Tag: seoul

Daniel Dae Kim’s Seoul

Posted on by Degen Pener

In his new CNN travel series K-Everything, actor and producer Daniel Dae Kim—known for his roles in Lost, Hawaii Five-O, and KPop Demon Hunters—explores the global resonance of Korean culture through entertainment, beauty, and cuisine. While he grew up mostly in the United States, Kim’s ties to South Korea are deep. He was born there (living in Busan until he was one year old), and in 2024, he spent seven months filming the spy-thriller series Butterfly in more than 20 cities across the country. That same year, the mayor of Seoul made him an honorary citizen of the capital, which he loves for its “fast-paced” vibe and rich dining scene. —Degen Pener 

Eat

Samwon Garden was established in 1976.

Samwon Garden: “If you like Korean barbecue, there’s a place called Samwon Garden. It’s been there forever, and the quality is still just fantastic. It’s huge, and even as big as it is, you have to make a reservation. It’s very popular.” 

Jinmi Sikdang: “I’m a seafood lover, coming from Busan, and there’s a dish called gejang, which is raw marinated crab. A place that does it so well is Jinmi. It has a very neighbourhood feel.” 

The serene interior of Mingles

Mingles: “It’s the only three-star Michelin restaurant in Seoul. The chef there [Mingoo Kang] is fantastic. He’s very innovative but also always true to Korean culture.” 

Linus BBQ: “There are a lot of Korean Americans who have gone back to Korea and started restaurants, one of whom is my friend Linus, who grew up in Alabama and [opened] an Alabama barbecue in the middle of Seoul. If you’re tired of eating Korean food when you’re in Korea, I highly recommend it.” 

Mutan: “I can’t talk about Korean food without talking about one of my favourite noodle dishes, jjajangmyeon. It’s black-bean noodles. Jjajangmyeon is kind of like the pizza of Korea. Mutan restaurant—at the branch in Jongno—has a [version] that is very different from typical jjajangmyeon [that] includes [steak] and truffles. It’s one of my favourite things.” 

Drink

A few of the exquisite offerings at Charles H.

Charles H. at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul: “I’m a big fan of the Four Seasons. It’s a great hotel, and their bar, Charles H., is one of the best bars in the city. If you’re really in the know, you know about the speakeasy [hidden behind a wall on the lower level of the hotel]. And tucked within Charles H., there’s another hidden bar [H. Bar]. But you didn’t hear that from me.” [Read our story on Four Seasons speakeasies here.]

Le Chamber owners Lim Jae-jin (left) and Eom Do-hwan

Le Chamber: “Some of my favourite bars are in the Cheongdam area. There’s one called Le Chamber, and when you go into the entrance, you have to pull the [correct] book from a bookshelf and then the door will open. There’s also a bar called Zest in Cheongdam that’s really great. At all of these places, the mixologists take their work very seriously.”  

See

Maitreya at Bongeunsa Temple. Photograph by Pimplub / Adobe Stock.

Bongeunsa Temple: “After you go to the temple of shopping in the COEX Mall, visit Bongeunsa in Gangnam. When I was shooting in Korea recently, I lived close by, and spending quiet, reflective time there was one of my favourite ways to escape the hustle and bustle of modern Seoul.”  

Leeum Museum of Art: “To see [contemporary art], I love the Leeum.” 

The exterior of Kukje Gallery.

Kukje Gallery: “The curators do such a great job of mixing international artists, like one of my favourites, Jenny Holzer, with up-and-coming Korean artists, as well as promoting major art movements like dansaekhwa, the Korean monochrome style.” 

Gentle Monster: “Visit the Gentle Monster in Seongsu. It is, in and of itself, an art installation, where you can shop for sunglasses among one-of-a-kind [sculptures] that couldn’t be more Instagram ready.” 

Four Seasons Seoul Exterior
Four Seasons Hotel Prague, Room

Four Seasons Hotel Seoul

Stylish elegance in the heart of Seoul

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The Culture Cut: Art in Unlikely Places

Posted on by The Editors

Art isn’t restricted to that which is painted, contained within a frame, and hung on the walls of a grand museum like the MET in New York City or the Louvre in Paris. Art can be an exquisitely designed dress, for instance, and it can be found anywhere—in the desert, on a beach, in an eyeglass shop, even. Here are four new exhibitions of beyond-the-frame art that are on our radar.

Florence, Italy

A thoroughly modern interpretation. Photograph by Ela Bialkowska.

Known for his bold, pop-inflected sculptures, the artist KAWS crafted his massive new installation, “The Message,” in warmly burnished wood. The artwork—featuring two nearly 20-foot-tall figures, each of which holds a wooden smartphone—is a modern interpretation of a famous 15th-century fresco, “The Annunciation”, by Fra Angelico. Works by the Italian Renaissance painter, along with KAWS’s sculpture, are on view through January 25, 2026, at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy, which is home to Four Seasons Hotel Firenze.

Paris, France

A Christian Dior evening gown from the Fall/Winter 1951 haute couture line.

When he was a young man, in 1956, Azzedine Alaïa spent just four days as an intern at the legendary House of Dior—a fleeting experience that would leave a lasting impression. In time, he would establish his own maison, becoming known as a master of sculptural tailoring. Behind the scenes, Alaïa (who died in 2017) was also a devoted collector of vintage Dior, amassing some 600 pieces. Now his extraordinary personal collection takes center stage in not one but two exhibitions in Paris: a show, at La Galerie Dior spotlighting more than 100 of these rare pieces, and one at the Azzedine Alaïa Foundation, where Dior and Alaïa designs are shown in concert, tracing threads of influence, admiration, and creative kinship. (The former exhibition runs through May 3, 2026; the latter, through May 24, 2026.) For those who won’t be in Paris, Rizzoli and Damiani are publishing catalogues of the exhibits.—Degen Pener

Seoul, South Korea

Giant sculptures inside the Gentle Monster store.

Rising above Seoul’s Seongsu-dong neighbourhood, Haus Nowhere has quickly become a cultural pilgrimage site for shoppers seeking the next chapter in retail. Opened in September in a 14-story brutalist building, the store is the fourth experimental retail project from IICombined, the parent company of the luxury eyewear brand Gentle Monster. Yes, it sells products, including sunglasses; caps and beanies from Gentle Monster sister brand Atiissu; fragrances by Tamburins; and tableware from Nuflaat. More than anything, though, it’s an unforgettable sensory experience, complete with a colour-saturated teahouse and a rotating roster of art installations, like two painted humanoid giants sitting in meditation (above) and a gargantuan dachshund napping on the floor. It’s a concept store gone supersized.—Julie Pham

Naples, Florida

Artist James Perkins at work. Photograph by Leila Brewster.

“I’m blurring the line between what is man-made and what is made by nature,” says James Perkins (pictured above). The New York–based artist’s practice involves burying silk-covered wood frames and letting the pieces absorb the effects of sun, surf, rain, and earth. Last year year, he buried some of his latest works in Naples, Florida, home of the new Naples Beach Club, A Four Seasons Resort. Perkins is also the subject of his first museum show, Burying Painting, which runs through February 15, 2026, at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.