As the weather gets warmer and pandemic restrictions are mostly lifted, ice cream shops and vendors are hoping to present their frozen delights to more customers. The cold dessert has been loved by Koreans through more than half a century of changes. In the ‘60s and ’70s, summer months saw ice pop vendors selling the cold treats from their carts in downtown streets and market alleys. Carried in a portable wooden box, the vividly colored frozen ice pops were sold for 5 won (3 cen

Although the pandemic brought the tourism industry worldwide to a virtual standstill starting in 2020, the years 2015 to 2017 saw the global wellness industry’s average growth rate reach 6.4 percent, according to the Global Wellness Institute in 2018. That was almost double the global economic growth rate during the same period. In 2020, the global wellness tourism market was estimated at 908 trillion won ($735.8 billion), according to the GWI’s Wellness Tourism-Global Market Trajec

Fairmont Ambassador Seoul unveils new signature bakery collection The Atrium Lounge at Fairmont Ambassador Seoul presents a new collection of signature bakery goods, crafted by head baker Morgan Muller in accordance with authentic French recipes combined with natural Korean ingredients. The signature collection features natural sourdough-style fermentation techniques. Options include the plain sourdough baguette, multigrain sourdough baguette and pistachio, apricot and cranberry sourdough.

“Seokjojeon at Night,” an evening tour program at Deoksugung, will operate from May 3 to June 12, the Cultural Heritage Administration said Wednesday. The 80-minute tours will start at 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The program starts with a stroll around the Joseon-period palace in downtown Seoul, led by a guide offering brief historical explanations. At Seokjojeon, the first European-style building in the country that was used for diplomatic meetings during King Gojong’s

Since the release of Netflix’s mega-hit Korean original “Squid Game” last year, English-language online posts related to Hallyu, or the Korean Wave, have increased approximately 30-fold, according to a Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange report released Monday. The Culture Ministry and KOFICE jointly analyzed data from three online media platform categories -- video and social media, community sites and review platforms -- from June to December last year. Th

To celebrate the nation’s Day for People with Disabilities on April 20, the Cultural Heritage Administration will hold a special performance played by leading musicians from the Korean Traditional Music Orchestra of the Blind, at Gyeongbok Palace on Wednesday. Jointly hosted by the CHA’s Gyeongbok Palace Management Center and the Siloam Center for the Blind, this will be the second performance of its kind, after the first was held last year in the front yard of Sujeongjeon, the pal

As part of a new post-COVID-19 scheme, audience number limits will be lifted starting Monday, according to the Culture Ministry. The change is expected to revitalize the performing arts and theater sectors hit hard by the pandemic. Food consumption inside all cultural facilities, including movie theaters, indoor sports stadiums and religious facilities will be allowed starting April 25. Masks should still be worn at all times both indoors and outdoors, before and after eating or drinking. M

When Koreans think of clams, bajirak will most likely be the first thing that comes to mind. The most popular and widely used littleneck clams in Korea, bajirak can be boiled, steamed or stir-fried. After the very first sip of hot bajirak broth, Koreans often exclaim, “siwonhada!” savoring the clean flavor of the sea with the soul-clearing, refreshing taste.  While bajirak is available year-round, the best time of the year to taste their chewy, succulent meat is from spring

Society attributes a variety of adjectives to temple food such as healthy, natural, cleaner, etc. Are such words accurate? Ven. Dorim disagreed: “Temple food is not that grand.” Monastics use the same ingredients that Koreans used to eat in leaner times and prepare them in ways to enhance the taste. Temple food is neither extravagant nor special. The most important factor in temple food is the person who prepares it, according to Ven. Dorim. Traditionally, temples must make enough

JW Marriott Hotel Seoul presents ‘Teppanyaki Gala Dinner’ Tamayura, the Japanese restaurant at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul, presents a teppanyaki gala dinner in collaboration with luxury French Champagne brand Dom Perignon. The highlight of the eight-course menu is the beef tenderloin, a cut of Woorungchan hanwoo grilled on an iron griddle. The dinner is accompanied by Dom Perignon Brut 2012, Dom Perignon Rose 2008 and Dom Perignon P2 2003. The promotion runs from April 20-22, from

The season of buoyant spirits is here, and many are rushing to enjoy the brief window of when spring flowers are in full bloom. But along the trails of flowers and lush trees are remnants of Korea’s valuable history often too easily forgotten. Some 30 kilometers south from central Seoul, approximately an hourlong drive, lies Suwon, the most populous city of Gyeonggi Province. A major destination for spring picnics, Suwon is filled with crowds of families and couples on dates, especially

The exhibition of art bequeathed to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea by the late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee will run for another two months, the museum announced Tuesday. This is the second extension of the special exhibition “MMCA Lee Kun-hee Collection: Masterpieces of Korean Art,” which opened July 21, 2021. The exhibition will now come to a close on June 6. Some of the most outstanding and best-known works by Korea’s modern and contempora

The first of the biannual Moonlight Tour at Changdeokgung Palace series will kick off April 21, welcoming guests to a warm spring night at the royal palace. The tour, which takes around an hour and 40 minutes, is organized by the Cultural Heritage Administration’s Royal Palaces and Tombs Center and the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation. Visitors can enjoy a nighttime view of downtown Seoul while listening to the sounds of daegeum, a traditional Korean woodwind instrument, at the garden

Keith Motsi, the head bartender at Charles H., a speakeasy-style bar at Four Seasons Seoul, won the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award 2022 on Tuesday. The award given to personalities who have made significant impact on Asia’s bar sector over the voting period is the only peer-judged award for Asia’s 50 Best Bars. “I am extremely honored and humbled to be recognized by my peers for whom I have the utmost respect,“ Keith Motsi said through a press release. “

National Museum of Korea is marking Buddha’s birthday with a special exhibition, “Feast of Light,” which opens Wednesday. This year, Buddha’s birthday falls on May 8. The highlight of the exhibition is a large-scale 17th-century scroll painting featuring Rocana Buddha from Sudeoksa, a Buddhist temple in Yesan, South Chungcheong Province, and a 14th-century Goryeo-era wooden lotus pedestal. Both are state-designated treasures. Gwaebul refers to very large Buddhist banne