Plenty of Nothing

The Patriotic Deed of Lee Bong-Chang

On this day in 1932 Korean nationalist Lee Bong-Chang threw a hand grenade at Emperor Hirohito. Source.

Korea's First Satellite

Mission control for Korea's first satellite KITSAT-1, launched on this date in 1992. Source.

Take Off 2 (2016)

Watch a comedy drama about the Korean women's hockey team.

Neolttwigi

Korean women have taken the seesaw far beyond anything my schoolteachers would have allowed. Source.

Crowns of Baekje

These gold diadems from the burial mound of the sixth-century King Muryeong of Baekje were worn on the sides of the head and are probably the best-looking royal headgear in the history of the world. To me they say, "I am your monarch, and my mind is on fire." Korean National Treasure # 154. Source.

Five Peak Screen

For centuries Korean monarchs conducted business seated in front of a Five Peak Screen like this one. With its sun, moon, five mountains, two conifers, and two rivers falling into the sea, it's a striking representation of the idea of Korea. Source.

Sungnyemun

Photos: 1) The South Gate, Seoul, from Homer Hulbert, The Passing of Korea (1906), via the Korean-language Wikipedia article "숭례문". 2) Torched remains, 2008. Source. 3) Rebuilt, 2013. Source.

Korea 1685

This map, held in the Seoul Museum of History, severely distorts the north to compress the country into a rectangular shape, possibly just to make it fit it onto the sheet, but also possibly to make it conform to the dimensions of an ideal Confucian state.

About Asia League Ice Hockey

Asia League Ice Hockey is the top professional hockey league in Japan and South Korea, and also includes China's one professional team.

The eight teams each play a schedule of 42 games from September to March, after which the top four move on to the playoffs, with best-of-five semifinals and finals. The Japanese clubs take time out in February for the All Japan Ice Hockey Championship, which has been going on since 1930. The Korea Domestic Championship dates back to 1955.

The teams are:

Oji Eagles. Founded in 1925 as the company team of Oji Paper, the Eagles play at Hakucho Arena (capacity 4,015) in Tomakomai, on the southern coast of Hokkaido. They have won the Asia League championship twice, its forerunner the Japan League championship 13 times, and the anyone-can-enter All Japan Championship 35 times including last year. They wear blue, white, yellow and black. The squad includes Canadians Aaron Keller, Mike Kompon and T.J. Kemp.

Nippon Paper Cranes. Oji Eagles' rival on the ice and in the boardroom, Nippon Paper Cranes are owned by the Nippon Paper Group, and play at Kushiro Ice Arena (capacity 3,000) in Kushiro on the eastern coast of Hokkaido. They began in 1949, have won the Asia League three times and the All Japan Championship five. Black, red, blue and white. Canadian: Eric Regan. The club name puts you in mind of the art of origami.

Anyang Halla. Founded in 1994, they won the Korean Ice Hockey League five times, and then after 2003 the Asia League once plus one co-win. They play at the Anyang Sports Complex Arena attached to Anyang Stadium. Blue, yellow and white. Canadians: Brock Radunske, Dustin Wood. Anyang is a city of about two-thirds of a million on the southern outskirts of Seoul.

Nikkō Ice Bucks. Nikkō Kirifuri Ice Arena holds 2,000. Nikkō is a resort town in the mountains north of Tokyo. Orange, black and white. Canadians: Dave Bonk, Matt Waddell, Tyadg McGauley.

High1. Founded in 2004, High1 joined the Asia League the next year. They are based in Goyang, South Korea, on the north side of Seoul. Black and red. Canadians: Bryan Young who has played 17 games for Edmonton, David Brine who played 9 games for the Florida Panthers and later played for Medveščak Zagreb, and Michael Swift.

China Dragon. This club is an amalgamation of two venerable Chinese powerhouses, Harbin and Qiqihar, both founded in 1954 and neither based anywhere near Shanghai. The team roster closely matches that of the Chinese Olympic team. Colours: red and yellow. No Canadians.

Tohoku Free Blades. Founded 2008. Their home address is Niida Indoor Rink (capacity 1,576) in Hachinohe, Aomori, the northernmost prefecture on the island of Honshu. Blue, gray and white. They have won the championship once, and were declared co-winners the year of the tsunami. Canadians: Darrell Hay, Brad Farynuk and Ned Lukacevic.

Daemyung Sangmu. New this year. This is the hockey team of the South Korean military and is tasked with training the South Korean national team for the 2018 Olympics. They play at the Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul. Black, yellow and red. No Canadians.

The league had a team in Khabarovsk, in the Far East of Russia, for one season. The KHL has since moved into that town and Vladivostok.

Girls in a Swing

Swinging two at a time is a traditional game in Korea, so presumably it doesn't get you yelled at by the teacher if you do it there. The artist is the late 19th-century painter Gisan, who specialized in scenes of everyday Korean life. There was an exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum in 2006 (which we saw), and a book. Source.