Korean break dancers have won many world-class competitions, providing a new dimension to the Korean Wave.
Break dancers the world over watch videos of Korean B-boys and emulate their moves. A Korean B-boy team was invited to the opening ceremony of 2008 Beijing Olympic Games for an exclusive performance and now many who are fascinated by the B-boy phenomenon visit Korea to watch local performances.
Koreans' Great Rhythm & Passion
The global success of Korean B-boys
was not easily won; they worked exceedingly hard to achieve world-class status.
Nevertheless, their accomplishment may have never been possible without their passion, sense of rhythm and natural bodily movements.
K o rea T o d ay
Part I
Exclusive B-boy only Theater I t i s e a s y t o f i n d B - b o y p e r f o r-mances in Korea. Just go to the "B-boys-only" theater in front of Hongik University; performances are held regularly. (www.sjbboys.com)
Information on B-boy Performances
"Ballerina Who Fell in Love with B-boy" (www.showbboy.com) B-boy and Ballerina
(www.bisabal.co.kr)
Breakout (www.breakout.co.kr)
tip
Pungmul and B-boys
Gaya-gum and B-boys
New Culture from Street Dance
Korean B-boys are no longer confined to street dancing; they are now con-tributing to the creation of a new culture of musicals and dramas. They continuously develop by engaging themselves in joint performances with various forms of Korean traditional music as well as classical or pop music. Thus, Korean B-boys are now embedded in the culture, and are not just a passing fad.
Versatile B-boy Performances
The December 2005 "Ballerina Who Fell in Love with B-boy" took Korean break dancing to new heights at the unique "B-boys only" theater near Hongik University in Seoul. More versatile dance routines have been introduced here. In Korea, many new B-boy musicals are being created and performed, continuing the development of this art form.
Big Fun with Namsadang
The original namsadangwere men who belonged to troupes of itin-erant performers through the end of the Joseon period (1392-1910).
Each troupe would have 40-50 members, mostly of commoner
back-Scene of "Ballerina Who Fell in Love with B-boy"
ground, entertaining the masses with their animated music and circus-like tricks (tightrope walking, dish-spinning, etc.). Since the 1920s, these traveling bands became smaller and their repertoires evolved.
Namsadang Plays
Extant are six different namsadang nori (performance categories), including percussion playing (pungmul). Pungmul includes the traditional kwenggwari (small gong), buk (barrel drum), jing (large gong), sogo (small hand-drum) and nallari (small conical fife). The players wear white headbands and produce light and cheerful music, while dancing and making comic gestures. Other nori types involve dish-spinning, tightrope walking, tumbling (ddangjeju or salpan), mask dances and puppet plays.
Namsadang and B-boys
Salpan, one of the namsadangperformance categories, resembles break
danc-K o rea T o d ay
Part I
Namsadang performance (percussion instruments and tightrope walking)
ing in many respects. The performers exhibit exquisite skills on the floor, one after another, similar to the way B-boys compete.
Originally, the namsadangperformed norifrom 9 in the evening till 3-4 in the following morning, but nowadays performances are just 2-3 hours.
Experiencing Namsadang Nori Namsadang nori keeps an exciting part of traditional culture alive through performances and classes. You can have more fun by comparing the modern B-boy break dancing to the namsadang
perfor-mances. You can discover how the excellent Korean break dancing is linked to tradition.
Anseong Namsadang Baugeogi Pungmul Troupe
(www.namsadangnori.or.kr) Anseong Namsadang Baugeogi Festival(www.baudeogi.com)
tip
Namsadang performance (salpan)
Namsadang and B-boys
Samullori and Nanta
The delightful samullori (4 traditional percussion instruments) performances will captivate you, and you will unconsciously be following the exciting rhythm. On the other hand, Nanta is a modern reinterpretation that helps people unfamiliar with Korean culture appreciate Korean rhythms easily.
Samullori Rhythms Origin
Samullori was inspired by traditional percussion playing (pungmul); the first performance was held in 1978 at a small theater by Kim Yong-bae, Kim Deok-su, Lee Gwang-su and Choi Jong-sil, who were namsadang troupe members. Since then, this style has gained great popularity and is performed often.
Samullori Features
Samullori originated from outdoor percussion playing and dancing, and the musical characteristics were refined for the stage. In other words, a kind of
K o rea T o d ay
Part I
The four samullori instruments
unstructured theatrical performance was developed into a musical genre.
Pungmulperformers have no set number and play on their feet, moving with the rhythm. By contrast, samullori consists of four performers only, who sit on the stage and play one different instrument each--the small gong, barrel drum, hour-glass drum and large gong.
Development of Samullori
Samullori continues to evolve. The four sounds are now being integrated with other experimental and creative performing arts. Originally samulloriwas simply an expression of traditional Korean percussion music, but then piano or orchestra accompaniments were added, followed by the inclusion of jazz and rock musi-cians. The direction of diversification has also gone into traditional Korean dance.
Nanta: Aesthetics of the Beat
Nanta ("reckless striking") is a non-vocal musical performance consisting entire-ly of rhythm and beat. This unique genre delights audiences through bodientire-ly move-ment alone. The instrumove-ments are simple kitchenware such as chopping boards,
Nanta performance
kitchen knives, pots, pans and dishes. The players beat them in a samullori-like fashion, transform-ing somethtransform-ing ordinary into a new art form.
Nanta Now a Standout Production
First performed in October 1997, Nanta drew the biggest audience ever in the history of Korean performance and was chosen as one of the Top 10 Things to See in Seoul by the Korea Tourism Organization. Traditional samullorirhythms have been integrated into a theatrical performance
featuring comic kitchen scenes that amuse audiences of all ages.
To Broadway and the World
Nanta was designed with the world market in mind and has been enthusiastically received for its quality of composition and performance. A Nanta performance won the highest accolades at the 1999 Edinburgh Festival, and subsequently the act has remained a very successful in Japan, the UK, Germany, the US, Austria, Italy, Taiwan, Australia, Russia, China and the Netherlands. In February 2004, Nanta opened a long-running performance on Broadway, an Asian first.
K o rea T o d ay
Part I Nanta Performances
In 2000 Nanta became the first Korean performing arts group to get its own theater, a venue of about 300 seats in Jeong-dong, Seoul. A second of similar size opened in Cheongdam-dong (southern Seoul) of similar size as the first one in 2002. The Jeong-dong facility was expanded in 2003 to 500 seats.
Performances are held year around at each theater.
(www.nanta.i-pmc.co.kr)
Experiencing Samullori Samullori is performed at many museums and there are also places where you can learn to play the instruments first-hand.
Culture Art Center Keun Deul (www.onekoreaart.or.kr)
Hanul-sori Beat Company (www.hanulsori.co.kr)
Gwanghwa-mun Art Hall (www.ghmarthall.co.kr)
Academy of Korean Music (www.samulnori.co.)
tip
Leisure
Koreans at Leisure
Economic advancement and social stability have allowed Koreans to devote more time to leisure. With greater disposable income, more and more Koreans want to do more than just rest; they want to enjoy a leisure lifestyle. The working population has received much more time off since when 5-day workweek went into lay in July 2004. The ways in which this newfound leisure is spent differs, of course, from person to person. Generalizations are risky, but some typical exam-ples can be identified.
Hobby Clubs
Leisure activities are diversifying in Korea and becoming a greater part of every-day life. People who share the same hobby or interest now organize clubs, includ-ing sports clubs (bowlinclud-ing, hikinclud-ing, inline skatinclud-ing, snowboardinclud-ing, mountain bikinclud-ing, marathon running, ping pong and baseball, to name a few) as well as photography clubs, dance clubs and movie-watching clubs. Koreans who own the same model automobile may form a club to exchange information related to their cars;
K o rea T o d ay
Part I
Inline skating club members
gourmet club members seek out fancy restaurants together, while environmen-talists and legal specialists band together to provide voluntary services.
Watching TV or Surfing the Web
A good many Koreans spend their leisure time watching TV or sitting at the computer. Each household has at least one TV set and PC and, with the availability of broadband, Koreans have easy access to online games and the worldwide web. In the past only certain entertainers had their own homepage, but now many peo-ple operate their own homepage or blog, sharing their personal life and communicating with friends. Social network services and blogging have become a popular means of passing time.
Hiking: an Activity for All Ages
Mountains have always been close to the lives of Koreans. Older people often go to mountains near their homes each morning to draw fresh spring water. Some do light exercis-es while there. People from their 20s to their 70s go hiking on weekends, sometimes alone, at other times in groups. An estimated 15 million Koreans hike today, including men and women of all ages. Some are hard-core rock climbers, but most simply enjoy the exercise and fresh air as a way to relieve stress.
Web surfing
Hikers enjoying the autumn scenery
"Leports" (Leisure + Sports) Activities
The number of so-called "lep-orts" enthusiasts continues to grow. In summer, they go to rivers for rafting, water skiing or wind-surfing, while in winter, they ski or snowboard. In addi-tion the more venturesome young people may try bungee-jumping, survival games or inline skating. Bicycle riding is gaining popularity today as well. Many people cycle along riverside paths or country roads in stylish wear, either alone or in groups.
Families at Parks on Weekends
Many Korean families visit pub-lic parks or amusement parks on weekends, trying out the rides and eating a picnic lunch. The best known destinations are Yongin Everland Resort, Gwacheon Seoul Land Amusement Park and Lotte World, while smaller ones can be found around the country. The amusement parks often operate art galleries or other family-type programs nearby.
K o rea T o d ay
Part I
Skiers
Wind-surfing
Everland Resort
Norae-bang and Jjimjil-bang
Singing rooms (norae-bang) and dry saunas (jjimjil-bang) are good inexpensive places to go with friends, colleagues or relatives. The norae-bangis an especially popular place to go after dinner and drinks. The jjimjil-bang is favored by young couples and families.
Norae-bang: For Men & Women of All Ages
The singing room (often called karaoke in the West) is equipped with a large screen that displays the lyrics as the song melody plays. Microphones are attached for the singers to use, and many of the people will also dance. The charge varies by the time of day and region of the country, but you can expect to pay around 7,000 won for each 30- minute increment.
The norae-bangmachines have more than 1,000 different songs in various gen-res, including children's songs, pop songs old and new and traditional folk songs.
Japanese, Chinese and Western pop songs are also available.
The low cost, wide variety and easy accessibility make the norae-banga popular activity for people of all ages, from young children to the elderly. Businessmen often take advantage of norae-bang as a way to entertain partners, helping to build rapport and trust.
Norae-bang Services
The singing rooms charge a basic hourly (or half-hourly) rate. In the daytime, or at other times when business is slow, the proprietor may offer a reduced rate or extend of usage time without any additional charge. In principle, only nonalcoholic beverages and snacks can be ordered at a norae-bang. The customer can request
Norae-bang
a CD recording of his/her singing to take home and use as a ringtone for a cell phone or upload on a homepage.
The types of norae-banghas diversified of late, with private rooms for couples, nightclub-type rooms with mirror balls and other lighting effects, and music video game machines for dancing along.
Online Norae-bang
A new trend is to post singing room activities online. Singing and dancing at an offline norae-bang are recorded with a digital camera and uploaded for online evaluation and comparison. The person who gets the highest score is named
"norae-bang jjang" ("champion of the singing room"). The highest marks are not for singing ability but for the ability to rearrange a song most interestingly. The first "norae-bang jjang" title was awarded to the "Dongseong-no Sisters," three college women who appeared on the SBS TV program "Choi Su-jong Show" in 2004. Those crowned singing room champions are often treated like stars.
Jjimjil-bang: a Home away from Home
The jjimjil-bang, which began to appear in the mid-1990s, are large establish-ments that combine the gender-segregated public bathhouse with an area for everyone to enjoy together. The separate rooms for men and women are equipped with restrooms, hot tubs, showers, a sauna, a steam room and massage tables.
The term jjimjil-bang(the large dry sauna) refers to the common area, which will also include a public sleep area, lounge with TV, PC room, restaurant serving snacks and simple meals, large sauna, and ice room. Shirts, shorts, gowns and towels are provided for all guests.
Here you can sleep and bathe outside your home. It is a great place for young couples or families to spend quality time together, as well as club members to relax after an outing. The jjimjil-bangis opened 24 hours a day, making it ideal for night workers to relax after they get off. It is also an inexpensive accommodation for travelers on a limited budget.
K o rea T o d ay
Part I
Evolving Jjimjil-bang
The jjimjil-bangestablishments continue to develop, getting larger, more luxuri-ous and more diverse in their offerings. As such, they are no longer a simple space for bathing only, a complex that includes a singing room, small movie theater, beau-ty parlor, skin-care salon, PC lounge and even stage for live performances. These features make them especially popular for people on dates.
Various search portals on the Internet allow exchanges among people sharing the same hobby, including lists of the most recommended jjimjil-bang. The fanciest ones now have an "oxy-gen cave," DVD room, playroom for children, doc-tor fish spa, activated charcoal room, salt room, and jade room. For the time and price, they pro-vide excellent access to a sauna and many other enjoyable facilities.
Significance of the Room (Bang)
Koreans like rooms. On the street, you will find singing rooms, game rooms, DVD rooms, laundry rooms and others. The rooms in the tradi-tional Korean home(hanok) served multiple functions: sleeping, eating, receiving guests and doing work.
The bang concept is associated with the closeness and warmth shared in traditional Korean life. Today, how-ever, the bang has become a place for entertainment.
tip
Inside a jjimjil-bang
Tourist Attractions
There are many tourist attractions in Korea, popular with domestic and foreign travelers alike. Highlights include scenic Jeju-do, the largest island in Korea, the port city of Busan, historic sites and Buddhist temples. Visits to these places will provide greater insight into Korean tradition and history.
Jeju Island
K o rea T o d ay
Part I
Aerial view of Halla-san
Jeju-do (Island) is pristine volcanic island and world-class tourist destination. The island is renowned for its natural environment, open fields, beaches and mountains. UNESCO desig-nated Jeju-do a world natural heritage. It is a popular place among Koreans for honeymoons and family trips, offering visitors a wide range of things to see and do such as eco-tours and water sports.
Jeju Scenery and Cuisine
Halla-san (Mt.Halla) is a 1,950-meter dormant volcano created in the Quaternary period of the Cenozoic era in an eruption that covered the island with basalt and lava. The name "Halla" means a height that reaches the stars."
The lake in the crater is called Baengnok-dam as well as some 1,800 plant Information on
Jeju Festivals and Tourism (http://www.jejutour.go.kr/)
Rape Flower Festival Date: April 9~10
Place: Gyori-ri, Bukjeju-gun
tip
Meaning of Oreum
The Jeju dialect includes the term oreum, which refers to the small cin-der cones with their own crater.
tip
Jeju “Olle” tracking
species that grow at different altitudes on the mountainsides. Also, more than 380 cinder cones (oreum) are disbursed about the island.
Udo
Udo ("Cow Island"), with a shape reminiscent of a cow lying down, is in Bukjeju-gun (North Jeju County). This beautiful islet is a great place for marine fishing, bicycling and hiking. A submarine ride and cruise tour are available. Some of the Korean movies filmed at this location include "Il Mare" and "My Mother the Mermaid." Many tourists also come just to see the beautiful scenery and beaches.Pony Rides
There are many places for riding ponies on Jeju-do. Jeju ponies, which have been designated as a "natural treasure," are much smaller than most other breeds and look rather wild. Yet they are mild-natured and quick with their feet. Most pony-riding venues are open fields that provide excellent views of Mt.Halla and the beautiful seascape.
Gyeongju
Gyeongju has been around for at least 1,000 years, serving as the capital of the Silla Kingdom (57BCE-935AD). Many
important historical sites and relics remain here, and UNESCO designated the area as a World Heritage Site in December 2000. The city has been divided into five districts based on the nature of the sites located in each: Buddhist fine art, ancient ruins of royal palaces, royal tombs, Hwangnyong-sa (Temple) ruins;
and defense works. A total 52
K o rea T o d ay
Part I
Gyeongju Nam-san
designated cultural heritages are included in the World Heritage area.
The Nam-san ("South Mountain") District is like an outdoor museum with hundreds of mostly Buddhist relics disbursed throughout. Relics of note include Na-jeong a well related to the foun-dation myth of Silla; Poseok-jeong, a pleasure pavilion that played a part in Silla's demise, stone images of the reclining Buddha at Mireuk-gol (Maitreya Valley), stone images of the standing Buddha at Beri and Buddha images carved on a cliff face at Chilbul-am (Hermitage). Gyeongju was the capital of Silla, a kingdom that lasted a thousand years and reigned over the entire Korean Peninsula for some 250 years. This part of the old city boasts important architectural structures, Buddhist relics and mon-uments.
Haein-sa
Haein-sa is a major Buddhist temple built on Mt. Gaya, in South Gyeongsang Province in 802.The area is sufficiently remote to avoid the onslaught of invading armies over the centuries. Haein-sa preserves the 80,000+ woodblocks for printing the world's most complete edition of the Buddhist Canon (Tripitaka Koreana). The name Haein-sa (Ocean Symbol Temple) comes from the phrase "ocean symbol samadhi" (a state of deep meditation) in the Avatamsaka-sutra, referring to the Buddha's state of
Temple Stay Program (http://www.templestay.com) Beomeo-sa
1-day
- Regular program: Experience the tea ceremony with the monk in charge of Seon (Zen) meditation.
Free program
- Offering with evening worship: A brief retreat from busy everyday life for personal reflection An overnight program - Seated meditation (Chamseon)
Cultural program
- Arts of making hanji, traditional tea-ceremony, making materials for natural dying, strolling along the wooded trails
tip
Tripitaka Koreana
mind when preaching the first sermons after his enlightenment. Haein-sa, keeper of the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks, is a Buddhist treasure for the entire world.
Busan
Busan is Korea's second largest city and the world's fifth largest port--an important international logistics center with beautiful coastline and mountains. In addition, the areas offer many sights worth seeing and festivals of all kinds.
Haeundae Beach
Busan's Haeundae district is famous for its long stretch of beach and beautiful coastline. This is one of the most popular summerdestina-K o rea T o d ay
Part I
Night view of Busan
tions for Koreans and foreign visitors alike. Indeed, the name "Haeundae" is almost synonymous with Busan for most Koreans. Every year, more tourists visit Haeundae than any other place in the country.
High-rise buildings and hotels along the shoreline offer convenient shopping and great sightseeing. Annual events here include celebrations of the first full moon in the lunar new year (January or February), "Polar Bear" swimming com-petition (winter), sand sculptures (June) and the Busan Sea Festival (August). In the vicinity are Dongbaek Island, the Oryukdo Islands, a major aquarium, a yacht-racing marina, the Busan Exhibition & Convention Center (BEXCO), and various scenic drives.
Jagalchi Seafood Market
This is where you can really meet the dynamic peo-ple of Busan. Jagalchi is one the most famous fisheries markets in Korea and a Busan landmark. Here you can buy all kinds of fish freshly caught and enjoy raw fish served right at the market shops. The atmosphere of the bustling market is a treat in itself.Haeundae beach