An American couple who came to Korea in 1969 to work as Peace Corps volunteers have donated the art they collected during their six years here. The 140 items donated last year were valued at a quarter of a million dollars, they said.
Northeastern Seoul s Donam-dong of Seongbuk District is a typical Korean neighborhood. The area primarily consists of apartment complexes and various types of older housing, along with a few schools, including a women s university. Initially situated outside of Seoul, it was located not far from Hyehwamun Gate.
When Western missionaries came to Korea in 1885, their mission work focused on education and medical care. The huge churches they are known for today came along later. Such is the case, albeit almost a century later, with a small Midwest U.S.-based denomination called “Community of Christ.” Community of Christ members had been among the thousands of U.S. military personnel in Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War and afterward. Naturally, their Korean friends became aware of their denomination and its focus on the social gospel as described in the New Testament.
Tucked away in Gyeonggi Province s southeastern corner (about a 90-minute drive from Seoul) is the city of Icheon. It had been the center of the royal household’s potters for centuries. The famed kilns of Icheon were in their golden era during the 1392-1910 Joseon Kingdom. Still, the abundance of the right kind of clay, plenty of pine trees to fuel the kilns and the right climate for the best results were much sought after earlier during the 918-1392 Goryeo Kingdom and perhaps even earlier.
In a thought-provoking hybrid lecture organized by Royal Asiatic Society Korea, German scholar Werner Sasse challenged common misconceptions about Confucius and Confucianism, shedding light on its complex influence on Korean culture and society.