Journalist

Yoo Na-hyun
  • Practice makes perfect ahead of Seollal
    Practice makes perfect ahead of Seollal SEOUL, February 12 (AJP) - Bowing to elders and tossing wooden sticks across a board game mat, children are rehearsing the rituals of Seollal before the holiday even begins. Across South Korea, traditional Lunar New Year experience programs are underway ahead of Seollal, offering young participants the chance to prelearn customs that once passed naturally from one generation to the next. With the nation’s biggest holiday set for next week, cultural centers and heritage venues in cities including Seoul are hosting hands-on sessions focused on etiquette, attire and play. Dressed in hanbok, Korea’s traditional clothing, children practice sebae — the formal New Year’s bow offered to elders. Instructors guide them through posture and phrasing, explaining that the gesture symbolizes respect and the wish for blessings in the year ahead. They also gather around boards to play yutnori, a folk game traditionally enjoyed during Seollal. Throwing the four wooden sticks and moving their markers across the board, participants experience the festive atmosphere that typically fills family homes during the holiday. Seollal, observed on the first day of the lunar calendar, marks the symbolic start of the year. Families reunite, perform ancestral rites, share traditional meals and exchange well-wishes for health and prosperity. For many children, these workshops serve as a quiet rehearsal — ensuring that when the real holiday arrives, the bow feels natural, the game familiar and the meaning understood. 2026-02-12 17:28:56
  • Southern Seoul bathed under Lotte Luminarie
    Southern Seoul bathed under Lotte Luminarie SEOUL, February 12 (AJP) - The “2026 Lotte Luminarie: Wish Shines On” festival is underway at World Park Plaza of Lotte World Tower in Songpa-gu, southeastern Seoul, bathing the surrounding area in the glow of approximately 270,000 lights. Held under the theme “Wish Shines On,” this year’s event centers on a 17-meter-high illuminated dome, accompanied by a newly installed cross-shaped tunnel measuring 63 meters wide and 25 meters long. The design expands on last year’s circular corridor, offering visitors a more layered and immersive visual experience. Four 16-meter-tall towers rise from each corner of the plaza, while the tunnel entrance has been shaped into a grand archway, enhancing the sense of arrival. Inspired by traditional Gothic architecture, the structures are intricately outlined with light, creating a cathedral-like atmosphere beneath the night sky. Visitors walk through a network of glowing corridors and open plazas, where shifting patterns of light transform the urban landscape into a temporary winter spectacle — part festival, part architectural installation. The Luminarie will run through March 8. 2026-02-12 17:11:17
  • BTS Comeback D-37: 600 years, 1 night, and 7 voices bring the world together 
    BTS Comeback D-37: 600 years, 1 night, and 7 voices bring the world together  SEOUL, February 10 (AJP) - Cities are defined by lines. In Joseon-era Hanyang (now Seoul), those lines were the four great gates. They marked where authority began and where daily life ended, where the state met the street. Within that geometry, one point drew all lines inward: Gwanghwamun, the royal gateway to Gyeongbokgung Palace. For centuries, this was where the king entered the city and the people first met power. Over time, it became something else as well — a site of protests, ceremonies, mourning and celebration. The former heart of a dynasty slowly evolved into the civic face of modern Seoul. What remained constant was its role as a threshold: between palace and street, authority and public, past and present.That threshold is now preparing to host a different kind of procession. The Forgotten Stage Beneath the City In front of Gwanghwamun once stood a broad ceremonial platform known as the weol-dae. Built in 1868 during the restoration of the palace, it elevated the gate both physically and symbolically. This was where royal authority was displayed, where rituals unfolded, and where the court faced the city. It disappeared in 1923, buried beneath tram tracks under the Japanese colonial rule. For nearly a century, it survived only in maps and memory. Then, during restoration work in 2010, its foundations re-emerged underground. After years of excavation and study, the wol-dae was fully restored in 2023. Stone by stone, time was stitched back into place. Today, it stands again — not as a relic, but as a working part of Seoul’s urban landscape. Another king's platform was set in the Geunjeongjeon, the throne hall where kings gave orders for everyday governance. If that inner weol-dae symbolized the king's elevated power, the outer one at Gwanghwamun represented connection — the meeting point of palace and people. It is here, at this historic edge, that BTS’s stage is expected to rise. The King’s Road, Reimagined From Geunjeongjeon, through Heungnyemun, and out to Gwanghwamun, runs a straight ceremonial axis once reserved for royal processions. It was known, informally, as the king’s road. For centuries, only authority moved along it. The government and people have granted for the entrance of seven musicians. According to event plans, the performance area is expected to stretch from the palace gates to the northern end of Gwanghwamun Square, aligning with the statues of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin. Large screens will extend the stage across the plaza, turning the entire space into a single, continuous performance zone. The concert will unfold across a historic corridor. A route once designed for monarchs will guide a global pop phenomenon. When History Meets the Present There is a reason this setting matters. Gwanghwamun has always been more than architecture. It is where Korea’s political, cultural and emotional currents have repeatedly converged. Dictatorships fell here. Candlelight protests filled this square. National mourning unfolded on these stones. Now, music will. On stones shaped for royal ritual, choreography will unfold. Along an axis designed for kings, fans will gather. Beneath gates built to defend a dynasty, music will travel instantly around the world. It is a reminder of how Seoul moves forward: not by erasing its past, but by reusing it. From the four gates to the central gate, from throne halls to public squares, from royal processions to pop anthems, one line continues to run through Seoul. On March 21, that line will carry sound, light and memory — from the heart of a former kingdom to a global audience. The oldest stage will host the most contemporary voice. 2026-02-12 15:17:40
  • Busy hands racing the holiday clock
    Busy hands racing the holiday clock SEOUL, February 11 (AJP) -Busy hands race against time as South Korea’s delivery network shifts into peak mode ahead of the Lunar New Year. As the Lunar New Year holiday approaches (Feb. 14–18, including the weekend), sorting centers across the country grow increasingly crowded. The season is one of the busiest of the year, as Koreans exchange gifts and packages as tokens of good wishes. The Korea Postal Service has entered an emergency response system for the holiday period, designating the days through Feb. 20 as a special “Seollal mail communication period.” During this time, it expects to handle about 12.32 million parcels nationwide, reflecting a sharp surge in shipping demand. 2026-02-11 14:18:22
  • Cheering event for South Korean athletes at Winter Olympics in Italy
    Cheering event for South Korean athletes at Winter Olympics in Italy Gyeonggi, February 10 (AJP) - With this year's Winter Olympics underway in Cortina d’Ampezzo and Milan, an event cheering on South Korean athletes competing at the quadrennial sporting event was held at a ski resort in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province on Tuesday. Participants dressed in various winter sports uniforms waved the national flag and cheered for the South Korean national team, creating an energetic atmosphere on the slopes. The event, hosted by Konjiam Resort to encourage South Korean athletes competing at the Olympics and boost public interest, will continue until the Games conclude on Feb. 22. 2026-02-10 17:44:44
  • Sika deer at play in the snowy Mt. Halla
    Sika deer at play in the snowy Mt. Halla JEJU, February 09 (AJP) -A herd of sika deer bounds across a snow-covered horse grazing field on Mount Hallasan in Jeju on Monday, after heavy overnight snowfall blanketed the region in white. As the snow eased earlier in the day, the deer emerged to roam freely across the quiet landscape, their gentle movement bringing life to the stillness of winter. 2026-02-09 15:48:39
  • At lowest place, Archdiocese of Seoul diaconate ordination
    At lowest place, Archdiocese of Seoul diaconate ordination SEOUL, February 06 (AJP) - Eleven newly ordained deacons lie prostrate during the 2026 Archdiocese of Seoul Deacon Ordination Ceremony at Myeongdong Cathedral in central Seoul on Feb. 5. Deacons serve as ordained ministers assisting priests, proclaiming the Gospel and delivering homilies during Mass, administering the sacrament of baptism and presiding over marriage rites. The priestly ordination ceremony is scheduled to be held on Feb. 6. 2026-02-06 15:12:29
  • PHOTOS: Little Europe in northeastern Seoul, Nowon Train Village
    PHOTOS: Little Europe in northeastern Seoul, Nowon Train Village SEOUL, February 04 (AJP) - “Wow, the train is moving!” Children visiting the exhibition during winter break gasp as they watch a miniature train pass through an exotic landscape. Visitors of all ages, from families to adult attendees, pause in front of the meticulously crafted cityscape and lifelike moving models, momentarily immersed in a pocket-sized version of Europe. Opened in 2022, the Nowon Train Village is a railway-themed exhibition space that recreates European natural scenery and urban landscapes through detailed dioramas. The venue consists of two sections — the Switzerland Hall and the Italy Hall — offering visitors a chance to experience railway culture alongside the history and character of European cities through miniature train operations. The Switzerland Hall presents alpine landscapes and railway villages scaled down to 1/87 of their actual size. Trains run through settings inspired by Zurich and Jungfrau, Bern and the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc and Geneva. Cars, bicycles and pedestrians move throughout the diorama, while lighting changes every 10 minutes to alternate between daytime and nighttime scenes, giving visitors different impressions of the same landscape. The Italy Hall, which opened on Feb. 1 as a follow-up to the Switzerland Hall, occupies more than twice the exhibition space. It showcases Italy’s historical heritage and urban scenery, featuring landmarks such as the Colosseum in Rome, cruise ships along the coast of Naples, Florence Cathedral and gondolas in Venice, all recreated at a 1/87 scale. Miniature trains run continuously through the exhibition. Dynamic elements add movement to the displays, including an erupting Mount Vesuvius, moving cruise ships and chariot races. Playful scenes, such as Superman straightening the Leaning Tower of Pisa, add imaginative touches that draw visitors’ attention. More than 10 trains operate simultaneously across 10 rail lines inside the Italy Hall. Centered on trains as a shared theme, the Nowon Train Village allows visitors to compare landscapes and cultures across different European countries, attracting a steady flow of family visitors during the winter vacation season. 2026-02-05 22:26:36
  • Snow-themed festival underway in Taebaek
    Snow-themed festival underway in Taebaek SEOUL, February 05 (AJP) - A snow-themed festival is currently underway in Taebaek in the mountainous region of Gangwon Province. The annual festival, now in its 33rd year, kicked off on Jan. 31 and will run through this weekend. Against the stunning backdrop of snow-blanketed Mt. Taebaeksan, visitors can marvel at large-scale snow sculptures and engage in a variety of interactive winter programs. It would the perfect destination for anyone not quite ready to say goodbye to winter or for those who want to enjoy the winter chill while it's still here to stay. 2026-02-05 16:42:26
  • Knock, knock, spring is here
    Knock, knock, spring is here SEOUL, February 04 (AJP) -“May every household be filled with joy and good fortune throughout the year.” On a quiet Tuesday morning, as winter loosened its final grip, the words of blessing were once again pinned to wooden gates at Namsangol Hanok Village in central Seoul. To mark Ipchun — the first seasonal division of spring — a demonstration of the traditional posting of ipchuncheop unfolded at the village’s main gate. A family born in 1990, the Year of the Horse, carefully attached the calligraphy strips, reviving a custom passed down through generations. Ipchun, one of the 24 solar terms of the traditional East Asian calendar, usually falls around Feb. 4. It signals not only the start of spring, but the quiet return of warmth, light and renewal. On this day, Koreans have long displayed calligraphy bearing the phrase: “Ipchun Daegil, Geonyang Dagyeong” — With spring’s arrival comes great fortune, and as positive energy rises, countless blessings follow. The words are often placed diagonally on doors or gates, as if inviting luck to step inside before anyone else. More than decoration, the strips serve as gentle wishes for health, prosperity and protection from misfortune in the year ahead. The family taking part in the ceremony shared a special connection to the site. A decade ago, they had held their traditional wedding and photo shoot at the same village. Now, they returned not as newlyweds, but as a family, linking past and present through ritual. Each year, Namsangol Hanok Village hosts the Ipchuncheop demonstration to help citizens rediscover seasonal traditions that once guided everyday life. In an age of digital calendars and hurried routines, the ceremony offers a pause — a reminder that time, too, has its own rhythm. As ink met paper and paper met wood, winter quietly stepped aside. And spring, once again, found its way to the doorstep. 2026-02-04 17:32:32