Love is.....

After finishing two dramas which I enjoyed very much, Jumong and Phoenix, I would like to recommend them to those of you if you still haven’t seen them, especially if you are fans of Song Il Gook and Lee Seo Jin. One is a historical drama while the other is a modern day drama, but they both focus on the LOVE theme. Love does not necessarily mean only romance though, as you will see when you watch these two dramas.

Don’t let the 81 episodes of Jumong put you off as this drama is action packed and quite addictive once you’ve started on it. Playing the leading role of Jumong is the very popular actor Song Il Gook who has starred in dramas such as A Man Called God, The Kingdom of the Winds, Lobbyist, Emperor of the Sea, Terms of Endearment, Bodyguard and Did We Really Love. This drama portrays great emotions, you can feel the anguish, the rage, the sadness, the love, the rivalry, the jealousy, the hatred, the frustration, the agony and the pain. What I loved to see were the elaborate costumes and the accessories. Even the armored vests were so well designed. I just loved the wedding scene of Jumong and Lady So-seon (Han Hye Jin) looking so splendid in red with their golden crowns (which we can still see in the museums of Korea today.) Han Hye-jin has starred in dramas such as Terroir, Jejungwon, Be Strong, Geum-Soon, Romance  and 1% of Anything.

This is the story of Jumong who lived longing for the chance to meet his father, who was in fact his teacher, during a short period of time in his life, only that he didn’t know it then. He loved a woman but ended up marrying a different one and eventually broke up with her, but all these trials and sadness did not get in the way of his destiny. His legacy to the Korean people was the great historical triumph of winning back the skies of the Old Joseon and establishing the Goguryeo Dynasty.

It’s also the story of So Seo-no, a wise and strong queen, who had the intelligence and foresight to look out for the future generations but because she was a woman she could not live her dreams. She was not afraid of death but because she was from a weak nation, she had to bear a pain more painful than death. Although she couldn’t become the love of a lifetime to a certain man, she stands up to be a most powerful and wise leader. The first queen history remembers, in a time when love was lavished, yet not considered everything.

Then there’s Dae So, jealously itself, who as a child lost all his father’s love to Jumong. As an adult he bore a scar from not being able to be with the woman he loved. He brought Jumong’s father to his death and did everything he could to take Soo Seo-no away from Jumong. On the other hand there’s Geum Wa, an affectionate king of Bu-yeo who fought in a war against the Han Nation alongside Hae Mo-soo.  The two shared a friendship even thicker than blood but eventually surrendered to the Han nation after which he betrayed Hae Mo-soo. He later took in Hae Mo-soo’s wife, Lady Yu-hwa , a woman who lived every day longing for Hae Mo-soo, as his own wife, when Hae Mo-soo was presumed dead. He took care of Jumong, as his own with both love and hatred and a very heavy sense of guilt. Actually the King was also in love with Lady Yu-hwa long ago but he gave in when he knew that Hae Mo-soo was also in love with her. So Jumong grew up as the third prince inside the palace, hated by the queen, Queen Won-hu and his two older brothers, but loved by the king. One day, during a quest to find the legendary artifacts of the kingdom, Jumong’s brothers plotted against him and he nearly died, only to be saved by So Seo-no, a merchant's daughter whom he eventually fell in love with.  At the same time, Prince Dae-so, the elder son of the king also fell for her when he saw her. Love was in the air and that was when the rivalry and hatred first stemmed between Prince Dae-so and Jumong. It was obvious that So Seo-no loved Jumong which made Prince Dae-so even more jealous of Jumong. So the story develops from there. There was also the younger prince, Prince Yeong-po, a weakling and not that intelligent, who also harbored the idea of becoming the crown prince too. It was a well-known fact that Jumong was not good in martial arts and sword fighting, so his mother sent him for secret training under Musong (Head Guard of a Secret Prison) built in a cave outside the city. And that was where Jumong met his real father, the legendary Hae Mo-su, only that, he was unaware of the fact then.   

So Seo-no knew that she could not refuse Prince Dae-so’s request that she become his concubine, so she married one of her father’s trusted employees who was actually in love with her. He knew about her love for Jumong and yet he was willing to wait until she could forget about Jumong. They eventually had two sons but he died in a war with another tribe. So Seo-no was very intelligent, wise and courageous and was not afraid to speak her mind which made her a lot of enemies.

Jumong was very heartbroken when he learnt of So Seo-no’s marriage but he didn’t know of the great sacrifice she had made, as she was still very much in love with Jumong, just to avoid becoming the concubine of Prince Dae-so, whom she disliked. So he got married to Ye-so-ya, someone whom he saved and brought back with him. As Jumong was living outside the palace most of the time fighting one war or other in trying to fulfill his father’s dream of uniting the whole of Korea as one strong unified nation, he never even saw his son Yuri being born. It was Jumong’s destiny to marry his first love, So Seo-no, although it was more of a marriage of convenience so to speak. The alliance of So Seo-no’s and Jumong’s armies brought them victory but in order to stop the division of allegiance as both parties wanted their respective leaders to be king, So Seo-no agreed to marry Jumong though she knew that Jumong was pining and looking for his wife and child who had escaped from the palace without any trace. As fate would have it, his wife, Ye-so-ya and son, Yuri, did manage to find him during his wedding to So Seo-no but they left without meeting Jumong because Ye-so-ya felt that it was more important that Jumong fulfill and realize his and his father’s dreams to build a new country.

One thing that I loved the most about this drama is the theme of sacrifice and true love. The women in this drama truly give their all to their loved ones without expecting anything in return. The love that is portrayed in this drama is even bigger than the history itself. ‘Love’ seems to be the one common denominator across people of all generations and nations. ‘Love’ gets swept away with the waves of time and also gets hurt with biased views in societies, but it also creates a new kind of history by wrestling against adversity and the trials of time. True love, which is uncommonly seen in history, is re-drawn through this drama of Korea’s once forgotten history. Here we see the sacrifices two women had to make for the sake of one man, Jumong. The first one was when So Seo-no got married to someone else instead of Jumong, the second, when Ye-so-ya left after seeing her husband being married to So Seo-no and the third when So Seo-no left after Ye-so-ya and Yuri were reunited with Jumong again so that they could be in their rightful place beside Jumong. Isn’t this what love is all about, the giving.

And now for the other drama ‘Phoenix’ also on the LOVE theme.  Perhaps my judging of this drama may be a bit biased since my heart-throb, Lee Seo Jin, is acting in it. Who doesn’t like to see dramas with nice looking actors and actresses?

Love is timing. Love needs just the "right time". It's not because you loved him or her less that you parted. Heaven brings you your soul mate when the time is just "right". "Phoenix" shows you this heaven's work.

There is a young couple who desperately fell in love but who couldn't be together because the time wasn't just right for them. Years pass by and these two meet again. And the trick of fortune switches their situation and environment. A daughter of a millionaire has now become a dometic helper suffering from the grim realities of life. On the other hand, an orphan self-supporting student is now an accomplished wealthy businessman. Now these two people are looking at the world with different eyes. The childlike girl has finally learned the harshness of the world and the guy with once twisted mind has learned to enjoy the latitude of the mind. In the end, these two start to understand each other, thus arriving at the "right time".

There are four main actors/actresses in this drama, namely, Jang, Sae-Hoon, Lee Ji-Eun, Yoon, Mi-Ran, and Suh, Jung-Min.
Our hero, Jang, Sae-Hoon (Acted by Lee Seo-Jin) was raised by his father and grew up with great ambitions for success and fame. Then he lost his father in a car accident and started working part-time job at a gas station to make his living. His life was a hard one indeed but he's a natural born genius who has never missed a scholarship in school. One day out of the blue, a girl, Ji-Eun came storming into his life, a girl of a completely different background and character from himself. Knowing just too well of the harsh reality and of what awaits them ahead, he pushes her away. Ji-Eun however, is keen to get his heart and in the end, they get married. But as he expected, their marriage life was not a rosy one and Ji-Eun soon leaves him.
After signing the divorce papers, he got on a plane heading for New York and a "new life". After a series of all kinds of ups and downs, he accomplishes the "American Dream" and becomes a newly polished person, William Jang.
10 years have passed and he returns to Korea. Maybe it's a twist of fate, He finds himself standing in front of her once again, only this time, he has someone, beside him, a girl named Mi-Ran who used to study   together with Ji-Eun in Boston. Ten years ago, he had nothing to offer Ji-Eun but he loved her with all of his heart. Can he really let her go now that she's come back into his life again?
Then there’s our heroine, Lee Ji-Eun who had grown up doing everything she liked,  in other words, she was a spoilt brat  Her father was the successful CEO of a textile group while her mother was a hopeless and immature lady who only knows to live luxuriously.

She comes home from Boston for holidays and as usual, she goes around acting like a spoiled little brat. One day, suddenly Sae-Hoon comes into her life and she desperately falls for him. But naturally, her parents are not too happy  about it. Ji-Eun doesn't give up here and purposely gets pregnant. She leaves her parents and her luxurious life behind and starts her life with Sae-Hoon in a tiny weeny room. But very soon, she wakes up to  reality and starts to get tired of her life of destitution. As misery loves company, she gets a miscarriage and realizes she can't die for love. She gives a point-blank "no" and leaves Sae-Hoon. After divorce, upon hearing that Sae-Hoon is leaving Korea, she drives like crazy to the airport thinking it'd be her last chance to get him back. But again fate is still cruel to her and takes her father away in a car accident. With her father's sudden death and the fall of her family, hopeless Ji-Eun picks up the phone and calls Sae-Hoon who, without knowing her situation, coldly turns her down. She bites hard towards the harsh world and to Sae-Hoon as well.
10 years have also passed for her. Now a 32 year old divorcee, Ji-Eun is a completely different person. With a maniac-depressive mother and trouble maker sister, she has now become the bread winner of her family, totally different from the reckless little brat she was.
And another love comes knocking on her door. Jung Min is no doubt the perfect prince charming every girl would die for. Then, again she finds someone whom she desperately wanted to get off her mind but whom she just couldn't forget. Now her so-called ex-husband Sae-Hoon turns up in front of her. And the twist of their fates makes them meet as client and worker.
Yoon, Mi-Ran (Acted by Jeong Hae-Yeong,) daughter of a rich real estate agent, she grew up in a wealthy, carefree environment. Somehow, she has always felt somewhat inferior to Ji-Eun. Without knowing Sae-Hoon was once married to Ji-Eun, she gets to know Sae-Hoon at one Christmas donation party. She also desperately falls for him and decides to make him hers doing everything possible. She did manage to get Sae-Hoon to be with her but this was due to a car accident. The accident makes her live in a wheel chair. Feeling guilty and responsible for the accident, Sae-Hoon decides to marry her. Things get more complicated when Mi-Ran learns of Sae-Hoon's ex-wife. She then becomes more obsessed with Sae-hoon in order not to lose him to her lifetime rival Ji-Eun. She even hides that she can now walk again...
Then there’s Suh, Jung-Min (Acted by Eric Moon)  the prince charming of Suh-Rin group. The term "Prince Charming" always comes with his name. He seems to have everything: the colorful background as the heir of Suh-Rin, perfectly good-looking face, gentleman-like manners, talents in every sports. Maybe it could even be said that the word "perfect" is made for this kind of person.
When he graduated from a prestigious university in Boston with honors, people were putting highest hopes on him. However even to him was a twisted fate...
He can never forget the day when he lost his twin brother. Only if he had not shouted out to his brother..".Come on, you can do better than that. Beat me!" He has been feeling guilty for the accident ever since as if to revenge himself on his twisted fate, he just goes on enjoying living a life of a debauchee. He's got everything but himself. Then fate brings him Ji-Eun...

So in this drama we have 2 men fighting for the same lady and 1 very obsessive and jealous lady fighting for one of the men. Which one will the lady choose, the man from her past or the present?  I won’t tell you, so you’d better watch this drama if you want to know the ending. One thing I want to say is that I certainly learnt a lot about love from this drama.

Will tell you about The Kingdom of the Wind in my next posting..

My Addiction to Korean Dramas

 

I need help! Yes, is there a rehab center to cure my addiction to, no, NOT DRUGS but KOREAN DRAMAS??? Of late, my lifestyle has been totally changed and everything has been brought to a standstill. My social life is lacking and I don’t go out that often these days like previously. It’s nothing but Korean drama, day in and day out. No day passes without my sitting in front of my computer watching not one but several dramas, one after another. Every day it’s a Korean drama marathon for me. You see, the episodes of the newer ongoing dramas will only be released one or two at a time and it’ll be another week before more episodes are uploaded. So to kill time in between I started watching the videos of the completed dramas, which stemmed my addiction to Korean dramas. I enjoy these completed dramas more as I can breeze through the episodes uninterrupted without any break in the sequence of the episodes.

Before, when I had to depend on the airing of Korean dramas on TV or bought/borrowed DVDs, I was not that much addicted. But now with the free watching Korean drama sites online it’s sheer heaven. I think at the rate I’m going I’ll finish watching all the Korean dramas in no time at all. To be frank, I only sleep about 4 hours per day and yet I do not feel sleepy or tired at all. My only complaint is that I wish I could find a more comfortable chair for the long hours I sit in front of the computer. I’ve tried a few but I have yet to find the perfect one. Got any suggestions anyone?

I have to apologize for neglecting to update my blog of late due to this addiction of mine. So I hope that you’ll forgive me for it. It’s not that I don’t want to continue to blog, it’s just that I forget or rather, find the time to do it just like the many other things I’ve stopped doing due to this recent addiction of mine. But today I feel that I need to tell you why I haven’t written for quite a while. So in future if you come to my blog and you see that it has been a while since I updated it, then you’ll know the reason why it’s so.

If, in the past the names of Korean actors and actresses have meant nothing to me, today it’s a different story. I can rattle off their names without any effort and I even have a few favorites whose dramas I always watch first before others and I’ve even joined their fan clubs. Among my favorites are Lee Seo Jin, Bae Yong Joon, So Ji-Sub, Ju Ji-Hun, Daniel Henney, Kwon Sang-woo, Song Seung heon, Lee Byung-hun, Lee Hyun Woo, Park Shi Hoo, Kim Nam Gil, Kim Hyun Joong, Lee Min Ho and Lee Joon Hyuk for the men and Han Ga In, Park Eun Hye, Chae Rim, Son Ye-jin, Choi Ji-woo, Song Hye Kyo, Eugene, Yoon Eun Hye and Kim Jung Eun for the ladies.

My favorite genre is historical/costume/period dramas. Even from school days history had been my pet subject. My introduction to Korean historical drama was through Jang Dae Geum or Jewel in the Palace. This drama also introduced me to Korean Royal Cuisine, making it all the more enjoyable for me as I love to cook. From then onwards I developed a love for Korean food, I started to patronize the Korean restaurants and even surfed on Korean Cookery sites to look for Korean recipes. So now I’m not only a lover of Korean Drama, I’m also a lover of Korean Food and all things Korean.

A friend gave me the DVDs of Queen Seon Duk as a present. It was a beautiful drama with the usual rivalry and jealousy in the king’s court and the battle between two powerful women, the evil Mishil and the intelligent, brave and young Queen Seon Duk (the first Queen of Silla in the history of Korea). It was about the life of Seon Duk as a princess until she became queen and the tragic love story between her and Bi-dam. I became a fan of Kim Nam Gil who played the part of Bidam. I think this drama also helped him to become a superstar. His latest drama was in Bad Guy where he played a leading role, Other dramas he’s acted in are Terroir, Several Questions That Make Us Happy, When Spring Comes, Lovers, Goodbye Solo and Be Strong Geum Soon

Dong Yi, set during the reign of King Sukjong during the Joseon dynasty, focuses on a water maid, Dong Yi, who gains the trust of Queen Inhyeon and later the favour of the king. Dong Yi becomes a concubine with the rank of sook-bin and bears a son who will later become the 21st king of Joseon, As usual there’s always rivalry, jealousy, hate and treachery in the king’s court and each episode is full of excitement. This is an ongoing drama and should be ending soon and has been on the top ten list of ratings each week. So it shows that there are many people like me who enjoy historical dramas.

I was so happy when I came across the completed videos of Yi San. So while waiting for the weekly episodes of Dong Yi, I was watching Yi San (77 episodes) which I finished in less than a week. I think I like this better than Dong Yi because my heart-throb, Lee Seo Jin was starring in it. I loved the OST ‘The Promise’ very much which I have downloaded here. I cried a lot too when I was watching this drama. Actually, the story line is almost about the same, the two Kings took commoners as their royal concubines who were well loved by the queens although there was enmity between the other concubines. Coincidently, the son of King Sukjong, Yeongjo, was the 21^st king of Joseon while the son of Crown Prince Sado, Jeong-Jo, became Joseon’s 22nd King.

Yisan is about the life of King Jeong-Jo, who is well remembered in Korean history as one of Korea’s greatest Kings who loved the people and reigned for the commoner.

When he was the Crown Prince, King Jeongjo met with Hong Guk-yeong, a controversial politician who first strongly supported King Jeongjo's accession and toiled to improve the king's power. King Jeongjo went through many turbulent times but overcame them with the aid of Hong Guk-yeong. However due to his great desire for power Hong Guk-yeong ended up being expelled.

King Jeongjo was known as an open-minded leader who implemented “tangpyeongchaek,'' an engagement policy toward rival factions intended to give people equal footing in politics despite death threats from multiple sources.

He made various reforms throughout his reign, notably establishing  Gyujanggak, an imperial library, which was part of his reform efforts to improve the cultural and political stance of Joseon and to recruit gifted officers to run the nation.
Also, the library was created to lessen the power of various wealthy aristocrats and relatives of the queen, who had frequently plagued the Joseon era.

He also spearheaded bold new social initiatives, opening government positions to those who were barred because of their social status.

Jeongjo had the support of the many Silhak scholars and they in turn, supported Jeongjo's regal power. King Jeongjo's reign also saw the further growth and development of Joseon's popular culture.

Jeongjo spent much of his reign trying to clear his disgraced father's name, who as Crown Prince Sado was put to death by his own father, King Yeongjo (Jeongjo’s grandfather).
He moved the court to Suwon to be closer to his father's grave and immersed himself in building Hwaseong Fortress, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to guard his father's grave.

Another historical drama that I liked was Damo, again acted by Lee Seo Jin although I didn’t quite like the ending where all the leading characters died.

I watched Hwang Jini because I’ve a passion for hanboks and there were many beautiful ones in this drama. I have just started on Jumong (81 episodes), while The Iron Princess or Empress Chun Chu (78 episodes), Princess Ja Myung Go (39 Episodes), Iljimae (20 Episodes), The Return of Iljimae (24 Episodes) and Chuno are still on my waiting list.

Apart from the historical dramas I also like family orientated and romance dramas like ‘Family’s Honor’ and ‘Loving you a Thousand Times’. I do watch the current favorites too. Too much of the same thing will be boring too. So guess that’s about all for now. So, if in future you see that my blog has not been updated you‘ll know the reason why. Can’t stop watching Korean dramas!!!!

Seoul Fringe Festival 2010

The 13th Seoul Fringe Festival has just kicked off its start in the Hongdae area, near the Hongik University and for the next two weeks or so, from August 12 to the 28, it will be the hive of activity in Seoul. The university is well known for its art-related studies and it is only natural that there are a lot of art galleries in the vicinity. Even on ordinary days Hongdae can be considered as one of the most vivid places in Seoul. Hongdae is also where most Koreans hang out as there are many good cafes and restaurants here, with great places to shop as well. But during this festival there will be much more. There will be lots of live performances in the streets, and art centers.

The festival originally began as an ‘Independent Arts Festival’ in 1998 and has now grown into a major event in Seoul. Festivities will take place all across the Hongdae area as 40 different locations both indoors and outdoors will serve as the stage for a variety of performances including drama, dance, musicals, and live indie rock concerts.
The Indoor portion of the art festival features over 200 plays, dances, mime performances, puppet shows, and interpretive dances by 120 performance teams, including ‘Traveling Alone’ by mime Taegeon Lee, ‘A Proposal Song’ by 4Audience Production, and ‘Chatter Hits the Road’ by choreographer Junghyun Kim. Tickets to the indoor performances range in price from 5,000 won to 15,000 won.
This year’s special overseas guests include ‘Clear Life’ by Vera Chen from Taiwan and ‘A dialogue on love: Lin Dai Yu Vs Juliet Capulet’ by Owen Lee, a mime from Hong Kong.

Outdoor street art festivities are open to all visitors, free of charge! Everyone is invited to enjoy improvisational dances such as ‘On a Trip’ by USD Modern Dance and ‘Fringe Travel’ by Et Aussi Dance. Performance artists and indie bands will be performing throughout the entire area, even in parking lots and on rooftops!
‘Ten Nights of Dreams’ performance by ‘Thursday 1pm,’ and ‘Looking for Normal’ by the group ‘Praxis’ add to the fun by allowing the audience to become part of the show!
So if you happen to be in Seoul during this time, this is an event not to be missed. I’m including a video ‘Seoul Fringe Festival 2009 on DiscoveringKorea.com’ so that it will give you an idea of what to expect during the festival.

What is a fringe festival, you might ask? Well from what I picked up from the KTO’s website this is what it’s all about.

‘Fringe’ means a cultural festival, where ‘future-oriented’ young artists come together to present their works of art such as paintings, music and street performances. The fringe festival originally began in Edinburgh, Scotland, and since then it has spread widely across the world. Currently, there are 70 Fringe festivals being held worldwide including Korea.
Since 1998, ‘Seoul Fringe Festival’ which originated from the Asian Fringe Festival has been held in about 20 artistic places such as small theaters, live theaters, and galleries around Hongik University in Seoul. At present, about three hundred teams from seven countries including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Macao, Japan, India, and Korea participate in the festival, and more than two hundred thousand spectators enjoy this large-scale art and culture festival.
Seoul Fringe Festival consists of a Music Festival, a Visual Arts Festival, an Asian Independent Film Festival, a Performing Arts Festival, and a Street Festival. In the Music Festival, Goseongbangga, which are various genres of music including rock music, traditional Korean classical music, dancing music, etc. will be presented by about one hundred bands at fourteen clubs in front of Hongik University.
The Visual Arts Festival, Naebugongsa, presents various art exhibitions and architectural planning exhibitions of domestic and foreign artists, which is free of charge. Starting in 2005, a special performance of making an ecological map using flowers and leaves which spectators collected around Hongik University.

The Performing Arts Festival, Igudongseong, presents various genres of performing arts including dance, performance, mime, jazz dance, etc. at small theaters located near Hongik University, and there is no screening tests or selection procedures for entry only volunteers. The Street Festival, Junggunanbang, in which various exhibitions and performances can be enjoyed on the street, is called ‘The Flower of the Fringe festival’ and presented freely on the street.
Make sure to check out Hongik University’s Club Day, which is on the last Friday of August. For only 15,000 won, music and dance can be enjoyed thoroughly by freely entering various clubs in the areas around Hongik University.
The best time to enjoy the club day is from 10 o’clock at night till 5 o’clock in the morning. The spirit of Korean underground music culture can be seen at Club Day, which will double the pleasure of the Seoul Fringe Festival.
Don’t know how to get there? Take the subway. Take Line 2, get out at Exit 5 of Hongik University subway station. Walk straight for 50 meters. Go through the alley between VIPS and Pizza Hut and walk straight for another 70 meters to the front gate of Hongik University
Walk in the direction of the street with the clubs and theaters on the right side towards Far East Broadcasting Co. (Geukdong Broadcasting Co.)
So I hope that you all will have a great time at the Seoul Fringe Festival! Wish I were there as this is what I’d like to see and do. So till next time 안녕하세요



Special thanks and appreciation to the following:
Photos and articles © courtesy
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr
http://korea.net/news.do?mode=detail&guid=49108
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCeWltdTGjk&feature=geosearch

Korean Funeral Rites

I know I have been neglecting my blog and I have no excuse for it except that I have of late, become addicted to watching Korean dramas on-line. Not only am I watching one drama at a time. I am currently following five, ‘Family’s Honor,’ ‘Bad Guy, ‘Dong Yi,’ ‘Baker King, Kim Tak Goo,’ aka ‘Bread Love and Dreams,’ and ‘Road No. 1.’ You see most of the dramas are on-going and are only released 2 episodes at a time (due to the translations that have to be done.) ‘Family’s Honor’ and ‘Bad Guy’ have just ended and it looks like I have to start on two more new dramas. Good thing, otherwise I will still be not writing this post today.

‘Family’s Honor’ is a good example of Korean Family Values that have been carried down from one generation to another, i.e.

i) The family is the most important part of Korean life.

ii) In Confucian tradition, the father is the head of the family and it is his responsibility to provide food, clothing and shelter, and to approve the marriages of family members.

iii) The eldest son has special duties: first to his parents, then to his brothers from older to younger, then to his sons, then to his wife, and lastly to his daughters.

iv) Family welfare is much more important than the needs of the individual.

v) Members of the family are tied to each other because the actions of one family member reflect on the rest of the family.

‘Family’s Honor’ and ‘Baker King, Kim Tak Gu,’ portrayed scenes of death, funeral, etc. and from where I got the inspiration for my subject matter in today’s post. How many of us non-Koreans know about Korean traditional funeral rites etc. few I’m sure? The whole process is quite complicated, if you ask me.

Koreans believed that if someone passed away from home, that person's spirit would wander and become a ghost. Therefore they did all that they could to make sure a person died at home, and not alone.

By the way, did you know that according to Confucian standards, only people of the same gender could witness a death? This means that a husband was not able to witness or be present at the death of his wife and vice versa.

Upon the death of a person, the mourners put on simple garments appropriate for the occasion. The men wore sleeveless coats and the women, no jewellery and accessories, and refrained from combing their hair. The corpse would be laid with the hands and feet bound tightly together. One of the relatives would then take a coat of the deceased to the roof of the house and called out his or her name three times. Then, the coat was taken back into the house and used as a cover for the corpse. This ritual was called chohon or gobok .

The first son of the deceased would assume the role of the sangju, basically the master of ceremonies. Traditionally the sangju would wear clothes and hats made out of hemp, but nowadays they simply wear black suits and hemp hats. The relatives of the deceased are also supposed to wear the hemp clothes, but that has been done away with by the majority of Koreans nowadays. Both the sangju and the relatives are supposed to wear a black ribbon either on the chest or on an arm, but now only the sangju wears it.

The day following the death of the deceased, preparations would usually be made for the burial. The first of these preparations called seup, involved the bathing and the dressing up of the corpse which was usually done at a funeral home. Koreans don’t embalm the dead. The bath water was perfumed and after the corpse has been wiped dry, the hair would be combed and any fallen hair carefully collected. Finger and toe nails would then be manicured and the clippings collected. The fallen hair and the clippings were then placed in five small pouches called, joballang, which would be then placed in the coffin together with the corpse. Three spoons of rice would be fed to the corpse with a wooden spoon made from the willow tree. As the first spoonful was being fed, a person close to the deceased would call out, "Ilcheonseogiyo ," meaning one thousand bags of rice. On the second and third spoonful, the man would make further calls and some coins would be inserted in the cavity. It was believed that the journey by the deceased soul to the next world would be eased by the rice and money the family had bestowed upon the departed. Seup would be followed by the process of yeom , in which the corpse would be wrapped in suui made from hemp or silk. After the corpse had been dressed in the suui, it would then be wrapped with a quilted cloth called yeompo made of hemp cloth; the corpse would then be bound with ropes seven times before being put into the coffin.

The coffin would be set behind a partition or a black curtain, and a makeshift shrine would then be set up called binso where a photo of the deceased including candles, and incense would be placed on a table. A black ribbon would be put on the photo at this time. Sangju sits next to the table on a coarse mat – the mat is coarse because sangju must atone for the sin of allowing his parent to die. This would be where the mourners would receive the guests. Then, the family of the deceased would dress themselves in the appropriate mourning attire, called sangbok , which varied in length according to the family member's relationship with the deceased.

Korean funerals would generally last for three days. However, it was also based on a variety of factors, which included the social status of the family, the social position of the deceased, and so on. In the 18th century, the duration of the mourning period was over a month for scholars. Others lasted for odd-numbered days (three, five, or seven days). If the mourners were to wander outdoors, they had to wear a large-brimmed headpiece made of bamboo called banggat so as to obstruct the view of the heavens. Enduring these very uncomfortable living conditions was viewed as an expression of filial piety.
On the last day, the funeral procession would be held. Traditionally, the sangju and his relatives carried the coffin all the way to the burying ground, but now Koreans use a hearse. The coffin is taken to a pre-arranged burial ground, which is near other family members' burial sites. Typically, an extended family owns a small mountain and sets up burial sites for the entire family, past, present and future. The Korean himself already knows where he will be buried when he dies. Before it leaves, a short ceremony would be held in honor of the deceased; when the personal history of the deceased would be told, and the people would eulogize and offer incense.

Leading the procession would be persons carrying funeral banners. The hearse would be decorated with dragons and Chinese phoenix paintings. Around the hearse, colorfully decorated dolls would be placed to guard the deceased. The procession leader would sing a deep and mournful song; at the back of the hearse, family members, relatives and friends would follow. At the grave site, a shaman who had been called upon for the occasion would perform a special ritual to exorcise evil spirits from the grave. At a predetermined time, the coffin would then be lowered and the sangju (or in the case of the death of a child, the father) would take a deep bow. Then, taking some earth, he would cast it upon the coffin. He would do this twice. Other family members would then follow, in turn, doing the same rituals known as chwito . After the chwito was complete, hired workers would finish covering the grave with earth.
The earth would be packed into a mound shape to prevent water seepage. Called dalgujil , this process of packing the earth by stamping on it was done to the accompaniment of music. It also had to be done in odd-numbered layers (usually three or five layers).

The mound is then covered with grass. On the right bottom side of the mound, a small stone with the name of the dead would be buried so that the grave could be identified even though the mound would have eroded away. The tombstone would be set up in front of the grave, and a brief ceremony would be held once again.

As soon as the mourners returned home from the funeral service, they would place a picture and an ancestral tablet in a room at the front portion of their house.

Two days after the burial, family mourners would visit the grave again to offer food and drinks at the grave and to perform the bowing. Only then did the family members return to their respective homes. Jolgokje, another memorial service, was performed one or two days after the second visit to the grave site. On this day, family members would put away all of the funeral paraphernalia and the mourning rituals would come to an end.

Sometimes, in cases where the death occurred outside the home, like in a hospital, the casket would be placed in a funeral home for the wake, and where all the ceremonies prior to the funeral would be performed. Usually these funeral homes can be found on the lower level floors of the hospitals.

When guests first arrive they head for the greeting room. When you get to the room, there will be a small desk with someone sitting behind it and a large box for donations. It is expected and customary that everyone going to the wake/funeral should make a donation or “condolence money” so to speak. The money is usually put in a white envelope that says 謹弔. (The Chinese characters roughly mean “I am sorry for your loss.”) How much? Donations usually get bigger the closer you are to the bereaved, but the nominal sum is around 30,000 won. Be sure to write your name on the back of the envelope, because the family would like to keep track of who has come and who has made which donations.

There will also be a book, sitting on the desk next to the donations box, with a pen. After you have dropped your envelope into the box, you sign your name in the book. At times the person sitting at the desk behind the book will take your donation envelope and sign your name for you in the book.
Sometimes people do the donation and sign-in steps after they are done with the bows and on their way out of the room. This is also acceptable.

Important people or organizations who have some connection with the family of the deceased will send large flower stands made up mostly of chrysanthemums with two long black-and-white ribbons. One side of the ribbon will have a message of condolence and the other side will give the details of the senders.

Here I would like to mention some rules of etiquette to be observed when attending a funeral.

Anyone who is engaged to be married and has set a date for the wedding is not supposed to attend a funeral as it is believed to bring bad luck.

What sort of attire? For men, a black or dark-colored suit and tie would be appropriate. For ladies, anything in black would be considered appropriate, Bright colors, and especially the color red, are most inappropriate.

You should take your shoes off, just as if you were entering a house before you go into the greeting room. If someone else is in the room doing their bows, wait until they finish and come back to put their shoes on before you enter.
At some funerals, they will have a large vase filled with chrysanthemums that is sitting by the shoe pit. If they have these flowers, you should take one on your way into the room. If you have picked up a chrysanthemum, place it in front of the photo where the other chrysanthemums are piled, or where they have cleared off space to place them. The stem should face you. If not, just go straight in, to the front of the picture of the deceased.

The next step is to burn some incense. In front of the picture of the deceased facing the picture of the deceased, do one full bow, ending in a crouched position, facing the floor. Hold the crouched position for a moment. Get back up on your feet and repeat.

After bowing to the deceased, turn to face the relatives and do the same full-bow one time, followed by a bow from the waist. Some people say that female visitors should omit the full bow during this step and just offer a bow from the waist.

You walk back over to the shoe-pit, put on your shoes and walk out of the room. They will be having food served somewhere in the funeral hall and will usually guide you to the site. Depending on the size of the crowd, some members of the bereaved family may come by to chat while you eat. You can eat at your own pace and, when you are done, stand up and go.

Well, guess that’s about it for now. See you around next time.

In Passing Through…..

Looks like I’ve neglected to update my blog as I haven’t posted anything new since my last one more than two weeks ago. Like so many people all over the world, I’ve been bitten by the World Cup bug, you might say. And also I’ve been quite busy with my Hangeul lessons which I mentioned earlier. Although it’s only held once a week there’s a lot of prep work to be done, the writing and reading exercises I have to do on my own. Most of the people attending the class are in their teens and are still schooling, so they are fast in catching on. So for the handful of us, past our teens, we’ve got to study harder. The teacher is proceeding at a fast pace as she has to finish the syllabus in 12 lessons for the first level. So you can just imagine the pressure we’re going through but it’s fun. Thank goodness I have the on-line Learn Korean sites where I can get more tuition to help me in my writing and reading skills. Also, by watching the K-dramas I’ve picked up a few spoken words here and there and now I’m actually reading them in print. Now I can even read the names of the actors and actresses as they appear on the screen. Although I’m able to read a given text, I still need a translation to know its meaning as my vocabulary is very limited still. Hopefully I should be able to carry on a simple conversation by the end of the course. Hehehe! However, that remains to be seen.

Today I break my silence to write about one of my favorite Korean actor and singer Park Yong Ha. I’m sure most of you must have read in the newspapers or seen the news on TV about his tragic death. His death marks the latest in a recent chain of high-profile suicides in Korea. It was so unexpected and shocking to his loved ones and his fans as well. We’re going to miss him a lot with no more songs and dramas to look forward to from him.

On Wednesday morning I was reading the news on Soompi com when I came across the sad news that Park Yong Ha, had committed suicide. It came as a great shock as he was a popular singer as well as actor and still very young. Many of you may remember him from the drama “Winter Sonata” when he played the part of Choi Ji Woo’s love interest before she met Bae Yong Joon.

 

Park’s coffin was taken from Seoul’s St. Mary’s Hospital, where the Wake was held and also where the funeral rites were performed earlier. When Park’s coffin appeared, more than 200 fans, many of them Japanese, were seen crying and calling out his name.

Actor So Ji-sub led the procession, holding Park’s funeral portrait. Bereaved family members and celebrity friends followed the actor, with many of them in tears.

 

The pall bearers included actor Park Kwang-hyun and singers Kim Won-jun and Park Hyo-shin, who were very close to the late Park Yong Ha. SS501 member Kim Hyung-jun and actresses Park Si-yeon, Kim Hyun-ju and Kim Gyu-ri followed behind. However, Park’s parents did not attend the funeral as they were still too shocked about his sudden demise.

Let us ponder for a while as to why such a popular and upcoming actor and singer should resort to taking his own life. Apparently it was not what appears to be on the surface. It seems that PYH was a very troubled young man.

Sources close to Park said he recently had been having a very hard time juggling his career, his company, and family problems. The agency is now struggling with financial difficulties, his father battling cancer, and he was suffering from insomnia and had to take sleeping pills to be able to sleep.

After investigations, it’s been revealed that Park Yong Ha has had difficult times because of his ill father. His father has been suffering stomach cancer for a long period of time, and was told recently that it was in a terminal stage. A friend of Park Yong Ha claims, “After learning that his father had cancer, Yong Ha brought his father home and cared for him. He always worried about his father. He also said that he will be focusing on caring for his father for a while.”

Park Yong Ha’s failure in business also seems to be another reason for his suicide. Right before appearing on the “On Air” (drama), he became independent from his ex-agency, and established his own company, YONA Entertainment in 2008, with his father as the company’s president. According to a family acquaintance, running the business was not an easy task for them. A manager in the company made a financial mistake after getting various loans, causing the agency a huge loss. To make matters worse, Park Yong Ha’s father was left with a huge debt after mistakenly co-signing someone else’s loan. It seems that Park Yong Ha had even consulted a used car dealer to sell his car in order to help in the financial difficulty the family was facing.

Park Yong Ha was also revealed to have been suffering from insomnia for 14 years, because of depression. He confessed on his Twitter a while back that he had been relying on sleeping pills for a long time, making his fans worry about his health. The actor also shared on a program that his rising fame as a Hallyu star caused him to undergo depression from a sense of shame.

So now we know how stressful it must have been for him under all that pressure until it reached the point where he found himself at a dead end and where the only way out was by taking his own life. May you rest in peace PARK YONG HA!

PYH started off his career with acting first, before branching out to singing, which was particularly successful in Japan. He won an award at Japan's Golden Disk Award for four years straight starting in 2005, making him the first Korean to win an award at the event and the first to win four times in a row.

His music career in Japan continued to flourish even after his fifth full-length album "STARS" released in June this year reached No. 16 on the prestigious Oricon weekly chart. He had recently kicked off a three-month long 16-city tour on June 19 to promote "STARS."

 

Still on the subject of Korean actors, So Ji-sub has denied a rumor that he will marry actress Han Ji-min who costarred with him in the KBS soap opera “Cain & Abel,” Rumors were rampant that they would get married in December, even though the two had never admitted to being in a relationship. Maybe what added fuel to the rumor, was that there were pictures showing So and Han wearing the same rings.

Here’s the article sourced from the Korea Herald. During an interview with local news media on June 28, he mentioned his relationship with her “I am sorry for her. She must have suffered more than I because she’s an actress.” He added “since the marriage rumor, I have and could not get in touch with her.”
“Also, for now, I have no plan to get married. I would consider marriage when I’m around my 40s.”
Asked about his ideal type of woman, he said it is different from time to time, but he likes someone who can make him feel comfortable.

It has been reported that comic actress Jung Soo-young (Coffee House) has got married to a stage actor whom she has known for six years and that she is currently two months pregnant; the couple kept their plans under wraps to keep the affair low-key.

She also starred in Fantasy Couple, (in her best known role as Kang-ja,) Queen of Housewives, Boo-mi in City Hall, and Ga-yeon in Hero. Currently, the 28-year-old Jung is acting in SBS’s Coffee House, which means the couple will have to delay their honeymoon until she’s free.

Here’s another juicy piece of gossip. It seems that actress Min Young-won, 26, is becoming a popular search keyword online after news reports that she was proposed to by an Arab prince.

The reports quoted an unnamed official in the entertainment industry as saying that the man was a crown prince of Dubai.

They said the prince has often flown to Korea by private jet to meet her. The reports added that he fell in love with her beauty and the personality.

But Min’s PI Entertainment agency denied the reports, saying the two are just friends.

Min acted in “Boys over Flowers” and “Shining Inheritance” and is currently acting in a drama “Happiness in the Wind.”

There she was in “Shining Inheritance” when she was envying her best friend for having not only one but two very rich prospective husbands to be. She played the part of our heroine’s housemate, a waitress in this drama. And now she has a real life prince wanting to marry her. It’s like a fairy tale come true. Lucky girl! 

Did you know that singer-actress Jang Nara (Sky and Sea, My Love Patzzi) has been appointed an associate professor in China, at its Beijing Huajia University?

Jang Nara is probably more popular in China than she is in her home country, Korea and has pursued a singing career there as well as acting projects. She’ll be teaching in the acting department, it’s only natural since she’s an actress.

Jang will next act in a Chinese medical drama in the fall. She also has another project lined up, the follow-up to Mischievous Princess, called Mischievous Empress.

Guess that’s about all for now. Thanks for dropping by. 안녕하세요

 

Special thanks and appreciation to the following:
Photos and articles © courtesy

http://www.koreaherald.com

http://www.allkpop.com

http://news.nate.com

http://www.hancinema.net

http://www.soompi.com

Han Youn-jong/Asia Economic Daily

World Cup Street Cheering Event in Kuala Lumpur.

 After watching yesterday’s World Cup match between Korea and Greece, I have to post something about it today while it's still fresh in my mind. As I told you in my previous post, I was going to the World Cup Street Cheering Event organized by the Saranghaeyo Korea Club, am I glad I went because I had the opportunity to witness South Korea beating Greece by 2 goals to nil, with hundreds of other Korean team supporters..





Although the event was supposed to start at 18.30 Malaysian time, a few of us from the Bae Yong Joon Malaysia Fan-club who are also members of the Saranghaeyo Korea Club went there much earlier as we had planned on having an early dinner before the match began. What did we eat? Korean food of course!





Another reason why we went early was because there was only a limited supply of free t-shirts to be given out to supporters of the South Korea Team. We made it well ahead of opening time, and were among the first few in the queue. Not only did we get the red t-shirts, we even got the devils’ horns to wear on the head complete with battery-operated lights.





There we were, looking at the wide screen with the live telecast of the match, all aglow in the dark with our devils’ horns. It was such a sight!
What a nice introduction I had, to Korean Street Cheering. Everything was done very orderly and peacefully, nothing riotous like what the British are famous for. There was an emcee at the front with a mike who would prompt and lead the crowd in cheering, clapping hands or singing the world cup song when the occasion asked for it. Of course the crowd needed no prompting whenever a goal was scored. Everyone would shout and jump with joy automatically.





There were also drummers who helped to keep the tempo moving. We were treated to refreshments and Korean Rice Cakes (tteok.) It was so much fun,we were just like one big family gathered together for a social evening, cheering for the national Korean team.


And with South Korea winning this match it just needs another win to move into the next 16, which I have every confidence, that they will do it. Yes, they can!


Now I'm looking forward to the clash between Argentina and South Korea. Some of you may remember, the present coach of South Korea, Huh Jung-moo, as the player who was Diego Maradona's marker at the1986 World Cup, when the Koreans were beaten 3 - 1 by Argentina. They meet again this time, not as players but coaches for their respective teams. It should be fun to see how they are going to pit their wits against each other in a different capacity this time.


Well, this is just a short post for today on the Street Cheering Event. So see you around.

Que sera sera…..

Before I start on today’s post here’s a bit of news on the results we were waiting for – the 2010 MTV Movie Awards.( See my post Winner Takes All) Well the results are out and Rain has done it like I expected. Here’s something sourced from Korea Net.

“Singer-cum-actor Rain (real name Jung Ji-hoon) became the first Korean to win an award at the MTV Movie Awards last Sunday (Jun. 6). Rain won the Biggest Badass Star award, given to the best action star of the year. He competed with some top Hollywood celebrities: Angelina Jolie, Chris Pine, Sam Worthington and Channing Tatum.

“Wow it's amazing. And I appreciate it,” said Rain, keeping his speech short at the awards ceremony. He later said through his company J. Tune Entertainment that his efforts filming “Ninja Assassin” seem to have paid off finally and he expressed gratitude to all his fans.
Rain became the first Korean to take a lead role in a major Hollywood movie, namely “Ninja Assassin” by the Wachowski brothers. Rain had previously played a role in another one of the Wachowski brothers’ films, “Speed Racer.”

Rain is the fifth Asian actor to receive an MTV Movie award, following in the footsteps of others like Jackie Chan, Zhang Ziyi and Lucy Liu.

At the Green Planet Movie Awards last March Rain was included in the 10 Outstanding Asians in Hollywood. He was further selected as Asian Cultural Ambassador of the Year and the Best International Entertainer (Asia) at the same time.”

And still on the trail of winners, the Koreans’ prowess in the football arena will be put to the test in the coming 2010 World Cup. In a few days’ time, we shall all be glued to our television sets watching the World Cup matches in South Africa in which South Korea is one of the participants. There are two Korean teams, and not one, playing in the 2010 World Cup, yes, North Korea also qualified, first time in history. And for one month starting June 11 – July 11 2010, the whole world will be caught in frenzy with world cup football mania. To qualify for the World Cup is already an  achievement in itself, the world’s 32 best teams.

So my topic for today will showcase on South Korea in the 2010 World Cup. Can history repeat itself? Can South Korea, surprise semi-finalists on home soil in 2002, reach the semi-finals again this time, but re-write history by becoming the champion instead in 2010? For the record no European team has ever won outside Europe. That should be enough food for thought! I have every confidence in the South Korean team. The fact that South Korea breezed through the Asian qualifying rounds with an unblemished record will give them the added confidence at this year’s world cup and knowing the great fighting spirit of the Koreans anything is POSSIBLE! Some of the players of the South Korean team are attached to English and European Football Clubs so they are experienced in the style of play of European football.

Skipper Park Ji-sung, the dynamic Manchester United midfielder, remains the beating heart of the team and together with a supportive team should help South Korea advance from Group B and reach the last 16. Then there’s Park Chu-young, the foal-like striker once thought too frail to make the grade, is banging in goals with AS Monaco. Lee Chung-yong and Ki Sung-yong's partnership at FC Seoul earned them lucrative transfers to Bolton and Glasgow Celtic. Moreover, there is optimism for this year. The 2002 Cup was a turning point in the history of Korean football, and the team seems to have gained valuable experience and skills to challenge world-class teams.

Here are some facts about the South Korean Team:-

• Colours: Red shirts, blue shorts, red socks.
• Nickname: Taeguk Chunsa (Korean Warriors)
• Their first appearance at the World Cup was in 1954. They missed out on the next 7 world cup to re-enter the scene again in 1986 and since then have appeared in every world cup following - 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, and currently 2010. Their best performance so far has been in 2002 when they came in fourth.
• Coach: Huh Jung-moo
• Most capped player: Hong Myung-bo (136)
• Top goalscorer: Cha Bum-keun (55)

Talking points:

Park Ji-sung has been the focal point of South Korean soccer since his breakthrough at the 2002 World Cup, but he finally has strong team mates to share the load.

The burgeoning potential of Lee Chung-yong, Ki Sung-yong and Park Chu-young has blossomed in Europe and given the South Koreans the cutting edge they have lacked for years. Whether coach Huh Jung-moo will boldly play to his side's attacking strengths remains to be seen.

Player to watch:

Park Ji-sung. The South Korean skipper burst on to the world stage in 2002 and has gone from strength to strength since joining Manchester United from PSV Eindhoven in 2005. Nicknamed "Three-lunged Park", his boundless energy and terrier-like tenacity have endeared him to Alex Ferguson and the Old Trafford faithful.

South Korea is in Group B, and will face Greece on June 12, Argentina on June 17, and Nigeria on June 23. The crucial match will be against Greece, which is likely to determine whether Korea will advance to the second round or not.

I wonder how many of you may remember the player Huh Jung-moo who was Diego Maradona's marker at the 1986 World Cup, when the Koreans were beaten 3 – 1 by Argentina, a game Maradona remembers as being more like taekwondo than football thanks to the heavy-handed tactics employed by the Asian side.

Well that same player is now South Korea’s Coach Huh Jung-moo who has hinted that “Lionel Messi and his team mates could be in for a rough ride when they meet in Johannesburg on June 17.”

“If I am asked to play Maradona and Argentina again, I will do the same thing," the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) website (www.the-afc.com) quoted Huh as saying.

"I don't want to give them an easy win. I will stop them. I will fight them.

"We will try to cut down their speed and reduce their tempo. Counter-attacks are crucial. They will be the key."

News has it that Lee Dong-gook looks set to play a part in their opener against Greece on Saturday.

"Lee has improved a lot,” coach Huh Jung-moo told the-afc.com. “He may even play a little during the group opener with Greece.”
The former Middleborough and Werder Bremen striker has been struggling with a hamstring injury and reports from inside the South Korean camp suggested he would play no part this weekend.
The 32-year-old enjoyed a return to form last year with new club Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. He comes into the World Cup high on confidence after smashing in 21 K-league goals last season to become the competition’s top scorer and help the Greens to the league title.
There was a further boost for Huh today with news that Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-sung had also overcome injury to make the Taeguk Warriors’ curtain-raiser.

Want to know how the South Korean team is preparing for the world cup?

Here’s what the English Chosun has to say about it:-
“After a stint of training in Austria, the South Korean team landed in South Africa on Saturday for a final week of practice before the World Cup kicks off. Led by coach Huh Jung-moo, it is regarded as Korea's strongest team ever, and has its eyes set on advancing to the second round for the first time on foreign soil. Of the 23 athletes on the final squad, 10 play in overseas leagues, which is precisely why the hopes of advancing beyond the group stage are high.

The squad began training as soon as it arrived at its training camp in Rustenburg, some two and a half hours drive from Johannesburg. "Our focus at first will be on the match against Greece," Huh said. Scheduled for 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, the match is a must win in order to keep the hope alive. 
Huh revealed the training plan until the team moves to Port Elizabeth on Thursday for the Greece match. Sunday's training focused on increasing physical strength, Monday's will be on game strategies, then back to physical strength again on Tuesday, with no practice on Wednesday. 
Huh apparently views cardiovascular stamina as the key to enhancing the team's overall performance. Rustenburg is located 1,200 m above sea level, similar to the altitude of the previous training base in Austria, while Port Elizabeth is just 20 m above sea level. If the players get used to playing at the higher altitude where the air pressure and oxygen levels are low, they should be able to play even better at lower altitudes. 
"Most of the players played in the Port Elizabeth stadium during the overseas training in January, so there won't be any problems getting used to it," Huh said. "And Park Ji-sung and Park Chu-young are both in great condition.

What’s your favorite jersey number? Take a look.

Lee Woon-jae again proved himself to be the number one goalkeeper on the Korean national football team, taking the No.1 jersey number.

Captain Park Ji-sung’s No.7 came as no surprise, as the number is usually given to a leading midfielder who can dribble fast and kick well. Park has been wearing the number in most of the World Cup preliminaries.

Ahn Jung-hwan will wear No.9, a typical number for goal-scoring forwards, while AS Monaco’s Park Chu-young's No.10 is normally given to the team's ace striker.

Lee Seung-yeoul, the youngest player on the team at 21, was lucky enough to get No.11, which normally represents the fastest player with great technical skills.

In a break with the tradition of defenders getting numbers under 10, Cha Du-ri received No.22 as he wished, as his name Du-ri associates with the number two in Korean.

Midfielder Kim Jae-sung did not seem to mind getting No.13, which is considered unlucky in the West. On the contrary, he was delighted as it is the number his high school senior Park Ji-sung wears for Manchester United. Kim is a back-up for Park's position of left wing in the midfield.

Lee Chung-yong of Bolton Wanderers will don No.17, the same number that coach Huh wore as a player when he scored against Italy in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

Defender Kang Min-soo, a late addition to the team replacing injured Kwak Tae-hwi, was given Kwak's No.23.

No.6, which had been worn by Shin Hyung-min who did not make it on the final squad, was taken by midfielder Kim Bo-Kyung.

Sports Illustrated has predicted that South Korea is the likeliest team alongside Argentina to advance to the best of 16 in Group B in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. "All the stamina, pace and determination of old seems to be in place, but this time it has a goal-scoring edge, with Park Chu-young providing a useful link between midfield and the striker Lee Dong-gook," the magazine said.
However, it pointed to Korea's relatively weak defense. "The retirement of the 'Eternal Libero,' Hong Myong-bo in 2002, though, left a hole that is yet to be filled, and coach Huh Jung-Moo's side look uncharacteristically vulnerable." 
The magazine also picked the "Fab Four" in the Korean team -- captain Park Ji-sung of the Manchester United, Park Chu-young of AC Monaco, Ki Sung-yong of Celtic, and Lee Chung-yong of Bolton Wanderers

From what I can see, the strength of the Koreans lie in their motivation and determination, which is the key to their success in everything they do. I salute them

This was what former Holland star Ronald de Boer, (now an Asia-based football commentator) who agonizingly missed a penalty during the shootout in the 1998 World Cup semi-final against Brazil, has to say about the South Korean Team.

“Moving on to the preparations of the South Korean team, whose coach Huh Jung-Moo will be looking for a measure of revenge after being outdone by Diego Maradona in a classic 1986 World Cup encounter as a player. Now the two face-off again in management, with claims that this is the best South Korean team yet - better even than that home side which was propelled by a wave of euphoria to the semi-finals in 2002.

Indeed, many experts see the South Koreans as the Asian team most likely to spring a surprise in South Africa. South Korea appear capable of emerging from their group, which also contains Argentina, Greece and Nigeria.

Again, the opening encounter against Greece on the second day of the World Cup looks a key clash for the Asian favorites; win it and they will ride a wave of confidence through the group stages and into potentially a somewhat manageable date with a team from Group A in the Second Round.

A quarter-final berth thus seems a realistic option for the South Koreans, especially given their pre-tournament form and the compact squad they have at their disposal. This year's midfield contains plenty of British-based steel; captain Park Ji-Sung, of Manchester United fame, as well as Bolton's Lee Chung-Yong and Celtic's Ki Sung-Yong, making for a tough central axis which will take some breaking down by Lionel Messi and co.

South Korea have twice beaten Japan this year already in warm-up games, and I saw them going down to a narrow 1-0 defeat against Euro 2008 Champions Spain last week in Innsbruck. In that match, Huh's men were missing Park, but certainly had their chances. Perhaps just that little bit of self-belief was missing, the belief that they could beat the European Champions.”

But there are some quarters who disagree.

Group B is not an easy group. "It is a difficult group and Argentina and Nigeria may be just too strong for South Korea," Dick Advocaat, who headed the South Korean team during the 2006 World Cup in Germany, told Goal.com. "Korea fights hard always and will give it their best but it may not be enough."
The Times of London and the website of football governing body FIFA also predicted that it will be Argentina and Nigeria who are most likely to advance to the best of 16. Argentina is undoubtedly the strongest team in the group, and Nigeria might benefit from the fact that the World Cup is held in Africa.
Greece, the first opponent Team Korea will face, is generally regarded as one of the weaker ones in Europe. However, it is still ranked 12th in the world, whereas South Korea lags way behind at 52nd. Greece has a history of defeating strong teams to claim the 2004 UEFA European Football Championship. South Korea must collect a win against Greece for any hope to make it to the next round because the two other teams are tougher. Argentina is a two-time World Cup champion and is one of the strongest teams in Latin America. Nigeria has appeared in the World Cup four times, and advanced to the next round on two occasions. It is also one of the strongest teams in Africa.
South Korean coach Huh Jung-Moo said after the draw, "There are no easy groups, and I didn't think it would be easy in the first place. We need one win and two draws, or two wins and one loss at least [to advance to the next round], but I think we have chance."

Well we shall see who is right and who is wrong!

Word has it that Korea, Australia, Japan and the United States are in competition to host the 2022 event.

To end , here’s a bit of the local news here in Kuala Lumpur….. This Saturday June 12, we, the members of the Saranghaeyo Korea Club will be participating in the Saranghaeyo Korea Club World Cup Street Cheering Event in the Ampang area of Kuala Lumpur. Am I looking forward to it!!!!!

Special thanks and appreciation to the following:
Photos and articles © courtesy

Yonhap News

GettyImages

http://www.korea.net/news.do?mode=detail&guid=47391

http://g.malaysia.sports.yahoo.com/football/world-cup/news/world-factbox-on-south-korea

http://g.malaysia.sports.yahoo.com/football/world-cup/news/world-penpix-of-south-korea-squad--fbintl_reu-worldskoreapenpix.html

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/columns/story?id=793248&cc=4716&ver=global

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/06/07/2010060700613.html

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/06/03/2010060301980.html

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2009/12/07/2009120700503.html