Changdeokgung Palace Moonlight Tour As part of the Creation of Living Palaces project, the Changdeokgung Palace Moonlight Tour offers a unique opportunity to witness and experience the beauty of a traditional Korean palace at night. Admission is 30,000 won per person. Tours run May 21 to June 14 and are open to visitors of elementary school age and above. For more information in Korean or English, visit www.chf.or.kr. To make reservations, call (02) 1566-1369 or book tickets online at Aucti

Earlier this week, during the “golden holiday,” mountains across South Korea were teeming with hikers and campers, eager for an outdoor getaway while taking precautions against the coronavirus. With the novel coronavirus apparently on the wane in Korea, and the weather mild and pleasant, Koreans are heading to the mountains for “coronavirus-free” activities.   Camping -- an outdoor activity that virtually guarantees some distance and a tangible canvas or nylon barr

Spring dinner set at Grand Hyatt Seoul Grand Hyatt Seoul’s Japanese grill restaurant Teppan presents its spring dinner set until June 30. The meal begins with beef tartare followed by fried tomato, bacon salad, scallops, snapper noodles, beef steak and finally cod fish paired with garlic fried rice. Dessert is yuzu ganache, white chocolate cake and green tea ice cream. The dinner set is priced at 180,000 won per person. For more information, call Teppan at (02) 799-8899.  Fam

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Education have announced plans for hanbok-inspired school uniforms, and samples are on display at the KCDF Gallery in central Seoul. The 53 samples were selected through a contest held in April 2019. Schools can view them and meet with consultants from the Culture Ministry’s Hanbok Advancement Center at a booth in the gallery. A total of 20 middle and high schools are to adopt the uniforms with government assistance. The tw

As the spread of the new coronavirus continues to slow in South Korea, the nation has switched to a new strategy stressing disease prevention in everyday life, allowing national theaters and arts troupes to return to their normal routines.　 Five state-run performance venues -- the National Theater of Korea, National Gugak Center, Jeongdong Theater, Myeongdong Theater and Asia Culture Center -- that were shut down in late February will all resume operations, according to the Ministry of Culture

After an involuntary two-month break, the performing arts scene is gearing up to get back on track while taking precautions against the new coronavirus. A total of 24 national cultural institutions have closed since late February. Private institutions were shut down in past weeks, too.  Now that the number of new cases has dropped and South Korea is on the verge of going back to its normal routines, performing arts institutions and troupes are planning to resume their activities Wednesd

In South Korea and other countries, face masks play a vital role in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Face masks, which cost around 900 won (74 cents) before the crisis, now cost 1,500 won if purchased at pharmacies under the government’s rationing policy. If not, they can cost up to 4,000 won a piece. Though there are complaints that even the rationed masks are expensive, there are also those who are willing to spend more on a face mask. The term “coronavirus couture” h

A new classical music festival is coming to town, in the usually slow summer season. The Lotte Foundation for Arts is to host classical music festival Classic Revolution 2020 Beethoven in August.  On Monday, the Lotte Foundation announced plans to host an annual classical music festival, Classic Revolution, featuring diverse offerings from recitals and chamber music to concertos and symphonies. The festival will highlight a single composer each year, with the inaugural year dedicated t

An online version of the country’s biggest jazz festival will be livestreamed May 8-11, as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic keeps jazz fans at home. Dubbed the Jarasum Online Alright Jazz Festival, the organizers of Jarasum International Jazz Festival said that it will be the first local music festival to be streamed online. The event aims to offer performance opportunities to local jazz musicians who have been struggling with the virus crisis, and also to encourage the stagnant performan

The coronavirus pandemic has created a “new normal” in many aspects of our lives, as more people are staying in, spending more time at home than ever before, working from home and taking classes online. Part of the new normal is the fashion trend of comfort clothing. More consumers are responding to the new lifestyle by staying in their pajamas. While some companies require their employees to dress up in business attire during online conferences or meetings, there are also those

Wearing masks has become the norm now for facial protection against the novel coronavirus. Though masks are worn for safety, fashion designers are putting their own spin on the item, turning them into fashion statements.  While campaigns are taking place online to support the global fight against the virus, fashion designers here have decided to become part of the movement, with the Strong Together challenge.   The challenge involves decorating face masks with printed patterns or enco

Sip coffee at Grand InterContinental Seoul Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas’ Grand Deli is to present its original coffee selection through its private brand D’Gold. D’Gold coffee bean blends have been carefully selected by the hotel’s chief barista, creating a balance between premium beans from Brazil, Ethiopia and Costa Rica. The medium body coffee is enjoyed best as iced Americano or as iced latte. D’Gold is available at Grand Deli and costs 7,500 won for A

Pianist Cho Seong-jin will share his solo recital with the global audiences online from Berlin. According to label Deutsche Grammophon, Cho’s solo recital will be held at the Meistersaal, a historic concert hall in Berlin. The recital, conducted without the actual presence of audiences, will be streamed via DG’s YouTube channel on Saturday.  The exact program has not been revealed yet, but will include works from his upcoming album, and often presented repertoires. The re

Pianist Cho Seong-jin, 26, is due to release a new album titled “The Wanderer” on May 8. As the fourth album to be released under the Deutsche Grammophon label, it includes Schubert’s Fantasy in C major, D, 760, known as the Wanderer Fantasy; Berg’s Piano Sonata, Op. 1; and Liszt’s Piano Sonata in B minor, S 178.   The central work in the album -- as is hinted in the title -- is the Wanderer Fantasy written by Franz Schubert in 1822. The piano sonata is known

Pengsoo, the popular costumed penguin character from educational TV channel EBS, took the top place on local music charts with the recently released song “This is Pengsoo.” The song, released at 9 a.m. Tuesday for local streaming charts such as Melon, Genie and Bugs, is part of Pengsoo’s first digital single album, titled “Billboard Project Vol. 1.” Pengsoo collaborated with rapper Tiger JK for the release. Hip-hop artists Bizzy, Bibi and Tiger JK all participated

Though the performing arts scene has been gearing up to get back into the groove as the number of COVID-19 cases drops, concerts remain canceled in April. Pianist Kim Sun-wook’s concerts with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in April have been canceled. Kim, a Beethoven specialist, was to perform with the SPO on April 24 at the Lotte Concert Hall in eastern Seoul.   The program was to include Haydn’s Symphony No. 102 in B flat major Hob. I: 102, Beethoven’s Piano Concer

K-pop stars often make the most of their fame by venturing into a diverse range of second careers, such as acting or business. In recent years, more and more K-pop stars’ names are appearing on the cast lists of major musical productions as idols establish themselves in the highly popular musical scene. Initially, K-pop stars who landed major roles in musicals were met with hostility, as it was feared that musical actors -- actors trained specifically in the genre -- could lose out to big

24-hour stay at JW Marriott Dongdaemun JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul is running a Stay & Relax package that allows guests to check-in at desired hours and stay for a maximum of 24 hours. The deal includes a one night-stay at Deluxe Room or Executive Suite, breakfast for two adults and two children under 12 at the executive lounge and a voucher credit worth 40,000 won that can be used at the hotel’s restaurants. Also, a Barbie doll will be gifted per room. Prices start at 29

As more people are staying in amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, restaurants are turning to takeaway and delivery services to attract customers wary of coming into contact with others while dining out. Luxury hotels are offering contactless dining suitable for customers celebrating a special day at home or for those conducting an important business meeting over a meal. Lotte Hotel Seoul in central Seoul launched meal sets that can be picked up at a drive-thru on April 6. In the fir

Daehangno, an area of Seoul that is home to numerous small theaters, has been hit hard by the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak as theaters have been shut down in compliance with the government’s social distancing program. The Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System, managed by the Korea Arts Management Service affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, showed a sharp drop in ticket sales following the outbreak of the virus.   According to the data, ticket sale