Fruit bingsu at Millennium Seoul Hilton Millennium Seoul Hilton’s Cilantro Deli presents bingsu, topped with summer fruits. Four varieties of bingsu, Koreans’ favorite summer desert made with shaved ice, are offered, featuring melon, pineapple, avocado and mango as the main topping. Large-sized, they are designed to be shared by two to three people.Each bingsoo is accompanied by small bowls of nuts, sweet red bean paste and rice cakes. Bingsu is priced between 43,000 won to 48,000 wo

The ninth Ballet Festival Korea is slated to take place from June 18 to 30 at the Seoul Arts Center, introducing 14 ballet recitals from classic to modern.Since 2011, the annual festival has introduced the genre to a wider audience in an effort to promote the overall ballet scene. For this year’s event, the Korea National Ballet and Gwangju City Ballet will cooperate with private ballet companies and young dancers. The opening performance will feature Korean ballerinas who are members of f

Seoul’s alleys are filled with eateries specializing in particular dishes. The Korea Herald takes you on a foodie trip to narrow alleys where decades-old establishments beckon diners with their secret recipes, often handed down through generations. -- Ed.The Wangsimni area, located 3.9 kilometers east of Gyeongbokgung, is a household name for gopchang.Eating the internal organs of cows and pigs is popular here -- for instance, gopchang (small intestine), daechang (large intestine) and makc

Music in PyeongChang (MPyC), also known as the Great Mountains Music Festival, has revamped its concerts and program, with the aim of becoming a leading music festival here. The program for this season was announced by festival artistic director and pianist Son Yeol-eum and Gangwon Art & Culture Foundation Chairman Kim Sung-hwan during a press conference Tuesday in Seoul.Now in its 16th year, the event was originally launched to promote the PyeongChang Olympics. It is held twice a year, in s

This year’s Seoul Jazz Festival drew nearly 40,000 music lovers for a weekend of fun, food and diverse music, though there appeared to be room for improvement. Running from Saturday to Sunday at the Olympic Park in southeastern Seoul, the 13th edition of the annual event featured 48 acts from Korea and abroad, such as 90-year-old Cuban jazz legend Portuondo and crossover band Clean Bandit. Live performances took place at five venues spread across the park.  Highlights of the event inc

Avocado afternoon at Grand InterContinental Seoul ParnasLobby Lounge at Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas presents the Avocado Royal High Tea Set.The set offers avocado cream dacquoise; avocado scones with clotted cream; avocado brownies; brioche sandwich with roasted avocado; roasted avocado stuffed with mushroom, spinach and chicken; and avocado salad with harissa shrimp. Guests can choose either coffee or tea to accompany the food. The set costs 75,000 won person. It is available from 2 p.m

Seoul’s alleys are filled with eateries specializing in particular dishes. The Korea Herald takes you on a foodie trip to narrow alleys where decades-old establishments beckon diners with their secret recipes, often handed down through generations. -- Ed.Hidden among massive shopping malls, the back alleys of Dongdaemun are filled with old eateries that have been serving spicy meals for decades. Tucked away near Pyounghwa Market, the wholesale market for clothing, is a meter-wide alley serving c

A veteran entertainment news reporter with almost 20 years of experience has written a book about K-pop boy band BTS and its global success. In “BTS K-pop,” Herald Business reporter Seo Byung-ki analyzes what has come to be called BTS syndrome. “There are already around 10 books that deal with the BTS syndrome. Many of them, written by professors, take a philosophical view on BTS’ narrative structure, fandom or communication. I thought my book should have a different approach, so I did what I co

Literature Translation Institute of Korea is to invite foreign and local writers to a three-day forum aimed at bridging the local and overseas literary scenes.. The institution will hold an event titled “A Platform for Communication and Peace” from Monday to Wednesday at Ara Art Center in Insa-dong, Jongno-gu, central Seoul. During the festival, five discussion sessions will take place, covering the subjects of diaspora, the division of Korea, writing, Korean literature and culture, and minoriti

Seoul’s alleys are filled with eateries specializing in particular dishes. The Korea Herald takes you on a foodie trip to narrow alleys where decades-old establishments beckon diners with their secret recipes, often handed down through generations. -- Ed.Though not spread across a labyrinth of narrow alleys, Sillim-dong Sundae Town is still a complex cobweb of eateries. Sundae, Korean blood sausage, refers to pig intestines stuffed with glass noodles, vegetables and various spices. Often served

The Korea Crafts & Design Foundation is holding the nationwide festival “Craft Week 2019,” with a goal to encourage interest in local crafts. The 10-day festival, in its second edition this year, aims to allow the public to enjoy crafts in daily life. It is being held from Friday to May 26. “Craft week is about spreading craft culture that everyone can experience in daily life. The festival is being held through voluntary participation. (Through the event) we hope that craft culture can settle s

Actor Song Kang-ho is to be recognized at the 2019 Locarno Film Festival, becoming the first Asian to receive the Excellence Award. The festival, founded in 1946, is a prestigious film festival held every August at the Swiss-Italian town of Locarno. The film festival organizers announced in a press release Thursday that Song would receive this year’s Excellence Award, becoming the first Asian awardee.  Actor Song Kang-ho poses for photos during a press conference for “Parasite,” held at The West

When veteran bartender Keith Motsi goes to a new bar, he orders beer. “Always, beer first,” said Motsi, the new head bartender at Charles H. in the Four Seasons Seoul. “You see what you get when you order something so simple.”  Head bartender Keith Motsi (Four Seasons Seoul)With beer, he added, a smile and the coldest glass will do. “If they cannot do it (right), do not bother. Just don’t go there.”According to him, bars are not just about the drinks. They are about hospitality and making people

Barbeque night at Grand Hilton Seoul 　Grand Hilton Seoul’s buffet restaurant presents an outdoor barbeque promotion. Along with the usual buffet menu, the chefs will prepare grilled meat and seafood at the outdoor terrace. Guests may sit outside to enjoy the ambiance.The promotion runs through Sept. 30 during dinner hours on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. The buffet costs 85,000 won per person. For more information, call (02) 2287-8271.Avocado afternoon at Grand InterContinenta

One Korea Orchestra, led by Maestro Chung Myung-whun, 66, will hold its third performance, amid hopes for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Chung and the orchestra will present Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B Minor at the Seoul Arts Center on Aug. 18. The pianist has yet to be confirmed, as the organizers are finalizing plans to invite a North Korean pianist. Maestro Chung Myung-whun (Jean-Francois Leclercq / Credia)For the performance, the organizers