Enjoy autumn at Taebaek ForestLocated 700 meters above sea level, tourists can enjoy the autumn breeze and landscape at the Taebaek Highland Natural Recreational Forest in Taebaek, Gangwon Province.The Korea Tourism Organization said that, beginning in October, visitors to the recreational forest will be able to see firsthand the change of season to autumn. The fall comes to Gangwon Province before any other part of South Korea.Travelers can not only enjoy fresh air but also take long walks in t

Enjoy Kensington Jeju Hotel’s activity programsThe Kensington Jeju Hotel is presenting various activity programs to maximize the excitement of autumn on Jejudo Island. Guests opting for the Luxury All-Inclusive Package will be able to choose from activity programs such as Green Tea Farm Tour and Gotjawal Trekking.Picnic with Autumn Scent is a program for an exciting outing to an animal farm and Saebyeol Orum for a trekking course -- with the beautiful scenery of Muscanthus, as also known as silv

A promotional image of the upcoming Korea-France collaboration performance piece, “Beautiful Escape: Emergency Exit,” which will be held as part of the 2015 Hi Seoul Festival lineup on Oct. 2 and 3 at the Seoul Museum of Art and the Cheonggye Plaza, respectively. (Hi Seoul Festival)This year’s Hi Seoul Festival will highlight more than 50 acts and street performances, including eight acts invited from overseas. Under the theme of “Let’s play on the street,” the festival is being held from Oct. 1

Yang Yo-seob of the boy band Beast plays Prince Christopher in the ongoing musical production of “Cinderella.” (Showholic)One of the world’s most recognized and enchanting fairy tales, “Cinderella” has now taken center stage as one of Korea’s newest musical productions. With music by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, the Broadway hit musical has made its way to Seoul for the first time. Hammerstein’s original Broadway show made a grand debut on the musical scene in 2013, receiv

Personal and work-related emails that Hillary Clinton said had been deleted from her email server have been recovered by the FBI, US media reported.Clinton, the frontrunner for the 2016 Democratic Party presidential nomination, has been dogged for months by revelations that she used a private email account and home server in lieu of the official government email system while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013.Clinton said the server was wiped clean after aides determined which messages

The U.N. Security Council will be quick in taking punitive steps against North Korea in case it launches a long-range rocket, a senior South Korean official said Wednesday.He cited "close coordination" among key parties concerned -- South Korea, the United States, China, Japan, and Russia. If the North presses ahead with such a provocative act, the 15-member council is expected to convene immediately under the so-called trigger clause in previous resolutions, the official told reporters in a bac

Hours after a U.S. media report claimed Wednesday he has set his sights on Major League Baseball (MLB), Lotte Giants outfielder Son Ah-seop apologized to his teammates for causing a distraction at a key juncture late in the season.With the Giants battling for the fifth and final playoff spot in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Yahoo Sports reported that Son plans to enter the posting this offseason, putting himself up for a silent auction among interested big league teams.The Giants must f

Kumho Asiana Group and creditor banks have nearly reached an agreement to resell a majority stake in Kumho Industrial Co., the group's de facto holding company, back to its chairman, a move that is expected to put an end to Park's years-long efforts to restore the conglomerate to its former size.The creditors led by the state-run Korea Development Bank said Wednesday that it notified the company of the final price of the stake sale, which was set at 722.8 billion won (US$607.7 million) in total.

Expat artists will be looking to make the most of Seoul showcase festival Zandari Festa, which returns Oct. 2-4 with 259 acts.Similar to SXSW in the U.S., the festival takes over a raft of venues across the Hongdae area, for a multi-stage music festival, giving established acts and up-and-coming bands the chance to win new fans.Among those playing is Max Reynolds, who performed at Zandari twice before taking the plunge and moving to Seoul this year.Reynolds was playing in a small-town punk band

At Jil’hal Bros, one of the latest Seoul-based eateries to go viral, CEO Kim Woo-sik breaks down the components behind the fusion Middle Eastern-by-way-of-New York-style grub drawing lines of foodies to his new spot. In his small kitchen he ladles fluffy rice -- infused with turmeric, cumin and three other spices -- in a takeout container, tops it with that quintessential white sauce, layers it with piping hot morsels of seasoned lamb and beef and piles on more white sauce before topping it off

Experience Finland’s polar nightFinnair, the flag carrier of Finland, is looking for explorers to participate in its program to experience the country in the winter.In partnership with Finland Tourism, the 100 Days of Polar Night Magic program will take participants on a ride on Alaskan huskies dogsleds to see the aurora, go on a camping, and ice climbing and diving in Lapland.Pasi Ikonen, Finnish orienteering competitor and winner of the 2001 World Orienteering Championships, will be joining wi

Autumn picnic package at Imperial Palace SeoulImperial Palace Seoul is presenting from Sept. 14 through Nov. 29 the Autumn Picnic Package for those seeking a picnic in the heart of the city and a cozy getaway in a hotel room, available for local guests in Korea and foreigners with resident cards. The package includes an overnight stay in a guest room along with a taxi voucher for 10,000 won; a takeout picnic box, which consists of Deli Amador’s club sandwiches and two bottles of Perrier sparklin

Eggplant rolls (gaji mari). (Korean Bapsang)These gorgeous eggplant rolls are healthy and easy to make. They are called gaji mari in Korean. Gaji is eggplant, and mari refers to rolled up dishes. The thinly sliced eggplants are briefly cooked in a skillet, rolled up with other vegetables, and served with a sauce. Eggplants cook down significantly, so make sure they are not too slender when you buy them.I used colorful fresh bell peppers and enoki mushrooms in this recipe. Play around with differ

CNBLUE lead vocalist Jung Yong-hwa and his bandmates perform at a showcase for their second album, “2gether,” at the AX-Korea stadium in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap News)Coming six years after their debut and 19 months since their previous release, CNBLUE finally dropped their second full-length album, “2gether,” on Monday. “We’ve been together for six years, but this is only our second full-length album,” said CNBLUE front man Jung Yong-hwa, during a news conference at the AX-Korea Stadium in Seou

Faced with fluctuating oil prices that have led to a renewed drop in refining margins, South Korean oil refiners are geared for a major downturn in profits in the third quarter.An oversupply of oil coupled with slowing demands from key consumers like China have been driving down the world’s oil prices to record-lows, with the U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude hitting a six-year-low, closing below $40 a barrel on Aug. 21, amid an expected hike in stockpiles from the U.S. and the Middle

Classical opera is getting a modern and chic revamp, leaving behind the fancy orchestra concert halls and heading out to the mecca of pop music culture and youth.After hitting it big in their native country of New Zealand with its 2013 self-titled debut album, up-and-coming opera crossover family trio Sol3 Mio will be performing its first concert in Korea in the most unlikely of venues -- Gangnam, Seoul nightclub Octagon. Contemporary classical opera trio Sol3 Mio (Universal Music)As part of the

Bringing his visually breathtaking and poetically poignant contemporary dance piece “Rice” in front of Seoul audiences for the first time, renowned choreographer Lin Hwai-min will be introducing a whole new way for the audience to conceptualize the significance of even a simple grain of rice. Having been deemed by some critics as “Asia’s most important choreographer,” Lin is no stranger to intertwining the element of rice into his performances.Born and raised in Taiwan, Lin’s parents grew up in

The state-run Korea Productivity Center has joined hands with U.K.-based education and media giant Pearson to implement a new English language proficiency exam in Korea in a bid to boost the global competitiveness of local companies.KPC signed an official partnership deal with Pearson last Friday to introduce the EPro Exam, or the English for Professionals Exam -- a business English language proficiency test developed by Pearson -- to the Korean business community. KPC chairman and CEO Hong Soon

Merck, the world’s leading chemical and pharmaceuticals giant, is ready to do its part in driving forward Korea’s advancing display business as well as the fast-developing biopharmaceuticals industry -- areas forecast for rapid growth in the future.Michael Grund, managing director of Merck Korea, said the German firm is prepared to become a reliable partner to its major clients like Samsung and LG which are seeking to remain ahead of the game in the highly-competitive display business and pave n

Considered one of the most influential pianists of his generation, 69-year-old Paik Kun-woo will be making his way back to the public eye with the launch of his upcoming “Kun-woo Paik Piano Recital” nationwide tour this month.After giving his first public performance at the tender age of 10 with the Korean National Orchestra. The child prodigy later went on to perform at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, in his orchestral debut, at the age of 15. Since then, Paik has performed on some of the wor