[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Taean World Tulip Flower Festival The World Tulip Flower Festival is scheduled to run from April 9 to May 9 at Korea Flower Park in Taean, South Chungcheong Province. Some 200 types of flowers, including flamingo, lambada, red proud tulip and more, will be on full display. On-hand experiences, like a flower planting program, will not be offered at this year’s event to prevent any spread of COVID-19. The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and tickets are 12,000 won for adults and 9,000

March 11, 2022

Blend of culture, nature at Eunpyeong Trail

Amid the seemingly never-ending COVID-19 pandemic, watching the latest Netflix series and eating sweet and juicy mandarin oranges curled up with an electric blanket has been a popular way to spend the winter weekends. But as the cold winter air starts to make way for the arrival of spring, many hikers are eager to greet the coming spring and enjoy the last cold snap on Eunpyeong Trail, better known as Eunpyeong-gu Dulegil or section eight of the Bukhansan Dulegi, also referred to as Gureum Jeon

March 6, 2022

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Blossom Picnic 　The Blossom Picnic is scheduled to kick off on March 19 and run through April 3 at Eworld in Daegu. 　The venue offers the fastest-blooming cherry blossoms to visitors and presents the largest night view of the pink flower. 　The areas around the 83 Tower, a famous landmark of Daegu, are separated with the unique themes -- healing zone, camping zone and picnic zone -- allowing visitors to enjoy spring in a variety of settings. 　Red double decker buses and a merry-go-round are p

March 4, 2022

The road less traveled: Exploring Korea solo

Kwon Jeong-hyun, 37, an office worker in Seoul, is planning a series of weekend road trips alone starting this spring with her diary as her companion. “In my early 20s, traveling was like an assignment because deciding on whom to go with and coping with their schedules was not an easy task,” said Kwon, an avid solo traveler since her late 20s. In the past decade, Kwon has traveled to major cities alone, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, New York and London. She took her first

Feb. 25, 2022

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Pinocchio and Little Prince Starlight Festival The 1st Pinocchio and the Little Prince Starlight Festival will run through March 13 at Italian Village and Petite France in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province. The event allows visitors to experience a bit of overseas travel via the flea market lined with European antiques, traditional Italian houses and more. The splendid lighting aside, the festival allows various cultural programs, including music box performances, puppet show, a circus with mimes,

Feb. 25, 2022

Les Clefs d’Or full member wishes to give more to guests

At the core of hotel concierge service is knowing a guest’s needs through even the subtlest gestures, and remembering them on their next visit, according to Kum Sang-jin, assistant manager of the rooms team at the Grand Walkerhill Seoul. Kum received the Les Clefs d’Or badge of two golden keys on Feb. 14, which symbolizes professional expertise as well as the best and most unique concierge services. Founded in 1929 by Pierre Quentin, head concierge of the Hotel Ambassador Paris, th

Feb. 24, 2022

Purple Island to be featured at Paris Fashion Week

The “Purple Island” in Sinan, South Jeolla Province, will be featured at the 2022 fall-winter Paris Fashion Week, slated to take place virtually next week, according to officials Wednesday.  The island’s 1.4-kilometer purple bridge has been turned into a runway in a recent filming of South Korean designer Yang Hae-il’s show as part of one of the fashion world’s biggest events.  The bridge connects the two islets of Banwol and Bakji, which comprise Purple

Feb. 23, 2022

Newlyweds re-create parents’ honeymoon photos

Before Koreans discovered exotic holiday destinations abroad, Jeju Island, the semi-tropical, volcanic island off the south coast of the Korean Peninsula, was the No. 1 honeymoon destination.  But it wasn’t the first choice for Sohn, who tied the knot last October. Like most couples of his generation, his idea of a honeymoon was a once-in-a-lifetime trip to a far-off destination, like the Maldives. But the COVID-19 pandemic made such a trip almost impossible for many.  So to ma

Feb. 22, 2022

[Eye Plus] School supplies shops come to life with start of new academic year

As the warm weather approaches, blue skies mark the beginning of a new school year. At this time of the year, the Cheonho Stationery and Toy Shop Street is busier than ever.  Located around Cheonho Station exit No. 1, the complex greets families looking to purchase school supplies and gifts for children at affordable prices. The complex has shops selling basic school supplies as well as the latest cartoon character toys and party goods that children love.  Packs of colored penc

Feb. 19, 2022

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Hueree Plum Blossom Festival The Hueree Plum Blossom Festival is scheduled to kick off Feb. 18 and run through March 20 at Hueree Natural Park on Jeju Island. The park, near Hallasan, offers a chance to stroll, relax and enjoy the breeze of early Spring. The annual festival highlights Jeju Island’s splendid scenery and its plum blossoms with photo zones. For children, there is horse riding and a small parade of Jeju black pigs as well. The event is open to people of all ages, and

Feb. 18, 2022

[Herald Interview] Putting localization at the center of hotel experience

When planning a new hotel, incorporating the distinctive culture of its location to the guest experience is one of the top priorities for Serena Lim, vice president of hotel development for Southeast Asia and Korea at the IHG Hotels and Resorts. “Around the world where people can travel, they are travelling,” said Lim about travel in pandemic times during an interview with The Korea Herald on Tuesday at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas. Lim, who has been in the hospitality in

Feb. 18, 2022

Busan publishes online guide book to attract female travelers

First time travels are hard even for avid travelers. Regardless of the amount of time spent planning itineraries on local accommodations and food, spontaneous difficulties arise from the moment one arrives as a stranger to the city. To relieve solo visitors of some of their burden, particularly female travelers, an online guide book introducing the city’s major attractions was launched by the Busan Tourism Organization on Tuesday. The three-month project to produce “The Busan Guid

Feb. 16, 2022

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Ganghwa Smelt Festival The Ganghwa Smelt Festival runs through Feb. 13 at the Sinsun outdoor fishing site in Incheon. Hoping to provide a memorable winter experience, the festival features various programs, including smelt fishing, ice sledding, electric scooter for children and more. Though it was originally planned to end on Feb. 15, the festival moved up its schedule due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and spread of omicron variant. Admission costs 30,000 won for adults and 20,000 won fo

Feb. 11, 2022

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

E-World Miracle Winter Night E-World Miracle Winter Night is running through Feb. 28 at E-World in Daegu. The festival features a garden of 10,000 light-emitting diode roses, a 15-meter-tall Christmas tree and 100 photo zones ready for Instagram. While all activities will still be masked and socially distanced, visitors can still enjoy rides and attractions in the E-World theme park. Ticket prices vary by age. Updates can be found at www.eworld.kr. Yangju Snow Festival The Yangju Snow Fes

Feb. 4, 2022

[Photo News] Lunar New Year’s greetings from stingrays

Aqua Planet Gwanggyo, an aquarium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, celebrated the Lunar New Year ahead of schedule on Jan. 24. For this eye-catching ceremony, divers wearing traditional Korean clothing called “hanbok“ swam with stingrays. Stingrays are closely related to sharks, and feed on clams, shrimp, and mussels. Aside from stingrays, there are over 30,000 sea animals of 210 unique species in the aquarium. The facility also provides diverse educational programs and interactive ex

Jan. 29, 2022

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

E-World Miracle Winter Night E-World Miracle Winter Night is running through Feb. 28 at E-World in Daegu. The festival features a garden of 10,000 light-emitting diode roses, a 15-meter-tall Christmas tree and 100 photo zones ready for Instagram. While all activities will still be masked and socially distanced, visitors can still enjoy rides and attractions in the E-World theme park. Ticket prices vary by age. Updates can be found at www.eworld.kr. Yangju Snow Festival The Yangju Snow Fes

Jan. 28, 2022

Movieland Wax Museum from Hollywood makes home on Jeju

Standing face-to-face with Hollywood stars and well-known politicians may be a lifelong dream to some. Those wishes may be partially achieved when in Jeju. The Movieland Wax Museum, which has on display some 150 wax dolls that resemble global celebrities and beloved animated characters, opened in Jeju Island’s Jungmun Tourist Complex, Jan. 6. The MWM, the oldest and largest wax museum, opened in Buena Park, California, in 1962. During its four decades of operation before shutting down in

Jan. 27, 2022

[Eye Plus] Time travel to Japan’s Edo period at Nijimori Studio

Nijimori Studio, a theme park located in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, north of Seoul, features a set of buildings that bring visitors back to Japan’s Edo period (1603-1867).  The theme park had been used as a filming site for several local TV dramas and variety shows, including Netflix‘s original mystery entertainment series “Busted!” as well as SBS suspense drama “The Penthouse: War in Life” and MBC‘s “Those Who Cross the Line.”&nbs

Jan. 22, 2022

[Weekender] Finding peace in winter wonderland

Unlike last winter, South Korea’s high vaccination rate has given people courage to step outside and participate in outdoor activities. Skiing and snowboarding remain popular choices, but this winter, people are seeking out less extreme activities such as hiking and fishing in search of serenity. “Just standing on the top of Mount Halla on Jeju Island was a breath of fresh air for me,” said Lee In-ho, a 36-year-old office worker in Seoul. Lee had been delaying the planned h

Jan. 22, 2022

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Paju Ice Fishing The annual Paju Trout Festival kicked off Jan. 8 and runs through Feb. 13 at Gangtan Leisure Town in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, though the event has reduced its size to focus only on the ice fishing event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While various programs, including trout catching with bare hands, smelt fishing for children and more, are canceled, visitors can catch a maximum of three salmon and trout through ice fishing. The ice sledge park is also available for visitors to

Jan. 21, 2022