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196. Spring Festivals from March to May
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Author : U.E.C.
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A balmy spring will be on its way as the cold weather begins to give way. Springtime picnickers are full of joyful expectations because this spring season has begun to arrive earlier. Korea¡¯s spring temperatures range between 5 – 20¡É providing ideal warm weather and beautiful flowers for an outing. Hence, there are many festivals held in the springtime including flower festivals announcing the arrival of spring and other thematic festivals such as traditional culture festivals and sports festivals.
* Spring Flower Festivals
Cherry blossoms, apricot flowers, and cornus fruit trees begin to bloom in early March when the air is still slightly chilly. Spring announces its arrival as Korea begins to blossom in yellow or white from the southern regions up to the northern regions. Spring festivals begin in earnest in mid-March when the spring flowers are in full bloom to serve the double purpose of enjoying spring sceneries and the festival events. A butterfly festival and bamboo festival are also in preparation along with some spring flower festivals.
click for more info.
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Wednesday, 21 March 2007, at 9:47 am
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195. Int'l Destination Expo Opens on March 25 in Jeju
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Author : U.E.C.
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Korea Tourism Organization (CEO Kim, Jong-min) and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province (Governor Kim, Tae-Hwan) are scheduled to co-host the 2007 International Destination Expo of ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents), the world's largest trade association of professional travel agents from this coming March 25 to 29 in Jeju-do Island. More than 1.000 participants including American business travelers are expected to come.
ASTA, which has more that 20.000 members from 140 countries across the world, holds a bi-annual General Assembly at home and abroad to strengthen the expertise and networking of its members, introduce new tour sites and encourage more tourism product development. Meanwhile, KTO successfully won the bid to hold this Assembly in Jeju, Korea, after 4 years of competition with Turkey in Istanbul and with France in Lyons.
This year¡¯s ASTA Assembly will also welcome world-famous tourism business leaders, reflecting their immense interest in Asian Tourism Markets. Chairman Cheryl Hudak of ASTA, Vice president Fred Miler of Marriot International and Vice president Chris Kroeger of Sabre Travel Network-US will deliver their keynote speeches during the opening ceremony and Chairman Peter de Jong of PATA will give his presentation on General Asian Tourism at the closing ceremony. The major Korean speakers for the Assembly are expected to include The Minister of Culture and Tourism, KTO¡¯s CEO, The Governor of Jeju¡¯s Special Self-Governing Province, The Mayor of Seoul Metropolitan City and Lawmakers of Culture & Tourism Committee.
ASTA Jeju International Destination Expo 2007 plans to hold a variety of event programs including a ¡®Trade Show¡¯, an ¡®International Tourism Seminar¡¯, a ¡®Tourism Experience¡¯ and a ¡®Business Network Event¡¯ so that domestic travel agencies can meet with many leading global tourism experts to understand the current global tourism trend as well as to hold a business meeting before advancing into the American market field of tourism.
KTO expects 2007 ASTA¡¯s Jeju International Destination Expo will induce participants¡¯ active direct spending and establish a firm foundation to attract more American tourists into Korea by promoting major Korean tourism sites like Jeju.
[Major Events]
March 25th: Special Seminar with Cruise Marketer, Mark McMullen on ¡®A Good Strategy of Selling Cruise Products Efficiently to Customers¡¯ and the Korean Wave Performance
March 26th: Opening of 'Korea, Sparkling: Know How to Sell Korea (Organized by KTO)' Business Counsel among American and Korean Travel Agencies
March 26th ~ 27th: PR & Selling Korean Tourism Products through a ¡®Trade Show¡¯
Major Asian countries¡¯ PR booths, KTO, Jeju¡¯s Special Governing Province, Seoul Metropolitan City, Local Administrations and businesses
March 28th: Site tour of 6 tourism destinations of Jeju
Registration of ASTA International Destination Expo is available on-line at ASTA¡¯s website: (www.ASTAnet.com/Jeju).
For more Information: KTO¡¯s 2007 ASTA JEJU International Destination Expo Office (TEL: 02-729-9550/565, E-mail: asta2007@mail.knto.or.kr
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Monday, 12 March 2007, at 10:25 am
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194. Ichon Tour: Create your own Ceramics!
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Author : U.E.C.
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Ichon Tour: Create your own Ceramics!
The company Ichontour - located in the town of Icheon, 1 hour away from Seoul – proposes a one-day introduction hands-on program to Korean ceramics. The rather comprehensive program includes:
- Presentation on Korean traditional pottery (history, characteristics)
- How to make ceramics with a potter¡¯s wheel
- Making your own pottery under the supervision of a potter
- Lunch – A Visit to an Exposition Hall and Shopping
- A Visit to the Ceramics Museum or the World Ceramics Center
A handmade pottery done by yourself will without a doubt be a great and memorable souvenir to bring back from your trip to Korea. You will have the choice to decorate already made, unvarnished pottery pieces or do your own with or without the potter¡¯s wheel. In any case, you¡¯ll quickly realize that it¡¯s more difficult than it seems! Even if your work looks more like a melting object from a Salvador Dali painting than anything else, you will still love it like its your baby and that¡¯s where the fun of it is.
This tour will also be a nice opportunity to learn more about the history of Korean ceramics and to see some wonderful pieces by some of the best potters in the country. The manager of the tour, Mr. Park Chan-bong, speaks English and will be able to answer all of your questions. This is a great way to discover one of Korea¡¯s most precious cultural properties.
• Detailed Information:
Place: Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do province
How To Get There: Take a bus to Icheon from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal (subway line 2, exit 4, go across the crosswalk and enter the building in front of you). Tickets cost 3,800 won / Buses run every 15-20 mins. from 06:10 to 22:40 / On your ticket, ¡®½ÂÂ÷Ȩ¡¯ refers to gate number.
Once in Icheon, call Ichontour and they will come pick you up.
Contact: Mr Park Chan-bong, tel: +82-31-631-3302, mobile: 018-283-3393,
e-mail: ichontour@ichontour.com
For more information: http://www.ichontour.com
• Places of interest nearby:
There are a lot of interesting tourist sites in Icheon, one of the three biggest centers for pottery in the country along with Gwangju and Yeoju.
Haegang Museum: You¡¯ll get to see traditional kilns and wonderful ceramics from the Goryeo and Joseon period.
Admissions cost 2,000 won / Tel: 031 634 2266 – http://www.haegang.org / Open from 09:30 AM to 5:30 PM / Closed on Mondays, Seollal, Chuseok and January 1st.
Icheon¡¯s World Ceramics Center: a contemporary look on the world of ceramics with pieces that are sometimes serious, sometimes funny, ingenuous or bizarre. Admissions cost 2,000 won / Tel: 031 631 6507 – http://www.worldceramic.or.kr / Open from 09:00 AM to 06:00 PM from March to October and from 09:00 AM to 05:00 PM from November to February / Closed on Mondays and on January 1st.
Icheon Ceramics Village: The ceramics village is actually located in town. It¡¯s the perfect place to buy souvenirs since there are a lot of pottery shops clustered in this area. To get there, ask a taxi to take you to Icheon¡¯s Doyechon (ÀÌõ µµ¿¹ÃÌ).
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Friday, 9 March 2007, at 12:06 pm
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193. 2007 Expected Blooming Season of Cherry Blossoms
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Author : U.E.C.
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 This year¡¯s cherry blossoms are expected to bloom about 8 days earlier than the previous year and about 11 days earlier than the average.
According to the weather forecast, this year¡¯s February and March temperatures have been higher than usual and the amount of sunshine hours per day is expected to be sufficient to make the cherry blossoms bloom as well.
Starting from the most southern region of Korea, this year¡¯s cherry blossoms will begin blooming in Jeju-do¡¯s Seoguipo around March 18. The Then will reach its way to the Southern Provinces, where we can expect the cherry blossoms to bloom between March 19 – 24, and central Korea will be able to enjoy the cherry blossoms from March 25 to April 5. However, the central mountainous areas will be the last to see the cherry blossoms in bloom from April 6.
Those wanting to go to a place where they are famous for Cherry Blossoms, head to Jinhae or Seoul¡¯s Yeeuo-do Yunjungno. Jinhae, Korea¡¯s major cherry blossoms district which holds an annual Cherry Blossom festival can expect to see cherry blossom in full bloom around March 24, 7 days earlier than last year and around March 27 in Seoul¡¯s Yeoui-do Yunjungno. Make sure to bring your camera.
The cherry blossoms are at their peak one week after they first start to bloom so it¡¯s best to go quickly to see them before the petals have all fallen off.
[Related Articles]
Best Springtime Travel Theme Spots
Spring Festivals from March to May
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Thursday, 8 March 2007, at 9:41 am
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192. Feel ¡°Traditional Korean Culture¡± at ITB Berlin
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Author : U.E.C.
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 Korea Tourism Organization (CEO Kim, Jong-min) participates in ¡®ITB Berlin 2007¡¯, the largest annual world event in the tourism industry from March7th ~11th.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Minister Kim Myoung-gon) and Korea Tourism Organization are scheduled to partake in ¡®ITB Berlin 2007¡¯ (Internationale Tourismus Börse) to promote Korea as a top tourism destination between March 7th through the 11th.
Along with them, three local governments including Gyounggi-do Province, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, Daegu City and other related tourism businesses will also be collaborative parties in this year¡¯s ITB Exhibition. In addition, the Korean Agricultural & Marine Products Distribution Organization is expected to join in by helping promote the continuous synergetic effects of KTO¡¯s public activities.
This year, under the new concept of ¡ºKorea, Sparkling¡», the Korean Hall along with the Korean Tour Info Room and 6 Korean Traditional Rooms, will each feature different things such as Korean dress, alphabet, paper, house, food and music. Other diverse events will also be held during the ITB Exhibition such as a 'Happy Hour' event that allows all participants of domestic and foreign tourism businesses to meet and network together. In addition, there will be a food-tasting event where all visitors can taste all kinds of delicious Korean foods like Kimchi and teas.
- For inquires, please contact KTO's Frankfurt Office(Email: kntoff@euko.de, Tel: +49-69-233226).
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Wednesday, 7 March 2007, at 10:55 am
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191. Overseas Taekwondo Masters Essay Competition
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Author : U.E.C.
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Taekwondo Promotion Foundation(TPF), Kukkiwon and World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) proudly invite overseas Taekwondo masters to share their experience and memories of Taekwondo.
1. Submission of Essays : March 1 ~ August 31, 2007 (Korean Standard Time)
2. Eligibility : All Non-Korean Taekwondo Masters, Instructors and Athletes
- The athletes are required to hold Kukkiwon's 3rd dan or above to qualify.
- Korean Taekwondo Masters, instructors, and athletes with foreign citizenship are not eligible.
- The members of International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) are not eligible.
3. Theme and Content of Essays
- Successful stories related to instructing and promoting Taekwondo in one's home country
- Ideas and suggestions on how to improve the Taekwondo system or policy for the continuous development
of Taekwondo
- Personal efforts and attempts to devise ways of instructing or promoting Taekwondo to adapt to different
situations & cultural environments
4. Length of Essays : 10¢¦30 pages on A4 (210×297§®, Font size:12point)
5. Language : In English Only
6. Submissions
Applicants are limited to one submission only; essays are only accepted by email or by post.
- If the essays are submitted by post, they should arrive no later than August 31, 2007 (Korean time).
- The essays should be submitted along with the application forms.
- Application download: click here!
7. Dates of Award Announcements and Ceremony
- Award Announcement: Oct. 2007
- The names of the winners will be posted on each of the three websites below.
- The prize-winners will also be notified individually.
- Award Ceremony: (Nov. 2007) It will be held at the "World Taekwondo Hanmadang 2007" .
8. Prizes : 14 essays in total
- First Prize (sponsored by the Minister of Culture and Tourism): person, 1 $5,000 and a medal
- Second Prizes (sponsored by the Chairman of TPF): 3 persons, $3,000 and a medal for each winner
- Special Prizes (sponsored by the President of Kukkiwon): 5 persons, $1,000 and a medal for each winner
- Special Prizes (sponsored by the President of WTF): 5 persons, $1,000 and a medal for each winner
¡Ø The details on the prizes may be subject to change under certain circumstances.
9. Contacts
- TPF (www.tpf.in) Tel +82-2-777-3200, Fax +82-2-776-7198
5F Danam Bldg., 120, 5-Ga, Namdaemun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul, S.Korea, 100-704
- Kukkiwon (www.kukkiwon.or.kr) Tel +82-2-567-1058, Fax +82-2-565-4988
635, Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, S.Korea, 135-908
- WTF (www.wtf.org): Tel +82-2-566-2505, Fax +82-2-553-4728
4F Joyang Bldg., 113 Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, S.Korea, 135-090
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Tuesday, 6 March 2007, at 11:09 am
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190. KTO Hosting the World B-Boy Championship
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Author : U.E.C.
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 Korea Tourism Organization and the Seoul Metropolitan Government are jointly
hosting the World B-Boy Championship dubbed as ¡°R-16 Korea Sparkling, Seoul¡± this coming June 1 to 3 at Jamsil Stadium and City Hall. This international championship will also include various performances, battles, a Hallyu concert, and a graffiti festival.
The World B-Boy Championship will be featuring two B-Boy teams who were ranked the top 16th in the world that will be held for two days on June 1 and 2 at Jamsil Stadium. There will be 16 participants from 13 countries including ¡°Vagabonds¡± from France, the winner of the 2006 Battle of the Year, ¡°Massive Monkees¡± from the United States, and ¡°Mortal Combat¡± from Japan. On June 3, the two B-Boy teams will perform at Seoul Plaza (in front of Seoul City Hall) along with a ¡°Hallyu Concert.¡± Also, the ¡°Graffiti Festival¡± is scheduled to take place before and after the championship at the Jamsil Stadium and the Cheonggyecheon area.
For further inquiries: Tel 02-729-9521/9524, email: seseu41@mail.knto.or.kr
[Related Article] B-boy or how to defy gravity
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Monday, 26 February 2007, at 11:28 am
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189. Spring Flowers Expected to Bloom as Early as March 16
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Author : U.E.C.
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<Forsythias Blooming Chart>
 Considering this oddly mild weather for winter in Korea, Spring is surely on its way, starting with the signs of spring flowers. Around Jeju-do¡¯s Seogwipo¡¯s area, forsythias are expected to bloom this coming March 16. Azaleas will also begin to bloom in this area around March 19. The blooming season will be here earlier than last year by one week!
Korea Meteorological Administration said on February 24, ¡°Due to average temperatures in the coming month of March will be higher than average (-1~10¡É), we can expect forsythias and azaleas to bloom earlier than last year¡¯s around Korea¡¯.
Forsythias will have reached the southern provinces around mid-March. As for the central part or eastern coastal areas of Korea, you can expect to see these flowers in bloom around March 25 to 30 while Seoul will enjoy its full bloom after March 27.
Azaleas will begin to bloom between March 28 and April 3 in the central part and eastern coastal areas of Korea.
By the end of March, Spring will have arrived full-fledged. Make sure to take an excursion in the city, mountains or fields to enjoy the spectacular effects of Spring. You don¡¯t want to miss it.
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Monday, 26 February 2007, at 11:25 am
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188. BFIA, Publishing ¡°Life in Busan¡±
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Author : U.E.C.
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 A Busan life guidebook titled ¡°Life in Busan¡± has been published in English, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian that provides various tips and guide information for foreigners, along with essential information for living as well as traveling in Busan and will be distributed nationwide.
¡°Life in Busan¡± was first published in 2006 in English for foreign residents of Busan. Following its favorable responses, the Japanese and Chinese editions of ¡°Life in Busan¡± were published. This year, the Russian edition was published, and all language editions of ¡°Life in Busan¡± will be distributed to travel agencies, tourism organizations, and immigration bureaus.
¡°Life in Busan¡± gives essential information for foreign residents of Busan written in a foreign resident¡¯s point of view to provide maximum assistance and better understanding. Contents of ¡°Life in Busan¡± includes an overview of the city of Busan, immigration procedures, foreigner registrations, trash disposal information, transportation, phone installment, national pension applications, health insurance applications, medical examinations, Busan travel guide information, a city map, and general living information in a total of 90 pages.
- "Life in Busan" Table of Contents -
¢¹ Life: Climate, Residence, Education, Transportation, Healthcare, Electricity, Water, Finance,
Taxes, Shopping, Driving
¢¹ Communication: Postal Service, Home-delivery Service, Phone (including cellular phone),
Internet
¢¹ Emergency: Emergency Hotline, Car Accident Aid & Rescue,
Emergency Situation Management
¢¹ Laws & Regulations: Immigration Control Law (Foreigner Registration, Visa),
International Marriage, Naturalization
¢¹ Labor: In-service Training System, Labor Contracts, Labor Laws & Regulations,
Support &
Counseling Organizations
¢¹ Tourism: Tourism Information, Parks, Culture Centers, Tour Sites
¢¹ Others: Shelters & Settlement Houses, International Airlines, Holidays, Religious Facilities,
Foreign Legations in Korea, Map
¡°Life in Busan¡± provides comprehensive information about living and traveling in Busan for foreign residents or tourists.
For further inquires, visit the following website. www.bfia.or.kr/english
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Friday, 23 February 2007, at 12:03 pm
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187. A Taekwondo Program for Foreigners Offered this Mar.
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Author : U.E.C.
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 Kukkiwon (World Taekwondo Headquarters) is holding a Taekwondo demonstration program for foreigners to experience Taekwondo firsthand in Gyeonghuigung Palace beginning in March. Kukkiwon is also planning to develop a Taekwondo related performance that will be held as a regular performance in the second half of this year.
According to Kukkiwon, a Taekwondo demonstrational hands-on program is scheduled to begin March 21 along with some other cultural events. The program will be ongoing until December, held every Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm to 3pm in the courtyard of Gyeonghuigung Palace. The ¡°Daedongnori¡± event bringing together Kukkiwon members and 40 members of the children¡¯s demonstration team who are currently preparing.
The regular Taekwondo performance and the hands-on program for foreign visitors will be held in the front garden of Taeryeongjeon at Gyeonghuigung Palace 3 times everyday (except Mondays). A Kukkiwon certificate of discipline is given to participants who complete the program.
For further inquiries, call 1330.
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Friday, 23 February 2007, at 11:56 am
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