What is sung-tan-jul (성탄절)? Sung-tan-jul (성탄절) is Christmas in Korean. As you know, some South Koreans celebrate Christmas. However, the story’s different for North Korea. Christianity is seen as a doctrine imported by the West. As a result, the North Korean government views Christmas and anything associated with the West with suspicion.
Although there are a few churches in North Korea, (four to be exact) the activities of the church are monitored very closely. The churches basically operate on the whim of the North Korean government. If the government is displeased with the church in any way, it can arrest and imprison any of its members. Imprisonment can lead to death for any of the church members. The work camps in North Korea are infamous for its torture tactics. Out of fear, North Koreans celebrate Christmas in secret.
To be honest, not many North Koreans know about Christmas. The press is tightly controlled and scrutinized by the North Korean government. Therefore, anything postive about the West, including Christmas, is censored by the North Korean press. If the North Korean people saw how happy and charitable people were on Christmas, and how beautiful the streets are decorated, capitalism would seem like a positive thing. That would threaten the North Korean agenda.
So this Christmas in North Korea, there will no christmas trees, no lights that line the streets of Pyongyang (평양) the capital of North Korea. The only thing that will light up the streets of Pyongyang (평양) is the Juche Tower (주체상탑). The Juche Tower (주체상탑) was made to commemorate the life of Kim Il Jong (김일정), the former dictator of North Korea. What the tower really symbolizes is oppression and the wholesale denial of humanity. So for all those North Koreans this year and for everyone reading this, Merry Christmas (메리 크리스마스).
Don’t know where to go on vacation for the holidays? How about going to South Korea? Where exactly in South Korea? Try Yongin (용인) in Kyung-ki (경기) province, just south of Seoul (서울), the capital city of Korea. There are several ways to get to Youngin (용인). One way is through the subway. If you take either the Jukjun (죽정) or the Bojung (보정) line, you’ll get there within reasonable time. Your other option is to take the bus in the city of Sungnam (성남). 
If you’re going with your family, check out Zoo Topia (즈토피아). There’s a place where the kids can feed the goats and ride horses as well. They also have animal shows where the animals will perform stunts. The main attraction is an elephant named Koshik (코식). I don’t know if it’s some kind of magic trick, but he can mimic Korean words. Either that or it’s a guy hiding behind a curtain and making those sounds. They also have a safari bus where you can see animals from the wild lounging about and sleeping. Sometimes the animal trainers will feed or pet the wild animals. I get a little nervous because I’ve seen footages of “When Animals Attack Part 2″ on cable television, and let me tell ya, it ain’t pretty.
If you’re with your date then go check out European Adventure (유로피안 아드벤춰). The place is full of European restaurants. You’ll never see so many European restaurants in one place, other than European Adventure; especially in Korea. According to my memory I think there were a couple of Italian restaurants, but they all seemed more or less decent. The interior is very sophisticated, and the food is good as well. I had some spaghetti and the sauce tasted sweet, but it was still very delicious. They also have a flower garden where you can stroll through and enjoy the scenery..jpg)
1) Yakgwa (약과) is made by kneading some wheat flour and frying it in honey and seasame oil. Sometimes instead of wheat flour rice flour is used. Also, in place of honey, rice wine can also be used as well. Yakgwa (약과) is brown in color and is made in the mold of a flower. These cookie like sweets can get stale very quickly, so make sure they’re refrigerated properly. As for taste, I would say they taste close to what I feel ginger snap cookies taste like.
2) Sukshilkwa (숙실과) is made by boiling some fruits, ginger, and pine nuts in water mixed with honey. You can add chestnuts as well. Sukshilkwa (숙실과) come in a variety of colors. Some are tannish, some are blackish, some are white, etc. As for taste, it really depends on the ingreedients. If you add in lots of sugar and honey, it has a tendency to be sweeter.
3) Jungkwa (정과) is made by boiling either fruits or plant roots in honey and some mulyot (물엿) or Korean liquid candy. It’s soft like jello. You can pretty much put anything in jungkwa (정과) including carrots, ginseng, melons, sweet potatoes, etc. Food coloring is optional. It tastes like American jello, but less sweeter.
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