Most Popular
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Blinken calls on China to press N. Korea to end its 'dangerous' behavior
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New celebrity-endorsed therapy for face contouring requires only a pair of rubber bands
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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[Weekender] How DDP emerged as an icon of Seoul
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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Doctor group's incoming head renews call for govt. to scrap medical school quota hike for dialogue
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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[Music in drama] An ode to childhood trauma
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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Camping in the age of COVID-19
Camping has come under the limelight in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an outdoor activity that guarantees fresh air, some space from others and also individual freedom. But because campsites are not virus-free zones, campers must be responsible when using common areas. Larger, less crowded campsites may be better options under the current circumstances. Here is a list of some campsites recommended by the Korea Tourism Organization. Meonguri Valley Camping Site Pocheon, Gyeong
Oct. 17, 2020
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[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea
Busan Fireworks Festival The 16th Busan Fireworks Festival will take place on Nov. 7. Organized by the Busan Culture & Tourism Festival Organizing Committee, the annual festival is held every autumn along Gwangalli Beach. During the festival, visitors can enjoy a myriad of unique and colorful fireworks at sites across Hwangnyeongsan, Dongbaek Island and Igidae Coastal Park. For more information in Korean and English, visit www.bfo.or.kr. Mungyeong Chasabal Festival The Mungyeong Cha
Oct. 16, 2020
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First five-star hotel of global brand to be built in Gyeonggi Province
Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul, will get its first five-star hotel with a global brand in Pyeongtaek by 2022, the city government announced on Thursday. According to the municipality of Pyeongtaek, about 70 kilometers south of Seoul, the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), a global hotel company, plans to build a voco hotel with more than 250 rooms near a United States military base in the city by December 2022. Voco is a luxury brand owned by IHG. The municipality said it h
Oct. 15, 2020
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[Eye Plus] Incheon Airport still battling COVID-19
Will we ever be able to feel the excitement and joy that we had at airports before the COVID-19 outbreak? After eight months of border shutdowns, the Incheon International Airport, one of the largest and busiest airports in Asia, appears to be trying to return to normalcy. Yet, the third-floor departure area remains eerily quiet, as people continue to refrain from flying abroad under travel restrictions. On the first floor for arrivals, hundreds of quarantine officials are s
Sept. 26, 2020
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South Korea to resume flights with Vietnam, Russia
South Korea said Thursday it has agreed with Vietnam and Russia to resume flights following months of suspension over the new coronavirus outbreak. Flights linking Incheon, west of Seoul, with Vietnamese and Russian cities will start this and next month, according to the land and foreign ministries, helping businesspeople having a hard time due to months of disruptions in international travel. Under an agreement with Vietnam, flights connecting Incheon with Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City will oper
Sept. 24, 2020
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[Eye Plus] Walking from Seoul's first park to northern city gate that overlooks Seoul
Sitting on the lower slopes of Bukaksan is Samcheong Park. Samcheong Park is the first officially designated park in Seoul, and still among the more popular areas for a stroll in the Samcheong-dong area. This park is busiest in April for its cherry blossoms, but many locals and tourists visit year-round. The park has a library as well as a learning center for children and sports facilities. Located around 500 meters to the north from Samcheong Park is Malbawi, a popular spot to lo
Sept. 19, 2020
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120 Taiwanese tourists to experience Korea from high above
Taiwanese travelers are to board a flight that will take off to Jeju Island -- before landing right where it started. The Korea Tourism Organization‘s Taipei office, Taiwanese travel agency Ezfly and airline Tiger Air introduced a flight deal from Taipei to Jeju Island on Friday, selling out in just four minutes. The flight will not land on Jeju Island, however, it will circle above the island before returning to Taipei. To offer an experience of Korean travel, passengers will have a c
Sept. 14, 2020
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[Eye Plus] Hongjecheon: Seoul stream that courses through history
Of the many streams that weave through the crowded city of Seoul, Hongjecheon one of the first tributaries of the Han River, passes many historic monuments. The 13.92-kilometer stream starts in the mountains just north of the city, and courses through Seodaemun-gu and Mapo-gu districts in the west of Seoul before reaching the Han. Built on Hongjecheon is Hongjimun, a structure that connected Hanyangdoseong, or the Seoul City Wall, and Bukhansanseong, a nearby mountain fortress. Built du
Sept. 12, 2020
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50-day-old giant panda cub 10 times heavier than birth weight
Photos of a 50-day-old giant panda cub at Everland, a theme park in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, released Thursday show a cub who now weighs 10 times as much as she did at birth. The female cub now weighs 2 kilograms, almost 10 times her birth weight of 197 grams recorded in July. Yet to be named, she is the first panda to be born in South Korea. According to Everland, the cub is in good health. She recently opened her eyes for the first time and can turn over by herself. The theme park has
Sept. 10, 2020
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[Herald Interview] Hotels adjust to new requirements in COVID-19
COVID-19 has changed many aspects of our daily lives, and one of the industries most heavily affected is the hospitality industry. With government policies changing weekly as the number of coronavirus cases fluctuates, hotels are keeping a close eye on the situation. In the midst of this crisis, Kang Ah-hyun, commercial director of Millennium Hilton Seoul, is attempting to find an opportunity in tough times. As the hotel’s commercial director, Kang is responsible for the hotel’s re
Sept. 5, 2020
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2020 World Heritage Festival in Jeju to kick off Sept. 4
The 2020 World Heritage Festival, cohosted by Cultural Heritage Administration and the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, kicks off Sept. 4 on the southern island. The 17-day festival will allow visitors to enjoy some of the restricted sites, including lava caves on Jeju Island that are not normally open to the public. The agency said it has selected 550 people for the 3-day guided tour around Seongsan Ilchulbong and caves of the Geomunoreum Lava Tube System. It added that the participant
Sept. 1, 2020
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[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea
Sancheong Medicinal Herb Festival The 20th Sancheong Medicinal Herb Festival will be held Sept. 25-Oct. 4 in Sancheong, South Gyeongsang Province. The festival, which began in 2001, includes exhibitions and events to learn about and directly experience Korea‘s medicinal herbs, for which the county of Sancheong is well-reputed. Visitors can also purchase medicinal herbs at relatively low prices at the festival. For more information in Korean, English, Japanese or Chinese, visit scher
Aug. 28, 2020
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[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea
Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival The Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival will be held Oct. 16-17 at Songdo Moonlight Festival Park, an hour’s drive from Seoul. The annual rock festival, ardently supported by local rock fans and music fans worldwide, usually takes place in early August. However, this year the event was postponed to October due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. Program details for the festival have yet to be announced. For more information in Korean, visit www.ppen
Aug. 21, 2020
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Closed road reborn as world’s longest box car race track
A road on a closed national highway in Hoengseong, Gangwon Province, reopened as Hoengseong Luge, a 2.4-kilometer-long track for racing unmotorized carts down -- also known as luge in korea. Hoengseong invested 2.7 billion won ($2.3 million) in crafting the tourist destination out of part of the National Route 42, which is closed. It is the first such track in South Korea to be constructed and operated under a local government. A recent investigation done by Korea Consumer Agency showed that
Aug. 16, 2020
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[67th Anniversary Special] ‘Wanderlust gene’: Travel during COVID-19
The show must go on, and so must travel. While the COVID-19 pandemic has changed everyone’s life one way or another, one of the sectors that has been hit the hardest is the tourism industry. The tourism industry around the world has been crippled by the virus. According to the UN World Tourism Organization, 96 percent of the planet’s destinations have imposed travel restrictions, either completely or partially closing their borders. Though international travel is off the table f
Aug. 15, 2020
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Chimaek clampdown cuts Gangwon beach trash
The popular pairing of fried chicken and beer -- known locally as chimaek -- can be eaten almost anywhere in Korea, but east coast beaches have become an exception. Under government guidelines issued for disease control, Gangwon Province imposed an administrative order on eight of its provincial beaches last month to restrict gatherings and ban eating outdoors at nighttime. Announcements warning that visitors are barred from eating there from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., and that those who violate the r
Aug. 15, 2020
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Gyeongbokgung to open up at night
The Cultural Heritage Administration on Friday announced that it will open Gyeongbokgung to visitors in the evening from Sept. 2 to Dec. 4. During this time, the palace will accept up to 4,500 nighttime visitors per day from 7 p.m to 9:30 p.m. The palace is closed on Tuesdays. The CHA added that it will sell 2,500 tickets online, while selling 2,000 tickets on-site. The online tickets can be booked on portal giant Naver’s Booking platform. Before entering the site, people who made res
Aug. 14, 2020
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Gyeongbokgung tours bring flavor of Joseon
Two events will be held at Gyeongbokgung this month to give visitors a literal taste of Joseon royal life. First held in 2016, the Gyeongbokgung Starlight Tour includes a tasting of an everyday meal for the king and queen, traditional music performances and a guided tour of the grounds. This year’s night tour begins at Heungnyemun Gate and offers an exclusive tour of the two halls--Jipgyeongdang and Hamhwadang -- which are normally not open to the public during the night tour. The to
Aug. 12, 2020
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Contact-free travel in Daejeon
DAEJEON -- With international travel more burdensome than ever because of the spread of COVID-19, many Koreans are traveling domestically for a summer break. The city of Daejeon, about a two-hour drive south of Seoul or an hour by high-speed train KTX, offers a plethora of unique outdoor-contact-free experiences for people thinking of travelling safely amid COVID-19. “In Daejeon and Gyeryongsan there are many socially distanced tourist attractions that are less affected by COVID-19, suc
Aug. 8, 2020
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Korail sets up multilingual information kiosks in KTX stations
Korail has introduced multilingual information kiosks in five of the KTX stations most visited by foreigners. The touchscreen machines can be used in four different languages. KTX train schedules and flight schedules as well as live traffic information and routes to destinations are provided. The machines also have information on the station’s facilities and nearby tourist attractions. Information on Korail Pass for foreigners is provided as well. The kiosk is available at Seoul, Yong
Aug. 8, 2020