Obama returns 9 royal seals to Korea (dojang).

Yesterday, Obama returned 9 Korean royal seals during his visit with President Park Geun-Hye. He then became the first US President to tour Gyeongbok Palace, the famed royal residence of the Joseon Dynasty. The Korean government has been making extra efforts to locate and recover missing cultural treasures in recent years.

Three of the seals were state seals and the other six were ceremonial seals. The three state seals were used directly by former kings of the Korean Empire and Joseon Dynasty. The Hwangjejibo seal, dating back to 1897, was used by King Gojong after establishing the first post-Joseon kingdom. It is known as the Seal of the Emperor.

452-Personal Seal453-Corporate Seal

Copyright shared with the The Korea Times. Visit their Culture section to see a complete list of ETLK articles.

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Korea has highest rate of accidents among developed countries.

According to the New York Times, 31,000 Koreans die each year of causes related to accidents (fires, car accidents,…). that’s the highest rate among OECD countries. Many things are done hastily and with an overly minimized-cost. From the tourists eyes, Seoul is a wonderful place to live. And it is. But there are many everyday safety concerns that the government needs to enforce – speeding public buses that run red lights to maintain schedules, delivery bikes that disobey traffic lights, drive on the sidewalk, and often on the wrong side of the road. The Sewol ferry boat accident is a heart breaking tragedy of what happens when safety is overlooked and unchecked by the government on a large scale. Continue reading

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Easy to Learn Korean 1013 – Oppa! (part two)

1013-Oppa 2 Continue reading

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Easy to Learn Korean 1012 – Oppa! (part one)

1012-Oppa 1 Continue reading

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Marriage rate falls for second year in Korea.

Marriages in South Korea are down for the second year in a row. The average age of men getting married is up to 32.2 and 29.6 for women. A total of 26,000 people were married in Korea last year. The number of mixed weddings between Koreans and foreigners is also down for the third year in a row .

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Easy to Learn Korean 1011 – Arbor Day.

1011-Arbor Day Continue reading

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Specialty cafes popping up around Seoul.

If you’re interested in specialty cafes that serve drinks and desserts beyond a latte and a bagel, check out this story at the Korea Times. The article has some great pictures too.

My favorite: green tea adzuki bean sherbet.

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