The 11th Korea Queer Cultural Festival was an excellent chance to socialize and join forces with the GLBT population in Korea. While not only for the GLBT community, the event attempted to give some mainstream attention to an otherwise fringe minority. To that end, a number of organizations came together to promote their mutual interests.

Held in the same location as last year’s event – along Cheonggyecheon stream in downtown Seoul – the area offered plenty of room for booths giving away information or selling paraphernalia.

The stage, however, was the main attraction for most people. A group of Korean drummers took the stage during one less rainy session – a nice sound, and a reminder that musical talent isn’t limited by one’s sexuality.

This gal could rock. She fronted the hard-rock quartet that played twice – once earlier in the afternoon, and again shortly before the parade. It’s not too often you hear female singers scream – but she did them well.

A singing and dancing number – cute, but the crowd had their attention on trying to stay dry amidst the rain. Quite a few people made their way inside a nearby building (not pictured) to lounge, pick up a raincoat, or just drink some beer.

The rain was a downer, but the show went on. With few one notable exception, most of the speeches were done in Korean; the sizable foreigner crowd ended up tuning much of it out.

As it was last year, the parade was the highlight. Going down the street next to Cheonggyecheon and making a U-turn around the ubiquitous spiral was long enough to attract quite a few eyeballs towards the festivities.

Easily the highlight of the parade – dancing to everything from ‘Lady Marmalade’ to a number of other classics, these two kept the crowd following them the whole time.

Once back at Berlin Plaza, a few more song and dance acts – nothing like seeing boys in cheerleading skirts dance to K-pop numbers.

There’s something to be said in taking pride in one’s self, whether you live a mainstream life or anything but. Indeed, the main message conveyed was that of pride – but what are you taking pride in? One’s personal choice of lifestyle? I remain surprised that the message chosen was not one meant to further acceptance or limit discrimination. To be fair, the annual event may be viewed as a ‘coming together’ of many organizations focused on the same general goal; the theme of ‘pride’ may be the one that best focuses the myriad groups.

For more information about the GLBT community in Korea, see the KQCF’s English language page for links and sponsors.

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© Chris Backe – 2010

The 2010 Time to Rock Festival offered music-lovers more metal and rock than the city has heard in a long time. The same location as the recent World DJ Festival, the Nanji Han River Camping area was again filled with thousands of people ready to get their rock on. There were several noticeable differences in the crowd, however – the bill was filled with Korean bands, and there were far fewer foreigners present than at the DJ Festival. I couldn’t tell you whether those two are correlated or not, but Korean and foreigner alike had a tough time understanding vocals.

Two stages offered differing styles of music – where the main (Nokia) stage offered up the louder or metal bands, the tent (Jager) stage offered up more of a pop sound.

Daybreak – the band’s bassist, at least.

Daybreak’s lead singer.

Since most of the bands were Korean (and all the announcements I heard were in Korean), it’s a little difficult to follow which band was on which stage. I’m pretty sure this was 내귀에 도청장치.

While raucous, the crowd was pretty well-contained – not pictured is the lone security guy in the middle of it all.

Loudness – the bassist and lead singer, respectively. They were probably the loudest (and most well received) band we saw all night.

The crowd, while significantly smaller than the DJ Festival, still numbered in the thousands – and kept rocking long after the sun went down. I had no complaints about the festival – well-organized, plenty of food and drink, plenty of good company with the Groove editors (those pictures will not be published to protect people’s reputations and good names… LOL), and of course plenty of music.

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Disclosure: Chris in South Korea received two free passes to the event from the Groove Magazine.

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© Chris Backe – 2010

Held in one of the larger exhibition halls at COEX from June 3rd – 6th, at least a hundred different booths hailed from all corners of South Korea and the world. Roughly split into halves, the Korean half and the ‘rest-of-the-world’ half got roughly the same amount of traffic. The booths along the hall’s walls served media, publications, and more than a few sales booths quite nicely.

One of the first things you’re likely to see after walking in – a nice reminder about the Formula 1 race to be held in Korea later this year.

A long line waiting to play a game – Korean Air was promoting the types of planes it uses. You won’t see that international presence until you get away from the entrance, though – the Korean Air exhibit monopolized the entryway. A display showed the airline’s luxurious new seating, complete with lay-down seats and surprisingly large TV’s.

A fairly typical display – dozens of brochures, a large-screen TV showing a two-minute loop of the virtues of the land or the people, and a friendly employee who spoke limited English. In some cases the English brochures were on the table for foreigners to grab; other booths kept them stocked underneath. Why? Either they’re bigger, or there just wasn’t the demand for them – the Lady in Red and I only saw a few foreigners visiting the exhibition. More than a few were part of the show or the exhibition, though.

A decent display for Andong. We’ve been there recently for a day – a nice place to meander or take a tour.

Another provincial display – plenty of makgeolli (fermented rice wine) to try or buy.

While not as interesting to the adults, a few kids and college students took the opportunity to dress up in someone else’s clothing. A map in the back showed a list of countries that were supposedly represented – some of the clothes must have been in boxes, as there’s no way there were 100 countries’ clothes here.

Getting into the ‘World’ half of the fun – no nationality was specifically mentioned on the outside, or anywhere in the booth that I saw. Plenty of colorful jewelry and clothing could help you forget to ask, however.

One of the largest displays – China’s tourist display likely rivals what’s happening at the Shanghai Fair. A little disappointing that they were only catering to the Korean audience – I saw nothing in English.

The 2nd largest display – Japan. A bit more eye candy, although we were carrying full bags of information by this point.

Some puppets from Bangkok, Thailand – I’d love to see these things in action.

A number of acts and presentations filled the main stage – this one featured some Filipino dancers and musicians. Both the Lady in Red and I thought it was South American until we saw the cell phone danglies they were handing out.

The Turkish ice cream guy in the corner had a brisk business of tormenting kids – flipping the cone around, just out of reach, then ultimately pulling the ice cream out of the cone. You’ll occasionally see other vendors around Seoul, but this guy had the routine down pat.

An entertaining ‘pedal-powered’ display. Pedal and be taken through the world of Samcheok on the east coast. Hey, we’ve been there as well

That every city, county, and country represented offered brochures, maps, and booklets on themselves was wonderful – and a shame that only a handful of foreigners appeared to be visiting. Quite a few people came from around the world in support of their country’s booths, although few were milling around to enjoy the sights and sounds. One notable absence: the United States. Either the country opted not to send their representatives, or Korea isn’t a lucrative enough market for Korean tourists going to the U.S. – read into that what you will, but I’ll be going through the 7-8 pounds of tourist materials I picked up along the way.

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© Chris Backe – 2010

worth at least 25,000 won. One vote per person, please

So the Seoul Photo Club recently had a photo contest held at 심학산 (Simhaksan) in Paju – the idea being that all contestants take photos on the same day, at the same place, then submit prints from what they take. While not an active member on the Flickr page, I was interested by the prizes – first prize being a Nikon D90 and membership to the Korea Professional Photograph Association, second prize being a Sigma DP2, along with some other prizes related to cameras.

Off we went to the site – there was supposed to be some sort of flower festival here, but it was apparently canceled… In any case, the dozens of photographers – carrying everything from four different DSLR’s to a point-and-shoot to some more exotic cameras that have aged well.

For what it’s worth, all of the following shots were shot with a Nikon D70 – most with a fairly standard 18-55mm lens or a 70-210mm telephoto lens. Some rocked a polarizing filter (great for reducing glare), while some shots have had minor editing (brightness, contrast, etc.).

Photo #1: Purple flowers

Photo #2: Red flower

Photo #3: Blue flower with bee

Photo #4: young girl

Photo #5: Yellow flower and bee

Photo #6: Grandpa and girl

Photo #7: water

Photo #8: cracked ground

Photo #9: Dragonfly #1

Photo #10: Red leaves

Photo #11: Dragonfly #2

Photo #13: The view from the top

Photo #14: Red leaves #2

Photo #15: Grimacing statue

Photo #16: After 30 years…

Photo #17: Buddha

Photo #18: Miscellany

Photo #19: Between a rock and a TV

The contest was lots of fun – HOT with plenty of harsh light, but more than enough things to shoot for those willing to get away from the flowers. The boxed lunch and plentiful snacks / water were more than enough to keep the dozens of photographers shooting until the last minute.

Readers: time to vote! Vote for up to three of your favorites – all VOTERS will be automatically entered to win a prize worth at least 25,000 won.

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© Chris Backe – 2010

Just across the Seoul border rest some once-royal dead people. UNESCO certified as being significant to world culture, these western (서, or seo) five (오, or o) tombs (릉, reung or neung) are the original remains of Joseon-dynasty royalty. At over 1,600,000 square meters, there’s plenty of room to meander and enjoy the area – and these days there’s more than five tombs to see.

As elsewhere in Korea, these tourist-friendly tombs are proud of their recently awarded UNESCO status. Brochures have been changed, a stone monument has been added near the entrance, and some signs have been upgraded or updated. While all the tombs have English signage telling a little about the person, the tour guide is the person with more information. There’s plenty of intrigue and drama that makes for so many Korean TV shows set centuries ago.

The first tomb you’ll see is Sugyeongwon – permanent home to Lady Yi, the concubine to King Yeongjo. Originally buried in Seodaemun-gu in Seoul, her tomb was moved here in 1968.

The path to see all five tombs clocks in at about 2.1 kilometers, although two additional walking trails through the relatively unspoiled area exist as well. One is just over a kilometer, while the other is just under two kilometers. Both are closed loops that rejoin other trails, so you won’t accidentally stumble into the next city over.

The tomb of Ingneung holds a Queen of the same name, and was the first queen of King Sukjong. At the tender age of 10 she became a Crown Princess; at 13 she became a Queen. Royalty apparently wasn’t for her, as she died at 19 years old in Gyeonghuigung.

Sunchangwon holds a pair of royalty – Crown Prince Sunhoe (who died at 12 and never held the throne) and his wife, Lady Yun. As compared to those tombs of actual kings and queens, they are understandably small – but as they were royalty, are accorded a much higher status than the peasants of the time.

Gyeongneung holds a royal pair on two different sides. Deokjong, the eldest son of King Tejo, and Queen Sohye. Deokjong became a Crown Prince when his father received the throne, and fathered a son that eventually ascended the throne. That son, Seongjong, gave his father the posthumous title of Deokjong and his mother the posthumous title of Queen Sohye. After his death in 1457, Deokjong’s tomb was the first buried in this area.

Daebinmyo holds an intriguing story of royal backstabbing. Jang Soui (?-1701) started off as a concubine to King Sukjong. Sukjong’s Queen Inhyeon failed to produce a son (like it’s her fault), so this lady-in-waiting helped him out. In 1688, Prince Yun was born. After Yun was made a Crown Prince, Jang Soui received a promotion to Royal Concubine. King Sukjong went so far as to remove Queen Inhyeon from her position, electing to make Jang Soui his Queen. Later on, he regretted this move, and poisoned Jang to kill her. Nothing says ‘I love you, come back’ like poisoning the competition. The tomb was moved here from the city of Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do in June of 1969.

Hongneung is the tomb of Queen Jeongseong. Unlike other queens, she didn’t become a queen in her teenage years – rather, the ripe age of 32 years old, when King Yeongjo ascended to the throne. After being a diligent and humble queen for 34 years, she passed away childless in Changdeokgung. The king actually saved a space of real estate right next to her, but the politics changed against him. King Yeongjo is currently buried with his second queen in Dongguneung, another cluster of tombs east of Seoul.

Changneung holds one of the older royal couples. King Yejong became Crown Prince at seven years old, but had to wait until he was 18 to become King. After being King for 13 months, he passed away. Queen Ansun, however, lived on for three more decades as a queen, passing away in 1498.

While the Joseon Dynasty tombs are very similar-looking, the stories of the royalty buried inside are what draws people to them. Bring a picnic if you want to enjoy the pleasant area, and allow at least two hours for a good visit; more if you pack a picnic. Wear good walking shoes – the walk is not hard or strenuous, but this is not the place to break in new shoes.

Directions to Seooreung: take line 3 of the Seoul subway system to the Nokbeon station. Take exit 4 to street level, then walk to the SECOND bus stop and transfer to 702A or 9701. 702B will NOT get you there. Get off at the Seooreung stop (서오릉입구 - Seooreung ipgu, or entrance). Take the first right and walk about 100 meters, passing several restaurants along the way. Bear right, then look up for the wall and signs. 1,000 won admission. Open 6am-6:30pm March-October, 6:30am-5:30pm November-February (last ticket sales one hour before closing time).

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© Chris Backe – 2010

Also called the HBC Fest, the Haebangchon Festival is a treat for eyes and ears, but mostly the ears. Featuring dozens of acts by foreigners living in Korea (and a few international acts), few events can bring so many foreigners together in one place – which might be a good thing for the sake of traffic. Blocking off traffic wasn’t an option, as the road leading uphill goes to the Seoul Tower and plenty of homes.

The Sejong Boys, featured at the New Phillies (AKA Phillies Downstairs).

The Guitar Hero contest over at Orange Tree – started a bit late, but still an interesting watch.

After meandering up the hill for some Korean grub, we headed back down to Haebangchon for some more music:

The only act featuring a fiddle (that I saw) – Luke Michielsen, over at Jacoby’s.

Haebangchon featured tight quarters all the way around – venues built for dozens tried to hold hundreds, while streets desperately needing sidewalks held plenty of foreigners while cars crept past an arm’s length away. The main attraction almost seemed to be the crowd itself. Where neighborhoods like Itaewon are where the majority of foreigners party, Haebangchon is where quite a few of them live.

Speaking of Itaewon, the Lady in Red and I headed there to end our evening:

The 10 Magazine Video Contest has begun – some are quite professionally done, while others are… a little more amateurish. From silly and corny to quiet and beautiful, there’s a wide range of ways to promote Korean tourism. Go here to vote for up to three of your favorites, and vote a second time for your favorite of the three on the page. Voting is open to anyone across the world with an internet connection, and it’s the readers who decide the final 10.

Fellow blogger Brian Dye (from Kiss my Kimchi!) submitted an entry, while Charles and Liz from the Seoul Suburban blog also put together a cool entry, though I didn’t see any other familiar bloggers. Bloggers are a busy bunch – getting married, running national organizations, finishing academic papers, and so on.

Anyway, you’ll find my humble entry below (embedded via YouTube – if it doesn’t work try this URL or this direct link):

© Chris Backe – 2010

That’s right!

We’re nearing episode #100, and we want to celebrate it with our listeners. So mark your calendars for June 19th and meet us at the rooftop of Roofers in Itaewon for alive show with a live audience (you, really).

In order to entice you there, the kind folks at Roofers have set up a deal where you can get a burger and beer for W10,000.

Stay tuned here and on our Facebook and Twitter pages for details as they arise.

Whether you’re a seasoned bettor or just coming out to watch, Seoul Racecourse Park has a little bit of something for everyone. The park itself focuses on the racecourse, but the infield offers enough room for things that have nothing to do with horses. Even with a race going on around you, you’re not likely to see much of it because of everything else around.

The history of Korean horse racing clubs dates back to 1922, when the Chosun racing club was first established. The Sinseol-dong racecourse (where the Seoul Folk Flea Market currently resides) was moved to the Ttukseom area in 1954. When Seoul was awarded the 1988 Summer Olypmics, a new site needed to be constructed for the games; after the Olympics, the Korean Racing Authority began work to make it into a racecourse. A Jeju racecourse opened in 1991, and one in Busan opened in 2005. While these other two venues haven’t appeared on my radar, I may have to check them out next time I’m in the area.

If you’re looking for some betting action:

Step 1: Get into the park – An 800 won admission fee gets you into the park, the grandstand, and the rest of the grounds. There’s plenty to see whether you’re interested in the racing or not.

For most people looking to wager some money, this is the place to start – although you’ll already have seen a few screens like these:

Those are odds you’re looking at – if it looks like Greek, I feel your pain. Surely basic bets don’t require a Master’s in Statistics, right? It should be noted that odds are not shown as “5:2″ or “10:3″. This is Korea, home of precisely followed schedules and computers. All bets assume a bet of 1 – thus what you might know as “5 to 2″ is simply reduced to 2.5; “10 to 3″ is reduced to 3.3. The screens cycle through several types of odds – the ones above show Quinella odds for two given races at two different racetracks. In the upper-right-hand corner, 10 경주 means it’s the 10th race of the day, while 31 분전 means there are 31 minutes until betting closes. The race starts just after that.

Step 2: Head up to the fourth floor. That’s where you’ll find a lounge that’s open to foreigners. While it’s no longer just for foreigners, it’s a comfortable room with a nice view. Ask for a racing guide from the staff. You can receive an English-language printout of the horses racing that day (above) and an English-language brochure explaining how to bet. While it’s a fraction of the information available to locals, it’ll be more than enough for you statisticians to crunch. Between these stats and the ever-changing odds, there’s almost too much to keep track of. Just remember, the horses don’t know the odds.

The older male demographic is well-represented in the stands. While a few older women were around placing bets, younger people were few and far between.

Step 3: Obtain a betting slip – boxes of them are affixed to every pillar and wall at eye level. Get a couple just in case you change your mind, or want to bet on more than one race.

Step 4: Fill it out – here’s the trickiest part. It’s a ‘bubble-in’ sort of grid not unlike a standardized test, and will be read by a computer as such. The first row of boxes asks for the location – it’ll always be Seoul, unless you manage to find your way to the Busan or Jeju tracks. The second section indicates the type of bet – to win, to place (1st thru 3rd on races with more than 8 horses), or a number of more exotic bets like Quinella, Exacta, or Trio. From there, bubble in the horse or horses you’re betting on (more than one bet per slip is possible). Finally, choose a betting amount – from 100 won to 100,000 won per bet.

Don’t forget to actually watch the race – it’s kind of exciting.

Step 5: Make your bet. On the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd floors there are plenty of humans to take your money and betting slip. On the 4th floor the humans are around to give you a voucher. This is how the machine knows how much money you’re betting. Go to a window staffed by a human and hand over some money. Either way you’ll receive a white receipt showing your bet.

Step 5a (if using a machine): Insert your money voucher (arrows first), then insert your betting slip (arrows first). Note that the amounts on the two slips have to match – if your voucher is for 10,000 won and you’re only making a 5,000 won bet it’ll report an error. The machine reads the papers, then shows a confirmation of your bet. Hit the green button to receive your bet receipt, then head back to your seat.

And it’s number 6 by a neck!

Step 6: Win. Celebrate. If you lose, go back to step 3 and try again – you’ll have time before the next race.

Step 7: Collect your winnings – head back to the window with a human and present your winning ticket(s). After the tickets are scanned the cashier will pay you (the odds are frozen just before the race begins).

While it’s a worthwhile day, you have to choose between paying enough attention to bet and seeing the park. There’s enough park to see that it could easily take up your whole day, while getting the hang of placing a bet can take a couple tries. If you show up early enough (first race is usually around 11:00-11:30am), you can get in a few races and see the park in one day. Not counting any night races, you’ll be leaving the area around 7pm with plenty of time to get some dinner or go elsewhere. Check out the park if you’re on a date; check out the horses if by yourself.

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Directions to Seoul Racecourse Park: Take line 4 of the Seoul subway system to the Seoul Racecourse Park station. Take exits 1, 2, 3, or 4 to street level. It’s essentially the only thing around, so follow the crowd. Admission: 800 won; first race is usually around 11am and last race is usually around 6pm. Races are on Saturdays and Sundays only. The infield closes after the last race, so enjoy the park during the afternoon before the races end. July and August offers some night racing; for more information, check out a blog about Horse Racing in Korea.

© Chris Backe – 2010

As promised, the Lotus Lantern Festival Parade – part one of the festival is here if you missed it. The Lady in Red and I found some seats on an underground market entrance; unless you’re in the front row you’ll need to be above the standing crowd.

The first thing to be aware of is the enormity of the crowd – you’re competing not only with locals, but with the sizable foreigner crowd as well. The second thing to be aware of is the huge number of parade walkers – although the most interesting exhibits are often the lanterns, watching legions of monks, nuns, and so on reminds you of how large this parade really is.

Buddha on a throne.

More than a few white elephants made an appearance, courtesy of different temples. In case you weren’t a Buddhist Studies major, a white elephant is a symbol of mental strength and have the power to produce rain. See this academic work for plenty more.

FIRE! From a peacock?

Shiny.

Here there be dragons! From one Buddhist website:

Dragons are shape shifters, able to transform at will, from as small as the silkworm to a giant that fills the entire sky. Dragons are depicted in one of two colors, green or brown. The green, or azure dragon of Buddhism ascends into the sky at the spring equinox; it represents the light’s increasing power in springtime and the easterly direction of the sunrise. The brown dragon is the autumn equinox, when it descends into a deep pool, encasing itself in mud until the next spring, but its spirit is still with the practitioner bringing wealth and health. The pearls, or jewels clutched in the claws of the dragon represent wisdom and health. The dragon can control the weather by squeezing the jewels to produce dew, rain or even downpours when clutched tightly. The dragon is the vehicle of Vairochana, the white Buddha of the center or the east.

Nothing like cartoon characters and the baby Buddha on the same float.

It takes quite a few people to pull some floats. Note the graceful dancer on the lotus flower.

It’s kind of a shame that the ‘big belly Buddha’ is one of those images a lot of people get when they think of the Buddha.

After an hour and a half of lanterns and endless thousands of people walking down the street, the parade ended and the closing ceremony began. That was our cue to head for the subway. Along the way, we ran into Roboseyo and ZenKimchi, who were also enjoying the parade elsewhere along the route. We meandered down towards Tapgol Park, where a number of lanterns lit up the darkened park:

My dear readers, this parade is highly recommended as one of the few events Seoul puts on that’s worth attending year after year. The afternoon festival is nice, if increasingly touristy, but the parade continues to shine.

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© Chris Backe – 2010