Longtime resident Michael Breen looks at how the country’s citizens have changed over the decades in ‘The New Koreans’

Seoul Fashion Week fall-winter 2017 comes to an end today after six fashion-filled days and nights.Celebrated for its wealth of young talent and their vibrant energy, Seoul Fashion Week is also remarkable for the colorful scenes that unfold outside Dongdaemun Design Plaza, the main fashion week venue. Hordes of young fashionistas strut down the long walkways outside the DDP as if on a real runway and strike poses in front of the cool metallic panels of the iconic Zaha Hadid building for anyone a

Jeju Cherry Blossom Festival Jeju Cherry Blossom Festival will be held in the area of Jeonnong-ro and the entrance of Jeju National University. The peak of the King Cherry Tree blossoms lasts for only two to three days, but the beautiful blossoms can be seen for weeks, until April 9.There are no admission fees. For more information, call the travel hotline at 1330 for Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese services, or visit www.visitjeju.net for information provided in Korean, English, Japanese

To pursue what one believes in or to compromise is a question that ails nearly every soul, but this question can be even more pressing for someone walking down the path of art.Such a dilemma is what Howard Roark -- protagonist of novel-turned-play “The Fountainhead” -- confronts as the young architect refusing to compromise his artistic and personal vision for worldly success.According to Ivo van Hove, director of the acclaimed drama, this theme was the main motivation in producing a theatrical

To woo more Muslim tourists, the Korean government is planning to expand the number of Muslim-friendly restaurants here. Korea Tourism Organization announced that it will expand the number of such restaurants from 135 to 170 to help reach its goal of hosting 1.2 million Muslim tourists this year. It started receiving applications from local restaurants Monday and will continue to do so until April 28.Muslim tourists from Indonesia pose in front of the National Folk Museum of Korea in Seoul in th

The new season of “Saturday Night Live Korea” launched Saturday with the tvN comedy show poking fun at the political situation involving ex-President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil.The return of blatant satire to the show -- which at one point had resorted to relying mostly on sexual innuendo -- is a reminder that the Park administration’s controlling hand over pop culture is no more.In one sketch on Saturday, actor Kim Min-kyo dressed up as the imprisoned Choi. His character was

TOKYO, (AFP) -- If gender bending fashion is suddenly all the rage in the West, think Pharrell Williams promoting Chanel’s new unisex handbag, then nowhere has the look excelled more than in Tokyo.Japan, for decades a pioneer of the androgynous look in the style of Comme des Garcons, Yohji Yamamoto and Kenzo, is spawning young designers blurring the lines expertly between masculine and feminine.Genderless-looking boys are gaining traction in fashion circles and on the streets of Tokyo -- gay but

Nation lags rivals despite its high level of traditional education

WARSAW (AP) -- A major World War II museum opened in northern Poland on Thursday amid plans by the conservative government to change its content to fit the government’s nationalist views.The Museum of the World War II in Gdansk is at the center of a standoff between the historians creating it and Poland’s populist government, which is seeking a court order to have it closed and then wants to reshape its current multi-national focus.The museum was initiated in 2008 by then-Prime Minister Donald T

New general manager at Novotel Ambassador Gangnam Novotel Ambassador Seoul Gangnam has appointed Vincent Lelay as its new general manager, drawing on his Asia-focused expertise to better serve its clients. Lelay was the cluster general manager of The Singapore Resort & Spa Sentosa and Sofitel So Singapore. The France-born manager held senior management roles including Vice President of Hotel Operations for Greater China where he supervised and operated more than 40 projects from development to o

MONTREUX -- As travel becomes cheaper and more personalized with the advent of online lodging services like Airbnb, feedback sites like TripAdvisor, and itinerary planners like Google Trip, the notion of “hospitality” is changing.Some say the emerging services have led to a decline in the hotel business. The leaders of Swiss Education Group, however, argue that the field of hospitality -- a sector which incorporates hotel management, fine dining, concierge services and luxury branding -- has exp

This Chinese-style stir-fried chicken with baby bok choy (cheonggyeongchae) is quick and easy to put together, making it perfect for a weeknight meal.First, coat the bite sized chicken with cornstarch and egg white. This keeps the chicken moist and tender, and gives it a nice sheen. Then, the chicken is quickly pan-fried before the actual stir-frying happens with the sauce and vegetables. The sauce is light yet rich in flavor. I used good quality chicken broth as a sauce base, but water is fine

Jeju Cherry Blossom Festival Jeju Cherry Blossom Festival will be held in the area of Jeonnong-ro and the entrance of Jeju National University. The peak of the King Cherry Tree blossoms lasts for only 2 to 3 days, but the beautiful blossoms can be seen for weeks, from March 31 and continue until April 9.There are no admission fees or age limit.For more information, call the travel hotline at 1330 for Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese services, or visit www.visitjeju.net for information provi

Hot flashes, a well-known symptom of menopause, can even occur among women and men in their 20s and 30s, data showed Friday, indicating that the condition can be triggered by a variety of factors, including stress.According to the data by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of people who visited hospitals for the condition steadily increased from 5,190 in 2014 and 5,475 in 2015 to 5,719 in 2016.(Yonhap)In 2016, 4,289 women and 1,430 men received treatment for the condi