Bukchon hanok village - Korea

Surrounded by Gyeongbokgung(Palace), Changdeokgung(Palace) and Jongmyo Royal Shrine, Bukchon is a residential area in Seoul with countless hanoks(traditional Korean houses). Bukchon is also called "the street museum in the urban core," having many historical spots and cultural heritage sites. Since it is located in the northern part of Cheonggyecheon and Jongno, people named this area Bukchon, which means northern village. In the village, there are Gahoe-dong, Songhyeon-dong and Samcheong-dong, whose names evoke affection in all Seoulites. In the late Joseon Dynasty, the large-scaled land was partitioned into small-sized building sites for social and economic reasons. It is assumed that the hanoks closely located together in the village were rebuilt around 1930. The change in the form of hanok reflects the densification of the society due to the urbanization began at that time in Korea. Bukchon’s historic sites and cultural heritages from the Joseon Dynasty to modern times tell visitors the history of this area.

It's Bukchon-Hanok village. I love this place.. If you wanna get more information.. visit this site!!!!
http://bukchon.seoul.go.kr/eng/intro/history.jsp

Kim Yu-na Fetes Special Olympics on 100-Day Countdown

Figure skating star Kim Yu-na led the celebrations at an event marking the one-year countdown to the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Pyeongchang at Seoul Plaza on Sunday, with over 2,000 citizens, volunteers and a few celebrities turning up. "As an athlete, I am very much looking forward to the Special Olympics in Pyeongchang next year. I ask for your continued support for the athletes taking part," said Kim, who is an honorary promotional ambassador for the sporting event. The games will take place from Jan. 26 to Feb. 6 next year in Gangneung and Pyeongchang in Gangwon Province, with some 2,300 athletes from over 100 countries and 10,000 volunteers set to participate. The Special Olympics was established in 1968 in the United States at the suggestion of the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, a philanthropist and younger sister of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy. It is different from the Paralympics as it focuses on athletes with purely intellectual disabilities.

Kara Sweeps Awards at Japan's Gold Disc Awards

Kara Sweeps Awards at Japan's Gold Disc AwardsGirl group Kara have swept this year's Gold Disc Awards. In a ceremony hosted by the Recording Industry Association of Japan in Tokyo on Friday, they were honored in five categories including Best Asian Artist, Best Three Asian Albums, Song of the Year by Download, Best Five Songs by Download, and Best Music Video. Girls Generation received awards for Album of the Year and the Best Three Asian Albums, while 2PM was named the New Artist of the Year and one of the Best Three New Artists. TVXQ won the award for Best Three Asian Albums, while Jang Keun-suk was named as one of the Best Three New Artists. The Japanese awards are based on a combination of scores by the jury and annual sales of the albums released in the previous year.

BEAST to give 1st European concert

K-pop boy band BEAST will have its first concert in Europe next month, its agency said on Friday.

The concert, titled “2012 Beast 1st World Tour -- Beautiful Show,” will take place in Columbia Halle, one of most prestigious concert halls in Berlin, Agency Cube entertainment said. The concert hall has hosted major concerts performed by international stars such as Boys∥Men and Sting, it added. Beast members said they were looking forward to introducing K-pop music to an audience more used to different kinds of music. “We recently ranked third in a German music chart so we’re especially excited to repay our German fans for their support,” band leader Yoon Du-jun was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency. BEAST gave a joint performance in London last year with singers from their agency such as G.NA and 4minute.

Girls' Generation to Perform on Letterman Show

Girls' Generation to Perform on Letterman ShowGirls' Generation will appear on two U.S. TV talk shows. The leading K-pop girl group will appear on CBS' "The Late Show with David Letterman" as a guest next Tuesday and give a five-minute performance, their agency SM Entertainment said. They will present "The Boys," the title song of their third full length album, which was released globally at the end of last year, the agency added. The David Letterman show, one of the most famous talk shows in the U.S. along with NBC's "The Tonight Show," invites celebrities including politicians, entertainers and athletes onto the show. "Girls' Generation is the first Korean band to appear on a mainstream talk show on a terrestrial TV channel in the U.S.," the agency said. On Feb. 1, the band will also perform and have an interview on ABC TV's popular talk show "Live! with Kelly."

[Korean Drama] The Moon That Embraces the Sun Episode 01

It's very interesting drama...
Tradition Clothes..
Tradition House..etc..
In this drama, I can feel the Korean culture..
And also, someguys very handsome.... :)

Click!! you can see this drama [Episode 01]
http://www.joykdrama.com/drama/The-Sun-and-the-Moon-The-Moon-Embracing-The-Sun/The-Moon-That-Embraces-the-Sun-Episode-01-English-SubTitle-II/

[Korean Movie 2012] Pacemaker

■Movie: Pacemaker ■Revised romanization: Peiseu Meikeo ■Hangul: 페이스메이커 ■Director: Kim Dal-Jung ■Writer: ■Producer: ■Cinematographer: ■Release Date: January 18, 2012 ■Runtime: ■Language: Korean ■Country: South Korea

Human drama based on an unlucky marathoner who had always been running as a 30km pace maker but gets to challenge a 42.195 km marathon for the first time in his life. * A pace maker? A player who supports the rhythm of a rising star during a game in swimming, long distance running, cycling and others. Cast : Kim Myung Min, Ahn Sung Ki, Go Ara, Lee El, Choi Jae Woong

Let's Learn Korean tradition Saebae!!

What is SAEBAE?

In Korea, lunar Jan. 1st is the New Year's day.

On New year's day,

people dress in traditional Korean garments,

Visit the elderly,

And give them the first greetings of the year.

Then the elderly

Will pass down their wisdom

And for minors,

They give out traditional money bags!!!

 Lesson 1. How to SAEBAE!!!

 1. Hands together
For men, left hand goes over the right
For women, right had goes over the left
and face the elderly, standing up

2. With the hands folded together,

Men bring them up to the eyesight,

Women bring them up to the shoulderline

And look at the top of your hands.

3. For men, bring down your hands

Bend your waist, and touch the floor.

For women, bend your left knee first,

then right knee as well then sit on your hip.

4. For men, the entire forearm with the elbow must touch the floor

Put down your forehead on top of your hads

Don't lift your hips here! For women, bend your upper torso at about 45 degree angle,

Stay there for a bit, then straighten up.

5. For men, straighten up your right knee

Push yourself up to stand

For women, stand with your right knee first,

Then your left knee comes up

Next, bow slightly!

Lesson 2. Let's try Saebae for real!!

Visit an elderly Korean you know

and try your new Saebae skills

For example, friends' parents, teachers, our boss, etc.

1. Saebae is appropriate from sunrise to sunset, on Jan 1st lunar.

2. Don't do it on the streetside.

3. Anyone over 20 shouldn't take the money

Hope you to be Happy in New year!!!

50 beautiful places to visit in Korea

Some 25 million South Koreans -- about half the population -- travel abroad at least once a year, but it’s safe to assume that most haven't seen all the beautiful sights within the country. Seoul only takes up a mere 0.6 percent of South Korea's territory: here are 50 stunning photographs from the other 99.4 percent of the country that are all worth a visit. Here are the flowery spring landscapes, sandy beaches, rocky mountains and quietly stunning historic sites on your new Korean travel bucket list. And just in case you were wondering, they are in no particular order. Feel free to add some suggestions of your own in the comment box at the end of the article.

More detail :

http://www.cnngo.com/seoul/visit/50-beautiful-places-visit-korea-873093

Posters point to plight of 'comfort women'

Singer Kim Jang-hoon and Professor Seo Kyung-duk have joined forces again in a project to raise awareness about the plight of so-called "comfort women". "Comfort women" is a euphemism for women who were forced into sexual slavery during World War II by the Japanese military. Seo, a visiting professor at Sungshin Women's University, said Jan. 5 that some 1,500 posters were distributed around Tokyo with the help of a group of Korean students studying in Japan. The posters were placed around locations in Shinjuku, Shibuya and Harajuku, among other urban areas. Seo said that Kim paid for all the expenses for the posters, just as he did when he paid for a similar ad in the Asian edition of The Wall Street Journal last December. Like the ad, the poster is titled "Do You Hear?" and shows the women and their supporters at their 1,000th protest rally held outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul on Dec. 14. It also details information about the injustice the women have suffered over the years because the Japanese government has yet to make an official apology. "The poster aims to appeal to Japanese youth who are not aware of the situation, because they were never taught what really happened", Seo said. The professor said that next week there are plans to place another 1,500 posters in Osaka, Kyoto and Kansai.

CNN selected the best & worst movies in 2011

Most of movies awarded are quite abstruse and boring but I often get to see those movies first whenever I go to a theater. Yesterday, I heard the news CNN selected the 10 best movies in 2011 and searched for the list and listed 5 worst movies too. lollol Your highness is listed in worst 5 movies. Have you ever seen it? lollol I totally couldn't understand why the director made this movie that made all of the characters look morons. Hopefully, I found the movie named "Poetry" looking quite cool. Its story is that an old lady who has Alzheimer's disease comes to know that her grandson committed a crime while learning poetries and she confesses his guilty. "Poetry" won the award for its scenario in Cannes Film Festival 2010 and U.S village voice ranked its heroine-Yun jung hee as 4th in the best movie actresses. I think scenario is the base of all movies and the most important factor to make movies good or awful. I'd like to try this movie, Do you know any other movies(not listed) to recommend?