2013년 3월 16일 토요일

Annals of the Joseon Dynasty

The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty (also known as The True Record of the Joseon Dynasty) are the annual records of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, which were kept from 1413 to 1865. The annals, or sillok, comprise 1,893 volumes and are thought to cover the longest continual period of a single dynasty in the world. With the exception of two sillok compiled during the colonial era, the Annals are the 151st national treasure of Korea and listed in UNESCO's Memory of the World registry.
The Annuals has since 2006 been digitalised by the National Institute of Korean History and available on the internet.

Tripitaka Koreana


The Tripitaka Koreana (lit. Goryeo Tripitaka) or Palman Daejanggyeong ("Eighty-Thousand Tripitaka") is a Korean collection of the Tripitaka (Buddhist scriptures, and the Sanskrit word for "three baskets"), carved onto 81,258 wooden printing blocks in the 13th century. It is the world's most comprehensive and oldest intact version of Buddhist canon in Hanja script, with no known errors or errata in the 52,382,960 characters which are organized in over 1496 titles and 6568 volumes. Each wood block measures 70 centimeters in width and 24 centimeters in length. The thickness of the blocks range from 2.6 to 4 centimeters and each weighs about three to four kilograms. The work is stored in Haeinsa, a Buddhist temple in South Gyeongsang province, in South Korea.

History
Tripitaka Koreana sutra page in 1371.
The name "Goryeo Tripitaka" comes from "Goryeo", the name of Korea from the 10th to the 14th centuries. It served as reference for the edition of the Chinese Buddhist canon.
The Tripitaka Koreana was first carved in 1087 during the Third Goryeo-Khitan War. The act of carving the woodblocks was considered to be a way of bringing about a change in fortune by invoking the Buddha's help.
The original set of woodblocks were destroyed by fire during the Mongol invasions of Korea in 1232, when Goryeo's capital was moved to Ganghwa Island during nearly three decades of Mongol incursions, although scattered parts of its prints still remain. To once again implore divine assistance with combating the Mongol threat, King Gojong thereafter ordered the revision and re-creation of the Tripitaka; the carving took 16 years, from 1236 to 1251, with support from the Choe House and involving monks from both the Seon and Gyo schools. This second revision is usually what is meant by the Tripitaka Koreana. In 1398, it was moved to Haeinsa, where they have remained housed in four buildings.

Evaluation
The Tripitaka Koreana is the 32nd national treasure of Korea, and the Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the depository for Tripitaka Koreana, has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The UNESCO committee describes the Triptaka Koreana as one of the "most important and most complete corpus of Buddhist doctrinal texts in the world." Not only is the work invaluable, it is also aesthetically valuable and shows a high quality of workmanship.
The historical value of the Tripitaka Koreana comes from the fact that it is the most complete and accurate extant collection of Buddhist treatises, laws, and scriptures. The compilers of the Korean version incorporated older Northern Song Chinese, Khitan, Goryeo versions and added content written by respected Korean monks. Scholars can get an idea of the older Chinese and Khitan versions of the Tripitaka from the Korean version today.     
The quality of the wood blocks are attributed to the National Preceptor Sugi who carefully checked the Korean version for errors.  Because of the accuracy of the Tripitaka Koreana, the Japanese, Chinese, and Taiwanese versions of the Tripitaka are based on this Korean version.
 
Each block is made of birch wood from the southern islands of Korea and was treated to prevent the decay of the wood. They were soaked in sea water for three years, then cut, then boiled in salt water. Then, the blocks were placed in the shade and exposed to the wind for three years at which point they were finally be ready to be carved. After each block was carved, it was covered in a poisonous lacquer to keep insects away and was framed with metal to prevent warping.
Every block was inscribed with 23 lines of text with 14 characters per line, Therefore, each block, counting both sides, contained a total of 644 characters. The consistency of the style, and some sources, suggests that a single man carved the entire collection but it is now believed that a team of thirty men did the job.

Haeinsa Buddist Temple



   Haeinsa Bonghwanmun

Haeinsa Haetalmun
Haeinsa Gugwhangru
Haeinsa Daejeokgwhangjeon

Vairocana Wooden Budda Statue in Daejeokgwhangjeon




Haeinsa (해인사, 海印寺: Temple of the Ocean Mudra) is a head temple of the Jogye Order (대한불교조계종, 大韓佛敎 曹溪宗) of Korean Buddhism in the Gaya Mountains (가야산, 伽倻山), South Gyeongsang Province South Korea. Haeinsa is most notable for being the home of the Tripitaka Koreana, the whole of the Buddhist Scriptures carved onto 81,350 wooden printing blocks, which it has housed since 1398.
Haeinsa is one of the Three Jewel Temples of Korea, and represents Dharma or the Buddha’s teachings. It is still an active Seon (선, 禪) practice center in modern times, and was the home temple of the influential Rev. Seongcheol (성철, 性徹), who died in 1993.

History
The temple was first built in 802. Legend says that two Korean monks returned from China, Suneung and Ijeong, and healed King Aejang's (애장왕, 哀莊王) wife of her illness. In gratitude of the Buddha's mercy, the king ordered the construction of the temple. Another account, by Choe Chi-Won in 900 states that Suneung and his disciple Ijeong, gained the support of a queen dowager who converted to Buddhism and then helped to finance the construction of the temple.
The temple complex was renovated in the 10th century, 1488, 1622, and 1644. Huirang, the temple abbot enjoyed the patronage of Taejo of Goryeo during that king’s reign. Haeinsa was burned down in a fire in 1817 and was rebuilt in 1818. Another renovation in 1964 uncovered a royal robe of King Gwanghaegun, who was responsible for the 1622 renovation, and an inscription on a ridge beam.
The main hall, Daejeokkwangjeon (대적광전, 大寂光殿: Hall of Great Silence and Light), is unusual because it is dedicated to Vairocana where most other Korean temples house Shakyamuni (Kr. Seokgamoni) in their main halls.

The Temple of Haeinsa and the Depositories for the "Tripitaka Koreana" Woodblocks, were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995. The UNESCO committee noted that the buildings housing the Tripitaka Koreana are unique because no other historical structure was specifically dedicated to the preservation of artifacts and the techniques used were particularly ingenious.
The temple also holds several official treasures including a realistic wooden carving of a monk and interesting Buddhist paintings, stone pagodas, and lanterns.

Queen Seondeok of Silla

Queen Seondeok of Silla (? - 17 February 647) reigned as Queen of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, from 632 to 647.
 She was Silla's twenty-seventh ruler, and its first reigning queen. She was the second female sovereign in East Asian history and encouraged a renaissance in thought, literature, and the arts in Silla.

Selection as heiress
Before she became queen, Seondeok was known as Princess Deokman (덕만(德曼)). According to Samguk Sagi, she was the first of King Jinpyeong's daughters. But according to another historical records, she was the second of King Jinpyeong's daughters and much younger than her elder sister(Princess Cheonmyeong). Her nephew, Princess Cheonmyeong's son, eventually became King Muyeol of Silla while Seondeok's other sister, Princess Seonhwa, eventually married King Mu of Baekje and became the mother of King Uija of Baekje. Seonhwa's existence is controversial due to the discovery of evidence in 2009 that points to King Uija's mother as being Queen Sataek, and not Seonhwa as indicated by historical records.
Because he had no sons, Jinpyeong selected Seondeok as his heir. The act was not unusual within Silla, as women of the period had already had a certain degree of influence as advisors, dowager queens, and regents. Throughout the kingdom, women were heads of families since matrilineal lines of inheritance existed alongside patrilineal ones. During the Silla kingdom, the status of women was relatively high, but there were still restrictions on female behavior and conduct; they were discouraged from activities considered unwomanly. Her successful reign in turn facilitated the acceptance of two more Queens regnant of Silla.

Reign
In 632, Seondeok became the sole ruler of Silla, and reigned until 647. She was the first of three female rulers of the kingdom (the other two being Jindeok of Silla and Jinseong of Silla), and was immediately succeeded by her cousin Jindeok, who ruled until 654.
Seondeok's reign was a violent one; rebellions and fighting in the neighboring kingdom of Baekje were often what preoccupied her. Yet, in her fourteen years as queen of Korea, she used her wit to her advantage. When Baekje invaded, she sought an alliance with Goguryeo. When Goguryeo also turned on Silla, she strengthened ties with Tang China. She kept the kingdom together and sent royal emissaries and scholars to China. She is also credited with the initial formulation of a Korean chivalric code and sent young Koreans to China for martial arts training.
Like Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang, she was drawn to Buddhism and presided over the completion of Buddhist temples. Notable amongst Buddhist structures she had built is the nine-story wooden pagoda in Hwangnyongsa. On each story of the 80 meters high structure was the name inscribed of one of the neighbors Silla intended to subjugate. Bunhwangsa and Yeongmyosa were also built under her auspices.
She built the "Star-Gazing Tower," or Cheomseongdae, considered the first observatory in the Far East. The tower still stands in the old Silla capital of Gyeongju, South Korea. She also worked towards relief of poverty.

In the first lunar month of 647, Lord Bidam of Silla led a revolt with the slogan that "female rulers cannot rule the country” (女主不能善理).Legend says that during the uprising, a star fell and was interpreted by Bidam's followers as a sign of the end of the queen's reign. Kim Yushin (commander-in-chief of the royal army from 629) advised the queen to fly a burning kite as a sign that the star was back in its place.
Yeomjong stated that about ten days after Bidam's uprising, he and thirty of his men were executed. By then Queen Seondeok's cousin had ascended the throne as Queen Jindeok.

Legends
It is believed that Seondeok's selection as her father's successor was justified by her displays of precocious intelligence when she was a princess. One such story (both in Samguk Sagi and Samguk Yusa) recounts that her father received a box of peony seeds from the Emperor Taizong of Tang accompanied by a painting of what the flowers looked like. Looking at the picture, the young Seondeok remarked that while the flower was pretty it was a shame that it did not smell. "If it did, there would be butterflies and bees around the flower in the painting." Her observation about the peonies' lack of scent proved correct — just one of many illustrations of her intellect and hence of her ability to rule.
There are two other accounts of Seondeok's unusual ability to perceive events before their occurrence. In the first it is said that Seondeok once heard a horde of white frogs croaking by the Jade Gate pond in the winter. She interpreted this as an impending attack from the Kingdom of Baekje (the croaking frogs were seen as angry soldiers) in the northwest of Silla (white symbolized the west in astronomy) at the Women's Valley (the Jade Gate was associated with women). When she sent her generals to the Women's Valley, they were able to capture two thousand Baekje soldiers.
The second is an account of her death. Some days before she died, Seondeok gathered her officials and gave the order "When I die, bury me near the Dori-cheon (忉利天, "Heaven of Grieved Merits")." Decades after her death, the thirtieth king Munmu of Silla constructed Sacheonwang-sa (四天王寺 "Temple of the Four Heavenly Kings") in her tomb. Then the nobles realized that one of the Buddha's sayings, "Dori-cheon is above the Sacheonwang-cheon", was accomplished by the Queen.

"Queen Seondeok " Korean historical drama


Queen Seondeok (Hangul: 선덕여왕) is a 2009 South Korean historical drama, starring Lee Yo-won, Go Hyun-jung, Uhm Tae-woong, Park Ye-jin, Kim Nam-gil and Yoo Seung-ho. It chronicles the life of Queen Seondeok of Silla. It aired on Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) from May 25 to December 22, 2009 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 62 episodes.
The viewership ratings for the show topped TV charts almost every week during its run, peaking at 44.7 percent. It swept the 2009 MBC Drama Awards and especially won raves for actress Go Hyun-jung's performance.

Synopsis
Deokman (Queen Seondeok’s childhood name) was born as Princess Cheonmyeong's twin and a member of the Silla royal family, but a prophecy leads to her abandonment as a baby. She was later brought back to the Silla place, where she joined forces with her twin sister to oppose Seju Mi-shil, a royal concubine, court lady and high ranking official second to the King who wanted to seize power. Mi-shil devised sinister plans to have the two Silla princesses exiled from the kingdom. In a secretive battle she assassinated Princess Cheonmyeong, but Princess Deokman shrewdly enlisted the help of General Kim Yushin and eliminated Mi-shil, who had been planning to conduct a coup d'état. After that, Princess Deokman thus became the first female ruler of the Silla kingdom as Queen Seondeok.
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Lady Misil of Silla (미실, 美室, 540? ~ 612?) is a disputable historical figure of Silla. Lady Mishil was the mistress of several Silla kings. Though not recorded in the Samguk Sagi or Samguk Yusa, she is a very important figure in the transcription of the Hwarang Segi.
According to the Hwarang Segi, she was the daughter of Lord Mijinbu, with her father's mother being the Princess Samyeop, daughter of King Beopheung. Her mother was Lady Myodo, sister of Queen Mother Sado (consort of King Jinheung. With these relations, Mishil gained the qualification of being a jingol (眞骨 진골 a noble within the bone rank system).
She became powerful due to her relations with the Kings of Silla and the various Pungwoljus; she was the wife of Lord Sejong (6th Pungwolju), lover of General Seolwon (7th Pungwolju), and was concubine to 3 successive kings of Silla: King Jinheung, King Jinji, & King Jinpyeong, being also in love with Crown Prince Dongryeon.
Her enormous power was proved when she persuaded various nobles to expel Jinji from his throne. Two of her sons (through her many relations), Lords Hajong & Bojong, became the 11th & 16th Pungwolju, respectively.

Moon Embracing the Sun (해를 품은 달)

Moon Embracing the Sun (Hangul: 해를 품은 달, also known as The Sun and the Moon) is a 2012 South Korean historical television drama series, starring Kim Soo-hyun, Han Ga-in, Jung Il-woo and Kim Min-seo. It aired on Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) from January 4 to March 15, 2012 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.
The series is adapted from the novel of the same name written by Jung Eun-gwol and directed by Kim Do-hoon and Lee Seong-jun. It tells of a secret, poignant love story between a fictional king of the Joseon Dynasty and a female shaman against the backdrop of Korean traditional palace; and the conflicts and conspiracy of vying political powers. This production marks Han Ga-in's first historial drama and return to television since Bad Guy in 2010.It also marks the second historial drama for Jung Il-woo following The Return of Iljimae in 2009.
The series won for Best Drama and Best Actor in the television category at the 2012 Baeksang Arts Awards, and multiple awards at 2012 MBC Drama Awards, including Drama of the Year.

Plot
Thirteen-year-old Heo Yeon-woo, the daughter of a high-ranking official, accompanies her mother to the royal palace to attend her brother, Heo Yeom's civil service examination congratulatory ceremony. By chance, she meets Crown Prince Lee Hwon in the midst of escaping to see his older half brother, Prince Yang-myung. They fall in love and Heo is chosen as the Crown Princess of Joseon. However the Dowager Queen secretly orders her death; in order to install Yoon Bo-gyeong, the daughter of a family clan, as Crown Princess in order to gain more power for herself. She orders head shaman Nok-yeong of Star Mansion to cast a spell on Yeon-woo to stricken her with an unknown sickness. Where upon she is returned home for the last remaining days of her life. Nok-young unbeknown to the Dowager Queen has promised her friend Ari, whom Yeon-woo's mother had saved before she was born, to protect her. So Nok-young secretly visits Yeon-woo's father and tells him how to break the spells. Upon being resurrected from her grave, Yeon-woo lives her life as a shaman but loses her memories. All believe her to be dead, including the Crown Prince Lee Hwon, who loves her and whom she was to marry. Eight years later, Yeon-woo returns as a shaman named Wol. She has not been forgotten by those she left behind, and her fate is still intertwined with Hwon, who is now the king. She must contend with the current Queen of Joseon, the Queen's Father, and the Queen Dowager in order to reclaim her rightful place as Queen of Joseon.

Cast
Heo Yeon-woo (烟雨)/ shaman Wol

'Moon containing the sun': Destined to be the first Moon, she was born in the interim of Ari's execution. The daughter of a noble family who is gaining power in the royal court, who is smart, bright and well-loved. Chosen as the Crown Princess, she mysteriously fell ill and passed away before the royal wedding ceremony. Just when she was believed to be dead, she was saved by Jang Nok-young, the head shaman upon the request from her late friend Ari. However, Yeon-woo lost all her memories. Eight years later, she returns to the palace as a shaman, who is named Wol by Lee Hwon. Lee Hwon must decide if he loves Yeon Woo or the female shaman Wol.

Filming locations
Most of the royal palace scenes were filmed on location at MBC Dramia located at Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si in Gyeonggi Province, where other historical dramas such as Dong Yi, Jumong and Queen Seondeok were also filmed. The House of Choi Champan was used as Yeon-woo's childhood home, and the Korean Folk Village was used for local markets, private residences of commoners, and night scenes.

Sad Love Story (Hangul:슬픈연가)


 Samok ferry warf on Youngjongdo island in Incheon city
 ``Sad Love Story" MBC TV drama shooting site

 Sindo island is over there.
Stairs leading to the beach

Sad Love Story (Hangul: 슬픈연가) is a 2005 South Korean television series starring Kwon Sang-woo, Kim Hee-sun and Yeon Jung-hoon. Partly shot overseas with a budget of ₩7 billion, it was one of the most expensive Korean dramas of the mid-2000s. It received low ratings in South Korea, but attracted more attention when it was exported to Japan and other Asian countries due to its stars' Korean wave appeal.

Plot
From the moment they meet, Joon-young (Kwon Sang-woo) and the blind Hye-in (Kim Hee-sun) share an instant connection. Young and naïve, they believe that nothing can change their love. Life, however, pulls them in opposite directions. Joon-young is sent to Seoul, while Hye-in immigrates to America. Misleadingly informed that Joon-young is dead, Hye-in struggles to begin a new life alone. Years later, Hye-in returns to Seoul. With her eyesight restored, she is now a singer happily engaged to her producer Gun-woo (Yeon Jung-hoon). Everything changes though when Gun-woo's composer friend turns out to be none other than Joon-young. He instantly recognizes her, but Hye-in has never seen Joon-young before. When love is no longer simple and blind, can Hye-in and Joon-young still find their way back to each other?

Full House

Full House  is a 2004 South Korean television drama series starring Rain, Song Hye-kyo, Han Eun-jeong and Kim Sung-soo. It based on Korean manhwa series Full House by Woon Soo-yoon. It premiered on Korean Broadcasting System (KBS2) on 14 July 2004 and ended its' run of 16 episodes on 4 September 2004.

Synopsis

Han Ji-eun, an aspiring script writer, lives in a house called "Full House" built by her late father. One day, her two best friends trick her into believing she has won a free vacation. While she is away, they sell her house. On the plane, she meets a famous actor named Lee Young-jae. Through comedic events, they get acquainted during her vacation and when she returns, she discovers her house has been sold to him.
Though they don't get along with each other as she is messy and he has a bad temper and likes cleanliness, they agreed to live with each other. At first, Ji-eun works as his maid in order to buy her house back, but because of Young-jae's wish to make the love of his life and Kang Hye-won jealous, they get married. They set up a contract for the marriage to last six months. During that time, complications arise and Ji-Eun and Young-Jae become attracted to each other.

Cast
  • Rain as Lee Young-jae
Young-jae is a popular Korean actor, especially around girls. Though appearing to be egotistical and stubborn, mostly to maintain his pride, he has secret unrequited feelings for his childhood friend, Hye-won. But later on, Young-jae falls in love with Ji-eun. He also has a fragile relationship with his father, who is a doctor. Young-jae also had a sister who died as a child. Though he can be selfish, he cares deeply for his friends. He starts to realize his feelings for Ji-eun when she starts to date Min-Hyuk. He is seeing Hye-won at the time and is extremely jealous of Min-Hyuk and Ji-eun. After talking with Hye-won he realizes that he is in love with Ji-eun and thus Hye-won and Young-jae end their relationship. He ends up proposing to Ji-eun and she says yes.
Ji-eun is an optimistic and cheerful girl, loyal to her friends. Though naive and not very smart, she is shown as a character with spunk and a good heart as displayed in her efforts to be a writer. She lives in a beautiful home named Full House, which she inherited from her late parents. Her only friends before she meets Young-jae are Yang Hee-jin and Shin Dong-wook. She accepts a "free trip" to China, Shanghai, during which Yang He-jin and Shin Dong-wook sell her house. On the airplane, she sits next to and meets Young-jae. The meeting does not go well and ends up with her throwing up on him. Upon her arrival at the hotel, she meets Min-Hyuk and he helps her attain a room. During her stay, she realizes that she has no money and no way of going home and goes to see Young-jae and tricks him into lending her money. When she arrives home, she finds out that her house has been sold to Young-jae. They end up deciding to get married and making a marriage contract. Once they divorce, Ji-eun would receive Full House. During the marriage, she ends up becoming a maid and cook to Young-jae. Along the way she starts to develop feelings for him. She ends up getting hurt many times by Young-jae because he believes he is in love with Hye-won. He ends up leaving and spending time with Hye-won and leaving Ji-eun waiting and hurt. She ends up getting hired by Min-Hyuk as a writer and spends time with him. After some time, Young-jae ends up "seeing" Hye-won and Ji-eun ends up "seeing" Min-Hyuk. She divorces Young-jae and ends up dating Min-Hyuk. Near the end, Min-Hyuk ends up proposing to Ji-eun but she says that she has not been divorced long and he tells her to think about it. The next episode, Young-jae proposes to her and she says she will think about it. In the end, she ends up accepting the proposal to Young-jae and ends up getting married to him once again, this time for real.
Hye-won is a close family friend of Lee Young-jae, knowing them since childhood. Working as a fashion designer, she also designs most of Young-jae’s clothes. With her rich family and attractive appearance, she is accustomed to attention from men, but has ever only loved Yoo Min-hyuk. She can be very selfish, saying that she loves Min-hyuk but she can not let go of Young-jae.
Min-hyuk is a ladies' man. He is smart,rich, skillful and respected, but remains detached from most people because of his busy lifestyle. He is also close friends with Young-jae, who confides in him his feelings for Han Ji-eun. Min-hyuk is a director of a large media company. Like Hye-won, he is attractive and used to attention from women. He develops feelings for Han Ji-eun, and tries to get her to like him. Eventually, he sees that she love no one else but Lee Young-jae.
Filming locations
The location of the titled house, Full House is a house built specially for the series. It is located in the Gwangyeok-si area of Incheon, near Incheon International Airport, and is a ten-minute boat ride from Sammok Harbor. The house, made mostly of wood, cost approximately the equivalent of one million USD to built. The beach front property looks out onto open waters. Nearby sightseeing locations include Jogak (sculpture) Park on Modo Island; a bridge connects these two islands.
The first episode was shot in Shanghai near The Bund. In later episodes some parts were filmed in Thailand.

2013년 3월 12일 화요일

Blue House


The Blue House (Korean: 청와대 Cheong Wa Dae) is the executive office and official residence of the South Korean head of state, the President of the Republic of Korea and located in the capital city of Seoul. The Korean name literally translates to "pavilion of blue tiles." The Blue House is in fact a complex of buildings, built largely in the traditional Korean architectural style with some modern elements.
Built upon the site of the royal garden of Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897), the Blue House now consists of the Main Office Hall (본관; 本館), the Presidential Residence, the State Reception House (영빈관; 迎賓館), the Chunchugwan (춘추관; 春秋館) Press Hall, and the Secretariat Buildings. The entire complex covers approximately 250,000 square metres or 62 acres.

President of the Republic of Korea

The President of the Republic of Korea (대한민국의 대통령; 大韓民國大統領) is, according to the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, the chief executive of the government, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the head of state of the Republic of Korea (South Korea).
The Constitution and the amended Presidential Election Act of 1987 provide for election of the president by direct, secret ballot, ending sixteen years of indirect presidential elections under the preceding two governments. The President is directly elected to a five-year term with no possibility of re-election. If a presidential vacancy should occur, a successor must be elected within sixty days, during which time presidential duties are to be performed by the prime minister or other senior cabinet members in the order of priority as determined by law. While in office, the chief executive lives in Cheong Wa Dae (the "Blue House"), and is exempt from criminal liability (except for insurrection or treason).
On February 25, 2013, Park Geun-hye became the eleventh and current president. She is also the country's first woman to assume this post.

yangban(양반)

The yangban were part of the traditional ruling class or nobles of dynastic Korea during the Joseon Dynasty. The yangban were either landed or unlanded aristocracy who comprised the Korean Confucian idea of a "scholarly official." Basically, they were administrators and bureaucrats who oversaw ancient Korea's traditional agrarian bureaucracy until the ancient regime of Joseon Dynasty ended in 1894. In a broader sense, office holder's family and descendents as well as country families who claimed such descendence were also socially accepted as yangban.

Overview
Unlike the European and Japanese aristocracy where noble titles were conferred on a hereditary basis, the yangban title was de jure conferred to those individuals who passed state-sponsored civil service exams called gwageo (과거, 科擧). Upon passing such exams several times, which tested one's knowledge of the Confucian classics and history, a person was usually assigned to a government post. The yangban family that did not succeed to produce a government official for more than three generations could lose its yangban status and become a commoner. In theory any member of any social class except indentured servants, baekjeongs, and children of concubines could take the government exams and become a yangban with appointment to a government post. In reality, only the upper classes, i.e., the children of yangban, possessed the financial resources and the wherewithal to pass the exams as years of studying were required to support successful candidates. These barriers and financial constraints effectively excluded most non-yangban families and the lower classes from competing for yangban status.

Etymology
Yangban literally means "two branches" of administration: munban (문반, 文班) which comprises civil administrators, and muban (무반, 武班) which comprises martial office holders. The term yangban first appeared sometime during the late Goryeo dynasty, but only gained wider usage during the Joseon dynasty. However, from the sixteenth century onward yangban increasingly came to denote local wealthy families who were mostly believed to be the descendants of once high-ranking officials. As more and more part of the population aspired to become yangban and gradually succeeded in doing so during the late Joseon period by purchasing the yangban status the privileges and splendor the term had inspired slowly vanished and it even gained a diminutive connotation.

Korean Folk Village


Korean Folk Village is a living museum type of tourist attraction in the city of Yongin, a satellite city in the Seoul Metropolitan Area in the province of Gyeonggi in South Korea. Korean Folk Village is a popular tourist destination for both Koreans and foreigners. It is located near Everland, South Korea's largest amusement park.
The purpose of Korean Folk Village is to display elements of traditional Korean life and culture. There are multiple sections to the park. There are numerous replicas of traditional houses of the different social classes (peasant, landowner, yangban) from various regions.

Yeongjong Grand Bridge


The Yeongjong Grand Bridge is a self-anchored suspension bridge located in Incheon, South Korea, linking Yeongjong Island to the Korean mainland. The bridge is part of the Incheon International Airport Expressway and was completed in 2000. The total length of the bridge is 4,420 metres (14,500 ft), of which the main suspension bridge takes 550 metres (1,800 ft), a truss bridge 2,250 metres (7,380 ft) and a steel box girder bridge 1,620 metres (5,310 ft).

Yeongjong Island


Yeongjong Island is an island off the west coast of the city of Incheon, South Korea. The previously separate Yongyu, Sammok, and Sinbul Islands have been joined to Yeongjong Island by an area of reclaimed land built for the construction of Incheon International Airport. The island is an exclave of Incheon Metropolitan City's Jung-gu district, and is accessed via two bridges, Yeongjong Bridge connecting to Seo-gu and Incheon Bridge connecting to Songdo.

In addition to the airport, the island is known for Eulwangni Beach on the west coast, Haesoopia Spa on the south, its seafood market and Yongguksa Temple.

Songdo International Business District (SIBD)

Songdo International Business District (SIBD) is a new Smart City or Ubiquitous City built from scratch on 1,500 acres (610 ha) of reclaimed land along Incheon's waterfront, 40 miles (65 km) west of Seoul, South Korea and connected to Incheon International Airport by a 7.4 mile (12.3 km) reinforced concrete highway bridge, called Incheon Bridge. Along with Yeongjong and Cheongna, it is part of the Incheon Free Economic Zone.
The Songdo International Business District will feature the Northeast Asia Trade Tower and the Incheon Tower. Schools, hospitals, apartments, office buildings and cultural amenities are to be built in the district. Replicas of architectural hallmarks, including New York City's Central Park and Venice's waterways, will also be incorporated. This 10-year development project is estimated to cost in excess of $40 billion, making it one of the most expensive development projects ever undertaken.
Gale International, in partnership with Morgan Stanley Real Estate, holds a 70% stake in the Songdo IBD venture, with Gale International taking a majority stake of 61%, and Morgan Stanley, which invested US$350 million in the project, holding 9%. The remaining 30% stake is held by Posco. The masterplan was designed by the New York office of Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF). Infrastructure development, labor, and funding are also being provided by the city of Incheon.
A small number of Japanese residents have sought to live in Songdo IBD after the Tohoku earthquake.

The Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ)

The Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ), located in Incheon, South Korea consists of the three regions of Songdo, Cheongna, and the island of Yeongjong and has a total area of 51,739 acres (209.38 km2). The goal of the IFEZ is to transform these three areas into hubs for logistics, international business, leisure, and tourism for the Northeast Asian region. Incheon's Free Economic Zone was officially designated by the Korean government in August 2003. IFEZ is planned to be a self-contained living and business district featuring air and sea transportation, a logistics complex, an international business center, financial services, residences, schools and hospitals, and shopping and entertainment centres.

Incheon International Airport (IIA)

Incheon International Airport (IIA) (IATA: ICNICAO: RKSI) (Korean: 인천국제공항) is the largest airport in South Korea, the primary airport serving the Seoul national capital area, and one of the largest and busiest airports in the world. For seven years in a row (2005–2012), it was rated the best airport worldwide by Airports Council International. The airport has a golf course, spa, private sleeping rooms, ice skating rink, a casino, indoor gardens and a Museum of Korean Culture. The airport authorities claim that departure and arrival processing take as little as 16 and 12 minutes respectively, far less than other airports. Its duty-free shopping mall has been rated the world's best for three years in a row in 2012 by Business Traveler.
Located 48 km (30 mi) west of Seoul, the capital and largest city of South Korea, Incheon International Airport is the main hub for Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Polar Air Cargo. The airport serves as a hub for international civilian air transportation and cargo traffic in East Asia. Incheon International Airport is also currently Asia's eighth busiest airport in terms of passengers, the world's fourth busiest airport by cargo traffic, and the world's eighth busiest airport in terms of international passengers in 2010. In 2011, 35,062,376 passengers used the airport.
The airport opened for business in early 2001, replacing the older Gimpo International Airport, which now serves mostly domestic destinations plus shuttle flights to alternate airports in China, Japan, and Taiwan.

Incheon City

The Incheon Metropolitan City is located in northwestern South Korea. The city was home to just 4,700 people when Jemulpo port was built in 1883. Today 2.76 million people live in the city, making it Korea’s third most populous city after Seoul and Busan Metropolitan City. While people have inhabited the area from the New Stone Age, the city’s growth was assured in modern times with the development of its port due to its natural advantages as a coastal city and its proximity to the South Korean capital at Seoul. It is part of the Seoul National Capital Area, along with Seoul itself and Gyeonggi Province; as such, Incheon is the world's fourth-largest suburb by population (after New Taipei, Yokohama, and Ekurhuleni).
Incheon has since led the economic development of Korea by opening its port to the outside world, issuing in the modernization of Korea as a center of industrialization. In 2003, the city was designated as Korea’s first free economic zone. Since then, large local companies and global enterprises have increasingly invested in Incheon Free Economic Zone, including Samsung which chose Songdo International City as its new investment destination for its bio industry.
As an international city, Incheon has held numerous large scale international conferences, such as the Incheon Global Fair & Festival in 2009. The 17th Asian Games Incheon 2014 will also be held in Incheon from September 19, 2014. Incheon has established itself as a major transportation hub in northeast Asia with the world renowned Incheon International Airport and Incheon Port. The city is also home to the Green Climate Fund, an international organization addressing environmental issues.