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.