BUSAN – Even as the hospitality industry has suffered from a bruising COVID-19 pandemic, Ananti Hilton Busan at Gijang-gun, Busan, stands ready to offer staycation guests a comfortable, fun and relaxing stay. A scenic view of the ocean by the balcony greets guests. The infinity pool -- one of four different swimming areas at the hotel -- is the largest among five-star hotels in Korea. An open kitchen buffet called Da Moim, meaning “everyone has gathered,” serves fresh seafood

Travel July 17, 2021

Contrary to the typically mysterious, keen and dark image of crime fiction writers, not a hint of grimness could be found in the appearance of Yun Ko-eun, 42, the winner of this year’s CWA Crime Fiction in Translation Dagger, who appears bright, positive and full of energy. The CWA Daggers, established in 1955 by the Crime Writers’ Association, are presented as awards for the best in crime writing in 11 categories, including fiction and nonfiction. Yun is the first Asian to be recog

Books July 12, 2021

The monsoon season is just around the corner, but the cool summer breeze awaits at the waterfront of Namyangju Water Garden.  Located near Ungilsan Station in front of Bukhan River, the nature-friendly garden can be seen at the southern part of Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. Daisy fleabanes that bloom from June, also known as “fried egg flowers” due to their shape and color, wave at passersby, announcing the arrival of summer.  Namyangju Water Garden was created as an ec

Travel July 10, 2021

“Seowon,” or Korean Neo-Confucian academies, were established in the mid- to late Joseon period as private institutions for the aristocratic upper class. Each seowon had a unique educational system and philosophy. Eventually the seowon established traditions that wielded much influence in the regions where they were located. Of the 600 or so seowon that exist today, either restored or in their original state, nine were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2019. All nine

Travel July 10, 2021

Gimje Horizon Festival The Gimje Horizon Festival takes place in front of the Byeokgoljae Reservoir in Gimje, North Jeolla Province. Themed “sky and land meeting at the horizon,” the festival aims to showcase the uniqueness of South Korea’s farming culture. A variety of programs are available for festivalgoers, including dragon games, rice harvesting, a Black Eagle air show and a parade. This year’s festival will be held online from Sept. 29 to Oct. 3. More information

Travel July 9, 2021

The new head of the country’s literary translation institute is not one for big catchphrases. “I do not want to use the slogan, ‘the globalization of Korean literature,’” said Kwak Hyo-hwan, the Literature Translation Institute of Korea’s new president, in an interview with The Korea Herald on Tuesday. Rather, he would like to introduce Korean literature as part of global literature. “For this to happen, I feel the need to break existing stereotype o

Culture July 7, 2021

The ASSITEJ Korea International Summer Festival, a performing arts festival for children and teenagers, will be held around the country for the first time this year. The 23-day event will run July 17-Aug. 8 in major cities, including Seoul, Daegu, Gwangju and Incheon both in-person and virtually. “Quality performances for children are concentrated in the metropolitan area,” Bang Ji-young, chairperson of ASSITEJ Korea, said during a press conference held at Dream Art Center in Seoul

Performance July 6, 2021

“Guess what came to mind last night when I heard a song at the cafe,” poppin’ dancer Nam Hyun-joon chattered away with gugak singer Park Ae-ri as they prepared for an interview at The Korea Herald’s studio on June 29. The two had arrived together. In fact, they’ve been married already 11 years. Endless conversation, laughing and giggling filled the studio. Nam, 42, appeared in a white T-shirt and a trendy pair of sneakers while Park, two years older, wore an ivory

People July 5, 2021

Geumsan Insam Festival Geumsan Insam Festival is held annually since 1981 in Geumsan-gun, South Chungcheong Province, and is the largest ginseng-producing region in South Korea. Growing both in content and in size, the festival was selected as a cultural tourism festival by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Sports in 1996, and became established as a national festival. This year’s festival will run from Oct. 1-10. Visitors can try their hand at digging up ginseng, and tour around int

Travel July 2, 2021

Starting in July, the National Library of Korea will support scholars around the globe carrying out research in the field of Korean studies. As part of its visiting scholar program, private research space has been set aside in the library and Korean studies researchers from abroad will enjoy convenient access to its archives. The program’s aim is to support Korean studies researchers not affiliated with any institution here, so that they can focus on their research activities with the na

Culture June 30, 2021

The 104-minute documentary film on the 2017 murder case of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s half brother Kim Jong-nam has been approved as an art film after reevaluation by the South Korean film authority. The local importers and distributers of the film -- The Coup, Watcha and Kth -- announced Tuesday that the Korean Film Council has officially confirmed the film now qualifies art movie status. “Assassins” had initially been informed of its denial as an art film by KOFIC on

Film June 30, 2021

Star chef Paik Jong-won is casting his net yet wider, with a show aimed at introducing Korean cooking to an international audience. “Paik Jong-won Class,” also starring Korean singer Sung Si-kyung, invites “trainees” from across the world to learn Korean recipes. Most of the participants have no culinary background, but the team behind the show hopes they will put their own spin on the dishes, giving Korean viewers new ideas to try out in the kitchen as well as an intr

Television June 29, 2021

With international routes slowly opening again to travelers, and nearly one-third of the country’s population having received their first shots of a COVID-19 vaccine, South Korea is no exception in preparations to resume its once-halted tourism industry. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism with the Korea Tourism Organization on Monday jointly announced this year’s Korea International Travel Expo, set to kick off Tuesday at Paradise Hotel Incheon and via the expo‘s offi

Travel June 28, 2021

Unlike most music critics who jump into the world music at a young age, K-pop music critic Cha woo-jin confesses he was not a music lover as a youngster. At home after school, he reached for comics, short stories and movies rather than music. Things changed when he entered his teens. “There was a moment as a teenager when I sensed an earnest desire for music,” he said. Looking back, Cha thinks that spark came when he had grasped the meaning of the long-held definition of music -- m

Performance June 28, 2021

Being unable to walk into theaters freely in the non-face-to-face era has changed moviegoers’ behavior and boosted streaming platforms such as Netflix and Watcha. But for many, the big screen in a cinema is still the ideal choice. According to movie industry reports on June 26, CGV and Lotte Cinema recently opened drive-in theaters in Incheon and Busan -- the first in South Korea to be operated by large multiplex theater chains with branches throughout the country. The most obvious advan

Culture June 27, 2021