A 210-centimeter-tall penguin walks into a room for an audition at Educational Broadcasting System, insisting he wants to be a star creator. The penguin, who has a strand of seaweed and a seashell on its head, explains that he swam all the way from the South Pole. The 10-year-old’s ultimate goal is to become as popular as BTS. Speaking in a cute -- sometimes husky -- voice, Pengsoo raps, breakda...

JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul was named the best-performer of the hospitality group’s more than 750 properties in the Asia-Pacific region, the hotel said Wednesday. The global hotel chain recognized the Seoul hotel for its large increase in sales, number of visitors and efforts to adjust to the rapidly evolving trends of the hospitality industry, it explained. “This award further undersco...

Christmas Eve party at InterContinental Seoul Coex InterContinental Seoul Coex is hosting a party on Christmas Eve with jazz performances and wine. Guests will be able to enjoy activities such as making Christmas wreaths, wine tasting and tarot reading from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Afterward, a seven-course dinner will be offered with wine and a mellow jazz performance. It costs 180,000 won per gue...

K-pop star Kang Daniel has temporarily halted entertainment activities, his management company said Wednesday, citing Kang’s ongoing struggle with depression and panic disorder Wednesday. Kang has canceled recordings for TV programs, including “Show! Champion,” an MBC music program that was scheduled for Wednesday. “Securing enough rest for the artist’s condition is the first priority,” managem...

After what many would call a career-defining performance in Cannes-winning film “Parasite,” Cho Yeo-jeong is demonstrating a different side of her acting spectrum with a role in a new KBS series. In the upcoming “Woman of 9.9 billion,” Cho plays a woman who used to live a hopeless life but becomes relentless when it comes to money, a far cry from the naive housewife that has become familiar to i...

South Korean singer-songwriter Zion.T will unveil his new song “Nothing Today” on Tuesday by uploading the piece on his YouTube channel, without distributing it on major music streaming services. The reason for his unprecedented decision is not known. However, in a response to an online comment asking whether the song would be distributed on music sites, he replied, “in the manner that has no wi...

A number of K-Pop stars joined a campaign to introduce attractions in Korea by taking videos of their favorite spots, aimed at giving travel tips to foreigners. The campaign is organized by Seo Kyoung-duk, a Sungshin Women’s University professor. The content, created by the K-pop stars, is shared on Korea Tourism Organization’s social media accounts, with translations in English, Chinese and Jap...

Delight X-mas Buffet at Courtyard Seoul Times Square The hotel offers the “Delight X-mas Buffet” for upcoming Christmas season from Dec. 21-25 at prices of 89,000 won for adults and 40,000 won for kids. Grilled lobster tail will be served to each table while carving stations for roasted turkeys, grilled ribs and pork ribs will be prepared along with a variety of seafood. For those seeking to st...

Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) hosted the “CICI-Korea CQ Winter Welcoming Gathering” at the Intercontinental Seoul Coex, in southern Seoul on Tuesday. At the event, Korea CQ Cooperation Award went to Hungarian Ambassador Mozes Csoma (third row, sixth left) and his spouse Sunmi Nam (first row, second left). Korea CQ Friendship Award was given to James Park, director of BIO Plastic Surg...

She may be the principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre, but Seo Hee didn’t always have such lofty ambitions. As a student at Sunhwa Arts Middle School, she simply wanted to be part of a group of friends who would go out to eat tteokbokki (stir-fried spicy rice cake) after class. Having started ballet at a relatively late age of 13, she was shy and timid, thinking she fell behind her cla...

Representatives from eight of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations faced off at the ASEAN-KOREA: Korea Food Contest Final, showing off dishes that reflect Korean culture and identity with a common ingredient: rice. The final round of the multinational cooking contest was held Tuesday at the Korean Cuisine Cultural Center in Jung-gu, central Seoul. The contestants, all non...

Experts on fermented food from Asia came together for a forum on Tuesday, amid growing recognition of the health and nutritional benefits of such food worldwide. Experts from Korea and four member states of ASEAN --Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia -- gathered at the aT Center in Seoul to introduce fermented food, exchanging knowledge and introducing the different cultural backgrounds of...

The Hungarian government has appointed Ryu Kwon-ha, chief of the Foreign Language Newspapers Association of Korea, as an honorary consul of Hungary. Hungarian Ambassador to Korea Mozes Csoma presented the letter of appointment to Ryu on Friday at a ceremony at the country’s embassy in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Around 40 guests from the diplomatic and business communities attended the event, including ...

People who get together for the monthly meetings at SeochonBooks, a small bookstore housed in a hanok near the palace Gyeongbokgung, may feel awkward at first. But soon they form friendships as they share their thoughts about a book that Ha Young-nam, the owner of the bookstore, recommends. “I visit this bookstore every month. ... I have craved for communities where I could meet people, which ha...

Year-end afternoon tea at Park Hyatt Seoul Park Hyatt Seoul’s The Lounge is offering the “Festive Afternoon Tea” to celebrate the Christmas and year-end season. The afternoon tea set includes honey cheese panini, bulgogi sandwich and mushroom cream soup. Desserts that resemble winter-related icons such as present boxes and mini trees will also be included. The food items will be served on tradit...