Korea Observer

My article from the Manila Bulletin online edition: By JONATHAN M. HICAP MANILA, Philippines (Feb. 23, 2011) - Top Korean actress Lee Young-ae, who played Jang-Geum in the highly popular Korean drama “Jewel in the Palace," is now a proud mother of fraternal twins: a boy and a girl. Lee Young-ae as Jang Geum in "Jewel in the Palace" (Photo courtesy of MBC)

The Korean Embassy in the Philippines is now on Facebook and Twitter, currently the most popular social networking sites. The Korean Embassy at the Fort in the Philippines (Photo courtesy of the Korean Embassy Facebook page)

Super Junior (Photo courtesy of SM Entertainment)

Park Chan-wook, the film director known for his work on Korean hits like “Oldboy,” proved last month when he released “Night Fishing” - a 30-minute film shot entirely on an iPhone over 10 days - that all you need to make a good movie is a smartphone.

Light sends soft rays through the floor-length windows of Ga Hwa Dang, a traditional Korean hanok-turned-teahouse located in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. Behind the counter, manager Kim Yu-ri painstakingly prepares the establishment’s brews. Surprisingly enough, less than half the 19 teas on the menu are leaf-based. Instead, a majority are made with fruit, roots and seeds. Ga Hwa Dang’s nutty and rich wild sesame tea comes with a dish of artistically presented Korean sweets. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)  

Korean singers JYJ (Junsu, Micky Yoochun and Jaejoong), Jay Park and Heechul are finalists. Congratulations! From www.theshortyawards.com We are delighted to announce the Shorty Awards finalists in the main categories after receiving over 750,000 tweeted nominations. The  Real-Time Academy of Short Form Arts & Sciences will determine the winners from among these finalists. The announcement will be made at the Shorty Awards Ceremony on Monday, March 28th, 2011 at The TimesCenter in New York City.  Tickets are on sale now. Are you a finalist?  Register here to let us know if you can attend the ceremony. Heechul, Jay Park and JYJ are finalists in the 3rd Annual Shorty Awards

Berlin - Korean director Lee Yoon-Ki's Saranghanda, Saranghaji Anneunda (Come Rain, Come Shine) premiered at the Berlin Film Festival on Thursday, with the Berlinale directing its spotlight on relationships under pressure.

From my travels to different countries,  I always get mementos including fridge magnets. Here are the fridge magnets on my cork board in my house in the Philippines  showing the cities and countries that I've visited including South Korea. [caption id="attachment_173" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="My fridge magnets showing the Gyeongbokgung Palace and N Seoul Tower in South Korea and other places that I've visited. (Photo by sangchusan)"] [/caption] A warm congratulations to Korea.net for the opening of its blog! Cheers!

I wrote earlier that Incheon International Airport is one of the best airports in the world. Now here's the additional and most important proof. The Airports Council International (ACI) has announced that Incheon International Airport is the No. 1 Best Airport Worldwide.

Recipes with noodles are a staple in many Asian countries including South Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia. I first tasted japchae (stir-fried noodles with vegetables) at a Korean restaurant in Malate in Manila, Philippines and since then, I always order it. I think the appeal of japchae lies in the taste. It has a sweet flavor. In addition, it has many wonderful ingredients including beef and spinach. [caption id="attachment_153" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Japchae (Photo courtesy of www.maangchi.com)"] [/caption]

Thai fans, get ready for JYJ. Thai company 411 Entertainment has announced that popular K-pop trio JYJ, composed of Xiah Junsu, Micky Yoochun and Youngwoong Jaejoong, will be holding a two-day concert in Bangkok, Thailand in April.

If you are going to South Korea this week, you might want to go to the 6th Busan International Music Festival that will run until February 20. [caption id="attachment_141" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="(Photo courtesy of festival organizers)"] [/caption]

From Manila Bulletin newspaper: By JONATHAN M. HICAP MANILA, Philippines (Feb. 14, 2011) — If Koreans were given a choice to pick celebrities they want to be their dates on Valentine’s Day, they would spend the red-letter day with Girls Generation (aka SNSD), Big Bang, actor Hyun Bin and actress Kim Tae Hee. [caption id="attachment_136" align="alignnone" width="402" caption="(Clockwise from the top) Girls Generation, Kim Tae Hee, Hyun Bin and Big Bang. (Photos courtesy of SM Entertainment, SBS, MBC and YG Entertainment)"] [/caption]

Here's the latest issue of Korea Bulletin, the official newsletter of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Philippines. [scribd id=48733417 key=key-1z3u9y5ctga715r9ream mode=list]

You see it on Korean dramas and films. In the hit Korean drama series "Jewel in the Palace", the hanbok, Korea's traditional dress, gained prominence as it was a period drama. Hanbok is South Korea's traditional dress that is worn in many occasions especially when Koreans celebrate Chuesok, or harvest festival, and Seollal, or Lunar New Year.

My article in the Manila Bulletin newspaper: By JONATHAN M. HICAP MANILA, PHILIPPINES (Feb. 11, 2011) -- The five members of girl group Wonder Girls held a live video webchat Thursday morning from New York City (10 p.m. in the Philippines) to update fans on their activities and also celebrate their fourth anniversary. [caption id="attachment_118" align="alignnone" width="455" caption="The Wonder Girls during the live chat"] [/caption]

From the Filipinos’ growing interest in the Korean culture stems a great opportunity for strengthening the cultural relations between the two countries. On May of this year, the Korean Cultural Center will finally open its doors to the public.

If you ever get the chance to go to South Korea, one of the most fascinating places to visit is the Cheongwadae or Blue House, the official office and residence of the president of South Korea. [caption id="attachment_103" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="(Photo from http://www.panoramio.com/photo/1698377)"] [/caption]

Text and photos from www.aeriskitchen.com In Korea, we love to grill marinated meat (beef, pork, or chicken). There are two main flavors for marinated meat. One is spicy, which uses mainly red pepper paste. The other one is sweet & salty which is similar to a BBQ flavor. That type uses mainly soy sauce, pear, honey, sugar, apple, kiwi, and etc. [caption id="attachment_100" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Thanks to www.aeriskitchen.com for the photo "] [/caption]

News from the Manila Bulletin newspaper: By JONATHAN M. HICAP MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Gaon Chart, South Korea’s version of the Billboard charts, has named K-pop boy band Super Junior the bestselling artist in South Korea for 2010. [caption id="attachment_95" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Super Junior receiving the Gaon award from Minister Choung Byoung-gug of Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. (Photo courtesy of www.newsen.com)"] [/caption]

It's still winter in South Korea and one of the most popular activities is to ski. M y friend and her companions at Starhill Resort There are many ski resorts in South Korea and all of them also offer lessons for beginner. One of them is the StarHill Resort in Namyanggju in Gyeonggi. According to the Korea Tourism Organization: The Star Hill Resort (formerly "Mt.Cheonmasan Ski Resort") is located deep in the beautiful and mysterious Cheonmasan Mountains. Amazingly it is only 32km away from Seoul, so access to this picturesque and well-equipped leisure resort is extremely easy. As well as great skiing, visitors can enjoy a ‘experience’ programs at the tourist attractions located near the Cheonmasan Mountains. There are many other ski resorts in South Korea. For more information on this, go to Korea Tourism Organization's website .

I was so excited when I got the chance to go to Seoul, South Korea to watch the Asia Song Festival and at the same time,  visit my friend.

I tried making this Korean dish and it turned out okay. If you don't want it spicy, just don't put dried chili pepper. Via www.maangchi.com Dak kang jung is a very popular traditional Korean dish and is usually made with chunks of chicken from a whole chicken. I’m using chicken wings in this recipe, but you could use chunks.

By JONATHAN M. HICAP / Manila Bulletin (Feb. 9, 2011) MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Filipino-American Grammy nominee and Black Eyed Peas’ official DJ, Poet Name Life (real name Jaime Lim Munson) flew to Korea to help write and produce songs for K-pop girl group 2NE1.

Here's a very interesting article about four Korean exchange students in Arkansas. BY PHYLLIS HEMANN ASSOCIATE EDITOR (Feb. 5, 2011) - Four students traveled more than 6,800 miles to spend a month as part of the first Korean exchange student program at Immaculate Conception School in North Little Rock. [caption id="attachment_53" align="alignnone" width="275" caption="PHYLLIS HEMANN Seohyung "Sarah" Yeon sits in her fifth-grade classroom at Immaculate Conception School in North Little Rock, a world away from her home in South Korea. She spent January in Arkansas as an exchange student."] [/caption]

Here's an article from Manila Bulletin , a leading English newspaper in the Philippines, about Filipino fans wanting K-pop girl group Girls Generation to come to Manila for a concert. Manila Bulletin has been publishing articles about Korean pop and entertainment almost everyday. MANILA, Philippines (Feb. 8, 2011) — Filipino fans of top K-pop group Girls Generation have launched an online petition to entice the all-female band to visit the Philippines and hold a concert here. [caption id="attachment_50" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="Girls Generation"] [/caption]

Don't you wish that you know a second language other than your own native tongue? There is a growing number of people around the world that have become interested in learning the Korean language or alphabet (called Hangul). Korean Alphabet (Courtesy of www.adventureteaching.com)

The ladies of 4minute are off to a great start after the lunar new year holidays, as they've been awarded the "KPop New Artist Award" at the 2010 Billboard Japan Music Awards on February 6th. [caption id="attachment_40" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="4minute with their Billboard Japan award (Cube Entertainment)"] [/caption]

World renowned Hanbok (traditional Korean attire) designer Lee Young-hee appeared on KBS-2TV's "Morning Live" last Monday.

If you like tteokbokki, or the spicy Korean rice cakes, you may want to try making your own rice cake at home. [caption id="attachment_28" align="alignnone" width="500" caption="tteokbokki"] [/caption]

I first tasted Pajeon when we ate at a Korean restaurant in Paranaque, which is located south of Manila in the Philippines.  The restaurant, called Sam Won, is a popular place inside a subdivision.