Lifestyle - The Korea Times

UN Command to resume Panmunjom tour program amid eased COVID-19 curbs

The Armistice Talks Hall on the North Korean side of Panmunjom as seen in September 2018 / Courtesy of Jon DunbarTours to the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom will resume after months of suspension due to COVID-19, the U.N. Command (UNC) said Thursday.The UNC said it decided to restart the tours to the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, in line with the South's government continuing to ease antivirus restrictions. It did not specify when the tours will resume.The tours were last suspended in January due to a rise in infection cases.As an enforcer of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War, the UNC oversees activities in the DMZ."The purpose of the UNC Commander's DMZ Education and Orientation Program is to increase public awareness of the security conditions on the Korean Peninsula and educate visitors on the terms of armistice that underpin peace and stability," the command said in a press release. (Yonhap)

Jun 30, 2022

UN Command to resume Panmunjom tour program amid eased COVID-19 curbs

Korea to open beaches nationwide next month amid eased antivirus rules

Jeju island's Hamdeok Beach / Korea Times fileBeaches across Korea will formally open for the summer holiday season next month, and the government will enforce antivirus guidelines amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the oceans ministry said Wednesday.Around 261 out of 284 beaches nationwide are scheduled to welcome visitors starting on July 1, including 83 beaches in the eastern coastal areas of Gangwon Province, according to the ministry.The figure is slightly up from last year's 244.The government will put in place a set of basic quarantine rules, including a one-meter distance between parasols and tents and a mask mandate at indoor facilities.The number of vacationers is expected to rise this year, as the government has lifted most social distancing restrictions in a major step toward returning to pre-pandemic life."Visitors are required to abide by the antivirus rules given the risk of virus resurgence. We will strengthen the management of facilities and try to space out visitors to ensure public safety," a ministry official said.Korea has seen a gradual decrease in COVID-19 cases since

Jun 29, 2022

Korea to open beaches nationwide next month amid eased antivirus rules

Nighttime tours of Cheong Wa Dae to begin next month

An overhead shot of the former presidential office compound is seen in this May 26 photo. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulNighttime tours of the former presidential complex Cheong Wa Dae will kick off next month, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said Tuesday. The 90-minute tour will run from July 20 to Aug. 1 twice per day at 7:30 p.m. and 8:10 p.m., the agency said. Cheong Wa Dae, which housed the presidential office and residence for the past 74 years, opened to the public last month after President Yoon Suk-yeol relocated the top office to the former defense ministry building in Yongsan District, central Seoul. An overhead shot of the former presidential office compound is seen in this May 26 photo. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chulThis is the first time visitors will be allowed into Cheong Wa Dae during nighttime since its May 10 opening. The compound has accepted visitors only until 6 p.m. On the night tour, visitors will be able to look around the interior of the main office building, the exterior of the Sangchunjae guesthouse and the Nokjiwon garden.Up to 50 vis

Jun 28, 2022

Nighttime tours of Cheong Wa Dae to begin next month

I.Seoul.U city slogan to be scrapped

A 3D installation of Seoul's city brand I.Seoul.U stands in Yeouido Hangang Park. A total of 29 symbolic sculptures are installed at city landmarks. / Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan GovernmentSeoul Metropolitan Government plans to introduce more appealing, catchier slogan to attract international tourists and foreign investment By Lee Hae-rinSince January this year, Seoul Metropolitan Government has been working on a new city slogan that will replace I.Seoul.U. The city government has set up a task force committee for the new slogan project and plans to unveil it no later than the year's end. The new slogan will go into use next year.According to its spokesperson, Wednesday, there has been a consensus among city government officials that the current brand I.Seoul.U is not appealing or competitive enough to draw the attention of international travelers and foreign investors, compared to those of other global cities such as New York or Amsterdam. I.Seoul.U has been the capital's slogan for years since being selected through a public contest in 2015.Seoul's city brand history began in 2

Jun 23, 2022By Lee Hae-rin

Korea, Japan to resume Gimpo-Haneda flight service next week

A Lufthansa aircraft from Frankfurt, background, taxies after landing at Haneda International Airport, outside Tokyo, June 10. Korea and Japan have agreed to reopen an air route between Seoul's Gimpo and Tokyo's Haneda airports. EPA-Yonhap Korea and Japan have agreed to reopen an air route between Seoul's Gimpo and Tokyo's Haneda airports after it was suspended for more than two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the transport ministry said Wednesday.The flight service between the two airports will resume next Wednesday eight times per week, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, and Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways will operate the route, the ministry said.The number of flights will increase in phases starting next month in consideration of demand and preparations by the airlines.In 2019, there was a total of 21 regular flights by the four airlines every week.Seoul and Tokyo had been in close consultati

Jun 22, 2022

Korea, Japan to resume Gimpo-Haneda flight service next week

Nation's longest walking trail opens along west coast

Yeonggeumjeong, located along Haeparang Trail Course 45 in Sokcho / Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization Korea's longest walking trail, stretching 1,800 kilometers along the west coast, opened to the public Wednesday, the culture ministry said.The Seohaerang Trail links an area near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) bisecting the two Koreas in Ganghwa of Incheon to Haenam on the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and its affiliated Korea Tourism Organization said in a release. The Seoparang Trail consists of 109 paths featuring beautiful scenery, including tidal flats, shore pines and rural villages.It is the third segment of the 4,500-km Korea Trail that stretches around the nation's entire coast and northern border towns after the 750-km Haeparang Trail opened along the east coast in 2016 and the 1,470-km Namparang Trail along the south coast in 2020. The ministry has been pushing for the project since 2016 to help revit

Jun 22, 2022

Nation's longest walking trail opens along west coast

Concerns grow over ill-prepared Cheong Wa Dae public opening

A crowd of visitors enters the main gate of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, May 10, during a celebratory event to mark the opening of the former presidential office and residence. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-sukBy Lee Hae-rinCheong Wa Dae's future as a cultural heritage site and historical landmark in Seoul remains uncertain with the absence of proper management to deal effectively with the swarms of visitors since its reopening. The former presidential office and residence has been open to the public since May 10 ― the first time in 74 years ― following President Yoon Suk-yeol's decision to return Cheong Wa Dae to the people and relocate the presidential office to the defense ministry building in Yongsan District.According to the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA), the number of visitors to the compound surpassed 777,000 during the first month of its public opening since May 10. The figure is as great as 71 percent of the annual visitors to the capital's most visited Gyeongbok Palace at 1.08 million, with a daily average of over 24,000 people visiting the historical site.Amid the huge

Jun 19, 2022By Lee Hae-rin

Concerns grow over ill-prepared Cheong Wa Dae public opening

Korean temple food reaches San Francisco

Ven. Seonjae of the Jogye Order explains the dishes and principle behind Korean Buddhist temple cuisine at the “Taste of Korea: Korean Temple Food” banquet held at the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center in the U.S., Wednesday (local time).By Park Han-solKorean temple food created from wild and seasonal vegetables in observance of Buddhist principles has come to be one of the faces of the country's traditional cuisine, reaching the other side of the Pacific Ocean, specifically to San Francisco, the United States this week. A series of banquets and lectures dedicated to Korean temple cuisine has been organized by the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism (CCKB) under the Jogye Order, the nation's largest Buddhist sect, from Monday to Thursday (local time), at the invitation of Korea's Consulate General in San Francisco.The events, catering to some 260 attendees in the San Francisco Bay Area, have been helmed by Ven. Seonjae, who has mastered the art of curative, plant-based temple cuisine over the course of four decades.The monk was named “Master of Kor

Jun 17, 2022By Park Han-sol

Korean temple food reaches San Francisco

Sports tourism finds thriving home base in Gangwon Province

People take surfing lessons in Yangyang, Gangwon Province, in this undated photo. Courtesy of the Korea Tourism OrganizationBy Lee Hae-rinThe Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) unveiled sports tourism programs in Gangwon Province for travelers who are seeking dynamic and active summer holidays, the organization said, Wednesday.The organization presents “sportscation” ― a portmanteau of “sports” and “vacation” ― programs, which combine the region's clean, natural environment and sports infrastructure. Gangwon Province is a mountainous region that shares the border with North Korea. It's well-known for its scenic beaches and coastlines across the East Sea. The region's sports infrastructure made it the host province of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Its scenery and sport-friendly characteristics make the region a perfect fit for a sportscations. These programs feature summer sports activities in beautiful natural environments, combined with environmentally friendly initiatives.The “Endless Summer” program offers surfing on Yangyang b

Jun 16, 2022By Lee Hae-rin

Sports tourism finds thriving home base in Gangwon Province

Busan's mountainous geography helped it become a cultural melting pot

Panoramic view of the port and the mountainous village of Ami-dong in Busan's Seo District, June 9. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rinRugged life in post-war Busan made residents hot tempered, loud speakersBy Lee Hae-rinBUSAN ― Son Min-soo, a native of Busan, points to the old section of the southern port city to emphasize the real face of his home town. His hand gestures toward Busan's Ami-dong in central Seo District.“Here. This is the most Busan-like scenery. I mean the mountainous villages and the ocean viewed from the hillside roads,” said Son, who is also a travel guide.“People often picture the oceans when they think of Busan. But actually, Busan is all about the mountains,” explained Son, based on his experience as a consultant for the city government's tourism policies. “Busan's very name has mountain ― 'san' a Chinese character ― in it.”Son Min-soo / Courtesy of Son Min-sooAs Son said, Busan, the country's largest harbor city in the southeastern part of the peninsula is one of the most popular travel destinations due to its beautiful beache