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Seogwipo Olle Market on Jeju Island

By Shim Hyun-chul Autumn is the season of high skies and plump horses. For those who want to enjoy the clear autumn weather and delectable items, Seogwipo Olle Market on Jeju Island awaits. A whole mackerel pike rolled in rice and seaweed; "omegi" rice cake made with red bean, millet and glutinous rice; a combination of seaweed rolled rice, dumplings and fried pancakes in "tteobokki" sauce; and "bingtteok," white radish strips rolled in buckwheat pancake ― all these unique foodstuffs are available there. Formerly named the Seogwipo Maeil Traditional Market, the market is situated along the sixth Jeju Olle course. The market is not only popular among locals but a must visit place for tourists visiting Jeju Island. Going to a market might sound weird for a traveler’s itinerary, but it is an interesting way to take a step into the local life, fully relishing the charm of the region. The sixth walking course starts from the Soesokkak estuary, passes through downtown Seogwipo and finishes at Oedolgae rock. The course takes around four to five hours and the market comes int

Nov 3, 2011By Shim Hyun-chul

South Korea-US joint military exercises

By Shim Hyun-chul Four, three, two, one, boom! K1 tanks in the forest fired when the countdown was over and AH-1S Cobra and AH-64 Apache helicopters emerged from the smoke rising after the shells landed. Empty cartridges and rockets rained down. A South Korea-U.S. joint live-fire drill was held at Seungjin Training Field in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province on Sept. 30 to commemorate the 63th anniversary of Armed Forces Day, which fell on Oct. 1. The drill was supervised by the Third Army Command and the Korean 1st Armored Brigade under V Corps and the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division participated in the exercises with some 2,500 spectators, including local residents and members of organizations related to national security in attendance. Weapons including the Korean Army's K1 tank, K-9 and K-55 self-propelled guns and K-136 multiple rocket launchers as well as M1A2 tanks, M2A2 Bradley fighting vehicles and M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers of the U.S. troops After the drill, spectators were allowed to observe and ride on military vehicles and see equipment up close.

Oct 6, 2011

Taste of royal cuisine

By Shim Hyun-chul The finest ingredients from every corner of the land were brought to the royal palace and the ladies of the court with the best culinary skills prepared food for the king. The royal meal is a combination of earnestness and devotion, in consideration of the king's taste, constitution and physical condition. The art of traditional Korean cuisine was revived at the Royal and Aristocrat's Traditional Food Festival, from Tuesday to Wednesday at Unhyeon Palace in Jongno, central Seoul. Hosted by the Institute of Traditional Korean Food, the festival features a variety of dishes from dignified royal cuisine to the dining table of aristocrats and ordinary people. This year's festival features more healthy food, reflecting the recent focus on the importance of eating well. The dishes were re-created based on historical documents such as "Singnyo Chanyo" (Dietetic Treatment Book) and "Donguibogam" (Exemplars of Korean Medicine). King Sejong, the fourth king of the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), preferred a meaty diet including beef cooked in a casserole wit

Sep 29, 2011

Earthenware beauty in Gyeongbok Palace

By Shim Hyun-chul A group of soldiers dressed in traditional uniforms and bearing swords guard an area in the back yard of Gyeongbok Palace in central Seoul. A high wall arouses curiosity of what lies behind the guarded door. The gate opens with a sound of drums and Korean traditional earthenware jars standing in lines are seen through the opening. Pots in the royal palace? They stand in the "janggo," the paste warehouse which would determine the taste of royal cuisine. The janggo stored a variety of sauces and pastes such as soy sauce, fermented soy paste and red pepper paste. There was a specialist lady of the court serving in the storage area. The Cultural Heritage Administration opened the site to the public to give them a sneak peek into the daily life in the royal palace. There are two paste storage areas in Gyeongbok Palace according to documents and this warehouse was excavated in 2001 and restored in 2005. It is open to the public for the first time through Oct. 31. An exhibition featuring potteries used at the palace is also being held. Jeong Yun-seok, an

Sep 22, 2011

Cheongok Cave

By Shim Hyun-chul The late summer heat still sweeps downtown Donghae, Gangwon Province, but a cool wind blows from Cheongok Natural Cave. Cheongok Cave is the only limestone cave located smack in the middle of a city in Korea. It stands like an alien city amid buildings and apartment complexes. The 1,400-meter-long cave was found during construction work in 1991 and about half of it is open to the public. It is estimated that the cave was created some 70,000 to 120,000 years ago, on a strata created more than 400 million years ago. The cave is like a treasure chest full of the beauty of nature. In it, visitors can see stalagmites, curtain-shaped stalactites, calcareous terrace and limestone pillars. It is some 20 degrees Celsius cooler than outside and has become a must for summer visitors to Donghae. An educational park providing information on how the cave was made is located near a doline, or sinkhole caused by karst processes. For more information, visit english.dhtour.go.kr or call (033) 532-7303.

Sep 15, 2011

Happy Chuseok for married immigrants

By Shim Hyun-chul "Where can I get gardenia seeds?" Married immigrants are learning how to make food for Chuseok, or Korean Thanksgiving, at a cookery school in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. They are still relatively new to Korean dishes for the holiday that also varies by family. The Yeongdeungpo District Office invited some 60 multicultural families to the school to explain the origin of holiday dishes such as “songpeyon” (half-moon shaped rice cake). Eyes concentrated on the hands of the instructor the students busily wrote down ingredients, occasionally looking up words in electronic dictionaries. Kamaloba Nodira, a married immigrant from Uzbekistan who came to Korea five years ago, said it was the first attempt to make holiday food. "I usually make daily dishes like 'doenjang jjigae' and 'bulgogi,' but I am new to such special cookery. I want to make songpyeon for my mother-in-law this Chuseok," Nodira said.

Sep 8, 2011By Shim Hyun-chul

Ready, set, gold!

By Shim Hyun-chul Halfway through the IAAF World Championships Daegu 2011 some athletes have celebrated while others have suffered in a string of unexpected circumstances. The athletes competing in more than one event, such as sprint sensation Usain Bolt, still have the chance to stand on the podium and perhaps retrieve their reputations. Bolt saw his 100-meter gold dream shattered after a false-start on the second day of the events Sunday. Shocking at first but the world record holder who is joyful by nature seems to have put the incident behind him and remains focused on training to defend another world title in the 200 meters as well as gain a victory in the 4x100-meter relay. For Carmelita Jeter of the United States, the Daegu meet has been incredible so far as she held off a strong field to claim gold in the women’s 100m on Monday. The two-time bronze medalist in the previous biennial championships seized victory over defending champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica. Such is expected to boost Jeter’s confidence in her remaining events, the 200 meters and 4x10

Sep 1, 2011

Are you ready?

By Shim Hyun-chul Daegu is all set to proudly host the 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, a nine-day competition starting Saturday. It is the first Korean city and the third in Asia to host the event that will draw some 2,000 athletes from 202 countries to vie in a variety of tests of athletic prowess. Sprint sensation Usain Bolt of Jamaica, three-time world champion Allyson Felix of the United States, pole vault great Yelena Ishinbayeva and Oscar Pistorius, the first physically-challenged runner to compete in able-bodied races, are already in the southern city. The main venue of this year’s world championships, Daegu Stadium, built for the 2002 World Cup, has been specially upgraded to provide every convenience for the athletes, their fans, viewers and the media. In particular, the 66,422-seat stadium has added a blue Mondo track, known for boosting runners’ performances. The stadium also features a new main scoreboard at the south end and an auxiliary scoreboard at the north end, along with a temporary electronic board above the seats on the east side to ke

Aug 25, 2011

Incheon Bridge

By Shim Hyun-chul The impressive length of Incheon Bridge lights up the summer night sky along the eastern shore of the peninsula. The 21-kilometer-long bridge connects Yeongjong Island, where Incheon International Airport is located, and Songdo International City. The 12-lane bridge is the longest in Korea and the sixth longest in the world. Opened in October 2009, the bridge initially seemed simple and rather unassuming with only white street lights guiding the way at night. Now colorful lights decorating the bridge shimmer and glow. There are some 260 LED lights installed on top of the 260-meter-high main tower and more than 600 color-changing lights accent the curves of the bridge after the sun goes down. The shades and hues lighting up Incheon Bridge will differ according to the seasons such as green in spring, while blue in summer and depending on national holidays. Lit up for four hours after sunset every day, the best spots to view the nightscape include Incheon Bridge Memorial Hall, Mt. Wolmi Observatory and on cruise ships in the coastal waters of Inch

Aug 18, 2011

Wishing for good weather

By Shim Hyun-chul Extreme rainfall has pounded Korea for weeks. Floods and landslide took the lives of many and incurred property damage. The recovery hasn’t been completed, but rain continues to come down and typhoons are gaining strength around the Korean Peninsula. A traditional ritual in wishing for a stop to the torrential rain and for the peaceful life of people was held at the National Folk Museum of Korea in central Seoul, Wednesday. “Gicheongje,” or the ritual for bright weather and the nation’s peace, is one of Korea’s seasonal customs, praying for the nature gods of four directions who are believed to control the rain. The ritual starts with a request to open the ceremony and four kowtows by officials follow. Then the officials offer incense and rice wine and perform ritual oration. After doing so, they move ritual utensils and close the proceedings. During the Joseon Kingdom era (1392-1910), the ritual was held in front of the four main gates of Seoul, Sungnyemun, Heunginjimun, Doneuimun and Sukjeongmun, as well as the main gates of provincial citie

Aug 11, 2011

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