Archive for 'Uncategorized'
The Blue House Posted by Ginny on May 2, 2009
The President of the United States lives in the White House. The President of Argentina lives in the Pink House. What color house does the South Korean president live in? You guessed it, it’s the Blue House, or what is aptly called Chungwade (청와대). The Chungwade (청와대) contains the press hall or chunchukwan (춘추관), where…
Election Day Posted by Ginny on Apr 29, 2009
This year North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Il (김정일) was unanimously re-elected to office. His sons were also appointed to high government posts as well. Big surprise there! The voting system in North Korea is basically the voting system elementary schools use to pick the class president. There are two boxes, one in favor of…
The Three Kingdoms Posted by Ginny on Apr 20, 2009
Did you know that before there ever was a South and North Korea, there were three large kingdoms in what is now present day Korea? It’s true. Long before the Korean nation, Korea was nothing more than a conglomerate of three strong powers. This period is called the shikgukshide (삼국시대) or the Three Kingdoms Period…
Korean Street Food Posted by Ginny on Apr 16, 2009
I am craving Korean street food so badly! Korean street food are cheap, packaged in a portable way and usually served warm. 호떡 is a Korean pancake made of flour, water, sugar, yeast, milk, brown sugar and cinnamon. The batter is poured on a griddle in the shape of a circle. 호떡 tastes sweet. The…
Korean Dialects Posted by Ginny on Apr 10, 2009
The standard South Korean dialect is based on the Seoul (서울) dialect, while the North Korean dialect is based on the Pyongyang (평양) dialect. Seoul (서울) and Pyongyang (평양) are the capital cities of the two respective countries. Although the standard North Korean dialect uses a different intonation and has a slightly different pronunciation system than…
Independence Day Posted by Ginny on Mar 28, 2009
July 4th is the day the American colonists declared their independece from England. Well, Koreans also have their own Independence Day called samiljul (삼일절). The name samiljul (삼일절) was named after the March protest demonstrations. The demonstrations were called manseundong (만세운동). Coincidentally, Korea was subjugated by the Japanese the same number of years the American…
Samjil Nal (삼질날) Posted by Ginny on Mar 26, 2009
Samjilnal (삼질날) is known as one of those special occasions that fall under the category of seshi pungsok (세시풍속). Seshi pungsok (세시풍속) is a term used to describe festivals that are celebrated with the change in seasons. Samjilnal (삼질날) is considered an auspicious day because it’s celebrated on the third day of the third month…