Korean Language Blog

Lots of Kpop groups released their new albums in 2010. Let’s take a look at some of the more popular Kpop acts of 2010 :

Super Junior (슈퍼주니어) released their fourth album “Bonamana”. 2010 was a big year for Super Junior. The Chinese member of the group Han Geung quit the group and Kang In enlisted in the army. So when the album was released, the group was a lot smaller than usual. Super Junior was also involved in making one of the music videos for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Kara (카라) is an all girls Kpop group consisting of five members. Their album in 2010 was titled “Lupin”. Their single was called “Jumping” and they also made a 2010 FIFA World Cup song. Usually it’s the Korean boy bands that get all the attention, but this year Kara has been making a splash in Japan. They’ve received numerous endorsements in Japan and continue to be popular in Korea.

SNSD (소녀시대) is also an all girls Kpop group. They released their second album called “Oh!” and released a single with the same title as the album. SNSD has been really busy this year. They released an album in Japan and performed in Shanghai and Los Angeles to promote their album. In the same year they released their third album “Hoot”!

2am (not to be confused with the Kpop group 2pm) released a mini album early in the year called “Even If I Die I Can’t Let You Go” (죽어도 못 보내) and released a full album later in the year called “Saint O’Clock”. One of the singles from the full length album include “You Wouldn’t Answer My Calls” (전활 받지 않는 너에게). “The group also released a music video for the 2010 World FIFA Cup.

Shinee’s (샤이니) second album titled “Lucifer” (루시퍼) was released in 2010. They released singles like “Hello” and “Quasimodo”. The group also contributed to the soundtrack for the Korean National Tourism Organization and starred in a reality television show called “Hello Baby”. The show features the members of Shinee and their efforts to take care of a four year old boy.

If you like nature, hiking and smelling the fresh outdoors, then you’ll probably like some of the national parks of South Korea.

Gaya Mountain National Park (가야산국립공원) is a great hiking destination. The slopes are relatively gentle, so even hiking amateurs can join. The Park is located in an isolated area; so much of the Park was protected from the razing of Japanese soldiers in the 1590s. Other scenic attractions in the Park include a Buddhist figure carved in stone, a waterfall and the ruins of a temple and castle.

The picture of Sobaeksan National Park (소백산국립공원) on the left is a picture of the heavy snowfall in winter. The location of this park crosses the borders of Chungcheongbuk Province (충청북도) and Gyeongsangbuk Province (경상북도). Sobaeksan National Park is an important preserve because it is home to thousands and thousands of plant and animal species.

With an area that covers 2,321.5 kilometers square, Dadohaehaesang National Park (다도해해상국립공원) is the largest national park in South Korea. The Park includes an island with many bird, fish, reptile and amphibian species. Dadohaehaesang is known for its beautiful sunset, clean waters and diversity of flowers.

Hallyeo Haesang National Park (한려해상국립공원) is a park that includes both land and marine areas. There is a large mountain named Geumsan (금산). The legend says that a man who wanted to become king promised to cover the mountain with silk if he became king. When he became a king the mountain was so large that he couldn’t find enough silk to cover it. Hence the name Silk Mountain or Geumsan.

Wolchulsan National Park (월출산국립공원) was named after Mount Wolchul (월출산). It is the smallest national park in South Korea, and is known for a suspension bridge that connects the two peaks of the Mountain. The bridge is called “Cloud Bridge” (구름다리) because the Bridge is so high up that when you look below everything looks tiny.

To put it mildly, relations between South and North Korea are very frosty. Recently, the South Korean military decided to light a Christmas tree where the North Koreans could see the tree. At the very top of the tree is a bright cross. The North Koreans are upset about the lighting of the tree and have labeled the cross as religious propaganda. The North has demanded the South to take the lights down and have threatened to attack the tree if necessary.

First thing you have to know about the North Koreas is that they are deeply suspicious of Christianity. Since Christianity was a religion introduced to Korea from the West, the North Koreans worry that Christianity will become a tool to eradicate Korean values. If you look at the emphasis of Christianity, Jesus not Kim Jong Il, is the supreme lord over everything. As a result, Kim Jong Il is concerned that Christian beliefs may supplant and challenge his authority as the leader of North Korea.

When Christian missionaries first came to Korea (this was before the geographical division between North and South Korea) in the 1590s to the 1780s, Christianity was very unpopular among the Korean populace. There were several Korean Christians that were beheaded for practicing the Christian faith. Most Christian Koreans practiced in secret because they would be tortured by the authorities if they were caught.

It was in the 1800s that Christianity began to flourish in Korea. One of the reasons why Christianity became popular among the Korean people was because the missionaries from the West offered Korean peasants a chance to read and write. In those days the only people that were literate were the priests and nobles. Christian values were also more egalitarian, which provided the peasant class some hope in a heavily divided Korean society. Even with all these strides, Buddhism continued to dominate the religious sphere in Korea.

It wasn’t until the 1960s and 70s, that South Korea desired a strong economic alliance with the U.S. This led to the learning of English and the import of American culture, like Christianity. Hence, South Korea has been more accepting of Christianity than North Korea.