Gongsanseong (공산성) does not rank high on the ‘most seen by foreigners’ list. Then again, neither does the city of Gongju. Naturally, the Lady in Red and I had to check it out.
Originally called Ungjinseong, the mud fortress was used by King Munjuwang (reigned 475-477 A.D.) as the Baekje capital during the Baekje Dynasty. In [...]
Author Archive > chrisinsouthkorea
Destination: Gongsanseong (Gongju)
Kimchibilly night! Or, a rockin’ rockabilly concert!
Define rockabilly: a genre of music, blending rock and hillbilly with blues, bluegrass, and country. A rockabilly band typically features a slap guitar, drums, and at least one other guitar (electric, bass, or acoustic), but may include other instruments as well. Popular artists include Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly, while the genre influenced artists from [...]
On Filipinos, markets, and forced relocations
Source: my previous post on the Filipino Market.
In a move seemingly designed to placate the locals and remind foreigners of their secondary role, the Filipino Market in Hyehwa may be closing in the near future. I’ve blogged about this excellent once-a-week market before, while Extra Korea, Buhay sa Korea, and ZenKimchi have already weighed in. [...]
Life in Korea: Doing a visa run, Osaka style
Currency exchange note: As of the published date of this post, 1 Japanese yen was worth about 13 Korean won or 1.15 US cents. 1,000 Korean won will buy you 75 yen, while 1 US dollar will buy you 87 yen. See www.xe.com for up-to-the-minute currency rates.Not too long ago I had to do a [...]
KOTESOL Conference 2009 review
The 17th annual KOTESOL conference, held last weekend at Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul, was not precisely what you might call a tourist destination. For the serious English teachers or those in a more formal academic setting, conferences such as these are great chances to socialize and meet up with other serious teachers. It’s the [...]
On Korea tourism and promoting the country through foreigners
[EDITED to change the description of Mr. LEE from 'foreigner' to 'naturalized Korean' in the last paragraph - see comments section for more.]
If this sounds like a repeat of this story (and post), it’s not
While not precisely linked to the recently-ended VANK contest (and the wonderful prizes won by 100 bloggers about Korea), [...]
Best places of Korea awards, as decided on by YOU
There are already plenty of ‘best of…’ sort of lists – often put out by official organizations or government departments. Not too many of them are compiled and awarded by expats, however, so let’s start one up.
Think of your favorite places in Korea – where you’ve gotten off the beaten path, saw some fun sights, [...]
The bill banning racial discrimination heats up
Not too long ago, I wrote about some proposed legislature that would ban racial discrimination in Korea. While fully in favor and supportive of the bill, I wonder just what it is that’s getting the infamous Korean netizens riled up. From the Korea Herald:
Rep. Jun Byung-hun of the main opposition Democratic Party on Sunday posted [...]
K-bloggers and writers of Korea, unite!
If you are a fellow K-blogger or writer about Korea, a number of the biggest K-bloggers are inviting you to a new community for K-bloggers and writers. Any and all welcome, whether you started your first blog last week or are still tinkering with the finer points of Wordpress. Check out the Facebook group as [...]
Korean government issues new swine flu rules
Earlier today, the Korean government issued a number of new directives aimed at making people aware of the swine flu. Despite many recent stories in the Korean media about the swine flu outbreak, some people are apparently still unaware of what to do. Now translated into English, the first few regulations for Koreans have been [...]
September events calendar – concerts, festivals, body painting, dancing, etc.
Credit and hat tips go to Korea4expats and 10 Magazine for compiling the excellent events you’re about to see.
There will be plenty to see and do in the month of September – and no excuses about the weather being as hot as it was! All events are in Seoul unless otherwise mentioned.
4th-5th – Oktoberfest [...]
“Seoul to Vaccinate 10 Mil. Against Influenza A”
So says the Korea Times:
South Korea plans to vaccinate 10 million people against influenza A by the end of this year to stem the rapid spread of the disease that has so far claimed three lives in the country.
Health and Welfare Minister Jeon Jae-hee said of the 13.3 million people, including young children and pregnant [...]
