Stars and Stripes Community Publication Welcome to the Pacific Staff Denisse Rauda Editor KOREA Ayako Kamio Layout Designer Writers and Photographers When in Korea 6 This is your guide! ChiHon Kim Shoji Kudaka Language guidelines 8 Jun Sakahira Takahiro Takiguchi The wonders of won 10 f you’re reading this, then you’ve likely already arrived in Korea. On Korean chopsticks 12 behalf of the Stars and Stripes family, we’d like to welcome you as you Lunar New Year and Spam 13 Culture begin your stay in the Asia-Pacific region. No handshakes or hugs here Max D. Lederer Jr. Giving gifts and tipping 16 I Publisher though – just some useful information you’re going to want to know. Our aim with the Welcome to the Pacific 2019-20 magazine is to get you Lt. Col. Richard E. McClintic Doing your DoDEA homework 18 acquainted as you begin your new overseas journey. Need a set of wheels Commander On-base colleges 20 and insurance? Flip a few more pages and find some of the top dealerships and insurance agents in your area. Looking to take a day trip? We’ll tell you Joshua M. Lashbrook where to go! Chief of Staff Education Please use this as a guide to help you get settled in your new country. It’s Michael Davidson a big change and hopefully this can provide some help as you learn the lay Revenue Director of the land. Mastering mass transit in Korea 21 Proceed knowing Stars and Stripes has you covered beyond the valuable Marie Woods Space-A travel 26 information in this magazine. Every other week pick up a new edition of Publishing and Media Design Director Stripes Korea inside the blue boxes you’ll see around base. This community Chris Carlson newspaper will give you the run down on off-base events, interesting must- Publishing and Media Design Manager Transportation see sights and even that new lunch spot you were curious about but haven’t tried. So, make sure to grab a copy and check us out the next time you pass Kentaro Shimura Production Manager a blue box. Buying & registering a POV 30 Local twist to road rules 31 Forgot to pick up this week’s copy? Fear not, StripesKorea.com is stocked Rie Miyoshi Camp coordinates 32 with thousands of travel, food and culture stories for all your adventure- Engagement Manager planning needs. Area Managers At Stars and Stripes, our community newspapers and community websites Private vehicles Private Monte Dauphin, Japan/Guam are actually your community newspapers and community websites. Keeping Scott Wheeler, Okinawa with that theme, this year we sought out community contributions for this Rick Villanueva, Korea Law and order on the ROK 34 edition’s front cover. We were pleased to receive many photo submissions Understanding SOFA 34 from the people in your new community. It was a tough decision, but Chevon Multimedia Consultants Max Genao Doug Johnson Dealing with the law 36 Workman’s photo was chosen to grace the cover of the magazine you’re Jason Lee Hans Simpson Legal holding now. And photos submitted by others appear inside. Chae Pang Yi Gianni Youn We are always interested and would love to hear from you on what you Robert Zuckerman want to read about. Have a story idea? Visit one of our websites and let us Sales Support know. Better yet, do you have a great story to tell? Maybe it’s about a fun trip Off-base living 37 Kazumi Hasegawa Hiromi Isa you took or a group of students working on cool project. Submit your story Dos and don’ts with pets 38 Ichiro Katayanagi Yoko Noro Garbage disposal rules 38 and photos and you might just find yourself published in the paper! Yoichi Okazaki Yusuke Sato Medical & TRICARE overseas While you check out our websites, don’t forget to like us on Facebook Chae Yon Son Saori Tamanaha Living 39 @StripesPacific. Give us a thumbs up to stay up-to-date on all the latest news Getting connected with a cell phone 40 Graphic Designers relating to the U.S. military community stationed in the Pacific. And if free Yukiyo Oda Kenichi Ogasawara stuff is your jam, make sure to keep an eye out for our photo contests and Yuko Okazaki Kayoko Shimoda Exploring Korea’s true flavor42 giveaway promotions. Yosuke Tsuji Thanks for reading and as they say here in Korea: 환영합니다! Food Denisse Rauda Stripes Welcome to the Pacific 2019-20 is an Publishing and Media Design Editor exclusive Stars and Stripes community publication for members of the U.S. military community Stars and Stripes serving overseas. The content herein is unofficial Spring 2019 and is not to be considered as the official views The USO connects you 44 of, or endorsed by, Stars and Stripes, the U.S. AFN is here to serve 46 government, or the Department of Defense. The advertising in this publication does not constitute Websites worth bookmarking 46 To make the most of your time in Korea, you really have to start off Helpful travel tips 48 endorsement by Stars and Stripes of the products Leisure with this mindset: just be thankful. Many people who live in the states or services advertised. All rights reserved. Cover Exploring Korea 49 will never get an opportunity like this, a chance to be immersed in and contents may not be reproduced in whole or another culture! And then I would say, even if you’re nervous, even if in part without prior written permission. your scared, get out there and explore! “ ” Email: [email protected] with questions or comments. To subscribe to Stars and Stripes, – Chevon Workman email: [email protected]. Mailing Spouse on Camp Humphreys address: Unit 45002, APO AP 96338-5002 4 Welcome to the Pacific 2019-20 Contents provided by THE NEW SANNO When in Korea A cultural lay of the land hough affected by other window shopping, “hand phone” Asian cultures, Korean (hendeu pon) for cell phone and T culture’s roots lie deep “one shot,” a drinking term for within the creative Korean downing your drink in one quaff. psyche; it has tended to spread As with modern-day fashion, rather than be encroached upon. contemporary Korean pop mu- Seoul Culture The delicate styling and fine sic is also heavily influenced by Photo submitted by Steve Tucker craftsmanship of celadon pot- the U.S. It has contributed to tery illustrates the refinement the global rise of “K-pop” since the bow depends on the relative of the culture, even from as far the 1990s, which in turn has in- seniority of the two people. back as the Three Kingdoms fluenced the West with success- When passing a gift or Period from A.D. 57 to 668. ful artists like Psy of “Gangnam any other object to some- Korea has also spawned some Style” fame. one, use both hands and Education great inventors. Its first printing bow. The right hand is Did You systems predate Gutenberg’s, Korean names used to pass the object, the famous “Turtle Ship” was Koreans place the family while the left is used in the first ever iron-clad battle- name first and the given person- support. If the person re- Know? ship, and the Korean alphabet, al name second. Family names ceiving the gift is young- In South Korea, when you turn devised by a group of scholars are traditional clan names and er or lower in status, 19, you can legally smoke, drink Transportation in the 15th century, was so effec- each has a village from which it passing with one hand is and vote. Like in the States, you tive that it remains largely un- comes. Thus, there is a differ- acceptable. will be asked to show ID before changed today. ence between a Kim who comes Koreans believe that purchasing alcohol. Korean cultural assets to from Kyong-ju and a Kim who is direct eye contact during UNESCO’s World Heritage from Kimhae. conversation shows bold- List include Chongmyo Shrine, The five most common names ness, and out of politeness they Private vehicles Private where memorial services to the are Kim, Pa(r)k, Lee, Choi concentrate on the conversation, dining. Guests sit on cushions kings of the ancient Chosun (Choe) and Oh. Because of the usually avoiding eye contact. around a low table. Many dif- Dynasty are held; the Great inconsistencies of translating You will see young men walk- ferent foods are served, each cut Changgyong Panjion in Haeinsa names from Hangul to Roman ing in the street with their arms into bite-sized pieces. Each per- Temple, where Buddhist scrip- characters, spellings of these around each other’s shoulders son has their own bowl of rice, Legal ture is engraved on 80,000 names vary. For instance, Lee is and women walking hand in but helps themselves to other wooden panels; and Pulguksa also spelled in English as Yi and hand. This means nothing more foods directly from the serving Temple and Sokkuram Grotto in Rhee. than simple intimacy. Touching dishes. Koreans traditionally use Kyongju, which was built more If at all possible, Koreans close friends while talking to chopsticks (Read more on chop- than 1,000 years ago. avoid calling a person directly them is perfectly acceptable in sticks on Page 12) and a large- Modern Korea, however, is not by their name. Instead they use Korea. Koreans will touch chil- bowled spoon, although today Living without its Western influences, their title, position, trade, pro- dren to show their warm affec- forks are also used.