The ancestral rites were performed this past weekend at Jongmyo Shrine:
May 4, SEOUL, South Korea — A group of traditional dancers perform an ancient ritual at Jongmyo Shrine to honor the spirits of ancient kings and queens. The shrine in Seoul is one of several South Korean structures designated as a world heritage site by […]

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I saw a photo spread on the KBS frontpage of children entering the Buddhist priesthood and I can’t help but wonder if this is child abuse or not?:
On the morning of May 1st, with eleven days to go before Buddha’s birthday, a group of 7 boys about 5-6 years old took part in […]

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The search for a Namdaemun scapegoat begins.
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Reactions from Korean about the arson attack that destroyed Korea’s 610 year old National Treasure No. 1, the Namdaemun (Sungnyemun) Gate have ranged from outright anger, sadness, to even the bizarre:
Oriental topography experts said the fire at Seoul’s 600-year-old structure may have something to do with the mysterious “fire-torching” energy from a mountain […]

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It looks like the fire that destroyed the Namdaemun Gate (Sungnyemun) was planned:

Police took into custody on Monday a man suspected of causing the fire that destroyed South Korea’s No. 1 national treasure.
The 70-year-old suspect, identified only by his last name "Chae," was apprehended at Ganghwa Island, west of Seoul. Investigators found at his home […]

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I found about the fire that destroyed Seoul’s Namdaemun Gate also known as the Sungnyemun Gate, from reading Robert’s updates over the Marmot’s Hole while eating lunch today. Needless to say I was shocked and to echo Robert this is a national tragedy for Korea that is equal to when Naksansa temple burned to […]

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No, this is not the Iraqis imitating the Korean parliament, but they are in fact an Iraqi Taekwondo team demonstrating their skills for the opening of a sports championship game in Fallujah of all places. 
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From the Korea Times:

Huh, a 30-year-old teacher, had a rude awakening in his first year at a high school in Kyonggi Province.
“Things have changed so much from when I was in high school, and even then teachers complained that we didn’t treat them in the proper manner. These days, students openly criticize teachers’ skills, chat […]

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That is the question that the Joong Ang Ilbo asked recently.  The Joong Ang also called Koreans the Italians of Asia.  Wait a minute I thought Koreans were the Irish of Asia?  Anyway this is how the Joong Ang answered the question of why Koreans are rude:

Anti-social behavior displayed by Koreans is said to have […]

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Discrimination of foreigners in Korea is nothing new, but recently it has been getting a lot of attention because of the current Minyeodeului Suda Scandal. This scandal has caused at least one K-blogger to start an online petition to protest KBS’s racism.
Well now the Korea Times has an article about foreigners being denied access […]

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Brian over at Gangwon Notes has provided an update on the progress of the reconstruction of Naksan Temple in Gangwon Province after the forest fire that destroyed much of the temple complex that Brian also provided outstanding on the scene reporting about here and here. You can also see some pictures I took about […]

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Reuters is reporting that Korea has the world’s most dangerous streets:
The mean streets of the industrialized world are meanest in South Korea, which tops several categories for accidents and road fatalities.
South Korea led the developed world in 2003 with the most accidents per 10,000 vehicles, the most accidents per kilometer of roadway and the most […]

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