Thai resort revitalizes itself as an up-and-coming tourist destination

Pop music“Unite all Originals Live with Snoop Dogg”: Snoop Dogg will perform in Seoul for the first time this month. After a trip to Jamaica last year, the rapper revealed his conversion to the Rastafarian movement and announced his rebirth under the name Snoop Lion. The rapper was previously known for his violent lyrics, but shifted his gears from hip-hop to reggae following his conversion. Snoop Lion will perform live at the Olympic Park Soccer Stadium on May 4, along with special guests 2NE1.

TOKYO (AP) ― Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji looks likely to win recognition as a World Heritage site.The Agency for Cultural Affairs issued a notice Wednesday saying Mount Fuji was recommended for World Heritage status by the International Council on Monuments and Sites, a body affiliated with UNESCO.Formal approval is expected in June at a World Heritage Committee meeting in Cambodia.A collection of cultural sites in Kamakura, a scenic town near Tokyo that once was the nation’s capital, were not rec

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico ― This island offers so many visual treats ― gorgeous beaches, rugged hills, beautiful churches and majestic historic forts ― that dining becomes a virtual afterthought. A hunk of meat or fish, some sides of mofongo (fried mashed plantains) and mamposteao (rice and beans with other goodies), a stiff rum drink and you’re good to go, right?Well, yes, that’ll do nicely much of the time. And if you get a chance to attend a pig roast (which draws locals and tourists alike to dri

Acacia wine dinner with Penfolds at Grand Hilton SeoulThe hotel’s outdoor Lotus Hill Garden presents the Australian premium Penfold’s Bin series. It includes Thomas Hyland Chardonnay, Penfold’s Bin 128 Shiraz, Penfold’s Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz and Saint-Henri Shiraz. The course menu includes marbled goose liver, red snapper, caviar, milk-fed veal steak, smoked lobster ravioli and black truffle. For desserts, a selection of cheeses, yuzu mousse, bitter chocolate, cinnamon espuma, raspberry rhubar

In this recipe, meatballs are braised in a soy sauce-based sweet and savory sauce (jorim jang) commonly used in Korean cooking. For the meatballs, I like to use a mixture of beef and pork. You can use all beef or all pork depending on your preferences. Mushrooms, onions and scallions add a lot to the flavor and texture of the meatballs without being overpowering. Make sure to take the time to finely chop the ingredients for a smoother texture. Then your children will never know there are mushroo

World’s original pizza spreading like wildfire in Seoul

A former consul general of South Korea in New York has been named as the new head of a government agency responsible for overseas aid projects, an official said Thursday. Kim Young-mok, a career diplomat, had served as a security aide for President Park Geun-hye during her election campaign last year. Kim will succeed Park Dae-won as president of the Korea International Cooperation Agency, the government official said on the condition of anonymity. (Yonhap News)

Gu Sang-chan, former lawmaker of the ruling Saenuri Party, is said to have been tapped as consul general in Shanghai, China.“Gu was recently picked to fill the empty position of consul general to Shanghai. He is expected to take office late this month,” a Foreign Ministry official said Friday. Gu is among the figures loyal to President Park Geun-hye.In 2007, he was Park’s special adviser on public information, when she was one of the Grand National Party presidential nomination contenders. The G

WASHINGTON (AFP) ― Investment guru and mega-billionaire Warren Buffett took a new plunge Thursday: He sent his first message on Twitter ― and within a short time had more than 100,000 followers.“Warren is in the house,” Buffett said on the microblog service, sparking a fury of re-tweets of the debut words of the savvy investor dubbed the “Oracle of Omaha.”There was no news, no sage advice on how to manage a stocks portfolio, or announcements of the latest big-money moves of his investment house

IOC executive and ANOC secretary-general Lindberg speaks of PyeongChang’s preparation

A picture of philosopher and author Alain de Botton posing with several Korean female fans went viral on social media on Friday. The Swiss author himself uploaded the picture with a short sentence “Working hard in Seoul” on Twitter Friday morning. In contrast to the words, Botton is apparently having a fun time, sporting a bright smile with some 10 female Korean fans who came to get a photo with him at a digital forum held in Seoul.De Botton visited Seoul for the second time since 2011 to partic