Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Luxury hotels launch summer-themed afternoon tea sets

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul serves the “Sea Breeze Afternoon Tea Set,” a summer resort-themed selection of homemade desserts and savory dishes, until Aug. 31. Courtesy of JW Marriott Hotel SeoulBy Jun Ji-hyeLuxury hotels here have created a selection of summer-themed afternoon tea sets to offer visitors refreshment amid the hot and humid weather. These afternoon tea sets deliver gastronomic and aesthetic pleasures at once, through a combination of cute desserts designed to evoke a summer resort ambience and savory items offering light meal alternatives.The Lounge, located in the eighth-floor reception lobby at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul, is serving the “Sea Breeze Afternoon Tea Set,” a selection of homemade desserts and savory dishes inspired by a summer resort, until Aug. 31. Nine desserts include berry mousse cake, chocolate baskets and seaside muffin cake, with all desserts coming in different shapes and flavors, conjuring the colorful ambience of a holiday resort. The dessert selection is complemented by nine savory items offering light meal alternatives, includi

Jul 1, 2021

Luxury hotels launch summer-themed afternoon tea sets

Philippines, Modetour collaborate on 'Reboot Philippines' promotion

The Bellevue Resort at Bohol in the Philippines / Courtesy of Philippine Department of Tourism KoreaBy Jun Ji-hyeThe Philippine Department of Tourism Korea (PDOT Korea) is carrying out the “Reboot Philippines ― Korea's Favorite Vacation Spot” promotion until July 28 in collaboration with Modetour Network, Korea's second-largest travel service provider.The promotion is aimed at selling tours to the Philippines at special prices. According to PDOT Korea, the government of the Philippines is actively reviewing the introduction of a “Green Lane” policy, an agreement that eases travel restrictions between countries whose people have completed their vaccinations.This joint promotion will introduce a variety of tours to popular resort destinations such as Cebu, Boracay and Bohol, as well as golf tours to Manila and Clark.The promotion will consist of various types of tours, from packages to independent travel. Departure dates will be after October.During the promotion period, tours to Cebu, Boracay and Bohol are discounted 50 percent on a first-come-first-served basi

Jul 1, 2021

Philippines, Modetour collaborate on 'Reboot Philippines' promotion

Korea signs 'travel bubble' accord with Saipan for vaccinated tourists

South Korea's Vice Transport Minister Hwang Seong-kyu, right, shakes hands with Saipan's governor Ralph Torres after signing a "travel bubble" agreement in Seoul, Wednesday. YonhapSouth Korea signed a "travel bubble" deal with Saipan on Wednesday to exempt fully vaccinated people from mandatory quarantine upon entry into each other's territory.Saipan, a U.S. commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, is the first partner of South Korea's travel bubble initiative announced in early June.The agreement was signed in a ceremony here by Seoul's vice transport minister Hwang Seong-kyu and Saipan's governor Ralph Torres. It is expected to take effect in late July or early August after relevant preparations.Under the agreement, visitors are required to receive full COVID-19 vaccinations, authorized by their health authorities at least two weeks ahead of trips.They also have to carry official certificates of vaccine shots and submit documents showing the negative result of a coronavirus test conducted within 72 hours prior to departure.Only those on group trips arranged by travel agencies

Jun 30, 2021

Korea signs 'travel bubble' accord with Saipan for vaccinated tourists

Korea Gourmet Week to be held in 5 cities in July

Poster for Korea Gourmet Week / Courtesy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural AffairsBy Park Ji-wonDuring Korea Gourmet Week, 130 Korean restaurants in five cities will offer 30-percent discounts on their food. The event will be held in Seoul and Busan July 1-14, and Daegu, Daejeon and Gwangju July 8-21, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korean Food Promotion Institute. The participating restaurants are all designated as “safe restaurants,” a label given to restaurants that follow certain hygiene precautions, such as installing protection shields between seats.Customers who order signature menu items from the restaurants on the spot or by phone can get the discounts.The event, aiming to support the pandemic-hit restaurant industry, will be held on the sidelines of K-sale, or Korea's “Donghaeng Sale,” a nationwide sale held from June 24 to July 11, for which online marketplaces and offline stores are providing discounts up to 90 percent on various products in order to boost the nation's economy.

Jun 29, 2021By Park Ji-won

Korea Gourmet Week to be held in 5 cities in July

Fear of unsanitary Chinese imports triggers 'eat safe kimchi' campaign in Korea

Kimchi / gettyimagesbankSome kimchi suppliers launch the campaign to certify eateries serving locally-processed kimchiBy Kang Hyun-kyungVideo footage showing a naked man submerged waist deep in a pool filled with cloudy water and cabbages at an unspecified kimchi factory in China caused an uproar among Koreans in March.Disturbed by the video, Korean consumers have started to boycott kimchi produced in China and to look more carefully into how the food they eat has been made before it ends up on dining tables here.Kim Ji-sook, who owns a small eatery selling home-cooked meals to office workers in downtown Seoul, said some of her customers have begun to ask her about the origin of the kimchi she serves in her restaurant.“I don't lie; I tell them our kimchi was produced in China. But after hearing my answer, they don't eat the kimchi,” she told The Korea Times.She said that the video, highlighting unsanitary kimchi production conditions in an unspecified mainland Chinese plant, was a true game changer shaping her customers' consumption of kimchi. Her restaurant has more kimc

Jun 27, 2021By Kang Hyun-kyung

Fear of unsanitary Chinese imports triggers 'eat safe kimchi' campaign in Korea

3 suggestions for relaxing Saipan getaways this summer

Managaha Island that can be reached in 10 minutes by boat from Garapan, the downtown of Saipan, is a small and precious resting place. Courtesy of Marianas Visitors AuthorityBy Jun Ji-hyeWith Saipan being cited as one of the candidates that could potentially sign a “travel bubble” agreement with Korea, domestic air carriers are moving to resume their international flights there. Asiana Airlines will resume operating flights between Incheon and Saipan on July 24, 16 months after they were suspended due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, while T'way Air is ready to operate flights there from July 29. Travel bubbles refers to a partnership between two or more cities or countries that have managed to curtail COVID-19 infections to allow quarantine-free air travel in both directions. Saipan, one of the three inhabited islands in the Marianas that consists of 14 islands, has a population density of about 378 people per square kilometer, which is 43 times lower than the population density of Seoul, which means one person could hypothetically enjoy a space alone up to 43 times l

Jun 24, 2021By Jun Ji-hye

3 suggestions for relaxing Saipan getaways this summer

Korea consumes 1.86 million tons of kimchi in 2019: data

kimchi / Korea Times fileSouth Koreans consumed 1.86 million tons of kimchi in 2019, a survey showed Thursday, with around 42 percent of households here making the traditional side dish at home.Of the volume, the demand from households accounted for 1.06 million tons, while 800,000 tons were consumed at restaurants and schools, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.On-year comparisons were not provided in the data as it was the first time for the ministry to carry out the nationwide survey.The estimate was based on a survey conducted on 430 kimchi manufacturers, 1,629 restaurants, 323 schools and 5,000 households.Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish normally made of fermented cabbage, salt and hot peppers, and is eaten with almost all meals.South Korea's kimchi manufacturers also produced 1.6 trillion won (US$1.4 billion) worth of products in 2019 and employed 9,510 workers.The combined amount of kimchi supplied in the country came to 1.9 million tons, including 306,000 tons that were imported. Around 42 percent of South Korean households made their own

Jun 24, 2021

Korea consumes 1.86 million tons of kimchi in 2019: data

Japanese man builds treehouse in Korea to realize childhood dream

Mizuno Masayuki poses outside of a treehouse he built in front of his home in Gimje, North Jeolla Province, Monday. Korea Times photo by Kim Kang-minBy Kwak Yeon-sooGIMJE, North Jeolla Province ― A Japanese man is living his childhood dream in Gimje, a city located about 200 kilometers south of Seoul. In 2009, Mizuno Masayuki, 53, transformed a run-of-the-mill house in the city to resemble one straight out of a fairytale and built a treehouse in his front yard.With his skillful hands and creativity, Masayuki constructed a beautiful treehouse that takes us away from the real world. The small haven he created reflects the owner's youthful imagination and evokes peaceful childhood memories of summer.“I think everyone has nostalgia for a treehouse. People of my age grew up reading 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' and 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' while the younger generation enjoy animations like 'My Neighbor Totoro,'” he said during an interview with The Korea Times, Monday. “Regardless of age, anyone can possess the innocence of childhood when they climb up into

Jun 17, 2021By Kwak Yeon-soo

Japanese man builds treehouse in Korea to realize childhood dream

Korean chef leads restaurants at Park Hyatt Seoul

Back Young-min, executive chef of the Park Hyatt Seoul / Courtesy of the Park Hyatt SeoulBy Jun Ji-hyeChef Back Young-min has been appointed recently as the executive chef of the Park Hyatt Seoul, in a rare move for a Hyatt hotel in Korea, as they normally bring in executive chefs from overseas. Back has become the second Korean executive chef at a Hyatt hotel here since the brand entered the country. “I've been appointed as a Korean executive chef at a time when targeting Korean customers has become an important strategy due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which I think is in recognition of my ability to quickly understand the Korean restaurant market,” Back said in an interview with The Korea Times. “I'm excited to have this opportunity to make the most of my capabilities.”He said having the experience of having worked both in Korea and abroad is one of his main assets, as he has experienced diverse culinary cultures and trends while working with chefs from around the world in a variety of countries.“That gave me an ability to adapt quickly and adopt new sty

Jun 17, 2021By Jun Ji-hye

Korean chef leads restaurants at Park Hyatt Seoul

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul presents special summer package 'Bali in the City'

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul offers the “Bali in the City” package for guests who are unable to go on vacation overseas due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Courtesy of JW Marriott Hotel SeoulBy Jun Ji-hyeJW Marriott Hotel Seoul is offering “Bali in the City,” a summer package featuring a surprise transformation into Bali, one of Korean tourists' favorite holiday destinations.The package was designed for guests who are unable to go on vacation abroad this year due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. The seasonal package, which is available from July 1 to Aug. 31, includes accommodation in a hotel room decorated to evoke a Balinese mood, in addition to welcome amenities of popular Indonesian snack, two cans of Balinese beer and a gift of two natural soaps by neBali Soap that feature natural ingredients sourced from local fruit, flowers and plants. Guests choosing suite accommodation are offered a sarong and bandana set made by leading Korean batik brand Halobali using unique Indonesian batik techniques and materials. Other items to be offered include one bottle of B

Jun 15, 2021

Travel & Food