Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Hotel Plaza Elysees offers Parisian experience

Standard room with balcony at Hotel Plaza Elysees in Paris / Courtesy of Hotel Plaza Elysees By Kim Hyun-binPARIS ― Hotel Plaza Elysees, a four-star hotel located in the heart of Paris, offers a pleasant and traditional Parisian ambience throughout the establishment.Built in 1874, the hotel brings traditional and modern French architecture to life, with guests able to fully experience what France has to offer.There are 41 rooms which are decorated similar to that of a traditional French apartment. Each room gives a distinct flavor as they have all been designed to slightly differ from one another, from the color of the linens to the wallpaper design.In the six-story building, most of its rooms are equipped with private balconies. The breakfast room on the first floor offers a great view on the Boulevard Haussmann as well as wide choices of French pastries, fruit and hot meals.The hotel was made by remodeling a late 19th century building, and in August 2017, went thr

Jun 13, 2019By Kim Hyun-bin

Hotel Plaza Elysees offers Parisian experience

More Air France flights

Air France is operating a B777-200, left, for three additional flights a week between Incheon and Paris during the summer peak season, which runs until Oct. 25. With the addition, the airline provides 10 flights a week. Top right is a seat in the aircraft's 28-seat business class cabin, and bottom right is the 24-seat premium economy cabin. / Courtesy of Air France

Jun 13, 2019By Kim Hyun-bin

Star chef Paik Jong-won starts YouTube channel to share recipes

Paik Jong-won, a celebrity chef and the owner of multiple eatery franchises in Korea, starts YouTube channel to share his recipes, Tuesday. Captured from YouTubeBy Jung Hae-myoung Celebrity chef and eatery franchise owner Paik Jong-won started his own YouTube channel, “Paik's Cuisine,” Tuesday, which earned more than 200,000 subscribers within four hours of the first video going online. The number of subscribers rocketed to over 700,000 as of Wednesday morning. In his first video, Paik explains his reasons for starting the channel.“A few months ago, my mother-in-law asked for my recipe for braised short ribs. She said she searched for the Paik Jong-won recipe on the Internet, but it didn't taste like mine. I saw the recipe she found online, but it wasn't my recipe,” Paik said in the introduction video to his channel. “I am not saying other recipes are wrong, but there were some recipes with my name that I did not make. I think it is good that people are taking more interest in food, but it was also scary,” he added. Although Paik's easy recipes pos

Jun 12, 2019

Star chef Paik Jong-won starts YouTube channel to share recipes

INTERVIEW Social enterprise founders share 'zero-waste' vision

Co-founders of The Picker Song Kyoung-ho, left, and Hong Ji-seon pose for a photo. Courtesy of Jaemin ShinBy Anna J. ParkSong Kyoung-ho, 30, and Hong Ji-seon, 32, founded The Picker, Korea's first “zero-waste” grocery business launched in early 2016. With that, the co-founders introduce the zero-waste campaign, which simply put is about fostering an eco-friendly lifestyle by reducing trash and waste in one's consumption as much as possible. Avoiding unrecyclable products and packaging is one aspect of this lifestyle. During a recent interview with The Korea Times, Song said he and his wife began the eco-conscious business, as they had long been interested in launching a social enterprise.“I was first interested in transforming waste materials into new products, like making a new bag out of water-repellent cloth. But I realized there were already too many such businesses in place. So I thought the real problem was that the amount of waste was beyond our ability to handle. Thus, instead of focusing on how to deal with waste, I thought the priority should be on reducin

Jun 11, 2019By Anna J. Park

[INTERVIEW] Social enterprise founders share 'zero-waste' vision

Foreign tourist arrivals in Seoul to reach record-high 14 million this year

The number of foreign tourists visiting Seoul is expected to reach an all-time high this year. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukThe number of foreign tourists visiting Seoul is expected to reach an all-time high over 14 million this year, the city's mayor said Tuesday.Mayor Park Won-soon made the forecast during a session of the Seoul Metropolitan Council."Seoul now ranks seventh worldwide in terms of foreign tourist arrivals. The number reached 13.6 million in 2016 before falling slightly due to the THAAD crisis," Park said, referring to a dive in the number of Chinese visitors caused by the installation of a U.S. anti-missile defense system in South Korea."This year, the number of foreign tourists is increasing again and expected to top 14 million, setting a new record," said Park.In 2016, Seoul received 13.57 million tourists, the highest figure on record."The population of Seoul is decreasing but a large population is not a key element of an advanced city. Seoul's daytime population has been increasing and an increase in foreign tourists is encouraging," the mayor said.He then sp

Jun 11, 2019

Foreign tourist arrivals in Seoul to reach record-high 14 million this year

Korean woman missing after falling from cruise ship near Spain

The Norwegian Epic cruise ship. ReutersBy Jung Min-hoA Korean tourist is missing after falling from a cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea, Saturday.According to media reports, the woman, 63, went overboard from the Norwegian Epic, which was sailing from Cannes in France to the Spanish island of Mallorca, at around 1 a.m.Family members said she had last been seen wearing pink pajamas on her balcony. They said she could not swim.Cruise Norwegian, the ship operator, said the captain ordered a search operation as soon as the report was made. The search stopped after dark and the ship headed to its destination.Rescue workers from Mallorca continued the search the next day, but the woman was not found.“As soon as the report was made, the authorities were notified and a search and rescue operation ensued,” a company spokesman said in a statement.“The search has now ceased, and sadly, the guest has not been found. Our thoughts and prayers are with the individual's family during this difficult time.”

Jun 10, 2019By Jung Min-ho

Korean woman missing after falling from cruise ship near Spain

Koreans embracing 'vegan revolution'

Pizza at Nammi Plant Lab. Korea Times photo by Olivia HanBy Olivia Han Every year, more and more people around the world are embracing a plant-based, vegan lifestyle. Often dubbed the “vegan revolution,” it is more a practice of abstaining from the use of animal products for health reasons, to prevent animal cruelty and to protect the environment. Despite kimchi, bibimbap, and the array of plant-based side dishes, Korea is not a country that first comes to mind in terms of veganism. It is indubitably a meat-centric society and unsurprisingly, the Huffington Post called Korea one of the 13 worst countries for vegans in 2014. One central role in stigmatizing vegan diets are the lack of plant-based only options in school meals across Korea. Introducing meat from a young age also unintentionally creates an addiction to its taste, making a transition into a vegan diet even harder at an older age. Also, joining the small 1 percent of Koreans that are vegan can lead to social isolation or ostracism. One strategy to avoid spending the night endlessly eating side-dishes during a w

Jun 7, 2019

Stories, music inspire California-based winery to unveil innovative labels

Nine wine labels from Orin Swift ― Mercury Head, Machete, 8 years in the desert, Palermo, Mannequin, Blank Stare, Papillon, Abstract, Slander ― is presented at the Orin Swift press luncheon held at J.S. Garden Black, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Wine ReviewWinemaker targets younger drinkers seeking trendy wine By Jung Hae-myoung Wine consumption in Korea has continued to grow over the past decade partly because of younger drinkers in their 20s and 30s seeking trendier drinks.The rise of wine and other alcoholic beverage consumption has created a popular phrase in Korea which international winemakers may want to listen to ― “Stories are the best accompaniment for drinks.”Orin Swift, a California-based wine label launched in 1998 by David Phinney, is one of the winemakers paying attention to the wine consumption trend in Korea as it seeks to expand its wine business here. Phinney says his winery shares the same philosophy with Korean drinkers. He captures a unique story for each of his nine wines and bottles it, adding creative labels. On Tuesday, Orin Swift held a press lun

Jun 6, 2019

Stories, music inspire California-based winery to unveil innovative labels

Social media influencers invited to experience Korea

YouTubers experience a Templestay program at Beomeo Temple in Busan. Templestay is a cultural program that lets people experience the life of Buddhist practitioners at temples. / Courtesy of Korea Tourism OrganizationKTO taps YouTubers, Instagrammers to promote tourismBy Kang Seung-wooAs the government is seeking to attract international tourists to end the nation's chronic deficit in tourism, the state-run tourism promotion agency is turning its gaze to independent travelers. And one of its steps is influencer marketing, inviting high-profile social media celebrities to Korea, showing them the wonders of the country and encouraging them to promote these wonders on their platforms.According to the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), two groups of influencers active on YouTube and Instagram came to Korea last month to visit a number of nationwide attractions. The first group, comprised of four YouTubers and an older Instagrammer couple, came from Japan, while the other team of 11 YouTubers were from Australia, Canada, Germany, Russia and the United States. According to the KTO, 97.8 per

Jun 5, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

Social media influencers invited to experience Korea

Hotel Lobby

By Kang Seung-wooSouth Cape unveils private package South Cape Golf and Suite has launched a Cliff House package allowing guests to host intimate private events such as bridal showers and birthday parties.Cliff House is a luxury villa of the resort, located in Namhae, South Gyeongsang Province, and under the package, up to eight guests can be accommodated after events for a stay. The resort offers a 10 percent discount on restaurant bills and green fees as well as complimentary premium mini bar. For guests arriving and departing by air, the resort operates a daily shuttle service from and to Sacheon Airport for four or more people, while a bus service from Jamsil in Seoul is also available every day for eight or more.Grand Hyatt Seoul hosts Global Wellness Day eventThe Grand Hyatt Seoul Hotel hosted a Global Wellness Day event allowing employees to check their mental and physical health. Global Wellness Day is a nonprofit event that started in Turkey in 2012 and is currently held in 100 countries. The event featured a walk to Mount Nam and encouraged employees to photograph health fo