Trees and plants adorn twinkling light displays at the Herb Island in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, inviting visitors to a winter fiesta. Flowers may not be in abundance due to the winter weather, the botanic garden is full of spectacular lights and holiday cheer at night, making it a perfect spot to celebrate the Yuletide season.  Fairy-tale houses, which are surrounded by a vast field of herbs, are decked out in lights, creating romantic photo spots. The bright, rainbow-colored displays a

A decade ago, Seoulites were exposed to all of the elements of climate alongside automobile exhaust while waiting for the next bus to come. Today, the city has adopted digitally renovated bus stops that alert passengers of incoming vehicles, protect them from weather changes and help them better respond to medical emergencies.  Known as “smart shelters,” these tech-savvy bus stops are equipped with screen doors for safety, smartphone chargers, Wi-Fi internet access, air-condi

We may be heading into the darkest winter of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Myeong-dong wants us to keep our spirits bright. The once-bustling shopping mecca of Seoul is not busy as it used to be pre-pandemic, but it is twinkling, sparkling and shining brighter than ever before with extravagant Christmas light displays.  Millions of LED lights adorn the exterior of departments stores and other buildings in the district, creating a spectacle at night.  Street trees decked out with Christ

A rusty railroad abandoned in Seoul brings back old memories and warm nostalgia.  Hang-dong Railroad, located in Guro-gu, Seoul, is a 4.5-kilometer track drenched with a vintage atmosphere, with traces of train stations and destination signs left here and there.  Lined with deep greenery and green barley, the 62-year-old railway is now one of the most beloved places for Seoulites to go and reflect. Beside Hang-dong Railroad, there is the Pureun Arboretum, Seoul’s first arboret

In the 15th century, it was the private residence of a grand prince. Then in the late 19th century, it became the imperial palace of the short-lived Korean Empire. During the Japanese colonial period that followed, it was reduced to a public park.  This is the story of Deoksugung, now South Korea’s historical site No. 124 and one of the most serene places tucked in central Seoul.  An artistic project is taking place here, under the title of “Deoksugung Project 2021: Garde

St. Andrew’s Anglican Church sits in a small town of Onsu, Ganghwado, one of the around 150 islands and islets in the Incheon archipelago.  The church was built by British missionary Mark N. Trollope, who came to Ganghwado in 1896 and later went on to become the third Anglican bishop in Korea from 1911 until his death.  Designed and completed during the early years of the imperial reign of Gojong -- the last king of the Joseon era who assumed the title of emperor in 1897 -- the

Jaraseom is a well-known place for music lovers, drawing more than 100,000 visitors every October for its annual Jazz Festival.  But Jaraseom, which consists of four islands, has recently become a beautiful park for visitors to enjoy various flowers from spring to autumn.  Since 2019, Gapyeong County has transformed Jaraseom into a “flower island” by establishing flower fields, landscape lighting installations and tourist facilities on 100,000 square meters of the souther

The National Library of Korea is welcoming visitors looking for a new way of reading books through its digital library, called Silgam Seojae. The digital library aims to bring books, especially old texts, closer to readers with the latest technologies.  Visitors can search for books on a touch screen where they receive book suggestions based on the search results, which they can share with other visitors. Old texts are offered digitally for reading, with annotations to help readers who are

A rare exhibition is taking place in the country’s eastern coastal city of Gangneung, Gangwon Province.  More than 120 exquisite celadon ceramics from the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392), known locally as cheongja, are on display at “Celadon, the Microscopic World of Goryeo.”  Renowned for its subtle and elegant beauty, various shapes and sizes of celadon ceramics, which get their name from their mystic blue-green glaze, trace the untold story of the kingdom that flourish

Seoul Olympic Park in Songpa District, southern Seoul, was built in preparation for the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Olympic Games. Korea hosting its first summer Olympics in 1988 was seen as a culmination of the nation’s rapid growth over a few short decades.  When construction work started, a massive Baekje Dynasty earth fortification, called Monchontoseong, was excavated and then restored to allow visitors to enjoy a historic stroll in harmony with the newly-built park.   Now