Superbowl 2011

I'd like to speak about the Super bowl today. Held yesterday in Dallas, this is one of the biggest sport event in the world With the Olympic games and the World cup of Soccer. What¨s the relation with Korea ? Well, as almost all the country in the world American football in Korea is not quite famous. However, it remains a sport (almost) well known thanks to broad casted program like the Super bowl. There is in Korea an american football Championship, including severeal clubs, and tenth of University team. At the end of the season, the best clubs meets the best university team, and play the "Kimchi Bowl"


Here are some links about american football :


http://kafa.org/
http://www.ifaf.info/
http://www.nfl.com/

Here is a Summary of the 45th Super bowl :

Super Bowl XLV was the 45th annual Super Bowl, the championship game of professional American football. The game decided the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2010 season, and was played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference(NFC) champion Green Bay Packers. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas on February 6, 2011. The Packers defeated the Steelers with a score of 31 to 25. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was named Super Bowl MVP, completing 24 of 39 passes for 303 yards and three touchdowns.

The 110,000 capacity Cowboys Stadium, completed on May 27, 2009, is the largest domed stadium in the world. As the new home of the Dallas Cowboys, it was the first time the Super Bowl was played in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, and the third time it was held in the state of Texas, with the city of Houston having hosted Super Bowl VIII andSuper Bowl XXXVIII previously. Per convention as an odd-numbered Super Bowl, the Packers as the NFC representatives had the home team designation, wearing green jerseys. The game was broadcast live on Fox. The National Anthem was sung byChristina Aguilera and the halftime show featured the American hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas.

Bukhansan

Bukhansan, or Bukhan Mountain, is a mountain on the north side of Seoul, South Korea. A significant section of Seoul is bordered by Bukhansan, which is a major landmark easily visible from most of the city.

The mountain is 836.5 meters above sea level. Its name means "north Han mountain," and refers to its location to the north of theHan River. It also is the marker for the Northern boundary of Joseon Seoul.

Bukhansan, and Bukhansan National Park of which it is a part, is a popular tourist attraction in the Seoul area. It is known as one of the preferred destinations for birdwatching and hiking in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Video

Here's an interesting and nice broadcast about Seoul =)

Military service in Korea

"Military service is an obligation for every Korean man whose body functions are not limited by any physical disabilities or whose mental status is not unstable or potentially dangerous. So that means, almost everybody. But just because it is mandatory for everyone, it doesn't mean that it's easy. 


It lates 2 years, and even after, Korean men have to do an annual  call up.

Then, what happens to a boy when they go to the army?

First, they have to quit school or work temporarily, and select a date on which they will go. They can also apply for special positions such as the Navy, the Air Force, or the augmentation troop to the USA army, but much depends on luck and most of them end up serving in the Army(600,000 soldiers nationwide). After the basic physical training of four weeks at one of the few training base camps, they are dispatched to their respective units where they will serve for the remainder of the period, which is also where they will meet their dreaded senior soldiers. Haha. And this is where it all really begins. There's a million different stories for a million different soldiers. Nobody experiences the same thing, but what's in common is that they learn to reallyappreciate they had before - school, work, family, girlfriends, friends, 'paid' part-time jobs, and more than anything else, 'free time'.

But the Korean Army is changing a lot recently, becoming a more democratic and open-minded environment for young soldiers to develop themselves as well as defend the country, and the salary has shown an incredible increase from something like 10 dollars a month when I was a private soldier first class to more then 40 dollars now. Isn't that amazing? :D

I'm writing this for those of you who are wondering about the miliary service in Korea and who might be thinking "why are all the soldiers so young and why do they have solittle discipline when I see them walking outside?" It's because they are having the time of their life, out on a paid leave to enjoy the best of their free time for anything from 2 days to 1 week"

(Cf: http://localkorea.blogspot.com/search/label/military%20service)


Here on the pictures is my Roomate : Baek in military uniform

Lantern Festival

Currently in Seoul is Held a Lantern Festival

This event is really beautiful, especially by night. You can see all along the Cheonggyechon stream. You can make your own lantern, also you can ask for a Guided tour. The lantern have signification related to the Korean History. In front of each lantern is indicated on a board what is that signification.

Lanterns symbolize hopes and wishes. Encouraging the hopes and dreams of Seoul’s people, Seoul will be a beacon of light shining on the future.

That Wonderfull Tea plantation

Tobias Kalleder's picture

Again, Korea is plenty of wonderful landscape.

Please enjoy that amazing view of a Korean tea plantation, added to this, a very bright sunlight which reflects on that green tea leaf.

The location of this place is at the south of Seoul, near Yulpo

G20

Korea is a country which opens to the world. What best opportunity for the "morning calm" country to host the G20?

"What is the G-20

The Group of Twenty (G-20) Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors was established in 1999 to bring together systemically important industrialized and developing economies to discuss key issues in the global economy. The inaugural meeting of the G-20 took place in Berlin, on December 15-16, 1999, hosted by German and Canadian finance ministers." (http://www.g20.org/about_what_is_g20.aspx)

What’s its Use ?

To tackle the financial and economic crisis that spread across the globe in 2008, the G20 members were called upon to further strengthen international cooperation. Accordingly, the G20 Summits have been held in Washington in 2008, and in London and Pittsburgh in 2009.

This summit will probably one of the most important international event in the Korean History. This will lead to an improved perception of Korea around the world and also allow Korean people to be more confident regarding their economic political influence.


The Summit will be hold the 11th and 12th of November, But you can find a more detailed schedule on this link :http://www.seoulsummit.kr/eng/goPage.g20?menu_seq=G20MENU00060&return_url=TOP01_SUB04