Fed up with hectic city life, but cannot spare more than a day off work? Put on a holiday outfit and head to Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province. If a timely break in peaceful traditional sites is what you need, this is a perfect place to cool off in the spring breeze. Hikers who initially come for Mount Naejang soon discover that this beautiful city, about 230 kilometers south of Seoul, has much more to offer. Naejang TempleFounded in 660 A.D. under the name Yeongeun Temple, Naejang Temple has a 1,

Also known for long life expectancy of residentsSunchang, North Jeolla Province, is known for its excellent gochujang, or hot pepper paste. As households increasingly purchase ready-made gochujang rather than make their own at home, Sunchang has become synonymous with gochujang, with many gochujang brands using the name Sunchang on their products.At Sunchang Traditional Gochujang Folk Village, gochujang artisans who use the traditional methods of making the highest quality hot pepper paste conti

Walk around green barley field and take a break at a beautiful templeIt’s spring. Flowers are blooming and the weather is warming up. Itching to get of out of town? How about walking around a vast green field or enjoying a quiet stroll at a beautiful temple.Gochang, North Jeolla Province, located some 290 kilometers south of Seoul, is a perfect place for a spring outing.  Green Barley Field FestThe annual Green Barley Field Festival at Hagwon Farm this year is scheduled from April 21-May 23, off

A new JW Marriott Hotel, a luxury hotel chain from Marriott International, is coming to the Dongdaemun area by 2013, becoming the first Marriott hotel in the northern part of Seoul. “Dongdaemun is a neat area to be in and since the city is growing that way, we are positioned perfectly as it continues to expand,” Craig Smith, chief operating officer of Marriott International’s Asia Pacific operation, told The Korea Herald in a recent interview. He was in Seoul last week to check on the Korean mar

Top actor Lee Byung-hun and actress Lee Min-jeong both denied reports that they are dating, despite many witnesses. They are close but are not in a romantic relationship, their agencies said soon after local media reported on Monday that the two have been seeing each other since earlier this year. An acquaintance of Lee Byung-hun, however, told The Korea Herald that Lee recently visited her home and mentioned the actress as his current girlfriend when asked about his private life. He seemed to b

People with blood type A may be susceptible to certain strains of rotavirus infections, Science Daily reported Sunday.Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas have found that strains of the virus seem to find their way into human cells by recognizing antigens found in blood type A. Rotavirus is most common cause of severe dehydration and diarrhea in infants, from which about half a million people die every year.The strains of the virus known as P14 and P9 were observed to bind

Foodies and history buffs remembered the Titanic this weekend at a Houston restaurant that recreated the last meal served to the ship's first-class passengers.Maitre de Ryan Roberts leads guests in a moment of silence for the 1514 people who died when the RMS Titanic sank during a re-creation of the final first class dinner served on the ship, Saturday. (AP-Yonhap News)The Cullen's Titanic Experie

Shariq Saeed carries an unconventional status symbol with him everywhere he goes: a calloused indentation on his forehead. The weathered bump, called a zabiba, was caused by friction between his head and a prayer mat.Muslims are instructed to pray five times a day, and a zabiba is generally viewed as a sign of piety and devotion caused by deep, repeated bows.Saeed is a nine-year resident of Seoul from Pafkistan, and a practicing Muslim. The scar tissue on his forehead is evidence of dedication t

Park Eun-mi has been watching TV almost all day for months. As a television programmer, she is among those responsible for sifting through scores of submissions to create a list of candidates for the Seoul International Drama Awards.Now in its seventh year, the awards ceremony recognizing the best in television dramas will be held in August in South Korea, a country increasingly known worldwide for producing top-notch programming.“It is our way of giving back,” said Min Young-dong, last year’s p

Culture Minister Choe Kwang-shik named former Vice Culture Minister Mo Cheol-min as the new president of the state-run Seoul Arts Center on Friday, officials said.Mo, now professor emeritus at the Business School of Donga University in Busan, is replacing outgoing president Kim Jang-sil, also a former vice culture minister, who became a Saenuri Party proportional representative last week.The term of the SAC president is three years.“With his experience in cultural exchanges and administration, (

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Wills and Kate were just the warm up for the true wedding of the century.After years of cohabitation, six kids and countless tabloid headlines, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie made it official: They plan to make it official.If you thought the media circus involving the world’s most glamorous couple was on overdrive before, just wait. Now that Brangelina are officially engaged, expect endless speculation about where and when they’ll wed, what they’ll wear, what their kids’ roles w

Red wine, believed to protect the body from heart disease and cancer, may also help the body lose weight, U.S. researchers suggest. (MCT)Dr. Kee-Hong Kim of Purdue University in Indiana said the substance piceatannol -- a metabolite of resveratrol -- delayed the generation of young fat cells and prevented them from growing into mature fat cells, the Daily Telegraph reported. The study published in

Traditional accommodation offer rare experience in urban SeoulTucked away in a corner of the artsy district of Samcheong-dong, central Seoul, guesthouse Soriwool is a rare place to be.Located near Gyeongbokgung, the main Joseon palace, the hanok guesthouse offers a unique “gugak” ― traditional Korean music ― experience, on top of its serene traditional architecture. Whether you are a Seoulite who is used to the city where apartment complexes dominate the landscape, or a tourist visiting Korea f