Culture
Festivals, traditions, and history — Korean culture explained beyond the headlines. 9 stories
Gangnam's Free K-Pop Concert Is October 4 — PSY, ZEROBASEONE and Five More, and Yes, You Need a Ticket
Seven acts, one boulevard, a ticket price of zero (plus a 3,000-won booking fee) — but getting in runs through a Ticketlink booking, an ID check, and a wristband. Here's what's happening at the 2026 Gangnam Festival on October 4, and how to plan around it.
Korea's Royal October: A Royal Procession on the 4th, Then Five Days Inside the Palaces
Two royal events land in the same October week — a full-scale reenactment of King Jeongjo's 1795 procession setting out from Gyeongbokgung on October 4, and the Royal Culture Festival opening four palaces and Jongmyo from October 7 to 11. Here's the announced schedule, what's free, and how visitors from abroad actually book a seat.
Jinju's Lantern Festival, October 3–18 — 16 Nights on a Battlefield River
Korea's biggest water-lantern festival floats 16 nights of lanterns on the river where they were first used as a battlefield signal in 1592. Free to walk into, newly funded as one of three national 'Global Festivals' — here's the official 2026 program, the prices, and how to get there.
Jeonju Hanok Village: A Neighborhood Built Twice, a Century Apart
It looks like the one neighborhood Korea's rapid modernization skipped over. It wasn't preserved that way by accident — it was built on purpose, twice, a century apart, and its own popularity is now pricing out the people who kept it real.
Busan International Film Festival Opens October 6 — Tickets Are Now on Sale
Korea's biggest film festival returns for its 31st edition — 315 films, a new top prize, and announced guests including Isabelle Huppert and Michelle Yeoh in Busan from October 6 to 15.
Haenyeo: The Real, Dangerous Job Behind Jeju's Most Famous Image
The women on Jeju's postcards and souvenir shelves aren't a folklore mascot — they're real free-divers, most in their 60s to 80s, working without oxygen tanks, and there are fewer of them every year.
Bulguksa and Seokguram: The Parts That Are Actually 1,300 Years Old
The wooden halls are a 1970s reconstruction, and the Buddha everyone photographs has been sealed behind glass just as long — what's actually 1,300 years old here, and what isn't.
Andong's International Mask Dance Festival Runs Through October 4 — 24 Countries Are Showing Up
Korea's own UNESCO-listed mask dance tradition is hosting 28 performance teams from 24 countries in a small Gyeongbuk city through October 4. Here's what's happening, and how to plan around it.