Suddenly I found myself with three main articles on the Weekender section. I was running around all day. How did this happen? I don't know, but I don't think it'll happen again, anytime soon.
Articles about K-pop, chinese restaurants and tourist sports... I guess this proves I really am a full-fledged culture reporter. But you won't find me complaining too much... This is still new and fun for me.
Crazy Over K-Pop
Foreign Fans Travel to Seoul Just to See Favorite Pop Stars
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
Korean boy band TVXQWhen Mai Lor, a Hmong-American student, and her friends from different countries were planning their trip to Seoul last February, they were not worried about the freezing cold weather or the fact that there are limited tourist attractions during winter.
They were traveling to Seoul not to see the historical palaces or go shopping in Dongdaemun. For Lor and her friends, the main reason for their trip was to watch their favorite Korean boy band TVXQ's first major concert in Seoul.
In recent months, die-hard Korean pop (K-pop) fans from Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and other Asian countries have traveled to Seoul specifically to attend concerts by top K-pop stars such as TVXQ, Shinhwa and Se7en.
Lor, a 20-year old student, met her friends from the U.S., Singapore, Australia and the Philippines, through a TVXQ fan Web site. They were all fans of K-pop, especially TVXQ, even if their knowledge of Korean language was limited.
When they heard of the TVXQ concert in Seoul, it was hard for any of them to pass up the chance to see their favorite K-pop star in concert. Lor said it was initially difficult for the group to obtain tickets since the Web sites selling concert tickets were in Korean.
``We were very stressed out while waiting to hear from the company as well as having to wait for others to buy the tickets for us. We had no power to buy them ourselves, even though we had the means to pay for them,'' she said.
The group eventually got some help from Korean friends to obtain tickets directly from SM Entertainment, and from an online auction site where the tickets were double the original price. Lor and her friends ended up watching three out of the four concert dates of TVXQ.
Even if traveling to Seoul is relatively expensive, they willingly spent between one million to three million won ($1,000 to $3,000) for their entire trip, including hotel, tickets and shopping for K-pop CDs, posters and other souvenirs.
Korea's pop heartthrob Se7en performs during his solo concert last June in Seoul. /Korea Times Photo Difficulties for Foreign Fans
A frequent complaint of foreign K-pop fans is the lack of concert information in English. They also complain the entertainment agencies are focusing mostly on the lucrative Japanese market, while failing to cater to the demand of the K-pop fans in other countries.
Helen Vuu, a 33-year old manager from Australia, lamented the fact that entertainment companies seem to ignore foreign fans.
``I think it's extremely difficult for foreign fans to obtain tickets for Korean concerts, not only due to language difficulties but more importantly, Korean entertainment companies' lack of interest in overseas fans,'' Vuu said.
Foreign fans also urged entertainment agencies to create English-language Web sites for foreigners and international Web sites. They said possible ``concert tours'' to Korea should be considered for foreign fans to attend concerts and fan meetings.
Beatrice Song, an administration officer from Singapore, said the biggest barrier for foreign fans is the language. ``I think the biggest problem is the communication breakdown and language barrier. By using a language that allows foreign fans to understand already makes us feel more appreciated and motivated to support the artist even more," she said.
Despite the difficulties, the foreign fans enjoyed the experience of seeing TVXQ in concert. ``The concert itself was wonderful because the performances were awesome. It was definitely worth going all the way to Seoul just for that concert... Most of the (Korean) fans were friendly and helpful especially after finding out that we were foreign fans," Justine Itoralba from the Philippines said.
Recently, some entertainment agencies have recognized the demands of foreign fans. When another popular boy band Shinhwa held its concert in Seoul last May, entertainment agency Good EMG offered fans from China and Southeast Asia the opportunity to book tickets through e-mail. But there were a limited number of tickets for foreign fans, and there was a special tour option for an additional $50.
To capitalize on the rising popularity of K-pop stars in Asia, Shinhwa is currently on an Asian tour, which will see the popular group hold concerts in Bangkok, Thailand and possibly Singapore.
Fans Promote K-pop Concerts
Some foreign fans have taken matters into their own hands, and have set up their own English-language Web sites and forums devoted to K-pop concerts.
One of the sites is Khype (www.khype.com), which is devoted to providing accurate and up-to-date information for all K-pop fans in the U.S. Three K-pop fans, Chor Moua, Amy Madden and Alicia Um, who met during a K-pop concert at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif. in 2005, founded the site.
Moua said they decided to form Khype, which stands for Korean Hype, after experiencing problems in obtaining tickets for K-pop concerts in L.A.
``In the past, there has always been confusion and misunderstanding, which was very frustrating, especially for those who can't read or speak Korean like me. Getting the information was hard because most of the time the sponsors or concert coordinator didn't speak English well enough to clarify things for us,'' Moua said, in an e-mail interview with The Korea Times.
From the original 10 members, the forum has grown to over 500 members, including Caucasians, Korean-American, Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese and Hmong.
Most of them only became K-pop fans after stumbling on a K-pop video, which caught their attention enough to find out more about the Korean music scene. An informal survey of the members revealed the most popular K-pop artists are Rain, Shinhwa, Se7en, Fly to the Sky, TVXQ and Lee Hyo-ri.
Khype's Madden, a Caucasian-American, said she finds K-pop appealing because of the artists' passion for music and love for the fans. ``I believe non-Koreans are finding the excitement that follows Korean music, thus they get pulled into the hype. Though non-Koreans might not understand the words when a musician sings, music holds no language barriers. Anyone and everyone can enjoy Korean music,'' she said.
Currently, fans in the U.S. are abuzz over the planned YG Family concerts in October in New York, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles.
In Southeast Asia, K-pop Kingdom (www.K-popkingdom.com) is one of the Web sites for southeast Asians interested in Korean music, and provides K-pop concert information.
Yuri Aizawa, in charge of art and public relations for K-pop Kingdom, has been a longtime fan of K-pop and experienced how difficult it was to get information, buy CDs and attend concerts of her favorite artists.
Now, there are over 2,500 members, with 75 percent from Malaysia and the remaining 25 percent from Southeast Asian countries like Singapore and Brunei.
Aizawa noted the Web site helped promote the TVXQ and Super Junior concert in Kuala Lumpur earlier this month. ``It (K-pop scene) is at a beginning stage (in Malaysia), but we managed to really open up the K-pop market with the TVXQ concert, which was the first K-pop concert in Malaysia,'' she said.
The Kuala Lumpur concert attracted thousands of Malaysians, as well as fans from neighboring Southeast Asian countries.
Kristina Garcia, a Filipino IT consultant, was one of the many fans that traveled to Kuala Lumpur to see TVXQ. She has already traveled to Hong Kong, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur to catch TVXQ's performances.
``Despite the fact the (Kuala Lumpur) concert was the fourth time I saw the same performance, I still enjoyed it immensely. The boys (TVXQ) gave awesome performances despite technical glitches... It was all worth it for me," she said.
Even if she has been to several concerts, her excitement over TVXQ has not waned. Garcia said she would still like to visit Seoul again in the future.
``I would definitely go back for a vacation and a concert, too, if time and money permits. I would like to see Fly to the Sky, TVXQ and BoA in concert,'' she said.
Cantonese Food Delights at Crystal Jade Palace
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By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
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The “xiao long bao” or Shanghai steamed pork dumpling is one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes. Anyone craving high-quality Chinese food knows how difficult it is to find a good restaurant in Seoul, especially since it seems most ``Chinese'' restaurants only serve Korean-style dishes such as chajangmyon.
So, it’s quite a relief to discover Crystal Jade Palace, a stylish restaurant serving authentic Cantonese cuisine on the first floor of the Grand Intercontinental Hotel in Samsong-dong, southern Seoul.
Crystal Jade Palace is part of a famous chain of restaurants owned by Chinese businessman Ip Yiu Tung. His company has over 50 branches in Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Shanghai, Beijing and Hangzhou in China.
``Through my visits to Korea, I gathered that quality Chinese cuisine is hard to find and lacking in Korea. I am confident with Crystal Jade’s experience in Chinese cuisine, we are able to offer exquisite Chinese delights to Koreans,’’ Ip said, in an e-mail interview with The Korea Times.
One of the best-selling items at Crystal Jade Palace is the dimsum dish, served only during lunchtime. The Palace Cold Cut Combination, which includes crispy pork, marinated spicy beef shanks and jelly fish, is a tasty way to start the meal at Crystal Jade. The roasted crispy pork has a thin crunchy skin, but once you bite into it, the meat melts in your mouth. You can dip the pork in wasabi sauce, adding just the right spiciness.
You can’t go to Crystal Jade without trying the unforgettable dimsum. Fresh dimsum is made every morning and is only served during lunchtime to ensure its high quality.
At 9,600 won per serving, the dimsum might be quite expensive but for anyone who has been looking for authentic Chinese dimsum for a long time, it is worth it.
The ``har gau'' or shrimp dumplings had juicy shrimps and pine mushrooms wrapped in translucent wrapper. The ``siew mai'' or steamed meat dumplings with dry scallops and tiny fish eggs on top were succulent and tasty.
The ``xiao long bao'' or Shanghai steamed pork dumpling is one of the most popular dishes at the restaurant. The dumplings are served in a clear flavorful soup.
Another bestseller is the sharks’ fin and ginseng soup called ``Buddha Jump Over the Wall.'' The name is derived from an old tale about a Buddhist who jumped over the wall of the monastery to find the source of the fragrant smell of soup being cooked by his neighbor.
The soup is made with 20 different ingredients including ginseng, mushrooms, herbs and whole pieces of the prized delicacy sharks’ fin. It has an extremely appealing herbal aroma but the taste remains light and tasty.
The restaurant’s pa- fried beef steak in black pepper sauce is not exactly a traditional Cantonese dish, but it shows the influence of the British on Hong Kong cuisine.
The perfect way to cap off a meal is the Persimmon Sago, a fruity cold dessert made of persimmon and tiny, chewy pearl sago. It isn’t too sweet, but cleanses your palate.
Mr. Ip said Crystal Jade Palace’s chef, who is from Hong Kong, has tailor-made some of the dishes to the Korean taste. ``We introduced more seafood dishes to the restaurant even when the local market has a limited supply of it. Some of our dishes are localized by putting in the essential Korean cooking ingredient, ginseng,'' he said.
Because of the popularity of its dimsum, Mr. Ip said there are plans to open the Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao outlet, which serves handmade noodles and other Shanghai dishes, in Seoul soon.
If you’re still craving for some chajangmyon (black bean noodles), don’t worry because they are included in the Crystal Jade Palace menu.
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Perfect Summer Getaway
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By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
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A handful of tourists enjoy the sunny weather and white sand of Boracay Island. The island, famous for its powder-soft, fine white sand, draws thousands of Korean tourists every year. Korea Times Photos by Cathy A. Garcia Looking for the perfect summer get-away? If you want to see clear turquoise water, powder soft white sand, warm weather and lots of sunshine, then you should head off to Boracay Island in western Philippines.
Thanks to its ultra-fine white sand, Boracay has gained a reputation as one of the most popular beaches in Asia.
In fact, the island got its name from the local word ``borac’’ which means cotton, referring to the sand. Another local legend says the name Boracay originated from two local words ``bora’’ (bubbles) and ``bocay’’ (white), again because the sand reminded natives of white bubbles.
Many Koreans may already be familiar with Boracay, an island located 350 kilometers from the capital Manila, since it is already extremely popular with honeymooners and young tourists.
To get to Boracay, you have to take a nearly four-hour flight to Manila first. Then, you can catch another 40-minute flight to Caticlan, Panay Island. From the Caticlan airport, you have to take a 20-minute boat ride to the island.
Every tourist’s first impression of Boracay is that it seems pretty small. After all, the island is only 7 kilometers long. It is a wonder how the island can accommodate tens of thousands of tourists from all over the world during the peak Philippine summer season.
A man builds an elaborate sandcastle on White Beach, Boracay Island. During March to May, it can get unbearably hot with temperatures averaging between 28 degrees Celsius to 38 degrees Celsius.
If you don’t like the crowds and scorching weather, the best time to go is during the off-season months of June to October. Temperatures can hover between 25 degrees Celsius to 32 degrees, with occasional monsoon rains in the evening.
Another good thing about going during off-season is most resorts offer discounts ranging from 10 to 50 percent off their regular rates.
The most popular places to stay in Boracay are the resorts located along the 3.5 kilometer-long White Beach. Naturally, the beachfront resorts command higher rates, although there are about 200 resorts, hotels and vacation homes to choose from, depending on your budget.
Don’t think that just because it is the off-season, there’s nothing to do in Boracay.
Tourists are often amazed there’s a lot of activities to do and places to see in and around the island, that a three or four day stay is not enough.
If you get tired of sunbathing and swimming in the clear waters, you can try out fun water sports such as windsurfing, jet skiing, sailing, banana boat, parasailing and kayaking on White Beach.
There are many dive sites located around the island, with various degrees of difficulty for beginner and experienced divers. For beginners, there are several sites where first-time divers can see many colorful fish, eels, starfish and corals.
More experienced divers can challenge themselves with deep wall dives off Yapak, with walls that start from 30 meters; shark caves; ship wreck called The Camia II and even night dives.
If you don’t want to get wet, you can still have a chance to see the underwater world by riding a glass bottom boat.
There are also many tour guides offering boat trips around Boracay Island. You can hop on a boat that will take you to the different beaches on the island, as well as snorkeling areas. There are also ``island-hopping’’ tours which will take you to nearby islands, such as Crystal Cove on Laurel Island.
Korean tourists seem to love the excitement of racecar driving at the tracks located in Sitio Diniwid. Two companies are offering racecar driving around the tracks for $25 per hour.
Avid golfers have a chance to get on the green at the Fairways & Bluewater Resort Golf and Country Club. However, the 18-hole golf course, designed by Graham Marsh, is open only for members.
Shopaholics can find many shops to satisfy their fix. At the Talipapa, which means small marketplace, you can find bargains for beach wear, puka shell trinkets and souvenirs. The new D’Mall has a row of modern-looking shops selling handicrafts, bathing suits, sandals, unique jewelry and stylish handbags made out of native materials.
The Boracay nightlife is pretty lively, even during the off-season. There are many restaurants and bars with live bands singing the latest romantic ballads and dance songs.
With all the activities to tire you out, you have to get a relaxing one-hour massage on the beach for just 500 pesos (10,000 won). There are also several spa and wellness centers offering professional massages, aromatherapy and body wraps.
However, make sure you don’t leave Boracay without seeing the spectacular sunset on the beach. Now that’s one priceless memory you’ll surely cherish.
