Fresh Line-ups For You!

Hellooo dearest members! Lots of things are going on right now in the K-entertainment scene, what with lots of hot groups doing their promotions and the return of the ever so loved Troublemaker duo! Well, KCC hasn't been resting either! We've got tons of exciting stuff lined up for you, so keep an eye out for our updates! FIRSTLY, our next session will be on the 4th of November, which is next Monday! We can't wait to see you guys again and share on our latest topic - the drool-inducing Korean cuisine! Food lovers, don't miss out on this week's session! SECONDLY, the annual KCC Talent Show is coming back on air this year, and we need your talent! If you're an aspiring singer, dancer, or simply wish to showcase your talents, don't hesitate! Sign up now for the KCC Talent Show to secure your chance to shine on the stage. LAST (but not the least), we'll be shaking up the scene this year with something new and exciting. This year, in conjunction with the Annual General Meeting, we're holding a Secret Santa event! After all, CCAs are all about meeting new people, right? If you've always been too shy or haven't gotten the chance to speak to someone new, now's the time to start! Sign up to be a Secret Santa, and we'll pair you up randomly with someone. Through the exchanging of gifts - and Christmas cheer, we hope - you'll be able to broaden your horizons AND make a new friend at the same time. Friendship is magic! --- All these will be dealt with in a little more detail during the session itself, so do head down for a jam-packed session on Monday! We can't wait to see you guys again!

Facebook Frenzy!

Hi guys!

We have an interesting game installed for all of you!

FACEBOOK FRENZY

It’s our very own online competition!

More Information:

We will be posting some very zoomed-in photos of Kpop idols. The fastest people that comment on it with the right answers, will get to win free prizes or more.

Join our new Facebook Group for this event: https://www.facebook.com/groups/298851930257591/

Pay attention! We will be commencing the game during the 3^rd or 4^th week of September (20^th to 25^th September).

Have fun!

PARODY COMPETITION!

Think back, to that one point in time when you were sitting before your computer screen, marvelling at the genius ways that some people - and even your idols - are able to twist dramas, music videos, virtually anything into something that's stomach-grabbing funny.

Take Big Bang's famous parody of the drama Secret Garden for example:

How many times have you watched a music video/drama and thought, "I could do it better"? Were there any instances when you wished that you could rid a drama of its annoying and silly villain? Were there any productions that you wished you could have been a part of?

Well now's your chance to unleash the director's flair within you, for the Korean Cultural Club is holding a Parody Competition, where you get to change, mix, and match anything that's available in Korean pop culture. Music, music videos, dramas, movies... they are all at your disposal.

If you're itching to try your hand at embellishing your favourite bits of pop culture, do take note of the following details:

Submission deadline: 15th October 2013

How to submit: Simply film your parody video, upload it (unlisted) onto Youtube, and mail us the link to your participating video at cca_korean@connect.np.edu.sg. Please follow the format below for your email. The title of your email should be .

Title of video:
Name/s:
Year:
Student Number:
School:

The results will be announced on 25th October. The winning person/group will be able to win prizes, and their video will be aired during one of the KCC sessions.

Have fun! May the drama/music/movie gods bless you.

Shamanism

INTERESTING FACTS:

Did you know? Korean Shamanism was one of the most believed religions in the past.

Korean Shamanism is widely names as Muism or Sinism*. This religion contains a variety of indigenous religious beliefs and practices of the Korean people.

Shamanism has its roots in ancient, land-based cultures, dating at least as far back as 40,000 years, known as "magician, medicine man, mystic and poet". When people believe in shamanism, they believe in the existence of spiritual life forms and gods. Commoners often seek help from a mudang (무당, 巫堂) or Tangol (당골), also known as the Shaman. The role of the mudang, usually a woman, is to act as intermediary between a spirit entity, spirits or gods and human beings.

Shamans hold gut, or services, in order to gain good fortune for clients, cure illnesses by exorcising negative or 'bad' spirits that cling to people, or propitiate local or village gods. Such services are also held to guide the spirit of a deceased person to higher realms.

The shaman provided healing on many levels; physical, psychological and spiritual. The shaman usually performs rituals and goes into trance states, in order to have travel to other realms and seek help from spirits. The rites themselves have gone through a number of changes through the Silla and Goryeo periods. Even during the Joseon Dynasty, which was heavily Confucian, shamanistic rites persisted. In the past such shamanic rites included agricultural rites, such as prayers for abundant harvest.

With a shift away from agriculture in modern Korea this has largely been lost, and modern-day mudang are more focused on the fulfillment of the spiritual or mundane needs of urban people.

Some other interesting facts:

The government has discouraged belief in shamanism as superstition and for many years minimized its persistence in Korean life. However, it has been recognized as an important aspect of Korean culture. Shamanic exorcism is still used during certain special events and its valuable cultural properties are preserved and passed on to future generations.

In North Korea, all mudang descendants were labelled as members of the 'hostile class' and are considered to have 'bad songbun', i.e. "tainted blood."

There are many types of Mudang (Shaman) and a lot of different rituals that were performed in the past. You can read about all these other information online!

* Muism originates from the word ‘Mugyo’, which means the religion of Mu (witchcraft). Sinism originates from the word ‘Shingyo’, which means the religion of the Gods.

Comments:

Have you seen any Korean Shamanic rituals or practices (in movies or drama, etc)?

Do you know of any other interesting religion that the Korean people have in the past?

Summer

Summer in Korea falls from late June to late August. Generally, the period between the end of June and mid July is the rainy season in Korea. During this time there is no scorching heat. However, there can be clouds and frequent rainfalls for as short as a week to as long as three weeks.

The frequency of rainy spells called jangma* and typhoons around Japan can also bring heavy to Korea. These rain spells cause damage to crops like watermelos and vegetables.

Summer is relatively hot and humid, with the hottest month being August when the mean temperature is between 23 and 26 degrees Celsius. Summer temperatures can go over 38°C with an average of 20°C between June and September. Due to the high humidity, people feel that it is hotter than it actually is.

To escape the scorching heat, people go to the mountains, sea, or valleys to spend their summer holidays.

Although air-conditioning makes summers much more bearable these days, many locals go to the mountains, sea, or valleys to spend their summer holidays, escaping the scorching heat. As such, summer is the ‘internal’ holiday season where the mountains, beaches and islands become crowded, and accommodation prices double.

Cold watermelon, sweet juicy peaches and cold noodles offer some consolation to the muggy weather, which generally ends by September, when the evenings turn refreshingly cool.

Although it might not be the ideal season to go to Korea, there are many attractions only available during the summer.

Some websites that you might find handy:

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_4_13_6.jsp

http://www.visitseoul.net/en/article/article.do?_method=view&m=0004004015002&p=07&art_id=64086&lang=en

KCC Annual Camp 2013 Registration... Open!!

Some of you here might have been a part of our Annual Bonding Camp last year. Some of you haven't. But not to worry, for this exciting camp - which gives you the added bonus of bonding with your cca-mates - is coming once again!

The details of the camp are as follows:

Date: 26 Aug - 28 Aug 2013 
Duration of camp: 3 Day 2 Night
Place of Accommodation: The Loft
Price per pax: $15 (inclusive of club tee)

There'll be tons of fun and games waiting for you, so if you're interested, hurry and sign up! There are limited amount of slots, as we will only be accepting the first 60 applicants, and registrations will be closed on the 27th of July. After signing up, please fill in the indemnity form for the loft stay and slot your form under the KCC clubroom door latest by 30th July, Tuesday.

What are you waiting for? Head over to the sign up sheet to secure yourself a spot for the best activities that KCC has to offer! You can either sign up as a camper, or choose to participate in everything about the camp as a helper.

Sign up as a camper here!

Sign up as a helper here!

After you've signed up, don't forget to download, fill in and print out this indemnity form! Remember to slot it under our clubroom door latest by 30th July!

T-shirt Design Submission!

Helloooo guys!

We need your help!

If you really like designing, why don’t you take your chance? We will be producing our 2013 Korean Cultural Club T-Shirt!

All you need to do is to design a t-shirt for us (do try not to put in Kpop Idols) and send it to us!

You can do it with the template given below! And send it our email, koreanculturalclub@gmail.com.

Please include your Name, Student ID and also include ‘KCC T-shirt Design’ for the Subject of the email.

Cheers!

P.S. Please do send it to us before 5^th August 2013 (Monday).