11.Hanok

Hanok is the traditional Korean house. This houses have different types of roofs, some made of tiles, others shingles, and others thatches. Today Hanok is used by some people as private residences. Hanoks are maintained as national cultural heritages.
Hanoks used to be made out of straw by the low class, since at that time in which the peasants lived out of rice crops, straw was easy to get. Hanoks made with tiles were the residences of the high class. Today Hanoks made with straw are not used as residences, but the ones made with tiles are. A very charming and outstanding characteristic of the Hanok its it's heating system called "ondol". In this system, fire is lighted up under the floors (the reason why the floor of the Hanok is above earth's surface) and the stone layer in the floor is heated. The warm air rises and the room's temperature remains really nice. Also to keep the warmth, the rooms are not very big.

Koreans use the floor a lot. Floors are used for sleeping (using bedclothes which is not very cold since the floor is heated), eating (small folding tables are used), etc. They put their shoes off before entering the house, to keep the floor clean. Hanok houses are kept cool on the summer by opening the doors to let the breeze enter, and Hanoks have more doors than walls, letting the breeze flow through the living spaces. 

They are built out of nature's materials, such as: wood, stone, wood, and paper. Wood is used for pillars, doors, floors, and windows. The walls are made of a mixture of earth and straw. Traditional korean paper, Hanji (made of natural wood pulp) is glued to the walls and doors. The floor after being covered with paper is then covered with oil, and this makes it waterproof.

Hanok gives a very comfortable and nice environment. These houses make a really big and beautiful part of korean culture, I would really like to visit one, and feel the coziness and warmth.

10. Myeongdong

Myengdong is one of the most attracting touristic sites. It is located at the heart of Seoul, and is one of the busiest places, with more than one million shoppers passing through it every year. To tourists, Myengdong is a breathtaking shopping district, with its many shops and restaurants. Many brands are sold here.There are two major department stores, Lotte and Shinsegae, which sell many luxury brands. There are also many shopping malls. Right around every corner there is a clothing or cosmetics shop. Since there are so many tourists, you can hear many languages, it is a total parade, if you are a tourist you won´t feel uncomfortable since many of the shop´s administrators talk different languages, and many promotional fliers are written in other languages. But not everything is really expensive, you can buy inexpensive stuff on the street stalls and other shops. Cosmetic shops are really abundant, almost every Korean Cosmetic Brand has a store there.

Also we can´t forget about all the delicious food of the street vendors, they sell a wide variey of korean snacks. There are also family, fast food, Korean, Western and Japanese restaurants.

Transportation is no problem, there is the subway, which takes you directly there. Myeongdong is not only about shopping, it is also the center of Korean financial industry. There is also the Myeongdong Cathedral (beautiful one), and the Myeongdong Theater, a theater rich in tradition. You can take a break by going to Cheonggye Park, or to the Namdaeum Market. 

9. Kimbap

A very famous korean dish, kimbap. Many people call it "korean sushi", but it is actually really different, although the shape is similar to the maki sushi, the taste is very different. It is refered as "fast food" and is made from rice, korean dried seaweed, and many other ingredients. When going to trips or special gatherings outside, it is very common. It is also very common at home. It is actually not that hard to make. The rice is cooked, and then it is seasoned with a little touch of sesame oil, salt and sesame seeds. The rice is then spread on the seaweed, and strips of ham, radish, spinach and eggs (eggs are cooked in an omelet way and then are cut in strips)are put over the rice. Then the roll is  formed with the rolling mat. But this is not the only way of making kimbap, there are many different types of kimbap.

Many different kinds of meat, fish and vegetables can be used, they can be either roasted, pickled or fresh. Mayonnaise is also very commonly used.

There are many street vendors that sell kimbap, and restaurants that sell kimbap and other popular korean dishes are found all over South Korea. Depending on the ingredients is the cost of the roll, it goes from 1500 to 4000 won approximately (2 to 5 dollars). 

Samgak kimbap, it has the shape of a triangle and is sold in many convenience stores: 

Kimbap doesn't need any soy sauce or wasabi to compliment its flavor, it alone stands out with its delicious and fulfilling flavor. It is a must-taste korean dish.  

8. Hongdae

Close to Hongik University, is Hongdae. This place is the center of nightlife, with many clubs, street vendors, grills, and many different stores. Every last friday of the month Club Day happens, this started in 2001 as a way to promote the clubs in this area, and since then this has become a center of youth celebration. A ticket that costs 15,000 won gives you entrance to 11 clubs and a drink on the house. You could spend the whole night looking at stores, this stores sell many different things, clothes, accessories, electronics, almost everything. Clubs are everywhere, if you really like music and having a very good time with your friend dancing, Hongdae won't disappoint you. The street vendors sell very delicious snakcs, like "tteokbokgi" which are spicy rice cakes, and "eodaeng" which are fish cakes.

Because of the influence of Hongik University, it is also a very artistic area, there are studios, galleries, theathers, etc. There are also a lot of street performances, many bands perform live here, and indie bands are very popular within this area. My favorite thing about this area are the themed cafes, they are really nice, there are even some that when you enter the cafe it doesn't look like one, they have very nice decorations. For example, at a;t fox cafe, you can enjoy a very delicious tea, served in beautiful antique teapots, and there are british style-tea sets, but what is very interesting and fun about this cafe is that woman have the chance to put on makeup made from materials used to make tea. Each cafe has it unique and enjoyable characteristics. In Mustoy cafe you can paint beautiful little dolls while enjoying a cup of coffee. At the Hello Kitty cafe you feel like if you are inside a doll house, dedicated to Hello Kitty, it is an explosion of pink inside it, and is one of the most beloved cafes of Hongdae.

Theres also the Charlie Brown cafe, dedicated to all the peanuts characters:

And also the Trick Eye Museum:

You can find entertainment here, if you like cute things, shopping, partying, having a drink or dinner with your friends, staying up all night, etc. You will find young adults from all over the world, and you will definitely have a great time here, enjoying your youth. 

Sources:

http://www.visitkorea.or.kr/ena/SI/SI_EN_3_4_4_7.jsp

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=1801078

7.Korean Music Shows

As I wrote on a previous post, there are bands that are part of K-pop. These bands make comebacks with new songs, and they promote them on what are called Music Shows. In Music Shows, bands perform their songs, and at the end of the of the show they announce the winner song that reached number 1 on their chart. But it is not just that bands perform, the MCs (hosts) give energy to the show. Bands may perform live, or they are previously recorded. Fans show up to give support to them, they give gifts to the artists, they bring posters, and also they use items with the band's official color. 

On music shows bands are also interviewed, they talk about their new song and the performance, and ask for support from their fans. The most famous music shows are: Music Core, Music Bank, Show Champion, M!Countdown, and Inkigayo. The final score of the song comes from different categories: online voting, digital sales, physical sales, number of viewers, score of the performance, etc. Each music show has different percentage for this categories.  The winning band gets an encore stage, a space at the end of the show when they sing the song again and can celebrate with the fans. 

This group performing is called EXO. As you can see, at first they are interviewed about what they think of their performance, song, etc. You can hear fans sing some times, "fanchants" are lines of the song which fans sing together, showing their support for the song. After they win, (they are pretty sentimental since this was their first win on a music show) the special performance at the end was their encore, having fun with the members of the band and the fans. 

6.South Korean Culture Timeline

Here's a timeline I did that has some of the most important facts from the korean culture, from the creation of the korean society, to the most recent k-pop events.

I hope you like it, its to give you an idea of how South Korea has been developing since the creation of the korean society.

South Korean Culture on Dipity.

5.Chuseok

Like any other country, South Korea has its festivals. One that draws my attention is Chuseok ("Korean Thanksgiving"). Since koreans still use the lunar calendar, a lot of their holidays are centered on the movements of the moon. This holiday occurs on the 15th day of the eight month of the lunar calendar, which is on september to early october on the solar calendar. 

During this holiday, families reunite and share food with each other, and they also talk about their lives, and give thanks for the good harvest. Families reunite at the house of the parents or grand parents. Families pay respects to their ancestors during this holiday, they prepare delicious food, and "charye" is a custom in which people set a table with food for their ancestors, and they have to do this the right way, with the correct procedure and with respect. Another custom is "bulcho" in which people clean their ancestors graves, they take out the weeds, and this is a symbol of respect for the family, and during "seongmyo" they bow before the grave. 

Chuseok´s representative dish is the songpyeon, its made from the newly harvested rice and is filled with beans, sesame seeds, chestnuts, or brown sugar. When families gather to make songpyeon, they try their best to shape it beautifully, since people say that if it has a beautiful shape, you might meet a good husband or have a beautiful daughter.

But, what happens after all this respectful events? Well, people have fun! There are games, like the Woman circle dance (which they do dressed with a hanbok) or the wrestling game, or people can just have fun chatting or drinking and enjoying the festival with their loved ones.

Sources:

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_6.jsp?cid=811650

4.The Basis of Korean Food

Although I haven't tasted korean food yet, just by looking at the images, I really want to eat it. 

There are a lot of korean dishes, each one with its different tasty characteristics. Spices are the basis of korean dishes, spices and sauces give them their quality and taste, they are very important ingredients. Noodles are indeed eaten by almost every korean, they are easy to make and are served with nutritious vegetables. Different dishes are served in different occasions, for example, long noodles are served in weddings and birthdays since they represent a long life and good health, and they are usually not cut.  

Korean dishes are served with a lot of side dishes, including the famous rice. Koreans eat a lot of rice, and it is usually cooked alone, it can also be with vegetables or grains, and they use a spoon to eat it. Since they are used to eating a lot of rice, it doesnt really affect their shape much, they combine rice with the dishes served. 

This video is from a canadian couple living in Korea and their expirience with rice and carbs (they are really funny) :

Another side dish that is eaten a lot is kimchi, it is very healthy, it is made with vegetables, ginger, garlic, salt, chilli pepers and fish. There are a lot of different kimchi recipes, this depending on the season or region in which you are. Kimchi is served with almost every meal. It has different flavors, depending on the vegetables and lenght of fermentation, making each one unique. Kimchi can be found in grocery stores and even sushi bars(south korea). Also, many people make it at home (for example when they are going to have visitors so that they eat their homemade kimchi, made with a lot of effort) it is easy to make and takes very few days to ferment.

It looks so good, I really want to eat it.

Sources:

http://foodreference.about.com/od/traditional_foods/a/Kimchi.htm

3. Hanbok

    

Hanbok is the traditional korean outfit. Nowadays it isn't used much, except for special occasions like visiting the in-laws, a funeral, first birthday, when people turn 60, or in weddings, but using this is your decision, although it is considered very polite to use them in this occasions. Koreans have been very united with the nature, the hanbok's cloth is colored using natural dyes, and this gives them a very beautiful appearance. The basic parts of the hanbok are the jeogori, which is the upper part with long sleeves (it has the same name for men and women, but it has different characteristics for each) ,baji for the bottom for men, and chima for the bottom for women. They adjust the dress with a belt. They have many different accessories that give more beauty and elegance to the dress. 

Hanbok is also worn by kids, and since it isn't meant to be very adjusted to the body, your body figure doesn't really matter, you can wear hanbok without having problems. There are different types of hanbok for different occasions, for example, at a wedding, the dress is very elegant with different accessories:                                                                  

The Hanbok has different parts:

image from: wiki.smu.edu.sg

The hanbok has been influenced by the modern trends, it has been changing to adjust to the modern fashion, and I really like this, the ancient version is really beautiful, but I think that the modern one has a really nice touch from our generation:

Information sources: 

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/CU/CU_EN_8_1_2_1.jsp

http://www.han-style.com/english/hanbok/meaning.jsp

2.Why did I choose this topic?

As I said on my previous post, k-pop is taking over the world. More and more people are joining the hallyu wave, and last year, I was one of those people. My sister showed me one of the many k-pop groups, at first I didn't really like them, since korean culture was new for me, and I thought it was weird, but then I realized I had made a big mistake, I was ignoring really good music. Although I don't understand most of what the songs say, they are really catchy, and I can look for translation online.

K-pop group SHINee (my favorite group)

After learning about k-pop, I wanted to get to know more about korean culture, so I started to read about it and watch videos, I opened my mind to a new and fabolous culture. I think it's really nice to know about other cultures in the world other than yours, you learn a lot, I learned some basics about korean culture, and I really like it, their food looks good, their ancient dresses look beautiful, and koreans are really polite, I really want to go to South Korea, it's a beautiful country. Everyday I learn more about this culture, and everyday I like it more, that's why I would like to share the marvelous characteristics of this culture through this blog.

1. An Introduction to K-pop

K-pop is a genre that has been gaining strength since the 1990's. Ever since the first boy band, named H.O.T, was formed, it has been an increasing trend in South Korea, all of Asia, and more recently in Europe and the Americas. With extremely choreographed dances and catchy songs, the talented members of the bands give their best in every one of their performances. When H.O.T made its debut, thousands of girls were hooked by their music, and started the phenomenon of K-pop fandoms, each one having a different official color, name, etc.

Companies are the ones that manage the bands, there are three major companies, SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment. These companies host auditions every 6 months or every year, and many young people go to seek their dreams, to be discovered, and if they pass, they become trainees and train for a couple years or more in order to make their debut as a band or solo artist.

Bands have different styles and ways of performing, but each one seeks a perfect performance, to make their fans happy and to show their talent. Bands make "comebacks" with new songs, promote them in music shows, variety shows, etc, talking about the concept of the song, the rhythm, etc.

K-pop is a very interesting genre, bands and solo artists are very talented and entertaining, if you listen to K-pop you'll listen to its unique and cathcy style, I, for instance, cant stop listening to it.

Here's a very popular k-pop song from the group Girls Generation (SNSD):