A drive along Jeju Coastal Highway [Buzz Korea]

It was amazing Tuesday a fully shining day of May 2014 when I along with my family visited Jeju along with family friends. It was a memorable trip with lots of fun and enjoyments. I have been to Jeju many times but this time with my family made it a worth remember for me. It has been since long I have a keen desire to drive along the coastal high way and I was able to bring my dream true this time.  

I must say if you are planning to travel Jeju with all-out enjoyment you must have to rent a car and drive at your own. This will make your trip the most amazing you have ever had. You can drive along the shore, stop by every attraction and observatory to appreciate the beauty of nature and relax for a while. There are a lot of routes that you can travel the best you like but don’t forget to pick the maps from the Jeju international airport or from the office of rent a car. It will help you finding the best sights, bits of culture and astounding land marks.

We traveled to seogwipo-si which has a lot of attractions including Jeju world cup stadium, alive museum, eongtto water fall, cheonjiyeon water falls, and Jeju submarine tour. All these attractions are amazing to experience. The best of all is to drive along the coastal side and enjoy the natural beauty with sea shore. One thing is worth mention that if you will follow the navigator while driving at coastal high way, you may never be able to enjoy the true scenery because the coastal road given in map is not updated with navigator and it will always keep you on the high way. However you should be attentive while driving so that you may not miss the sea shore.

Phase-1

The first Coastal high way you can take from Seogwipo-si is near the Hwasun Geummorar beach and Marrado ferry. A lot of attractions can be found nearby this area which include Marine Park, peace museum and Jeju art par however you need to leave the coastal high way to enjoy these attractions. There are spectacular views and the fresh air will welcome you at each stop with stunning view of black water and heavy waves around.

Phase-2

You can take the second phase of the coastal high way from start from Gwa-ri- Pirate submarine which ends at Yongdang-ri (Jeolbuam temple. This is one of my favorite routes with remarkable scenery. You can stop by Halim Park, Hyeopjae beach, Myeongwol fortress to relish the nature from very close.  I am sure you are definitely gonna love it.

Phase-3

The coastal high route from Aweol to Gueom-r having some remarkable views of the black lava shoreline, emerald beach, Yeondae ,ihotewoo beach, Youngduam, Jeju cruise , Yeongduam, Jeju seaside concert hall, Ramada plaza. This phase ends at Serabong Byeoldobong. You can stop at the observation platforms or cafes and relax in pretty setting. It is great to watch the waves crashing over the rocks on days when the waves are high. The view from anywhere in or around the beach is stunning. There are also quixotic and elegant pension and houses along the shoreline to allure exhausted tourists.

Phase-4

The coastal highway extends from Yongduam  to the airport. This road is good for driving, as well as hiking or biking, and will help you feel at harmony with the sea. You can refresh yourself with the salty smell of the ocean and the echoing sound of the waves. In the springtime, the highway is lined with a yellow wave of rape flowers. In the summertime, sea birds hover above the sea, crying out to their friends. In winter, the sea becomes calm and quiet. All of these different aspects of the coastal highway make it one of the most popular tourist areas in Jeju all year round.

Phase-5

The next phase of coaster high way is from Jeju independent movement memorial hall leading to Hamdeok beach which is one of my most favorite beaches in Jeju because of its blue water and white sand. The coastal high way further extends to Handong-ri area. On it way there are some most famous yongcheon cave and manjanggul cave. These lave caves are about 12 kilometers and famous as the world largest lava tubes. Don’t miss the chance to go inside the lava tube; it would be a memorable sight of your life. The government has opened just 1 km of lava tube for the tourists.

Recently, many cafes with traditional atmospheres have opened along this highway. People enjoy drinking tea and coffee while looking out at the scenery from the cafe windows. Youngsters pedal along the well-paved road and enjoy fresh air. The covered carts (poch'ang mach'a) are the things what make this highway prominent. Soju, beer, and simple side dishes are served. Many people gather in this area for an exotic night view. As the sun sets, these carts become lively and you can taste fresh sea food at reasonable prices.  

Emotional Tales from the drowned Sewol ferry

Did you hear?

My friend asked me early in the morning when I was sitting in my lab. Do you know about the Sewol ferry disaster? And my response was quite surprising, how is this possible?? You might be joking. But usually we don’t have this kind of jokes. This was big news, living in Korea since 03 years I believe this was the biggest tragedy of the decade. One reason of my surprise was that Korea is such an advanced nation and a panic situation like this must not be expected to occur on technical basis. At the same time I was expecting a very quick recovery of all the lives. I made a status on Facebook and get a reply from a friend that all the personals on desk are recovered and there is no casualty. That was good news for me and I thought, this is because of the advancement in technology and their strong nerves in moments of panic. However that was my wrong perception as I came to know later on that the drowned ferry was carrying 476 passengers, out of which 339 were children and teachers from Danwaon high school, Ansan and most of them are with still inside the drowned ship. With the passage of every single day since the disaster, new information about the ferry astonished every one with the number of drowned persons and their stories. The stories narrated by the survived people and the messages and phone called received by the families from the trapped high school students made every one sad.

There are a number of tales that brought tears into my eyes. Some of the crew members sacrificed their lives to help the passengers to the rescue their lives. They stand over there distributing life jackets and struggling to liberate as many lives and possible until the last moment of ferry of disappearance from the sky face. Some friends presented their life jackets to their beloved ones to illustrate their love and respect for them. Some other couple tied their hands to stay together till their last breath. I was deeply moved by the text message that a boy send to his mother saying, “Mama I love you so much” and in reply the mother said I love you too, who was unaware at that time that her son was trapped in a life and death struggle. Luckily that boy was among those who were rescued.

Another 16 years old student send a frantic and heart breaking text message to his ether brother that the ship is over turned on 45 degree and that his mobile is not working properly. His bother replied that he is sure help will be on their way. His brother advised him to follow the instructions of the caption of ferry without knowing that the captain has already left the ferry. This was the most tragic act of the day that the captain of the sinking ferry was the first one who left the ferry sinking, such a shame on him. . The young soul was unable to survive like the other 278 passengers of the ferry leaving behind a big question mark on the technological advancement of Korea. The emotional and touchy words of 18 years young girl Shin made me senseless as she wrote her father, “Dad, don’t worry I am wearing a life jacket and I am with other girls. The anxious father replied try to get out of the mess but he was too late to reply as she was among the dead ones. A boy and girl stuck in the ferry tangled their life jacket cords together, superficially so they wouldn't float apart. The diver who find their dead bodies, had to separate the two because he could not carry two corpses up to the surface at the same time, he said, ”I started to cry thinking that they didn't want to leave each other,"

Many unspoken stories related to the riders of the drowned ferry are still to be discovered which are saved in the memories of their beloved ones and those who left forever leaving behind many questions like who is responsible for the ferry disaster??? What are the main reasons for this happening??What exactly happened at 9 AM with the ferry???  All these questions may be answered or not but the lives of those who died may never be bring back.  There are many believes about the sunk ferry, someone says, it was over loaded, some other says, it was because of the fault of the technicians, some other says, the captain is responsible for all the disaster. Time will decide about the real happening but the pain and agony may never be forgotten.

Classes at the school resumed on Tuesday with sets of flowers surrounding photos of each victim from Danwon high school. Fellow students filed past, offering white chrysanthemums in somber tributes. Yellow ribbons, with names and messages inscribed, were tied around a chain-link fence. The suicide of the vice principle over this happening is an added pain into the grief of Danwan high school. Ansan, where I live is embedded in deep grieve and there is not a single man who is not feeling the pain of all the effected families.  

Thousands of people joined the ceremonies and gatherings arranged in the memories of the departed souls all around the Korea on public places to express their heartache and sorrow over this disaster. There are many congregations of prayers for the return of all those who are still missing. People of different age including parents, male and females, kids, government officials, national and international tourists joined the gatherings of mourning.  They are writing on yellow ribbons and fixing them on roads, bridges, public and government place. Since I am living in Ansan and the Danwon high school is nearby my home I just went to a big gathering in front of the school and in the football stadium near Gojan. It was very sad to see the families of the departed ones, it remind me the moment when I suddenly lost my mother as she died of heart attack. But the grief of these families was even greater as most of them are unable to recognize their bodies.

The government of Korea has accepted their fault of being unable to complete the rescue operations in a proper manner and well in time. The Prime minister has resigned from his post considering himself a responsible for not handling this matter in a proper way. I don’t what will be the ultimate effects of this happenings on the public and private sector life but Korea need to reconsider the priorities of the day and to insure the safety of their people in times of panic and in general. No doubt very one living in Korea has feel the pain of this disaster and showed their solidarity with the victim families. May the souls of the departed ones rest in peace. Ameen    

 Photo Curtsy: AFP/Gallery Images /Google Images 

A Journey with Team Yemen

This article is written for the promotion of Incheon Asian Games 2014. The link is hereby given
http://blog.incheon2014ag.com/team-yemen/

It was an exceptional shining day to spend with the team Yemen who are here in Korea for their training sessions in taekwondo. Like many other participating teams of IAG including Iran, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Srilanka and Cambodia, team Yemen was here in Korea to participate in the training sessions to excel the skills of the athletes. Actually, according to the directives of the OCA (Olympic Council of Asia), Incheon Vision 2014 was established in 2007 to bring close the Asian sports committees and to bring their sports level to equipoise. According to this concept, the individual training camps of brilliant young athletes, coach dispatches and working out, sports amenities, equipment support and other financial related matters would be assisted to develop the interest of the participating countries and to bring equal opportunities across the Asia to promote friendship, peace and culture through sports. Team Yemen scheduled their training from May 1 to May30 with the Korean professional trainers and instructors.

Being an IAG crew it was a nice opportunity for me to spend some time with the team Yemen. It was Sunday 18May, 2014 when I along with the IAG media organizer and another IAG crew member went to the Royal hotel of Incheon to see our guest athletes. Royal hotel is one of the famous hotels of Incheon and the guest athletes from different countries are accommodated there because of its international standards. We have to travel to the Ganghwa district, which is at a distance of 40 kilometer from Incheon. The schedule was kept relax since it was a visit to 2014 IAG venues and some historical and cultural place. Our Plan was to interview the team Yemen and team Cambodia during this short trip. There was a little problem in communication however thanks to Fawaz Muhammad, a player of team Yemen for interpreting and make our job easy. The Vision 2014 team arranged a bus to travel and a guide to lead the athletes throughout the tour.

Our first destination was the Ganghwa city district office which is located an hour distance travel by bus from Royal hotel Incheon. The players were really happy to see the IAG crews among them as we introduce ourselves. They were very friendly and gave a remarkable response to our concern. All of them were young, good looking and energetic but were unable to speak English however the coach of Yemen team Mr. Khalid and a player Muhammad Fawad were good in speaking English and they help us translate from the rest of players. Mr.Khalid Maqbool Alqadri being the coach of yemen team introduces his team which includes six athletes Mohanid, Sadam, Majid, Fawad, Ahmad and Tallal. Mr Khlid Alqadri who is master in Taekwondo joined the profession of Taekwondo 15 years back in 1992. It has been 6 years since he joined the national team of Yemen and in his supervision the athletes excels in their capacities and made some significant achievements. He is an international referee in Taekwondo since 15 years. Beside this, he is the General Secretary in the Yemen federation of taekwondo. Mr Khalid, the Coach of team Yemen told us that it has been eight time since he is visiting Korea and every time he had some new experiences full of fun and enjoyment. He said Korea is very beautiful. It is a modern and highly civilized nation with so much sanitation and greenery around that it became a source of gratification for their souls. The people of Korea are really affectionate and accommodating.

After an hour of travel we reached the Ganghwa taekwondo stadium. The location of the stadium was such a charismatic with its clean, gorgeous and charming environment. The players get excited after watching the stadium where they have to play after few months in the Incheon Asian games 2014. The tour guide told us that this is the place where the youngster taekwondo championship will be played after few days. After which this stadium will be hosting the Incheon Asian games and after that this place will be open for the people of Ganghwa and nearby to practice taekwondo. The guide further stated that this stadium can accommodate 4000 spectators. It is comprised of three stories, every story if fully facilitated with all the essentials. The athletes visited the different facilities provided by the stadium administration including the changing rooms, waiting rooms, lobby and the main stadium. The stadium look from both outside and inside was incredible, its adornment was in the final stages as the guide told us that all the required equipment’s and utensils  are scheduled to be ready before May20, 2014. The players gave us some gorgeous poses to be captured with our camera. The enthusiasm and passion can be seen from their faces.

In front of the taekwondo stadium across the road is BMX track. It was for the first time ever in my life to see such a track and it was truly amazing experience.  This is a well-planned and ingenious place which will be a venue of IAG 2014. The guest players from Yemen and Cambodia visited around and take many snaps. One thing I found among the Yemen players was their concern and interest in the games. They were observing every single place was much curiosity and eagerness. They said the locations of the stadiums are worth watching. The preparations of the Incheon Asain games 2014 are incredible and the credit goes to the IAG Committee. The arrangements and facilities they provided are outstanding. The accommodation, transportation and hospitality are worth mention. They have all the necessary equipment’s for training athletes in the games of Taekwondo.

Our next destination was the Ganghwa observatory, located at the border line of South Korea and North Korea. Being the closest boarder with North, this is believed as a place for peaceful reunion between the divided brothers. The location of the observatory was astounding as the separation line is fascinated by a river with blue water and lots of green mountains around. The athletes from Yemen and Cambodia expressed their affection for the location and exhibited their interests in the current situation of both the countries and the possible efforts which have so far done for the reunification. The guide who basically belongs to Ganghwa city enlightened the evidences of conflict and current scenario of unification. A brief introduction of this observatory was presented at the 2^nd floor of the observation desk. The person in charge told that the North lies in a range of 2.3 Km from where we were sitting and at some place the distance reduces to 1.8 Km along the river. Furthermore she explains about the existence of this reunification desk in which the current status of North Korea is familiarized by different sectors including politics, diplomacy, economics and society and culture artwork of the North is also presented. The facility describes the various efforts for reunification and offers a post-reunification vision as well.

Just after the outline, the players observe the North Korea land and their living environment through highly efficient telescope. They were extremely happy to see some North Korean farmers performing their day to day life activities. One of the players from Yemen asked me whether the North Korea is participating in the Incheon Asian Games, I said we can hope so and that would a great achievement of the IAG committee.  They players take a lot of pictures with geumgangsan monument, tanks and with the digitalize tree. The organizers offered us cold drinks, food, tea and coffee in the cafeteria and we had few moments of rest.

The players were quite tired and so were the end of our schedule however it was a memorable tour as the players mentioned that they had a real fun. They expressed their gratitude to the organizers for arranging such an informative trip and gave them an opportunity to see the North Korea from such a close.  The team Yemen presented some traditional gifts to the IAG crew members in memory of this wonderful journey. It was time to go back Incheon and take some rest. Most of the players went sleep while coming back to the hotel.

We do ask some questions from the coach of the Yemen team which he answered in a mature way and after consulting with his athletes.

All the questions and their answers are given here.

Fakhar Khan: How are your training sessions? And what are your expectations from this training?

Yemen Coach: Presently Korea is on top among those countries that are playing Taekwondo. This is because Korea is the birth place of taekwondo and also because of their technology, economy and love towards Taekwondo. The game of taekwondo is taught like a subject in Korean schools and this motivation excel their skills in the game. Korean coaches are very dexterous and our athletes learn a lot from them. Before I joined the Yemen team as a coach, a Korean coach lead the Yemen team and introduces them to a new era of Taekwondo enchanted with advancement and technology. This training is very efficacious so far in refining the skills and abilities of the Yemen players. We hope that technical support and training will make the team Yemen a virtuous candidate for the medals in Incheon Asian games 2014.

Fakhar Khan: Do you have any achievements in the game of taekwondo and what is the future of taekwondo?

Yemen Coach: Yemen team is one of the emerging teams in Asia in the field of taekwondo, we won bronze medal in the 2002 and 2006 Asian games. We had some good opportunities to play against world class teams in few previous years. Our team played well in Bahrain taekwondo competitions and stood 3^rd in the Jordan taekwondo competitions. Indeed these are great achievements for us. The players are training hard and we are hopeful to get a distinction in the IAG2014.

Fakhar Khan: Do you like the culture and food of Korea?

Yemen Coach: Korea is a remarkable place to live, the facilities and advancement has made it a residence of choice. First of all the Korean food was difficult to eat since there is a big gap of food selection between for Muslims abroad. However, we have plenty of food which is prepared by some Arab restaurants and their taste is wonderful.  All the people we meet so far are very cooperative and one thing we must appreciate is their being on tie. They are hardworking and their working style must be cherished.  We found similarities in our culture as they respect their elders and so are we. They love their traditions and norms and so are we, the only difference is that they have raised their living standards while our people have still the same life.

Fakhar Khan: Your message for the viewers of Incheon Asian Games face book page?

Yemen Coach: The metropolitan government of Incheon has done a great job by providing a marvelous environment to the athletes to show their skills. The location of stadiums and the preparation are highly valued. So it’s our turn to come forward and show our domain in different games. Incheon is such a beautiful city, I would like to say every person of the Asia to support the Asian games because this is a unique opportunity to share our sports , culture and traditions with the international communities and specially the Asian countries. This is a great opportunity to show our love, respect for each other and to promote the eternal peace.

Recompose Promotion

It seems amazing that some foreigners have a great contribution in promoting the Korean classic music and if you wanna explore it the National theater of Korea is looking forward to you.
Don't miss it..:)

Directions:
http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=268124

The National Theater of Korea is advertising here, You can also book a ticket.
http://www.ntok.go.kr/english/jsp/ea/ea01_1db02v.jsp?menu_code=EA0130&page_nm=ea01_3db01l&page_alt=All%20Performances%20List&pfmc_inf_idx=102

Culture ambassadors of Suwon

Suwon is a city with a globally famous culture and tourism resources, highly advanced and technologically rich assets. Located on the southern central area of Gyeongi-do province, Suwon is the largest self-governed cities in South Korea with the populations of 1.1 million. It has made a tremendous growth both in its life style and technological advancement in recent years.  Suwon cultural foundation is the organization to bring the city of Suwon to a level where the dreams of a role model city met with culture, traditions and advancement. For this purpose, the foundation wishes for the human cooperation for the high dignity and the beauty and wants to perform the emotional role to nature and advance the culture through resourceful cultural events.

Suwon cultural found is doing a great job by promoting the culture heritages of Suwon. For this purpose a communication network is developed by involving government, local people and foreign residents of Suwon with the assurance to share freedom without threshold beyond the insight and restrictions. It is one of the reasons that the SCF has recruited a number of foreigners as culture ambassadors who are currently residing in Korea to promote the culture heritage of Suwon city. This is a great effort by the SCF to spread fragrance of the culture and art widely among the people of Korea and abroad.

I am one of those who have this prestige to promote the Suwon city with my blogs. The other members included from China, Japan, Azerbaijan and Germany. They are Nihat Khalilzadi & Farhad Mayilov (Azerbaijan),Deelp Kumer, myself and Nasir Khan (Pakistan), Cindy Xinlain Yu & Hui  Li(China) and Mai Kodira& Miyo Tobisawa (Japan). We had an opening ceremony on 26^th April in which all the ambassadors are awarded with the honorary shields and letters of appointment. We had a nice discussion about the role and responsibilities of the culture ambassadors followed by enjoying the martial art show. This was my second experience watching this show but I enjoyed it like I am viewing it for the first time. We had a short tour of the Suwon Hwaseong palace and the guide provided us information about the history of the palace which was quite interesting. At the end of the tour we had a tasty Korean lunch with lots of foods for the vegetarians.

Duties of the SCF Ambassadors:

1-      Share Suwon culture, art and tourism information through their sns

2-      Participate in a complimentary Familiarization tour and write a review about it

3-      Participate as a guest reporter during festivals and events.

4-      Look for a place in Suwon that can be introduced to the people of your country.

The following benefits to their ambassadors.

1-      Free pass to Suwon Hwaseong Fortress –free for ambassador with a guest

2-      Enjoying every bit of Suwon

3-      Admissions to events hosted by Suwon city

4-      Best ambassador award and present

5-      Ambassador certificate

We had a good time, sharing their views and thoughts about how to cope with our responsibilities. The future planning was also discussed and a strategy was developed to cover the festivals, culture and tourism events. All the members dispersed after the meeting with the hope that every one of them will play their role to cope with the tasks.  

2014 Suwon Hwaseong Fortress Moonlight Tour [Buzz Korea]

Picture Curtsy: Suwon Culture foundation 

Suwon Hwaseong Fortress is one of the most attractive places of the Suwon. It is the culture heritage of Korea with remarkable history. This fortress is one of the oldest fortresses of Korea as it was constructed 200 years ago. However it is well maintained and people from all around the Korea including foreign tourists are attracted towards this ancient fortress.

Picture Curtsy: Suwon Culture foundation 

The Suwon culture foundation have recently done a great job by opening it to the local people and foreigner tourists to enjoy the amazing moonlight in specific nights of each month. When the moon is at full the romantic scenery of Suwon Hwaseong Fortress attract every single soul towards its traditional entertainment.

SCF have designed a special schedule and invites everyone who love culture, traditions, travel, photography and wanted to enjoy the cool nights with full moon in the hwaseong fortress.

Picture Curtsy: Suwon Culture foundation 

Directions: http://ehs.suwon.ne.kr/

Period: 2014. 5 ~ 10(20 front and back of half month of lunar calendar)
Time : 20:00~22:00(For November and October 19:30~21:30)

Category	June	July	August	November	October
Citizens’s day	10,11,12,13	10,11,12	8,9	5,6	3,4
Foreigners’s day	------	-------	10	7	5

Participants: 100
Target: over 8 years old
Fee: 20,000 won ※ Accompany Discount: 20% for purchase of over 20 people

Inquiries: Suwon Culture Foundation (+82-31-290-3612 / swcf_kr@swcf.or.kr)

Picture Curtsy: Suwon Culture foundation 

Picture Curtsy: Suwon Culture foundation 

Soraksan Hiking [Buzz Korea]

For pregnant Mothers [Buzz Korea]

Korea seems to be giving more relief to their  residence. There are a number of programs from the government which are very help[full to make the life of their residence more facilitated and easy. One of such efforts the government did is the Ko-oun Mom ( 고운맘) card. This card is issued to the pregnant mothers once their pregnancy is assured by hospital.
Usually the Hospital issued you a certificate after your second or third visit to the hospital. The things you need to prepared for this card are;
1- Hospital certificate.
2-National Health Insurance
3- Bank Account in any bank
4-Alien Card
.
Before applying for this card, you must have a national health insurance. You should  have your own insurance or can be dependent on your hubby. Moreover, You must have an account in any bank where your card would be issued. Don't worry if you don't have, you can just make one at the spot. The 3rd hing is the certificate which you can get from the hospital after confirmation that you are pregnant.

After getting the certificate from hospital, you can visit nearby bank with the above documents and they will apply on your behalf. You can get the card after a week or two. This card can only be used in the specified hospital for covering the health of mother like the blood or urine tests and routine check up, however it can not be used for any other purpose. It can also not be used for the baby health, vaccinations or medicine.
This card is only valid after 02 months of the baby birth.

Don't forget to take benefit of this card if you are planning to get a baby in Korea.

JYJ The People's Choice [Buzz Korea]

This blog is written to promote the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. Here is the link  http://blog.incheon2014ag.com/peoples-choice-jyj/

There are people that shin all the 365 days of year and they spent almost every minute busy in different activities, JYJ are one of those people. Always in the best contour they spend their whole time involving in different activities to create more opportunities for all those who love them. People wanted to see them in action throughout the year and that is why they can truly be called as, “The people’s Choice”. They are always appointed as the ambassadors of different world famous events because people wanted them to perform with their great deeds. It is the continuation of story of the success since 2010.

JYJ has been active as honorary ambassadors of numerous government-run projects as the ‘faces of Korea’ Along with Kim Yu-na, Park Ji Sung, Park Tae-Hwan and Edward Kwon, they were appointed to promote the 2010 G-20 Seoul Summit. They also served as honorary ambassadors for the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), World OKTA (World Overseas Korean Trader’s Association). They were also appointed as Honorary Ambassadors for Jeju Island’s campaign to be designated one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. With JYJ's help, the island was voted as one of the New Seven wonders of Nature by the New Seven Wonders committee. On behalf of the island, JYJ actively promoted internationally to help raise the profile of the island.

A video from JYJ performance in Vietnam.  http://youtu.be/kf0WxarG-xs

The craze of people for the JYJ increases every day and they are the trade mark of professionalism and success for every single event. They were the face of the “2011 Protecting Personal Identity Information Campaign” launched by Korea Communication Commission and the Korea Internet & Security Agency which was variously endorsed on print, radio, television, and cinema ads. JYJ performed at the first annual Asian Dream cup organized by ex-Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung’s Foundation on 15 June at a stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Their twosome personalities attracted the people towards the charity soccer match, in which JYJ's Kim Junsu , a soccer enthusiast and captain of the South Korean entertainer’s soccer club "FC Men" also played in. The amount obtained from this charity match was donated to support the youth of Vietnam in sports and culture development. JYJ was appointed as the goodwill ambassadors in August 2011 by the United Nations to create awareness among the Asian people against HIV/AIDS. JYJ performed at many events to promote alertness about HIV/AIDS and support efforts to end AIDS-related discrimination.

Since youth is always attached and motivated by the JYJ, they were nominated as outreach ambassadors for the Korean Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology in their struggles at enlightening online youth culture and “creating schools without violence and exclusion” in November 2011. JYJ spearheaded their "Mango Tree Project” in December 2011by working with World Vision and ELLE Korea to gift "mango trees of hope to children" in South Sudan.

The fame of JYJ remains on top since their entry to the field of music industry. They earn love and respect not only from Korea but all over from the world. Especially in Asia they are believed to be the most talented people. In February 2012, JYJ was selected as honorary ambassadors for the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit which was held in Seoul on March26/27. The welcoming ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Kim Hwang Sik. JYJ performed at a special concert offered by the First Lady at the Blue House   reception hall on the second day of the Summit for the spouses of the world leaders. JYJ has a great influence on promoting the Hallyu culture of Korean POP music and they are believed as the God father of K pop in Korea, Japan, Vietnam and other Asian country. On 17 October 2012, JYJ was appointed as the publicity ambassadors for the "2012 Korea Brand & Entertainment Expo" to uphold international business exchange between Korea & Japan.  JYJ love their fans and they always offered opportunities to meet their fans. On Nov16 they met 500 fans chosen from over 26,000 applications while performing in an expo opening ceremony in Osaka Japan.  Here is a link to the concert.

http://youtu.be/JPQsJW3CVz8

In 20 February 2013, JYJ was appointed as honorary ambassadors to help raise awareness for the 2014 Asian Games. They participated in producing a music video for the Asian Games and took on international promotional activities since then. They have visited Vietnam, Guangzhou, and the Philippines to promote the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.  In 03 September 2013, teaser of the official MV of 2014 Incheon Asian song 'Only One' by JYJ was released on YouTube. This video got a viral spread and is watched by millions of people around the globe. Here is a link to that song.

http://youtu.be/w9_NQoLXacw

0n 25 February 2013, JYJ was invited to perform at the Presidential Inauguration ceremony in front of 70,000 people. This inauguration was very special because Park Geun-hye was the first female president in Korea. JYJ was the only K-pop groups that being invited to sing at the president inauguration. In April 2013, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Council of Government Administration and Home Affairs Committee (Chairman Kim Yong beom) has approved the list of honorary citizens. The JYJ members were designated as the honorary citizens of Jeju for their assistances on raising awareness of the island. The members were also nominated as honorary citizens for their influence and ability to attract and raise foreign votes for the island on the Seven Wonders of Nature Campaign. JYJ has an amazing tour to Japan in October 2013 where they have some fabulous performances to spread joys and happiness among their lovers. In Nov 2013 they celebrate 100^th Anniversary media event in Boracay with 2014 Incheon Asian Games. They have Vietnam road show to promote 2014 Incheon Asian Games on Nov 21, 2013. They have attended the Guangzhou (China) road show in November 2013 and thus spread the message of Incheon Asian games 2014.

JYJ is a source of inspiration for the Korean youth. Their charismatic personality has an attraction towards the people of Asia. People love them and try to follow their moves. Their lovers wanted them to rule over the Kpop music the way there are doing.  Hope that 2014 will bring more fame  to the JYJ, as they are having more tight schedule being the ambassadors of 2014 Incheon Asian games. 

Colorful babies life in Korea [Buzz Korea]

Babies life in Korea is amazing. There are number of opportunities for the parents to make each and every moment of their babies a memorable for them. One of those is capturing the every single occasion and growth process with the eyes of camera.
You can found a lot of studios near by your residence who are offering a number of events to make it easy for you to decided where to capture your baby snaps. In my case i was referred to a studio by my hospital who offered a free picture at my baby birth day and after that on 50th day of my baby birth. However Korean  people celebrate the 100th days of their babies birth. Their is a believe about this concept that when Korea was not developed and it was hunger and poverty every where, a number of babies died with in the duration of 100 days after their birth because of the hunger. At that stage baby was believed to be live for long if he/she crossed the 100 days mark. It is therefore the Korean people celebrate 100 days as they still believes that after the Paek-il

(팩일) their babies will live long.

The person in charge of the Studio told me that since I am foreigner and I may go back to my country that is why they are offering me this opportunity at 50 days of my baby birth. However it was quite expensive. So I searched for some other studios and i was surprised to found a number of such shops nearby my home which were offering different options at much cheaper amounts. It was because of their events periods. I got one with 40% discount having 5 options, 4 for baby and one for my family. That was the most suitable for me in terms of the fee as i have to pay 130 Manwon.

It was really nice experience for me as in my country there is no such concept to capture the wonderful moves of my baby in such an adorable way. I was asked not to bring any clothes with baby as they have a lot of stuff according to their studio plan. All this process take one and half hour and they take more than 200 photos of my baby in different options/styles.

They also offered the editing of 50 best pictures and a frame pic for table of my home. Moreover they offered discount prices for my baby birth day pics. Ever body around me like all those pics , although a little expensive but those moments are saved forever. I heard there are some more option like they will cover all the auspicious moments of your baby all the way in first year after their birth by charging you 1 Million Korean won. So if you can afford it would be another excitement. In my case I just love it..:)