Upon exiting Jeondeungsa, you will find a restaurant that serves bajirak kalguksu, hand-cut fresh noodles with clams. Mirinae Bajirak Kalguksu is located about a seven-minute walk from the temple’s South Gate. The homey restaurant serves kalguksu with clams and small octopus from nearby. The noodles are served on a separate dish next to a huge pot full of fresh bajirak. Boil and enjoy the baji...

Sheraton Grand Incheon Hotel launches ‘Suite Party’ package Sheraton Grand Incheon Hotel is launching a party package with an overnight stay at the hotel‘s Suite and a room party dining set that includes two bottles of wine and a platter of grilled shrimp and lamb chops, with fruits and cheese on the side. A whole cake and seasonal afternoon tea set for four guests are also served at the hotel’...

Marking the 77th anniversary of Korea’s Liberation Day on Aug. 15., Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will hold a special concert at Gwanghwamun Square on Aug. 14. Pianist and conductor Kim Sun-wook lead the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra in the concert hosted by the Seoul City. The World Vision Korea Children’s Choir and Forte di Quattro will join the orchestra onstage for the concert that starts at 7...

Marking the 77th anniversary of Korea’s Liberation Day on Aug. 15, a special concert will be held as part of the “Visit Korean Heritage Campaign” at the Cheong Wa Dae compound on the evening of Aug. 13, the Cultural Heritage Administration announced Thursday. Hosted by the CHA and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, the event has been held at different historical locations in the past, inclu...

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul launches epicurean dining service for takeout Cafe One at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul is presenting “Salad and Sandwiches to Go,” a new gourmet selection of takeout salads and sandwiches. The salad menu includes Burrata Cheese Salad and Cobb Salad. Salads are complemented by a quartet of sandwiches including the Râpé Sandwich, featuring dressed grated carrot, soft avocado a...

Two months after the Cultural Heritage Administration was delegated operational management of Cheong Wa Dae, tentatively until the end of this year, the CHA remained hesitant to speak up on issues regarding Cheong Wa Dae’s future use. At a press conference announcing the vision and upcoming plans of the CHA held Wednesday in central Seoul, the overlying theme of the statement was on upgrading sy...

A box for holding the royal seal called “borok,” estimated to be made after the 1800s, has returned home from the UK, the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation announced Wednesday. The state heritage foundation initially obtained information of the borok last year, which had been in possession of a British corporation. The British company acquired the borok via an auction and was in the p...

The “Art and Identity” section presents works that portray the Mesopotamian people’s identity and power. A close look at seals and cuneiform cylinders reveal carved inscriptions with distinctive designs. Each inscription indicates the identity and authority of the owner. The accessories excavated from the Royal Tombs of Ur, and other Mesopotamian figure sculptures also focus on demonstrating th...

The Dalbitgihaeng program consists of VR content that shows the nighttime scenery of Changdeokgung, a cardboard kit of a palace figure for display, a Nakseonjae mood lamp and a plum blossom-scented room spray. The Byeolbityahaeng program invites participants to a night at Gyeongbokgung through high-resolution video content while sampling tea sets with five different confectioneries. For the Sae...

Unlike most museums and galleries that provide information next to each item on display for the convenience of visitors, most sections at the Paju storage have only code numbers attached to them. If visitors wish to see the details, the code can be entered on a separate screen for information. Although the process might seem cumbersome, the idea is to make the public understand the concept of re...

By Kim Hae-yeon ( hykim@heraldcorp.com )

The Ven. Hongseung has worked diligently for close to 30 years to popularize temple food. Along the way she often heard criticism from people who said “temple food has lost its tradition and become fusion food because of too much emphasis on popularization.” But she disagrees. “I am not sure where the boundary between traditional food and fusion food is, but it could be a matter of ingredients. ...

Four Seasons Seoul holds mud crab promotion Yu Yuan, a Cantonese restaurant located in Four Seasons Seoul, is presenting a mud crab promotion starting July 26, just in time for Busan’s blue crab season. The restaurant’s crabs are selected by the head chef Koo Kwok Fai, who created the new crab menu using Yu Yuan’s unique Cantonese cooking method. Guests can choose from a number of sauces -- ch...

“Hanbok saenghwal” is the 154th item listed as National Intangible Cultural Heritage. Recent other additions include “gaetbeol eoro (tidal flat harvesting)” and “tteok mandeulgi (tteok making and sharing).” The CHA does not recognize a specific group or person for such designations. By Kim Hae-yeon ( hykim@heraldcorp.com )

Some 120 species of plants grow in Nokjiwon, the last stop of the tour. Gleaming laser lights flashed through the trees, but the artificial light show did not blend in well with the surrounding natural environment, which would have been beautiful to view as is. It was more of a distraction, and gave a theme park atmosphere to the place. If you are one of the 1,200 selected through lottery from a...