DONGHAE, Gangwon Province -- Before “hocance” -- a one- or two-night luxury hotel stay -- took hold, many Koreans made their summer getaways at valleys. Air-conditioning and megasize swimming pools are no match for the cool wind blowing through the valley and soothing sounds of the bubbling stream. Mureunggyegok, or Mureung Valley, is known as a paradise -- lying between Dutasan and Cheongoksan -- where the gods used to live in Korean folklore. A light stroll from the entrance leads

Travel June 24, 2023

Korean Folk Village Evening Festival, Yongin The Korean Folk Village Evening Festival is held on Fridays, weekends and public holidays to showcase the unique charm of hanok, a traditional Korean house, at the Korean Folk Village in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Featuring multimedia performances, a night parade, a haunted house walk-through experience and special photo zones, the festival will entertain visitors through a wide range of programs. The festival, which started April 7, will run through

Travel June 23, 2023

Netflix’s UK original documentary, “King of Clones,” sets off on the jaw-dropping tale of South Korean veterinarian Hwang Woo-suk at a research center in a desert in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Watching a scene where the scientist stands in front of the portraits of key Emirati leaders, the viewers can sense that Hwang is a man with a long, complex story. Directed by Singaporean filmmaker Aditya Thayi, the 85-minute documentary, “King of Clones,” features one o

Television June 22, 2023

Disney+’s “The Zone: Survival Mission,” has scaled up the set pieces for its second series. Using escape room-style games, the first season of “The Zone: Survival Mission” threw a star-studded cast of Yu Jae-seok, Lee Kwang-soo and Kwon Yuri into catastrophic situations such as a zombie apocalypse, water shortage, gambling addiction and more, for four hours. In an interview with local reporters at a cafe in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, directors Cho Hyo-jin and Kim Don

Television June 21, 2023

The Korean Film Council emphasized the significance of Korea-ASEAN cooperation in the film industry, while promising to restructure itself to better support and promote Korean films as a state-funded entity. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism openly lambasted KOFIC on June 15 over its lax management, particularly the organization’s mishandled budget of 2.4 billion won ($1.86 million) over the last five years which was aimed at creating the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Film Organizati

Film June 20, 2023

Cable channel Genie TV will kick off the summer with its highly anticipated eight-part suspense thriller series “Lies Hidden in My Garden.” Director Jung Ji-hyun and the star-studded cast did not hide their excitement for the series during a press conference at Stanford Hotel Seoul in Mapo-gu, Seoul on Monday. “Our drama does not have a lot of sensational, shocking scenes to surprise and thrill viewers like many existing thriller projects. However, our show has a mysterious aur

Television June 19, 2023

South Korea’s southern island of Jeju beckons with trek on a hidden trail through Geomunoreum, a UNESCO world natural heritage site. Geomunoreum International Trekking, an event taking place Thursday through Monday, will be held around Geomunoreum, a volcanic cone northeast of Hallasan, South Korea’s tallest mountain. The five-day event offers a rare opportunity to explore Yongam-gil, a restricted zone. Yongam-gil, meaning “lava path” in Korean, is a 6-kilometer walking p

Travel June 17, 2023

SAMCHEOK, Gangwon Province -- When temperatures across the country start to soar, people start taking summer refuge along nearby river banks or in department stores, where powerful air conditioning offers cool respite for heat exhaustion. Some people may joke that they wish they could sit inside their refrigerators at home. Samcheok, Gangwon Province, might just grant such a wish and offer a much bigger space than a mere refrigerator. Though often overshadowed by the region's famous mountai

Travel June 17, 2023

Disney+, the flagship streaming service of US media giant Walt Disney Co., announced the release of its new action hero series “Moving” in early August. With a star-studded lineup of actors, ranging from top stars Zo In-sung, Han Hyo-joo, go-to actors Ryu Seung-ryong, Kim Sung-kyun to veteran actors Cha Tae-hyun, Kim Hee-won and rising star Go Youn-jung, “Moving” is one of the most anticipated series of the year. Based on the webtoon of the same title by renowned webtoon

Television June 16, 2023

Global streamer Netflix will renew its teen romance series “XO, Kitty,” with expanded stories for the second season. Netflix confirmed the launch of its second season through a press release on Thursday. “XO, Kitty,” a sequel series of the “To All The Boys” franchise, presents the heart-racing journey of Kitty Song Covey (played by Anna Cathcart), who sets off on an adventure of romance in South Korea to meet her long distance boyfriend Dae (played by Choi Min

Television June 16, 2023

Pocheon Herb Island’s Lavender Festival The Lavender Festival, which started on April 22, will run through July 1 at Herb Island in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. Botanical garden Herb Island seeks to mesmerize its visitors not only with the purple-colored fields, but also with the aromatic scent of lavender. Aside from flowery photo zones, the festival offers various programs, including natural soap and cosmetics making, herb foot bath experience and more. Admission fees vary by age and prog

Travel June 16, 2023

The latest issue of the English journal "The Review of Korean Studies," published by the Academy of Korea Studies, explores Confucianism in 19th century Joseon and the belief system's response to the challenges it faced at the time. Presenting three analyses by specialists in Joseon-period Confucianism -- Prof. Baek Min-jung of the Catholic University of Korea, Prof. Kim Seon-hee of Ewha Womans University and Prof. Lee Haeng-hoon of Hallym University -- the journal explores how th

Culture June 16, 2023

Netflix Korea on Wednesday confirmed the return of its flagship survival competition show, “Physical: 100,” for a second season. “Physical: 100,” which premiered in January, caught local and global viewers’ attention as 100 contestants battled it out in intense survival matches for the title of the most physically fit. It became the first Korean variety show to soar to the No. 1 slot in the platform's global top 10 chart of non-English TV shows. The nine-part s

Television June 14, 2023

Making a Disney+ return with “The Zone: Survival Mission 2,” comedian Yoo Jae-suk hopes Korean variety shows would one day reach the same heights of popularity that Korean dramas and films have around the world. “I still believe we (entertainment shows) have a long way to go to impress both local and global viewers," Yoo said in a press conference held at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, on Tuesday. "I, of course, wish my upcoming show to b

Television June 13, 2023

Choi Min-yeong, a rising 20-year-old actor who captivated the hearts of drama fans with his role as Back Yi-hyun in the smash hit coming-of-age series “Twenty Five, Twenty One” (2022), has recently made a splash with the American Netflix original “XO, Kitty.” While Choi treasures every role, regardless of the character's importance in a project, the actor felt that his latest stint as Dae, a Korean high school student and Kitty's boyfriend in "XO, Kitty,&qu

Television June 12, 2023