JW Marriott Hotel offers ‘Truly Flavors’ promotion Flavors, the luxury buffet dining establishment at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul, is offering the “Truly Flavors” promotion, with a special selection of pass-around dishes that celebrate the restaurant’s variety of cuisines. 　 The promotion began Monday and runs to Sept. 30, featuring freshly cooked dishes served by the chefs. Dishes are decided daily, chosen from among filo pastry lamb chops, macaroni with a three-chee

Arirang is a Korean folk song cherished as the song of “han,” a mix of emotions similar to grief and resentment flowing through the hearts of Koreans. While Arirang is recognized today as a song that represents Korea, less is known of the Koreans who migrated overseas in modern times. “Arirang Peoples’ Diaspora” by author Hye-ok (the Korean-language edition of the book notes her name as Lee Hye-ok, following the Korean custom of women keeping their family name even

A week has passed since the close of the Tokyo Games, with Paris signaling to take over the Olympics legacy, but the enduring spirit of the athletes still remain in the hearts of many. To correspond to fans still treasuring the excitement and joy from the Olympics, the nation’s popular online music platform Melon released a series of the Tokyo Olympics heroes’ playlists on Friday. The playlist of Jun Woong-tae, who won bronze for the first time as a South Korean modern pentathlon

The Brave Girls, a South Korean band that went on to make K-pop history after five years of anonymity, will be promoting Korea as a tourism destination as part of a campaign titled “Level Up Your Rhythm of Korea.” As honorary cultural ambassadors, the band members have made five new promotional videos to attract tourists with an interest in Hallyu, or the Korean wave, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization said Wednesday a press release. In

The Corea Image Communication Institute will jointly host the 2021 Culture Communication Forum with the Culture Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in aims to bolster communication on culture and fairness amidst the pandemic era. The two-day session starting Aug. 31 will hold live online presentations of cultural leaders across the globe, followed by discussion sessions with on-site guests expected to gather at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan, central Seoul. Under the theme, &ldqu

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs appointed Yim Kyeong-sook as the sixth president of the Korean Food Promotion Institute on Friday, the institute announced. Yim has served as a professor at Suwon University’s food and nutrition department since 1992. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 1980 from Seoul National University’s department of food and nutrition. She went on to earn a master’s degree and a doctorate at the same school. Yim will continue in

In 2015, two bookworms from the US working as English language instructors in Korea, opened Itaewon Book Club in Seoul, hoping it would be a space to share their thoughts on their latest reads. Six years on, the book club is still going strong, with some 1,800 people from all over the world having trickled in and out over the years. As the book club’s name says, the usual gathering spot before the pandemic had been at one of the well-known pubs in Itaewon, central Seoul. However, the str

South Korea’s Jejudo, an oval shaped island located in the Korea Strait between Korea and Japan, is teeming with life. Formed through an underwater volcanic eruption some 1.8 million years ago, basalt shaped and covered the land, with Hallasan standing at its core. Yet death pays a crucial role to the island’s survival. English writer Virginia Woolf’s observation on life and death in humans also applies to mother nature: “Someone has to die in order that the rest of us s

To support workers in the performing arts sector, including performing artists who are experiencing hardship as a result of the lingering pandemic, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will spend 115 billion won ($100.6 million) in the form of an extra budget to employ some 2,000 individuals, the ministry announced Friday. It is the second supplementary budget this year that the ministry has allotted for employment in the performing arts. The ministry approved extra budget expenditures

Escape from Mogadishu (Korea) Opened July 28 Action, Drama Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan Set in 1991 Somalia, South Korean Ambassador to Somalia Han Shin-sung (Kim Yoon-seok) and National Security Planning Agency agent Kang Dae-jin (Jo In-sung) are competing against North Korean Ambassador (Heo Jun-ho) for South Korea’s membership in the United Nations. When a civil war breaks out in the African country, South and North Korean diplomats have to cooperate to escape the country together. Th

Josun Palace Hotel in Seoul Gangnam offers Bentley rides Josun Palace Hotel in Seoul Gangnam has launched a “Summer in the Royal Palace” package for families and couples with a chance to ride a Bentely and enjoy a private vacation at one of the hotel’s luxury suites. The Bentley cars are randomly chosen from three different models -- Bentayaga, Flying Spur, and Continental GT -- and can be used for up to five hours during the two-night stay. Prices range from 1.6 million to 1

The Daesan Foundation will spend 180 million won ($156,385) to support translations of Korean literature, the foundation announced Monday. A total of 13 literary works, 11 novels and two poems, were chosen from 72 applications for this year’s “Korean Literature Translation, Research, and Publishing Support” program. The selected works will be translated into seven different languages: English, French, Japanese, Chinese, German, Spanish and Vietnamese. Works by well-known

Seoul Cinema, which earlier announced its closure by the end of August, will hold a series of special farwell screenings. Free tickets will be provided for all films that are being screened from Aug. 11 to Aug. 31, the last day of its operation, on a first-come, first-served basis, the theater said Monday. On weekdays, 100 free tickets will be given out daily, while 200 free tickets will be given out on weekend days. In addition to the recently released action film “Escape From Mogadis

Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Hwang Hee attended the first official G20 Culture Ministers‘ Meeting in Rome, Italy, the Ministry announced Sunday. During a two-day event held under the Italian G20 presidency, a total of 40 cultural delegations, including ministers from G20 countries and representatives of international organizations gathered at the Colosseum. The G20 Culture Ministers’ Meetings had been held in the form of a special meeting in the past, but was promoted to a

The Korea Tourism Organization is bringing five of the most popular performances from a performing arts tourism festival to the global audience online from July 30 to Nov. 26. The event, “Welcome K-Stage,” will kick off July 30 with an online streaming of the musical ”The Adventure of the Final Problem” starring actors Kim Jong-goo and Jung Min. The musical is an adaptation of the last installment in “The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes,” a collection of short sto

 Two years have passed since the 2019 film, “Parasite” won the Palme d’Or, the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. Although Korean films were not among the 24 competing feature films at the festival’s 74th edition, the firm presence of the Korean cinematic scene was acknowledged by the appearance of its star directors and actors. Director Bong Joon-ho proudly announced the opening of the festival on July 6, while actor Lee Byung-hun took the stage to

BUSAN – Even as the hospitality industry has suffered from a bruising COVID-19 pandemic, Ananti Hilton Busan at Gijang-gun, Busan, stands ready to offer staycation guests a comfortable, fun and relaxing stay. A scenic view of the ocean by the balcony greets guests. The infinity pool -- one of four different swimming areas at the hotel -- is the largest among five-star hotels in Korea. An open kitchen buffet called Da Moim, meaning “everyone has gathered,” serves fresh seafood

Contrary to the typically mysterious, keen and dark image of crime fiction writers, not a hint of grimness could be found in the appearance of Yun Ko-eun, 42, the winner of this year’s CWA Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger, who appears bright, positive and full of energy. The CWA Daggers, established in 1955 by the Crime Writers’ Association, are presented as awards for the best in crime writing in 11 categories, including fiction and nonfiction. Yun is the first Asian to be recog

The monsoon season is just around the corner, but the cool summer breeze awaits at the waterfront of Namyangju Water Garden.  Located near Ungilsan Station in front of Bukhan River, the nature-friendly garden can be seen at the southern part of Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. Daisy fleabanes that bloom from June, also known as “fried egg flowers” due to their shape and color, wave at passersby, announcing the arrival of summer.  Namyangju Water Garden was created as an ec

“Seowon,” or Korean Neo-Confucian academies, were established in the mid- to late Joseon period as private institutions for the aristocratic upper class. Each seowon had a unique educational system and philosophy. Eventually the seowon established traditions that wielded much influence in the regions where they were located. Of the 600 or so seowon that exist today, either restored or in their original state, nine were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2019. All nine