Defending champion DWG Kia swept Gen.G Esports 3-0 in the League of Legends Champions Korea Finals on Saturday to secure a ticket to the Mid-Season Invitational in May and win prize money of 200 million won ($178,000). Although DWG Kia was the clear favorite leading up to the finals, the fact that Gen.G Esports and DWG Kia both swept their quarterfinals opponents 3-0 had raised expectations for a closely contested final. However, the 2020 LCK Summer champion and world champion dominated the ga

With COVID-19 practically barring international travel, many hotels have turned toward the growing population of Koreans looking for a staycation. The hotel industry faced unprecedented financial losses last year with the spread of the pandemic. According to a Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism report in 2019, foreigners accounted for 46.3 percent of hotel guests in August 2019. With the absence of foreign travelers, many hotels reported financial losses last year, including Lotte Hotel

The Joygye Order of Korean Buddhism has canceled Yeondeunghoe -- the annual Lotus Lantern Festival in celebration of Buddha’s birthday -- for the second consecutive year due to concerns over the growing number of COVID-19 infections. Yeondeunghoe would have taken place on May 15, four days before Buddha’s birthday. The four days leading up to the Buddha’s birthday are celebrated with numerous festivals, the highlight being the lantern parade. In a typical Buddha’s Birt

The third season of TV Chosun reality show “Taste of Wife” will end earlier than planned, as actress Ham So-won and the show producers apologized Thursday for fabricating many elements of the show. The show became mired in controversy when viewers alleged that the program‘s most popular couple, Ham and her husband Jin Hua, had fabricated several scenes in the reality show that looks at the everyday lives of celebrity couples. Viewers pointed out that the luxury villa where

Park Hyatt Seoul greets the season with ‘Spring at the Park’ package Park Hyatt Seoul offers a relaxing seasonal break with the “Spring at the Park” package. The package includes a one-night stay, florally-inspired Flower Afternoon Tea Set and two bottles of alcohol-free sparkling wine (200ml) served in-room, 25 percent off dining at hotel restaurants and complimentary use of hotel swimming pool and fitness studio. Guests booking on the hotel website or with the Hyat

All eyes are on DWG Kia and Gen.G Esports as the two head to the 2021 LCK Spring Finals on Saturday to play for the spring title and a chance to play at the Mid-Season Invitational in May. During the online press conference Tuesday for the LCK Spring Finals, both coach Kim “kkOma” Jeong-gyun of DWG Kia and Ju “oDin” Young-dal of Gen.G Esports expressed immense respect for their opponents, but each had confidence in coming out victorious. “Facing DWG Kia, who are

Global online streaming service Netflix removed its 30-day free trial for new subscribers as of Wednesday in South Korea, one of the last countries to have the free trial period eliminated. “Starting in 2019 with Mexico, the 30-day free trial promotion has gradually been terminated. As of April 7, free trial promotion will be unavailable in South Korea as well as every other country in the world,” Netflix said. Netflix did not reveal the reason behind the decision. While the free

Esports has now become a mainstream cultural activity for the younger generations, a development that was discussed during “The Game Changer,” an online esports conference organized by global esports company Gen.G Esports and Yonsei University last week.　 Discussing the past, present and future of the esports scene in Korea were leading industry figures and experts, including Gen.G Esports Chief Operating Officer Arnold Hur, professor of media studies at Simon Fraser University Jin

The Seoul Independent Film Festival will show 25 short films and eight feature films from April 23- 25, during the Seoul leg of its annual screening tour, Indie Picnic 2021. Indie Picnic, which kicked off in 2004, screens selected independent films around the country with the goal of supporting local theaters and indie films. This year‘s screening tour will focus on short films. “As the changing movie distribution environment makes it harder for short films to be screened, we hope

Christians in South Korea celebrated Easter Sunday both online and offline as the country stands at a crossroads between a possible new wave of COVID-19 and mass vaccination. Major megachurches held restricted services without communion and had most of their members join online, following government regulations that allow churches in the capital area to operate at only 20 percent of full capacity. A total of 68 Protestant denominations and 17 Protestant associations representing different cit

Korean National Diplomatic Academy Chancellor Kim Joon-hyung chronicles the 150-year-old South Korea-US alliance in his new book, “The Paradox of the Eternal Alliance,” published by Changbi Publishers on Monday. The KNDA is the state-run institution that trains diplomats and researches international security affairs. Chancellor is a vice minister-level post. Kim, an expert in international politics and South Korea-US relations who has served as an adviser to Cheong Wa Dae’s O

Fairmont Ambassador Seoul celebrates spring with cherry blossom tea set The Fairmont Ambassador Seoul presents the Cherry Blossom High Tea Set, served until May 31 in the hotel’s first floor Atrium Lounge. The seasonal tea set captures the beauty of Yeouido’s iconic spring cherry blossoms on a tray. Elegantly modeled after butterflies, blossoming trees and potted cherry blossoms, the desserts are exquisite in appearance and entirely edible. Accompanied by a selection of beverages in

Broadcaster JTBC on Tuesday hit back at criticisms of history distortion by releasing part of its plot for their upcoming drama “Snowdrop.” “Snowdrop,” a romance drama featuring actor Jung Hae-in and Blackpink’s Jisoo, is set to air in the second half of this year. Based on earlier released synopsis and character descriptions, some inferred that the plot revolved around a North Korean spy and the South Korean pro-democracy movement in the 1980s. Critics said th

The new YouTube Originals series “K-Pop Evolution” will trace the rise of K-pop to global prominence. The seven-part English docuseries will kick off Wednesday at 10 p.m., and a new episode will be uploaded each week. The show chronicles the growth of the now 10 billion dollar K-pop industry from its birth with Seo Taiji and Boys in the 1990s to its current global popularity. K-pop idols from different generations -- SuperM, H.O.T., BoA, Super Junior, Kara, Ha:tfelt of Wonder Girls

The zero-waste movement has spread rapidly in the global fashion industry. The fashion industry is one of the leading polluters, generating around 10 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions each year, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “I know zero-waste fashion is growing in brands like Nike and Zara, who have released products that reuse materials, but I’ve never bought them,” said Yoon Na-ra, who has been trying to live a zero-waste life for the

Longtime comedian Park Soo-hong confirmed Monday that he is in a financial dispute with his brother and sister-in-law, after rumors of the conflict circulated online over the weekend. The matter was brought to light when someone claimed in a comment to Park’s YouTube channel that his brother, who has been the entertainer‘s manager for 30 years at Park’s one-man agency, took all of his earnings for 30 years, estimated to be over 10 billion won ($8.8 million). The post also cla

Largest South Korean over-the-top platform Wavve on Friday announced that it will proceed with investing 1 trillion won ($885 million) in original content through 2025. Wavve is a joint venture between SK Telecom and terrestrial broadcasters KBS, MBC and SBS and the biggest local OTT platform. “Through investment in original content, we hope to expand the partnership between broadcasters, production companies and intellectual property holders. We will also work to discover smaller-size

Streaming platform Watcha will have screens dedicated to showing Watcha movies at 14 CGV theaters around the nation starting April 1. Eleven Watcha movies will be shown throughout April. “Little Joe” (2019) and “Swallow” (2019) will be available in all 14 theaters while “House of Hummingbird,” “Microhabitat,” “Bleak Night,” “Moving On,” “Worst Woman” and “Cheer Up Mr. Lee” will be shown for two wee

Broadcaster SBS announced it will cancel “Joseon Exorcist” after the drama faced controversy over historical inaccuracies in just two episodes. “Joseon Exorcist,” about zombies appearing in the Joseon era, was criticized by many Koreans for using Chinese-style costumes and props, especially at a time when Chinese claims to kimchi and hanbok in recent months have angered the public here. Although the production team -- Crave Works, YG Studioplex and Lotte Cultureworks --

Grand Deli presents Cherry Blossom Cake Grand Deli, on the first floor of Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Samseong-dong, is now offering its Cherry Blossom Cake. The pink and white Cherry Blossom Cake is decorated with dozens of elegant cherry blossom petals made from butter cream handcrafted by the hotel’s pastry chef, Eric Kalaboke. The cake sheet contains beta carotene-packed, highly antioxidizing carrots as the main ingredient. Beta carotene is converted into vitamin A once it