Swellfish season at Millennium Hilton SeoulGenji, Millennium Hilton Seoul’s Japanese restaurant, offers promotion menu featuring swellfish (also called fugu), a seasonal delicacy highly revered in Japanese cuisine. Guests can enjoy a special curated set menu that features swellfish prepared in a variety of ways, including swellfish sashimi, tempura, swellfish cooked in a hotpot, and more. The set course is priced at 170,000 won per person, and is available for lunch and dinner. A-la-carte

Inje Icefish FestivalInje Icefish Festival, officially launched in 1997, offers a true winter experience with icefish fishing.The festival takes place at Bingeoho Lake in Gangwon Province. Admission is free but additional fees may apply depending on the program. For more information in Korean, English, Japanese or Chinese, call the travel hotline at 1330. The homepage (www.injefestival.co.kr) is in Korean only. Herb Island Lighting Festival The Herb Island Lighting Festival creates a romant

Though we are well into the new year, the Year of the White Mouse truly begins with the Lunar New Year’s holiday.With Lunar New Year’s Day falling Saturday, South Korea slips into a holiday mood from Friday through Monday. According to the Chinese zodiac, there are 10 characters that symbolize the energy of the sky and 12 animals responsible for guarding the land. This year, the seventh character, Gyeong, meets the mouse guardian. Gyeong symbolizes the color white, making 2020 the Ye

The Namsan Arts Center, managed by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, released its 2020 season program Tuesday, stressing that this season’s program is about remembering the atrocities linked to the 1980 Gwangju Democratic Uprising.The Gwangju massacre saw mass killings of civilians by the military junta led by Gen. Chun Doo-hwan in response to the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Uprising in 1980, as the people of Gwangju called for democracy, protesting against the authoritarian regime.

Like the rest of the global entertainment industry, the musical theater scene has been paying attention to the issue of racial diversity. Backed by the movement, more Korean stage actors are making their way to overseas productions, including on Broadway and West End.While the 2020 Korea Musical Awards took place Monday, stage actors who starred in overseas musical productions -- Kim So-hyang, Kim Soo-ha, Park Young-ju and Choi Eun-sil -- shared their experiences at the Musical Global Network Co

After Chen of K-pop boy band EXO announced his upcoming marriage, some fans took to streets in protest, labeling him a “betrayer” and calling on him to leave the group. Chen, whose real name is Kim Jong-dae, announced his marriage on Jan. 13, hinting that his wife-to-be is pregnant with his child. He posted a picture of a handwritten letter on a fan website, saying he has “a person whom he wants to spend the rest of his life with.”Chen also hinted at his girlfriend’

Actress Han Ye-seul created a buzz earlier this month when she attended the 34th Golden Disc Awards in western Seoul on Jan. 5. Wearing a colorful floral off-shoulder dress and dark smoky eye makeup, she looked daring and bold, but what caught the eyes of viewers was her nose ring -- an accessory not commonly seen in the relatively conservative entertainment industry here.Her look evoked mixed responses online, drawing both compliments and disapproval.  On Wednesday, she shared with the 620

We may be seeing students dressed in hanbok-inspired school uniforms soon. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Thursday its plans to adapt hanbok-inspired school uniforms, at a New Year’s event held at Novotel Ambassador Dongdaemun Hotel & Residences in central Seoul.The Culture Ministry and Ministry of Education last year signed a memorandum of understanding on the school uniform project, with a contest held to come up with school uniform designs based on Korea&rsquo

Winter afternoon tea at Millennium Hilton SeoulMillennium Hilton Seoul’s Cilantro Deli, located in the main lobby of the hotel, presents afternoon tea with a winter theme. The tea set includes open sandwiches, scones, a gingerbread man and treats shaped like snowmen, Christmas trees and mittens. The deli’s signature Noel Cake, consisting of a red velvet roll, a green tea roll, a chocolate roll and a mocha roll, will be available for sale along with fruit sponge cake, chocolate sponge

Herb Island Lighting Festival The Herb Island Lighting Festival creates a romantic ambiance with beautiful lighting displays. Visitors can enjoy the pink wish tunnel, sparkling buildings, the Santa Village, a photo zone and other twinkling places.It is open to visitors of all ages, and admission costs 9,000 won. Children, senior citizens, people with disabilities and groups of 20 or more get in for 7,000 won per person. The festival runs through April 30.For more information in Korean, English o

South Korean biopharma giant Celltrion Group Chairman Seo Jeong-jin has been appointed the director of the board of the Korea National Opera.The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Seo’s appointment Wednesday. His three-year term will run until Jan. 14, 2023.  Seo’s contributions to the cultural sector include a 3 billion won ($2.5 million) investment in the 2016 film “Operation Chromite” through Celltrion Entertainment as well as developing expertise a

Comedian Park Na-rae has landed a new stand-up comedy show on the small screen.After airing two pilot episodes in November, KBS will air comedy show “Stand Up” every Tuesday starting Jan. 28, featuring Park as the main host. A total of 10 episodes are scheduled for release. “Stand Up” is a comedy show for adults that delivers diverse stories about life, according to KBS. Park will lead the program, with guest comedians joining her on the show. The 34-year-old comedian has

The National Theater of Korea is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year by presenting numerous programs by various performing art troupes. The National Theater Center, under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is the hub of Korea’s performing arts scene, with the National Changgeuk Company of Korea, National Dance Company of Korea and the National Orchestra of Korea under its wings. Founded in 1950, it is the oldest of its kind in Asia. To celebrate its 70 years of histor

Violinist Lee Ji-yoon may be only 28 years old, but she is a musician trained in the legacy of a 450-year-old orchestra. In 2020, she will be sharing the legacy with Korean audiences at Kumho Art Hall Yonsei. The prodigy-turned-virtuoso of the Staatskapelle Berlin was selected as Kumho Art Hall’s artist-in-residence for 2020. Each year the art hall run by the Kumho Art Cultural Foundation selects an under-30 classical musician for its program. Lee took the classical music scene by storm in

The biannual festival Music in PyeongChang (MPyC) festival hopes to carry on the legacy of the PyeongChang Olympics with programs that embrace diversity and peace. The event’s organizers announced the program for the winter edition of the festival on Monday at Four Seasons Seoul in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, with festival artistic director and pianist Son Yeol-eum, Gangwon Art & Culture Foundation Chairman Kim Sung-hwan and Feelgood Kim, the foundation’s new CEO, in attendance.&

The Korea Craft & Design Foundation has appointed Kang Jae-young of Mangrove Artworks as the artistic director of the Korea exhibition that will be showcased at Milan Design Week 2020 in April. Kang, an expert in craft exhibition, was formerly a curator at Whanki Museum and the Korea Ceramic Foundation. While directing multiple exhibitions -- including the 25th anniversary exhibition of Kim Whan-ki in 1999 -- she also served as a co-curator for the Nanjing Triennale in China. During Mil

E-World Starlight Festival (1) The E-World Starlight Festival in Daegu features 10 million lights in a large area around E-World and 83 Tower. Hot air balloons, illuminated roses and mask light decorations are all part of this carnival-like festival. Large trees are decorated along the 200-meter Light Road, as well as the Umbrella Road, Carnival Road and a photo zone with 1,000 lights. Some 10,000 light-emitting diode roses cover the “proposal stairs.”The festival runs until March 1.

January is here, which means luxury hotels in Korea are duking it out for social media publicity with photogenic strawberry buffets. It might seem as if spring has already arrived to some tourists, as Korea’s strawberry season starts not in late spring but midwinter. Right after Christmas and New Year’s, hotels move into strawberry buffet-mode, seizing the opportunity for some winter color by creating eye-catching, mouthwatering desserts.  Buffet stations typically have cakes, t

More celebrities are opening up about their adoption stories on the small screen. 　Actor couple Jin Tae-hyun and Park Si-eun will appear on the SBS reality show “You Are My Destiny,” starting Jan. 20. The show will deal with their family life with their adopted daughter, Sae-yeon.  In October the couple revealed that they had adopted Sae-yeon, now in her early 20s, after meeting her at an orphanage on Jeju Island while on their honeymoon in 2015. They stayed in close touch and S

In 2020, the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts hopes to offer its audience cutting-edge stage art in a less rigid manner. The center released the program for its 2020 season Monday, featuring 54 shows and 393 performances. Innovative, low-barrier productions are what stand out most.“This year’s slogan is to ‘enjoy Sejong,’ meaning that everyone can enjoy more than just performances at the Sejong Center,” the center’s CEO Kim Sung-kyu said at a press event