K-wave AI News

Hello and welcome to your AI guide to the latest cultural updates from Korea.

Here's our top story.

Culture Minister Yu In-chon has visited Gounsa and Unramsa, centuries-old Buddhist temples reduced to ashes in recent wildfires in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.

Accompanied by National Heritage Service Administrator Choi Eung-chon, Minister Yu assessed the damage and discussed various measures for swift recovery with on-site officials.

Yu pledged to explore a wide range of recovery methods in collaboration with related organizations, including the National Heritage Service and local governments, while providing necessary support.

He also visited the joint memorial altar in Andong City to pay tribute to wildfire victims and stopped by the central support center to encourage those involved in recovery efforts.

An international conference will be held next Friday in Dangjin City, Chungcheongnam-do Province, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the traditional tug-of-war's inscription as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Hosted by the UNESCO Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region, in partnership with Dangjin, the conference will bring together heritage specialists from Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines—the four countries that jointly inscribed tug-of-war as a UNESCO heritage in 2015.

Participants will share preservation initiatives undertaken since the inscription and discuss strategies to strengthen intergovernmental cooperation on the shared heritage.

Tug-of-war, a traditional agrarian game, has long been practiced across Asia as a ritual to pray for rain and a bountiful harvest.

The opening of the Yeongdeungpo Yeouido Spring Flower Festival, one of Seoul's most popular cherry blossom spots, has been postponed from this Friday to next Tuesday.

Yeongdeungpo-gu District Office announced the decision after an emergency response meeting, citing the potential influx of large crowds near the National Assembly in Yeouido before and after President Yoon's impeachment ruling set for Friday.

The festival has been scaled down, with the opening ceremony and the Air Force's Black Eagles' celebratory flight canceled.

Extra police and security personnel will be deployed in crowded areas throughout the festival to ensure public safety.

The event runs through next Saturday.

That's all from me. Keep it tuned to the Kulture Wave.