In Korea, there is a city of which the entire area is a museum without walls or a roof called Gyeongju. In the span of 5,000 years of Korean history, Gyeongju was the capital of the Shilla kingdom which holds 1,000 years of history. In Indonesia, there is also a historical city called Yogyakarta that is a borderless museum like Gyeongju.…
When you think of Asia, what comes to mind? Do you think of images of western colonization, developing countries, or vacation spots? Textbooks, books, maps and websites all around the world emphasize the impressive history of the Americas and Europe, but a distorted conception of history of an invaded Asia is left behind. But there is an everlasting history…
Did you know there is a tourist destination in Malaysia that was made by the hard work of the Korean company Hyundai Construction and 940,000 Korean engineers? It is Penang Bridge, which connects the mainland of Malaysia with Penang Island, an island that is generally referred to as the “Oriental Pearl”. Penang Bridge is 13.5 km long and was the largest bridge…
More than a thousand years of history is preserved in the Angkor Wat, the world’s largest temple. Meaning the “Capital of Temples”, the Angkor Wat stretches 1,500 meters to the east and 1,300 meters to the south, and it is the biggest temple which is made of stone. Angkor Wat was constructed in the beginning of the 12th century by King…
Do you know what Brunei means? It means “Warm Peaceful Place”. As an Islamic temple that symbolizes Brunei, the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque is one of the most beautiful religious buildings in the world. Made in 1958, the mosque is named after the twenty-eighth sultan of Brunei. It was designed so the river, manmade lake, and mosque are all connected. Similar…
VANK made a petition requesting that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) takes more interest in the radiation issue in Japan, especially with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics coming up. In preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Japan announced that they will be holding the baseball and softball games at the Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium, which is…
“Parasite (기생충)” is the first Korean film to win the Palme d’Or at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival and the Best Foreign Film at the 77th Golden Globe Awards. “Parasite” was unanimously awarded the Palme d’Or, the most prestigious award given at the Cannes Film Festival. It is also the first Korean movie to be…
The amount of people learning Korean language has practically doubled over the span of ten years. With the growth of Korean culture through Korean pop music (K-pop), Korean dramas, and Korean makeup, not only are students learning in school, but even outside academics, people are becoming interested in the Korean language. According to the Modern…
On September 8, 1945, a lost treasure was found in a storage at Seoul Station. It was the manuscript of Joseonmal Keunsajeon (The Comprehensive Korean Language Dictionary) that had been lost since its confiscation by police during the Japanese Occupation Period (1910-1945). The manuscript consisted of 26,500 pages. After two years of sorting and editing,…
“Looking at my painting of Mt. Geumgang will give a better sense of the mountain than hiking it on your own feet.” – From Geumgang Jeondo by Jeong Seon Jeong Seon (1676-1759), one of the most respected painters during Joseon, expressed his confidence in his painting. Geumgang Jeondo, a Korean-brush painting of Mt. Geumgang on…
