Well, my own RAS Bukchon hanok-neighborhood walking-tour back on Sept 2th was pleasantly successful, and ditto for my SIWA walking-tour of the Sajik Dan-gun Ceremony and Shamanic Shrines of Inwang-san on Gaecheon-jeol (Oct 3rd), despite the heavy gray sky. So, with that promising start we can look forward to a better-weather autumn for experiencing Korea’s best… Here are some upcoming Royal Asiatic Society - Korea activities of potential interest to M-Holers:
This Tuesday, October 9th: RAS Lecture Meeting with a talk by Mr. David Richardson (President of TNS Korea since 1986) on “Psychonomic Trends in Korea: Korean Psychological Lifestyles, From the Pre-386 Generation to Today’s Young Generation.” He will discuss today’s differing Korean generations, including their social movements, environments, and personal lifestyles — to help us understand today’s consumers (and maybe some of the politics, too). 2nd floor Resident’s Lounge, Somerset Palace. Brendon posted that his “company always does very interesting research into consumer/public preferences through their survey methods. He’s worth catching, despite the title.”
Sat-Sun Oct 13-14: Gyeongju Tour – the Amazing Relics of the Shilla Kingdom — The entire city of Gyeongju is an outdoor museum, recognized by UNESCO as a prime display of Korean culture, including some of the world’s best Buddhist artworks. This weekend visit will cover the main historic sites and offer an interesting look at the Shilla Kingdom’s culture, as our guide recounts the many myths and legends associated with the sites. This tour will be led by Tourism Professor David Mason, an expert on Gyeongju’s history and treasures.
Sun Oct 14th: Walking-Tour of Joseon Sites of Downtown Seoul — This tour by Peter Bartholomew is being postponed; a new date at the end of the fall will be announced.
Sat-Sun Oct 20-21: SEORAK-SAN National Park Tour — This is Korea’s premier national park, containing some of the most superb natural scenery to be found on the peninsula. The colorful autumn leaves should be outstanding on this weekend! This is definitely a “must” during your stay in Korea and once you have experienced this park, you’ll want to return time and time again.
Sat-Sun Oct 27-28: JIRI-SAN National Park Tour – a weekend trip to one of Korea’s most-sacred mountains, and its oldest & largest National Park. In addition to the fantastic mountain scenery viewed from dramatic passes (the colorful autumn leaves should be outstanding on this weekend!), we will visit both Hwaeom-sa and Ssanggye-sa – two of Korea’s most important Buddhist monasteries, with profound ancient granite artworks – and also the famous Cheonghak-dong (Blue Crane Village), home of two fascinating traditionalist religious groups. This tour will be guided by Tourism Professor David Mason, an expert on Jiri-san’s sacred traditions and treasures.
Contact: http://www.raskb.com/ 763-9483, or raskb@kornet.net
