Lifestyle - The Korea Times

New technology unveils topography of Dokdo

View of Dokdo Island, captured by a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) equipped drone / Courtesy of National Research Institute of Cultural HeritageBy Kwon Mee-yooULLEUNG ISLAND ― The Dokdo islets, Korea's easternmost territory located some 220 kilometers east of the Korean Peninsula, are preserved as Natural Monument No. 336 for their rich natural resources and ecological value.Consisting of two islets and surrounding rocks, the Dokdo islets were first designated as a Natural Monument in 1982 in recognition of the marine plants growing there. In 1999, it was converted into the Dokdo Natural Reserve, taking into account its unique topography and flora and fauna.However, Dokdo is not up for easy, accessible investigations. Since Dokdo's docking facilities do not have breakwater, ships only can anchor in clear weather and low tides. Moreover, most of the island's terrain consists of steep marine cliffs, which hinders researchers trying to get closer for investigations.Researchers of the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage fly a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) equipped

Oct 27, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

New technology unveils topography of Dokdo

Sangha Farm captivates visitors with organic experiences

Sheep rest on the slopes on Sangha Farm. /Courtesy of Sangha FarmBy Kim Se-jeong GOCHANG, North Jeolla Province ― Gochang, 250 kilometers southwest of Seoul, has a flat landscape and enjoys a reputation as a clean county. UNESCO's inclusion of the rural county into the world's Biosphere Reserves Network in May 2013 has helped it maintain such an image. Kim Bok-yong, the founder of Maeil Dairies who died in 2006 at age 86, was a visionary business leader and purchased land in Gochang to start his dairy business in the 1960s.Ranging from plain milk to flavored dairy products, cheese, flavored coffee, yogurt and baby milk, Maeil Dairies has grown fast over the decades.In 2008, the company added organic milk to its brand portfolio.The farm staff said launching the organic milk line came from the company management's vision to deliver quality food to consumers in Korea amid food safety woes that reached its peak in 2008 when melamine-tainted milk powder killed babies in China.“For two years, the company tried hard to persuade local farmers in Gochang to join its organic milk project

Oct 24, 2019By Kim Se-jeong

Sangha Farm captivates visitors with organic experiences

ASEAN-Korea summit to offer bilateral culinary culture

Participants in a preliminary round of the “hansik” (Korean cuisine) contest in Singapore cook food in this July photo. Winners of the preliminary round in eight ASEAN countries will come to Korea for the ASEAN-Korea Final Hansik Contest to be held in Seoul, Nov. 26. / Courtesy of Korean Food Promotion InstituteBy Kang Seung-wooOn Nov. 25 and 26, leaders of Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will flock to the Korean port city of Busan for the ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit to mark the 30th anniversary of the partnership between the two sides.It will be a landmark event representing the government's New Southern Policy, which is President Moon Jae-in's initiative proclaimed in 2017 to enhance relations with ASEAN member nations. In addition, the inaugural Mekong-Korea summit will also be held there, Nov. 27.However, the summit, the third of its kind, will not just be the place for them to discuss political and economic issues, as various special events to promote the culinary cultures of ASEAN nations as well as Korea are scheduled to take place

Oct 24, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

ASEAN-Korea summit to offer bilateral culinary culture

Hotel Shilla to build hanok property

By Kang Seung-wooHotel Shilla has been given approval to build a hanok hotel in Seoul ― a long-sought-after plan of its CEO Lee Boo-jin.Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jinAccording to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Wednesday, the city's committee on architecture approved the project to erect a traditional Korean house-styled hotel, which is seen as the final step for construction permission that will be given by the Jung-gu Office, the relevant district office.Construction will begin next year and be finished as early as 2025. It will be the first hanok hotel in Seoul operated by a large company.The project has been a long-cherished plan since Lee became CEO in 2010. Lee is also the eldest daughter of Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee.The hanok property, to be built next to its flagship Shilla Hotel Seoul, will be a two-story building with three basement levels. Along with the property, a duty free shop with two stories above ground and four underground levels as well as two levels of basement parking will also be built.Previously, the building of any lodging facilities had been forbid

Oct 23, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

Millennium Hilton seeks to offer 'legacy' hotel

By Kang Seung-wooThe Millennium Hilton Seoul will celebrate its 37th anniversary this December, becoming one of the oldest hotels to successfully survive decades in the capital.Felix Busch, general manager of Millennium Hilton SeoulBut, conversely, some may think the property, located at the foot of Mount Nam, is too outdated to compete with younger rivals ― particularly those that are brand new and equipped with splendid furnishings.Felix Busch, the German-born new general manager, takes a different approach to the speculation, saying its tradition can be a “differentiator” in the industry.“Legacy takes time to create, so some people may say we are an older hotel, but I will say it is a legacy hotel,” Busch said in a recent interview with The Korea Times. He joined the hotel in August.“This hotel has seen events many hotels have never seen in their lives. Our hotel accommodated guests that many hotels have never accommodated.”The Korean hospitality industry has been referred to as one of the toughest battlefields in the world, raising whispers tha

Oct 17, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

Millennium Hilton seeks to offer 'legacy' hotel

Hotel Lobby

By Kang Seung-wooGrand Hyatt Seoul completes Grand Ballroom renovationThe Grand Hyatt Seoul has officially completed the extensive renovation of its Grand Ballroom providing a new, industry-leading platform for weddings and banquets, and meetings, incentives, conference and exhibitions (MICE).The renovated Grand Ballroom offers event customers a completely new experience by melding the traditional foundations of function with modern, contemporary designs and technologies. The renovated ballroom features new digital technology to meet the needs and expectations of today's hi-tech events. All analog signs have been replaced with advanced digital ones, with the lobby balcony being replaced with a massive digital wall enabling multi-media presentations of the highest quality. The large LED screen spans the ballroom's first floor lobby area.The interior of the Grand Ballroom has been re-designed as a multi-purpose venue perfect for large-scale theatrical and promotional events. Nine Tree Hotel opens at Insa-dong Parnas Hotel, which owns the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas and the Inte

Oct 16, 2019By Kang Seung-woo

Experience unique and distinctive Vietnamese cuisine from North and South

Paradise Elegance vessel cruise on Vietnamese popular tourist destination Halong Bay in this photo. / Courtesy of Paradise Vietnam By Kim Jae-heunPopular Vietnamese dishes such as pho and goi cuon (fresh spring rolls) have gained popularity in Korea over the last decade. However, the flavors of Vietnamese cuisine have been modified to fit the Korean palate, and it took a few more years before Vietnamese chefs started opening “authentic” Vietnamese restaurants here. While there are still plenty more Vietnamese dishes that have not been introduced to Korea, bun cha is a representative Vietnamese dish of grilled pork and white rice noodles that has just been added to menus recently.Meanwhile, the number of Korean tourists visiting the Southeast Asian country has grown continuously over the past five years, reaching nearly 3.5 million last year alone and making Vietnam one of Koreans' favorite tourist destinations. HOME Hanoi restaurant's special delicacy La Vong grilled fish Nguyen Thanh Tung, the first winner of Iron Chef Vietnam 2012, recommends cha ca La Vong, (

Oct 11, 2019By Kim Jae-heun

'Vietnamese cuisine is light, healthy and refreshing'

From left, British Michelin-starred chef John Burton-Race and 2012 Iron Chef Vietnam winner Nguyen Thanh Tung prepares special dinner at HOME Finest Saigon restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in last May. / Courtesy of Paradise VietnamBy Kim Jae-heunHANOI ― Ever since Vietnamese celebrity chef Nguyen Thanh Tung started working as an executive chef for HOME restaurants with the opening of its first branch in Hanoi in 2015, he has been devoting his career to spreading the word about Vietnamese cuisine and giving authentic gastronomic experiences to guests from all over the world. The first HOME in the capital city met with instant success, leading to the launch of another branch in the country's central region of Hoi An in 2016 and one more in Ho Chi Minh City in 2017. “With the aim of bringing Vietnamese food from the street to the dining table, all HOME restaurants highlight the culinary delicacies in each area by using fresh ingredients and traditional cooking methods,” Tung said during an interview with The Korea Times at HOME Hanoi restaurant, Sept. 23. With 20 ye

Oct 11, 2019By Kim Jae-heun

'Vietnamese cuisine is light, healthy and refreshing'

South Korea has third most powerful passport

South Korean passport holders can travel freely to 188 countries and territories. GettyimagesbankBy Jung Min-hoSouth Korea has the world's third most powerful passport, according to the latest study by law firm Henley & Partners.The 2019 Henley Passport Index, which ranks countries based on their freedom of access to other countries, shows that South Korean passport holders ― along with German and Finnish passport holders ― can travel freely to 188 jurisdictions around the world without a prior visa.Only Singaporean and Japanese passports offer visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to more destinations (190).Passports of Denmark, Italy and Luxembourg are tied for sixth (187).Afghanistan (25) is ranked at the bottom of the spectrum, with Iraq (27), Syria (29) and Somalia (31) just ahead.Top1. Singapore, Japan (190)2. South Korea, Germany, Finland (188)3. Italy, Denmark, Luxembourg (187)4. France, Spain, Sweden (186)5. Austria, Netherlands, Portugal (185)Bottom1. Afghanistan (25)2. Iraq (27)3. Syria (29)4. Somalia, Pakistan (31)5. Yemen (33)

Oct 7, 2019By Jung Min-ho

South Korea has third most powerful passport

Korean Empire's royal cuisine shows King Gojong's dreams, frustrations

On Sept. 20, 1905, King Gojong hosted a luncheon for Alice Roosevelt, which served 17 dishes with three different condiments. The Cultural Heritage Administration reenacted the royal banquet food with Shinsegae Chosun Hotel for “The Emperor's Dining Table of the Daehan Empire” exhibition at the Daehan Empire Historical Museum in Deoksu Palace. Courtesy of Cultural Heritage AdministrationBy Kwon Mee-yooAlice Roosevelt, the eldest child of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, was one of the most famous national figures of the early 20th century. She made a goodwill trip to East Asia in 1905 with an 83-member diplomatic delegation and stopped by the Korean Empire, which lasted from 1897 to 1910 when Joseon Kingdom struggled to survive amid opening of ports and contact with Western culture. In her memoir "Crowded Hours: Reminiscences of Alice Roosevelt Longworth," she described her visit to the Korean Empire, including a royal banquet she attended at Deoksu Palace. Despite recognizing that “Korea, reluctant and helpless, was sliding into the grasp of Japan," King Gojong t

Oct 3, 2019By Kwon Mee-yoo

Korean Empire's royal cuisine shows King Gojong's dreams, frustrations

Architects connect past, future at Deoksu Palace

Travel & Food