The online accommodation information service Airbnb announced its official service launch in Korea on Tuesday, as part of its expansion plan in Northeast Asia. The peer-to-peer service matches spare rooms at homes of local residents and tourists looking for accommodation. The business model has received much attention as an example of the “sharing economy.” At the press conference held on the day, cofounder and chief product officer Joe Gebbia said Korea was growing faster than any other Asian m

Light mist cloaked the ancient hills in Upper Normandy, and from somewhere within this tapestry of seaside cliffs and pastures of flowers, I expected a fire-breathing dragon or a white-haired wizard muttering ancient incantations would come bounding out of the forest at any moment.Upper Normandy, in the northwest corner of France, is just the place that would summon a dragon or wizard or two with its castles, monasteries, moats, and stone fences. But it also summons spirits, the kind you find in

Korean restaurant Mugungwha invites French chef Eric Trochon, the executive chef at restaurant Semilla, Paris and winner of the MOF (Meileur Ouvrier de France), to present a special Valentine’s Day menu. The chef will feature his unique version of Korean plates titled “Reinterpretation of Korean Cuisine” for two days, Feb 14-15. The Valentine’s Day specialties are priced at 300,000 won for lunch and 500,000 won for dinner (tax and service charge included). The prices are for two adults and two c

The hotel’s restaurant, Restaurant 8, is introducing a Valentine’s Day special menu. The hotel’s executive chef Mitele Sbardellini will present six courses in Verona style. The first course starts with rainbow trout carpaccio, to be followed by celeriac soup with sea scallop, herb oil and caviar. The third course, Gnocchi Rosa will be served as a pasta course followed by roasted duck breast as the main dish. For dessert, guests can enjoy passion fruit mousse with soft almond meringue and raspber

The hotel offers the “INFINITY by Conrad ― BEYOND LIMITS” package. The package includes pick-up service by a stretch limo, overnight accommodation, 120-minute spa treatment in a private room, and an exclusive dinner for two at 37 Grill. The set menu includes champagne, yellow kingfish, lobster, halibut and wagyu strip loin along with desserts. Guests will receive special room service that includes a personal eye mask, bath master service, champagne, a gift set and flowers by Armani. A relaxed br

The hotel is offering three special packages “Luck,” “Love,” and “Joy” from Feb. 8-12. The “Luck” package is priced at 130,000 won for one night at the hotel’s newly renovated deluxe room. The “Love” package includes movie tickets, pizza and Coke, and will be offered for 170,000 won. The “Joy” package offers a spacious room for three guests for 170,000 won. Guests booking any of the three packages can enjoy complimentary use of the fitness center and a 50 percent discount on the sauna. To celebr

The hotel’s international buffet restaurant, Orangerie is having a Sri Lankan food promotion during the month of February. For the first two weeks of the event, Sri Lankan guest chef from Colombo Hilton, Chef Premathilaka, will offer favorite Sri Lankan dishes with a fresh Sri Lankan rotti station, chicken stew with mustard and onions, oriental-style baked fish with green chili and more. The lunch buffet is 64,000 won for adults and 38,400 won for children aged 12 and under. The dinner buffet is

Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner in the U.S. I am not a football fan, but I enjoy hosting a small party. It’s always fun to get together with family and friends to watch the big game, as we cheer for our favorite team. This time, it will be the Baltimore Ravens for my family. Besides the geographic proximity to the Washington D.C. area, where we live, it’s the city where we began our immigrant lives a long time ago. It’s also the city where my son was born. For some of our friends, t

Classic cooking techniques applied to raw cuisine

Korean TV stars on Thursday gathered for a dinner welcoming Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi at the Westin Chosun Hotel in downtown Seoul. Actors Ahn Jae-wook and Song Il-gook as well as actresses Lee Young-ae, Chae Jung-an and Kim Hyo-jin, were among the guests who were invited by the Nobel Peace Prize winner, who is visiting Korea for the 10th Special Olympics World Winter Games held in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province. Ahn was the first to arrive, followed by Lee attired in a gray dres

In older adults, memories may get stuck in part of the brain due to the poor quality of sleep and are then overwritten by new memories, U.S. researchers say. Senior author sleep researcher Matthew Walker of the University of California, Berkeley, said the slow brain waves generated during the deep restorative sleep play a key role in transporting memories from the part of the brain which provides short-term storage for memories to the part of the brain that stores long-term memories. However, in

There is an expression “worried sick.” Although it is just a saying for most people, for others it is quite real. Those who worry about having a major illness regardless of being healthy, those who worry about dying any minute from sudden anxiety, those who don’t appear in front of the public in case they make mistakes, and those who continuously worry about everything that happens in their daily lives, can all suffer from anxiety along with somatization that cannot be explained by physical fact