With the positive New Year remarks by the leaders of North and South Korea setting up the possibility of a thaw in inter-Korean relations, South Koreans this year will be able to see more exhibitions with North Korean elements than ever before. The Seoul Museum of Art is preparing a North Korea-themed exhibit to mark the 70th year of the division of Korea. The exhibition, scheduled to open in July, is expected to present a broad range of contemporary North Korean art and offer interesting South

Stay for half price at Conrad SeoulConrad Seoul is offering an accommodation and breakfast package for the New Year that enables guests to stay at a Grand King Corner Suite and receive a 50 percent discount on breakfast if they book for more than two nights in January. The Grand King Corner Suite, which measures 96 square meters, is the hotel’s largest room. Situated on the highest floor of the hotel, it offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the capital city and Hangang River. It features a li

“Children of Spring” by Lee Jung-seop (Gallery Hyundai)During the Korean War (1950-53), when art materials such as paper ― not to mention canvas ― were scarce, Korean painter Lee Jung-seop (1916-56) drew and painted on the foil linings of cigarette packs.His three small silver foil drawings, first purchased by Arthur McTaggart, director of the U.S. Culture Center in Korea in 1955, and donated to the Museum of Modern Art New York a year later, will be on view in Seoul for the first time since the

South Korea has become the third most popular destination for mainland Chinese tourists after Hong Kong and Macau. The number of Chinese tourists to Korea has seen double-digit growth over the past couple of years. The figure is expected to reach 6.1 million by the end of this year, up about 40.9 percent from 2013. The number grew 51.5 percent from 2012 to 2013. Korea benefits from the growing number of mainland Chinese travelers, which is expected to exceed 100 million by the end of this year.

Korea has seen brisk discussion of feminism and improvement in the status of women over the past decades. In Korea’s patriarchal society, securing women’s rights was a victory and promised a balanced development of society. For several years, though, men have been complaining about their weakening rights and positions in family and society. The shrinking dominance of males has been ridiculed and satirized on a comedy show that created the so-called “Committee for the Restoration of Male Human Ri

Looking for the perfect spot to watch the sunset and sunrise that is not too far from Seoul? Incheon, situated on the west coast, recommends eight top places to watch sunset and sunrise for the New Year. The Incheon Development and Tourism Corporation suggests four great places to bid farewell to 2014: Jeongseojin, Mount Seoksan in Songdo, Sunset Village in Janghwa-ri, Ganghwa and Wangsan Beach. Jeongseojin, located at the starting point of the Gyeongin Ara waterway, is known for a beautiful sun

Celebration of French cuisine at Grand Hyatt IncheonGrand Hyatt Incheon’s Restaurant 8 presents French course menus during the month of January as part of the restaurant’s promotion for each different global cuisine. The French Café offers a five-course lunch and dinner, featuring luxury ingredients such as caviar, truffles and foie gras, paired with fine French wines. The lunch is 66,000 won and the dinner is 88,000 won. In February, grill chefs will present traditional Korean Lunar New Year me

A painting displayed in the lobby of The Ritz-Carlton, Seoul (The Ritz-Carlton, Seoul)Hotel / Luxury The Ritz-Carlton, SEOULNext year, The Ritz-Carlton, Seoul will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its opening and its luxury hospitality service that has left a lasting impression on foreign and Korean guests since 1995. The hotel, one of the first foreign luxury hotel chains in Korea, has become an ideal destination for business and leisure travelers and a frequent home for world stars, includin

A night view of Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel (Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel)Hotel / GreenSheraton Seoul D Cube City HotelSince opening in 2011 as the third Sheraton hotel in Korea, Sheraton Seoul D Cube City Hotel has provided business and leisure travelers with access to diverse activities in southwest Seoul. Located near sights, shopping, entertainment and offices in Guro-gu, Seoul, the hotel is also connected to D-Cube Department Store and D-Cube Art Center. It has served as a conveni

Museums and galleries are holding exhibitions in keeping with the festive, yet reflective mood at the end of the year. Two art exhibitions feature different representations of the symbols of Christ and reflections on our modern life, making them timely for the holiday season. Seoul Museum presents a unique painting series by the Korean artist Kim Ki-chang (1914-2001), who imaginatively portrayed the life of Christ set in the Joseon era. Some 30 major scenes from Christ’s life are on display at t

Despite the increasing number of Muslim tourists and expats in Korea, finding decent halal restaurants is a challenge for many Muslims here. The state-run Korea Tourism Organization has released a guidebook on Muslim-friendly restaurants to help Muslims here find halal cuisine more easily. The guidebook, available only in English for now, classifies 118 selected restaurants into five groups according to their degree of Muslim-friendliness. The five groups are halal-certified, self-certified, Mus

Mother & Daughter bonding event at Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Sheraton Grande Walkerhill will hold a special dinner party for mothers and daughters on Friday at the European restaurant Clock 16. The “Merry Mother’s Day” event will start with a seven-course dinner, featuring grilled shrimp and tenderloin as the main dish. The dinner will be followed by a jazz performance and a lecture by dermatologist Seo Gu-il, secretary general of the International Society for Dermatologic Surgery, with tips fo

For artist David Nash, trees are more than sources of material for his sculptures. They represent the life cycle of living beings and have certain characteristics and traits, just like humans. “Trees are like us. They have life. They grow from a seed, live and die. It took me a long time to realize that trees are not made of wood. A tree is a living being. While trees are alive, every part of trees work to make them alive,” said Nash at the press preview of his solo exhibition at Kukje Gallery o