Traveling to Korea at half price

Traveling to Korea at half price Misaki Futamata, left, and Mana Amano walk in Myeong-dong, downtown Seoul, on Aug. 30. They visited Korea to shop during the Korea Grand Sale, which offers attractive discounts to foreign tourists through Oct. 31. Courtesy of Visit Korea Committee Korea Grand Sale: Shop, dine, travel with deep discountsBy Chung Ah-young Misaki Futamata, 21, has frequently visited Korea to attend K-pop shows and meet "hallyu" stars. But this time, she, along with her friend Mana Amano, 20, came here mainly to...

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Amusement parks to hold diverse Halloween events

Everland will hold Horror Safari World from Sept. 4 to Nov. 1./ Courtesy of Everland By Chung Ah-young Halloween, which falls on Oct. 31, was not a common celebration in Korea until recent years, when more people started joining in the holiday spirit, dressing up for costume parties, decorating their houses and watching horror films.Major theme parks around the country are now joining in the excitement and are holding various Halloween events.Everland, the nation's largest theme park, will hold Halloween & Horror Nights from Sept....

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2015 Gangnam Festival

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Four SM artists to enlist soon

Choi Siwon of Super Junior will enlist on Nov. 19. / Korea Times file Enlistment dates for four SM artists this year have been confirmed, entertainment reports said Wednesday. They are Super Junior's Choi Siwon, 28, Eunhyuk, 29, and Donghae, 29, and TVXQ's Changmin, 27. Eunhyuk and Donghae of Super Junior _ who also double as the"D&E" duo _ will enlist in October. Eunhyuk will enlist on Oct. 13 and Donghae on Oct. 15. Donghae, left, and Eunhyuk will enlist next month. They are expected to enlist quietly, as other stars have...

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Younha to release first Japanese album in five years

Singer Younha will release an EP album titled "View" in Japan on Wednesday, Yonhap reports.It will be her first album in five years. Her agency C9 Entertainment said the singer, 27, was seeking to recapture the popularity that followed her debut in Japan in 2004 with the single "Yubikiri." She was dubbed the "Oricon comet" when her song "Comet" reached No. 10 on Japan's Oricon weekly chart.For her latest Japanese album, Younha wrote the song "View," about troubled youths and their dreams.The album also includes three songs from Korean dramas,...

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So Ji-sub, Shin Min-a to star romantic drama

Actor So ji-sub and actress Shin Min-a will star in a TV drama "Oh My God" on KBS in November.The drama is about a man and woman trying to lose weight. So, 38, will play Kim Young-ho, a star-trainer who has had a tough childhood. Shin will play Kang Ju-eun, a 33-year-old lawyer who neglects her health. ...

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How Koreans Historically Fought Hot Weather

The official hot season started on Monday according to the traditional calendar, a day known as Chobok. The height of the hot season or Jungbok, and the end of the season called Malbok, fall between the June and July and come at 10-day intervals -- they are collectively called Sambok and are the rough equivalent of Europe's Dog DaysThe term are coined from Chinese characters meaning that the autumnal forces remain trapped by the strength of the summer heat. Koreans in the past used to eat certain foods to beat the hot and muggy weather...

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Website Helps Find Late Night Cabs

Catching a cab late at night can be challenging in Seoul, especially this time of the year. The Seoul Metropolitan Government rolled out a new website (http://data.seoul.go.kr) on Friday that should make people's lives a bit easier. The site provides real-time information on the location of taxis in the capital and their availabili...

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New Trolley Buses Add More Convenience for Travelers in Seoul

New trolley buses for tourists in Seoul had a trial run on Wednesday. The buses start their operation on Thursday and stop at the city's most popular points of interests. The buses' classic design resembles a tram with an oak and brass interior. They alternate routes with the double-deckers which are currently in operation for travelers in Seoul. The route starts in Gwanghwamun and stops at Seoul's major landmarks such as Cheonggy Stream, Myeong-dong and Mt. Nam. On-board tour information is available in Korean, Chinese, Japanese and...

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Grévin Wax Museum Opens in Seoul

The first Asian branch of the Musée Grévin, a waxwork museum in Paris, opened in Seoul last week, featuring a total of 80 life-like wax models of celebrities, historical figures and politicians. The museum boasts an extensive collection of wax models of K-pop stars and Korean celebrities such as Psy, Kim Soo-hyun, Lee Min-ho, Jang Keun-suk, and Hyun Bin, along with celebrities and contemporary figures popular especially among Chinese tourists, including Xi Jinping, Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee and Lang Lang.The museum is expected to become a must-see...

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Jeju Reveals True Beauty in Winter

Mt. Halla on Jeju Island boasts a majestic view which gets even better in the winter as the mountain gets covered with snow. ◆ Scenic RoadFor those who want to look around Mt. Halla but prefer some comfortable climbing, there is a scenic road that leads to a rest area at 1,100 m above sea level, which is the highest point of the mountain travelers can get to by car.The road is steep but offers rewarding views, and the observatory there is a great place to appreciate the scenery of Mt. Halla. ◆ Tangerine FieldsThe tangerine fields in Seogwipo...

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Must-See Attractions for Cultural Enthusiasts in Jeju

Not to mention the natural landscape, Jeju offers a wide variety of attractions with arts and cultural heritage that should not be missed.◆ MuseumBuilt to promote the island's unique culture and an artists' village nearby, Jeju Museum of Contemporary Art has exhibition halls, a sculpture park and an outdoor concert hall that can accommodate over 1,000 spectators. Its unique walls, finished with basalt, were built to resemble the porous rock. An artists' village nearby features more than 20 creative buildings constructed in harmony with nature....

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Great Places to Go for Jeju's Nighttime Views

By day, Jeju is often crowded with tourists exploring beautiful beaches and breathtaking scenery. But travelers might miss some of the island's hidden charms if they spend time inside at night. Some places are especially beautiful as night falls. ◆ Hyeopjae BeachHyeopjae Beach in the western part of the island offers a range of attractions. Its emerald seawater and white sand along the beach stretching about 200 m attract many visitors, as does a stone tower that creates picturesque scenery. A tiny island called "Biyang Island" is visible in...

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Best Places to Experience Songdo at Night

Songdo in Incheon was underwater about a decade ago until a reclamation project in 2003 created a modern city designed for a free economic zone modeled after Dubai, Shanghai and Singapore. Today, a canal bisects the city, running along ultra-modern skyscrapers. The city becomes even more attractive at night, glowing from lit up buildings and street lamps. These are some of the best places to enjoy the city at night. ◆ G-Tower Observatory To get to G-Tower, visitors can take the subway to Central Park Station on the Incheon Subway No. 1 Line...

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Experience Incheon's Colorful Past at These Great Locations

In the port city of Incheon, the past and present coexist in a fascinating way. It has the ultra-modern Songdo and the shopper's paradise Bupyeong, while its eastern and central districts are dotted with reminders of the past. Here are some places where people can discover the city's vibrant history. ◆ Sudoguksan Museum of Housing and LivingPeople started living in the hillside area of Mt. Sudoguk when refugees settled there after the 1950-53 Korean War. Now, the shantytown has been replaced by apartment complexes and a park. A visit to Sudoguksan...

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Amphibious Bus Tours to Start in Busan Next Year

Visitors will be able to tour Busan on amphibious buses starting next year, the city said on Tuesday.It will be the second after Incheon which introduced such buses for a journey along its scenic waterway in May this year. An amphibious bus test rides along Gwangalli. /Courtesy of Busan City Busan's amphibious buses will operate on a 15 km-long course, cruising along the river for five kilometers and then visiting tourist attractions on land such as Busan Cinema Center, the official venue of the Busan International Film Festival, and the shopping...

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Explore Hidden Mountain in Goseong

A mountain range in Goseong, South Gyeongsang Province hides a flat mountain within its dense jungle. Among its beauty, Mt. Yeonhwa has an old temple preserving a number of historical relics and artifacts.To get the full experience, a day trip is all it takes to reach the summit. There are five trails to the top of the 528-m high mountain. The lush forest is so thick that sunlight or rain hardly reaches the ground.The easiest trail takes about two hours to reach the top, making it an ideal choice for beginner-level climbers. The trail begins...

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Girls' Generation Tops Billboard's World Albums Chart

K-pop group Girls' Generation topped Billboard's World Albums chart with their fifth full-length album released last week.Billboard praised Girls' Generation, saying that they now became "the sixth K-pop act to score multiple No. 1s on the ranking."Six Korean groups have topped the same chart more than once, and four of them -- Girls' Generation, their sub-unit consisting of Tae-yeon, Tiffany and Seo-hyun, SHINee and EXO -- are managed by SM Entertainment. ...

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EXO to Release 1st Single in Japan This Fall

EXO will release their first single in Japan on Nov. 4, the K-pop band said in Tokyo on Sunday. They were in Japan performing along with Japan's top singers including Ayumi Hamasaki at one of the island country's largest summer festivals. EXO perform at a stadium in Tokyo on Sunday. /Courtesy of SM Entertainment EXO captivated over 50,000 audiences at a stadium in Tokyo with their charismatic performances. EXO will hold concerts in Tokyo from Nov. 6 to 8 and Osaka from Nov. 13 to 15, and recently they decided to hold additional concerts...

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