Posted by Ginny
귀신 is a generic term for a ghost or spirt. A 귀신 is a spirt that has already died but for one reason or another has not passed on to the afterlife. In other words, a Korean 귀신 is a spirit roaming the earth. In Korean ghost stories, the 귀신 is often in the form of a female with long black hair covering the face. The typical reason for the 귀신 to remain on this earth seems to center around carrying out some kind of revenge, or unfinnished business on earth. If you look at some of the rituals performed by Korean shamans, the rituals typically try to appease or release the ghost’s inner torment.
So where do Korean ghost stories come from? They may have formed from an old misconception or perhaps an exaggeration of an ancient Korean practice. The practice stems from old funeral rites. Long ago when a parent died, it was not unusual for an unmarried daughter to untie her hair in a gesture of grief. Nowadays some people in Korea wear black when someone dies, but white was actually the color of mourning in the olden days. Not coincidentally, Korean ghost stories describe the ghosts as wearing a white 한복 with unkempt, untied hair in the form of a female. Perhaps this is where the first Korean ghost stories come from.
A 도깨비 is a goblin. In Korean folklore, the 도깨비 is described as having a large piece of skin dangling from the chin, cheek or anywhere on the face. Sometimes they have warts on the skin. The 도깨비 is described as gullible and easily mislead. They are said to live deep in the woods or in the mountains where nobody lives. The story of the 도깨비 may have originated from real life social outcasts living in the mountains. These outcasts were sometimes disfigured in some way and some may have had mental disabilites. Since there were no sanitoriums back then, perhaps the 도깨비 was based on this group.
The 귀신 stories seem to have some cautionary tale, sometimes directed at children. Some of the messages might be: don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t kill people, etc or you may be visited by a ghost. The 도깨비 stories seem to be comical stories, with less cautionary themes. In fact, the messages for the 도깨비 stories seem to be: use your head, or outrick your enemy. I, myself find it interesting that the ghosts tend to be female. I may be reading too much into this, but what does that say about Korean society and women?
Posted by Ginny
When I was a child, I had the pleasure of viewing a pansori (판소리) performance in Korea. Pansori (판소리) is a type of traditional Korean music using vocals and instruments. The singer of a Pansori (판소리) performance is called a 소리꾼. The 소리꾼 is usually accompanied by a drummer called a 고수. Both the singer and drummer are dressed in traditional Korean clothing.
During a pansori (판소리) performance, the 소리꾼 may make gestures with a fan in hand. The fans allow the singer to be expressive. Being expressive is a key part of a pansori performance. The 소리꾼 acts as the storyteller. The medium in which the story is told is through a descriptive like speech in a sing songy voice called 아니리. A 소리꾼 needs to have stamina. Some plays like 춘향가 may take ten hours to complete; all done while standing.
The 고수 or drummer works equally hard. In addition to keeping the tempo of the play, at certain points of the play the drummer may let out a 추임새. A 추임새 is a loud nonsensical word like ha! (하), oy! (오이) scattered throughout the play. Unlike the 소리꾼, the 고수 can sit down throughout the play. In fact, the drum, which is called 북, makes it difficult for the drummer to stand. Usually the drummer sits sideways, so that the audience can only see the side of his face. This is so the focus falls on the singer instead of the drummer.
Sadly, only five complete Pansori plays are available to us. The most famous of the five is 춘향가. It’s about a courtesan’s daughter who marries the son of an important official. The two marry in secret because the laws of Chosun Korea prohibit marriages between different social groups. As the son leaves to take an exam to become a magistrate, a corrupt official imprisons the courtesan’s daughter and tries to make her his concubine. As she faces execution for her refusal to be the corrupt magistrate’s concubine, her husband saves her from death.
The Korean drama, Delightful Girl Choon-Hyang is loosely based on 춘향가. For an accurate version try a Pansori play.
Posted by Ginny
This fall, as new students enter their first year of college, some will attend a SKY university and some will not. Many Korean parents dream of sending their children to a SKY university to further their children’s future. Have you ever heard of the acronym SKY? The letters come from the first letter of three prestigious universities. S stands for Seoul National University (서울대). The K stands for Korea University (고려대), and the Y stands for Yonsei University (연세대). Many Korean politicians and distinguished teachers have graduated from a SKY university. Many in Korea see these SKY universities as a step towards a success future.
All three SKY universities are located in the capital city of Seoul. Of the three SKY universities, Seoul National University is considered the most competitive and prestigious. Famous people like Ban Ki-Moon (반기문), who is the secretary general of the United Nations is an alumni of 서울대. Those who want to go far in politics and governmental affairs are strongly urged to enter this university. Korea University is one of the oldest collegial institution in South Korea. The law school branch of Korea University is exceptional. Lots of prominent judges have graduated from Korea University. Yonsei University had an strong student activist movement during Korea’s colonial period. Yonsei’s beginnings as a college also sprung from Chrisitan beginnings. Korea University and Yonsei University have an intense rivalry. Both Yonsei and Korea University have quality Korean language programs for foreign students.
While the SKY Universities are the top three universities in South Korea, there are others that are still considered prestigious to get into. Ewha Women’s University (이화여자대) is technically a private women’s college, but foreign male students are accepted into the university. Many distinguished women such as Korea’s first female doctor Esther Park, graduated from Ewha Women’s University.
Hanyang University (한양대) is one of Korea’s best engineering schools. A lot of CEOs from famous Korean companies like Samsung and Hyundai have graduated from this school. Sogang University (서강대) is a famous liberal arts college. Sogang is known for its rigorous Korean language program, which emphasizes conversational skills.
You could probably add a few more to the list of prestigious Korean universities, but the universities listed so far are one of the most “wanted” by Korean students.
Posted by Ginny
I think everyone knows this, but just to be sure, Taekwondo (태권도) is a Korean martial art. Just for your information, Kung Fu is a Chinese martial art and Karate is a Japanese martial art. Since this is a Korean blog, I’m going to be discussing Taekwondo (태권도). 태 = means to strike with your foot. 권 = means to strike with your fist. 도 = means ‘way’ or ‘method’. Therefore Taekwondo (태권도) means the way of the foot and hand. The name Taekwondo (태권도) is an accurate description of this martial art, because fighters are allowed to use both their arms and legs.
Taekwondo (태권도) is composed of a philosophical triad of ideals. These principles are called 삼제, which means three elements. The three elements are 천 = sky, 지 = earth, and 인 = person. Taekwondo (태권도) is more than just beating people up. Well, at least that’s how it was first practiced. Today, Taekwondo () is mainly looked upon as a competitive sport. Taekwondo (태권도) has the distiction of being one of the martial art forms included in the Olympics. There is also the WTF or the World Taekwondo Federation, in addition to the ITF or the International Taekwondo Federation.
Taking a Taekwondo class can help you learn a couple of Korean commands. In that regard, you’ll be exposed to both the culture and the language!
Here are some of the commands:
준비 = ready!
시작 = Begin!
차렷 = Attention!
그만 = Finnish!
경례 = Bow!
Posted by Ginny
This month, Gwanghwamun (광화문) plaza was unveiled to the public after years of construction. Gwanghwamun (광화문) plaza is located in Seoul (서울), the capital city of South Korea. The plaza is a popular place for the natives because it has a huge water fountain. In the sweltering summer, the kids try to run past all the shooting streams of water. It’s an informal place, so you’ll see lots of people relaxing and getting drenched from the fountain.
The Gwanghwamun (광화문) plaza is in front of the gate of the Gyungbokgung Palace (경복궁). Gwanghwamun (광화문) gate is the main gate to the palace. It contains a lot of Korean history. The Gwanghwamun (광화문) gate has been destroyed and constructed many times. The first time it was destroyed was in 1592 by a Japanese invasion. The second time was also destroyed in the early 1900s by the Japanese invasion. By the Korean War, the gate was almost completely destroyed.
The Gyungbokgung Palace (경복궁) has a lot of history behind it as well. Like the Gwanghwamun (광화문) gate, the palace was destroyed by the Japanese invasion. It’s taken about twenty years to restore the palace. The construction of the palace is not finnished yet. It’s estimated that it will take another twenty years to restore the palace the way it was. Even though the restoration isn’t finnished, tourists can still see the palace.
It’s no coincidence that the gate was displayed this month. August 15th was actually Liberation Day or gwangbokjul (광복절). This is a public holiday that commemorates the day Korea was liberated from the colonial rule of the Japanese.
In sum, I guess you can say that there are two things to celebrate this month: 1) the inauguration of the gate and 2) the continued freedom of Korea from colonial rule.
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