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

Travel Feb. 11, 2023

Eyeing to become a global studio presenting its content to a wider audience, Studio Dragon, South Korean entertainment powerhouse CJ ENM’s drama production subsidiary, is scheduled to offer a total of 35 drama series this year. The studio's beloved series, including “The Glory” and “Sweet Home” on Netflix, “Island” on Tving and “Shadow Detective” on Disney+ will make their anticipated return with sequels this year. Studio Dragon will a

Television Feb. 10, 2023

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

Travel Feb. 10, 2023

“Love to Hate You,” the first romantic comedy series of actor Kim Ok-vin’s 18-year career, strays from the typical Korean drama tropes. The series doesn’t feature childhood sweethearts; a poor girl with an overly positive personality; nor an average girl meeting a rich guy with the ensuing family opposition. But the actors and director of “Love to Hate You” are certain that it has more than everything to make viewers wish they were in love. Kim felt that she

Television Feb. 9, 2023

After becoming a new major source for alternate forms of multimedia content, web novels -- written works available primarily online -- are poised to continue following the successful footsteps of webtoons, setting new sales records and yielding successful drama adaptations. Naver Series, South Korean tech giant Naver’s web-based book platform, said that the accumulated sales of its action fantasy novel “Return of the Blossoming Blade” hit a record-high of 40 billion won ($31.8

Books Feb. 8, 2023

Jang Ho-gi, the man behind global streamer Netflix’s latest reality competition “Physical: 100,” said he wants to scour the world to find a contestant in top physical shape. “Though our show sought to find the fittest among 100 contestants of different gender, race and age, deciding the proportion of foreign-born contestants was difficult. Defining a foreign-born contestant itself was complicated as well,” Jang said in a press conference held at Community House Ma

Television Feb. 7, 2023

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

Travel Feb. 4, 2023

Bowling alley with neon lights and rock-'n-'roll February has begun, but the evenings in Seoul are still quite chilly after sundown. When it feels too early to call it a day with friends or acquaintances, a special bowling alley decorated with flashy neon lights and some rock music awaits. Only a three-minute walk from Gangnam Station's Exit No. 10, Temple Strike, a bowling alley located on the basement floor of the bustling district, opens from 11 a.m. to 5 a.m. the next mornin

Culture Feb. 3, 2023

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

Travel Feb. 3, 2023

Webtoon “Dark Moon: The Blood Altar” has recorded 100 million views worldwide as of Wednesday, Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse behind the superband BTS said. An original webtoon collaboration between Hybe and Naver Webtoon, “Dark Moon: The Blood Altar” is a fantasy webtoon featuring seven members of Hybe boy band Enhyphen as werewolves. The story develops as a mysterious new student Soo-ha -- a vampire -- transfers to the school and draws the attention of the werewolves. Seria

Books Feb. 2, 2023

Korean bodybuilder Kim Chun-ri is seeking to put an end to a controversy regarding her match with a male opponent on Netflix’s survival show “Physical: 100.” The latest preview of “Physical: 100” on the Swoon -- Netflix’s YouTube channel used to promote its Korean originals, features a preview of the upcoming intergender match between Kim and mixed martial arts fighter Park Hyung-geun. After the 174-second video was released, more than 1,800 comments were post

Television Feb. 1, 2023

While feeling relieved to meet the expectations of long-awaiting drama fans, hit filmmaker Kang Yun-sung, who made his drama debut with Disney+’s crime thriller “Big Bet,” said what the viewers saw on screen was a little different from story that was toyed with at the production stage. “A screenwriter cannot create the whole story by himself. If the creator wishes to present a realistic character, the actor’s personality, tone and interpretation must be considered.

Television Jan. 31, 2023

South Korean online streaming service provider Tving is scheduled to premiere an extended reality music show called “Webtoon Singer” in February. “Webtoon Singer” is set to present K-pop artists’ performances, combining hit webtoons with extended reality, or XR, technology. XR is an umbrella term encompassing virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality. The computing technology can merge physical and virtual worlds, bringing digital elements to the viewers.

Television Jan. 30, 2023

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

Travel Jan. 28, 2023

Public educational TV channel EBS on Friday aired the first episode of a four-part program featuring renowned Korean dancers, the latest edition of its documentary series "Voice." The dancers in the series have different specialties, from traditional Korean dance and street dance to contemporary dance and ballet. Collaborating with the Korea Arts & Cultural Education Service, the documentary series features different professions, ranging from architects and pianists to actors and p

Television Jan. 27, 2023