Following is the ninth in a series of articles in which leading architects discuss their representative work. ― Ed.The master plan for the University of Seoul Gangchon Training Center includes a research institute and Gangchon Seowon to be completed by 2018, the 100th anniversary of the University of Seoul. Development of the training center’s main building and accommodation building ― the first stage of the master plan ― has been completed, earning the site the symbolic status of the university

The annual international tourism conference kicks off Wednesday in Ulsan, gathering international and domestic tourism experts and highlighting recent tourism trends. More than 100 foreign participants including chief editors of major tourism journals ― Rick Perdue of Journal of Travel Research and former editor-in-chief of Annals of Tourism Research Jafar Jafari among them ― are attending the 72nd conference organized by the Tourism Sciences Society of Korea.Local participants include TOSOK pre

The Westin Chosun has appointed its first Korean-American general manager. Brian Pak, 46, has began serving as the hotel’s general manager on Monday, becoming the hotel’s first general manager of Korean descent since 1970, the Westin Chosun said. Pak joined the hotel industry in 1999 at the Westin Resort in Guam. In 2003, he served as a director of operations at W Seoul Walkerhill Hotel and most recently served as general manager of Aqua Resort Club Saipan and Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort. Pak gr

New generation finds own ways to channel social messagesAn exhibition is putting young Chinese artists under the spotlight this month, offering insight into today’s Chinese art and society. The exhibition held at Hakgojae Gallery in Seoul hosts eight contemporary artworks by emerging Chinese young artists ― Lu Zhengyuan, Ma Quisha, Ye Linghan, Zang Kunkun, Tu Hongtao, Pan Jian, Hao Liang and Huang Jingyuan ― all in their late 20s to 30s. “The exhibition shows the current state of Chinese contemp

Over 100 works by up-and-coming and veteran artists on auctionArtday, a subsidiary of the Herald Media group, opened its fifth auction last week. It featured 110 paintings, photographs and prints by acclaimed Korean artists, ranging from up-and-comers such as Park Hyung-jin, Kim Jun and Lee Ho-ryon, to established figures Kim Jong-hak, Kim Chang-ryul and Jang Uk-jin. With its fifth auction, Artday has demonstrated that online auctions can present high-priced artworks by established artists. Prev

ISTANBUL, Turkey ― The first rule of shopping in the centuries-old markets of Istanbul is this: The asking price is merely a suggestion. In fact, it’s barely a suggestion. A price is equivalent to a declaration that a merchant is open for business. But you will not pay that number, and he ― it is always a he ― does not expect you to.The second rule is to walk away, because the mere act of turning is the most effective method of chipping away at that price. Merchants expect you to walk away, and

Hyatt Regency Incheon has become a major gateway hotel to Seoul and Korea as it is located close to Incheon International Airport. The hotel offers a unique blend of warm hospitality, convenient facilities and a variety of culinary experiences, featuring meeting rooms, soundproofed guestrooms, health and fitness facilities and restaurants. For business travelers, the hotel has a spacious pillar-less Grand Ballroom, a Regency Ballroom and multi-purpose rooms, which cater to different meetings and

Oakwood Premier Coex Center invites those who would like to share their travel memories with others to its photography competition with a chance to win a trip to an Oakwood hotel in Asia and a digital camera. The hotel is holding a “Most Memorable Travel” photography contest in which the grand prize winner will have chance to fly to a city of his or her choice and stay at an Oakwood serviced apartment and get a Nikon 1J1 digital camera. Submission deadline is Sept. 15 and after that, images will

American jazz pianist Brad Mehldau will hold a concert in Seoul next month as part of his world tour for a trio album released earlier this year. The acclaimed jazz pianist will perform at Yonsei University on July 25 with two other artists, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard, both of whom worked with Mehldau on the album “Ode.” Mehldau has been hailed as one of the greatest jazz pianists with his unique combination of jazz, classical and spontaneous improvisation. Mehldau is also

Following is the eighth in a series of articles in which leading architects discuss their representative work. ― Ed.When designing this building, I tried to make the most ordinary as well as the most extraordinary space: Jino Haus is located in an extremely ordinary place.The residential building combined with commercial facilities in Pangyo New Town is adjacent to a pedestrian street to the east and detached houses to the west.I took on this project with the idea of creating a differentiated sp

Eco-friendly wedding, from dress to honeymoon, is a viable alternativeLee Sun-woo and Kim Hyo-jin wanted their wedding day to be a special celebration that reflects their personalities and lifestyle. They found a great way to make the day unique and meaningful at an expo that showcased eco-friendly products such as a wedding dress in natural fabric, wedding invitation cards made from recycled paper and printed with soy-based ink. “Inspired by those items, we decided to try a green wedding,” said

American fashion designer Jeremy Scott will design stage outfits for K-pop girl group 2NE1 for their concert tour starting in July in Seoul. Scott is well-known for outrageous and unique designs that are favored by celebrities worldwide including Madonna, Rihanna, Kanye West, Beyonce and Lady Gaga. He has been named No. 31 in The Face magazine’s “Most Important People in Fashion.” According to YG, 2NE1’s agency, it is rare for a world-famous designer to create stage costumes for a K-pop female g

The number of advertisements submitted to AD STARS 2012, an international advertising festival to be held in Busan, surged dramatically compared to last year, making the festival a key advertising event on the international stage. According to the organizing committee of AD STARS 2012, the number of advertisements submitted to the committee totaled 10,431, a 46 percent jump from last year’s 7,130 entries.It is the first time the committee has seen the number of entries exceed 10,000 since the ad

Korean actors Lee Byung-hun and Ahn Sung-ki became the first Korean actors to leave handprints and footprints in the forecourt of an iconic Hollywood theater.The two stars left imprints of their hands and feet outside Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California, on Saturday as part of events held during the “Looking East 2012 Korean Movie Festival” from Saturday to Sunday. Ten Korean films including “Unbowed,” “Poetry,” and “Thirst,” were screened during the two-day festival. “I can’t bel

Multi-talented singer Solbi is holding the first solo exhibition of her paintings in July. Titled “Another Name of Desire,” the exhibition will feature 12 paintings that reflect her own way of observing the world, according to her agency. Solbi has been active not only in singing, but also in broadcasting, musicals and acting. And now she hopes to expand her genre to painting. “I want to be brave and challenge many things in life and live a splendid life,” she told a local daily. Solbi debuted a