainer at Body Spectrum Kim Yu-jin, MVP winner of 2016 World Body Classic who started a one-person fitness center, shared six simple moves beginners can follow at home to help strengthen their imm

Churches showed different responses to the Korean government‘s urging of stricter social distancing before schools are due to restart on April 6. The Catholic Archdiocese of Seoul on Wednesday announced that it has decided to suspend holding Mass and other large group activities until April 5. “We take the current situation very seriously so we have decided to delay our original plan and start our Masses from April 6, when elementary, middle and high schools start,” Cardinal

  Spring has arrived even as COVID-19 continues to plague countries around the world. Although you may have to confine yourself at home and minimize social activities, there are still ways to get a taste of spring. One idea is ordering cut flowers or plants for home delivery, or stopping by a florist on your way home to pick up flowers for loved ones who are going through the “corona blues.” Kim Seo-yoon, who runs Baum and Blum in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province, says although the

The South Korean government announced Wednesday that it has decided to inject 14 billion won ($11.38 million) to develop a trail adjacent to the Demilitarized Zone called the DMZ Peace Trail. The 248-kilometer-long DMZ, established in 1953, divides the Korean Peninsula roughly in half. “We will make the DMZ Peace Trail more prosperous by turning it into a place where people can experience the precious values of peace and also making it a place where foreigners would like to visit,&rdq

The Overseas Korean Culture Heritage Foundation has found transcriptions of Uigwe -- the royal protocol of the Joseon era -- at the National Museum of Asian Arts-Guimet in France. The books were created by French researcher Henri Chevalier and cover two Uigwe -- Heonjong Daewang Gukjang Dogam Uigwe and Hyohyeon Wanghu Gukjang Dogam Uigwe, which consist of 10 and six books, respectively. Heonjong Daewang Gukjang Dogam Uigwe records the state funeral ceremony held after King Heongjong died in

Dating apps that bar people from signing up based on appearance, education and wealth, known as closed-dating apps, are a growing phenomenon in Korea. In order to join Amanda, one of the most well-known dating apps in Korea, the applicant needs to receive an average score of three or higher out of a possible five points from 20 members of the app. Amanda is a Korean acronym for “not meeting anyone.” “We understand that there can be controversy over the nature of our app. At

The National Library of Korea started providing its enhanced online service Digital Collection on Monday. “Digital Collection provides selected content curated by experts from different fields who also wrote commentaries. We hope that this cultural content can help people who are having a difficult time due to the delay of the new school semester and social distancing,” a National Library of Korea official said in a statement. The service can be accessed via the National Library

Conflicts emerge in family relationships as COVID-19 crisis prolongs

North Korea’s media outlets criticized the Cultural Heritage Administration’s plan to seek UNESCO listing of the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas jointly with North Korea, according to local news outlets on Friday. The response from the North Korean news outlets came after the CHA on March 11 announced having the DMZ recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as one of its projects for 2020. The CHA said it intended to submit a tentative list to UNESCO in conjunction with

Mainstream Protestant church groups -- the National Council of Churches in Korea and the United Christian Churches of Korea -- apologized to the public on Thursday for the COVID-19 clusters that formed at churches. The statement also said the organizations hoped to normalize group activities and worship services from April 6. The joint statement followed an increase in the number of novel coronavirus clusters in South Korea this week among those attending Protestant church services. As of Fr

As several COVID-19 infection clusters have emerged at churches, bringing religious institutions to the public’s attention as potential sources of contagion, some Christians worry that these incidents could feed hostility against Christianity. After the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, considered a cult by mainstream Protestant churches, became the epicenter of the outbreak in South Korea, cases have emerged at a number of other churches across the country. Criticism of churches escalated

Critics say some smaller churches press on for financial reasons

The novel coronavirus pandemic is having an impact on all sports globally, but esports remains among few areas that have been relatively less scathed. As matches go online, changes in lifestyle brought about by the new coronavirus are turning into an opportunity for esports. At first, esports matches played in stadiums without an audience. However, concerns for player safety led to the postponement of leagues throughout the world as COVID-19 spread quickly across borders. But then matches resu