A sip of poetic cocktail, coffee Near Mangwon Station, among small buildings, restaurants, and shops, a secret bar lies tucked away in the basement. Dada Lab transforms from a coffee shop by day to a cocktail bar by night, offering a full range of typical bar menu items. What sets this bar apart are the unique “Text Blending” drinks. “Text Blending” allows customers to write down any phrase or text, from which the bartender draws inspiration to create a personalized drin

Quench your thirst at Park Hyatt Seoul The Park Hyatt Seoul, located in Gangnam, southern Seoul, presents an opportunity to enjoy refreshing, premium Champagne at its top floor The Lounge. The hotel offers a total of five bottles of Champagne -- Krug Grande Cuvee, Dom Ruinart 2010, Dom Perignon 2013, Ruinart Blanc de Blancs and Ruinart Rose Brut -- paired with a menu of smoked salmon, sliced ham, Blini, chives and 30 grams of Osetra caviar. The Lounge’s chef, Jung Sang-hyup, recommends eit

The coastal city of Gangneung is extending the operating hours of the popular Gyeongpo Beach until 9 p.m. starting Saturday. Gyeongpo Beach, the largest beach along the East Coast that attracts an average of 6.5 million visitors each summer, will increase the number of lights to allow swimming and other water activities in the area up to 200 meters deep near the Central Square, according to the city on Wednesday. Visitors were originally allowed to swim until 6 p.m. The city expects the longer o

With heavy rainfalls battering the entire country, hitting the beach with friends or enjoying water sports and other outdoor activities may not have been an option in recent days. However, Korea offers some interesting indoor travel destinations that are not only entertaining, but also keep visitors cool and dry in hot, humid weather. Lighting Museum Those who wish to feast their eyes on a variety of colors, lights and entertain themselves with dynamic sounds, should head over to the Lighting

SIHEUNG, Gyeonggi Province -- For those in the capital who feel like traveling but do not wish to spend a lot of time on trains, cars or buses, looking up satellite cities of Seoul -- mostly located in Gyeonggi Province -- is a great option. Siheung and Hwaseong -- among many other cities -- are already well-known for their popular tourist destinations, like Sorae March Ecological Park and the sandy beach of Jebudo Island, respectively. These towns, however, are a bit more special to the fans of

Sports lovers can enjoy diverse water sports at the upcoming Danyang Lake Park Water Sports Festival in Danyang, North Chungcheong Province, from Aug. 1 to 4. Visitors can try out both motorized and nonmotorized water vehicles ranging from motorboats, jet skis, water bicycles, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards for free on the county’s Namhan River. Those who are pregnant, preschool children and the elderly are restricted from such activities due to the safety issues. Children can play in a

Boryeong Mud Festival, one of South Korea’s most celebrated summer events, presents therapeutic experiences for festivalgoers with its mud-themed beauty and wellness center for the first time. The festival is an extravaganza of mud, first held in 1988 at Daecheon Beach along Korea's west coast, in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province. Many holidaymakers enjoy the summer event not only to experience the dynamic, mud-themed activities -- mud slides, an air bounce, mud yachting and more

Discover true self through nature at Romyzian Garden When life feels dull and everyday routines become tiring and noisy, Romyzian Garden may offer a place of peace and comfort through nature. Located on the serene slopes of Garisan, a mountain in Jeongseon, Gangwon Province, the unique garden is a 100,000 square meter sanctuary for healing and reflection. Romyzian Garden was lovingly created by a husband (Zian) for his wife (Romy), taking ten years to complete. Every tree and stone in the garden

Westin Josun Seoul presents summer Champagne promotion The Westin Josun Seoul in Jung-gu, central Seoul, offers two Champagne promotions to celebrate the summer season. The Ninth Gate presents two bottles of Champagne with truffle fries for four guests. The restaurant offers Moet & Chandon Imperial and a bottle of the guests’ choosing among Taittinger Reserve Brut, Champagne Drappier Carte D’Or Brut and Louis Roederer Collection 243. The weekday dinner promotion is priced at 250,

With this year’s monsoon season expected to end in the last week of July, star-themed night tours are set to entertain holidaymakers with the clear skies that follow heavy rains. Hongseong Culture and Tourism Foundation is scheduled to hold two separate nighttime tours on Aug. 9 and 10. The tour on Aug. 9 will take place at Hoengseong National Soop Che Won in Hoengseong, Gangwon Province, in which participants till take a light stroll and make ambient lights. The tour on Aug. 10 is set to

A pile of cattle bones presumed to date back to the Joseon era (1392-1910) has been discovered at an area near Jongmyo -- a special shrine for the deceased kings and queens of Joseon -- in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, according to a research institute Wednesday. A Han Ul Research Institute of Cultural Heritage official explained that this is not the first time that the organization has found cattle bones within Hanyangdoseong -- also known as the Seoul City Wall -- area, but that the bones found in

Everland, the largest theme park and zoo in South Korea, located in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, offers its visitors an opportunity to enjoy the theme park regardless of unexpected downpours. For those who visit the theme park when more than 20 mm of rain hits the region, Everland presents a free ticket to visit the theme park again, according to Samsung C&T, the theme park operator. The tickets are distributed through Everland’s smartphone application, and visitors must sign up for the

As this Seoul orchestra gathered in the practice room for a rehearsal, something unusual about the instruments became apparent -- all but one of them was a cello. The Dodo Cello Orchestra, composed of amateur players ranging from their 20s to their 60s, was founded in 2013 by professional cellist Park Song-yi, who wanted to create a bigger "playground" for her students. “Playing the cello is not an easy choice to make. A cellist, for example, has certain limits when playing in an

Overseas tourists, who acquire Korea Travel Card, will be able to easily spot and make reservations at Korean hospitals via Reserve with Google starting from July. Korea Travel Card is a transport and payment card for foreign visitors accepted at almost 5 million locations nationwide. According to Redtable, the provider of this inbound traveler-friendly card, international patients can review Korean hospital ratings, photos, videos and look up and other detailed profiles of the medical facilitie

With the aim to promote its rich culinary culture and South Korea as a food tourism destination, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization have launched the “Taste Your Korea” campaign. Aside from always satisfying street foods in the vein of gimbap and tteokbokki, popular Korean dishes like bibimbap -- typically made with rice, an array of vegetables, beef and savory bibimbap sauce -- and Korean-style fried chicken are among the 33 delicacies hig

Legoland Korea Resort presents Chuncheon tour package Legoland Korea Resort in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, offers a new promotion “Chuncheon Discovery” to enjoy a hotel stay at the theme park and take a closer look at the beautiful city. The package, available until Sept. 11, includes a one-night stay, free breakfast for two adults, three children and three tickets for Samaksan Mountain Lake Cable Car, where tourists can enjoy the country’s longest cable car course crossing Ch

K-pop sensation NewJeans officially embarked on their role as 2024 honorary tourism ambassadors at a ceremony held at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in central Seoul on Thursday. The ceremony was attended by Culture Minister Yu In-cho who appointed the five members at the event -- Danielle, Minji, Hanni, Haerin and Hyein -- as the ambassadors for Korea tourism and Visit Korea Year 2023-24 campaign. Group member Hyein could not attend the ceremony for health reasons. Taking up the ambassadorial role, the

Korail Tourism Development, a subsidiary of the Korea Railroad Corp., has unveiled five train trips to North Gyeongsang Province’s popular "forest bathing" spots for travelers. The recommended destinations are for those who wish to take a break from urban life and take a brief refuge in a lush forest, according to the company. Tourists headed to Pohang, a coastal city located in the southeast of North Gyeongsang Province, can enjoy a two-day trip featuring forest therapy at Naeye

Singers HyunA and Yong Jun-hyung, formerly a member of the group Highlight, are tying the knot after a six-month public relationship. The singers’ agencies confirmed HyunA and Yong’s upcoming marriage Monday afternoon, announcing the wedding will take place on Oct. 11. The announcement follows earlier local media reports that the two are expected to marry in October in Seoul. “The couple was a huge consolation to each other in their difficult moments. And their wedding ceremony

The Seoul Metropolitan Government and other local governments have opened free water attractions for youngsters to beat the summer heat without traveling far from home. Jungnang-gu, a district in eastern Seoul, opened the Jungnang Water Park, Sinnae Park water playground and a water attraction at Bongsudae Park in early July. Set to operate through Aug. 18, the water play areas are open to children under the age of 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Sunday. For safety reasons, they are closed