Jecheon, Muju, Tongyeong -- 2016 travel destinations　Korea has chosen Jecheon City in North Chungcheong Province, Muju County in North Jeolla Province and Tongyeong City in South Gyeongsang Province as the country’s main travel destinations in 2016.　The Korea Tourism Organization said that it will work with the two cities and the county to develop and promote tourism programs for local and overseas tourists.　The move is in line with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s efforts to boost

Alongside advancements in technology, modern design is expanding in its scope and boundaries while evolving to meet consumer needs and lifestyles.　As the fusion of technology and design has given way to innovative products, Herald Corp. is showcasing five tech-savvy creations by Korean start-ups at the Herald Design Tech booth at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul until Sunday.Visitors to the Herald Design Tech booth inside DDP in Seoul learn about Spiki, a plastic recording device resembling a Po

A silicon lamp resembling traditional Korean pottery, a ceramic pot designed to naturally amplify the sound of a smartphone inserted next to the plant and “bandoms” -- rubber bands shaped and packaged like, you guessed it, condoms.　These are some of the creative items and crafts produced by young, independent designers on display at the second annual Seoul Design Market, which is being held at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul until Sunday.Visitors look at products at Seoul Design Market in Dongd

The Spirit of Korean Development by Sang-young Rhyu(Yonsei University Press)　There has been much debate surrounding the analysis of the economic success and political transformation of South Korea. However, the interest of this book does not lie in the tangible factors behind its development. What is puzzling to non-Koreans is the intangible factors that enabled tangible factors to work together and thereby enable development. In other words, this book offers an explanation for Korea’s miraculou

Kim Min-jae is a veteran sports photographer who has covered many international sporting events, including the Asian Games and Olympic Games, for more than 30 years.  Photographer Kim Min-jae (Courtesy of Kim Min-jae)The experience has led him to settle in Kuwait at the invitation of Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah, president of the Olympic Council of Asia and the Association of National Olympic Committees. Kim, who started his career with the South Korean Ministry of Sports in the 1980s, now wor

A traditional Korean tug-of-war folk game had its name added to UNESCO’s intangible heritage list Wednesday, jointly with three other Asian countries with similar traditions. Tugging rituals and games, proposed by South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia and the Philippines, gained status as UNESCO-recognized traditions of humanity during the 10th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage held in Windhoek, the capital of southwest African country Namibia. 

A group of entrepreneurs in Seoul aims to repay the sacrifices of their grandparents’ generation by raising funds and awareness for elderly Koreans in poverty.Korea is confronting a demographic crisis as it struggles to support its rapidly aging population. Nearly half of Korean over-65s are living in poverty, while data this week showed that more Koreans over 50 are delaying retirement than ever before as they bear financial responsibilities to support both their parents and children. The elder

If attempts to save face at your workplace can sometimes seem extreme, they are nothing compared to the lengths that the characters go to in order to keep up appearances in a play to hit the stage in Ulsan this weekend.In Neil Simon’s “Rumors,” to be put on by the Industrial Theatre Troupe, the first guests arrive for an anniversary dinner, only to find the host has been shot dead. But in their desperation to look decent they do the unthinkable ― hiding the body and hosting the party themselves.

Charity concert series CLASH has linked up with Seoul’s Hoseo Art College to host a hip-hop show in aid of Korean Unwed Mothers Families Association on Saturday.Headlining show is “Show Me the Money” season two winner Soul Dive, which has since collaborated with actor So Ji-sub on his EP “18 Years.” Other acts include Rhyme-A-, Born Kim, Ignito, Suda Jaengi and Insane Deegie. CLASH is held regularly in aid of four charities on a rotational basis, with this show in aid of KUMFA, an organization s

Hwayo range of premium soju by KwangJuYo (KwangJuYo)Premier Korean liquor brand Hwayo is now available in Hong Kong at celebrity chef Judy Joo’s newly opened contemporary Korean restaurant, Jinjuu.The Korean-American “Iron Chef” winner Joo celebrated the grand opening of her restaurant on Tuesday in Central Hong Kong’s California Tower, where she will be serving up Korea’s top-shelf Hwayo soju. Offering a modern twist on traditional and modern Korean food, the chef opened up her flagship Jinjuu

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South and North Korea have unearthed a piece of metal type at an ancient palace in the North‘s border city of Gaeseong as they wrapped up a joint excavation project, a group of historians said Monday.The block of movable metal type was one of about 3,500 relics that have been excavated at the site of Manwoldae, a Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) palace in Gaeseong, in the six-month project, according to the group of the two Koreas’ historians. A piece of metal type believed to date back to the Goryeo D