While some Korean dishes, such as bibimbap, are considered a healthy meal, Korean soups and stews have one major flaw: They often contain too much salt. South Koreans are known to be heavy consumers of sodium, ranking at the top worldwide in terms of their daily intake. According to World Action on Salt and Health, South Koreans consumed a daily average of 4.878 milligrams of sodium in 2010 whic...

“Less” and “simple” are two keywords that depict the latest food trend in Korea as more consumers seek foods with less sodium and artificial additives while still wanting to eat on-the-go. CJ Foodville, a leading food business, is at the forefront of promoting healthy eating. In line with the latest trend for “less,” Tous les Jours, a bakery franchise run by CJ Foodville, launched a new bread l...

Some people say that dating and eating have one thing in common: They can be fully enjoyed when you take them slow. As far as eating is concerned, Koreans are beginning to discover the virtue of “slow food” ― sustainably produced foods that use regional ingredients adapted to the local environment. With this, locally produced foods are growing in popularity. Jung Sung-hoon, 27, is among those w...

Dance “Don Quixote”: Following the Korean National Ballet’s staging of “Swan Lake” this past April, the company is gearing up to present it latest production, a resurrection of Marius Petipa’s classical tale of humor, “Don Quixote.” Based on the eponymous novel by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, the ballet version first made its premiere more than 260 years ago and has since become one of th...

The Divine Move (Korea) Opening July 3 Crime, Action. Directed by Jo Bum-gu Professional Go player Tae-seok (Jung Woo-sung) watches as his brother is murdered by Sal-su (Lee Bum-soo) during a high stakes Go match. He is even allegedly framed for the crime and locked up in prison. When he serves his time, he vows revenge against notorious Sal-su and his gang. He gathers professional Go players ...

Scallop and king crab promotion at Grand Ambassador Seoul Grand Ambassador Seoul’s international dining restaurant Cafe de Chef is offering special dishes made with scallops and soft king crab, as well as fresh seasonal ingredients until Aug. 15. The “Scallop & King Crab Pasta” set menu -- priced at 44,000 won -- includes access to the salad bar and a choice of either a crab meat cream sauce pas...

Citizens in Busan Metropolitan City, the nation’s second-largest city, with a population of 3.56 million, were shocked in 2012 when the city came behind Incheon in a global survey to measure its competiveness. Incheon was ranked 56th, while the survey put Busan at 64th. The Economist Intelligence Unit conducted the survey on 120 cities in the world to address emerging city power. “City policyma...

Chinese visitors pose at Shinsegae Centum City in Busan. (Shinsegae Group) Armed with the world’s largest department store, Busan has been drawing Chinese big spenders as one of the most favored shopping destinations in Korea. “A growing number of Chinese visitors are boosting sales of imported luxury goods, made-in-Korea electronics devices and local beauty products,” said an official from the...

About a decade ago, this place was basically a wasteland, a landfill or, at best, farmland. But the 82.3-square-kilometer area between Busan and Jinhae, a district in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, has rapidly transformed into a cutting-edge business cluster, with 103 foreign-invested firms and 840 domestic businesses. The Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone is now becoming a Northeast Asian b...

The Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone Authority has made a decadelong effort to attract high-tech companies by creating an optimal business environment via its infrastructure for research and development, information technology, engineering and logistics. The agency plans to transform the region into an industrial and logistics hub of Northeast Asia by boosting its competitiveness in the race for ...

Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremburg (FAU), the first German university to open a Korean campus, is expected to fuel the Busan-Jinhae Free Economic Zone’s vision of becoming an educational hub. The Busan Campus of the tech-oriented FAU opened in 2011 and is located within the BJFEZ. The school offers graduate programs in chemistry- and biotechnology-related subjects, and is a mic...

Busan Exhibition & Convention Center appears to be taking a vital step toward becoming a globally competitive business and events destination, offering innovative and integrated MICE facilities and events. BEXCO, a landmark for business travelers, is nestled close to Haeundae beach and Centum City, the world’s largest department store. It is building up momentum to catch up with fast-growing MIC...

Larger-than-life photographs of Jejudo Island’s iconic female divers in wetsuits hang on the walls of the second and basement floor spaces of POSCO Art Museum on Tehran-ro in southern Seoul, the women’s weathered faces bearing witness to a lifetime of struggles with the sea. The photographs are part of “Mother in the Sea, Haenyeo,” an exhibition of 165 works by celebrated photographer Joon Choi, ...

Dance “Don Quixote”: Following the Korean National Ballet’s staging of Swan Lake this past April, the company is gearing up to present it latest production, a resurrection of Marius Petipa’s classical tale of humor, “Don Quixote.” Based on the eponymous novel by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, the ballet version first made its premiere more than 260 years ago in the 18th century and has sinc...

Skin refining program at Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel’s Aequalis Spa is offering the “Ultimate Skin Refinery” treatment program for guests looking to perfect their skin before the summer season. The program includes Intraceutical’s “Opulence Facial Treatment,” which delivers pressurized, therapeutic-grade oxygen to the skin by using hyaluronic acid technology...