In South Korea, After Children's Day Concludes, May 8th is For the Celebration of Parents

In South Korea, May 5th is a day dedicated to the celebration and appreciation of all the Children in the country, but just three days later it’s the parents turn for some celebration.

Each year on May 8th, people across South Korea celebrate and honor their parents. Though the holiday is not considered a national public holiday by the South Korean government, it is widely celebrated across the country and many people take this day off to be with their families. The holiday is purposed to commemorate all of the efforts parents make when raising their children, physical, social, emotional, and psychological. 

On Children’s Day, parents shower their children with love and affection to show how much they appreciate them and how special they are. So on May 8th, it is parents’ turn to be showered with love and shown appreciation. Parents make tremendous sacrifices for their children, so this holiday is the time for children to give back. 

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Today, to celebrate and mark the special holiday, children will set aside the entire day to spend it with their parents- something teens rarely take the time to do. Not only do families spend the day together, but the activities they do are specifically ones that the parents enjoy. Children also give their parents gifts and flowers to demonstrate their gratitude and love. Carnations and roses are the most widely chosen flower for Parents’ Day, to mark the importance of the holiday. 

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Marriage Agencies Help North Korean Refugees Adjust to Life in South Korea

Each year, North Koreans risk their lives and leave everything they know to defect to the South, and many of these 26,000 refugees are women. Due to cracking down on the boarder by the North Korean dictator, Kim Jong Un, the last two years have seen a drop of refugees by almost half of what it was in 2011. Even with sharp decrease in North Koreans arriving into South Korean, 3 of every 4 have still been women. 

These women leave their homes and make the treacherous journey through the Chinese border to South Korea in search of a better life. And once the long process of resettling is over, the realization that they are without friends or family in a brand new place becomes overwhelming. For this reason, one of the first things a North Korean woman looks for upon arrival is the love and companionship of a South Korean husband. 

Dating and marriage agencies have been a big part of Korean culture and business for some time now. Due to the number of single North Korean women pouring into the country, marriage agencies specifically geared towards helping North Korean women have become quite popular. 

The founder of Namnam Buknyeo, one of the most sought out marriage agencies, Hong Seung-Woo, says one of his companies main goals is to assist North Korean women in their resettlement process and help them to be as happy as possible in their new home. He adds, “To do that, they need to build a network that can support them.” 

Namnam Buknyeo tries to make this possible by servicing North Korean women for free and having a policy that all male clients must be screened before they can be paired with women. Any men who are disabled, already married, or unemployed are not able to register. 

Since Namnam Buknyeo’s opening in 2006, it has been responsible for 450 marriages. Hong Seung-Woo can express much confidence when talking about his company’s success, and all he has to do is use his own marriage as an example! Mr. Hong met his wife, Ju Jeong-ok, after she registered for his company, looking for a partner after coming to South Korea in 2012. He claims after just one date, he had fallen for her kindness, good nature, and beauty and was sure he would marry her! 

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How Asia Is Getting into the Spirit of Halloween

Halloween is considered one of the most popular holidays in the United States, but did you know that other countries celebrate it too? Countries around the world have ways of honoring and remembering the dead during this time of year. Various countries across Asia like to get in the spirit of this spooky holiday, but not in the traditional costumes-and-pumpkins way we might think. 

Each October 31st, people across China celebrate Halloween, or Teng Chieh, by offering food and water to the dead. They also light lanterns with the belief that they will help to guide deceased loved ones as they make their visit to the "land of the living" in Halloween night. 

The Japanese also include lanterns in their fall holiday customs. The lanterns are traditionally colored red and are hung in every house. These red lanterns are also placed on boats and float through rivers to guide the spirits of the dead back to the homes of their families for the night. It is also traditional for Japanese families to participate in what they refer to as the Obon Festival, where they clean the gravestones of their ancestors and prepare special dishes to honor and remember them. 

Halloween is not widely celebrated within Korea, but offerings of food and flowers are still made to their ancestors to show respect. 

Hong Kong remembers their lost loved ones through a traditional festival known as the Festival of the Hungry Ghosts. During this time, pictures of fruits or money are burned with the belief that these images will reach the spirits of the dead and provide comfort. 

Although many of the Halloween traditions in Asia are different from those in the United States, many of the Halloween traditions we know and love have begun to catch on overseas. For example, Western-Style Halloween recently arrived in Japan. Now around this time of year, decorations such as jack-o'-lanterns can be seen around town and in shop windows and every year Tokyo Disneyland and Universal Studios Japan puts on

extravagant Halloween shows and events. Trick-or-Treating is still not a common practice in Japan, but costume house parties are becoming increasingly popular. 

Besides the traditional and culture-rich Festival of the Hungry Ghosts, Hong Kong also likes to celebrate the more commercialized side of Halloween. Each year bars all across Hong Kong are decked out in Halloween decorations in an attempt to increase local interest in the holiday. Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park also host a Halloween Bash each year to promote and celebrate the holiday.

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Koreans Celebrate Thanksgiving Their Way with Chuseok

One of America's favorite past times, Thanksgiving, is a time of gathering with family, sharing stories and laughter over mashed potatoes and turkey. This time of year is associated with many traditions that reflect American culture- but did you know that Korea has a Thanksgiving as well?

Like in America, Korean Thanksgiving, known as Chuseok, is also full of deep tradition and culture. Unlike American Thanksgiving which is one day, Chuseok stretches across three. The preparation begins the day before Chuseok and extends till the day after. 

One of the most important traditions associated with Chuseok is Beolcho, the clearing of weeds around the grave of ancestors and Seongmyo, visiting the graves of the ancestors. It is considered a duty and expression of respect and devotion to the family. Another tradition

that adds spark and excitement to the holiday is Ssireum, Korean wrestling. During Chuseok the strongest people in each village are selected to compete in a wrestling match. The last one left standing is considered the village's strongest man and rewarded cotton, rice, or a calf as his prize.

 The Korean circle dance, or Ganggangsullae, is another critical aspect of the Chuseok celebration. During this ceremony women dress in traditional Korean clothing, Hanbok, and dance in a circle singing and holding hands. This tradition is very significant in Korean history, dating all the way back to the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Clothing worn and food consumed is also very specific during the Chuseok holiday. Chuseokbim is the custom in which the head of each household would buy brand new clothes for everyone in the house, even the servants.

Like  turkey's importance in America, Korea also has a food that is representative during Chuseok. Songpyeon, the food of Korean Thanksgiving, is a ball of rice or rice powder filled with sesame seeds, beans, rice beans, and chestnuts. While they steam, pine needles are added to the top to create a beautiful and mouthwatering fragrance. It is tradition that whoever makes the best songpyeon will meet an attractive spouse, if single, or give birth to a beautiful daughter, if married or pregnant. 

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Update on on the Chaotic World of K-Pop with News From Yoon Mi Rae and Other Stars

As usual, the K-pop world is all a buzz with news of singles, music videos, and general updates pouring in by the minute. Its always an exciting day when it has to do with this increasingly popular genre. Rising stars, such as Girls Generation, Yoon Mi Rae, G-Dragon, and more rack up millions of views on YouTube from viewers and fans around the world. With these talented artists stepping on to the scene, K-pop is a trend that is sure to keep getting trendier.

As of a few days ago, the beautiful and talented Yoon Mi Rae scored a place at number one on the K-Pop Hot 100 thanks to her emotional and heartfelt new track "Touch Love". Due to her chill-inducing vocals and touching piano ballad, this single can definitely be expected to have a place on the Hot 100 for quite some time. 

For any American fans of Vixx, today is your lucky day! The K-pop boy band has just recently announced two stops in the U.S. during their "Milky Way" tour this fall. First the group will hit Dallas on November 8th at the Grand Prairie Theatre then make their way to

Los Angeles for another performance at the Club Nokia on the 10th. So if you're a Vixx fan or even a K-pop fan in general, make sure to buy your tickets before they sell out!

For GI (Also known as Global Icon) fans, the wait is finally over! The all-girl K-pop group has recently released a music video for their hit track "Don't Lie". Thanks to some killer dance moves and catchy lyrics, the music video is already blowing up the internet.

Click below to watch Yoon Mi Rae's hit single "Touch Love"!

New in K-Pop: Yesung Updates His Fans and Psy Brings Down the House In Italy With His New Hit, "Gentleman"

Kim Jong-woon, better know by his stage name Yesung, has recently posted on his Twitter page updating eager fans on his wellbeing while he's away. The member of K-pop boy band Super Junior, enlisted in the military and  left for basic training May 6th. 

The 28-year-old artist will remain there for the 4-week training period and then go on to carry out the full 23 months as a public service officer. 

Yesung has been greatly missed by his fans, and knowing this, he released a statement via Twitter assuring them he is doing well and watching over them.

In addition, he posted two pictures, each with a similar pose- but in one he has his normal pre-training haircut and in the next he is sporting a shaved head! 

Once again, Psy captivated the crowd with his unique beats and ridiculous dance moves, but this time not to our beloved "Gangnam Style" but to a new song.

Appeared on 'The Voice Italy', Psy brought his signature moves and clothing style to the Italian's attention- who welcomed him with open arms, despite a recent, not so positive response during a soccer match in Italy. 

He concluded the final episode to the popular show by performing his new track "Gentleman". To say the judges and crowd enjoyed the performance would be an understatement.

After only a few minutes, Psy had transformed the room into what could only be called a party, with the entire crowd up on their feet and dancing along. There can be no doubts that this artist definitely knows how to party!

Click below to watch Psy's performance of "Gentleman" on 'The Voice Italy"!

Saint Patrick's Day- Is It Really Just For the Irish?

Even though St. Patrick's day is known as the holiday for the Irish, Ireland isn't the only cool place to be this March 17th. Much to one's surprise, serval different countries in Asia know how to kick up their heels and celebrate Irish history. 

A lot of green can be seen throughout Seoul, South Korea on this day. St. Patrick's day has been celebrated by the Irish Association of Korea since 2001. Since this place just loves an excuse to party, St. Patrick's day is no exception. Parades throughout the city have attendance numbers around 15,000 people- so if you're there you can expect plenty of folk dancing, singing, bands, and of course plenty of beer. 

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Plenty of St. Patrick's day celebrations make it to Singapore as well. Due to the large connection to British isles they also have a St. Patrick's Society. One of the most looked forward to events of the year is the annual St. Patrick's Day Ball, held on March 16th followed by the St. Patrick's Day Parade. People in Singapore really know how to keep a party going, even continuing the holiday celebrations through the 18th! On the 18th the parades and ball combine to form one giant street party, gathering outside the local Irish pubs. 

The cultural festivities have even spread to Tokyo, Japan- who has embraced the Celtic holiday for many years now. This year over 30,000 are expected to gather in the streets along with beer and green as far as the eye can see! 

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