No need to worry about missing the next train or wandering through crowded streets -- livestreaming tours are here for novice travelers. An online live tour of Hong Kong’s West Kowloon neighborhood organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board was presented to press and tourism officials in a showcase Tuesday at CGV Cheongdam in southern Seoul. The hourlong walking tour, titled “Next Stop is West Kowloon Station,” consisted of five walking routes, starting from the beautiful shor

With an aim to gather Asian literary writers to discuss current and future agendas, the 2021 Asia Literature Forum is set to kick off Wednesday at the Asia Culture Center in Gwangju. Under the theme “Reading the lives and wounds in Asia,” the six-hour event will be held both at the location and through the ACC’s YouTube channel. Twelve writers from five countries will participate in the forum, with opening remarks by poet Kim Si-jong. Kim will talk about how language plays a

Localro, a popup store located in Seongsu-dong, a hip neighborhood in eastern Seoul with emerging artists and vibrant flea markets, displays local food products in neatly designed packaging. Since its opening on Nov. 16, the store has steadily attracted passersby who had no prior knowledge of the store, but ended up leaving with a handful of goods. The 13-day popup event is organized by the Korea Tourism Organization and run by Project Rent, an offline platform marketing company, with aims to

K-pop superstar BTS’ “Butter” has been named as Variety’s 2021 record of the year, its agency Big Hit Music said Sunday. Influential US entertainment magazine Variety had announced the final list of honorees for its annual Hitmakers celebration Friday in the US, elaborating that the writers and producers -- “multi-hyphenate creatives/executives Jenna Andrews and Ron Perry, RM, Stephen Kirk, Alex Bilowitz and Rob Grimaldi” -- had crafted the perfect hit. The

Andaz Seoul Gangnam launches ‘Guy’s Night Out’ Andaz Seoul Gangnam, a lifestyle hotel located in Apgujeong, is offering the “Guy’s Night Out” staycation package, featuring spacious luxurious accommodations in an Andaz Suite for up to four people. The package includes a special drink basket with Grey Goose vodka, four bottles of beer and a “Hangover Food Set” packaged with hangover-helper drinks, seafood ramen and french fries. Complimentary acce

K-pop super rookie AleXa is set to hold a fan meeting on the metaverse on Nov. 21, her agency ZB Label announced Monday. The event marks the first such attempt in the K-pop industry, according to the agency. AleXa came to attention in 2016 through K-pop community website Soompi’s audition program, “Rising Legends.” AleXa appeared two year’s later on Mnet’s “Produce 48.” AleXa made her official debut in October 2019, with her first digital single &ld

Connecting multichannel network companies, tech and media industries with creators and their fans can create powerful synergy in the content business sector, according to Song Jae-yong, CEO of Treasure Hunter, one of the pioneering multichannel network companies in Korea. On Nov. 8, Song was appointed as the first president of the newly created Korea Federation of Content Creators. The KFCC’s mission is to support and develop creative Hallyu content for the global market. Some 30 busine

Gradually pivoting to a return to normal from the pandemic, the Korean government has mapped out efforts to attract foreign travelers and boost domestic tourism. The 6th National Tourism Strategy Meeting to discuss ways to attract tourists and revitalize the travel economy, chaired by the prime minister, was held Friday. The government made plans to inject 649 billion won ($550 million) in tourism loan funds next year, which is a 55 billion-won increase from this year, to aid the industry for

JW Marriott Hotel presents ‘Go Bubbly’ promotion The Lounge, situated on JW Marriott Hotel’s eighth floor, presents the “Go Bubbly” promotion that provides unlimited servings of popular dim sum and small bites every Thursday. The selection of 11 dim sum creations includes har gau with soft skin and prawn filling, black pork shu mai made from tender Jeju-grown black pork, xiao long bao dumplings and hanwoo shu mai filled with chopped hanwoo eye of round steak. Some

Even for Seoulites, the city will look very different when seen as a backdrop for eye-opening performances and art exhibitions.   Seoul Street Arts Festival, which is organized by the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, will be held in three districts -- Mullae, Yongsan, Seodaemun – and on Nodeul Island in the capital through Sunday. A total of 30 different art groups are showcasing 30 different performances and art exhibitions during the festival. Along with the offline event, t

Seven of the themed routes of the DMZ Peace Trail, a trail created near the Demilitarized Zone that is accessible to the public, will reopen starting Nov. 20, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Thursday. The routes include those in Ganghwa, Gimpo, Goyang, Paju, Hwacheon, Yanggu, and Goseong area. The DMZ Peace Trail had initially been created as 10 separate routes. Since April 2019, three of the routes-- Paju, Cheorwon, Goseong -- have opened on a trial basis, attracting so

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul announces 2021 Autumn Wine Fair JW Marriott Hotel Seoul presents the 2021 Autumn Wine Fair showcasing wines from selected wineries in 11 countries across four continents at the Margaux Grill’s seventh-floor garden. Running for three days from Nov. 10 to 12, the wine fair will feature a wide selection, ranging from daily wines to fine small-batch cult labels and grand crus from Bordeaux and Burgundy, with savings of up to 50 percent from regular prices. Additio

The change of season has brought about bright reds, oranges, yellows and browns to the city, while some remaining greens bid a final farewell to the summer.  Indeed, Seoulites do not have to leave the city to enjoy the colors of the season. To enjoy the deepening autumn atmosphere and the crunch of fallen leaves under your feet, look out for Seoul Metropolitan Government’s “96 Fall Foliage Roads,” released last week. The list includes areas with spectacular colors of map

The Daesan Foundation announced the four winners of the 29th annual Daesan Literary Awards on Wednesday. The organization founded by Kyobo Life Insurance awards winners in four categories, recognizing the best poetry, novel, drama or literature review and translated work. The award for best translated work is given to English, French, German and Spain translations, one for each year in sequential order. Poet Kim Eon won the award for “Dear Blank Paper,” which describes the self-con

The making of tteok, or Korean rice cakes, has been designated as the 145th National Intangible Cultural Heritage, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced Monday. The designation recognizes the making and sharing of Korean rice cakes as Korea‘s traditional culture and way of life. Tteok-making’s long history, a wealth of historical documents and archives about tteok, the unique regional variations and continued efforts to keep the tradition alive were some of the reasons behi

After two years of being limited to online concerts by the lingering pandemic, the World DJ Festival will return to the stage next year at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul. This year’s World DJ Festival will be held for three consecutive days starting June 4, and is expected to accommodate tens of thousands of audiences which can occupy the size of the whole stadium, BEPCTangent Creative, the festival organizer announced on Thursday. But the number of acceptable audiences is s

The Tokyo Korean Cultural Center’s Gallery MI is holding a three-day special exhibition of Korean books until Saturday, the Korean Publishers Association announced Thursday. The exhibition titled “Bridging Friendships,” is designed to introduce Korean literature to readers and publishers in Japan, and find opportunities for Korean books to enter foreign markets. The KPA has chosen 78 books for display at the exhibition, 50 of which are from “Your Next Book,” a bo

The 2021 Seoul Gourmet Week will kick off both online and in person Friday to introduce and promote Seoul’s unique gourmet culture to potential domestic and foreign tourists, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Tourism Organization jointly announced Tuesday. Under the theme, “Six-day trip of world’s delicacies in Seoul,” this year’s festival aims to energize visitors weary from the pandemic, showcasing a series of cultural events linked to music, films and

Pianist Paik Kun-woo has filed for arbitration with the Press Arbitration Commission in a case against network broadcaster MBC over its investigative journalism program “PD Note.” The program suggested the pianist and his daughter had mistreated his wife, actor Yoon Jeong-hee, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2017. In a statement issued Monday evening, the pianist said he was seeking a correction and 1.1 billion won ($943,620) in damages for himself and his daught

Three Taegeukgi, the national flag of Korea, have been officially designated as national treasures, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced on Monday. Among some 20 Taegeukgi which are registered as state-designated cultural assets, O. N. Denny’s Taegeukgi, the Taegeukgi with Kim Gu’s Writings and Signature and the Jingwansa Taegeukgi stood out for their historical value, especially the time and meaning of their production. The Denny Taegeukgi, housed at the National Museum