Beach golf resort to open at Taean coastal dune in 2024

A massive resort, Sun Beach Golf and Resort, will open in May 2024 at the coastal dune of Sindu-ri, Taean in South Chungcheong Province -- one of South Korea’s natural monuments. Spreading across a whopping 1.4 million square meters, the resort offers spaces for various purposes, including for businesses, social gatherings, health, leisure and vacation, according to developer Sindu Beach Development. The main feature of the resort is an 18-hole public golf course facing the beach along th

April 14, 2023

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Gochang Green Barley Festival The Gochang Green Barley Field Festival will be held from April 15 to May 7 in the Hakwon Farm area amid the green barley fields of Gochang-gun, North Jeolla Province. The festival celebrates the region’s plentiful barley. Visitors can take part in activities such as making flutes out of barley leaves, searching for hidden treasures in the barley fields and making essential oils. Other programs, including a concert by local artists, a magic show, a puppet sh

April 14, 2023

Black Hawk Village, an American town in the middle of Seoul

On a recent Tuesday morning, a sense of calm pervaded Black Hawk Village, a remnant of the Yongsan Garrison, the old headquarters of the US Forces Korea. Once home to American soldiers and their families, the village of 18 buildings is a relic from a time when the foreign military had its headquarters right in the heart of Seoul. For Hwang, a bride-to-be in her 20s, however, it is the perfect backdrop for her pre-wedding photo shoot. “The hues of the brownish-red buildings, green lawns and

April 11, 2023

Muju Deogyusan Resort unveils new accommodation package

With the warm spring weather and blooming flowers encouraging more and more people to take trips, Muju Deogyusan Resort has announced a new accommodation package. Muju Deogyusan Resort, located in North Jeolla Province, offers a scenic view of Deogyusan Mountain and its surrounding nature all year long. It is the only comprehensive mountain resort that is located in a national park in Korea. Its new 2023 package is divided into two types – the Breakfast Package and Muju Package. Both optio

April 11, 2023

Time passes slower on Phu Quoc Island

PHU QUOC ISLAND, Vietnam – The number of Korean travelers to Vietnam was some 965,000 in 2022, accounting for more than a quarter of Vietnam’s foreign tourists, according to the Vietnamese General Statistics Office. With the full resumption of international flights, their presence is expected to continue this year. In addition to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh and Da Nang, the three most popular destinations for first-time travelers to Vietnam, there is a hidden gem of an island that is relative

April 8, 2023

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Taean World Tulip Flower Festival The World Tulip Flower Festival is scheduled to run from April 12 to May 7 at Korea Flower Park in Taean, South Chungcheong Province. Some 200 types of flowers, including flamingo, lambada, red proud tulips and more, will be on full display, offering excellent photo opportunities. Recognized as one of the world’s top 5 tulip festivals worth travelling to by the World Tulip Society, the festival is set to allow visitors to enjoy the sight of colorful tuli

April 7, 2023

[One with Nature] Lesser-known cherry blossom streets in Seoul

As cherry blossoms paint South Korea’s capital city pink and white, Seoulites are flocking to flower-filled Yunjung-ro in Yeouido or Seokchon Lake in Jamsil, southern Seoul. While Yunjung-ro’s 1.7-kilometer road lined with cherry trees is a spectacular sight that welcomes springtime visitors across the nation, some feel that it has become too crowded, noting that there seem to be more people than flowers. For those who wish to enjoy the pink clouds of cherry blossoms in a less-crowde

April 3, 2023

Dive into the wonder of New South Wales

The shining city of Sydney may get all the attention, but look further along the New South Wales coastline and there is a whole world of seafood, nature and stunning scenery to become immersed in. And you don’t get much more immersed than literally up to your waist in the Hawkesbury estuary, where we were learning how to shell oysters, with bream circling around us waiting to snaffle up any leftovers. Sydney Oyster Farm Tours shows guests how the region’s rock oysters are reared, as

March 31, 2023

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Jinhae Gunhangje Festival The Jinhae Gunhangje Festival is being held in areas near Jinhae Jungwon Rotary Intersection in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, from March 25 to April 3. Celebrating the beautiful display of 360,000 cherry trees in downtown Jinhae, various programs, including cultural performances, a military parade and maritime firework show are set to entertain the visitors. The highly anticipated cherry blossoms festival makes a return after a three-year break as most of the C

March 31, 2023

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Gapyeong Cherry Blossom Festival Welcoming spring, the Gapyeong Cherry Blossom Festival is set to start from April 8 to 16 at Eden Cherry Blossom Road in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province. The 1.2-kilometer cherry blossom tunnel features stage performances of classical and popular songs, a flea market of handmade things and local specialties throughout the festival. The festival makes a return after a four-year break as most of the remaining COVID-19 policies were lifted as of Monday. The event is o

March 24, 2023

[From the Scene] Korean galleries put domestic artists forefront at Hong Kong Art Basel

HONG KONG -- South Korea’s homegrown galleries have brought contemporary Korean artists to Art Basel Hong Kong, Asia’s largest art fair, as it made a full return after four years this week at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. “We had a smooth start. I see as many people as before the pandemic. All of the paintings by Joung Young-ju were sold out to collectors from outside South Korea, including those from the US,” said Woo Chan-kyu, president of Hakgojae, on

March 23, 2023

[Photo news]Joseon palaces welcome spring spectators

Colourful flowers adorning Seoul’s old palaces are just around corner as spring has officially arrived in Seoul in the middle of March. The Royal Palaces and Tombs Center of Cultural Heritage Administration on Tuesday announced that the spring blossoms in the royal palaces will peak from late March to early April, forecasting blossoms of cherry, apricot, plum and weeping cherry to kick off the season on Thursday. The palace authority chose three places for best flowers in Seoul’s Jos

March 21, 2023

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Pinnacle Land Spring Flower Festival The Pinnacle Land Spring Flower Festival is scheduled to take place at Pinnacle Land, a botanical garden in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, starting March 24. The event runs through May 30. The botanical garden will present some 50,000 tulips and narcissus plants, allowing visitors to enjoy a fragrant spring atmosphere. The second edition of Pinnacle Land Spring Flower Festival also puts on a firework display at 8 p.m. on Saturdays. The event is open to p

March 17, 2023

City that treasures nostalgic memories: Goyang

GOYANG, Gyeonggi Province -- Less than a 50-minute drive northwest from central Seoul, Goyang is an easy-to-reach destination for Seoulites. The city's reputation as a quiet residential area might have kept it off the top of day-trippers' lists, but in recent years, Goyang's increasingly successful spring flower expo has been encouraging people to see more of what the town has to offer. Looking to capitalize on this, the city has begun to offer guided bus tours to introduce its mo

March 17, 2023

[Photo News] Spring begins blooming

Spring has arrived across Korea in the middle of March, with flowers blooming in the warmer provinces along the southern and eastern coasts. Apricot and cornelian cherry flowers bloom the fastest among spring flowers, indicating the end of winter. Here are photos of colorful spring views with those flowers, taken this week across South Korea.

March 15, 2023

Salute spring at Hwaseong Botanical Garden

HWASEONG, Gyeonggi Province -- Although the weather still feels cold for early March, impatient flower lovers head to Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province to look for the first signs of spring. Some 50 kilometers southwest of Seoul, Hwaseong Botanical Garden welcomes visitors with more than 580 species of plants growing on the Korean Peninsula. Outside the garden, trees and flowers have yet to bloom and the dry, crinkled brown leaves are a reminder of the last snap of winter. But inside the walls of a la

March 11, 2023

No fire at 2023 Jeju Fire Festival

The Jeju Fire Festival, this year's iteration of which kicked off Thursday, has decided to cancel the program's highlights involving actual fire due to safety concerns, according to the organizers on late Thursday. Several events scheduled for Friday and Saturday, including the festival's highlight, the Oreum Fire Lighting, were canceled as a series of wildfires have recently broken out in other areas in Korea amid the dry weather. Other performances, concerts and programs will go

March 10, 2023

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Festival The Gyeongju Cherry Blossom Festival is scheduled to take place at various sites in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, including Gyeongju Expo Grand Park, the park of royal tombs, also known as Daereungwon, and more. The festival starts March 25 and will run through April 16. Visitors can enjoy a festival that combines cherry blossoms with art and culture. Hueree Maehwa and Canola Flower Festivals, Jeju Island The Hueree Maehwa Festival, which kicked off on

March 10, 2023

[Photo News] When is peak cherry blossom season?

The peak season for cherry blossoms is forecast to reach Seoul in the third week of April after starting in the southernmost province of Jeju on April 1. According to the Korean Forest Service, Mulhyanggi Arboretum and Mount Suri, 20-40 kilometers south from Seoul, will see the peak on April. 11, while the Korea National Arboretum in northern Gyeonggi Province will reach the peak on April 18. The forest authority issued the cherry blossom forecast on March 3, indicating the dates when more than

March 9, 2023

Walk in nature on Jeju, away from bustling crowds

SEOGWIPO, Jeju Island -- As more Koreans head overseas for holidays with the lifting of COVID-19 related travel restrictions, there are concerns that domestic travel to Jeju Island may decrease. But with a number of luxury hotels newly opening on the southern island, Jeju’s travel industry is positive about growth prospects. JW Marriott Jeju Resort & Spa, expected to open sometime this month, is the latest five-star hotel on the island -- Grand Hyatt Jeju opened its doors in 2020 and P

March 4, 2023