Travel

Site Upcycling in South Korea

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upcycling-1

One of the recent trends in eco-friendly efforts is upcycling, i.e., creative transformation of waste or unwanted materials into new products of higher value.  In my blog post dated 12 January 2020 I have introduced the Seoul Upcycling Plaza which showcases upcycling drives in daily lives like clothing, food and housing.  The South Korean Government has in fact put in a lot of efforts in rejunvenating abandoned/unused sites into theme parks or arts/cultural complexes providing much better value to the community. In this blog post, let’s talk about some of such upcycled sites. Continue reading →

Let’s “Go-Green” Together in Korea

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In my recent trip to Seoul in December 2019, I found the above advertisement in the subway train – it is about saying “No’ to paper receipts in the shops and this is supported by big names like Lotte, Shinsegae, Emart and Home Plus.  In fact, South Korea has been implementing other eco-friendly policies, for example, waste sorting for both household and commercial entities. Recently, the South Korean Government has tightened up the policies against the use of plastic products and single-use products.  In this blog post, we will discuss some of the policies which may impact on the places where tourists usually visit. Continue reading →

Two Korean Festivals to Enjoy at Night in November!

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**Last updated on: 15 October 2020**

If you are going to Korea in November, there are two annual festivals which you could enjoy at night, one in Busan and another in Seoul.  However, due to Covid-19, depending on the circumstances, these festivals may be postponed or cancelled in 2020. You may refer to the respective websites mentioned below for the updated information.  For the purpose of this blog post, I would use the information based on the festivals held in 2019. Continue reading →

Road names – Another way to know great Korean historical figures

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**Last updated on: 15 October 2020**

In my blog post dated 6 May 2017 on Korean banknotes, you may learn more about some famous Korean historical figures through their portraits on the banknotes.  In fact, you also have the chance to do so when you’re walking around in South Korea – some of the roads are named after some great Korean historical figures.  In this blog post, I will share some examples with you. Continue reading →

Korean “방” (“Bang”) culture

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**Last updated on: 15 October 2020**

In Korean, “방” (“bang” – pronounced as “bahng”) means “room”.  In the Western world, “room” usually refers to some private spaces used by restricted groups of people, e.g., dining room, bathroom, bedroom and living room at home or conference room at the office. However, in South Korea, you can find a lot of “방” (“bang”) which are places for public entertainment. Let’s talk about some of them in this post. Continue reading →

Chance to know more about Korean sports history

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With the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics drawing near, there are special exhibitions held to celebrate this great event in South Korea. Apart from the tiger-related special exhibition held in the National Museum of Korea mentioned in my blog post dated 28 January 2018, a special exhibition entitled “Korean Sports, a History Written in Sweat” is currently held in the National Museum of Korean Contemporary History until 4 March 2018.  Continue reading →

Tiger in Korean Culture

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Q: What do the Seoul 1988 Olympics, the FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea 2017 and the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games have in common, apart from the fact that they are hosted in South Korea?

A: They all use tigers as the official mascots.

According to a poll run by the National Institute of Biological Resources, part of the Ministry of Environment, tiger is Koreans’ favourite animal. In fact, tiger has a close connection with the Korean culture – let’s discuss about this in this blog post. Continue reading →