South Korea may soon join the ranks of the world’s top tourism destinations such as Thailand, if it continues to achieve double-digit growth in the number of inbound travelers over the next five years, said the Asia-Pacific chief operating officer of French hotel operator Accor. The country attracted some 14 million foreign visitors in 2014 and has seen an average 12 percent growth in foreign arrivals for the past three years.“That’s heavy growth,” said Patrick Basset, who oversees Accor’s busin

Travel March 12, 2015

Renowned video artist Bill Viola opened his third exhibition in Seoul last week with an unusual introduction. Against a slow-motion video, he stood and read his journal dated Feb. 4, 1999, about his encounter with an old man at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. The man, whom he saw as he was entering the gallery, was lying unconscious on the cold museum floor with paramedics pumping his chest. The background video, meanwhile, showed five people changing their facial emotions so slowly that it alm

Performance March 10, 2015

Three emerging Korean artists have been invited to the upcoming main exhibition at the Venice Biennale in May, Arts Council Korea said Monday. The state arts agency said three artists ― Kim Ayoung, Nam Hwa-yeon and Im Heung-soon ― have been selected to showcase their works at the international exhibition where 136 artists from 53 countries will be presenting their art. The three Koreans are among the 88 who will be introduced to the global audience in Venice for the first time.  Kim Ayoung (Arts

Performance March 9, 2015

Skyscrapers, cutting-edge public transportation and rows of shopping malls ― scenes that define Seoul’s cityscape today ― were unimaginable half a century ago. It wasn’t until the 1980s that every citizen had access to tap water and toilets in their homes. In the 1960s, and ’70s, citizens in Cheongnyangni had to buy tickets for a bucket of water at a public water station. For daily ablutions, residents of Changsin-dong had to leave their house to use a public toilet located at the center of the

Performance March 4, 2015

With spring looming, major hotels in Seoul are greeting the new season with flavorful Asian cuisine prepared by some of the top chefs from Japan, Hong Kong and India. The Westin Chosun Seoul has invited Japanese chef Hideki Ishikawa, owner-chef of the Michelin three-starred restaurant Ishikawa in Tokyo, who will present his nine-course kaiseki cuisine made with fresh seasonal ingredients on March 20 and 21 at the hotel’s Japanese restaurant Sushi Cho. “The hotel is presenting the new food promot

Food March 4, 2015

Do you want to display a work of art in your home but feel discouraged by the price tag? Don’t be. Even if you’re on a tight budget, there is a way to have art on your wall. The Art Edition, an emerging art fair that specializes in prints and photography, will present affordable print editions of artworks during its second edition from March 13-16 in the Asian art hub of Hong Kong.  Visitors look at artworks on display during last year’s Art Edition fair at Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel & Harbour C

Performance March 2, 2015

A huge banner reading “Shooting the Elephant/Thinking the Elephant” greets visitors to artist Yang Haegue’s solo exhibition at Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art. Inside, however, there is nothing even remotely resembling the mammal. The elephant is the artist’s metaphor for a typical, yet profound question about men and nature. In her semi retrospective and third solo exhibit in Korea, Yang explores the relationship between the two.  Exhibition view of Yang Haegue’s solo exhibit at Leeum (Leeum)The a

Performance Feb. 24, 2015

Under dazzling chandeliers, models in wedding gowns walked down the aisle decorated with spring-inspired flower arrangements, as Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas marked the reopening of its grand ballroom last month with an extravagant wedding show. Inviting guests with hotel memberships and would-be newlyweds, the hotel unveiled the redesigned banquet hall and promotion deals. “Weddings are considered the epitome of hotel services,” said Grace Kang, banquet sales manager at Grand InterContin

Travel Feb. 15, 2015

As Koreans empty the usually bustling streets of Seoul, spending the Lunar New Year holiday with parents and relatives, their travel-loving neighbors from China will surge in.This year, an unprecedented number of Chinese tourists are expected to arrive. The country hopes to greet some 126,000 Chinese visitors for the Lunar New Year holiday starting next week, up by 30 percent from the previous year, according to the state-run Korea Tourism Organization. A Lotte duty-free shop in Seoul is crowded

Travel Feb. 13, 2015

Amber, a member of K-pop girl group f(x), released her debut solo album on Friday.The album “Beautiful” was revealed at midnight online before its physical release on Feb. 16, along with the music video for her title track “Shake That Brass,” featuring fellow singers including Taeyeon and Hyoyeon from Girls’ Generation, Joon Park of g.o.d, Jackson of GOT7 and comedian Ahn Young-mi.  A scene from the music video “Shake That Brass” for Amber’s title track. (SM Entertainment)Her debut song, featuri

Performance Feb. 13, 2015

Lee Seung-yeop, art management professor of Korea National University of Arts, has been appointed head of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts this week.  Lee Seung-yeop, CEO of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. (Sejong Center for the Performing Arts)Lee, 53, began his three-year term on Thursday with a goal to make the arts center an accessible and friendly place for Seoul citizens. “I will promote the brand value of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts so that it can be the

Culture Feb. 13, 2015

Contemporary art has become borderless, with visual presentations coming to focus less on national identity and more on individuality. In what appears to be an attempt to go against this trend, Art Sonje Center is seeking to explore the national identities of Asian artists whose works deal with historical, social or ideological issues of their countries. The broad theme of national identity is explored in the exhibition of 12 artists from China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Put together by curators

Performance Feb. 11, 2015

Korea’s hotel scene is welcoming a new breed of players. Offering no-frills rooms and basic guest services at a relatively affordable price, budget hotels are springing up in Seoul’s tourist-heavy neighborhoods of Myeong-dong, Dongdaemun and Gangnam, aiming to cater to price conscious individual travelers and the surging Chinese tourists. With room rates ranging from $70 to $120 a night, this emerging group is fast filling a slack in the industry that has long been dominated by two extremes ― hi

Travel Feb. 8, 2015

A woman carrying a baby on her back and balancing a huge bucket on her head must have left a strong impression on American artist Lilian May Miller, who was born in Tokyo and briefly lived in Seoul after her father was appointed consul in 1918. She made a woodprint of the woman and titled it “A Strange Scene in Korea.”  “Korean Farm House under the Moonlight” by Lilian May Miller (Gana Foundation for Arts and Culture)Korea had remained an unknown land to most of the world until the early 1900s w

Performance Feb. 5, 2015

Artist Jeong Ki-hoon spent eight hours a day from 9 to 5 like any other office worker, sitting at a desk doing an assigned job ― he repeatedly ground nails until they were too short to use; broke soju bottles and crushed them until they became fine glass powder. “Wood, Big Nail, Volleyball, Brush, Soju Glass, Spoon, Cloth, Table and Name Tag” by Jeong Ki-hoon. (Kumho Museum of Art)This seemingly pointless act is what the artist committed to do for months for his performance that attempts to port

Performance Feb. 2, 2015