The Beauty You May Haven’t Yet Seen

You may hear the expression, ‘two birds in one stone’, to mean achieving two goals in a single action. What if we scale up this expression to ‘three birds in a single stone’?  Because every weekend, we are here in Namsan Hanok village to achieve three goals in a single action.

As it was illustrated above on the picture/poster, every weekend (Saturday and Sunday) from 10:30 - 11: 50 am and  14:30 - 15:50 pm we give a free tour guide to foreigners. By doing this free tour guide, we are enabled to achieve three goals every day. \

• Helping Foreigners
• Promoting our History, Culture, and Tradition
• Improving our Students Communication Skills

• Helping Foreigners

Statistics showed that the number of tourists coming to our country is constantly increasing.Therefore, creating a conducive environment for these foreigners is not only the responsibility of the government but also the daily duty of every patriotic citizen. As an organization and as a citizen, we are sharing this grand civic responsibility with our weekly guiding service. 

The main reason for tourists to travel to one country is because they are curious about that country in question and they aspire to know about that country. Therefore, creating awareness and giving the necessary information about the place they visit is paramount and so that foreigners can have a knowhow about the place they visited. 

As you look at the above picture, we meet tourists, ask them if they want free tour guide service. Then, we will give them the free tour guide. We give the guide only if they want. As far as my observation, unless they already visited the village, almost all foreigners are willing to get our free tour guide service.

Fig. Sequence of Activities

• Promoting our History, Culture, and Tradition

Palaces and traditional villages are historical heritages that vividly demonstrated our country history, civilization, culture, tradition, way of life, etc. Giving an accurate and sufficient explanation about these historical sites to tourists who came from all over the world is promoting Korean history, culture, tradition, etc at international level.  On the other hand, providing the necessary amenities and services to tourists will build a positive image of Korea in the minds of tourists and further contribute to increase the number of tourists to Korea. 

• Improving our Students Communication Skills

Our third goal is to improve the mastery of English language and communication skills of our students. Obviously, English is spoken all over the world and it is an international language. Therefore, mastery of this language opens plenty of opportunities for our students down the road in their life. It will enable them to communicate with a multitude of people and to attend colleges and universities outside Korea. It also paves the way to teach English or to work in international organizations. 

Moreover, in this highly internet dominated generation, face to face communication is continuously deteriorated. The number of technology dependent students is dramatically increasing. The internet generation doesn't have time to communicate even with their families. Therefore, this program helps students to develop their interpersonal communication skills  and interaction with one another. It enhances their communication ability in front of people no matter their number.

The Year of the Rat

Designed by Freepik

Rats are considered as pests in today's society. Most people are afraid of rats because of the diseases they are known to carry. After all, they were responsible for the epidemic known as the Black Plague, which wiped off a third of the population of Europe.

However, rats were not always perceived this way. They were symbols of fertility and a wish for a good harvest during the Joseon Dynasty. The rat is the first animal in the Chinese zodiac, which is a twelve year classification system that’s based on twelve animals.

Since 2020 is the Year of the Rat, we hope that our students at Youth Cultural Corps will have a productive year, working dilligently like rats towards their goals.

A typical day of a YCC volunteer tour guide

The volunteer tour guides at Youth Cultural Corps work really hard to provide good quality tours to foreign visitors. However, it takes a lot of preparation to learn how to be great! Let's take a look to find out how our volunteers get through a typical day involving a foreign visitor. 

Our volunteers usually start off by taking a class at the YCC Headquarters before they go to the tourist site. The YCC has its own bus which takes the students straight to the location where they will be volunteering. Here is one of our volunteers getting off the bus. 

The volunteers can be usually found waiting outside of the palace for a tourist to match up with. We usually set up a tent near the entrance of the palace where you can find us. Here's an example of a tent that we use when we are at Deoksugung.

Our volunteers usually wear uniforms which change according to the season. During the summer, you can find them wearing orange polo shirts with beige hats and khaki pants. As you can see, orange is a recurring color in our YCC uniform. 

The tours vary in length, but it is usually an hour long. As long as you fill out the feedback form at the end, the tours provided by YCC are absolutely free. Our students  provide tours in English and Chinese, but not in Korean! This is because we want to encourage our students to be more outgoing. By interacting with people from other cultures, the student is encouraged to be more open minded and creative. 

It's amazing how diverse Korea has become as a result of Hallyu. Many of the tourists that we meet are from other parts of Asia as well as Europe and North America. The YCC usually works at one of the following places, Gyeongbokgung, Deoksugung, Changdeokgung and Namsangol Hanok Village.

After the tour, our volunteers either wait until the others are done or go straight home. If a teacher is present, the students usually get a closing lesson before the day ends. 

To get a free tour with one of our volunteers, go to our reservation page to sign up for a time slot. You can also just stop by our tent any time. Either way, enjoy your stay in Korea!

Remembering Yu Gwan-sun

It is probably hard to believe that Korea and Japan are still on extremely bad terms since WWII happened over fifty years ago. In the past, Korea was like a cultural bridge between China and Japan. There was an active exchange of ideas and the Japanese were considered allies. However, it can be said that the impact the Japanese colonization had on Korea is felt even to this day. 

Japan began to convey its intention to extend its power to Korea with a naval attack on Ganghwa Island in 1875. Afterward, Japan forced Korea to sign a series of Western style trade agreements which granted the Japanese more and more influence over Korea. Because China was no longer the center of power in Asia, it could not intervene.

King Gojong, the last emperor of Joseon Dynasty, was trapped. The Eulsa Treaty of 1905, which made Korea a protectorate of Imperial Japan, was not signed by Gojong but by five of his ministers, who had betrayed him. Gojong died only a few years after the assassination of his wife, Queen Min. It was rumored that he was poisoned to death.

With the monarchy waning in power, it became the responsibility of the people to look after the country. On the day of the King’s funeral, March 1st of 1919, a demonstration was held to proclaim the independence of Korea. The Japanese forces responded to the demonstration with much brutality, injuring and killing anybody who took part in it.

Anybody who opposed the Japanese were sent to Seodaemun Prison, where severe inhuman atrocities were committed. Among those who were tortured and killed at Seodaemun was Yu Gwan-sun, a student from Ewha Girls High School. She was only sixteen at the time when her life was turned upside down forever.

As a bright young woman, Yu was captivated by the energy of the March 1st Movement. She was active in organizing a protest for Korean independence in her hometown of Cheonan on April 1st, 1919. Though the protest was peaceful, her parents were killed and Yu was sent to prison for committing the act of sedition.

It is hard to describe the kind of tortures that she faced at the hands of her captors at Seodaemun. Nonetheless, her desire for a liberated Korea remained strong. Yu declared in prison that, “even if my fingernails are torn out, my nose and ears are ripped apart, and my legs and arms are crushed, this physical pain does not compare to the pain of losing my nation.”

Due to the harsh beatings and poor conditions that she endured, Yu died in September of 1920. After her death was announced, the Japanese tried to dispose of the the body privately because they wanted to hide the evidence of torture. However, Lulu Frey, a principal at Ewha Girls High School, ensured the return of Yu’s corpse from Seodaemun so Yu could be given a burial.

Many freedom fighters and innocent people were killed during the Japanese rule, which lasted from 1910 to 1945. Perhaps we would not be here if it weren't for martyrs such as Yu Gwan-sun, who fought for freedom to the very end. Even though Japan and Korea have yet to find peace, Yu will be remembered for her courage in the face of war.

Discover Korean History with the Youth Cultural Corps

Gyeonghoeru Pavilion at Gyeongbokgung Palace

In the past, when a king governed the Korean peninsula, it was impossible for anybody to enter the royal palaces. A royal palace such as Gyeongbokgung was a private residence where the king lived with his family and his servants. In order to pass the gates, you had to get permission, which was very hard to get. Such rights were reserved only for people in high positions.

A volunteer tour guide with an international tourist at Deoksugung

A very different reality exists at the royal palaces today. For only a few thousand won, everybody can go to a royal palace and dive into Korean history. As long as you are courteous, you can take pictures, look around and enjoy a cup of coffee. Nowadays, you can see foreigners from all over the world dressed in hanbok at the royal palaces, which are now open for the public to see.

A mythical creature carved on a stairway at Deoksugung

Even though the palace structures are made of wood, they are very sturdy due to practice of dancheong, or traditional decorative wood painting. These ancient works of architecture remind us of a time when ideologies such as Confucianism and Buddhism were dominant in Korea. Many motifs of dragons, phoenixes and other mythical creatures can be found throughout the palaces.

Colorful dancheong painted on the palace structures of Gyeongbokgung

For students at Youth Cultural Corps, an organization which aims to promote Korean history and culture, a royal palace is an integral part of their education. Every weekend, you can find the YCC at places such as Gyeongbokgung, Deoksugung, Changdeokgung and Namsangol Hanok Village. As volunteer tour guides, the YCC gives free tours to international visitors in English or Chinese.

Students from the Youth Cultural Corps

To receive a tour with a volunteer tour guide from Youth Cultural Corps, go to the reservation page to get the full schedule. You can also find us directly on the weekends from 10am to 4pm at Deoksugung, Changdeokgung, Gyeongbokgung or Namsangol Hanok Village. Follow YCC on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ycc.officials/ if to get updates on Korean history and more.

YCC students in action for 2nd week of May

If you're a fan of K-pop, you probably know that BTS is making headlines right now with their sold out concerts and crazy fans! They are a prime example of Hallyu, or Korean Wave. Hallyu is a term that refers to the rise of Korean pop culture in various parts of the world, including China, Japan and US. More and more tourists are coming to Korea as a result of Hallyu. 

Students with tourists at Gyeongbokgung

As a country with the highest Internet penetration rate in the world, many foreigners find traveling in Korea to be easy. Korea is also known for having the highest percentage of post secondary educated people in the world. In the past, the majority of Koreans were illiterate. This changed dramatically in the last century with the widespread use of Hangul.

Students helping tourists at Namsangol Hanok Village. 

The YCC give free tours every weekend. 

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Join us for a free tour if you're interested!

The coming of early summer with YCC at Gyeongbokgung

It is the middle of May and the weather is getting hotter early. However, our YCC students are concentrating about commentary guide on historical places in Seoul. The free tour guide gives much information to foreign tourists and students can be more confidential.

These are the students at Gyeongbokgung. YCC students can speak English and Chinese. They can grow communication skills with foreigners through this kind of volunteering activities.

 

Foreign tourists come from many various countries. They are astonished and really get impressed by the knowledge of students about the history and the information of Gyeongbokgung. Through the explanation of the students, foreigners can acquire a lot of knowledge about Korean royal palace.

This picture is an example, that a student is explaining about the ranking stones for foreigner. Tourists can understand what is the meaning of ranking stone and think about the system of officials of Joseon Dynasty.

When you come to Gyeongbokgung or any other cultural heritage sites in Seoul in weekend, YCC students will be there!

If you are interested with royal palaces of Seoul, then please contact us and we will briefly serve you! Visit our official website for the details on how to contact us.