When and where fall foliage is at its most spectacular across South Korea

INCHEON -- Hong Eun-hye carries on the tradition of her late mother and grandmother, crafting rice cakes, snacks and candies the North Korean way. Born in Hamhung, the reclusive state’s second-largest city, she grew up watching them prepare “finger sticks” -- stick-shaped donuts coated in sugar -- and bean candies -- tiny bean curd balls stir-fried and glazed in sugar -- to sell at local markets. “My mom and grandma used to make these to support my family,” Hong sai

Restaurant Bukhyang (Songdo, Incheon) Bukhyung is a bright, inviting restaurant with a vintage vibe that sits among trendy eateries and cafes in Songdo’s multiplex shopping center Triple Street. However, its specialty -- North Korean home-style meals -- does not conform to South Korea’s fast-changing food trends. A joint venture between traditional liquor bar Wolhyang and spicy sausage stew franchise Nolboo, Bukhyang is the first real attempt here to market North Korean cuisine

Savor contemporary North Korean cuisine in South Korea

How run-down factories get art-ified 　

Seoul is keen on repurposing and reinventing city infrastructure, embracing adaptive reuse as an innovative way of unlocking the hidden potential in old buildings, warehouses and factories. According to real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield, this trend of transforming old industrial factories and warehouses into new, hip cultural spaces is still very much popular for developers and consumers alike in Seoul, and is spreading to other aged pockets of the city. Here are some of the inspir

As banking goes mobile, retail banks are trying to figure out what to do with their increasingly empty branches. One idea is to give customers more reasons to stop by, like a cup of Paul Bassett coffee, a Krispy Kreme doughnut or a chance to browse through some new books. Woori Bank, one of South Korea’s three major retail banks along with Kookmin and Shinhan, was the first to sublet space in its branch to a retail business in 2016, opening up a corner of its branch in Seoul’s Ichon-

From snacks to fried chicken and pizza, Sichuan flavor is hot

Tracing the roots of Koreans’ love for chilies

South Korean startup SuperBin makes recycling financially rewarding and fun

The city of Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, has the country’s first gallery dedicated to upcycling and runs programs for both artists and the general public. The ongoing exhibition at the Gwangmyeong Upcycle Art Center has a child-friendly zoo theme: A tiger, an eagle and other wild animals have been recreated out of various waste materials. But the message isn’t just for kids. “The ‘Upcycle Zoo’ exhibition intends to provoke thoughts about what’s happening on

In a fancy Seoul building, an upcycling ecosystem is being hatched

Four shops that produce tasty vegan treats

Vegan beauty brands seek to provide an ethical alternative

Small but passionate community leads movement for animal liberation, nonviolent food choices, responsible consumption