News

Six dead in New York City helicopter crash

2025/04/11 10:00

Meanwhile, in the United States, a helicopter carrying a family from Spain crashed in New York City's Hudson River, resulting in the deaths of all six individuals on board, including the pilot. On Thursday afternoon, local time, at 3:17 PM, a Bell 206 helicopter operated by New York Helicopters crashed into the Hudson River near Lower Manhattan. The aircraft carried a Spanish family of two adults and three children, along with the pilot. Eyewitnesses observed the helicopter breaking apart mid-air before crashing upside-down into the water. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have begun investigations into the cause of the crash. Mayor Eric Adams extended condolences to the victims' families, describing the incident as "heartbreaking and tragic."

Jeju 4.3 Archives officially listed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register

2025/04/11 10:00

UNESCO has officially listed the Jeju 4.3 Archives in its Memory of the World Register, recognizing their historical value, authenticity, and universal significance. The decision was confirmed Thursday, local time in France, according to Jeju officials. The archives contain around 15-thousand records, including victim testimonies and documents from the decades-long truth and reconciliation process related to the April 3rd Incident and following civilian massacres on Jeju Island in 1948 and 1949. With this latest addition, South Korea now has 20 entries in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register.

K-wave AI News

2025/04/10 14:00

Hello and welcome to your AI guide to the latest cultural updates from Korea. Here's our top story. The National Heritage Service has downgraded the national heritage disaster warning level from "Serious" to "Alert." The decision comes two weeks after the highest alert level was issued on March 25 in response to massive wildfires in the Gyeongsang region. The agency explained that the immediate threat has been resolved as the fires have been fully contained in Ulsan and across the Gyeongsang provinces. A total of 35 national heritage sites were damaged in the wildfires, including the thousand-year-old Gounsa Temple in Uiseong. The National Museum of Korea ranked 8th in visitor numbers last year among museums and art galleries worldwide. According to international art publication, 'The Art Newspaper,' the museum attracted nearly 3.8 million visitors in 2024. This places the National Museum of Korea as the eighth most visited in the world among the institutions surveyed. The Louvre in Paris topped the list with over 8.7 million visitors, followed by the Vatican Museums, the British Museum in London, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The '46th Seonnong Daeje,' a traditional royal ritual to pray for a bountiful harvest, will take place next week in Seoul's Dongdaemun District. Joseon kings symbolically plowed a field to underscore the importance of agriculture and shared beef soup with the people afterward — a custom believed to be the origin of 'seolleongtang,' a beloved Korean dish. Festivities will kick off next Friday with a Korean traditional music concert at the 'Flower Garden of Knowledge' in Jeonnong-dong. The main event will be held the following day, featuring ceremonial rites and a reenactment of a royal procession. Around 300 participants, including international students, are expected to join the procession to Seonnongdan, a historic altar where kings once carried out the agricultural rituals. That's all from me. Keep it tuned to the Kulture Wave.

[Short-form] Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty

2025/04/10 14:00

Embark on a journey through the charms of the Joseon royal tombs, where history and nature come together.

[Hallyu People] Meet the director of King Sejong Institute Surabaya, selected as "Best KSI of 2024"

2025/04/10 14:00

Indonesia is one of the largest consumers of Korean culture in Southeast Asia showing one of the highest favorabilities towards Korean cultural content according to surveys in recent years. No wonder then, that interest in learning the Korean language is also high. For today’s “Hallyu People” we connect live to Herwindy Maria Tejaatmaja, the director of the Sejong Institute Surabaya, to listen to the current status of Korean language learning in Indonesia. Hello Herwindy! Q1) First of all, congratulations to your King Sejong Institute having been chosen as one of the five best King Sejong institutes in 2024. How do you feel about this achievement? Q2) KSI Surabaya celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and has so far around 6,000 graduates. Any memorable moments or stories of students you would like to share? Q3) Indonesia has the fourth largest number of King Sejong Institutes in Asia, after Vietnam, China and Japan. What are the reasons behind people in Indonesia enrolling in Korean culture or language classes? (Majoring in Korean at universities is also popular we heard?) Q4) In addition to teaching Korean, we heard KSI Surabaya also works with the local community to organize Korean culture lectures. What kind of events have been held recently and how was the response? Q5) At the beginning, I mentioned that Indonesia has been found to be a country with one of the highest interests in K-culture in the world. Do you see that happening around you? Tell us about your own experience. 6) Lastly, for Indonesian fans of the Korean wave, what role can the King Sejong Institute Surabaya play in the future? What are your plans and goals? Is there any upcoming K-culture event (drama, movie, concert) you (Indonesians) are looking forward to this year? Thank you for connecting with us today Herwindy we wish you and the Sejong Institute Surabaya the best and keep in touch. Thank you Bella as always, we'll see you back tomorrow.

Ghibli-style AI-generated portrait boom; new wave in art scene?

2025/04/10 10:00

If you're active on social media, you've probably come across one of these Ghibli-style portraits that are AI-generated. Our Park Kun-woo tells us more about the craze as well as the potential issues with the craze. Social media is buzzing with Studio Ghibli-style portraits -not of actual characters but of real people transformed using generative AI. The global trend has also reached South Korea after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted his own version last month, showing how ChatGPT can now create intricate images with just simple prompts. "Whenever I open social media, it's flooded with these Ghibli-style images. A lot of my friends have tried them, some even shared their wedding photos in that style." Since the launch of the new image-generation tool in late March, over 700 million images were created, in just the first week. "This is my original photo, and I asked to be turned into a Ghibli character—and boom, two minutes later, here I am. And it's not just this but you can also turn into characters like Pororo or Marvel heroes. No wonder it's gone viral." As the craze spreads, Sam Altman even joked on social media that "our GPUs are melting." However, the trend has also had backlash. A Japanese animation director known for "One Piece" expressed strong distaste, saying the trend is tarnishing the Ghibli brand. And Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki previously condemned AI-generated work as "an insult to life itself" adding that he would never use it in his pieces. Copyright concerns are also fueling the controversy. "Art styles and aesthetics are considered ideas, so the case is hard to judge whether it's violating copyrights. The issue is whether an AI company trained its model on works in the Ghibli style." She added that because this is a legal grey area with not much precedent, international and social consensus will be crucial moving forward. Despite the controversy, some believe this could be a new turning point in the culture and art scene. "The art world faces what's called "Baumol's cost disease" -rising labor costs without matching productivity. And hand-drawn animation is extremely labor-intensive. Ghibli, for example, hasn't released a new film since 2014. But AI could ease that burden and enable new creations while preserving the original identity." She also said that with proper consensus, AI-generated art could evolve into a new cultural movement, perhaps even gaining long-term value, much like Van Gogh's paintings did posthumously. And considering that, a tiny Ghibli-style AI portrait might just be the spark, redrawing the entire canvas of modern art. Park Kun-woo, Arirang News.

At least 66 dead in a roof collapse at a nightclub in the Dominican Republic, including governor

2025/04/09 10:00

In the Dominican Republic's capital city Santo Domingo, at least 66 people died and over 150 were injured after the roof of a nightclub collapsed during a live performance. In the early hours of Tuesday, local time, the roof of the Jet Set nightclub collapsed during a concert by merengue singer Rubby Perez, with hundreds of people inside when the incident occurred. Among the deceased are Nelsy Cruz, the governor of Monte Cristi province, and the sister of former MLB player Nelson Cruz, as well as former Major League Baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel. Rubby Perez sustained injuries but is reported to be in stable condition. While investigations are underway to determine the cause of the collapse, the country's president expressed his condolences and assured all resources are being deployed for ongoing rescue efforts.

S. Korea to provide additional US$ 2 mil. worth of relief items to earthquake-hit Myanmar

2025/04/08 17:00

Korea will provide an additional two-million U.S. dollars worth of urgent relief items to Myanmar to aid its recovery after the recent deadly earthquake there. According to the Foreign Ministry earlier today the items will include five-hundred camping tents for the displaced four-thousand water bottles and 80-thousand blankets. This follows Seoul's initial two-million dollars worth of humanitarian assistance sent last week through the International Committee of the Red Cross. More than ten days have passed since the massive quake and as of this Tuesday the death toll stands at around three-thousand-six-hundred.

[Kulture Issue] Reflecting on the importance of Korea's cultural heritage amid destructive wildfires

2025/04/08 14:00

Recently we reported on the damage to national heritage sites in South Korea caused by the worst wildfires in the country on record. In late March there was a huge fire in Uiseong-gun County in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province and fires spread to as far as Gyeongsangnam-do Province and Ulsan. Another fire broke out just this week in the southern county of Hadong, which has now been mostly contained as of this Tuesday. Today, we want to take a deeper look into the value and importance of Korea’s cultural heritages and the need to protect them. For that, we are joined online by David Tizzard, Professor of Korean Studies at Seoul Women’s University and Hanyang University. Hello Professor Tizzard! 1) The massive wildfires in the southern part of South Korea have destroyed or damaged numerous cultural heritage sites. As a scholar of Korean studies, how did you feel when you heard about the destruction of these heritage sites? 2) This recent incident was so big that it has probably also hit ordinary people here in Korea as well as many hallyu fans? 3) Some places, like the historic Gounsa temple were completely burnt down, others fortunately were spared from the flames. Could you introduce us to some significant places? 4) (A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Buseoksa temple, was also threatened by the wildfires.) What importance do Korea’s Buddhist monuments hold to the world history and global Buddhist culture? 5) What efforts can be made to protect cultural heritage or what can be done to raise awareness? Thank you very much Professor Tizzard for your insights and recommendations today. (It's unfortunate that we had to deal with this topic with the country having been affected by the wildfires, but it was an opportunity to shed light on the deep meaning of these historic sites as well as the religious and cultural aspects you touched upon today.) Thank you Walter, we'll see you next time.

Small library in Gyeongbokgung Palace, welcoming spring

2025/04/08 10:00

For those of you here in Seoul looking for a peaceful place to indulge in books the king's study at Gyeongbokgung Palace is open as a small public library. Our Choi Soo-hyung tells us more. Spring has arrived in Gyeongbokgung Palace. This part of the palace.. is called 'Jibokjae', which means "Collecting precious jewels such as jade." It is connected with Palujeong, an octagonal two-story pavilion, and Hyeopgildang Hall, showcasing a distinctive traditional architectural beauty. Inside the buildings, over a thousand books fill the walls, and people look around and read. From April 2nd, the 'Jibokjae' has been opened as a small library. Here, visitors can read books, relax, and enjoy a moment of peace. The low ceiling gives visitors a cozy feeling and lets them see the beautiful Dancheong, traditional Korean patterns, up close. "I think it's yeah peaceful, quiet, so yeah, I feel lucky to be here actually. I choose other books like poem just to see how it's like writing." "We came here to enjoy the nice weather and also to learn more about our culture. The atmosphere is very calm and peaceful and it feels like the perfect place to relax. We are having a really great time." Since 2016, the Korea Heritage Service has opened this space for free to allow visitors to experience the palace more closely. This building was built in 1881 and was used by King Gojong as a study and to receive foreign envoys. It closed during the COVID-19 pandemic but reopened in 2022. Currently, this place has over 1,700 books related to the history of the Joseon Dynasty and royal family. "It also offers books for children, foreign language translations and, and rare resources such as the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, which are not easily found elsewhere." The office plans to hold programs such as meet-the-author events and book talks at the library. The Jibokjae small library will be open until October 31, except in July and August. Choi Soo-hyung, Arirang News.

Small library in Gyeongbokgung Palace, welcoming spring

2025/04/07 17:00

For those of you here in Seoul looking for a peaceful place to indulge in books the king's study at Gyeongbokgung Palace is open as a small public library. Our Choi Soo-hyung has a glimpse. Spring has arrived in Gyeongbokgung Palace. This part of the palace.. is called 'Jibokjae', which means "Collecting precious jewels such as jade." It is connected with Palujeong, an octagonal two-story pavilion, and Hyeopgildang Hall, showcasing a distinctive traditional architectural beauty. Inside the buildings, over a thousand books fill the walls, and people look around and read. From April 2nd, the 'Jibokjae' has been opened as a small library. Here, visitors can read books, relax, and enjoy a moment of peace. The low ceiling gives visitors a cozy feeling and lets them see the beautiful Dancheong, traditional Korean patterns, up close. "I think it's yeah peaceful, quiet, so yeah, I feel lucky to be here actually. I choose other books like poem just to see how it's like writing." "We came here to enjoy the nice weather and also to learn more about our culture. The atmosphere is very calm and peaceful and it feels like the perfect place to relax. We are having a really great time." Since 2016, the Korea Heritage Service has opened this space for free to allow visitors to experience the palace more closely. This building was built in 1881 and was used by King Gojong as a study and to receive foreign envoys. It closed during the COVID-19 pandemic but reopened in 2022. Currently, this place has over 1,700 books related to the history of the Joseon Dynasty and royal family. "It also offers books for children, foreign language translations and, and rare resources such as the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, which are not easily found elsewhere." The office plans to hold programs such as meet-the-author events and book talks at the library. The Jibokjae small library will be open until October 31, except in July and August. Choi Soo-hyung, Arirang News.

Power plant fire sends one worker to hospital, others evacuated safely

2025/04/07 17:00

Back on the local front. A fire broke out earlier on this Monday at a thermal power plant and fortunately no fatalities were reported. According to authorities the blaze began at around 9:30 a.m. at the Honam Thermal Power Plant located in Yeosu in the eastern part of Jeollanam-do Province. The flame was tamed in about an hour and half and officials have now launched an investigation into its cause.

Helicopter crashes in wildfire firefighting efforts in Daegu, South Korea

2025/04/06 18:00

A helicopter involved in firefighting efforts has crashed while responding to a wildfire in the southeastern city of Daegu, killing the pilot. According to local fire and safety authorities, the aircraft crashed approximately 100 meters from the site of the fire. The wildfire broke out at around 3:12 PM on Sunday and the Korea Forest Service deployed five helicopters and other firefighting resources, bringing the fire under control an hour later. Authorities have not yet been able to determine the cause of the fire, and plan to launch a full investigation into the crash.

[Short-form] Korea’s Tidal Flats: A Legacy from Nature

2025/04/04 14:00

Explore the ecological significance of Korea’s tidal flats, recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Myanmar announces 3-week temporary ceasefire amid earthquake relief efforts

2025/04/03 17:00

In Myanmar. The death toll from the country's devastating earthquake continues to mount with the latest count showing over three thousand losses of lives as a temporary ceasefire seeks to advance the search for loved ones and to ensure relief support. Lee Seung-jae has more. In a bid to speed up relief and reconstruction efforts following last week's magnitude 7-point-7 earthquake that struck Myanmar, the military government on Wednesday announced a temporary ceasefire. In a statement, the State Administration Council announced the ceasefire from April 2nd to April 22nd. However, according to local media MRTV, the military junta warned that if rebel groups attack, the military will take necessary measures. Earlier this week, the rebel Three Brotherhood Alliance, which consists of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, the Ta'ang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army, announced a unilateral ceasefire to support quake response for one month. However,.. the military government had refused to do the same until Wednesday's announcement. Since the military junta's coup in 2021, Myanmar has been marred by violence amid a civil war between the military government and ethnic militias and resistance forces. As the country continues recovery and relief efforts, a hotel worker who had been buried under the rubble in Naypyidaw was rescued after 108 hours. The 26-year-old hotel employee was found alive by a rescue team, covered in dust, but conscious. He was immediately transported to the hospital for medical treatment. Local media says the death toll from the devastating earthquake has now surpassed three thousand. Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.

[K-wave] Wildfire response measures need review to better protect national treasures

2025/04/03 14:00

The wildfires of Sancheong-gun County, Gyeongsangnam-do Province and Uiseong-gun County, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province were a part of what became South Korea’s worst wildfires on record, and some 30 national heritage sites were destroyed. As climate change is expected to worsen wildfires, it has been pointed out that new measures are needed to protect national heritage. Lee Eun-jin tells us more. The devastating wildfires swept away nearly 30 national heritage sites including Gounsa, a centuries-old Buddhist temple in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. Gaunru, a pavilion-shaped structure within the Gounsa Temple, and Yeonsujeon Hall were both burnt, both designated as national treasures from the Silla Dynasty. "Strong winds impacted the wildfires the most. The wildfires spread quickly, riding on the strong and dry winds that reached a maximum speed of 27 meters per second." Most of the temples designated as national treasures are buried away in the mountains, which makes access to them difficult for firefighting vehicles. This is why major national heritage sites are equipped with basic fire-extinguishing equipment, including fire hydrants. The problem is when wildfires become large-scale. When fires break out, burn simultaneously and spread at high speed, evacuating national cultural assets should be prioritized as protective equipment can only do so much. "They have fiberglass fireproof cloth that's commercially available on the market. It serves its function for a relatively long period below 1,000 degrees Celsius. But a situation where the flames exceed 1,000 degrees for several tens of minutes is beyond the scope of protection that this cloth can function." Particularly, for large wooden buildings, flameproof cloth needs to be installed using highrise vehicles, but in emergency situations, it is not easy to operate such equipment and procure the personnel to do it. So, for important locations, separate measures are needed for flameproof cloth installation, as well as education and training for those in charge of national heritage safety management. Moreover, the most recent wildfires have highlighted that there needs to be an overall revision to national response measures of large-scale fires, during which specific measures need to be prepared for the protection of national treasures. Lee Eunjin, Arirang News. The recent damage to the dozens of cultural heritage sites reminded me of a huge incident back in 2008, when the Sungnyemun Gate in Seoul was burned down. I still remember how shocking that was. Especially as it was caused by arson. Right, and that case led to the establishment of the "Cultural Heritage Disaster Prevention Day", falling on February 10th. So, what's being done on that day? People who work at historic sites conduct fire drills in a bid to reduce the risks of fire damage. Let's hope for stronger efforts to protect such important national assets.

K-wave AI News

2025/04/03 14:00

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.

No. of overseas medical tourists to S. Korea nearly doubled y/y in 2024

2025/04/03 10:00

The number of foreign nationals who visited South Korea last year for medical procedures was nearly double compared to the year before. According to the Health Ministry on Wednesday, the number reached around 1-point-2 million, the highest since the country's medical tourism program began in 2009. Since then, the total has exceeded 5-million. By nationality, Japan topped the list, accounting for over 37-percent, followed by China and the U.S. And over half came over to have dermatology treatment.

No. of overseas medical tourists to S. Korea nearly doubled y/y in 2024

2025/04/02 20:00

The number of foreign nationals who visited South Korea last year for medical procedures was nearly double compared to the year before. According to the Health Ministry on Wednesday, the number reached around 1-point-2 million, the highest since the country's medical tourism program began in 2009. Since then, the total has exceeded 5-million. By nationality, Japan topped the list, accounting for over 37-percent, followed by China and the U.S. And over half came over to have dermatology treatment.

Relief efforts continue in Myanmar as international organizations rush to deliver basic supplies

2025/04/02 20:00

International relief agencies are ramping up their efforts to aid Myanmar after a devastating earthquake, with time running out. Our Bae Eun-ji spoke with people who are offering a helping hand as they respond to the latest crisis on the ground. Homes are destroyed and lives are lost in Myanmar after the country was hit by its largest earthquake in more than a century. The death toll has already exceeded 2,700, despite the efforts of rescuers desperately searching for survivors. International organizations are rushing to help, as residents in hardest-hit regions are in urgent need of shelter and essential items such as clean water, food, and hygiene kits. The representative of the UN Refugee Agency in Myanmar, based in Yangon said the latest earthquake is a "crisis on top of a crisis," as the country already had more than three million people displaced from the ongoing armed conflict, even before the earthquake. "This area particular area of north and central and northwestern part of Myanmar it was already the home of 1.6 million IDPs, internally displaced people. On top of that, we do think that the almost 15 million people have been affected by this earthquake, and among which 3.8 million which is quite a devastating number, 3.8 million people are considered to be living in the area that was hardest hit by the earthquake. So the impact you can imagine is quite enormous." The Country director for Solidarites International, a France-based NGO, who's also in Yangon, said local responders are starting to get exhausted and that they're running out of resources. He highlighted that the situation is at a "turning point," adding that efficient collaboration between local teams and international organizations is crucial, in order to gather all available resources. "Mostly we are going to support local responders, when it comes to displacement sites for people that have been evacuating the city of Mandalay, because of fear of building continuing to collapse and being affected. We know already that quite a lot of people have now been spending three nights out in the streets with no shelter with no immediate protection." With hospitals, schools, and public infrastructure now destroyed, there are concerns not only with regard to basic needs, but also health care and the educational system. The Vice President of the International Rescue Committee said teams have been sent to a town near the epicenter of the earthquake, where 80% of the buildings have been compromised, and explained that the impact of an earthquake can last years. "It's been heartening to see the response that's been mounted so far, but we know this is going to be an effort that's going to take not weeks but months, possibly years to fully recover from a crisis like this." As the devastated country struggles to cope with the aftermath of the powerful earthquake, local communities are still awaiting international aid and support. Bae Eun-ji, Arirang News.