King Sejong and the Invention of Hangul

This week I visited the King Sejong exhibit in Seoul. Every Korean language student usually learns about King Sejong and his invention of the Korean written language--Hangul. King Sejong was a king during the Joseon Dynasty in Korea. During his reign, he realized that his people couldn't read and therefuore couldn't better themselves. At the time, Chinese was the only written language and it was only taught to nobles.

King Sejong worked to develop a written language based on the way Korean sounds were pronounced. Despite opposition from his officers, he pursued his goals. Besides Hangul, King Sejong was also known to have contributed to several inventions, including a rain guage, farmer's handbook, and others and was known as a king who supported the betterment of all classes.

The 6th International Brain HSP Olympiad

This year I had the opportunity to see the event that introduced me to Brain Education--the Brain HSP Olympiad--in Korea. It was held at the Korea University in Seoul.

There were seminars and lectures given by educators and scientists, as well as the Olympiad events.

This is Professor Oh Mi Kyung from our university.



Here are the happy winners along with special presenters:

Poongrudo Training

Last month, I took part in a Poongrudo training in Seoul.

Poongrudo is a kind of advanced Brain Education training based on the traditional music, dance, and singing culture that has been part of Korea's history for thousands of years. There are currently 9 Poongrudo centers in Korea. It is meant to be a joyful practice that combines movement, dance, singing, and playing instruments as a way to awaken the brain and body, increase mental and emotional flexibility and control, and to integrate the different functions of the brain.

Our training started with a visit to the Changdeok Palace. The Changdeok Palace is from the Joseon Dynasty and one of the Seoul royal palaces on the UNESCO World Heritage List. During the Joseon dynasty, neo-Confucianism was the ruling ideology, so ritual propreity, virtue and frugality are reflected in the dignified and restrained architecture of the palace. The palace was used as a living place for Queen widows and consorts of the King.





After a visit to the palace and dinner, we enjoyed Brain Wave Vibration training at the Seoul Poongrudo Center with Sun Poong nim, professor of Poongrudo at UBE and the person in charge of Poongrudo in Korea. I had experienced training with him when I took his class here at UBE before so it was great to experience it again. Sun Poong nim played the jang-gu (a traditional drum) and flute and sang. Through movement, tapping, and vocalization, we could release tension from our bodies and enjoy the flow of the music.

Afterwards, we enjoyed delicious food together and singing and dancing to traditional songs. The songs, all of which follow the 3-beat pattern matching the Heaven-Earth-Human (Chun-Ji-In in Korean) worldview, were sung in partners by all of the participants.

The next day, we hiked up Mt. Bukhak, which is also the location of part of the Fortress Wall of Seoul (which connects four mountains in Seoul) and close to the current site of the "Blue House", the executive office and official residence of Korea's president.







At the top, we had a Chun Je Ceremony, which means a Ceremony to the Heavens. This is also a practice that is part of the traditional culture of the Korean people. Food and drink are prepared and a ceremony is held to "the heaven". In Korea, mountains and particularly, the tops of mountains are considered to be very sacred places. Afterwards, we enjoyed the food together.

University of Brain Education 2010 Graduation and Opening Ceremony

Pictures from UBE's Graduation and Opening Ceremony this spring.



This is me with the head of the Brain Education department, Professor Shin Hye Sook.



A get-together for professors and old and new students from the department of Brain Education. Of course, there was karaoke!

BR English News

BR English is an organization here in South Korea that offers programs for students to learn English and includes techniques used in the brain-based approach of Brain Education.

This recent newsletter includes an interview with a teacher who recently joined the BR English team and an article about BR English students' experiences at a camp in the US and here at Kookhakwon (The Institute for Traditional Korean Studies) in Korea.