JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul was named the best-performer of the hospitality group’s more than 750 properties in the Asia-Pacific region, the hotel said Wednesday.  The global hotel chain recognized the Seoul hotel for its large increase in sales, number of visitors and efforts to adjust to the rapidly evolving trends of the hospitality industry, it explained. “This award further underscores our commitment to putting our customers first, and our efforts to become the lead

Christmas Eve party at InterContinental Seoul Coex InterContinental Seoul Coex is hosting a party on Christmas Eve with jazz performances and wine. Guests will be able to enjoy activities such as making Christmas wreaths, wine tasting and tarot reading from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.Afterward, a seven-course dinner will be offered with wine and a mellow jazz performance. It costs 180,000 won per guest to attend the party. The “Salon de Noel Room Package” includes an overnight stay for two p

Middle Eastern countries often face negative stereotypes among Koreans. But Seoul Museum of Art’s “Gohyang: Home” offers a closer look at nations in the region, beyond the stereotypes shaped and fueled by negative press.The exhibition consists of works of art that address social, political and historical issues, such as the history of the Crusades, the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel, the war in Afghanistan, myths of Arab nations and the lives of ordinary people,

Little Prince Starlight Festival of Petite France The sixth Little Prince Starlight Festival of Petite France will be held throughout the Petite France Park in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, until Feb. 29. The annual festival is inspired by the southern French town of Montpellier. In addition to lighting decorations at night, one highlight is the 30-meter-long light tunnel installed next to a round structure modeled after asteroid B 612, home of the Little Prince from Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Kensington Hotel and Resort has added new types of “character kids rooms” to its Chungju and Gyeongju resort branches in order to appeal to families with young children. The “wizard’s room” at the branch in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, is furnished with various props like a sorcerer’s robe and tools, and its wallpaper bears illustrations of bookshelves, brick walls and magical books. Cocomong Kidsrooms in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, use the an

An exhibit is underway at an outdoor space near retired thermal power plants in Mapo-gu, Seoul, which await to be transformed into a cultural complex. The event, titled “Kraftwerk 2019: Homo Symbious,” features sculptural works that address ecological and environmental issues. Forty-four local artists are participating in the exhibition, showing works made of a wide range of materials, including wood, stone, earth, iron, copper, stainless steel, synthetic resins, fiber reinforced pla

Dr. Kim Jong-hwan, a South Korean plastic surgeon who has devoted 26 years to developing facial rejuvenation procedures, says he has made the search for beauty his life’s mission.Dr. Kim is founder and president of Gold Happy Mirae Aesthetic Clinic, located in Gangnam, southern Seoul.“I was an orthopedic surgeon, but I abandoned the field because personally, I felt there was no ‘beauty’ there,” he said. Dr. Kim, a graduate of Korea University College of Medicine, sa

Plastic surgeon Dr. Kim Jong-hwan, who specializes in facial rejuvenation, says anti-aging is fundamentally about defying gravity.“First thing one must understand about anti-aging procedures that I pursue is that they are about making you actually younger, rather than making you ‘look’ younger,” he said. Kim emphasized that plastic surgeons “should not focus merely on making patients temporarily ‘look younger,’” but instead seek to revitalize the s

The mountain just behind the presidential compound will be fully opened to the public in stages before mid-2022, more than a half century after it became off-limits to the public for security reasons, Cheong Wa Dae said Tuesday. It means citizens will be able to walk across the 1.1 million-square-meter Mount Bukak, 4.8 times bigger than Yeouido in western Seoul.The region had been off limits to the public since the so-called Jan. 21 incident in 1968. At the time, 31 North Korean commandos sneake

South Korea adjusted its travel advisory for 18 countries on Tuesday to reflect the latest developments that may affect travelers, the foreign ministry said. The special travel advisory currently placed on Caracas and some other parts of Venezuela has been updated, with high “red”alerts being issued, meaning people should refrain from traveling and should seriously consider leaving the Latin American nation. Venezuela has been plagued by violent riots and anti-government demonstratio

National Museum puts together archeological findings since ’90s for better understanding of era

What is the relevance of a women’s college today? “The world is still a place where males have tremendous privileges. Smith is an intervention,” said Kathleen McCartney, president of Smith College, a private women’s liberal arts college in Massachusetts, in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Nov. 22.“What I hear from alumnae is that they found their voice at Smith,” said McCartney, who was in Seoul as part of an Asian tour, meeting with alumnae and

Suwon IPark Museum of Art is holding a solo exhibition dedicated to Gary Hill, a US-based artist considered one of the pioneers of video art, titled “Gary Hill: Momentombs.” The exhibition in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, features 24 works from the 1970s to date.Hill gained recognition in the art scene in the 1970s and 1980s, when he began to produce video installations that incorporated sound and text. The artist, who often explores issues connected with the physicality of language, the

Rhii Jew-yo was announced the winner of the Korea Artist Prize 2019 Thursday evening. Rhii was one of four finalists for the prize, organized by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. The others included Kim A-young, Park Hye-soo and Hong Young-in.  Rhii won for her work “Love Your Depot,” a storage system that consists of a broadcasting station, media lab, and a five-story tower.Rhii’s work is an alternative art storage space conceived after the artist

Little Prince Starlight Festival of Petite FranceThe sixth Little Prince Starlight Festival of Petite France will be held throughout the Petite France Park in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, from Dec. 1 to Feb. 29. The annual festival is inspired by the southern French town of Montpellier. In addition to lighting decorations at night, one highlight is the 30-meter-long light tunnel installed next to a round structure modeled after asteroid B 612, home of the Little Prince from Antoine de Saint-Exup