June 2021
June 2021
My husband and I recently visited Hoeryongpo Village in Yecheon-gun County, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. This tear-shaped town is surrounded by Naeseongcheon Stream, a tributary of the Nakdonggang River that takes a 350-degree turn around the village. Thus Hoeryongpo¡¯s nickname is ¡°an island within the mainland.¡±
Written & Photographed by
Honorary Reporter Lalien Guillen
from Philippines
To my surprise, I saw that almost the entire village turned gold in color due to vast canola fields. I saw the breathtaking view from an observatory atop a heart-shaped mountain.
We quickly descended from the mountain and drove our way to Hoeryongpo. We crossed a unique bridge called ppyong ppyong dari, a name derived from the sound the bridge makes when people walk on it. The village was also a filming location of the popular KBS reality show ¡°2 Days & 1 Night¡± with members from its first season.
This brought a big smile to my face as I¡¯ve been a big fan of this program since its debut. But making me even happier were the amazing fields of canola flowers that greeted us upon our arrival.
Everywhere I looked was golden. The yellow flowers formed a beautiful contrast with the clear blue sky, lush green pine trees and mountains.
My camera could not truly capture their stunning beauty, but I loved seeing these lovely yellow flowers dance gracefully in the wind while the bees flew over them. This trip was for my birthday and I went there without expectation. Yet I received the gift of seeing the most beautiful canola flowers, and returned home satisfied after witnessing such stunningly beautiful nature. Spring in Korea is one of the prettiest in the world.
Hanbok Day in New Jersey
New Jersey, U. S. A.
For the first time in the U. S. A., Korean Hanbok Day has been designated by the city of Tenafly, New Jersey. On April 6, the Tenafly municipality accorded Oct. 21 as a day to celebrate the traditional and ethnic Korean garment Hanbok. The assignation was a result of appeals from the Asian American Youth Council, comprised largely of Korean American high school residents of the region. Not only these students, but also leaders like Mayor Mark Jinner, General Assembly Member Gordon Johnson, and Councilwoman Lauren Dayton, among others. Director of the KCC expressed profound pride in the fact that the youths had initiated the proclamation of their heritage, considering how much of the Korean identity Hanbok embodies.
Annual Festivities in Taste
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Hosted by the KCC in Argentina, the KCC in Buenos Aires celebrated its final day of the 7th Buenos Aires Hansik Festival on the evening of April 18. Despite the limitations of the coronavirus, the livestreamed festival was able to reach an impressive audience. In fact, more participants showed up than any of its previous years have seen. While most of this year¡¯s content revolved around kimchi and its wide-ranging applications, diversely formatted (video) content filled the occasion: kimchi masterclasses, reviews, rankings and even seminars broadcast through Instagram (IG TV) Live.
