Westin Josun Seoul launches Fall in Record package The Westin Josun Seoul‘s Fall in Record package offers unforgettable memories to take home with film cameras and quality music this fall. Black-and-white film brand Ilford Photo’s camera will be provided to guests staying in executive rooms, and up to 27 images can be taken. Junior suites will be equipped with turntables and a collection of records, and guests will be given two complimentary glasses of a Macallan whisky cocktail.

Food Aug. 27, 2021

A nation’s renowned traditional dish does not always have to be cooked and served by the locals to be the best-tasting version. Chefs from around the world today often discover their own mix of recipes, adding unique flavors while still maintaining the essence of the original. An online preliminary round of the 2021 World Paella Day Cup hosted by the Tourist Office of Spain is currently under way to decide on the eight chefs who will compete in the final round on Sept. 20, to be held i

Food Aug. 27, 2021

Two books of Korean poetry have recently been published in the US, one by a veteran poet and another by an emerging young talent. The Daesan Foundation announced Monday the publication of “Monarch Butterfly,” with selected poems by poet and literary critic Choi Dong-ho, and “Catcalling,” another collection by Lee Soho, in English by Mudus Artium Press and OpenLetterBooks, respectively. “Monarch Butterfly” is a selection of 51 of Choi’s poems from his 5

Books Aug. 24, 2021

The Korean Film Archive announced that it will sequentially post a collection of South Korea’s earlier films censored by the state through the Korean Movie Database online history archive center, starting Thursday. The KOFA received donations and preserved some 10,000 materials regarding censorship from the Korea Council for Performing Arts Promotion, the predecessor of the current Korea Media Rating Board, from the mid-1950s to the mid-1990s. In the past, the materials had only been avai

Film Aug. 20, 2021

With the aim of boosting the presence of Ulleungdo as a global tourist destination for both local and global visitors in the next five years, the Korea Tourism Organization has joined hands with Ulleung County and Kolon Glotech, Inc., the KTO announced Friday. Ulleungdo, an island east of South Korea is 72.86 square kilometers in size, and has a population of about 10,153. The island is known for its well preserved natural environment along the coast and its geographic significance, overlookin

Travel Aug. 20, 2021

JW Marriott Hotel offers ‘Truly Flavors’ promotion Flavors, the luxury buffet dining establishment at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul, is offering the “Truly Flavors” promotion, with a special selection of pass-around dishes that celebrate the restaurant’s variety of cuisines. 　 The promotion began Monday and runs to Sept. 30, featuring freshly cooked dishes served by the chefs. Dishes are decided daily, chosen from among filo pastry lamb chops, macaroni with a three-chee

Food Aug. 20, 2021

Arirang is a Korean folk song cherished as the song of “han,” a mix of emotions similar to grief and resentment flowing through the hearts of Koreans. While Arirang is recognized today as a song that represents Korea, less is known of the Koreans who migrated overseas in modern times. “Arirang Peoples’ Diaspora” by author Hye-ok (the Korean-language edition of the book notes her name as Lee Hye-ok, following the Korean custom of women keeping their family name even

Books Aug. 17, 2021

A week has passed since the close of the Tokyo Games, with Paris signaling to take over the Olympics legacy, but the enduring spirit of the athletes still remain in the hearts of many. To correspond to fans still treasuring the excitement and joy from the Olympics, the nation’s popular online music platform Melon released a series of the Tokyo Olympics heroes’ playlists on Friday. The playlist of Jun Woong-tae, who won bronze for the first time as a South Korean modern pentathlon

Performance Aug. 15, 2021

The Brave Girls, a South Korean band that went on to make K-pop history after five years of anonymity, will be promoting Korea as a tourism destination as part of a campaign titled “Level Up Your Rhythm of Korea.” As honorary cultural ambassadors, the band members have made five new promotional videos to attract tourists with an interest in Hallyu, or the Korean wave, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization said Wednesday a press release. In

Travel Aug. 11, 2021

The Corea Image Communication Institute will jointly host the 2021 Culture Communication Forum with the Culture Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in aims to bolster communication on culture and fairness amidst the pandemic era. The two-day session starting Aug. 31 will hold live online presentations of cultural leaders across the globe, followed by discussion sessions with on-site guests expected to gather at the Grand Hyatt Seoul in Yongsan, central Seoul. Under the theme, &ldqu

Culture Aug. 10, 2021

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs appointed Yim Kyeong-sook as the sixth president of the Korean Food Promotion Institute on Friday, the institute announced. Yim has served as a professor at Suwon University’s food and nutrition department since 1992. She earned her bachelor’s degree in 1980 from Seoul National University’s department of food and nutrition. She went on to earn a master’s degree and a doctorate at the same school. Yim will continue in

Culture Aug. 9, 2021

In 2015, two bookworms from the US working as English language instructors in Korea, opened Itaewon Book Club in Seoul, hoping it would be a space to share their thoughts on their latest reads. Six years on, the book club is still going strong, with some 1,800 people from all over the world having trickled in and out over the years. As the book club’s name says, the usual gathering spot before the pandemic had been at one of the well-known pubs in Itaewon, central Seoul. However, the str

Books Aug. 9, 2021

South Korea’s Jejudo, an oval shaped island located in the Korea Strait between Korea and Japan, is teeming with life. Formed through an underwater volcanic eruption some 1.8 million years ago, basalt shaped and covered the land, with Hallasan standing at its core. Yet death pays a crucial role to the island’s survival. English writer Virginia Woolf’s observation on life and death in humans also applies to mother nature: “Someone has to die in order that the rest of us s

Travel Aug. 7, 2021

To support workers in the performing arts sector, including performing artists who are experiencing hardship as a result of the lingering pandemic, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will spend 115 billion won ($100.6 million) in the form of an extra budget to employ some 2,000 individuals, the ministry announced Friday. It is the second supplementary budget this year that the ministry has allotted for employment in the performing arts. The ministry approved extra budget expenditures

Culture Aug. 6, 2021

Escape from Mogadishu (Korea) Opened July 28 Action, Drama Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan Set in 1991 Somalia, South Korean Ambassador to Somalia Han Shin-sung (Kim Yoon-seok) and National Security Planning Agency agent Kang Dae-jin (Jo In-sung) are competing against North Korean Ambassador (Heo Jun-ho) for South Korea’s membership in the United Nations. When a civil war breaks out in the African country, South and North Korean diplomats have to cooperate to escape the country together. Th

Film Aug. 6, 2021