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PHOTOS: One Dance, a modern reinterpretation of Joseon royal ritual dance (3) SEOUL, August 22 (AJP) - A media showcase for One Dance, a contemporary Korean dance performance, was held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul. The performance reimagines Ilmu, the ritual dance from Jongmyo Jeryeak, which is inscribed on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Jongmyo Jeryeak refers to the music, song, and dance performed during ancestral rites at Jongmyo, a royal shrine honoring the spirit tablets of kings and queens from the Joseon Dynasty. Among them, the dance segment is called Ilmu, meaning “line dance,” as dancers move in coordinated rows. On stage, up to 49 performers present a powerful group choreography, allowing audiences to experience Korea’s cultural richness through synchronized visuals and sound. The performance runs for 70 minutes. 2025-08-22 15:38:33
PHOTOS: One Dance, a modern reinterpretation of Joseon royal ritual dance (2) SEOUL, August 22 (AJP) - A media showcase for One Dance, a contemporary Korean dance performance, was held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul.The performance reimagines Ilmu, the ritual dance from Jongmyo Jeryeak, which is inscribed on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Jongmyo Jeryeak refers to the music, song, and dance performed during ancestral rites at Jongmyo, a royal shrine honoring the spirit tablets of kings and queens from the Joseon Dynasty. Among them, the dance segment is called Ilmu, meaning “line dance,” as dancers move in coordinated rows. On stage, up to 49 performers present a powerful group choreography, allowing audiences to experience Korea’s cultural richness through synchronized visuals and sound. The performance runs for 70 minutes. 2025-08-22 15:18:33
PHOTOS: One Dance, a modern reinterpretation of Joseon royal ritual dance (1) SEOUL, August 22 (AJP) - A media showcase for "One Dance", a contemporary Korean dance performance, was held at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul. The performance reimagines Ilmu, the ritual dance from Jongmyo Jeryeak, which is inscribed on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Jongmyo Jeryeak refers to the music, song, and dance performed during ancestral rites at Jongmyo, a royal shrine honoring the spirit tablets of kings and queens from the Joseon Dynasty. Among them, the dance segment is called Ilmu, meaning “line dance,” as dancers move in coordinated rows. On stage, up to 49 performers present a powerful group choreography, allowing audiences to experience Korea’s cultural richness through synchronized visuals and sound. The performance runs for 70 minutes. 2025-08-22 15:05:09
[[K-Culture]] Action-hero TV series 'Twelve' to premiere this Saturday SEOUL, August 20 (AJP) - The cast and crew of “Twelve,” a new action-hero series produced in part by the actor Ma Dong-seok, gathered for a news conference Wednesday in Seoul. The event, held at the Ambassador Seoul Pullman Hotel, was attended by Ma, along with co-stars Park Hyung-sik, Seo In-guk, Lee Joo-been, Kang Mi-na, Sung Yu-been, Ahn Ji-hye, and Regina Lei. The show's directors, Kang Dae-kyu and Han Yun-seon, were also present. Inspired by the Eastern zodiac’s twelve guardian animals, “Twelve” follows a group of angels living as humans who fight to protect humanity from forces of evil. The series marks Ma’s return to the fantasy hero genre, a move that has generated significant anticipation following his starring role in Marvel Studios’ “Eternals.” “Twelve” is scheduled to premiere on KBS 2TV on Saturday, Aug. 23, at 9:20 p.m. 2025-08-20 17:41:31
PHOTOS: A street where time stands still, Dongdaemun Stationery and Toy Market SEOUL, August 19 (AJP) - The Dongdaemun Stationery and Toy Wholesale Market, with around 100 shops, is the largest of its kind in South Korea. Stretching across a 200-meter intersection in every direction, the market is lined with stores offering every imaginable type of stationery and toy, inviting visitors to browse, touch, and choose at leisure. Walking down the street feels like stepping into a time machine. Shop windows burst with color, filled with red fire trucks, yellow-haired dolls, and blue transforming robots neatly on display, evoking the atmosphere of a massive toy museum. Inside, shelves stacked to the ceiling hold rows of dolls ranging from teddy bears and princesses to superhero figures. Some stores still display spinning tops and pencil-case toys from the early 2000s, now covered in a layer of dust, while just next door, transparent tubs overflow with rainbow-colored building blocks. Old learning booklets for practicing Hangul, coloring books, and maps of Korea, their pages faded with time, add to the sense of nostalgia. Step inside a shop and the scent of plastic and cardboard greets you, unlocking childhood memories. Under the fluorescent lights, shiny figurines of the latest animation characters share space with walls full of crayons and colored pencils, while in the corners sit marbles and tops from the past. From Pororo and Power Rangers to Dragon Ball and Pokémon, toys beloved by different generations coexist side by side. The market’s biggest draw remains its prices. Many items sell at roughly 30 percent below retail, a reason families continue to visit. Yet the hustle and bustle is mostly confined to weekends or special days like Children’s Day. "There are fewer kids now, and online shopping has taken over. It’s not like before," one shop owner admitted with regret. Still, the market offers experiences that online shopping cannot. Parents and children can compare hundreds of toys at once, watch a child’s reaction firsthand, and receive recommendations from merchants who know every cartoon and character by heart. Their advice often feels more vivid and trustworthy than online reviews. Changsin-dong’s toy street continues to hold its ground against the tide of change. Though the crowds have thinned, it remains a place to relive old memories and create new ones. Nestled among Dongdaemun’s gleaming shopping malls, this modest but enduring market reveals another side of Seoul. Here, where time seems to pause, adults revisit their childhood while children dream of the future. 2025-08-20 11:11:25
PHOTOS: Event showcases beauty of hanbok SEOUL, August 12 (AJP) - The beauty of hanbok, or traditional Korean dress, continues to capture global attention, fueled by the huge popularity of South Korean dramas and films overseas. Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Craft & Design Foundation, a four-day event was held last week in southern Seoul to ride the wave of hanbok's rising popularity, showcasing a diverse range of hanbok from over 150 brands. The collection included elegant, classical styles as well as creative and practical designs with modern touches by young designers, along with bags featuring traditional quilting techniques. The annual event, which marked the eighth time this year, offered participants a chance to learn about hanbok, which represents the country's aesthetic tradition, evolving in contemporary fashion with its sophisticated lines, vibrant colors, and elegant silhouette. Visitors were able to try on and purchase hanbok along with traditional accessories while appreciating the various hanbok on display. Free admission was also offered to those wearing hanbok, encouraging more people to be spotted at the event in traditional dress. Even those who were unable to wear hanbok could explore the event with an affordable admission fee of 5,000 won (about US$3–4). A fashion show featuring various hanbok for children and adults, with themes based on the country’s four distinctive seasons, was also held on the first day of the event last Thursday. Many booths featured their own unique themes including one where visitors could experience ddakji, a traditional paper tile game that gained fame through Netflix's hit series "Squid Game." 2025-08-12 18:08:16
[[K-Food]] PHOTOS: Korea's summer stamina food SEOUL, August 06 (AJP) - As the summer heat grips the Korean Peninsula, many find themselves turning to food not just for nourishment but for revival. And while the instinct may be to cool down with icy treats or chilled dishes, Korean tradition takes a different path: when it gets hot, the food gets hotter. Contrary to expectations, Korea’s summer stamina foods — or boyangshik — are served steaming. Rooted in centuries of traditional medicine and culinary wisdom, these dishes are designed to replenish energy drained by heat and humidity, using hot broths and nutrient-rich ingredients to invigorate the body from within. Among the most iconic of these is samgyetang, a restorative ginseng chicken soup. Widely known even among international diners, the dish features a young chicken stuffed with glutinous rice, ginseng, jujubes, garlic, and herbal ingredients, all simmered to tender perfection in a rich, warming broth. Another classic is chueotang, a loach soup prized for its hearty, earthy flavor. Made by boiling and blending loach — a small freshwater fish — the dish is thickened into a deeply savory broth, often seasoned with soybean paste and red chili paste to mask any fishy odor. Radish greens and scallions are added to enhance its depth. The result is a rustic, comforting bowl with a nutty, spicy edge. High in protein and calcium, the dish is often recommended for bone health. Grilled eel, or jangeo-gui, rounds out the trio of summer staples. Long considered a luxury stamina food, eel is rich and buttery yet surprisingly clean in flavor. Typically paired with ginger and a slightly sweet soy-based glaze, it is not only a delicacy but also a nutritional powerhouse — high in protein, vitamins A and E for skin health, and unsaturated fats believed to help prevent chronic illnesses. While each dish carries its own history and flavor, what unites them is their purpose: to restore balance and strength when the body is under seasonal strain. With a range of variations tailored to different tastes and constitutions, Korea’s summer cuisine offers more than just relief — it offers resilience, one hot bowl at a time. 2025-08-06 15:22:04
[[K-Travel]] A muddy summer like no other in Boryeong BORYEONG, July 30 (AJP) - As an unforgiving heat wave grips the country, one of Korea’s most iconic summer events kicked off in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province. The Boryeong Mud Festival is famous for turning the seaside city into a playground of seawater-rich mud. Visitors throw, smear, and soak themselves in the mineral-packed silt near Daecheon Beach. People of all ages and backgrounds dive into the mud together, forgetting the heat as their sweat and sunburn disappear beneath thick, cool layers of earth. With vacation season in full swing, the festival drew crowds from across Korea and abroad. The joy of diving into mud Mud is known for its skin benefits, from anti-aging effects to deep cleansing. The entrance begins with a light spray of water and the sight of large mascots painted in mud. As soon as visitors pass under a sign reading “The 28th Boryeong Mud Festival,” a volley of mud hits them. Instead of dodging it, people laugh and lean into the chaos. Faces smeared in gray-brown sludge reveal grins more at home in a horror-comedy. Everyone moves closer to the mud, with few clean spaces to be found. Some apply the mud by hand, others smear it on each other. It is a shared ritual, part skincare and part celebration. In one of the main mud pools, about 20 to 30 people split into two teams. Games range from dance-offs and train relays to rock-paper-scissors and the challenging task of finding black stones buried deep in the mud. Faces inch closer to the ground as participants reach further, with some crawling flat-out in the thick pool. Each game ends with a winning and losing team. The losers sit in the center of the pool, covering their ears as the winners unleash a rapid mud bombardment. After about 20 seconds of flying mud, the losing team emerges fully coated in dark sludge. Just when the crowd lets its guard down, the emcee yells, “It’s payback time!” and a second wave of mud comes flying in from all directions. No one is spared. Beyond the games, other challenges test visitors' strength and balance, from one-legged wrestling over the pool to staying upright on a spinning disc or racing through muddy obstacle courses. A festival for the whole family For children, it is the ultimate playground. While sand used to be the norm, few beaches now offer the kind of hands-on fun this muddy ground provides. Kids roll, crawl, and splash with unfiltered joy, their curiosity and energy running wild. Rest zones are also available for those exhausted from play. From shaded tents and cabanas to snack corners under trees, there are plenty of places to catch a break. For those hesitant to enter restaurants while covered in mud, designated delivery zones provide meals directly to rest areas. Held every July in Boryeong, this year’s festival marks its 28th edition. Running from Jul. 25 to Aug. 10, it offers daytime mud fun and nighttime concerts and fireworks. Events change daily, including K-pop performances, talent shows, and drone light displays. For a fuller experience, visitors are encouraged to stay overnight to enjoy both day and evening events. Daecheon Beach, just a 5-minute walk from the festival grounds, is a perfect add-on for a summer swim. 2025-07-30 14:24:12
TRAVEL: General's Tomb and the Gwanggaeto Stele Ji'an, July 24 (AJP) - Located in Ji'an, Jilin Province, China, the General's Tomb is a Goguryeo-era stepped stone pyramid made of large, reddish-beige rectangular blocks stacked to the height of a five-story apartment building. With the exception of some blackened patches on the stone surface, it looked almost like a newly built structure. Only the topmost stones showed signs of slight damage or disalignment, a remarkable testament to the tomb’s endurance over the centuries. Its impressive height gives the illusion of the tomb reaching into the sky, with no trees visible behind it from any angle. Surrounding the tomb were massive rocks lying against it as if supporting the mound with their weight. Positioned in groups of three on each side, they appear to be gripping the tomb's base with giant fingers. These are known as ho-bun-seok, or protective boundary stones. In a mound-style stone tomb like this, the structure's weight is concentrated at the base, creating immense lateral pressure. The ho-bun stones prevent the bottom stones from being pushed outward. The entire tomb is constructed from granite, both inside and out. It is the only known example of a complete chukseokbun (stepped stone tomb) and follows a design style that cannot be found anywhere else in China. While many believe the General’s Tomb is that of King Jangsu of Goguryeo (394–491, reigned 412–491), differing views persist in South Korea and no definitive conclusion has been reached. About 1.5 kilometers (0.9 miles) from the General's Tomb stands the Gwanggaeto Stele, erected in 414 by King Jangsu in honor of his father King Gwanggaeto (374–412, reigned 391–412). Enclosed in a glass pavilion, the massive natural stone pillar stands approximately 6.39 meters tall. The width of its four sides varies from 1.38 to 2.00 meters, and its thickness ranges from 1.35 to 1.46 meters. Carved into its granite surfaces are 1,775 Chinese characters, though about 150 are difficult to decipher. The inscriptions primarily recount Goguryeo's history and the accomplishments of King Gwanggaeto, making the stele a crucial source for historical research. Standing in front of it, one is struck by its towering height and the overwhelming presence of a kingdom that once commanded the Manchurian plains. Roughly 300 meters from the stele lies the Gwanggaeto Tomb. From a distance, it appears to be a natural hill. Covered with thick greenery, the massive mound stands alone in the open plain. But as one approaches, it becomes clear that the formation is man-made. Beneath the earth, scattered stones of all sizes reveal its structure. White clover flowers spread across the fields in front of the tomb like snow. Their delicate bloom between the grasses created a quiet, serene beauty. Rising beyond this tranquil scene, the Gwanggaeto Tomb stands tall even after 1,600 years. Its sheer scale is not apparent from afar, but the people standing atop it appear tiny, like ants. Imagining the number of stones and manpower needed to construct it offers a glimpse into Goguryeo’s national strength and King Gwanggaeto's stature. These three sites offer tangible proof that Goguryeo was once a powerful force in Northeast Asia. Ji'an, where they are located, was home to Gungnae Fortress, Goguryeo’s second capital, and served as the kingdom’s political and cultural hub for around 400 years. Today, they are designated UNESCO World Cultural Heritage sites, recognized for their global value but also at the center of complex historical debates between China and South Korea. 2025-07-24 16:37:11
PHOTOS: Webtoon hit 'My Daughter Is a Zombie' comes to screen July 30 SEOUL, July 22 (AJP) - A press screening for the film "My Daughter Is a Zombie" was held Monday at Megabox COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, offering a glimpse into the cinematic adaptation of the popular webtoon. The movie, which is scheduled for release on July 30, stars Cho Jung-seok, Lee Jung-eun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Yoon Kyung-ho, and Choi Yu-ri, and is based on a webtoon that has garnered more than 500 million views globally. Set against a backdrop of a sudden, unidentified zombie virus outbreak, the narrative plunges into a world where military forces are mobilized and citizens are driven to mutual surveillance in the intensified effort to detect the infected. At its core, the film explores the desperate lengths of paternal love, following a father, played by Cho Jung-seok, as he secretly trains to protect and conceal his zombie-infected daughter, portrayed by Choi Yu-ri. 2025-07-22 15:00:58