Korea Observer

When the South Korean government relaxes its visa rules starting September 1, the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) Manila Office expects more Filipino tourists to Korea. Nam Dae Mun Market in Seoul (Photo by Jonathan Hicap)

Seoul City will be operating a late-night (midnight~5:00 AM) bus service starting April 19. Initially, the service will be operated for three months on a trial basis.  Photo by Seoul Metropolitan Government 

Incheon International Airport  is operating a program on a trial basis from October 29th, 2012 through January 29th, 2013 that will allow non-Korean nationals with a transferring flight and a layover of 12 hours or less to tour Korea without a standard issued entry visa.  Photo courtesy of KTO

Experience the Chuseok holiday in Seoul this year! Just make a video of you and your friend cooking up a Korean dish and upload it onto our YouTube channel. You may be one of the five lucky teams to be selected to win a 'Delicious Seoul Story' trip to Seoul that includes airfare, hotel accommodation, a gourmet food tour, and classes with master Korean chefs! Entry Period Submissions must be entered between  12:00 Korean Standard Time (KST) on July 2, 2012 and 17:00 Korean Standard Time (KST) on August 10, 2012. Eligibility Only non-Korean citizens residing outside of South Korea can enter. Winners Announcement Winners will be contacted individually via e-mail and will also be announced on the website ( http://welcome.visitseoul.net)   on August 17, 2012 Korean Standard Time.  * The dates for the "Delicious SEOUL story" trip are set for September 17, 2012 - September 21, 2012 and cannot be changed.  If a winning team is unavailable for...

(KBS World) Smoking in Gangnam Daero, an area with the heaviest foot traffic in Seoul, has been banned starting on June 1st. Public places like parks have often been designated as no-smoking zones, but this is the first time that a ban on smoking has been placed on the entire length of a street.

Seoul Grand Park is holding its festival of festivals, the Rose Festival, from Friday May 25 to Sunday July 1, 2012 at its Theme Garden, which is located right beside the Seoul Zoo. Korea’s largest rose festival kicks off at the same time the park begins to open until 10PM every night.

For me, Seoul is VIBRANT.  It is a city that is rapidly changing with technological advancement. This modernization is complemented with the preservation of Seoul's rich cultural and historical heritage and warmth from the people of Seoul. (Jonathan Hicap)  You can also view this photo at   http://twitter. com /Jonah_writer/status/207126504507838467/photo/1/large

By JONATHAN HICAP Traveling to another country  for the first time is always worrisome. You don't know the people, coupled with having a hard time to get around. But it was different when I went to Seoul--South Korea's capital and a modern and  bustling city that is home to about 10 million people. Seoul is a fascinating city:  Itaewon (top) and Myeongdong (bottom). Photos by Jonathan Hicap

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has released its latest "Infinitely Yours, Seoul" series, this time featuring Korean boy band MBLAQ. 

Seoul Metropolitan Government will hold a Free Speech Corner every Saturday from 12:00 to 16:00. Using the ‘Let me talk!’ stage in Cheonggye Plaza, Seoul citizens or foreigners visiting Seoul will be able to speak publicly about events , their impressions of Seoul, or any other topic. (Photo courtesy of http://english.seoul.go.kr)