Geotourism in KOREA

According to NATIONAL GEOGARPHIC, Geotourism is defined as tourism that sustains or enhances the distinctive geographical character of a place—its environment, heritage, aesthetics, culture, and the well-being of its residents. In South Korea, these geotourism are not yet made. If it is made, it would be nice to be made in Suncheon. Suncheon City is now becoming famous for ecological capital and is moving to geotourism beyond its borders. Suncheon is a city with the environment and cultural heritage of South Korea and the Republic of Korea. Because of four seasons, South Korea has many migratory birds flying north and south. Suncheonbay serves as a home and intermediate stop for birds. There is a folk village called Naganeupseong, a folk village built by the folk dwellings representing Korean culture. Suncheon, with its nature and history, will be a famous geotourism city in Korea.

Suncheon Bay is a collective habitat of international rare birds. There are about 220 species of birds observed here, 35 of them are endangered, and there are only about 10 million black cranes in the world, and 500 of them are found here. Suncheon Bay, one of the five major coastal wetlands in the world, is the first of its kind to be registered with the Ramsar Wetlands, the international wetland protection treaty in 2006.Suncheonman Bay is a treasure trove of natural ecology. If Suncheonman Bay is well preserved, it is not only preserve nature but also protecting the nature of nature.If we develop and operate the geotourism, utilizing Suncheonman Bay, we will gain both the economic value and the nature of the natural protection.

Naganeupseong is one of the three major towns in the Joseon Dynasty. Naganeupseong has a lot of thatched-roof houses where a lot of ordinary people live. Here you can see things that are forgotten. In fact, there are still many people in Naganeupseong. It is one of the few folk villages inhabited by residents. Most residents live in a traditional way, not a modern one. Here, you can vividly see and feel the way and way of nature-friendly life of old Korea. In Naganeupseong, you can also provide accommodation so that you can stay in that house. Most of the restaurants and shops in Naganeupseong are operated by residents and large companies do not enter. If you use the money at a local restaurant, your money goes to the local people. Legal regulations and sanctions should be made at the government level to prevent large corporations from coming in. Combined with these attractions, Korea will be able to create its own geotourism.

Smartphone.

Which country have a lot of the smartphone in the world? That is Korea. Recently, United Arab Emirates is at the top. Korea still take the second rank. In the world, there are gradually increased demand of smart phone. What is the smart phone? According to WIKIPIDIA, “A smartphone is a mobile phone with an advanced mobile operating system which combines features of a personal computer operating system with other features useful for mobile or handheld use.” Smartphone like present form was first released by Apple in 2007. Smart phone is a real small computer that can handle anything matter. The invention of the smart phone brought many changes in society.

WISEAPP, an enterprise of mobile market research, says that the average use time of smartphones for Koreans is 3 hours per day and 20s use 4 hours and 10 minutes a day.
A lot of time is occupied by smartphones. People do many things with smartphones. Through handheld phones people can purchase goods and conduct personal banking. The structure of the market was changed altering use from television and computers to smartphone. As the commercial has changed to fit the smartphone and consumption has grown through the app, online stores have increased dramatically over the offline store. Various media and TV channels are also changing to make it easier for them to watch in phones.

Smartphones also change culture. With the development of smartphone, photographs and video can shoot easily and upload them directly to the Internet and share them with many people. Uploaded photos and videos convey images and situations. Various people can express themselves through the Internet. With the Internet, we can easily access the world news and can search for things wondering easily. Through various sites, you can watch interesting videos or spend free time with game app.

Not all these innovations are good ones. With the growing number of online stores, many jobs are missing, such as the number of employees at market and bank, which has traditionally been on the payroll. Fewer people read books therefore printing industry are decreasing. Private Internet space is easily accessible, so there is a problem with protection of privacy. Communication between the family and friends are dwindled because of spending most time using smartphone. In the cafe, people can easily see who are looking at their cell phones.

It is also easy to get information easily and live comfortably using smartphones. However, sometimes it is good to feel the charm of the market life by going to market and engaging in a bargain. Instead of taking pictures straight with your cellphone, try to entertain people’s face and views on your mind. Efforts are necessary not to search information on the Internet, but to seek answers. Sometimes you turn off cell phone and look at the light of nature, feel the sunlight. There are many interesting stories in the cell phone, but it is more important to have fun in the conversation with your family than to experience a deeper joy in conversation with your family and friends.

Education can ensure a sustainable future.

 

 Do you know what astronaut is most changed mind after visiting space? That is changed mind to protect earth. When they look at earth in space, earth is most beautiful in galaxy. And they think matter and conflict thing is so meaningless and useless. So they want to protect beautiful earth. What you are doing for earth? We need to educate people in order to ensure a sustainable future. Education can make a people’s mind to think about our action’s effect and responsibility of environment. Through education , we can develop technology to make effective renewable energy and replacement of resource.

One reason for educating people is that it can let us know environment problems. Having accurate data informs the current environmental issues. Education teaches solution with specific examples. Audio-visual materials such as photos and videos, can be an indirect education. If there is opportunity, visiting polluted rivers and landfill is also one way of educating people with direct experience. Through these various ways of education, it is possible to announce the seriousness of environmental problems. It let us know what kinds of our little actions can create problems.

Another reason to educate people is that it helps to give people responsibility for the nature. Education helps to indicate present contamination of the environment can cause what kinds of effects occurs in the future. People can predict future, where our children live in, how can change. Through education people know nature that it is not owned by one but exist for animals and all of humanity. People can have a respect of nature and a sense of caring for others. When teaching these things, people will have a sense of responsibility and discard selfish mind.

Last reason to educate people is that it can develop technology that can replace nature resource and reduce energy amount. Due to lack of resource is under threat of the future. Renewable energy is a need for a technique to operate efficiently and inexpensively. Development to find resource polluted the nature. We need a technology to excavate material without destroying the environment as much as possible. We need to invent a technology that protect the environment through science education. These technologies should be made by people who have a mind to think responsibly. This education is required to develop these skills.

The most effective way, which ensure a sustainable future, is a change in people's mind. They must realize the importance and preciousness of the environment and have the responsibility for future generations. With having proper attitude, they develop technologies than solve environmental problems. Then we can pass down to posterity a beautiful planet and nature.

 

  

Night Train to Lisbon

Do you know about the Carnation Revolution? Carnation Revolution broke out a gainst the Salazar dictatorship in Portugal April 25, 1974. This revolution resulted in fascist regimes for 40 years was the downfall by young officers of the Portuguese army arise a revolution. Even though this revolution was the coup, citizens agreed and bought a red carnation and then put on the rifle of a soldier. So red carnations became a symbol of non-violent revolution. Carnation Revolution called the most beautiful revolution in the history was set in Lisbon, Portugal. There are still remnants of this revolution that affects the lives of people in Lisbon. You can know vestige through movie, The night train to Lisbon. The plot of the film is like following.

One day, Raimund Gregorius, a Swiss professor of ancient languages was walking over a bridge in Bern and found out a young woman wearing a red coat standing on the railing, about to leap. He ran and pulled her down. He worried about her so he accompanied her to his work, the school. But she suddenly left the school in the middle of his class, leaving her coat. He checked her pockets for identification. All he found were a small book, a memoir of sorts, by Amadeu do Prado and a train ticket to Lisbon. He rode the train by impulsion. He set out for adventure in Lisbon, just depending on the book of the author, Amadeu do Prado. In the development of the movie story, He found out that Prado was physician from high society but protested the dictatorship of Salazar.

You may wonder why background of movie is Lisbon. Lisbon must be chosen to draw dreams, passion, love of the youth much more dramatical and beautiful by contrasting in that kinds of social background. The author, Prado and his friend Jorge, Estefânia were main members of Resistance and especially Estefânia was key person because she could remember everything which is needed for the revolution without any trace. Jorge and Estefânia were couple but she fell in love with Prado at first sight. Their effort to create a new world which free from oppression and dictatorship and even their mingled love seemed more beautiful. In this movie, Lisbon had sunny Mediterranean weather along all the story. This weather also made the atmosphere of Lisbon ardent, compared with Swiss where Gregorius lived in.

Lisbon must be chosen because it is hard to find non-violent revolution such as Carnation Revolution. Carnation Revolution itself was blood-less revolution but actually underneath there were people’s hurt, sacrifice, bloodshed. João, one of resistance, had disorder in his hand which caused by the secret police in order to protect Estefânia who is necessary for the revolution. An older, João is still living with life-long disabilities. This is the sign of violence left to the people behind a non-violent revolution. The woman who tried committing suicide in Switzerland was the granddaughter of the secret police. She found out that her grandfather was torture experts through the Prado’s book by chance. That’s why she attempted suicide feeling guilty. Director want to tell the influential history even after the revolution.

Gregorius felt Prado’s agony and passion that fulfills responsibility to history. He concerned about his own life learning from Prado’s life. People in that time lived a meaningful life with endless passion for justice. He asks to himself. “what about my life?” “what is my life?” “What should I do?” And how about you? How do we spend lives full of endless possibilities?

Dok-do, Ulleung-do Geotourism

Geotourism is defined as "tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place - its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents."

Korea have some Geoparks. Dok-do and Ulleung-do are recognized as Geoparks in 2012. Geopark are one or more sites of particular geological importance, rarity or aesthetic appeal. These sites also contain ecological, historical, archaeological and cultural heritage and thus can stimulate local economic development through conservation, education and tourism. So we have a plan to make Dok-do geopark developed geotourism.

Geotourism goes beyond "drive through" travel. It involves regional communities in providing the visitor with an authentic, enriching experience. It acquaints tourists with local culture and traditions and offers them in-depth opportunities to enjoy the area's unique natural beauty and biodiversity.

Dok-do have specially historical and geographical meaning. Because Dok-do is a important territorial issue between Korea and Japan. Also Dok-do and Ulleung-do have diverse resources, animals and plants. Dok-do geotourism could play a significant role in helping to preserve our culture, territory and history. If this tourism is managed well, we can more inform that Dok-do is our territory to another country.

Geotourism benefits the environment by encouraging sound destination stewardship that if keeps growth to sustainable levels , then we can limits negative impacts such pollution. It benefits residents by promoting local services and employment. It benefits visitors by informing residents about their needs and expectations.

Dok-do geotourism can revive local economy as protecting environment. To protect environment we must limit the incoming tourist. Government should restrict permission that approve major companies build chain hotels and cafe. If they should not restrict that , we can’t revive real local economy. Korea is weak on island economy. We have so many island. But we didn’t utilize island in economy and tourism. Using Geoparks and geotourism, Now we start new paradigm of tourism.

IERW01 20140450 SELF INTRODUCTION

Hello My name is Eun Soo Oh. I am 23 years old. I was born in Busan. But, I grew up in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do. I major in Department of Political Science and Diplomacy at Sungshin University. I want to write sincere self-introduction. I will talk about my life’s belief and goal.

I just want to be the person who have warm heart and bright perspective. I hope to live like light and salt on only one life. 

Specifically, I don't know what I want to be nothing yet, but I decide how to live. 

Day by day, I will live together people who I love with grateful mind.

I think that life’s meaning isn't not far away. It can find out in relations with my family and friends and preciousness of everyday life. 

Also, I don’t avoid dark side of reality. I will confront hidden side of society and effort to change a better place. I effort to give children better society like that have been our my father and mother. My motto is that little things can change the world. 

I am having goal and dream like that. Ah! I want to say something more. I really like listening to music, going to famous restaurant, walking anywhere, doing sport like yoga. And I have a talent to find the way. 

Thanks for reading my self introduction.