Concerts, Play Open Throughout Seoul

Seoul is celebrating the new year with a variety of cultural events around the city.

On Jan. 1 the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra performed a New Year's Concert at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, while last Saturday the Seoul Metropolitan Youth Orchestra held a "Winter Classics" concert at the same venue.

This Saturday and Sunday a concert performed by famous Korean traditional and classical music artists will be held at the Dream Forest Art Center.

Left: Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra's New Year's Concert; right: Science magic show

Seoul Namsan Gugakdang music hall's first production of the year will be "The Farting Lady," a musical play produced jointly by the Sejong Center, Sadari Theater Company, and Moby Duck Theatre Company from the U.K.

Based on a Korean traditional fairy tale, the musical features traditional mask dances and outdoor performances, mimes and puppet shows. It opens for a month-long run on Jan. 28.

For more information, visit the Seoul Metropolitan Government website at http://english.seoul.go.kr.

Park in Gwanghwamun to Promote Hangeul

The city of Seoul plans to develop an area nearby Sejong-ro into a cultural tourism hub in a bid to promote Hangeul or the Korean alphabet as a global cultural product.

The city said it will build the hub on a 470,000 sq. m site. It will offer diverse facilities and cultural programs, such as a park, guest rooms, and Hangeul and brush-writing classes, as well as cultural events and international conferences.

Before construction heads into full swing, the city will build a Hangeul garden in Sejong-ro Park, near the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, in the first half of this year.

The garden will feature 11,172 characters that can be made by using the 24 consonants and vowels of Hangeul. These letters will be carved by 11,172 people on individual stones, which will then be laid on the garden’s floor.

By the end of July, the city hopes to launch a one-hour program to teach foreigners how to read Korean. It also plans to expand existing programs offered in Gwanghwamun in which foreigners can have their family mottos and names written in Korean by brush.
Link : http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/01/18/2011011800990.html

The Stories That Shook Korea in 2010

As 2010 draws to a close, it is time to take a look back at an eventful year, which saw South Korea experience both sporting and economic successes and devastating challenges to national security, like the sinking of the Navy Corvette Cheonan and the North Korean artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island on Nov. 23.

◆ Korea-U.S. Reach Deal on FTA

Korea and the U.S. finally reached a deal in renegotiations of their bilateral free trade agreement on Dec. 3, clearing a major hurdle for ratification of the FTA which was signed on June 30, 2007 but has been stuck in the legislatures since. But the revision faces opposition here for conceding too much to the U.S., signaling more tough times ahead for the bill in the National Assembly.


◆ N.Korea Shells Yeonpyeong Island

North Korea launched an artillery attack on South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island on Nov. 23. It was the first attack on South Korean soil since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War and resulted in the deaths of two South Korean civilians and two soldiers. The attack involved the firing of around 170 artillery shells on the island in two separate barrages.

Sixteen Marines were injured. South Korea responded with artillery fire using K-9 howitzers, but the extent of the damage to North Korean targets remains unclear. On Dec. 20, South Korea resumed live artillery drills that were interrupted by the attack.


◆ N.Korea Unveils Uranium Enrichment Facility

North Korea unveiled a massive uranium enrichment facility equipped with hundreds of centrifuges to a visiting U.S. nuclear expert in early November. Experts believe North Korea unveiled the facility to pressure the U.S. to return to the stalled six-party talks.

In 2002, North Korea apparently confessed to operating a highly enriched uranium program, but it quickly reversed the admission and had since then adamantly denied it. Uranium enrichment facilities are easier to conceal than plutonium extraction facilities and can be moved around easily. Some 2,000 centrifuges are enough to produce one nuclear weapon a year. South Korea and the U.S. believe North Korea has three or four more clandestine facilities in addition to the one in Yongbyon.


◆ Seoul Hosts G20 Summit

The G20 Summit took place on Nov. 11 and 12 at COEX in southern Seoul. It was the first time that an emerging country hosted a summit of the world's top 20 economies. Held at the height of a global currency war, it produced an agreement containing current account balance guidelines and steps to improve governance at the International Monetary Fund. The summit also saw pledges by advanced countries to support the growth of developing nations. In the international press the event was widely seen as boosting Korea's global status.


◆ N.Korea Makes 3rd-Generation Succession Official

The feudal succession of the North Korean regime became official when leader Kim Jong-il's third son Jong-un was appointed a four-star Army general on Sept. 27 and vice chairman of the Workers Party's powerful Central Military Commission on Sept. 28. The appointments were made during the first extraordinary party congress in 44 years.

The regime created the position of "vice chairman" specially for Kim Jong-un (27). But it remains to be seen whether the dynastic succession will be successful, which depends a lot on how much longer Kim Jong-il has to live, according to experts.


◆ 46 Sailors Dead in N.Korean Torpedo Attack

The 1,200 ton Navy corvette Cheonan was attacked by a North Korean torpedo and sank near Baeknyeong Island in the West Sea on March 26. Of the ship's 104 crew, 46 died. An investigative committee of 73 experts, including 24 from the U.S., Australia, the U.K. and Sweden, announced on May 20 their findings that the Cheonan sank due to an attack by a North Korean CHT-02D torpedo fired from a small submarine.


◆ Kim Yu-na Rewrites Figure Skating History

Kim Yu-na not only became the first Korean figure skater to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics but also rewrote figure skating history with her record score in Vancouver, Canada. Kim earned a combined score of 228.56 points for her short program and free skating performances, the record since a new scoring method was introduced in 2004. Mao Asada of Japan came second with 205.50 points.

Link : http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/12/31/2010123100296.html

Jeju Launches Campaign for New 7 Wonders of Nature

More than a hundred journalists, politicians and business leaders attended an event on Thursday to mark the launch of Jeju Island’s campaign to be named one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

With 300 days left until people around the world choose the final seven from among 28 finalists, the island is making an all-out effort to garner global support.

The chairman of the national New 7 Wonders of Nature committee and former Prime Minister Chung Un-chan said the beauty of Jeju is yet to be discovered and called for support from voters worldwide.

He pointed out that Jeju is the world’s only place to have been named a biosphere reserve (in 2002), a World Natural Heritage site (2007) and a Global Geopark (2010).

Jeju Governor Woo Keun-min said the campaign will be a chance to boost awareness of the island’s natural beauty among foreigners.
Link : http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/01/14/2011011401071.html

Would you like a bowl of Ttukbaegi?

Onggi, a traditional Korean pottery has a significant role as a container preserving food in Korean food culture. In fact, among this time is when we remind of the rows of kimchi and doenjang (soybean paste) jars that used to be stored in the house yard. Nowadays as plastic and stainless containers became popular and the housing environment has changed Onggi lost its popularity in daily life of Koreans. However, recently the cultural value and identity of Onggi has been acknowledged. Books written in English to promote a global use of Onggi have been published followed by attempts of contemporary interpretation on the traditional pot. Let’s take a closer look.


Onggi, traditional Korean pottery of daily life

Onggi, in Korean means earthenware or pottery with a dark brown glaze, which is a native Korean pottery of daily life. Often used as a kimchi jar, for its cheap price and long-durability has been generally used by Koreans. Onggi Folk Museum in Ssangmun dong, Seoul, possesses a variety of Onggi; the big ones mostly used for preserving soy sauce, doenjang, kimchi and water and others used in a more wide range of use e.g. chimneys, candle bottles, lamp-oil containers, Gi-wa(roof tile) and tea pots.

The biggest Onggi made in Oe-gosan Onggi Village, height 229cm, girth 520cm

The common use of Onggi can be explained with the characteristics of the Korean food culture. Onggi perfectly suits to preserve fermented food. Made from coarse sand-mud, its breathing holes allows air to enter but block water out that helps the preservation of the food for a longer duration. It also removes toxic substance of foods and reduces the smell. By enabling effective flow of air that helps the fermentation and preservation of the food, Onggi is perfect to store doenjang, soy sauce, kimchi and Jeotgal (salted seafood) keeping it fresh until the following year.

Especially, Onggi is a ‘pot from nature,’ that when cracked or broken to be thrown away it is simply back to earth as soil. The pot is made of soil, water, fire and wind that are harmless to our body. It is eco-friendly but also has traditional Korean scientific logics embedded, no surprise it was selected as one of ‘100 Cultural Symbols of Korea.’ Last year ‘Onggi Expo Ulsan Korea, 2010’ was hosted by Ulsan Oe-gosan Onggi village, the biggest Onggi trading center of Korea.

‘Onggi Expo Ulsan Korea, 2010’ under its theme ‘Onggi the Mirror of the Future’ introduced Onggi featuring the meanings found in its materials and decoration technology and also offering events to experience the difference between Onggi and other potteries from the world. It was the first international expo on traditional Onggi and especially its event for visitors to make their own Onggi was a great success.

CHA publishes an English edition book on Onggi

The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (NRICH), Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea published a book entitled as ‘Onggi’ written in English to introduce the Onggi culture to the world. In order to help the orientation of foreigners lots of visual images are included for explaining the production process of Onggi. The process is introduced by three themes – earth, fire and spirit, which are the essential elements for making the pot throughout the history. Among the three, spirit is the most critical that contains the heart of the artisan who made the pot.

This book will be distributed overseas through Korean Culture and Information Services and other related organizations. Also the PDF version will be available at the (NRICH) homepage (www.nrich.go.kr). In addition, NRICH based on their research on intangible cultural heritage of Korea, will continue to publish other English books for foreigners.

Due to the change of housing environments and industrial progress, there are less people who use Onggi in daily life, especially with the invention of kimchi refrigerator in Korea. A significant effort to establish the identity of Onggi culture inheriting its excellence as a traditional container for fermented food, and its historic and cultural value as deriving from the early pottery of human history, should be continued. To develop Onggi suitable for practical use in contemporary life or application to interior design can be one idea. Through a long-term and specific plan, a spread of traditional Onggi culture of Korea across the world is hopefully to be expected.
Link : http://blog.daum.net/korea_brand/959

Sharing Intangible Heritage of Korea with the World

Cultural Heritage can be divided into tangible and intangible heritage. Cultural assets with forms e.g. a palace or ceramics would belong to the former category, while formless assets such as music, dance, drama, and recreations would belong to the latter one. Especially the legacy of intangible cultural assets has been continued by the people throughout history until now, being re-created by time contributing to the diversity of culture.

UNESCO has well acknowledged the importance of intangible cultural heritage. In 1997, at the 29th UNESCO general assembly it has adopted ‘Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity’ in order to protect intangible heritage which has been under threat to cease to exist by industrialization and globalization.

In 2003 ‘Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage’ was adopted by UNECO and it designated an ‘Urgent Safeguarding List’ and ‘Representative List’ of intangible cultural heritage of humanity. In 2001, 19 assets have been assigned as intangible cultural heritage and the list of it is on increase since then. Last October the food culture of France and Mexico was added to the list receiving lots of attention.

CHA produces DVD on Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity


Half of cultural assets inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List are those of Korea, China and Japan; Kabuki theater of Japan, the Dragon boat festival and Acupuncture and moxibustion of traditional Chinese medicine of China. Korea has eleven assets on the list; the Royal Ancestral Ritual in the Jongmyo Shrine and its Music, the Pansori Epic Chant, the Gangneung Danoje Festival, Cheoyongmu, Ganggangsullae, Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut, Namsadang Nori, Yeongsanjae, as well as Daemokjang (traditional wooden architecture), Gagok (lyric song cycles accompanied by an orchestra), and Falconry the last three recently added to the list.

The National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage (NRICH), Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea produced contents with foreign language services introducing the eleven assets distributed by this month. A video clip on five assets inscribed on 2009 (Cheoyongmu, Ganggangsullae, Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut, Namsadang Nori, Yeongsanjae) is as well produced in three language editions with Korean, English and French. The clip includes a brief introduction on each relevant item that will be a useful resource for foreigners interested in Korean culture.

To promote active use of it, NRICH will distribute those video clips to relevant organizations and researchers in Korea and overseas, as well as providing online access to the material at NRICH homepage. High-quality contents on the intangible cultural heritage of Korea acknowledged by UNESCO is planned to be developed, produced and distributed every year. Such attempts is expected to improve a worldwide recognition on those heritages of Korea that has been under-promoted, despite of its value and significance representing the history, culture and identity of Korea.

The Intangible Cultural Heritage, the dwelling place for the Korean Spirit

Namsadang Nori, No.3 Important Intangible Cultural Properties of South Korea

Let’s take a closer look to the five cultural assets featured on the DVD produced by NRICH.
Namsadang Nori is the no.3 important intangible cultural properties of South Korea. Literally meaning ‘all-male vagabond clown theatre,’ it is a traveling entertaining theater troupe consisted of forty to fifty men enjoyed by the common people.

Kkokdusoe (the head of the group) leads the group followed by gombaengisoe, tteunsoe, gayeol, ppiri, and jeoseungpae performing the six sessions of nori (recreation) that are Pungmul, Beona, Salpan, Eoreum, Deotboegi, and Deolmi. Its origin derives from late Joseon. It was to wish peace and wealth for the villages and deliver joy to the common people through various music and performance.

Ganggangsullae, the no.8 important intangible cultural properties of South Korea, is a more familiar traditional recreation of Korea. The tradition comes from the South-western area of Korea performed to wish good harvest and fecundity.

Especially a grand Ganggangsullae used to be performed on the night of Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), which origins back from the Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592. Admiral Yi Sun-shin lighted up torches on the hill and gathered women to play Ganggangsullae to fake the size of the army to the enemy and later the play continued to sing joys and sorrows of life.

Ganggangsullae, No.8 Important Intangible Cultural Properties of South Korea

Cheoyongmu is the final dance of Narye and Yeonre, successive national royal events of Korea. It is the only royal dance performed with human face masks. The narrative of the dance is about getting rid of misfortune based on the principle of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements. Through its dazzling and confident movements the dance delivers great energy and vigor to the audiences.

Yeongsanjae is a kind of 49 jae (a Buddhist memorial ceremony held on the 49th day of one’s death). It is a ceremony for spirits to attain eternality based on the Buddhist faiths. It cultural value is recognized for reproducing Young-san Hwe-sang, reminiscences of preach Sakyamuni has performed on Vulture Peak Mountain; also called as Young-san jak Bup, a representative providence ceremony of Buddhism.

Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut is a kind of haenyeo gut (haenyeo means female diver, gut is a type of exorcism) that is part of the unique cultural heritage of Jeju along with haenyeo and folk religion. It has a cultural meaning as a cultural festival embracing the local community and encouraging mutual understanding between the people living on Jeju Island.

To preserve these inherited cultural assets of Korea an active promotion on the international stage should be continued. An active support and participation from the Korean people preserving and promoting their cultural heritage should be followed as well.
Link : http://blog.naver.com/korea_brand/10101088018

Sol-nal - Korean New Year

You might have noticed that many of the nations located in East Asia threw big New Year celebrations to welcome the arrival of the year 2000. It is true that most countries have adopted the Gregorian calendar and mark the passage of time in accordance with the solar year. But many countries, the Republic of Korea included, also pay respect to the traditional calendar based on the lunar year. Thus, across the Land of the Morning Calm, New Year's Day will be celebrated twice-once according to international convention, and once according to the lunar calendar.

This year, the Korean New Year, or Sol-nal, will fall on our February 5, the first day of the first month of the new lunar year. Also considered the first day of spring, Sol-nal is a day for renewing one's place in the world by honoring ancestors and reestablishing family ties. Koreans try to return to their family homes on this day to participate in New Year's rituals and festivities.

On New Year's Eve, people place straw shovels, sieves or rakes on their doors and walls to protect their families from any evil spirits arriving with the new year. The New Year's day ceremonies begin in the morning with the donning of formal dress (hanbok) by family members. The first component of the day's activities is the rite of charye, or the honoring of the past four generations of ancestors. Food and drink (the exact form of which varies according to regional and family traditions) are offered on a ritual table (charye sang). It is common to see foods arranged according to color (for instance, red food may be on the east side of the table, with white food on the west side of the table). Typically, the food is arranged in the order that it would be eaten during a meal--fruit is placed closest to the living supplicant, to be eaten last (as a dessert) by the ancestral spirits. Rice would be placed on the opposite side of the table as the living, to be eaten first by the ancestors.

Incense is burned, and the living bow before the ancestors in order of family rank. The eldest male makes two deep bows, then a third shallow bow, offering the food and drink to the spirits of the ancestors. The rest of the family follows suite according to rank. It is respectful to turn away from the offerings after this, allowing the ancestors to enjoy the feast without interference. Then the food is cleared and water is offered up.

After this act of reverence is completed, it is time to pay one's respects to the living elders of the family (saebae. This takes the form of younger family members bowing deeply to the elders, first to the grandparents, then the parents, then the uncles and aunts. The bow is accompanied by the New Year's greeting "Sae-hae boke mahn-he pah-du-sae-oh." Usually, the elders give something to the people offering saebae: food, money, drink or something similar. In the old days, these rituals would have been performed door to door, but in today's Korea, family is quite spread out, so Sol-nal offers a family a good excuse to travel back home.

Finally, it is time to sit down to the traditional breakfast, a meal which almost always includes ttok-guk. Ttok-guk is a thick beef broth with thinly sliced rice cakes that have been topped with green onions and other colorful garnishes. Some people eat ttok-guk mandu guk instead, which is ttok-guk with mandu dumplings. Tradition dictates that this food must be eaten in order to turn one year older. This is very important as Korean age is calculated on the New Year. Everyone becomes one year older on New Year's Day.

The rest of the day is dedicated to play, especially for the children. The boys in particular take to kite flying, while the girls see-saw. A favorite game for the day is yut nori (a stick game), and often you will see a "farmer's dance," during which gongs and drums are played to encourage enthusiastic dancers. Sometimes itinerant dance troupes will appear in a rural town to get things moving.

Sol-nal, like New Year's everywhere, is an opportunity to celebrate family and tradition. Through ritual and play, Korean families can put their lives into perspective, realign themselves with their heritage, and prepare themselves mentally for their next year of life.
Link : http://www.2camels.com/korean-new-year.php