Places to Go... in Seoul!!! :-) # 34

<< Presseum >>
Just the U.S. has Newseum, Seoul has Presseum. Presseum is a museum for not only Seoul's press but also the world's. On December 15th 2000, the Presseum opened up to people. Located in the Dong-a Media Center, Presseum consists of the "History of Newspaper Hall," the "Exhibition Hall," and the "Media Screen Hall." In the Presseum, visitors would find the long history of media and their developments.

In the "History of Newspaper Hall," visitors would find not only the history of Newspaper in Korea but also the world. In this hall, there are first pages of around 100 different newspapers from around 80 different nations. Among these first pages, Korea's very first newspaper, "HanSung SoonBo(issued in 1883)"'s first page also takes place.In the hall, people would reflect on major political and social issues on the Korean Peninsula in the 20th century.

In the "Exhibition Hall," visitors would be able to study Dong-a Daily's history and its developments through the subsection called, the "History of Dong-a." Also, twice a year, exhibitions on various subjects related to newspaper.

In the "Media Screen Hall," visitors would get to have a chance to create their own newspaper using computer. In addition, using touch-screen monitors, visitors would be able to search for the global newspaper web sites and solve quizzes and puzzles provided by the Presseum. In the Screen room, visitors would watch animated and documentary films to further comprehend the process of newspaper publication.

Opening Hours/Days:
-Every Tuesdays through Sundays (close on every Monday)
-open from 10:00am~6:00pm
-special Spring closing period: 1st week of March
-special Fall closing period: 1st week of September

Ticket price:
-regular: ₩3,000 ***group of 20 or more: ₩2,000 per person
-elementary through high school students: ₩2,000 ***group of 20 or more: ₩1,500
-family of 3: ₩5,000
-family of 4: ₩6,000

Address:
Dong-a Media Center(3rd and 4th floors) 139 Se Jong no, Jong no gu, Seoul 110-715, Republic of Korea.

Contact Info:
Tel: 02-2020-1830/1850
Fax: 02-2020-1839
E-mail: webmaster@presseum.or.kr
homepage: http://www.presseum.or.kr

-image of the "History of Newspaper Hall"-image of the "Media Screen Hall"-image of the process of making a "newspaper of one's own"

Places to Go... in Seoul!!! :-) # 33

<< Bong Eun Sa >>
Bong Eun Sa is a near by Buddist temple in Seoul. Surprisingly, it is located in Sam Sung dong, a popular district in Seoul for having multi entertainment center, Coex. Since Silla era, Buddism has been taken a big part of Koreans' lives. As if to prove this, Bong Eun Sa secures its place for 1,200 years.
Even these days, many people visit Bong Eun Sa for their spiritual relaxation and just for unique experience.
The Events that people should know beforehand to participate are divided into daily, weekly, monthly, and annual events:
1. Daily events: *morning chanting: every morning from 4:00 ~ 5:00 at the main hall
*sasi yebul(offering ceremony): every morning from 10:00 ~ 11:00 at the main hall
*evening chanting: 18:00(Oct-Feb)/ 19:00(Mar-Sep) at the main hall
2. Weekly Temple life: every Thursday 2:00 pm ~ 4:00 pm
3. Monthly Temple Stay: TBA (To Be Announced)
4. Annual Events: *Apr:1. Lotus Lantern Festival (by lunar calendar 4/1~4/8)
2. Buddha's Birthday (by lunar calendar 4/8)
*Oct:1. Filial Piety Feast Day: passed away parents' day
2. Ceremony of Founding Bong Eun Sa
-Changing Looks of Bongeunsa
-Overall Structure of Bongeunsa
How to get to Bongeunsa???
-map-by bus-by subway-by limousine bus

Places to Go... in Seoul!!! :-) # 32

<< the Oldest Chapel in Seoul-Yakhyeon Chapel >>
---Directly copied from Yakhyeon Chapel Official Website!!!(infor below!)

Designation:historic site No.252
Period: Joseon Dynasty,1892
Location:149-2 jungnim-dong, Jung-gu,seoul,korea

This is the first Western-style cathedral to be built in Korea. Construction
began in 1891 and was completed the following year. It is called Yakhyeon
Cathedral, which is the name of the hill between Malli-dong and Seoul
Railroad Station. Long ago the area was covered with fields of medicinal
herbs. and thus it was called yakhyeon, meaning "hill of medicinal herb
fields.'
After the conclusion of the Korea-France Friendship Treaty of 1886. Bishop
Doucet, the first official priest of the cathedral. prepared the site and was
In charge of construction, and Auxiliary Bishop Coste designed the
building. The cathedral was built with bricks Produced in Korea. and It is
approximately 32 meters long. 12 meters wide, and has a 22 meter-high
bell tower. Overall it is very elegant and with no complicated
ornamentation it evokes a feeling of solemnity.
This cathedral has great significance for the history of the Catholic Church
and the history of construction in Korea in that it is the first Western-style
church built in Korea. Also, although it is not a pure Gothic church, It is still
a brick Gothic church and has become the model for Korean church
construction .

Direction to the Yakhyeon Catholic Church from the incheon international airport.
---straight from Yakhyeon Chapel Official Website: http://www.yakhyeon.or.kr/

Places to Go... in Seoul!!! :-) # 31

<< Pyeong Chang dong-the town of "Old Money" >>
The capital of South Korea, Seoul is divided into many districts. And these districts are also divided into many towns. Each town has its unique style and history.
Pyeong chang dong also has a reputation for being the artistic town of "old money" in Seoul.
As it is called the town of "old money," Pyeong chang dong has been highly populated with rich leaders of South Korea with long history. Since early 1970s, the town started to form its structure and flourish. Famous and powerful leaders(in various ways: politics, business, art, etc) of South Korea started to move into the town and finally formed the base of what it is now.
Since the town in heavily populated with wealthy people, Pyeong chang dong residents tend to be actively involved and highly interested in arts. As a result, many artists also flocked to Pyeong chang dong for living or for galleries and exhibitions. Consequently, many art museums also opened in Pyeong chang dong too.
With Buk ak mountain on the back, Pyeong chang dong has many hills that it is rather hard to walk up and down to look around for museums and galleries. However, on sunny autumn days, it will be nice to have a gallery walk and also take a look at classic expensive looking houses and contemporarily built unique houses in Pyeong chang dong. And of course, don't forget to rest at chic cafes or restaurants!!! :-)

List of Galleries and Museums in Pyeong chang dong:
1. Gana Art Center
2. Kimi Art
3. Gallery Sejul
4. Total Art Gallery
5. Kim Chong Young Gallery
6. Growrich
7. Gallery Geu Ahn
8. Gaain Gallery
9. Young-In Literary Museum***It's open only twice in a year (from April to May and from September to October)
10. Whanki Museum
-Gallery Map

Days to Celebrate... in Seoul!!! :-) # 1

<< Korean Thanksgiving Day-ChuSeok >>
As Americans celebrate Thanksgiving Day on every 4th Thursday of November, Koreans celebrate Chuseok with families and give thanks to their ancestors for providing good wills to obtain rich result of harvest.

Starting from the Shila Era, this tradition has been annually practiced on August 15th(according to Lunar Calendar).

This year, Chu Seok is on September 14th(August 15th based on Lunar calendar).

Traditionally, on Chuseok, people gather with their relatives and celebrate their harvest. With the harvested food, people make lots of Chuseok food: Song phyun and other tteok(rice cake), numerous types of nuts(especially chestnut), other holiday food such as Jap chae(Korean Traditional noodle dish), dak(chicken) jjim(stew<-Korean Traditional Chicken Stew), different types of jeon(pan fried meat cake with minced onions,and chives, cut fish, or vegetables(usually sweet potatoes, eggplant, mushrooms), pan-cooked fish, han gwa(Korean Traditional cookies), freshly picked fall fruits(apples, Korean pears, persimmons, dried dates, etc ***but NO peaches!!!), seasoned vegetables (na-mool <--seasoned vegetables in bibimbab ***grounded pepper and garlic are NOT added ), meat based soup, Korean traditional drink(shik hae<-made w/ rice), alcoholic drink, etc.

After all the ceremonies, greetings and visit to ancestors'graves, and of course meal time, people play Korean Traditional Chu seok games: "Sa Mul(Korean traditional musical instruments) nori(game)", "So(cow) nori(game)", "Gang Gang su wol lae, etc. In old times, farmers in groups played musical instruments to enjoy holiday later calling this "Sa Mul nori." "So nori" is a game that makes a person dress up as a cow and visit houses in the town with a long line of people

The main purpose of this national holiday is celebrating the joyful harvest with families and gathering in hometown, giving thanks to ancestors for looking after us, and enjoying good food before the cold winter approaches us.

So, do visit families and spend some time with them making and eating Korean traditional food!

Have a joyful Chu Seok!!! :-)

***fun fact about Chu Seok!!!:-)
There is a myth that if a woman(in old days only women prepared for food)makes pretty Song phyun, she will marry well.

-image of Song phyun(special rice cake for Chu seok)-image of Chu Seok meal for ancestors-image of ancestor memorial services-image of "Gang Gang Su Wol Lae"

Places to Go... in Seoul!!! :-) # 30

<< Royal Tomb-Jeongneung(neung meaning tomb) >>
In Seoul, there are five gigantic royal tombs: Jeongneung, Seonneung(also known as Seonjeongneung), Heonilleung, Taegangneung, Uireung. Among these tombs, I would like to introduce, Jeongneung, the first royal tomb from Joseon Dynasty.

Jeongneung is the tomb of the first queen of Joseon Dynasty, Sindeok(lawful second wife of the first king of Joseon Dynasty, King Taejo).

Since she was the second wife, King Taejo's heir(fifth son of King Taejo's first wife who died before Taejo became a king), King Taejong treated it coldly and even separately buried his father, King Taejo against King Taejo's last will(burying him next to his dead second wife Sindeok). And King Taejong moved the tomb of Queen Sindeok to Yangju(楊州), Saeulhallok(沙乙閑麓), the current place of the Jeongneung.

Then King Taejong put the ancestral tablet of Queen Sinui with that of King Taejo in the ancestral shrine of the royal family and treated his dead mom as his dead father's only lawful wife (demoting queen Sindeok to a royal concubine).

Unable to be placed in the ancestral shrine of the royal family, Jeongneung was left as a nameless tomb for several hundred years. However, in 1669, King Hyeonjong in his 10th year restored Jeongneung for the first time in 260 years.

On the first day when Queen Sindeok was placed in the ancestral shrine of the royal family with her recovered title of Queen, the rain poured down in the entire area of the Jeongneung.
This rain was called the Sewonjiu (洗寃之雨, a rain to ease Queen’s ill feeling).

-images of Jeongneung

Places to Go... in Seoul!!! :-) # 29

<< "Ga Roo Su(Street Tree) Gil(Street)" >>
These days in Seoul, open lot cafes and street shops are the "It" items in Seoulites' life.
The "Street Trees" Stree is the result of this current trend in Seoul. Although the street's been there for long, only recently people started to notice this small yet full with variety of eye catching stores, restaurants, and cafes.
The street resembles Daikanyama in Tokyo. But with unique Korean fashion/accessories/other objects shops,the "Street Tree" Street creates and leads Korean fashion.

How to get there?
Take subway line #3.
Then, get off at station Shin Sa (exit #8).
And turn right and walk few minutes and you will reach the destination easily!
***or if you get lost, ask people "How do I get to Ga-Ro-Su(<-"Street Tree" in Korean) Gil(street)?" then people should be able to tell you! :-)

-images of Stylish "Street Trees" St. Shops, Cafes, Street Scenery