Bring out the bulls

Bullfights stir up energy and more in Cheongdo One of the most energetic, fierce and primeval festivals in South Korea opened this week in Cheongdo, Gyeongsang Province. The annual Cheongdo Bullfighting Festival kicked off on Wednesday at the Cheongdo Bullfighting Stadium in Cheongdo-gun, North Gyeongsang Province. A total of 96 bulls are locking horns during the five-day festival to the wild cheer of the spectators.  This year’s festival is composed of two parts -- the first half, from April 18

April 20, 2012

Visit Jeongeup, cradle of history

Fed up with hectic city life, but cannot spare more than a day off work? Put on a holiday outfit and head to Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province. If a timely break in peaceful traditional sites is what you need, this is a perfect place to cool off in the spring breeze. Hikers who initially come for Mount Naejang soon discover that this beautiful city, about 230 kilometers south of Seoul, has much more to offer. Naejang TempleFounded in 660 A.D. under the name Yeongeun Temple, Naejang Temple has a 1,

April 16, 2012

Sunchang, home of hot pepper paste

Also known for long life expectancy of residentsSunchang, North Jeolla Province, is known for its excellent gochujang, or hot pepper paste. As households increasingly purchase ready-made gochujang rather than make their own at home, Sunchang has become synonymous with gochujang, with many gochujang brands using the name Sunchang on their products.At Sunchang Traditional Gochujang Folk Village, gochujang artisans who use the traditional methods of making the highest quality hot pepper paste conti

April 16, 2012

Enjoy springtime in Gochang

Walk around green barley field and take a break at a beautiful templeIt’s spring. Flowers are blooming and the weather is warming up. Itching to get of out of town? How about walking around a vast green field or enjoying a quiet stroll at a beautiful temple.Gochang, North Jeolla Province, located some 290 kilometers south of Seoul, is a perfect place for a spring outing.  Green Barley Field FestThe annual Green Barley Field Festival at Hagwon Farm this year is scheduled from April 21-May 23, off

April 16, 2012

New JW Marriott to open in Dongdaemun

A new JW Marriott Hotel, a luxury hotel chain from Marriott International, is coming to the Dongdaemun area by 2013, becoming the first Marriott hotel in the northern part of Seoul. “Dongdaemun is a neat area to be in and since the city is growing that way, we are positioned perfectly as it continues to expand,” Craig Smith, chief operating officer of Marriott International’s Asia Pacific operation, told The Korea Herald in a recent interview. He was in Seoul last week to check on the Korean mar

April 16, 2012

Titanic’s wealthiest passenger built NYC hotel

NEW YORK (AP) ― A century after the Titanic sank, the legacy of the ship’s wealthiest and most famous passenger lives on quietly at the luxury hotel he built in New York City.John Jacob Astor IV, who was one of the richest men in America, went down with the ship in 1912 after helping his pregnant wife escape into the last lifeboat. But at the St. Regis, one of Manhattan’s oldest luxury hotels, the aristocratic sensibilities of the Gilded Age remain intact.Butlers in white ties and black tailcoat

April 13, 2012

Making strides along Cotswold Way in England

BATH, England ― On the high street of the lovely Cotswold village of Chipping Campden, just next to the 12th century stone marketplace, sits an unobtrusive but intimidating sign. “Cotswold Way, the beginning and the end,” it reads. “Bath 100 m.” The “m” stands for miles.The sign marked the starting point of our 10-day walk through the Cotswolds, along a trail that loosely follows the route that monks in ancient times walked each year to pay tribute to Bath Abbey. My husband, Carl, and I had been

April 13, 2012

Ship leaves NYC to visit Titanic graves in Canada

NEW YORK (AP) ― Passengers dressed in fur coats and wide-brimmed hats strolled the decks of a memorial ship as it began its journey to Canada to visit the spot where the Titanic sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean a century ago.The ship was packed on Tuesday with history aficionados who have long been obsessed with the doomed ocean liner. Quite a few wore old-fashioned costumes, and one boy in a fake white beard was dressed up as Captain Edward John Smith.The cruise ship Journey, operated b

April 11, 2012

Doomsday condos on sale for those who can afford it

Luxury flats built inside missile silos to fend off disaster“Act now, or you’re a loser.”A salesman abides by this strategy to prepare for the worst as he seeks to sell ultra-safety underground havens designed to withstand Doomsday.  ‘Doomsday preppers,’ luxurious underground havens built deep under the Kansas prairie, have been sold to four buyers for a total of about $7 million so far, the Daily Mail reported.The luxury flats located within 3-meter-thick walls of abandoned missile silos stretc

April 11, 2012

Have whale of a time in Ulsan

Boat excursions offer a rare chance to see sea mammals up closeULSAN ― It’s spring, and if you are itching to get out of town, Ulsan could be an ideal place to spend a weekend. This suggestion may raise some eyebrows because Ulsan is a city known for its heavy industries. But sometimes one needs to see what’s happening on the far edge of the country, and there is something special about visiting this coastal city at this time of the year.Ulsan has been a driving force behind the country’s indust

April 6, 2012