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- Yeongdong Grape and Nangye Gugak Festivals Sep. 02, 2010
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The 43rd Yeongdong Nangye Traditional Music Festival will be held in Yeongdong County, Chungcheongbuk-do, from Sept. 3 to 7. The festival was established by Yeongdong County and the Nangye Memorial Association to honor scholar Park Yeon (1378-1458), who played a central role in laying a foundation for Korean traditional music, or gugak, under the pen name Nangye in the early 15th century. This is also the only traditional music festival in the country officially recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. A music parade will liven up the street prior to the official opening that same day. Performers from the Nangye Folk Troupe Association will take the lead, joined by African musicians to celebrate the universality of the power of music. The opening ceremony will present a variety of gugak performances, plus performances from other musical genres including trot, fusion, dance, K-pop, and non-verbal performances from the musical “Nanta,” featuring traditional Korean percussion. The organizing committee has prepared a gugak class to show how the instruments are made and played, led by Korea’s best–known craftsmen. Visitors can choose from six different instruments: daegeum (large transverse flute), geomungo (six-string zither), sanjo ajaeng (seven-string bowed zither), and three types of gayageum (zither). Reservations can be made online at: nangyekukak.or.kr (Korean language only) so that the craftsman can do preliminary work preparing the instruments to be strung and decorated in class. The price ranges from 290,000 (daegeum) to 890,000 won (25-string gayageum). Seven foreign diplomats and their families stationed in Korea, including U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Mark Tokola, and delegations from Vietnam, Guatemala, Slovakia, Côte d’Ivoire, Laos, and Uzbekistan, have already made their reservations. The 20-member group will learn how to carve and tie strings for gayageum and haegeum over the course of an hour before getting introductory lessons on how to play their new instruments. The same day, the village will unveil a giant drum that has been in production since June last year. The drum is 5.5 meters in diameter, 6 meters in length, and weighs 7.5 tons, and was made with the hides of 40 cows and wood from a 150-year old pine tree. The organizing committee plans to apply for recognition from the Guinness World Records as the world’s largest drumThe Yeongdong Grape Festival will be running concurrently with the music festival. Visitors can take part in grape-themed games and activities, such as making grape wine and jam, and picking and pressing grapes. Some more unusual games include grape “fishing” and a grape “World Cup.” Local vendors selling grapes and grape-flavored foods will also be on hand. A gugak performance and wine party will take place all day long during the weekend of Sept. 4th and 5th. The local wine train which runs three days a week (Tue, Fri, and Sat.) will be in full operation everyday during the festival. A marathon will take place on Sept. 5. In addition to trophies for winners, there will be wines and boxes of grapes for other high-achieving participants. Yeongdong T-shirts will be distributed to all who join the marathon. Other events include exhibitions of oriental paintings, wild flowers, rare stones, and calligraphy, along with traditional instruments from other Asian countries, and a traditional market featuring local cuisine. Related website: http://www.nanmf.org/english/01_intro/intro01.asp By Kim Hee-sungKorea.net Staff Writer
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Strange weather
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Summer is nearing its end as capricious weather takes hold of Seoul and Korea’s central regions. Sunny weather and blue skies can turn into a heavy downpour in a matter of minutes, playing havoc with roads and traffic. By Kim Hee-sungKorea.net Staff Writer
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Korean Cultural Highlights
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Visit Korea Year 2010-2012
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Visit Korea from 2010 to 2012! Korea offers the best of events and festivals for all to enjoy. Under the campaign Visit Korea Year 2010-2012 Korea there are also discount programs for long-stay visitors, grand sales for shoppers and a tourist coupon service.
The year 2010 Seoul is the World Design Capital, with the Seoul Design Olympiad, design exhibitions and other big events to highlight Korea’s capital city. It is also Visit Chungcheong-Korea year as the famed province puts on rich tour programs and expos.
The following year 2011 is Visit Daegu year with the IAAF World Championships in Athletics slated to take in Daegu Stadium in late August. Expect an exhilarating array of sports featuring the best of eastern and western athletes in state-of-the-art facilities to entertain the spectators.
The year 2012 is a time for the much anticipated Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea, which is to be held in the coastal city of Yeosu in Jeollanam-do (South Jeolla Province). As the theme of the expo is “the Living Ocean and Coast,” the city is to shed light on technological advancements and ways to strike a balance between environmental preservation and sustainable development.
Other colorful events to check out include a Korean Wave Festival, a World Culture Festival, Haeundae PIFF Night, an International Tourism and Food Festival, a Jeju Olle Trekking Competition, Taean Environment Festival and more.
Period : 2010 ~ 2012Vision : Strengthening the tourism competitiveness of Korea
Objective : Attracting 10millions visitors in 2012
Key projects : Hospitality Campaign , 7 Special Events
Host : Visit Korea Committee & Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
Website: 2010 ~ 2012 Visit Korea Year (English) -
Medical Tourism
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Hangeul
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Taekwondo
Kimchi, the most relished food in Korea, is a pungent, fermented dish generally consisting of cabbage or turnip seasoned with salt, garlic, green onions, ginger, red pepper and shellfish. Kimchi holds the most important side dish in Korean cuisine and along with rice constitutes the basis of a Korean meal. It is very nutritious, low in calories and cholesterol and very high in fiber. In fact, it is richer in vitamins than apples. Many Koreans even believe that kimchi can protect against infectious diseases like the 2003 SARS outbreak in Asia and the avian flu. In fact, in May 2009, the Korea Food Research Institute, Korea's state food research organization, proved the efficacy of kimchi against avian flu by conducting related scientific tests.
The Korean Wave is the term given to the sweeping popularity of Korean popular culture abroad. "Korean Wave" is the translation of the Korean word "Hallyu," and Chinese journalists were the first to use this term in mid-1999. It has since been used to describe the recent surge of popular Korean culture. This phenomenon intensified following the 2002 FIFA World Cup that highlighted Korea's national image. 
Bulguksa Temple, Changdeokgung Palace, Jongmyo Shrine, the royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty. Have you visited some of the above places? If yes, what was your impression? These are some of Korea's important cultural assets registered in UNESCO’s World Heritage lists.
From mobile phones, computers, air conditioners, microwaves, refrigerators and liquid crystal display (LCD) screens to LED, Korean electronics firms have captured customers’ hearts worldwide with better prices and advanced technology.
As Korean society becomes multicultural, with the number of foreign residents topping the 1 million mark, accounting for over 2 percent of the total population, it is not an unusual thing to encounter a Korean married to a spouse from overseas.
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Window on Korea
Window on Korea is an online data archive. It stores materials that promote Korea made by the government and public institutions.
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Blogging on Korea
Making doenjangguk
Doenjangguk, or doenjang jjigae, soybean paste soup or stew is made with soybean paste, onion, zucchini, potato, and tofu, in an anchovy or beef stock. Watch this video and try to make your own doenjangguk today.
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