Han Asia Times

Friends,Today I am going to introduce you about two places located in Jeollabukdo"a beautiful province of South Korea which is having lots of scenic beauty and nature,the most fertile land in South Korea. I have passed my precious and unforgettable 9 months.I came here last year in Wonkwang University as a Korean Government Scholarship Student(NIIED).I have to go to Kangwon National University located in "Chuncheon" after this month but Believe me I got so much associated to this place, its culture and its kind and nice hearted people that I have started missing this place before leaving.Being an Indian during my beginning days here I was completely not familiar with Korean food.But right now due to this place's delicious food sometime I go outside and enjoy Korean food. Anyways, I would like to start with some tourist attractions of this place which I have visited:First of all I am starting with "Gunsan" - the island of heavenly Nature and Rich Culture. I...

Teachers of Korean schools in California have published a textbook on Korean history and culture for second and third generation Korean American and local U.S. students. The Korean Schools Association of Northern California said on its website on Saturday that it published a textbook titled “Find Korea!” for Korean schools wanting to expand their curriculum from the Korean language to Korean history and culture. Officials of the association told Yonhap News that it took a group of its teachers a year and a half to publish the textbook since they began to research its themes. The teachers are educating mostly second and third generation Korean American students in Silicon Valley, California. They previously received media attention for dropping “So Far from the Bamboo Grove,” a controversial textbook adopted by several U.S. public schools, from several schools' curricula. “So Far from the Bamboo Grove” is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Yoko Kawashima Watkins, a Japanese Am...

'Seoul’s 2nd Youth Hostel' will be open to the public in December in Yeongdeungpo-gu. With a total area of approximately 9,807 square meters, the hostel is seven floors high (plus, a basement level) and has rooms of different sizes: from single rooms to those sleeping up to 10 people. Amenities within the building include a cafeteria, café, banquet room, seminar room, and a laundry room. Situated in central Seoul, the youth hostel provides travelers with easy access to a variety of downtown attractions and popular destinations, including nearby Yeouido. There are a variety of Korean culture experience programs available for guests, as well as a Seoul-themed travel itinerary at the hostel tourist information center. source:Korea tourism organistaion

Featuring 30 groups of musicians hailing from 15 countries! The 2010 Gwangju World Music Festival will be held from Friday, August 27, 2010 to Sunday, August 29, 2010 at the plaza in front of the Asian Culture Complex in Gwangju. The festival will feature both international and local musicians comprising of 30 teams from 15 countries. From France's ‘chanson’ to Brazil's ‘bossa nova’ and Argentina's ‘tango,’ the festival is a prime opportunity to appreciate the history and culture of music from around the world. Representing Korea’s cultural contributions is a selection of star performers of traditional Korean music, including Kim Deok-soo performing samullori, Ahn Sook-sun performing pansori, and Heo Yoon-jeong performing geomungo. In addition to the array of live musical performances there will also be an international world music forum, folkdance workshops, and a showing of international music videos during the festival period. "The festival is designed to promote co...

The Korean animation “Metajets,” a project into which the City of Seoul itself invested, made its U.S. debut on the Cartoon Network on July 4, 2010. It was the first time a Korean animated series was broadcasted across the United States. Metajets is comprised of forty episodes and each episode is thirty minutes long. When it was aired in Korea in 2009, it recorded the highest viewer ratings of any animation in the country. American TV channels like CBS have broadcasted several Korean animations before, but it is the first time that the Cartoon Network, the biggest animation channel in the U.S., aired a Korean animation. Cartoon Network U.S.A. announced that Metajets is scheduled to be aired five times a week, and it will begin with a special five-hour marathon on July 4. The Seoul Metropolitan Government decided to promote the digital contents industry, and established a sixty billion won investment fund. As of July 2010, about 55% of the fund has been invested in animation, games, mov...

The Korean wave spreads to the world Kim Tae-hee, who starred in the hit show Iris (Photo: Taewon Entertainment) In its home country, hallyu — the “Korean Wave” of TV series, movies and pop singers that swept across Asia — was once considered no more than a fad.While its biggest hits, such as Winter Sonata and Dae Jang Geum (aired in the U.S. as Jewel in the Palace), were sensations overseas, the resulting glut of hallyu-prefixed output was often of a vastly inferior quality, leading many to think that its days were numbered. But recently, hallyu has emerged stronger than ever, with its hits sweeping through Asia and onto the world stage. Turning on the television in his hotel room on a recent business trip to Vietnam, K. from Korea was astonished. Though he had certainly glimpsed the posters of Korean celebrities adorning the shops en route from the airport, he hadn’t expected to see them all again on his TV in a seemingly endless procession of Korean drama shows. Seeing the actors du...

'Political relationship must be anchored by educational, cultural initiatives The Academy of Korean Studies (AKS) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), which they expect will serve as a hub for Korean studies in South Asia. The academy has also extended a grant to the university (New Delhi) recently, spoke to Tirna Ray on how the initiative will strengthen the evolving relationship between India and Korea: Why is 2010 a year of significance for Korea-India relationship? It is significant because of the conclusion of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the two countries. Korea and India established their diplomatic ties in 1973. The two countries are bound by close cultural ties, which may be traced back to the ancient past. Buddhism, India's unique gift to the world, facilitated exchange of ideas and served as a bridge connecting the two civilisations (Korea and India). Close cultural ties bound Korea and Ind...