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E-sports growing as professional sports

A total of 5,000 spectators pack the Jamsil Indoor Stadium to watch the final match of the online game “League of Legends” on Aug. 20. / Courtesy of Riot GamesBy Baek Byung-yeulWhen the record breaking heat wave swept across the country on a sun-splashed Saturday afternoon, three different types of big events took place at the Jamsil Sports Complex in southern Seoul on Aug. 20.One was a professional baseball game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, another was an electronic dance music concert hosted by a local beer firm at Olympic Stadium, and the third was an online game competition at Jamsil Indoor Stadium.Though the spectators at the complex gathered with different purposes, they all had one thing in common ― they were fighting the heat with their enthusiasm.Players of the Rox Tigers celebrate after clinching the title of the League of Legends Champions Korea summer season at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in southern Seoul, Aug. 20. / Courtesy of Riot Games What made 5,000 spectators gather at the indoor stadium was the final match of the computer online

Sep 1, 2016
E-sports growing as professional sports

Benikea: best 'affordable' night in Korea

Benikea Hotel Dongdaemun in SeoulBy Jung Min-hoFor a long time, many travelers griped about Seoul’s few accommodation options between luxury hotels and cheap ― but often trashy ― motels.Filling the niche demand was the idea behind creating hotel brand Benikea, which stands for “Best Night in Korea.” Since its birth in 2009, Benikea has grown into one of the best-known mid-range hotel names in Korea.According to a brand awareness survey last year, Benikea (34.5 percent) ranked second only after Ramada (76 percent) and ahead of its rivals Tokyo Inn (33 percent), Best Western (26.5 percent) and Ibis (16.5 percent).Over the past seven years, Benikea has increased the number of its locations to 51. The pace of growth may be slower than expected, but it reflects the determination of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), the developer and manager of the brand, for its strict quality standard.Four hotels were removed from the membership last year for failing to meet the quality requirements, which include conditions of rooms and service quality.The KTO is not the

Sep 1, 2016
Benikea: best 'affordable' night in Korea

Discovering Changdeok Palace in the moonlight

By Yun Suh-youngFor those who have seen the film "The Last Princess" released earlier this month spanning the tragic life of Yi Deok-hye the last princess of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), they may relate more to her story when visiting Changdeok Palace in the heart of Seoul.The beautiful cozy palace located in Jongno-gu, Seoul, which was where the last princess lived until her final days, opens up for a "moonlight tour" every year during spring and autumn. It has already conducted spring programs from March through June and opens up once again for fall programs from August through October. The tour is scheduled around the days when the full moon shines.A cheongsachorong is hung on the door leading into Nakseonjae. / Korea Times photo by Yun Suh-young The tour begins at Donhwamun, the entrance to Changdeok Palace and through Jinseonmun, Injeongjeon, Nakseonjae, Sangryangjeong, Buyongji, Bulromun, Yeongyeongdang and the Huwon forest trail, and back to Donhwamun.Nakseonjae is where Princess Yi Deok-hye, the youngest child of King Gojong, lived until her death after returning

Aug 25, 2016
Discovering Changdeok Palace in the moonlight

Hotel Lobby

JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square SeoulJW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul is offering a “Swim & Spa” promotion until Sept. 30.The promotion includes a 60-minute special body massage and a 30-minute express rebalancing facial followed by a dip in the hotel’s indoor pool.The body massage uses lavender, tea tree and geranium essential oils made by L’Occitane to impart a sense of relaxation and coax both mind and body into a secure state. Combining Swedish and Hawaiian Lomilomi massage techniques, the massage will eliminate muscle stiffness and knots. The facial massage detoxifies, cleanses and soothes as well as brings balance back to skin damaged by the hot summer sun. The spa is open from Monday to Thursday. The promotion costs 242,000 won in total, but minus the swimming, it costs 220,000 won (including tax and service charge).For more information and reservations, visit jwmarriottddm.com or call (02) 2276-3282. Courtyard by Marriott Seoul PangyoCourtyard by Marriott Seoul Pangyo’s buffet restaurant, MoMo Café, offers a Mediterranean cuisine

Aug 25, 2016
Hotel Lobby

Hyatt hotels welcome Chuseok guests

Hyatt chains’ holiday promotion offers up to a 30-percent discount. / Courtesy of Grand Hyatt SeoulBy Kim Se-jeongFor the upcoming Chuseok holiday from Sept. 14 to 18, all five Hyatt properties in Korea are offering a flash sale with up to 30-percent discounted rates for those making reservations until Aug. 29.Guests who book stays between Sept. 14 and 23 will have complimentary access to swimming pools, gyms and other hotel facilities. Hyatt Gold Passport members can also collect points with their bookings. Room reservations can be made through the hotel chain’s official website — www.hyatt.com — or by calling the hotels during the sale period.Reservations require prepayment, and cancellations and schedule changes are not available. Guests are advised to look over the user agreement carefully before booking.Grand Hyatt Seoul, located on top of Mount Nam, is connected to the paved mountain trail, one of the most popular walking paths in the city, N Seoul Tower, which is also on top of the mountain and close to Itaewon shopping area. Call (02) 797-123

Aug 25, 2016
Hyatt hotels welcome Chuseok guests

Grand Hilton Seoul presents 10th Oktoberfest

This year’s Oktoberfest scheduled on Sept. 3 at Grand Hilton Seoul celebrates the 10th anniversary. / Courtesy of Grand Hilton SeoulBernhard BrenderBy Kim Se-jeongOktoberfest is a German beer festival held in Munich for 16 days in September through October. Begun in 1810, the festival is an important annual event in southern Germany known as Bavaria, drawing people from all over the world to taste the region’s beer and experience its atmosphere.Continents away, Seoul has been holding its version of Oktoberfest for the past 10 years. The one-night event, held at Grand Hilton Seoul, is one of the biggest activities for the expat community, drawing more than a thousand guests who want to enjoy beer, food and a laugh.This year’s event will be held on Sept. 3, and in celebration of the event’s 10th anniversary, Bernhard Brender, the hotel’s general manager, is preparing something extraordinary.Germany dishes are ready to be served at Oktoberfest last year.“It is not bigger than the one in Munich, but it’s more personal and even better,” the

Aug 25, 2016
Grand Hilton Seoul presents 10th Oktoberfest

Webcomics expanding territory

Comedian Yang Se-hyeong, top, and webcomic artist Lee Mal-nyeon pose for a poster for the popular TV show “Infinite Challenge” that ran a six-week-long “Relay Toon” series. / Courtesy of MBCBy Park Jin-haiFollowing a trend of cooking shows and DIY home interior shows that have churned out star chefs and self-taught designers, unconventional webcomics have now newly emerged as a new leader in the local entertainment business.As Kang Chul, a super-rich character in the webcomic “W” crisscrosses the real world and the virtual world, the popular MBC thriller-romance adaptation titled “W-Two Worlds” has become the talk of the town, more and more webcomics authors are escaping from their cyber realm and entering the small screen. This is causing a boom in the online comics industry that has remained a peripheral subculture for years.One of those multitasking prolific artists is Gian84, the penname of webcomic artist Kim Hee-min, who wrote the coming-of-age digital comic “Fashion King” in 2011, which garnered an accumulated 500 mil

Aug 18, 2016
Webcomics expanding territory

Break in the city: Urban attractions for summer

By Kim RahnTo escape the heat, you don’t necessarily have to escape the city. In cities, there are hidden places where you can cool off and have a leisurely pleasant time. The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) introduces such locations for city dwellers.President’s getawayCitizens take a walk in Simridaesup, a bamboo forest in Ulsan. / Courtesy of KTOIn Ulsan, a bamboo forest along the Taehwa River is a good vacation spot, because standing amid the bamboos feels cool ― rather a little bit chilly ― even in sweltering heat.It gained the name Simridaesup (10-ri bamboo forest) as the rows of trees stretch for 10 “ri,” an old unit of measuring distance, with 10 ri equivalent to about 4 kilometers.The place became popular recently after President Park Geun-hye visited it during her summer vacation.People can follow a trail through the middle of the forest. From an observatory across the river, the whole forest can be seen. A ferry travels between the observatory and the forest.At one end of the forest is a pavilion named Taehwaru. Built during the Silla Kin

Aug 18, 2016
Break in the city: Urban attractions for summer

Photographer Lee Myoung-ho captures 'act'

Lee Myoung-ho’s “Tree... #7” (2015) / Courtesy of the artistLee Myoung-ho Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Kwon Mee-yoo The term photographer immediately conjures up a person who carries a camera over one shoulder, shooting photos extemporaneously wherever one's feet take him or her.However, photographer Lee Myoung-ho, who is known for his "Photography-Act Project" series, goes through much more complicated processes to create the intellectual and meditative reflection of a tree against a blank canvas or breathtaking scenery of a bleak desert.Lee, who earned his bachelor's and master's degree from the Department of Photography at Chung-Ang University, described photography as "dipping film into time and space for a moment.""An artist deeply involves his or her artwork in traditional art forms such as painting and sculpture. But I was more fascinated by how photography captures the moments without intervening too much. It offers a wider spectrum for the viewers to think about it," Lee said in an interview with The Korea Times at Dongwha Culture Village, a tra

Aug 11, 2016
Photographer Lee Myoung-ho captures 'act'

Sangha Farm pioneering in experiential tourism

 Scenery around Sangha Farm / Courtesy of Sangha FarmBy Yun Suh-youngGOCHANG, North Jeolla Province ― A three-and-a-half-hour drive south of Seoul, there is a farm measuring 30,000 pyeong (24.5 acres) which holds fields, livestock, restaurants, factories, educational facilities and soon a spa and hotel.Sangha Farm (www.sanghafarm.co.kr) is designed much like an agriculture theme park in terms of the variety of activities to enjoy ― although from a glance, it just looks like a very large farm.Sangha Farm is Korea’s first farm to operate as an example of "senary industry," or sixth-level industry, which combines primary, secondary and tertiary industries of farming, production and services (1+2+3=6). The concept has existed for years although the terminology is relatively new. A Japanese professor coined the term and it was first used by Moku Moku Farm in Japan. In fact, Sangha Farm was modeled after Moku Moku Farm.View of Sangha Farm Opened this April, Sangha Farm is the result of eight years of preparation. It took teamwork between the government and a priva

Aug 7, 2016
Sangha Farm pioneering in experiential tourism
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