Posts under "Culture"

Korean Waterfalls

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Sep 12 2011

Some people mistakenly believe that all the waterfalls in South Korea are in Jeju Island (제주도), (If you don’t know what I mean, go here: http://www.transparent.com/korean/korean-waterfalls) but that’s simply not true. There are waterfalls all over Korea, including one in Donghae City (동해시) of Gangwon Pronvince (강원도) called Ssang Falls (쌍푹포). Ssang Falls is a beautiful waterfall that has been in the inspiration for local poets for many centuries.

Paraeso Falls (파래소폭포) is a waterfall in Ulsan City (울산시) in Ulju County (울주군). To see the waterfalls up close, you’ll have to hike up a rugged path. The path is inside a forest where it is connected to a valley. When you get to the valley there you will see Paraeso Falls. There is also a one hour walk from the bus stop to the hiking trail, so seeing the Paraeso Falls is not for the faint of heart, but it’s worth it. The pond were the water from the Paraeso Fall gathers is a lovely sea-green color!

Unlike Paraeso Falls, Gugok Falls (구곡폭포) is in Chuncheon City (춘천시) is relatively easy to get to. It only takes twenty minutes by foot to get to the Gugok Falls. The waters from the Gugok Falls fall by dropping on different rock formations on the cliff. It’s amazing to see such water swerving and twisting before it drops straight into the pond below for about fifty meters. It’s one of those waterfalls that is easily accessible so much so that kids can join too!

Daeseung Falls (대승폭포) is located in Inje County (인제군). Since the Silla Era, Daeseung Falls has been a major relaxation spot. That’s because the natural surroundings of Daeseung Falls is unsurpassed in its beauty. For many generations, Inje County has had the lowest population density of any South Korean city. The low population is one of the reasons why Daeseung Falls had stayed quite pristine and unpolluted over the years.

Seoul Buildings

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Sep 9 2011

South Korea may be smaller in square feet than many of the East Asian countries, but it is not any less amazing! If you look around Seoul (서울), the capital city of South Korea, you’ll be amazed at the buildings that you see there. Take for instance the Trade Center  Building (무역센터빌딩)  in Seoul. The jagged sides of the building looks like a stairway to heaven.

 

 

The SK T Tower (SK T 타워) is famous for its asymmetrical shape. From the 27th floor, one side of the building starts to curve inward and then widen outwards. The SK stands for South Korea and T stands for Telecom. There’s a subway connected to the SK T Tower, so people can get to the subway without even leaving the building!

 

 

The Korea Development Bank Headquarters Building (한국산업은행 본사) is famous for its coin monument in front of the entrance. The coins have a hole in the middle, which is reminiscent of the coins that used to be in circulation before Korea began to modernize. While the monument is traditional, the building itself is very modernized.

 

 

The Central Post Office (중앙우체국) is the leading post office in Korea in terms of design. There are two buildings joined by a connector. In addition, the exterior of the building is covered by a v-shaped shield-like structure. The Central Post Office follows green principles, meaning that energy is used in a sustainable manner.

 

 

Boutique Monaco Building (부띠끄모나코 빌딩) is a residential building that is over 100 meters high with 27 floors. The Boutique Monaco Building also contains a museum that displays all the latest furniture. The Boutique Monaco Building itself looks like a piece of furniture built with legos, but with a much classier flair.

Andong

Posted by Ginny 2 Comments
Sep 6 2011

South Korea is rapidly becoming a technologically advanced country with modern cities. A city called Andong (안동) is an exception to the norm. Andong has a reputation for being a center of traditional Korean culture and history. There are many festivals that take place in Andong that celebrate ancient Korean traditions. For example, the Andong Mask Dance Festival celebrates traditional Korean maskmaking and the dances that accompany the wearing of these masks.

The closest you can get to traveling back in time is to visit the Yangdong Village of Gyeongju (경주양동민속마을). The Yangdong Village of Gyeongju is an outdoor museum where people dress in traditional Korean clothing and perform tasks that would have been performed in 14th-19th century Korea. You can also see the traditional Korean houses that the poor and the elite lived in, and see folk traditions like basket weaving done by real people.

The Dosan Seowon (도산서원) served as an academy where young boys would memorize Confucian texts and commemorate the deaths of famed scholars. The Dosan Seowon was built in the 16th century and was constructed to hold a lecture hall, a dormitory for students and a kitchen. There is also a small pond with a garden, but the actual academy is what is most valued because it respresents one of the earlier institutions of education in Korea.

Bongjeongsa (봉정사) was established in the late 600s and is the largest temple in Andong. It houses four national treasures, which includes National treasure #15, which is the oldest wooden building in Korea. It has survived all the natural disasters and wars over a period of centuries. Treasure #55 is the main temple hall. The temple hall is famous for its beautiful murals. Treasure #448 is a study hall and Treasure #449 is a worship hall.

Andong Jjimdak (안동찜닭) is a chicken and vegetable dish that hails from the city of Andong. To make the dish some transparent noodles are boiled until soft. A whole chicken is then chopped into pieces and steamed with spices such as green chili peppers, onions, garlic and ginger. Then some soy sauce, sugar, black pepper and vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, spinach, scallions and mushrooms are also placed in the pot. It’s a taste of Andong that you just can’t forget!

Korean Festivals in September

Posted by Ginny 1 Comment
Sep 3 2011

It’s still not too late to attend the various festivals that take place in South Korea. The Yangyang Songi Festival (양양송이축제) will begin the 29th of September and will take place in Yangyang County in Gangwon Province (강원도). The Yangyang Songi Festival is a pine mushroom festival that features pine mushroom taste testing booths, pine mushroom scavenger hunts and much more.

Chungju World Martial Arts Festival (충주세게무술축제) is a festival that features all the different forms of martial arts from all over the world. The Festival will last until the eighth of September and will take place in Chungju City in Chungcheonbuk Province (충청북도). There will be martial arts demonstrations by noted experts and even a station where kids can copy some basic martial arts moves.

The Jeonju International Sori Festival (전주세계소리축제) will begin the 30th of September in Jeonju City in Jeollabuk Province (전라북도) is a music festival with the main focus on traditional Korean music called Pansori (판소리). There’s a clip of a pansori performance at last year’s Jeonju International Sori Festival.

The Seoul Drum Festival (서울드럼페스티벌) will last until the 24th of September in the capital city of Seoul. The Seoul Drum Festival will feature drum players from around the world (including Korean percussionists) in various performances. There will be an international amateur percussion competition, a percussion instrument exhibition and a workshop where kids can practice their drumming skills.

Cute Korean Children’s Song

Posted by Ginny No Comments
Aug 31 2011

There is a popular Korean children’s song that describes some of the features and shapes of faces by using various fruits and vegetables. If you look at the song, the song uses the example of a 호박 (hobak) or squash to describe a characteristic of a face. Generally when someone’s face is said to look like squash, it’s an insult. That’s because Korean people view the flowers of the squash as ugly when compared to the flowers of other vegetables. Korean children’s songs are great tools to learn about Korean culture and attitudes. Take a listen to the song, it has a nice tune!

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사과같은 내 얼굴 (sagwagatteun ne uhlgool)

An apple-like face like mine

예쁘기도 하구나 (yebbugido hagoona)

How pretty it is

눈도 반짝 코도 반짝 (noondo banjjak kkodo banjjak)

Eyes sparkle and nose sparkle

입도 반짝 반짝 (ipdo banjak banjjak)

Lips sparkle sparkle

(난 반짝~) (nan banjjak)

I sparkle~

오이같은 내 얼굴
(ohigatteun ne uhgool)

A cucumber-like face like mine

길기도 하구나 (gilgido hagoona)

How long it is

눈도 길쭉 귀도 길쭉
(noondo giljjook gwido giljjook)

Eyes long and nose long

코도 길쭉 길쭉 (kkodo giljjook giljjook)

Nose is long long as well

(난 길~~쭉) (nan gil~~gook)

I’m long~~

호박같은 내 얼굴
(hobakgatteun ne uhlgool)

A squash-like face like mine

우습기도 하구나 (ooseupgido hagoona)

How laughable it is

눈도 둥글 귀도 둥글 (noondo donggeul gwido donggeul)

Eyes round and ears round

입도 둥글 둥글 (ipdo donggeul donggeul)

Lips are round round as well

(난~ 둥글 둥글) (nan~donggeul donggeul)

I’m round, round

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