During the 1960s, when Korea was a poor unknown country, some Korean nurses and miners went to Germany. Suk Sook-ja, who returned to Korea after working as a nurse in Germany for 30 years, is one of the pioneers who created something out of nothing in Germany. Let’s listen to her story of life in Germany as well as in the German Village in Korea.
The royal family of the Korean Empire has disappeared into the mists of history. However, the last imperial descendant, Lee Seok, emphasizes that the royal family culture from the Joseon Dynasty should be a present day cultural and spiritual center. He is also known as the singer of the song A Dove House. Let’s explore more about the royal family culture and Lee’s dreams for the 21st century.
This first-generation barista, Park I-choo is a legendary coffee master, especially of drip coffee. His name is what comes to mind when people think of coffee. He grabbed a lot of attention as the person who introduced and spread the coffee roasting culture in Gangneung. At a roastery café located in the city, he still roasts the coffee beans and brews the coffee himself. Let’s experience the happiness that a cup of coffee can create.
A person who dreamt about becoming a farmer turned a wild abandoned area into herb fields full of fragrance. Lee Ho-soon is the president of Herbnara located in the deep valleys of Pyeongchang. Lee says he learned a precious lesson while growing herbs – living with nature is the secret to one’s happiness. Today he grows herbs to live closer to nature and share happiness with others.
Shinpyeong Brewery, located in Dangjin, Chungcheongnam-do, is a traditional makgeolli (cloudy rice wine) brewery that has kept its tradition and culture through three generations for over 80 years. Kim Yong-se, president of the Baengnyeon Brewery Culture Center, brings the quality of traditional Korean drinking culture to another level with the development Baengnyeon Makgeolli (white lotus makgeolli) made by adding the flavor of white lotus to makgeolli. His passion as well as dedication to makgeolli can be found on the paths he has taken throughout his life.
Nakhwa, or traditional Korean pyrography, creates natural colors and beautiful pictures as the hot iron runs over paper. Kim Young-jo, a traditional Korean pyrography master, has dedicated himself to the art of fire drawing with perseverance and has made it into the National Intangible Cultural Heritage. He guides us through the world of beautiful drawings created by fire.
Han Seon-hak, Director of the Museum of Ancient Asia Woodblock Prints has dedicated 30 years of his life to introducing the approximately 6,000 ancient woodblock artifacts he has collected from across Asia. He communicates with citizens through various ancient woodblock printing exhibitions and training pro-grams. As the only museum of its kind in Korea, the Museum of Ancient Asia Woodblock Prints has become the venue for training and nurturing the creativity of people. Let’s explore Han’s life and the museum.
