A massive botanic park will open in Magok, western Seoul, on Thursday, with entrance fees waivered for citizens until April 2019. The Seoul Botanic Park will be test-operated for six months, before opening officially next May, according to the city government on Tuesday.(Seoul city government)Construction of the park, which began in November 2015, took more than three years to complete. Spanning 50,400 square meters of land, approximately the size of 70 soccer fields, the park currently contains

Visitors to Seoullo 7017 will be able to accomplish missions on an interactive mobile game app while walking along the pedestrian overpass in Jung-gu, Seoul, starting Wednesday. Seoul Metropolitan City and the Seoul Tourism Organization have jointly launched a game called “City of Love: Seoul,” which will be available from Wednesday through end-November. The game is offered through the Real World app, which can be downloaded free of charge.  Seoullo 7017 (Park Hyun-koo/The Korea Herald) (realwor

‘Healing Yoga’ at Coex AquariumCoex Aquarium is holding an event that allows visitors to look at aquatic life while doing yoga. The “Healing Yoga” session to be held at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 will take place at the Ocean Kingdom zone of the aquarium, which has various sea creatures including sharks, rays and sea turtles. A specialist in Jivamukti Yoga will lead the session.Those who wish to participate can register via the aquarium’s homepage (www.coexaqua.com). No additional charge is required fo

The Seoul Fortress consists of an 18.6-kilometer-long wall that surrounds Hanyang, the former capital of the Joseon era. Though parts of it were damaged during Japan’s colonial rule and the Korean War, the wall has been standing for some 600 years and today overlooks the urbanized capital, Seoul.One of the four trail sections, which goes around Naksan, offers a scenic route where visitors can enjoy both historic sites and the massive urbanscape of the city. (Photographed by Park Hyun-koo/The Kor

PHRA NAKHON SI AYUTTHAYA, Thailand -- Before a brutal Burmese invasion in the late 18th century, the city of Ayutthaya, the second capital of the Siamese Kingdom for four centuries, was a grand Buddhist city where international trade and art prospered. Its population rivaled that of contemporary London or Paris in its prime.  A large stone Buddha statue and headless statues sit in front of a prang in Wat Mahathat. (Son Ji-hyoung/The Korea Herald)Buddhist temples and royal relics were strewn acro

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Monday announced the launch of this year’s Autumn Travel Week, a designated period between Oct. 20 and Nov. 1 featuring travel programs and government-recommended destinations.Continuing the theme of travel spots featured in popular Korean movies and TV shows, 17 regional governments will take part in Travel Week. Twenty travel spots are introduced on the event’s homepage (https://travelweek.visitkorea.or.kr), in categories such as a place to visit

Daemyung Leisure Industry, a major ski resort and water theme park operator in Korea, has launched packages that invite foreign tourists to experience Korea’s culture and history. Targeting the millennial generation’s desire for local experiences, the packages focus on unique experiences that are only offered in Korea.  The MVL Hotel Goyang (Daemyung Leisure Industry)The MVL Hotel Goyang, a five-star hotel in Gyeonggi Province, presents the Go Peace & Shopping package, which includes a two- or t

“The jaunt offers a scenery of a spectacular panorama. Especially in a good season, when descending on a Namsan slope canopied by pine trees and flowers, one can savor every nook and cranny that unfolds like a painting.”

Yangyang Songi Festival (Pine Mushroom Festival) The Yangyang Songi Festival offers programs that allow visitors to enjoy the Yangyang songi mushrooms that naturally grow on Taebaeksan Ridge.Activities include a mushroom-picking program for foreign visitors, a songi treasure hunt, concerts and traditional rice cake making.The festival runs from Sept. 26 to Oct. 3, and is open to visitors of all ages, free of charge.For more information in Korean, English, Japanese or Chinese, visit yangyang.go.k

Cars and people are not the only things the megalopolis is bustling with, as the fall has the Korean capital colored scarlet with falling leaves accompanying the cool breeze.There are a number of walking spots in the city for the season to be savored.Dalmaji ParkThe Chuseok holidays that ended Wednesday were marked by the full moon. Dalmaji Park, which means “moon welcoming park,” got its name for being one of the best places in Seoul to enjoy the sight of the moon.Located between Oksu-dong and

During a trekking tour of North Korea’s Paektusan highlands in August, Roger Shepherd and his team of international travelers hobnobbed with North Korean guides -- hiking, pitching tents, making campfires, cooking and eating together. Two Australian women and two Norwegian men traveled with Shepherd, a Kiwi professional hiker and travel writer, on their maiden trip to the Korean Peninsula’s tallest mountain, 2,750 meters above sea level, considered the sacred cradle of the Korean people since ti

Don’t get stuck at home during fall break

Yangyang Songi Festival (Pine Mushroom Festival)The Yangyang Songi Festival offers programs that allow visitors to enjoy Yangyang songi mushrooms that naturally grow on the Taebaeksan Ridge.Activities include a mushroom-picking program for foreigners, a songi treasure hunt, concerts and traditional rice-cake making.The festival runs from Sept. 26 to Oct. 3, and is open to visitors of all ages, free of charge.For more information in Korean, English, Japanese or Chinese, visit yangyang.go.kr.Jeju

Global hotel chain Marriott International will open three more hotels in Korea, in response to growing demand from middle-class tourists.The hotel chain’s portfolio is divided into three tiers: luxury, premium and select-service. Hotels in the select-service tier aim to provide guests with a high-quality experience at a reasonable price.  A penthouse room at Four Points by Sheraton Gangnam (Mariott International)Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton and Aloft Hote

In commemoration of Chuseok, one of Korea’s biggest holidays of the year, Coex Aquarium is offering a special discount to foreign residents here.From Sept. 21-26, foreign visitors at the venue with a coupon will get 20 percent off admission. Up to four people per coupon can get the discount, and a passport or foreigner registration card must be provided upon purchase of the ticket.A photograph, printout or screenshot of the coupon is acceptable.The image for the coupon can be found at http://www