“Chongjanggwanjonso” and Origin of Some Common

“Chongjanggwanjonso” is a huge 75-volume collection of works by Ri Tok Mu (1741-1793), an 18th-century realist scholar, in which he introduces a lot of Korean surnames of those days, as well as those of the former times.

There he also describes some rare (queer) surnames and their interesting origins. In volumes 55, 56 and 60 in the part of “Angyopgi”, there are mentioned queer surnames like Nyu, Wak, Hwing, Hal, Ppyom, etc. of obscure origin, which are said to have existed in the period of Koryo dynasty.

In addition, there is recorded Tamul, an indigenous Korean two-character surname. While explaining about the queer surnames, the author also writes about the origin of surnames So and Sun (volume 62).

Through the above-mentioned data of some surnames, we can see not only the history of the diverse indigenous surnames of the Korean nation, but also the aspects of their life with beautiful minds and noble personalities of helping and leading each other

Konoza, a Defender of the Country's North-Western Gateway

There were many patriotic generals in Koguryo dynasty who made positive contribution to repulsing the aggressive foreign forces at every step and demonstrating the dignity and might of the country as a thousand-year-long eastern power. Among them there was Konoza, governor-general of Sinsong County, in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries.

He had outstanding courage and stratagem and performed a great feat in repulsing the invasion of the Moyongsonbi tribe during the reign of King Pongsang, the 19th king of Koguryo.

In August 293, Mo Yong Oe, emir of the Moyongsonbi tribe, spied out that the King of Koguryo was on his inspection in the north-western frontier of the country and invaded the country to capture him. In this critical situation, Konoza, the then Lord of Sinsong Fortress, mustered 500 brave cavalrymen and made a headway against the aggressors who were in hot pursuit of the King, and thus saved the king from danger.

Later on, when the Moyongsonbi tribe’s aggressions got more and more outrageous, King Pongsang raised the status of Sinsong Fortress to that of county town and appointed Konoza as its governor-general in order the strengthen the defense in the north-western region.

As the governor-general, Konoza made every effort to fortify the north-west gateway of the country, took good care of the people's living and also encouraged them to turn out as one in the struggle for the country.

As seen above, Konoza was a patriotic general of Koguryo who made a great contribution to defending the country and nation from the invasion of foreign aggressors and stabilizing the people’s livelihood with a high sense of patriotism.

Distilling Method of Kwanso Kamhong-ro, a Famous Brand Wine of Korea

Kwanso Kamhong-ro is a typical traditional wine which has long been produced in Pyongyang and its surrounding areas in Phyongan Province, and, as such, it is one of the precious heritages of traditional soju (wine) of the Korean nation, widely known not only in this region but also all over the country.

This wine is named so for its taste and colour which is derived from the raw materials used in its manufacture. The name Kamhong-ro reflects the sweet taste of honey, the red colour of gromwell and other Koryo medicinal materials used in its distillation, and its dew-like crystal-clear liquid.

The Kwanso Kamhong-ro is different from Kamhong-ros of other provinces, in that honey and gromwell is put for their taste and flavor into wine liquid after it is distilled three times.

The key to the correct manufacturing of Kwanso Kamhong-ro is the manufacturing of sourdough, the selection of grain raw materials, distillers and Koryo medicinal materials, and the method of storage and maturing.

The sequence of sourdough manufacturing is raw-material preparation → cleaning → grinding → watering → sourdough forming → sourdough culture → drying-maturing. The materials are distilled three times using an atmospheric single distiller. In the preparation of Kwanso Kamhong-ro the choice of Koryo medicinal materials is one of the important factors for colour and medicinal effect as a traditional wine.

Gromwell, a medicinal material for Kamhong-ro, is a perennial grass that grows by itself at the sunny foot of mountains all over the country. It grows well in drained sandy loam or calomorphic soil and it has long been cultivated in the country because its root is used as the materials of dyes and herbal medicines. The shikonin pigment in the gromwell root has red purple colour and it has a variety of pharmacological effects such as promotion of blood circulation, antipyretic, antibiosis and prevention of measles.

From the olden times, Korean soju was kept and matured in an earthenware pot for a long time.

In this process, the catalytic activity of the metallic components eluted from the pot helps coordinate the intrinsic flavour elements, and, as result, gives the wine the unique flavour and taste, distinct from traditional liquors of other countries, which use wooden containers to preserve or fast-mature before service.

Tail-Catching Game

Tail-catching is a group game played in a wide court or playground in which two teams of children in a file, each holding the front one by the waist, compete to catch the other team's tail first.

This game can be played anytime in any season when there are a large number of children of the same age in the village.

First, children are divided into two teams. Every two children may do scissors-paper-rock, and winners form one team and losers the other, or otherwise, children may be teamed according to their villages, e.g. those from the upper village into one team and those from the lower village into the other.

When the teams are decided, each team elects its team leader. Elected as a team leader is usually a tall and strong child who is thought to be able to skillfully command his team and capture the tail of the opponent team.

Then the children in each team are aligned in a file in the order of height behind the leader and hold the front child’s waist or clothes. In the play the team leaders lead their teams, frustrating the action of the counterparts and seeking a chance to catch the tails of their opponents.

Whether they catch the opponents’ tail or not largely depends on the role of the leader, whose activity is also crucial in protecting his team’s tail.

Winners are the team that catches the tail of the opponents first. If the file breaks up in the middle or if somebody falls down while going round in pursuit of the others’ tail, you lose.

Three Regimens for a Hypertension Patient

Hypertension is often complicated by cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, myocardial infarction and so on. Therefore, hypertensive patients may benefit from the maintenance of the following three regimens.

① Three 1~2 minutes.

Hypertension patients should not suddenly raise their body when they get up. If they suddenly raise their body, blood circulation failure may occur in the heart and brain. Therefore, when they wake up, they’d better keep their eyes open for one or two minutes, sit on the bed for another one or two minutes, sit on the bed or sofa with legs down on the floor for one or two minutes again, and then get up.

② Three 30-minutes

Hypertension patients are advised to walk for 30 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes after lunch, and 30 minutes after dinner.

③ Three cups of water.

Hypertension patients and elderly people had better make it their habit to drink a cup of warm water before going to bed, after waking up and in the morning.

These regimens are proved beneficial to healthy people.

To Prevent Hair Loss

In order to prevent hair loss, nutrition should be maintained for the hypodermic hair roots.

When you wash your hair, it is good to rub the whole head with your palms as if you were wrapping your head with them rather than scratching it with fingertips.

It is desirable to wash hair every three to five days for the nutrition of hair and hair roots.

To prevent hair loss, it is also necessary to be mentally stable and physically not tired.