Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Experience playtime through art

“Um thinking” by Sung Neung-kyung      / Courtesy of Cultural Station 284 By Rachel LeeIt’s the ultimate experience for those in Seoul seeking the unusual, different and quirky.“PLAYTIME,” an experimental art project, provides the most adventurous playground at Cultural Station 284, located in the heart of the city.Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the six-week-long event kicked off last Saturday at the century-old building that the government transformed into an art gallery in August. This is the second art project since its restoration.“This project questions the difference between time in art and everyday life so it approaches the audience as something unique and different from other forms of entertainment,” Kim Sung-won, art director of the project, told reporters. “I thought we could see lots of different points of view if artists from not just only contemporary art but also other genres come and work together.”“The other side of the other side” by Jun So-jeong is being per

Nov 22, 2012

Hotel Lobby

Grand Hyatt SeoulDINE@HYATT, the dining membership program of the Grand Hyatt Seoul and Park Hyatt Seoul, presents Black and Gold Card privileges.Members of the program earn 10 percent of their bill at the two hotels’ 14 restaurants and bars as points rewards. Once a member accrues a minimum number of points, they can be used instead of cash at the restaurants or converted into gift vouchers. The Gold Card is offered to those who have accrued between 500,000 and 1 million points and the Black, to those who have earned over 1 million points. Gold benefits include a birthday gift and two admissions to the Wine Club, while Black cardholders benefits include a birthday dinner, year-long admission to the Wine Club and admission to a dining promotion event.The registration fee is 100,000 won. For inquiries, call (02) 799-8899. Renaissance Seoul HotelA special promotion for ladies is prepared at the Renaissance Seoul Hotel’s steak restaurant Manhattan Grill through Nov. 30.For ladies in groups of four or more visiting the restaurant on weekdays, a 25 percent discount i

Nov 15, 2012

Conrad Seoul new hositality landmark

Buffet restaurant Zest of the newly opened Conrad Seoul in Yeouido, central Seoul, offers international delicacies from the four open kitchens.Nils-Arne Schroeder, general manager of Conrad SeoulBy Kim RahnConrad Seoul, the most luxurious brand of Hilton Worldwide, has opened in the heart of Yeouido, the financial center of the nation’s capital.Based on the concept “Smart Luxury”, the five-star hotel began offering services on Nov. 12. It is a 38-story building, one of four towers in the International Finance Center (IFC) Seoul, the first large-scale multipurpose commercial venue in the district.“As we have adopted the brand new concept of Smart Luxury look out for all our 434 guestrooms and suites, restaurants and bars, ballrooms and health club and spa; we have also gone to great lengths to ensure that the comfort and enjoyment that you have experienced so well at all our 20 Conrad hotels and resorts around the world remains, and in fact, we promise you that it will be even better,” said Nils-Arne Schroeder, general manager of the hotel, in a medi

Nov 15, 2012

Exploring world of handicrafts

Nation's biggest craft fair to open next monthBy Do Je-haeThe gift-giving season is upon us, and for those running out of ideas the upcoming Craft Trend Fair may be helpful.Korea’s biggest craft fair will start its four-day run on Dec. 21 at COEX Hall C in Samseong-dong, southern Seoul. It will showcase a variety of innovative handicrafts by 600 artisans.Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by Korea Craft & Design Foundation, the annual event has attracted more than 20, 000 visitors each year.The event explores the use of materials and techniques in handmade crafts. A variety of resources — project exhibitions, contest winners, rented booths — will be featured, showing an array of traditional and modern handicrafts.This year, the event will be organized around the theme “Rediscovery! Craft and Locality.”Lee Sang-cheol, the fair’s director said “This year’s fair will display traditional and modern craftwork, with the focus on introducing unique works from various regions of Korea.”The remarks were

Nov 15, 2012By Do Je-hae

Yachting, an enchanting experience for all

Employees of the Grande Bleu Yacht unfurl the sail for passengers to enjoy the thrill of the yacht moving under sail. Listening to the sounds of the wind and waves buffeting the yacht is a soothing, sublime experience. / Korea Times photos by Yun Suh-youngBy Yun Suh-youngSailing is not just a pleasure to be enjoyed in summer. In fact, many say the freedom of the ocean waves is best enjoyed during spring and autumn when the skies are blue and breezes blow cool and crisp.Misconceptions about yachtingMost people consider yachts and yachting to be luxurious pleasures reserved for the rich.Yachting is indeed a luxurious past time, but in Korea it is no longer exclusively for the wealthy. It has become popular among people who aspire to spend a day living like members of the nobility.The trend these days is not to overspend in order to “live it up” just like the upper class, but to “experience” their lifestyle even if it’s just for one day.Tourists take photos at the deck of the yacht. Any photo taken on the boat looks like a magazine shoot beca

Nov 8, 2012

Yachting, an enchanting experience for all

Bells: echo of mystique

A replica of the Bell of Gimnyong Temple manufactured by Won Kwang-sik,a master bell maker, is on display at the Jincheon Bell Museum in North Chungcheong Province. / Courtesy of Jincheon Bell MuseumMuseum explores history, culture of bellsBy Chung Ah-youngIn the 1960s, an AFKN (American Forces Korea Network) announcer once praised the sound of a Korean temple bell, saying “Western bells are to be appreciated by the ears and Korean bells by the depth of the mind.”Introducing this comment on a television variety show last year, professor and former Cultural Heritage Administration head You Hong-june said that Korean bells are specifically classed in a separate field for their acoustic uniqueness.Korean bells are sounded by externally striking the surface of the bell with a hammer, different from Western bells that are sounded by an internal hammer known as a clapper.Various bells collected from around the world are on display at the “World Bell Collection: Bells in Our Lives” at the Jincheon Bell Museum through Oct. 6 next yea

Nov 8, 2012

Golfing on the cheap

A golfer tees off at the Gunsan Country Club, North Jeolla Province. / Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization By Yun Suh-youngIn recent years, Korean golfers have headed overseas to tee off at lower priced courses, spending billions of dollars each year in China, the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries.To counter this trend, the government has occasionally scrapped excise and other taxes on green fees at provincial courses to encourage golfers to play locally. It also cut acquisition and registration tax rates, and eased the property-holding tax burden to promote the construction of new golf courses.However, these measures were short-lived and abandoned, after they were apparently unable to encourage local golfers to spend money here rather than go abroad.Gunsan Country ClubTo promote golf as a popular and affordable sport, the state-run Korea Tourism Organization (KTO), has decided to develop and publicize a low-priced golf package in cooperation with public golf courses in provincial areas. If successful, this could help boost domestic demand and prop up municipal

Nov 1, 2012

State manager controls backstage at 'Hero'

A scene from “Hero” features independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun going through trial after assassinating Ito Hirobumi./ Courtesy of Acom InternationalBy Kwon Mee-yoo“Hero,” a locally produced musical being performed at the Blue Square in Hannam-dong, describes the life of independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun.The idea of watching the struggle for independence on stage might not be intriguing at first, but a breathtaking chase scene between Korean independence fighters and Japanese police officers and a smooth transition from video projection to a life-size train carriage will do away with stereotypes.The musical has a cast of 40, however, there are more people back stage, making the show flow smoothly. Bae Ji-yeon, 32, the stage manager of “Hero,” gave an exclusive backstage tour to The Korea Times and revealed the secrets of the show.Bae Ji-yeon, the stage manager for “Hero” looks at the stage from the wings.A new world opened up behind the door saying “Staff Only.” It was four hours ahead of show time, but the stage was b

Nov 1, 2012By Kwon Mee-yoo

State manager controls backstage at 'Hero'

Tourism industry stands at start line

Medical tourism has great growth potentialBy Yun Suh-youngTourism started becoming a popular concept in Korea in the late 1980s when its economic size reached a decent level. Before the 1980s, tourism had a negative meaning as it was difficult just to make a living.As people’s overall standard of living improved thanks to the growing economy, people started going abroad. Initially, Korean tourists, new to the global environment, behaved indecently and created embarrassing situations.Since the late 1990s, however, such situations have reduced due to the explosive amount of people experiencing foreign culture and learning global etiquette.Now, from a country that sent outbound tourists, Korea has become a major tourism destination.It is preparing to meet 11 million inbound visitors by the end of this year. The tourism industry, however, has a long way to go. It faces challenges and needs improvement in both its hardware and software.Right now, it’s just at the starting line.Hardware ― infrastructureWhen asked where the nation’s tourism industry stands, Korea Tour

Oct 31, 2012

'Templestay is a cultural movement'

Ven. Popchin, director of the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism / Courtesy of Cultural Corps of Korean BuddhismMonastic immersion makes contribution to social integrationBy Chung Ah-youngSome people join the templestay program to fight illness while others visit the Buddhist sanctuaries to spend more meaningful time or savor healthy temple foods. The reasons vary, but there is one common denominator for the participants ― peace of mind.“The templestay program is a cultural movement to awaken people who live with the hustle and bustle of a mundane world into a world of finding happiness in themselves and sharing it with others. It is not a propagating program that is intended to turn the participants into Buddhists. If it were, it could not have been continued for 10 years,” Ven. Popchin, director of the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism, an affiliation of the Jogye Order, said in an interview with The Korea Times.Foreigners attend a templestay program in this file photo. Presently, the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism runs 16 temples specializing in interp