Feature
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Traditional Korean Farming: Community Cooperation and Coexistence with Nature
Korea’s farming culture, centered around rice, reflects a deep communal spirit. Seasonal tasks like monaegi (transplanting rice seedlings) and gimmaegi (weeding) were supported by dure (village labor organizations) and pumasi (reciprocal labor exchange). These practices blended hard work with saecham (communal meals) and nongak (farmers' music), fostering community and ensuring a good harvest. The homi, a traditional hand hoe, has recently gained international attention for its role in these agricultural practices.
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Beyond the Scroll: Dance and Delight among Joseon’s Confucian Nobility
People cannot live by work alone: leisure activities are necessary for a life that is satisfying. Singing, playing an instrument, and dancing when the mood strikes are indispensable features of enjoying ourselves. People during the Joseon era referred to such enjoyment of life’s finer moments as pungnyu, a term that embodies the concept of flowing naturally, like a breeze blowing.
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Cheonghwa Baekja of Joseon, Simplistic Beauty Expressed in Cobalt Blue
Cheonghwa Baekja (cobalt blue underglaze white porcelain) is a type of white porcelain from Joseon. The most noticeable feature of Korean Cheonghwa Baekja is the beauty of its white space.
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Two Historic Objects of Korean Origin Returned Home
Repatriated cultural items are helping renew public attention on Korean heritage and are improving the understanding of our culture and history.
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Fascinating Stories Told by Earthenware from Goryeo Shipwrecks
Earthenware found alongside written records in Goryeo shipwrecks provides a rich source of information with a great potential for advancing academic research.