Lifestyle - The Korea Times

The Chimaek Edition

Korea honestly doesn’t have the world’s best beer. That’s exactly why we pair it with the world’s best chicken (yeah, we said it). The combo is so beloved here that a term has been invented to describe it, combining the words ``chicken'' and "maekjoo'' (beer). Here is our list of the best places in Seoul to enjoy the irresistible union known as "chimaek.'' ― ED.Why the mood is fowl on soggy nightsBy Kim Tong-hyung, Kim Young-jin, Kwon Mee-yoo, Jung Min-hoIt’s no secret that Koreans and chickens are quite fond of one another.According to government figures, an average Korean will eat 12 chickens per year. That’s 600 million dead birds on a national scale.Chicken restaurants, including both fast-food outlets and places that sell alcoholic beverages, represent an annual 5 trillion won (about $4.4 billion) market, and there were close to 280 different chicken franchises operating in the country last year.The number of these restaurants jumped in recent years as the decaying job market forced millions of people to set up their own business out of necess

Jul 4, 2013

One, but not the same

“The fight for equal right,’’ by Kwon Yong-shinWhy Korea won't have an anti-discrimination law anytime soon By Kim Tong-hyungAfter applying for a mid-level position at a Samsung affiliate, Kwak, 34, was taken aback after an executive at her job interview demanded to know whether she and her husband had plans for children. She didn’t get the job and now wonders whether a “no” would have mattered as much as her MBA credentials.Park, an unemployed 30-year-old, belatedly began studying for the civil service exam after becoming less confident about finding a job at a private company. He passed the job interviews at three different companies over the past two years, only to be rejected after the mandatory health checkup, apparently because the employers then realized they were talking to a hepatitis B carrier.Activist Kim I-chan tells the story of some Asian migrant workers, who under questionable circumstances were sent to a different farm than the one stated on their contract to be overworked, underpaid and abused by an employer who didn’t e

Jun 27, 2013

Baengnyeong Island: the most beautiful military frontline in Korea

This is the second of a two-part series on “security tourism,” a growing tourism trend of traveling to destinations near the inter-Korean border — ED.By Yun Suh-youngBAENGNYEONG ISLAND — About 190 kilometers northwest of the port city of Incheon sits a beautiful island called “Baengnyeongdo.”Surrounded by crystal clear waters in which sea lions are sometimes spotted surfacing, this northernmost island of South Korea is reminiscent of the Mediterranean island of Corsica, according to visitors from France.Yet it is little known to the public because the island is more famous for being a military frontline than a tourist destination.Although the island has not suffered any military or civilian attack from North Korea, it is close to Yeonpyeong Island where shells from North Korea landed in November 2010, killing two marines and two civilians. The island is also close to where a South Korean naval vessel, Cheonan, sank earlier that year. Forty-six soldiers died in what is presumed to have been an attack ordered by Pyongyang.Yet the heightened security

Jun 27, 2013

Baengnyeong Island: the most beautiful military frontline in Korea

Remnants of war

Foreign tourists experience tension between two KoreasThis is the first of a two-part series on “security tourism,” a growing tourism trend of traveling to destinations near the inter-Korean border — ED.It was raining heavily in the morning on the way to the demilitarized zone (DMZ), a couple of weeks before the 63rd anniversary of the start of the Korean War on June 25.Had the government officials of both countries managed to proceed with the inter-Korean meeting, the day of the tour would have marked the first face-to-face contact at a senior level in six years.But North Korea called off the talks at the last minute after a disagreement over the level of chief delegates attending the meeting.The relationship between the two has been turbulent since the first North Korean nuclear test seven years ago. The succession of Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang has made things even trickier as the young leader continues to create drama to solidify his presence.Tourists take a look at the “unification topographical map” on the second floor of the Odusan Unification Observ

Jun 20, 2013

Korea's sexual minorities and their struggle for equality

Gradually accepted, politically invisible  By Kim Young-jin, Kim Tong-hyung   Movie director Kim Jho Gwangsoo, left, kisses his partnerDave Kim during a news conference announcing their marriage in Seoul last month. / YonhapFor Lee, a 38-year-old Korean man, life in the closet had reached a dangerous boiling point.Born to a religious family — his father was a Presbyterian pastor — Lee felt he couldn’t reveal that he was gay, because people around him viewed homosexuality as a sin.When he lived in Vancouver, a city with a large gay population, Lee refrained from dating, fearing repercussions in Korea — where sexual minority rights are ignored. He believed “coming out” would jeopardize his career as an English instructor and that people would discredit his work in the church.“I often thought of committing suicide,” he said. “There were so many things on my mind — my father, (pressure for) marriage, fear of living in isolation. There was no one to talk to and there were no answers coming.”Lee has

Jun 20, 2013

Korea's sexual minorities and their struggle for equality

Hotel Lobby

Grand HyattThe Grand Hyatt Seoul’s Terrace Restaurant presents a diverse selection of Morocco’s exotic cuisine for an extraordinary culinary experience prepared by guest chefs from the Hyatt Regency Casablanca. Chef Abdelkader Kandil, who will be accompanied by three chefs from the Hyatt Regency Casablanca, will serve three of their signature dishes including Salad Zaalouk, a baked eggplant and tomato salad; Seffa Medfouna, chicken with vermicelli; and Lamb Tagine with figs.Available from June 20 to 30, lunch on weekdays is priced at 70,000 won and dinner at 72,000 won. The weekend lunch is priced at 76, 500 won and weekend dinner at 78,5000 won (all inclusive of 10 percent VAT). For more information, call (02) 799-8166,Sheraton Grande WalkerhillThe Sheraton Grande Walkerhill’s CLOCK16 promotes a special menu by chef Woo Sung-kwon from July 1 through Aug. 31. He won the recent in-house competition among chefs. The course menu will consist of seven dishes including Mt. Jiri wild mushroom and spring organic vegetable salad, boiled Jeju scampi with squid filled with ve

Jun 13, 2013

Lotte hosts 'white night' wine party

The poster for Lotte Hotel Seoul’s largest “white night” wine party that will take place on June 21, which marks the summer solstice./ Courtesy of Lotte Hotel SeoulBy Kim Ji-soo The Lotte Hotel Seoul will transform into a party venue on June 21, to mark the summer solstice.Titled “La Notte Bianca,” guests will have a chance to enjoy wine and food at a semi buffet from 6 p.m. through midnight. For the “La Notte Bianca,” the hotel’s first-floor lobby and the outside area will turn into a party place. Restaurants and bars include the Italian restaurant Peninsula, the outdoor café CoolPubs Plaza, the Lounge, the buffet restaurant La Seine and Star Avenue that is the entrance path to duty free shops. At the hotel’s lobby, a wine both, a cocktail counter, a DJ booth and stage will be installed where a Latin Jazz group and a jazz band will perform. Special events such as a contest to open wine bottles and wine auctions will take place. There will also be a kiosk selling caricatures and to offering Tarot card reading

Jun 13, 2013

Millennium Seoul Hilton holds 'Filipino culinary festival'

A dish of kare-kare or oxtail and peanut sauceBy Park Jin-haiCelebrity chef Sau Del Rosario,brings traditional Filipino foods to the Millennium Seoul Hilton during the Filipino Culinary Festival in June.Kaldereta or a traditional Filipinopork stew, made with tomato sauce, potatoes, spices, liver pate, olives, and bell and hot peppers./ Courtesy of Millennium Seoul HiltonTo commemorate the Independence Day of the Philippines, the Millennium Seoul Hilton’s international buffet restaurant is devoting the month of June to introducing Koreans to Filipino cuisine. The Orangerie buffet tapped renowned Filipino chef Sau Del Rosario to showcase taste-bud tingling traditional Filipino dishes during the “Philippine cultural and food festival.”Chef Rosario spent seven years in France as a protégé of several Michelin chefs including Christian Plumail and is entering the 20th year of his career. “I want to promote Filipino cuisine because I owe my country for being Filipino. I want to leave a legacy that the next generation would

Jun 13, 2013By Park Jin-hai

Millennium Seoul Hilton holds 'Filipino culinary festival'

Summer festival guide

Great Mountains International Festival & School, Korea’s top summer music event, takes place in the lavish Alpensia resort in Gangwon Province.By Do Je-haeEvery summer, a dazzling array of classical music festivals brings together top musicians in some of the most scenic settings at home and abroad.A major theme in classical music this year is the bi-centennial of the birth of opera composers Wagner and Verdi. Many festivals are reflecting this in the programming.Some offer online streamig service and TV broadcasts, enabling audiences to enjoy world-class concerts and operas without traveling.An audience listens to a violin recital at the Moab Music Festival, which takes place in the red rock venues around Moab, Utah. / Courtesy of Moab Music FestivalFestivals offer world-class concerts, scenery A number of festivals in Europe are celebrating landmark anniversaries, such as the Verbier Festival in Switzerland which is in its 20th year this summer.They are marking the occasion with special programs, including the return of the master Russian pianist Mikhail Pletnev

Jun 6, 2013By Do Je-hae

Captivating gourmet tour for foreign foodies

Participants on the “night dining tour” take pictures in front of a shop for “kkultarae,” a snack made of fine strands of honey and maltose, in Insa-dong, Seoul, Friday.By Yun Suh-young“Everybody look carefully. Dip the meat into the sauce that you prefer, place it on a leaf and fold it,” said food curator Kim Jin-wook, explaining how to enjoy “ssam,” a combination of meat and other ingredients eaten wrapped in leafy vegetables at an outdoor restaurant, Friday.In front of him were a dozen tourists who signed up for the four-hour “night dining tour’’ program, organized by O’ngo Food Communications, a company that specializes in food tours for foreigners.The group listened carefully and did as instructed. Ssam proved to be a fun and unusual experience for first-timers.Participants dine at a restaurant where “galmaegisal” (pork skirt steak) was served with leafy vegetables as part of “ssam,” in Jongno, central Seoul, Friday. “Is it okay to di

Jun 6, 2013

Travel & Food