Travel Bits

‘Korea Night’ in LA

The Korea Tourism Organization will hold “Korea Night” at LA Dodgers Stadium on June 17 when the Dodgers and Texas Rangers face off in a Major League Baseball match.

Korean players Ryu Hyun-jin, a starting pitcher for the LA Dodgers, and Choo Shin-soo, a Texas Rangers outfielder, will participate in the promotion of Korea to the some 50,000 spectators at the stadium, according to the KTO.

K-pop girl group 2NE1’s CL will throw the first pitch of the game, and Korean rock singer Yoon Do-hyun will perform.

The KTO will also promote the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, and commemorate Americans who served during the Korean War, which marks the 65th anniversary this year.



Visit Las Vegas

Hana Tour, a Korean tourist agency, will promote Las Vegas during a tourism exhibition next month.

It has chosen the world’s biggest entertainment city to recommend to locals this year. Last year, it promoted Thailand, and Tokyo and Japan’s Mount Fuji in 2013.

During the three-day exhibition at KINTEX convention center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Hana Tour will introduce Las Vegas’ nighttime attractions and hotels, as well as its well-known entertainment shows and circuses.

It will also introduce some tourism courses, including a Las Vegas-Grand Canyon helicopter tour.

For more information, check www.hits2015.co.kr.



‘Campnic Village’ in Everland

Everland will offer a space within the park for visitors to enjoy both camping and a picnic away from their daily lives.

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the park’s Rose Festival, Korea’s largest theme park in Yong-in, Gyeonggi Province, will open a “Campnic Village” where visitors can enjoy watching movies, playing baseball, drinking beer and eating chicken.

The village, which will have up to 30 four-person tents with tables and chairs, will be open until Aug. 23.

People can book a tent on Everland’s website (www.everland.com) via its smart reservation system, at a cost of 50,000 won for weekdays and 70,000 won for weekends.



Ride to historic Myeongnyang, Jejudo


Korail Tourism Development has launched a tour package enabling tourists to travel south via a train, ferry and airplane.

The tour unit of the state-run railway operator will offer a program allowing travelers to visit Usuyeong in South Jeolla Province, near the Myeongnyang Strait where Joseon Dynasty naval Adm. Yi Sun-sin battled the Japanese.

Tourists can visit the site by taking the KTX bullet train from Yongsan Station in Seoul to Mokpo Station, the last stop on the Honam line.

After visiting the historic battle site, they can travel to Chujado Island, part of Jejudo Island, via a high-speed ferry, and take a walking trail.

The three-day tour program will end with visitors flying back to Seoul after spending a day on Jejudo. For more information, visit www.korailtravel.com.



Hadong Wild Tea Festival


Hadong County in South Gyeongsang Province will host the 19th Hadong Wild Tea Cultural Festival from May 22-25.

The festival will include programs to educate about Hadong’s unique tea history that dates back to the Unified Silla era.

It will also have programs where visitors can hand-pick wild tea leaves from the gardens, and make teas, with demonstrations on tea-drinking etiquette for the young.

Hadong officials said the festival will hold sideline events such as a singing contest and orchestra performances.

Festival in Itaewon



Yongsan-gu will hold a cultural festival in the multinational district of Itaewon every Saturday and Sunday between May 23 and June 20.

The district office said that it would hold various shows such as traditional music performances mixed with modern electronic music, hip-hop and Korean harp performances by Korean and foreign artists.

The seven-day Itaewon Weekend Cultural Festival will be held at the Itaewon plaza near the Noksapyeong Station and at the War Memorial of Korea between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

“We hope this festival will turn out to be memorable for both locals and foreigners, who have rejuvenated Itaewon as a tourist attraction,” said Yongsan-gu Mayor Sung Jang-hyun.