[KS] RAS-K Late-Winter Tours and Lecture on North Korea Today

David Mason mntnwolf at yahoo.com
Sun Mar 2 06:23:10 EST 2008


Upcoming Royal Asiatic Society - Korea activities of 
potential interest to Korea-Studiers:

Sat March 8th: Kiln Tour in Icheon City –  
One of our best "practical" tours!  A trip to the kilns 
of the masters to watch them create masterpieces from 
clay to celadon and porcelain in the Icheon area.  If 
time permits we will visit an onggi (kimchi jar) work-
shop on our way back.

Sun March 9th: Yeoju City Tour: Shilleuk-sa Temple,
Buddhist Art Museum, and King Sejong’s Tomb   
Today's tour is of Yeoju, famous for its traditional-
culture relics.  First, we will visit Shilleuk-sa, home 
of one of the few brick pagodas in Korea.  Then we will 
go to the Mok-ah Buddhist Museum of master-woodcarver 
Park Chan-soo.  Last, we will see the tomb of King 
Sejong, the greatest ruler of the Joseon Dynasty who 
sponsored the invention of Hangeul (Korean alphabet) 
and other cultural/scientific advancements.

Tuesday, March 11th:  RAS-K Lecture-Meeting, featuring 
Dr. Moon J. Pak (Biologist and MD, Chairman of the US-
DPRK Medical Science Exchange Committee and Vice-
president of the Korean-American National Coordinating 
Council)  speaking on "North Korea Today."  He will 
focus on the realities of contemporary North Korean 
society as he has experienced them, while refuting 
several common myths or misperceptions about it.  See 
the interesting description of this speech on our 
website for more.  7:30 pm in the 2nd-floor Resident's
Lounge of the Somerset Palace, Anguk-dong (just north 
of Jogye-sa), Seoul.  Free for RAS Members, w5000 
donation requested from others.

Sat-Sun March 15-16th: Inner Seorak-san Tour
A weekend spent enjoying the grand natural beauty of the
less-visited western region of South Korea's greatest
national park, Seorak-san.  On Saturday we’ll walk up 
a long beautiful Inner Seorak valley to the legendary 
Baekdam-sa (Hundred Pools Temple) and admire the scenic 
forests, steams and ridges. Then on Sunday, we’ll visit
the beautiful South Seorak area and hike to its best-
known waterfall (one of Korea's highest) and see former
President Rhee's retreat-home.

Sun March 16th: KTX Bullet Train Tour to Busan
This one-day round-trip trip takes us to Yongdu-san Park,
then the famously dynamic Jagalchi Fish market, Taejong-
dae coastal-cliffs Park, the UN Memorial Cemetery, the 
Busan City Museum and the bay of Haeun-dae, one of the 
most famous beaches of Korea.

Sat March 22: Major Temples of western Sobaek-san Tour
Despite the dramatic mountain scenery and the distinctive
natural features found here, there has been little
'development' in this national park, so it is still a 
relatively unspoiled retreat into nature.  We'll visit 
the charming Huibang-sa and the gigantic Guin-sa 
temples, while enjoying the early-spring scenery.

Sun March 23rd: Juwang-san National Park and Jusan
Reservoir Hike  — A special treat for movie fans - 
the Jusan Reservoir is the scenic location for the movie
"Spring, Summer Fall Winter and
Spring."  30 willow 
trees more than a century old decorate this ancient 
reservoir, giving it a mysterious vibe.  We’ll also 
tour other parts of this beautiful, fascinating and 
remote national park just east of Andong City.

Being a Member of the Royal Asiatic Society - Korea has
many benefits, including free attendance of interesting 
lectures, receiving newsletters of activities, discounts 
on great tours of Korea’s most beautiful and fascinating
places led by experts, discounts on books about all 
Korean subjects in English, and more.  Everyone involved 
with Korean Studies who speaks English would do well to 
join this 108-year-old scholarly organization.  For more
information, call 763-9483 in Seoul during business 
hours, write to raskb at kornet.net or visit our website 
http://www.raskb.com/




David A. Mason  
Professor of Korean Tourism, KyungHee University
Office #710, College of Hotel and Tourism Management
http://www.san-shin.org
Phone: 02-961-0852    Mobile: 011-9743-9753




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