Sun March 23rd: Juwang-san National Park and Jusan Reservoir Hike — A special treat for movie fans — the Jusan Reservoir is the scenic location for the movie “Spring, Summer Fall Winter and…Spring.” 30 willow trees more than a century old decorate this ancient reservoir, giving it a mysterious vibe. We’ll also tour other parts of this beautiful, fascinating and remote national park just east of Andong City.
Tuesday, March 25th: RAS-K Lecture-Meeting, featuring Mr. A. Lin Neumann (Chief Editor of the JoongAng Daily, international journalist and advocate for 25 years) speaking on “Practicing journalism in a dual-language, dual-culture environment.” He will focus on the “very real differences between U.S.-style journalism and the approach taken in a Korean newsroom. While some of the problems and issues are common to second-language newspapers anywhere – editing copy written by reporters for whom English is a second language – there are also particular challenges blending the individualistic and conflict-oriented style of an American newsroom with the more consensus-driven culture in South Korea. Also, how do Korean newsroom managers cope with a foreign presence in their environment? Can an “outsider” be trusted to make the right decisions? In addition, while compromises exist in every media environment, the goal of strictly separating news judgment from advertising and business concerns is not yet enshrined in most Asian newsrooms. How are these tensions manifested in the making of a newspaper? The discussion will also put the phenomenon of second-language English media in the context of the changing face of regional journalism at a time when many big international media companies have retreated from the region.” (this lecture was previously scheduled but had to be postponed to now). 7:30 pm in the 2nd-floor Resident’s Lounge of the Somerset Palace, Anguk-dong (just north of Jogye-sa), Seoul. Free for RAS Members, w5000 donation requested from others.
Sat-Sun March 29-30th: Mai-san and Muju Gucheon-dong Valley Tour (Deogyu-san National Park) – Exploring the best parts of these famous mountains in North Jeolla Province will take us to an ancient fortress, a temple filled with Shamanic stone pagodas between the “Horse-Ears Mountains”, a two-tiered waterfall, and an old Confucian school – all in wonderfully beautiful flowery springtime scenery.
Sun March 30th: Walking Tour of Joseon Seoul Architecture with leading expert Peter Bartholomew — 9am~3:30pm — Walking through Seoul’s past and examining the cultural and historical background of the Seoul palaces and Joseon-dynasty landmarks, as well as some rare and recently excavated royal treasures. RAS highly recommends this tour — you can learn so much!
Sat-Sun April 5-6th: Namhae-do Island and Jinhae Port Tour (Viewing the Cherry Blossoms!) We will proceed to Namhae-do, Korea’s fourth largest island, famous for its typical Korean flora and natural beauty. Jinhae, a small port city on the south coast of the peninsular, is known for its cherry trees-some 70,000 of them. Every year when the cherry trees are in bloom (usually in the beginning of April), the city holds the Cherry Blossom Festival.
Sun April 6th: Suwon City Relics Tour led by Peter Bartholomew — Today we will visit the capital of Gyeonggi Province and, with the expertise of our well-known guide Mr. Peter Bartholomew, we will be able to learn more about the various Joseon Dynasty remains in the walled-city-center – including the 18th-century palace buildings and the magnificent Hwaseong Fortress (a UNESCO-designated World Cultural Heritage site).
Being a Member of the Royal Asiatic Society - Korea has many benefits, including free attendance of interesting lectures, receiving newsletters of activities, discounts on great tours of Korea’s most beautiful and fascinating places led by experts, discounts on books about all Korean subjects in English, and more. Everyone involved with Korean Studies who speaks English would do well to join this 108-year-old scholarly organization. For more information, call 763-9483 in Seoul during business hours, write to raskb@kornet.net or visit our website http://www.raskb.com/
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Some friends and I enjoyed weekend trip to Jinhae to experience the cherry blossom festival one year. The town is pretty - more cherry trees per square kilometer than almost any other city in Korea - and we gorged ourselves on some roasted pig on a spit in one of the food stalls set up on a street closed to traffic. A local stadium hosted a series of performances from high school bands, cultural dance troupes, and the local naval academy. Very photogenic.