With the Lunar New Year just around the corner, top-rated hotels in Seoul are busy preparing a variety of gift items including beef sets, wine sets and hampers.The hotels’ gift items are indeed pricier than those of department stores. However, a little luxury in the quality of products and wrapping services makes a big difference, according to Julie Shim, a marketing manager in Seoul.Shim, 32, spe

Actress attributes her international success to global outlookWhile showing obvious pride for her ethnic heritage, internationally acclaimed Chinese-born actress Gong Li says acting is not a “local” job.“I think an actress should go anywhere in the world to perform,” Gong told reporters Monday at The Shilla Seoul, ahead of the Korean premiere of her Hollywood mystery thriller, “Shanghai.” “I think

Korea, Japan meet again ― this time a trip to the final is at stakeIn Asian soccer, there is no bigger game than South Korea versus Japan. It is a match that attracts the interest of fans around the world. The two rivals have been the leading teams on the continent for years and will get another chance to fight it out in Tuesday’s 2011 Asian Cup semifinal in Qatar. It will be the fourth time that

Lee, CEOs agree to cooperate for 5 percent growthThe nation’s 30 largest business groups unveiled plans to invest more than 110 trillion won ($98.2 billion) and create 100,000 new jobs this year during their meeting with President Lee Myung-bak on Monday.Leaders of Samsung, Hyundai Motor and other groups said they would increase their investment to 113.2 trillion won for 2011, which will mark an a

Programs for foreigners fall victim to council's anachronismThe spat between Seoul City government and city council is likely to ruin the administration’s efforts to promote local tourism, as many programs for foreigners have been downsized due to a budget shortage this year.The Seoul Metropolitan Government last week announced this year’s cultural experience programs for foreigners, under which i

Hiscot Co., a subsidiary of Korea’s largest liquor maker Hite-Jinro Group, offers a range of gift sets for the Feb. 3 Lunar New Year’s day, the firm said Monday.“This year’s New Year gift sets were prepared for consumers who look for practical gifts. A variety of quality gift sets will be offered at affordable prices for consumers to choose from,” Hiscot executive director Jang Byeong-seon said. T

KT&G Corp., Korea’s largest tobacco manufacturer, will roll out a repackaged version of its Esse Golden Leaf product at the end of January, the firm said Monday. The cigarette packaging was created in collaboration with Najeonchilgi master Park Jae-seong, the firm said. Najeonchilgi is a traditional mother of pearl craft where colorful pieces of shellfish are inlaid on an object and then applied w

An actor who confessed to smuggling in and using drugs was sentenced to two and a half years in jail by a Seoul court Monday. The prosecution had demanded four years.Kim Seong-min, 38, was arrested and indicted by prosecutors last month on charges of bringing in methamphetamines and marijuana from the Philippines on several occasions from April 2008 to August 2010 and consuming them at his residen

CAIRO (AFP) ― The dramatic events that led to the ousting of Tunisia’s president have been echoed across the Arab world, but analysts say it is too early to tell if a “domino effect” could soon topple any leaders in the region.From the sultanate of Oman to the Kingdom of Jordan, via Sudan and Egypt, the downfall of Tunisian strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has armed opposition groups and unions w