Miscellaneous records on Korean poetry, culture, and more.

Seoul to Andong to Gyeongju: A 3–4 Day Journey Through Korea's Living History From the "spiritual capital" of Andong to the "museum without walls" of Gyeongju — a slower, deeper route inland, away from the coast. 2012년 By me 📑 Table of Contents Trip Overview: 2N3D vs 3N4D Getting There: Seoul → Andong Day 1 — Andong: Hahoe Village & Jjimdak Alley Day 2 — Andong to Gyeongju Day 3 — Bulguksa Temple & Hwangnidan-gil Day 4 — Gyeongju back to Seoul Compressing to 2N3D Booking Quick Reference 🗺️ Trip Overview: Choose Your Pace Option A — 2N3D (Andong 1 night → Gyeongju 1 night): best for a long weekend. Option B — 3N4D (Andong 1 night → Gyeongju 2 nights): best if you want to actually breathe in Gyeongju, which genuinely rewards two full days rather than a rushed afternoon. This guide lays out the full 3N4D version day-by-day, with a note at the end on how to compress it. 🚄 Getting There: Seoul → Andong 📸...

Stars                                    By Gong Jae-dong On a joyful night, there wasn't a single one— not a single one. But on a day of sorrow, the sky is filled with stars. Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands? On a night when I want to weep, there are stars in my heart, too. The whole world is stars. ----------------- < Reflecting on a Poem> On the night of October 2nd, the stars were so bright that I decided to take some photos of the night sky. While doing so, I was reminded of a poem about stars that I used to recite in my youth. Back then, although I experienced plenty of happiness, I also seemed to grapple with a sense of despair and discouragement I couldn't quite explain. Whenever I felt that way, I would look up at the sky and offer up a prayer—or perhaps something that wasn't quite a prayer. This is one of the poems that would come to mind as I gazed at the sky, steeped in so...

 A Letter from Sorokdo                                                       By Jeong Ho-seung With arms that are not arms, I embrace you; With feet that are not feet, I go to you. Wild camellias bloom on the wild camellia trees; With hands that are not hands, I gather the blossoms— Petal by petal, I set them afloat upon the sea; please receive them. Along the seashore where we once walked— You, with arms that are not arms wrapping around my waist, And feet that are not feet moving in step with mine— Come striding toward me now, following the path of camellia petals. * Sorokdo is an island off the southern coast of Korea where people with Hansen's disease once lived in a community. In the past, access was difficult, requiring a boat ride once or twice a day, but a bridge has since been built, making it easy to visit this beautiful island. It is...