CoolstuffKorea

Kpop band JYJ starts European tour

2011-10-23T23:09:00.000-07:00

Korean pop band JYJ is coming to Europe. First date of the tour is in Barcelona on 29 October, the second is on November 6th in Berlin.

Their previous tours in Asia and North America have been hugely successful. Junsu, Jejung and Yuchun, former members of TVXQ, formed JYJ in 2010, and in one year they managed to reach the highest positions of the Asian charts with their English-language global debut album "The Beginning", featuring the worldwide famous rapper Kanye West. Their new album was released on September 23rd this year.

For further information, video teasers and pictures, go to: http://www.openmusicinternational.com/eng/

Some of your favourite cool stuff last month

2011-07-30T00:18:00.000-07:00

Photos of the biggest Buddha in South Korea:
http://www.goneseoulsearching.com/2010/10/biggest-buddha-in-korea-part-3-photos.html

Kpop Girls Generation ready to take on the world:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/25/us-korea-girlsgeneration-idUSTRE76O15A20110725

Summer Getaway Ideas:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FU/FU_EN_15.jsp?src=email&kw=000020&ACENO=14&cid=1319765

Incheon Korean Music Wave Festival:
http://www.koreanwavefestival.com/

My Korean days in London:
http://coolstuffkorea.blogspot.com/2011/07/corean-chilli-and-secret-in-room.html
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/media/set/?set=a.254203514595220.83460.100000167191874&type=1

Dijiteol - Kpop event in London:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=225239690847402

Mudfest!
http://www.waegooktravel.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=11947029

Suwon's Hwaseong Fortress:
http://hermithideaways.com/2009/08/15/suwons-hwaseong-fortress/

Nick Brinklow's Taekwondo trip to Korea:
http://coolstuffkorea.blogspot.com/2011/07/guest-blog-from-nick-brinklow-on-his.html

Foreigner Friendly Korea:
http://www.10mag.com/2011/07/from-the-editor-foreigner-friendly-korea/

Aeri's cooking - yummm...
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/media/set/?set=a.137070872973044.26271.100000103963825

With thanks to all the bloggers and friends who shared their information and photos... For more information on travel from the UK to South Korea, please check out the official site:
http://www.gokorea.co.uk/

And for inspiration, you can always check out my book, Meeting Mr Kim - Lonely Planet calls it 'an amusing, easy read with some fresh insights'!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1840246766/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d1_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0JZTF86SK8XA0DKA2QDN&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294

And if you've already read it and liked it, and have a moment to spare, it would be great if you could post a review on Amazon telling people why - the more *good* reviews I get, the more likely it is that Amazon will recommend it... Thanks!

Guest Blog from Nick Brinklow on his Taekwondo Trip to Korea

2011-07-22T10:45:00.000-07:00

Korea Trip 2011

My name is Nick Brinklow and I am the very fortunate winner of the Korea Tourism Organisation/ Sport Taekwondo UK Competition! The prize was a 5 day/ 4 night trip to Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The trip was for 2 people and included a tour of some of the most popular sights in Seoul as well as a Taekwondo seminar with a Korean master!

I am the Chief Instructor of a Manchester based Taekwondo academy, Jeon-sa Taekwondo and I decided to take my friend and fellow black belt, Andy Birds.

We flew from Manchester to Seoul (via Helsinki) on Thursday 29^th April, arriving in Seoul the following morning. As it happens, my brother is an English teacher working at a high school in Seoul. He and his girlfriend, Suri, met myself and Andy at the airport and took us to our hotel, in Itaewon (the Hamilton Hotel). Itaewon is probably the most mutli-cultural area of Seoul, with quite a high number of Westerners living in the area. We had something to eat in Itaewon and then headed over to the more traditional area of Insadong. Insadong is famous for the many stalls and shops specialising in traditional Korean ornaments and gifts.

In the evening we headed to a district called Yeonsinnae, to meet some of my brother’s friends for dinner. We ate at a local Korean BBQ or 'Galbi restaurant', where each table has its own BBQ grill/ plate in the centre and the meat is brought out, along with various side dishes, and cooked in front of you! These kinds of restaurants are very popular in Korea and the food is delicious!! We also indulged in a few soju's, the national Korean drink, which is similar in taste to vodka and often accompanies this kind of meal!!

The next morning (feeling slightly worse for wear, due to the soju!) we were picked up from our hotel by a tour guide and taken on a Seoul City Tour. We saw various monuments and sights, including the Presidential offices of residence, before stopping at the spectacular Gyeongbokgung Palace. Gyeongbokgung is a Royal Palace, first constructed in 1394 and then reconstructed in 1867, it is the largest of the Five Grand Palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty. The palace was nearly destroyed by the Japanese in the early 20^th century but over recent years, has slowly been restored to its original form.

We then went on to visit the nearby National Korean Folk Museum, which has various artefacts and exhibitions depicting traditional Korean life through the ages. After the museum, we headed over to a temple not far away, Jogyesa Temple – again a very spectacular building with some stunning architecture and featuring 3 large golden Buddha statues inside. We arrived a few days before the Lantern fesitival was due to take place and the temple and surrounding areas were lined with thousands of brightly coloured lanterns, in order to mark Buddha's birthday!

On the Monday we visited the Kukkiwon, the World Taekwondo Headquarters – often referred to as the Taekwondo Mecca! The Kukkiwon is home to the World Taekwondo Academy, and is responsible for issuing black belt certification as well as instructor education and the world wide promotion of Taekwondo. We were lucky enough to visit whilst the Seoul City High School Taekwondo Championships took place and were able to watch some fantastic Taekwondo matches!

Tuesday was to be our first Taekwondo training session. We were picked up by our tour guide at 9am and taken to Master Byeong's Hoki Taekwondo gym in Seoul. Master Byeong works closely with the Kukkiwon and also provides various courses for foreigners. Master Byeong put us through our paces during a private 3 hour training session, covering various techniques, includes basic strikes, blocks and kicks as well pad work and self defence techniques. Master Byeong spoke excellent English and was a very approachable and knowledgeable instructor.

Prior to finalising the details of our trip, we decided to extend our visit and get a later return flight home, so when our stay at the Hamilton Hotel was up, we headed over to a guest house we had booked, in an area called Hongdae. Hongdae is very popular area, especially amongst students and party goers, with many bars, restaurants and clubs. The guest house was excellent and the owner, Min, was a great host, very friendly and helpful and always keen to go for a few beers or soju's with his guests!!

We also visited another popular attraction, Seoul N-Tower, a huge observation tower with spectacular 360 views of the entire city. The tower is situated on Namsan mountain in central Seoul, and can be reached via cable car and small hike. Well worth a visit!

Korea is the home of Taekwondo and, it goes without saying, has some of the very best Taekwondo athletes in the world. Many of the high schools and universities specialise in elite level Taekwondo training and have produced numerous World and Olympic Champions. Due to some of my Korean Taekwondo connections, we were able to arrange several training sessions at some of the top high schools and sports universities in South Korea. The training was very hard and of an incredibly high standard, a fantastic experience!!

Also during our stay, we were able to see the famous Kukkiwon Taekwondo Demonstration team in action. The team do weekly demonstrations at Hanok tradional Korean village and produced an amazing display of techniques, including some incredible jumping and flying kicks and spectacular board breaks!

The WTF World Taekwondo Championships were also taking place whilst we were in Korea and we were able to travel down to Gyeongju for the final 2 days of the competition. Again this was a great experience and we got to see a number of World class athletes in action.

Seoul is a very exciting and fascinating city, with bright lights and people everywhere!! It is a mix of old and new. On the one hand there's the Buddhist temples and ancient palaces and on the other the cutting edge technology, skyscrapers and neon-lights!! The fantastic subway system, which must be one of the best in the world, makes it easy to travel around the city and there are many attractions and sights to see. The Korean people are very warm and welcoming and have such an interesting culture.

I think that it is a goal of every serious Taekwondo practitioner to at some point visit Korea. Taekwondo is Korea's national sport, there are Taekwondo Dojang's (gyms) in virtually every neighbourhood and it is a big part of the culture.

At the same time, even if you have no interest in Taekwondo or martial arts, it is a fantastic place and I would recommend anyone to visit South Korea! Thanks again to the Korea Tourism Organisation for this fantastic prize!!

Nick Brinklow

Corean Chilli and the Secret in the Room

2011-07-14T06:55:00.000-07:00

Marinated cucumber and spinach and mushroom and carrot, soft rice cakes in a spicy sauce, a hot bowl of soup with kimchi, vegetables and tofu... Lucy and I loved the food at Corean Chilli in London last week. (And yes, I do know what they're all called in Korean!) Although the outside looks unexciting, stuck at 51 Charing Cross Road among tourist shops and on the edge of Chinatown, immediately we walked in we were salivating at the smell of the food, and the menu was full of all our favourite noodle and rice dishes, and most of the customers seemed to be Korean, a good sign!

The only problem? We were stuck in a rather unappealing concrete corner of a room with terrible acoustics, so in the end we could barely hear our own conversation... But the makkoli helped. Makkoli, if you don't know, is a kind of Korean wine made with rice I believe. You might be confused if you only looked at the bill, which says 'Makkoli (grass)' :-) :-)

Food was delicious and Corean Chilli lived up to its name. But just in case you think us girls only ever go for lunch, my next stop (OK, after a bit of shopping in Covent Garden) was the Korean Cultural Centre to take a look at the latest exhibition:

It's about re-interpreting traditional Korean living spaces, and while it was fairly sparse and not the most exciting exhibition I've seen there, there were a few striking pieces, including this which I thought was fairly spooky, ceramic versions of the fixtures and fittings on traditional doors - but without the doors - which felt rather meaningful somehow...

But funnily enough my favourite thing was a tiny little piece of paper I found pinned to a noticeboard downstairs - and a cultural centre should be about this kind of thing too, so I left feeling happy:

Kimchee, 71 High Holborn, London

2011-07-13T00:50:00.000-07:00

Last week I was in London and delighted to try out a fairly new Korean restaurant, Kimchee on High Holborn. The taxi driver who took us there said he didn't know it was Korean, but he knew the restaurant with its big windows - and that's sort of the point. Apparently Samsung don't advertise the fact they're Korean because it's not going to help their business any, and Kimchee seems to have a similar ethos, in spite of serving authentic Korean food. You walk in and feel like it's an upmarket Wagamama. Nothing scary for people who don't know a thing about Korean food.

There's a spotlessly clean open kitchen and friendly staff: they were smiling, busy, efficient, welcoming. If you particularly want to be served by Koreans, you might be disappointed, but why should you? It's not a little family-run place. If we want to see Korean food go mainstream, this is a good step. Don't alienate people. The customers weren't Korean either.

The front room was more open, canteen-style, while the back room was a bit darker and more intimate. Just up the road from Asadal, this is clearly competing to be the top Korean restaurant for business people who simply want a comfortable environment and interesting food served well. The presentation was beautiful.

My twenjang jjigae, a hot stew filled with good fresh vegetables and a mildly spicy broth, was delicious. There is something so clean and healthy about this kind of Korean food. It is in fact a perfect business lunch, as you go back to work feeling satisfied but not sleepy!
All in all, very impressed. Would certainly go back. Glad to see they are busy.

On the Go Tours offer Jazz in Korea

2011-07-12T01:11:00.000-07:00

‘On the Go Tours’ added South Korea to their product portfolio this year, offering four diverse and fascinating itineraries to really help travellers explore the destination. One of the tours that will appeal to and enthrall music lovers is a visit to the ‘The 8^th Annual Jarasum International Jazz Festival’ in Gapyeong.

Returning for its 8th year in 2011 the Jarasum Jazz Festival has grown in reputation and developed a fine atmosphere with its variety of stages all within a short walk of each other. However, acts are not just limited to jazz but also to musicians from different genres, such as, pop, rock and world music to make it a music fest for all.

The 5-day itinerary explores the capital Seoul before heading down to the festival. Prices start from £597 (not including flights). To book or get further information from the ‘On the Go Tour’ web site click on the link below:

http://www.onthegotours.com/South-Korea

Information:

The Jarasum Jazz Festival is runs from 1st to the 3rd October 2011 (13.00 - 22.30 daily). The exciting line-up for 2011 is...

Jazz Island Main Stage: Freddy Cole Quarter, Tower of Power, Ketil Bjornstad, Kurt Rosenwinkel Standards Trio, Marc Ducret Trio, Eli Degibri Quartet (Israel), Danilo Rea & Flavio Boltro Duo and Eri Vloeimans' Gatecrash

Party Stage: Amsterdam Klezmer Band, Stouxingers, Ladi 6 and Mdungu

Other Stages: Dag Arnesen Trio, Emil Viklicky Trio, Alexandre Cunha's Band, Jungle Boldie, Rover Wang Trio, Duncan Galloway Quintet, Rost, Agog and Trio D'en Bas

- Ends -

For further information please contact:
Mr. Ramy Salameh

Tel: 020 7321 2535

Email: london@gokorea.co.uk

Congratulations Pyeongchang – 2018 Winter Olympic Host City

2011-07-12T01:07:00.000-07:00

06 July 2011 - Pyeongchang, South Korea was awarded the right to host the 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympics. With an overwhelming majority Pyeongchang secured victory during the ‘International Olympic Committees’ (IOC) first round of voting.

Korean success, was celebrated by Olympic skating champion Kim Yu-Na and Korean Olympic Committee President YS Park in Durban yesterday and was well deserved. The bid was third time lucky for Pyeongchang who narrowly missed hosting the 2010 & 2014 Winter Olympics.

Korea is only the seventh country in the world to be awarded and to host the ‘Grand Slam’ of major sporting events: the summer Olympics in Seoul 1988, the FIFA World Cup 2002, the IAAF World Athletics Championships 2011 (soon to be held in Daegu City in August) and now the 2018 Winter Olympics.

- Ends -

For further information please contact:
Mr. Ramy Salameh

Tel: 020 7321 2535

Email: london@gokorea.co.uk

Dramatic rise in Korean tourism arrivals set to continue

2011-06-24T04:07:00.000-07:00

Message from the Korea Tourism Organisation, UK

It seems that Korean tourism is bucking all the trends as visitor figures from the UK continue to rise at a dramatic and impressive rate! In 2010 visitor arrivals grew by 6% to 97,500 and between January and May 2011 there was an 11% increase over the same period last year, reaching 45,000. All indications point to breaking the 100,000 mark by the year-end, which is a fantastic achievement, bearing in mind that UK visits abroad by UK residents has been falling since 2008.

Mr Hongki Kim, Director of the Korea Tourism Organization – London office commented that “ten UNESCO heritages across the peninsula have boosted the appeal of major historical sites in Korea. Added to which Korea has been positioned as a new cruise destination with the key ports of Busan & Incheon the major gateways to the country. All of which has paid dividends to increase both awareness and appeal of Korea as a tourism destination. From the 01^st of July the ‘Free Trade Agreement’ (FTA) between Europe & Korea will come into effect thus generating more business travel to the region, so we are confident of smashing the 100,000 visitor mark”

Other factors that are contributing to competitive growth in the tourism sector is Korea’s efforts to globalize as a country, becoming an ever more popular venue for a number of large cultural events that cross cultural boundaries and provide excitement for visitors of all nationalities. For young music lovers, there is ‘R-16 Korea’ (international B-Boy championships), ‘Korea in Motion’ (non-verbal performance festival) and the ‘Asia Song Festival.’ For sports enthusiasts, there’s the ‘F1 Korea Grand Prix’, now in its second year—which needs no introduction!—and the ‘IAAF World Athletics Championships Daegu’ which is set to attract the likes of Usain Bolt to hopefully go on and achieve new world records.

Let’s not forget that in recent years Korea has increased the number of UNESCO inscribed cultural and natural heritages, which have boosted visitation to these incredible sites. Those interested in exploring Korean culture, history, and cultural heritage should check out the historic city of Gyeongju during the ‘Gyeongju World Culture Expo’ period.

Take a look at our new website: www.gokorea.co.uk

This Week in South Korea - 10th June

2011-06-10T09:02:00.000-07:00

Korea's Got Talent spread around the internet this week with the heart-rending, inspiring video clip of Sung-bong Choi, who ran away from an orphanage and grew up on the streets, and found happiness in singing... Certainly captured everyone's hearts, and if you haven't watched it yet, you must, if just to know what everyone's talking about!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BewknNW2b8Y

Rapt as everyone was with Sung-bong, you may have missed the news that Hollywood star Richard Gere will be in South Korea later this month to visit Buddist temples. To make it up to him, I'm posting a slightly younger version in my photo below... Stay tuned for An Officer and a Monk!

http://www.timeslive.co.za/entertainment/celebrity/article1110102.ece/Richard-Gere-to-visit-S-Korea

Definitely one of the top links I posted on Facebook was the amazing time-lapse video of Seoul by Oh Choong Young: absolutely captivating, although I couldn't get Arirang (the backing music) out of my head all evening so I'm not going to watch it again now. But you've never seen Seoul look quite as good as this...

http://vimeo.com/23402375

If you're planning for summer, you'll want to know the opening dates for Korea's major beaches - see link below. Of course you can visit before then, and they'll be beautiful and quieter - they just won't have as many facilities open.

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/FU/FU_EN_15.jsp?src=email&kw=00001F&ACENO=18&cid=1284592

Please Look After Mother - this tribute to motherhood, a novel by Shin Kyung-sook released in English in April, is selling like wildfire and giving many Westerners a first taste of Korean literature:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Please-Look-After-Mother-Kyung-sook/dp/0297860739

Further to the recent news of the new Airbus A380 services taking off with Korean Air, I've been looking into how this luxurious service can also claim to be environmentally friendly.

It turns out it has unprecendented environmental performance, being cleaner, quieter and smarter:

Less noise - one of the quietest long-range aircraft in the world

Less fuel burn and emissions - low fuel consumption

Fewer movements - due to capacity, transports more people, so more passengers can be flown in and out with each take-off and landing, minimising air traffic.

What better way to fly into the top airport in the world, Seoul Incheon?!

Once again, please let me know of anything happening in South Korea that might be of interest to those who are considering travelling there. Record numbers of Asian tourists are travelling to South Korea, and it's increasingly being added to UK travellers' 'must-see' lists - why?

Last year South Korea hosted the G20 Summit and was Design Capital of the World
Time magazine marvelled at how South Korea had reinvented itself as a global leader
Conde Nast Traveler called the capital Seoul a 'hot destination'
Financial Times said Korean food was the next big thing 'about to go global'

But for me the main reason to go is that visitors are invariably surprised by the country's beautiful countryside and friendly people. Experience an Asia which is exciting and authentic.

That's it from me this week - happy weekending!

Jen

This week in South Korea...

2011-06-03T05:32:00.000-07:00

It's the start of summer! Busan is celebrating with a Sand Festival from 3rd to 6th June:
http://www.10mag.com/2011/05/haeundae-sand-festival/

and festivities across Korea celebrate Dano, one of the biggest celebrations of the calendar, when people traditionally came together to pray for a good harvest, and
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=1031209

The Joongang Daily had this lovely photo of children having their hair washed for Dano!

With the start of summer comes the start also of the R-16 B-Boy Championships - one of my favourite events, where people come together from all over the world to dance some of the most incredible moves:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8Ob8Rc9ZIU

I've just started following this blog where there's more info:

http://ellacino.blogspot.com/

In news of interest to travellers, Korean Air had the first flight of its superjumbo Airbus A380 which starts flying to Japan and Hong Kong in June, Bangkok in July, New York in August and Paris in September! It has 12 luxury first class seat and a whole upper deck of Prestige Business with lie-flat seats - and there's inflight shopping and a cocktail lounge! Asiana are also planning to introduce the A380 for European routes.

CNNGo.com had news of the 50 Reasons why Seoul is Asia's favourite city - not surprisingly, this is a popular hit!
http://www.cnngo.com/seoul/life/50-reasons-why-seoul-worlds-greatest-city-534720

And the Korean Cultural Centre in London embraced popular culture by hosting on 3rd June a second K-pop (Korean pop) event with free drinks and music, and crowds dancing late into the evening...

http://karmaent.co.uk/category/kpop-team/

It's not surprising that there is also news of the Korean Wave hitting European shores, then...
http://korea.net/news.do?mode=detail&guid=55755

With all this happening, it's a shame that what hits the mainstream press is North Korea's claim that it's the happiest place in the world. If you haven't already, read Barbara Demick's wonderful book 'Nothing to Envy' for a truer picture.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1393478/North-Korea-rated-the-happiest-places-Earth-survey--North-Korea.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Finally, I'd just like to say: CoolstuffKorea is here to spread the news that South Korea is an amazing country and you need to discover it! It’s nice that we have so many Korean friends too, but we want to reach out to British travellers in particular and introduce them to the wonders of South Korea. British travellers go everywhere – it’s time more of them explored South Korea! We want anyone who offers something of interest to British tourists – a tour, a place to stay, an event – to get in touch so we can share the information.

Thanks for reading! Have a great day.
CoolstuffKorea (aka Jennifer Barclay)

A few of my favourite things to eat

2011-05-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

On my last trip to South Korea, I ate some amazing food. Here are photos of some of my favourite meals...

It is worth staying at Seoul Palace Hotel just for the breakfasts, which are heavenly... This is a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables and juicy shrimp from the buffet. One of the best things about Korean food is fresh, healthy ingredients.

On arrival in Jeju Island, I was taken for lunch at an unassuming eatery, where they served this delicious grilled mackerel with sea salt. It was served with sea urchin and seaweed soup, which was also fabulous...

On Ganghwa Island, reached by car in just an hour from Seoul, one of the specialities is eel, which you can have barbecued at your table as above. It's so tender and sweet...

And these are a selection of the side dishes that came with it! Super-fresh and pickled vegetables - you pick the eel off the barbecue and wrap it in a leaf of lettuce or similar, with a touch of sauce, and pop it in your mouth...

On a Sunday in Seoul, a friend took me for soondae-gukbap, which is this savoury steaming soup of a black-pudding-like sausage with beansprouts and other tasty vegetables, served with rice. Hearty, spicy, but clean-tasting too and - again - healthy!

This was afternoon 'tea' if you like at a shop in Seoul that specialises in ricecakes ('Tteok'). They're very subtle sweets that become quite addictive - I started buying them fresh from a place where they made them in Banpo, around the corner from my hotel - and here they were served with pumpkin latte, a rare treat...

Finally, an array of leafy side dishes, which make Korean food so special. I wasn't a big fan of the shellfish this came with, but I could eat marinated green vegetables with mushrooms and hot spicy sauces forever. Thank you to Korea for awakening my taste buds to fantastic new flavours. So when people ask me 'what is Korean food like?' it's hard to know where to begin!

Expedia Facebook Friends Can Win Trip for Six to South Korea via Expedia FriendTrips Game on Facebook

2011-04-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

Facebook’s Largest Sweepstakes Ever Features More Than $1 Million in Luxury Travel

Korea announced recently, that a luxury holiday to the far eastern destination for six lucky friends, is among over a million dollars’ worth of travel prizes that Expedia.com, the world’s leading online travel agency, is awarding to Facebook friends and is open entrants from across the globe.

The Expedia® Friendtrips™ Game is the largest sweepstakes ever hosted on Facebook. The game began today and will run for six weeks. At the game’s conclusion, a holiday to South Korea valued up to $52,000 will be awarded to a winning entrant and five friends.

To play, prospective world travellers merely need to become a fan of Expedia’s on Facebook at www.facebook.com/expedia. They will then create a “virtual plane” and can point that plane towards one of a series of holiday destinations. They will populate the plane with five of their Facebook friends, each of whom simply needs to “fan” Expedia to join. The friends are entered to win once they accept the invitation. They can also create planes of their own.

Should a group of six friends win the trip to Korea, an extraordinary holiday awaits. They will experience the history and innovation of Korea with the help of an English-speaking guide for 5 nights and 6 days. From famous fortresses and temples, ancient artifacts in the tombs of kings, and to Andong Hahoe Village, a UNESCO World Heritage site and more will truly enlighten and inspire them.

Participants can double and even triple their chance of winning by bringing more Facebook friends into the game. A Facebook friend on one plane can join multiple planes, or they can build different planes of their own. Once an entrant has attracted 25 friends into the Expedia FriendTrips Game, their chance of winning doubles. Should they bring 50 friends into the game, their chance of winning triples.

Korea: Be inspired

2011-04-08T02:59:00.000-07:00

Korea: Be inspired - Recharge your energy -

Bespoke magazine

Part of the appeal of Korea is the many opportunities for visitors to re-energise both body and soul through some inspirational experiences. Using ‘Ki’ (Spirit), ‘Heung’ (Excitement), ‘Jeong’ (Affection) we want the traveller to tap into these sources to enrich health and well-being, just like a local.

Created specifically with the travel trade and consumer markets in mind, the supplement has been compiled with a number of strong features and travel ideas. From stays in a Buddhist temple or a ‘Hanok’ traditional house to spas and alternative therapies to enjoying the world’s best sporting events, Korea can offer great choice for any traveller.

The Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) in London, UK has published the second in a series of bespoke and editorially led magazines - Korea: Be inspired - recharge your energy – which, as with the last edition introduces the finding of ‘peace and well-being’, ‘health and fitness’ and your personal ‘balance and harmony’ through ‘Yin, Yang’, but also added plenty more content to new areas and markets that Korea is developing (see below):

The magazine includes in-depth editorial on the following:
Finding your soul in Seoul
Korea’s healthy cuisine
Let Korea’s water features inspire you
The top five cultural experiences
Focus on Temple and ‘Hanok’ stay
Jeju Island: Korea’s slice of paradise
The top three mountains for hiking
Rail & Cruise
Korea: an Asian hub for sports tourism
Expo 2012 & MICE

Read the features and download the magazine here:

http://sportstravelnewsuk.blogspot.com/2011/03/korea-be-inspired-recharge-your-energy.html

The Korea Tourism Organization has produced ‘Korea: Be inspired – recharge your energy’ in partnership with Sports Travel News. To request a print copy of the magazine please contact Mr. Ramy Salameh on 020 7321 2535 or email london@gokorea.co.uk

Korea exhibiting at The Daily Telegraph ‘Cruise Show’, Olympia 26th & 27th March, 2011

2011-03-25T02:42:00.001-07:00

Korea Tourism Organization (Stand number: B36) will be exhibiting for the first time at the Daily Telegraph ‘Cruise Show’ taking place on the 26th & 27th March 2011 at Olympia in London.

With a number of major ports and seas surrounding the country on three sides, Korea is fast emerging as Asia’s must-see destination for cruise travellers. Korea has an ideal natural environment for cruising and its 11 ports can offer tourists the opportunity to explore 11 different attractions. Specialist cruise tour operators and Korea Tourism Organization representatives will be on-hand to highlight Korea’s ports and the excursions one must not miss!

To complement your travels in Korea, 2010-2012 has been designated 'Visit Korea Year(s)’ and furthermore a host of mega events are taking place throughout 2011. The World Taekwondo Festival (May) will be followed by the IAAF World Athletics Championships (August) and another F1 race (October), not to mention a full calendar of festivals. All of which will bring greater visibility on the destination, especially since the ‘Historic Villages of Hahoe & Yangdong’ became the 10th site to be inscribed onto the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage listing.

We welcome you to come and discover a new cruise idea and the chance to explore a diverse landscape of mountains, hidden temples and adventure filled activities. So come and visit us on stand B36.

For further information please contact: Mr. Ramy Salameh
Tel: 020 7321 2535 Email: london@gokorea.co.uk

Cast your vote to make Jeju Island a New7Wonders of Nature!

2011-03-16T08:31:00.000-07:00

Jeju Island, an official finalist of the New7Wonders of Nature!

Jeju Island is an official finalist candidate of the 'New7Wonders of Nature.' The island is the only place in the world with three UNESCO certifications: the Biosphere Reserve (2002), UNESCO World Heritage Site (2007), and Global Geoparks (2010).

The Official ‘New7Wonders of Nature’ is a global campaign run by the New7Wonders Foundation in Switzerland, which recently ran the ‘new manmade wonders’ campaign—an event that drew over 100 million voters worldwide.

Jeju Island has passed the first and second rounds of the New7Wonders of Nature campaign (determined by voters and a Panel of Experts) and is now among the 28 Official Finalists. The campaign is in its third and final phase in which the wonders will be chosen by an estimated 1 billion voters.

You too can become an important part of this global campaign by casting your vote for Jeju Island as one of the New7Wonders of Nature!

Reasons why Jeju Island should be one of the ‘New7Wonders of Nature’

Click here for more on Jeju Island*

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?areaCode=39

- Of the 28 Official Finalists, Jeju Island is the only place where man, culture, and prehistoric artifacts coincide with nature.

- Jeju Island is the only place incorporating all seven key elements of tourism: (beautiful scenery, islands, volcanoes, coastlines, caves, waterfalls, and forests).

- If chosen as a New7Wonders of Nature, the resulting preservation efforts of Jeju Island will greatly contribute to making the Earth a friendlier and more beautiful place.

Vote now for beautiful Jeju Island!

Click here to Vote!

http://www.new7wonders.com/en/

Ten Reasons to Visit Jeju - on CNNGo.com

2011-03-08T15:43:00.001-08:00

Agree / disagree?

http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/play/10-things-do-jeju-island-045157

International Rail opens up rail travel in South Korea - a message from the lovely folks at the Korea Tourism Organisation

2011-02-27T09:23:00.000-08:00

South Korea is increasingly joining

travellers must do lists and what better way to explore this diverse and fascinating country than by train. For the first time, Brits can now easily purchase their Korean Railways (Korail) point to point tickets and passes through the worldwide rail specialist, International Rail.

This development will further open up South Korea to the UK and with the designation of 2010-2012 as 'Visit Korea Year’ and the recent announcement of the ‘Historic Villages of Hahoe & Yangdong’ as the 10^th site to be inscribed onto the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage listing, plus many events and festivals, in 2011 Korea is the destination of choice.

Furthermore, sports fans in particular are looking to

South Korea

this year with a wide range of sporting events to be enjoyed, including The World Taekwondo Festival taking place in May. Here visitors and enthusiasts can watch the very best competitors compete at the home of the sport. This is followed by the IAAF World Athletics Championships in August and the Korean F1 Grand Prix in October. By taking the train, visitors can now combine these events with other areas and activities of interest to them within the country, be that Temple stays, the arts and culture or exploring the history or enjoying the city life. Indeed athletics fans can stay throughout the Championships in Seoul and just take the high speed KTX train to the event in Daegu on a daily basis.

For visitors looking for this freedom and ease of exploration, the Korean Rail Pass (KR Pass) is the best buy. The KR Pass offers discounted unlimited rail travel throughout Korea over a 3, 5, 7 10 consecutive day period and allows unlimited travel on all services run by Korail including the high speed KTX trains*. Prices for the 3 day pass start at just £51 per person.

Alternatively, point to point tickets are also available on www.internationalrail.com with services operating throughout

South Korea

. These allow UK visitors to make one specific journey or a number of individual journeys over a longer time frame. Buying the tickets beforehand or as part of a tour operator package allows the customers to know exact times and requirements for their journey and so feel confident in taking the train.

To book the KR Pass or point to point tickets, or find out more information visit www.internationalrail.com or call one of the rail experts on 0871 231 0790.(Calls cost 10p per minute from UK landlines, charges from mobiles and international calls will vary.)

*All travel will be in 2^nd class, however 1^st class and overnight sleeper travel is possible upon payment of a supplement which is usually about half the price of the regular fare.

International Rail offer the worlds' largest selection of rail journeys and passes, built from over twenty years' experience in the travel industry. Visitors to www.internationalrail.com can create and book unique and exciting itineraries across the world at the click of a mouse.

As Easy as Bi. Bim. Bap.

2011-02-21T01:45:00.000-08:00

I wouldn’t say it’s difficult to impress my friends by taking them for Korean food. In spite of what my Korean chef friend Inkun claims – he does have very high standards – I think London has some fabulous Korean restaurants.

And I wouldn’t say Lucy and Dave are hard to please either. But I couldn’t help being delighted by the 100% success rate of lunch at Bi Bim Bap Soho on Saturday. No ifs, no buts, just a great lunch. On a rainy, grey February day in London, it was perfect to warm my hands around a mug of Korean root tea and eat colourful, tasty, healthy food.

First, Bi Bim Bap got my medal for most easily comprehensible menu. I didn’t have to explain it to my English friends. They could read it and pronounce it. This is clearly part of Bi Bim Bap’s marketing plan. Non-Koreans don’t have to worry about getting anything wrong. The menu also explains what Bi Bim Bap is and how to eat it.

Second medal, and I know it may sound irrelevant, but it goes to the loos: easy to find, clean and bright. You didn’t have to squeeze past the kitchen into a grimy corridor. Even in a smart Korean restaurant recently, I noticed the toilets were next to a stack of cardboard boxes and smelled of kimchi. So, thumbs up there to Bi Bim Bap.

I ordered two starters between three, and although the chive mandoo – dumplings – were OK, the real star was the rice cakes in spicy sauce (tteokbokki). Lucy noticed that the heavenly texture of the rice cakes was like gnocchi, and the sauce was pleasantly hot, not the sweet goo you get sometimes.

Almost all the mains are a variation on mixed rice, which is generally accepted to be the most popular Korean dish among westerners, and I think this is clever. You can see Bi Bim Bap easily being expanded into a chain. There’s enough variety on the menu – salads, meaty dishes, even some noodles. The emphasis is on fresh and healthy, my favourite things about Korean food. You can even get something quite special, a bibimbap with ginseng, gingko, dates and chestnut.

We all opted for the dolsot bibimbap served in a hot bowl: I had a mixed mushroom one, Lucy had a seafood one and Dave had a spicy pork one, and we all opted to pay the 70p extra to substitute white sticky rice for ‘more nutty, chewy and nutritious brown rice’, which is again a clever innovation. All were absolutely delicious. The bowls were so hot that the flavours continued to infuse throughout the meal – but the ingredients stayed textured and crunchy. Ten out of ten there.

So I’d rate Bi Bim Bap highly: easy, comfortable, the service is fine and the food is delicious. OK, though, there is one ‘but’. Is it a restaurant, or is it a café? When your lunch comes with squeezy bottles (red for gochujang, yellow for ‘miso sauce’), paper napkins and a wipe-clean table, I think it’s a café. Which is fine, but these aren’t café prices. £42 plus tip for a medium-sized, non-alcoholic lunch for three is pushing the envelope, certainly when you call yourself ‘affordable’, and when none of the meals we ordered came with any side dishes, or involved expensive ingredients.

You’re paying partly for the location, practically across the street from Marco Pierre White’s Escargot and just off Shaftesbury Avenue. Although there are much cheaper places to eat nearby, I wouldn't hesitate to go back, not really. If you made an evening of it and lingered over a bottle of plum or ginseng wine, it might feel better value, and it’s also practical for business lunches.

The location is right in the middle of everything, and if you have a bit of room left, you must go a few doors down the street to the sensational Maison Bertraux for cream cakes in a quirky setting. So much for our healthy lunch.

Bi Bim Bap Soho (London) at 11 Greek Street is open Monday to Saturday 12-3 and 6-11. Menu on the website: www.bibimbapsoho.com

Jeju needs your vote as a ‘New 7 Wonders’ finalist!

2011-02-18T04:31:00.000-08:00

From the Korea Tourism Organization:

Jeju Island is one of the finalists bidding to become one of the ‘New 7 Wonders’ of the natural world. The Volcanic Island & Lava Tubes - Korea’s first natural site became an UNESCO World Natural Heritage in June 2007, covering three sites Geomunoreum, regarded as one of the finest lava tube system of caves; the fortress-like Seongsan Ilchulbong crater and Mt. Hallasan.

Jeju is the largest island off Korea, with a surface area of 1,846 sq km. A central feature of Jeju is Hallasan, the tallest mountain in South Korea and a dormant volcano, which rises 1,950 m above sea level. 360 satellite volcanoes are around the main volcano.

So how can you vote? Visit www.new7wonders.com or ring 0044-75890-01290 and you will be asked to type in a four digit number referring to Jeju which is 7715.

Future's Future's Future - exhibition

2011-02-09T11:40:00.000-08:00

At the Korean Cultural Centre London until 19 February, art by 8 Korean artists resident in the UK. First make your way south off Trafalgar Square to this:

Inside you'll find a lobby - pick up the guide to the work at the door:

And find stuff like this, Artactually-Krispykreme by Jung Pyo Hong - if you like this, then get yourself down there on Saturday 12th Feb at noon for an afternoon workshop led by Hong where you'll be able to make your own pieces using clay or resin!

This was my favourite series of works by Jinkyun Ahn, something to do with Plato's cave using shadow and projection:

And this work by Hyung Jin Park caught my eye:

Plus, if you're into paint, there are, well, paintings too:

I was in London for business yesterday but thought I'd get off the tube at Embankment to check out the latest exhibition and was glad, as always, that I did. For more info, contact the Korean Cultural Centre London.

A day in Seoul in photos...

2011-01-28T02:20:00.001-08:00

Delicious Lunch at Ran near Oxford Circus, London

2011-01-15T02:35:00.000-08:00

Lovely lunch at Ran (also now going by the name of Ssam, it seems) Korean restaurant yesterday. Delicious haemultang (seafood soup) with amazing fresh ingredients; gorgeous-looking kimchi bokeum bap (fried rice with an egg on top); samgupsal (belly pork which comes fresh to the table and is then barbecued at the table, and wrapped in fresh lettuce leaves with sauce); and all the side dishes of marinated and pickled vegetables...

Those Crafty Koreans

2011-01-14T04:12:00.000-08:00

I’m always telling people about the art and design coming out of Korea, but very often they hark back to the old, traditional crafts. The cover article in January’s Korea: People and Culture magazine brilliantly puts this in context and provides details on how to try crafting on a visit to Korea. Crafts are hot these days: even as I write this on the train into London, across the aisle from me a well-dressed American woman is knitting a fluffy scarf. For a change, why not try traditional Korean patchwork or knotting?

The terminology for traditional crafts intrigued me when I first arrived in Korea. Valuable ancient artefacts in museums are called ‘Tangible Cultural Assets’; the knowledge of how to make something using ancient traditions is an ‘Intangible Cultural Asset’. The state-designated crafts include ceramics, metal, wood, stone, leather, textiles and paper.

The last time I came close to a master craftsman was at the Korean Cultural Centre in London, when a Buddhist wood carver amazed the crowd by creating a wood sculpture from the trunk of a tree using an axe in an exhilarating, whirlwind performance. These were skills honed over many years that he almost made it look easy.

Traditional crafts are a living, breathing link to Korea’s history, as writer Lee Se-mi says, and while rapid industrialization brought Western technologies and fashions to

Korea

in the last few decades, people are returning now to the lasting beauty of tradition – making fans from bamboo, or dying textiles naturally with persimmons.

We’re all moving away from throwaway culture and realising the true value of something made with skill and with heart and soul. When I visited a traditional rice cake shop on my last visit to Korea, I was shown the satin fabric wraps that were becoming popular for gifts instead of wrapping paper; recently, I found something similar in the shop down the road from my office in Chichester.

For a genuine experience of traditional Korean culture, you can visit one of the many cultural fairs or exhibitions, or even better, sign up for a half-day programme at one of the craft studios in the Bukchon district of Seoul. It’s likely to cost no more than £25 for a few hours and you’ll have a lasting souvenir of your experience.

www.korea.net

Seolhwa Cultural Exhibition

Craft Trend Fair

World Ceramic Biennale

Haneul Mulbit Studio, Kkokduseoni Studio

Competition Winner Looks Forward To Visiting 'Korea: Home Of Taekwondo'

2011-01-10T05:49:00.000-08:00

(news from the Korea Tourism Organization)

Nick Brinklow, a 3rd Dan Chief Instructor of the Jeon-sa Taekwondo Black Belt Academy in Manchester, was the lucky winner of the 'Korea: Home of Taekwondo' competition recently arranged by the Korea Tourism Organization, London Office.

The competition inaugurated a new partnership agreement between the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and Sport Taekwondo (UK).

Nick will be looking forward to an incredible trip to Korea courtesy of Finnair (www.finnair.com) and Funway Holidays (www.funwayholidays.co.uk). The prize includes a Seoul city tour taking in the capital's most iconic landmarks, followed by a visit to the headquarters of the World Taekwondo Federation, 'Kukkiwon'. This will be followed by a Taekwondo lesson, something Nick is particularly looking forward to, even though he is a 3rd Dan practitioner.

Once Around the Sun

2010-12-24T02:30:00.000-08:00

Melanie Steyn, a South African living and working in South Korea for eight years, kindly sent me a copy of her beautiful short novel Once Around the Sun, recently published by Seoul Selection. I love the cover artwork by Eunji Shin, a drawing in muted colours of a mish-mash of ordinary buildings (laundry, internet cafe) in an ordinary town with hills in the background.

The prologue first invites us elegantly to the 5,000-year-old country of Korea, 'sometimes invaded, occupied or oppressed, but always surviving between the oceans and thousands of flint-shaped mountains'. It introduces the four stories, set in four seasons in a southern fishing village with a dirt road lined with chestnut, Korean pines and persimmons leading to a temple.

The first story (all I've read so far) concerns two young boys and the style is so simple and reminiscent of Famous Five adventures you are tempted to call the chapter 'the case of the missing casket'. But behind the good yarn that you could happily read to your children is, the jacket blurb explains, a deeper message of enlightenment and spiritual awakening.

Dedicated to Melanie's son 'and to what turned out to be more than one year in Korea', this very special novel which also exudes the author's love of her adopted country would be a lovely gift for a reader of any age.

Post from Korean Drumming Workshop

2010-11-26T05:21:00.000-08:00

Dear Friend!

Let's have fun this Saturday (27 Nov.) again with Korean drums and good friends who love rhythms.

It is time to learn the rhythms and music of Korea, filled with passion and energy.

We will all experience a sense of togetherness!!

Date & Time: from 5:30 to 7:00pm on 27th Nov. (Saturday)
Place: Goldmine Studios, 269 Poyser Street, London E2 9RF (020 3489 4827)
Tuition fee: 7 pounds
Advance booking is required.
Please contact via e-mail or call 07981 298 638 (Jeung Hyun Choi).

I am looking forward to seeing you there.

Best wishes,

Jeunghyun choi

What am I doing here?

2010-11-19T04:00:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons many of us fall in love with South Korea is that it is relatively undiscovered, unspoilt, un-touristy. In spite of being an industrialised, developed, high-tech country, it's still very proudly Korean and hasn't sold out to become a tourist commodity. People are still grateful that you want to learn about their country, they're not jaded by tourism. It's the Korean difference that makes it interesting, and it's the least touristy places that appeal - the natural, the genuine, the traditional.

I don't like to go on guided tours myself or queue up at famous sightseeing hotspots. I like to discover lesser-known places, find quiet mountain paths or relax by the sea. On my first three months travelling around the country, Koreans were always telling me off for not organising my trip to take in the most famous and important sights, the must-sees. But that feels like work to me, and I'm more inspired by wandering and stumbling across things that appeal to me personally. Because I was looking for inspiring experiences, I got into all sorts of situations that might not be everyone's idea of a holiday.

They were exhilarating times, finding a land of ancient tradition, spirituality, good humour, natural beauty. Finding things that were mysterious and surprising to me as a westerner. That's why I'm still researching and writing about South Korea ten years later. Experiences like serendipitously meeting one of the oldest diving women on Jeju Island last year, which inspired me to write a story for Blue Wings magazine, out this month. If this CoolstuffKorea blogging can encourage just a few more people to visit, then I'll be happy. I don't think South Korea is going to be overrun with tourists anytime soon. It's got far too many other things going on to sell out to tourism.

Space Food and Other Strange Gifts

2010-11-12T06:49:00.000-08:00

I was clearing out my kitchen cupboard this morning (an ongoing process to prevent clutter from overwhelming my tiny flat) when I came across a packet of freeze-fried kimchi. As you do.

The packet calls it 'Korean Space Food', and along with the cartoon this leads me to believe this is the dried kimchi that's been developed for Korean astronauts to take safely into space with them. Otherwise all space travel would probably have been severely limited, as we all know how Koreans can't go very long without kimchi. Ground Control to Major Kim: commencing countdown and... check you've got your pickled cabbage somewhere very secure.

This Korean Space Food was a particular cool inclusion in a party bag I was given at the end of some Korean event or other. So, as I added hot water to see how the stuff reconstitutes, it got me thinking about the other gifts I've had -- because whenever you have a meeting with Koreans they tend to give you a small present.

Another one that sat in my flat for quite a long time was a jigsaw. This was a 200-piece or so jigsaw of an old map of a Korean island, marked in Korean and Chinese, neither of which I can read to any useful degree. This old map, as old maps tend to be, was a maze of tiny grey lines with occasional brown markings. Whoever at head office thought these would be great gifts for the Korean Tourism Organization to give out to Brits to get them excited about Korea? In the end, one winter afternoon I sat down and actually completed it. But I did deserve a medal.

Once, I was given (all prettily wrapped, as Korean gifts always are) a little metal strip to attach to the back of your mobile phone, which apparently reduces the waves emitted from the phone into your ear. It was actually sponsored by Manchester United. I have no idea if it does anything at all but I figured it couldn't do any harm:

That's until I was having problems with my phone, and took it into the T-Mobile shop to get it serviced. I have to admit, I keep phones longer than most people. I don't like throwing things away. So it was a couple of years old - 2 billion years old in mobile phone years. The chap in T-Mobile wasn't condescending at all about this and was just about to send it back for servicing when he turned it over to take out the SIM and stopped. 'Oh,' he said. 'Actually, there's a problem.' He was looking at the metal strip. 'Well, you see, we can't accept phones from Manchester United fans.' Nice one.

Well, five minutes later I went back to my boil-in-the-bag kimchi. It was very watery -- I'd overwatered -- but although totally lacking in smell, it did taste like kimchi. Actually, maybe they're on to something: odourless kimchi....

Super Samulnori Saturday

2010-11-08T05:57:00.000-08:00

Well, I never thought I'd be allowed near a janggu (hourglass drum), let alone be encouraged to bash it noisily for an hour and a half. I must say, I now have an even deeper respect for Korean drummers.

On Saturday evening in lovely St Marks Church in Islington, my fiance Dave and I along with close to a dozen others attended an introductory workshop to learn about the drums and gongs that make up a samulnori group, and a few basics about some simple rhythms.

Jeunghyun (pronounced more like 'ching-hyun') Choi has worked with the internationally famous troupe of Korean drummers Dulsori for years, and is a strict but encouraging teacher. We warmed up shouting 'Oo-rim Han-ma-um' and drumming on one another's backs, before being allowed to choose our weapons. Not surprisingly, lots of us chose the unique janggu that looks so amazing when played well, but Dave got a taste for the kkwaengwari, a humble-looking gong with a surprisingly big sound. We were encouraged to move, to shout, to try different instruments...

Thankfully there were several helpers to show us the ropes, and no-one had a problem with the fact that I am hopelessly unco-ordinated and entirely unmusical. There were plenty of other people who knew a bit about how to play an instrument. I was impressed that some people had just seen a poster in the library, knew nothing about Korea but decided to give it a go. Well, why not? For £5, it was brilliant value to get expert tuition, a chance to use the instruments and to meet new people too in a very, very noisy way.

Bravo! More! Oh, and it was a great excuse to keep up our strength by eating jjambong and kimbap and ramyun and modeum namul at Woo Jung, too...

'Everyone was so friendly and helpful and very approachable...'

2010-11-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

I've received this lovely email from the people who won the recent competition for a trip to the kimchi festival in Korea in October!

Hi Jennifer,

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Korea. It is such a friendly country and everywhere we went everyone could not do enough for us. We had not heard of Kimchi before our trip but found the festival fascinating. We had the chance to taste quite a few different types of Kimchi and I especially found it very tasty, my husband is more a plain food type so was not quite as adventurous as me. Elvis Han our tour guide also took us on a visit to see the autumn colours at the Mount Naejangsan National Park which was very beautiful.

We found Korea to be such a clean country compared to the UK with very little litter. The people also exceeded our expectations. Everyone was so friendly and helpful and very approachable. The majority of people we spoke to knew a little English and even if they didn't we seemed to manage fine. Although at times we were the only British people we always felt extremely safe even when wandering through the underground late at night.

Korea was never a destination I would have thought of visiting but we both will now recommend it to both family and friends.

We feel very privileged to have won this trip.

Yours
Lorraine

My Fix of Korean Food - Woo Jung

2010-10-28T05:21:00.000-07:00

Was dining last night with two Canadian pescatarians (and it’s not often I get chance to say that) and we decided to go back to Woo Jung where we all had dinner two years ago. Because I can’t get Korean food in Chichester, whenever I’m in London I try to persuade whoever I’m meeting to eat Korean. Neither Sam nor Trisha is strict about not eating meat, but I was happy that the restaurant was able to accommodate their preferences.

A couple of Korean friends of mine have told me in the past that Woo Jung isn’t good Korean food, and maybe it's not high-class stuff, but I’ve always liked it as a cheap and cheerful place with tasty food and ultra-convenient location. The downstairs dining area is now even more comfortable as they’ve taken down the wall that made the room feel small, and added more lanterns.

We started with pajeon (seafood pancake), then shared modeum namul (mixed marinated vegetables), kimchi, saengsun jjigae (spicy seafood stew) and meat-free bibimbap (mixed vegetables, fried egg and rice in sizzling hot bowl) and japchae (glass noodles). All the food came out fast and was completely delicious, especially when washed down with cold Hite beers. The vegetables were crunchy and the rice freshly cooked, and the seafood stew had big chunks of fish.

Sam and Trisha were happy to try a few new dishes and are now even bigger fans of Korean food. And I made it back to Chichester on my late train, satisfied to have got my fix of Korean food. All in all, thumbs up to Woo Jung. Tasty dinner in central London for £18 a head.

Woo Jung is at 59 St Giles High Street, London, near Tottenham Court Road tube. Open Monday to Saturday 12-24, Sunday 17-24. Telephone 020 7836 3103

Recipe for Bibimbap

2010-10-22T08:55:00.000-07:00

Bibimbap is one of my all-time favourite Korean foods. It's something I could eat every day (OK, test me). Why? It's a mix of everything good: rice, vegetables, egg and hot sauce, and it's simple, fresh, tasty and healthy. It can be adapted depending on what's local and seasonal. I want to learn to make it properly, seasoning all the vegetables in a Korean way.

And the Jeonju Bibimbap Festival is just starting in Korea! Jeonju is where bibimbap originated, and Jeonju bibimbap is known for having good quality and taste. And Mr Kim, the new director at the Korean Tourism Organization in London, is from Jeonju so I really should learn how to make it. In fact, he's threatening to film me making it, which of course will be hilarious.

Anyway, I've just found a fabulously simple-sounding recipe online, courtesy of About.com, which starts thus: Bibimbap is delicious, gorgeous on the plate, and easily tweaked for different palates... I've included 6 vegetables in this recipe, but you can easily make it with just 3 or 4 or what you happen to have in your fridge.

What's not to love? Just go for it...

http://koreanfood.about.com/od/riceandnoodlerecipes/r/Bibimbap.htm

Lovely letter from John Grove

2010-10-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

John Grove writes:

Just read your book and loved it. I went to Korea to install a machine about a year before the Seoul Olympics. It was my first trip to the Far East and a hell of a culture shock and a temperature shock, it was winter. It started on KAL from Paris when the safety announcment was made "Your stewardess will now demonstrate" etc. Where are they? Ah they are now apearing over the seats as they unold from their deep bows!

Christmas in Korea saw the Salvation army out ringing bells and collecting money.

Jingle bells being played everywhere until you were fed up with it.

Collected every morning for work in a Ford Cortina, built by Hyundai. Finding Hyundai should be pronounced Hoondy. Kia only produced a pick up truck then that rejoiced in the name Kiamaster Bongo.

I got to like Kimchi too. It was served every day in the works canteen. My Dutch and English colleagues on this factory start up hated it.

Did you realise the 2 handed beer bottle pouring was only done to superiors? Those of the same rank or below don't get it.

Although the guide book said the Korean language was not related to Chinese there is a similarity to Mandarin? Namdeamun, the great south gate in mandarin is Nan da men. I can see mandarin in other Korean words in your book.

Thanks, John!

Free Bibimbap! Korea at World Travel Market

2010-10-22T04:08:00.000-07:00

Message from the Korea Tourism Organization:

Exhibitor: Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) - stand number AS650

Whats New/ Participants: We have increased the space of our stand to just over 100sqm and it's a double-decker! A record 14 Ground Operators will be attending WTM 2010 from Korea all eager to do business in all sectors; Korea Association of Travel Agents and the Korea Food Tourism Promotion (Korea Food Association) will keep WTM hunger-free, with daily preparation of Bibimbap!

**On Monday 8th November, trade partners will be invited to a luncheon event at the Novotel Hotel Excel, for the latest travel news from Korea and a demonstration in the preparation of the famous dish 'Bibimbap'

What's being promoted:

Under the strapline - 'Recharge your energy in Korea' KTO is looking to promote X key areas: Cruise market (a growing sector in Korea with 11 ports); UNESCO World Heritage sites (recently Hahoe and Yangdong Historic Villages added to the UNESCO World Heritage listing; Taekwondo market (having signed a new one year partnership with Sport Taekwondo UK the performance arm of the British Taekwondo Control Board); Sports Tourism in general with F1 & 2011 World Athletics champs coming up. Online marketing initiatives

Anything for Agents:

Learn about our social media intiatives and sign-up at www.facebook.com/coolstuffkorea &www.twitter.com/coolstuffkorea

Agents can learn about or online training resources as we have refreshed, revised and made our online training manual www.koreatraining.co.uk more user-friendly, helpful and interesting. Redesigned under a new tagline – ‘Korea, be inspired’ – the new-look site includes five key training modules plus a new resource centre full of press cuttings and plenty more bits of useful information for the travel professional.

Agents Day:

Try Korean Cuisine - the famous dish Bibimbap on the stand

A unique opportunity to learn Korean samulnori rhythms in London

2010-10-22T02:57:00.000-07:00

Jeung-Hyun Choi, a traditional Korean percussion player and managing director of the Korean percussion group Dulsori, is running a workshop in London suitable for anyone interested in having fun with good friends in a relaxed atmostphere.

Saturday November 6th, 4.30 to 6 pm
St Marks Church, Myddleton Square, London EC1R 1XX
Cost £5, all instruments provided, book by 3rd November.

Learn the powerful rhythms of samulnori, rural percussion dating back to antiquity, said to create yin/yang balance in the cosmos! Ms Choi has taught for 20 years and led many workshops including SOAS World Music Summer School in 2008. She also makes a mean kimchi, I happen to know :-)

To book, contact:
Jeung Hyun Choi jeunghyunk40@gmail.com 07981-298 638
or Lennie Charles lennie.charles@googlemail.com 07534-736806

Seoul in the Seventies

2010-10-15T05:04:00.000-07:00

Wendy Godwin was one of the first people to write to me after reading my book MEETING MR KIM. It brought back memories of the years she lived there with her husband and two small children in the 70s, when her husband was involved in setting up a bank there. She said 'I have never found another place like it' - so true.
Last week she sent me a copy of some old Super 8 film they made when they were there, which she's had converted onto DVD. So interesting to see it. Seoul already had plenty of tall buildings against that stunning backdrop of craggy hills, but the streets were so empty of traffic -- a couple of boxy looking little cars, and lots of people wandering around (in their high-waisted flares) where now they would be mowed down by speeding vehicles... Poignant to watch the little kids clambering over temple steps and in forest-covered mountains. It struck me what a great place Korea is to travel with young children.
Wendy says: 'There were no private cars for the general public at all - just bright blue taxis "ponies" (that was the make of car) and black chauffeur driven government and business cars.' She adds, 'Did you notice my daughter in her headscarf - she became very distressed with the number of people that stroked her blonde hair wherever we went and so we tried to cover it up!'
Wendy's husband Peter set up the first Merchant Bank in Korea in the late Seventies. He visited over 80 times and was recognised by the Korean government for his services to finance; he also received the CBE from the Queen in 1992. He loved Korea, says Wendy.

'Natural Heritage of Korea, Dokdo' published by the Cultural Heritage Administration ROK

2010-10-15T03:51:00.000-07:00

The inside flap of this book explains the calligraphy used on the cover came from a word written in blood on the national flag of Korea in March 1909 during the struggle for independence from Japanese colonial ruling.

Dokdo is a tiny, rugged island in the East Sea between Korea and Japan, and a much disputed territory. The photos in the book show it as green in spring and summer, sunny in autumn and with a light dusting of snow in winter. But the dominant landscape is simply an unwelcoming mass of jagged black rock rising from the sea. It is in fact made up of Dongdo and Seodo and 89 other rocks, formed over 250 million years ago by oceanic lava eruption, a rare example of a seamount rising to the surface according to this incredibly technical and detailed tome.

200 kilometres from the mainland, it has a rare ecosystem with many migrating birds, and is now being studied and protected, with natural reserve status for over a decade. As well as the gulls, herons, wagtails and so on there’s the peregrine falcon, cattle egret, white-bellied green pigeon, blue rock thrush, Narcissus flycatcher. The photos also show some of the sea creatures around the island, including interesting starfish; I didn’t realise that starfish with long arms are from deep sea, and those with short arms such as the sea star stay in shallow water.

This book is, as I say, a gathering of some pretty technical scientific information, perhaps as proof of how much Korea cares about this forbidding piece of land. According to my Lonely Planet, there is good diving for experienced divers on the nearby island of Ulleungdo, and visitors to Ulleungdo looking for something a little more rugged can take a ferry to Dokdo during the summer months. It looks like a place for photographers, birdwatchers and nature lovers in general. I’d certainly be tempted to take a trip.

The Korea Tourism Organization announces partnership with UK Sport Taekwondo

2010-10-06T00:19:00.000-07:00

The British International Taekwondo Championships & UK Sport Taekwondo have confirmed a new partnership with the Korea Tourism Organization geared towards engaging with fans of the martial art, and opening up travel offers to the membership base of Sport Taekwondo UK and the British Taekwondo Control Board over the next 12 months. The Korea Tourism Organization looks forward to further stimulating interest in Korea as the ‘home of Taekwondo’.

The recent ‘British International Taekwondo Championships’ (24^th & 25^th Sept) held in Manchester provided the perfect event and occasion to ‘kick-start’ the partnership.

In conjunction with our participation at the ‘British International Taekwondo Championships’, KTO are giving the chance for two lucky people to win an incredible trip to Korea, in partnership with Funway Holidays and Finnair. To be in with a chance of winning go to www.gokorea.co.uk/taekwondo

Welcome!

2010-10-05T10:15:00.000-07:00

While my personal site is down, I've set up this blogspot for my links!