Travel & People

누구나 고향이 있으므로 고향을 떠난 사람은 고향을 그리워하게 마련이다. 5월 말이면 꽃도 다 지고 산에는 신록이 우거지며, 들판에서는 모내기도 끝날 무렵이니 고향 생각을 많이 하게 된다. 고향과 관련된 것이면, 그것이 꽃나무이건, 어깨동무 친구들이건, 산과 들 아니면 물레방앗간이건 아련한 추억과 함께 그리움의 대상이 된다. 고향을 그리는 마음을 4자성어로는 수구초심(首丘初心)이라 한다. 이와 같이 고향을 그리워하는 마음은 여러 가지 노래로 불려지고 있다. 대중가요(Korean pop song)도 있지만 유행을 타지 않는 가곡(Korean lyric song)이 훨씬 많다. 그것은 일제 강점기 때 외국에 유학하여 근대음악을 공부한 선각자들에게 고향은 애향심에서 나아가 조국애를 상징하는 단어가 되었기 때문이..

Untact economy (비대면 경제/非對面經濟) is a newly coined word of "contact" with a negative prefix "un", which means that non-face-to-face social and economic activities are sharply on the increase in the midst of corona pandemic. Based on the social distancing priciple strongly recommended by the authorities concerned, we have to take to the unprecedented lifestyle. To enhance the level of immunity: 면역력 ..

One day while taking a walk with my dog in the neighborhood garden, I found a petit bamboo grove is dancing and singing in a chilly wind. Really, in the midst of COVID-19 outbreak, we were expecting a beautiful Spring. Petit bamboo grove is dancing. Chilly wind is blowing. Spring has come. 대숲이 춤을 춘다 꽃샘바람이 쏴~ 봄이 왔다 It reminds me of my trip to Osaka and Kyoto in October 2019. At that time, the wor..

Petit is the name of my dog. In fact, Petit is the third son in my family. As he was born in July 2008, Petit is 72 years old actually in terms of human age. I think Petit has made it a rule: - to let me know who rings the door bell; - to wait for the last family member coming home at night; - to have an enthusiastic welcome ceremony for him/her in the doorway; and - to take a walk outside with ..

Since 1978 when we joined the Korea Development Bank (KDB), we, KDB 78 members, have had meetings for luncheon or dinner. After retirement, it has been fixed to a monthly get-together. In December 2019, the special venue was chosen to celebrate the year end. It was Pizza Sound Restaurant located at the Nodeul Island of Han River. The Island can be easily accessed either on foot from Nodeul Stati..

One day in September 2019, when I was scheduled for a workshop at Muju, I was amazed to see a bulletin board at the Express Bus Terminal Station of No. 3 Subway. It showed how the faces of missing persons have changed to the present complexion presumed by artificial intelligence (AI). Such marvelous AI technology has been provided by KIST to help these missing people to find their families. Cert..

It's amazing to get to Hwadam Forest within one and a half hours' drive from Seoul. It is located in Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do. Hwadam Botanic Garden (Homepage) is inside the Konjiam Resort. So you are required to park your car in the entrance parking tower and get on the electric shuttle bus to the garden entrance. LG Evergreen Foundation opened the arboretum in 2013 on 1,355 square kilo meters of l..

In summer of 2019, I was traveling by train from Irkutsk to Ulan-Ude. The landscape beyond the train windows was quickly changing. When you have a journey over the Trans-Siberian Railway, be sure to take your ticket of sleeping compartment and passport with your embarkation card (출국카드) inside. You are also required to pay attention to the bold print (아래사진에서 진한 활자로 인쇄된 7.25. 14:54 출발 03K호차 10번 침대..

It is June - early summer in Korea. In the forest, several vacancies are still found. At present, everything from leaves to birds and animals is unfinished. Those leaves of trees will grow bigger and greener while more birds and other animals are to come to the forest. Then I sense something is pervasive in the forest - a certain unknown smell. In a June forest, Vegetational fragrance fills Unfi..

On the last day of April, we're prepared to say goodbye to the cruel month. Simply it is no more a season of cherry blossoms. Our life, which has nothing to forgive or not to be forgiven, Will become generous and fresh Like cherry blossoms which invite buzzing bees. * See "Under the Shade of Cherry Blossom Trees" at KoreanLII. April used to remind us of several things: First, "The Waste Land" wr..