Korean Road Naming System (도로명주소)

The new Korean address convention based on road names is supposed to become mandatory from 2014. I have seen these addresses in this format in the last couple of years and have usually abhorred using that style, finding it too inconvenient.

Last week, while searching for the pin code of our apartment, I got curious about the new format. Probably, the fact that I have been living here for some years got me so used to the land oriented lot-number addressing system rather than roads, that I disliked any change! Now that I looked a little into the naming method, I find it quite informative and useful. Locating new places is much more easier on our own. From a car navigation point of view, does not make any difference;)


So here it goes! All information is from Juso.go.kr

• Building number plate

• Road Name Assigning Method

  • Roads are divided into sections at 20 m. intervals, in west->east or south->north direction.

  • Left sides are odd-numbered while the right sides are even-numbered.

  • Intersecting streets are numerically numbered, again following the left=odd, right=even convention.

  • Finally, the main entrance of a building is given a number.

 
 

• How to read a road name plate

 

Balcony Gardening!

At home, in the balcony, we have been growing plants all these years. We have had flowering plants as well as non-flowering ones. Considering the long winters here, it is a miracle that some plants have survived beyond a year. Especially since we keep the pots at the same places all the time. Despite the glass windows, it gets incredibly cold. I call it the "survival of the fittest" test! 

Coming to the reason for this blog. We had put some bitter gourd seeds in a plastic tub to see if they can grow into plants. They grew to our surprise and started "spreading their legs"! Instead of my original idea to tie strings and make them climb, I simply placed the tub outside the balcony on a stand to have my own "hanging garden" This morning I was surprised to find small bitter gourds coming. The very first time I have seen bitter gourds growing at home! And, since bitter gourds are not so commonly sold in Korea, it was all the more special. Probably, the bitter gourds may not grow big enough, considering the weather has become colder. Maybe I should bring the tub inside with my fingers crossed! Just seeing the tiny gourds sprouting made my day!

To add to the excitement, I also noticed chilli growing in another pot!

 So much for experimenting with plants. We have had mint, coriander and fenugreek growing earlier. Will wait for winter to get over and start again with bitter gourds next year! Hopefully I can get a harvest ;)