[Eye Plus] History of Korea’s trains and railroads

 Stepping into the modern Seoul Station, South Korea’s central train station, one might wonder how far back the history of Korean trains and railroads goes.  Only one hour from Seoul Station by subway, the Railroad Museum in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, offers a glimpse into more than 100 years of history of Korean trains and railroads. The museum is run by national railway operator Korail. In the two-story museum, which was moved to its current location in 1988, models of Kore

Dec. 25, 2020

Lonely Christmas in Santa's homeland as tourists stay away

ROVANIEMI, Finland (AFP) -- In Finland’s snowy far north, international visitors normally flood the Santa Claus Village amusement park, in search of reindeer rides, snow castles and a meeting with the jolly man himself. Under the pandemic travel restrictions, however, crowds in the Lapland town of Rovaniemi have dwindled to just a trickle and the joyful winter wonderland feels ghostly and abandoned. “It’s been an exceptional and difficult year,” Santa tells AFP from beh

Dec. 25, 2020

Korea Travel Online Expo 2020 prepares travel for post-COVID era

The annual Korea Travel Expo is being held online for the first time due to the pandemic situation until Tuesday. Around 120 organizations, including Korea Tourism Organization and local governments, are participating in the online expo hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and run by Tourism and Korea Tourism Association aimed at providing information on travel after the pandemic has gone away or become less severe in the future. The theme for the expo is “safe travel.” Durin

Dec. 18, 2020

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Wanju Gotgam Fesitval The annual Wanju Gotgam Fesitval is being held virtually this year, due to the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Wanju, a county in North Jeolla Province, is famous for gotgam, or dried persimmon. Wanju gotgam was presented to the royal court during the Joseon era. The county produces about 9,300 tons of gotgam every year. The annual festival draws about 30,000 visitors. This year, it is held online, selling gotgam produced by local farmers. The online festival, whic

Dec. 18, 2020

When will we travel internationally again?

It is a question that we have been asking ourselves for almost a year now. With the COVID-19 pandemic, traveling overseas has been out of the question for months for most people. So, will we ever travel again? If so, when? 　 Though the authorities are still advising against nonessential international travel, the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines is lifting spirits in the travel industry and among the public. Travel agencies -- already pushed to the brink -- are launching overseas tour package deals

Dec. 16, 2020

[Eye Plus] Peace Gondola, a place to reflect on division

Imjingak Pyeonghwanuri Park in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, is located about 7 kilometers south of the cease-fire line.  Developed right after the South-North joint communique of 1972, the park has become a tourist spot.  Relics with sorrow and pain from the Korean War that broke out on June 25, 1950 and confrontation between the two Koreas still exist there.  A steam locomotive preserved and exhibited as a cultural heritage in the park is one of the symbols of the tragic history o

Dec. 12, 2020

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Indie Jeonju Festival Indie Jeonju Festival will be held online Dec. 25-27. The festival is titled “Still Alive” this year, according to organizers, aiming to show that Jeonju-based musicians are still living passionately, despite the monthslong blackout in the culture sector due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 15 music acts will take to the stage, performing a wide range of music, from pop, folk, rock, jazz, hip-hop and classical music to innovative traditional Korean musi

Dec. 11, 2020

[Eye Plus] Kukkiwon, mecca of taekwondo

Separated from the notorious car and foot traffic of the Gangnam neighborhood, Kukkiwon sits on a small hill in a calm area filled with trees. Kukkiwon, a traditional-looking building with white columns, has been the heart of the Korean martial art of taekwondo for the past half century.  The institution was established in November 1972 as the world headquarters of taekwondo. The same year, to celebrate its founding, it held the first-ever international competition. Since then, the orga

Dec. 5, 2020

Seoul to host conference on Eurasia railway cooperation next year

South Korea will host a meeting of an international organization for railway cooperation across Europe and Asia next year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said Saturday.  The 49th annual ministers' meeting of the Organization for Cooperation of Railways (OSJD) will be held in the country from June 15-18, 2021, according to the ministry. Founded in 1956, the OSJD coordinates railway policies and oversees related standards among Eurasian countries. South Korea joine

Dec. 5, 2020

Online dance competition to promote Korean tourism set for Saturday

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold the final round of its IYKoongChallenge online dance competition Saturday in conjunction with the Korean Tourism Organization. The event will be livestreamed through the KTO’s YouTube (www.youtube.com/ImagineYourKorea) and Tiktok (tiktok.com/@imagineyourkorea) channels. The event aims to promote five South Korean cities selected as tourism hubs by the Culture Ministry in January: Busan; Gangneung, Gangwon Province; Jeonju, North Jeol

Dec. 4, 2020

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Yeongdeok Snow Crab Festival The Yeongdeok Snow Crab Festival, initially slated for February, will be held online until Dec. 31. The festival, an annual event that celebrates local snow crabs caught off the east coast of North Gyeongsang Province, was scheduled for Feb. 20-23. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has moved online. A cooking show, a lucky draw and online sales of freshly caught snow crabs can be accessed at www.ydcf.co.kr, as well as on the festival’s social media chan

Dec. 4, 2020

Traveling in pandemic times

In a year that has witnessed the COVID-19 pandemic disrupt lives and devastate economies around the world, South Korea is seeking innovations to meet the challenges it presents. The following is the third article in a four-part series on how Korea is creating a new normal during the pandemic, produced in partnership with The Korea Foundation -- Ed. 28,714,247. That’s the number of number of South Koreans who traveled abroad last year, according to the Korea Tourism Organization. Due

Dec. 3, 2020

THE WEEK&Resort expands horizons of urban boutique resort

Trinity D&C Co., a real estate development and hotel resort company, held a grand opening ceremony of Korea’s first urban boutique resort THE WEEK& Resort in Yeongjongdo, Incheon, on Nov. 26. THE WEEK& Resort plans to pioneer a new field differentiated from existing resorts under the concept of Korea‘s first “urban boutique resort.” It will attract the attention of customers through its close geographic accessibility to downtown and a young and stylish sense

Dec. 1, 2020

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Sunchang Fermented Sauce Festival The Sunchang Fermented Sauce Festival is an annual event held in Sunchang, South Jeolla Province. The festival celebrates the many different sauces and pastes made from fermented soybeans. This year’s event runs until Nov. 29 and involves a photo contest, a talent show and more. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event is being held online, and festivalgoers at home can upload photos of their sauce pots. Festival organizers are also soliciting suggestio

Nov. 27, 2020

Taean-meets-glam on social media

Korea is bracing for another surge in the coronavirus pandemic, with rising numbers of cluster infections nationwide. As the global health threat continues to disrupt our lives, traveling may not be the wisest activity for a while. However, if one must travel, Taean, a coastal county in South Chungcheong Province, is an option.  A two-hour drive south of Seoul, Taean can be easily reached by car from many regions in Korea. The locale is also encompassed in wild nature, dispersing visitor

Nov. 21, 2020

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Sunchang Fermented Sauce Festival The Sunchang Fermented Sauce Festival is an annual event held in Sunchang, South Jeolla Province. The festival celebrates the many different sauces and pastes made from fermented soybeans. This year’s event runs until Nov. 29 and involves a photo contest, a talent show and more. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event is being held online; festivalgoers at home can upload photos of their sauce pots. Also, the festival organizers are looking for suggest

Nov. 20, 2020

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

  Winter lights at E-World Theme park E-World in Daegu will host its signature Christmas Fantasy festival from Nov. 21.  Earlier this month, the amusement park turned on the lights on its 9-meter-tall Miracle Tree. During the festival period, Lighting Balloon Road will be on display, along with other photo zones themed around Christmas and winter. The Miracle Rose Garden with 100,000 blue light roses will light up, too. On the opening day, Santa Claus will welcome visitors.  T

Nov. 13, 2020

BTS’ ‘See You in Seoul’ video reaches 400 million hits

Seoul city’s promotional video featuring BTS topped 400 million views two months after its release, announced the Seoul Tourism Organization on Monday. The video “See You in Seoul,” featuring each member of the hit seven-member act introducing the city of Seoul, was released on Sept. 11 on the city‘s tourism platform (www.visitseoul.net) and social media channels.   The promotional video racked up more than 100 million views 10 days after the release, and generat

Nov. 9, 2020

[Eye Plus] Autumn foliage at peak

Temperatures are dropping, days are getting shorter and tree leaves are slowly turning colors. When the autumn season is on the way, Hwadam Botanic Garden becomes a highly sought-after destination.  Hwadam Botanic Garden is an eco-friendly arboretum located at Konjiam Resort in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, about an hour’s drive from central Seoul. Spread across 65,265 square meters, the park has 17 gardens with different themes. Some 4,000 different species of plants and trees make up

Nov. 7, 2020

Fall is upon us: ‘Color show’ trails across Korea

In a turbulent, disturbing year, the change of seasons has remained constant and the changing colors of the leaves signal the peak of the autumn season. It is a time to explore the mountains, forests and countryside and enjoy the annual color show, as mountains across Korea turn shades of red, orange, yellow and more.  The color fest will not last long, with the winter season lurking just around the corner.  Before the brilliant explosion of colors makes way for heavy snow and frost

Nov. 7, 2020