Hi All!
It's been a long long time since I last blogged. Don't worry, because from today onwards I'd be frequently updating my blog because of my participation in WowKorea Supporters 2014!
Operating Hours
9am to 9pm (Ticketing 9am to 8pm)
Closes on every Monday
Admission Fees
Adults (ages 19 - 64) 1,000 won / Group 800 won (over 20 people)
Youths (ages 7 - 18) 500 won / Group 400 won (over 10 people)
Free for Eldery (ages 65 & above), Kids (ages 6 & below) and people who dressed in traditional Hanbok costumes
Changing of Royal Guards Ceremony is free to watch; takes place 3 times daily @ 11am, 2pm and 3:30pm (Closed on Mondays)
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Congratulations for making it to the end! :) I am extremely thankful for your patience in reading this long lengthy post. Do leave a comment down below if you have any queries on Korea that I can hopefully try my best to answer them.
Also, as there would be weekly and monthly missions as part of the WowKorea Supporters 2014 team, do look forward for frequent updates on Korea!
Til then, thank you!
xoxo,
irenesiah
It's been a long long time since I last blogged. Don't worry, because from today onwards I'd be frequently updating my blog because of my participation in WowKorea Supporters 2014!
Application Details for WowKorea Supporters 2014
Just a brief introduction, WowKorea Supporters is a project held by Korea Tourism Organisation, in hope to promote Korean cultural experiences through the use of SNS. As we all know that apart from the mass tourists coming from China, Southeast Asia and Middle East contributes to a high percentage of tourism in Korea. Members of WowKorea are mainly selected from Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Turkey and etc.
SNS such as Facebook, Instagram and Blogs are very influential platforms of transmitting information, WowKorea emphasises on promoting Korea's culture and tourism through the use of the members' personal SNS in our own mother tongue. Hence, I am very pleased and honoured to announce that I am one of the 31 selected applicants to be part of this supporters group!
WowKorea Supportes 2014
Above is the picture taken of us by one of the local news agency. I didn't expect this, but yes we are on the news! Hahahs. If you have not spotted me, I'm in the middle girl (right beside the man in grey blazer).
After we have been briefed on the details of our job scope as an "ambassador" of WowKorea Supporters 2014 team, we had lunch buffet together before moving on to our sightseeing itinerary of the day.
Groupshot taken right outside Daehanmun 대한문
First in the list was 덕수궁 Deoksugung, one of the five grand palaces that was built by the kings of the Joseon Dynasty. As most of you would have known, Korean characters were once evolved from Chinese characters. Deoksugung in the Joseon Dynasty was written as 德寿宫 in Chinese, which means palace of virtuous and longevity. Unlike Gyeongbokgung, Deoksugung is much smaller. However, there is also a changing of royal guards ceremony that is free for the public to watch everyday. Time slots of the ceremony can be found below. After the changing of royal guards, the public is allowed to take photographs with the guards. I was just planning to snap a selfie (see below) of myself with one of the guards on duty but he actually turned to smile at my camera! What a pleasant surprise! Hahahs. If you are interested to find out more about the history behind this Palace, you click here for more info.
Inside Deoksugung
Selfie with the Guard after the Changing Guards Ceremony
How to get there
By Subway: Cityhall Station Line 1 (Exit 2) or Line 2 (Exit 12)
By Taxi or Car: 57, Namdaemun-ro 1-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul 110-120
9am to 9pm (Ticketing 9am to 8pm)
Closes on every Monday
Admission Fees
Adults (ages 19 - 64) 1,000 won / Group 800 won (over 20 people)
Youths (ages 7 - 18) 500 won / Group 400 won (over 10 people)
Free for Eldery (ages 65 & above), Kids (ages 6 & below) and people who dressed in traditional Hanbok costumes
Changing of Royal Guards Ceremony is free to watch; takes place 3 times daily @ 11am, 2pm and 3:30pm (Closed on Mondays)
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Next on the itinerary is 둘담길, known as Stonewall Walkway in English. This part of the main attractions of Deoksugung, where apparently many dramas or movies are filmed here. The walkway in Autumn is extremely beautiful as yellow leaves covers the ground like gold glitters. Nonetheless, it is also a pretty scene during Spring/Summer when I visited with the WowKorea supporters :)
Posing along the Stonewall Walkway
One of our missions is to pose like a model along the Stonewall Walkway. I probably don't do a very good job in modelling but I tried my best to make this turn out a good shot yeah? Hahahs.
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So as we walk further straight up along this Stonewall Walkway, we will soon arrive at our next destination - 정동극장 Jeongdong Theatre. At there, we watched a play called Miso: Baebijang-jeon. This is definitely one of the must sees traditional performances of Korea if you'll ever visit.
Outside Jeongdong Theatre; Billboard of the traditional play - Miso
It's my first time watching a traditional Korean play despite being almost three years here in Korea now. To be honest, I was not entirely sure of how a Korean play would work. I thought it was gonna be just some actors acting on stage with music playing from the audio room. However, it entirely surprises me with a live orchestra playing the music and sound effects, as well as, making use of state of the art theatrical devices to bring more than one dimensions to the play. It was absolutely creative of them to make full use of the mere stage and auditorium to form a holistic performance.
Unfortunately, no photos are allowed to be taken in the theatre. The following pictures are retrieved from the official website:
Photo Credits: Jeongdong Theatre
Photo Credits: Jeongdong Theatre
Photo Credits: Jeongdong Theatre
Photo Credits: Jeongdong Theatre
For those of you who are afraid you might not be able to understand the Korean, fret not! There are two TV screens at each side of the stage that shows the translation in English, Chinese and Japanese - very language-friendly indeed!
Ticketing Details
VIP 60,000krw / R 50,000krw / S 40,000krw
Booking can be made through phone call +82-2-751-1500
or through the websites www.koreamiso.com / www.kperformance.org
Production Run
Open Run at 4pm, 8pm (Closed on Mondays)
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Besides watching a play at Jeongdong Theatre, there are also many other activities and places you can visit nearby. As you walk further up from Jeongdong Theatre, you can find three main attractions. First, it is Jungmyeonjeon Hall a three-storey western-style building, designed by the Russian architect Seredin Sabatin, which was used as an imperial library between 1897 and 1901. After Deoksugung was caught on fire, Jungmyeonjeon became the main office to hold foreign envoys for national affair. This is also the place where the infamous Eulsa Treaty (Japan-Korea Protectorate Treaty) was signed.
Outside Jungmyeonjeon Hall
The second attraction around Jeongdong Theatre is Jeongdong First Methodist Church. It is Korea's first protestant church that is established by American Methodist Missionary, Henry Appenzeller.
Infront of Jeongdong First Methodist Church
Walking out of the church, you could find these small cute little statues but great apologies I forgot what are they called. I took a photo with these statues three years ago when I first came to Korea on vacation, and it was so good to "see them again" hahas.
Trust me, our thighs hurt a lot after this hahah.
As we walk up further up, we reach the last destination of the day - Seoul Museum of Art. Due to time constraints, we did not get to go into the museum as a group. But from recollection, I entered the museum three years ago with my friend whom I came with. It was free admission (at then) and there are always various special exhibitions available throughout the year. But before we actually arrive at the museum, the pathway towards the museum is absolutely beautiful. Sadly, all the photos I had taken that day had been accidentally deleted when I was transferring them T.T So I had to naver to show y'all the scenes that is shot in the Drama - 별에서 온 그대 My Love from the Star.
Photo Credits: Naver Blogger Audrey17
Photo Credits: Naver Blogger Audrey17
Nonetheless, the following photo shall conclude my entire post for today! A final group shot in front of Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA).
Infront of Seoul Museum of Art
Also, as there would be weekly and monthly missions as part of the WowKorea Supporters 2014 team, do look forward for frequent updates on Korea!
Til then, thank you!
xoxo,
irenesiah
- 22:20
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