“In collaboration with renowned Korea hip-hop musicians, this promotion video will be our first attempt in using sonic branding tourism for viewers to recognize each region through music.” Oh Choong-sub, brand marketing team director at the Korean Tourism Organization, said in a press release. Each video is less than two minutes long, and English lyrics are included in the description. The video...

Traditional Korean houses, or hanok, are tightly clustered at Bukchon Hanok Village in Seoul, providing a chance to travel back in time and enjoy the views of nearby Joseon palaces. Bukchon is near Gyeongbok Palace, Changdeok Palace and Jongmyo Shrine, and its inhabitants in the past included many influential families and aristocrats. While bordered by modern buildings, the neighborhood itself ...

The ASEAN Familiarization Tour 2021 videos are available on the official YouTube channels of the Center and ASEAN tourism agencies. By Lee Si-jin ( sj_lee@heraldcorp.com )

Ulsan Onggi Festival The Ulsan Onggi Festival will take place at Oegosan Onggi Village in Ulsan from Oct. 1 to 8. The festival seeks to promote “onggi,” a traditional Korean earthenware pot, and offers visitors a chance to learn more about the pottery through various programs and hands-on experiences, including making onggi and an onggi master exhibition. The event welcomes visitors of all age...

Among central Seoul’s gray concrete buildings, lies a 450-meter road lined with walls plastered with pictures of eccentric comic characters from stories that mesmerized Koreans for decades. Painted in vibrant colors, the walls on Zaemiro, meaning fun street, bring life to Korean comic characters that later become inspirations to many K-dramas. In the first section, visitors are welcomed b...

Yangyang Salmon Festival The Yangyang Salmon Festival is taking place at the Yangyang Namdae Stream in Yangyang, Gangwon Province, from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31. The festival celebrates one of the city‘s famed specialties of the sea. The annual event is held in mid-October when the salmon return to spawn. The festival offers activities including salmon tasting, salmon rubbing and salmon ecology exhi...

Once serving as the first South Korean-made railway, the Gyeongchun Line delivered cargo, people and memories between Seoul and Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, for more than seven decades beginning 1939. The line terminated operations in 2010, but was reborn into a forest park a few years later. Gyeongchun Line Forest Park is located in Nowon-gu, northern Seoul. The 6-kilometer-long park is divide...

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 fo...

Gimhae Buncheong Ceramics Festival The Gimhae Buncheong Ceramics Festival is taking place at the Gimhae Buncheong Ceramics Center in Gimhae, South Gyeongsang Province, from Sept. 24-27. The festival celebrates Korea’s unique celadon, “buncheongsagi.” Programs promoting buncheongsagi, including cooking with buncheong ceramic pots and pottery making, will be available. The event is free to v...

Well known as the setting of the popular classical Korean love story “Chunhyangjeon,” Gwanghalluwon Garden is a home to beautiful architecture and natural landscape with lake, trees, and an iconic stone bridge. Located in Namwon, North Jeolla Province, the garden was built by Hwang Hui, a famous politician during the reign of King Sejong of Joseon Dynasty. Hwang Hui first set up a pavilion, whi...

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, Sp...

For those who are seeking adrenaline fueled summer activities, there are one-person rollercoaster rides on mountain ridges. Alpine Coaster at Alpensia Resort and Mountain Coaster at Yongpyong Resort are both famous for their ski slopes in winter, but in summer, however, the slopes turns into monorail tracks for one-person rail carts. Users can use brakes to control the speed. The coasters can g...

Some 31% of Jeju Island’s “gotjawal” destroyed by urban development

Under the beaming sunlight, the coast of Geumneung-ri, Hallim-eup, Jeju Island seems to glow a turquoise blue. In the summer, colorful beach parasols dot the beaches of the island as visitors frolic in the cool, clear waters. On cloudless days, the blue-green sea blends into the horizon, making for a scenic ocean view. (Photos: Yonhap)

Yeondong Grape Festival The Yeongdong Grape Fesitval will take place online, due to the extended COVID-19 pandemic, and is scheduled to run for 30 days starting Aug. 17. Originally offering various programs, including picking, eating and stepping on the grapes and making different products, including wine and chocolate, the festival this year will only hold live commerce events selling grapes. ...