Tourism grows stronger in January

Tourist arrivals in January reach 1.12 million, a 27 percent yearly jump Close to 1.12 million tourists arrived in South Korea in January, a rise from the same period last year, potentially showing the fallout from the martial law declaration had not put people off visiting the country. The latest data from the state-run Korea Tourism Organization shows the number of arrivals in January this year rose 27 percent from the 881,000 in January 2024. The figures are a good start to the year, in which

March 3, 2025

Time to talk it out — at a sauna

Finnish barrel saunas pick up steam as alternative to bathhouses GWANGJU, Gyeonggi Province — Saunas aren’t just a toasty respite. That’s according to Oh Seung-youl, one of the local entrepreneurs who have capitalized on barrel saunas -- an outdoor activity involving a wood stove with small rocks, a changing room and most importantly, something to snack on. “The barrel sauna is like a heat therapy. It’s warm enough to open us up physically, with a better blood flow, as well as mentally as relaxa

March 1, 2025

Seoul's Bukchon to enforce nighttime curfew for tourists

Starting next month, the Jongno-gu Office in Seoul will implement a new visitor nighttime curfew for Bukchon Hanok Village's "Red Zone" to curb the effects of excessive tourism and improve residents' quality of life. With the curfew, tourists will be able to visit the popular historical residential area only between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., facing a 100,000-won ($76) fine for those who enter outside these hours for tourism purposes. The policy targets the "Red Zone," a 34,000-square-meter residential

Feb. 28, 2025

Festivals, sights across Korea

Illumination at Garden of Morning Calm Through March 16, the Garden of Morning Calm in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, will light up after sunset. Stroll around the park with trails and elaborate installations and find a memorable spot to take a few snaps. Morning Calm is open year-round from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission for adults is 11,000 won. For more information, visit morningcalm.co.kr. Theme park with farm at E-World At E-World in Daegu, a one-day pass unlocks access to everything from attrac

Feb. 28, 2025

Changgyeonggung nighttime tours start in March

Nighttime palace tours will start in March at Changgyeonggung, one of the five Joseon-era (1392-1910) palaces in Seoul, according to the Korea Heritage Service. The tours are oriented around a multimedia show with theatrical lighting that takes place at eight stops on the compound, highlighting the palace surroundings. The show will run starting at 7 p.m. every day except Monday throughout the year. One of the stops is the Grand Greenhouse of Changgyeonggung, Korea’s first Western-style greenhou

Feb. 27, 2025

Spring flowers to bloom later than usual, starting mid-March

Spring flowers in South Korea are expected to bloom relatively late this year, starting March 14-15 on the southern island of Jeju. The Korea Forest Service on Monday distributed its annual infographic detailing when blunt-lobed spicebush, azalea and cherry blossoms are expected to flower across the country. This year's spring flowers will be witnessed from March 14, which is when blunt-lobed spicebushes at the Halla Arboretum and azaleas at the Aewol Gotjawal forest are expected to bloom. Both

Feb. 25, 2025

Bugok Hot Springs in Changnyeong sees tourism recovery

With facility renovations and 30th hot spring festival, tourism attraction expects to welcome 3 million visitors this year Tourism in the Bugok Hot Springs area of South Gyeongsan Province, once a major tourist destination in South Korea, is showing signs of recovery after a challenging period marked by the closure of the popular Bugok Hawaii resort and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Discovered in 1973, Bugok Hot Springs is a natural sulfur spring that produces more than 6,000 metric tons

Feb. 23, 2025

Travel agencies bet on premium package offerings

Premium travel packages see higher customer satisfaction and growing demand South Korean travel agencies are focusing on enhancing their premium travel packages this year, seeking to boost profitability and capture new demand. These premium offerings, which exclude the common drawbacks of package travel such as required shopping itineraries and add-ons, have become increasingly popular. They often feature business-class flights and stays at four- or five-star hotels, offering travelers a more lu

Feb. 23, 2025

Lotte World partners with Nexon for new MapleStory attraction

Three MapleStory-themed attractions to unveil in the first half of 2026 Lotte World, an amusement park in Jamsil, Seoul, has teamed up with Nexon, the publisher of MapleStory, to introduce a new theme zone called "Maple Island." The attraction, set to open in the first half of 2026, will be the park's first collaboration with external intellectual property for a dedicated theme zone. Previously, the two partnered on a smaller scale, introducing attractions such as World KartRacing (2021) and Kar

Feb. 14, 2025

Four Seasons Hotel Seoul retains Forbes 5-star rating for 6th consecutive year

Forbes Travel Guide 2025 recognizes the five-star hotel for exceptional services and sensuous interior Four Seasons Hotel Seoul maintained its prestigious Forbes five-star rating for the sixth consecutive year. The hotel received high praise from anonymous inspectors for its outstanding service, refined features and sensuous interior, according to Forbes. Located in the heart of Seoul, the 29-story luxury hotel first received Forbes five-star recognition in 2020. The hotel’s interior blends trad

Feb. 14, 2025

A weekend of unabashed gluttony

Annual four-day crab festival to open Feb. 28 around Hupo Port ULJIN, North Gyeongsang Province -- A culinary specialty is what makes this county with a population just shy of 50,000 residents look most crowded in winter: snow crabs. Most of the country’s crabbing takes place at Hupo Port, Uljin’s largest sitting at its southern tip along the east coast. Each winter, it draws thousands of visitors seeking ribbons of red and white meat, feathery soft and sweet. The port is also where a wholesale

Feb. 13, 2025

Korail to operate extra trains for Taebaeksan Snow Festival

Korail, the national railway operator, announced Friday that it will operate extra trains during the 32nd Taebaeksan Snow Festival to accommodate an increase in the number of visitors. The festival runs through Feb. 16. The special trains will run twice daily between Seoul Station and Taebaek Station on Sundays, Feb. 9 and Feb. 16. The services are expected to accommodate 1,700 passengers. The trains will depart Seoul Station at 7:28 a.m., while the return trains to Seoul will arrive at Seoul St

Feb. 7, 2025

Winter getaway without the travel

Stroll around gardens, borrow seeds and stop by exhibition at Seoul Botanic Park Seoul Botanic Park, the largest indoor botanical garden in the country, in Magok-dong, on the western edge of Seoul, is a four-story greenhouse that showcases unmatched varieties of plants from tropical to Mediterranean plans in two separate gardens. The Tropical Garden houses plants native to four countries: Indonesia, Vietnam, Brazil and Colombia. Plants indigenous to Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey Uzbekistan, Austr

Feb. 6, 2025

Korea Tourism Organization eyes early tourism boom

Tourism body to focus on overseas road shows in first half of 2025 The Korea Tourism Organization said it will wrap up 14 of the 20 overseas road shows planned for this year by June to hasten the recovery of the tourism sector. “Going forward, travel spending isn’t rosy given the escalating US-China trade conflict,” said Seo Young-choong, the state-run KTO’s acting president, during a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday, referring to potentially shrinking Chinese travel spending. China, which

Feb. 5, 2025

South Korea tourism surges in 2024 with record spending and arrivals

South Korea’s tourism industry had a banner year in 2024. Foreign visitors spent more money than ever before, pouring 9.26 trillion won ($6.39 billion) into the local economy -- a 33.8 percent increase from the previous year. The number of international arrivals also surged, reaching 16.37 million, nearly matching pre-pandemic levels. Yet, despite this boom, South Korea’s long-standing travel deficit is expected to widen, as outbound Korean travelers considerably outnumber inbound tourists. Shop

Feb. 5, 2025