KTO lists mid-price  hotels around country An affordable hotel room with a good view and prompt service is a must for many a traveler. “Benikea,” an abbreviation of “Best Night in Korea,” is a list of Korea Tourism Organization-affiliated hotels with branches in Seoul, Busan, the southern provinces of Jeolla and Gyeongsang, Jeju Island and more.KTO introduced the budget hotel brand with the goal of linking independent travelers with reasonably priced hotels run by small and mid-tier companies he

SAVANNAH, Georgia (AP) ― Jason Shaw says his first fall harvest yielded fruit for no more than 500 bottles, just enough to sell at select tastings and to share with restaurant chefs in hopes of priming their palates for more.Friends suggested Shaw sell his limited batch for $100 a bottle, like a fine wine. After all, it’s been more than a century since anyone could buy olive oil from Georgia. It’s a farm commodity that sounds downright foreign in a state known for peaches and peanuts, and that s

MINNEAPOLIS ― When Jacquie Berglund sees a problem, she pours beer on it. Berglund sells her beer brand, Finnegans, to bars and liquor stores throughout Minnesota, with 100 percent of the profits going to food shelves located in the sellers’ towns or neighborhoods. The extra foam on top: Some of the money is used to buy fresh produce ― the healthy, more expensive stuff most food shelves don’t get enough of ― from local farmers.“Talk about a win-win-win-win!” Berglund says, beaming as brightly as

Every Christmas Eve my grandma would open her gifts ever-so-carefully, making sure not to rip the wrapping paper. It took foooorrreevvverr as she diligently folded every piece into a neat pile to use the next year. We all thought she was crazy. Turns out she was on to something.Americans generate 25 percent more garbage than average ― an extra 1 million tons a week ― during the holidays, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Most of that waste is gift wrap and bags. In fact, the amou

NEW YORK (AP) ― Oscar de la Renta takes longer to create that small, fits-in-your-hand bottle of perfume than one of his elaborate embellished ballgowns. It’s just the nature of the business.The process is similar, starting with an inspiration that comes from the gut, quality materials and fine workmanship, but de la Renta says he’ll continue tinkering with a perfume until he’s fully satisfied. There would be no point in rushing when he has the luxury of time, he explains.While de la Renta takes

Obesity-related illnesses, such as diabetes and strokes, may cost South Korea up to 3.4 trillion won (US$2.97 billion) in various social costs this year, nearly double the amount from 2005, a report said Monday.According to the report by a research team from the country's Inje University, social cos

Korean ballerina Kang Sue-jin, the principal dancer of Germany’s Stuttgart ballet, was named juror for the 40th Prix de Lausanne, organizers said. Created in 1973, the international ballet competition is for dancers aged 13-18 of all nationalities who are not yet professionals. It is one of the world’s five biggest ballet concours. Prix de Lausanne put Kang herself in the spotlight of the ballet world when she won the top prize in 1985. She also served as a juror of the competition in 2006. Kang

Grammy award-winner and UNESCO Artist for Peace Jo Sumi will perform for some 500 VIP guests at the Reach Out To Asia gala dinner in Qatar on Monday. The Korean soprano was to be accompanied by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, designers Pierre Cardin and Donna Karan, singers Cher and Bryan Adams in the 4th ROTA event, which also features a charity auction to help children and teenagers.  Jo was to perform with UAE singer Hussein Al Jassmi.ROTA is a Qatari-based non-profit organization that em

NEW YORK (AP) ― Comic book industry pioneer Jerry Robinson, who helped create Batman sidekick Robin the Boy Wonder and their arch-nemesis The Joker, has died at age 89.An editor and friend, Charles Kochman, said Robinson was different from most artists in the field because he worked on every kind of comic genre, from political cartoons to theater illustrations.“Jerry brought a realism to comics ― and a sense of humor,’’ said Kochman, his editor at Abrams Comic Arts, which last year published a b

Meal boxes delivered to your door another diet trend for healthy eatersSeoul arguably is the best place for anyone who either can’t or won’t cook. Almost any food of any kind can be delivered right to your door, from 9 a.m. to 5 a.m. the next day. Fried chicken and cans of beer are the classic late-night snack to order in, while Chinese ― “jajangmyeon” (black soybean noodles) and “tangsuyuk” (sweet and sour pork) ― has always been popular among other delivery foods in Korea. Yet it’s also hard t