Thank You King Sejong. Happy Hangeul Day

Happy Hangeul Day

Many times during my time in South Korea, I have whispered a thank you to King Sejong, the Joseon Dynasty king that is credited with developing Hangeul which is the simplified system of writing that is in use today. Its development is a major contributor to the high level of literacy (99%) in South Korea today. So, even if you can't speak Korean, if you have your destination written down, you can be assured that you have a reasonably good chance of arriving at your destination by cab. (and for everything else there's 1330! the KTO help line)
With this system of vowels and consonants, there is hope
even for the most mystified visitor to Korea.(like me!)
So to celebrate this amazing achievement, October 9 is designated as "Hangeul Day" in Korea.

Image is from the "King Sejong the Great" website
http://www.koreanhero.net/kingsejong/index.html#
Here is a delightful video.

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I find the background very fascinating. The following information is taken from Omniglot.com
I think it is one of the better descriptions of Hangeul.
http://www.omniglot.com/writing/korean.htm

Korean

Origin of writing in Korea

Chinese writing has been known in Korea for over 2,000 years. It was used widely during the Chinese occupation of northern Korea from 108 BC to 313 AD. By the 5th century AD, the Koreans were starting to write in Classical Chinese - the earliest known example of this dates from 414 AD. They later devised three different systems for writing Korean with Chinese characters: Hyangchal (향찰/鄕札), Gukyeol (구결/口訣) and Idu (이두/吏讀). These systems were similar to those developed in Japan and were probably used as models by the Japanese.

The Idu system used a combination of Chinese characters together with special symbols to indicate Korean verb endings and other grammatical markers, and was used to in official and private documents for many centuries. The Hyangchal system used Chinese characters to represent all the sounds of Korean and was used mainly to write poetry.

The Koreans borrowed a huge number of Chinese words, gave Korean readings and/or meanings to some of the Chinese characters and also invented about 150 new characters, most of which are rare or used mainly for personal or place names.

The Korean alphabet was invented in 1444 and promulgated it in 1446 during the reign of King Sejong (r.1418-1450), the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty. The alphabet was originally called Hunmin jeongeum, or "The correct sounds for the instruction of the people", but has also been known as Eonmeun (vulgar script) and Gukmeun (national writing). The modern name for the alphabet, Hangeul, was coined by a Korean linguist called Ju Si-gyeong (1876-1914). In North Korea the alphabet is known as 조선글 (josoen guel).

The shapes of the consonants are based on the shape the mouth made when the corresponding sound is made, and the traditional direction of writing (vertically from right to left) most likely came from Chinese, as did the practice of writing syllables in blocks.

Even after the invention of the Korean alphabet, most Koreans who could write continued to write either in Classical Chinese or in Korean using the Gukyeol or Idu systems. The Korean alphabet was associated with people of low status, i.e. women, children and the uneducated. During the 19th and 20th centuries a mixed writing system combining Chinese characters (Hanja) and Hangeul became increasingly popular. Since 1945 however, the importance of Chinese characters in Korean writing has diminished significantly.

Since 1949 hanja have not been used at all in any North Korean publications, with the exception of a few textbooks and specialized books. In the late 1960s the teaching of hanja was reintroduced in North Korean schools however and school children are expected to learn 2,000 characters by the end of high school.

In South Korea school children are expected to learn 1,800 hanja by the end of high school. The proportion of hanja used in Korean texts varies greatly from writer to writer and there is considerable public debate about the role of hanja in Korean writing.

Most modern Korean literature and informal writing is written entirely in hangeul, however academic papers and official documents tend to be written in a mixture of hangeul and hanja.

Notable features of Hangeul

• There are 24 letters (jamo) in the Korean alphabet: 14 consonants and 10 vowels. The letters are combined together into syllable blocks.

• The shapes of the the consontants g/k, n, s, m and ng are graphical representations of the speech organs used to pronounce them. Other consonsants were created by adding extra lines to the basic shapes.
• The shapes of the the vowels are based on three elements: man (a vertical line), earth (a horizontal line) and heaven (a dot). In modern Hangeul the heavenly dot has mutated into a short line.
• Spaces are placed between words, which can be made up of one or more syllables.
• The sounds of some consonants change depending on whether they appear at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a syllable.
• A number of Korean scholars have proposed an alternative method of writing Hangeul involving writing each letter in a line like in English, rather than grouping them into syllable blocks, but their efforts have been met with little interest or enthusiasm.
• In South Korea hanja are used to some extent in Korean texts.
• Korean can be written in vertical columns running from top to bottom and right to left, or in horizontal lines running from left to right.

Used to write

Korean (한국어 / 조선말), a language spoken by about 63 million people in South Korea, North Korea, China, Japan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Russia. The relationship between Korean and other languages is not known for sure, though some linguists believe it to be a member of the Altaic family of languages. Grammatically Korean is very similar to Japanese and about 70% of its vocabulary comes from Chinese.

The Hangeul alphabet (한글)

The double consonants marked with * are pronounced fortis. There is no symbol in IPA to indiciate this.

Note on the transliteration of Korean

There are a number different ways to write Korean in the Latin alphabet. The methods shown above are:

1. (first row) the official South Korean transliteration system, which was introduced in July 2000. You can find further details at www.mct.go.kr.
2. (second row) the McCune-Reischauer system, which was devised in 1937 by two American graduate students, George McCune and Edwin Reischauer, and is widely used in Western publications. For more details of this system see: http://mccune-reischauer.org

Sample text in Korean (hangeul only)

Sample text in Korean (hangeul and hanja)

Transliteration

Modeun Ingan-eun Tae-eonal ttaebuteo Jayuroumyeo Geu Jon-eomgwa Gwonrie Iss-eo Dongdeunghada. Ingan-eun Cheonbujeog-euro Iseong-gwa Yangsim-eul Bu-yeobad-ass-eumyeo Seoro Hyungje-ae-ui Jeongsin-euro Haengdongha-yeo-yahanda.

So have a happy Hangeul Day!

Railbikes-A little exercise and loads of fun!

Railbikes..A great way to spend an afternoon

Fresh air.. spectacular scenery..a little exercise...loads of fun. A railbike excursion is a great way to spend an afternoon outside of the busy city life. Railbikes are pedal powered railway vehicles built to run on railroad tracks that are no longer in commercial use.
We decided to check out the railbikes that we had heard so much about. We booked a 1:00 trip and drove early in the morning. We departed at 8:30 a.m. but there was a lot of traffic, so we just made it in time for the trip.
The trip departs from the Gujeolli Station which is located in the picturesque Jeongseon area of the Gangwon-do province. The drive to the station was very enjoyable as we wound out way through the small towns down country roads. It is beautiful scenery and we made the trip as a day trip, but there is a delightful option, you can stay in the Railcar Pension which is a series converted railcars located right at the station. There are Western and Korean style rooms available. (For infornation on this check out the website at the end of this post)

This excursion is very popular, especially with families. There were many excited faces as the children awaited their turn to ride the rails. Reservations are a must, especially in the Fall as the trips fill up. As we departed for the 90 minute, 7.2 kilometre trip,the smiles on our faces were just as broad as the younger participants. It is just plain fun-skipping along the railroad tracks surrounded by spectacular scenery and feeling the cool breezes in your face as you travel along.
The trip is all downhill so is not the least bit strenuous and you are transported back to the station in a train. On the route you travel along the Crystal clear Soncheon river as it winds its way through a beautiful mountain backdrop. Adding to the beauty of the trip are the waterfalls that you encounter along the way.
Along the way you encounter tunnels which were a big hit with
railbikers young and old. I should point out that the railbikes don't have horns, so if you are given to the pursuit of blowing
your horn loudly in tunnels, you will be disappointed.
A wonderful part of the day was dining in a converted railcar which was fashioned to resemble giant grasshoppers. The food was good and there were Western cuisine options as well as Korean.
Jeonseon was once a large coal-producing region, producing 6.5 million tons a year but due to the decline of the coal industry, mines started closing in 1989 impacting Jeongseon. The train that once transported coal and people between Gujeolli and Auraji stopped operating as a result of this decline. So to preserve this rail road legacy lacals and the Korea Rail Corporationdevised the railcar excursions.
We are so glad they did!
For more information on the railbike excursions contact the following:

the Website of Jeongseon County at http://www.jeongseon.go.kr or call 033-560-2361. You can also contact the KTX Tour and Leisure Corporation at http://www.railbike.co.kr or 033-563-8787.
or go to Korea.net and type in "railbikes" and click on the link. Actually this website has a lot of good information about Korea.
You may need help with booking so I would suggest contacting 1330 or enlisting the help of a Korean friend.
Happy Rails!

Gosu Cave A Natural Wonder

Gosu Cave is host to spectacular limestone formations. It was very striking to us that we were able to go to the cave's inner places. So often you view them from a distance. We were fascinated by nature's handiwork. It is definitely not a place for the claustrophobic. There are many tight places on the tour as you wind your way through, climbing on steel staircases.

Designated as a natural monument No. 256, Gosu Cave is a limestone cave formed over 450 million years ago, is located in Danyang-gun. This extensive cave system is 1,300 meters/4265 feet deep, and is well known for its beauty.

The name Gosu comes from the fact that in the past, the area was filled with thickets of tall grass. Crude stone impliments were excavated at the cave entrance, revealing that this area was home to prehistoric humans.

Inside Gosu Cave, the temperature remains around 15℃/59F throughout the year. A 1.7km/5577ft length of twisting, turning limestone caverns have been outfitted with metal walkways and subdued lighting. The vertical height of the walkways is 50m/164ft.

There are reportedly about 25 different kinds of animal life inhabiting the cave. Some of the rocks resemble animals or human figures, like Lion Rock, Octopus Rock, Eagle Rock, and even the Virgin Mary Rock. About 120 various shapes of stalactites and stalagmites are found within the cave are valuable resources for researchers and scholars.

http://wikimapia.org/321808/Gosu-Cave-%EA%B3%A0%EC%88%98%EB%8F%99%EA%B5%B4

A trip to Danyang

One of the things we really loved to do in Korea was venture out into the countryside.
When we had only been in Seoul for a month we took a trip to Danyang which is about two hours outside of Seoul. We wanted to to take the 32 mile waterway between Chungju and Danyang. It was a very beautiful trip.
I should point out that it would be a great idea to take this trip with a Korean friend since
we only encountered only a few people that spoke English. But with the help of our limited Korean, and very helpful Koreans we got along fine. At the time we didn't know about calling 02-1330 for assistance. It would have been helpful. We used that help line many times during our time in Korea.

We felt very adventurous as we secured passage on the ferry in Chungju and contracted with a driver to take our car to Danyang! We were very to happy to see the driver and our car waiting for us as we got off the boat. The tour is not in English but the boat captain spoke English and
explained what we were seeing.
He described the various limestone formations. They
were very interesting. The ride was relaxing. It was a beautiful
day.
There is a lot of historical
significance to the sights in this area so I am including some of the background.

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/danyang/3998010029.html

The following are the background on the Scenic Wonders that are located around Danyang.
It is provided by the above website.

1. Dodam Sambong -- This island in the NamHan River has three peaks, called Changgunbong, Cheopbong, and Cheobong. They are said to represent three people involved in a love triangle: the husband, the concubine, and the wife, respectively. The story is that a man couldn't have a son with his wife, so he took on a concubine. The wife was so upset that she refused to speak to him and turned away. Locals say that the orientation of the rocks symbolizes this relationship.

2. Seokmun -- Going up river from the three peaks about 200m (656 ft.), you will find a stone gate shaped like the arc of a rainbow. Locals say that heavenly spirits must have sang a song when they passed by.

3. Sainam Rock -- This large rock cliff, surrounded by old pine trees, hangs over a clear stream. On it is inscribed a poem by Confucian scholar Utak (pen name, Yeoktong). The poem reads: "Something far superior to other things/indeed matchless, cannot be cast aside./There is nothing to be afraid of, even standing all alone./There is nothing to worry about, in this secluded life."

4. Haseonam -- Along the range of Doraksan are three peaks that people liken to brothers. Haseonam is the first. A large boulder on it is said to look like a reclining Buddha (so it's called "Bulam," Buddha Rock). During the Joseon Dynasty, it was given the name "Sonam," which means "a rock where the mountain wizards strolled." And local legend has it that the gods once descended from heaven and had a banquet there.

5. Jungseonam -- About 5km (3 miles) from Haseonam is the middle brother peak. On its slopes is the Ssang-yong Falls, where it is said that twin dragons ascended to heaven through a crevice. During the Joseon Dynasty, many yangban (those from the gentlemen class) would come here to make music, write poetry, and commune with nature.

6. Sangseonam -- Sangseonam was named by Gwon Sang-ha, who was said to have built a thatched pavilion and lived here writing poetry. There are three hermitages in the nine valleys surrounded by the rocky peaks.

7. Gudambong -- This peak gets its name, which means turtle, from the shape of its reflection in the lake below, which is said to look like a turtle swimming just below the surface of the water. Gudambong and nearby Oksunbong are both popular in the fall season when their trees change color.

8. Oksunbong -- This peak was originally a part of Cheongpung-gun, but the story is that the female entertainer Duhyang coaxed Yi Hwang into including it in Danyang-gun. The magistrate of Cheongpung didn't agree but Yi Hwang carved the characters "Dangu Dongmun" on the rock wall, stating that it was "the gateway to Danyang." The unusually shaped boulders are surrounded by various trees.

Next: The spectacular rock formations in Gosu Cave another interesting attraction in Danyang

I would like to recommend a great book; Korea Unmasked. It provides wonderful insight into
Korean culture. It is written in comic book format but it is thought provoking and fun to read.
Cindy




http://www.hanbooks.com/koruninsearo.html





by Won-bok Rhie; Louis Choi, Jung Un (translation)
size: 257*188mm; 236 pages. publisher: Kimyoungsa, 2002.


About this book

This is an English edition of the bestseller comic book Far Countries, Neighboring Countries 9 - Korea (Sae Mon Nara Iun Nara 9 - Uri Nara). The book is to introduce real aspects of Korea that are sometimes misunderstood and unknown to foreigners. Through skillfully chosen subjects - e.g., spicy food, education fever, conglomerates, the tension between North and South Korea - Won-bok Rhie explores the unique manifestations of Korean attitudes that are often misunderstood by foreigners. It is a fascinating exploration of the Korean mindset that weaves together history, sociology and cultural anthropology. The insightful discussions on Korea's place between China and Japan, its more well-known neighbors, also clear the fog away as to who the Korean people are.


About the author

Won-bok Rhie is one of Korea's most famous cartoonists. After obtaining a bachelor's degree in architecture at Seoul National University, he studied graphic design at Müster University in Germany, where he obtained the degree of Dipl. Designer. He is the author of numerous comic books that focus on introducing historical, cultural and economic issues to the layman. He also has run many comic strip series in Korea's most prestigious daily newspapers and magazines. Korea Unmasked is part of a 9-volume series of comic books on several European countries and Japan and Korea, all of which became bestsellers in Korea. Rhie is also a professor of graphic design at Duksung Women's University in Seoul, Korea. In 1993, he was awarded the prestigious Noonsol Award in recognition of his contributions to the development of the Korean cartoon industry. From 1998 to 2000, he also served as the president of the Korean Society of Cartoon and Animation Studies.


Table of contents
Foreword
Introduction

1 Neighbors but Strangers : Korea, China and Japan

2 The Korean People

3 The Successes and Tribulations of the Koreans

4 The Long and Treacherous Road to Reunification

Translators' Notes : Jung Un, Louis Choi

Nami Island An Emerald Jewel

One of my favorite places in Korea is Nami Island or Namisum. I would like to share some
excerpts from an article I wrote in the Arirang a
publication of the Amercan Women's Club.

Not far from the bustle of city life is an emerald jewel in the North Han River: Nami Island. Its pristine beauty and proximity to Seoul make it a perfect day trip. This wonderful retreat is only a 90 minute bus ride away. It is famous for its beauty and for being a romantic setting. It draws thousands of tourists each year, many of whom are drawn by its fame for being the setting of the popular Korean television series "Winter Sonata" Its natural beauty also makes it a welcome home for artists and writers and has become known by the nicknames Song Island and Fairy Tale World.

The history of the island is interesting. Its name comes from the fact that it is home to the tomb of General Nami (1441-1469) who was appointed minister of the Military Board at age 25 after suppressing Lee Shi-ae's Revolt during the reign of King Sejo of the Joseon Dynasty. but was later branded a traitor and executed at the age of 26.
Nami only became an island when it became separated from the mainland in July 1943 with the completion of the Cheongpyeong Dam. The island is situated on the border between two of South Korea's northern provinces, Byeonggi-do and Gangwon-do. Its open grassy areas are a wonderful place for picnics and get-togethers.
An avenue of pine trees greeted us as we stepped off the 10 minute ferry ride. As we began our trek we fell in love with the island like so many before us. Like those artists, we loved the unique combination of the environmental focus, artistic expression and culture.
Since motorized vehicles are not permitted, traffic jams and car horns are conspicuously absent.
Bicycles of various varieties were available for rent but we chose to walk at a leisurely pace and experience the fresh air.
Many of the paths lead to the central square's restaurants and shops. A number of scenic spots are concentrated in the town square.
Nami has been the setting for both movies and television shows. It is most famous for the movie Choi In-ho's Winterreise and as I mentioned previously, the Korean television drama"Winter Sonata" which was re-broadcast throughout Asia. Many Japanese tourists visit the island because of the popularity of this show. There are signs around the island indicating the locations of many of the scenes that were depicted in the drama.
We of course had to re-enact the poses from the show. And while we were laughing and striking poses, a film crew from the Seoul television station MBC asked us if they could videotape us and we would be featured in a television special on Nami Island. It was the highlight of our day, being rocketed to instant stardom by being featured on Korean TV. It is a great memory of our time in Korea

An interesting term that you may hear in reference to Nami is "Hallyu"
According to www.seoul style.com
Hallyu means the love for Korean pop culture, or the appreciation of all things Korean. Hallyu began when the rest of Asia discovered Korean soap operas. Korean marketing people started to see a Korea-centric trend flowing throughout Asia, Hawaii,and even in parts of Russia. They dubbed this flow"The Korean Wave" or Hallyu.
This interesting aside provides some background that helps to understand some of the popularity of Nami.
Nami was a delight for the senses. I felt a kind of kinship with the many that have been smitten with this "Song Island"
If you listen...you can hear their gentle whispers.


For more information, visit the web site www.namsum.com

Teacher for a Day

One of my most memorable experiences in South Korea was participating in the "Hello Friends"
program. We were volunteer English Teachers for a day. We went out to schools in the outlying
areas and taught English to children who didn't see native English speakers on a regular basis.
We were always greeted with cheers and excitement. We felt like rock stars as we were escorted into the school. Typically a group of us went to the school and we would address the group as an assembly, singing songs with them.


Following the assembly, we would divide them in smaller groups so we could interact with them individually. I don't know who learned more the teachers or the kids!
The students had a range of abilities for English so we had to find ways to involve all of the students, so we planned activities and games so they could practice their English.


Often the students would demonstrate some particular aspect of their school and they would share it with us. In this picture the students were well know for playing Korean traditional instruments and they demonstrated their skill and attempted to teach us! It was a lot of fun!
We had opportunites to travel to various parts of Korea, including Busan, Jeju Island
and Yeosu.. Each of the Hello Friends trips included a visit to a local attraction in the
area.
These are just a few of the pictures from
Jeju and Yeosu, two beautiful parts of Korea.
I will describe them more fully in another
blog post.