Guess What? Ruth Sahanaya & Jeffry Woworuntu

The Namdaemun market in the heart of Korea's capital Seoul is highly popular among visiting Indonesians, including top singer Ruth Sahanaya and her husband and manager Jeffry Woworuntu.

With shopping bags in their hands, Uthe, her preferred name, and Jeffry were seen one cold night early this month browsing around the market, which offers a wide range of clothes and accessories, many of which are counterfeits of well-known brands.

"Shopping for us is not always about visiting luxury shopping centers. So, we don't need to be ashamed of buying things here in Namdaemun," Uthe, 34, told The Jakarta Post as she tried to protect her hands and neck from the chilly weather.

The 154-centimeter-tall champion of the 1992 international song festivals in Finland and the Netherlands was on a three-day trip to Seoul to take part in the entertainment segment of a gala dinner at the Lotte Hotel hosted by Garuda Indonesia to mark the reopening of it's Jakarta-Seoul route.

"It's tiring but enjoyable work," she said. "If I'm under pressure, I never, for example, go to the gym but simply take a few days rest with Jeffry. That's the way I do it and then it's back to the everyday grind again," she said, as she clasped her husband's hand and the pair smilingly continued their window shopping at stands displaying leather jackets, bags and winter clothes. (bsr)