The 27th Anniversary of YANGSANBAK Club

Last Saturday, 13th June 2009, a garden party was held to celebrate the 27th anniversary of the founding of "Yangsanbak" club which was started as an old high school classmates' association in 1982. We attended a same middle and high school for 6 years. (Dongsan Middle and High School located in old town Incheon.) I attended the same elementary school (Seogot) with one of my old friends in the club as well. The party took place at the parking lot, annexed to a commercial building for which I own, and opened around 5 o'clock in the afternoon and continued until 9 o'clock in the evening. The weather was pretty good, so sunny, breezy and comfortable day just before sunset that can accommodate a happy and pleasant outdoor barbeque party. One of the secret reasons why the club can be lasted and survived such a long period of time is that couples of hubby and wife should attend every gathering and furthermore wives have practically been playing more important roles in every aspects of the club, including accounting of the membership dues, etc. And our monthly gathering was set for the second weekend from the beginning, and not changed ever. That's probably another reason for the long-lasting friendly gatherings between and within our members.

BAEDARI Secondhand Bookstores Street

Friday, June 5, 2009, late in the afternoon, I was able to hang around on the so-called 'Baedari Secondhand Bookstores Street' in the old city of Incheon, across the 'Jungang (Central), Jayu (Liberty) or Yankee Market' because I had some spare time shortly before a meeting appointment with my second cousin who is a teacher at a nearby high school, just to have some drinks (Soju) together. The district name "Baedari" can be translated directly into Korean language as 'Ferryboat Bridge' or a small pier where ferryboats can anchor in. Until early twentieth century when the Kyeongin (Seoul-Incheon) Railroad was constructed for the first time in Korea, there was reportedly a waterway to this area from the coast. Though the waterway is completely covered with the pavement of broad street these days, folks in this district still experience floods during the rainy season in summer because it's pretty low-lying area. During it's heyday in 1960's when I was an elementary school children, I remember there were numerous small businesses and street vendors, selling almost everything from American GI's military clothing, cigarettes, liquors, canned foods, diner supplies like sausages, etc., to every types of book crowded in the street. There were several ice cake factories like 'Changyeongdang', etc. through the street as well. From the late 1960's, the street began to be called as 'BAEDARI Secondhand Bookstores Street' as more than 50 bookstores settled in both sides of the street. Now, however, only several bookstores remain, primarily because the people's living standard has been upgraded. Students, who were the biggest customers of those bookstores are no more visit ther street to buy those used textbooks or reference books at a new school term. And, partly because they don't need to rely heavily on reference books or dictionaries, thanks to the so-called information age which enables them to get necessary information from the Internet. Besides, the number of population in the background area has been decreased for the last 20 years as new suburbs, such as Yeonsu and Songdo, etc, were developed in a large scale.

A JANGNEUNG Tour

Recently, I was able to take time to visit 'JANGNEUNG', the tomb of King Wonjong (1580-1619) and his wife Queen Inheon (1578-1626), the father and mother of King Injo, 16th monarch of Joseon Dynasty. It's located in Pungmu-dong, Gimpo City, 20 km away from my place and took about 30 minutes to reach there by driving on Route 307. In retrospect, I visited the historical site in October 1972 when I was a high school sophomore for a school excursion for the first time, and had chances to go there several times more thereafter. Actually the tomb was one of favorite places to visit for an excursion for students from elementary to high school in Incheon and its vivinities, and it looks like the same today as well.

It is my understandin that there are total 19 tomb sites of Joseon Dynasty's royal family, primarily for its kings and queens, in South Korea. And most of the sites are located around Seoul. JANGNEUNG is located comparatively far from the heart of Seoul, and the site was selected because it's perfect to accommodate the royal family's bodies from the eye of Poongsu, oriental geomancy. It's reportedly took 11 hours to carry the death carriage to this area from Seoul some 400 years ago

Western-style Single Homes in South Korea (II)

After crossing the street, dividing 'Angol Village 2' and Baengnyeonggol' by riding on a bicycle, I came across more than a dozen single homes, mostly made of wood. And some houses are still under construction.
Owners of those houses seemed to be retired or semi-retired middle-aged couples in their 50's or 60's because, otherwise, it would not easy for them to commute to and from workplaces located in big cities like Seoul, Incheon or it's vicinities through the New Airport Bridge which connects the island to the main land, leaving the toll rate of 3,600 Won per one-way trip to Incheon and 7,400 Won per one-way trip to Seoul aside.
In most cases, as fas as I know, the construction materials of those single homes are imported, primarily from North America, because domestic suppliers are not afford to produce the quality goods at the competitive prices due to the so-called economy of scale by the poor demand across the country in South Korea.
But it's not necessarily mean that South Korean people prefer condominiums, apartments or villas to single homes. In fact, many people in this country have dreams to live in 'white houses on the hill' sometime in the future. The problem is that they can not afford to make their dreams come true because the appropriate sites to build the dream houses are too expensive to buy, and also they are too busy to take time to prepare any detailed scheme.

Western-style Single Homes in South Korea (I)

If you are a tourist from abroad or an expatriate, you may wonder if you can find any high-end neighborhood or village with a lot of beautiful western-style single homes with manicured lawns and flowered gardens in South Korea.
As a matter of fact, it's becoming more and more difficult to find decent single homes, particualarly in mega cities like Seoul and Incheon because those metropolitan cities are almost covered by apartments, condominiums or villas, due mainly to the lack of land for human habitation isince the cities are surrounded by the so-called greenbelt. But it's too early for you to give up because you can still have chances to find some even in Yeongjong Island where the airport is actually located.
Last Sunday, May 10, 2009, my wife, daughter and I was invited to visit my brother-in-law's home (above) in Unseo-dong, near the airport, to have lunch together with his family members. including my parents-in-law, visiting them as well.
After lunch, I was able to go bike hiking with my compact digital camera in my pocket.

Elementary School Alumni Association

Saturday, April 25, 2009 - Fourty-one years after graduating Seogot Elementary School, I was able to have a good time with a group bus tour to 'Mongsanpo' beach resort in Chungnam Province with my elementary school classmates as the 1967-68 class alumni association had recently been formed.
More than 45 old boys and girls came to the bus parking lot near Incheon Seo-gu District Office around 7 o'clock early in the morning to get into the bus to hang out . Actually, many of my old classmates, both boys and girls, were familiar to me because I was able to meet them from time to time so far. Several peope among them, however, were like totally strangers to me since I couldn't remember anything about them, including their features and behaviors, etc. Actually all of my memories on them were blacked out. I had a hard time to match up some of my old friends' names to their current features, as well. As a matter of fact, fourty-one years are far enough to change teenage boys and girls into middle-aged men and women with crow feet at the edge of their eyes.
On our way to the beach in the bus, we spent most of our time to say hello to each other, while sipping up coffee or having some rice cakes and pork served with 'soju' or whatever individually wanted. It took approximately 2 hours for us to get to the destination. At the beach resort, meanwhile, we had a great time to play 'Jokku' game, a Korean-style foot-tennis, and foot-baseball game together like naive children before taking group pictures. Also, we enjoyed barbeque party at the courtyard of a nearby beach house. (Second from the right in the picture is me.)

Traditional Korean-style Funeral Service

I just got back from Anmyeon-do, Chungnam Province, after attenting a funeral service for one of my wife's relatives who was 91 years old. The funeral service was prepared generally by traditional style, including using an old Korean-style bier or a flower-decorated death carriage to a tomb located at their (ancestral) family graveyard at the skirts of a mountain near the village as shown on the photo. In fact, it's not easy nowadays to witness this kind of old-fashioned funeral service across the nation, especially in a big city like Seoul or Incheon, though it could not be something like 'once in a lifetime event'.

In Korea, generally, a funeral service is progressed for three days (two nights) after an announcement of death. Therefore mourners should make a condolatory call during this period of time, and condolence visits are made normally from early in the evening to midnight as bereaved families are standing at the side of the coffin. In Korea, in most cases, the coffin cover is not opened to mourners to show the face of the dead. Many relatives and close friends of bereaved families, however, stay overnight at the funeral home with the bereaved to express their sympathy as talking about the life of the dead while drinking Soju or playing cards. Early in the morning of the 3rd day, the corpse is finally carried to its burial site. Sometimes a brief farewell rite is progressed on the street in front of the house in which the dead person lived before the death en route to the graveyard.

Mt. Cheolma Tracking (III)

As I went up to a hill, there was a trail that's pretty well beatened-out by numerous walkers or trackers. The forest was not able to make its flowers and trees come into buds and leaves yet, despite of the fact that it's the so-called 'Cold Food Day' and 'National Arbor Day' or tree planting day. We proceeded into an elegant and comfortable ridgeway to find a military outpost about 50 meters ahead of us. The left-hand side trail from this point leads to the Gongchon Water Purification Plant and the right-hand side trail leads to Gajeong-dong and Cheongcheon-dong, but this direction was not allowed for civilians to proceed because of the military camp located in the middle. Finally countless rhododendrons appeared at the other side of the post in front of us. We were able to wind our way to reach a ridge which is used to be exposed completely to the hot sun light in high summer about 200 meters ahead. The ridge has no visible tall tree due to the strong wind in the severely cold winter season, too. While resting for a little while on the ridge, we could look back clearly at the Yellow Sea, a new international airport located in Yeongjong Island and even Jeondeungsa Temple in Ganghwa Island. Then we poceeded to the trail which leads to the summit of the Mt. Cheolma. The trail was comfortable thoroughly.
Finally, we reached to the summit. In the midst of dreamy fog, Bupyeong town was entirely seen below. If fortunate enough, we can see Namsan Tower and Mt. Bukhan in northern Seoul, Mt. Gwanak in Gwacheon City as well. With an expectation that we can see Mt. Cheolma decorated with numerous sengreens and rhododendrons about a week later, we finished our tour.

Mt. Cheolma Tracking (II)

Shown on the left-hand side is a signboard for prohibiting cultivation of any agricultural product because the site is reserved for the construction of 'Gongchon Elementary School' beginning the first part of the year 2009. The small-sized mountain beyond is my family-owned graveyard where up to 12-generation of my ancestors, including my grandparents, are resting. On the occasion of my visits to my ancestral graves usually made shortly after ancestors memorial rites done at my place on New Year's Day (lunar) or Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day), it takes only 5,6 minutes by walking, thanks to its closeness. I believe the site can be called as 'Myeongdang' (a good graveyard) in view of its location; sunny place facing south, though I am still not a Chinese-Korean geomancy expert. It is my understanding that there is no basic difference between the selection of building sites and that of
graveyard sites.

Mt. Cheolma Tracking (I)

On April 5, 2008, Saturday. in the afternoon, when such a beautiful light fog that looks like a profound expectations a young sailor must have before leaving for unknown harbors far away for his maiden voyage, I was able to start to go for a hiking through Mt. Cheolma around my house with my wife. Because I was encouraged by a memory of this time of year of those numerous rhododendron and sengreen flowers bloomed on every sides of the mountain when I was a small boy, though it would not probably looked exactly like the 'Yagsan (Mt.) of Youngbeon' appeared on a famous poem by Kim So-weol. The round trip takes approximately an hour and half. My favorite course for the summit is walking through the Simgokro street from my place. Actually I was used to enjoy the sudden silent and comfortable atmosphere from the bustling urban life as soon as I enter to the non-paved trail from the main street. Soon Gwangmyeong Apartment complex appeared on the righy-hand side through the forest, and the summit of the mountain, as well as the goal of the tracking far away. I can still remember the name of this area as 'Utgol (Upper hill).