2011 Seoul Motor Show

- Date: 31 March (Thu) ~ 10 April (Sun), 11days for more information http://www.motorshow.or.kr/main.php
* Press Day: 31 March (Thu) 08:00~16:00
* Opening Day: 1 April (Fri) 11:00
* Open to Public’ Day: 1 April (Fri) 12:00~19:00/ 2 April (Sat)~ 10 April (Sun) 10:00~19:00

- Location: Kintex, Gyeonggi-do Ilsan

The 49th Gunhang Je, Changwon city

http://gunhang.changwon.go.kr/jsp/main/main.jsp

Jinhae Gunhang Je, which is also called cherry-blossom festival, has started since it had the statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin on Bukwon rotary and gave the memorial service on 13 April, 1952. After then, it became a spring festival including cultural arts festival, tour festival, and Folk Flea Market of eight provinces that people can enjoy them with beautiful cherry-blossom.

- Date : 1 April, 2011 (Fri)~ 10 April (Sun), for 10days
- Location : Jungwon Rotary, Gyeongsangnam-do Changwon

This is real! The world of natural dyes

On January 11, Maronie exhibition in Kyoto.

Gyeongnam Natural Dyeing Association in Korea held a six-day exhibition in Kyoto which is said to be a city of vivid traditional culture of Japan. Nine members of Gyeongnam Natural Dyeing Association introduced various kinds of natural dyeing products that were made with passion, which received favorite comments from not only Japanese but also the same industry. Let’s take a closer look at this globally recognized and beautiful field of natural dyeing.

< Gyeongbuk Natural Dyeing Association declared that it will become a Mecca of the natural dyeing after hosting ‘Symposium for the Vitalization of the Natural dyeing Industry’ last June.> (Photograph: Fashion Journal)

Natural dyes, the solution of Health and environment

In the Three Kingdom period, while the kings and nobles wore the silk costumes which were imported from China, commoners began to dress themselves with the naturally-dyed clothes. At the beginning, they used grass and polygonum indigo from mountains and fields for navy, persimmon for dark blue, and charcoal for black. In other words, Korean ancestors wear the nature colored clothes, which are different from the recent clothes with unnatural colors made of the artificial fibers and chemical compounds.

Actually, the naturally-dyed clothes do good to skin. Some clothes with chemical dyes cause an atopic dermatitis or other skin diseases to some children who have a delicate skin. However, considering the fact that natural dyes from vegetables are harmless to human and kill the harmful virus, it can be said that clothes save our health.

While the chemical dyes cause serious environmental problems with waste water in dyeing process, natural dyes reduce those damage, which can be said an environmental-friendly dyeing method. In addition, if we make clothes with natural dyes which are extracted from the plants that have unique ingredients or smells to protect them from the harmful insects or animals, it will also protect your body from those. As an example, some ancestors used polygonum indigo as a dyeing material from their knowledge that snakes dislike its smell. Their wisdom of life is just amazing!

< Exhibition of Gyeongnam Natural Dyeing Association in Kyoto. Muffler(left) by Lee Kyung-ran, representative and printed scarf by You Chang-ho, the chairman of the association> (Photograph: Fashion Journal)

Despite the time and hard work, considered a ‘Must Try’ among foreigners

Then, what is the process of making such a wonderful natural dye? The beautiful naturally-dyed cloth can be born only after passing through the 20 manual labor steps, such as boiling, drying, and adding mordant in it. Mordant is an ingredient which helps the color last longer. As it requires a long time and hard work, accordingly the costs rise and become more expensive than the artificial colored-one.

However, as the public interests on environmentally-friendly products increase, the ideas on those products are also rapidly changing. In particular, the experiencing event of natural-dyeing became very popular among foreigners. Moreover, many naturally-dyed clothes are being sold in Jongro area, including Insadong, where foreign visitors mostly visit, and the number of foreigners who come and try the events from a word of mouth also increases. It is said that every single Japanese tourist who is said to have a lot interests on beauty are also impressed with Korea’s naturally-dyed products. It shows that natural dyeing can be worth being one of the representative brands in Korea. That seems enough to enter the global market, considering the Kyoto exhibition which introduced naturally-dyed products at the first on the list.

Korean central government and local government which early saw the potentials have prepared the systematic supporting plan to step forward. Since when the natural dyeing industry was selected by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy as a nurturing business of the local government’s laboratory last 2008, the government finished the preparation to make Gyeongnam Natural Dyeing Association as a core center for natural dyeing industry, and now they are working on it for the development of the field. On the following, ‘Symposium for the Vitalization of the Natural dyeing Industry’ was held in June 2011, and the MOU with Daegu and Gyeongbuk fabric fashion Institute was embedded as well, which actively promotes the natural dyeing industry.

Indigo and dark blue, those colors make people relaxed. If we wear the naturally-dyed clothes, we can definitely say it is a well-being life. Now we all hope that Korea’s naturally-dyed products will actively pushing the overseas markets.

Fascinating Bicycle Trip

Fascinating Bicycle Trip Know Korea / Know Korea In spite of the landscapes you’ve seen many times while going to work, home, or other places on foot, by train or airplane, every time you will get a different impression according to which vehicle you are riding, and how you look at it. Of course, there is no need to tell that riding a bicycle is the perfect choice to enjoy this recent spring breeze. Then, how much do you know about the bicycle and how far have you traveled with it? Get ready to leave into the warm spring sunlight, if you don’t want to miss the beautiful landscapes of Korea! Pleasant playground for bicycle riders, Gwangnaru Bicycle Park ▲ Bicycle riders along the path in Gwangnaru bicycle park  Have you been to Gwangnaru Bicycle Park? It is a new park which has many facilities including the 124,000㎡(1,335 square feet) wide of bicycle racing stadium, a bicycle experiencing park, a bicycle training place for children, and a rail bike place. Especially, the racing stadium which placed the bumpy paths and other challenging obstacles is very popular among riders and manias who have special bicycles like Mountain bike (MTB) or Bicycle Motocross (BMX). Besides, you can try about 80 kinds of unique bicycles such as the one riding on square wheels, the one moving aside, the one that moves when lying on it and the one that a couple can drive facing each other, which is the first ‘Bicycle experiencing place’ in Korea. ‘Rail bike’ that is drawing a huge popularity in Jeongseon in Gangwon-do, Gokseong in Jeollanam-do is also open to public. Why don’t you have this exciting experience that will keep yourself out of the stuffy city! Location: 483-8 Cheonho 2dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul Holidays: every Monday Available hours: 09:00~18:00, (Nov~Feb) 10:00~17:00, (May~August) 09:00~19:00 Contact/Info.: 02-120 / Night time: 02-3780-0777 Memoir on ‘Nostalgia’ bicycle paths in OkCheon ▲ Bicycle riders on 200li(=49miles) long ‘nostalgia’ paths with full of forsythia in OkCheon While passing through the ‘Nostalgia’ bicycle paths in Okcheon, visitors can enjoy not only the beautiful Daecheong Lake but also the spirit of the poetry town where the pioneer of Korea’s modern poet and the writer of ‘Nostalgia’, Jeong Ji-yong was born. Why don’t you give a wonderful day-off to yourself to get out of the repeated routine and soak up the beautiful scenery of the countryside and its friendly atmosphere? Through the hiking course, ‘Nostalgia 100li(=24 miles)’, people can have a look at the overall shape of Korean peninsula from Mt. Dunjoo after visiting the birthplace of Jeong Ji-yong and the literary museum where people can still feel his spirit. It became very popular after being introduced by one of the famous TV programs in Korea, reality-variety show ‘1 night and 2 days’ show on the KBS2. The length of the course is about 82km (=132 miles) long, and it takes approximately five hours and a half to complete it. It includes smooth paths for beginners and unpaved roads and forest roads which are the favorites of intermediate and advanced mountain bikers and manias. Location: Okcheon-eub, Okcheon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do Contact/Info.: 043-730-3501~2 (Okcheon-gun Division of Culture and Tourism) All About Bicycle, Sangju Bicycle Museum  ▲ Unique Bicycles displayed in exhibit hall of Sangju Bicycle Museum No worries for those who cannot ride a bicycle! Sangju Bicycle Museum will give you the satisfaction. This museum, which focuses on bicycle for the first time in Korea, was established in Sangju which is famous for a number of bicycles and its citizens who enjoy riding them rather than cars on their way to school, work, home and even picnic. In this museum, which is called ‘the heaven of bicycle’ and ‘a school of bicycle’, you can take a whole look at everything about bicycle including its history, design, and so on. It introduces the history of bicycles through its 60 bicycles displayed in the exhibit hall and you will definitely enjoy the various experiencing halls about bicycles, including the souvenir shop. Sangju must be the wonderful place to remind you of all the happiness, heartbeat, other memories with lovers. Location : Ilwon San 3-4, Donam-dong, Sangju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Contact/Info.: 054-534-4973 Available Hour : Summer (April~ Oct) 09:00 ~ 18:00, Winter (Nov~March) 09:00 ~ 17:00 Holiday : every Monday (Tuesday applies when Monday is a National Holiday) Jan 1, Luna New Years day, Chuseok (Thanksgiving day of Korea), and other closing days by Sangju mayor Why don’t we go on the bicycle trip to every corner of Korea this coming Spring!