"Ponkuksa" temple (봉국사)

Lord Buddha's Birthday,according to the Korean Buddhism celebrates every year almost in every temple in the country.Korea has a great history and Buddhism is one important part of it.
Befor Confucianism ,Buddhism was rooted in the country.Tamed people of its teachings and made the solid structure for Confucianism.Unlikely South Asian region ,where Buddhism is a major religion ,in Korea,China and in Japan Buddha's Birthday celebrates in a different way.Cermons, prayings and teaching has its similarities though,celebrations are different even from the small peice of decorative element.Specially the date that Buddha was born is different according to calender.Normally in Sri Lanka we used to celebrate that "Vesak" on the full moon day of the month of May.But,in Korea according to luna calender it seems to be change from our region.21st of this month was celebrated as the Buddha's Birthday by Korean Buddhist population.
As a routine of mine,in every important day in Korea ,I use to travel to a place that gives true nature of the celebration.This "Vesak".The Lord Buddha's Birthday ,my destination was "Ponkuksa"temple.Which was barely known by most of the people,and situated in a remote area of Chungchungnamdo Province. The Temple situated near Onyang village.The scenic beauty on the way to temple is delicate.The beauty of paddy feilds,Green mountains and water springs make visitors comfortable.The path way towards the temple along pine tree canopy , makes calm environment and tranquality in mind.


The path to this Shrine along Pine tree canopy and other various greenish ,flora and fauna.




Main Building or the shrine of this temple is the Image house which has every feature of Korean Tradition timber Architecture.It is colorful and decorative in many aspects.Daeunjeon is a hall enshrining the Buddha statue.This hall is three kan (one kan =about 1.82m)by two and has a ㅅ -shaoed roof with double row of eaves.A datjip( a decorated roof over the Buddhist statue)was built in the hall.,and the inner parts of the hall were built by using timbers expressing nature beauty.The hall was destroyed during the Japanese invasion in 1592,was rebuilt in the 24th year of the reign of King Injo, and it was repaired into the present state by Seobonghwasang in 1891 ( the 7th year of the reign of King Gojong).
Gobang is a warehouse This is there kan by one kan two-story building.It is one of the compartments of the building called "yosachae"(building for resting,sleeping,eating,etc.)which is eighty kan by one kan and forms 'ㅁ' in layout,visible adjacent to the Main shrine.

Buddha statue in the Deaunjeon hall building.

Double pitched roof structure with circular rafters with colorful decorative arts.

Inner roof structure with fine craftsmanship and decorations

Wall murals inside the shrine room,describing the birth of Lord Buddha.



Surrounding of the temple it self merge with its colors and decorated elements up to the maximum.In the temple structure used to decorated with several tones of green it tempts to show temple is a part of the surrounding other than a building stood out of the context.

Surrounding and the Main shrine building

Vesak lanterns with pure colors

Wisdom and serenity,not only the simple taste of craftsmanship,also the spiritual third hands blessing from the nature makes everybody to be free on their heavily souls for a moment worth cannot be measure and cannot describe in words utterly gives descriptions what we can describe.

Sparkling Korea...................................................

The Story of King Sejong

"The People are the root of a country and food is the sky"

Turning out to be a great country of the world, Korean history with superior power temting the others to think about its past ,present and the future.Somehow the great history of Korea was made by its people,ansestors of modern Koreans.Unlikely most of the other parts of the world,Koreans seems to be giving a great example of showing the gratitude and respect for the ansestors to the maximum.So, King Sejong was highly respected in many aspects.As he strenghthen korea by keeping his role in many characters,as a Human,leader and as an interlectual."Hanguel"the korean alphabet is known as agreat creation of this leader. It's worth listen to this great Korean's biography.King Sejong was born as the 3rd child of Queen Wongyeong and Taejong,The 3rd King in Choseon Dynasty on May 15,1397.In 1418, he came to the throne as 4th King of Choseon Dynasty after his father ,Taejong at the age of 22.King Sejong accomplished renaissance of Choseon Dynasty by developing promulgation of Hangeul ,Science technology,culture and arts,militarry affairs diplomacy,agriculture and astronomy on thr basis of love of people -based thought,'Story of Sejong'will be committed to the place for communication and unification of admire acheivements.

PLaza infront of Gyongbok Palace is a famouse attraction for locals and foreigners.This place is paved and several statues are stand as monuments of the people.King Sejong's monument also featured at the place.The interesting space starts behind the statue.It directs people in to amuseum which shows life and activities of King Sejong. Space is articulated to make several spaces within this space showing the life and activities of this great man.Area which shows the Creation of Hangeul is attractive with several displaying techniques.There are several access points for this place and worth visiting atleast once to experience the life of this great Korean King.

Display areas of the Interesting Exhibition space out of conventional framework.

The Magical Beauty of Hanbok

The Magical Beauty of Hanbok Know Korea / Know Korea
2010/05/13 14:41
http://blog.naver.com/korea_brand/10086193528

There are many things that may represent Korea. One among them is the Korean traditional dress “hanbok.” Although nowadays few people wear hanbok except on national holidays like New Year’s Day, the beauty and elegance of the garment is always amazing. Stitch by stitch, making a beautiful hanbok takes great craftsmanship, effort, and passion. It depends on how you choose the right combination of colors among infinite possibilities; how you cut, fold, stitch up patches of cloth together; how you sew patterns onto it, etc.

Hanbok has some magical quality about its color and texture that even the modern digital technology can’t really simulate on the screen. Patterns of flowers and butterflies sewn into the cloth radiate the artist’s craftsmanship and subtlety. Wearing hanbok, you can just feel the artist’s heart oozing out of it. There are no fixed set of rules or formula to follow in making hanbok. How the garment is rendered is solely at the discretion of the hanbok-maker.

Hanbok takes into account the wearer’s body shape, comfort, and beauty, all at the same time. It is one of Korea’s greatest assets containing its people’s indelible, age-long wisdom. Despite the garment’s much fallen popularity among people nowadays, the passion and perseverance of hanbok artists endures. Hats off to the hanbok makers – protectors of one of the most precious Korean assets.
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Seoul's Happy City Project

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Seoul and Its Happy City Project Know Korea / Know Korea
2010/05/13 14:37
http://blog.naver.com/korea_brand/10086193376
According to the recent statistics of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the number of foreign residents of Seoul is estimated at around 250,000, taking up 2.5% of Seoul’s total population.
This is an increase by 100,000 people within the last 3 years – a stupendous increase, indeed. This signifies just how fast Seoul is turning into a global and multicultural city. Then how satisfied are the over 250,000 international residents living in Seoul?

According to the survey conducted in November 2009 on foreigners who had been living in Seoul for more than one year, their degree of satisfaction scored 3.8 out of 5 points, which is an increase for three consecutive years.



But of course, there are things to be improved. To that end, Seoul city has launched the “Happy City Project” which includes various support programs for foreigners in communication, multiculturalism, solving everyday problems and obstacles, and so on. The project focuses on 15 foreigner-dense areas designated as “Global Zones” which include the Seoul City Hall area, Yeoksam, Samsung, Yeouido, Ichon, Itaewon, Hannam, Yeonnam, Seorae Village, Myeongdong, Insadong, Namdaemun, Dongdaemun, etc.

Also, the construction of the “Global Cluster Building” will begin in May, which will include a one-stop help center for foreigners and chamber of commerce offices of various countries.
The “Global Business Help Center” will open in mid-May in COEX with the aim to help foreigners set up small to medium-sized businesses in Korea. And the on-site consultation service, where a batch of staff visits areas with high concentrations of foreigners, will be further streamlined.Last January, 14 additional multicultural family support centers opened in Seoul, which makes a total of 20 such centers. A web site (http://mcfamily.seoul.go.kr/) designed to provide information on Seoul city and job vacancies for foreign spouses was launched in five languages including Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, English and Korean.

A support center for migrant workers has also been operating, providing Korean-language classes that put focus on industrial site-related vocabulary. There is also the International Student Forum, and the foreign students support desks at major universities that provide counseling and information on Korea for international students.
Various cultural performances will take place in Mugyo-dong “Global Street” near the Seoul City Hall, and flea markets for foreigners will be held at the Seoul Folk Flea Market in Sinseol-dong. Furthermore, the Seoul Help Center for Foreigners is going to sponsor 16 foreign community festivals including the Mongolian Naadam Festival and the Irish Folk Dance Festival.

For medical services, the current 11 medical centers for foreigners will be expanded to 17 by 2012, and a Global Open Health Center will be launched in Yeongdeungpo-gu and Geumcheon-gu districts in May, where treatments for pregnant women and infants from multicultural families will be provided.In terms of public transportation, sign panels will be furnished in a number of foreign languages at every subway station, and so will the Seoul city subway map. Also, 26 administrative forms frequently filled out by foreigners will be translated into Chinese and Japanese in addition to English and Korean. Tax notices, too, will have its contents written in both Korean and English.

Likewise, Seoul city is making efforts to create a truly global Seoul that is a wonderful city not only for Koreans, but for all the foreign residents and visitors in it as well!
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Royal Gate Ceramony and New Year Festival -Geoyongbok Palace

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bE @ SeOuL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gyeongbuk Place ( 경복궁 근정문 )

Main hall building which situated centre to the structures of the complex .Which has certain characters that derived from Traditional Chinese Architecture.(Specially the Palace Architecture)But comparing to Palace complexes in China, The building density of the complex is lesser than the Chinese palace complexes.( refers to Fobbiden kingdom and Summer palce in near suburbs of Beijing)It makes more clear visible level on the structure,which makes it emphersize strongly.

Some details of wood pannels,seems to be interesting for me,as they contains good craftmanship and the same time proper detailings approprate for the structures to be stand along with the climatic conditions which subjected to be change all the time.

Some structures are still stays calm and quite ,vitnessing the urbanization which exploding in a great velocity.Some how the structures stand alone as they convincing that those grand children are lucky enough to vitness their ancestors which remains still strong.
Gyeongbuk Place ( 경복궁 근정문 )

Korean NGOs Reach Out to the World

Korean NGOs Reach Out to the World Know Korea / Know Korea
2010/04/30 09:52

http://blog.naver.com/korea_brand/10085410271



There are Korean NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) that aid the poor and the ill, give hope to the despaired around the world. Southeast Asia, Africa, Central America, South America….anywhere they are needed, Korean volunteers reach out their helping hands.



Many of the Korean NGOs work overseas, providing the recipient countries with charity funds. Some of those funds come from the ODA (Official Development Assistance) of the Korea Overseas Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
KOICA was founded as a government agency in 1991 to maximize the effectiveness of Korea’s grant aid programs for developing countries. The agency manages grant aid and technical cooperation programs, as well as the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) through which concessional loans for development projects are provided to the governments of developing countries.
And there is KCOC (Korea NGO Council for Overseas Cooperation), an association of 66 development NGOs. They engage in implementing development and aid projects with the aim to eradicate poverty around the world. The number of its members has doubled since 1999.

With the ultimate goal of meeting the suggested volume set by the OECD, Korea plans to expand its size of ODA first to 0.15% of its GDP by 2012 and to 0.25% by 2015. There isn’t a comprehensive statistics on the volume of aid and the number of members of Korean NGOs, but the volume of the government grants for NGOs is estimated to be USD 6.47 million. The NGOs also take donations from private companies, religious organizations, and individuals.

In May 2009, the Korean Government launched “World Friends Korea,” a consolidated brand of Korea’s overseas volunteer groups, to generate synergy and to facilitate the management of volunteer activities on a national level. This also was one of the 10 key projects undertaken by the Presidential Council on Nation Branding.

Notable NGOs of Korea

http://www.koreabrand.net/>

Some of the most active Korean NGOs abroad include the World Vision, Good Neighbors, and Join Together Society.

The World Vision (https://www.worldvision.or.kr/eng/index.asp) is a relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities to address the causes of poverty and injustice. Their work includes educating children, emergency relief, agriculture and medical support among various others.

Good Neighbors International (http://www.gnint.org/eng/) is an international humanitarian and development organization originated in 1991 from Seoul, Korea. In the beginning it concentrated on projects such as helping orphans and handicapped children, finding homes for disadvantaged widows, rural community development, and assisting disadvantaged families of TB patients in Korea.

But over time it has become an organization offering assistance to anyone in need regardless of race, nationality, religion, ideology, or geographical constraints. For example, Good Neighbors International has been particularly involved in the Rwandan refugee situation. It has been providing several medical relief teams and the operation of two non-formal schools at the refugee camps since 1994.

In 1996, Good Neighbors International became the first international NGO from Korea to receive General Consultative Status, the highest status level, from the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

www.jts.or.kr)>

The Join Together Society (JTS: http://www.jtsint.org/) is an international relief agency established in 1993 for eradicating famine, disease, and illiteracy. Its work includes village development, emergency relief, providing primary education, medical clinics, and assistance to North Korea.

Some other Korean NGOs include the Korea Food for the Hungry International, the GCS Club, Korea International Volunteer International and others.

The efforts to help and share with those in need around the world – Keep it up, Korea!

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Happy Life, Seoul! Know Korea / Know Korea
2010/04/30 09:51
http://blog.naver.com/korea_brand/10085410227
Seoul, the largest city of the Republic of Korea with a population of over 10 million, became the capital of the country during the Joseon Dynasty (1394).

Since then it has become an undoubted global city where the 1986 Asian Games, the 1988 Summer Olympics, and the 2002 FIFA World Cup were held. And the city will host the G-20 Summit 2010 in November and the Nuclear Security Summit in 2012.

Let’s look into the quality of life of those living in Seoul.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government published the result of a survey on Seoul, conducted on 20,000 households (46,153 people aged over 15) and 2,500 foreign residents in October 2009. According to the survey, the degree of satisfaction the subjects felt for their “Health Condition” and “Financial Condition” was found out to be increasing year after year.


“Residential Environment” scored 5.90 points (out of 10.00), “Social Environment” 5.40, “Economic Environment” 5.08, and “Educational Environment” 4.95, indicating a bit of an increase compared to the previous year (2008). In terms of “Public Transportations,” too, there was an increase of satisfaction by 0.22 points, and the safety of the city was also found out to be rising annually.

The volume of donation from the Seoulites has been expanding since 2006 despite the tough financial conditions, and so has the participation rate in volunteer work, suggesting the culture of volunteerism is spreading in Seoul.


Preparation for seniorhood is also in better shape, compared to the previous year. Senior population’s engagement in social activities on a regular basis is increasing, and the number of seniors who wish to live in senior housings instead of living on their own is rising.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will reflect these findings of the survey in its policy making.
Hope more and more people will come visit Seoul, a global city that doesn’t stop getting better!
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