Seoul(Gangnam-gu) , Gangnam・Samseongdong(COEX)

Park Hyatt Seoul’s main restaurant, Cornerstone, serves fresh seafood and quality meat cooked in its signature oak, wood-burning oven. The delectable seasonal dishes and desserts prepared by an Italian chef are sure to please one’s palate with the flavors of Italy. In addition to its excellent cuisine, Cornerstone offers stunning views of the city and an abundance of natural lighting thanks to its floor-to-ceiling windows. Private dining rooms for exclusive family or business gatherings are also available.


Seoul(Jongno-gu)

Located in Bukchon, surrounded by Bugaksan Mountain between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace, Rakkojae Seoul is one of the first hanok accommodations opened in the area, and it is a popular tourist spot for the unique beauty of its hanok buildings and delicious restaurants as well as ancient palaces and Insa-dong street. Entering the alleyway along the wall of Jaedong Elementary School, an extraordinary-looking hanok structure with the name plaque ‘Rakkojae’, meaning “a place where one can enjoy the traditions of times past and rest one’s soul”, is found. Rakkojae Seoul is a boutique hanok hotel that was built by renovating an old noble family’s house with a history of 130 years by Human Cultural Asset-Master Carpenter Chung Young-jin. With the quiet and still atmosphere, the hanok hotel has a ‘ㅁ’-shaped hanok structure with various charms including black roof tiles, a red clay wall, a tall gate, a yard with a pond, sotdae (pole), an iron pot and jars, a pavilion, and a garden planted with bamboo and pine trees along the walls. Rakkojae aims to promote the true beauty of the traditional Korean house and provide the best quality services. At the hotel, eating is a matter of the highest priority. Based on Korean style food, guests can choose between standard and high quality Korean table d’hote, which requires an advance reservation. The music performance of gayageum (Korean zither with twelve strings), pansori (epic chant), geomungo (Korean zither with six strings), or daegeum (large bamboo transverse flute) takes place on the floor of the pavilion. It also offers various hands-on programs including a tea ceremony, making Kimchi, and a royal court traditional Korean clothes experience. The room temperature of the Jjimjilbang (Korean dry sauna), the most popular experience among guests, reaches up to 60°C through a furnace. In addition, each room is equipped with a bathtub made of Hinoki cypress. There is an interesting background story about how the owner started running the hanok hotel. Mr. Ahn, who worked for an engineering company in the U.S.A. and came back to Korea after about ten years, originally ran the Korean restaurant. As he was charmed by the hanok structure of the restaurant and wanted to introduce it to his foreign friends, he led trips to ancient hanok buildings from 1994. Then, he heard about the plan to demolish the building of Jindan Academic Society in 2000, and Ahn bought it to establish Rakkojae. With the motivation of promoting the true beauty of Korea to the world, the boutique hanok hotel ‘Rakkojae’ was designed with sophisticated decorations and objects such as old furniture, paintings, elegant ceramics and tea sets.


Seoul(Yongsan-gu) , Itaewon・Yongsan

Santorini is a Greek restaurant located in Itaewon along ‘Restaurant Street’ located behind the Hamilton Hotel. Decorated in a Mediterranean theme, the restaurant offers authentic Greek food cooked by native Greek chefs. Main dishes include Saganaki (deep-fried chunks of cheese), Gyros (meat barbeque) with pita bread, Souvlaki (skewers of meat), and Moussaka.


Jeju-do(Jeju-si) , SinJeju

Samdasoo is volcanic bedrock water produced and bottled by the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Development Corporation. Jeju-do Island records the highest level of rainfall in Korea and 46% of the total rainfall permeates underground to form the vast groundwater resources. Samdasoo factory is located in Gyorae Village, where the precipitation is so high that it is impossible to farm on this part of island. The village is also the only site on Jeju-do Island with authorization to draw mineral water. The factory tour program begins with the screening of an 8 minute-long promotional video. At the Jeju Water Promotional Hall, visitors can learn more about the nation’s leading water brand, such as the history and birth of Jeju water, the geologic characteristics of the island, and the formation of volcanic bedrock water.


Seoul(Seodaemun-gu) , Sinchon・Ewha Womans University

Located in Sinchon, Seoul, Hotel Gaeul is equipped with high class facility and service; the best modern and classical mood of Sinchon will capture the tourists’ hearts in a flutter. Hotel Gaeul always tries to make clean and beautiful space for comfortable resting. In the youth street of Sinchon, you can have endless joy and pleasure with various kinds of shopping and many things to see and eat.


Daegu(Jung-gu)

Daebaek Sonkalguksu (대백손칼국수, hand-pulled noodle soup) is a popular Korean restaurant in Daegu. The chef pulls the noodles himself to make them more chewy. Then, he serves them in the anchovy and kelp broth based soup that can be enjoyed any time of day or year. The restaurant also serves complimentary boribap (barley rice) and doenjang (soybean paste).    


Seoul(Jongno-gu) , Daehangno・Seongbukdong

Naksan Park gets its name from its camel hump-like appearance. In Korean ‘nakta’ means camel and ‘san’ means mountain. So people refer to the park as Nakta Park or Naksan Park. The mountain is a solid granite bedrock. The Joseon royal family enjoyed the natural beauty of the granite mountain, but during the Japanese Colonial Period, a hasty manner of urban planning resulted in the demolition of most parts of the mountain. In an effort to save the remaining green belts, Naksan was designated as a park on June 10, 2002. Located in the center of the Seoul, this historical and beautiful park allows its visitors to view the magnificence of the entire city.


Seoul(Seongdong-gu)

Running through the central part of the Korean Peninsula, the Hangang River flows from Gangwon-do towards Chungcheongbuk-do, Gyeonggi-do, through Seoul and continues on to the Yellow Sea. The river has witnessed the history of the Korean people for over five thousand years, through good and bad times. The riverside parks offer a nice retreat for the citizens of Seoul. The Namhangang River (South Hangang River), which is the main source, originates from Taebaek-si in Gangwon-do. The water runs north through Goljicheon Stream in Samcheok-si and then passes through Gwangdong Dam before flowing into Songcheon Stream. Songcheon Stream starts from Hwangbyeongsan Mountain (1,407 meters) in Jeongseon-gun and flows into Joyanggang River. After joining Odaecheon Stream, it flows south into Donggang River, which in turn flows into Seogang River. Then after joining Dalcheon Stream in Chungju-si, Seomgang River and Cheongmicheon Stream, the river combines with the branch streams of Yanghwacheon, Bokhacheon, and Heukcheon before it finally joins Bukhangang River (North Hangang River) in Yangsu-ri.


Jeju-do(Jeju-si) , Former Jeju

Yongyeon is where the saltwater and freshwater meet. The legend goes that an envoy was sent to the pond frequently by the Dragon King. The pond is flanked on both sides by eight rock walls that look like folding screens. Also called as Yongyeon Yabeom, the pond is one of the twelve best scenic sites in Yeongju. Yongyeon Yabeom refers to the beautiful sight that is created when the full moon is reflected on the clear waters of the rocky cliffs. Hence, many people come to visit the pond at night for the beautiful night scenery. 


Gwangju(Nam-gu)

The Yangnim-dong Missionary Cemetery is the final resting place of 23 missionaries who brought Christianity to Gwangju and led the movement to free the nation from under Japanese colonial rule. Yangnim-dong in Gwangju Metropolitan City was the main area in which Priest Bae Yu-ji and Dr. Clement Owen carried out their work as the first missionaries to Jeollanam-do Province. As part of his outreach, Priest Bae Yoo-ji established the Jennie Speer Memorial School for Girls. Clement Owen dedicated himself to serving the church and providing medical care along with his wife, who was a nurse. Nearby is a monument dedicated to Priest Bae Yoo-ji and the Owen Memorial Building, built in honor of Dr. Clement Owen and his grandfather. Both memorials are cultural assets and particularly prized by locals of the Christian faith.