[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Nonsan Strawberry Festival Nonsan Strawberry Festival will take place from March 8 through March 12 at various areas of Nonsan Citizen Park in Nonsan, South Chungcheong Province. The event promotes Nonsan strawberries, providing opportunities for tourists visiting the city to enjoy them and the beautiful surroundings in which they are grown. The five-day festival offers various hands-on activities, including strawberry jam making, strawberry picking and more. Visitors can also enjoy delicious st

March 3, 2023

[Newsmaker] Colonial-era place of torture now monument to sacrifice

Tiny was hardly even the word for it. The solitary confinement inside the buildings of Seodaemun Jail was barely wide enough for an average-sized man to enter, and would have been just long enough for one to lie down. On one side of the windowless cell was a small hole, which turned out to be possibly among the most depraved versions of a toilet. Built in 1908 near the end of the Joseon era, this notorious jail was a place where many Korean independence fighters were locked up, tortured and exec

Feb. 28, 2023

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Hueree Maehwa Festival, Jeju The Hueree Maehwa Festival, which kicks off Friday, runs through March 24 at Hueree Natural Park on Jeju Island. Maehwa is plum blossom in Korean. The park, near Mount Halla, offers a chance to stroll, relax and enjoy the early spring. The annual festival highlights Jeju Island’s splendid scenery and its beautiful plum blossoms, among many other flowers blooming in the spring season, offering multiple photo zones for families and friends to take memorable pictu

Feb. 24, 2023

Beat the cold in jjimjilbang heat

Outdoor activities -- skiing, snowboarding, sledding -- may be among common ways to enjoy the winter season. But, sometimes, laying on your back on a heated floor at a jjimjilbang is simply the better way to beat the bitter cold. Jjimjilbang, a Korean-style sauna featuring two traditional heating systems -- “ondol” and “gama,” referring to a heated floor and kiln-shaped sauna rooms in Korean, respectively. Diehard sauna lovers or those who know about jjimjilbang through K

Feb. 11, 2023

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Gangjin Celadon Festival The 51st edition of Gangjin Celadon Festival is scheduled to start Feb. 23, running through March 1 at the areas around Goryeo Celadon Museum in Gangjin, South Jeolla Province. Celebrating the excellence of Korean celadon from Goryeo period, the event offers various hands-on activities, including spinning wheel, coil-style celadon making and more. The fees for hands-on activities vary from 1,000 won to 5,000 won. A special parade, busking by local artists, a lantern-maki

Feb. 10, 2023

[Subway Stories] Dongnimmun Station, where memories of heroes are commemorated

Almost immediately, one can feel the nationalistic pride that fills Dongnimmun Station as the taegeuk mark and the four black trigrams of the Taegeukgi, the national flag, can be seen across multiple corners of the Line No.3 terminal. It is one of the few subway stations in Seoul that has its own unique design reflecting the significance of the surrounding areas. Such meaning can be found immediately upon stepping out of exit No. 3, adjacent to a small exhibition hall named “House for

Feb. 4, 2023

The colder the better

WONJU, Gangwon Province -- With temperatures dropping nationwide, long puffer jackets can be spotted everywhere. While many people begrudgingly head outside armed with heavy gloves, winter hats and mufflers, ice climbers can’t hide their smiles as they stand in front of the ice wall in Wonju, Gangwon Province. “It was pretty cold last week! I heard Seoul’s temperature dropped to minus 18 degrees Celsius right? That sounds like a good time to enjoy some ice climbing,” Pand

Feb. 4, 2023

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Hallim Park Narcissus Festival The Narcissus Festival, which began Jan. 21, will run through Feb. 19 at Hallim Park, one of the most popular tourist spots on Jeju Island. The park, reaching almost 100 thousand square meters in size, is home to various types of flowers and plants. More than a million narcissuses welcome flower lovers during its flowering season. Admission is 9,000 won ($7.38), 10,000 won and 15,000 won for children, teenagers and adults, respectively. Online reservation can be

Feb. 3, 2023

[Newsmaker] New visas, faster entries: Immigration changes in 2023

South Korea has recently rolled out a series of changes for foreign visitors and residents in the country, ranging from new visas to giving young children access to automated immigration gates at airports. The measures are intended to draw more foreigners, from tourists to long-term workers, after a period of pandemic-induced strict border controls. Introduction of new visas Two new visa types will be made available to visitors, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced last mont

Feb. 1, 2023

KTO sums up 2023 travel trend with MOMENT

The Korea Tourism Organization predicted this year's domestic travel trend as focusing on individual travelers' aspirations to discover their interests and preferences rooted in their daily lives, summarizing the trend with the acronym, MOMENT. The travel trend forecast was announced by the Culture Ministry and KTO on Tuesday, based on an analysis of travel-related big data collected over three years. The data included travel expenses and the use of social media, as well as in-dept

Jan. 31, 2023

Gangwon offers fun, exciting winter activities

As the temperature across the country plunged to the lowest points this winter this week, those looking for wintertime fun and thrills can expect even more fun in Gangwon Province, the mountainous province known for its abundant snowfall -- one of the reasons why Pyeongchang in Gangwon Province hosted the 2018 Winter Olympics. Among the exciting options at Gangwon Province are lure fishing, bare-handed fishing, sledding, trekking, skiing and, for the die-hard K-drama fans, Korean drama filming l

Jan. 28, 2023

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Full Moon Festival, Samcheok The highland city of Samcheok, Gangwon Province, is set to celebrate its annual Full Moon Festival, known as “Jeongwol Daeboreum.” Jeongwol Daeboreum is a traditional holiday marking the first full moon of the Lunar New Year. The festival will be held Feb. 3-5 at areas near Samcheok Beach and Expo Square in the city. The three-day event offers a singing competition, stage performances and other traditional Korean folk games, including tug-of-war. The most

Jan. 27, 2023

Hundertwasser Park turns Udo from a ‘drop-by’ site to final destination

JEJU ISLAND -- Before three-wheeled electric cars and its natural and unkempt landscape raised its profile as a go-to tourist destination, Udo -- a small resort island just east of Jeju Island -- had been dismissed as a place to stay for only a few hours. Most visitors would cycle around the island along the splendid coastline, enjoying a panoramic view of Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, then take a ferry back to Jeju to continue their travels. But Hundertwasser Park, a natural art park and resort nam

Jan. 21, 2023

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Pinocchio and Little Prince Starlight Festival The second edition of the Pinocchio and Little Prince Starlight Festival will run through March 5 at Italian Village and Petite France in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province. The event allows visitors to experience a bit of overseas travel via the flea market lined with European antiques, traditional Italian houses and more. The splendid lighting aside, the festival hosts various cultural programs, including music box performances, a puppet show, a circus w

Jan. 20, 2023

Take a free shuttle to Cheong Wa Dae

A shuttle to Cheong Wa Dae that circuits back to Gyeongbokgung is free of charge for everyone starting this year. The Cheong Wa Dae tour bus launched last June and was only free to people over 65, children under 8, pregnant women, and people with disabilities. The number of passengers last year amounted to 49,820, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Wednesday. The shuttle runs 12 times a day, 15 minutes apart. A separate shuttle with a wheelchair lift will also be in service. The bu

Jan. 18, 2023

Manila, Cebu await return of foreign tourists

MANILA, Philippines -- So many aspects of our lives have been deferred due to the pandemic, especially the joy of getting away from it all. After three long years, as countries opened their doors to foreign visitors South Koreans spared no time, contributing to an uptick in tourism in destinations like Japan, Guam and the Philippines. The Philippines attracted 2.65 million visitors last year, including 428,014 from South Korea, who formed the second-largest group of foreign visitors to the count

Jan. 14, 2023

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Daegwallyeong Snow Festival, Pyeongchang The Daegwallyeong Snow Festival will run from Jan. 20-29 in the area around Songcheon Stream in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province. The annual festival began in 1993, and has become among the most famous winter festivals in South Korea. The event features beautiful snowy hills and enjoyable activities for both children and adults. Admission fees for the snowgloo park and snow sledding cost 8,000 won and 10,000 won, respectively. Online reservations can be made

Jan. 13, 2023

'Korea Grand Sale 2023' kicks off with various advantages for tourists

The 48-day Korea Grand Sale 2023 kicked off on Thursday for foreign nationals who look to visit South Korea. Korea Grand Sale, organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, has taken place each year since 2011. The campaign aims at boosting the tourism industry during the winter season, when the lowest number of tourist visit South Korea. Dozens of companies including major airlines and hotel chains opened online booths with special advantages in four categories of “flight,&rdq

Jan. 12, 2023

Incheon Airport resumes transit tours

Incheon Airport relaunched its daily transit tour program departing at the airport terminals on Jan. 1. Transit tours are provided free of charge to passengers transferring to another country via Incheon Airport. Using their transfer wait time, passengers can tour major attractions on round-trip tour buses, led by professional guides. Seven different tours are on offer, with four new courses added to the list. The four are: "Past and Present," which visits Cheong Wa Dae and Tongin Ma

Jan. 9, 2023

[Travel Bits] Festivals, sights across Korea

Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival, Cheongyang The Chilgapsan Ice Fountain Festival runs from Jan. 1 to Feb. 12 at the Alps Village in Cheongyang-gun, South Chungcheong Province. The festival offers various activities, including sledding, bobsledding, ice fishing, a zip line course, horseback riding, bare-handed fishing and more. Visitors who do not wish to participate in the hands-on experiences can also enjoy the ice fountain, ice artwork and ice cave. The festival is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m

Jan. 6, 2023