Korea Hallyu [Fantastic e-Shop] #2

It's been over a month and we still can't get over Korean Hallyu, the amazing online store where you can find a whole range of Korean products from K-Pop socks to circle lens. So where products have caught our eye this time?

One of the new products which we love are these Big Bang socks. The pictures on the socks resemble Big Bang's new concept pictures and the cartoons look uber cute. At only $24.99 (~£16) these socks are a bargain. Why wear boring black socks when you can have Big Bang following your every footsteps? I'm definitely adding this to the cart.

The next product we love is this beautifully designed traditional Korean pencil case. We actually brought this same pencil case when we visited Korea so we were surprised to see it on this website. It comes in a range of different colours so suit everyone.

I'm sure anyone who loves Korean dramas will have seen people applying face masks on before they go to sleep and here's where you can buy some too. These face masks have all the nutrients you need for clear skin and a healthy warm glow. So why not give it a go and feel the benefits.

I'm sure you're all keen to check out more wonderful products Korea Hallyu have to offer so head on over to the site by clicking here.

Don't forget, all Sisters With Seoul readers get a 10% discount on the site by using our promotional code 'sisterswithseoul'.

K-Pop Night at the KCCUK

Yesterday the Korean Cultural Centre UK announced their 4th K-Pop night which will take place on Tuesday 17th April 2012. I've been to the last two K-Pop nights organised by the KCC and I loved it so I'd definitely recommend you guys to go if you can.

Here's the details about the event:

Date: Tuesday 17th April 2012 (19:00 – 22:00)
Venue: The Korean Cultural Centre
Korean Cultural Centre UK, Grand Buildings,
1-3 Strand, London WC2N 5BW
Event: Free drinks, free snacks and many surprises!
Theme: Taegeukgi (The Korean Flag)

As the event is being held 100 days before the Olympics, this event is a way to encourage Korean sports representitives hence the Taegeukgi theme.

Just a little heads up, make sure you get to the KCC early.There is a limit of 200 people and you enter on a first-come first-served basis. So make sure you get there early!


See you guys there~! ^0^

Decoding Korean [ㅅㄱ] #14

We haven't posted a Decoding Korean post in a while but I'll definitely try posting them more regularly. The word I'll be decoding today is:

ㅅㄱ

 As this word consists of just two constants it does not make a distinct sounds so it would be used as interenet or text slang among youths. 'ㅅㄱ' is basically 'S K'.

ㅅㄱ stands for '수고했어요' which means 'you've worked hard' or 'well done'.

K-Pop Academy [Week 6 - Homework]

For this weeks homework, I chose to do a video about Korean manners and etiquette.

Hope you enjoy watching it~! ^^

-Tamanna

Korean Drama Review: Wild Romance (난폭한 로맨스)

Wild Romance is a romantic comedy drama about a basketball player called Park Mu Yeol played by Lee Dong Wook (이동욱) who falls in love with his bodyguard called Lee Eun Jae played by Lee Si Young (이시영).

I have enjoyed watching Lee Si Young's previous dramas such as Boys Over Flowers & Poseidon. She is a versatile actress who can play any type of character perfectly. Her character in this drama is a body guard who is hired to protect a professional baseball player after her starts to receive death threats by an unknown person. You must be thinking a small girl like her out to protect a grown man, don't worry her character is trained in Judo.

This drama shows the unexpected romance between two different people with totally different backgrounds and interests falling in love. I won't give away too much about the drama and let you guys be the judge of it.

Let us know what you guys think of this drama.

-Afsana

K-Pop Academy [Week 6]

Today we had the opportunity to visit Ambassador Choo's residence in London. As the Ambassador is very busy, we were privilaged to have the chance to go to his house so we could learn more about Korean traditions.

As we entered the Ambassador's house, we were warmly greeted by the Ambassador and his wife Madam Song.They were dressed in hanboks, traditional Korean attire, which gave the house an authentic Korean feel.

We were then lead to a impressive room and offered drinks. I had a delicious apple and cinnamon drink. Laid out on a large table was an assortion of beautifully decorated traditional Korean snacks. Ambassador Choo introduced himself and his wife and made us all feel at ease. He told us to help ourselves to the food even holding the tray for us and recommending his favourite snacks.

Ambassador Choo and Madam Song with the impressive table of Korean food
Source: KCCUK

Ambassador Choo talking to students
Source: KCCUK

Source: KCCUK

As everyone was trying out all the snacks, students were talking to the chef. He was happy to ask everyone how the food was made and more about Korean food in general. Seeing as Korean food is made from scratch, he must have worked really hard to make such a large quantity of food so it was really impressive.

Chef talking to a K-Pop Academy student
Source: KCCUK

Source: KCCUK

 All the snacks were delicious especially rice cake that was stuffed with sesame seeds. I remember having them in Korea so it brought back memories having it again after so long. Also, the apple and cinammon drink was tasty. It even had little stars in it which were made of fruit, I think.

After tasting yummy Korean food, we were then given a short presentation of what we have done at the K-Pop Academy so far. It doesn't feel like 6 weeks have passed by. Then we had a brief presentation about Korean holidays such as Chuseok (추석) and Hansik (한식) and this helped us understand Korean traditions. For instance, bowing (절) to elders in Korean culture is seen as a form of respect especially bowing to the grave deceased anscestors.

Source: KCCUK

This presentation was then followed by a Q&A session with Ambassador Choo and Madam Song. To break the ice, I asked them about their thoughts on the Hallyu Wave. 

Source: KCCUK

 My fellow classmates asked really interesting question about the future plan of promoting K-Pop in the UK, to which the Ambassador replied that there are plans for a K-Pop concert in the O2 Areana on the 3rd June. Yes, you read that right. A K-Pop concert on the 3rd of June in London. We all cheered with delight~!

Ambassador Choo announcing plans about a K-Pop concert
Source: KCCUK

Then we formally presented the gifts all of us students got for the Ambassdor and Madam Song. It was our way of saying thank you. I hope they liked the presents.

 

Madam Song, Ambassador Choo and I
Source: KCCUK

Next it was time for us to learn how to bow properly. We were split into small groups so that we could then bow to the Ambassador and Madam. We tried several times until we were in sync. The students who were the best at bowing wore hanboks.

A rather dodgy picture of us practicing how to bow
Source: KCCUK

Each group entered the room one by one and bowed. Everyone tried really hard. My team were picked as the best team and given a gift. As well as this, the two students who were the best at bowing were given a gorgeous fan.

The keyring we won

Chloe and Sean bowing in hanboks
Source: KCCUK

The Ambassador continued talking to us about Korean traditions and joking around. It was really nice because he was asking us questions and it felt like we were all having a conversation which made the serious atmosphere feel more confortable and eased our anxiety. He told us about Korean herbal medicine and even tried out a Korean remedy on a student.

Ambassador Choo trying a Korean remedy on Sean
Source: KCCUK

Group picture of Ambassador Choo, Madam Song, KCC staff and K-Pop Academy students
Source: KCCUK

Overall, I had a lot of fun at the ambassadors home. We were really lucky to have the chance to visit it and we felt very welcome due to his hospitality. Also, we learnt a lot about Korean culture through this visit.

Thank you KCCUK for organising this visit. ^^

-Tamanna

Shinhwa - The Return [Review]

One of K-Pop's legendary idol groups, Shinhwa, made a return to the music industry after a 4 years hiatus. With all these new K-Pop groups debuting left, right and centre, it's refreshing for first generation idols to show all the rookies how it's done. Although initially I didn't have any expectations for this album, I've grown to appreciate their music and this album has blown me away.

 As there are so many songs on the album, unlike our other review, I'll just mention my favourite songs on the album. In all honesty, it was hard to narrow it done to a few of the ones we like the most.

Venus

The title song on the album is Venus and I watched the live performance before I heard the song on its own. I was in awe that they still have their old idol stage presence. The repetitive chorus was drummed into my head and I couldn't stop listening to it.

On The Road

'One The Road' is one of the few ballards on this albums but what distinguishes it from the rest is the sound of the castanets and guitars which adds an exotic feel to the song. Shinhwa illustrate that even after 4 year years, their voices go together so well.

Welcome

This song has the vibe of a Western song and I can imagine it being played in a club. I'm even bobbing my head to it as I'm listening to it now. Haha.

Move With Me

I haven't heard a song like this is a while. This song has a 90s feel to it. I used to listen to Western songs like this when I was younger so I was instantly drawn to this song. Eric's rap is the icing on the cake. I really want them to sing this song live~.


Shinhwa aren't called legendary for no reason. This album proves they still have the amazing-ness they had when they first debuted. It has genres to suit everyone with a range of fast and slow paced songs.

If you're just as hooked to these songs as I am then support Shinhwa by buying the album at:

YesAsia
iTunes
Melon