Exhibition sheds light on now-shut Kaesong industrial park

Rubber sole invasion signifies paradigm shifts in fashion, lifestyle and industry, experts say

Luxury meets street fashion in sneakers as designers create something unexpected via collaboration

Ever imagined a glass of whiskey mixed with soybean paste and tofu? While the combination may surprise many, the drink won the top prize at a local bartending competition. Leo Seo, also known as Seo Jeong-hyun, the 28-year-old head bartender at The Griffin in JW Mariott Dongdaemun Square Seoul, concocted the highly unusual cocktail and topped the local 2018 Jameson Bartender’s Ball held last month. In the global edition of the competition, he took fourth place.  Bartender Leo Seo (Park Hyun-koo

When you think of Paju, a city in Gyeonggi Province northwest of Seoul, the first thing that comes to mind is its vicinity to the de facto border with North Korea. Driving along Jayuro toward Paju on a good day, you can even get a glimpse of the northern side. Paju, through which the Imjin River flows into the Han River, was loved by ancient sages. As if to live up to its heritage, the city has developed into a cultural site for visitors in recent decades. At the heart of the city’s culture are

Boryeong Mud Festival, a “feast of mud,” is set to open Friday at Daecheon beach in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province.The festival is an extravaganza of mud, first held in 1988 to promote mud-based organic cosmetics. Similar to Spain’s iconic tomato-throwing Tomatina festival, the mud festival has settled in Korea as one of its most representative summer events. Since 2009, the mud festival has been exported to China, England, Spain and New Zealand.This year’s festival runs to July 22, offeri

People with a sweet tooth can rejoice as the 17th Seoul Dessert Fair returns this weekend.This year’s fair will run from Saturday to Sunday at the Setec Exhibition Hall in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The closest subway stop is Hangnyeoul Station on Line No. 3.With watermelon as the main theme of the event, the organizers will set up a zone dedicated to a variety of watermelon-inspired desserts and fusion snacks.  (Seoul Dessert Fair)In addition, there will be homemade pastries, goods such as handcrafted

Sunglasses, a summer accessory that protects our eyes from intense ultraviolet rays, have a limited lifespan. The good news is, with due care, this could be extended.As the surface of sunglasses is heated or scratched, the lens’ ability to block UV rays weaken. The worst thing to do to a pair of sunglasses is leave them inside a car on a hot summer day.If unsure of how well your sunglasses protect the eyes, visit the closest optical store for a check-up. Optical stores have gears to measure a su

‘Instatoon’ emerging as popular online comic genre with a collection of up to 10 pictures

Over time, coffee has become a universal, and quick, antidote to morning sleepiness. In Korea, roughly 265 million cups of coffee, or some 500 cups per person, were consumed in 2017, according to Korea Customs Service. While coffee may be an effective solution to jolt a person awake, health experts say it may not be the best drink to go for the first thing in the morning. (FreeQration)In the first one to two hours after a person wakes from sleep, cortisol, a stress hormone, is secreted in large

Classes, subscription services take blooms beyond special occasions

The Korean government on Tuesday said it has shut down 12 illegal websites related to cartoons and other media content, and announced plans to continue its watch over such activities for the next two to three years.The pangovernmental task force announced the results of a crackdown that commenced in May, and which monitored foreign-based illegal websites that allowed users to share content without regard of the copyrights. Officials from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Korea Com

A concert next month will offer local classical music enthusiasts a rare opportunity to listen to ensembles performed by several internationally acclaimed musicians in one place on a single day.A total of 10 teams of 15 artists will perform as ensembles on Aug. 15 at the Lotte Concert Hall. The 15 featured soloists include pianists Kim Sun-wook, Sunwoo Ye-kwon, Lim Dong-hyek, cellists Mun Tae-guk and Isang Enders, violinists Kim Suyoen, Kim Bom-sori and Soprano Hwang Su-mi. Seven artists from No

The sixth Water Gun Festival in Sinchon, Seoul, brought some much needed relief to the scorching summer heat on Saturday.On the first day of the two-day fiesta, the main street that rolls down from Sinchon subway station to the front gate of Yonsei University was crammed with people of all nationalities and ages, armed with water guns and raincoats.Several were dressed up as DC and Marvel’s super heroes, including the intergalactic villain Thanos of the latest Avengers movie. The festival runs u

During a sudden downpour in Seoul on Monday evening, Euljiro turned into a ghost town surrounded by a modern megapolis. Located south of the Cheonggyecheon in central Seoul, most of the shops and restaurants in Euljiro closed their business after a busy day dealing with customers visiting electric shops and publishing companies. But at the end of the dark alley, a light still glimmered. Under the roofs decorated with small flags of different nations, crowds of people sat in bright red plastic ch