[Well-curated] Seokchon Lake light festival, indoor zoo and Singaporean fashion

Enjoy luminous night view at Seokchon Lake

With the days getting shorter, more light festivals illuminating the long dark nights of winter are on their way.

Seokchon Lake -- a popular destination for watching cherry blossoms in spring --- in Jamsil, southeastern Seoul, seeks to become a beautiful night view spot.

The lake’s 4.17-kilometer circular walking trail is decorated with various lamps, lanterns and media art, entertaining those who stop by.

While strolling along the path, you can see people taking pictures against luminous light tunnels and Lotte World Tower, Korea’s tallest skyscraper and an iconic landmark, as a beautiful backdrop.

Another unique photo spot is the Bvlgari serpenti necklace-designed light installation around 18 meters tall.

The luminous light tunnel is sure to catch the attention of passersby.

Bvlgari’s light installation will be on display until Jan. 1, 2024.

The lights are on from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The beautiful light festival is free to all.

Seokchon Lake Luminarie, the second-edition of Jamsil’s light festival, got underway on Oct. 27 and runs through Feb. 29, 2024.

Play with animals in indoor zoo

Located in a six-story building in the Hongdae area of Seoul, Table A is an indoor zoo authorized by the Seoul city government. From cats and dogs to chinchillas, raccoons, rock badgers. axolotls, iguanas and lizards, Table A boasts more than 40 animal species.

On the fifth floor, you will be greeted by a group cats including Sphynx cats, Maine coon cats and Norwegian forest cats. You can play with the cats climbing and leaping over installations. A single catnip stick is enough to catch their attention. The third floor features parrots and rabbits. Although you're not allowed to touch them, you can feed the small animals their favorites such as mealworms or carrots. Pet food can be bought on the first floor for 2,000 won per packet.

Don't miss the special experience that takes place at 7 p.m. every day on the second floor featuring snakes, lizards and tortoises as well as meerkats and rock badgers. In addition to watching a bearded dragon ride an African tortoise, you can hold a white ball python in your hands or even around your neck. A trained veterinarian is on hand to assist. The vet also releases meerkats from their cage, so watch your pockets and bags.

The basement floor is for raccoons and prairie dogs. Schools of fish are also on display.

Table A is open from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day. The animals take breaks from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are 15,000 won. There is a two-hour limit to your stay. During November, visitors can receive a discount if you search for Table A on Naver or Instagram and show staff the promotional image when you arrive.

Explore Singaporean fashion

What’s the fashion of Singapore like, as a city-state that is a melting pot of Asian cultures?

The exhibition, "Runway Singapore #SGFASHIONNOW,” offers clues with works created by 27 Singaporean designers that testify to the country’s cultural and ethnic diversity, while simultaneously offering diverse re-interpretations of Singapore's cultural heritage.

Co-hosted by the Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore, the Embassy of the Republic of Singapore in Seoul and the Korea Foundation, the exhibition takes place from Nov. 21 to Jan. 31 at the KF Gallery in Jung-gu, central Seoul.

The exhibition features internationally acclaimed designers including Andrew Gn, Ashley Isham, LAICHAN and designers familiar to K-pop fans such as The Salvages, known for designing costumes for K-pop icons like Blackpink and G-Dragon, and Harry Halim, whose creations were worn by CL (Lee Chae-rin) of 2NE1 at the 2022 "We The Fest" music festival in Jakarta.

The 27 creations on display are arranged according to three themes: “Craftsmanship,” “Innovation in Tradition” and “Urbanite.”

The “Craftsmanship” section features eight dresses from pioneering Singaporean fashion designers active from the 1980s to the 2000s, as well as the works of contemporary designers that employ diverse styles of embroidery and tailoring.

“Innovation in Tradition” features eight pieces that re-interpret Singapore’s traditional attire such as kebaya, sarong, cheongsam and corsets.

The “Urbanite” section consists of 11 dresses from Singaporean street-fashion brands currently drawing attention in Korea, France and other international markets.

First introduced in 2021 in Singapore, the exhibition arrived in Busan for its first overseas showing from Aug. 10 to Oct. 29 before moving on to Seoul.