Tag: korea

Categories
Travel

Trip to Haedong Yonggung Temple in Busan!

Haedong Yonggungsa is a majestic Buddha temple located in Gijang-gun, Busan. Its name, Haedong Yonggungsa [ํ•ด๋™ ์šฉ๊ถ์‚ฌ] translates to Korean Dragon Palace Temple and is well known for its architecture which lines by the coast of Busan whereby visitors can have a relaxing trip here.

How To Get There?

Check out the location of the Yonggungsa Temple below.

86 Yonggung-gil, Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan, South Korea

On your way to Yonggungsa, you can find this sign by the road.

ยฉmydaehan.wordpress.com via Yuko Adames

Upon arriving, you can find local hawkers selling Korean snacks such as tteokbokki, eomuk. One of the must try snack in Busan is Ssiat Hotteok [์”จ์•—ํ˜ธ๋–ก] which is similar to the normal hotteok, but it has various types of seeds filling in it!

ยฉmydaehan.wordpress.com via Yuko Adames

After passing through, you will see these beautifully-carved statues of the 12 Korean zodiacs which are also called the 12 Animal Gods. Each sign is named after an animal; Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

The root of the animal zodiac is said to be based on a legend.
Just 12 animals turned up when Buddha invited all of the world’s animals to meet him. Then, in their honour, he named the year after them, in the order in which they arrived. And each year was symbolised by 12 animals.

ยฉmydaehan.wordpress.com via Yuko Adames

Below is the zodiac dragon’s statue ๐Ÿ‰. It is called yongtti [์šฉ๋ ] in Korean.

ยฉmydaehan.wordpress.com via Yuko Adames

At the end of the zodiac statues, you will also find Buddha’s statue.

ยฉmydaehan.wordpress.com via Yuko Adames

After passing by the 12 zodiac statues, you will see this seven story stone pagoda with the tire shrine at its base. It is said that locals come and pray here to avoid accidents.

Shrine in front of the seven tier stone pagoda. After going through here, you will head downstairs to the main temple by climbing down exactly 108 stairs that symbolizes 108 delusion of minds in Buddhism.

ยฉmydaehan.wordpress.com via Yuko Adames
ยฉmydaehan.wordpress.com via Yuko Adames

Beautiful fountains and Buddha and other statues surrounding the little pond.

ยฉmydaehan.wordpress.com via Yuko Adames
ยฉmydaehan.wordpress.com via Yuko Adames

At the end of the trail, of course you will arrive at the picturesque bridge to facing to the breath taking view of the East Sea.

ยฉmydaehan.wordpress.com via Yuko Adames

Would you go on a relaxing trip to Yonggungsa after this pandemic? ๐Ÿ˜

Categories
Do you know? Events K-info

Celebrating Teacher’s Day in Korea

Teachers day is dedicated to appreciate our dear ์„ ์ƒ๋‹˜ who has poured their effort and time to provide us knowledge throughout our schooling phase in life. They certainly played a huge role in our lives and deserves all our respect besides our parents. Like the saying goes, “The influence of teachers extends beyond the classroom, well into the future.”

History of Teachers Day Celebration in Korea

Contrary to the World Teachers’ Day is celebrated on October 5 each year, Korea celebrates its own Teacher’s Day or called ์Šค์Šน์˜ ๋‚  (Seseungwi nal) in mid-May annually. The modern version of this holiday began in 1963, when a group of Red Cross youth paid a visit to a sick teacher in the hospital. In 1965, the holiday was rescheduled to coincide with King Sejong the Great’s birthday (1397-1450) which falls on 5th of May.

Similar to Parents Day, students gives carnations to their teachers. What’s more specific, single red carnations are presented to teachers as a symbol of admiration. Former students takes he opportunity to visit their alma mater and gives carnations to their favorite teachers.

Carnations made by our author, @haslinarameli
red carnations by @chaytessari on unsplash

Teachers are highly appreciated in Korea that the Ministry of Education also issues a merit award to one outstanding teacher from across the nation which is evaluated based on their teaching methods, impact on their students and their overall influence to the society.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr

K-Dramas to watch this Teachers Day!

Our life is definitely incomplete without a hint of spice from K-Dramas right? Time to add some recommendations in the list!

Dream High

Extracurricular

School 2013

Heartstring

Weighlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo

Categories
Do you know? K-foods K-info

Do You Know? | Why Do Koreans Love Ginseng? Is Ginseng that good?

Have you ever watched K-drama and seeing the actors or actress sucking on those little sachet things? Well, I bet you have ๐Ÿ˜Š

For those of you who are wondering what ‘Ginseng’ is, don’t worry! I’ll tell you guys that those things are Korean Ginseng Extract.

Ginseng is a plant and one of the most prevalent herbal medicine as it has been used for centuries. There are numerous types of this plant, yet American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) and Asian ginseng (Panax ginseng) are the most popular. The chemical components found on this herb such as Ginsenosides and gintonin are accountable for the clinical effect.

The study states that Ginsenosides as the main active substance in Ginseng is more abundantly found in Red Ginseng. Panaxydol, panaxynol, and panaxytriol, which are also found in Red Ginseng act as an anti-cancer.

The taste of Ginseng extract is indeed strong. You will like it if you are used to consuming herbal medicine. Yet for those of you who do not like such bitter taste, it’s better to mix it with a glass of warm water.

According to medical expert Dr. Jusuf Kristianto (MM, MHA, MQIH. PhD), “red ginseng from Korea is not only good for anti-cancer, but also can improve brain function, increase body metabolism, maintain healthy skin, increase energy and stamina (including for people with AIDS), and very good for detoxification.”

Seems appealing, right?๐Ÿ˜ No wonder ginseng is a Korean favorite. Even great chef of Malaysia, Chef Wan like drinking this for his health!

Anyways, since there are various Ginseng brands in the world, I’ll give you guys three recommendation. Check these out!

Disclaimer: Products recommended below is only for suggestion purpose. We do not receive any sponsors from the products. Please evaluate the product to own preferences before purchase.

Cheong Kwan Jang | Korean Red Ginseng Extract Tonic Everytime Immunity Boosting

Cheong Kwan Jang is one of the recognized brand among local Koreans with authentic Korean red ginseng products reliable and safe to consume! Many Koreans buy Cheong Kwan Jang Red Ginseng products as gifts and immune boosting purposes. The Korean Red Ginseng Extract Tonic Everytime Immunity Boosting comes in five main effects: Boost Immunity / Fight Fatigue / Anti-aging / Improve Memory / Support Blood Circulation!

CLICK FOR THE PRODUCT (SHOPEE)

Authentic Korean Red Panax Ginseng – 10% Ginsenosides

Authentic Korean Red Panax Ginseng – 10% Ginsenosides 

Need to conquer the world? take one tablet each morning, and you will possess enough energy to do all day activities. Go get yours!

CLICK FOR THE PRODUCT

GreeNatr Panax Ginseng + Ginkgo Biloba Tablets

GreeNatr Panax Ginseng + Ginkgo Biloba Tablets

Want to improve your brain function? try this ginseng product! Its ingredients combination of Ginseng with Ginkgo-Biloba help you maintain your mental function.

CLICK FOR THE PRODUCT

While there are numerous benefits of Ginseng, still you should be wary of side effects, and remember not to take excessive consumption.

Let’s give it a try! and see what Korean Red Ginseng can do to your body!

Check out me!
I’m Rita from ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ

Online Supporters | KOREAN EMBASSY IN KL 2021

Follow in IG: @ritagustn

Categories
K-community K-info

BLIMEY joins Korean Embassy KL’s 2021 Online Supporters Orientation

Online Supporters that were invited to Korean Embassy during the presentation session with BLIMEY(on the screen) *photo credits to Ms Yasmin Ramlan, Secretary in Political and Cultural Affairs, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Malaysia*

2021 Online Supporters program which is held by Korean Embassy in Malaysia has successfully kick-started today as all the Online Supporters gathered this afternoon through a Google meet session for a Orientation program in order to enlighten their roles and responsibilities as well as the upcoming events related to Korea in Malaysia in 2021.

2021 Online Supporters of Korean Embassy in Malaysia *photo credits to Ms Yasmin Ramlan, Secretary in Political and Cultural Affairs, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Malaysia *

BLIMEY shared their enthusiasm to collaborate with Korean Embassy in Malaysia to further promote Korea in Malaysia throughout their channels. Jade also told that they are really looking forward to visit Malaysia soon to do some contents~ Online Supporters were also intrigued and excited with BLIMEY’s presence during the orientation, all were busy taking videos and photos when BLIMEY was talking ใ…‹ใ…‹ใ…‹

BLIMEY pose for a pic ^_^ *photo credits to Online Supporter – Devitra Ramachandran*

Online Supporters who were invited to the Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur also shared some photos of how the event went live from there.

A random round-table photo of the Online Supporters and the Korean Embassy Authorities *photo credits to Online Supporter – Hanim Kamarrudin*
Ambassador of Republic of Korea to Malaysia, HE Lee Chi Beom (right) giving his opening remarks for the Orientation session *photo credits to Online Supporter – Hanim Kamarrudin*

Top 5 Online Supporters shared their slides and presented on their experiences attending Korean events in Malaysia and tips on how to create contents. Content plagiarism is strictly prohibited and any usage of external parties photos should be rightfully credited to the owner. 5 newly appointed Online Supporters also were given the opportunity to talk about their background and future plans.

1st place winner, Ms Zuraidah Ahmad Akhir presents about her Online Supporter journey since 2019 *photo credits to Online Supporter – Hanim Kamarrudin*
Mr. Nah Sejoo (middle), Second Secretary, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Malaysia with Ms Yasmin Ramlan (left), Secretary in Political and Cultural Affairs, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Malaysia as well as Online Supporter, Hazlam Anuar (right) *photo credits to Online Supporter – Marina Ahmad Akhir*

For your information, Online Supporters is a program that unites Korean enthusiasts through various aspects such as culture, food, K-POP, K-drama, history and many more! Selection is done every year and be sure to follow all Korean Embassy’s channels as below for more info on Korean events in Malaysia.

MYDAEHAN will also be actively sharing on updates of Korean news and events in Malaysia through our social media channels below!

Categories
Travel

Top Instagram worthy spots that you must have in your feed at #Seoul

Seoul is the city of fusion between the modern civilization and the ancient culture of Korea. In the midst of skyscrapers and concrete building, the great city also charms netizens with well-preserved architectures built back in centuries ago and the beautiful cultural heritage to experience.

Seoul, the capital city has been the center of culture exchange and tourism in the country since the K-wave trend hits the globe. It is not surprising to notice many friends and families in your social circle have visited Seoul as their holiday trip and uploaded dozens of photos with beautiful sceneries. In this post, I will share some Instagram-worthy spots in Seoul for you to visit and check in so you could show off to your friends too!

Gyeong-bok-gung Palace

Gyeong-bok-gung Palace brings you back during the ancient Joseon dynasty without a time machine. Gyeong-bok-gong was the main royal palace back in the 1400s, located at the northern Seoul. You can rent to wear a hanbok (traditional Korean wear) and stroll around the palace, taking beautiful pictures just like you’re in an ancient drama setting.

Go to gyeong-bok-gung
https://www.instagram.com/p/CK0p-YAgGdC/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWpy_OpBvad/

Hangang River

The Hangang (refers to the Han River) is the backbone of the Seoul city. There are many recreation parks built along the riverbank, making them perfect spots to view the Seoul skyline either during the day time or night. The Han river is even stunning when approaching sunset, as you can see view the silhouette of the city with the purplish cotton candy as background.

Go to han river
https://www.instagram.com/p/CMMCTMYHIrf/

Dongdaemum Design Plaza (DDP)

DDP is the one of the most iconic modern architecture located at the fashion district Dong-dae-mun. This architecture holds fashion events, art exhibitions, galleries, forums and other local and global events. It is also the location of Seoul Fashion Week and houses for many wonderful art exhibitions that definitely brings you the futuristic elements into your Instagram feed.

go to ddp

There are actually much more Instagrammable spots in Seoul! Let’s share you more of it next time. ๐Ÿ™‚

Categories
Entertainment Travel

Top 5 K-Drama Locations to Travel To

Like many others, author has indulged herself in the many wonders of the K-drama world when introduced to the Korean culture. So when planning an itinerary, how can we miss out on the famous K-drama filming spots, so we can relive the romance and fantasy that we have watched on-screen?

Here are some of the top K-drama travel spots that author is aiming for!

  1. Winter Sonata โ€“ Nami Island

This may reveal the age of author *coughs coughs*, but Winter Sonata was one of the first K-dramas that author has watched. The romantic love story between Yu Jin and Jun Sang have stolen the hearts of many, with Winter Sonata being one of the most popular Korean dramas to have aired. Hence with the popularity of the K-drama, many have sought the iconic filming spot: Nami Island!

Located near Seoul, it is a very beautiful island, with its beautiful tree lanes being the most popular background for photoshoots, and suitable in all seasons!

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter… which is your favorite season?

Many even claim the drama made Nami Island a popular tourist spot. Did you guys know that thereโ€™s even a statue of Yu Jun and Jun Sang on the island?!

Winter Sonata statues at Nami Island

2. Descendants of the Sun โ€“ Wolmido Island Theme Park

Wolmi island Theme Park in Descendants of the Sun
Just looking at Song Joong Ki makes my day *contented sigh*

Found on Wolmido Island near Incheon, the Wolmi Theme park is featured in the infamous Descendant on The Sun’s first episode, where soldier-brothers Yoo Si Jin and Choi Dae Young are spending their time off trying to win themselves โ€œgirlfriendsโ€ – making up the showโ€™s famous stuff toys.

Descendants Of The Sun Wolf Fox And Rabbit Soft Toys
Not to make you guys jealous, but author has a set of them – as per size in the drama – at home! โค

Wolmi Theme Park is a popular amusement park complex located on Wolmido Island. It was formerly known as My Land, which first opened in September 1992. The theme park has made appearances in several other variety shows like “We Got Married,” “Two Days and One Night,” “Running Man,” and more!

3. Whatโ€™s Wrong With Secretary Kim โ€“ Everland Amusement Park

If Wolmido Island is not on your itinerary, then you can travel to the Everland Amusement Park in Gyeonggi-do, which is near to Seoul! The theme park appears as โ€˜Yumyung Landโ€™ in Whatโ€™s Wrong With Secretary Kim K-drama, where Kim Mi So and Park Yoo Sik meets in Episode 2 and 11.

There are also many other dramas that have filmed here before, including The Producers, The King 2 Hearts, A Korean Odyssey, and Bride of Habaek!

4. I Can Hear Your Voice โ€“ Coex Aquarium

The first kiss between Jang Hye-sung and Park Soo-ha takes place in episode 8 of I Can Hear Your Voice, and it happened in none other than the Coex Aquarium in Coex Mall. Author just has a personal fascination towards aquariums, where we can see all the sea creatures like dolphins, stingrays, sharks, starfish, and penguins!

Being one of the largest aquariums in South Korea, it boasts of the highest number of sharks and the largest variety of species in the country. And since it is located conveniently in Seoul, you can definitely drop the place a visit if you are nearby!

5. While You Were Sleeping โ€“ Bukchon Hanok Village

The infamous wall painting featured in “While You Were Sleeping”

The best place to really experience Korean culture is by going to Bukchon Hanok Village, which literally means โ€œnorthern villageโ€. Bukchon Hanok Village is a neighborhood full of alleys and Hanok – traditional houses that date back to the Joseon dynasty! Up to this day, there are still preserved Hanok that they use as cultural centers, tea house, accommodation, and restaurants.

Bukchon Hanok Village view in Seoul

It is no wonder that the cultural placed is being used as the filming spot for many of the K-dramas, including Hotel Del Luna, Goblin, and Coffee Prince!

So after seeing these K-drama locations, which ones are you most interested in? Drop a comment below to vote for your favorite K-drama spot! ๐Ÿ˜‰

Categories
Language

Jom Korean with Mawen #4: Hangul ํ•œ๊ธ€ Pt. 4 (ใ„น-, ใ…-, ใ…‚-)

An-nyeong ha-sae-yo, everyone! This has been the 4th post of #JomKoreanwithMawen, have you been enjoying the whole new language learning experience so far? In the past 3 lessons, we have learnt 10 vowels and started with 3 consonants. We are reaching half-way in unlocking all the Hangul alphabets. Just stay strong and we are very close to the success!

Have you downloaded all the worksheets and practiced writing them these few days? Remember this, practice makes perfect! You can go back to the previous lessons to have a recap: part 1, part 2 and part 3.

In this lesson, we are learning three consonants: ใ„น-, ใ…- and ใ…‚-. Watch the video lesson first before making any notes referring to the written materials, especially on the correct pronunciation as the romanization is not always the best representation for the sound.

The first consonant has a more complicated shape, with the combination of (ใ„ฑ), (ใ…ก) and (ใ„ด). It represents a sound that similar like ‘l’ and ‘r’. Most of the Korean terms do not have this sound, therefore you can observe that this consonant is most commonly found in loan words. Loan words are vocabularies that derived from foreign language. However, they will sounds different that the original pronunciation as they are adapted into the Korean reading patterns.

Example

1. (๋ผ)๋ฉด : ra-myeon (instant noodles)
2. (๋กœ)์ผ“ : ro-ket (rocket)
3. (๋ผ)๋””์˜ค : ra-di-o (radio)
4. ํ•˜(๋ฃจ) : ha-ru (radio)

The second one is easy to remember of its shape. It looks just like a rectangle. You can write (l) as your first stroke, followed by (ใ„ฑ) and close the box last. It has a sound of ‘m’ and ‘b’ in English romanization. It’s closer to the ‘m’ sound, if we compare with the next consonant later.

Example

1. (๋งˆ)๋ ˆ์ด์‹œ์•„ : ma-re-i-si-a (Malaysia)
2. (๋จธ)๋ฆฌ : meo-ri (head)
3. ๋งˆ๋งˆ๋ฌด : ma-ma-mu (Mamamoo)
4. ๋ชจ์ž : mo-ja (hat)
K-POP GIRL GROUP MAMAMOO!

The last consonant for this lesson will be sounded similar like ‘b’ and ‘p’ in English. The shape of this character is like a container with a lid, or a tank filled partially with water. But, we need to write it in the correct sequence, from left to right, and top to bottom. We will draw two (ใ…ฃ) strokes, then complete with another two (ใ…ก) across the lines. The sound of this consonant can be confusing, as it is somehow sounds very similar like ‘p’, but mostly close to the ‘b’ in English.

Example

1. (๋ฐ”)์ง€ : ba-ji (pants)
2. ๋ณด๋‹ค : bo-da (to see)
3. ๋ฐ”๋ณด : ba-bo (idiot)
4. ๋น„์‹ธ : bi-ssa (expensive)

Congratulations! You have learnt 10 vowels and 6 consonants so far, you have mastered in total of 16 Hangul alphabets. You are near to master all the alphabets soon. Keep up the pace and more video and written lessons will be up to guide you in learning Korean happily. I stress out one point: practice! practice! practice! Download the worksheet below, print out and practice writing now!

Download Worksheet 4 and start practicing again!Download

Before that let me cheer you all with cute boys for your hard work all these while! #fighting #BTS

Good job! Thank you for the support!
Let’s have some ‘aegyo’ moment before we continue! *heart melting
Awww, I know we have been working so hard, worth to get a KISS!

Learn Korean with me through #JomKoreanwithMawen video series, while enhance your understanding through lesson posts in MyDaehan to give you the best learning experience! You can refer to other video lessons in mastering the consonants better, and I found outย Korean Unnieย in YouTube teach me a lot of tips in differentiating and reading the correct Korean pronunciation!

In next post, we will continue learning consonants, unlocking all 24 cute Korean alphabets by the end of this series!

Tune in every Saturday for new lesson posts and follow our Instagramย @mydaehan2020ย for #JomKoreanwithMawen video lesson series!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_WX6fCHwee/

Author

Melvin Tan

Content Manager (Language)
Online Supporter of Korean Embassy in Malaysia


Bio-science student in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Korean Enthusiasts
Korean learner for 10 years, but still amateur

Instagram: @tanmawen