Yalla Korea, Arabic speakers' gate to Korea

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Nahar Hafazalla

  

An Arab tourist poses for a photo with the team at Yalla Korea.

Have you ever dreamed of a trip to Korea where you don't need to worry about the language, a tour guide, halal food, or finding the best places and best prices? Now it's easier than before for Arabic speakers who dream of travelling to Korea.

Yalla Korea is a Korea-based travel agency founded by two young innovative Koreans who are engaged and involved with Arab-speaking countries and the Middle East in general through their studies and interest in the region. The staff there have had great experiences travelling across the Arab world, to places like the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait and Egypt.

Park Sangwon, or "Khalid," is the CEO and the person in charge of managing the overall processes of the business. He chose to have this job to thank all his Arab friends who gave him great company and widened his understanding about the Middle East. Moreover, he wants to give a great impression to all Arab travelers who have a passion for Korea. The second-in-command at Yalla Korea is Im Sang Ok, or "Madiha," the marketing director who works also as a guide for Arab tourists in Korea. She majored in Arabic language at university and has been certificated as an official guide to Korea in the Arabic language.

Khalid, the CEO of Yalla Korea, dresses up in traditional Korean clothes. 

Madiha is interviewed on KBS's Arabic language show. 

The services offered by Yalla Korea comprise a whole package and reflect the four main goals of the company: share, passion, truth and safety. The services start from the moment you arrive at the airport, through your journey to Korea’s fascinating attractions, and until the day you finish your trip. Throughout the whole journey, you get to enjoy some of the most famous places and meals, and you can get the answers you need to all your questions, related to any kind of interest about Korea. You also get to know Khalid and Madiha and form new friendships in Korea. Tourists from places like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and other countries can now make unforgettable memories with Yalla Korea.

Yalla Korea makes it even easier with the schedule it makes with the traveler from the moment they decide on a trip to Korea. They have an official website that provides all information you need, as well as social media accounts on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.

Yalla Korea might be a small humble step toward building a greater bridge between Arabs and Koreans. At the least, it will leave a great impression about strengthening the ties between the two regions and countries, and bringing them closer together.

Yalla Korea official website

Official Instagram feed

Official Twitter feed

Official YouTube channel

Official Yalla Korea Snapchat account

wisdom117@korea.kr

Interview with artist Puuung

By Korea.net Honorary Reporter Arij Ahmed Ibrahim

Photos = Puuung

You might ask yourself, "Who is Puuung?" Well, if you’re a real fan of art and drawings, or even a social media person, you will find the answer very easily. 

Puuung is an artist who draws the animated series called “Love is...“ It stars a fictional boy and a girl. 

Her drawings are very well-known across social media in the Middle East, especially in Egypt. A year ago, her drawings began to spread widely across social media in Egypt. I discovered friends of mine who were sharing the cartoons without even knowing that Puuung was Korean!

She could easily attract a lot of people under the name of "love," and she could reach their hearts just by drawing. That made me want to interview her for months, and I got the chance to do so. Now we could finally learn more about her. 

- You are sort of a mystery for all your fans. They sometimes wonder about your real name, your nationality and whether you're a woman or a man. What would you like to tell them?

I'm a woman. My real name is Park Dami. I'm from Korea.

-  How did you start drawing? Did you study it or was it a hobby?

When I was young, I used to doodle. I've always liked drawing. So I went to a university that was related to art. I learned drawing and animation.

-  How did you get inspired to draw two characters in their different daily life situations?

I'm a very simple person. So I'm moved by the little things. For example, eating with my friends, watching beautiful flowers. Even when the weather is good, I get so happy. I just portray my feelings. That's what the "Love is..." series is all about.

-  Is there  a reason why you represent love in your pictures?

Everybody around the world is in love. We can't be happy every day. Sometimes, we're sad or angry. We even sometimes want to give up on everything. Nevertheless, we feel happy in our life because of love. Love makes our mind abundant and busy. It's the most important thing there is. I want people to realize the love that's hidden in little things in our lives.

-  How does drawing reflect your own life?

I love drawing. I'm nothing without it. I just like drawing. Drawing makes me happy and it steers my whole life.

- How do you feel about the fact that your pictures have spread widely across the Arab world, especially in Egypt? People post them, share them and use them as wallpapers, all under the title "Love is...".

I can't believe it. I'm honored. I'm so happy to hear that. It’s the result of love, I think. Love exists in all everyone's lives. Of course, it's different from one person to another, as to our object of love, the depth of love, the texture of love, and all that. Nonetheless, everyone loves something. I'm glad to know that’s true. 

- Have you ever thought that your art would be that famous? What are your real dreams?

I never thought about that. I'm not that mature concerning drawing, so I'll try to draw more. I'm very lucky, luckier than my ability to draw. Thanks for everything. My dream is that my drawings make people happy. I hope people get happy while seeing my drawings. Also, I hope my drawings reach all the people around the world. Now that I'm drawing cartoons, I hope they receive the same love from my readers.

- What are the names of your characters?

They don't have names. I want people to think about my drawings as if they're portraying their own stories. That's why they don't have names.

- Have you decided to take your art to a new level?

I want to draw the "Love is..." series until I die. I don’t know about love yet, so if I live a bit longer, I'll realize love more deeply. Maybe then I'll draw different things. I can make "Love is..." cartoons with illustrations. 

- What kind of message would you like your art to send?

My message is that I hope people just become happy while seeing my drawings. My drawings don't have any ideology, except love.

- You add new characters to your stories sometimes, like a cat. Can you tell us more about that?

Yes. Someday, I'll draw another cat. For example, a girlfriend for Garfield, or something. Or friends of the characters. I'll draw it during my whole life. Maybe many new characters will appear.

- I'm really glad to have this interview with you. You seem to be a very nice person, and thanks for your time. As our final question, please say a word or two for your fans all over the world. 

Thanks for your love. I hope my drawings amuse you forever, and that you'll be as happy as my drawings. Please keep enjoying my comics and take a look at how they change. Thank you so much.

You can find more about her cartoons here. 

http://www.grafolio.com/puuung1

http://www.facebook.com/puuung1 

wisdom117@korea.kr