Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
KTO names '30 unique MICE venues'
Just KPOP, an entertainment restaurant in eastern Seoul where visitors can enjoy a variety of Korean cultural content including music, performances and food, was included in the Korea Tourism Organization's list of unique venues for MICE events. /Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization
By Bahk Eun-ji
By Bahk Eun-ji
A growing number of people are coming to Korea for meetings, incentive travel, conventions and exhibitions (MICE).
Instead of hotels or convention centers where such events usually take place, event participants these days are seeking special experiences, and the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced a list of 30 “unique venues” across the country that can be used for such big events and offer unique cultural experiences.
The 30 places include Inje Speedium within the Inje Auto Theme Park in Inje County, Gangwon Province, where visitors can experience motor racing; the Royal Room, a traditional Korean-style hanok hotel in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province; and Cosmo 40, a cultural complex in Incheon which was renovated from empty factories of Cosmo Chemical after the company relocated its production base.
Panoramic 65, a bar and private dining room located on the 65th floor of Oakwood Premier Incheon, features a multi-purpose hall for small private events and corporate banquets, while the Asia Culture Center in Gwangju hosts various programs including exhibitions, performances and educational events.
Just KPOP in eastern Seoul is an entertainment restaurant where visitors can enjoy a variety of Korean cultural content including music, performances and food, and Bonte Museum on Jeju Island, designed by Japanese architect Ando Tadao, offers galleries, a sculpture garden and a cafe.
“These days many Asian countries renovate palaces and old factory facilities and provide them as venues for meetings and parties, in an effort to host MICE events,” said Oh Choong-sub, a director of KTO's convention marketing division. “The KTO will strengthen the competitiveness of the nation's MICE industry by actively promoting the listed facilities.”