[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Everland Rose FestivalLaunched in 1985, the long-running Everland Rose Festival opens every year in May. This year it continues until June 16. With a 20,000-square-meter rose garden, visitors can see various kinds of flowers while enjoying the amusement park.It is held inside Everland, South Korea’s largest theme park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, and is open to visitors of all ages.To find out more about the event, including admission fees and how to get there, visit the homepage at everl

May 24, 2019

[Weekender] Border-area tourism on the rise

One of the last vestiges of the Cold War, the Demilitarized Zone is often described as the world’s most heavily fortified border. But it is also a tourist magnet, attracting 1.2 million visitors annually. From the bustling metropolis of Seoul, tour buses take hundreds of foreign and local tourists to security-related tourism spots on a daily basis -- from Imjingak, a family-friendly theme park that serves as a starting point for border-area tourism, to the historic truce village of Panmunj

May 24, 2019

[Weekender] An eerie reminder of precarious peace at DMZ Peace Trail

Don’t take the Gangbyeonbuk highway during rush hours in Seoul.That was what I screamed in my mind as the bus took the road fare more traveled, an agonizingly slow path eastward, toward Gangwon Province, where the government recently decided to open a new section of the Demilitarized Zone to civilians.The DMZ Peace Trail in Cheorwon County, Gangwon Province, some 90 kilometers from the capital, is the second of the project located at the inter-Korean border, which the authorities hope will

May 23, 2019

[Weekender] Meet ordinary but extraordinary people who travel around world

The Korea Herald interviewed seven adventurous world travelers whose journey across continents could provide an inspiration for South Koreans for their next trip. Yoon Jin-young (right) and his wife, Shin Seon-a, traveled around the world in a Toyota SUV for three years. They said travels led them to exotic places and fun adventures, but somewhere along the way, they also experienced self-discovery and gained new attitudes toward life.From amateur stargazers on a quest to capture cosmic wonders

May 17, 2019

[Weekender] World travel -- living the dream

Shin Seon-a at the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve in Bolivia. She has traveled 47 countries in this rugged 4x4 off-load vehicle with her husband Yoon Jin-young for nearly three years. (Photo provided by Shin)A trip around the world may sound like an unrealistic dream. Especially so for South Koreans, for whom a two-week vacation from work is a rarity and taking years off work can risk a career altogether, unless one has special skills that are in unusually high demand. Yet there se

May 17, 2019

[Eye Plus] Where have all the flowers gone?

　Along the overpass-turned-park Seoullo 7017 are large pots of flowers that have unfamiliar foreign names but are commonly spotted on the streets of South Korea. 　Among them are pink flowers with the Russian nomenclature Schlippenbach, also known as chuljjuk in Korean, one of the most widespread spring flowers here. Abies Koreana Wilson, better known in Korea as the Christmas tree, also stand on the bridge. 　According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, all the flowers being displayed at Seoul

May 16, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Everland Rose Festival Started in 1985, the long-running Everland Rose Festival opens every year in May. This year it opens Friday and continues until June 16. With a 20,000-square-meter rose garden, visitors can see various kinds of flowers while enjoying the amusement park.It is held inside the Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province and is open to visitors of all ages.To find out more about the event, including admission fees and how to get there, visit the homepage at everland.com for informat

May 16, 2019

Seoul, KOTFA jointly hosts Seoul International Tourism Industry Fair

An international tourism fair jointly hosted by Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Korea World Travel Fair will take place next month, encompassing promotions for both inbound and outbound tourism and business-to-business transactions. According to the organizers, 50 countries including China, around 50 regional governments in Korea, and 1,400 tourism companies will take part in the Seoul International Tourism Industry Fair, set to take place June 6-9 at Coex in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul.In

May 16, 2019

Haeundae beach to open June 1

Beaches in the Busan area are set to open for the summer. Haeundae and Gwangalli beaches will open June 1 and July 1, respectively. The Busan Metropolitan City Government announced Friday that it would hold a conference Monday at City Hall to discuss the operation of beaches during the upcoming summer season. 　 This photo shows Haeundae Beach in Busan, some 450 kilometers south of Seoul, on July 17, 2018. (Yonhap)At the conference, local authorities are to discuss a number of issues so that loca

May 10, 2019

[Eye Plus] Seongnagwon, private garden of Joseon

For those who dream of escaping from the hustle and bustle of the city life, Seongnagwon offers a new level of relaxation, with 200 years of history that had been veiled until only recently. The garden, whose name means “enjoy nature outside of the castle,” is open to the public only temporarily, from April 23 to June 11, as preservation work is not yet completed.Created in 1790, Seongnagwon was used as a royal villa for 35 years by Yi Gang, the fifth son of King Gojong of the late Joseon era (1

May 10, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

‘Walk with a King’ at Jeonju Hanok VillageJeonju Hanok Village is holding the “Walk with a King” tour every Saturday through Oct. 26, with the exception of Aug. 3 and 8. The tour is open to up to 100 people. A guide will take you around the beautiful city of Jeonju, including a spot that offers a special view of Gyeongggijeon Shrine. Admission fees are 10,000 won per person, and the hours are from 8 p.m. to 9:40 p.m. It is open to visitors of all ages.For more information in Korean, English, Jap

May 9, 2019

[Eye Plus] A patriot’s legacy

In Apgujeong, Seoul’s southern mecca of high fashion, fine dining and plastic surgery, lies the tomb of Ahn Chang-ho (1878-1938), a legendary freedom fighter from the Japanese occupation of Korea. Named Dosan Park after his pen name Dosan, it has the tombs of Ahn and his wife Lee Hye-reon, a memorial hall and some statues across its 29,974 square meters. The memorial hall features a collection of photos, handwritten letters and journals of Ahn, along with historic documents that shed light on hi

May 3, 2019

Into wetlands of Suncheon Bay, onto garden of Korea

SUNCHEON, South Jeolla Province -- Stepping off the KTX, I was welcomed by light drizzle and clouded skies in Suncheon, a city on the southwestern coast of the peninsula. It was perhaps a befiting first impression of a city that holds the record, set in 1998, for the most rainfall in one hour -- a whopping 145 millimeters.Then again, the wet was what created the beautiful natural environment that makes the South Jeolla Province city such a worthwhile place to visit: from the botanical life and t

May 2, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Spring on Spoon festival in EverlandHappy May in Coex Aquarium Coex Aquarium is holding themed events in May, including a photo event, face painting and other activities for children.Throughout the month, a photo event with characters from the popular children’s TV series “The Octonauts” is being held from noon to 4 p.m. On Children’s Day, May 5, special booklets on the adventures of Octonauts will be provided to the first 100 children to visit the aquarium.A face painting event is being held at

May 2, 2019

[Graphic News] No. of foreign tourists to S. Korea up 12.4%

　The number of foreigners who arrived in South Korea jumped by 12.4 percent in March from a year earlier due to higher numbers of Chinese and Japanese tourists on incentive tours, the local tourism promotion agency said.　A total of 1.54 million foreigners arrived here last month, compared with 1.36 million a year ago, according to the Korea Tourism Organization.　The number of Chinese tourists shot up 20.9 percent last month from a year earlier to some 488,000, due to an increase in both independ

April 30, 2019

[Photo News] A sea of pink

 Royal azaleas are in full bloom at the Gunpo Cheoljjuk Festival, in Gunpo, Gyeonggi province. The azaleas, known as “cheoljjuk” in Korean, are native to Korea and go into full bloom at the end of April.  (Yonhap)

April 30, 2019

S. Korea's 1st botanical park to open this week

The Seoul metropolitan government said Tuesday it will open to the public the country's first botanical park this week after about six months of its pilot operation. The Seoul Botanic Park in the South Korean capital's Gangseo Ward, which has been tentatively accessible since Oct. 11, is set to open Wednesday. During the pilot operation, 2.5 million people visited the park built on a site of 504,000 square meters. (Yonhap)Out of the entire space, the botanical garden accounts for 21 percent, wit

April 30, 2019

Grand Hyatt Seoul renovates suites

The Grand Hyatt Seoul has completed the renovation of its suites. Australian design firm Bar Studio, which was in charge of the interior spaces within the Park Hyatt Shanghai, Park Hyatt Sydney and Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, led the recent renovation of the hotel’s 53 suites. The rooms have undergone a significant upgrade while embracing the original design of famed interior architect John Morford, with subtle references to Korean culture.Three premium-level suites -- the Diplomatic, Ambassador and

April 26, 2019

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Hanbok for foreigners at Coex AquariumCoex Aquarium is holding an event where foreign visitors can try on Korea’s traditional costume, hanbok, free of charge. The event is being held Monday through Friday, from noon to 6 p.m. at Garden of Korea in the aquarium. It is a year-round event that is available exclusively for foreign visitors.Hanbok available at the event are styled after those worn by royals of the Joseon era.For more information on Coex Aquarium in Korean, English, Chinese or Japanes

April 26, 2019

[Eye Plus] Hot spot of multiculturalism

For many expats in Korea, Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, is like a home away home. More than 86,000 foreign nationals from 107 countries are registered to be living in the city about an hour’s drive west of Seoul. The city claims the highest foreign population density in Korea. Wongok-dong, especially, is heavily populated by foreign residents, with around 21,000 expats from 57 countries. In May 2009, the area was designated a Multicultural Village Special Zone. Expats from China, Indonesia, Nepal, I

April 26, 2019