The aroma of books is sure to excite any bibliophile -- whether emanating from freshly printed titles or tomes that have sat on shelves for many years. A new establishment perfectly suited for such enjoyment has just opened in the capital city: Seoul Book Bogo, a huge warehouse of 132,730 used books, run by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Filling 1,465 square meters of space in a once abandoned warehouse are endless rows of volumes collected from 25 small secondhand bookstores in central Seou

At the latest edition of Paris Fashion Week, a new name caught the eye of fashion industry insiders amid the dizzying list of top fashion houses. It was Rokh, based in London and led by Korean-American designer Hwang Rok. Before launching his label in 2016, the 34-year-old designer had worked at high-end fashion houses, such as Celine, Chloe and Louis Vuitton.  RokhThough the Rokh label pursues the reinterpretation of classic garments through deconstruction and reconstruction, its collections ar

TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province -- With cherry blossoms in full bloom, the Tongyeong International Music Festival 2019 began Friday.The annual 10-day festival, founded in 2002, takes place at the city of Tongyeong, a southern coastal city and UNESCO City of Music.This year’s edition pays respect to two historical figures of music. One is, as is typically the case, late composer Yun I-sang, as the festival has its roots in a music festival dedicated to Yun. Tongyeong was the famed composer’s

TONGYEONG, South Gyeongsang Province -- Refugees were on composer Toshio Hosokawa’s mind when he wrote “The Maiden From the Sea” in 2017. At the time, images of refugees’ suffering and deaths had shocked and distressed the world. “The Maiden From the Sea” had its Asian premiere at the Tongyeong International Music Festival on Friday and Saturday.  Soprano Sarah Wegener (left) and Noh singer-dancer Ryoko Aoki (Tongyeong International Music Foundation)The Black Box theater of the Tongyeong Music H

Though Korea’s traditional music, gugak, is often neglected as pop music and Western classical music draw more attention, the National Gugak Center hopes to turn things around this year with fresh, innovative performances.The center, designed to preserve, support and promote gugak, operates four separate units: the Court Music Orchestra, the Folk Music Group, the Dance Theater and the Contemporary Gugak Orchestra.  (National Gugak Center) National Gugak Center (National Gugak Center)“Last year’s

Last week, the newest fashion trends packed into Dongdaemun Design Plaza, where the 2019 fall-winter Seoul Fashion Week took place. New brands, new models and new styles were presented in front of fashion aficionados.The biannual fashion event is largely separated into two runway parts: “Generation Next” featuring local rookie designers and the main event Seoul Collection.  A model presents a creation by Blanc de Noirs on a catwalk at the 2019 fall-winter Seoul Fashion Week on Thursday. (Seoul D

‘Under the Sea’ dining at JW Marriott DongdaemunJW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul’s all-day dining restaurant Tavolo 24 presents the Seafood Market promotion. A buffet station will introduce various seafood dishes, including chili crab, butter-fried shrimp and sashimi of fresh abalone, sea squirt, sea pineapple, octopus and shellfish.The promotion runs until April 30. The buffet is priced at 98,000 won per person for weekend brunch and dinner. For more information, call Tavolo 24 at (02) 2276-

London-based designer brand Cottweiler reached out to the public with its fashion show at the 2019 fall-winter Seoul Fashion Week on Friday. Led by the duo of Ben Cottrell and Matthew Dainty, Cottweiler was chosen as the first British brand to stage a runway show at Seoul Fashion Week under an exchange program between the British Fashion Council and Seoul Design Foundation.  Designers Ben Cottrell (left) and Matthew Dainty, who run London-based menswear label Cottweiler, speak during an intervie

The Korea National Opera begins its 2019 season with performances of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” at the Seoul Arts Center from Thursday to Sunday.The German opera tells the love story of Prince Tamino and Princess Pamina, the daughter of the Queen of the Night. After Pamina is kidnapped by the high priest Sarastro, the Night Queen persuades Tamino to rescue his daughter and gifts him with the magic flute.  Singers perform during a rehearsal of “The Magic Flute” on Tuesday at the Seoul Arts Center

Ensemble Ditto will perform its last season in June after a 12-year run, with its members scheduled to part ways after a final festival titled “Magic of Ditto.”　The all-male chamber ensemble was founded in 2007 in an effort to introduce classical music to a wider, younger public. Star violist Richard Yongjae O’Neill teamed up with a number of other young artists, presenting audience-friendly and innovative programs in South Korea and elsewhere in Asia.  Violist Richard Yongjae O’Neill (Credia) P

Seoul Fashion Week came to an end Sunday, wrapping up its official six-day run at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul.Though not one of the “big four” global fashion capitals, Seoul too sees fast-changing fashion trends. The biannual fashion festival invites international buyers, media and spectators to Seoul. Models present creations from brand Beyond Closet during the 2019 F/W Seoul Fashion Week held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul on Saturday. (Seoul Design Foundation)This ti

As a part of the 2019 F/W Seoul Fashion Week, the Seoul Design Foundation arranged a mentoring session Thursday, allowing international buyers to discuss the future of e-commerce. Five buyers who visited the fashion event -- Danny Stienen, a buyer from Antonioli (online concept store based in Milan), Constanza Lombardi and Thibaud Etcheberry from Browns (boutique concept store based in London), Nichole Spellman and Michal Kurtis, buyers from Barney’s New York (American department store chain) --

‘Under the Sea’ dining at JW Marriott DongdaemunJW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul’s all-day dining restaurant Tavolo 24 presents the Seafood Market promotion. For the promotion, the buffet station will introduce various seafood dishes, including chili crab, butter-fried shrimp and sashimi of fresh abalone, sea squirt, sea pineapple, octopus and shellfish.The promotion will start Saturday and continue until April 30. The buffet is priced at 98,000 won per person for weekend brunch and dinner. F

The French Embassy in Korea will look to promote French gastronomy through the works of two chefs from its Provencal region, to be demonstrated at the annual Gout de France/Good France celebration Thursday.Since 2014, French Embassies across the globe have been organizing the event in their respective residing nations under the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development.  From left: French Ambassador to Korea Fabien Penone and chefs Fanny Rey and Guillaume Sourrieu speak at

The catwalk shows of 2019 F/W Seoul Fashion Week kick off Wednesday at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza in central Seoul, introducing local designers’ creations for the fall-winter fashion.Thirty-seven fashion shows will be held in the main Seoul Collection, including 33 for designer brands such as the Miss Gee Collection, Beyond Closet, Songzio, Besfxxk, Greedilous and Dew E Dew E.Three brands collaborating with major fashion firms will also grace the stage. For example, Iise, the winner of the 2018

With the aim of encouraging and promoting templestay programs, the Korean Buddhist Cultural Foundation honored 52 temples across South Korea on Tuesday for their effective programs.The Korean Buddhist Cultural Foundation held an award ceremony at Jogyesa in central Seoul to recognize temples that had operated outstanding templestay programs in 2018. Templestay program (Korean Buddhist Cultural Foundation) Representatives of temples recognized for offering outstanding templestay programs in 2018

Rapper and producer Kim Byung-hoon, better known by his stage name Kush, was sentenced to jail for habitual use of cocaine. On Monday, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced the 35-year-old rapper to two years and six months in prison, suspended for four years, for cocaine use. Kim was also given probation, 80 hours of drug treatment and a fine of 875,000 won ($773). Kush (CJ E&M)In November and December of 2017, Kim purchased 2.5 grams of cocaine and used the drug at his home on seven occas

Star conductor, praised as one of the finest maestros today, is all about returning what he has received, especially to the younger generation. Maestro Gustavo Dudamel is in Seoul with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, marking the acclaimed orchestra’s 100-year anniversary. The orchestra held two concerts over the weekend and Monday’s chamber orchestra performance, featuring Korean-American violinist Esther Yoo, will conclude the Seoul tour. Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel speaks

Catwalks are usually graced by cold-faced models striding down the runway, but a new kind of fashion show took place Thursday -- and this time, the models were all about entertaining the audience.On Thursday the Korea Creative Content Agency, a state-funded institute that promotes and supports the country’s popular culture, kicked off Fashion Kode 2019 F/W, a three-day fashion festival at S-Factory in the Seongsu-dong neighborhood in eastern Seoul.Highlights of the event included fashion exhibit

Weekday dining at JW Marriott DongdaemunJW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul offers benefits for diners who visit the hotel’s restaurants on weekdays. BLT Steak provides truffle-flavored french fries and a glass of rose wine to guests who order dry-aged steak during the week. All-day dining restaurant Tavolo 24 has corkage-free days from Monday through Wednesday, for up to one bottle of wine per table. For more information or reservations, call BLT Steak at (02) 2276-3330 or Tavolo 24 at (02) 227