Mayor Song's Mission Impossible (미션 임파서블)?

(The above photo was taken from the top of Mt. Cheolma in my neighborhood on Sunday, August 22, 2010 in the late afternoon.)

People wish to be happy. Originally here in Korea, however, there was no Korean alphabet i.e. 'Hangeul' word or diction for happiness before early twentieth-century when the Chinese character word '幸福(행복)' was imported from Japan after Japanese scholars in the 19th century made the word by combining two independant Chinese character '幸(행)', which means a fortune or good luck, and '福(복)', which means a good fortune or wealth, together. (Still East Asian countries share, entirely or partly, Chinese characters in addition to their native languages, though each country, let's say Korea and Japan, pronounces the same Chinese words differently in most cases, and owe much of their cultural heritages to the characters, believe or not.)

The word 'happiness' in English is reportedly one of the words that the Japanese translators had experience a real hardship in translating it into Chinese characters, as well as introducing those western conceptions into the East Asian cultural community. A Korean alphabet word '사회', or '社會' in Chinese character, is another example.

Actually the correct meaning of the word 'happiness' in English, or 'bonheur' in French, is a 'good time allowed by the Lord or God' and, therefore, it's based on the orthodox Christian religion's concept of God. Since there was no conception or thinking of such kind in East Asia at that time, the Japanese translators had no choice but to make the Chinese character word by combining the two independant words '幸' and '福', closely related to the material wealth, with each other.

Now here in Incheon, unfortunately, the controversy over the construction of a new main stadium in Seo-gu (District) for the 2014 Asian Games still hasn't come to an end, while many of mayor Song's fellow citizens, including his enthusiastic supporters, are keeping their eyes on his final decision. It is my understanding that the most important role and/or mission of any city administrator is to strive to make everybody happy to a large extent during his tenure, notwithstanding any difficulties on the way. Particularly, in this part of the world, 'the greatest happiness (행복) of the greatest number' depends on the material wealth and prosperity.

Hopefully, mayor Song will make a right decision at the right time for all concerns, paving the way to make his mission possible and make his own people happy, as well.

A Trekking Holiday in Jeju-do Island (VI)

It took approximately 20 minutes for our team to arrive at 'Wudo' harbor by the car ferry, which can accommodate more than 240 passengers and a dozen of vehicles. As soon as we arrived at our base camp, namely 'Olle Pension' located at northeastern part of the island, most of our members moved to nearby 'Hagosudong Beach' in swimsuits to cool our hot bodies.

The beach was pretty calm and tranquil under the late afternoon sun with some teenage boys and girls laughing and playing in the emerald green colored water and several camps set up at the seaside surrounding the beach.

As we returned to the base camp, a barbecue party was ready at the front lawn aside of a swimming pool. Night was approaching slowly at our new horizon in a dreamy mood in Wudo Island on August 2, 2010.

A Trekking Holiday in Jeju-do Island (V)

Around 4 o'clock in the afternoon on the same day, August 2, 2010, all of our members, including the MTB hiking team, were on board a car ferry, operating from 'Seongsanpo' to 'Wudo', a small island located east of Jeju-do (Island) for more adventure in this interesting island.

Actually, we had jumped to Seongsanpo directly from Seogwipo City by the mini-van after having lunch together to save time. It's about one and half hour ride without experiencing any traffic congestion as always be the case in Jeju-do Island; an ideal place for rent-a-car, rent-a-bike and rent-a-motor scooter, and therefore a 'blue ocean' for the vehicle rental business, comparing to the main land in South Korea.

A Trekking Holiday in Jeju-do Island (IV)

Around noon on the same day, August 2, 2010, the walking tour team was in Jungmun Beach, walking through Shilla Hotel lobby and various amenities, in the well developed resort - Jungmun Tourism Complex, Seogwipo City, after making a short visit to 'Sanbangsan' resort on the way. It turned out that the beach course was the Olle Trekking Course Number 8, known for one of the best trails among the whole Olle trekking courses.

You are required to exercise caution, however, if you want to swim or surf at the beach because of the extraordinarily turbulent waves.

A Trekking Holiday in Jeju-do Island (III)

Around 9 o'clock in the morning on August 2, the second day of our trekking holiday in Jeju-do Island, the the walking tour team was climbing up the Songak Mountain. The trail turned out to be a part of the Olle trekking course number 10.

In particular, the cliff shown on the photo looked like those in Oahu, Hawaii, in its breathtaking view, scale, taste and features.

A Trekking Holiday in Jeju-do Island (II)

After having a hot Korean style breakfast with bowls of rice and dishes of oarfish stew seasoned with soy sauce at a seafood (raw fish) restaurant near 'Yongduam', we started our journey around the island.

The route for the MTB hiking team was planned to ride bikes through Iho Beach, Shineom-ri, Aeweol Port, Gwakji Beach to Hanlim Port and then have a lunch break there. The itinerary for the walking tour team, however, was planned to get into the mini-van directly to Hyeobjae Beach to enjoy swimming and then move to nearby local villages through Olle trekking courses, not far from the beach. The mini-van returned to support the bike team after giving us a ride to the entrance of the beach. It's a typical hot and humid, but fortunately pretty sunny and breezy day, as well, in Jeju-do Island on August 1, 2010. We were able to swim at the clean, peaceful and emerald or green jadeite-colored Jeju beach for over an hour before visiting a nearby tourist information center to get an idea how to have access to the closest olle route available.

We walked along the Olle trekking course No. 14, surrounded mostly by fishing villages decorated with low whinstone fences until we had a lunch break at a local hamburger restaurant. After lunch, we walked through the road number 1132 westbound to our stopover point near 'Jeolbuam', a part of the Olle trekking course number 12.

A Trekking Holiday in Jeju-do Island (I)

I was in Jeju-do island during the first part of this week for a summer vacation with my wife. It's our first visit to the southernmost island of the Korean Peninsula since August 1989.
Practically, the tour was arranged as we join an Incheon MTB team, most members of which were our family friends, for its bike hiking adventure on August 1-3, 2010, taking a turn around the island counterclockwise starting from Jeju City westbound, though my wife, one of her friends who was an elementary school teacher and I decided to go trekking mostly along the famous Jeju Olle courses instead of riding bikes.

To meet the MTB team members at Gimpo (Domestic) Airport checking counter in time to be on board an Asiana flight departing 7 o'clock for Jeju Airport, my wife and I had to leave home early in the morning around 5:30. The most convenient and reasonable way to go to Gimpo Airport from my place was to take a taxi to Geomam Station, leading to take an Airport Railroad Line eastbound.

As soon as we arrived at Jeju Airport shortly after 10 o'clock, all of our team members started to move to the airport parking lot across a street in front of the airport building to get into a mini-van awaiting for our arrival. The minivan, including all of the bikes, had been transported by a car ferry steamer from Incheon through Jeju Harbor the other day.