Author Archives: sanshinseon

“Giant Natural Wave” on the West Coast kills 8 or more

This is being reported on CNN… Can’t find details, not even an exact location… Anybody know anything? Hand of the Lord…?
Anyway, RIP for the victims, tentatively said to be fishermen and their children…

Sphere: Related Content

RAS Lecture offering “An up-close and personal look inside North Korea” and Mid-Spring Tours

Upcoming Royal Asiatic Society - Korea activities of interest to M-Holers:
Tuesday, May 6th: RAS-K Lecture-Meeting featuring Michael P. Spavor (BA in International Relations from University of Calgary and now studying at the Graduate School of North Korean Studies in Seoul on foreign NGOs and the DPRK). He will be speaking on “Pyongyang [...]

Tis Again the Season to Venerate Mountains

As you all know, last Tues April 8th was Lunar 3.3 (third day of the third moon) and so there were Sanshin-je [Mountain-spirit veneration-ceremonies] held in villages and at sacred mountains nationwide. I spent my time at Inwang-san right here in Seoul, where i found a great medium-sized Sanshin-je going on at a relatively-obscure [...]

RAS Lecture by Lankov on Seoul’s Transportation, and Mid-Spring Tours

Upcoming Royal Asiatic Society–Korea activities of interest to M-Holers:
Tuesday, April 8th: RAS-K Lecture-Meeting, featuring Dr. Andrei Lankov (well-known researcher on social and cultural aspects of 20th-Cen Korean modernization, including the DPRK, a Professor at Seoul’s Kookmin University and a Visiting Fellow at Australian National U, columnist for several publications, PhD from Leningrad State University) speaking on [...]

Anti-Canal Demonstration this Sunday

The Korea Federation for Environmental Movements (KFEM) is organizing another large demonstration against President Lee’s grand Canal project, and international residents in Korea are particularly invited to participate in this one.   A group of us are going to march in it under the banner of the excellent Korean Mountaineering League, and any of you who wish [...]

RAS Lecture on the Reality of a Foreigner Practicing Korean Journalism and Early-Spring Tours

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 [...]

Collapse of the Won

OK, to take a break from the sex-crimes for just a sec, now i’m seeing a “Basic Rate” (middle rate) of w1,029 = $1 on my computer, and that’s just outrageous, worrisome, damaging (and kind of sickening in the pit of the gut for anyone who lived through the financial crisis that started just 10 [...]

RAS Lecture on North Korea’s Current Reality and Early-Spring Tours

Tuesday, March 11th: RAS-K Lecture-Meeting, featuring Dr. Moon J. Pak (Biologist and MD, Chairman of the US-DPRK Medical Science Exchange Committee and the Vice-president of the Korean-American National Coordinating Council)  speaking on “North Korea Today.”  He will focus on the realities of contemporary North Korean society as he has experienced them, while refuting several common [...]

Killing in Gwangnaru?

I’ve heard a rumor that a Filipino man who was not paid his due wages but instead was violently abused by a K factory owner in Gwangnaru area stabbed that K factory owner to death yesterday evening, and ran away.  And as a result, K police have swarmed certain neighborhoods cracking down on “foreigners” — checking [...]

RAS Late-Winter Tours and Lecture on North Korea Today

Upcoming Royal Asiatic Society - Korea activities of interest to M-Holers:
Sat March 8th: Kiln Tour in Icheon City –  One of our best “practical” tours!  A trip to the kilns of the masters to watch them create masterpieces from clay to celadon and porcelain in the Icheon area.  If time permits we will visit an [...]

RAS Lecture on ROK Journalism and Late-Winter Tours

UPDATE 2 (from Tom Coyner in the comment section): RAS Lecture on ROK Journalism CHANGED to N Korea Philharmonic Diplomacy venue & time CHANGED to Seoul Foreign Correspendents Club, Press Center 18 Floor, 8:00 PM
Tonight, Tuesday, February 26th: RAS-K Lecture-Meeting,has been changed due to B.R. Myers of Dongseo Univeristy and Ed Reed of The Asia [...]

RAS Late-Winter Tours and Lecture on ROK Journalism

Upcoming Royal Asiatic Society - Korea activities of interest to M-Holers:
Sat Feb 23rd:  Fortune Tellers and Exotic Shrines Tour
On this tour, we will visit exotic shrines in Seoul such as the Dong-myo, Waryong-myo, & Guksa-dang shrines. Also we will visit the fortune tellers - be prepared with your birth-data and get your yearly fortunes told!  [...]

Talkin’bout Korea’s Religious-Tourism on Arirang Tonight

If anyone is interested, i will be the chatty guest on Arirang TV’s 30-min “Heart to Heart” interview show at 10:30 pm tonight (Thursday); it’ll be repeated a few days later.  I was there to talk about my teaching, research, speechmaking and writing on Korea’s religious-tourism opportunities.  We taped it last Monday — yes, i had to [...]

RAS Lecture on Korea’s Progress Towards Transparency, and some Mid-Winter Tours

Upcoming Royal Asiatic Society–Korea activities of interest to M-holers:
Sat February 2nd:  Sobaek-San National Park Tour with Huibang-Sa and Guin-Sa Temples  After a bus-ride down thru the scenic Jecheon / Danyang region, we’ll take a pleasant hike through the scenic Sobaek-san National Park, visiting the historic temples Huibang-sa (with lovely icy water-fall) and Guin-sa (Cheontae Order; biggest non-Jogye temple in [...]

RAS Lecture on Korean Racial Attitudes / Hines Ward, and some Mid-Winter Tours

Upcoming Royal Asiatic Society–Korea activities of interest to M-holers:
Tonight!!  Dr. Lee Yomee (sports-sociology prof at State University of New York, currently Fulbright Scholar at Yonsei Univ) will give the second RAS Lecture of the year, on one of the M-Holer’s favorite subjects: “Hines Ward –His Impact on Racial Attitude among Koreans”.  She will take a fascinating scholarly look at what [...]

RAS Lecture on Korea’s Early-Modern Relations with the USA and Japan, and some Mid-Winter Tours

Upcoming Royal Asiatic Society–Korea activities of interest to M-holers:
Tomorrow Tuesday January 15th:  Well-known 19th-20th-cen Historian-of-Korea Prof Lew Young-ik (PhD Harvard 1972, Chair of Korean Studies at Yonsei Univ GSIS, my fellow Governing Council Member of RAS-K) will give the first RAS Lecture of the year, on “Early Korean Encounters with the United States and Japan”.  That’s the title [...]

RAS Mid-Winter Tours, and Lecture on Korea’s Early-Modern Relations with the USA and Japan

Upcoming Royal Asiatic Society Korea activities of interest to M-holers:
Sat January 12th: Bugak-san Fortress Wall Hiking Tour in Seoul Join the RAS for one of the most classic and historical views you will ever see, in the clear winter air – right at the heart of Seoul!  We will climb up small-but-steep Bugak-san (North-Crags Mountain, right behind [...]

Roh Pardons Kim Woo-choong, others for NYE

I guess this was widely expected by all…  No sure who else made The List, tho:
 S.Korea pardons Daewoo founder, death-row inmates
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea’s president on Monday commuted the death sentences of six inmates on death row and pardoned the founder of the Daewoo conglomerate, convicted of fraud in one of the biggest corporate [...]

400-year Dispute Over Tomb-Sites to be Settled by Korean Hatfield-McCoy Clans

A little bit of slightly good news for Xmas Eve — Feuding Korean clans end 400-year fight over graves – this is resulting from Korea’s longstanding Pungsu-jiriseol beliefs… other relevant links are at the bottom of that page.

Sphere: Related Content

Baekdu-daegan Expedition final photos

I finally got the photos of the latter three Baekdu-daegan Expedition activities (that i participated in) put up on my site, to complement Roger and Andrew’s blog (they’re both back in New Zealand now; Andy will return in Jan to re-base himself in Pohang).  Take a look at our beautiful Worak-san meet-up experience in early October (including [...]

Bad Behavior has blocked 15305 access attempts in the last 7 days.