Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do, 16 May 2016, 3pm. Not far away from Songsan-ri is the fortress of Gongsanseong. It clings to the banks of the Geumgang river (nothing to do with Mount Geumgang in north Gangwondo) and its walls scale the cliffs and meander along the contours of the hill, forming a 2.6km circuit which climbs to … [Read More]
Place: Chungcheongnam-do (page 2)
Selected publications
- Michael Gibb: A Korean Odyssey: Island Hopping in Choppy Waters, Camphor Press 2020
2016 travel diary 6: Gongju’s royal tombs
Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do, 16 May 2016, 2:15pm. The Royal Tombs in Songsan-ri Our first stop in Gongju is the set of seven or more tombs in Songsan-ri. The experts think there may be as many as ten tombs in the area. It seems odd, in an age when so much in the way of sophisticated electronics … [Read More]
2016 travel diary 5: An introduction to the Baekje Historic Areas
Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do, 16 May 2016 The kingdom of Baekje had its beginnings as a small state founded on the south banks of the Han River in 18 BCE by King Onjo. The people were largely of Buyeo origins – an early kingdom absorbed into Goguryeo. The kingdom gradually grew, absorbing the small Mahan states to … [Read More]
Exhibition visit: Constancy and Change in Korean Traditional Craft
Nothing prepared you for the sight that greeted you when you entered the room containing the Korean crafts at Tent London. As you were wandering past the various stalls in the main part of the exhibition displaying contemporary crafts from around the world on your way to the “Constancy and Change” room, you might have … [Read More]
Boryeong’s Mudfest Ambassadors
What should three pretty actresses have to do as PR ambassadors for the Boryeong Mud Festival? Suggestions please. http://bit.ly/c9CD2O # [Read More]
Korea’s gardening pedigree
For those, such as me, who have hitherto doubted Korea's gardening pedigree, this article in the Korea JoongAng Daily is well worth a read. Nice pics too. http://bit.ly/9jFO2f # The article covers: Seoul Iris Garden Chollipo Arboretum in Taean, South Chungcheong Hantaek Botanical Garden in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do Yoo Botanic Garden in Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do Korea Botanic … [Read More]
British designers create Gongju Design Cafe
UK designers seek to transform Gongju town hall into a design cafe. Korea Times http://bit.ly/azWtvV #. Sponsored by Gongju City, the British Council and the Korean National University of Cultural Heritage, the renovation of the Japanese colonial-era (1910-45) building was completed by Michael Marriott, Anthony Burrill, Linda Brothwell, Fabien Cappello and Korean architect Kim Paik-sun. [Read More]
The world’s first jail for foreigners
If you’re going to get locked up in a foreign country, Korea doesn’t seem such a bad place to get jailed: a new facility in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, has Korean etiquette classes, Korean language classes, and satellite TV in your own language. Source: JoongAng Ilbo # [Read More]
Photos from this year’s Mudfest
I just found some great photos over on Flickr, courtesy of pwalks. Here’s a tiny taster, deliberately small so that you go visit the original yourself. Enjoy the full slideshow here. [Read More]
Boryeong Mud Festival 2008
The Festival is on around about now. The traffic on my two other posts about the festival is going through the roof. If any reader based in Korea is going along and feels so moved, feel free to send me in some photos and an article to tell everyone how great it is. I’m told … [Read More]
LKL 2007 Quiz of the Year – the answers
Question 1: Corporate crooks and corruption Match the alleged quote with the appropriate chaebol The conglomorate had run a vast network that bribed government officials, prosecutors, tax collectors, journalists and scholars I don’t want to take a gamble on causing a crisis in the country’s economy The sentence of one year and six months is … [Read More]
The Boryeong Mud Festival: is this your idea of a good time?
It’s getting to be that time of year again. The adverts are in Seoul magazine; Robert Koehler’s even written an article on it in June’s issue (I wonder if he actually experienced it first hand?). And it’s one of the more popular search terms which land people at this site. But before you book your … [Read More]
Boryeong mud festival
What is it about the mud festival, which just finished this last Saturday in Boryeong? I see it mentioned in Seoul magazine as one of the highlights of the Korean cultural calendar, on the Seoul Selection website, and this week it’s been in the Chosun Ilbo and on the Yonhap site. Is it really a … [Read More]