HiPHILA

Friday, September 28, 2007

Korean Bridge Series (4th) - September 28, 2007



In this fourth segment of the Korean Bridge series, such representative suspension and truss bridges of Korea as Gwangan Bridge, Seongsu Bridge, Seongsan Bridge, and Yeongjong Bridge are featured. A suspension bridge has two main towers at each end, between which cables hang. A truss bridge is shored up by a web of triangles composed of timbers or steel rods.

Gwangan Bridge
Gwangan Bridge lies across the sea between Namcheon-dong, Suyeong-gu and U-dong, Haewundae-gu of Busan city. It was completed in 2002 as a double-deck bridge combining the features of a suspension bridge as well as a truss bridge. Of its total length of 7,420m, the suspension-bridge section extends 900m. This is the longest among all suspension bridges in Korea, thus launching a new era in Korea’s bridge construction methods. Boasting beautiful illumination comprising about 100,000 different colors, the Bridge provides a splendid sight. The bridge is 18~25m wide.

Seongsu Bridge
Linking Seongsu-dong and Apgujeong-dong of Seoul, Seongsu Bridge is 1,160m long. To relieve the traffic congestion of Seoul, the Bridge was completed in 1979 as a truss-bridge, becoming the 11th bridge built over Han River. Since its disastrous collapse in 1994, two rounds of restoration work were conducted. In 1997, the Bridge was reopened with 4 lanes that only directly linked North to South, with no ramps to enter from adjoining roads. In 2004, the Bridge width was expanded from 19.4m to 35m, becoming an 8-lane bridge.

Seongsan Bridge
Boasting excellent representative beauty through the representation of harmony between half-moon-shaped Oriental curvature and lineal beauty, Seongsan Bridge was completed in 1980 as the 12th bridge over Han River. Linking Mangwon-dong and Yanghwa-dong of Seoul, the Bridge connects to Seobu Trunk Road and Gyeongin Highway. As a result, much traffic crosses over the Bridge. As a truss bridge, the Bridge is 1,415m long and 27m wide and has 6 lanes.

Yeongjong Bridge
Shaped after traditional eaves of time-honored Korean houses, Yeongjong Bridge links Gyeongseo-dong (Jang Island) and Unbuk-dong (Yeongjong Island) of Incheon City. The Bridge was completed in 2000 after 60 months of construction that started in 1995. As the exclusive link to Incheon International Airport, the Bridge has two decks which are used for both general traffic and railroad conveyance. The Bridge is 36.1m wide and 4,420m long, 550m of which comprise the suspension bridge section and 2,250m for the truss bridge section.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Korean Orchid Series (1st) - November 12, 2001


The new Korean Orchid Series will be issued during the next five years from 2001 to 2005. In the first bundle of the series, a variety of orchids including Dendrobium moniliforme (L.) Sw., Gymnadenia camtschatica (Cham.) Miyabe & Kudo, Habenaria radiata (Thunb.) Spreng. and Orchis cyclochila (Franch. & Sav.) Maxim. are featured.

Dendrobium moniliforme (L.) Sw.
This evergreen perennial plant that grow on rocks in the southern part of Korea is 5 to 25 centimeters in height. The blooms vary in hue from white to pale pink. This fragrant orchid bears one or two blossoms in May or June. Normally, the plants thrived naturally but are now on the verge of extinction as they are picked recklessly for medicinal or ornamental purposes.

Gymnadenia camtschatica (Cham.) Miyabe & Kudo
This perennial plant, which grows deep in the mountains of Korea, is 20 to 50 centimeters in height. The blooms are light reddish in color. The flower forms a raceme of 5 to 15 centimeters from May throughout July. It is a rare strain that grows wild in Ulleung Island in North Gyeongsang Province and in the high mountains in the northern part of Korea.

Habenaria radiata (Thunb.) Spreng.
This perennial plant grows in the wet grasslands in the central and southern part of the nation and is 20 to 40 centimeters in height. White in hue, one to four blossoms bloom in the trunk of the plant from July to August. Suggesting the image of a night heron in flight, the shape of the flower is truly beautiful.

Orchis cyclochila (Franch. & Sav.) Maxim.
This perennial plant grows in North Hamgyeong Province, Jeju Island, Halla Mountain and Jiri Mountain. It is 10 to 15 centimeters in height. Two to three light pinkish blossoms bloom in May and June.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Nature of Baengnyeongdo - January 18, 2006


The third packet of the Islands of Korea Series features the nature at Baengnyeongdo Island.

Located at a latitude of 37 degrees and 58 minutes north, Baengnyeong-do is Korea’s northernmost island in the Yellow Sea. Its unique geopolitical location has made it difficult for the general public to access the island, allowing its ecosystem to flourish and remain relatively well preserved.

The name “Baengnyeong-do” means the island of white feathers, so named because the island seems to be entirely covered with wings of birds. Baengnyeong-do has long been home to many different species of migratory birds. Currently, the island houses a wide range of wildlife: birds such as falcon (Falco peregrinus), Pelagic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus), Temminck's Cormorant (Phalacrocorax filamentosus), Chinese Egret (Egretta eulophotes), Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) and Pacific Reef Egret (Egretta sacra); various rare animals such as the Eastern golden frog (Rana plancyi) which is one of the world’s most endangered species, the tiger crab (Orithyia sinica) that lives only on the west coast; and small fish called Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus). In particular, 200~300 common seals (Phoca vitulina largha) make up a unique population that lives exclusively on Baengnyeong-do. The island also hosts a wide variety of flora. It is the northernmost habitat for evergreen Camellia japonica L. Iris dichotoma Pall., which has been designated as an endangered plant by the Ministry of Environment, grows naturally on the island. Such rare plants as Morus tiliaefolia Makino, Amsonia elliptica (Thunb.) Roem. et Schult., Koelreuteria paniculata Laxm., and Senecio nemorensis L. can also be found. Baengnyeong-do boasts numerous picturesque sceneries free from contamination by human hands, such as Doomujin which is lined with fantastic rocks and cliffs, Sagot natural airfield, one of the world’s two natural airfields and Kongdol Beach.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

International Olympic Fair Seoul 2001 - April 27, 2001


The International Olympic Fair Seoul 2001 will be held in the Olympic Park in Seoul, Korea for nine days from April 28th through May 6th in 2001.

Organized under the theme "Challenge 21-Dream of Sports," this event aims at dispersing the Olympic movement and the Olympic spirit, fostering the fledgling domestic sports and leisure industry by offering expanded venues for international exchanges, and strengthening its competitive edge on the international market.

The fair will comprise many characteristic yet closely linked exhibitions, conferences and academic events. Feast your eyes on the collections of world-renowned collectors of Olympic memorabilia put up for sale, trade and exhibition in the International Olympic Collectors' Fair Seoul 2001. Information related to Olympic memorabilia will also be made readily available for trades during the exhibition. Those interested in acquiring the advanced technology of the sports industry will find their needs answered in the International Sporting Goods Fair Seoul 2001. The Exhibition of the Collections of the Lausanne Olympic Museum in Switzerland will surely merit your visit.

The stamps to be issued in relation to this international event respectively feature the gold medal and the commemorative stamps of the 1st Olympiad held in Athens, the coins issued to commemorate the historical Helsinki Olympics, and the emblem of the International Olympic Fair Seoul 2001. It is fervently hoped that the event will prove to be successful in achieving the organization's ambitious and lofty goals: to promote appreciation for Olympic memorabilia and expose the general public to the global collection culture.