Hangeul was invented in 1443 and promulgated in 1446 by King Sejong the Great during the Joseon Dynasty. (Courtesy of gettyimagesbank ) Korea is one of the few countries in the world that has its own phonetic alphabet. Called Hangeul, the Korean script is even more unique as it is the only alphabet whose time and means of creation as well as the name of its creator are all well documented.      Hangeul was created in 1443 and promulgated in 1446 by King Sejong th

A night view of Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, a restored secondary palace and artificial pond in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, capital of the Silla Kingdom Gyeongju in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province was the capital of the Silla Kingdom from 57 BCE to 935 CE. The ability to maintain a capital in one place for nearly a whole millennium is not a common feat in ancient history. Such an existence has enriched the cultural and historic legacies of Gyeongju and 

Singer Lee So-jung in a scene from the music video “Island,” which features Dokdo, Korea’s easternmost island (Courtesy of Northeast Asian History Foundation) Dokdo is the name of Korea’s easternmost island. It comprises two main islets, Dongdo and Seodo, and 89 smaller rocky outcroppings in the East Sea.    As long as Koreans have ruled on the Peninsula, the island cluster has been attached to it historically, geograp

President Yoon Suk Yeol announces his vision to develop Korea’s digital technologies at New York University’s Digital Vision Forum on September 21. (Courtesy of the Office of the President) With the digital transformation of the world picking up pace, Korea – already a country well known for nurturing digital-related industries – aims to move closer to the forefront of the nations that are driving the digital era.    On September 28, the Ministry of Sc

Jocelyn Clark, a gayageum player from the U.S. (Courtesy of Shelly Lightburn) The first time Jocelyn Clark heard someone play a  gayageum , a Korean 12-string zither, she didn’t get the appeal.     “I didn’t understand the sound. It was very dark and muffled,” said the Alaska-raised  American.  “I just didn’t understand what was going on.”     Its long rhythm patterns, with accents in unexpected places, were hard to appreciate