A young visitor explores the Dooly Museum in northern Seoul, September 10, 2023. (Photo by S Latham) This year, Korea celebrates the 40th anniversary of its beloved dinosaur Dooly, who stands as a trailblazer in the nation's rapidly expanding and diverse comic book and webtoon industry. Dooly – a comic book character which later branched out into various fields, including an animated film, musicals and merchandising – became a standard for the successful adaptation of Korea

The poster for “Hanyangga: An Ode to Seoul” (Courtesy of the National Hangeul Museum) The National Hangeul Museum nested amid the gardens of the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, September 9, 2023. (Photo by Saul Latham) The National Hangeul Museum (NHM) will open a special exhibition titled “Hanyangga: An Ode to Seoul” from September 27, 2023, running through to February 12, 2024. According to the yet-to-be-released introductory

Performers from the musical “Crazy Bread” sing one of its numbers (Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) Ticket sales for Korean musicals hit a new high of 425.3 billion won (US$320.5 million) in 2022, according to the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System. After achieving record sales at home, Korean productions are out to expand their winning streak by finding new theaters and audiences abroad. The Ministry of Culture, Sports an

Poster informing elderly Gyeonggi-do Province residents about helpful AI chat services (Photo by Gyeonggi Provincial Government) Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming a part of daily life in Korea as the government embraces it for welfare, environmental, scientific and other purposes. One notable initiative in Gyeonggi-do Province is an AI calling service for those age 65 and older. This service, started on June 19, makes phone calls to elderly citizens m

Fubao in Everland, Yongin, Gyeonggi-do Province (Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-min)  Fubao has had fans in Korea since birth. She is now more than a superstar here.     The three-year-old female panda, which is often called “Princess Fu,” attracts thousands of visitors every day to her home in Panda World at Korea’s largest amusement park Everland, located in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do Province. The total&