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Pororo The Little Penguin, A Korean Animation Character Loved All Over The World

Tüm Dünyada Sevilen Kore Animasyon Karakteri Küçük Penguen Pororo



Pororo en iyisi. Pororo’yu baskan olarak adlandirirlar. Çocuklar Pororo’nun dansini yapar ve sarkisini söylerler. Karakter çok etkileyici.

Çocugum onun dansini ve sarkilarini taklit ediyor. Çok aktif bir çocuk degil, ama ne zaman müzigi duysa ona dogru hareket eder. Çocugumun Pororo’yu arkadasi gibi hissetmesi sorun degil. Çok konuskan degil henüz, fakat Pororo’yu daha sik gördügünde daha çok konuskan olmaya egimli olarak hissedecegini umuyorum. Çocuklarim Pororo’yla çok iyi vakit geçiriyorlar.

Kore’de Küçük Penguen Pororo sicak, sicak, sicak. Bir çift sari gözlüklerle küçük mavi penguen aglayan çocuklari güldürme, laf dinlemez çocuklara dinletme, çok titiz çocuklara yiyeceklerini yedirme ve akli basinda olmayan çocuklari odaklama gücüne sahip. Çocuklar Pororo beraber sarki söylemelerini istediginde sarki söylerler.
Çocuklar Pororo konustugunda dinlerler. En asi, inatçi çocuk bile Pororo’nun konustuklarini kelimesi kelimesine takip eder. Çocuklara göre Pororo kral. Küçük penguen çok sevgili ki Kore tarihinde hem yetiskinler hem de çocuklar için en iyi animasyon karakteri olarak söyleniyor ve küçük penguen küresel bir yildiz olma yolunda.

Seoul Is Ajansi Pororo’nun potansiyel degeri 335,3 ABD dolarindan fazla miktar olan 389,3 milyon wona denk gelmektedir. Bu da neredeyse 344,5 milyon dolar degerindeki Japonya’nin Hello Kitty’ye ya da 292,8 milyon dolar degerindeki Disney’in Winnie Pooh’una esit. 8 yil önce Pororo’nun TV gösterisi su anda 110 ülkede yayinda ve neredeyse 1500 farkli Pororo-temelli esyalar pazarlaniyor ve bu da satista 2 trilyon wona denk gelen bir miktarla gerçeklesiyor ve Pororo’nun TV gösterimi yillik %30–40 oranlarda büyüyor. Onun popüleritesi tüm dünyada çocuklari cezbetti. Böyle sevilen bir karakter nasil meydana geldi? Iste Ocon CEO’su Kim Il-ho daha fazla açikliyor.



Çocuklar için bir karakter üzerinde karar verirken, yaklasik 6 hayvana bakiyoruz bunlar baslica dinozor, ayi, fare ve tavsan. Penguen ayrica bunlardan bir tanesi. Fakat önemli olan bir karakteri penguen üzerinde temellendirmek degil, o karakteri çocuga arkadassi gelecek halde olusturmaktir.

Ocon’daki karakter gelistiricileri bir çocuk animasyonunda ana karakter olarak bir pengueni seçtiler; çünkü penguen çocuklara benziyordu. Fakat Pororo siradan bir penguen degil. Bir pilot kasketi takar ve havaci diger birkaç canliya eslik eder. Ocon CEO’su Kim Il-ho gene sizlerle.

Zaten dünyanin her yerinde penguen temelli birçok popüler karakter vardi. Bu yüzden biz kendi penguenimizi tüm digerlerinden farklilastirma ihtiyaci duyduk. Bir sürü taslak olusturduk. Sanatçilarin bir toplantisinda ona bir meslek vermeye karar verdik ve sanatçilarimiz birçok meslek önerdi –seyyah penguenimiz, avci penguenimiz, bir itfaiyeci ve hatta Ninja bir penguenimiz vardi. Fakat düsündük ki bir pilot penguen çocuklarin hayallerini (çocuklarin uçmak isteme hayali) temsil ediyordu. Bu yüzden ona açik gözler ve o hayali temsil etmesi için bir kasket verdik. Biz düsündük ki görünüm bizim penguenimizi ayirt etti ve ona uyduguna karar verdik.

Uçamayan bir hayvana uçma hayali verildi. Bu imkansiz hayal Pororo’ya hayat verdi ve karakteri sayisiz çocuga sevdirdi. “Pororo” ismi çocuklarin hizli küçük adimlar atma seklini tanimlayan Korece kelime “Joruru”dan geliyor. Pororo’daki “P”, tabiki “penguen”deki “p”den geliyor. Gösterimde Pororo hiçbir zorluktan çekinmeyen cesur bir küçük penguen ve gökyüzünde yüksek uçma hayalini gerçeklestirmek için gayret eder.

Pororo uçmak için birçok girisimde bulunur fakat her seferinde basarisiz olur. Fakat bu Pororo’yu tekrar tekrar denemekten alikoymaz ve arkadaslari onu cesaretlendirmek için hep yanindalardir. Onun sadik arkadaslari Eddy, Crong, Poby, Loopy, Harry ve grubun geri kalanlari, animasyonun vazgeçilmez bir parçasi ve Pororo’ya çesitli boyutlar kazandiriyor.



Pororo ve arkadaslari farkli tip çocuklari temsil ediyor. Her çocuk tek oldugu gibi, bu animasyon karakterlerinin her biri kendi karakteristik özelliklerine sahip. Çocuklar birçok farkli sey istiyor -bir maceraci, bir sef, ya da bir süpermarket sahibi- ve bizim karakterlerimiz farkliliklarini gösteriyor. Meselâ, Eddy zeki bir bilim adami, fakat o siklikla hata yapar ve deneyleri basarisiz olur. Gene de bu onu arkadaslari için bir seyler yaratmaktan geriye koymaz. Loopy grup için partiler planlayan ve kekler yapmayi seven utangaç ve hassas bir asçi. Crong Pororo’nun evlatlik küçük kardesi, sinir bozucu fakat herkesin akraba olabilecegi sevecen bir kardes. Pororo ve grubu küçük çocuklarin yasamlarini ve hislerini gösterir.

Kutup ayisi olan Poby grup arasinda en sadik ve güvenilir olani. Kirmizi tilki Eddy zeki bir bilim adami. Pembe su samuru Loopy düsünceli bir asçi ve hummingbird Harry sagir fakat arkadaslariyla vakit geçirmekten hoslanir. Penguen olan Petty sik ve yavru dinozor olan Crong tipik bir küçük erkek kardes. Bu karakterler tipki arkadaslar ve aile gibi. Koreli çocuklar yasamlarinda her gün görürler. Herhalde bu asinalik ve kolay tanimlama gösterimi çok popüler yapan seydir. Pororo ve arkadaslari 2003’teki ilk gösterimden itibaren yildizligini artirdilar.

Ilk animasyon siradan bir olay üzerine temellendirilmis sadece bes dakikalik bir kesitti. Fakat bu birçok uçak bombasi animasyon filminde oldugu gibi süper kahramana sahip olmadi, fakat çocuklar kendilerine benzeyen karakterlere asik oldular ve popülerite Kore çocuklariyla sinirli degildi. Iste gen Ocon CEO’su Kim Il-ho gene sizlerle:

Baslica yayin istasyonlari zaten hayli yüksek animasyon gösterileri yayinliyorlardi. Disney ve Ingiltere’nin BBC’si küresel izleyiciye sahip birçok çocuk programi yayinliyor. Fakat bizim gösterimiz dünya çapinda reyting ve popülerite bakimindan çok uzak degil. Gösteri Avrupa’da oldukça iyi alindi. Gösterinin Fransa’da ilk kez 2004’te yayinlandigini hatirliyorum. Izleyici tepkisi ilk yildan sonra Fransiz kanal TF1’de reytinglerde %51,7’ye çikarak patlayici oldu. Bu bir çocuk programi için rekor kiran türden bir figürdü.

Simdi tüm dünyada çocuklar Pororo’yu idol olarak alir. Bu Pororo’nun çocuklarin kalbini tutsak etmesiyle mi alakali?



Ilk olarak, Pororo gösterimleri siradan seylerde eglence içerir. Bu size, bana olabilecek seyleri içermesi için gösteriler için önemlidir. Ikinci olarak gösterim kolay olmalidir. Diyaloglar ve hikaye çocuklarin anlamasi için kolay olmalidir. Üçüncü olarak seri yavas. Gösterimin anlatmaya çalistigi seyi çocuklar anlayincaya kadar bekler. Pororo hiç ögretmek istedigi seyleri direkt olarak ögretmez. Bu hiçbir zaman su sekilde olmaz : “1+1 esittir 2” ya da “ arkadaslarinla kavga etme.” Bunlarin yerine, program su sekilde ögretir; meselâ, Pororo Crong’un yaptigi kuleyi kiriyor ve hayli tereddütten sonra hatasini kabul eder ve küçükten özür diler. Bu Pororo’nun çocuklara nasil düzeltme yapmalari gerektigini ögretme seklidir.

Pororo bir süper kahraman degildir. O küçük bir penguendir. Hiçbir tartisma olamaz ki Pororo Kore’de en kazançli ve popüler bir animasyon olmustur. Bugün bile Pororo bir Hallyu temsilcisi gibi çalisiyor ve tüm dünyadaki çocuklara hayaller ve umutlar götürüyor.



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Pororo The Little Penguin, A Korean Animation Character Loved All Over The World



Pororo is the best. They call it Pororo the President. Children do its dance and sing the song. The character is very appealing.

My child mimics its dance and songs. He’s not a very active child, but whenever he hears the music, he moves to it. It’s important that my child feels that Pororo is his friend. He’s not very talkative yet, but I hope he feels inclined to talk more as he sees Pororo more often. My children had a great time with Pororo.

In Korea Pororo the Little Penguin is hot, hot, hot. The little blue penguin with a pair of yellow glasses has the power to make crying children laugh, wayward children behave, finicky children stop picking at their food, and distracted children focus. Children sing when Pororo asks them to sing along.

Children listen when Pororo talks. Even the most unruly, stubborn child follows Pororo’s words. To children Pororo is king. The little penguin is so beloved that it is heralded as the best animation character in Korean history for both children and adults, and is on its way to become a global star.

The Seoul Business Agency says the potential value of Pororo amounts to 389.3 billion won, more than 335.3 million U.S. dollars. That is almost equal the value of Japan’s Hello Kitty at 344.5 million dollars or Disney’s Winnie the Pooh at 292.8 million dollars. Created eight years ago, Pororo’s TV show is currently on air in 110 countries and roughly 1,500 different Pororo-based items have been merchandised, hauling in two trillion won in sales and growing at an annual rate of 30 to 40%. Its popularity has charmed children all over the world. How did such an endearing character come about? Here’s Ocon CEO Kim Il-ho to explain more.



When deciding on a character for children, we look at about six animals, mainly the dinosaur, bear, mouse, and rabbit. Penguin is also one of them. But what’s important is not just basing the character on a penguin, but making that character child-friendly.

Character developers at Ocon chose a penguin as the main character in a children’s animation show, because the penguin resembled children. But Pororo is no ordinary penguin. It sports a pilot’s helmet and a pair of aviator goggles. Here’s Ocon CEO Kim Il-ho again.

There were already so many popular penguin-based characters in all parts of the world. So we needed to differentiate our penguin from all the others. We did a number of sketches. At an artists’ meeting we decided to give him a job and our artists suggested so many different jobs – we had a traveler penguin, a hunter penguin, a firefighter, and even a ninja penguin. But we thought a pilot penguin represented children’s dreams, a penguin’s dream of wanting to fly. So we gave him a pair of goggles and a helmet to represent that dream. We thought that appearance distinguished our penguin and decided to go with it.

A flightless bird was given a dream of flight. That impossible dream gave life to Pororo and endeared the character to countless children, who were also reaching for their seemingly distant dreams. The name “Pororo” came from the Korean word “Joruru” describing the way children take quick little steps. The “P” in Pororo, of course, came from the “p” in “penguin.” In the show Pororo is a brave little penguin, who does not shy away from any challenges, and strives to achieve his dream of flying high in the sky.

Pororo makes many attempts to fly, but fails every time. But that does not stop Pororo from trying again and again, and his friends are right by his side to cheer him on. His loyal friends – Eddy, Crong, Poby, Loopy, Harry, and the rest of the gang – are an indispensable part of the show and give a variety of dimensions to Pororo.



Pororo and his friends represent different types of children. Just as each child is unique, each of these animation characters has its own personalities and aspirations. Children want to be many different things – an adventurer, a chef, or a supermarket owner – and our characters demonstrate their diversity. For instance, Eddy is a smart scientist, but he often makes mistakes and his experiments fail. Still that doesn’t deter him from creating something for his friends. Loopy is a shy and sensitive cook who likes to bake cookies and plan parties for the gang. Crong is Pororo’s adopted younger brother, a pesky but lovable sibling everyone can relate to. Pororo and his group show the emotions and lives of little children.

Poby the polar bear is the most loyal and dependable one among the group and Eddy the red fox is a genius scientist. Loopy the pink otter is a thoughtful cook and Harry the hummingbird is tone deaf but loves to entertain his friends. Petty the penguin is stylish and Crong the baby dinosaur is the typical little brother. These characters are just like the friends and family Korean children see every day in their lives. Perhaps such familiarity and easy identification are what made the show so wildly popular. Pororo and his friends have soared to stardom since its debut in 2003.

The first animation was just a five-minute segment based on an ordinary happening. It didn’t have a super hero like in many blockbuster animation films, but children fell in love with the characters that resembled themselves. And the popularity wasn’t confined to Korean children. Here’s Ocon CEO Kim Il-ho again.

Major broadcasting stations already air highly popular animation shows. Disney and Britain’s BBC broadcast a number of children’s programs that have global audiences. But our show is not that far behind in terms of worldwide ratings and popularity. The show is quite well received in Europe. I remember that the show was aired in France for the first time in 2004. The audience response became explosive one year after the debut, posting 51.7% in ratings on the French channel TF1. That was a record-breaking figure for a children’s program.

Now children all over the world idolize Pororo. What is it about Pororo that captivated their heart?



First of all, Pororo shows fun in mundane things. It’s important for the show to include things that can happen to you and me. Secondly, the show has to be easy. The dialogues and the story must be easy for children to understand. Third, the series is slow. It waits until children understand what the show is trying to convey. Pororo never tries to teach things directly. It never comes out and says “1 plus 1 is 2” or “don’t fight with your friends.” Instead, the program shows, for instance, Pororo breaking a tower that Crong built and, after much hesitation, admitting one’s mistake and apologizing to someone younger. This is how Pororo teaches children to make amends.

Moreover, Pororo is creative. It shows how to think outside of the box. Let’s take a look at the episode “I Want to Fly.” Poby the polar bear takes Pororo, who wants to fly, out to the edge of the cliff. Below them is the roaring sea and Poby tells Pororo to jump.

I want children to think creatively. In one episode Pororo even attempted to jump off the roof to learn to fly. But with the help from Poby, Pororo learns to fly in the sea. The episode showed that flying is done not only in the sky, but also in the water. This episode was indirectly educational, because it made children think outside of the box and see things from a different perspective.

Pororo the Little Penguin is in its ninth year of broadcast and three Pororo theme parks opened last year in Seoul and surrounding suburbs. There is a reason why Pororo Parks are located in urban centers.

Pororo Parks are not an amusement park where children go once or twice a year. They are educational parks with easy accessibility. Amusement parks located outside of the city are hard for children and their parents to get to. Also, there aren’t that many rides that little children can enjoy in such parks. But Pororo Parks are easy to get to, since they are within a mall or a department store. Parents can bring their children for a couple of hours and do some shopping, too. And it’s not just fun in our parks. It’s a place of learning where children can experience a wide range of situations.

Each park sees nearly three thousand visitors daily even though the park imposes a two-hour time limit. There can be no dispute that it is children’s favorite place. Here’s park manager Heo Yun-se in charge of Pororo Park in Seoul’s D-Cube City.



As soon as visitors enter the theme park, they see a house designed to look like the land where Pororo and his friends live. Guests are greeted there by Pororo, Crong, Eddy, Petty, and all the favorite characters from the series. To the left is a ball pool and a little further in is a concert hall where Pororo and the gang hold a musical performance. There is also Loopy’s House where children can take part in creative cooking and art programs. Another attraction of Pororo Park is the train, which takes children to their favorite scenes from the show.

Children cook up a storm in Loopy’s House and ride a train designed by Eddy the scientist.
The indoor park fills with the tickling sound of children’s laughter emanating from the ball pool. Watching their children have such wholesome fun makes the time worthwhile for adults as well.

- Pororo is mischievous, but understands children so well. Eddy is smart, and Poby is like a good-hearted big brother. Loopy is a good cook and acts like a big sister, and Harry likes to sing. Crong is the youngest, and also the cutest. All these characters have distinct personalities and reflect children’s differences well.
- Children love the train and the slide. All these physical activities are good for children. They are also curious about the Pororo House, which looks like it came straight out of the show.

Pororo is not a super hero. He’s a little penguin that is prone to mistakes just like you and me. Pororo has been featured in last year’s Christmas seals, the sales of which went through the roof, once again proving the popularity of children’s president, Pororo. The locally designed character has also taken first place in a Korean consumer survey on characters and a character brand value assessment. It has also earned 12 billion won or over 10.3 million dollars in 2010 in royalty and created a market worth 250 billion won or more than 215 million dollars. There can be no dispute that Pororo is the most popular and lucrative character created right here in Korea. Even today Pororo is working as a hallyu representative and delivering dreams and hopes to children all over the world.

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The resurgence of traditional homes

Geleneksel Evlerin Yeniden Hayat Bulmasi



Muan Ilçesi, Yaksil Köyü’nde bir hanok ya da geleneksel Kore evi
2004’ten bu yana yüksek katli Dogok-dong, Kuzey Seoul’deki Samsung Kule Sarayi gibi apartmanlar moda olarak düsünülürken, hanok, geleneksel Kore evleri modacilar arasinda son en çok konusulan olarak ortaya çikti.

Hanok köyleri iç ve distan turistler hedefleyerek Gyeongju, Kuzey Gyeongsang’dan Incheon’a yayilarak her yerde hazir ve nazir olurken, düzinelerce hanok evlerinin oldugu Gahoe-dong, Kuzey Seoul’de hanoklarin fiyatlari neredeyse geçen yari-on yilda iki katina çikti.

Bazi belediye yönetimleri sakinlerini daha da fazla hanok insa etmeleri için yardimlar, düsük faiz, uzun vadeli krediler temin ederek tesvik ediyorlar.

Savas sonrasi endüstrilesme dalgasi, insanlarin zeminde beton, sunta ve çelik tercih etmelerinden dolayi çok sayida hanok’u yikti. Hem kirsal hem de kentsel manzaralar tekrar insa etme islemi boyunca büyük dönüsümlere maruz kaldilar ve Koreliler sadece son zamanlarda hanok’un geleneksel degerlerini hatirlamaya basladilar (Kore evleri dogal materyaller ve yüksek kalitede havalandirmadan dolayi atopik hastaliklari ve astimi iyilestirmeye yardim ettigi düsünülür).

Asagida okuyacaklariniz geleneksel Kore evleri hakkinda okuyacaklarin sormak isteyebilecekleri sorulara cevaplardir. Cevaplar hanok yapi ve orijininde uzman olan kisiler tarafindan saglanan raporlar üzerine temellendirilmistir.

Hanok’un tarihi nedir?

Kore yarimadasindaki Paleolitik çaginda yasayan insanlar magaralarda yasadilar ya da büyük dallar, yapraklar ve deriler kullanarak rastgele yapilar insa ettiler. Neolitik Çag’da, evler yer alti kulübeleri olarak gelisme gösterdi. Yeri sig olarak kazdilar, düzensizce sütunlar diktiler, onlarin üstlerine kiris yerlestirdiler ve çatiyi ot ve sazdan çatilarla kapladilar. Takip eden Tunç Devri’nde, insanoglu evin içine ekstradan kirisler yerlestirerek evin büyüklügünü genislettiler. Fakat bu yapilar yari yeraltinda oldugu için yagmur yagdiginda kolaylikla su altinda kalabiliyordu.

Demir Çagi’nda, kiremit ya da Korece’de giwa içeren çatili evler ortaya çikti; bu da modern hanok’a en yakin olan sekliydi. Çati kiremitle kaplanirken, kirisler ve isinlar tahtadan yapiliyordu. Duvarlar iç tarafta tahtadan desteklere sahipti ve samanla karistirilmis kirmizi kille kapliydi.

Zeminler o zaman hanjiyle ya da çilek agaçlarindan yapilmais kagitlarla kapliydi ve kagidin üstündeki soya yaginin tabakalari onlari parlak ve etkili bir sekilde su geçirmez yapiyordu. Ev Demir Çagi’nda ondolla, yeralti isitma sistemi, donatilmisti.

Hanok’un yapisi nasildi?

Geleneksel hanokta yatak odalari, bir mutfak, bir oturma salonu, bir ahir, bir banyo, bir avlu, sos ve baharat çömlekleri için bir platform, bir çit ve bir giris vardir. Sahibinin sosyal statüsüne bagli olarak bu ögeler fakli olarak düzenlenir. Üst siniftan birine ait olan hanok kompleksi içinde birkaç binayi barindirir ve bunlari sakinlere cinsiyete, yasa ve sosyal statüye göre tahsis eder. Kahyalar ve hizmetçiler misafirleri oldugunca hizli karsilayabilmeleri için girise yakin binalari kullanirlarken, mülkiyet sahipleri ana binayi kullanirlardi.

Oda düzenlemeleri cografyaya göre farklilik gösteriyordu. Ülkenin kuzey kismindaki evler sicakligi olmasi için digit ya da miim (Korece karakterler) gibi sekillerle tahsis edilen odalar vardi. Bu evler ayrica ayni sebepten dolayi alçak çatilara sahipti.

Yarimadanin ortasindaki bölgeler giyok (Korece karakter) gibi düzenlenirken, güneyde, odalar bir sirada düzenlendi. Bati tarzi evlerle kiyaslandiginda hanok daha fazla sayida kapi ve pencereye sahiptir. Basitçe daha iyi havalandirma için yapilmak istenmemisti bu sekilde olmasi- o zamanin Koreli insanlari pencereleri evi çevreleyen manzaranin görünümünü kolaylastiran çerçeveler olarak düsünüyorlardi.

Feng Shui hanok’un yerlesimini nasil etkiledi?

Zamanin Koreli insanlari ön tarafta su ya da tarlalar ve arka kisimda daglar olan bir yerlesimi en ideal olarak düsündüler. Güneydogu’yu gören evler tercih ettiler; çünkü Kore yarimadasi yazin güneydogudan ve kisin kuzeybatidan esen rüzgara sahipti.

Ondol nasil isler?

Ondol; edebi olarak “sicak tas” yerin altina kurulan taslara sahiptir. Bir ev insa edildiginde, zeminin altinda bir hendek kazilir ve gudeul isimli düz taslarla kaplanir. Ocak yakildiginda sicaklik ve duman sicakligi iletmek için gudeul’den geçer. Odanin zemini esit sekilde sicak degildir ama. Ocaga yakin yerlesen kisim daha sicaktir. Bu yüzden Koreliler eski zamanlarda baslarini uyurken ocaga daha yakin tutmuslardir. Geleneksel bir söz vardir: “Basin sicak ve ayaklarin sogukken saglik için iyidir.”

1970’den 2000’lerin ortasina hanok’un popüleritesini ne azaltmistir?

Hanok’un en büyük dezavantaji sakinlerin birçok kapi ve pencereden dolayi kisin siklikla soguk hissetmesi olmustur. Gürültü de neredeyse hiç engellenmemistir bu yüzden özel hayatin korunmasini isteyenler ev içinde rahatsiz hissetmislerdir. Ayrica, basit madde-tahta- hanok’u yanginlara hassas yapmistir. Hanok’un insasi tugla ya da betondan yapilan binalar için gerekenden daha fazla çalisan gerektirir. Ayrica daha fazla maliyete mal olur.

Modern hanok nasil farklidir?

Modern hanok’un ayakta mutfagi ve temizlenebilir tuvaleti vardir. Pencereler ve kapilar çift tabakalara sahiptir ve oturma odalarinin çogu sogugu engellemek için kayan cam pencerelere sahiptir.

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The Resurgence Of Traditional Homes

While high-rise luxurious apartments like the Samsung Tower Palace in Dogok-dong, southern Seoul, were considered fashionable from 2004 until recently, hanok, traditional Korean houses, have emerged as the latest buzzword among Korea’s lifestyle trendsetters.

The prices of hanok in Gahoe-dong, northern Seoul, where dozens of the traditional homes have survived, have nearly doubled in the past half-decade, while hanok villages targeting tourists from home and abroad have become ubiquitous, sprouting from Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, to Incheon.

Some municipal governments are even encouraging their residents to build more hanok, providing subsidies and low-interest, long-term loans.

The wave of postwar industrialization tore down a large number of hanok as people preferred concrete, slate and steel on the ground. Both rural and urban landscapes underwent major transformations during the rebuilding process, and Koreans have only recently revisited the traditional values of hanok (Korean homes are thought to help cure atopic diseases and asthma due to natural materials and high-quality ventilation).

The following are answers to questions readers may have about traditional Korean homes. The responses are based on reports provided by experts on the origins and structures of hanok.

What is the history of hanok?

The Paleolithic men on the Korean Peninsula lived in caves or built houses with random structures with boughs, leaves and leathers. During the Neolithic Age, the house evolved into a dugout hut. They dug the ground shallowly, erected pillars sporadically, placed rafters on them and covered the roof with grass and straw thatches. During the following Bronze Age, men widened the size of the house by setting up additional pillars inside the house. But theses structures were easily flooded when it rained since they were located semi-underground.

In the Iron Age, houses with roofs consisting of tiles, or giwa in Korean, emerged - a form that is closest to modern hanok. The pillars and beams were made of wood, while the roof was topped with tiles. The walls had wooden props inside and were covered with red clay mixed with straw.

The floors were then covered with hanji, or paper made of mulberry trees, and layers of soybean oil on the paper made them shine and effectively waterproof. The house was also equipped with ondol, an underfloor heating system, during the Iron Age.

What is the structure of hanok like?

Traditional hanok include bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, a barn, a bathroom, a yard, a platform for crocks of sauces and condiments, a fence and a gate. Depending on the social status of the owner, those elements are arranged differently. A hanok complex belonging to an owner from the upper class had several buildings inside and assigned them to residents according to gender, age and social standing. Owners used the main building while farmhands and maids occupied the buildings closest to the gate so that they could greet guests as soon as possible.

The room arrangements also differed according to geography. Houses in the northern part of the country had rooms assigned shaped like digeut or mieum (Hangul characters) to contain the heat. Those houses also had lower roofs for the same reason.

In the south, rooms were arranged in one line, while regions in the middle of the peninsula had rooms arranged like giyeok. Compared with Western-style houses, hanok have a larger number of doors and windows. They were not simply meant for better ventilation - Koreans of the day considered windows as frames that facilitate appreciation of the landscape surrounding the house.

How has feng shui affected hanok’s location?

The Korean people at the time considered a location with mountains at the back and water or fields at the front most ideal. They preferred houses facing southeast because the Korean Peninsula has wind blowing from the southeast in summer and from the northwest in the winter.

How does ondol operate?

Ondol, literally meaning “warm stone,” has stones installed under the floor. When a house was built, a ditch was dug below the floor and covered with flat stones, called gudeul. When the furnace was lit, the heat and smoke passed through the gudeul to deliver the heat.

The floor of the room was not evenly warm, though. The part located closer to the furnace was warmer. That is why Koreans in old days used to keep their head near the furnace when sleeping. There is a traditional saying that it is good for your health when your head is warm and your feet are cold.

What made hanok less popular from the 1970s to the mid-2000s?

The biggest downside of hanok is that residents often felt cold during winter due largely to the many windows and doors. The noise is hardly blocked either so those who want their privacy protected feel uncomfortable within the house. Also, the basic material - wood - made hanok vulnerable to fires. Its construction requires more workers than for buildings made of concrete or bricks. It also costs more to build hanok.

How are modern hanok different?

Modern hanok have a stand-up kitchen and a flushable toilet. Windows and doors have double layers and most of the living rooms have sliding glass windows to keep off the cold.

[hee_sun]

Gochujang to Be Classified by Spiciness

Gochujang Baharatliligina Göre Siniflandirilacak

Kore gida sanayisi uluslar arasi müsteriler için gochujang ya da Kore biber ezmesinin baharatliligini bes temel seviyeye ayirmada anlasti.
Fakat Kore’nin iki büyük gida sirketi CJ ve Daesang kullanacaklari terim ve birim üzerine anlasmayi zor buldular. Daesang üçüncü seviye için “makul” terimini kullanmayi istedigini söylerken, CJ “orta “ terimini kullanacagini söyledi. Ve iki sirket bir yemekteki aci miktarini ölçmek için kullanilan Scoville (biber acilik birimi) ya da PPM (milyonda birlik birimi) kullanip kullanmayacagi konusunda tartisiyor.

hee_sun

The Korean food industry has agreed to five standard levels of spiciness for gochujang, or Korean chili paste, for international customers.
But Korea's two biggest food companies, CJ and Daesang, find it difficult to agree on the terminology and unit they will use. CJ says it will use "medium" for the third level, while Daesang says it wants to use "moderate." And the two companies are also debating over whether to use a Scoville unit or PPM, which both measure the spiciness in a dish.

The Chosunilbo

[irfaner]

Paylasiminiz için tesekkür ederim.

[hee_sun]

The History of Chilled Buckwheat Noodle Soup

Karabugdayli Soguk Noodle Çorbasi Tarihi

Birçok insanin sevdigi, sogutulmus et suyu, kirmiziturp tursusu, dilimlenmis Kore armudu ve haslanmis kati yumurta ile servis edilen mulnaengmyeon (soguk noodle çorbasi) Pyongyang’a ve bibimnaegmyeon (kirmizibiber sosu aromali noodle) Hamhung Bölgesine özgüdür. Fakat bu iki soguk noodle yemegi ayrica üretim yerlerine göre de kategorize edilir. . Mulnaengmyeon noodlellari karabugdaydan, bibimnaengmyeon noodlellari misir nisastasindan yapilir.
Karabugdayli soguk noodle çorbasi yüzyillara dayanir. 1849 yilinda yazilan “Dongguk Sesigi” baslikli mevsimlik gelenekler hakkinda yazilan kitapta Pyongan Bölgesinden soguk noodle yemekleri kisin yenilecek en iyi yemekler olarak tanimlaniyor. Yemegin popülerligi sert iklim yüzünden pirinç ekiminin zorluguna baglanabilir.
Noodle yemekleri, günler kisaldiginda aksam yemeklerini erken saatlerde yiyen kuzeyli insanlarin gece yarisi açliklarini bastirmalarinda favori yiyecekleri haline geldi.
Noodle Güney’de 1920’lerin basinda popüler oldu. O zamanda çogunlukla Seoul’un Nakwon-dong ve Gwangyo semtlerinde satildi. Kore Savasindan sonra kuzeyden güneye gelen mülteciler ile daha çok yayildi. 1960’lar basinda bir tabak bulgogi (izgara et) 60 won ve bir tabak noodle 35 won oldugu sirada, Huh Young-man tarafindan yapilmis popüler çizgi roman “Shikgaek” ya da “Le Grand Chef” ‘e göre çorba yüksek kalitede, agzinin tadini bilen insanlarin yemegi olarak nitelendirildi.

hee_sun

Many people regard mulnaengmyeon, the buckwheat noodle soup served in a chilled beef broth with pickled radish, sliced Korean pear, and a hard-boiled egg, as the specialty of Pyongyang, and bibimnaengmyeon -- noodles flavored with a spicy red pepper sauce -- as the specialty of Hamhung Province. But the two cold noodle dishes are actually categorized according to their place of origin. Mulnaengmyeon noodles are made of buckwheat and bibimnaengmyeon noodles out of corn starch.
Chilled buckwheat noodle soup dates back hundreds of years. In a book about seasonal customs titled "Dongguk Sesigi" written in 1849, the chilled noodle dishes from Pyongan Province are described as the best to eat in the winter. The popularity of the dish can be attributed to the difficulty of rice farming in the north due to the harsh climate.
Noodle dishes became a favorite food to satisfy midnight cravings for northerners, who ate dinner early in the evening as the days became shorter.
It became popular in the South in the early 1920s. At that time, it was mainly sold in Seoul's Nakwon-dong and Gwangyo neighborhoods. It became more widespread after the Korean War when refugees from the north headed south. According to a popular comic book, "Shikgaek" or "Le Grand Chef" by cartoonist Huh Young-man, the soup was considered a high-end gourmet dish during the early 1960s when a serving of bulgogi (barbecued beef) cost W60 and a noodle dish W35.

The Chosunilbo

[akgbe]

Interview; CN Blue – ‘We’re happy to go to Los Angeles with FT Island.’

Röportaj; CN Blue - 'FT Island ile Los Angeles'a gittigimiz için mutluyuz.'

CN Blue'nun Japon B-Pass dergisiyle yaptigi özel röportajin ikinci kismini okuyun. Üyeler, canli performanslari, kilolari ve FT Island ile LA'e gidislerini tartistilar.

— Yoyogi Canli DVD-Hangi noktaya odaklanilmis olmasini isterdiniz?

MH: Ben hayranlarin, bizim ilk çikis sarkimiz olan "In My Head" performansini görmelerini istiyorum.
YH: Ates yükseldi.
JH: Ates ve canli performansin ikisi de çok sicakti! CD ve videolarda duydugunuz sarkilarla, canli konserde duyduklariniz farkli. Lütfen bu farki bu DVD'de hissedin.
YH: Daha önce “In My Head” sarkisini canli konserlerde birkaç kez çaldik, daha sonra sarkinin tamamlandigini hissettim. Ve bu konserde yeni sarkimiz “Where You Are”in bazi kisimlarini çalmamiz da bu DVD'nin dikkat çekici kismi.
JS: Bu konserin baslangicindan sonuna kadar süreklilik var, bütün atmosferi hissedebilirseniz memnun olurum.
JH: Biz bu DVD için her zamankinden daha uzun süre hazirlik yaptik. Özellikle enstrüman çalarken görünüse çok odaklandik, bu yüzden detaylari dikkatlice izleyin lütfen, bireysel çalis veya tüm sahnelememize ve digerlerine.

— Yoyogi Canli DVD - izledikten sonraki izleminiz.

JH: Daha önceki canli konserlerimizle kiyaslandiginda, gelisme gösterdigimizi hissettim.(gülüyor) Özellikle videoda, sahne atmosferimizi objektif olarak görebiliyoruz, ayrica ben orada çaliyordum gibi baska bir duyguyu hissediyorum.
YH: Bazen ben de eski DVDlerimizi izledigimde, gelisme gösterdigimizi hissediyorum.

— Açilis müzigi YH tarafindan bestelendi, degil mi?

YH: Evet. Ilk basta ben siren sesi kullanmak istedim, sonra ana melodisi siren sesi olan bir örnek yaptim ve böylece güçlü giris melodisi tamamlandi.

— Bazi yeni düzenlenmis sarkilar var.

JH: "Tattoo"nun yeni düzenlemesi için çok çaba harcadik. Bu sarkiya yeni bir hava yaklasim getirmek istedik bu yüzden öncesinde birçok kez çaldik.
YH: Provada, bu sarkiya yeni bir düzenleme yapmayi denedik. Seyircilerin tepkisi oldukça iyiydi.

—YH’ye, Bu arada, en sevdiginiz seyin konserler sirasinda yerel yemekleri yemek oldugunu söylemistiniz.
Yani kilo aldiniz. Su anki kilonuz nasil?

YH: Ben eski kiloma geri döndüm. Sadece bana bakarak anlamadiniz mi?(Gülüyor) Lezzetli seyler yemekten vazgeçemiyorum bu yüzden iyi yiyorum ve çok egzersiz yapiyorum. Benim kilom çok degisken.
MH: YH hyung iyi yiyor ama kondisyonunu da iyi kontrol ediyor.
JS: Iyi yiyor ve iyi egzersiz yapiyor.

— Ben kilonuzun bu kadar degisken olabilecegini sanmiyorum...

JH, JS, MH: (ayni anda) "iyaiyaiya" (hayir hayir) (gülüsmeler).
JH: Biz her zaman onun yanindayiz, yani sadece ona bakarak bile bilebiliriz.
YH: Üyelere kilo aldiysam, söyleyin lütfen diye soruyorum. Üyeler benim fiziksel durumumun farkina varabilir.

— Siz birçok kez farkli canli konserlerde bulundunuz. En etkileyici olani hangisiydi?

Hepsi: (ayni anda) MTV Unplugged!
(Bu röportaj MTV Unplugged programindan sonraki gün yapildi)
JH: Ben çok gergindim!
YH: Sahneyi bitirir bitirmez, dördümüz de alkisladik.
MH: Mutluyum, ama diger taraftan da, çok baski hissettim.
JS: Hemen hemen çikis sahnemizdeki kadar gergindik.
YH: MTV Unplugged dünyaca ünlü sanatçilarin, Clapton veya Bon Jovi gibi, sahne aldigi bir performans.
Çok gurur verici bir deneyim oldugunu düsünüyorum.
MH: Baski çoktu ama bizim için çok büyük bir sansti ve tatmin duygusu çok ödüllendirici oldu.
JS: Mekanin atmosferi çok iyiydi. Sik bir bar gibi, çok iyi hissettim.

— Where You Are" Oricon Haftalik Listesinde 1. sarkiydi. Bunu nerede duydunuz?

YH: Kayit yaparken.
JS: Ilk basta sasirdim.
JH: Duyar duymaz alkisladim. Sonra YH hyung, JS ve MH'ye "omedetou" (Tebrikler!) dedim. O zaman kayit yapiyorduk, ama düsünmeden "Haydi artik bitirelim" dedim. Bir süre için (gitar) çalamadim.
MH: Bu bizim ilk haftalik #1 alisimizdi.
YH: Sansli oldugumuzu düsünüyorum. Bizim ikinci sarkimiz da # 1. oldu Bize destekleyen herkese tesekkür ediyoruz.

— CNBLUE birkaç kez "ilk Koreli sanatçi" durumuna gelmisti. MTV Unplugged, Countdown Japonya. Bunu fark etmis miydiniz?

YH: Buna inanamiyoruz. Ama hala yapmamiz gereken çok seyin oldugunu düsünüyorum. Japonya'da birçok müzik etkinligi var, çesitli iyi deneyimlerimiz oldu. Kendimizle yarismaya devam ediyoruz.

— “Away" sahnesi de dahil, degil mi?

YH: Geçen yil LINKIN PARK'in canli “away” sahnesi mükemmeldi, biz de fena halde gerdindik, bu yüzden biz de çok istekliydik.(gülüyor)
JH: Bizi bilmeyen insanlarin müzigimizi dinlemesi için büyük bir sansti.
MH: Tek kisilik gösteri için uzun zamanimiz oluyor ama müzik festivali için performansimizin uzunlugu kisa, bu yüzden kaçinilmaz olarak her sarki daha güçleniyor.
JH, örnegin müzik festivallerinde), bütün enerjimi gitar çalmak için kullaniyorum.
YH: Bunun gibi “ore wa rocker da!” (rock'çiyim)
JS: ”Ore mo rocker da!” (ben de bir rock'çiyim) (gülüyor)

— Müzik etkinliklerinde ya da festivallerinde, diger gruplarla temasta bulundunuz mu?

YH: Evet, Ocak ayinda Ontama Festivali'nde, sahne arkasinda ORANGERANGE ile konustuk.
JS: Büyük çikisimizdan önce, onlarin DVD'sini izliyor ve dinliyorduk, bu sekilde çalistik. Bu yüzden onlarla tanismaktan onur duyduk.
JH: ORANGERANGE'in kendi bloglarina bizim hakkimizda yazdiklarini duydum. Bunu duyduguma çok sevindim.
MH: SID de diger sanatçilarla da tanistik.
YH: Bütün sanatçilarin canli performanslarini izledik, performanslardan çok sey ögrendik.

— Son iki yil için degerlendirmeniz (Kore çikisinizdan bu yana)?

Tümü: Canli performansimiz ilerledi!
YH: Simdi eski canli filmlerimizi/'videolarimizi izleyemiyorum.(gülüyor) Fena halde deneyimsizdik.
- Enstrüman çalisiniz, atmosferi yükseltisiniz, sesiniz siddeti degisti.?
JH: Sadece iki yil önceydi, yani çok uzun zaman önce degil. Ama çok fazla tecrübe yasadik, bunun tam anlamiyla farkina vardim.

CNBLUE'nun Mart'taki Kore dönüsü Hakkinda

YH: Bir yil önceden bu yana.
MH: Son sahnemizden bu yana uzun zaman geçti, bu yüzden biraz endiseliyim.
JS: Ama Kore sahnesine bile, Japon hayranlarin gelmesinden mutluyum.
JH: Ne olursa olsun Kore'de ya da Japonya'da, her iki ülkede yayinlanan sarkilarimizi söylüyoruz, iki ülke sarkilari için hayranlarimiz heyecanlanabilir? Bu yüzden son zamanlarda Kore'de veya Japonya'da olmayi umursamiyorum.

— LA konseri - M Live sovu hakkinda

JH: Biz Asya civarini ziyaret ettik, ABD'ye ilk ziyaretimiz olacak, yani bizim yeni mücadelemiz.
YH: Biz nadiren FTISLAND ile sahneye çikiyoruz, bu yüzden onlarla birlikte Los Angeles'a gitmekten mutluyuz.
JH: Bu CNBLUE ABD'de yükselecek gibi abartili bir sey degil, sadece Amerikali hayranlarimizla bulusmaya gidiyoruz.
YH: ABD'ye gittigimde, ilk olarak hamburger sonra pizza yemeliyim… Ah orada yapacagim çok sey var.(gülüyor)
YH: Ben Summer Sonic'te görünmek istiyorum. Bu bizim 2008 yilinda izledigimiz ilk büyük müzik festivalimizdi. Hepimiz sok olmustuk. Linkin Park, Hoobastank ve B'z gerçekten çok iyi ve eglenceliydi. Bir gün böyle büyük bir sahnede yer almak istedigimizi düsündük. Bizi destekleyin lütfen.

akgbe

Read the second part of CN Blue’s exclusive Japanese interview with B-Pass magazine. The members discuss their live performances, body weight and heading to LA with FT Island!

— Yoyogi Live DVD- what point do you want it to be focused on?
MH: I want fans to see the performance of our major debut song “In My Head”.
YH: The fire went up.
JH: Both the fire and live performance were also very hot! The songs that you hear on CD/MV are different from what you hear at the live concert. Please feel that difference in this DVD.
YH: We played “In My Head”at the live concerts several times before, then I feel that song was completed. And we performed some parts of our new song “Where You Are” at the concert, so that is also the highlight of this DVD.
JS: This live has a consistent flow from the beginning to the end, I’m glad if you can feel that whole atmosphere.
JH: We made preparations for this live over a longer time than ever before. Especially about our instruments playing, we had been very focused on that aspect, so please watch the details carefully, our individual play or the whole rendition and so on.
— Yoyogi Live DVD – your impression after watching it.
JH: Compared with our previous live concerts, I felt that “we have improved” (laughs). Especially on video, we can see our stage atmosphere objectively, so I can get another feeling as I was playing there.
YH: Sometimes I watch our previous DVD too, I feel that we’re improving.
— Opening music was composed by YH-san, right?
YH: Yes. I wanted to use siren sound, then at first I made sample sound which had the siren sound as the main, and then the strong opening sound was completed.
— There are some newly arranged songs.
JH: We had made an effort very well to “Tattoo”’s new arrangement. We played this song many times before so we wanted to make another approach.
YH: At the rehearsal, we tried to make a new arrangement for this song. The audience response was quite good.
—(to YH) By the way, you said your favorite thing during live tour is eating local cuisine.
So you gained your weight. How about your weight now?
YH: I returned to my former weight. Didn’t you know just by looking at me? (laughs) I can’t give up to eat tasty food so I eat well and then do a lot of exercise. My weight very flexible.
MH: YH hyung eats well but he can control his body condition well too.
JS: He eats well and exercises well.
— I don’t think your weight can be that flexible..
JH,JS,MH: (at the same time) “iyaiyaiya” (no no no) (laugh).
JH: We are always beside him, so we can know it well just by looking at him.
YH: I ask members that if I’m getting weight, please let me know. The members can sense my physical condition.
— You guys has experienced many kinds of live concerts. What’s the most impressive live?
All: (at the same time) MTV unplugged!
(*This was interviewed the day after their MTV Unplugged live)
JH: I’ve gotten very nervous!
YH: As soon as we finished that stage, all four of us clap our hands together.
MH: I’m happy, but on the other hand, I felt a lot of pressure.
JS: We had heavy nervousness almost as same as our debut stage.
YH: MTV unplugged is the program that world famous artist has appeared in, Clapton-san or Bon Jovi-san and so on.
I feel that it was a very honorable experience.
MH: The pressure was heavy, but it was a big chance for us and the feeling of satisfaction was very rewarding.
JS: The venue’s atmosphere was very good. It’s like a stylish bar, I felt so good.
— “Where You Are” was the #1 song on Oricon Weekly Chart. Where did you hear that?
YH: While recording.
JS: At first I was stunned.
JH: I clapped my hand as soon as I heard. Then I said “omedetou” (Congratulations!) to YH hyung, JS and MH in order. At that time we were in the recording, but I said “Let’s finish it now” unintentionally. I couldn’t play (guitar) for a while.
MH: This is the first time we got weekly #1.
YH: I think we are lucky. Our second single got #1. We really thanks to everyone who support us.
— CNBLUE had became “first Korean artist” for a few times. MTV Unplugged, Countdown Japan. Do you guys noticed it?
YH: We can’t believe it. But I think we still have lots of things to challenge now. In Japan, there are a lot of music festival, we had various good experience. We want to keep on challenging ourselves.
— Including “away” stage, right?
YH: Last year LINKIN PARK-san live was a perfect “away” stage, we got badly nervous, but because of it, we were very enthusiastic. (laugh)
JH: It was good chance to let people who don’t know us to listen to our music.
MH: For one-man-live, we have a longer time (to perform) so I think of our pacing, but for music festival the length of our performance is short, so the power for each song gets stronger inevitably.
JH: At (such music festivals), I use my whole energy to play guitar.
YH: Like this, “ore wa rocker da!” (I AM A ROCKER!)
JS: ”Ore mo rocker da!” (I AM A ROCKER TOO!) (laugh)

— At music event or festival, did you interact with another bands?
YH: Yes, at Ontama Carnival on January, we talked with ORANGERANGE-san at the backstage.
JS: Before our major debut, we used to listened and watched their DVD, we studied form that. So we were honored to interact with them.
JH: I heard ORANGERANGE-san wrote to their blog about us. I’m really glad to hear that.
MH: Also SID-san,.. we interacted with other performers too.
YH: We watched all artist’s live perform, we studied many things from that.
— Your review for the past two years (since Korean debut)
All: Our live performance has improved!
YH: Now I couldn’t watch our previous live films/videos. (laugh) We were badly unskilled.
— You guys changed how you play your instruments, how to enhance the atmosphere, and the tension of your voice.
JH: It was only two years, so it is not too long ago. But we had so many experiences, I realized this so keenly.
About CNBLUE’s Korean comeback in March
YH: Since one year ago.
MH: It has been a long time since our last release, so I feel a little anxious.
JS: But, even at the Korean stage, Japanese fans come there too, so I’m happy.
JH: Regardless of we are in Korea or Japan, we sing our songs that we released on both countries, then fans can be excited for songs from both countries. So recently I don’t care now whether I am in Korea or Japan.
— About the Stand-Up by M Live – LA concert
JH: We’ve been visiting around Asia, USA is going to be our first time, so it is our new challenge.
YH: We rarely perform with FTISLAND, so we are happy to go to Los Angeles with them.
JH: It’s not an exaggerated thing like CNBLUE is going “to advance in US”, I think we just go to LA to meet our US fans.
YH: When I go to the US, first I should eat hamburger, and then eat pizza.. ahh I have lots of things to do there. (laughs)
YH: I want to appear on Summer Sonic! It was our first big music festival that we watched back in 2008. We all were shocked. LINKIN PARK-san, Hoobastank-san, and B’z-san, it was really cool, really fun. We thought we want to stand on such great stage someday. Please support us, staff-san!

Source: KoreanCandy

[ji-young park]

In Historic Seochon, Hanok Is Where The Art Is

Tarihi Seochon'da Hanok, Sanatin Oldugu Yerdir



Gyeongbok Sarayi'nin bati kanadindan Inwangand Dagi'nin etegine kadar uzanan küçük bir kasaba, Seochon; Seoul'de kalan hanoklarin veya geleneksel Kore evlerinin 600 kadarinin yeridir. Sokaklari araba geçemeyecek kadar dar, dükkanlarinda hala el yazmasi ilanlar bulunmakta.

Koruma çabalarina ragmen bayilik ve turist dükkanlarinin akinina ugrayan geleneksel kasabalar- Bukchon ve Samcheong-dong'un aksine Seochon, 20. yüzyilin baslarindan kalma bir çevre gibi görünüyor ve hissettiriyor.

Fakat tekrar gelismenin cazibesi ve modern Kore tarihinin baskentte kalan sembollerini korumanin önemi arasinda sikisip kalan sakinler, artik kendilerini bir dönüm noktasinda buluyorlar.

Bazi mülk sahipleri, degerli gayrimenkuller üzerinden nakde çevirmek için 100 yillik binalari yikarken bazilari kalanlari kurtarma umuduyla sokaklara dökülüyor.



Seochon, taninmis sanatçilarin ve bilginlerin kaldigi orta sinif bir çevre olmasi bakimindan diger hanok köylerinden farklilik gösteriyor.

Joseon dönemi manzara ressami Jeong Seon (1676-1759) ve bilgin Kim Jeong-hui (1786-1856) bir zamanlar bu köyde yasiyordu ve bir yüzyil sonra Kore'nin en ünlü ressamlarindan Lee Joong-seop (1916-56) da ayni dolambaçli sokaklardan geçecekti.

Japon sömürgesi sirasinda modern Kore edebiyati ve direnis siirlerindeki yenilikleriyle bilinen sairler Yun Dong-ju (1917-45), No Cheon-myeong (1912-57) ve Yi Sang (1910-37) da Seochon'da yasadi.

Seoul Metropolit Yönetimi 2010'da aydin kesime ithafen anma yerleri ve müzeler insa ederek Seochon'u tarihi ve kültürel bir bölgeye dönüstürme plani duyurmustu.

Fakat bu çabalar, bir zamanlar sanatçi yetistiren ve esin kaynagi olan bir bölgenin Caffe Benes ve hediyelik esya dükkanlarinin çogalmasini yasamaktan alikoyamadi.

Aslinda sehir koruma plani duyurulduktan sonra kira fiyatlari son derece artti ve bu da mülk sahiplerinin artik arazileri kiralamasi için bir kolaylik.

Bu mülk sahiplerinin anladigi üzere, bölgenin tekrar kalkindirilmasina yararlari var.

Fakat digerleri, ticarilesmenin uzun süreli kimligi silecegi ve Seochon'u bir sonraki Samcheong-dong'a dönüstürecegi konusunda endiselerini dile getiriyor.

Yi Sang'in Evi

Seochon'un ön girisine yakin Tongin-dong'da yer alan Yi Sang'in evine iliskin tartisma kasabanin ikileminin bariz bir örnegi.

Üst sag kösesine tutturulan "Yi Sang'in Evi" yazili küçük tabeladan baska tek katli ev Seochondaki tipik eski hanoklara benziyor. Fakat farkedilmeyen bu evin daha fazlasi da var: Ünlü yazar Yi kisa yasaminin 20 yilini bu topraklarda geçirdi.

Amcasinin sahip oldugu ev, ölümünden sonra yikildi ve yerine bugün orada duran hanok yapildi. Simdi de bu evin yerine sair için bir anit yapilacak.

Hanokun yikimina karsi olanlar yaklasik 80 yildir orada oldugundan evin kendisinin çok degerli oldugunu söylüyorlar fakat arsaya sahip olan Ulusal Kültürel Miras Vakfi hanokun anlamsiz oldugunu söylüyor.

Üniversitede mimarlik ögrencisi olan Yi siir, kurgu ve makaleler yaziyordu. Zamaninin ilerisindeydi ve sairin eserleri ölümünden sonrasina dek tam anlamda takdir edilmedi.

Yi'nin modernizm arzusu vardi ve Ernest Hemingway ve F. Scott Fitzgerald dahil çagdaslarinin yasadigi Paris'e seyahat etmek istiyordu- fakat Japon yönetimi altinda sikisip kalmisti.

Sonunda Japonya'da hapsedildi ve 27 yasinda veremden öldü.

"Kanatlar" ve "Kusbakisi Manzara" gibi eserlerinin Ingilizcesi bulunmakta ve Koreliler yaygin olarak okuyorlar, ancak yasaminin izleri yillar geçtikçe sehir kalkindirma projelerine yenildi.

Seochon'da yasayan bir mimar olan Lim Hyung-nam, "Sik sik Yi Sang'in izlerini takip etmeye çikiyoruz fakat birçogu kaybolmus," dedi.

"Ölümünden sonra esi Byeon Dong-rim tekrar evlendiginden tüm esyalarini dagitti ve nereye gömüldügünü bile bilmiyoruz."

"Bu alan (Yi Sang'in evinin bulundugu) onun hakkinda bildigimiz tek sey."

Ulusal Kültürel Miras Vakfi 3 yil önce Kookmin Bankasiyla evi satin aldi ve kar gütmeyen kurum Arumjigi Vakfi tadilat için NTCH ile bir araya geldi.

Yillarca süren arastirmadan sonra 2 katli bir anit insa etme plani bitirildi.

Geçici olarak halka açik olan Yi'nin su anki evini dolasirken bir Arumjigi yetkilisi, Shin Ji-hye, "Zemin kata Yi Sang'in islettigi kahve dükkaninin adi verilecek," dedi.

"Birinci kat çok amaçli bir yer olacak. Orayi sanatçilara ve topluluk gruplarina açacagiz. Ikinci katta 'Yi Sang'in Odasi' adli küçük bir oda olacak. Burasi anit yeri olarak hizmet verecek," diye ekledi Shin.

Yi'nin evi 2004'te hükümet tarafindan kültürel miras olarak dizayn edildi fakat sonradan Yi'nin evde degil o topraklarda yasadigi ögrenilince vazgeçildi.

NTCH de hanokun önemini reddetti.

"Yi Sang'in kim oldugunu düsünürdük. Danismanlarimizdan biri, Lee O-young [eski Kültür Bakani], bize Yi'nin sürekli kendini odaya kilitleyen biri oldugunu söyledi," dedi Shin.

Geum-hong [Yi'nin sevgilisi] bir kahve dükkaninda çalismak üzere disari çiktiginda küçük ve karanlik bir odada yazardi. Ev kavrami yoktu. Tüm ihtiyaci küçük bir oda ve gökyüzüydü."

"Bu evin de pek çok yasa disi ekleri var. Kolonlar çikarilmis ve daha fazla yer için yasal olmayan kirisler eklenmis [önceki ev sahipleri tarafindan]. Sizdiran çati ve kötü yalitim yüzünden bakim ücretlerini düsünmeliyiz."

"Yi Sang'in ruhunu sürdürecek ve çevreye uyum saglayabilecek yeni binalarin bir örnegini onlara göstermek istiyoruz."

50 kadar yerli sakinin olusturdugu topluluk grubu Seochon Çevre Birligi kesinlikle bu fikre karsi.

Birligin bir lideri olan Robert Fauser mevcut binanin Yi'nin karakteriyle birebir uyustugunu düsündügünü söyledi.

Seoul Ulusal Üniversitesinde Kore dili egitimi bölümünde doçent olarak görev yapan ve uzun süredir yurtdisinda yasayan Fouser, "Yi Sang aslinda bir göçebeydi. Mimardi; bir kahve dükkani çalistiriyordu; sairdi; kisa hikayeler yazardi. Koreli kimligiyle Japonlar için çalisti. Bir is adami olarak basarili olamadi. Isgal sirasinda diger tüm Koreliler kadar kafasi karismis ve sasirmisti." dedi.

"Karisik bir karakteri vardi. Yi Sang'i bu çevrede düsünebilirsiniz çünkü çevre de oldukça karisik."

"Bu, hanok fakat gerçek bir hanok degil. Insanlarin burada nasil yasadiklarini ve hala yasiyor olduklarini yansitiyor. Tarih ve zaman bilinci var. Buranin esasi bu. Bu anlamda bina harika."

Seochon Çevre Birligi mevcut hanoka dokunulmamasini istiyor.

"Bina dikkat çekti ve popüler oldu ve simdi çok seviliyor- bu yüzden bina yeni bir hayata basladi. Yapabilecegimizi umdugum sey Arumjigi ve NTCH'nin de bunu görmesini ve bu yeni yasamin Yi Sang oldugunu anlamasini saglamak."

Fouser onlarin da mülk sahipleri tarafindan her an yikilabilecegini kastederek planlanan anit binasinin çevredekilerin sahip oldugu diger degerli evleri de etkileyecegini ve bunun da Kore mirasini ve potansiyel turizmi öldürecegi konusunda endiseli oldugunu söyledi.

Eskiden Seochon'da yasayan mimar Lim de ayni endiseyi tasiyor.

Mimar Lim "Bu bölgede kültürel miras olarak dizayn edilmemis pek çok degerli ve anlamli eski hanok var," dedi.

"Kore Çevresel Hareket Vakfi'nin hemen önünde eski bir hanok var. Bir zamanlar 100 odasi varmis ama simdi sadece biri kaldi. Geri kalani kafe ya da galerilere dönüstürüldü."

Seochon'da Lim ile yasayan bir mimar, Roh Eun-joo anitin kötü bir karar oldugunda hemfikir.

"Anit yeri Seoul'de herhangi bir yere yapilabilir. Mesele su ki, Yi Sang orada yasamamis olsa bile evin kendisi çok anlamli çünkü yaklasik 80 yildir orada ve modern Kore tarihinin inis çikislarina sahitlik ediyor."

Lim ve Roh, Seoul'un eski kimligini silmeyi birakmasi gerektigini söyledi.

Lim, "Pimatgol'u örnek verirsek, orayi ortadan kaldirmak Taliban'in Bamiyan heykellerini yikmasiyla hemen hemen ayni seydi," dedi.

Joseon Hanedanligi zamaninda halkin at kullanmaktan kaçindigi Jongno'da Seoul'un eski ve dar bir sokagi, Pimatgol 2009'da bir sehir kalkindirma projesiyle ortadan kayboldu.

Küçük ve eski restoranlarin çogu yakindaki 24 katli bir binaya yerlestirildi.

ji-young park



Seochon, a small town stretching from the west wing of Gyeongbok Palace to the base of Mt. Inwangand, is home to some 600 of Seoul’s remaining hanok, or traditional Korean homes. Its alleys are too narrow for cars to pass through, its shops still reliant on hand-written signs for advertisements.

Unlike Bukchon and Samcheong-dong - traditional villages that have, despite preservation efforts, experienced an influx of franchises and tourist shops - Seochon looks and feels like an authentic early 20th-century neighborhood.

But residents now find themselves at a crossroads, stuck between the allure of redevelopment and the importance of preserving one the capital’s remaining symbols of modern Korean history.

As some property owners demolish 100-year-old buildings to cash in on their valuable real estate, others have taken to the streets in hopes of saving what remains.



Seochon differs from other hanok villages in that it was a middle-class neighborhood where renowned artists and scholars resided.

Joseon-era landscape painter Jeong Seon (1676-1759) and scholar Kim Jeong-hui (1786-1856) once lived in the village, and a century later famed Lee Joong-seop (1916-56), one of Korea’s most celebrated painters, would walk through the same winding alleys.

Poets Yun Dong-ju (1917-45), No Cheon-myeong (1912-57) and Yi Sang (1910-37), known for their innovations in modern Korean literature and resistance poetry during Japanese colonization, lived in Seochon as well.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced in 2010 a plan to turn Seochon into a historical and cultural district by constructing museums and memorial places dedicated to the intelligentsia.

But these efforts haven’t prevented an area that once produced and inspired the artists from experiencing the trickling in of Caffe Benes and souvenir shops.

In fact, after the city maintenance plan was announced, rental prices soared - a boon for property owners now eager to lease the land.

As these landowners are finding out, there are benefits to the redevelopment of the area.

But others are voicing concern that commercialization will erase a long-held identity and turn Seochon into the next Samcheong-dong.

The House of Yi Sang

The controversy surrounding the hanok of Yi Sang, located in Tongin-dong, near the front entrance of Seochon, is a clear exemplification of the town’s dilemma.

Aside from the small sign attached to the top-right front wall that reads “The House of Yi Sang,” the one-story home looks like a typical old hanok in Seochon. But the inconspicuous building is much more than that: Yi, the famed writer, lived on the land for 20 years of his short life.

The home owned by his uncle was demolished after uncle’s death and replaced by the hanok that stands there today. That house will now be replaced with a memorial space for the poet.

Those against the destruction of the hanok say the home itself is valuable because it has been there for nearly 80 years, but the National Trust for Cultural Heritage, which owns this plot, says the hanok is meaningless.

A student of architecture in college, Yi wrote poetry, fiction and essays. He was ahead of his time, and the writer’s works weren’t fully appreciated until after his death.

Yi had a yearning for modernism and wanted to travel to Paris, where his contemporaries, including Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald resided - but he was trapped under Japanese rule.

He was eventually imprisoned in Japan and died at 27 of tuberculosis.

Many of his works such as “The Wings” and “Crow’s Eye View” are available in English and widely read by Koreans, but traces of his life have been lost to city development projects over the years.

“We often go out to track traces of Yi Sang, but most of them have disappeared,” said Lim Hyung-nam, an architect who used to live in Seochon.

“After his death, his wife Byeon Dong-rim discarded all his possessions as she remarried and we don’t even know where he was buried.

“The site [where the House of Yi Sang is located] is the only thing we have about him.”

The National Trust for Cultural Heritage purchased the house with Kookmin Bank three years ago and the nonprofit organization Arumjigi Foundation has paired up with the NTCH for the reconstruction.

After years of research, a plan to build a two-story memorial space was finalized.

“The basement will be named after the coffee shop Yi Sang operated,” said Shin Ji-hye, an official at Arumjigi as she looked around the current house of Yi, which is temporarily open to the public.

“The first floor will be a multipurpose space. We’ll open it to artists and community groups. On the second floor, there will be a tiny room which we will name ‘the room of Yi Sang.’ That will serve as a memorial space,” Shin added.

Yi’s house was designated a cultural asset in 2004 by the government, but it was later canceled after it was discovered that Yi lived on the land, but not in the house.

The NTCH has also dismissed the importance of the hanok.

“We thought about who Yi Sang was. One of our advisers, Lee O-young [the former culture minister], told us that Yi was a person who always locked himself inside a room,” said Shin.

“When Geum-hong [Yi’s lover] went out to work at a coffee shop, he wrote in a small and dark room. He had no concept of a house. All he needed was a small room and the sky.

“This house also has many illegal additions. Pillars were pulled out and illegal beams were added for more space [by previous owners]. We need to think about the leaky roof and maintenance costs because of poor insulation.

“We want to show them a good example of new buildings that can go well with this neighborhood and preserve the spirit of Yi Sang.”

The Seochon Neighborhood Association, a community group consisting of some 50 local residents, is strongly against the idea.

Robert Fouser, a leader of the association, said he thinks the current building is a perfect match for Yi’s identity.

“Yi Sang was actually a nomad. He was an architect; he ran a coffee shop; he was a poet; he wrote short stories. He worked for the Japanese with a Korean identity. He was a failed businessman. He was as conflicted and confounded as any other Korean during the occupation,” said Fouser, a long-time expat who works as an associate professor of Korean language education at Seoul National University.

“He is a kind of mixed identity. You can think about Yi Sang in that environment because the environment is also mixed up.

“It’s hanok but it’s not really hanok. It reflects the way people have lived here and still live here. It has a sense of history and time. It’s organic to this place. In that sense, the building is perfect.”

The Seochon Neighborhood Association wants the current hanok to remain intact.

“The building attracted attention and became popular and now it’s well liked - so the building has taken on a new life. What I hope we can do is have the Arumjigi and NTCH also see this, and understand that the new life is Yi Sang.”

Fouser said he is concerned that the planned memorial building would impact other valuable old houses that are owned by individual owners, meaning that they could be also destroyed anytime by property owners, decimating Korean heritage and potential tourism.

This concern is shared by Lim, the architect who used to live in Seochon.

“There are many valuable and meaningful old hanok in this area that are not designated as cultural assets,” said Lim, the architect.

“There is an old hanok right in front of the Korea Foundation for Environmental Movements. It had 100 rooms back in the day, but just one now remains. The rest have been turned into cafes and galleries.”

Roh Eun-joo, an architect who used to live in Seochon with Lim, agreed that the memorial was a poor decision.

“Memorial space could be built anywhere in Seoul. The thing is, even if Yi Sang didn’t live there, the building itself is meaningful because it has been there for about 80 years, witnessing all the ups and downs of Korean modern history.”

Lim and Roh said Seoul should stop erasing its old identity.

“Take Pimatgol as an example, getting rid of that place was almost like the Taliban destroying the Bamiyan statues,” said Lim.

Pimatgol, an old and narrow alley of Seoul in Jongno where commoners back in the Joseon Dynasty used to avoid horses, disappeared under a city development plan in 2009.

Most of the small, old restaurants were relocated to a nearby 24-story building.

Korea JoongAng Daily

[JunHong]

Korea.com interview with N:Sonic

Korea.com'un N:Sonic ile Röportaji

Yeni konsept ve su selalesi gibi asagi dökülerek yapilan dansin oldukça uzun üstsüz bir sahne içeren klip ile K-pop severleri saskina çeviren ve nefesini kesen erkekleri kim unutur ki? Evet! Haklisiniz! N:Sonic! Neo (Yeni) anlamina gelen N, grubun K-Pop sektörüne müzigin özgün ve yeni bir dalgasini getirmeyi umdugunu gösteriyor.

Grubun lideri J Heart (vokal) sadece sarki söyleme konusunda iyi degil. Ayrica dogustan dansçi. Yongin Üniversitesi'nde dans bölümü okudu ve gençliginden beri idol bir sarkici olmayi düsledi. Grubun çekici erkegi ve popüler üyesi Black J'in (maknae) tarzina kim bayilmaz? Kendisi, grubun moda lideri ve ayni zamanda beatbox ve rapi ile daha da karizmatik görünüyor.

Görünüse göre, grubun yüzü Jong Uk (görsel, vokal) çikis yapmadan önce de zaten taniniyordu. Kore'nin buz pateni prensesi Yuna Kim ve efsanevi Hallyu yildizi Young Joon Bae ile birlikte 2010 yilinda Kore'nin en prestijli ödüllerinden biri olan "Kore'ye Büyük Bir Onur Getiren Insanlar"a sekil veren bir ödül aldi. Çikisindan önce modellik yapmasinin yani sira Çince'de uzmanlasmasi için yaklasik iki yil Sangay'da okudu.

Çok yetenekli diger bir üye Eunho (vokal) müzikal yetenekli bir birey. Sarki söylemesinin yani sira bos zamanlarinda kendi sarkilarini yazmayi da seviyor. Bilgi Mühendisligi çalistigi Inha Üniversitesi'nden suan izinli. Grubun yildizi Byeol, sahne sanatlarinda genis bir geçmise sahip. Idol bir sarkici olarak çikis yapmadan önce, Kore'nin sahip oldugu Daehangro, Broadway'de müzikaller ile mesguldü. Chugye Sanat Üniversitesi'nin müzik bölümünde okudu.

N:Sonic, simdilerde Japonya'daki gösterileriyle ve muhtemelen martin sonu ya da nisanin ilk haftasinda çikacak olan comebacklerinin hazirliklariyla ile mesgul.

JunHong

Who would forget the boys that made the whole K-Pop fandom stupefied and breathless with their fresh concept plus the music video with relatively long shirtless scene of dancing while water cascades down? Yes! You’re right! N:Sonic! The N, which stands for neo (new) indicates the group’s hope to bring original and new wave of music to the K-Pop industry.

The leader of the group J Heart (vocals) is not just good at singing. He is also a natural born dancer. He majors dance at Yongin University and ever since he was younger, he already dreamed of becoming an idol singer. Who would not adore the swag of the group’s heartthrob and popular member Black J (maknae)? He’s the group’s fashion leader and also displays more charisma with his beatbox and rap.

Apparently, the face of the group Jong Uk (visual, vocals) already gained recognitions even before his debut. He received an award together with Korea’s figure skating princess Yuna Kim and the legendary Hallyu star Young Joon Bae in one of Korea’s prestigious award giving body, “The People who have brought Great Honor to Korea” in the year 2010. Aside from being a model before his debut, he also studied in Shanghai for almost two years making him proficient in Chinese.

Another multi talented member, Eunho (vocals) is a musically gifted individual. Aside from singing he also likes to compose his own songs during his free time. He’s currently on leave at Inha University where he takes Information Engineering. The star of the group Byeol, has also a wide background in performing arts. Before he debut as an idol singer, he was already busy with musicals at Korea’s very own Broadway, Daehangro. He studies Music at Chugye Universty for the Arts.

N:Sonic is currently busy with their shows in Japan and preparations for their comeback most probably by the end of March or first week of April.

Korea.com

[JunHong]

Hallyu tourism train

Hallyu Turizm Treni

Gangwon Eyaleti'ndeki bir tren her cumartesi Chuncheon'a gidiyor.

Gangwon Eyaleti'nde her cumartesi Chuncheon'a özel misafirler tasiyan bir tren Seoul Istasyonu'ndan kalkiyor. Korelilerden çok yabancilar bindigi için tren digerlerinden farkli görünüyor.

- Ben Fujisawa'dan Suzuki. Daha önce hiç Chuncheon'da bulunmamistim fakat ne kadar güzel bir sehir oldugunu duymustum. Hiç Kore trenine de binmemistim, bu yüzden çok eglendim.

Yolculari popüler Kore dramalarinin dogal yerlerine götürme temali bir tur programi olan bu trenin adi "hallyu turizm treni." Tur programi hakkinda daha fazla açiklama yapmak için KORAIL Turizm Gelistirme Ekibi'nden Bay Lim Seong-hoon burada.

Ilk hallyu turizm treni, 25 Aralik 2010 tarihinde cumartesi günü hizmete basladi. Kore dramalarinda Japon ziyaretçilerin artan ilgisi sayesinde tur programi ortaya çikti. Kore dramasi “Winter Sonata” Japonya'da büyük bir hit oldu ve bir çok Japon turist, drama yerlerini görmek için Kore'ye geldi. Bu yüzden KORAIL ve Chuncheon sehri, degisik film çekilen yerleri gösteren ülkenin ilk grup tur paketini saglamak için el ele verdi. 2010'da basladi ve o günden beri her cumartesi günü Chuncheon'daki Nami Adasi için trenin haftalik tur programi yayinlandi.

Hallyu treninin tur programinda iki güzergah mevcut. Birisi "Winter Sonata"nin arka plani ve Chuncheon'in turu Nami Adasi, digeri ise ziyaretçileri Kuzey Kore tarafindan açilan yeralti tüneline ve gösterisli aktör So Ji-seop için adanmis bir galeriye götürüyor. Özellikle Nami Adasi-Chuncheon elbette yabanci turistler arasinda popülerdir. Hallyu treninin tur programinin bir diger özelligi yolcu otomobili içindeki hallyuya yönelik dekor. Tekrar KORAIL Turizm Gelistirme Ekibi'nden Bay Lim Seong-hoon burada.

Hallyu turizm treni, yabancilar için Kore'deki tek tren. Tur programi, uzman tur rehberleri tarafindan Ingilizce, Japonca ile Çince ve Kore kültürünü sergileyen çesitli etkinlikleri sunuyor. Ayrica yolcu otomobilleri, taegeuk desenleri veya aktör So Ji-seop fotograflari gibi hallyu ile ilgili dekorlara önem veriyor. Otomobiller bu sekilde dizayn edildi bu yüzden yabanci turistler Kore'nin bu görüntüleriyle etkileniyor.

Sadece bu kadar degil. Varis istasyonuna ulasana kadar, yabanci yolculara ortak bir Kore müzigi, popüler Hallyu dramalarindan müzikler ve bir palyaço gösterisi sunuluyor.

Bu gezide sikici bir an bulmak çok zor.

Yolcular, geleneksel pansori performansi da sergileyen dört müzisyen tarafindan ortak bir müzik dinletisi görmek için geliyor. Ayrica palyaço kostümü içinde büyü ve mim gösterileri ve balondan hayvan yapan bir sihirbaz da var. Ayni zamanda ünlü Kore dramalarinin sarkilari hoparlörden çaliniyor.

Her hafta 200 ile 300 yolcu, Seoul'den Chuncheon'a hallyu turizm treninde seyahat ediyor. Geçtigimiz bir buçuk yil içinde, on binlerce yabanci ve hatta bazi Koreliler tur programindan keyif aldi.

- Hallyu trenine bindim, çünkü Nami Adasi-Chuncheon rotasini denemek istedim. Yabanci turistlerle seyahat etmek benim bir hayalimdi ve bu trenin tur paketi hesaba uygun. Ayrica, daha önce Nami Adasi'nda bulunmamistim. Mevsimlik degisimlerin tam anlamiyla tadini çikarabilecegim yerlerden biri oldugunu duymustum.

Sabah sekizden önce Seoul Istasyonu'ndan ayrilmasinin ardindan tren on dakika sonra Gapyeong'a ulasir. Burasi “Winter Sonata”nin çekildigi yer Nami Adasi için otobüse binilen yerdir.

Adaya yolculuk sirasinda tur rehberi Kim Byung-kwa Nami Adasi hakkinda bazi bilgiler veriyor.

Nami Adasi bir ada degil. 1943 yilinda Cheongpyeong Baraji insa edildiginde su üstünde sadece Nami Adasi'ni birakarak alan sular altinda kalmisti. Bu ada özel bir mülkiyet. 300 farkli türde agaç ile bitki diken ve adayi güzellestiren bir kisi tarafindan satin alindi.

Nami Adasi, Gangwon Eyaleti'nin Chuncheon Sehri'ndeki Namsan Köyü'nde bulunmaktadir. Yaklasik on dakika sonra otobüs Nami Adasi iskelesine variyor.

Bes dakikalik gezinti adaya ziyaretçi çekiyor.

Gördükleri ilk sey uzun, görkemli metasequoia agaçlariyla kapli uzun bir patika. Turistler sakin manzara karsisinda hayrete düserek adanin derinliklerine dogru yürüyor.

“Winter Sonata”nin Kore televizyonunda yayinlanmasinin ardindan on yil geçti. Nami Adasi'nda dramanin iki ana karakteri Jun-sang ve Yu-jin'in bisiklete bindikleri ve ilk öpücüklerini gerçeklestirdikleri yerler bulabilirsiniz. Favori dramalarinin uzun zamandir film setlerini ziyaret etmeyi düsleyen Japon turistler mutluluklarini zaptedemez.

- Ben Yamada. Nami Adasi, “Winter Sonata”yi izledigimden beri her zaman ziyaret etmek istedigim bir yerdi. Bu adayi gezdigim için çok memnunum. Manzara güzel.
- Yokohama'dan geliyorum. Nami Adasi tur paketiyle ilgileniyorum çünkü gerçekten “Winter Sonata”dan hoslaniyorum. Çok zevkli ve manzara benim bekledigimden daha güzel. Burada dramadaki bir sürü karli sahne var ve hala biraz kar oldugu için memnunum. Sahnede kendimi hayal edebildim.

“Winter Sonata” hayrani olmasaniz bile Nami Adasi görülmeye deger. Agaçlar ve kuslarin içinizi hosnutluk ile doldurmasindan zevk alirken, yavas yavas adanin etrafinda gezinin.

Nami Adasi turunun tamamlanmasindan sonra, turistler ögle yemegi için sehir merkezi Chuncheon'a gidiyor. Hallyu turizm treni tur programinin ögle yemegi olarak seçimi Chuncheon tavuk pirzolasi.

Adinin aksine, Chuncheon tavuk pirzolasi yemegi kemiksiz tavuk eti ile yapilir. Yumusak ve sulu tavuk eti, baharatli sos içinde marine edilir ve lahana, tatli patates, çesitli sebze ve pirinç kekleri ile demir bir tavada ilave edilip, kizartilir. Sigir eti veya domuz eti yemeklerinden daha ucuz olan Chuncheon tavuk gögsü ise bütçeye uygun popüler bir aksam yemegi. Yani turistler Chuncheon'in meshur yemegi hakkinda ne düsündü?

-Gerçekten baharatli görünüyordu fakat baharat tadi vermedi.
-Baharatli ve tatli. Çok lezzetli.
-Japonya'da buna benzer bir yemek yok. Japon mutfaginda yakitori, tavuk izgarasi var fakat demir bir tava üzerinde sebze ile karistirilmis kizarmis tavuk gibi bir yemek yok. Bu çok lezzetli.

Daha fazla seyler isteyenler için, restoran tavuk için mükemmel bir eslik olan Chuncheon'in makguksu eristesini de sunuyor. Tur rehberi Kim Byung-kwan yeniden burada.

Makguksu yemeginin ana malzemesi, %65'i bugday unundan yapilan eriste, %28'i patates nisastasi ve bugday unu. eristenin çogu karabugday ile yapildigindan beri, yabancilar için bir tat olmayabilir fakat karabugdaydaki rutin madde, kardiyovasküler hastasi insanlar için çok iyi. Öyleyse neden saglikli makguksunun tadina bakmiyorsunuz?

Sadece eristenin hopurdama sesi bile kisinin istahini kabartiyor. Eriste yemegi son 80 yildir kentin sembollesmis yiyecegi oldu.

Kentin tarihteki yeri ile ilgili, Chuncheon'in bir Makguksu müzesi var. Hallyu turizm treni paketindeki etkinliklerden biri, kendi makguksunu yapmak. Turistler ince eriste standlari içinde karabugday hamur yapar ve hamur yogurur. Fakat tüm bu süreç söylendiginden daha kolay.

- Içine ne kadar su koyulacagini ayarlamak ve hamur içindeki karisimi yogurmak zor.
- Ilk kez yaptim fakat eglenceliydi. Suyun sicak olmasina sasirdim. Gerçekten keyifliydi.

Ögle yemeginden sonra turistler Kim You-jeong Edebiyat Evi'ne gitti. Korece modern, kisa hikayelerin babasi olarak bilinen Kim, 1908 yilinda Chuncheon'daki Sille Köyü'nde dogdu. “The Camellia(Kamelya)” gibi kisa hikayeleri ve “Spring, Spring, (Bahar,Bahar)” Japon sömürgesi döneminde modern Kore edebiyatini tanimladi. Turistler, onun dogdugu evin saman ile yapilmis çatisi etrafina bakti.

- Samandan çati çok geleneksel görünüyor ve Japonya'da da böyle bir sey var. Burada tarihin agirligini hissedebildim.

Kim You-jeong Edebiyat Evi, hallyu turizm treni programinin son duragi. Seoul'e tekrar geri dönme zamani.

- Ben Okayama. Nami Adasi'na geldim çünkü “Winter Sonata”nin çekildigi yerleri görmek istedim. Manzara televizyonda gördügümden daha güzeldi. Çok eglendim.
- Günün nasil bu kadar hizli geçtigini anlamayacak kadar çok eglendim. Nami Adasi Seoul'den uzak degil fakat hissetmek için kirsal alanlara sahip. Gerçekten güzeldi.
- Eglence dolu bir gündü – dramalarin çekildigi yerleri gezmek, ünlü yemekleri yemek ve güzel manzaraya hayran kalmak. Firsat olursa tekrar gelmek isterim.

JunHong

English in Spoiler

Spoiler

Every Saturday a train to Chuncheon in Gangwon Province carrying special guests departs from Seoul Station. The train seems different from others since there are more foreign riders than Koreans.

- My name is Suzuki from Fujisawa. I’ve never been to Chuncheon, but heard about how beautiful the city is. I also haven’t been on a Korean train before, so I’m really having fun.

The name of this train is the “hallyu tourism train,” a themed tour program that takes train riders to the scenic locations of popular Korean dramas. Here’s Mr. Lim Seong-hoon of the KORAIL Tourism Development Team to explain more about the tour program.

The first hallyu tourism train went into operation on December 25, 2010, a Saturday. The tour program came into existence, thanks to the Japanese visitors’ soaring interest in Korean dramas. Korean show “Winter Sonata” was a huge hit in Japan, and many Japanese tourists came to Korea to see the drama locations. So KORAIL and the city of Chuncheon joined hands to provide the nation’s first group tour package showcasing several filming locations. It started in 2010 and we have been running this weekly train tour program to Nami Island in Chuncheon every Saturday ever since.

Two itineraries are available in the hallyu train tour program. One includes Nami Island, the background of “Winter Sonata,” and a tour of Chuncheon, and the other takes visitors to an underground tunnel dug by North Korea and a gallery dedicated to the dashing actor So Ji-seop. The Nami Island-Chuncheon course is especially popular among foreign tourists. Another special feature of the hallyu train tour program is the hallyu-oriented décor inside the passenger cars. Here’s Mr. Lim Seong-hoon of the KORAIL Tourism Development Team again.

The hallyu tourism train is Korea’s only train for foreigners. The tour program offers tour guides proficient in English, Japanese, and Chinese, and a variety of events that showcase Korean culture. The passenger cars also feature hallyu-related decors, such as the taegeuk patterns or actor So Ji-seop’s photos. The cars are designed this way so that foreign tourists would be imprinted with these images of Korea.

That’s not all. Until they arrive at the destination, the foreign riders are treated to a fusion Korean music performance, original sound tracks from popular hallyu dramas, and a clown show.

There is hardly a moment to get bored in this trip.

The riders get to see a fusion music concert by four musicians, who also perform traditional pansori as well. There is also a magician in a clown costume, who puts on magic and mime shows and makes balloon animals. Also, songs from famous Korean dramas are played on the speaker.

Every week some 200 to 300 passengers travel from Seoul to Chuncheon on the hallyu tourism train. Over the past years and a half, tens of thousands of foreigners and even some Koreans have enjoyed the tour program.

- I rode on the hallyu train, because I wanted to try out the Nami Island-Chuncheon course. It has been a dream of mine to travel together with foreign tourists, and this train tour package fit the bill. Also, I’ve never been to Nami Island. I’ve heard that it’s one of those places where I can fully enjoy the seasonal changes.

Having departed Seoul Station before eight in the morning, the train arrives at Gapyeong Station a little after ten. This is where passengers get on a bus to Nami Island, where “Winter Sonata” was filmed.

During the ride to the island, tour guide Kim Byung-kwan gives some background information about Nami Island.

Nami Island was not an island. When Cheongpyeong Dam was build in 1943, the area was flooded, leaving only Nami Island above water. The island is a private property. It was purchased by an individual, who planted 300 different kinds of trees and plants and beautified the island.

Nami Island is located in Namsan Village of Chuncheon City, Gangwon Province. About ten minutes later the bus arrives at the Nami Island dock.

A five-minute ride takes visitors to the island.

The first thing they see is a long path lined with the tall, majestic metasequoia trees. The tourists walk deeper into the island, marveling at the serene scenery.

Ten years have passed since “Winter Sonata” was aired on Korean TV. On Nami Island you can still find places where the show’s two main characters, Jun-sang and Yu-jin, rode a bicycle and shared their first kiss. Japanese tourists, who have long dreamed of visiting the filming sites of their favorite show, cannot contain their happiness.

- My name is Yamada. Nami Island was a place I’ve always wanted to visit ever since I watched “Winter Sonata.” I’m so glad that I got to visit this island. The scenery is beautiful.
- I’m from Yokohama. I got interested in the Nami Island tour package, because I was really into “Winter Sonata.” It’s very enjoyable and the scenery is better than I expected. There were many snowy scenes in the show, and I’m glad that there’s still little snow left here. I was able to imagine myself in the scene.

Nami Island is worth visiting even if you are not a fan of “Winter Sonata.” A leisurely stroll around the island while enjoying the trees and birds is likely to fill you with contentment.

After wrapping up the tour of Nami Island, the tourists move to downtown Chuncheon for lunch. The hallyu train tour program’s choice of lunch is Chuncheon chicken ribs.

Contrary to its name, the Chuncheon chicken ribs dish is made with boneless chicken meat. The tender and juicy chicken meat is marinated in a spicy sauce and stir-fried in an iron pan with cabbage, sweet potato, assorted vegetables, and rice cakes. Cheaper than beef or pork dishes, the Chuncheon chicken rib is a popular dish for budget-conscious diners. So, what did the tourists think of Chuncheon’s signature dish?

- It looked really spicy, but it didn’t taste that spicy.
- It’s spicy and sweet. Very delicious.
- There is no dish similar to this in Japan. There is yakitori, grilled chicken, in Japanese cuisine, but no such dish as this one, stir-fried chicken with vegetables on an iron flattop. It’s very tasty.

For those who want something more, the restaurant offers Chuncheon makguksu noodle, a perfect accompaniment to the chicken. Here’s tour guide Kim Byung-kwan again.

The main ingredient of makguksu dish is the noodle made of 65% buckwheat flour, 28% potato starch, and wheat flour. Since the noodle is mainly made of buckwheat, it may not taste like much for foreigners, but the rutin substance in buckwheat is supposedly very good for people with cardiovascular diseases. So why don’t you have a taste of the healthy makguksu?

Just hearing the noodle-slurping sound makes one’s mouth water. The noodle dish has been the city’s iconic food for the past 80 years.

In respect to its place in the city’s history, Chuncheon has a Makguksu museum. One of the events included in the hallyu tourism train package is make-your-own-makguksu. Tourists get to make the buckwheat dough and press the dough into thin noodle stands. But the whole process is easier said than done.

- It’s difficult to gauge how much water to put in and knead the mixture into dough.
- It’s my first time at this, but fun. I was surprised that the water was so hot. It was really enjoyable.

After lunch the tourists head to the Kim You-jeong House of Literature. Kim, lauded as the father of modern Korean short stories, was born in Sille Village, Chuncheon in 1908. His short stories, such as “The Camellia” and “Spring, Spring,” defined modern Korean literature during the Japanese colonial reign. The tourists look around the thatched-roof house he was born in.

- The straw roof looks very traditional and there is something like that in Japan as well. I was able to feel the weight of history here.

The Kim You-jeong House of Literature is the last stop of the hallyu tourism train program. It’s back to Seoul again.

- I’m from Okayama. I came to Nami Island, because I wanted to see the filming locations of “Winter Sonata.” The scenery was more beautiful than what I saw on the show. I had fun.
- I had so much fun that I don’t know how fast the day has gone. Nami Island isn’t that far from Seoul, but it had a very rural feel to it. It was really nice.
- It was a fun-filled day – traveling to drama filming sites, eating famous dishes, and admiring beautiful scenery. I wish I could come again when I get a chance.

KBS World