Archive for 'Uncategorized'
Shopping Areas in Seoul Posted by Ginny on Mar 22, 2010
A lot of people know about areas like 남대문, 인사동, and 용산 (https://blogs.transparent.com/korean?s=nigh+market) within the Seoul area, but did you know that there are lots of other shopping venues within Seoul? For example, 명동 is a shopping district that is famous for its expensive retail shops. The Lotte Department Store (롯데백화점) is one of the…
Traditional Korean Weddings Posted by Ginny on Mar 13, 2010
Not all Korean families choose to have a traditional wedding ceremony. However the families that do decide to have a traditional wedding ceremony have a special service called 폐백. The groom (신랑) and the bride (신부) perform a deep bow to the groom’s family. There will be some kind of rice wine, normally a variety…
The First Birthday Posted by Ginny on Mar 4, 2010
In Korea, certain birthdays are considered important milestones in a person’s life. One of the biggest birthday celebrations is called 돌. 돌 is a baby’s first birthday. This first birthday is important because it marks the likelihood of a child surviving into adulthood. Although it’s hardly the case today, infant mortality rates in Korea used to be high. As…
Korean Alcohol Posted by Ginny on Feb 7, 2010
The most commonly known and consumed alcohol in Korea is 소주 (See post 10/25/2008 for more on 소주), but did you know that there are other varieties of alcohol in Korea? 약주 literally means “medicinal alcohol”. According to legend, there once was a woman who became sick after her husband’s death. She made herself some…
Korean Peninsula Posted by Ginny on Jan 31, 2010
Today’s post will be a geography lesson on Korea. As many of you probably know, Korea is a peninsula surrounded by the Pacific ocean, the East Sea, and the Yellow Sea. Korea is in close proximity to China in the north, parts of southern Russia in the northeast, and to Japan in the south. Seventy percent of…
Korean Queens Posted by Ginny on Jan 25, 2010
If you look at the imperial history of Korea, you’ll notice that there are only a couple of queens who achieved the same kind of admiration and perhaps notorioty as the kings of Korean history. Queen Seondeok (선덕여왕) was the first recorded reiging Queen in Korean history. She was the ruler over 신라 of the…
Historic Areas of Gyeongju Posted by Ginny on Jan 16, 2010
There are many historic sites in Gyeongju that are considered important milestones in Korea’s 신라 period. (For some more info on the 신라 period, check out the blog post on 4/20/09.) Here are some of the sites that I recommend: 첨성대 is one of the oldest intact astronomical observatories in East Asia. It was built…