Sunday, April 28, 2013

Pharmacies in Bucheon Open at Midnight


Pharmacies in Bucheon Open at Midnight

"Midnight Pharmacies in Bucheon City Open 10 PM to 2 AM from May 1, 2013"


Bucheon City will run the program of 'Midnight Pharmacies' in the city in cooperation with the Bucheon Pharmaceutical Association, so that citizens can easily buy medicines at midnight.

Until now, all the pharmacies close at midnight, then citizen has been difficult to buy medicines. To eliminate citizen's inconvenience, the city will run three 'midnight pharmacies', a pharmacy a district in Bucheon City. The midnight pharmacy opens 10 PM to 2 AM every day including weekends and holidays from May 1 to October 31, 2013.

Here is the information about the midnight pharmacies; 

Rodem Pharmacy

  • 201(Jung-dong), Sinheung Street, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon City
  • Take buses #23-1, #61, #60-1 and #5-5 and get off at Sinjung-dong Station
  • Take subway line 7 to Sinjung-dong Station and exit #3
  • Phone # +82-32-327-2414


Barunson Pharmacy

  • 20(Koian-dong), Kyeongin Street, Sosa-gu, Bucheon City
  • Take buses #88, #83, #23-1, #75, #12 and get off at Yeokgok Station
  • Take subway line 1 to Yeokgok Station and exit #1
  • Phone # +82-32-343-4217


Medipharm Pharmacy

  • 758(Wonjong-dong), Sosa Street, Ojeong-gu, Bucheon City
  • Take buses #3-1, #3, #75, #8, #606, and#70-2 to Wonjong Intersection
  • Phone # +82-32-679-2533


Especially Barunson Pharmacy in Sosa-gu, Bucheon City, has opened 24 hours for 3 years.

Yunhee Jang, head of Team of Management for Pharmaceuticals in Bucheon Wonmi Community Health Center, said "At midnight citizens can easily get pharmaceutical counseling and buy medicines at midnight pharmacies in Bucheon City."

For more information, contact the Bucheon Wonmi Community Health Center via the phone #+82-32-625-4215 or the twitter address @bucheon_health.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

14th Womni Championship Football Games to be Held in Bucheon City


14th Womni Championship Football Games to be Held in Bucheon City

"530 players from twenty local football clubs in Wonmi-gu, Bucheon City is participating"

Wonmi-gu Office, the biggest district in Bucheon City, announced the office is going to hold the 14th Wonmi Championship Football Games on two days, April 28 and May 5, 2013, at three playgrounds including Bucheon Stadium.

Twenty local football clubs, which have 530 players, already singed up to attend the games. The office is trying to promote citizen's interest for Bucheon Football Club 1995 and support citizen's sports activities through the football games.

The football clubs attending the games chose randomly their first matching team last April 17. They will have the opening ceremony of the 14th Wonmi Championship Football Games at Bucheon Stadium on 9 AM, April 28, 2013 and then will play games in tournament competitions. 

Uije Woo, head of Wonmi-gu Office, said "This year our Bucheon FC 1995 is playing at K League Challenge, the second league of K League. I hope local football players, their families and citizens could enjoy the games."

Last year at the 13th Games, the winner was Kyenam Football Club. Eunhwa FC took the second place, and both Womni FC and Hanareum FC were in third place.

<photo 1: The opening ceremony of the 13th Wonmi Championship Football Games is being held at Bucheon Stadium on May 6, 2012. The winner of the games was Kyenam FC.>

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Bucheon City Run City Tour Bus called 'Fun Fun Bucheon City Tour'


Bucheon City Run City Tour Bus called 'Fun Fun Bucheon City Tour'

Bucheon City has prepared the city tour program that people can learn, enjoy and experience the city deeply. Through the city tour program called 'Fun Fun Bucheon City Tour', people visiting Bucheon City can enjoy the history, culture,  parks and tourist attractions of Bucheon in person, on the spot.

From last March 23 2013, the city started running the city tour service as a pilot with forty citizens per one time.

The first stop of the tour is Korean Pottery Museum in Yeowol-dong, a town in Bucheon City. And then the tour bus visits Bucheon Dulaegil(a tracking course), Bucheon Stadium, Archery Museum, Bucheon Botanical Garden, Bucheon Ecological Park, and Korea Comics Museum one by one, hearing explanation from the tour conductor.

Yurim Hong, a freshman from Bucheon Women's High School, said "It was a lot of fun to enjoy my home town, Bucheon, via bus, in person. I'm very proud of my town Bucheon City. I've learned the culture, nature and history about Bucheon through this tour." after the pilot tour.

Everyone who wants to tour Bucheon City can apply for the program ten days before at Bucheon Culture Center via the web site, of which the address is http://www.bucheonculture.or.kr, or a phone call, of which the phone number is +82-32-651-3739. The applicant should pay the fee for the tour to the bank account at least three days before. The fees are $5 for adults, $4 for school students and $3 for pre-school children or seniors older than sixty five years. 

Mansoo Kim, mayor of Bucheon City, recommended "Seeing is believing. You can feel and enjoy the value and pride about Bucheon City on the spot through this Bucheon City Tour service."

Monday, April 22, 2013

Sohyang Gallery in Bucheon City Exhibit 30 Calligraphic Works and Oriental Paintings Till May 3


Sohyang Gallery in Bucheon City Exhibit 30 Calligraphic Works and Oriental Paintings Till May 3

"Meet Spring with the Scent of a Chinese Ink on the Four Gracious Plants"

Sohyang Gallery in Sosa-gu Office, Bucheon City is supposed to host an exhibition for oriental paintings and calligraphic works, of which the theme is <People having dreams and Welfare Center where their dreams come true>, till March 3, 2013.

The oriental paintings mean paintings about the Four Gracious Plants; A plum-blossom, an orchid, a chrysanthemum and a bamboo. Calligraphy is the art of producing beautiful handwriting using a brush or a special pen. When it comes to the Four Gracious Plants, Korean people often mention the Four Friends in the Writing Room; An ink stick, an inkstone  on which an ink stick is ground to make ink, a writing brush and traditional Korean paper handmade from mulberry trees.

This exhibition was prepared by twenty senior citizens who are participating classes like Oriental Painting, Calligraphy for Korean Letters, and Calligraphy for Chinese Letters in Sosa Senior Community Welfare Center. They've learned and practiced calligraphy and oriental paintings, and completed thirty works for this exhibition. 

There will be shown oriental paintings of a plum-blossom, a orchid, a chrysanthemum and a bamboo, and calligraphic works about famous sayings and good phrases in Buddhist scriptures and the Bible.

Yeongseon Lee, an instructor of a calligraphy class in Sosa Senior Community Welfare Center, said "We have run classes about calligraphy and oriental paintings for senior citizens. Every year we've had an exhibition for oriental paintings and calligraphic works. It's not easy to prepare the exhibition but we've tried to make works for this exhibition for one month."

Jinho Choi, the team leader of Team of Management of Real Estate in Sosa-gu Office, said "It's April full of Spring. I hope citizens can enjoy the oriental paintings and calligraphic works in Sohyang Gallery in Sosa-gu Office, Bucheon City."

The open hour is from 9 AM to 6 PM every day. For more information, contact Department of Management of Land in Sosa-gu Office, of which the phone number is +82-32-625-6123, or twit them @bc-sosaminwon.

<photo 1: People watch calligraphic works which are displayed in Sohyang Gallery in Sosa-gu Office, Bucheon City. A district office of Bucheon City, Sosa-gu Office is holding an exhibition displaying oriental paintings and calligraphic works which senior citizens have drawn.>

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Dodang Saemaul Movement Council Make Soybean Paste and Soy Sauce for the Needy


Dodang Saemaul Movement Council Make Soybean Sauces for the Needy

"Fill Up Jars With Love"


Nowadays people can't imagine to dare to make soybean sauces by themselves. They usually buy those at the market. Benjawon, a 46 years old woman, who immigrated from Vietnam 15 years ago, participated the event of making Korean traditional soybean paste and soy sauce, and she learned recipes for two Korean sauces.

More than twenty members of Dodang Saemaul Movement Council in Wonmi-gu, Bucheon City made Korean traditional soybean paste and soy sauce for the needy last April 10, 2013.

It takes several months to make Korean soybean paste and soy sauce in Korean traditional recipe. They have ripened lumps of fermented soybean with salty water from last early of March in Korean style jars for food, 3rd floor, Dodang Resident Community Center, after they washed the fermented soybean.

That day they separated soy sauce from soybean paste. They mashed up lumps of fermented soybean and put those into other crocks in order to ripen those to be soybean paste. And they boiled the soy sauce for several hours and poured those in other jars. After 5 or 6 months of ripening time, finally the new soybean paste and soy sauce of the year will complete.

Dodang Saemaul Movement Council has held this event of making two Korean traditional soy sauces for 7 years. If the two types of soy sauces are completed around this September, they will give those sauces to senior citizens who live along or needy neighbors, or use those sauce as food ingredients for senior's festivals. Also they sell parts of those sauces to citizens and make money for helping others.

Benjawon, who is a member of the council, said with her smile "It was a great experience to make Korean traditional soybean sauces. But it was hard to mash up the lumps of fermented soybean to make soybean paste."

Jongbok Kim, chairman of Dodang Saemaul Movement Council, said "It takes long time and it's not easy to make soybean sauses by ourselves. But we're happy to help neighbors with these traditional soybean sauces. We'll keep on helping needy neighbors like the senior citizen who lives along and multi-cultural families."

<photo 1: Women are mashing up lumps of fermented soybean and putting those into Korean traditional jars for ripening last April 10, 2013 on 3rd floor, Dodang Resident Community Center, Bucheon City. More than twenty members of Dodang Saemaul Movement Council are participating the event of making Korean traditional soybean sauce and soybean paste in order to help out the needy with these food.>

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Bucheon City Farm Park Open April 27


Bucheon City Farm Park Open April 27


Abandoned Yeowol Water Purification Plant in Bucheon City will revive to become the new Bucheon Yeowol Farm Park on April 27, 2013 where citizens can watch all process of raising plants seasonally.

The old Yeowol Water Purification Plant had supplied tap water for Bucheon citizens for about 20 years from 1980 to 2001. The new purification plant, Kkachiul Water Purification Plant replaced Yeowol plant about 10 years ago.

The first key features of Bucheon Yeowol Farm Park is to reflect requests of citizens from the beginning. The city has heard opinion from citizens and professionals about city farming area. And the city has repeated learning from domestic and oversea's successful cases, regarding city farm park.

The second feature is to reuse old facilities of Yeowol Water Purification Plant such as  settling, cleaning, filter beds and a recollection tank.

They made a farming experience area, a seeding place, a ecological pond where water plants and fishes live together and a picnic place in the farm park, reusing old green space and old facilities.

A new camping ground also has been set up in the park. The city has prepared farming programs including class for kitchen gardening and farming festival, a moviegoing event for families and a stargaze program.

Close to the new park, there are a trail to the fifth course of Bucheon Dulaegil, the tracking courses around Bucheon City, and Dodang Arboretum(a tree park) where citizens can enjoy flowers like cherry blossoms, azalea and roses during Spring season. And also there's Bucheon Stadium Station, Subway Line 7.

The mayor of Bucheon City said "The city has changed the abandoned place for 10 years into the new productive park together with citizens. Bucheon Yeowol Farm Park will be the special place for our children dreaming the future."

<photo 1: The bird's-eye view of Bucheon Yeowol Farm Park that the city has changed abandoned water purification plant into the new city farm park with citizens. The new farm park is supposed to open on April 27, 2013.>

Monday, April 15, 2013

Azalea Flower in Full Blossom in Bucheon City


Azalea Flower in Full Blossom in Bucheon City

"Come to Enjoy 13th Azalea Flower Festival by Subway"

The 13th Azalea Flower Festival in Mt. Wonmi, Bucheon City, has started already. All azalea flower garden is full of light pink colors.

Tens of thousands of people have visited Bucheon Azalea Flower Festival, the biggest azalea garden in the Seoul metropolitan area, every year. There are parking lots prepared for 1,300 cars in Bucheon Sports Complex close to the azalea garden. The parking fee is $1.5 all day long. During the festival the parking lots are full before noon.

The easiest way to get to the azalea garden is to take on the subway. Take a subway Line 7 to Bucheon Sports Complex Station, and get out of exit #2 and take a walk for five minutes. Then you finally arrive at the festival place, the Bucheon Azalea Garden in Mt. Wonmi.

By bus, take a bus #3, #3-1 and #75 from Bucheon Station, #8 and #23 from Songnae Station, #013-1 and #013-2 from Yeokgok Station, and #3 and #60 from Sosa Station. And get off at Bucheon Sports Complex.

It is also possible to walk along Bucheon Dulaegil, the tracking path around Bucheon City, to get to the azalea garden. Start from Sosa Station Subway Line 1 to walk along the forest path of Bucheon Local Remains, the first path among Bucheon Dulaegil to get there. Take a walk from Gogang Prehistoric Sites, Ojeong-gu, passing through Kkachiuol and Bucheon Youth Center, and get to the garden.

Head of Chunui Resident Community Center, Kwangho Yu recommended "Cherry blossoms last only for one week, but you can enjoy azalea flowers for one month because the flowers bloom sequentially. Come to see the azalea flowers by bus and subway."

The 13th Azalea Flower Festival in Mt. Wonmi was held on April 12 to 14, 2013. But you can still enjoy the flowers. For more information, call Chunui Resident Community Center of which the phone number is +82-32-625-5762 or send a message via Twitter whose address is @chunuidong.  If you visit the web site of Chunui-dong whose address is http://chunui.bucheon.go.kr, you can find out the schedule and programs about the festival.

<photo 1: People walk along the azalea flower trees in the Bucheon Azalea Flower Garden on Mt. Wonmi, Bucheon City. The 13th Azalea Flower Festival in Mt. Wonmi was held from April 12 to 14, 2013 around the mountain Wonmi.> 

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Bucheon City Recruit Citizen Members of Participatory Budgeting Committee


Participate Budgeting of Bucheon City 

Bucheon City Recruit Citizen Members of Participatory Budgeting Committee


Bucheon City is recruiting citizen members of Participatory Budgeting Committee and Resident Council for Participatory Budgeting from April 8 to 30, 2013. 

With Bucheon Participatory Budgeting, the city gathers the opinions of Bucheon citizens through all the processes of budgeting in order to make the budget of Bucheon City clearer and fairer and to realize citizens' participation in Administration of Bucheon City .

The city is recruiting in public 100 members per a town of Resident Councils for Participatory Budgeting. Anyone who is living or working at companies and non-profit non-governmental organizations in Bucheon City and is older than 19 years on April 8, 2013 can apply for the members.

The applicants can visit Resident Community Center of the town where he or she is living or send a mail to Bucheon City Hall or send an email at the web site of Participatory Budgeting of which the web address is http://budget.bucheon.go.kr.

The selected members of Resident Participatory Budgeting Council gather opinions of local residents about budgeting, and recommend citizen members who will attend the Citizen Budgeting Committee as representatives for their towns and make up the budget of Bucheon City.

The members of the Citizen Participatory Budgeting Committee, consist of 72 recommended members from each town's Resident Participatory Budgeting Councils and 28 members who are recommended by non-profit private organizations

The members of the Citizen Committee are mainly active in six subcommittees on Administration, Economy & Culture, Society & Welfare, City Development, Environment & Cleaning, and Traffic & Road. And they will discuss budgeting and advance the opinions from their Resident Councils in the subcommittees. The period of membership is one year.

Head of Budgeting Team, Jeongkuen Park said "I want a lot of citizens to apply for members of Participatory Budgeting Council and Committee in order to set up good budgeting for residents in Bucheon City."

For more information, contact your Resident Community Center or Department of Planning & Budgeting whose phone number is +82-32-625-2524 and whose twitter address is @bc_create.  

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Draw Cartoon about Your Dream at Bucheon City Hall


Draw Caricatures of Citizens at Bucheon City Hall

"Cartoon writers draw caricatures for citizen at Cartoon Cafe every Thursday"

Bucheon City announced cartoon writers would draw caricatures of citizens' dream at the Cartoon Cafe on the first floor in Bucheon City Hall, 2 pm to 5 pm, every Thursday from April 11 to the end of December, 2013.

The city has planned this event to promote 'the Cartoon Cafe' as a special attraction place which gives people the image of 'the Cartoon City, Bucheon'. The cartoon writers working at Korea Cartoon & Motion Picture Institute, will volunteer to draw the caricatures.

If you want to get your own drawings about your dream, participate and pay $5 for a drawing of A4 size and additional $5 for a picture frame.

The city will donate a portion of the earnings to welfare facilities for children, senior citizens, foreign workers and pediatric patients in Bucheon City.

Yeonghyun Choi, the leader of Team of Cartoon Industry, said "We're supposed to expand event places to Bucheon Central Park, Bucheon Subway Station, Imagination Street and Gilju Avenue. The city has tried to make citizens familiar with cartoons in their daily lives and promote highly the image of Bucheon as 'the Cartoon City'."

Meet Famous Novel at Azalea Flower Festival in Bucheon City


Meet Famous Novel Writer at Azalea Flower Festival

"Azalea Flower Festival at Mt. Womni Holding During April 12 to 14"

"There are azalea flowers in full blossom all around the mountain. Leaves in light yellow green look great, then anyone standing stil inside them could be likely to dye in the same color. My husband is loudly talking about spring news after he comes back from Mt. Wonmi. The long ridge seen from everywhere in Womni-dong is Mt. Womni." 
Starts the famous novel, <People in Womni-dong> written by Guija Yang.

The novel, <People in Wonmi-dong>, is a great work that made local name of Wonmi, a town of Bucheon City, famous across the country.

Womni-gu Office set up a memorial stone for the novel, <People in Wonmi-dong>, in order to celebrate her great works on April 7, 2007, just before opening the Azalea Flower Festival 2007.

Ms. Yang, the writer who actually lived Wonmi-dong for at least 10 years from 1981, released the novel on 1987 to describe life of people living in 1980's. After then, the novel was made to a TV show and a theater play moving people's hearts all in the country.

The Azalea Flower Festival in Bucheon City will be held around 'that' mountain, Mt. Wonmi, which was the main background in the novel.

And the novel will be reborn as a comic book by a cartoon writer working at Bucheon Comics Center. The cartoon writer, Kihyun Byun, has revived the novel <People in Wonmi-dong> as the cartoon <People in Wonmi-dong>. The cartoon <People in Wonmi-dong> is selected as 'The Comic Book of The Year 2013' for which Bucheon citizens voted.

The 13th Azalea Flower Festival at Mt. Womni is supposed to be held during April 12 to 14. It is easy to walk to the event place through Number 2 exit, Bucheon Sports Complex station, Subway Line 7.

For more information about the festival, call Chunui-dong Resident Community Center, +82-32-625-5762, or twit @chunuidong. And you can find the schedule and program about the festival via the web site of Chunui-dong Resident Community Center, http://chunui.bucheon.go.kr.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Subway Libraries in Bucheon City


Subway Libraries in Bucheon City

"Bucheon City Made New Libraries at Subway Stations""Bucheon Citizen can Borrow Books at Subway Stations in Bucheon City"

Bucheon citizens can drop by libraries at Sang-dong station, line 7, Bucheon station, and Yeokgok station, line 1 in Buchoen City.

President of USA Barack Obama said
"More than a building that houses books and data, the library has always been a window to a larger world." 
Bill Gates also said 
"Not the diploma but my habit to read books at small town library was that made me now."
It's important to create the circumstances to be familiar with books. Bucheon City is making a big library zone connecting major subway stations across the city such as Bucheon, Sang-dong and Yeokgok subway stations.

The city has opened a new library called 'Smart Library Station' on the second floor in Yeokgok station, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon City last April 1, 2013. The Smart Library is an automated book-rental machine where citizens can easily search and borrow any books they want on the spot. This small library machine has served 375 books released recently including <Unfair Advantage: The Power of Financial Education> by Robert T. Kiyosaki.

Bucheon citizens can use the Smart Library Station with their library cards issued by Bucheon City Library from 5:30 am to midnight everyday. One person can borrow one book once for maximum 7 days long. The book borrowed at the Smart Library Station should get back to the same library machine. 

For more information, visit the web site of Bucheon City Library, http://www.bcl.go.kr, or call close libraries.

For your interests, the 'Choo Choo Library' which has been opened on the first basement floor in Sang-dong station, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon City, last year 2012, is just 53 square meters area, but average 1,880 citizens per a month have visited the library. Average 2,277 citizens have used the mutual book-rental service in '365 Always Bucheon Citizen Service', Bucheon subway station.

<photo 1: The Smart Library Station has installed in Yeokgok subway station, April 1, 2013. Bucheon citizens can borrow books from this library station with their library cards issued by Bucheon City Library. There are 375 books released recently and stocked inside the automated library machine.>

Monday, April 8, 2013

Bucheon City Seek Ideas Worth to Implement


Your Idea Can Change BucheonBucheon City Seek Ideas Worth to Implement

Bucheon City is seeking citizens' ideas to develop the city till April 30, 2013.

The city will give one gold prize worth $700 to the best, two silvers worth $500 to second places and three bronzes worth $300 to thirds. The city's prepared total $2,600 worth prize money.  All the ideas selected by relevant departments will also be paid gift cards worth $50.

Here are the fields of ideas to seek; 


  • ideas to improve citizens' quality of life, 
  • ideas for ceremonies or events to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Bucheon City, 
  • ideas for efficient government services,
  • ideas to save budgets or enlarge income, 
  • ideas to change internal city rules, 
  • ideas to develop policies and systems regarding environment, culture, welfare and education, 
  • and any ideas worth to make the city better. 


Last year 2012, six ideas won prizes including 'Promoting Public Notice about Household Garbage on LED displays' by Jeongsu Kim living in Dodang-dong, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon City and 'Installing Rechargers for Smartphones in District Office' by Heubong Lee living Simgokbon-dong, Sosa-gu, Bucheon City. 

The evaluation criteria are creativeness, cost-effectiveness, efficiency, retainability, scope of application, and efforts. The city will announce results on the end of July.

Every one living or working in Bucheon City can participate in this event. 

If you want to apply, download and fill in the application form from the Web of Bucheon City, http://www.bucheon.go.kr, and hand it in via the application web site, http://create.bucheon.go.kr or http://www.epeaple.go.kr or email, sehun@korea.kr, or by mail or in person, Department of Budgeting, Bucheon City Hall, 210, Kilju-ro, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon City.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Bucheon City Start Outdoor Fitness Class On Parks


Bucheon City Start Outdoor Fitness Class On Parks


Bucheon Wonmi Community Health Center announced to open a new outdoor fitness program, which is called "Fitness Class; Let's Meet at Midnight!", in order to promote the campaign of 'Healthy Bucheon Where People live Healthy For 100 Years".

The new fitness classes will be held at the Concert Pavilion in Bucheon Central Park(only every Monday, Wednesday and Friday), the bandstand in Dodang Rose Park and the front of Clock Tower beside Bucheon Gymnasium(only every Monday and Wednesday) from 8 to 9 P.M., April 8 to the end of November 2013. Aerobics instructors are going to teach willing participants freehand and dance exercise.

Additionally, fitness participants can make reservations for health check-in to Bucheon Lifetime Healthcare Center, which is located on 3rd floor in Wonmi Community Health Center. Participants can measure their body composition and take health counselling and nutrition consultation.

Every Bucheon citizens can join this fitness program for free. For more information, contact Team of Health Improvement in Wonmi Community Health Center by a phone +82-32-625-4221, 4254 and by twitter @bucheonhealth2.

<photo 1: Tens of fitness participants in an outdoor fitness class gather and exercise with free hands in front of the Concert Pavilion in Bucheon Central Park last year.>

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Bucheon City Hold Weddings for Multi-cultural Couples


Bucheon City Hold Weddings for Multi-cultural Couples


Sang-dong Resident Community Center, a town office of Bucheon City, announced that the center would hold Korean traditional wedding ceremonies for multi-cultural couples on May 25, 2013 in order to promote its new project of "Sang-dong's Happy Town 2013".

The center has held free traditional weddings for two couples among multi-cultural families every year. Call the center, +82-32-625-5921 till April 15, 2013 if a multi-cultural couple wants.

The Korean traditional wedding starts as the groom walks in, who is following a group of performers playing traditional rural music with several Korean traditional instruments and followed by the bride on a sedan chair, which is a traditional carrier for women or higher persons powered by four men..

The procedure of Korean traditional wedding ceremony consists of 3 steps;

The first step is that the groom presents the bride a couple of wild geese. The couple of wild geese stands for endless promise of love. It's known that one of a wild goose couple dies alone without re-coupling after it loses the other spouse. People of old times used living wild geese at ancient days but nowadays they use wooden ones. 

The second is that the couple, a bride and  a groom, exchange deep bows each other. The bride makes a deep bow twice first and then the groom does it once. They repeat those twice. 

The last step is that the couple share special drinks in order to celebrate becoming a wife and a husband officially and to wish to get along with each other forever.

After all the main steps of wedding, there remains an additional but important step, that the bride makes a deep bow to the husband's parents and his elder relatives for the first time after the wedding. Nowadays both the bride and groom do it together.

Kyeoho Hwang, the chairman of Sang-dong Resident Committee, who will host the traditional wedding, said "During the wedding ceremony, I will explain every step and its meaning in order for children and teenagers to understand and experience our traditional culture."

<photo 1: The groom, the tallest man in the right group of persons, stands against the bride who is preparing for making a deep bow, surrounded by wedding helpers and guests while a Korean traditional wedding ceremony is being held for a multi-cultural couple on May, 2012. >

Bucheon Public Campground Open on May 4


Bucheon Public Campground Open on May 4


Bucheon public campground is supposed to re-open on May 4, 2013 and Bucheon Culture Park on April 16, 2013. The two sites were very popular with campers and families last year 2012.

Bucheon pulbic campground will be run from May 4 to the end of November, 2013. There are fifty tents for rent and forty five campsites for self camping in the campground. The city will make fifteen campsites more this year.

You should make a reservation first via the web site, http://www.bccamppark.kr, if you want to use the campsites. The city opened the reservation page from 2 P.M., April 1, 2013.

They prepared a event square, sport playgrounds for basketball, Korean foot volleyball and badminton games, electric power outlets, restrooms, shower booths, a washing area, a rental shop, and a drugstore in the campground. Campers can use electric power at both rental tents and campsites for self camping.

The fee for a rental tent is US $30 per a night. The fee for a campsite for self camping is US $15 per a night. The city will provide sessions for camping skills, movie theaters for campers, cultural performances, marketplaces for sharing, and experience event in culture and arts.

Everyone who has a camping bracelet can get 40% discount for entrance fee to Korea Comics Museum and 50% discount for experience fee of making kimchi in Kimchi Theme Park.

Last year 2012, 42 thousand persons visited the campground. The Bucheon public campground was selected as one of best 10 campgrounds in Gyunggi Province by Gyunggi Tourist Service Company last year. KBS TV company introduced Bucheon public campground as a "Special Camping Place in Cities" at its TV NEWS show, KBS 1TV News Square, on October 29, 2012.

Near the campground, Bucheon Culture Park, a kind of urban kitchen garden, will open on April 16, 2013, as the city hosts a festival that informs the start of farming to heaven. The city is supposed to rent 200 sections of kitchen gardens to citizens. The one section of a kitchen garden is 16.5 square meters area. There are also kitchen gardens for education, a herbs garden, a garden for raising seeds, a experience center, a marketplace for sharing, and a flower garden in the park. The park will run several activities regarding 'City Farming'.

The urban kitchen gardens are rent by citizens and public organizations, who will do farming there for one year. The rental fee for a section is US $60 per a year.

Last year 2012, 69 organizations and 9,765 citizens farmed to harvest at 200 sections of kitchen gardens.

After accepting applications for renting kitchen gardens from February 25 to March 24, 2013, 500 organizations and citizens, more than twice of 200, signed in. The selected applicants can start to farm from April 16.

The city will plant sunflowers and cosmos flowers on empty space and make a flower road around the kitchen gardens in the culture park.

Team leader of Movie & Culture Complex Team, Yeonghyung Choi, said "Bucheon Public Campground and Culture Park are so popular with citizens then other local government officials visit here in order to see and learn. The city will make it much better by expanding facilities for convenience and providing cultural performances."


<photo 1: The bird's-eye view image for Bucheon Public Campground and Culture Park. Bucheon City announced to open the campground on May 4 and kitchen gardens on April 16, 2013.>

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Mayor of Bucheon Learn Green System from Seoul


Mayor of Bucheon Learn Green System from Seoul


The mayor of Bucheon City, Mansoo Kim, and his fourty colleagues, officers of Bucheon City Hall visited the new building of Seoul City Hall and Seoul Energy Dream Center in order to learn much about green and energy-saving building in Seoul from 9 A.M. March 28, 2013.

When they opened the door of the new building of Seoul City Hall, they found to face a big 'Green Wall'. The Green Wall  surrounded the wall of the city hall with flowerpots. It absorbs tiny dust and controls inner temperature and humidity by itself without any cooling systems. It is powered by both the sunlight generation system at the top of the building and the geothermal power generation system.

The visitors from Bucheon City Hall also went to Seoul Energy Dream Center in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea. The center is a 100% self powering building which was built on a garbage landfill in Nanjido, a island in Han River and has one basement story and three stories above the ground. Seventy percent of energy saving of the building comes from insulation, recyling of waste heat, a cooling system and LED lighting. They use sunlight and geothermal power generation system to save the other thirty percent.

The mayor of Seoul City, Wonsoon Park, emphasized the importance of 'Urban Farming' having a bite of lettuce's leaf. He has raised several vegetables such as lettuce, kale in a vegetable garden box on a side of his office. He recommended citizens could raise plants such as flowers, lettuce and chili pepper at their verandas without much cost.

The mayor of Bucheon City said "I have learned much about energy savings, ecosystem on buildings, and in-house planting from Seoul City. I will adopt green concept to new public buildings like Bucheon Culture Center, Ojeong Library, and Songnae Culture Complex."


<photo 1: The mayor of Seoul City, Wonsoon Park, explains the importance of 'Urban Farming' pointing at his kitchen garden box on a side of his office while the mayor of Bucheon City and officers from Bucheon City Hall visit and learn green and energy-saving examples at a new building of Seoul City Hall.>