1. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK)is
a country in East Asia, located on the southern half of
the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by China to the
west, Japan to the east, and North Korea to the north.
Its capital is Seoul. South Korea lies in a temperate
climate region with a predominantly mountainous terrain.
Its territory covers a total area of 100,032 square
kilometers and has a population of over 50 million.

2. The National Assembly of South Korea
Jikji, the first known book printed with movable
metal type in 1377, which is 62 years earlier than
Gutenberg's Printing press. Bibliothèque Nationale
de Paris.
Gyeongbok Palace is the largest of the Five Grand
Palaces built during the Joseon Dynasty.
The Seoul Olympic Stadium, seen from the Han
River, hosted the 1988 Summer Olympics .
View of the Seoul World Cup Stadium used during the
2002 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by South Korea and
Japan.
View of Seoul's Gangnam district today. South
Korea's economic success is often called the Miracle
on the Han River

4. Eating in South Korea is an exciting and rich experience. Food in
South Korea has many different styles with thousands of great
restaurants in all the major cities and towns of South Korea. All of
them seem to boast about one chef or another, which is good, but for
most of us we want to get down to eating.
In addition, food in Seoul and other South Korean tourist resorts is
not restricted to traditional South Korean delights. Cuisine from all
over the world can be found in South Korea, including Asian, Indian,
Middle Eastern, and other international tastes. Fast food chains are
rising in popularity due to convenience and their family oriented style.

5. Bulgogi: A common dish that contains marinated meat that is stir
fried. The addition of sugar gives the dish a sweet taste.
Seolleongtang: Manduguk semi-stew, which consists of stuffed
dumplings in soup.
Naengmyeon: A cold beef soup served either extremely spicy or in a
milder form.
Yangnyeom Tongdak: Slow roasted chicken in a sweet and sour sauce
similar to the Chinese equivalent and it is popular with Westerners. .
Deungsim Gui: Barbecued cuts of steak usually carved at the table to
be dipped into sesame seed oil and soya sauce.

11. Gyeongbokgung Palace
City/Region: Seoul
The jewel of Seoul's five historic palaces,
Gyeongbokgung was built in 1395 by Lee Seong-
Gye, founder of the Joseon Dynasty, who
established the city as the capital of Korea. The
magnificent rectangular palace, which now
contains the National Folk Museum of Korea,
features Royal apartments and staterooms,
gardens and elegant lotus ponds. The pavilion
features on the 10,000 won note. The palace is in
a process of continual restoration as new
archaeological treasures are uncovered and
restored to their former glory.

13. Starting from May 22nd and running up until July 24th, Jeollanam-
do Province’s Boseong Cultural Center will be presenting a Gukak
(Korean music) concert every Saturday at 5:30 pm at Korea Tea &
Sori Culture Park in Boseong-eup, Bongsan-ri. Open to visitors
and locals alike, the concert series aims at bringing cultural
performances to the farming community where such events may
not readily be available or easily accessible. The concert is also a
great chance for visitors to gain a deeper understanding of the
Boseong area’s traditional music.
With the coming of the spring, the Korea Tea & Sori Culture Park
has turned a brilliant green, making this representative tour site of
Boseong really show its true glory. Other major sites of the area
are the Boseong Tea Plantations, Yulpo Beach, and the Jeamsan
Recreational Forest, all of which are located nearby the concert
area.

14. The Changdeokgung Office of the Cultural Heritage Administration,
in cooperation with the Association of Korean Oriental Medicine and
the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation, will be heading up various
hands-on Oriental medicine programs at the Naeuiwon in
Changdeokgung Palace. Programs are scheduled to run from
1.30pm to 5pm every Thursday from May 20, 2010 to June 24, 2010
and from September 2, 2010 to October 28, 2010.
Naeuiwon ( 내의원 ) was one of the three hospitals of the Joseon
Dynasty (1392-1910), and was the place where medical practitioners
mixed medicine and provided medical services for the king and the
rest of the royal family. It is said that the renowned court physician
Heo Jun worked in Naeuiwon for 44 years.

15. Programs at Changdeokgung Palace are designed to help visitors
learn more about the traditional medical practices of Korea,
practices that have long since been revered for their effectiveness.
Doctors affiliated with the “Association of Korean Oriental Medicine”
stand at the ready to offer visitors a variety of health services, even
dressing in traditional medical attire to further help visitors
experience the traditional medicinal culture. Services and treatments
offered include pulse examinations for health diagnosis (“jinmaek”),
acupuncture (“chim”), and moxibustion (“tteum”), a process in
which mugwort herb is ground into a fluffy consistency and lightly
burnt onto acupuncture points to improve blood circulation. In order
to maintain a high standard of excellence throughout the day, the
number of patients seen each day will be limited to 40 (30 Koreans
and 10 non-Korean visitors) on a first-come, first-served basis.

16. When: June 04 (Friday) - June 07 (Monday)
Where: All of Haeundae White Sand Beach,
Busan
Description: An eco-friendly celebration
running under the theme of the ‘Sand,’ the
festival features beach-related events like
sand walking paths, a Ssireum ( 씨름 , Korean
wrestling) competition, beach soccer, and
beach volleyball. Hands-on experience
programs are available including a ‘sandboard
festival,’ and making sandcastles and an
hourglass. On the seashore, take pictures of
the large sand sculptures created by the
winners of the World Sand Sculpture
Competition.

17. When: July 17 (Saturday) - July 25
(Sunday)
Where: Chungcheongnam-do Boryeong-si
Daecheon Beach
Description: One of Korea’s most famous
festivals, visitors to the Boryeong Mud
Festival slather themselves with mud,
which contains many nutrients that are
known to be particularly good for the skin.
Visitors to this fun-packed festival cover
themselves in mud from head to toe and try
out the mud wrestling, mud slides, and the
giant mud bath. To take a break from the
festival mayhem, head on over to the mud
massage zone for a little ‘you’ time

18. When: July 22 (Thursday) – July 25
(Sunday)
Where: Chungcheongnam-do Buyeo-gun
Buyeo-eup Gungnamji Pond (Seodong
Park)
Description: One of the major draws of
this festival is the Gungnamji artificial
pond, which dates back to the Baekje
Period (BC19 - AD600). During the
festival period, the surface of the pond is
covered with more than 50 different kinds
of beautiful lotus flowers all in full bloom.
Events on the festival program include a
Korean traditional music concert, a
performance entitled ‘Love story in
Gungnamji,’ and a lotus flower drawing
program.