[WEEKEND GETAWAY] It's not too late to get in the Lunar New Year spirit

K-campus

Published: 27 Jan. 2023, 08:28 Updated: 17 Mar. 2023, 14:07

[WEEKEND GETAWAY] It's not too late to get in the Lunar New Year spirit

Lotte World runs a Nongak parade, a traditional instrumental form of music originating from Korea's farming communities. [LOTTE WORLD]

This Lunar New Year holiday felt extra short this year, lasting just four days including a weekend. If you feel like you haven't had your fill of the festive spirit and want to drag out the holiday, there's still plenty to see and do.

Korea's top theme parks and resorts were busy over the holiday preparing special events to pull in visitors, returning to some level of normalcy as Covid-19 restrictions were lifted this year. Some of those events are still running, so if you get in quick you can still tap into the Lunar New Year celebrations.

The following events are still available to visit but may close soon, so be sure to act quickly if you see somewhere you'd like to visit.

Korean Folk Village

The Korean Folk Village’s fortune-telling corner is so popular that visitors often join long queues to visit. [KOREAN FOLK VILLAGE]

The Korean Folk Village has been running an exhibition titled "Cold Winter Rural Home Tales" throughout January. Visitors can experience what winters would have been like during the Joseon Dynasty by trying ice fishing and hunting with hawks.

Try walking down memory lane by participating in the program "Play from those old days." Participants can make bookmarks and masterpiece tickets. Also try looking around a real-life replica of the Jongno bookstore, which is famous for its long history as a large bookstore in Korea, also having been the ultimate meeting spot during the nineties.

@koreanfolkvillage
90, Minsokchon-ro, Giheung District, Yongin, Gyeonggi
Business hours:
February to April, 10:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., May to September 10:00 a.m. – 7 p.m., October, 10:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., November to January, 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (Tickets sold until one hour before closing time. Free pass is available no later than 2 p.m.)
Admission fee: 32,000 won for adults and adolescents (middle to high school students), 26,000 won for children, and 22,000 won for seniors and disabled (With an hour or less remaining until the closing hour, all visitors are eligible for the group rate.)
Group visits (20 or more) receive a partial discount only limited to adolescents and below, from 12,000 won to 15,000 won.
Phone number: 031) 288-0000
Website: https://www.koreanfolk.co.kr/

Lotte World

Lotte World's mascots, Lotty and Lorry, perform in a traditional parade. [LOTTE WORLD]

As cliché as it may sound, theme parks still rank highly on the list of places to visit during the holidays. When you think of the term theme park, an image of colorful and festive parades comes to mind. Lotte World is running a nongak (farmer's music) parade until Feb. 5, the day of the first full moon of the Lunar New Year.

The performance includes traditional aspects, with musicians playing the sogo (small drum) and daego (large drum), which are Korean traditional instruments used for nongak. You can also see a traditional fan dance.

Apart from Lotte World, Seoulland also offers fun holiday activities. Visitors can go ice-fishing and snow sledding at the Snow Fun Park zone, bound to amuse those who visit expecting a perfect winter experience.

Aqua Planet 63, Island Nami, Phoenix Pyeongchang Resort, Ananti Busan and other theme parks and resorts provide opportunities to enjoy traditional activities as well.

@happylotteworld
240 Olympic-ro Songpa District, Seoul
Business hours:
Updated every month on the website. From the current date to February, Monday to Thursday,10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., Friday to Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Admission fee: 59,000 won for adults, 52,000 won for youths (ages 13-18), 46,000 won for children ( 36 months - age 12), After 4 (entry after 4 p.m.) ticket costs 47,000 won, 41,000 won and 35,000 won for each. Usage range is limited to Lotte World, and for folk museum entrance, tickets cost 1,000 to 3,000 won more for different age range. Check the website for further information on discount options and more.
Phone number: 1644-2000
Website: https://adventure.lotteworld.com/eng/main/index.do

Everland

Everland’s Large Rabbit welcomes the Lunar New Year. [EVERLAND]

Taking photos is a must over the New Year season, and why not try posing with a rabbit to celebrate the year of the rabbit?

Everland has installed a supersized rabbit that stands at 15 meters (50 feet) tall in its Four Seasons Garden. Due its huge size, the rabbit has been dubbed Rabbig. It has already proved its popularity among social media, with visitors posting many photos with Rabbig on their accounts. Everland's mascot characters Lenny and Lara also make their appearance at Carnival Square three times a day to take pictures with visitors.

Everland also leads its visitors through the early touch of spring with "Unexpected Journey," a live butterfly experience center, in which around 5,000 flying insects embroider the indoor garden until the last day of May. Visitors are likely to be in awe as they first step into the ambitiously curated garden, not to mention that they will regret not photographing the ornate decorations and the relentless flutter of colorful butterflies. Away from the cold, the garden allows you to enjoy the spring for a moment on your visit to Everland.

@witheverland
199, Everland-ro, Cheoin District, Gyeonggi
Business hours:
Updated every month on the website. From the current date to February, 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., except for Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Admission fee: Depends on date zones labeled A,B,C,D, each marked for different dates. From the current date to February, weekend ticket costs 50,000 won for adults and adolescents, 40,000 won for children and seniors. Weekday ticket costs 46,000 won for adults and adolescents, and 36,000 won for the latter. Check the website for further updates after February.
Phone number: 031) 320-5000
Website: https://www.everland.com/web/everland/main.html

Gyeongbok Palace

Visitors of Gyeongbok Palace walk in embroidered Hanbok. [KIM KYUNG-ROK]

If you are seeking for a touch of history and culture, look no further than Seoul's grandest palace.

The cold doesn’t seem to be intense enough to stop the excited visitors fluttering the skirt hem of elaborate hanbok, the traditional dress of Korea, in the wintery atmosphere of the palace. You can spot a number of hanbok rental shops around Gyeongbok Palace Station for around 20,000 won. Those dressed in hanbok can enter the palace for free, so visitors often use this as a chance to decorate themselves to enjoy a free trip to the ancient palace.

@gyeongbokgung_palace_official
161, Sajik-ro, Jongno District, Seoul
Business hours:
March to May, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., June to August, 9:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m., September to October, 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., November to February, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Closed every Tuesday. Tickets sold until one hour before closing time.)
Admission fee: 3,000 won for adults (ages 25 - 64), free for Koreans under 25 and above 64, 1,500 won for foreign children and adolescents (ages 7-18), free every last Wednesday of the month.
Group visit (10 or more) receive a 20 percent discount.
Phone number: 02) 3700-3900
Website: http://www.royalpalace.go.kr/

BY BAEK JONG-HYUN, KIM DONG-EUN [kim.dongeun@joongang.co.kr]