Though an indoor amusement park, it snows twice a day at Lotte World Adventure. With the arrival of the winter holiday season, the park has been showing two Christmas-themed parades every day. Around 100 performers, mostly foreigners, turn into characters from Santa’s village, such as Santa, a tree, elf or snowman. Trains with ice-cream and cookie decorations complete the scene.An hour before the parade, the performers appear at ease, idly spending their time in the dressing room. But 10 minutes

Christmas dining at Grand Hilton SeoulGrand Hilton Seoul’s all-day dining restaurant Atrium will host a gala dinner on Christmas Eve.The menu includes fresh oysters, lobster soup, smoked duck, king prawns, tenderloin steak, bass roast and Christmas dessert. The set course costs 150,000 won per person. On Christmas Day, Atrium will offer a special brunch that features an unlimited fresh salad bar, king prawns and steaks, seasonal fruits and detox juices. This will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p

Though she’s a fictional character, Kim Ji-young is a symbolic figure in Korea. It seems her status will be even more elevated as novel “Kim Ji-young, Born 1982” recently became a million seller. The novel, written by Cho Nam-joo in 2016, has sold more than 1 million copies, publisher Minumsa announced Tuesday. It is now the first million-selling Korean novel since Shin Kyung-sook’s “Please Look After Mom” in 2009. Writer Cho Nam-joo (Minumsa)Since its publication, “Kim Ji-young, Born 1982” has

After rapper Microdot came under fire over a fraud scandal involving his parents, celebrities -- including rapper Dok2 and singer-actor Rain -- have found themselves embroiled in similar allegations.  From left: Rapper Dok2 (Illionaire Records)and singer-actor Rain (Yonhap)A media outlet reported on Monday that Dok2’s mother borrowed around 10 million won ($8,854) from a friend in the late 1990s and failed to pay it back. Though the debtor took the matter to the court and won, Dok2’s mother did

A group of children enjoy Milennium Seoul Hilton‘s Christmas train display, now on its 23rd run, on Sunday. A 10-meter high Christmas tree has been placed at the lobby along with seasonal decorations. The holiday train will be on display until Jan. 20. (Yonhap)

Christmas dining at Grand Hilton Seoul Grand Hilton Seoul’s all day dining restaurant Atrium will host a gala dinner on Christmas Eve.Fresh oyster, lobster soup, smoked duck, king prawn and tenderloin steak, bass roast and Christmas dessert will be served. The set-course menu costs 150,000 won per person. On Christmas day, Atrium will offer a special brunch where unlimited fresh salad bar and king prawn & steaks will be served, along with seasonal fruits and various kinds of detox juices. The br

Past the steel-and-glass skyscrapers and stacked apartment complexes, a village of houses built in traditional Korean style can be found in northwestern Seoul. But something about them looks very new. Designated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Eunpyeong-gu in 2011 as a housing development site, Eunpyeong Hanok Village aims to encourage those looking to build hanok.Middle-aged couple Park In-ki and Park Eun-jeong live in the village, together with their two sons and the husband’s mother.

The Craft Trend Fair 2018 will introduce the latest trends in the craft market, giving visitors a chance to rethink the value of crafts in our lives. The annual trend fair, in its 13th year, is hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and run by the Korea Craft & Design Foundation. This year’s event will take place from Thursday to Sunday at the Convention and Exhibition Center in southern Seoul.The event, dedicated to the promotion and commercialization of local craft market, invit

‘Iron Chef’ desserts at JW Marriott DongdaemunGuests will be able to taste desserts prepared by star patissier Jason Licker at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul’s The Lounge. Sweet delights created by Licker are available at The Lounge until the end of November. White chocolate Junmai, matcha and makgeolli desserts are on the menu. Licker was the champion of the Thai version of culinary TV show “Iron Chef.” He has been working in Asia for more than 12 years, successfully adapting to local pala

The runway is always admired by emerging designers who want to be the next Karl Lagerfeld, Alessandro Michele or Christopher Bailey. But not all labels make their way into the spotlight. Though Seoul is not one of the “big four” fashion capitals of the world, it has no lack of young brave hearts who hope to make it big. At the 2019 spring-summer Hera Seoul Fashion Week in October, two designer brands, Dew E Dew E and By.D’By, took a big leap at the Seoul Collection, the larger of the two shows t

Ananti Namhae continued its success at the World Golf Awards, selected as Korea’s best golf hotel for the fifth consecutive year. The World Golf Awards, a prestigious tourism industry award, serves to highlight excellence in golf tourism, world-class courses and golf destinations. Golf travel and tourism industry professionals and golf tourism consumers cast their votes from February to September.  Ananti Namhae　Ananti Namhae features the first seaside golf course in Korea. Due to the moderate c

‘Iron Chef’ desserts at JW Marriott DongdaemunGuests will be able to taste sweet desserts prepared by star patissier Jason Licker at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul’s the Lounge. Sweet delights created by Licker are available at the hotel lounge until the end of November. White chocolate Junmai, matcha and makgeolli desserts are on the menu. Licker was the champion of the Thai version of culinary TV show “Iron Chef.” He has been working in Asia for more than 12 years, successfully adapting t

Though the phrase “pickled seafood” may not sound so appetizing to the uninitiated, savor jeotgal, the fruits of days, weeks or even months of preparation, and everything changes . Jeotgal is salt-fermented seafood. A wide variety of seafood can be used to make it, including fish, roe, clams, oysters and tiny shrimps, as well as fish gills and intestines.  Assorted jeotgal (Im Eun-byel / The Korea Herald)When naming a specific type of jeotgal, the word “jeot” is used as a suffix. Most types of j

A Seoul National University professor emeritus has been honored by the Spanish government for improving Spain’s international status through his newspaper column.Kim Seong-kon, a professor of English language and literature, received the Order of Civil Merit -- an award that recognizes service performed by Spanish and foreign citizens for the benefit of Spain -- from Spain’s King Felipe VI in October. The specific honor awarded to him is the Officer’s Cross.  Professor Kim Seong-kon with the Off

Though virtual reality may seem like a vision from a faraway future, that future may be closer than we think. Virtual reality games are already amusing young Seoulites so much that the industry stands at the very heart of information technology powerhouse South Korea. According to VRfan, a local community website for VR enthusiasts, there are around 190 VR entertainment facilities nationwide. That number has increased 1,000 percent since 2016. VR entertainment -- ranging from short films to vide

A new grape variety called shine muscat is an increasingly popular choice on South Korean dinner tables.Shine muscat is distinguished by its unique taste, which includes mango flavors. The yellow-green berries carry a musky flavor, but without much sourness.  Shine Muscat (Yonhap)The variety is more expensive than others in Korea. E-commerce platform E-mart Mall sells the grapes for 1,890 won ($1.68) per 100 grams, while green grapes imported from the US cost 770 won per 100 grams. According to

In recent months, a number of photos on social media showing pets thrown up in the sky have sparked criticism over animal abuse.To get a photo of pets in the blue sky, some pet owners throw them in the air or hold them up high in what has been called the “sky shot” trend. Pet owners comment on how cute their pets’ faces are as they are thrown up in the air, adding hashtags “sky shot” and “flight shot” to the photos on social media. Most photos show the pets’ scared expressions with enlarged eyes

Mediterranean cuisine at Grand Hilton SeoulGrand Hilton Seoul presents the “World Gourmet Travel – Mediterranean Cuisine” promotion, introducing a variety of Mediterranean dishes. During the promotion, the buffet restaurant offers over 100 choices of European dishes, such as veal sirloin with potato salad, sea bass with citrus dill sauce and beef stroganoff pilaf, mussel salad and more. The promotion will continue until the end of January. The price ranges between 70,000 and 85,000 won per perso

After meeting global audiences via Hollywood productions, actresses Bae Doo-na and Kim Yun-jin have returned to their home turf, taking lead roles in local TV series. Bae stars in KBS2’s “The Best Divorce,” a Korean remake of a popular Japanese drama, in the role of a warmhearted wife who divorces her cranky husband. Continuing to live with each other after the divorce for practical reasons, the two come to understand what true love is.  Bae Doo-na speaks at a press event held to promote MBC TV

Integrated resort complex Paradise City has added more art to the property with its luxury boutique hotel Art Paradiso. Situated next to Incheon Airport, the nation’s main gateway to the world, Paradise City opened its art and entertainment facilities in September, including a spa facility, a club, a shopping arcade and more. One of the facilities revealed at the time was the all-suites boutique hotel Art Paradiso.The hotel, including the rooms, the lounges and the elevators, is filled with mode