Seoul Fashion Week 2009 kicks off this year's fashion industry

Design is in the air this spring with the coming of Seoul Fashion Week 2009 from Mar. 26 to Apr. 2. Fashion Week is in its 18th year at Seoul Trade Exhibition & Convention Center (SETEC), and will showcase the works of 39 veteran fashion designers in Korea during its “Seoul Collection” and also that of another 70 or more fashion brand companies during the “Seoul Fashion Fair” session. In line, over 110 high-profile fashion experts and buyers from 23 nations will also attend the show. This year's fashion show in particular will focus on the fashion business, allowing promotion and distribution to take place on the spot. In line with that, the fashion interactive digital system known as “tablet ordering” will go into operation for the first time. Tablet ordering is an information sharing system between brand designers and buyers linked through wireless broadband handsets. Buyers can receive a detailed database of the particular brand in real time. Separately, there is an additional consulting room on the second floor that allows close face-to-face consulting between sellers and buyers. Other programs for the fashion show include the third Seoul New Fashion Designer Collection, Discovery of Young Fashion Artists and a Fashion & Culture Festival. The veteran designers and some 100 design brand companies gathered for Seoul Fashion Week will also come together to open an exclusive shopping mall (on www.lotte.com). Korea's first fashion show first took off with Madame Norano's show held at the Chosun Hotel in 1954. Though halted temporarily in 1961 due to the complicated political situation, it emerged quickly, spreading farther and wider in the 1980s and resulting in regular events not only in Seoul, but other major cities in the country by the 1990s. The fashion industry is another way for Seoul to improve its image as a global city overseas.

Two Korean pop girl groups rocket to fame in Thailand

When it comes to the hottest female pop group, most if not all Koreans would either name Wonder Girls or Girl's Generation (also known as SNSD, an acronym derived from the group's Korean name). Both groups created a storm in the Korean music industry when they made their debut in 2007. They have topped the music charts every time they release a new song.Wonder Girls reached the top with their hit song “So Hot” in early 2008 and continued to gain popularity with their follow up “Nobody.” “Nobody” was also voted the most popular song of the year in 2008 by many surveys.The nine members of Girls' Generation came together as a girl group in 2007. They have sold 100,000 copies of their album in Korea, being the first girl group to do so since 2002.Girls' Generation has also topped music charts recently with their song "Gee," released this year.

As can be imagined, the two groups are rivals here in Korea and are keeping each other in check. But Korea is not their only battleground. In fact, there is one Southeast Asian country where they are fiercely competing – musically speaking -- to outdo each other.That is Thailand.Both groups are enjoying enormous popularity in Thailand and they serve like cultural ambassadors of Korea in that land. Many Thai youngsters say they think of Wonder Girls and Girls' Generation as their role models.Wonder Girls released their first album in Thailand at the urgent request of their Thai fans in 2007 and the band entered MTV Thailand's top five with its album just a month after its release, without even having yet visited the country in person. This year, the pop group held a fan meeting with 10,000 Thai fans and had their first solo concert at Huamark indoor stadium in Bangkok on Feb. 28. The-7,000 seat-concert was sold out.

Steps Studio” in Bangkok opened intensive courses last year as demand rose for classes that teach dance movements to Korean pop songs. The dance studio used to teach only dance movements of American pop songs but now Korean dance classes are dominant.Meanwhile, a famous nightclub on Silom Road, Bangkok, has been playing Wonder Girls' “Nobody" since late last year. This was something very new and noteworthy, as this club used to play only Thai music all the time.Some culture observers worry that the Korean Wave, or “Hallyu,” referring to an explosive popularity of Korean pop culture abroad, seems to be fading. However, that does not hold true in Thailand, with the popularity of the two female groups, along with other Korean pop idols such as Super Junior and Big Bang, is actually on the rise in Thailand.

Kang Ho Dong Is A Dad!,

MC, comedian, and one of Korea’s hardest working entertainers, Kang Ho Dong and his wife Lee Hyo Jin became parents to a healthy 3.3 kg (7.3 lbs) baby boy on March 13th.Lee Hyo Jin gave birth to the baby boy via natural childbirth at a Gangnam, Seoul hospital around 5pm on March 13th and Hyo Jin and her son are both in healthy condition. Unfortunately Kang Ho Dong couldn’t be there to witness the birth of his child because he was filming an episode for 1N2D in Jeolla Province. Ho Dong was obviously ecstatic that his wife gave birth to their first child and the cast and crew of 1N2D congratulated the new dad, but Ho Dong stated that he was very sorry to his wife that he couldn’t be there for her while she was giving birth.Kang Ho Dong and Lee Hyo Jin, who is 9 years younger than Ho Dong, have been married for almost 2 and a half years.

Popular Sports

Koreans also competed well among the top athletes in the Olympics as well as in other major international events, such as baseball, golf, archery, shooting, table tennis, ski jump, short-track speed skating, figure skating and swimming.Recently, Korean baseball stars have begun to make a name for themselves in American and Japanese leagues. In golf, Korea has recently produced many world-class players. In particular, professional female golfers such as Pak Se-ri, and Kim Mi-hyun distinguished themselves by winning several LPGA or Women's U.S. Open titles. Choi Kyung-ju charged his way to win two PGA titles in 2002 alone.

In tennis, Lee Hyung-taik became the first Korean man ever to win a major international event when he won the Addidas International tournament held in Sydney, Australia, in January 2003.Two young Koreans have made names for themselves and their country in swimming and figure skating. Park Tae-hwan won three gold, one silver and three bronze medals at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha where he set two new Asian records.

He also medaled twice in the 2007 World Aquatic Championships in Sydney, taking gold in the 400m freestyle and bronze in the 200m freestyle. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Park won the gold medal in the men's 400-meter freestyle, becoming the first Korean gold medalist in swimming. He also won silver n the men's 200-meter free style competition.Kim Yu-Na, bronze medalist for 2007 and 2008 in the World Figure Skating Championships, won the 2007 Cup of Russia with the highest score ever awarded in the International Skating Union judging system for long program. The same year, she also won the Cup of China.In addition, domestic sports leagues, such as the Korea Professional Football League (K-League), Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Korean Basketball League (KBL) and Korean Volleyball League (V-League), continue to entertain fans, who flock to stadiums to watch their favorite teams.

Seoul Olympics

The 24th Summer Olympic Games were successfully concluded after a 16-day run in Seoul, from September 17 to October 2, 1988, under the theme: Peace, Harmony and Progress. In what was the largest-ever Olympiad up to that time, more than 13,000 athletes and officials from 160 countries gathered to promote the lofty ideals of harmony and peace, while transcending the barriers separating East and West, and North and South. The first boycott-free Olympics in 12 years, the Seoul Olympic Games rose above ideological division and national interest and returned the Olympic movement back to its founding ideals. The success of the Seoul Olympic Games was the result of the all-out effort the Korean people put forth to achieve harmony and peace for the entire human race, the undaunted spirit of the International Olympic Committee to revive the Olympics as a festival for all mankind, and the aspiration for peace shared by nations around the globe.Partly as a result of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Korea now has many world-class sports facilities, concentrated in Seoul and Busan where most of the Olympic events were held. The Seoul Sports Complex, which encompasses a land area of 545,000 square meters, includes the Olympic Stadium with a seating capacity of 100,000, two gymnasiums for basketball and boxing, an indoor swimming pool, a baseball stadium and a warm-up field. Olympic Park, occupying a vast area of some 1.5 million square meters in southeastern Seoul, comprises a 6,000-seat velodrome, three gymnasiums, fencing and weightlifting venues, indoor swimming pools, and tennis courts. A key training facility for the country's athletes is the Taereung Athletes' Village, located on the eastern outskirts of Seoul. Built on a 17.1 acre site in the midst of a beautifully wooded area, the village includes a skating rink, indoor swimming pool, shooting range and gymnasiums for wrestling, boxing and weightlifting.

Culture

Paik Nam-june Art Center in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, opens its first group exhibition from Saturday (Mar. 7) to May 16, 2009.
Titled "The First Stop on the Super Highway" the exhibition shows artworks by Paik Nam-june (1932-2006) on the theme of "speed" and artworks by Kim Ju-hyeon.
The "Super Highway" in the title implies both the axis linking different spaces and times and the exciting journey ahead for the Nam June Paik Art Center.
Curated by Tobias Berger, the art center's chief curator since August 2008, this internationalgroup exhibition reflects on the diverse uses of the idea of “extremes” in art.

Korean News!!!

County in rural Gangwon-do to make scenic walk trail

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people walk on probably one of the most famous roads in Europe to view the stunning landscapes around it. The road is Camino de Santiago or Road to Santiago in English, which stretches from northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela (Saint James of Compostela), a UNESCO World Heritage city and a pilgrimage destination, in the northwest.The road was one of the three major Christian pilgrimage routes during the Middle Ages, leading pilgrims to the purported final resting place of the Apostle St. James. Today, the road is one of the most popular long-distance trails in Europe and many tourists choose to walk the Road to Santiago, a treasure trove of historical sites, rustic Spanish villages, extraordinary art and architecture.Taking the Road to Santiago as a great example, Korea is setting out to create its own famous road, which will eventually lure visitors to walk between scenic sites in Korea.The ambitious and meaningful project has been initiated by a county in the mountainous Gangwon-do (Gangwon Province) called Goseong.

Goseong is situated in the northernmost tip of Gangwon-do between the southern extremity of Geumgangsan (Mt. Geumgang) in North Korea and Seoraksan (Mt. Seorak).Goseong is famous for its natural beauty spots, including mountains, beaches, lakes and valleys.Boasting of this breathtaking scenery and taking advantage of it, Goseong, in cooperation with the Korea Tourism Organization and the privately run Walking Movement Headquarters has revealed a plan to promote a walking path. The focus of the plan is to promote the 400 km road featured in one of the greatest Korean literary works: "Gwandong Byeolgok," a kind of an ancient song written by statesman and poet Jeong Cheol (1536-1593). The work lauds the beauty of the scenery of Gwandong (the east side of Daegwallyong in Gangwon-do) Palgyeong (“pal” means eight in Korean, “gyeong” means a scenic spot), the eight most scenic spots in eastern Korea, which is now shared between Gangwon-do and some parts of North Korea.

The eight spots include Cheonggan-jeong (a pavilion) in Ganseong; Gyeongpodae (a pavilion near Gyeongpoho Lake) in Gangneung; Samilpo (a lake) in Goseong; Jukseoru (a pavilion) in Samcheok; Naksansa (a temple) in Yangyang; Mangyang-jeong (a pavilion) in Uljin; Chongseokjeong (a pavilion site) in Tongcheon; and Weolsongjeong (a pavilion) in Pyeonghae. In phases, a 400 kilometer-long trail that links the famous sights praised by Jeong Cheol will be developed into a walking track for an estimated itinerary of seven days, allowing visitors to rediscover the history, culture and ecosystem of the region.Two out of the eight spots, Samilpo and Chongseokjeong, are excluded because they lie in North Korea.To promote the plan, Goseong is to hold the first "Slow Walking Festival" from Oct. 12 to 18 where participants will walk for seven days along the scenic spots along the East Sea, spanning 60 kilometers from Daejin port in northern Goseong to Yongchon in southern Goseong.Meanwhile, the county has also prepared other events, including a walk along famous beaches around Hwajinpo (a lake) every fourth Saturday of the month from March to October (July and August excluded).