New attempts at upscale drinks signal change in the offing

Cafes tap into the growing demand for resting and healing places in crowded cities

China has formidable power in global tourism industry, figures show

Over 950 people from around the world gathered Sunday at Lotte World Tower to do one thing: climb up 123 floors -- or 2,917 stairs to be exact. Gripping banisters and taking the stairs two at a time, the climbers aimed to run up the top of South Korea’s tallest skyscraper located in Songpa-gu, eastern Seoul, as part of an international race hosted by the Vertical World Circuit.“I’ve always enjoyed pushing myself past the limit,” said Park Soon-eek as he was warming up in the Arena Square near th

Jeon In-kwon’s concert on May 7 was canceled Tuesday. The veteran singer did not say why the organizers decided to pull the plug.But rumors have begun to circulate that it was connected to Jeon’s recent endorsement of Ahn Cheol-soo, a centrist presidential candidate of the People’s Party. Last week, Jeon publicly announced that he is supporting Ahn to win the May 9 presidential election. “We don’t know if it was because of the political statement. The promoters decided on it,” his representative

Internet generation takes advantage of new media by educating themselves online

At the turn of the century, Emperor Gojong declared Joseon an empire in a last-ditch attempt to retain independence.  A re-enactment of foreign envoys’ audience with Emperor Gojong (Cultural Heritage Administration)The move turned out to be futile, as the short-lived Daehan Empire (1897-1910) saw the country taking its last breath before being colonized by Japan. This year’s Royal Culture Festival -- from Friday to May -- will re-enact the ceremonies and rituals from the last monarchy on the Kor

“We need to fundamentally change and improve the public’s understanding of cycling. Rules and regulations are of no use without proper culture.”

More amateur cyclists find pleasure in riding, a getaway from work

More often, beauty is found in things that are simple and naive, or thrifty and pure, rather than with a fancy appearance. Among porcelains, plain white porcelains from the Joseon era are viewed as the most beautiful, as opposed to splendid blue porcelains during the Goryeo kingdom. The No. 309 and No. 310 national treasures are widely called Dal Hangahri, meaning moon-shaped porcelains. Made of white clay and glazed with milk-color enamel, the porcelains resemble the moon against a dark sky.  (

Beauty creator wants to pave way for male grooming, defy conventions of gender-specific attire and attitude

Streets of old-fashioned hardware stores in Euljiro offer peek at the capital during times of industrialization

The Gijisi Juldarigi Festival is a 500-year-old tradition that takes place annually in the city of Dangjin, located on the Asan Bay jetting out into the Yellow Sea, on the west coast.　The festival features a traditional tug-of-war game that has kept to the rules and methods from back when the game began during the reign of King Seonjo (1567-1608). The game was meant to promote unity in the community and pray for good fortune.　Today, youths and elders alike congregate around the gigantic rope use

The Cultural Heritage Administration on Thursday decided not to register “Jeungdogaja” as a national treasure, after examination results confirmed that they could not be the 13th-century metal print types used to print “Jeungdoga.”Hwang Kwon-soon, an official from the Cultural Heritage Administration, announces the results of the examination of movable metal types claimed to have been used to print “Jeungdoga.” (Yonhap)However, the agency said it was still possible that they are metal types from