Most Popular
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[AtoZ into Korean mind] Humor in Korea: Navigating the line between what's funny and not
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[Exclusive] Korean military set to ban iPhones over 'security' concerns
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Yoon seeks rebound, taps 5-term lawmaker as chief of staff
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Medical standoff deepens as doctors reject new med school plan, talks
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Korean, Romanian leaders discuss defense tech, nuclear energy
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[Graphic News] 77% of young Koreans still financially dependent
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[Herald Interview] Why Toss invited hackers to penetrate its system
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S. Korean envoys convene to navigate strategy amid Middle East tensions
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North Korea fires several short-range ballistic missiles into sea: JCS
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Samsung, SK hynix investors dump shares on Nvidia crash
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[Travel Bits] Festivals in Korea this week
Yangpyeong Icefish Festival The Mulmalgeun Yangpyeong Icefish Festival takes place in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, each winter. Visitors can eat warm fish cakes and roasted chestnuts at the festival. Aside from ice fishing, other traditional winter games and activities such as kite-flying, top spinning, sledding and making jjimbbang (steamed buns with red bean filling) will be available.The festival will continue until Feb. 12, and online reservations are available at soomyland.winterfesti
Jan. 20, 2017
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[Travel Bits] Festivals in Korea this week
Mulmalgeun Icefish Festival The Mulmalgeun Yangpyeong Icefish Festival takes place in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, each winter. Visitors can eat warm fish cakes and roasted chestnuts at the festival. Aside from ice fishing, other traditional winter games and activities such as kite-flying, top spinning, sledding and making jjimbbang (steamed buns with red bean filling) will be available.The festival will continue until Feb. 12, and online reservations are available at soomyland.winterfesti
Jan. 13, 2017
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Seoul palaces visited by record number of 16.1 mln in 2016
The year 2016 saw a record number of people visit the four major palaces in the capital city of Seoul, the Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA) said Sunday. The CHA said the number of domestic and foreign visitors last year to the four palaces -- Gyeongbok, Changdeok, Changgyeong and Deoksu -- and Jongmyo Shrine amounted to 16.1 million, up by 17.8 percent from a year ago. Foreign visitors reached 3.83 million, passing the 3 million mark for the first time and up by a whopping 60.3 percent com
Jan. 8, 2017
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[Travel Bits] Festivals around Korea
Boseong Green Tea Plantation light festThe annual Boseong Green Tea Plantation Light Festival has kicked off its celebrations this year, lighting up the country’s famed green tea fields in Boseong-gun, South Jeolla Province. There are various attractions, such as the Korea Tea Culture Park’s Galaxy Tunnel, the colorful Tea Plantation Wave of Lights, Light Valley of Hope, Korea Tea Museum’s Light Plaza, Wishing Tree, along with photo spots. The festivities will also extend to the nearby Yulpo Bea
Jan. 6, 2017
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In this ‘weird, lost corner of America,’ the beach of your dreams awaits in the remotest national park
Even for a Saturday in the South Pacific, this was a sleepy morning.On American Samoa’s main island of Tutuila and its neighbor, Ofu, villages were still, beaches empty.On the west coast of nearby Ta’u, a battered little fishing boat sidled up to the wharf, and a pale stranger stepped off, looking half-queasy and half-euphoric, a bagged octopus in his left hand.That was me on Day 6 at America’s most far-flung national park.National Park of American Samoa, 4,000 kilometers southwest of Hawaii, is
Jan. 6, 2017
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Culture Ministry recommends themed travel outside of Seoul
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has announced a new initiative to promote travel outside of Seoul next year, recommending destinations based on different themes. The ministry selected its top sightseeing cities outside of Seoul. Separated into 10 regions, the new travel promotion initiative highlights themes such as “Peace and National Security,” “Road to Pyeongchang,” “Seonbi (classical scholar) Culture,” “Time Travel” and “Islands and Wind.” To allow travelers to get the best out
Dec. 27, 2016
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Winter is a cool time to explore the desert
Seeking something other than the traditional 70-degree, sunny Christmas that Southern Californians like me often take for granted, I persuaded my dad to spend the long holiday weekend last year somewhere more remote, and perhaps white.We signed up for a three-day trip with an Asian tour bus company out of Monterey Park, just east of Los Angeles, to Arizona and Utah. Disclaimer: The trip is better done driving your own car, especially if you like legroom.At the crack of dawn, we loaded our luggag
Dec. 17, 2016
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[Travel bits] Upcoming festivals, travel news
Everland Romantic Illuminations festEverland’s Romantic Illumination festival is continuing its celebrations until March 1 with beautiful and enchanting illuminations for a romantic and memorable holiday season.The festival will feature an extravagant 26-meter-tall Romantic Tower Tree, which will be displayed at the fountain area between Four Seasons Garden and Rose Garden. The hollowed out Christmas tree tower can accommodate up to 50 people.The tree’s interior showers visitors with enchanting
Dec. 17, 2016
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Jamaica’s sweet lodgings over the water, atop the sea
MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica -- I totally admit this is a first-world problem. But for the life of me I can’t remember what my private butler said about how to turn on the underwater lights so I can see through the window on my bedroom floor.The headaches! The difficulty of being the first guest in this entrancing villa! I think I need a soak in my private infinity pool or a rest on the overwater hammock to calm down.Suddenly, a breakthrough. I push a small button labeled “ripples” on the wall. And alth
Dec. 9, 2016
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Ways to keep phone charges low during international travel
FLORENCE, Italy (AP) -- It's a sure-fire way to dampen the holiday cheers: Spend a week on a dream vacation abroad, then come back to find an additional several hundred dollars on your cellphone bill.Although some US phone plans cover international travel, especially to Canada and Mexico, many don’t. Leaving your phone off isn't practical these days. But you don’t have to pay a fortune if you follow these tips. You might find some of these steps annoying, but they're surely less painful than an
Dec. 8, 2016
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New SR railway company to launch super rapid trains
On a small peninsula just over 100,000 square kilometers in area, Korea’s vastly extensive railways have made domestic flying a virtually unnecessary expense and hassle. Since 2005, the country’s railways have been dominated by Korail, which has been running competition-free over the past decade. However, all that is set to change on Dec. 9. On Friday, travelers will find themselves with an alternative option, as Korea welcomes its newest contender to railway and bullet train travel -- SR. An
Dec. 5, 2016
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Busan, magnet for MICE industry
BUSAN -- Korea’s second-largest city and a major maritime hub, Busan is harnessing its capacities for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, known as the MICE industry. Scores of convention centers, hotels, tourism attractions and cruise terminals are being built or renewed to make way for Asia’s top commercial port with 2020 in sight.Strewn with mesmeric beaches, cultural amenities, efficient infrastructure and telecommunications lines, Busan has all the ingredients necessary to att
Dec. 4, 2016
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[Travel Bits] Upcoming festivals, travel news
Everland Romantic IlluminationsEverland’s Romantic Illumination festival is continuing its celebrations until March 1 with beautiful and enchanting illuminations for a romantic and memorable holiday season.The festival will feature an extravagant 26-meter-high Romantic Tower Tree, which will be displayed at the fountain area between Four Seasons Garden and Rose Garden. The hollowed out Christmas tree tower can accommodate up to 50 people.The tree’s interior showers the visitors with enchanting l
Dec. 2, 2016
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Christmas destinations that even Scrooge would love
If this is the year that you decide you’ve had it with untangling Christmas lights, fighting mall crowds to find that “must-have” action figure or video game, and fighting over whose turn it is to host the holiday dinner, there is an alternative.At all of the following destinations, the lights will already be on the tree; the holiday dinner will be handled by a renowned chef and the angry, shoving mall crowds will be replaced by like-minded guests who have one thing in common — a desire for a ha
Dec. 2, 2016
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Busan recognized as top incentive tourism destination
As Korea’s second-largest city, Busan boasts a wide array of unique cultural experiences, from hosting the largest international film festival in Asia to offering fresh local seafood. However, in addition to being a popular place to vacation, the port city is now recognized as a leading incentive tour destination for travel related to meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions.In fact, as a result of the city’s proactive marketing efforts, 12 medium-sized to large companies have visited B
Dec. 1, 2016
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How to see Chichen Itza without the crowds
Sounds of the jungle were as thick as the humidity. Birds chirped and trilled. A deep hoot added a bass note. An almost mechanical staccato clicking joined in. I was following a Mayan guide, Juan Gualberto Tun Pat, down a garden path on the grounds of my hotel, where life is so insistent that young trees sprout in the middle of the gravel walkway.At a wrought iron gate, two guys sat at a weathered Formica-topped table, the young one working on math problems, the older one tuning a radio. They pa
Nov. 25, 2016
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[Travel Bits] Upcoming festivals, travel news
Lotte World Christmas MiracleLotte World is gearing up to play host to its annual Christmas Festival every day until Dec. 27. This year’s festival will tackle the theme of “A White Christmas,” allowing visitors the chance to see spectacular Christmas decorations at every corner of the theme park. The park will also feature a Santa Village and a snowman photo zone for the children.There will also be a special snowfall show twice a day at the Adventure Park and during the new Christmas Parade. The
Nov. 25, 2016
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Korea introduces 'premium' express bus for long-distance trips
South Korea on Friday launched a new premium express bus service with nearly flat seats that will provide long distance travelers with first-class comfort and experience.The new premium bus has 21 passenger seats, instead of 28 in previous premium models, allowing each seat to recline up to 160 degrees, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.Each seat is also equipped with a personal display monitor, providing various content from movies and TV programs to music and game
Nov. 25, 2016
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Number of travelers to S. Korea hits record high in Jan-Oct
The number of foreign travelers to South Korea in the first 10 months of this year jumped 33.1 percent from a year ago, breaking the previous record high in 2014, the state-run tourism agency said Monday. A total of 14.59 million foreigners visited the nation in the January-October period, already outnumbering the annual record of 14.2 million in 2014, the Korea Tourism Organization said. The number of incoming Chinese travelers soared 40 percent on-year over the period to account for 48 percent
Nov. 21, 2016
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[Travel Bits] Sights to see in Korea
Lotte World Christmas MiracleLotte World is gearing up to play host to its annual Christmas Festival every day until Dec. 27. This year’s festival will tackle the theme of “A White Christmas,” allowing visitors the chance to see spectacular Christmas decorations at every corner of the theme park. The park will also feature a Santa Village and a snowman photo zone for the children.There will also be a special snowfall show twice a day at the Adventure Park and during the new Christmas Parade. The
Nov. 18, 2016