The King Has Donkey Ears!: Even bamboo trees can’t keep secrets Once upon a time in ancient Silla, there lived King Gyeongmun (r. 861—875), the kingdom’s 48th king. On top of living in tumultuous times, full of turmoil and rebellion, King Gyeongmun had another vexing problem. According to legend, he had hideously large…
The world of robots showcased at 2014 Robot World The 2014 Robot World convention has shown off the present and future of the robotic industries, ranging from industrial robots to household machines. A wide variety of robots were on exhibit at the automaton show, held at the KINTEX convention center in Ilsan, Gyeonggi-do…
Mt. Namsan is a symbol of Seoul itself Few major cities can match Seoul in the number of mountains located within their limits. As Korean architect once said, “Seoul doesn’t need architectural landmarks because its mountains serve as its landmarks.” N Seoul Tower towering over Palgakjeong Pavilion on Mt. Namsan Of these natural…
Google Street View comes to Jeju parks With a mouse click, the beautiful scenery of Jeju Island can now unfold in front of you on your computer screen. It is like personally walking up to the Seongsan Sunrise Peak, from which people can see the oceans and the offshore island of Udo Island,…
Autumn opens door to winter Goesanho Lake in Goesan County, Chungcheongbuk-do (North Chungcheong Province), is surrounded by a forest that has turned to yellow and red with autumnal foliage on October 30. The hiking trails of mountains and valleys and even urban center streets are now covered with yellow and red fallen leaves…
Here comes the sun With 2011 now more than a month old, it’s time to ring in the New Year — the Lunar New Year, that is. From February 3, Koreans will be celebrating what they call “seollal” with three days of rest, family reunions and a celebration of Korea’s wonderful traditions. And…
A musician ahead of his times: Shin Hae-chul passes away A singer- and song-writer and an album producer, Shin Hae-chul is one of the most influential figures in the field of modern Korean pop and rock music. Passing away at the age of 46, Shin was loved by youth in the 1990s with…
The labors of love The course of true love, as they say, never runs smooth. And when the partners come from countries that are practically cultural opposites, that course becomes even more treacherous. Several friends of Ann-Cherise Simmons discovered that lesson for themselves when they dated Korean men. But while the obstacles they…
Seoul screens architecture film festival A special kind of festival has just kicked off in Seoul, an event designed to help better understand architecture and to glimpse architectural trends both domestically and across the world. Ewha Womans University plays host the sixth Seoul International Architecture Film Festival from October 29 to November 3, under…
Enjoy hiking, rock climbing and do it safely New entrants to the Gyeonggi Fire Service Academy take a rock climbing course with instructors from the National Park School of Mountaineering Safety on October 29. Autumn is clearly the season for hiking. The mountains have changed their colors to yellow and red with the…
