Actor Nana will not face charges after fighting off armed intruder

Police have concluded that actor Nana, formerly a member of the K-pop group After School, and her mother acted in self-defense when they fought off a knife-wielding intruder inside their home in Guri, Gyeonggi Province. According to the Guri Police Station, the intruder, a man in his 30s, will be referred to prosecutors on Monday on charges of robbery and causing bodily injury. The suspect was arrested on Nov. 15 after allegedly climbing a ladder to Nana’s balcony around 6 a.m., entering through

Nov. 23, 2025

Korea's oldest inscribed wooden tablets discovered at Yangju fortress

Three inscribed wooden tablets, or slips, dating back roughly 1,500 years to Korea’s Three Kingdoms period (57 BC-AD 660) were discovered in May in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, the Giho Cultural Heritage Research Center announced Thursday. Before the invention of paper, wooden slips were widely used across East Asia to keep records. Today, they are regarded as time capsules that offer rare insights into ancient societies. The artifacts were found in an old water collection facility within Daemosan

Nov. 22, 2025

Joan Miro’s hidden Korean connection revealed through ceramics

Joan Miro, the Spanish modern artist often associated with Surrealism, is not widely known to have any direct ties with Korea. But his ceramic practice, working in the middle of a forest about 64 kilometers north of Barcelona, reveals an unexpected connection. “He never used electric or gas kilns, because the most important thing is the flame, ashes and smoke that make the patina (surface color and texture finish on ceramics) so special," said Miro’s grandson Joan Punyet Miro, who works for Succ

Nov. 22, 2025

Korean dance legends bring their signature works back in 'Living Legacy'

Works by master choreographers who have shaped the course of Korean dance are set to round off the year at the National Theater of Korea’s Haeorum Theater. Opening next month, the “Living Legacy” program reunites signature performances by four former artistic directors of the National Dance Company of Korea: Cho Heung-dong, 84; Bae Jung-hye, 81; Kim Hyun-ja, 78 and Guk Su-ho, 77. “This project connects the history of these four masters from the past to the present,” said Lee Seung-yeon. Lee, bor

Nov. 22, 2025

Naver Webtoon, Paris Opera jointly launch webtoon 'Secret d'une Etoile'

Naver Webtoon is teaming up with the Paris Opera, France’s premier opera and ballet company, to launch an original webtoon centered on ballet titled “Secret d'une Etoile.” The series’ English title is “Secret of a Ballerina.” The webtoon will debut first in French on Nov. 28, with a Korean release slated for next year on the Naver Webtoon platform. This marks the first Korea-France coproduction of its kind, with Korean webtoon artist Honeybee handling the story and French artist StillUnderworld

Nov. 21, 2025

Islamic art comes closer to Korean audiences at National Museum of Korea

Although Islam remains unfamiliar to many Koreans, Islamic culture has a growing presence in Korean society -- of the country's roughly 2 million foreign residents, an estimated 300,000 are Muslims. The National Museum of Korea will host an exhibition of Islamic art in its World Art section -- Seoul's first long-term exhibition dedicated to Islamic culture -- from Saturday to Oct. 11, 2026. The 83 selected works of Islamic art are from the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar. The exhibition's d

Nov. 21, 2025

Pharrell William arrives in Korea — possibly for fashion collab with Shinsegae

Pharrell Williams, the American musician and producer who has collaborated with top K-pop stars including G-Dragon and Seventeen, arrived in South Korea on Friday, according to local media. The visit comes just days after Korean fashion and cosmetics retailer Shinsegae International announced a collaboration with Joopiter, the global content and auction platform founded by Williams, for the launch of its first signature capsule collection. The newly unveiled signature collection, revealed Wednes

Nov. 21, 2025

Three ways to prepare for cold weather

If you’re looking for a contemplative yet lively place to spend the weekend, head to the second Humanities and Culture Festival at Dongdaemun Design Plaza on Saturday and Sunday. This year’s theme centers on reconnecting in an age marked by isolation and competition. The festival’s signature “Gentle Conversations” event gathers renowned writers, filmmakers, doctors, psychologists and performers for intimate talks exploring empathy, everyday resilience and the ties that bind individuals and commu

Nov. 21, 2025

K-culture could tap into wider potential through localization, Thai experts say

Korea Herald correspondent BANGKOK — Though K-culture has woven itself into the everyday lives of many Thai consumers, Thai media experts say stronger local adaptation could unlock a new wave of more distinctive and entertaining content. Thai beauty influencer Anna Sueangam-iam said K-beauty has introduced a more holistic understanding of skin care among local consumers, reshaping how Thai women perceive beauty overall. “Now, Thai women do not view makeup as mere external decoration. They place

Nov. 20, 2025

Thailand pushes 'creative economy' for next wave of growth

Korea Herald correspondent BANGKOK — Thailand is turning to cultural and digital industries — spanning fashion, design, film, music and software — as new growth engines beyond traditional industrial sectors. Together, they form the country’s “creative economy,” which Thailand is working to transform into a technology- and intellectual property-driven growth model. According to Thailand’s National Economic and Social Development Council, the country’s creative economy now stands at $44.5 billion

Nov. 20, 2025

Creating fiction rooted in non-fiction

Rarely does an architecture exhibition achieve such popularity that its scheduled run is extended. “Fiction Non-Fiction: In Search of the Forms of Our Lives” by Guga Urban Architecture has achieved just that: Originally slated to run Oct. 10-Nov. 11, the exhibition has been extended to Nov. 23 due to high demand. It is apparent from the very start that this architecture exhibition is unlike most such shows. As soon as you enter the exhibition venue, a three-story red brick building in Gyeonji-do

Nov. 19, 2025

Leenalchi vocalist on what it means to be modern pansori singer

When Korean students sat for the college entrance exam last week, many found themselves grappling with an unexpected challenge: trying not to hum along to the passage in front of them. A section from the pansori epic Sugung-ga appeared on the Korean-language test, and students immediately recognized the line “The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down” — the irresistible hook from Leenalchi’s viral 2020 hit. The lyric, originally a relatively minor moment in the epic, became a near–natio

Nov. 19, 2025

Kim Whan-ki painting fetches $8.4m, giving market much-needed boost

The Korean art market, only beginning to show signs of recovery, gained much-needed momentum Monday when Kim Whan-ki’s painting set another record at Christie’s evening sale in New York. Titled “19-VI-71 #206,” the Korean art master's painting fetched $8.4 million at Christie’s New York 20th Century Evening Sale, falling short of the highest auction price fetched by a Korean artwork. Also by Kim, “05-IV-71 #200 (Universe)” sold for HK$88 million ($11.3 million) in 2019 at a Christie’s auction he

Nov. 19, 2025

Spyair's love for turning live performances into pure connection

For Japanese rock band Spyair, performing live on stage is about sharing music with the audience in the most direct and genuine way. The group, which formed in 2005 and professionally debuted in 2010, operates under the belief that music is at its best when it brings people together. Each song has something to say and the singers carry that message forward. "The magic of a live performance comes from the things that can only happen on stage — the sense of unity with the audience and the emotion

Nov. 18, 2025

Korea Heritage Service challenges Seoul City following UNESCO Jongmyo warning

The Korea Heritage Service on Monday announced a series of countermeasures to protect Jongmyo, escalating its confrontation with the Seoul Metropolitan Government over high-rise redevelopment planned near the UNESCO World Heritage site. Jongmyo, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995, enshrines the ancestral tablets of kings and queens from the Joseon period (1392-1910), and remains the most important Confucian royal shrine in Korea. Its historical landscape and unobstructed sightli

Nov. 17, 2025