KoreaTimes - Korean Traditions

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Lifestyle

Korean Traditions

Thu, December 7, 2023 | 22:28

Master painter revives court paintings

Master painter revives court paintings

Little Deokhye (1912-1989), the fateful last princess of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), seems to come to life on silk through countless strokes of a brush by master painter Kwon Oh-chang. The little princess clad in Korean traditional “saekdong” jacket with sleeves of multicolored stripes stares on in this vivid portrait. Busily comparing her black-and-white faded photo, Kwo...

Chung Ah-young | 2015-03-04 19:02

'Bangjja': Korean unique bronzeware

'Bangjja': Korean unique bronzeware

YANGGU, Gangwon Province - Kim Ki-chan can make only a pair of a “bangjja” spoon and chopsticks a day, at best. Since succeeding his father, Kim Yong-rak, who passed away in 2008, in the family business of making bangjja or traditional Korean hand-forged bronzeware, he has been working alone at a small workshop that is covered with black and grey metal dusts. Kim shapes the m...

Chung Ah-young | 2015-03-01 12:02

'Gama': a comprehensive art

'Gama': a comprehensive art

PAJU, Gyeonggi Province - On a sultry summer day in 2005, Lee Kang-yeon, a “gama” (traditional litter) artisan, was asked to repair a bier for the funeral of Yi Ku, the son of the last crown prince of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), four days before the funeral was to take place on July 24. When he rushed to the storehouse of Changdeok Palace, he found that the bier which had...

Chung Ah-young | 2015-02-25 10:23

Sedge mat weaving

Sedge mat weaving

GANGHWA ISLAND - The landscape of Ganghwa Island, just west of Seoul, has changed from one filled with traditional houses that once vigorously produced sedge crafts to one filled with posh summer homes run by transplants from urban areas.

Chung Ah-young | 2015-02-22 09:48

Royal rite to be staged in Paris

Royal rite to be staged in Paris

To mark the 130th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and France this year, royal ancestral rites, called “Jongmyo Jeryeak,” will be showcased in Paris in September, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Monday.

Baek Byung-yeul | 2015-02-16 20:13

Tireless passion fuels embroidery master's prolific creations

Tireless passion fuels embroidery master's prolific creations

Traditional embroidery master Kim Hyun-hee, 69, remembers the first meeting with her embroidery teacher Yoon Jung-shik in 1964. Kim was only 19. At the time, she was just tagging along with her mother to Yoon’s needlework class. Back then, needlework skills were crucial for housewives to earn a living. Yoon was one of a few artisans who were knowledgeable of traditional needl...

Chung Ah-young | 2015-02-15 18:29

Jangseung

CHUNCHEON, Gangwon Province - Korea's modern residential environment, epitomized by rows of apartments that look like concrete egg cartons, leaves little, if any, room for "jangseung" or the playful, wooden guardians that used to be installed at the entrance of every village.

Chung Ah-young | 2015-02-11 09:23

Daejeon event highlights flair of Korean falconers

Daejeon event highlights flair of Korean falconers

Falconry in Korea has a long history that goes back to at least the Goguryeo (37 B.C. - 668 A.D) period. It was a popular form of entertainment for noblemen and remained so up until the fall of Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).

2015-02-08 15:03

More than men's hats

More than men's hats

Chung Choon-mo was the only survivor among three young apprentices in painstaking training from "gat," or traditional Korean men's hat, masters in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province in 1973. The two others left the shop as soon as their training started, realizing that hat making was tough but not lucrative. “I was the only one who survived the gat making training. At that ...

Chung Ah-young | 2015-02-08 12:32

Flying dream

Born in 1950 in Seoul, among the ashes of the Korean War (1950-1953), Rhee Ki-tai narrowly escaped death several times. Although the war had ended, there was not enough food, let alone toys, for the children in the war-stricken city. He and his friends ate fruits and plants from Mt. Inwang in Jongno, central Seoul.

Chung Ah-young | 2015-02-04 16:45

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Top 10 Stories

1	Korea could disappear from map if it doesn't welcome more immigrants: justice minister

2	YG Entertainment's stock price soars over renewed contract with BLACKPINK

3	Yoon expected to replace foreign minister soon

4	INTERVIEWKorea has great opportunity to lead green transition

5	Rising Thai politician seeks to tackle growing challenges between Seoul, Bangkok

6	INTERVIEWNamseoul University leads adoption of innovative IB education programs

7	KAI boosts partnerships with Egypt at defense fair

8	Real estate project financing poses biggest risk to Korean economy in 2024: S&P, NICE

9	Genesis BBQ fosters Vietnam as Southeast Asia hub

10	Is career diplomat suitable to lead SMEs ministry?

DARKROOM