KOREAN CULTURE CLUB

V O L U M E 1 I S S U E 4

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Insight
Tommy Li Lots of laughter ensued in both the performers and the audience as we played this KCC edition of Simon Says, yelling out the bits we knew and mumbling the bits we didnt, attempting to moonwalk and sometimes at loss

KCC Update - Dance time!

style of the Wonder Girls in the Nobody MV? Even if youre not particularly immersed in K-pop, if youre fairly interested in pop music then youve probably heard of Nobody and I was apprehensive when I Sorry Sorry. The former is one signed up to dance to K-pop of the most popular singles by before the rest of the Korean Korean girl group Wonder Girls, Culture Club. How could I hope having achieved top ranking in to successfully imitate Super the U.S. Billboard Year-end Hot Juniors iconic move in the Singles Sales 2009, and the latter Sorry Sorry MV in sync with is the most successful single by the BAM BAM BAM BA-RAM boy band Super Junior. Having BA BARAM BAM? And how practiced for precisely no time at would I point at nobody noall prior to the performance, Ella body but you with any of the and I gave it our best shot.

On Monday the 30th May, (most) KCC members had a blast, dancing to songs Sorry Sorry and Nobody

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A Message from the President of the Korean Culture Club

Welcome to the forth and last issue of the newsletter of this school year! We finished off our meetings with a final dance-off, mostly with members such as Tommy Li, Ella Chan and Christine Ho taking the lead. It was very encouraging to see the members enthusiasm, as they very thoroughly imitated the dance moves. You can go check out the striking similarities in their movements in pictures on page 3. I also recommend you to check out the article about Japchae by Vivian Tong. As you do, our avid readers will be able to recall the similar Japchae article written by Kenneth Lee in the first issue! Have a great summer; we hope to see you all again in August!

Yanna Lee President of the KCC

YannaL@cistudent.cis.edu.hk

SEE INSIDE

Japchae Page 2

Youre BeautifulA.N. Jell Page 2

Visit Korea Myeongdong Page 3

The Six-Two-Five Page 4

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Japchae - Noodles not to miss

Vivian Tong

Japchae is a popular dish in South Korea which literally means a mixture of vegetables in Korean. Although the modern recipe for this dish includes glass noodles in the mix, the original Japchae composed of solely what its name suggests: vegetables. This can be explained by a little korean history lesson which goes back to the early 17th century during the Joseon Dynasty. The then king, King Gwanghaegun hosted a grand party at his palace. One of the kings subject, Yi Chung, created an entirely new dish with vegetables and

unique flavor with the hopes of pleasing the King. Upon tasting this unusual dish, the King immediately took immense liking to the dish and even rewarded Yi Chung with a promotion to the title of hojo panseo ().

his dish went down in history as generation after generation of Koreans enjoyed this delectable delicacy. Japchae has since been modified with the addition of glass noodles in 1912. Apart from that, there are now numerous different types of Japchae developed, such as namul japchae (glass noodle with vegetables), putgochu japchae (glass noodle with green pepper), kongnamul japchae (glass noodle with soybean sprout), and haemul japchae (glass noodle with sea food), just to name a few. Being a Chinese and tasting this dish for the first time at a Korean barbeque restaurant, I immediately made the connection from this dish to the Chinese vermicelli often served with scallops at local Dai pai dongs. With that being said, this dish did not come as a surprise in terms of its method of cooking and taste. However, I thoroughly enjoyed how it still tasted delicious when served cold and how it preserved its unique flavors when cool.

Being a Chinese... I immediately made the connection from this dish to the Chinese vermicelli often served with scallops at local Dai Pai Dongs. Through the creation of Japchae, Yi Chung was able to win the heart of the King, and

Youre Beautiful my A.N.Jell

Youre Beautiful ( ) is a South Korean drama. A hot idol group A.N. Jell searches for a new member, choosing a member called Mi Nam. However, he has suffered an injury, and so his twin sister, Mi Nyu, replaces him and this drama is about the life of A.N. Jell. This drama is a mustwatch and it is highly addictive, youre bound to want to keep on watching. The drama is very well scripted, well written and well directed. The drama is humorous and has an excellent support cast, and they did an excellent job of turning clichs into hilariously new and original ideas. There was is a wonderful mix of comedy and romance and this drama is sure to keep you entertained for a long time.

Dorothy Yu One of the most striking aspects of this drama includes the very effectively used wordplay. The main characters name, Minam, literally means beautiful male (), and so as a result, the drama title itself is wordplay. Another instance such wordplay can be seen is in the groups name, A.N. Jell, which sounds exactly like angel, possibly suggesting metaphorical or figurative implications.

INSIGHT

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when faced with the complexity of the choreography. Lizzy videoed the whole thing, and that video will hopefully never be available to the general public of CIS. (below) The Wonder Girls singing Nobody Jokes aside, dancing to the MVs of Korean Pop band definitely brought me to a greater appreciation of the (above) Our members Melanie Ng, Tommy Li, Ella Chan and Christine Ho (from left to right) enjoying the dancing catchiness of K-Pop and potency of it as an exciting source of fun. The so-called called Korean wave of South Korean culture is undoubtedly driven by these qualities.

Visit KoreaMyeongdong
In Myeongdong, you'll find bigbrand stores, the Lotte Department Store, Migilore (a popular discount outlet), Noon Square (a large shopping mall with a large variety of brands) among many of the places where you can shop till you drop. Be prepared to burn through your wallet at an alarming rate - Myeongdong is one of the most expensive shopping districts in the world. Also, don't miss the countless number of street vendors and small shops in the alleyways and small streets surrounding the big retail stores, where you can find anything from purses to shoes and get the best deals and discounts possible on almost anything imaginable. If you're feeling hungry, there are a huge variety of restaurants serving Korean, Asian or Western cuisine. Make sure you try Myeongddong kalguksu, a noodle

Kenneth Lee soup that has been popular for more than 40 years, from the Myeongdong Kyoja restaurant. Be sure to get there early though - there are intense queues at lunchtimes. Nearby, you'll find many colonial relics, such as Myeongdong Cathedral, the oldest Catholic cathedral in Korea. The Roman Catholic community in Korea first met in Myeongdong in 1784 and chose to build the cathedral here in 1883. Budding historians may also find the Renaissance-styled Bank of Korea museum, designed by a Japanese architect and built in 1912, of interest.

Myeongdong, a major tourist attraction, is a famous shopping street in Seoul. This dong, or neighbourhood, used to be a residential area during the Joseon Dynasty and is initially named Myeongryebang. When the Japanese colonised Korea, Myeongdong transitioned into a commercial district. It gained its current name in 1946. As the economy boomed in the 1960s, many highrise buildings were built in the area. Department stores, shopping malls, restaurants and shops were set up here. Today, the area is a major commercial and financial district, and also a popular place for demonstrations. Up to 2 million people pass by each day.

Korean Words of the Month

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Buk-han: North Korea

Mi-nam: beautiful male (meaning good looking male)

Yuk-yi-oh: literally six-two-five, referring to June 25, 1950

Ah-yi-dol: Idol (as in star)

The Six-Two-Five

Yanna Lee

June 25th is the day North Korean troops crossed the border at the 38th parallel, effectively starting the Korean war of 1950-53 ploded killing 46 people onboard, and War (1945-48). evidence pointed towards North KoAfter guaranteeing a quick invasion rean involvement. Later in November of the South, Kim Il Sung finally re- that year, the North and South exceived permission to attack in 1950 changed artillery fire in the DMZ, and from the Soviet Union. As North this went down as the most serious Korean troops crossed the clash in decades. 38th parallel on June 25th, Sunday, Especially after such recent events, it is many US troops had been withclear that South Korea cannot let her drawn and those left behind were unprepared. South Korea was pow- guard down from North Korean erless and could not fight back attacks. Let June 25th be a day of reagainst the strong arms and artillery minder to both Koreas that without The little strip of land on the supplied by the Soviet Union and agreement, Korea will never reach 38th parallel, also known as the DMZ China. peace and stability. (Demilitarized Zone), divides Korea After the fated June 25th when the into two countries, working as a buffSIX-TWO-FIVE Korean War began, the two coner zone. This most heavily guarded flicting ideologies of the North and area of land in the world serves as In Korea the phrase , South seemed irreversible. Since the evidence of what happened on June translated as six-two-five, reactual fighting ended in 1953 with the 25th, 1950, frequently reminding fers to the day June 25th, 1950. an armistice South Korea did not not only Koreans, but the Internationeven sign, it can further be observed al community of the tragic divide in a that while South Korea has now denation. veloped to aim for peace and reconAfter 35 years under the Japanese Korean Culture Club ciliation, the North continues to discolonial rule, the sudden unexpected play undying antipathy. Such actions Newsletter Department end of the occupation gave way to a include North Koreas digging a tunKorea with conflicting ideologies and Editors-in-Chief nel under the south fence of the an unstable political and social sysDMZ to observe southern positions Kenneth Lee & Yanna Lee tem. In the year Korea became inde(discovered in 1970-71), the pendent (1945), the Soviet Union attempted assassination of South Guest Writer and the US brought in troops to the Korean President Park Chung Hee by North and South respectively. The Tommy Li North Korea in January 1968, and 38th parallel served as a border beanother failed assassination attempt Editors tween the two regions. This initial in 1983. Such skirmishes and antagodivision rather hardened the antagoVikki Hui nistic feelings still continue to this nism between the two sides, as a day, over half a century. The most Dorothy Yu result of the political influence from recent conflict occurred in 2010, the two superpowers of the Cold Nicole Wong when a South Korean warship exVivian Tong

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