The opulence and glamour of old Istanbul will be recreated in the historic South Korean city of Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, during “Istanbul in Gyeongju 2014,” an upcoming cultural festival to tie the two cities as partners.The festival will kick off a 10-day run on Sept. 12 as part of the Gyeongju World Culture Expo, amazing visitors to Gyeongju with decorations resembling historic sites in Istanbul. It will also entertain them with performances, exhibitions and parades, all with a foc

The Grand Hilton Seoul is presenting fall accommodation packages available from Sept. 6 to Nov. 30. The “Autumn in Hilton I” package includes a one-night stay at a deluxe room and breakfast for two. The “Autumn in Hilton II and III” packages, which target couples, include a one-night stay at an executive room, tickets to N Seoul Tower on Mount Namsan and a heart-shaped love lock which couples can lock onto a metal fence as proof of their love. Two cups of coffee and a slice of cake included in t

DUBLIN (AP) ― European budget carrier Ryanair is offering business-class tickets in an attempt to woo companies and governments during penny-pinching times.Marketed under the slogan “Your boss will approve,” the new ticket reverses some of the airline’s more reviled policies for fee-dazzled travelers. The Dublin-based company, long Europe’s fastest-growing airline with a sell-it-cheap, stack-’em-high philosophy, says it hopes to capture three-fourths of all business travel between Britain and Ir

Chuseok package at The Grand Hilton Seoul The Grand Hilton Seoul presents three Chuseok holiday packages, available from Sept. 5-10. Package 1 includes a one-night stay in a deluxe room and two movie tickets. Package 2 comes with breakfast for two at the buffet restaurant. Package 3 includes a one-night stay in an executive room, two movie tickets and happy hour for two adults. Package 3 also includes free access to the Executive Floor Lounge, which offers breakfast and happy hour finger food an

CHEORWON, Gangwon Province ― Mount Soisan, a lowly hill just tens of meters across from a three-story building constructed by North Korea in 1946 as the Communist Party Headquarters, had a U.S. Army barrack and several secret bunkers that were used during the Korean War (1950-1953). Until 2001, civilians were prohibited from climbing the mountain as it was in the civilian control area adjacent to the demilitarized zone. “Underneath where you stand are bunkers used during the war. This mountain i

Stone sculptor Han Jin-sub strikes a lump of granite with a hammer and chisel. A chunk breaks off with a spark and thud that echoes through the space for his solo exhibition. Part of his art studio has moved to Gana Art Center. Some of the tools and plaster miniature models he has used in stone sculpting for the last 40 years offer a window to an unfamiliar world of stone sculpture. “It’s like having a conversation with the rock. If I understand the layer and break it, a big chunk cracks off. Bu

The historic former Space group building will open again as a museum in September with an extensive exhibition of the contemporary art collection of Kim Chang-il, chairman of Arario Group. The ivy-covered, black brick building, built by the first generation Korean modern architect Kim Swoo-geun in 1977, has undergone a transformation since November last year. Following the bankruptcy of the architecture company, the building was put on auction and purchased by Kim, the only Korean art collector

“Bojagi.” (The Museum of Korean Embroidery)Traditional Korean wrapping cloths, or “bojagi,” and modern interpretations of them are being showcased on Jejudo Island until Aug. 28. Artists from more than 10 countries, including Korea, the U.S., Australia, Canada, France and Japan, present their interpretations of bojagi and what the craft means to them in the context of today’s culture. The exhibitions as part of the Korea Bojagi Forum are being held at five galleries, in the Jeoji Artist Village

The Busan Tourism Organization has released a mobile application providing coupons usable at more than 70 hotels, restaurants and department stores in the city during major international events. The app became available Thursday to coincide with the opening of AD Stars, an international advertisement festival. It is downloadable at the Android app store or at promotional desks for international events, which offer NFC tags on the spot. The application offers information on stores, locations and

Chuseok holiday feast at Sheraton Seoul D Cube City HotelSheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel’s buffet restaurant Feast presents Korean traditional Chuseok cuisine in celebration of the holiday from Sept. 7-8. The hotel chefs will present Chuseok holiday menus such as galbijjim braised beef rib, japchae noodles and various kinds of jeon pancakes. The dessert section will present a wide variety of traditional Korean desserts, including rice cakes, persimmon, soojeonggwa cinnamon punch and sikhye, a s

“Slow, Same, Slow #2205” by Moon BeomMoon jar by Lee Ki-joKorean minimalist abstract paintings and white porcelain moon jars are on exhibit at the Korean Culture Center in Beijing, offering an insight into the spirit and materials that form the basis of Korean modern art. The exhibition “Empty Fulfillment: Materiality and Spirit of Korean Contemporary Art” showcases 11 Dansaekhwa paintings, minimalist abstract paintings and five moon jars ― white porcelains dubbed as such for resembling a full m

A 12th-century celadon from the Goryeo Dynasty boasts graceful curves and a delicate jade-green color. Displayed behind the celadon, two 1995-1996 paintings in different shades of celadon green by artist Byron Kim add a modern simplicity to the centuries-old artifact. The two artworks made 800 years apart show a harmony that transcends time in the pursuit of pure elegance. The link between old and new, the East and West runs throughout the 10th anniversary exhibition of Leeum, Samsung Museum of

Pope writes letter to families of missing in ferry disasterPope Francis has written a condolence letter to the families of those still missing in April’s ferry sinking, saying he prayed for the victims of the tragedy throughout his stay in South Korea.“I deeply regret that I was not able to personally visit and comfort everyone who is suffering,” the pontiff began in the letter written in Korean with his signature at the bottom. “However, I never forgot to pray for the deceased, the missing and

Pope Francis baptized the father of a high school student killed in the Sewol ferry disaster on Sunday morning. Lee Ho-jin, the father of Lee Seung-hyun, who died when the ferry sank in April, was baptized around 7 a.m. at the Vatican Embassy in Seoul.According to the spokesman of the pope’s visit committee, the baptism was the first in 25 years offered by a pope in Korea. In October 1989, Pope John Paul II baptized 12 young adults during his visit to Seoul.The baptism was attended by Lee’s fami

For many, the thought of solving math problems doesn’t bring positive feelings, but evokes memories of stress from agonizing over equations.An exhibition commemorating the 2014 International Congress of Mathematicians currently underway in Seoul attempts to ameliorate such discomfort in an artistic way. Instead of equations and graphs, the exhibition “Matrix: Mathematics ― Heart of Gold and the Abyss” features artistic aspects of mathematics in the forms of painting, sculpture, design, media, so

Art has inspired many areas of culture. Recently, designers, musicians and a filmmaker who seek inspiration from art have teamed up with artists for collaborative exhibitions. The “Phantasmagoria” exhibition underway at Insa Art Center in Insa-dong, Seoul, presents new painting series by celebrated pop artists Mari Kim and Kim Nam-pyo and two short films by filmmaker Min Byung-hun that trace the artists’ respective quests for creative inspiration. Known for supernatural images of an unlikely mix

“Untitled” by Kate Barber. (DiGiFun Art Festival)Applications for smartphones and tablets have become a creative tool for users. It is easy to make art on the devices, without paper or paints. Smartphone paintings will go on exhibit at the Seoul Metropolitan Library from next week. The exhibition, “DigiFun Art Festival,” will showcase some 400 sketches, drawings and paintings done on mobile devices by 300 artists and members of the public. They will be on view on the first to fifth floors of the

A man holds his smartphone up in the air to take a snapshot of a protest over the Sewol ferry disaster. Artist Noh Sun-tag spots him and photographs the man and another protester pressing his smartphone camera button for him. Noh has observed scenes of protest and various social conflicts through his lens. His photographs are on display at the Korea Artist Prize exhibition, the annual artist award by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. The exhibition showcases works by fou

DANGJIN, South Chungcheong Province ― Excitement over the pope’s visit prevails in South Chungcheong Province, with welcome placards hung at entrances of rural towns. Nestled in South Korea’s central region along the west coast, the province is usually not the most-visited tourist destination for Korean or foreign tourists. “We’ve never had a VIP guest like Pope Francis visit the region and I don’t think we ever will in the future,” said Kim Jeong-gyum, director of the culture and tourism divisi

MADRID (AFP) ― Spain’s biggest hotel chain Melia Hotels International said Monday it has removed shark fin from the menu of all of its restaurants around the world, joining a growing global campaign against the popular delicacy in Asia.“With the removal of shark fin as an ingredient, Melia contributes to the protection of the important role sharks have in maintaining balance in marine ecosystems,” the company said in a statement.“As predators, sharks are a key species in the food chain and also