16.Commentary

As this commentary is going to be about influential people of Korea, how can I not talk about King Sejong the Great? During his reign Korea went through a golden age, as many cultural, economic and scientific developments were made. King Sejong's aim was to improve education. As the kingdom had been founded with the principles of confucianism, he followed them rightfully. King Sejong was a king who wanted to improve the lives of the lower class people. To do this, when hard times came, such as floods, he established places where people could find food and shelter and also found relief programs. Also, for farmers who were having problems with their harvests, he began to use again a loan system used in the Koryo Kingdom, in which the government loaned them grains, which were not in need to use, and they could be paid back later on. As he was really focused on education, he greatly promoted new developments in music, science, linguistics and philosophy. To convince the scholars to focus greatly on their studies, the government gave them great support. And how can we forget about his greatest invention?. Hangul was a great development for korean society. They previously had been using the chinese characters, as illiteracy was not the big deal back then, it was thought that it was not good to put such a high-class form of writing into the hands of common people. But Sejong disagreed with this, he wanted a language that has easy to learn so that he could easily communicate with the people of his nation. He worked with a group of scholars to develop it. Although it was first not accepted by many scholars, Sejong did his best to promote Hangul. This was a very important creation, people could now communicate easily and information could flow across the kingdom. King Sejong is considered a very important hero of Korea, his inventions helped for the great development of the Korean society.

People like King Sejong deserve wide recognition for their great efforts to improve their society. Language is a great characteristic that gives a nation an identity. To get to know your country, you need to listen to what people living in different conditions have to say, and King Sejong did his best to achieve this. If only the nobility could know how to write, then he could not easily know what was happening around his kingdom, having this new language approved, I think he totally changed the korean society. Also, by giving a hand to those in need, he really helped to the fast recovery of the society, so that it could continue running. Inventions are the ones that get our world ahead, and with a leader thats full of ideas, the nation can go to a higher level. If a nation is full of thinkers and educated people, they can work together to develop new inventions, but if only a small part of the nation can be educated, there will not be that much success, as King Sejong sought to educate the nation, I think he was looking towards the future, he wanted to leave an inheritance of good thinkers to the kingdom. As he was devoted to make the lives of the people of his kingdom better, he was thinking like a real king. A king works to improve his kingdom, not only his life. A person that worries for human rights like him is the kind of person we should follow. By giving people a characteristic that differs them from other nations is a great incentive for them to take care of the nation in which they live in. He was very right about books being essential for knowledge, books are the ones that keep record of history and help us understand more, and as more people were then able to read them, knowledge could flow through the kingdom.

Sources:
http://asiasociety.org/countries/traditions/king-sejong-great
http://www.chosonkorea.org/index.php/people/kings/king-sejong-the-great

15. News Video

2014 is hosting many sport events, including the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Winter Olympics and Asian Games. South Korea will be making part of these events, showing off very talented athletes, including the very famous skater Kim Yu Na. South Korea did really well on the last 2014 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, and the expectations this year are high.There will be a wide variety of sport competitions during the Incheon Asian Games, and there are also high expectations this year for the South Korean team during the World Cup. South Korea will do their best during this events to show the world what they are made of.

14. Interview

I want to show other opinions other than mine, so I interviewed my sister to see what she thinks about the "hallyu wave" and the south korean culture. She is not a proffesional on this topic, but she does know a lot about it, she is the one that introduced me to k-pop, and she is a very open minded person, she always surprises me with her way of thinking. This is what se said to me:

Q: When was the first time you listened to k-pop and why did you continue listening to it?

Valentina: The first time I ever listened to k-pop was about 3 years ago, a friend of mine made me listen to a really good song. Although I didn't understand pretty much anything, I did enjoy listening to it, the song was catchy and the group danced really well in the music video, I was blown away by the synchronized dance moves, and I just had to see more of it.

Q: Were you satisfied with what you saw?

Valentina: Of course I was! I saw many videos from the hundreds of groups that there are, all of them have different styles. Many people may say that their videos are weird, but I don´t think so, its just that some groups like more exotic themes. I was surprised with the variety of music that they make, there are rock bands, ballad groups, contemporary R&B groups,etc.

Q: You noticed that there are some groups that have many members, like Super Junior and EXO, What do you think about this?

V: Well, I think that the bigger, the better! If there are 12 members or more that can sing and dance with perfect synchronization, they are showing that they have real talent and passion. I think that there is nothing wrong about it, would it be wrong if you want to hang out with a group of 12-15 people? Of course not. Having to work with 12-15 people is not an easy thing, and even so, they are able to give their fans a really good performance. I'm not saying that groups with no so many people are not good, I think those groups are also very talented and I really like them, I'm just saying that there is nothing wrong with having a large group of friends on a band.

Q: Did you start looking deeper on the south korean culture?

V: Yes! I wanted to know a lot about these group´s native country, about their customs, about their language, about their shows, etc. Firstly I found out about dramas, I saw that they have rom-com, melodramas, musicals, historical dramas, etc, and I began to grow interest on them. I remember the first drama I saw was "Boys Over Flowers", a rom-com about 4 rich flower boys* and one of them falling in love with a high schooler, it was really good. In fact, I have learned a lot about korean culture from dramas, I have seen many South Korean scenery on them, I have learned about their history in historical dramas, and everyday I get more thrilled by what I see. I also began to see variety shows, and today I continue laughing while watching them, they are the most funny shows I have ever seen! They make idols* do some pretty funny and embarassing stuff, I really recommend that you see "Running Man" it'll make you laugh out loud.

"Poster of Boys over Flowers"

"Running Man cast"

*flower boys are described as the perfect, sexy, good looking korean males
*idols are the k-pop celebrities.

Q: You know a little bit of hangul, Was it hard to learn?

V: It really isn't as hard as many people think. It did take me some time, but it was because I wasn´t fully concentrated on learning it. Learning the hangul characters is not hard, you just have to practice it a lot, I for example, practiced writing the lyrics of the songs, and it was really enjoyable. Also, dramas help a lot, since I have watched so many of them, I have learned many expressions. It´s just as if you were learning any other language, you have to be pacient and try hard.

Q: What do you think about their food and customs?

V: I think South Korean people are very polite, their gestures of bowing before the elders and people they meet is really nice, it shows their respect towards others. I love korean customs! I love how they take their shoes off before they enter to the house, it keeps the house clean just how I like it. I also really like their ondol system in the hanoks, I think it was pretty creative to thimk about this way of keeping you warm. I would love to wear a hanbok, they are beautiful, I think women look really nice with elegant clothing on. About their food, it isn't easy to adapt to their spicy food, but fortunately, I don't mind spicy food, plus their dishes are made with many different and delicious vegetables, it's an amazing experience trying their dishes, it's an explosion of flavors inside your mouth. It's good to try new things!

Q: Do you think the "hallyu wave"will continue to expand?

V: Of course it will! More and more people everyday are getting to know k-pop, and I think most of them are loving it! Learning about new cultures is great, you get to know new people and make connections around the world. I think that south korean idols and actors still have more to show, and the world will be amazed by their talents, and will laugh a lot watching their variety shows. Language barriers are easy to destroy if we try hard and we support each other, k-pop is very catchy, and the artists have a lot of talent, the world just has to see them, we have to open our minds to new things.

 I will continue to support k-pop, I would like to show my friends all of the things that they are missing, and I will also continue to learn more about this great culture, and as I´m fulfilling my dream of visiting South Korea this year, I will enjoy it and show people the wonders that this country has.

I enjoyed having this interview with my sister, I heavily agree with her statements, and I like to share my thoughts with her. I would love to get to know people from all around the world, my knowledge about the world would increase a lot.

13. Hangul

When we talk about Korea, how can we forget it's language?! The korean alphabet is called hangul. It dates way back to the 15th century, during the Joseon dynasty. This is considered a very important creation in korean history. This alphabet is very unique and elegant, and koreans have pride for it. King Sejong, the 4th king of the Joseon dynasty, is a very important character in korean history, he was the one who helped to develop this alphabet with the help of scholars. Language is a very important characteristic of a nation, and to koreans, their beloved hangul represents the creativity of the people of their nation. It is so important to them, that they marked October 9th as the day to celebrate the creation of hangul. Have you ever heard of another country having this kind of celebration? Korea is the only country that has it. Also, to commemorate King Sejong's contribution to their culture, a statue of him was made in Gwanghwamun Square.

It's original name was Hunminjungeum, which means " Correct sounds to instruct people". Although many people may say that hangul is very difficult to learn because it has characters that are different to ours, it actually isn't very hard to learn. In fact, the number of people that have illiteracy in Korea is very low. King Sejong didn´t want an alphabet that was very complex and hard to learn, he wanted a writing system that everyone could learn and access easily, and he worked hard so that it could be distributed in the whole nation. The publication industry has greatly grown because of this. 

      

This alphabet consists of 14 consonants and 10 vowels. The syllables are formed by combining consonants and vowels to form words. These letters didn´t just come from anywhere, they were created in a very original way. The shape the mouth and toungue make when they pronounce the sound of the 5 main consonants was used to make their hangul characters (ㄱ, ㄴ, ㅅ, ㅁ, ㅇ) , they imitate this shape. The 3 main vowels represent the earth, makind, and the sky .

 I seriously think that they were very creative, creating an alphabet is no easy thing, and they were able to give the characters an special meaning. I really want to learn hangul, I just know a little, and I want to specialize more on it, plus not many people outside Korea know it, so I can show a special skill. If it was so hard to learn as people say, then Korea wouldn´t have such a high rate of literacy. Aren´t you interested in learning such an interesting language? 

Sources:

http://asiaenglish.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/CU/CU_EN_10_5_1_1.jsp

http://www.korea.net/AboutKorea/Korea-at-a-Glance/Facts-about-Korea

12. Seollal: Lunar New Year

South Korea previously followed the lunar calendar, so today there are some holidays based on this calendar. The most celebrated one is Seollal, the Lunar New Year. Koreans also celebrate the solar calendar New Year, but Seollal is a much bigger celebration. This celebration is really special to korean people. It is believed that the new year brings good luck and sends away the bad spirits. During this time they reunite with their families and pay respects to their ancestors together, there are a lot of special activities done. This is a 3 day holiday (with the day before and after seollal), this is mainly because many people need to travel a long way to get to their hometowns.  People play traditional games, eat traditional food, wear hanbok (traditional clothing), tell stories and the night goes by talking.

How do you think department stores and markets are during seollal? They are very crowded! People buy the food needed for the rites and the gifts for the family, friends, relatives,etc. Expensive food is usually given as a gift. Seollal needs a lot of preparation. Meat, fish, fruit, tteokgugk (rice cake soup) and many other wild vegetables are some of the goods mostly bought, the dishes have to be well presented and very fresh. Some representative dishes are japchae (noodles with meat and vegetables), galbijjim (rib stew), jeon (dishes with the form of pancakes), hangwa (traditional korean snack), maduguk, and many many other side dishes made with fresh vegetables.                                                                    

 

As for transportation, traffic during this celebration is very heavy, a short few hours trip may take way more than expected. This is why many people decide to travel by train, but they have to book tickets very early. 

On Seollal Day, families wake up very early. They dress with their new hanboks and set the ritual table with all the delicious dishes that the family has brought. Then they pay their respects to their ancestros, they bow to greet them as they return to enjoy the food that has been offered to them (as the belief says). They pray to them, and the farewell is next. After this first rite is finished, the delicious food is enjoyed by the family. Then the younger ones pay their respects to the elders by bowing and wishing them a very good year, and then the elders thank the bows and reward the children with sebaedon (money gift). People then play games, eat more food, talk, they enjoy the time with their families.

There are many games to play, all of them are enjoyable. Children fly kights, families together play yutnori, and many other games. You simply can not be bored at Seollal, there is much to do!

Sources:

http://www.visitseoul.net/en/article/article.do?_method=view&m=0004007001003&p=07&art_id=41641&lang=en

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=941952