Wednesday 12 November 2014

Today It’s the “Suneung(수능)” in Korea



You know what today is i.e 13th November 2014? It’s the “Suneung(수능)”, the college entrance exam in Korea! Now about 640,000 students across the country are taking the biggest test of their lives  On Suneung day, many younger students cheered their seniors at the entrance of test site, and also shared sticky snacks and rice cakes for their good luck! Moreover, bus and subway services are increased, police cars offered rides for students, and public offices opened an hour late today.

                         

2014-2015 Korea Grand Sale returns



3 months of mega shopping, Korea Grand Sale returns!

Hosted by the Visit Korea Committee (VKC) every year, 2015 Korea Grand Sale will take place from December 1, 2014 to February 22 of the following year.

Anyone visiting during the event period can take advantage of various discounts and coupons for shopping, dining, accommodations, entertainment and more, available for use at major shopping venues in Seoul as well as other cities around Korea.

Until last year, the Korea Grand Sale ran for just 2 months, starting in January and running until the end of February; however, this year event’s has been extended an extra month. Therefore, all visitors flying in to Korea during the month of December can also enjoy extensive events, promotions, and more discounts than ever before. In addition, not only visitors from overseas, but residents with foreign nationality in Korea can also take part in these exciting offers!

The companies and affiliations supporting the event are located national-wide, with department stores, shopping outlets and major tourist attractions all participating.

Make sure to print coupons or save the images on your mobile devices ahead of time to experience plenty of shopping, cultural programs and other tourism events available during the period. To learn more about the event and coupon use, visit the official website (www.koreagrandsale.co.kr). Please note that these coupons are not valid with other benefits and offers. 

Period: December 1, 2014-February 22, 2015
☞ Venue: Seoul, the metropolitan area, and major cities around Korea 

Tuesday 11 November 2014

“Christmas Party” at Seoulland

                                                      “Christmas Party” at Seoulland
Seoulland’s Christmas Party will be held from November 22 to December 31. Major attractions include a magic show, special performances and the Light Fantasy Show. At Santa’s Slow Post, visitors can write messages on Christmas cards and drop them in the mail box. The following year on Christmas, the letter’s recipient will receive this card. 

Seoulland Christmas Party

☞ Venue: Seoulland (181, Gwangmyeong-ro, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do)
    *Nearest subway: Seoul Grand Park Station (Seoul Subway Line 4), Exit 2
☞ Period: November 22 to December 31, 2014
☞ Admission: Adults 36,000 won (one-day pass)
☞ Website: www.seoulland.co.kr (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese)
☞ Inquiries: +82-2-509-6000 (Korean, English)
☞ 1330 Korea Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330 (Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese) 

Friday 7 November 2014

Giant Balloon Appears in Seoul Plaza to Urge People to Donate


The Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture has installed on November 6 a giant public artwork called “Mr. Gibro” (meaning “to donate” in Korean) at Seoul Plaza in front of the Seoul City Hall in celebration of the opening of the “Art Seoul, Donate Together” event.

                            
The artwork, created by a pop artist Artnom, or Kang Hyun-ha, is a pig-faced balloon with a diameter of 8 meters. The creator explained that it symbolizes making the art world richer and fatter like a pig. On the same day, 21 citizens gathered and showed a performance of inflating the balloon with bicycle tire inflators. Right next to the balloon, a red-colored container box in which visitors can donate small change for art sponsorship.

Wednesday 5 November 2014

"SOIGNÉ" an exquisite restaurant




"SOIGNÉ" an exquisite restaurant offering unique dining experiences that make your every penny worth, from food quality, quantity, food presentations and atmosphere. You are, in fact, "eating" pieces of art!
It is a cozy restaurant for 37 persons, a great place for diners that are looking for exclusive or personalized dining experiences. There are 3 different dinning areas (dining bar, table dining room and private room) that offered different seating capacity from 8 to 17 persons.
The hot spot is the open kitchen between the dining bar and table dining room, where dinners can witneess every single cooking stages and exchange conversations with the chefs. The restaurant also offers pop-up dining services too!
For more information and reservation:
http://soigneseoul.com/?lang=en

Monday 3 November 2014

Seoul hotel's recognised with Gold Level from EarthCheck



Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas and InterContinental Seoul COEX have acquired Gold Level from EarthCheck, becoming the first organisations in Korea to achieve this level of certification.
Both hotels have established energy and environmental committees in 1989 and have created energy conservation and environmental programs such as activities in reducing waste, setting energy conservation goals and placing green cards in guest rooms to indicate when guests would like their linen and bath towel replaced. The two hotels have also been involved in recycling waste products, as all food waste are processed as fertilisers and minimizing pollutants used in farms.
Darren Morrish, general manager of Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas, said: “We are very happy that our effort and dedication to become the first Gold Level accredited organisation in Korea has been accomplished and we shall continue to look for effective and efficient ways of improving and setting the benchmark as an eco-friendly and focused business.”
EarthCheck is managed by the global environmental advisory, EC3 Global, which pursues sustainable environmental conservation by assisting international organizations in developing environmental preservation systems and manages and issues environmental certificates. 

PIKACHU PARADE COMING TO SEOUL


A horde of adorable Pikachus will be storming the streets of Seoul on Saturday to celebrate the first Korean pro-gamer to win the Pokemon Video Game World Championship. 

                           

Seoul will be hosting a two-day Pokemon Champions Day event at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza on November 15 and 16. Event activities include card game tournaments, pop quizzes and an interview with Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby game developers Junichi Masuda and Shigeru Ohmori. However, the highlight of the celebration is “Pikachu Show Time,” a live performance by Pikachu mascots, which will be staged four times per day from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m

Come and taste rice beer in Insa-dong


The 2014 Makgeolli Festival is now underway in and around the neighborhood of Insa-dong in Seoul. Aimed at raising international awareness of makgeolli, the range of traditional Korean rice beers, especially the kind brewed with newly-harvested rice, the four-day festival is full of events that allow visitors to sample a range of the traditional rice liquor. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs hosted the event on October 30 to mark Makgeolli Day, the last Thursday in October. Makgeolli Day was first designated in 2011 as a day to unveil to the world a new line of makeolli made of rice that had been freshly harvested. “I’d say that agriculture is the roots, deeply embedded in the soil, whereas makgeolli is the flower that is blooming above ground,” said Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Lee Dong-phil during the opening ceremony on October 30. 

                           

“Hopefully, this traditional Korean beer will become something that is beloved both domestically and internationally.” On the day, other makgeolli festivals were being run concurrently in Shanghai and in Tokyo, as well as in Gangnam-gu (District) in southern Seoul. Videos of people raising high their bowls of makgeolli for a toast were broadcast in real time online. “Our hope is that this festival will make makgeolli better known in other countries and will bring a breath of fresh air to the popularity of the traditional booze,” said an official from the agriculture ministry. 

                           

“The government plans to help companies develop makgeolli markets beyond Korea, in China and Southeast Asia, too.” The makgeolli festival continues until November 2. During that time, more than 70 booths have been set up across Insa-dong and in some other crowded neighborhoods of Seoul, including Gangnam, Hongdae and Mugyo-dong, allowing people to sample makgeolli from the eight main provinces of mainland Korea.