An exhibition on how Korea’s forefathers refreshed themselves during long, sweltering summer days is on at the National Folk Museum in Seoul, offering modern-day tips on how to keep cool. 　 “The exhibition highlights how the summer activities of our ancestors have been passed down through generations and adapted to modern times,” said Choi Jeung-cheol, the president of KCDF, at a press conference at the museum on Tuesday. 　“Eumsik dimibang” from the late Joseon period (Korea Craft and Design Fou

Food July 22, 2016

K-pop group GFriend (Source Music)Rookie group GFriend, one of the hottest trending K-pop acts these days, has performed well on the local music chart Gaon Chart in the first half of the year. 　GFriend’s single “Rough” ranked No. 1 on its National Digital Singles, Online Downloads and Online Streaming charts. The single was released in January as part of the group’s third EP “Snowflake.”  　Another single “Me gustas tu,” which was part of its second EP “Flowers,” hit the No. 15 spot on the Online

July 17, 2016

NCT’s Taeyong (SM Entertainment)Taeyong, a member of SM Entertainment’s newest boy band NCT, broke down in tears in an episode of “NCT Life,” apologizing for indiscretions he made before his K-pop debut. 　It was recently revealed that Taeyong was prone to scamming buyers on a local auction website before his official debut as a member of NCT. 　The K-pop idol reportedly auctioned off items under various user IDs, duping customers by not shipping off purchased items or sending defective products.

July 17, 2016

For Theresa Hyun -- a Canadian professor of Korean studies and a Korean-language poet -- straddling cultures and translating languages have come to be essential parts of her life.　For her poems, Hyun undertakes a creative process that is doubly atypical: Not only does she both write and translate her own work, she writes her poems in Korean -- the language that she learned latest in life and that is most unfamiliar to her -- and then translates them into English, her mother tongue. 　Despite, or

Books June 10, 2016

Move over Colonel Sanders, because KFC is starting to take on a whole new meaning -- Korean Fried Chicken. Korea’s popular pairing of fried chicken with ice-cold draft beer -- or what locals refer to as “chi-maek” -- has spun a culture of its own across the peninsula and international borders. Korean fried chicken is slowly emerging as staple food here along with the likes of kimchi and bibimbap.Scene from last year‘s annual Daegu Chicken and Beer Festival, which attracted nearly one million vis

Food May 27, 2016

This is a two-part travel series on a weeklong journey to the new European capital of culture, San Sebastian, Spain, and through the heart of the country’s capital, Madrid. – Ed.SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain -- Located a mere stone’s throw away from the Spain-France border in the Northern Basque country hugging the Bay of Biscay is the quaint, gastronomy mecca coastal city of San Sebastian, Spain. Well on its way to becoming one of the hottest European vacation-spot destinations of the year, San Sebastia

Travel April 15, 2016

At Woo Hyung-joon Rice Mill, a new Korean restaurant that opened in January, the carbs are the real draw, from extra-chewy, glossy noodles strewn in chicken broth to nutty chicken porridge. The key to all those tasty carbs lies in the rice. “They say freshly milled grains are the backbone for very good rice,” said owner Woo Hyung-joon, which is why, he added, he and his team mill their grains.For the chicken porridge, Woo uses brown rice, allowing those hearty grains to add an earthy flavor to a

Food March 18, 2016

A city that once saw its street foods limited to greasy fried foods on a stick and traditional doughy dessert snacks, Seoul’s streets are now seeing new culinary creations and out-of-the-box dining options like never before. Like many urban cities, one of the dynamic aspects of Seoul’s city life for both tourists and locals alike is the wide-ranging options of hot-off-the-street eats. And one cannot talk about Seoul street foods without mentioning the city’s street food mecca -- Myeong-dong.Seou

Food Feb. 19, 2016

Overview of food alley at BIFF plaza, Busan. (Korea Tourism Organization)Along with the spread of social media, there has been a rapid change in street food trends, from previously focusing on taste to being increasingly fixated on providing visual pleasure. People who once enjoyed the food itself are now seeking fancy or extravagant presentations to show off on Facebook or Instagram.Although Busan also has picture-worthy street foods, such as water drop mochi and skewered fruits covered with sy

Food Feb. 19, 2016

Sri Lanka, crowned as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, is home to some of the finest spectacles of natural beauty known to mankind. An island considered to be en route to paradise, surrounded by both the Indian Ocean and the mystique of an enduring and diverse history -- fascinates both the eyes and soul.Arab, Portuguese, Dutch and British influences all in their own time have converged in the present day to leave a markedly distinct cultural flavor and experience; only to be found in countries wi

Travel Feb. 3, 2016

Kim Jun-su (C-JeS Entertainment)This is the third article in a series that explores the driving forces behind hallyu and the global rise of Korean pop culture. --Ed.Dubbed Korea’s “ticket power king” for his ability to sell out performances at the snap of a finger, K-pop and musical icon Kim Jun-su (also known as Xia) is inarguably one of the original driving forces of hallyu. Despite being entangled in a series of legal battles throughout his career, Kim has still managed to rise above all odds

Feb. 2, 2016

Six-member rookie girl group GFriend, which debuted last year, released the new seven-track EP “Snowflake” on Monday. The much-anticipated album comes after the group snagged rookie awards with their hit songs “Glass Bead” and “Me Gustas Tu” at major music award cermonies last year, including the Melon Music Awards and SBS Gayo Daejeon last year and this year at the Golden Disk Awards. The girls returned this time keeping their signature schoolgirl uniforms and maintaining their innocent image.

Jan. 26, 2016

Korean food and the city of Seoul are having a culinary moment. Globally Korean cuisine has reached the heights of popularity and here, in Korea, a new style enveloping local and foreign flavors has gained strong foothold. Mingles Restaurant in Gangnam, Seoul, is representative of all that is cutting edge about eating in the capital. Its chef patron, Kang Min-goo, is one of the most talked about chefs in Seoul today, taking top spots on restaurant rankings with his beautifully modern take on Kor

Food Jan. 8, 2016

Christine Cho, a Korean-American expat in Seoul, has been eating and cooking her way around the world the last 16 years as a private chef. -- Ed.Winter is upon us, and what better way to begin The Palate, a new column that celebrates food culture here in Seoul and beyond, than with a warming visit to the 76-year-old gomtang restaurant Hadongkwan.One of the most iconic eateries in the capital, Hadongkwan made its name with a long-history of making one single dish: gomtang, a thinly sliced beef so

Food Dec. 11, 2015