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Happy Chuseok!

 
Holiday greetings from dramaland! It’s Chuseok week in Korea, so whether you’re celebrating with your family or it’s just another day in your part of the world, happy autumn harvest. Keep in mind that there are changes to your regularly scheduled programming due to the holiday. On the upside, ringing in the fall means you know what: fall dramas!

Happy Chuseok, everyone!

 

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Aww love Lee Ji Hoon! I was a little taken aback by that close-up of Park Shin Hye at the end though.

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Happy Chuseok, Koreans!

That picture of Park Shin Hye is ridiculously cute. She looks about 12 years old.

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Park Shin-hye is so beautiful in that dress. She should do a saguek.
Happy Chuseok!!

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Ahhh hanboks are so gorgeous. I want one so much!

Happy Chuseok to everyone as well!

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hanboks are SO uncomfortable though... i remember when i was younger my parents made me wear them like every korean holiday... WHY NO MASTER'S SUN?!!??!?!??!?!?!!?!?

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I always overlook the comfort factor when I wear them because I feel like a royal princess haha!

Master's Sun isn't airing today (or rather, didn't air) because of Chuseok...resuming regular programming tomorrow. JB posted the news here: http://www.dramabeans.com/2013/09/masters-sun-preempts-wednesday-episode-for-holiday/

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They don't look uncomfortable at all. What makes them a problem?

I'm dying to wear modern one, like the ones shown in Vogue Korea.

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It depends how properly you're wearing it. These days, a lot of people get away with wearing the dress and piece on top. If you go about it properly, there are so many undergarments and you have to pick your dress up in a specific way when you walk and the socks and shoes are awkward etcetc. I think the hanbok is more comfortable than the kimono though, from my personal experience.

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i really,really want one of those too.

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I LOVED wearing the hanbok, with all the underlayers and all.

I didn't find it uncomfortable. Yes, it slows you down some but that's the case for any pouffy thing that goes all the way down to the floor. There was nothing constricting about it, which is fantastic when you've stuffed yourself with all the chuseok food but don't want anyone noticing your tummy pregnant with food.

The only thing I didn't like were the socks. Especially trying to stuff them into the traditional shoes.

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Beautiful Shin-hye.

I really want to see her in Sageuk next.

Happy Chuseok GF & JB & everybody.

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Happy Chuseok to all celebrating this wonderul holiday! Also want to say that picture of Park Shin-hye is so refreshingly beautiful

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Happy Chuseok! I wonder if the US post office is still delivering... ;)

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It looks like Shin Mina in one of those pics. Who else is there?

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haeng bokhan chuseok to South Korea!!! gorgeous hanbok & luv PSH photo

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HAPPY CHUSEOK!! ^^

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Shinhye is beautiful. I'm waiting for a day she does a saegeuk

HAPPY CHUSEOK EVERYONE!!!

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Happy Chuseok!

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추석 잘 보내세요

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It's great to have Korean friends. Happy Chuseok girls and refresh_daemon <3. Thanks for all the recaps, reviews etc etc.

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I wonder, does refresh_daemon watch dramas? Sometimes it's nice to have a guy's perspective on things k-drama related.

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I 2nd your question, and I agree with your comment about having a guy's perspective on things K-drama related. I really enjoyed (and learned a lot) when Samsooki recapped MNIKSS (in 2011). I looked forward to it, every week. I loved his writing, his analysis and the details he would pick on, such as a particular song played in a scene, and how it was relevant to the scene. It made sense, once he wrote/said it.
He also explained a lot of the cultural elements in that drama, sometimes writing things in Hangul (I think, if memory serves me right), and then decoding/explaining it to the readers. He was quite detailed, which I appreciated, and he was funny as well.

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I can't claim to watch many dramas, but I have watched a small handful. One of my favorite television series of all time happens to be a Korean drama: "연애시대" aka "Alone in Love".

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I have seen that drama... It was really well acted!

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Oh, and refresh_daemon, I also meant to add that I love how you usually give the readers of your film reviews a historical, social (and at times economical and political) contexts for the movies you are reviewing. I so appreciate that, as I feel that it helps me understand better the movie and what the writer and the director (and all those involved with the movie) were trying to do and say. I appreciate that even more for the older movies, as it allows me to have a sense of what was going on in Korea at the time. It just adds to what I am learning about the country, and its people.

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Thank you. That's very kind of you to say.

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Hello refresh_daemon,

Nice to hear from you! I didn't expect it. You might not see this response, however, I will write it and post it nonetheless. I sincerely meant what I said in my last comment, and by the way, you are very welcome!

Another thing that happens (when I read your movie reviews), which I also love, is how the information you share about Korea at the time the movie was made, makes me think and reflect about my own country and about my continent. There are similarities between cultures, and I appreciate when you mention certain things that are inherently Korean, and yet, my culture has some facets of the same elements. That gets me thinking (which is always a good thing in my book), and it encourages me to not only continue to learn more about Korean culture, but also to learn more about my own culture and my own continent. After reading your movie reviews, I often find myself looking for more information (online, so far) about the themes you have written about.

Your review on Sopyonje did such a thing for me, for example. In it, you mention the art of pansori, and you explain what it is. Well, that made me think of the "Griot singers" in West African countries (such as Senegal, The Gambia, Niger, Nigeria, Ghana, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire [Formerly known as Ivory Coast], Mali and even Cameroon [though Cameroon is in Central Africa]).

Griot singers sing and can be accompanied by a person playing a particular kind of guitar, called a "Kora," which looks like a banjo. Research on the banjo shows that it has some of its origins from the Kora. Griot singers can also sing and play the Kora at the same time, I saw one such performance many years ago, when I was in Junior High. Griot singers go from generation to generation (it is a tradition that is passed down), and they maintain an oral tradition. As such, they are historians, knowing about the country (or region) they are singing about, knowing about the family (royal or noble) they sing about as well. Griots can also be found at funerals, engagements (people getting engaged to be married), and celebrations of the birth of a baby in a family. Their singing can last a long time, depending on how long they are requested to sing. Nowadays, the more money they are given (usually by the family), the longer they sing. People who are visiting (for the occasion that required griots to be there), can also donate to them financially. The way they sing is equivalent to how the Blues would sound (old Blues).

As you can imagine, there is a lot more to the griots than what I have mentioned here. I just wanted to mention them because even though I have not yet personally seen a performance of pansori, I felt that reading what you have written about it so far, and then reading some more about it on other sources, helped me somewhat imagine and visualize what that would be like. That is, until I see one (or many) performances, hopefully.

This was a long reply, however, I hope that I was able to convey what reading your (thoughtful) writing and reading your movie reviews have done for me. Thank you for feeding my inquisitive mind, and for giving me food for thought. Please, keep up the good work.

I really hope you will get to see this post. Please, let me know if you did. I would appreciate that.

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Ivoire,

There are many examples of pansori on Youtube. Try giving it a search and watching a few. I think it'll be interesting to you. ;)

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Hi Ivoire,

It's funny you mention Griot singers. I actually took a class on oral tradition musicianship in college and studied a little bit of West African music tradition, so I was a little familiar with Griot singers and spoke with my professor a little about their similarity to Korean pansori singers during the class. It's always interesting how learning about someone else can often teach you something about yourself too.

Thank you for sharing.

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@ pabo ceo reom,

Hello there my dear :-)! How ya doing? Thank you for your suggestion, and I will do that. I don't know why I didn't think of looking for pansori performances on YT. It didn't occur to me to look some up, I guess.
Hope all is well with you, pabo ceo reom :-)...

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Hello again, refresh_daemon,

Thank you for reading my post. The world can be such a small place at times, isn't it? I came here (to this blog), about three years ago because I had just watched Personal Taste with Lee Min-ho on Hulu, and I was looking for some information about it online. Dramabeans was one of the names that came up. I started reading it, and eventually, I started commenting on it as well.

I am saying that because I find it interesting that my curiosity about Kdramas and Korean culture were the things that led me here, and in the process, I have gotten to share some facts about my own culture and what I have seen, learned and gathered from the many places I have visited so far. And that happened because I had been curious in the first place.

And now, I find out that you ACTUALLY know about Griot singers, which I think is great. I still remember the performance I was privileged to watch when I was in Junior High, by a real Griot singer. I was so close to him (in proximity), and that was awesome. And I got to see a Kora, up close as well. That whole experience was so educational!

I also appreciate that you know some things about West African music traditions. It is always nice and refreshing when one mentions something, to have the other person go, "Oh yes, I know or I have read a few things about that." I also loved that you saw or thought about the same similarities that I saw and thought of, regarding the art of pansori. That tells me that I was not far off. I might have actually been on track.

And about this, "It’s always interesting how learning about someone else can often teach you something about yourself too." True, so very true, especially if one is open to it. If and when one is open to such learning, one finds oneself paying attention to the similarities between cultures, and paying attention to some details. I know I do.

This was a great exchange! I am glad I shared the fact that the art of pansori reminded me of the Griot singers. I had no idea you knew about them as well, which goes to show, it is often good to put things out there. One never knows where that might lead to.

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Happy Chuseok to those who celebrate it.

As someone who is not well versed in Korean culture, is Chuseok Holiday celebrated every single day (with something done or celebrated every day of that week), or is it celebrated just on one day of the week, but with that week being spent preparing for the celebrations, like for Thanksgivings in the US?
Thank you for any answers and any postings/articles related to this Holiday! (that I could read)...

Also, I didn't know it was PSH on that picture. She looks so young, and a little different. Anyone knows how old she was there?

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It's the Korean Thanksgiving, but it's a REALLY big holiday and a REALLY big deal on the Korean holiday calendar =)

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Thanks bebeswtz, for that info!

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Huge holiday yes.

Happy Chuseok and mid Autumn Festival everyone. Hope you guys get to have a lantern festival to attend tonight.

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Following up on ck10z wishes for the Chuseok Holiday, when KC and YW went on a date in GFB, there was a lantern festival that evening, that they attended. Would it be safe to assume that it could have been a Chuseok Holiday as well? Or, maybe they didn't celebrate Chuseok back in that century (but they still had a lantern festival)?

Any thoughts/speculations on that would be welcome...

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Lantern festival? I didn't know there were any lantern festivals in Korea, except in Jinju. Is there one in Seoul that I could go to? Like, right now? I'd even pass on Master's Sun for that. *_*

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Chuseok isn't exactly when lantern festivals are held. That's in April, around Buddha's birthday.

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the photo was prob taken before she came to US filming Heirs
I have seen her in person and she has such a baby face and skin
You can see her older pics here where she didn't wear make up https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BUbKvgpCUAAv6Ln.jpg

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lol
I meant You can see her older Hanbok pics here where she didn’t wear make up https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BUbKvgpCUAAv6Ln.jpg

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Thank you K, I appreciate it. Her face does look to me like she might have had some make-up, even if it were ever so lightly. However, I do agree with you, she does look young and quite fresh face(d). Thanks again for the link :-)

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You are welcome ^^
Yeah I didn't get how pp complain she doesn't look Highschool lol. She looks really young to me haha

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Hej, no expert myself here, but here's what I was told vs. what is happening around me atm:

- Chuseok in theory: traditional autumn moon festival, celebrated on the 15th of the 8th lunar month. Everybody prays for a plentiful harvest, boys wrestle, girls go a-swinging and wash their hair in some sort of plant water (forgot which).

- Chuseok according to Korean ajummas I asked: Nothing happens for three days, except Koreans meet their family and cook (if they're female) and eat. The feast might be everyday or just on the second (most important) one. It's basically like Christmas (or a really short Ramazan), where you have three days and might visit relatives on some days to eat their stuff. Some women divorce their hubbies after Chuseok, because they had too much work. ^^; (I'm pretty sure that this is different in all families and communities. I'm not Korean, so *big shrugz*. Maybe the Beanies will upload a Chuseok feast photo, if we ask nicely? :) )

- Chuseok in Seoul: This year, Chuseok is on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - today (Thursday) is the main/real Chuseok day. These three days are a designated holiday and on the main day, most shops are closed (except in touristy places like Myeongdong). Entry to state-run palaces and museums is free, today and there are lots of events throughout Chuseok. It's pretty hard to go anywhere and not chance upon same dancing-parading-singing event. Families use the holidays (during the day time) for outings to said palaces, or places like the Namsan Tower or Lotte World. You see lots of little girls and even boys in hanbok. And a gazillion Chinese tourists. ^_^;

There's a lot going on even before the main events, though. For example, two weeks ago there was a farmers' market (a really big one) on City Hall square, with events being held every night. Of course, you could see Chuseok ads and stuff everywhere (like: "Prepared for Chuseok, yet? Buy xyz now!") from way back, same as with any big holiday in the US.

Hope that gives you an impression.

Ha, only 2 hours till we'll be seeing JW back from the dead. *crossing fingers and toes* ^^

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You're mixing up Chuseok and Danoh (lunar May 5th). Danoh is when girls swing and wash their hair in changpo water.

On Chuseok, family members get together (thus Chuseok is also known as the "national exodus day"), make songpyeon (rice cake with red bean, sesame, bean fillings steamed with pine leaves), make a wish to the full moon, eat, make merry, on the morning of Chuseok hold ceremonies honoring their ancestors, and visit the graves of dead family members.

Of course preparatory food shopping, gift shopping and pre-visit to the ancestral tombs to mown the lawn go on for a few weeks before the actual holiday. Nowadays a lot of people go on a trip overseas as well since the legal holidays last for 3 days, one day before Chuseok, the day of actual Chuseok and one day after Chuseok and in some lucky years like this year, right after the 3 legal holidays is the weekend.

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Thanks:)

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Hello Simon,

And thank you so much!!!!! That totally gives me an impression, especially since my assumption (from reading your response) is that you live in Seoul (right?) which I think is great!!!!

So, based on what you wrote, did Koreans and people living in Korea work this past Monday and Tuesday? (Since Chuseok really started on Wednesday). And the dancing, singing etc... do they take place in the streets (outdoors) or in particular locations like halls, and amphitheaters etc...?

I also LOVED and appreciated that you gave me three different perspectives on Chuseok: the theory, the ajummas and what you have actually seen happening this year in Seoul. That was awesome!!!! (I LOVE those kinds of details), so thank you :-)!!!!!!

I am not currently watching MsS, however, for your sake, yes, I hope JW comes back from the dead. (I loved your "counting fingers and toes." Is that like a Korean or Asian version of "knocking on wood?" I am curious about that expression now, because I have only seen it being used when new babies are born, to make sure they are healthy. The parents will check and make sure that their baby has all their fingers and toes, so they will count them. You used that expression differently though...

I hope you had a wonderful Chuseok day (today), and that the rest of the week will be just as enjoyable, and fun, and relaxing for you :-)!!!!!!!!

OK, last question (for now :-) ): when they had that big farmers' market with many events in the evenings, how late into the night did those events go? I am just curious, because I am assuming people have to work, and children have to go to school the next day... So how late do they stay out?
I am also asking because I have been to Spain in the summer (in the town of Avila in this case), and they had music concerts (free) outdoors, and festivals. Spanish people love to stay out late (even with the children), and they did (until like 11pm, up to 2am or later), and that was an interesting experience, and a fun one, to be honest. I was wondering if that was the same thing that happened 2 weeks ago with the Farmers' market and the different events that took place.

Thank you again for answering, Simon :-)!

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Happy Chuseok to our Drama Goddesses! Eat good things, love your families!

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Kim Yoo Jung is so beautiful in her hanbok! Thanks GF and JB for showing the various designs of hanbok!

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Could we please have some captions so the rest of us know who is posing?

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L-R
1. Park Se Young
2. Kim Yoo Jung
3/4. Lee Ji Hoon(1988) & Kim Yoon Hye/Woo Ri
5. Park Shin Hye

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Thank you, May!

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Love the pink & white couple outfits. So lovely!

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Omo omo omo!! :D Aha, it's no wonder that it's a big holiday in Korea as same as our traditional Thanksgiving holiday in USA, ofc! PLUS...these pictures look very awfully beautiful ~ I looove that!

Oo, I can't believe that it's REALLY Park Shin Hye....!! So I thought it was another girl....whooppsss. Haha. XD

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why can't you believe it's her? 0_o

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Because she looks different. I also didn't know until people said it was her.

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she doesn't though lol. She is one of a few looks the same after years lol
That's y I asked

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Haapy Chuseok! And Happy Mid-Autumn Moon Festival in China! (Or "Mooncake day" as my flatmate has named it)

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yayyy for mooncake.. sweet lotus seed paste+salted yolk is 'licious..

and HAPPY CHUSEOK everyone!

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Park Shin Hye, you are absolutely beautiful and gorgeous... That's a wholesome and winning smile. Love to see you smile like that more often. Lee Min Ho has a winning smile too... Maybe the new drama Heirs could have a scene where both of you just smile or laugh BIG time... Both of you seemed to have lost a bit of that freedom and innocence from before.

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Happy Chuseok to Dramabeans family and to those who celebrate it! Have a great one :D!
Sad because my school usually have a Chuseok celebration for the korean exchange students here but none this year :( No mando or japchae :((((()

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Happy Chuseok everyone!!!
Many thanks to everyone at DB for all your work and dedication.

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Park Shin Hye is so cute!

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Happy Chuseok Beanies!

Lee Ji Hoon and Woori!!! Do they have a drama or movie together?

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Happy Chuseok, JB and GF (and everyone who celebrates it)!

I'll miss Master's Sun this week, but I'm happy to think that the cast and crew might at least get a small break for this.

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Happy mid autumn day too. Today is 15th lunar of 8 mth and we will see full moon tonight !!!!

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Happy mid autumn festival!

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Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!
Spare sometime tonight to look out your window, you may be able to see a bright full moon (if your skies are clear) :)

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Park Shin Hye's sooooooooooo beautiful....

i too would love to see her in another saeguk series...the last she's been in was way back when over 8 years or so ago...i think....

but i do hope she'd get to do what she wants most...be in an action flick this time around and she'd be good at it since she's such a sports person...

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Happy 2nd day of Chuseok everyone! I hope you're all getting a blast may you be celebrating in Korea or just having a Korean celebration of your own wherever you are. Hopefully, by next year I'd be able to greet y'all at this same holiday in either spoken Korean or written Hangeul (or maybe both!) Keep safe and have fun!

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Wow, the 5th pic is the one Jihoonie posted on his Twitter. :)

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Happy Chuseok to everyone who celebrates it !

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happy holiday everyone
im not korean and never been there ut i wish u all the bless and i wish ill be in korea one day to celebrate it !

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Happy Chuseok everyone and all the best wishes!

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In my country we are celebrating our National Holidays, so we are in a happy mood, free from work, and eating and drinking a lot (well I don't drink)

What I like the most about these celebrations are the beautiful dresses that girls wear. They are so pretty ♡♡♡♡

Shin Hye looks lovely, I have seen other actresses and actors and they look beautiful too. How pretty handboks are!

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After seeing an article stating that SPAM is a traditional gift for Chuseok, and that it is a popular item restaurant item in Korea, I now have my first "plan" for my Korean vacation this December. Does anyone know of a restaurant that serves SPAM in the Seoul area?

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Park Shin Hye is looking lovely, innocent and so young. She is graceful in the traditional Korean dress. Wish she would act in Sageuk drama just so that we can get to see more of her in hanboks. Really love the historical dramas irrespective of the culture they belong to.

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