The official website of the Korean Tourism Organization (KTO) has recently been changed to www.visitkorea.or.kr (the English site is https://english.visitkorea.or.kr). The old site; www.tour2korea.com, will redirect you for now, but it may not do that for much longer.
As of May 1st, admission is free to the National Museum of Korea, the National Museum of Contemporary Art and 12 other national museums in Seoul, Gyeongju, Jeju, Gwangju, Jeonju, Daegu, Buyeo, Cheongju, Jinju, Gimhae, Chuncheon and Gongju. The free admission is only for permanent collections; you'll still have to pay for any special exhibits.
Seoul
Those looking for more luxury accommodations will be happy to see that many of the city's upscale hotels have completed or are working on major renovations. The Millennium Seoul Hilton (www.hilton.co.kr) has finished its renovation of 17 suites and will be working on its banquet halls and other public areas in the next couple of years. The Grand InterContinental Seoul (tel. 02/555-5656) just completed its renovation of 518 guestrooms. The COEX InterContinental Seoul (tel. 02/3452-2500) has also upgraded its banquet hall (located on the 30th floor). The Seoul Plaza Hotel's (tel. 02/771-2200; www.seoulplaza.co.kr/eng) two second-floor restaurants have had facelifts and theme changes, to go along with the opening of Seven Square, their all-day buffet and renovations of their Italian restaurant, Tuscany. To keep up with competition, the JW Marriott (tel. 02/6282-6262) will be launching a full renovation of its guestrooms and other facilities starting in July, and is hoping to be finished by February 2009.
Travelers on tight budgets should take advantage of this short window of opportunity, if traveling to Seoul this summer. From August 4th through the 22nd, the Seoul City government is making the Seoul Human Resource Center, located on Umyeon-san, available for foreigners. (It's usually a mountain retreat for government workers.) The 25 dorm-style rooms (which sleep 4 each) will be available for only US$5 per night with a maximum of 5 nights stay. Cafeteria meals will cost only US$3 each. Email Hui-Jeong Lee at unhsoul@hanmail.net for info and reservations.
The Hello Museum (tel. 02/562-4420), opened in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul, is the first dedicated children's museum in the country. It includes modern and traditional works custom-made for children that are hung at kids' eye level. Open 11am-4pm Tues-Sat. Tickets cost Won 20,000 per child for a full course, 8,000 for just a tour of the museum. Art classes are also available for Won 40,000 per child on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. Reservations need to be made a week in advance.
A visit to a palace is one of the highlights of the city. And to make it more special, you can take a stroll of the Gyeongbokgung grounds with a king or queen. Costumed actors will be on hand every day until November 30th (except during oppressively hot afternoons in July and August). The king will meet his subjects at 11:30am, a royal palace stroll happens at 3:30pm, with royal guard changing 10am-4pm.
Gyeonggi-do
The city of Incheon will complete the second phase of its airport expansion by June. The number of flights annually will increase significantly. Looking towards the future, Incheon will be hosting the World City Expo in fall of 2009. They are hoping to finish construction of a new bridge by then, to link the Incheon Expressway to the West Coast Expressway.
At the Korean Traditional Music Center (tel. 031/289-6423; www.ggad.or.kr/eng/index.htm), located at the entrance to the Korean Folk Village in Suwon, the musical "Wedding" is being performed at 3:30pm everyday except Saturdays in 2008. The 70-minute performance includes traditional Korean wedding music, dance, a bit of Western-style music and comedy. Tickets are Won 40,000 for adults, Won 10,000 for youth ages 13-18.
The first ever Korean "cookie" museum, the Hangawon (tel. 02/884-6611) just opened in the town of Pocheon. Hangwa are traditional Korean cookies that are soft, sticky and sweet. Originally made with simple starch, they have developed into treats made with rice and dried fruit, honey, a vegetable oil, nuts and seeds. They are usually enjoyed with tea. You can catch a bus to Pocheon from either the DongSeoul Bus Terminal or the Uijeongbu Bus Terminal. From the Pocheon Bus Terminal, take a bus headed for Sanjeong-hosu (a large lake there) and get off at Hangawon, or take a short taxi ride (which shouldn't be more than about 5 minutes).
Chungcheong-do
For a glimpse into the future of transportation, check out the new Maglev Train (magnetic levitation train), which was unveiled in Daejeon. This prototype, created by the Korean company Rotem, is running on a 1-kilometer section of rail between the National Science Museum and Expo Park.
Gyeongsang-do
Visitors can now ride the brand new Hallyeo Waterway Observation Cable Car gondolas up to Mireuk-san in Tongyeong for a magnificent view of Hallyeohaesang National Park. At 1,975 m, it is now the longest cable ride available to tourists in Korea and they run a swift 4m/sec. Fare is Won 8,000 for adults, Won 4,500 for children (tel. 055/649-3804-5).
Busan
The Korean Ministry of Technology will be hosting the Renewable Energy 2008 Conference (https://www.re2008.org) at the BEXCO center and Nurimaru from October 13 to 17, 2008.
Busan is building the six-story Dureraum complex as the new official home for the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) (www.piff.org), which also happens in October. Although the complex won't be finished in time for the 2008 festival, they hope to finish some parts of the Busan Film Center, a post-production facility, which will include a museum and other film-centric venue.
Gangwon-do
The counties of Yeongwol and Hwacheon are investing several billion won to build car-friendly camping sites, which will be available to both native and foreign travelers. They will have cabins, cottages, bungalows and tent sites available, as well as toilets, showers, a communal kitchen, and a sports center. There are already such campsites available in Mangsang Beach, Rodong Valley (in Pyeongchang) and Sampo Beach in Goseong.
Jeju-do (Jeju Island)
Taking advantage of the Beijing Olympics, Jeju-do's provincial government is launching the "Jeju Grand Sale 2008," which will run from July 19 through August 31st, 2008. The island's tourism board hopes to encourage price cuts in accommodations, food, shopping, admission and golf fees. It may be a great time to see the tropical island (which just opened an information center for Halla-san, South Korea's largest mountain), regardless of whether or not you're going to the Olympics.
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