School Ladder System in Korea

The school ladder system integrates the vertical structure of schools, the advancement of students by grade, with the horizontal structure of education, which links schools to cooperate on meeting educational needs.

Korea has a single-track , 6-3-3-4 system that maintains a consistent progression through the school levels in order to ensure that every citizen can receive elementary, secondary, and tertiary education without discrimination. The single-track systems require six years in primary school, three years in middle school, three years in high school, and four years in college or university. Higher educational institutions include graduate schools, four –year colleges and universities, and two –or three-year colleges.

Prior to the modern education system, the Education Act, promulgated in 1949, stipulated six years of primary school, four years of middle school, and four years of high school or two years of normal schools were an alternative to general high schools, and they provided training in primary school education. The Act was revised I 950 to provide a uniform three years in high school and three years in normal school. When the Act was revised again just one year later, middle school education was reduced to three years, creating a single-track 6-3-3-4 school ladder system. In 1981, the newly inaugurated Fifth Republic increased schooling at teachers’ colleges from two to four years. In 1982, open universities were established for the first time.
All in all, Korea’s school system has maintained a single-track system under the umbrella of legislation of the Education Act and its amendments. Today, the standardization of curricula in primary and secondary education, the popularization of higher education, and the expansion of pre-school and lifelong education are international trends. Korea is responding to these changes by creating a more flexible, future –oriented school system.

Pre- School Education in Korea

Pre-school education was largely provided by religious, social, and other private organizations, until the Education Act provided a legal basis for early education in 1949. In 2004, the government enacted an Early Childhood Education Act to develop pre-schools independently from primary schools and secondary schools.

National, public, and private pre-schools provide courses to children from the ages three to five. The goal of the current early education curriculum is to provide an appropriate environment for nurturing children and promoting their development through various, enjoyable activities, utilizing diverse contents and innovative methods of instruction.

The Kindergarten curriculum developed by the state is composed of five “life domains”: health, society, expression, language, and exploration. Pre-school education has the following objectives:

1. Cultivate the daily habits necessary for physical and mental health


2. Provide basic education for everyday life, nurture social skills, and introduce Korean history and culture

3. Provide experiences that stimulate creative thought and expression

4. Improve basic communication skills through unique experiences


5. Help students develop the ability to reflect upon the problems of everyday life and appreciate nature



As of April 1, 2007, 37 percent (56 percent, if based on five-year-old children) of pre-school age children attended 8,294 kindergartens and nursery schools nationwide. In order to provide pre-school educational opportunities to children of low-income families, the government began to adopt the following series of measures:



1. Financial aid for pre-school to low income families starting from September of 1999

2. Free tuition to five-year-old children from 2002

3. Differential tuition aid to three-and four-year-old children starting from 2004, and support to families with two or more children attending nursery school or pre-school starting from 2005.

In order to improve the quality of pre-school education, the government annually develops free teaching materials and distributes them to pre-schools nationwide. These materials are separated into three or four types: guidelines for teachers, books for children, guidelines for parents, and supplementary materials for the general public. In 2007, as part of an educational welfare policy, the government developed educational programs to bridge the gap in learning and development between those children who are beneficiaries of educational institutes and those who are not. In 2008, the government offered these programs at pre-schools nationwide.
In addition, annual evaluation of pre-schools will bee performed from 2008 to 2010 to understand and assist the operations of early-education schools.

Teachers’ Training System in Korea

In Korea, many institutes offer teacher education: universities of education, colleges of education, general colleges and universities, junior colleges, the Korea National Open University (a broadcast and correspondence university), and graduate schools of education.
Junior colleges and universities of education train most of the kindergarten teachers and primary school teachers, respectively, whereas ordinary colleges and universities teach most secondary school teachers. More than 50,000 prospective teachers are trained annually (Education in Korea, 2009).

• Primary School Teachers

Universities of education and the departments of primary education at the Korea National University of Education and Ewha Women’s University train most primary school teachers. Around 6,000 primary school teachers are currently receiving training at 11 national universities of education. The primary education departments of Korea National University and Ewha Women’s University produce 210 instructors per year. Korea National University of Education changed from being a two year educational institute to a four-year university in 1981, and all other educational colleges followed suit in 1984. Graduate of these universities receive a bachelor’s degree.

• Secondary School Teachers

While secondary school teachers are mainly taught at teachers colleges, they are also trained in departments of education or teacher training courses at ordinary universities and graduate schools of education. Temporary teacher training centers were once operated to meet the teacher shortage. Today, teachers are only trained through regular school curricula.

A total of 13 national and 28 private colleges of education and general universities produce around 15,000 prospective teachers annually. About 5,000 teachers are also trained at graduate schools of education with the purpose of providing in-service training to teachers. Teacher training courses are also available at 2,913 departments of 152 general universities that produce about 10,000 prospective teachers each year.

College of education require a total of 130-150 credits for graduation, 20 percent of which must be in liberal arts, 60 percent in the major subject, and the remaining 20 percent in electives. The major subject course study requires subject study, subject teaching, general education, and a teaching practicum. Teacher certificates are awarded to graduates upon completion of certain courses of study as prescribed by the Primary and Secondary Education Act and the Education Qualification Inspection Ordinance. Prospective teachers are not required to take an examination to obtain a teacher certificate.

However, public school teachers must take a teacher qualification examination, administrated by metropolitan/provincial offers of education, to be appointed to a school. Private schools selected teachers using their own application processes. The examination for public school teachers is three-tired. The primary examination is a written test on pedagogy (20%) and the chosen subject (80%). The second part of the test is an essay writing portion, and third section consists of a practical test, an aptitude test, and an in-depth interview.

Education for the Gifted Children in Korea

Education for the gifted was established not only to respond to the globalized diversified society of the 21st century, but also to develop human resources and guarantee equal opportunity to education that meets the student’s aptitudes and needs, as prescribed by the Constitution of the Republic of Korea. In 2000, the Gifted Students Education Promotion Act set a legal foundation for the education of gifted students and in March of 2002, Education for gifted students was implemented nationwide. The purpose of this program is to help individual students realize their potential and use their talents to build a stronger nation. As of 2008, one school for gifted students and 265 education centers for the gifted were under operation, and 580 classes for the gifted were offered at primary and secondary schools.

Educational institutions for gifted students are divided into schools, special classes, and education centers for the gifted. The institutional arrangements in support of gifted student education include the above-mentioned Gifted Students Education Promotion Act, the gifted Students Education Promotion Committee, and education centers for the gifted. Elementary, middle, and higher schools provide classes for the gifted students. Education centers also offer classes to gifted students.

In 2009, Seoul Science High School is expected to be converted into a school for the gifted. The Primary and Middle School Education Act and the Gifted Education Act designed specialized high schools and other schools for the gifted. As of 2008, about 50,000, or 0.72 percent of elementary and middle school students participated in education for the gifted (Education in Korea, 2009). In 2005, a program was undertaken to identify and educate the gifted children of socioeconomically underprivileged people. Since then, more than 1800 students have joined the program. Unlike applicants for education centers or classes for the gifted, these candidates were selected through critical thinking tests and not subject-oriented test. They were also offered a separate education program.

While the gifted program originally focused on math and science, it gradually expanded to cover informatics, arts, physical education, creative writing, humanities, and social science. It led to the establishment of the Korean National Institute for the Gifted in Arts in September 2008, with the support of government funding. Teachers undergo basic training (60 hours), advanced training (120 hours), and overseas training (60 hours) to acquire the skills necessary for teaching gifted children. The Korea Educational Development Institute (KEDI) and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), designated as the national research centers for the gifted, conduct research on and develop pedagogy for gifted children.

Women's Resources Development Policy of Korea

The working -age population in Korea has decreased due to the country's low birthrate and aging population. This situation now threatens to lower the nation's potential economic growth rate. Therefore, it is urgent to encourage women's participation in economic activities in order to increase the working-age population. Major advanced countries showed that the rate of women's participation in economic activities rapidly increased, at more than 9 percent on average, in the period when their respective per capita GDPs rose from $10,000 to $20,000. In Korea, however, the rate of women's participation in economic has been stalled at the 50 to the 54 percent range (54.8% in 2007) since 1995, which is 6.3 percent lower than the current average rate of female participation in all OECD countries (61.1 percent).

The Basic Education Act, revised in 2002, included the first provisions for the " Promotion of Gender Equality Education." It promotes the establishment and implementation of the policies on gender equality at the central and local government levels. As a result, gender equality is increasing in education. For example, women are now receiving more years of formal education on average than men.

The ministry expects that by 2012, the percentage of women between 25 and 34 years of age who graduate from universities or colleges will be 49.4%, compared to 43.9% for men (Education in Korea, 2009). These statistics suggest the growth of female human resources through higher education and the development of diverse skills.

Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) has initiated a variety of projects to promote the development and employment of female human resources. To promote gender equality in faculty employment, every three years, national and public universities are required t establish and implement respective employment plans that specify the target ratio of women professors to male professors at each university.

Plans are being implemented to increase the ratio of women to men in school principal and vice-principal positions to 20 percent by 2010, and 30 percent by 2015. Local education authorities are also advised to take appropriate measures to increase the number of women among newly elected superintendents of education, professionals, and teachers in administrative positions.

A Great Experience to Visit Donggureung Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty and Dasanchodang

The 25th of September was a nice and interesting day for me. On that day we, the bloggers folks, gathered for the second times. It was organized by Presidential Council on National Branding (PCNB). We were scheduled to meet at 9 am in PCNB office located near Euljiro 3 ga Station. Indeed, it is not far from my place, which is Hyehwa. Yet I was little bit worried whether I could wake up very early or not. I do not wake up early these days, as I do not have any class in this semester, only thesis is left for my course. However, there are always early-raiser friends whom you can ask for help in special days. I used this opportunity and asked one of my friends to wake me up from my sweet dreams. Probably because I was excited, I woke up at 7 am by myself before my friend called me. After getting up, I took one hour to get ready as I had Yaksuk (commitment) to meet other blogger friends, Jaad, Claudia, Ivonne at 8 am in front of our dormitory.

After a long time, getting up in the morning, I felt that I am going to Kyung Hee University to attend my language class as I used to do two years ago almost everyday. However, this day was nice and exciting for me as I was going to visit some historical places with some nice friends. And most importantly “I do not need to pay” for it. Although I had some work that day, but I did not want deprive myself from getting such kind of nice experience.
After meeting with my other friends in front of the dormitory, we started to walk towards Hyehwa subway station to catch subway, a daily company of mine, to go to PCNB office. We were able to enter into the PCNB office before 9 am. We spent some time to find the building of PCNB office even though the officials of PCNB sent us clear map how to go there. As soon as we entered into the seminar room of PCNB, Mr Wonkyu lm told me Woh Ajumma (Married woman). This is because at the first program of PCNB, I sang an Ajumma song. After that, the people of PCNB remembered me as Ajumma and unfortunate enough they think that I like only Ajumma but I told several times them that I like Agassi (Young girl). I think that PCNB officials are not going to forget me because of this Ajumma song. Anyway, if I get any other opportunity to sing I would not mind to sing Ajumma song again. I love this song.

After sitting in the seminar room of PCNB for a while, some staff distributed us photographs of the last tour along with sandwiches and drinks. I was happier to get some food than getting photographs. It always feels nice when someone offers me free meal. I was a little bit hungry. So, I did not take much time to finish my sandwich and drink. Yummy Yummy…. Actually, when I feel hungry, I cannot concentrate in other things. After full stomach, I can give full concentration for everything, even skydiving, for example. My stomach and concentration is interrelated. However, after satisfying my stomach, with full concentration I started to listen as a very obedient blogger to every single words of Mr. Wonkyu lm, who was explaining about the tour of the day.

Not many people were able to join at that day tour, may be because of the program held in a weekday. Mr. Wonkyu lm started to explain about our day tour by asking the question, “What is history? What can we learn from the History?” He also asked me this question. I gave my opinion. Anyway, I do not know whether he likes my opinion or not. After getting opinions form us, he turns on the projector and gave us some information about visiting spots indicating to projector screen. Actually, I always like the taste of ancient and historical places. When I heard that we are going to visit some historical places, I told myself “Woh Great”. After a short orientation of the program, we started our day tour around 10 a.m. But we had to wait inside the bus about 15 minutes as one of our friends from Myanmar, could not able to find PCNB office in the scheduled time. Our bus started to run towards Donggureung as soon as our friend arrived.

It took 40 minutes only from the PCNB office to Donggureung, where many royal tombs of Joseon Dynasty are located. When we reached in Donggureung, a guide gave us some information about the place at a glance. And then we entered into the royal tombs of the Jaseon Dynasty. As soon as passing through the gate, I felt I went back to the Jaseon dynasty era and as if I were one of the big officials of Joseon Dynasty. It was nice to see such kind of dream. At that moment, all our friends were looking very curious and taking photographs of the every part of the royal tombs.

The Royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty are a group of tombs of members of the Korean Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The tombs have been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2009. Joseon-era royal tombs followed the guidelines outlined in Chinese Confucian texts, such as the Book of Rites (Li Ji) and the Rites of Zhou (Zhou Li). Many factors went into consideration when deciding the location of a tomb, such as the distance from Hanyang, the distance in relation to other royal tombs, the accessibility of the location, and Korean traditions of pungsu (geomancy). The tomb construction also took into account traditional burial rituals of Korea and the natural environment. This cluster of tombs represents the best sample of royal family group tombs from the Joseon Dynasty. Seven kings and ten queens are interred in nine Neung-type tombs. Famous tombs in this group include the Geonwolleung tomb for King Taejo, the founder of the Joseon Dynasty.

The tomb of the King Taejo has some special features, for example; the king tomb is made such a way that the people cannot see the tomb from near. They need to keep some distances from the tomb to see it. Our guide was describing us how to show respect to the king. Two of our friends attended in demonstration session to show us how to go to the king tomb. I could not resist myself to join that demonstration session with my friends. Our guide told us that there are two paths to go to the tomb of the king. We used the path which is for general people like us. There is a small room just right side on the way to go to the king tomb where there are two stones, one is six hundreds years and another one nineteen hundreds years to respect the king.

Most of our friends tried to take photos of those two ancient stones and the tomb of the King Taejo. One of our Brazilian friends, Agatha was very busy in taking photos from different angles and was curious to know about everything related with the place even though the age of the trees. I was also motivated to know everything to see her.

After experiencing the royal tombs of the Joseon Dynasty, we started our journey for another exciting experience to the Dasan Chodang. It took 40 minutes to go there from Donggureung. After walking and preserving all kind of knowledge into our short term memory, the neuron of the brain which is responsible for hungriness, was reminding us that our stomach want some food. I think that the driver realized our situation and he stopped the bus just in front of a nice restaurant in Dasan Chodang. As I was very hungry (I think that it is my problem, always I feel hungry), I just jumped over to the food. I did not feel shy to take two plates of rice and ordered more fishes for me. After fulfill my stomach we started our main vision, which is visiting Dasanchodang to look around the Jeong Yak-Yong or Dasan’s valuable work.

Jeong Yak-yong, also Jeong Yag-yong or Dasan (1762–1836), was a leading Korean religious philosopher during the Joseon Dynasty. He is commonly regarded as the greatest of the Silhak thinkers, who advocated that the formalist Neo- Confucian religious philosophy of Joseon return to practical concerns. Jeong Yag-yong and his brothers were also among the earliest Korean converts to Roman Catholicism.

Jeong is known above all for his work in synthesizing the Neo-Confucian thought of middle Joseon. In the process, he wrote widely in fields including law, political theory, and the Confucian Classics. He sought to return Confucian scholarship to a direct connection with the original thought of Confucius. He called this return to the classics "Susa" learning, a reference to the two rivers that flowed through Confucius' homeland.

Dasanchodang is a little thatched cottage where Jeong Yag-yong lived for 10 years of his banishment. It is at the foot of the Manduk Mountain, which has a nickname, ‘Dasan’ from which he derived his pen name. In this place, he devoted himself to studying and teaching young students. Moreover, he wrote more than 500 books including Mokminsimseo which provided guidelines for local officials to govern people.

Dasanchodang consists of three buildings. ‘Chodang’ the largest building, where Jeong Yak-yong lived, is located at the center. Seoam (the west hermitage) and Dongam (the east hermitage) stand on its left and right sides, respectively. Seoam is the building where his students stayed and Dongam is the place where Dasan used to reside and wrote his books. Originally, the three buildings were thatch-roofed houses but they were restored and changed to tiled-roofed houses in 1970. I could feel how he lived and his strong passion for study even though some parts of the place and cottages had changed with time.

Around Dasanchodang, there are four major spots related to Dasan. Dajo is a wide rock on which he made tea and drank it. As he loved tea, he chose ‘Dasan’, which means ‘tea tree hill’, for a pen name. Next to Dajo, there are Yeonjiseokgasan, a small pond with a heap of stones. At that time, he mobilized workmen and created ‘Seokgasan’, a three-story heap of stones around the pond.

It was more beautiful than a real mountain and got the name Yeonjiseokgasan. Then, climbing up between two houses, Seoam and Chodang, I saw a huge rock named Jeongseok Rock. Dasan inscribed his surname ‘Jeong’ on the rock just before returning to Seoul. This rock is a little high off the ground, but it’s worth the climb.

As I drew closer its message became clear to me. It symbolizes his upright personality and firm resolution not to be daunted by political hardships and to live for social reform. ‘Live right and frankly,’ that is Dasan’s message to us all.

Finally, we visited the Dasan Legacy Museum where Dasan’s undisclosed articles were exhibited during the Gangjin celadon Porcelain Festival. It was a great experience for me. Many people visited there, became interested in Dasan and began to see him as one of Korea’s most prominent scholars. In addition, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism selected the banishment road of Dasan Jeong Yak-yong for one of the country’s road restoration projects. They have chosen roads with culture, history and nature to give people a historic and meaningful message. As Dasan’s articles and his road were chosen by the ministry for their project, we could see that they are more than just relics of one person’s banishment.

Walking along the road Dasan, I could feel his strong spirit and desire to live a clear and meaningful life. He used hardship to improve himself. In these aspects, Dasan is worthy of our respect and I think people have to visit there and recognize them. Sometimes when we face hardship we complain that we can’t endure it, because of our poor environment and arduous work. That is not true. It is because of the way we think, our inner mind. I was very surprised to observe his work and knowing about him. How much this noble guy was devoted to his work and what am I doing? Writing my thesis only I am getting tired.

Anyway, after visiting the exhibition hall, it was time to return to Seoul according to our schedule. Before leaving Dasanchodang, our PCNB officials did not forget to present a small gift to our guide who gave us a lot of valuable information about Dasan what if we can follow one-third in our life, I am sure that our next generation will never forget us. This tour could successfully teach me what we learn from the History.

Cross-Cultural Awareness Program (CCAP) in Korea

At no other time in the history of the world has there been such a need for intercultural education. As globalization and technology bring people closer together day-by-day, cross-cultural awareness is becoming essential to peaceful human co-existence. Recognizing the importance of mutual understanding among different people, CCAP, organized by the Korean National Commission for UNESCO and supported by the Ministry of Education & Human Resources Development, has been introducing a diversity of cultures from around the world to Korean youth since 1998. CCAP is designed to be a participatory process that augments education for international understanding in schools nationwide and promotes a culture of tolerance and mutual respect.

CCAP Regular Class is the central activity of the CCAP. In this program, foreign residents in Korea are invited to share their culture with Korean youths. Normally assisted by Korean Interpretation Volunteers (KIVs), foreigners act as Cultural Exchange Volunteers (CEVs) to provide an animated lecture about their home country for an hour or two at the school. While some deliver three or more lectures a month, once or twice is the norm. Depending on the children’s age and in interests, volunteers may elect to teach a folk song or dance, cook a traditional dish, or even introduce their own family through snapshots. Volunteers avail themselves of such props as videotapes, flags and traditional games and clothes that KNCY stores in the CCAP Resource Room at its Myeong-dong office. Anyone, regardless of age, sex, religion or country of origin, can participate in the program as a volunteer. By involving themselves in this unique and exciting endeavor, all participants are able to deepen their understanding of each other and broaden their commitment to a culture of tolerance and mutual respect.

In addition to the regular CCAP classes, CCAP Caravan teams are sent to schools in remote areas where students have little or no exposure to diverse foreign cultures. Consisting of six to eight CEVs and KIVs each, the caravan teams take weekend trips and offer class environment interactions in which foreign volunteers present their culture to students. The teams also have student Q & A sessions and a one-night stopover with Korean families allowing both sides to further share cultural experiences. This program not only benefits all students of the chosen schools, but also provides foreign volunteers with a chance to experience rural Korean culture, go sight seeing off the beaten track, and make friends with fellow volunteers.
If you love to teach and want to share your culture with Korean kids, then, why not to click here http://ccap.unesco.or.kr and go to the next class. May be, we can see each other there……...

Daehakno Street, Hyehwa Station Exit- 2 and Bus-273 - My Daily Life

I do not have any remorse being a residence of Daehakno for three years even though I am walking on the same street, passing the same subway station, Hyehwa and going to school by the same bus 273 from the beginning of arrival in Korea everyday. It has been long time I am living at the same place, International house I in Daehakno. Actually, Daehakno, known as the street for young people, is the former location of Seoul National University. Since the 1980s, many play theaters started moving to Daehakno, and gradually it turned into a cultural center. Soon live-cafes, movie theaters, regular cafes and pubs came as well, and it grew up as an entertainment district. Its popularity is still maintained by famous small theaters such as Parangsae (Blue Bird) Theater and Hakjeong Theater, and some 30 additional theaters concentrated here contributing to Daehakno. Thereby, it became the root of performance art in Korea. It is very common to see on every weakened, couple and friends meet in front of the Hyehwa subway station.

The center of Daehakno, Marronnier Park, has frequent live performances or dance performances by the young people. For the same reason Daehakno is called the “Play Mecca” or “Young Street” as well. Many parents come with their little children to spend time in the park too. I like to go for a walk around that park very often as I have to pass this park on the way of dormitory everyday and it is not far (only 3 or 5 minutes walking distance) form my dormitory too. Another place, which is related with my daily life, is Hyehwa Subway Station. If I go out, often I use subway even though sometimes it’s much crowed, especially on the weekend. But when I go to my university, it’s much convenient for me to go there by bus. Bus number-273 is another of my daily companions. One of my language teachers told that the most beautiful girls travel in the bus number 273, but I was shocked when I could not find any difference between those travelling by 273 and other buses. However, it takes only 20 minutes from my dormitory to go to my university, which should be a more important significance of bus 273.

Koran people have tendency to change their business very often. That’s why; often I get confused to visit the same place. Actually I target any shop near by the place as an indication to find that place again easily but when I go another time, I cannot find that shop. It makes me really puzzled in front of my friends. My Daehakno street is not beyond this group but my bus 273 always stops in the same place and Hyewa station, exit 2, is at the same place.

Another reason Daehakno became so popular among young people are the various interesting sights and foods to be found here. Many restaurants, fast food joints, cafes, and bars are concentrated here, making it convenient for people to find something to do after plays and live-performances. Each restaurant is famous for some special dishes. Sometimes we like to say among our friends “Let’s go to Thakkhalbi place or How about Chimthak place” etc. One of favorite dishes is 닭갈비(Thak khalbi), a kind of delicious dish with chicken, potatoes and noodles. And I like to go to a restaurant near my dormitory where I can eat Chimtak. It’s also kind of dish with chicken, potatoes and noodles. Actually I like chicken and potatoes very much. One of my friends always make jokes with me “Hey Jamali , have you bought potatoes and chicken again?”. By the way, I do not like to cook often, as I do not like dish washing. Another reason for this is the kitchen situated in the opposite corner of a long corridor from my room. I get really tired to come and go with my stuff from my room to kitchen. Anyway, sometimes I have to cook for myself and for my friends too. I do not like to eat alone. By the way, I forgot to tell my favorite dish’s name. It is “Shabu Shabu”, a very delicious food with vegetables and meat. Long time, I do not eat this dish, as I need some partners to go to Shabu Shabu place. I have to search who likes to eat Shabu Shabu among our new friends, then I can go to eat my favorite dish, Yummy Yummy…..

Besides many nice sikdangs (Restaurants in English), there are some nice bar and coffee shops such as Basquite where every Sunday night, they arrange some jazz show and also Comfort Zone, where I can play dart. One time, our dormitory friends used to go their often as we were crazy for darts but I do not go often now as some of my friends left. Once I played in the dart competition in the Seoul. My performance was chugum ( in Korean “ a little bit” ) OK.

There are some marts like Lucky Mart, Naim Mart in the Daehakno where I can buy my daily stuff at cheaper rates. Most of the shops open until mid night even though some shops are 24 hours such as GS25, Family Mart. However, my dormitory door gets closed at 1 am. This is the only negative side of my dormitory; otherwise I like my dormitory very much.

Daehakno Street is arranged by many nice sculptures, which make this street more artistic and attractive to the people. Its unique atmosphere and space continues to be beloved by many young people. If you have some leisure time, then, don’t be deceived from this artistic atmosphere and let’s meet Hyehwa Subway Station Exit 2, in front of the Marronnier Park.

১৫ই আগষ্ট, কোরিয়াতে অবস্থিত বাংলাদেশ এম্বাসীতে একদিন

গত মাসের ১৫ তারিখ (আগষ্ট) ছিল বাংলার ইতিহাসে এক কলংকিত দিন কেননা এই দিনে ১৯৭৫ সালে শহীদ হয়েছিলেন শেখ মুজিবুর রহমানসহ তার পরিবারবর্গ। আর তাই বাংলাদেশে এই দিন জাতীয় ছুটির দিন হিসেবে গণ্য করা হয়ে থাকে। বাংলাদেশের সাধীনতা অর্জনের ক্ষেত্রে যে মানুষটির নাম উচ্চারণ না করলেই না, তিনি হচ্ছেন শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান। বাংলাদেশে ২টি পার্টির একটির নেতৃতে ছিলেন এই নেতা। যাইহোক,পার্টি নির্বাচনের ক্ষেত্রে, একেকজনের একেক মত থাকতে পারে কিনতু, মুক্তিযুদ্ধে শেখ মুজুবুর রহমানের ভূমিকা কেউ অসীকার করতে পারবে না।

১৫ই আগষ্ট উপলক্ষে কোরিয়ায় অবস্থিত বাংলাদেশ এম্বাসী যথারীতি ছোট্র পরিসরে একটি অনুষ্ঠানের আয়োজন করেছিল। সৌভাগ্যক্রমে আমি সেখানে একজন আমন্ত্রিত অতিথী হিসেবে উপস্থিত ছিলাম। আমি মোটামোটি এম্বাসীর সবাইকে চিনি এবং আমার সাথে সবারই বেশ ভাল একটা সম্পর্ক রয়েছে। তাই তারা যে কোন অনুষ্ঠানে আমাকে দাওয়াত দিতে ভুল করে না। আমি যথারীতি দাওয়াত পেয়ে বেশ খুশিই হয়েছিলাম যে, যাক অনেকদিন পরে ভালমন্দ কিছু খাওয়া যাবে। যাই হোক, ১৫ই আগষ্ট সকালে লুনা, মহিলা এবং আমি সকালে এম্বাসীতে গিয়ে হাজির হলাম। সেইদিন আমি পাঞ্জাবী পরেছিলাম। সাধারণত যেকোন বাংলাদেশী অনুষ্ঠানে আমি গেলেই সেই পাঞ্জাবী পরে যাই। যথারীতি জাতীয় সঙ্গীতের মাধ্যমে অনুষ্ঠান শুরু হল। তারপর শুরু হল বক্তৃতার পালা।

যথারীতি আমাকে বক্তৃতা দেয়ার জন্য অনুরোধ করা হোল। সাধারণত আমি বক্তৃতা দিতে পছন্দ করি না। আমাকে গান গেতে বলা হলে আমি গেতে পারি, নো প্রব্লেম। যাইহোক আমি ছোটখাট একটা বক্তৃতা দিয়ে দিলাম। সবাই দেখলাম ভালই হাততালি দিল। আমি অপেক্ষা করছিলাম কখন বক্তৃতার পালা শেষ হবে, কেননা আমি আগেই জেনেছিলাম, বক্তৃতা পর্বের পরেই ভালমন্দ খাওয়ার ব্যবস্থা করা হয়েছে। ১ ঘন্টা পরেই খাবারের জন্য উপরে ডাকা হলো। ভুনা খিচুরি, সেই সাথে মুরগির ভুনা (গরুর ভুনা হলে আরও ভাল হত), ডিমের তরকারী, সালাদ, আবার সেই সাথে পায়েশ দেখে জিভে পানি না এসে উপায় ছিলনা। যাইহোক, খাবার দেখে খাবারের উপরে ঝাপিয়ে পরার মত অবস্থা। কোন রকমে নিজেকে নিয়ন্ত্রণ করলাম অসভ্য আচরণ থেকে। বেশ গাপুতগুপুত করে ২-৩ প্লেট খেয়ে ফেললাম। লুনা বারবার বলতে ছিল, হে জামালী বেশ দেখি টানছো। যাইহোক, কারো কথা তোয়াক্কা না করে, আমি আমার মত যত পারি, টানতে লাগলাম। অবশেষে খাবারের পালা শেষ হলো। আমি এর মধ্যে রাত্রে যদি খেতে না হয়, শেই পর্যন্ত খেয়ে নিয়েছিলাম। যাই হোক খাবার পালা শেষ হবার পরে ঘরে যাবার সময় হোল। রুমে আসার সাথে সাথে ভারি একটা ঘুম দিতে মোটেও দেরি হল না। আবার কবে এম্বাসী থেকে ফোন আসবে............... আর একটু ভালমন্দ খাওয়া .........।। অহ ইয়াম্মী ইয়াম্মী...........সেই অপেক্ষায় আছি।

The First Performance in Korea

It was September 2006, a new experience in my life. First time introducing with Kyung Hee University, a beautiful campus surroundings different kinds of trees but not very common to me. Anyway, it was very nice to see different people form different countries too. I did not have chance to meet a lot of other country's friends before. I had some colleagues from Canada, that's all.

As a Korean Government Scholar, we had requirement to learn 6 month language course in Kyung Hee International Language institute before starts our graduation course. It was my first time introducing with Korean alphabet. I was a little bit scared to see this alphabet first time as it is totally different than Bangla alphabet. I did not how it looks like before but I saw many signboard written different strange alphabets on the street when I was coming from Airport to my dormitory by Limousine. I got similarities with those alphabets.

Anyway, It was very nice feeling for me to have chance to introduce with Korean letter. It did not take much time to learn to read and to write, might be, four or five days. It's really easier than Bangla alphabet. If someone wants to learn how to read and to write Bangla, I think that he/she needs at least 15 days if he/she studies hard (Youlshimhi -in Korean). Since I did not learn Korean before, that is why, I started it from the beginning class. I think that I was the second worst students (unfortunately, one of my friends was in front of me) in my class. I tried my best not to be the last one.

At the end of the September, it was annual song competition of the Kyung Hee University. I applied for that competition even though I did not know any Korean words except Anneng Haseyo (Hi ..in Korean). I was shocked when the committee of that competition told me that they would not accept any foreigners in this time but they offered me to sing a Bangla song as a special guest. I was little bit scared by getting offer as a special guest even though I had many performance experiences in my country. I am not nervous at all to perform. Without any words, I accepted their offer. They requested me to wear some traditional dress of Bangladesh. Fortunately, I brought one Panjabi (kind of traditional dress of Bangladesh). After getting offer from them, I was waiting for that exciting day. One day It came. I entered into a big auditorium inside the Kyung Hee university at 6 pm. I was a little bit scared to see that big auditorium where I have to perform. However, it was empty. The song committee took my voice taste and told me OK.... good... Be ready Jamali........

The main program was started around 7:30 pm. The student from different departments was singing their songs one by one. I was waiting for my session. Anyway, I did not understand any songs as all of those are Korean. I just understood Sarang Hey (Love - in Korean). One time, my turn came to go to stage. The announcer told something about me, I did not understand anything except my name. I entered into the stage with my curious eyes, just looked over the audience. I tried to search, If any Bangladeshi friends there. Unfortunately, there were not any Bangladeshi friends except my two classmates, Ivone from Norway and Joey from Australia. They started to scream by my name when I entered into the audience. Anyway, I gave some greetings to the audience and introduced myself in Korean what my friends taught me and then translate in English again (By chance, If they do not understand my beautiful Korean).

The audience were astonished to see such black guy like me among all of the white people. I started to sing my song named " Amar Har Kala Korlam Re". It is one of the famous Bangla folk songs. I sang several times this song in Bangladesh even though it is not my favorite song. However, I heard some clapping during my singing period. Actually, this song is a little bit hard to sing for beginner singer, might be, some of them understood it as the music notes are same all over the world. Anyway, they asked for another song after finishing the first one but no time.... It was one of my memorable days in Korea. Really, I enjoyed that night. Thus, I finished my first performance in Korea with a great love from audience of Kyung Hee University.................

Miss Kyung Hee....

Insadong, My Favorite Walking Place

Insadong is one of the most favorite places in Seoul where I do not feel bore to go after several times. If I have time, I would like to go there alone or sometimes with my friends. It is very common for me to offer to my friends “How about to go to insadong for a walk”. Well, let’s start to know, “What the Inadong is”!!

Insadong is a dong, or neighborhood of the Jongno-gu district of the South Korean city of Seoul. The main street is Insadong-gil which is connected to a multitude of alleys that lead deeper into the district. At one time it was the largest market for antiques and artworks in Korea. In area, 12.7 hectares (31.4 acres), the district is bordered by Gwanhundong to the north, Nagwon-dong to the east, and Jongno 2-ga and Jeokseon-dong to the south, and Gongpyeong-dong to the west.
It was originally two towns whose names ended in the syllables "In" and "Sa". They were divided by a stream which ran along Insadong's current main street. The Insadong has a very long history. It began 500 years ago as an area of residence for government officials. During the early period of the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897), the place belonged to Gwanin-bang and Gyeonpyeong-bang - bang was the name of an administrative unit during the time - of Hanseong (old name for the capital, Seoul). During the Japanese occupation, the wealthy Korean residents were forced to move and sell their belongings, at which point the site became an area of trading in antiques. After the end of the Korean War, the area became a focus of South Korea's artistic and cafe life. It was a popular destination among foreign visitors to South Korea during the 1960s, who called the area "Mary's Alley". It gained in popularity with international tourists during the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

By the way, Insadong is very near from my dormitory. It takes only 10 minutes by bus and may be 30 minutes by walk. This is one of the reasons, why I like to stay in my dormitory when some of my friends have moved to very nice apartments. However, for those apartments, they had to pay big deposit money what I do not have. Such kind of deposit is very common in Korea for renting the apartment. Anyway, what I was telling about Insadong. This place is well known as a traditional street to both locals and foreigners and represents the “culture of the past and the present”. When I enter into Insadond Street, I feel that I am walking on the bally road, a street of Dhaka, Bangladesh, well known as Nattopara (Drama Street). I like to go there often as I was involved with some cultural activities. Sometimes I miss it but I can forget it when I walk on the Insadong Street. I get the same smell, same taste and same feeling when I am there.

Insadong-gil contains a mixture of historical and modern atmosphere and is a unique area that truly represents the culture history of the nation. The majority of the traditional buildings belonged to merchants and bureaucrats. Some larger residences, built for retired government officials during the Joseon period, can also be seen. Most of these older buildings are now used as restaurants or shops. Among the historically significant buildings located in the area are Unhyeongung mansion, Jogyesa- one of the most significant Korean Buddhist temples, and one of Korea’s oldest Presbyterian churches.

On the weekend, especially on Sunday, many locals and foreigners come to visit to Insadong. In one study showed that approximately 100,000 visitors come to Insadong on Sunday. Even though, on Sunday is very crowded, very difficult to move foot on the street but I like to go that day. It is more charming for me as I can hear different languages. I have always interest on different languages. If I get chance, then I do not miss to learn some sentences in different languages. I can remember when I was may be 10 years old, that time I memorize how to say “I love you” in twenty languages. But, now, almost I have forgotten because of lacking uses.

Insadong is the place where the people from different cultures can share their feeling and spread their opinions. For example, I went to Insadong yesterday (actually my target was to go to immigration office for fixing my Visa but, when I reached in front of the immigration office, I realized that I forgot to bring my passport. But I did not feel sad as Insadong is located near Immigration office) and when I was walking on the street , then I saw two guys looks European, were distributing some books. When I was passing by, then they offered me to look some books and asked me whether I am from India or not. Anyway, they are selling some books about “ Hore Krisna”. I have a little knowledge about “ Hore Krisna” Philosophy. I tried to share my opinion about "Hore Krisna Philosophy" with them. Through the conversation, I knew that they are from Russia and it's not for a long time, they started to follow the “ Hore Krisna” philosophy. I told them I would like to visit their temple. Actually, one of the main reasons to visit temple is, they offer really nice meal on Sunday… Yeammy Yeammy… . . After some spritual conversation with them I started to walk on my own way.

Insadong is the place, where you can see people of different ages are sitting with different kinds of traditional and antique things. It contains 40 percent of the nation’s antique shops and galleries as well as 90 percent of the traditional stationary shops. This place is famous for traditional tea. I tried may be only one time. It is common to see some artists are concentrated on making their things on the Insadong Street. There are daily calligraphy demonstrations and pansori performance. If someone like art, antique, nice tea and interested about different cultures and different people, then welcome to Insadong. Next time, let’s walk together on the Insadong Street and I am sure that you will get this feeling “People from Different Countries, We Are The Same”.