Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Rediscover beauty of Jongno during Seoul Beauty Travel Week

Hwigyeomjae in Bukchon Hanok Village in Jongno District, Seoul, is the main house for Seoul Beauty Travel Week that runs until Oct. 5. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan GovernmentFestival promotes how to rest well, eat healthy and appreciate life in Seoul By Ko Dong-hwanSeoul isn't just about hearing K-pop at local hotspots or strolling around Gyeongbok Palace donning rented hanbok. There are also vast cultural options for people to eat, experience and learn. These options aren't widely popular or easy to spot on streets. Rather, even many local Koreans aren't familiar with some of these cultural activities, including: visiting a rare hanok house with outstanding views of Seoul, a high-end restaurant serving only temple food and hidden hiking routes around the centuries-old city wall or around a royal palace.Seoul Beauty Travel Week, starting Sept. 30 and running through Oct. 5, is Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon's initiative to introduce tourism options related to health and well-being that are not so well-known to visitors. Arranged in partnership with 45 selected shops in Seoul's central Jong

Oct 3, 2022By Ko Dong-hwan

Rediscover beauty of Jongno during Seoul Beauty Travel Week

Korea's fermented food culture travels to Qatar

Seen above is crushed "meju," fermented soybean brick, being taken out of a traditional earthenware pot. The wet mashed lumps of meju turn into "doenjang" (soybean paste), while the remaining liquid can be made into "ganjang" (soy sauce). Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulBy Park Han-solMuch of traditional Korean cuisine ― from stews, stir-fries and side dishes to dipping sauces ― starts with an ingredient called “meju.” A brick-shaped, fermented block of soybeans that have been boiled, mashed and dried, it is the magic ingredient behind iconic Korean condiments known as “jang.” Food culture involving jang and kimchi ― two stars of traditional Korean fermentation methods for cooking ― will travel to Qatar this week.The 2022 Korean Fermented Food Festival is set to showcase an exhibition, lecture, tasting session, cooking class and competition offering chances to experience the country's distinct food culture all in one place.Co-hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korean Food Promotion Institute, the event will run from Oct. 3

Oct 2, 2022By Park Han-sol

Korea's fermented food culture travels to Qatar

Foreign visitors increase by 220%

Terminal 1 at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, is crowded with travelers, Sept. 12. NewsisBy Lee Hae-rinThe number of foreign visitors to Korea more than doubled in August compared to the same period the year before, according to Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) statistics, released Friday. The KTO said the country saw 310,945 foreign visitors last month, which is up by 220.3 percent from August 2021. The organization explained that the dramatic increase followed a visa exemption measure taken last month, in which the government started accepting visa-free arrivals for short stays by passport holders of Japan, Taiwan and Macau Special Administrative Region.The U.S. topped the nationality of these travelers, taking 16 percent of the total with 50,299 visitors. The number increased by 144.6 percent compared to the same period in 2021. China and Japan followed on the list with 30,248 and 26,482 travelers, respectively. The rate of increase was the highest among Japanese travelers. A total of 26,482 Japanese nationals visited Korea last month, which is a 1,072.8 percent incr

Sep 30, 2022By Lee Hae-rin

INTERVIEW Korean artist MY Q unveils tips to explore Seoul's creativity hotbed

Korean artist MY Q, who has been selected as this year's Korean icon of the 2022 Booking Explorers campaign, poses at Gyeongbok Palace in Seoul in this undated photo. Courtesy of Booking.comMulti-hyphenated Korean artist introduces Seoul's burgeoning cultural milieuBy Lee Hae-rinMY Q, a Korean singer-songwriter and painting artist who has been selected as the Korean icon at this year's Booking Explorers campaign, introduced tips to discover the essence of Seoul's creativity hotbed.Since his music debut with the release of “Style Music” in 2007, the Seoul-based artist has created over 180 songs. The multidisciplinary creator writes, sings, arranges, mixes his own songs and produces photography and cinematography for his music videos. He has left his mark on the country's indie music scene with his distinctive urban style of jazzy and dreamlike records and developed a small but devoted fandom.While music has been his primary area of activity, he has expanded his creativity into the country's contemporary art scene. In 2018, he held an installation art exhibition at Seoul's

Sep 27, 2022By Lee Hae-rin

[INTERVIEW] Korean artist MY Q unveils tips to explore Seoul's creativity hotbed

World ginseng expo to kick off on Sept. 30 in Yeongju City

Yeongju City Mayor Park Nam-seo, right, in front row, makes ginseng liquor to wish 2022 World Punggi Ginseng Expo success in Daegu Samsung Lions Park, July. Courtesy of Yeongju City Steeped in 500 years of ginseng-producing history, Yeongju prepares for futureBy Lee Yeon-wooThe southeastern city of Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, is home to premium ginseng. Every year, the city hosts a ginseng festival to encourage tourists to visit and experience the medicinal root. This year, the city authorities were determined to go beyond the local festival.To promote Korean ginseng's value and boost its global competitiveness, Yeongju City will host the 2022 World Punggi Ginseng Expo from Sept. 30 to Oct. 23, under the theme, Ginseng, Embrace the World and Open the Future. The expo aims to help both locals and foreigners explore not only premium quality ginseng, but also ginseng derivatives, such as skin care products that use ginseng extract as an ingredient and ginseng f

Sep 23, 2022By Lee Yeon-woo

World ginseng expo to kick off on Sept. 30 in Yeongju City

Seaside train tour offers epic coastal views, heritage sites in Gangneung

Passengers look out the window at the sea from a train running along the coast in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, Sept. 16. NewsisGwandong Pungryu Era Route is one of 10 Korean Heritage RoutesBy Kwak Yeon-sooGANGNEUNG ― Gangneung is a city with rich cultural heritage and incredible ocean views. The eastern coastal area stretching from Gangneung to PyeongChang, Sokcho and Yangyang is nicknamed “the jewel of Korea's real landscape painting” for its stunning scenery and coastal views. Since ancient times, scholars and travelers headed east to Gangwon Province to enjoy the beauty of the Baekdudaegan Mountain Range stretching across the Korean Peninsula and visit the East Sea. Many of them composed poems and wrote travelogues, praising the natural landscape, history and culture of the Gwandong region (now eastern Gangwon Province). The region was described in the Gwandongbyeolgok, a travel journal written by Jeong Cheol during the Joseon Kingdom period (1392-1910).Among the explorers was a 14-year-old girl named Kim Keum-won (1817-?), who disguised herself as a man and traveled t

Sep 22, 2022By Kwak Yeon-soo

Seaside train tour offers epic coastal views, heritage sites in Gangneung

Korea mulls over PCR test-free arrivals, lifting remaining outdoor mask mandate

Travelers are seen outside a COVID-19 testing center at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, in this file photo from Aug. 24. Korea Times photo by Hong In-keeBy Lee Hae-rinThe government has embarked on reviewing the remaining social distancing measures, most notably rules on outdoor mask use and PCR testing within 24 hours on arrival, as the number of COVID-19 infections has now stabilized, according to the health authorities on Tuesday. Lim Sook-young, a senior official at the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), said that the recent resurgence of COVID-19 infections has passed its peak ― which reached 180,803 infections per day in the third week of August ― and the health authorities are preparing to ease travel regulations accordingly.Lim explained that testing requirements for international arrivals vary by country and the government will “study how other countries are doing and gather expert opinions to introduce new quarantine measures.”The outdoor mask rule and PCR testing within one day of arrival are the two measures that are subject to c

Sep 20, 2022By Lee Hae-rin

Korea mulls over PCR test-free arrivals, lifting remaining outdoor mask mandate

Queen Elizabeth II remembered in Hahoe Folk Village

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II receives a Korean traditional coronet with a phoenix decoration, a symbol of the Korean monarch, as a birthday gift from the residents of Andong Hahoe Folk Village, during her visit to the historic clan community in North Gyeongsang Province, April 21, 1999. Courtesy of Andong Hahoe Folk VillageUNESCO heritage-listed historic clan village commemorates deceased monarch's visit in 1999By Lee Hae-rinHahoe Folk Village, a historic clan community located in the southeastern city of Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, has set up a memorial space to pay tribute to Britain's late Queen Elizabeth II. The centuries-old village has a special bond with the British queen who visited it during her trip to Korea back in April 1999.Visitors offered flowers before a portrait of the queen, along with hundreds of notes wishing that she rest in peace. As of Monday, over 100,000 people visiting the historic village during the Chuseok holiday paid their condolences at the memorial space located in front of Chunghyodang, the main residence of the Ryu clan based in Andong, accord

Sep 14, 2022By Lee Hae-rin

Queen Elizabeth II remembered in Hahoe Folk Village

Korean food industry sees diversification in HK amid pandemic and hallyu

A Korean restaurant opening in October is seen in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, where some small and fancy restaurants form a restaurant district, Sept. 3. Korea Times photo by Park Ji-wonBy Park Ji-wonHONG KONG ― For foodies, Hong Kong has been a go-to place to enjoy various cuisines from all over the world even though it has never been known as a place for Korean eats. If you ask Hong Kong residents about Korean food, they mostly think of Korean BBQ or spicy things, with many other dishes remaining unfamiliar for the majority. But the trend has been changing with the diversification of Korean restaurants and Korean grocery stores amid the growing popularity of Korean cultural content, as well as following the implementation of strict restrictions on travel to and from Hong Kong with the COVID-19 pandemic. Sandy Li, 32, an office worker, regularly goes to Korean restaurants to have Korean dishes with friends and family members. She also often buys ready-to-eat meals to enjoy at home.“I eat Korean-style chicken at least once a month and often go to eat Korean together with a couple of f

Sep 10, 2022By Park Ji-won

Korean food industry sees diversification in HK amid pandemic and hallyu

Travelers from 64 countries to Jeju exempt from electronic authorization

Visitors arrive at Jeju International Airport on Aug. 12. NewsisBy Lee Hae-rinTravelers from 64 visa-free countries, including China and Mongolia, arriving on the southern resort island of Jeju will be exempt from going through an e-travel authorization system called K-ETA starting next month, according to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province.On Friday, the Ministry of Justice said foreigners arriving from 112 countries that have an agreement with Korea either for a visa waiver (B-1) or visa-free entry for a short visit (B-2-1) will need to register their travel information and get pre-authorization through K-ETA before arriving at Jeju International Airport, starting next month.However, the ministry decided to make the exception in response to concerns among the provincial government and the island's tourism industry that the government's move to curb illegal immigration could discourage tourists from visiting Jeju.As a result, tourists from 64 countries including China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, who could stay on Jeju Island for up to 30 days prior to th

Aug 29, 2022By Lee Hae-rin

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