Jongmyo Shrine enshrines the spirit tablets of the kings and queens of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The Joseon Dynasty held memorial ceremonies for the ancestors of the royal family, by taking Confucianism as its ruling ideology and adopting the Jongmyo system. The most important buildings within Jonhmyo Shirne are the Jeongjeon Hall and Yeongnyeongjeon…
Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple are Buddhist relics built in the 8th century during the Silla Dynasty (57 BC-AD 935) of Korea. Seokguram is a grotto that enshrines a monumental statue of Buddha and Bulguksa is a Buddhist temple. As situated in Mt. Tohamsan in Gyeongju which was the capital of the Silla, both relics…
Korea is a ‘country of dolmens.’ A dolmen is a type of tomb constructed of large stones. While found all over the world, dolmens are mostly discovered in Korea, China and Japan. In particular, more than 40 percent of all dolmens in the world are located in the Korean peninsula, with the number of around…
Pansori is a Korean traditional folk music. One ‘Sorikkun’ (means a vocalist in Korean), weaves a story by using songs, words, and gestures along with the beat of a ‘Gosu’ (means a drummer in Korean). Audiences actively join the performance by adding exclamatory words like ‘Eolssigu (means Yippee)’ and ‘Jota(means good).’ While not exactly…
Arirang is a representative folk song in Korea. Even though nobody knows exactly who, when, and where it started, it has become a representative song of Korea. Arirang contains various emotions such as joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure that can be felt in the ordinary life. During the painful and harsh period of Japanese…
Ssireum is a unique sport in Korea. It is a traditional folk game and a sport competition that two people compete their strength and technique by gripping the Satba. Ssireum has been a folk game and a martial art that has been loved for a long time. It has developed into a modern athletic game…
For Korean, Kimjang means to make a great amount of Kimchi in order to prepare for a long and cold winter. Kimchi is a fermented food made with various vegetables, such as radish, cabbage and cucumber, which is salted and seasoned. It is essential for Koreans’ meals. It takes a year to prepare for…
<Hunminjeongeum> was published in 1446 to announce the creation of a Korean unique script, ‘Hangeul’, and describe it. Meaning ‘the right sound to teach people’, Hunminjeongeum is not only the name of book, but also the initial name of Hangeul when it was created. Created by King Sejong (1397-1450) in 1443, Hangeul is a scientific,…
Jikji is the oldest extant book printed with movable metal type in the world. It was published at Heungdeoksa Temple in 1377 during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392). It was not long that Jikji got known in the world. It became known when Dr. Park Byeong-seon (1929-2011), a Korean who was working at the National Library…
Both Korea and Spanish-speaking countries have amazing varieties of street food. They all are slightly different depending upon where you are. Although Korea and Spanish-speaking countries have separate cultures, but their street food are not as different as you might think they are, morcilla sundae Morcilla or what is commonly known as blood sausage…