An annual lantern festival will light up the Seoul city center this week with mulberry paper lanterns in the shape of widely loved fairy-tale characters, the city government said Thursday. The 2019 Seoul Lantern Festival will kick off on Friday for a 17-day run over the Cheonggye Stream that runs through the city center, according to the city.Twenty-three mulberry paper lanterns representing well-known Korean and world fairy-tale characters, including the Little Prince, Aladdin and Alice from &q

It’s unusual: tall silver grass covering the burial site of a king. Geonwolleng, the royal tomb of the founding King Taejo of the Joseon era (reign 1382-1398), is probably the only place in the world where one can take a glimpse into the past and enjoy the spectacular sight of silver grass waving in the autumn wind at the same time.It was his last wish, according to historians, that King Taejo wanted to have his tomb covered by silver glass brought from his home town Hamheung, now a part o

In country best known for meat dishes, fish and seafood the unexpected stars

Italian beer night at Park Hyatt SeoulPark Hyatt Seoul’s Italian restaurant Cornerstone presents the Italian Craft Beer Flights promotion, featuring three varieties of beer from craft beer brewery Barley.On offer are Barley’s signature beers Friska, Macca Meda and Tuvi Tuvi, made from a unique blend of fruits and herbs. Served with a selection of four pairing dishes -- sausage with grilled vegetables, potato fries with truffle oil and assorted Italian antipasti, grilled chicken and p

With a warmer winter forecast, fleece jackets, short puffers are to rule street fashion

Chrysanthemum Exhibition of the Garden of Morning CalmVisitors to the chrysanthemum festival can enjoy the blazing fall foliage of nearby Chungnyeongsan and the golden waves created by the pine trees, as well as the myriad fully bloomed chrysanthemums covering just about every corner of the 330,000-square-meter outdoor garden. The festival runs through Nov. 24 and is open to visitors of all ages.For more information in Korean, English, Japanese or Chinese, visit http://www.morningcalm.co.kr.Seou

Athleisure is booming, as brands explore the possibility of activewear as daily fashion

Hit musical’s associate producer Keith Batten talks about 14 years working with local production

A South Korean lawmaker has proposed a revised bill aimed at promoting positive online messages and countering cyberbullying through education programs in schools and workplaces. Rep. Kim Su-min of the minor opposition Bareunmirae Party said she has drafted a proposal to amend the Framework Act on National Informatization in a way that would introduce “sunfull” (referring to positive comments) education programs at a press conference held at the National Assembly on Tuesday. “T

Park Chan-kyong’s solo exhibition “Gathering” is an exhibition that explores what art museums can become in the contemporary world with constant man-made disasters.On Saturday, the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art kicked off a solo exhibition of Park, who has been selected as sixth artist of the MMCA Hyundai Motor Series, a 10-year series of solo exhibitions featuring prominent Korean artists, sponsored by Hyundai Motor. “What art language can be possible af

Inspired by Annie Oakley, designer Yoon brings Wild West looks to London runway

Among Korean men dressed in white traditional garments and women covered with pale green cloak-shaped headgear, Japanese walk in geta, traditional Japanese wooden sandals. Brand new Japanese and German-style houses stand out amid aged Korean homes. These were what Hungarian doctor Dezso Bozoky photographed in 1908 when Korea was undergoing modernization under pressure from Japan, just two years before the country was formally annexed by Japan. As a medical officer, Dezso Bozoky traveled around E

Bestselling Swedish novelist Jonas Jonasson visited South Korea upon the release of his latest novel, “The Accidental Further Adventures of the 100-Year-Old Man,” a sequel to his bestseller “The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared.” Jonasson’s first story about 100-year-old Allan Karlson sold more than 10 million copies around the world and was made into a film. Though the sequel came out in English in July 2018, it took more than a year f

MONTREUX, Switzerland -- Swiss Education Group held its 22nd International Recruitment Forum from Oct. 21-22, inviting 56 hotel businesses from around the world and students from five hospitality schools under the group -- Cesar Ritz Colleges, Swiss Hotel Management School, Hotel Institute Montreux, IHTTI School Of Hotel Management and Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland. SEG students are required to finish two internships to graduate, and the IRF forum -- held twice a year -- is an opportuni

“News in brief from New York” was a small book party in which outgoing Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Cho Tae-yul read a poem from “Shedding of the Petals,” the first book of poetry by his father Cho Ji-hoon in English, published here in New York last month. A famous poet in the 1940s-60s, Cho passed away in the late 1960s. I knew both well. I read the senior Cho’s poems during my high school and college days. I met the junior Cho when he started his diplom