[Eye Plus] Longing for home, close but far

Gyodongdo, an island in Incheon, west of Seoul, lies right below the western sea border with North Korea. Just 2 to 3 kilometers away from the North’s South Hwanghae Province and separated only by a stretch of water, it’s quite possible for visitors to get a peek at the reclusive nation with their own eyes.  The cross-border tensions have waxed and waned for decades since the separation of the two Koreas. But the small island is surprisingly calm -- longtime residents are busy

TravelJan. 30, 2021

[Diana’s Table] Korean dumplings or mandu

Although the dumpling originated in China, it is now considered one of the most recognized signature Korean dishes. There are many types of mandu, ranging from popular street food types to delicate Michelin-starred dishes. Filled with a wide variety of stuffing ranging from meat and seafood to vegetables, they can be cooked in many ways to add flavor to appetizers, main dishes and even salads. In Korea, mandu was traditionally made for celebratory occasions such as weddings and the New Year.

FoodJan. 30, 2021

Looking into a crystal ball

The Korea Tourism Organization has published two books on recent global tourism trends that suggest future developments for the local tourism industry. Like all others around the world, Korea’s tourism industry is facing perhaps the worst crisis in history due to the travel restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a recent survey of 500 tourism businesses by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, 97.6 percent saw a drop in sales from January to September, year-o

TravelJan. 30, 2021

Culture Ministry selects 100 must-visit sites in Korea

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization have announced the 100 Must-Visit Tourism Spots of Korea for 2021-2022. Fifty-one of the travel destinations on the list are natural attractions and 49 are cultural attractions, reflecting the demand for tourism related to history, culture and the liberal arts, the ministry said. A total of 19 spots have been selected five consecutive times since the biennial list was launched in 2013, including the five Joseon pa

TravelJan. 30, 2021

Book of 50 essays offers a glimpse into the mind of Jungwook Hong

Jungwook Hong, a former National Assembly representative and former chairman of Herald Corp., has released a book of 50 essays about his journey to find his life’s purpose. Hong is a bestselling author whose 1993 autobiography, “Seven Acts, Seven Scenes,” sold over 1 million copies. That first book, which centered on his personal experience of studying in the US at Choate Rosemary Hall and Harvard University, led many wealthy South Korean parents to consider sending their tee

BooksJan. 30, 2021

Hallyu fans consume more Korean content amid COVID-19 pandemic in 2020: survey

The number of foreigners consuming Korean content have continued to rise last year, according to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism. The Culture Ministry said on Thursday it surveyed 8,500 people in 18 different countries including China, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Vietnam, Turkey, France and the US. The survey was conducted from Sept. 24 to Nov. 3 last year. Korean dramas were the most consumed type of content at 29.7 percent, followed by thos

CultureJan. 30, 2021

[Video] Korean winter fruits to enjoy during frosty temperatures

The availability of Korean fruits is very much seasonal. Strawberries signal the coming of spring, oriental melons welcome the scorching hot summer, apples catch the tail end of the sweltering season and tangerines bring in the fall. The distinctive sweetness of citrus species adds a potpourri of color to the fall foliage across the nation in particular. The strong aroma of mandarin oranges fills grocery stores and markets until the winter season. During the snowy months, many locals find the

FoodJan. 29, 2021

NCSoft’s K-pop platform Universe kicks off globally

South Korean game maker NCSoft launched its K-pop entertainment platform Universe in 134 countries on Thursday. The all-in-one platform allows users to access exclusive content such as music videos, entertainment shows K-pop groups appear on and celebrity photos, while also allowing artists and fans to interact. Fans can also share their creations on the platform. One of the platform’s most noticeable features is a private messaging and call function powered by artificial intelligence

PerformanceJan. 29, 2021

How far has AI come?

Terrestrial broadcaster SBS’ newest entertainment show “Battle of the Century: AI vs Human” will have experts in six different fields pitched against the latest artificial intelligence programs in a competition, starting with the first episode at 10 p.m., Friday. The producers were inspired by the famous competition between Korean Go master Lee Se-dol and Google’s artificial intelligence program AlphaGo in 2016. “I enjoyed watching AlphaGo vs. Lee Se-dol in 201

TelevisionJan. 29, 2021

Violinist Kim Dong-hyun to perform at Kumho Instrument Bank series recital

Violinist Kim Dong-hyun will kick off the 2021 Kumho Instrument Bank series with a recital on Feb. 4 at the Kumho Art Hall Yonsei in western Seoul. The Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation has been running the Kumho Instrument Bank program since 1993, lending musical instruments to young artists through an open audition. The program currently owns 10 instruments, including a piano, cello and eight violins. It aims to allow up-and-coming artists to focus on their performances without worrying about

PerformanceJan. 29, 2021

[Around the Hotels] Promotions and Packages

InterContinental Seoul Coex presents ‘Wise Drinking Life with Cookat Market’ InterContinental Seoul Coex in Samseong-dong is offering the Wise Drinking Life With Cookat Market package starting in February. The package comprises the popular traditional drink Goheung yuzu liquor, a dessert called the Strawberry-in-Milk Sticky Rice Cake and three spreads from convenience food store Cookat Market. During the Lunar New Year holiday, guests born in the Year of the Ox are offered a 10

FoodJan. 29, 2021

Packaged kimchi: how did it get its start, where is it going?

Park Kyung-suk, a Korean woman in her 50s, who has been making kimchi for her family for more than 30 years, decided to buy packaged kimchi for the first time last year. “My two sons moved out so we do not need as much kimchi as we used to,” Park said. “Also, I compared the price of the ingredients that I need to buy with the price of packaged kimchi and found that there is not much difference.” “I prefer buying small packaged kimchi in convenience stores once in

CultureJan. 28, 2021

BTS agency Big Hit to invest W70b in K-pop giant YG

Big Hit Entertainment, the agency behind global star BTS, announced on Wednesday that it plans to invest 70 billion won ($63 million) in YG Entertainment, one of the biggest K-pop agencies in South Korea. Under the deal, Big Hit and its affiliate beNX will invest 30 billion won and 40 billion won, respectively, in YG affiliate YG Plus, the agency said in a press release following a board meeting. With the investment, Big Hit and beNX will 7.7 percent and 10.2 percent stakes, respectively, in

PerformanceJan. 27, 2021

Youn Yuh-jung bags 20th trophy in US for her role in ‘Minari’

Youn Yuh-jung bags 20th trophy in US for her role in ‘Minari’ Veteran actor Youn Yuh-jung took home her 20th best supporting actress trophy in the US for her performance in “Minari,” an American film written and directed by Korean American filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung. She was recognized by the National Board of Review on Wednesday for the realistic portrayal of a Korean grandmother who comes to a farm in rural Arkansas to babysit her two grandchildren, while her daughte

FilmJan. 27, 2021

Joseon era folding screen bought at US auction on display at palace museum

Three traditional folding screens, including one which was brought back from the United States last year, are on display at the National Palace Museum of Korea. The most famous of the three -- Yojiyeondo, or banquet at Yoji in Korean -- depicts an extravagant feast hosted by Seowangmo, a goddess in Chinese mythology. The banquet takes place by Yoji, a huge pond in the Kunlun Mountains which is believed to be the dwelling place of gods. King Mu of China’s Zhou dynasty was said to have at

Arts & DesignJan. 27, 2021

‘L.U.C.A.: The Beginning’ offers action-packed chase

Kim Hong-sun, the director of multiple hit OCN dramas, is back Monday with a tvN action drama titled “L.U.C.A.: The Beginning.” “L.U.C.A.: The Beginning” centers on an experimental cell, Ji-O, that was created through the L.U.C.A. project. The aim of the project was to create the Last Universal Common Ancestor -- the cell that holds the secret to all life forms in existence. Ji-O takes human form and has supernatural powers, but loses his memory after escaping the faci

TelevisionJan. 27, 2021

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art publishes English-language book on its collection

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, has published “MMCA Collection 300” in English, providing an introduction to representative modern and contemporary works from the museum’s holdings. The Korean-language edition of the book was published in 2019 to commemorate the museum’s 50th anniversary, and was a bestseller at major online bookstores in South Korea. The English-language edition features a glossary section newly added for international rea

Arts & DesignJan. 27, 2021

Original musicals to light up stage in February

Though the theater scene is still suffering as a result of the social distancing rules imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the month of February may be a turning point as a number of original South Korean musicals are lined up for premieres.   “The Adventure of the Final Problem” is slated to run Feb. 15 to May 9 at the Dream Arts Center. 　 The production tells the story of British writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who attained huge success with his “Sherlock Holmes&rdquo

PerformanceJan. 27, 2021

Seoul Museum of Art experiments with ways to examine collection

Seoul Museum of Art’s first exhibition of the year is an attempt to redefine the museum’s collection with an experimental approach -- interaction between citizens and experts. Scattered at three locations throughout Seoul, the Seoul City-run SeMA is located at Seoul Museum of Art (Seosomun-dong), Buk-Seoul Museum of Art in Nowon-gu and Nam-Seoul Museum of Art in Gwanak-gu. Established in 1988, SeMA holds more than 5,000 works in its collection. “Collection_Opening Hacking

Arts & DesignJan. 26, 2021

Studio for virtual music, drama performances to open in Seoul

With the COVID-19 pandemic pushing the art industry to shift online, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to launch a studio for online streaming in central Seoul to make way for virtual performances. The former Namsan Creative Center, which shut down last year, will be turned into a new studio for production and streaming of virtual art performances. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the new studio will officially open in April 2022 after a test period. The studio will be eq

PerformanceJan. 26, 2021