Houses In Korea I Fell In Love With, Part 3

Actually I'm not crazy about the house featured in Secret Garden ( starring Ha Jiwon and Hyun Bin) - it's too white, too Zen, too contemporary for my old-fashioned tastes.  The exterior is another story, though. Loved the wooden walkway leading to the apron overlooking the small pond outside the house. The eulalia and maple trees plus the ceiling-to-wall glass windows allow for wonderful vistas which can be enjoyed throughout the seasons.

It's not going to be easy for K-drama fans to make a pilgrimage to the Maiim Vision Village which is the shooting location for this hugely popular dramatic comedy about role reversals. Getting to the Maiim Vision Village which was also the location for some scenes from  other K-dramas like "Winter Sonata" and  "Star's Lover" isn't really the problem. See the map below.

The tricky part is gaining admission onto the grounds which cover 330,000 square meters in Yeoju in Gyeonggi-do as it's  not open to the public. Unless you are a member of the press or better still, an employee who is supposed to undergo training under Maiim Group, a company selling cosmetics and health food products, your chances of getting close-up snapshots of the grounds and buildings are as slim as Ha Jiwon's character gaining approval from her snobbish mother-in-law. Otherwise, you may be lucky enough to explore its dorms, community area and sports facilities and lovely gardens. About ten years ago, it existed as a youth hostel but was converted into a training centre when the land was purchased by Maiim Group.

That being the case, you may as well be an armchair traveller and explore the place via cyberspace. One of the most significant buildings here is the Mud and Stone House. The architect, Bae Dae-yong, was responsible for this hybrid of contrasting textures which featured a stone section as a working space on the upper part of a hill and the "mud" section on the lower slope inteded as guest rooms.

Bae remarks: "Beauty is nothing but something that is hidden in nature, being revealed accidentally. It can be declared that there is no essential beauty not rooted in nature. For beauty belongs to nature. Beauty is not created but discovered, and we should approach the nature as near as possible if we want to discover it, and we men cannot create such a beauty but can only make it revealed." His ideas about how design can harmonise with nature can be found in his book, "Removing, and Becoming Transparent”.

Here are some examples of Bae's work.

 

My favourite room is probably the library - see above right. The suspended window on one end  of the room looks like a painting in itself while the rock is a pretty large token of Nature making its presence felt in this airy, ample interior.

Here's another instance of Bae's work - this time for a wealthy couple in Seoul. The ceramic tableware, stone lantern and bamboo are the traditional touches to this otherwise very Western design.

See also:

Houses In Korea I Fell In Love With, Part 1

Houses In Korea I Fell in Love With, Part 2


sources:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/CU/CU_EN_8_5_1_68.jsp
http://www.soompi.com/news/secret-garden-press-conference-features-house-and-actors
http://www.soompi.com/content/type/2/0/3/9995
http://www.soompi.com/image/335575
http://www.bnadesign.co.kr/home/project.bna?proc=view&cateNo=100000011&index=128&lang=E#
http://www.bnadesign.co.kr/home/design.bna?lang=E
http://www.kdb.co.kr/screen/jsp/IHIre/down/new/2011.02-16.pdf
http://www.architecturaldigest.com/homes/homes/archive/pavlik_article_112002
http://www.maiim.com/eng/01_Story/03_Company_Brief.html?pageNum=1&subNum=3&ssubNum=1

Learning Korean Through Donga Cartoons

Here's another source of Korean cartoons with translations - useuful for learning Korean in small doses.

1 ) 버티던 평가원 - The persistently denying Korea Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation


2) 복수정답 인정하고 (평가원) -2) Admits its mistake of dual answers


3) 전 사퇴하겠습니다 (원장) - 3) I resign (KICE President)


4) 그 말이 정답이네 - 4) "That is the correct answer!"




source:
http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=140000&biid=2007122532998

Wanna Hang Out...New Hanji At A Korean Palace?

Oh to be in Korea now that spring is here. I'd make a beeline tomorrow  ( 23rd April, 2 pm) for the Tongmyeongjeon Hall  at Changgyeong-gung ( palace)  to volunteer for the  ‘Royal Palace Maintenance Reenactment and Participatory Program’. You may have already missed the demonstration of the cleaning of the Jegi ( wooden bowls used in the Jongmyo ancenstral rites which will be conducted on the first Sunday of May) - this was held on the 16th of April but it's not too late to take part in other palace maintainence traditions.

Be prepared to get your fingers sticky as you help to rip off the year old hanji from palace windows and doors and replace them with fresh sheets of Korean traditional mulberry paper. You may also observe the palace housekeeping staff cleaned the floors the good old-fashioned way without benefit of domestic robots. All you need to pay is the normal admission charge for this privilege sneak peek into the behind-the-scenes palace life.

And if you miss the event tomorrow, the third part of the program will be at the Seongjeonggak Pavilion of Changdeokgung Palace on April 30th (2:00 pm).

Tourists at Changdeokgung can now admire spring  blossoms on palace grounds as well.
Click here for the comprehensive list of activities at the different palaces.

Click here for an earlier posting on the Quintessential Spring Pictures

source:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FU/FU_EN_15.jsp?cid=1259075
http://www.korea.net/detail.do?guid=46044
http://ajummasjournal.blogspot.com/2009/09/andong-hanji-andong-part-6.html
http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2011/04/15/2011041500362.html

Hanbok Gets The Boot From Shilla

In case you haven't heard and don't get the significance of the cartoon above, here's a quick translation:
The Hotel Shilla Seoul pushes out a woman in hanbok, Korean traditional costume, saying, "No admittance! It's because hanbok is dangerous." The woman gets angry and asks, "What country's hotel is it?"

The hoo-ha started when hanbok designer Lee Hye-sun of Frozen Flower fame ( who usually goes around in hanbok) was denied entrance into the ParkView buffet restaurant at the Shilla Hotel  on the grounds that she was ...well, wearing a hanbok. Apparently compliants from some hotel guests have  prompted the hotel staff to discourage guests from wearing the national dress of Korea for fear of causing people to trip over its billowing and long hemlines.

It didn't take long for Shilla to respond to the furry of comments by enraged Netizens with a formal apology from none other than the Shilla CEO herself, Lee Boo-jin. BTW, she also happens to be the oldest daughter of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Kun-hee.

The affronted designer and the  CEO who had to do some damage control

I'm just wondering what's happened to the over- zealous  staff member simply carrying out orders who unfortunately became the one who said "Anio"  to the pride of the nation, couture-wise. OR Perhaps it was not even a Korean employee but a clueless foreign worker who didn't have enough proficiency in Korean to explain the hotel policy diplomatically.

Then again, what is really Shilla Hotel's policy on the hanbok? Wouldn't it be better for the hotel to put up notices to remind guests to be careful where they tread? For goodness's sake, surely that shouldn't even be necessary as everyone should exercise common sense and be careful when approaching someone in a hanbok. Personally I'd prefer to admire from a distance and would steer clear of any ajumma in a hanbok because I doubt I could afford to pay for her laundry bill  if I accidentally bumped into her and spilled some gochujang on her dress or worse, if I have to  pay compensation for a torn hanbok. Do you have any idea how expensive and hard to maintain these beautiful and delicate garments can be???
sources:
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_entertainment/473002.html
http://www.koreaherald.com/lifestyle/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20110413000988
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2934882

Touring Korea From The Air

How many tourists would be fortunate to have a pilot in the family or have enough won to afford to hire a small plane just to appreciate these enormous artworks? While I applaud the creativity of these landscape artists who have given crop circles their own Korean spin,  I wonder how viable a tourist attraction their creations would be? 

Perhaps pilots of budget airlines plying the Seoul-southern province routes may be persuaded to fly over this area on a regular basis but it wouldn't do much for reducing our carbon footprints.

From the Hankyoreh: "The first photo shows a majestic view of rice fields near the Suncheon Bay by the Suncheon City, South Jeolla Province. The city created hooded cranes, the representative migratory bird at the Suncheon Bay, one of the world five wetlands, with colorful rice plants including black ones among ripened yellow ones."

It may be possible to get a bird's perspective of the second scene below without resorting to wings. If one is willing to clamber up the nearest mountain or hill overlooking this giant moral, one may be rewarded by this striking if less inspiring sight. Still, I can't imagine hordes of tourists making the effort, though.

From the Hankyoreh: The second is a photo of green fields with young rice plants in the Goesan County, North Chungcheong Province. The county displayed neolttwigi, a traditional Korean jumping game on a plank similar to a see-saw, with a sentence reading, ““Wow! She’s really taking off!”....Recently, scenic farming, also called beautiful farming, has become increasingly popular in South Korea. It has attracted tourists in addition to income from the produce.

(Photos courtesy of the local governments)

sources:
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_entertainment/472378.html
http://www.designswan.com/archives/mysterious-crop-circles.html

BMK's When Flowers Bloom Again In Spring

Here's another version:




꽃피는 봄이 오면BMK (비엠케이)
니가 떠난 그 후로 내 눈물은 얼 수 없나 봐
얼어 붙고 싶어도 다시 흐른 눈물 때문에
널 잃은 내 슬픔에 세상이 얼어도
날이 선 미움이 날 할켜도

뿌리 깊은 사랑은 이젠 떼어낼 수 없나 봐
처음부터 넌 내 몸과 한 몸이었던 것처럼
그 어떤 사랑 조차 꿈도 못 꾸고
이내 널 그리고 또 원하고 난 니 이름만 부르짖는데

다시 돌아 올까? 니가 내 곁으로 올까?
믿을 수가 없는데 믿어 주면 우리 너무 사랑한
지난 날처럼 사랑하게 될까? 그 때의 맘과 똑같을까?
계절처럼 돌고 돌아 다시 꽃피는 봄이 오면

기다리는 이에게 사랑 말곤 할 게 없나 봐
그 얼마나 고단한지 가늠도 못 했었던 나
왜 못 보내느냐고 오~ 왜 우냐고
자꾸 날 꾸짖고 날 탓하고 또 그래도 난 너를 못 잊어

다시 돌아 올까? 니가 내 곁으로 올까?
믿을 수가 없는데 믿어 주면 우린 너무 사랑한
지난 날처럼 사랑하게 될까? 그 때의 맘과 똑같을까?
계절처럼 돌고 돌아 다시 꽃피는 봄이 오면

참 모질었던 삶이었지만 늘 황폐했던 맘이지만
그래도 너 있어 눈부셨어
널 이렇게도 그리워 견딜 수가 없는 건
나 그 때의 나 그 날의 내 모습이 그리워

시간에게 속아 다른 누굴 허락하고
다른 누군가에게 기대 서로 묻고 산다고 해도
날 기억해 줘

한 순간이지만 우리가 사랑했다는 건
너와 나눈 사랑은 참 삶보다 짧지만
내 추억속에 사는 사랑은 영원할 테니까
꼭 찰나같아 찬란했던 그 봄날은

Korean to English translation ( See how Google translator can mess up?)

After that you're gone can not get away my tears, look at the Earl
Tears flowed again because I want to freeze transfixed
The world froze in my sorrow, I have lost
Hate me, the day halkyeodo

I can not get away and pulled off a deep-rooted love Look
You like my body, beginning a momyieotdeon
What I can not even dream that dream
And you want within your name I was crying

Could come back? You could come to my side?
Believe if I can not believe we loved so much
The last day when I would do? I wonder when the heart and the same?
When spring comes round again, like the seasons around

Has anything better to do I see waiting yiege
I had not even measure how much hardship or if
Why not send a calling me Oh why I'm crying
I keep blaming me and rebuke me, but I can not forget you

Could come back? You could come to my side?
I believe if I can not believe we have loved
The last day when I would do? I wonder when the heart and the same?
When spring comes round again, like the seasons around

Mozilla had been so devastated lives, but always mamyijiman
But you still got nunbusyeoteo
I miss you too so what I can not stand
I figure that I miss the day when I

Hours to allow anyone else to be fooled
Hope someone else can live with each other to ask
Remember me me

I mean, one moment, but we
Divided by the true love you more than life is short
I'll love to live in my memories forever
The spring is glorious moment I think

sources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvqR7fnqMl8&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DH3-Wa6LAZE&feature=related

On Air In Jinhae Midst Cherry Blossoms

Aside from Romance, On Air was the other K drama that got me drooling over cherry blossoms in Jinhae. In episode 12, Lee Gyeong-Min ( played by Park Yong-ha) and his entire production team take a break from their hectic schedules to admire the springtime blossoms. There's another scene in which Seo Yeong-Eun ( Song Yoon-ah ) goes off for a solo walk to admire the cherry blossoms at night, but she is soon joined by Lee Gyeong-Min.

Wonder if Song Yoon-ah looks up at the cherry blossoms and feels a pang for her co-star who committed suicide last year.

Shooting location for On Air

sources:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/CU/CU_EN_8_5_1_40.jsp
http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=261560
http://koreanfanscommunity.blogspot.com/2010/10/on-air-2008.html