Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Namsangol Hanok Village reopens for walk-in visitors, cyber avatars

An aerial photo of Namsangol Hanok Village in downtown Seoul, which reopens online on April 5 and to visitors on April 8 / Courtesy of the Seoul Metropolitan GovernmentSeoul City resumes operating Namsangol Hanok Village this weekBy Ko Dong-hwanNamsangol Hanok Village, a heritage spot preserving traditional Korean architecture built with wood and ceramic roof tiles, is reopening to visitors online on April 5 and offline on April 8 at its location on the foot of Mount Nam in downtown Seoul.The village's YouTube channel offers glimpses behind its walls with guides giving helpful background information on the different types of hanok there. Seoul Metropolitan Government, which manages the village, suggests checking out those videos prior to visiting the village to have a better time when actually visiting the site.To get the tour vibe going further from a one-person perspective in a cyber version, the village is also available on ZEPETO, a portal for various metaverses. Users can create their own avatars and look around at what the village's metaverse has to offer. The city government s

Apr 6, 2022By Ko Dong-hwan

Namsangol Hanok Village reopens for walk-in visitors, cyber avatars

Delta Air Lines sponsors tennis player Kwon Soon-woo

From left, Kim Seung-su, director of sales at Delta Air Lines in Korea, Matteo Curcio, vice president in charge of Delta's Asia-Pacific operations, tennis player Kwon Soon-woo, and AMCHAM Chairman and CEO James Kim pose during a sponsorship signing ceremony. Courtesy of Delta Air LinesBy Lee Hae-rinDelta Air Lines will sponsor Korean professional tennis player Kwon Soon-woo, the carrier said Thursday.The airline will cover Kwon's flights departing from Incheon International Airport to the U.S. and support his career, while Kwon will wear uniforms featuring the airline's logo and promote the carrier as a brand ambassador until March 2023.“Delta Air Lines has been supporting promising athletes on the global stage that connect Korea and the U.S. and Kwon is the most ideal player who fits the company's mission to 'keep climbing,'” said Kim Seung-su, director of sales at Delta Air Lines Korea. In celebration of the sponsorship, the airline is holding a promotional event on Kakao Talk offering limited editions of tennis jackets, hats, and tennis balls with Kwon's signature as g

Mar 31, 2022By Lee Hae-rin

Delta Air Lines sponsors tennis player Kwon Soon-woo

Annual lantern parade to return after 2-year hiatus

Buddhists wearing face masks, carry lanterns to celebrate the upcoming birthday of Buddha while maintaining social distancing as a part of precautions against COVID-19 at Jogye temple in Seoul, May 6. AP-Yonhap After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a large-scale lantern parade will resume next month as part of the UNESCO-listed Lantern Lighting Festival, an annual festival to celebrate Buddha's birthday, organizers said Thursday. The Jogye Order, the country's largest Buddhist sect, said this year's parade will start at 7 p.m., April 30, on the usual route in central Seoul from the Heunginjimun gate to Jonggak.The annual lantern parade, in which tens of thousands of Buddhists carry colorful lanterns of various shapes, has provided a spectacle with crowds coming to enjoy the centuries-old traditional festival. Also known as "Yeondeunghoe" in Korean, the festival has been held annually in celebration of Buddha's birthday on the eighth day of the fourth

Mar 31, 2022

Annual lantern parade to return after 2-year hiatus

Tourism secretary touts Philippines for Korean tourists

Mayon Volcano, the Philippines / Courtesy of Philippine Department of TourismBy Lee Hae-rinPhilippines awaits international travelers with enhanced safety measuresOn April 1, the Philippines will reopen its borders, removing all quarantine restrictions to fully vaccinated international travelers on arrival. The country had initially opened its borders on Feb. 10 to vaccinated international travelers from 157 visa-free countries, including Korea, and has since seen an influx of over 150,000 visitors. Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, secretary of the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT), is excited because the domestic coronavirus caseloads have been falling despite the resumption of international tourism.Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, secretary of the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) / Courtesy of DOT“In the whole Philippines, we only had about 300 cases yesterday (Monday). We're fully vaccinated, boosted and I think that's the reason why our cases are continuing to go down even though we opened borders in February,” she said in an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul on Tues

Mar 31, 2022By Lee Hae-rin

Tourism secretary touts Philippines for Korean tourists

Air Seoul to resume Incheon-Guam route in May

gettyimagesbankAir Seoul Inc., a South Korean low-cost carrier, said Monday it will resume flights on the Incheon-Guam route to preemptively respond to pent-up travel demand despite the extended COVID-19 pandemic. Air Seoul will offer two flights a week on the Guam route from May 14, while planning to open the Incheon-Saipan route on March 30, the company said in a statement. Two flights a week will be available on the Saipan route from March 30, it said. With six A321-200 chartered planes, the carrier currently serves flights on the domestic routes to Jeju Island and international route to Yantai. Air Seoul is a budget carrier unit of Asiana Airlines Inc., the country's second-biggest full-service carrier after Korean Air Lines Co. (Yonhap)

Mar 28, 2022

Air Seoul to resume Incheon-Guam route in May

Legoland to open in Chuncheon May 5

The completion ceremony of Lego Land Korea is held in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Saturday. YonhapBy Lee Hae-rinLegoland Korea, the 10th Legoland in the world and first global theme park in the country, will officially open in the eastern city of Chuncheon on Children's Day, May 5.The Gangwon Provincial Government held a completion ceremony for the theme park in the city, Saturday, 11 years after the memorandum of agreement (MOA) was signed, in September 2011. The theme park covers an area of 280,000 square meters and offers over 40 rides in seven zones with different Lego themes. The resort also features 150 rooms and suites, which are also designed to be made with Legos.Legoland first opened its global Lego-themed amusement park in Denmark in 1968. The latest property opened in New York state last September, The theme park will run a trial opening from April 1 to May 4, until it officially opens on May 5.The entrance fee to Legoland Korea is 60,000 won ($49) for adults and 50,000 won ($40) for minors aged between six to 12 years of age. Meanwhile, several civic groups held protest

Mar 28, 2022By Lee Hae-rin

Lotte World Busan to open March 31

Lotte World Adventure Busan's rollercoaster Giant Digger / Courtesy of Lotte WorldBy Lee Hae-rinLotte World will open its second adventure theme park in the country's second-largest city of Busan on March 31.The amusement park is located within a tourism complex at Gijang in eastern Busan and is four times the size of Seoul's Lotte World at 158,000 square meters. Themed as a fairy-tale kingdom, the park offers six thematic zones with 17 rides as well as original architecture and parades. Lotte World Busan's most awaited rides include Giant Digger, a rollercoaster with a maximum speed of 105 kilometers per hour, and Giant Splash, the country's first water-coaster which falls 44.6 meters at 100 kilometers per hour.The amusement park also features the Giant Swing, which is 20 percent longer in axis than a similar ride at the park in Seoul, creating a turning radius of 120 meters at speeds of up to 110 kilometers per hour from a height of 44.8 meters.The park offers several family attractions, including an animal farm and fairytale-themed indoor rides that are available regardless of the

Mar 23, 2022By Lee Hae-rin

Miryang embraces Indian culture to promote tourism

Participants of the Holi Hai festival dance to the music, covered up with color powder in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, March 24, 2019. Courtesy of Indians in KoreaBy Lee Hae-rin“Happy Holi Hai!”On March 19, dozens of Indian nationals in Korea with powder of various colors on their faces and bodies and a government employee from the southeastern city of Miryang greeted each other during an online meeting to celebrate the ancient Hindu spring festival. Seen is the poster of the 12th Holi Hai festival, jointly hosted by the Indian community and the Miryang City government on March 19. The event was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Courtesy of Indians in KoreaAlso known as the festival of love and colors, the Holi festival, which falls on March 18 this year, marks the start of spring and signifies the triumph of good over evil. It is a day when people cover themselves in multicolored powder and throw water balloons all with lively dance and music to set aside differences in religion, age, and gender and mend broken relationships. “We (the Indian communit

Mar 22, 2022By Lee Hae-rin

Miryang embraces Indian culture to promote tourism

'Cherry blossom street' in Yeouido to welcome visitors this year but without festival

A family strolls at the Spring Flower Festival in Yeouido, Seoul, April 5, 2021. Yonhap A popular “cherry blossom street” in Seoul's Yeouido District will be open for visitors during the blossoming season later this month, for the first time in three years following the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said Tuesday.The street in Yeongdeungpo, one of the most well-known spots to enjoy the spring flower in Seoul, is where the cherry blossom festival is held every year, but the festival has been canceled for two consecutive years due to the pandemic.This year, the ward office decided not to hold the festival but will open the street to people from March 31 to April 8 in line with a nationwide plan to gradually return to normalcy. Visitors can walk the 1.7-kilometer-long road behind the National Assembly Complex from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends. No electric scooters or bicycles will be allowed on the road. "We will return the cherry bloss

Mar 22, 2022

'Cherry blossom street' in Yeouido to welcome visitors this year but without festival

Gyeongbok Palace to resume nighttime tours next month

Gyeongbok Palace at night / Korea Times file Nighttime sightseeing at Gyeongbok Palace, one of the four royal palaces in Seoul, will resume next month, offering visitors amazing night views with spring flowers in full bloom.The Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said Monday the main palace of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) will open from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. from April 1 to May 29 for the regular nighttime tour program.Up to 1,300 visitors can be accommodated per day, and online ticket reservations are required for all visitors, excluding foreigners. No tours will be offered Mondays and Tuesdays and from May 11 to 15 due to preparations and cultural performances for the Palace Cultural Festival, a festival held every year at the palace.The CHA will also restart an annual guided tour program of the palace's marquee Gyeonghoeru, a pavilion used for royal banquets and special government functions, such as state occasions to welcome foreign envoys during the Joseon e

Mar 21, 2022

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