Even though Seoul’s winters can be cold, the season always feels warm and magical when the city lights up at night.
One of the most beautiful winter events is the Seoul Lantern Festival, held every December along the Cheonggyecheon Stream.
The streets of Seoul are full of autumn colors. The ginkgo trees along Yangjaecheon stream have turned bright yellow, making it a perfect place for an afternoon walk.
Seoul Design Week (Oct 15–19) has opened at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, featuring over 70 lifestyle brands in themed zones like “Maximalist Life” and “Quiet Foodie.”
Through this weekend, October 8–12, 2025, Seoul is hosting the Fall K-Royal Culture Festival (궁중문화축전) at its four historic palaces, including Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung. The event features royal court music, dance, traditional craft workshops, and popular nighttime tours under autumn skies.
As a growing design city, Seoul is shining once again in the global art and design world. From September 1–14, 2025, the city hosted its first-ever Design Miami / Seoul exhibition at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP).
The fair, titled “Illuminated: A Spotlight on Korean Design”, shows off 170 works by 71 Korean artists—traditional craftsmanship (수공예) meets cutting-edge materials like wood, metal, horsehair, and ceramics.
Legendary (and our favorite) director Park Chan-wook (박찬욱) premiered his long-awaited film “No Other Choice (어쩔수가없다)” at the 베네치아 영화제 (Venice Film Festival). The movie, based on a novel, highlights 고용 불안 (job insecurity) in an 인공지능 시대 (AI era). With star actor Lee Byung-hun (이병헌), the story mixes 블랙 코미디 (black comedy) and 사회 비판 (social critique).
With a 9-minute standing ovation, viewers praised its 긴장감 (tension) and 도덕적 갈등 (moral conflict). This shows how 한국 영화 (Korean cinema) continues to explore 보편적 주제 (universal themes) with creativity and depth. Truly a 걸작 (masterpiece) worth watching.
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South Korea is facing a quirky cultural challenge this summer: lovebugs (연애벌레 yeonae beol-le) have invaded hiking trails and city streets around Seoul and Incheon. These harmless insects swarm in mating pairs, blanketing paths and even spilling into cafés and public transit.
