The “Purple Island” in Sinan, South Jeolla Province, will be featured at the 2022 fall-winter Paris Fashion Week, slated to take place virtually next week, according to officials Wednesday.  The island’s 1.4-kilometer purple bridge has been turned into a runway in a recent filming of South Korean designer Yang Hae-il’s show as part of one of the fashion world’s biggest events.  The bridge connects the two islets of Banwol and Bakji, which comprise Purple

Making domestic postnuptial trips special, young couples reenact parents’ romantic scenes at same spot

As the warm weather approaches, blue skies mark the beginning of a new school year. At this time of the year, the Cheonho Stationery and Toy Shop Street is busier than ever.  Located around Cheonho Station exit No. 1, the complex greets families looking to purchase school supplies and gifts for children at affordable prices. The complex has shops selling basic school supplies as well as the latest cartoon character toys and party goods that children love.  Packs of colored penc

Hueree Plum Blossom Festival The Hueree Plum Blossom Festival is scheduled to kick off Feb. 18 and run through March 20 at Hueree Natural Park on Jeju Island. The park, near Hallasan, offers a chance to stroll, relax and enjoy the breeze of early Spring. The annual festival highlights Jeju Island’s splendid scenery and its plum blossoms with photo zones. For children, there is horse riding and a small parade of Jeju black pigs as well. The event is open to people of all ages, and

When planning a new hotel, incorporating the distinctive culture of its location to the guest experience is one of the top priorities for Serena Lim, vice president of hotel development for Southeast Asia and Korea at the IHG Hotels and Resorts. “Around the world where people can travel, they are travelling,” said Lim about travel in pandemic times during an interview with The Korea Herald on Tuesday at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas. Lim, who has been in the hospitality in

First time travels are hard even for avid travelers. Regardless of the amount of time spent planning itineraries on local accommodations and food, spontaneous difficulties arise from the moment one arrives as a stranger to the city. To relieve solo visitors of some of their burden, particularly female travelers, an online guide book introducing the city’s major attractions was launched by the Busan Tourism Organization on Tuesday. The three-month project to produce “The Busan Guid

Ganghwa Smelt Festival The Ganghwa Smelt Festival runs through Feb. 13 at the Sinsun outdoor fishing site in Incheon. Hoping to provide a memorable winter experience, the festival features various programs, including smelt fishing, ice sledding, electric scooter for children and more. Though it was originally planned to end on Feb. 15, the festival moved up its schedule due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and spread of omicron variant. Admission costs 30,000 won for adults and 20,000 won fo

E-World Miracle Winter Night E-World Miracle Winter Night is running through Feb. 28 at E-World in Daegu. The festival features a garden of 10,000 light-emitting diode roses, a 15-meter-tall Christmas tree and 100 photo zones ready for Instagram. While all activities will still be masked and socially distanced, visitors can still enjoy rides and attractions in the E-World theme park. Ticket prices vary by age. Updates can be found at www.eworld.kr. Yangju Snow Festival The Yangju Snow Fes

Aqua Planet Gwanggyo, an aquarium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, celebrated the Lunar New Year ahead of schedule on Jan. 24. For this eye-catching ceremony, divers wearing traditional Korean clothing called “hanbok“ swam with stingrays. Stingrays are closely related to sharks, and feed on clams, shrimp, and mussels. Aside from stingrays, there are over 30,000 sea animals of 210 unique species in the aquarium. The facility also provides diverse educational programs and interactive ex

E-World Miracle Winter Night E-World Miracle Winter Night is running through Feb. 28 at E-World in Daegu. The festival features a garden of 10,000 light-emitting diode roses, a 15-meter-tall Christmas tree and 100 photo zones ready for Instagram. While all activities will still be masked and socially distanced, visitors can still enjoy rides and attractions in the E-World theme park. Ticket prices vary by age. Updates can be found at www.eworld.kr. Yangju Snow Festival The Yangju Snow Fes

Standing face-to-face with Hollywood stars and well-known politicians may be a lifelong dream to some. Those wishes may be partially achieved when in Jeju. The Movieland Wax Museum, which has on display some 150 wax dolls that resemble global celebrities and beloved animated characters, opened in Jeju Island’s Jungmun Tourist Complex, Jan. 6. The MWM, the oldest and largest wax museum, opened in Buena Park, California, in 1962. During its four decades of operation before shutting down in

Nijimori Studio, a theme park located in Dongducheon, Gyeonggi Province, north of Seoul, features a set of buildings that bring visitors back to Japan’s Edo period (1603-1867).  The theme park had been used as a filming site for several local TV dramas and variety shows, including Netflix‘s original mystery entertainment series “Busted!” as well as SBS suspense drama “The Penthouse: War in Life” and MBC‘s “Those Who Cross the Line.”&nbs

From hiking snow-covered mountains and horseback riding to ice fishing on frozen lakes, winter outdoor activities soothe pandemic fatigue

Paju Ice Fishing The annual Paju Trout Festival kicked off Jan. 8 and runs through Feb. 13 at Gangtan Leisure Town in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, though the event has reduced its size to focus only on the ice fishing event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While various programs, including trout catching with bare hands, smelt fishing for children and more, are canceled, visitors can catch a maximum of three salmon and trout through ice fishing. The ice sledge park is also available for visitors to

Park Hyatt Seoul General Manager Andrew Ashdown has fond memories of running room to room as a child in a hotel his parent operated. He has always associated being in a hotel with positive emotions and, as the new general manager of Park Hyatt Seoul, his goal is to provide guests with similarly lasting experiences by delivering meaning services.  Ashdown, who took the post in November after three years as General Manager of Park Hyatt Busan, has said that he will begin this process by seek