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Hamyang Wild Ginseng

The scenic county of Hamyang, South Gyeongsang is a major production base of wild ginseng at the foot of Mt. Jiri, spanning three provinces, North and South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang. The "sanyang ginseng" from Hamyang is grown deep in the mountains for three to 20 years. It is not as large as the regular ginseng in size. But their health benefits are said to be extraordinary, according to ancient medical history books from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). These ginseng plants are well known for their effectiveness in strengthening the immune system and detoxing the body. Hamyang is ideal for ginseng plantations because of its enriched soil, fresh water and dedicated farmers. The county holds an annual festival with various activities, including academic symposiums and exhibitions on ginseng. Visitors can also tour a wild ginseng plantation and purchase regional specialties like herbs and facial mudpacks. This year, the festival will be held from July 29 to Aug. 2. Hamyang will also host the 2015 World Ginseng Expo. There are 400 families involved in ginseng pl

Learning challenges of disability

By Shim Hyun-chul During the morning rush hour, people dash to subway stations to climb onto crowded trains. Inside, people are either looking into mobile phones or staring ahead blankly as music blares from their earphones. When the train jerks, people waddle as they try to balance. When the train stops at their destination, off they go again running. Such is the daily routine of most urbanites. Such morning competitions however can be joyful for those who cannot walk, see, listen or speak. The Korea Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities and Dongjak District held a handicap experience program for students and the public at Noryangjin Elementary School in Seoul. The program aimed to break the prejudice against physically-challenged people and promote the importance of assisted facilities for the disabled. Participants went across low bumps in wheelchairs, walked on tactile tiles blindfolded and gave and solved quizzes only through body gestures. They also learned about difficulties of the physically-disabled people and the need to exercise proper etiquett

PyeongChang!

Herb astronomy Park

By Shim Hyun-chul Sweet, fresh and fragrant. The scent becomes stronger as visitors walk along a path through a forest. At the end of the trail, they arrive at the Herb Astronomy Park, filled with colorful petals and sweet smells of a variety of herbs. The park is the first of its kind in the nation featuring herbs and astronomical themes. Located at Mt. Ilja, bordering Seoul’s Gangdong District and Hanam City, Gyeonggi Province, the park is composed of a herb garden, a medicinal plant garden, a rock garden and more. There are two observation decks on the east and west sides of the park, for sunrise and sunset, respectively. At night, colorful lighting in the flooring constitutes 282 constellations, reflecting the sky full of stars above. This is a 75-meter diameter astronomical chart and visitors can stroll through famed constellations such as Altair and Vega. In the herb garden, some 41,586 herbs of 167 kinds are planted on a 9,900 square meters site. Various herbs show off their color, texture and fragrance. There is also a greenhouse in the park, offering 120

DMZ Museum

By Shim Hyun-chul The tragedy of the Korean War (1950-1953) began on June 25, 1950 when North Korean troops flooded over the border. The Korean Peninsula was tainted with blood of thousands of soldiers, both domestic and foreign. No one won the war and the peninsula had to wear a belt named the Military Demarcation Line from July 1953. The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was established when both Koreas retreated two kilometers from the truce line under an agreement. After some 60 years, the 248-kilometer-long and four-kilometer-wide territory has become a repository of animals and plants since people are kept out of the area. Nowadays, the zone is rising as a tourist destination despite the restrictions. Though only few people are allowed to actually go into the area, the story, artifacts and ecological information of the DMZ are kept at the DMZ Museum in Goseong, Gangwon Province. The museum is composed of a main exhibition and multipurpose center, along with ecological reservoirs and other facilities. Rusted steel helmets and empty cartridges from the war are on display and

Goseong Unification observatory

By Shim Hyun-chul The Unification Observatory in Goseong-gun, Gangwon Province, is one of the places where traces of the national division caused by the Korean War (1950-1953) are still visible. Established in 1983, this is the first observatory in Korea from where visitors can view the North as it is located in the northernmost point of 38 degrees north latitude. The place is frequented not only by tourists but by displaced people and visitors who come to experience the sorrow of the separation and wish for the unification of the two Koreas. The two-story building built some 70 meters above sea level, has telescopes on its terrace. The first floor has an exhibition of weapons and other military equipment from the Korean War up to modern items and a model and photos of Mt. Geumgang. The north wall of the second floor is made of glass, providing a panoramic view of Mt. Geumgang and the Haegeum River. The observatory is located some 20 kilometers away from Mt. Geumgang and visitors can see representative peaks of the beautiful mountain. The Unification Observatory i

Story on walls

By Shim Hyun-chul Students are having all kinds of fun drawing on walls of their school with colorful paints. Unlike regular graffiti, what ends up on the walls is cute and familiar, though perhaps not executed with the best of techniques. The school walls were just stretches of boring gray, but now beckon students with a wide variety of stories. This is part of a promotion organized by the Yangcheon District Office in Seoul to add more color and liveliness to the local community. Two schools ― Sinwol Middle School and Yangmok Elementary School ― were selected as models. The late author Kwon Jeong-saeng's "The Dandelion's Story" will be illustrated in Sinwol Middle School, while the walls of Yangmok Elementary School will be decorated with the story of "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. It will take around a fortnight to finish the mural and students are taking it upon themselves to complete the projects. Parents are also planning to join the project for a day. "It feels great to paint my own school walls. I just passed by the walls in the past, but I see the pain

Wishing for a good harvest

By Shim Hyun-chul A band plays Korean traditional music and a farmer sings the song of rice transplantation. Workers in white costume hold rice seedlings in their hands. They stand along a guided line and plant the seeds in a neat row. As they repeatedly move by the numbers, the rice paddy becomes green with seedlings. Around this time every year, farming villages are busy transplanting rice seedlings. However, most of the work is done by machines and the old traditions are fading away. The Rural Development Administration held an event for planting rice by hand in front of Cheonguijeong, a thatch-roofed pavilion, in Changdeok Palace in central Seoul, Tuesday. The palace is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The pavilion is the only thatch-roofed building in the palace and ancient kings planted rice in the royal paddies themselves to judge if the harvest will be good or bad. The event aimed to resuscitate such tradition. Chun Hye-kyung, director general of the National Institute of Crop Science, said the institute will promote the importance and superiori

2011 Safe Seoul Festival

By Shim Hyun-chul More and more disasters are occurring around the earth, including the recent earthquake in Japan, tornados in the United States and volcanic eruption in Iceland. Though humans cannot overcome the power of Mother Nature, safety education would at least minimize damage from such natural disasters. Fire engines, firefighting helicopters, ambulances and other rescue equipment all gathered in Yeouido Park, Seoul, last week, for the 2011 Safe Seoul Festival, co-hosted by Seoul City and Samsung Fire and Marine Insurance. Children, along with parents and teachers, experienced various programs, from those on fire and disasters to traffic accidents and other daily dangers. This was the festival’s fifth year and it has become the largest of its kind in Korea. This year an earthquake experience facility was installed to provide citizens with chances to try an evacuation drill during earthquake and some 100 firefighters and more than 20 safety related organizations joined the festival.

Coming-of-Age Day

By Shim Hyun-chul In Korea, at 19 one can apply for a driver’s license and buy liquor and tobacco. No more parents’ consent for signing up for a credit card or taking out insurance. Coming of age allows people to do some 150 things they couldn’t do previously. Of course, this freedom comes with legal responsibility. The third Monday of May is “Coming-of-Age Day.” Teenagers who turn 19 celebrate the day with friends, family and lovers. The coming-of-age ceremony has existed in Korea for a long time. When a child becomes an adult, the males wear a “gat,” a Korean traditional hat made of bamboo and horsehair, and the females tie up their hair in a bun during the ceremony, and the custom dates back to the Goryeo Kingdom (936-1332). On Monday, a coming-of-age ceremony was held at Namsan Hanok Village, central Seoul. Some 139,000 people born in 1991 became an adult that day and were told about morals that adults should know, wearing traditional Korean costume. At the event, 20 foreigners who also came of age experienced the traditional culture.