If Italy has gelato and France has sorbet, Korea has bingsu. It is a national dessert made of shaved ice, milk and condensed milk, and often topped with sweetened red beans or fruits. It is a dish beloved across generations, chilling their taste buds and slaking their thirst in the thick of summer. After a meal, Koreans like to go to a bingsu store to dive into a bowl of shaved ice, usually with friends or family. While the original “patbingsu” is made of ice, milk and red beans, more varieties

Cultural Night Walk in Jeonju“Cultural Night Walk in Jeonju,” a program selected by the Cultural Heritage Administration in a competition, offers visitors the chance to walk through hundreds of traditional Korean houses in Jeonju Hanok Village under the moonlight.Its highlights include a moonlight photography competition, a traditional music night, Jeonju traditional opera, a shadow orchestra and night views of Jeonju.The event is being held until Sept.13. For more information, visit www.jeonju-

Conductor Chung Myung-whun shakes hands with Italian Ambassador to Korea Marco della Seta after receiving the Order of the Star of Italy at a ceremony held at the ambassador's residence in Seoul on Thursday. The order is conferred by the president of Italy in recognition of a person's contributions to promoting friendly ties between Italy and other countries. (Yonhap)

Jisoo, Jenie, Rose and Lisa of Black Pink put aside their usual heavy makeup and showed off a more natural look in a photo shoot for the magazine “High Cut.”In an interview, the four members talked about their ongoing activities related to the recently released EP “As If It’s Your Last.” (YG Entertainment) (YG Entertainment) (YG Entertainment)“Our concept has always been ‘charisma,’ or ‘girl crush,’ but this time it’s more ‘girly,’” said Jisoo.Jennie attributed the group’s success to fans, who s

With the internet abuzz over the newly revealed couple of Song Hye-kyo and Song Joong-ki, fans are focusing on other star couples who met on drama sets and ended up tying the knot.The most recent case was the wedding of actors Lee Sang-woo and Kim So-yeon. The couple met while starring in the TV drama “Happy Home” last year and admitted that they are in a romantic relationship a month after it ended. Lee and Kim walked down the aisle on June 9 in a private ceremony in Seoul.Song Joong-ki(left) a

South Korea kicked off a weeklong event in Tehran on Monday, promoting Korea’s traditional culture, in commemoration of the two countries’ millenniumlong relationship built along the Silk Road.This year has been the designated the year of South Korea-Iran cultural exchange, to mark the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. However, cultural exchanges between Seoul and Tehran go back much farther, back to the time of the Silla Kingdom and the Persian Empire.  National Orc

Apink’s Yoon Bo-mi has been tapped as a new model for the cosmetics brand Forencos. Her agency Plan A Entertainment said that Yoon had shot images to promote products by the brand, whose slogan is “cross the boundary.”  Yoon Bo-mi (Plan A Entertainment) Yoon Bo-mi (Plan A Entertainment)“We’ve selected Yoon Bo-mi as our new ‘muse,’ as her image is not confined to just the standardized beauty but can cover a wide range of images from innocence to proudly arrogant,” an official of Frencos was quote

A slew of controversies surrounding the English translation of Han Kang’s award-winning "The Vegetarian" have started numerous conversations about accuracy and readability. Even if there were some mistranslations, they should not offend the masses, a literary critic said."The Vegetarian," winner of the 2016 Man Booker International Prize with translation by British translator Deborah Smith."The Vegetarian" tells the story of a woman who decides to become a vegetarian after waking up from a blood

The opening ceremony of the 2017 World Culture Camp -- held with 4,000 domestic and foreign youths and public figures -- was held Sunday at a special stage on Haeundae beach in Busan.About 40,000 people attended the ceremony for the event, which marks its 20th anniversary and will be from July 2-13. The annual event is hosted each July by the International Youth Fellowship.  The opening ceremony for the 2017 World Culture Camp is held in Busan on Sunday. (IYF)Busan Mayor Seo Byeong-su and other

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Cultural Night Walk in Jeonju“Cultural Night Walk in Jeonju,” a program selected by the Cultural Heritage Administration in a competition offers visitors the chance to walk through hundreds of hanok in the Jeonju Hanok Village under the moonlight.Programs include a moonlight photography competition, traditional music night, Jeonju traditional opera, shadow orchestra and night views of Jeonju.The event is held until Sept.13. For more information, visit www.jeonju-night.kr for information in Korea

Summer package at Westin Chosun Seoul The Westin Chosun Seoul offers the Urban Oasis accommodation package until Aug. 31. The package features accommodation in the deluxe, executive and junior suites, with prices ranging from 230,000 won to 520,000 won. The executive room package offers access to the executive lounge on the 20th floor for breakfast, snacks and cocktails, as well as the sauna. The junior suite package offers breakfast at the executive lounge or Aria Buffet Restaurant. Various cos

Tonkatsu is a panko breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet. Like the curry rice I posted last time, tonkatsu (called donkkaseu in Korea) is another dish that made its way into Korea by way of Japan and became widely popular. The Japanese adapted their version from the West. Pork loin chops are the best cut for tonkatsu. In the markets, you can find pork cutlets that are specifically prepared for tonkatsu with slits all over on the meat. The slits help tenderize the meat and keep it nice and flat when f