The Korea Times

Working seniors in aging society

The allure of a short flight and the relatively low exchange rate of the yen has been prompting many Koreans to travel to neighboring Japan. One commercial aptly and happily blares on television these days, “lowest yen in 34 years,” beckoning budget-savvy tourists. Japan National Tourism recently released its June inbound tourist figures, saying that 3.13 million visitors arrived there, with Koreans at 703,300 making up for roughly one quarter of all travelers. I joined the trend for a July trip. The capital of Tokyo was hot and humid, and thronged with many tourists. Its unique energy and vibe were palpable.

Jul 24, 2024By Kim Ji-soo

Travel & Food

Yeobaek House of Books, Goethe Houses enrich town, minds

YEOJU, Gyeonggi Province — Chon Young-ae had been up writing since 4: 20 a.m. The professor emeritus at Seoul National University (SNU) is in the process of selecting and translating into Korean the entire works of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The author of over 60 books has just finished a draft for a book on the gardens of Yeobaek House of Books and two Goethe houses.

Jul 18, 2024By Kim Ji-soo

Yeobaek House of Books, Goethe Houses enrich town, minds

Trends

Hallyu fans relish more chances to reconnect after pandemic

Post-pandemic, people are bent on traveling including to Korea. Whether they are coming mainly because of the Korean wave, or hallyu, is always heavily scrutinized and debated.

Jul 4, 2024By Kim Ji-soo

Hallyu fans relish more chances to reconnect after pandemic

Travel & Food

Rediscovering temple food and kimchi

YANGPYEONG, Gyeonggi Province — It was with renewed attention and mindfulness to nature-based lifestyle and environment — after the COVID-19 pandemic — that we visited Ven. Sunjae's residence in this town about two hours east of Seoul. The nation's first master of Korean Temple Food had mentioned that she held temple food classes in her residence, which she referred to as "togul" or "cave." The monk, renowned for her tireless schedule of lecturing in Korea and overseas, was giving monthly classes on making kimchi on that early June day.

Jun 13, 2024By Kim Ji-soo

Opinion

Seoul zeitgeist

From late April through mid-May, trees are lit in graded shades of green in South Korea. "May was the colour of new leaves" as the protagonist in Hwang Sok-yong's book "Mater 2-10" notes. The verdant hue often paints the background of scenes in director Hong Sang-soo's films, too. The greenery is a familiar phase in seasonal change in Korea, while the rising number of foreign tourists is a surprising novelty. Over 3.4 million foreign tourists visited South Korea in the first quarter, the highest figure since the outbreak of the devastating COVID-19, according to the culture ministry and the Korea Tourism Organization.

May 8, 2024By Kim Ji-soo

Opinion

Grim news from Haiti

I have been keeping up with the discouraging news about Haiti. There is continuing sadness and sorrow for the people there. One wishes to ignore and forget about the situation there and leave it in the hands of amorphous others. However, dwelling upon only happier things in the world would not be facing reality or responsibility.

Mar 31, 2024By Kim Ji-soo

Opinion

Food aid in Gaza

for Friday 19

Mar 21, 2024By Kim Ji-soo

Opinion

Heights of hansik

At a cozy neighborhood near Hongik University in western Seoul, the temperature is below zero and it's Sunday. Still, people are lining up outside a small eatery before the 11 a.m. opening. At Okdongsik, there are only about 10 seats so waiting seems inevitable yet it is still an impressive sight. The small restaurant's main offering,"dweji gomtang" (pork soup, and standard romanization would be "dwaeji"), was recently picked as one of the Top 8 New York City dishes for 2023 by the New York Times.

Dec 20, 2023By Kim Ji-soo

Travel & Food

Christmas begins early at Solaire Resort

MANILA, Philippines — For the majority of Korean travelers to the country, the capital city usually meant a blip en route to Boracay, Palawan or Cebu. But post-pandemic, and with the growth of integrated resorts in the capital city such as Solaire Resort, Korean tourists are being urged to stay longer.

Nov 16, 2023By Kim Ji-soo

Christmas begins early at Solaire Resort

Opinion

Sojourn over Chuseok holiday

This Chuseok, also known as Korea's Thanksgiving holiday, in late September, was one of the longest, six days in total. For working Koreans such as me, at the tail end of the Korean baby boomer generation, six days amounted to a full summer holiday. Suddenly with time on my hands and fatigued from work, after searching numerous online travel platforms, I walked into an old-fashioned travel agency with my hair wet after a workout. "Do you have any slots where people have canceled?" The agent there kindly provided me with some last-minute options. "You can fly to Vietnam, or opt for the small cities with hot springs in Japan," ― major and popular destinations were all sold out at that point.

Oct 4, 2023By Kim Ji-soo

Kim Ji-soo

Read more

Working seniors in aging society

Yeobaek House of Books, Goethe Houses enrich town, minds

Hallyu fans relish more chances to reconnect after pandemic

Rediscovering temple food and kimchi

Seoul zeitgeist

Grim news from Haiti

Food aid in Gaza

Heights of hansik

Christmas begins early at Solaire Resort

Sojourn over Chuseok holiday

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