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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

3 generations, 78 years, all female _ the story of Hanilkwan

Shin Woo-gyoung, founder of Hanilkwan, poses in front of her restaurant in Jongno in 1957.  / Courtesy of Hanilkwan Sister restaurateurs continue grandmother's legacyBy Yun Suh-youngThis is the first in a series of interviews with third-generation restaurateurs in Korea._ ED.It was in 1939 during the Japanese occupation of Korea when female restaurateur Shin Woo-gyoung opened her very first restaurant.Koreans were not allowed to use anything related to "Korea" in the name at the time, so her restaurant was called "Hwaseonok," after a name of a flower.  At a time when beef was a rarity, Shin's restaurant served "sogogi gukbap" or beef rice soup brewed with beef bones and intestines coupled with a few other items such as loach soup and grilled cow intestines. They also served grilled beef, which became the modern-day "bulgogi." In fact, it can be said that the bulgogi we know of today began in Hanilkwan.It wasn't until Korea's liberation from Japan in 1945 that Shin was able to finally put up a sign for the name that she had been longing to call her restaurant _ "Hanilkw

Apr 20, 2017
3 generations, 78 years, all female _ the story of Hanilkwan

Paradise City debuts as Korea's 1st integrated resort

Seen above is an exterior view of Korea’s first integrated resort Paradise City in Incheon. / Courtesy of Paradise GroupForeigners-only casino to diversify market amid THAAD rowBy Park Jae-hyukINCHEON ─ Paradise City, the first integrated resort in Northeast Asia, has opened at Yeongjong Island near Incheon International Airport’s International Business Center, Thursday.Amid the decreased influx of Chinese tourists in the wake of economic retaliation against Korea’s decision to install an anti-missile battery here, Paradise Group Chairman Chun Phil-lip said he seeks to diversify the market by attracting tourists from Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.“Most of our customers individually visit Korea, so they are actually not influenced by the travel ban of the Chinese government,” he said at a press conference. “But we will deal with the issue in a conservative way, and we hope more Chinese customers return to Korea during next year’s PyeongChang Winter Olympics.”Amid the Sino-Korean conflict on the deployment of

Apr 20, 2017By Park Jae-hyuk
Paradise City debuts as Korea's 1st integrated resort

Stepping into the game

Visitors play “Survival Mortal Blitz” at VR Space at Lotte World Adventure, Seoul./Courtesy of Lotte World AdventureVR magically combines physical and digital reality together By Jung Min-ho  A cool ride to a fantasy worldIt may not look like much at first glance. Seen from outside, people clumsily swing their white toy gun in a small open space.But everything changes as soon as you put on a virtual reality (VR) headset, which brings you right inside “Survival Mortal Blitz,” a newly released game at Lotte World Adventure in southern Seoul.Your toy gun turns into a cool-looking machine gun and the background completely changes. During the 15-minute adventure, monsters come after you and ceiling tiles fall on your head as buildings collapse.Players may feel they are right there fighting for survival because everything feels insanely real.Through VR magic, Lotte World is trying to evolve into the amusement park of the future.VR games put players in an empty space and make them feel like they are scurrying through a maze, running away from zombies o

Apr 13, 2017
Stepping into the game

Night palace tour offers royal cuisine, music

Gyeongbok Palace / YonhapBy Park Jin-haiWhat would it feel like to walk through a royal palace under the moonlight and taste royal cuisine while listening to traditional Korean music?Two of the most visited palaces, Gyeongbok Palace and Changgyeong Palace, both built during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), will operate popular night tour programs, Sunday.Only 4,500 visitors can tour the historic sites each night during the third and fourth week of each month from April to September.Tickets can be bought at ticket.auction.co.kr or ticket.interpark.com at 3,000 won for Gyeongbok Palace and 1,000 won for Changgyeong Palace. Foreigners can also buy tickets at the sites.Night tours run from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Gyeongbok Palace is closed Tuesdays and Changgyeong Palace is closed Mondays.Note that unlike last year, where visitors clad in hanbok, or traditional Korean clothes, were given free entry, those people should also make online reservations for free tickets.Royal spring cuisine served at Gyeongbok Palace / YonhapPeople who want to taste royal cuisine during the night tour and listen t

Apr 13, 2017
Night palace tour offers royal cuisine, music
  • Seoul Night Markets bring city to light

Seoul Night Markets bring city to light

Streets bustle with visitors who came out for Seoul Bamdokkaebi Night Market in this 2016 file photo. / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan GovernmentBy Park Jin-hai When the cherry blossom, which adorn the streets in the day, fade into evening dusk, Seoulites get ready to explore different faces of the city _ vibrant with life and flashing lights.Seoul Bamdokkaebi Night Market, which literally means Night Goblin Market, only runs at night and disappears at dawn.The market, initially kicked off last year by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, has come returned this year with more participants and colors.The 2017 event, following last year’s successful event which drew over 3.3 million visitors, opened March 24 in five locations in Seoul _ Yeouido Hangang Park, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Banpo Hangang Park, Cheonggye Stream and Cheonggye Plaza.“I’ve come to make sweet memories with my friends. The street foods look so delicious and the ambience near the riverside at night is quite romantic,” said Yoo Che-ri, who came with her friend to Yeouido Hangang Park la

Apr 13, 2017
Seoul Night Markets bring city to light
  • Night palace tour offers royal cuisine, music

'THAAD retaliation hurting Korea's tourism'

By Jung Min-ho  The number of Chinese tourists to Korea has fallen sharply after China’s government started its retaliation over the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system here.The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) announced a series of measures Wednesday to curb this trend and turn the crisis into an opportunity.The retaliation has proven to be more damaging to the country’s tourism than the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak, according to the KTO. The number of Chinese tourists dropped by 63.6 percent between March 16 and April 9 (expected), compared with the same period last year.The KTO thinks that the total number of Chinese visitors at the end of this year may not reach 4 million, which is less than half of last year’s 8.07 million. If the estimation becomes a reality, the economic loss is expected to be about 1.3 trillion won ($1.1 billion).“Given how dependent Korea’s tourism industry is on China, the retaliation certainly is a grave threat,” Park Jung-ha, the KTO’s international marketing director, said.In response to th

Apr 12, 2017

Michelin star chef collaborates with hotel to offer affordable gourmet

By Yun Suh-young Chef Lee Jong-gukBukkake udon, one of the "jipbap" dishes created by Lee Jong-gukChef Lee Jong-guk's Korean fine dining restaurant, Gotgan, on Yeouido received two Michelin stars in the first edition of the Michelin Guide published about Seoul, in November last year.Perched on the 50th floor of the Federation of Korean Industries building, the restaurant was reviewed as one "worth a detour" for its "expertly crafted dishes" with seasonal ingredients. Lee is known for bringing out the elegance and taste of authentic Korean dishes.The price, however, is set high (between 150,000 to 300,000 won per person for lunch), targeting CEOs and high-income businesspeople in the area. For young people, it's beyond reach.But the chef is now offering food that is at the opposite end of the price range. Ranging somewhere between 10,000 won to 30,000 won, the food at Hot Eatsue is affordable and comfortable.Lee is collaborating with Hot Eatsue, a restaurant located on the top floor of a local boutique hotel, Hotel Cappuccino, in Gangnam, southern Seoul. The hotel is owned by Kol

Apr 11, 2017
Michelin star chef collaborates with hotel to offer affordable gourmet

Korea ranks 19th on tourism competitiveness index

By Jung Min-hoKorea ranked 19th in global rankings of travel and tourism competitiveness, up 10 notches from a previous report. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Tuesday, Korea improved in 11 out of 14 areas, including International Openness and Prioritization of Travel and Tourism. But the country lost ground in Health and Hygiene, Human Resources and the Labor Market, and Natural Resources. Spain, France and Germany remained the top tourist destinations out of 136 countries, in the biennial report by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The others in the top 10 were Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Italy, Canada and Switzerland.Korea ranked 42nd in 2007 and has been climbing since. The ministry believes the result is attributed to the easing of regulations on tourism and overall services improvements.The report measures the set of factors and policies that enable the sustainable development of each nation’s travel and tourism sector.Travel and tourism makes up 10 percent of the global GDP today. According to the WEF, there is in

Apr 11, 2017

Ten MUST-VISIT spring flower festivals in Korea

/ YonhapBy Eom Da-solThe season of beautiful buds and glorious, blooming flowers is with us again. And the spring flower festival is one of the most popular ways to appreciate the season in Korea. Here are 10 festivals not to miss.Seoul/Incheon/Gyeonggi Province1. Everland Tulip Festival- Date: Mar. 16-Apr.23- Location: Everland Amusement park, Yongin, Gyonggi Province2. Goryeo Mountain Azalea Festival- Date: Apr. 12-23- Location: Dolmen Square, Goryeo Mountain, Incheon3. Choonduk Mountain Peach Blossom Festival- Date: Apr. 22-23- Location: Wonmi-gu, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province 4. Gunpo Royal Azalea  Festival- Date: Apr. 28-30- Location: All areas of Gunpo, Gyeonggi Province5. Goyang International Flower Exhibition- Date: Apr. 28-May.14- Location: Goyang Lake Park, Goyang, Gyeonggi ProvinceSejong/Chungcheong Province 6. Taean Flower Festival- Date: Apr. 13-May .10- Location: Nature World, Taean, South Chungcheong Province7. Sejong Jochiwon Peach Festival- Date: Apr. 15-16- Location: Sejong Art Center, SejongDaegu/Gyeongsang Province8. Biseulsan Azalea Culture Festival-

Apr 10, 2017
Ten MUST-VISIT spring flower festivals in Korea

Hotel briefs

Park Hyatt Busan’s lounge presents five dessert cocktails and affogato as part of its spring celebration until May 31.The cocktails include the Espresso Martini, a classic cocktail made with the hotel’s handcrafted ice cream, Chocolate Martini made with vanilla vodka, Pink Fizzy with flavor of grapefruit, My Sweet Orange with Earl Grey tea and orange marmalade and the Spanish-inspired Black Latte with creamy bubbles and condensed milk. French fries, assorted cheeses and pizza will be served on the side.The cocktails will be served between 10 p.m. and midnight, with one costing from 10,000 won and snacks from 10,000 won. For more information and reservations, call (051) 990-1300.The Westin Chosun is opening a new deli shop, Chosun Deli, just on Thursday. The shop features 103 kinds of pastries, breads, sandwiches and other items. The focus will be on small-portion bread and pastries, including a mini cake for one person. The shop offers gifts to guests who purchase goods for more than 30,000 won every Thursday. Visit westin.com/seoul for more information.Imperial Palace Se

Apr 6, 2017
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