Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Traveling Korea with 'KPop Demon Hunters'

What if your next trip to Korea feels like stepping into an animated blockbuster? Netflix hit "KPop Demon Hunters" is inspiring fans to follow the footsteps of fictional idol-warriors Huntrix through real-world landmarks across the country. That journey may begin — or end — with a spectacle in the sky. Last Sunday, the warm air of a September evening filled with the sound of collective awe as 1,200 drones lifted into the night sky above eastern Seoul's Ttukseom Hangang Park. Their LEDs swirled and shifted until the characters from "KPop Demon Hunters" flickered into view, neon silhouettes soaring above the river like guardians of Seoul. The show was part of the city's expanding Han River Light Performance, a nighttime program that has quickly become one of the capital's flagship tourist draws. More than 22,000 people attended each performance during its spring season and the autumn calendar promises four more shows, on Sept. 13, 20 and 26 and Oct. 18. This season's twist is a collaboration with "KPop Demon Hunters," weaving imagery from the animated film into the drone choreography.

Sep 11, 2025By Pyo Kyung-min

Traveling Korea with 'KPop Demon Hunters'

Korea’s largest hanok hotel opens to public in Gangwon Province

The Hanok Heritage Hotel, the largest of its kind in Korea, opened to the public in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province, offering a modern reinterpretation of hanok, Korea’s 1,000-year-old architectural tradition. Drawing inspiration from the grandeur of Jongmyo Jeongjeon, the main hall of the UNESCO-listed Jongmyo Shrine, the hotel is entirely designed in traditional hanok style using wood, evoking the tranquil ambience of classic Korean architecture. Spanning over 340,000 square meters, The Hanok Heritage was initially launched in 2023 as a private, members-only retreat featuring three villas and 10 guest rooms. As of this month, it expanded to include 14 new rooms across five accommodation types, now welcoming general guests for the first time. “At first, I devoted seven years to researching the art of properly drying wood and solving construction challenges unique to hanok. The next six years were spent painstakingly building this place. Some saw it as a hardship, but for me, it was a joy — a chance to pour all my passion into hanok,” said Cho Chung-il, CEO of fintech company KONA I

Sep 11, 2025By Park Jin-hai

Korea’s largest hanok hotel opens to public in Gangwon Province

Instant noodles with tofu goes viral: Healthier twist on Korea’s favorite comfort food

Click here for more articles by Kormedi.com. With growing interest in blood sugar management, more people are looking for ways to enjoy comfort foods like ramyeon (instant noodles) without putting their health at risk. While instant noodles are often criticized for being high in refined carbs, saturated fat and sodium, experts say modifying the ingredients can make it a healthier option. The problem with instant noodles Most instant noodles are made from refined white flour and deep-fried, resulting in high calories and saturated fat. The seasoning packets are also typically very salty. Even nonfried noodles are difficult to classify as a healthy food. For people with diabetes, frequent instant noodles consumption is discouraged due to its high glycemic index, which can spike blood sugar levels. However, nutrition experts suggest that those in the prediabetes range can make the food healthier by reducing the amount of noodles and seasoning while adding more tofu, green onions, and bean sprouts. Tofu: the star ingredient for better blood sugar control Replacing some noodles with soft tofu c

Sep 10, 2025By Kormedi.com

Instant noodles with tofu goes viral: Healthier twist on Korea’s favorite comfort food

Shanghai becomes new weekend getaway for Korean travelers

SHANGHAI — Koreans have dubbed it the “night owl getaway” — a weekend city of shimmering towers, acclaimed cuisine and a vibrant urban energy found nowhere else. In recent months, Shanghai has surpassed Tokyo and Hong Kong as the destination of choice for a new generation of Korean travelers, driven by China’s visa-free entry through 2025 and a rising appetite for its cuisine and urban life. According to government statistics, Shanghai welcomed 4.16 million international visitors through mid-August, marking a nearly 38 percent increase amid a strong rebound in inbound travel. Koreans accounted for 423,000 arrivals, a surge of 130.7 percent from last year, making them the city’s largest foreign visitors. Roughly 1 in 4 flights from Korean airports to China now land in Shanghai. The surge comes after China announced in November 2024 that Korean travelers can visit for up to 30 days without a visa. Online travel platform Klook reported reservations for Shanghai tours went up by 88 percent, day tours up 549 percent and mobility services up 538 percent during this summer holiday

Sep 10, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Shanghai becomes new weekend getaway for Korean travelers

Hilton innovates services to boost comfort of foreign travelers in China

SHANGHAI — Hilton, the world’s third-largest hotel chain by room count, has unveiled new initiatives to enhance the travel experience for international visitors at its flagship properties in China’s major destinations, including Shanghai and the emerging tourism hub of Quanzhou. The efforts come amid a marked increase in inbound travelers to China. The proportion of inbound guests overtook prepandemic levels in June. Recent government data shows foreign nationals entering Beijing reached 1.88 million as of mid-August, a 36.6 percent increase compared to the year before, while Shanghai welcomed 4.16 million overseas tourists in the same period, a jump of nearly 38 percent. Koreans alone accounted for 423,000 entries, a spike of 130.7 percent from last year, making them the largest inbound group. Hilton has introduced advanced technology-driven amenities and city exploration programs to help guests overcome linguistic barriers in Shanghai. In July, Hilton launched an English-language guide in partnership with DiDi, a major Chinese ride-hailing platform providing transportation in 19

Sep 10, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

Hilton innovates services to boost comfort of foreign travelers in China

Seoul rides ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ wave with dance classes, tourism packages

At a dance studio near Cheonggye Stream in central Seoul on Sept. 6, some 30 young foreigners moved in sync to shouts of encouragement in a mix of Korean and English. They were learning the exact choreography for the song “Your Idol,” performed by Saja Boys, the fictional boy group from Netflix’s hit animation “KPop Demon Hunters.” Though some stumbled at first, laughter quickly turned to focus as the music swelled and the rhythm took over. The session was part of “Learn K-pop Dance,” a weekly program run by the Seoul Tourism Organization every Saturday. Kiana, a 24-year-old visitor from Iran, said, “I went to Han River and Naksan Park, where 'KPop Demon Hunters' was set, but learning the dance together feels more special than just visiting filming spots.” The series, known as “Ke-de-heon” in Korean, has become an unofficial guide for foreign visitors. Rather than simply snapping photos at landmarks such as Naksan Fortress Trail, N Seoul Tower or Jamsil Sports Complex — all featured in the show — fans are recreating the experience. They dance to the official soun

Sep 9, 2025By Hankookilbo

Seoul rides ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ wave with dance classes, tourism packages

Retiree circles globe at 73: ‘I tore up my return ticket’

“I thought waking up the next day itself was a miracle of resurrection. So I tore up my return ticket, saying, ‘I can’t go back.’” At 73, Ahn Jung-hoon calls himself a nomadic traveler. He recently published a book, “Unplanned Road Trip Across the U.S. and Canada,” recounting his 75-day journey covering 44,230 kilometers across North America — roughly the circumference of the Earth. Departing June 14 last year with travel companions in their 30s and 60s, Ahn booked only three days of accommodations before setting out. Ahn is a veteran traveler who has journeyed to 117 countries through three world tours and has published four travel books. His first backpacking trip was in 2017, at the age of 65, just after retiring from 30 years as a soldier and 10 more in the corporate world. Carrying a one-way ticket, he flew to Russia alone to fulfill a lifelong dream of traveling the world. “Package tours didn’t suit me. My daughters once booked one for me and my wife — the meals, buses, everything was arranged and she loved it. But I felt like I didn’t need a babysitter at m

Sep 8, 2025By Hankookilbo

Retiree circles globe at 73: ‘I tore up my return ticket’

Finland’s rustic summer cabins: Choosing discomfort as a path to happiness

LAPLAND, Finland — Finland often ranks as the world’s happiest country, topping the U.N.-backed World Happiness Report for eight consecutive years. One secret to this well-being lies in how Finns spend their summers — not in luxury resorts, but deep in the forest in rustic log cabins known as mökki. Nearly 1 in 5 Finns owns a mökki, making it a widespread tradition. These cabins are typically without running water or electricity. Residents draw drinking water from nearby lakes or streams, cook over campfires and leave television and phones behind. This self-imposed inconvenience, called mökkielämä or “cabin life,” is seen not as deprivation but as a way to reconnect with nature. The custom took root in the 20th century, as rapid industrialization pushed Finns away from the natural world. City dwellers began retreating to the countryside during holidays, embracing solitude in small wooden houses near the nation’s 188,000 lakes and 657 rivers. During a stay in Lapland’s northern Kittilä region, the experience began with a 10-minute boat ride across Lake Aakenusjärvi to

Sep 5, 2025By Hankookilbo

Finland’s rustic summer cabins: Choosing discomfort as a path to happiness

New tourism task force aims to harness global reach of K-culture

Korea on Wednesday launched a new public-private task force aimed at transforming the nation’s tourism industry amid rising global interest in Korean culture. The K-tourism innovation task force was inaugurated at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, with more than 20 officials, scholars and industry leaders in attendance. The task force represents the first major tourism initiative under the Lee Jae Myung administration and aims to harness the global momentum of K-culture, transforming it into sustained industry growth. “Ten years ago, the number of inbound tourists coming to Korea was higher than that of Japan. But in recent years, Japan has overtaken us by double. Although K-culture is enjoying enormous global influence, we need to carefully examine what Japan has done well over the past decade,” Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Chae Hwi-young said during his opening speech. According to the ministry, the group will hold bimonthly meetings and act as a collaborative platform that brings together government agencies, academics, cultural experts and

Sep 3, 2025By Lee Hae-rin

New tourism task force aims to harness global reach of K-culture

InterviewGreece eyes direct flights to Korea to boost tourism, economic ties

Greece’s ancient ruins and sun-drenched islands have long captivated the imaginations of Koreans — from retellings of mythology in comics to plates of Greek yogurt and Mediterranean salad in Seoul’s bustling cafes. Despite the growing fascination in Korea with Greek culture, few ever set foot on islands like Santorini or Crete, usually experiencing them only through a once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon or a packaged tour that includes neighboring Turkey. With Greece’s Tourism Minister Olga Kefalogianni making her first official visit to Seoul, the two countries are hoping to turn a long-standing cultural fascination into concrete exchanges and new opportunities for two-way tourism. “The purpose of my visit is to strengthen the bonds of friendship between our countries in the field of tourism,” Kefalogianni told The Korea Times during a recent written interview. “The Republic of Korea is among the countries with which Greece is actively seeking to deepen tourism ties and increase visitor flows, as we see great potential for mutual growth.” During her visit, she focused on turnin