FOREWORD BY PROGRAMME MANAGER

Assalamualaikum wrbt wbkt...

Thirteen students of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) went gap packing during the semester break in January 2012. Also joining us were Puan Rusnani and her daughter, Fatihah. One of the reasons South Korea was chosen for the 2012 Educational Trip was simply because it is the Korea Visit Year 2010 - 2012. After the invasion of South Korea by forces from the North on 25 June 1950, the resulting war between the two Koreas ended with an Armistice Agreement, but the border between the two nations is the most heavily fortified in the world. After the war, the South Korean economy grew significantly and the country had transformed into a major economy, a full democracy, and a regional power in East Asia. South Korea has developed at an impressive pace to become a global technology leader. Furthermore, its cultural products also known as Hallyu (Korean Wave) are influencing incredibly fast over many Asian markets such as Japan, China and Southeast Asia. > Me, Hazman Sapawi played ice skating The experience of being in Korea directly contributes to the vision of IIUM that aims to become a leading international centre of educational excellence which seeks to restore the dynamic and progressive role of the Muslim Ummah in all branches of knowledge. The educational trip which includes Campus Tour to several prestigious universities in South Korea will go along away to increase student’s international perspective. I personally see this trip as timely. I strongly believe participants have gained much insight from experiencing Korea’s passionate culture and unique economy. I would like to extend gratitude to sponsors – IIUM Properties Sdn Bhd, Klinik Johari & Anita, Ir Kamarul Saiful, MIZI Sport Centre, Uda Land (North) Sdn Bhd and Southern Lion (M) Sdn Bhd which made this trip possible. Campus trip to K’ ARTS University, Yonsei University, Sungkyunkwan University, and Soongsil University was an eye opening experience for us in learning the undergraduate student system in South Korea. We also surely would really miss hospitality provided by StayKorea . Last but not least, to Seoul Red Cat and Julia Tour who ensured our trip went smoothly. Wassalam~

SEOUL RED CAT (TRAVEL KOREA MUSLIM STYLE)

SEOUL RED CAT

Web: http://www.facebook.com/seoulredcat http://seoulredcat.blogspot.com/

E-mail: seoulredcat@gmail.com seoulredcatmuslimtravel@facebook.com

LCCT Sepang

Anyong-haseyo 안녕하세요 We gathered at LCCT Sepang around 9pm. Alhamdullillah, all praises to Allah S.W.T for giving us the chance and opportunity organised this trip. Upon immigration clearance, we headed to the boarding gate. While waiting for the call, we had our final briefing. Next, programme booklets were given to each participants. We recited doa musafir, praying to the Almighty God to bless our journey.

NASHADAY

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> The time was 2230 hour when our AirAsia X flight departed from the LCCT. Participants:

1. AHMAD FAUZI ISHAK 2. AMIZATUL JANNAH MOHAMAD 3. MOHD. FARIS BIN MAIMUN 4. HAZMAN SAPAWI 5. IZZAH ZAHIN ALIMAN 6. JASMINE SULAIMAN 7. MUHAMAD NORIMAN B. MUSTAFA ALLBAKRY 8. NOOR FATIHAH BINTI HARISFAZILLAH 9. NOORSHAZEELE ZAKARIYA 10. NORKHUZAIMAH ZAINAL 11. NUR NABILA ILMA MUSTAFA KAMAL 12. NURSHUHADA BTE SAFRUDDIN 13. RUSNANI YAAKOB 14. SITI NURASHIKIN BT JAPADULIN 15. WAN FATIMATUZAHRA WAN OTHMAN

On Board: Kuala Lumpur – Incheon

The night on the flight was not really comfortable for the entire passengers because we had numerous turbulence due to bad weather. > On the flight, Izzah and I sat besides a Korean man. His name was

Wany Cho. He is a manager of Korean cosmetic product in Ampang. He told us that the popularity of Korean cosmetics in Asian markets are due to the products been endorsed by the famous Korean artists. The current top product in the market is snail mask. We were so lucky as Wany was kind enough to give us a crash course on Hangul (Korean alphabets) throughout the night on board.

> Not long before the plane touched down, we were instructed by the flight crews to fill in the declaration form upon entering Korea.

> Immigration clearance at Incheon Airport

ZARADAY

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Incheon International airport is the largest airport in South Korea, and one of the largest and busiest in Asia. Since 2006, it has been consecutively rated as one of the best airports in the world and received the full 5-star ranking by Skytrax, the prestigious recognition shared only by Hong Kong International Airport and Singapore Changi Airport. The airport opened for business in early 2001, replacing the older Gimpo International Airport.

> Waiting for bags Outdoor temperature was about -4 degree C, but no worries, we were well equipped.

Some of us tried to go outside from the airport to the watch the morning view and also to play with the cold of winter. We were having a great day at the airport. We saw almost all Korean women wearing high heels while walking or even running and they are very trendy when it comes to fashion though its winter time.

> Halian Azurin and Ammar Shahrin from Seoul Red Cat. Interestingly, we later discovered Halian’s mum, Puan Sabariah taught Faris and Izzah Bahasa Melayu Perundangan at IIUM. On the other hand, Ammar is from Johor, just like Hazman and Izzah. Arriving at Incheon International Airport, we bought T-Card which is a rechargeable series of cards used for paying transportation fares in and around Seoul and other areas of South Korea. We were told to use it

as we staying in Korea for 2 weeks and need to use public transport every time. It provides fare discount of W100 each time we used it. A medical doctor named Nabil from Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) joined us for the trip. He is an avid traveller and a long time friend of Hishamuddin from Seoul Red Cat.

Nabil, Nasha, Syikin and Hazman at the lobby of the guesthouse< We stayed at Incheon Airport Guesthouse for a night as we were flying out the next morning to Jeju. We rode on the guesthouse shuttle van from the airport to the guesthouse. It’s just about a little less than 10 minutes from the airport. The van arrived at exact location of the Arrival Hall area of the airport. The driver is very helpful who helped us to take the luggage to the van and very friendly even though he can speak a little bit of English. We barely speak Korean but from the gestures and sincererity of his look made us at ease. The room is spacious with amenities such as microwave oven, a mini kitchen, utensils and a foldable table. It was clean and toilet was a decent size, too. All the necessary bathroom items are there, including the toothpaste, hair shampoo and shower cream! This is what I called ‘value for money’. Some of the furniture is a bit worn out, but everything is kept in very good order. Basically, it was like living in apartment. We had a good view out over the airport from our rooms. We could see the planes coming in to land. There are a number of restaurants in the building and the surrounding area, and a convenience store across the street. Across the street from the guesthouse are E-Mart shopping centre & Hyatt hotel.

< Behind us is the Incheon

Airport Guesthouse

> It was our first experience tasting real Korean food. We went to a Korean restaurant downstairs and ordered sundubu jjigae (순두부찌개) means soft tofu stew. It is essentially a hot and spicy jjigae (Korean stew). It is widely eaten and one of the favorite meals in South Korea. It was overflowing with spiciness, bubbling over with mounds of fiery flavour, and steaming with a mouth-watering pungent aroma when it was placed before us. But before delving into the jjigae, we learnt some important steps to eat it.

In Korea, a cup of boricha (roasted barley tea) often replacing water in restaurants. Mostly it will help cut through the spiciness of the stew. Every table comes equipped with the usual chopsticks, spoons, napkins and bowls filled with bap (rice). The star of sundubu jjigae is of course the soft tofu. Every spoonful of this silky mellow tofu mooshes perfectly with the pungent broth and speckles of hot pepper flakes. Koreans don’t mess around with spice, and the color of this stew pretty much says it all, although it’s not spicy to the point of numbing our taste buds like the cili padi. Jjigae is loaded with many other delicious items like green onions, shrimp, clams, oysters, and mushrooms. The broth base is usually made with anchovies, onions, garlic, kelp, chili pepper, hot pepper flakes, chili paste, sesame oil, and fish sauce.

< The dish is eaten with a bowl of cooked white rice and several banchan (side dishes).

> Super yummy stew to keep us warm in the cold, winter night. We were having feast that night. With food full on the table, we can request to the owner of the restaurant to refill our side dishes and drank hot coffee for free.

Gimpo International Airport Jeju Air Jeju International Airport Yongduam (Dragon Head stone) New Island Tourist Hotel

We were told by our tourist guide the day earlier that today will be our flight to Jeju-do or Jeju Island. Lots of anticipation can be felt in the air upon hearing this. Most of us packed all our clothes before we went to bed the night before. Me, being the typical shopaholic did not want to pack yet as I still wanted to do shopping. So, I woke up really early, and wake the girls up for shopping in the mall beside our hotel. Shop at E-Mart, a complete department store with groceries and food court. Since the check out time is at 12 pm, we rushed and got most of the things we wanted. By 12 pm, all of us were already down at the lobby waiting for our ride to the airport. However, to our disappointment, the van got stuck in a traffic jam and we were told that if we were to wait, we will miss our flight that was scheduled at 2.30. Hence, all of us took the public transport which is the bus that stops directly at the airport. One of the things that is nice in Incheon was that the public transport is very reliable as it is efficient. > After arriving in Incheon International Airport, we had to take A'REX rail link to Gimpo Domestic airport which took about 45 minutes ride.

Once we are already in the airport, we met another 2 tour guides who were locals. They are Julia and Stephania. After our short introductory session, we went straight to the check in counters to settle all formalities. Since we arrived late to the airport, we had to forgo the lunch that was supposed to be treated to us by our travel agent. One thing that we noticed in South Korea is that time management and punctuality is highly expected from everyone. Therefore, if one is not there on the expected time, he loses. Most of us just took out our snack and ate them to prevent from hunger and performed our prayers in the waiting area.

JASMINEDAY

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We used Jeju Air to Jeju-do. As with most budget carriers, Jeju Air's attractiveness solely comes from the low

airfare, which is usually around 20 to 30% cheaper than those of Korean Air or Asiana. The airplane that was used for the journey was in beautiful orange color with interesting design on it to represent the happy culture of Jejuans.

> As soon as we landed and came out of the Jeju International Airport, we were led to a mini bus that was decorated with purple satin in it. The bus brought out the aura of happiness and joy to all of us who were in the bus. The driver is named Kim-shi. We were shown and explained things around us from the bus. Interestingly, Jeju-do is 3 times the size of Singapore the capital Seoul. From East to West, it is about 73km & from North to South 41km. Therefore logistics on sightseeing is crucial to maximise time. If you are on your own itinerary, the best way to explore Jeju-do is to hire private taxi on per day basis. > Left: Rows of shops at Jeju-do > Right: Jejuans selling hot food along the street

Our first stop after landing at Jeju’s International Airport was at the Yongduam (Dragon head) Rock. It was about 10 minutes from the airport. At the western end of Jeju City, where the Hanch'on stream runs into the ocean, is a large rock formation shaped like a dragon's head. (Depending on the viewing angle, it sometimes looks more like the head of a bunny rabbit.) A short trail has been carved out going down the cliffs to give several views of the rock. Several old women sell fresh seafood in the area.

Legend states that the Dragon King's messanger was sent to Halla Mountain to gather bulloch'o (an herb reputed to give eternal life). The messanger was killed by an arrow from an angry mountain god. Part of the messenger's body sank into the water while the head remained above the water, trying to return to the sky. On windy days, the waves crashing against the rocks suggest the fury of the dragon. Situated to the north of Jeju City, Yongduam was created by strong winds and waves over thousands of years. However, there are plenty of other stories of how it came to be. One legend has it that a dragon stealing precious jade from Mt. Halla was shot down by an arrow from the mountain deity. When he fell down on Yongduam, his body immediately sank into the ocean and his head rapidly froze looking at the sky. Another legend has it that a white horse, who dreamed of being a dragon and ascending to the sky, came to be caught by a soldier and froze into the rock. We were led around the area by Julia and Stephania through out the way by explaining to us the history behind each rock and the rocks around Jeju Island in general. According to Julia, there are three things that can be found everywhere around Jeju Island. These three things are; women, rocks, and strong wind. There are more women than men in Jeju Island due to the fact that many man died in the war during the crisis between South Korea and North Korea, hence leaving women behind. The rocks are at an ample amount due to the formation of the island from volcano eruption, and since the island is surrounded with ocean, it is very windy even on sunny days.

> There are many statues along Yongduam which looks like a mushroom person. These statues were called Dol hareubangs. They are large mushroom-like statues found on Jeju Island off the southern tip of Korea. They are considered to be gods offering both protection and fertility and were placed outside of gates for protection against demons travelling between realities. These are giant statues made of basalt. You can find these iconic statues in restaurants and tourism sites all over the island. Souvenirs shops are teeming with replicas of these items that are said to bring good luck.

After much walking and taking photos, we finally called it a day off by heading to the hotel. We were taken to a hotel called ‘Island Hotel’ where we were given our rooms. We were also told to be down at the lobby after an hour for our dinner. Located in the center of Sinjeju, New Island Tourist Hotel ideally situated close to the Jeju Airport, boasts a prime location for city exploration. We were afforded easy access to numerous attractions.

An hour passed and all of us were already down. This might be because we were hungry since we did not take our lunch that day. Julia, Stephania, Ammar and Halian brought us to a restaurant serving seafood and rice cakes. We had the opportunity to taste Sundubucjjigae , tteobokki , (hot and spicy rice cakes) and also kimchi bokkeumbap, a type of kimchi fried rice with tuna. > Ordering menu

> Ammar, Halian and Faris

> It was Jannah’s birthday and she celebrated it at Jeju-do! We bought her a birthday cake. Semoga panjang umur, sihat walafiat, murah rezeki. Barakallufiki.. I did ask the auntie of the restaurant how to cook kimchi fried rice. It calls for three simple ingredients: kimchi, rice, and egg chopped kimchi, which is then sautéed together along with other vegetables such as onions, garlic and green onions. A dash or more of soy sauce as well as sesame oil are added for seasoning, in addition to kimchi "juice” leftover in the jar. Lastly, an egg is cooked sunny side up and placed on top of this rice dish for taste as well as for decoration.

All of the dish was really delicious and filling. Most of us were really tired, therefore we decided to head straight back to the hotel. We reached the hotel around 10 pm, however some of us wanted to get coffee (this included me). Me, Nasya, Nabil, Halian and Ammar continued straight to a coffe shop named Gurumaru Coffee shop. I guess South Korea is really famous for its coffees especially Caramel Macchiatto. This is because the taste is definitely different from what we have in Malaysia and also because the price is pretty reasonable. We headed to the hotel later after enjoying our coffee and apple cinnamon bread. It was tiring day but definitely one that was worth it for. > The guys exploring the nightlife at Jeju. From right: Fauzi, Ammar, Iman, Hazman, Faris, Nabil and Halian