Foreignline
Tour Comfort Women Museum
This Sunday, and the following Saturday, English tours are being conducted around the House of Sharing, a museum about, and home to, Korean comfort women, victims of sexual slavery at the hands of the Japanese military during World War II.
The House of Sharing is the world's first human rights museum centered on the theme of sexual slavery.
The museum opened on Aug. 14, 1998 to record Japanese war crimes, to restore the honor of the victims and to function as a place of historical education. Japan privately funded the museum.
The visit offers the opportunity to watch a short documentary about one of the comfort women and walk through the history museum on a semi-guided tour.
Depending on the health of the comfort women and their availability, visitors may get the chance to hear one speak about her experiences.
Fewer and fewer of them are able to give testimony on a regular basis, but are often happy to chat with and otherwise meet visitors.
The tour is conducted by the House of Sharing International Outreach Team. They work to raise awareness of the issue of Japanese military sexual slavery and to support efforts for historical reconciliation and justice. The team is comprised of both foreign and local volunteers who give tours of the museum in English.
Those attending should meet inside Gangbyeon Station exit 1 at 10 a.m., the tour will end there at 4 p.m.
An RSVP is required and places are filled on a first-come-first-serve basis. There is a limit of 35 people per visit. To RSVP, email your name and cell phone number to vist@houseofsharing.org.
St, Patrick's Day Festival
Next Saturday, St. Patrick's Day celebrations will be rounded off with an official festival, which will be attended by the Irish ambassador to North and South Korea.
Cheonggye stream in downtown Seoul will be host to two events.
The first, beginning at noon and continuing until 5:45 p.m., will be a traditional Irish concert and fair.
The second is the St. Patrick's Day Parade, which will run from 2 to 3 p.m., following the official opening of the festival by Irish Ambassador Eamonn Mcgee.
For a chance to hear some authentic Irish music, on the other side of the river, Dublin Terrace in Gangnam is hosting a ``Hooley.'' Running from 7 p.m. through 2 a.m., the Andrea and Fee Band, a traditional Irish pub band from Ireland, among others, will perform. Tickets are 50,000 won per person, which includes free Guinness, food and drink until 1 a.m., after which it will be offered at a discount.
Apricot Blossom Festival
It is that time of the year when the unique Maehwa (Japanese apricot) trees blossom, sprouting beautiful white flowers.
Marking the occasion is the Apricot Blossom Festival, which begins this Saturday and continues through March 21.
Set in Maehwa village ― recognized as having the highest density of maehwa trees in Korea ― the festival offers visitors the picturesque landscape of Mt. Baegun and the opportunity to purchase organic maehwa products made in the region.
For more information, call 061-797-1330.
Cheongdo Bullfighting Festival
Korea continues its long tradition of bullfighting next Wednesday with the Cheongdo Bullfighting Festival.
The festival, which takes place in Sassaum Stadium, Cheongdo-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, includes a genuine American rodeo featuring members of the U.S. armed forces. And there will be a performance by a U.S. rodeo team.
The main event of the festival is the bullfighting competition, in which over 100 bulls compete, and there is an event between Korean and Japanese teams.
Bullfighting has a long history in Korea, but differs from the Spanish style of the sport in that the bulls are not killed.
North Gyeongsang Province is particularly known for its bullfighting, with a history in the sport that dates back 1,000 years, subsequently it is home to the Cheongdo Bullfighting Festival, the country's largest bullfighting festival.
Admission, if purchased in advance, is 4,000 won for adults and 3,000 won for children. There is an additional 1,000 won charge for tickets bought at the event.
Free admission is given to children under the age of 7, to those born in Ox years (2009, 1997, 1985, 1973, 1961, 1949) and disabled visitors.
Reserve tickets may be purchased until March 16.
For more information, contact 054-1330 (English, Japanese, Chinese) or 054-370-6376 (Korean only).