korea magazine [march 2011 vol. 7 no. 3]

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People & Culture

march 2011

IS

SN: 2005-2162

www.korea

korea’straditional house

social network

servicestreaming new trendsto korean life

jeungdo islandlife at a snail’s pace

hanokdesigns of the past exemplifyhomes of the future



Contentsmarch 2011 VOL.7 NO.03

02

1814

30

publisherSeo Kang-soo,

Korean Culture and Information Service

editingHEM KOREA Co., Ltd

[email protected]

printingSamsung Moonhwa Printing C

All right reserved. No part of this

publication may be reproduced in

any form without permission from

KOrea and the Korean Culture and

Information Service.

The articles published in KOreado

not necessarily represent the views of

the publisher. The publisher is not liablefor errors or omissions.

If you want to receive a free copy of

KOreaor wish to cancel a subscription,

please e-mail us. A downloadable PDF

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with common Korean words appearing

in our text are available by clicking on the

thumbnail of KOreaon the homepage

ofwww.ko..

발간등록번호 11-1110073-000016-06

02cover story

Hanok, a traditional Korean house, embodies

the combination of beauty and science.

14pen & brush

Paris-based artist Kwon Moo-hyoung gains

recognition abroad for his explorations.

18people

The late Father John Lee, who spent years

helping others, lives on in spirit.

22great korean

Philosopher and scientist Jeong Yak-yong

brought innovation to the Joseon Dynasty.

24my korea

Poktanju, or Korean bomb shot, shakes the

senses and bonds social ties, one expat learns.

28seoul

Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon Stream symbolizesKorea’s past, present and tomorrow.

30travel

Jeungdo Island is one of Korea’s ”slow cities,“

offering tranquility and history in one.

34special issue

Korea continues its strong rise in the winter

sports field at the latest Asian Winter Games.

36now in korea

Korea wises up to using SNS, social network

service, a popular tool for the smartphone.

40summit diplomacy

Oegyujanggak is set to return 145 years later.

44global korea

Int’l cooperation saved the Samho Jewelry.



over story

Hanok, or traditional Korean houses, are a place where you can orgetall o the stresses o the modern world. Designed to withstand theorces o the Korean climate, hanok are built with natural elements

such as trees, soil, stone and paper. he house oers visitors a chanceto learn about Korean history and culture while reconnecting withMother Nature. by Chung Dong-muk | photographs by Kim Nam-heon

tn hanok hss n Hh Fk V



4 | korea | march 2011 www.k

arting at Hwangji Pond in aebaek,he Nakdonggang River winds some

00km through southeastern part o

orea beore owing into the South

ea. It is the country’s longest river, and

as been owing through the peninsula

r thousands o years. Sitting along

his natural jewel is another important

piece o Korean heritage: Hahoe Folk Village in Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do

Province.

Hahoe is a compound Korean word

meaning “the water takes a roundabout.”

Te river literally winds around the

village in an “S” shaped bend. In

topography-based divination theory,

Kn ttn bn s kt ntn t n th f hnk (bv).Hwnn’s ss daecheong, th n f , ntns tts n th s thnkst th sntf fw f (bw).

such an area was called “yeonhwabusu,”

meaning “a lotus oating on water.” In

ancient Korea, people took account o

such theories when deciding where to

build a village or house. I a location

harmonized with the orces o nature, its

residents would be brought good luck.

A house built in a manner contrary to

those orces would meet with disaster.

Hahoe Village is home to many tile-

rooed hanok, or traditional Korean

houses, because it was a avorable area

according to feng shui theory.

a proTecTiVe Home In 1392, when

the Joseon Dynasty was ounded, state

ocial Ryu Jong-hye chose Hahoe as

the home or the Ryu clan o Pungsan.Brothers Ryu Un-ryong (1539~1601),

a renowned Conucian scholar, and

Ryu Seong-ryong (1542~1607), a

prime minister who helped the dynasty

overcome the Japanese invasion in 1592,

were both rom the village. Tanks

in Hahoe Village. “But there a

o our oreathers in all corner

house. I can’t just ignore them

out o a sense o duty.”

Visitors to Hwagyeongdang

Korea’s best-known hanok, ca

the structure’s long history. Ry

chun, one o Ryu Se-ho’s ances

built Hwagyeongdang in 1797

1862, his great grandson Ryu D

constructed additional buildin

complete it as the home o the

Hwagyeongdang is now the la

town and is listed by the gover

No. 84 among important olk m

A trip to Hahoe Village is n

complete without a visit to Ya

and Chunghyodang hanok as wYangjindang is the home o th

amily o the Pungsan Ryu clan

And it was built by Ryu Jong-h

in the 15th century and inherit

to the success o the Ryu amily, the

village thrived and tile-rooed homes,

which were traditionally reserved or

the aristocracy, started to appear in

Hahoe. oday, 162 traditional hanok

houses with roo tiles remain standing.

Tere are also 211 straw-rooed houses,

traditional homes or commoners.

Aside rom hanok, the village is also

home to 11 woo den masks designated

as the National reasure No. 121. Te

masks are used in the Hahoe byeolsingut

tallori, or Hahoe Mask Dance Drama.

Te Korean government designated

the entire village as one o the most

important olk heritage treasures in

1984. Last year, UNESCO listed the

village as a World Heritage Site, puttingHahoe in the global spotlight.

“It’s not easy to preserve and maintain

such a huge tile-rooed house,” says

Ryu Se-ho, owner o Hwagyeongdang

Jangdok, n ts s t st Knfnt ss sh s doenjang (sbnst) n th fnt f hnk (ft).Wht bb shs n fnt f ttn hnk (bw).



6 | korea | march 2011 www.ko

carried by our people. I she wanted to

walk, she had to wear a long hood that

covered her entire body. Te Korean

word during this period to describe

women literally meant a person who

spends their time inside the house. Men,

on the other hand, were ree to come

and go as they pleased.

THe BeauTy oF NaTural ScieNce

Hanok employ the laws o natural

science to circulate the air. When you

visit a hanok like Hwagyeongdang, you

will notice that trees and owers are

planted in the rear garden as opposed to

the ront yard. Tis allows the house to

keep cool during the summer and warm

during the winter. Most aristocratichanok have a wooden-oored hall, or

daecheong , in the middle o the anchae

that serves as the living room. Te ront

side o the daecheong is wide open

while doors shut o the backside. When

the sun beats down on the barren ront

yard, the temperature rises. Te heated

air rises and leaves the ront yard in a

vacuum. But in the back yard, plants and

trees absorb the heat, making the air a

bit cooler. Such cool air travels through

the wide-open daecheong and reaches

the ront yard. Tis

creates a natural

circulation o air. In

the summer, you can

open the doors to the

daecheong and enjoy

the cool breeze that

ows through the

house. In the winter,

warm air will stay inthe house with the

daecheong’s back

doors closed.

In addition to

their practical use

as a temperature

regulator, owers and

s eldest grandson, Ryu Un-ryong.

hunghyodang was home to Prime

Minister Ryu Seong-ryong, and Ryu

n-ryong’s younger brother inherited

he home.

Te anchae (women’s quarters) and

rangchae (men’s quarters) are shaped

ke squares, typical o houses in the

outheastern part o the country. Te

uarters are parallel to each other

nd connected by a pair o rooms on

ther side. Shutting the inner door to

he sarangchae ensured the privacy o

omen. During the Joseon Dynasty

omen rom the noble class were not

lowed to be seen by strangers. When

he wie o an aristocrat traveled outside,

he would ride in a closed palanquin

pt f thnts fhnk schagyeong, whhns bwnsn (bv).Th s sh n t nth bk fHwnn(ft). r S-h,wn f thHwnnn Hh FkV, ss t stnt tsv hnk(bw).

a vw f th fsntn xthtsts f Bnsn Swnf th f f th mn pvn(bv). Ttn Kn tnss s n hnk kthn (bw).

trees in the backyard serve as a private

garden. Te aesthetic theory chagyeong ,

which means “borrowing scenery,”

helped shape hanok gardens. While

many Western houses have solid walls,

Korean hanok have columns connected

by a series o windows and doors. Tese

openings serve as rames or the outside

world. I you open one door, you might

see a small stream owing across the

yard. I you open another door, you

might see the owers and trees in ull

bloom. Instead o hanging paintings on

their walls, Koreans would open their

windows or doors and “borrow” the

scenery right outside their house.Hanok designers try to make small

doors and windows throughout the

house so inhabitants can view their

garden rom dierent angles at dierent

times o the day and in dierent

seasons. Te designers had to take into

consideration not only the shape o

the house, but the placement o

and owers and the location o

surrounding landscapes, be it m

or rivers.

Visitors to Hahoe Village ca

wonderul examples o chagye

Mandaeru Pavilion o the Byeo

Seowon. Located near Hwasan

Mountain on the east side o H

the Byeongsan Seowon is a me

or the scholarly achievement

Seong-ryong. Sitting on the se

oor o the broad Mandaeru P

you can see the Nakdonggang

ow by a picturesque mountai

the river spreads a white sand that glimmers in the sunlight.

geese pass their time on the be

you come at dusk, the orange-

twilight covers the river like so

rom a gorgeous landscape pai

Ryu Se-ho, the owner o

Hwagyeongdang, decided to o




material goods that cater only to our

convenience, such as cars; and trying to

be thankul and satised with lie each

and every day. But living slowly in this

ast-paced world is dicult. We know

that the exhaust rom vehicles speeds up

global warming, but we still pick up our

car keys or even short trips.

It’s quite meaningul that places thatvalue slow living such as Hahoe Village

in Andong and Yangdong Village in

Gyeongju have been registered as

UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Another international organization,

the Cittaslow movement, has designated

several Korean villages as “slow cities.” In

anok to visitors our years ago. He says

hat he wanted to share the great science

nd spectacular beauty o hanok with

eople rom around the world.

“Hanok can only be preserved when

eople live there,” he says. “You have

light up the replace in the kitchen

nd heat up the house made up o trees,

ay and stone to breathe lie into it. I

wanted to bring in guests, I thought I

ight as well do it right and present the

ue beauty o hanok and great taste that

ou can enjoy there.”

Tanks to Ryu’s eorts, those who

ay at Hwagyeongdang get to enjoy

elicacies o a traditional Korean house.

Tey can stay warm on the ondol oor

nd sleep in the same type o beds and

at out o the same brass utensils used

y noblemen o the past.

aNoK reViVal Hanok tourism haseen ormally registered by the Ministry

Culture, Sports and ourism as a

usiness and is growing in popularity

ationwide. Te Association or

roprietors o Korean Culture Houses

as played a leading role in the industry.

s members include 380 proprietors

o ancient houses across the nation. It

has helped open such homes to tourists

rom Korea and around the world,

teaching visitors about Korean culture

and heritage.

“Many o our member homes are

national or local cultural heritage, and

in the past, we were always trying to

stay out o them or protection,” says Lee

Gang-baek, head o the association and

owner o Sungyojang in Gangneung,

Gangwon-do Province. “But we could

only preserve the homes by having

people see them. Bringing in guests is

what I needed to do, too.”

Sungyojang is a 310-year-old house

where 10 generations have lived, and it’s

one o Korea’s most amous hanok. In

2000, Sungyojang was ranked the top

hanok in the country. Te Gwandong

region, or the eastern part o Korea, lies

next to the dark blue East Sea and is

known or it beautiul scenery. Scholars

in the Joseon Dynasty with rened

artistic tastes always made Sungyojang

a stop during their travels through the

Gwandong area.

“Te reason there are many annexesto hanok, such as haengrangchae,

sarangchae and byeoldang , is to

encourage whoever was passing through

to stop by and stay overnight,” Lee

says. “It was never a house only or the

owner. But in modern times, it has lost

its meaning and we’ve lost our heart.

ok s wh y Sn- thw t t bt vt f Hwnsnh btt n th 14th nt (bv ft). a ftsn kshanji (bv ht). Svns n bhs t Jnj Hnk V (bw).

And to turn back time and revive that

original meaning, Sungyojang will stay

open to everyone rom around the

world.”

o accommodate modern visitors,

some o the old acilities o hanok have

been upgraded. For instance, many

hanok owners have installed ushing

toilets, standing basins and shower stalls.

o help acilitate these improvements,

the Cultural Heritage Administration is

preparing a manual or the renovation

and repair o hanok. Since many old

homes are registered as cultural heritage,

the government wants to ensure that

the historical attributes o hanok are

preserved, as homeowners make the

houses more comortable or visitors.Te movement to preserve hanok

comes afer a century o disregard or

the traditional homes. Following the

Joseon Dynasty, Korea was annexed

by Japan in 1910 and remained under

colonial rule until 1945. Te ve years

ollowing the liberation were marked

by chaotic ideological conicts. Ten,

the Korean War rom 1950 to 1953

demolished what little was lef on the

peninsula. Over some 50 years in the

post-war era, Koreans had to constantly

try to make ends meet and had little

interest in investing in the preservation

o cultural heritage. Koreans’ enthusiasm

or accepting Western culture led to a

materialism that valued the new and

shiny over the old and traditional.

It wasn’t until the 21 st century that

Koreans had reached a comortable

income level and some began to

question their harried liestyle. Tey adopted “live slowly” as their mantra,

and took an interest in hanok and other

traditional elements.

What does “live slowly” mean?

Perhaps it’s no dierent than living as

mankind should. Tat is, living trying

to coexist with nature; minimizing

an nt sts wtnvsts f hnk (bv).Hknn s nf th stfs hnk nJnj HnkV (ht).Hknn, btn th 20th nt, s t nshwnttn nnhtt nn bn(ht bw).

Korea, you can experience the

in seven places, including Han

in Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do Provin

Hanok Village in Damyang, Je

do Province.

American Peter E. Bartholo

– who has lived in a hanok in

Dongseomun-dong, Seoul, or

40 years – will attest to the joy

slowly in a hanok.

“I love that I can spend time

mysel here on the daecheong

tea and looking out at the gard

Bartholomew says. “I am conv

that hanok is the world’s great

o architecture, with its scienti

that also embraces human em



| korea | march 2011 www.k

over story

eter E. Bartholomew is an American expatriate who has lived in hanok or 38 years.He believes the hanok is a piece o art that combines philosophy, visual aestheticsnd science. Bartholomew says he has studied architecture rom around the worldnd is convinced hanok boasts some o the world’s greatest design elements.

is a ginkgo tree that he planted about

20 years ago and that now stands a

good 15m high. When the typhoon

hit his neighborhood, he was smoking

a cigarette on the main oor o his

home, watching to see i his tree would

be uprooted by the strong wind. But

something incredible happened.

While the tree was getting whipped

into all directions, the smoke rom

his cigarette was shooting straight up.

“My god, that just had to be science,”

Bartholomew says. “Tere’s absolutely

no wind protector between the main

oor and the courtyard, but the wind

was blowing hard out there and not

here. Isn’t that amazing?”

Te unique structure o hanok is tothank or the strange wind patterns.

Bartholomew’s house takes the shape

o an inverted “L.” Most Korean houses

ace south, and Bartholomew’s house

had its back on the north side and

turned slightly to the west. Te house

was designed to keep the wind out. Te

typhoon was blowing in rom the west

at the time, and the wall on the western

side o his house blocked it all out. Te

eaves o the house also minimized the

strength o the wind.

As Bartholomew discovered, the

hanok is designed with the Korean

climate in mind. Te specic length

o the house’s eaves keeps the sun out

during dog days o summer and yet

helps bring the warm sunlight in over

the main oor during winter. Te

artistic rame o the paper sliding door

is covered in changhoji (traditional

paper o mulberry bark) to ensure aircirculation. In the winter, the traditional

oor heating system, ondol, keeps the

house at a comortable temperature.

FiNdiNg a place For HaNoK iN

moderN Seoul Bartholomew rst

came to Korea in 1968 as a member o

the Peace Corps. While working as anEnglish teacher at a middle school in

Gangneung, he discovered the hanok

Sungyojang, one o the most amous

hanok in eastern Korea. He had been

interested in ancient architecture since

grade school, and or Bartholomew,

Sungyojang was a museum. Afer he

visited the place our or ve times to

study it, an old landlady told him to just

move in. Bartholomew went on to live

there or about ve years and ell in love

with the house. It was during this time

that he decided to settle down in Korea.

Bartholomew ound a job at a shipping

company and moved to Seoul, but he

could not orget Sungyojang. In 1974, he

moved to the hanok o Dongseomun-

dong, where he lives to this day.

Living in a hanok can be a bit more

taxing on your body than a Western-

style apartment, since the oor constantly

needs sweeping. But Bartholomew loveshis house because it is in touch with the

slower way Koreans used to live.

Bartholomew also had a ew choice

words or Korea’s policy on hanok

and on construction as a whole. In the

name o redevelopment, traditional

homes are being bulldozed and

replaced with towering apartm

buildings. Bartholomew says t

something wrong with that pi

growing population obviously

a rising demand or housing, b

apartments should be built ou

Seoul, he argues. He thinks th

need to take down the hanok,

cultural and historic icons. Ba

says that Koreans treasure the

paintings o Kim Hong-do an

celadon, but hanok, somethin

captures people’s everyday live

seems like its ading away. “Yo

see a country like this anywhe

Bartholomew says, welling up

I rst came to Seoul, there wer

800,000 hanok in the city alon

today it’s just lef ewer than 7,Bartholomew calls hanok a

work o art that intertwines lit

and visual aesthetics with phil

and science. Perhaps it’s time

Koreans to take another look a

and rediscover the virtues that

traditional house has long pro

It’s a Korean traditional house, or

hanok, in Dongseomun-dong in Seoul,

the nation’s capital and by ar Korea’s

busiest city. Peter E. Bartholomew, the

American owner o this house, is seatedat the table in the main hall, sipping

coee and soaking in the arrival o the

new season. Bartholomew is all smiles.

“Tis is why I love hanok,” he says.

“When I work outside, I am constantly

stressed out. But when I smell this resh

spring air at home, it all goes away. Tis

house is like a purier or me.”

Bartholomew is known in Korea as

a guardian o hanok. He has attended a

series o seminars and debates on hanok

and has been eatured in the press, too.

Korean people have also taken a liking to

this blue-eyed man who extols virtues o

the traditional orm o Korean residence.

It’s a great irony that most Koreans

actually preer Western-style housing,

such as apartments, while Westerners

like Bartholomew loves hanok. But i

you hear him talk about the science o

hanok, even the most skeptical Korean

would be impressed. Here’s one story.Last summer, Korea was hit by a

monstrous typhoon. It came in through

Incheon on the west coast, swept

through Seoul and then lef o the

east coast. Te wind was so blustery

that large trees were uprooted. Inside

the courtyard o Bartholomew’s house

The Meaningful Life ofa Guardian of Hanok

pt e. Bthw hs v n hs n ss ts nq stta f Bthw’s hnk sht n ss nt (st)




over story

Te hanok village in Jeonju, located the southern province o Jeollabuk-

o Province, is not your average rural

llage. On a typical weekend, Koreans

nd oreign tourists easily mix, to a

oint that it can be hard to tell i you’re

ctually in Korea. Tey are immersed in

ultural experiences and shopping or

eonju Hanok Village became the seventh Korean area to be named a “slow city”y Cittaslow International, last year. Still palpable are the traces o Yi Seong-gye,

who built the Joseon Dynasty, and Jeonju in Jeollabuk-do Province, southwest o Korea, has become the place where people are proud o Korean culture and arts.

vendors are more intent on explaining

the history o their hometown than on

selling their goods.

Jeonju came to national prominence

during the Joseon Dy nasty. Yi Seong-

gye, who ounded the 500-year dynasty,

and his ancestors were born and raised

in Jeonju. Te city’s residents took great

pride in the act that their hometown

was the birthplace o the ounder o

the Joseon Dynasty, one o the most

important gures in Korean history. Te

Hanok Village stores the portrait o Yi

Seong-gye in its Gyeonggijeon Shrine,

which honors the Yi amily.

Te ounding o Jeonju Hanok Village

is also rooted in history. During the

Joseon Dynasty, Jeonju had a hugeortress and our gates, just as Seoul did.

But during the Japanese colonial rule,

three o the our gates were removed

and the Japanese started living where the

gates once stood. So Jeonju people began

building hanok to protest the Japanese

occupation. Seeing the traditional

Korean homes nestled among Japanese

and Western buildings in what today

is Pungnam-dong and Gyo-dong, the

residents o Jeonju elt proud o their

heritage.

THe laST imperial deSceNdaNT

Sadly, most o the hanok in the village

are now gone and only about 550

remain standing. Te Jeonju municipal

government has a policy o preserving

those remaining hanok, a source o

pride or the residents. “Jeonju is a place

where our basic necessities o lie and

traditional culture are all vividly alive,”said Song Ha-jin, mayor o Jeonju. “We

will try to make sure Jeonju will duly

represent Korean traditions and help

globalize Korean culture.” Hanji, or

traditional Korean paper, has helped

turn Jeonju into one o the country’s

top art towns. Te city’s clean water,

traditional souvenirs.“We’ve got about 20 people who

provide commentary on culture, and on

weekends, we have so many visitors that

all o our guides are out on streets,” said

Kang Chul-min o Jeonju’s municipal

tourist inormation center, who guided

us through the village. “Look at our

oce. It can be really crazy. We’re tryingour best to serve e very single visitor.”

Te passion and pride o Jeonju

residents or their culture and art are

beyond imagination. For instance,

there is no admission ee to walk on

these broad streets with so much to

oer. Parking is also ree. And street

Snwnj s th h f th st vnsnnt f th Jsn dnst, y Sk(bv, bw). Th stt f hnk ss n Jnj Hnk V (st).

which has a relatively low iron content,

allows mulberry trees to ourish. Te

region is home to some o the best hanji

crafsmen in the country, who use this

high-quality mulberry tree pulp in

their work. Te quality paper has given

rise to great calligraphers, too, which

in turn led to the development o the

area’s publishing industry. Te act that

Traditions of theJoseon Dynasty Live On

the Annals o the Joseon Dyna

registered on UNESCO’s Mem

World or its detailed recordin

dynasty’s history - is stored in

historic library is no accident.

hanji-based crafs, such as hap

a kind o traditional an, along

pansori, a type o music pero

a an in hand, have all thrived

or similar reasons.

Visitors to Jeonju Hanok Vi

should be sure to check out

Seunggwangjae, the home o Y

the last living descendant o th

Dynasty. He was born to Princ

Ui, who was the son o Emper

Gojong. He was born in Sadon

in Gwanhun-dong near Jogyesin Seoul. Having spent his chil

in a royal palace, Yi Seok is pa

passionate about hanok.

“I still remember when I wa

my ather, Prince Ui, put me in

o him on horseback as we ran

the ront yard o the palace,” Y

“Te towering ridge o that pa

magnicent. Te grand and ye

hanok roo is part o my mem

Tese days, Yi lectures visito

Seunggwangjae on the history

Joseon and virtues o the royal

Yi dreams o spending the rest

his lie reproducing traditiona

wedding ceremonies at palace

Gyeongbokgung in Seoul.

Last November, Jeonju beca

seventh Korean city to be desi

“slow city” by Cittaslow Intern

It’s the rst such city with mor

50,000 in population. In keepithe new designation, the city a

a slew o slow traditional Kore

including bibimbap. With so m

history and culture, time almo

still in Jeonju and its hanok vi

I you want to discover Korea

traditions, don’t miss Jeonju.



| korea | march 2011

en & brush

Fining hope in deat

Kwon Moo-hyou

Kwon Moo-hyoung’s imposing 180cm gure has been a

central eature o his photographs and drawings or the last

decade. Te artist oen appears in ethereal settings with a

stringy black beard and long braided hair.

Kwon’s works explore the ever-changing ow o lie and

time. Aer many years o experimentation, Kwon decided to

ocus on primitive rather than modern themes and techniques.

Kwon began his career as an artist producing Western-

style paintings. As a student, Kwon painted mostly realistic

paintings. In his late twenties, Kwon moved to Paris and visitedevery classic and modern art museum in Europe. However, he

secretly elt ashamed o his own art. He says that his own art

during that time was just an imitation o preexisting artworks.

Every project he planned had already been completed by

someone else using better materials on a larger scale. With his

doubts mounting, Kwon thought o quitting painting. So he

put down his brush and picked up a camera. For a year, Kwon

traveled with his camera looking or ways he could transorm

his art into something that was both meaningul and original.

When the year was up, Kwon decided to turn his career in a

completely new direction.

“I started thinking about ‘time,’” Kwon says. “When others

were working in horizontal compositions, I started working in

vertical compositions. I walked away rom the high-tech era

and chose to go toward more primitive themes. I realized that

or art, one must research and investigate one’s whole lietime

to dig deep and nd meaning. I wasn’t interested in the high-

tech, nor did I have the ability to ollow such methods.”

Tere was another benet to Kwon’s new path. As a poor

student studying abroad, high-tech projects were out o his

budget. He conesses that during that period, “I could not

work on projects that used quality materials.” Te restrictionso Kwon’s approach opened new doors to him and helped

shape the primitive artworks he is so well known or today.

RecoRding the oRdeR of natuRe Kwon Moo-hyoung

started to thicken his paints. Tis painting project began in

1998 and as more layers o paints were added, the paint started

to grow thick, crack and all o the canvas rom its own

s it utile to struggle against theruth that all beings are born to growld and die? Kwon Moo-hyoungonronts this essential humanuestion in his works. He has delved

nto the meaning o lie and deathhrough his paintings, installationieces, perormances and photo-

raphs. hroughout them all there isne o hope, suggesting that lie doesot just end at death.Lee Se-mi | photographs by Park Jeong-roh

w M-y’ wrk, Stairs of Life b (bv).© Kwon Moo-hyoung



www.k

paintings can be about circles but it also can be just dots. Te

repetition o the action o painting starts to pile up. It is like

writing a diary. As the wrinkles on a man are the trace o time,

a painting’s thickness and cracks are also the traces o time

or a painting. And sooner or later, the paint will all o the

canvas. I call this an ‘out-o-body experience.’ I will paint until

my body and spirit are separated rom each other.”However, Kwon says that i his work ends here he will

eel empty. Te paint that alls o will corrode and become

a powder and return to its original state beore once again

becoming paint.

“Paint alling o the canvas is not death,” Kwon says. “It is a

return to nature. It is a lump o hope to be born again. It will

one day become paint again or it can become the ertilizer or

eight. Te project lasted more than 10 years and the canvas

won painted weighs more than 25kg.

Kwon drew billions o circles with his paint. From a distance

he circles look like dots, rom up close they become a plane

nd rom an adequate distance they seem to be curved lines.

Trough the painting, Kwon expressed the never-ending cycle

nature with simple but symbolic circles.For Kwon, circles have no start or end, like the cycle o

asons. Just as autumn passes and winter sets in and spring

erwards, numerous circles overlap into a painting without

nyone knowing when this cycle will end. Te artist explains,

he boundaries o the canvas is the body and my action is

he spirit. Many paintings that sell well are not important to

e. What is important is that I draw until the day I die. My

| korea | march 2011

new lie. Tere is no such thing as death.”

Kwon’s obsession with the cycle o lie and death comes

rom a traumatic childhood experience. When he was a young

boy, Kwon nearly died because his esophagus was blocked. He

says that rom that point on he pondered death.

o help articulate his vision o rebirth, Kwon employs his

own hair. He observed how humans accommodate the rules o

nature into their lives, cutting their hair and nails as they grow,

or example. He ound that painting alone was too limited to

capture this idea, so he began to use photography and video.

It was at midnight, February 28, 1999, that Kwon started

a new project by cutting his hair and beard. Tis meant, he

says, a returning to nothingness and being born again. Kwon’s

hair started to grow like new sprouts rom the earth and he

waited or his hair to grow so long it touched the ground.

Kwon decided that this would be his cycle, and he cut his hair

again. He recorded the process o his body changing. His hair

and beard grew, only later to become grey then white andstart alling out. His ace started showing signs o age spots

and wrinkles. Kwon describes this process as “a documentary

o lie through my own image.” He has been working on this

project or the last 12 years and his hair is now 170cm long

and touches his ankles. When his hair touches the ground,

Kwon will cut his hair again.

Meaning of existence For Kwon, the death o one’s body

is not the end, but merely returning into a handul o earth

rom which new lie is born. Tis is the hope and meaning o

existence.

While the artist’s works document the eternal cycle o birth,

death and rebirth, Kwon’s philosophy does not rest in any one

o Kw M-y’m rprv p-rp wrk, Meditation (l). Kw w mprv prrm , r br, 798 Bj Bl 2009 (blw). eb rmPiP fvl 2009 (pp).

religion. His artworks hint at these grand themes thr

subtle imagery that pushes viewers to see things not

the naked eye. In this way, he photographs the wind

and even hope. People will think the wind is blowin

see Kwon’s photograph o a uttering piece o cloth.

o a conch leads viewers to think o the ocean.

Kwon uses his own body in photographs to sugge

aspects o nature. In one photograph, his braided ha

toward the sky and his stringy beard stretches down

alluding to a tree’s branches and roots. Another ima

Kwon with an egg to his ear makes viewers imagine

listening to a pulse. In most o his pictures, the artist

closed. Kwon says he does this to break people’s expe

about portraits and allow them to think reely. “Whe

my eyes, people see everything,” he explains. “Don’t

eyes but how I am in the picture.”

Kwon’s projects all have a common thread. His wo

viewers an opportunity to orget the hassles o daily meditate. Kwon says that this meditation is less like t

ascetic practitioners and more like a orm o relaxat

compares it to the relaxation one eels upon seeing b

spaces in Asian paintings.

While Kwon’s works are considered Asian in Euro

considers himsel a citizen o earth and reuses to be

by the boundaries o one country or culture.

Kwon is currently afliated with the French gover

and is well known in Europe, the United States, Chin

Brazil and New Zealand. He went to Paris in 1996 to

and acknowledging his exceptional talent, the govern

assigned him a permanent workshop in the 12 th Dist

In 1998, the artist held his rst private exhibition

Pavillon de l’Arsenal gallery an

2000 submitted works to num

international art airs, includin

Art Cologne art air in Germa

2007, Kwon Moo-hyoung was

artist at the Contemporary Ist

Fair and was recognized as on

eatured artists at the air. Last

Kwon won the Film and Videothe Pingyao International Pho

(PIP) Festival.

Kwon is preparing or an in

private exhibition in Beijing th

June. Additionally, the artist is

to hold a workshop in Manhat

York, this autumn.© Kwon Moo-hyoung



eople

The laTe FaTher John lee

Miracle of Love

Koreans recently became aware o Father Lee’s rema

story through the documentary lm, Don’t Cry for M

Te lm was released last September, and 400,000 pe

have seen the lm in theaters so ar. While it was ori

screened in ve theaters around Seoul, more than 60

across the country have agreed to show the documen

Te lm’s audience has expanded rom Catholics t

nonreligious, everyone rom students to governmen

Group trips to see the lm arranged by government

as well as enterprises have added uel to Father Lee’s

popularity in Korea. Father Lee explains in the lm,

Cry for Me Sudan, why he chose to dedicate his lie t

those in Arica.

“I am oen asked why I went all the way to Arica

I can help many with medicine and there are so man

people in Korea, too. Tere is no special reason. It’s j

there is this noble duty that aected my lie: the wordJesus, who said whatever you did or one o the least

or him; Doctor Albert Schweitzer who gave up ever

to dedicate his lie to Arica; the devoted lives o ath

sisters I witnessed at an orphanage near my house as

boy; and most o all the honorable lie o my mother

sacriced her lie or my 10 siblings. Tese are the be

scenes that moved my heart.”

onj is a small village in Sudan. In this land, scarred by a brutal civil war, there was a man whodedicated everything he had to help others. His name was Father John Lee, or Lee ae-seok

(1962-2010) in Korean, and he passed away on January 14, 2010, at the young age o 48, aterspending a year ighting cancer. Father Lee served as a priest, doctor, architect and conductor,

but more than anything he was a trusted neighbor to the people o onj. hough he is no longerwith us, the love he showed throughout his lie lives on in the hearts o many. by Lee Se-mi

T lat Fat J L sptt scd alf f s lf Sda, as a pst ad dct,t lp ts sff fmpty ad llss (t,bl, bttm). A dcmtayflm, Don’t Cry for Me Sudan,flcts Fat L’s bl

lf ad as tcd mayKas’ ats (ppst).


© The Sudan Youth Education Foundation (top, middle, opposite); Mountain Pictures (bottom)



www.k0 | korea | march 2011

ee’S worK FeLT ThroughouT KoreA Father Lee

raduated rom medical school. Yet instead o beginning a

romising career as a doctor, Lee decided to become a priest.

While studying at the Salesian Pontical University in Rome,

ee took part in a voluntary program in Nairobi, Kenya. Tere

e met the Indian priest, Father James, who had been working

southern Sudan or two decades and Father Lee decided

hat he, too, would work in Sudan. In November 2001, Father

hn volunteered as the rst Korean priest to work in Arica.

Father Lee proved to be a charismatic gure that Koreans

ould rally around. His book Will You Be My Friend , published

June 2009 when he was ghting cancer, is a best-selling

ook in Korea. Te book touchingly describes the days o

overty and pain he spent together with the people o onj,

nd is the only book Father Lee wrote. Fans o Father Lee

ho read his book and saw the documentary about his lie ll

nternet orums with praise.

Te rst thing Father Lee did upon arriving in onj was takeare o the ill. As he was the only doctor in onj, people would

alk as ar as 100km to meet him. He saw an average o 300

atients per day. Te lights o the hospital in onj would never

o o. Father Lee poured his heart into serving the ill, and

used to turn away patients regardless o the time o day.

Tere was no electricity in onj when Father Lee arrived,

o to protect the vaccines that needed to be kept cold, he

stalled solar panels on the roo o the hospital and bought

rigerators. In order to administer to patients living in

mote villages, Father Lee kept vaccines in a portable icebox

nd visited his patients in their homes once a week. When

ather Lee made a trip to a village built or those with Hansen’s

sease, more commonly known as leprosy, he threw himsel

to helping the villagers. Te village was ar rom onj in a

ace where most Sudanese avoided or ear o getting sick.

ather Lee built the villagers brick houses, set up water pump

cilities and gave them specially made shoes that t their

eless eet, decorated with pictures he designed himsel.

Father Lee’s selfess lie is breaking down religious barriers

Korea today. Last January, at the Memorial Hall or the

istory and Culture o Korean Buddhism at Jogyesa emple,

he headquarters o the Jogye O rder o Korean Buddhism,ore than 200 religious leaders, including Head Ven. Jaseung

nd Buddhist priests, as well as those belonging to Christian,

onucius and Chondogyo groups, gathered together to watch

he movie and discuss the true role o religion.

Father Lee has le a lasting legacy on onj’s schools. He

uilt schools in the village and then brought in experienced

achers rom Kenya to instruct the children. Father Lee

even helped out with the education program by teaching a

mathematics course to middle school seniors and high school

reshmen. Te children o onj were excited to learn. While

there weren’t enough desks or chairs or the 120 high school

seniors that lled one class, students willingly shared desks or

stood in order to learn. Around 150 students who came rom

villages ar away would stay at the dormitory set up near the

school to concentrate on their education.

Father Lee was also talented in music. He had already

begun composing when he was in middle school. Troughout

medical school and priesthood, music stayed with him. In

2005 when Sudan signed a peace treaty putting an end to the

civil war, he wrote a song titled “Shukuran Baba” or “Tank

you God.” Ten he ormed a brass band, b elieving that the

children who had their hearts broken by the long war would

be lled with joy and hope once they learned music. He selected

35 musically talented children, taught them instruments, wrote

scores and dressed them up in uniorms sent rom Korea. Te

image o the children holding the instruments as they once

held guns was striking. It was the rst brass band in southern

Sudan, and the government requently invited the children to

ocial events.

Love iS ShAring Te Sudan Youth Education Foundation,

a group that sponsored Father Lee’s works during his lietime,

has continued the projects that he started in Sudan. While

the oundation had 800 supporters at the time o Father Lee’s

death, they now have more than 4,000. Members o their webcommunity have gone rom 2,000 to 18,000. During the same

period, donations to the organization more than doubled.

Improvements to onj and its surrounding villages have

continued energetically. Te construction o Don Bosco High

School was recently nished through the linking o three

shipping containers. With more material support, stationary

and hospital equipment have been sec ured in larger quantities.

Tree students rom onj came to Korea to study me

and agricultural technology, giving organizations ho

implement a regular study abroad program or onj

Te village has seen more volunteers recently, and be

at the end o February a new doctor will arrive to res

medical services.

When Father Lee came to Korea at the end o 200

a short visit, he was diagnosed with terminal colorec

cancer and could never return to onj. Even on his s

Father Lee missed and worried about the children o

Troughout his illness, Father Lee stayed positive annever seen without a smile on his ace. Right aer he

diagnosed, he played the guitar and sang at a charity

His last words summed up his lie philosophy: “Ever

is good.” Father Lee dedicated his lie to helping the m

disadvantaged. His belie that everyone can help a ne

gives Koreans hope that we will see more people oll

path o compassion in the uture.© The Sudan Youth Education Foundation (above); Mountain Pictures (left, opposite)T lat Fat J L spcally cad f t cld f Tj

lla ad cctatd t dcat (ab, ppst).h als blt scls ad fmd a bass bad s s mscaltalts (bl).




As a leader o Silhak, or Realist School o Conucianism, Jeong Yak-yong became one o the greatest social reormers in Korean history.Jeong blended the traditional values o Conucianism with a philosophy to indsolutions to real-world problems. hroughSilhak, he introduced technologies or Korea’smodernization. by Lim Ji-young | photographs by Kim Nam-heon

Jeong Yak-yongThe JoseonDynasty’s Social

Reformer

Most Koreans have heard o Jeong Yak-yong. He was a

rominent philosopher during the Joseon Dynasty, which

nited Korea under one ruler and propagated Conucian

eals throughout the country. But what many people don’t

alize is the critical role o Jeong played in modernizing

he peninsula.

Jeong Yak-yong was born in Namyangju, Gyeonggi-do

rovince, as his amily’s ourth son. From a young age, he

evoured the books o his amily’s library and showed a

markable talent or writing. Jeong passed gwageo, or civilrvice examination, in 1783, and served the government in

arious capacities or the rest o his lie. His rst post was as

he Gyeongui Jinsa to give a lecture in the Royal presence.

n the next year, he became interested in Western ideas and

oman Catholicism through one o the ounding athers

the Catholic church in Korea, Yi Byeok. Jeong and his

rothers were among the earliest Korean converts to Roman

Catholicism. While Jeong’s new religion helped shape his

later work with the Silhak Movement, the conversion created

problems or him with the government. Te government

repressed reedom o religion and discriminated against

Catholics in particular. While Jeong was appointed the

governmental positions o Gajuseo and Geomyeol in a row, he

was exiled to the small town o Haemi not long aer receiving

these posts. King Jeongjo took pity on Jeong, however, and he

was able to return to court aer only ten days o exile.

In the late 18th century, Koreans became interested inusing scientic methods to help improve public welare. Te

Silhak Movement arose as philosophers like Jeong tried to

blend Western concepts and philosophies with the dominant

ideology o the day, Conucianism. Under his pen name,

Dasan, Jeong published numerous books that explained and

applied Silhak to everyday lie.

Jeong was appointed to supervise the construction o

reat korean

his books on the art o governing, Mokminsimseo or

of Governing the People and Gyeongseyupyo or Desig

Government , were written during this period.

Jeong was pardoned by King Sunjo in 1819, but hi

had suered rom his years o exile. He died in 1836

hometown, Namyangju.Even today, Jeong is revered as an ideal Korean bu

He was a brilliant inventor who introduced baedari,

made o many boats, and the geojunggi pulley, and h

upright politician. While Jeong was unable to see his

o a air and responsible government materialize dur

Joseon Dynasty, he never stopped believing in the eg

principles ound throughout his writings.

© Tasan Cultural Foundation (above); Topic P

hoto (right)

A showoom o Dasan Cutua Ha (abov t). Th ntanc oMusum o Sha (abov ht). On o Jon’s wos, Suwon Hotss (bow). Jon’s statu at hs bthpac n Namyanju (o

Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon in early 1792. He used a device

o his own invention called a geojunggi, a type o pulley, to help

construct the ortress. Jeong became a secret royal inspector in

Gyeonggi-do Province in 1794, investigating the misconduct

o other government ofcials. Tis experience awoke Jeong to

the large scale o corruption in the government bureaucracy

and may have inspired some o his later writing on the proper

roles o government.

While King Jeongjo protected Jeong rom political rivals

who disliked the philosopher’s investigations into corruption,

the king’s successors were not as kind. When King Sunjo

and Queen Jeongsun seized power, they sought to get rid o

reormers like Jeong. He was exiled to Gangjin, Jeollanam-

do Province, or 18 years. During that period, Jeong lived in

poverty and studied the plight o rural Koreans. His writing

during this time covered everything rom land systems and

political structure reorms to the airer distribution o wealth

and abolition o the social hierarchy system.In keeping with the Silhak philosophy, Jeong asked how

Conucianism could be applied to solve the problems o

poverty. He concluded that the government should play a

major role in improving the lives o the poor. In his writing,

Jeong stressed the importance o a air governor who

maintains his integrity during every ofcial action. Jeong’s

important work on jurisprudence, Heumheumsinseo, as well as

JeONg YAk-YONg AS A MASTer O

Silhak was a Korean Confucian social reform mo

the late Joseon Dynasty. It developed in response

increasingly metaphysical nature of Neo-Confuc

seemed disconnected from the rapid agricultura

and political changes that occurred in Korea betw

17th and early 19th centuries. At the age of 28, Je

suggested that boats could be strung together t

pontoon, and when he was 31 years old, he disc

principle of the pulley while building the fortres

Suwon. He was also interested in an early form o

and his books carry notes on inoculation. Most oscholars were from factions excluded from pow

disaffected scholars calling for reform. Jeong wa

renowned Silhak scholar and his pen name, Das

synonymous with the movement. He advocated

empirical Confucianism deeply concerned with

society at the practical level. He argued for refor

rigid Confucian social structure, land reforms to

plight of peasant farmers, redefining the traditio

relationship with China, promoting Korea’s own

identity and culture, encouraging the study of sc

iNSiDe THe ArTiCle



4 | korea | march 2011

y korea

www.k

Poktanju :GettinG

BomBedKoreanStYLe

Knocking back a glass o beer with a shoto soju or whisky in it might seem like a goodway to get tipsy quickly. But the Korean bombshot, called poktanju (literally, bomb alcohol),

is a central part o Korean communaldrinking culture. he traditions andcustoms that go along with drinking

poktanju help colleagues bondwhile getting bombed. Foreigners mightind the poktanju ritual daunting at irst,

but it oers a great opportunity toget to know your coworkers in a

laid-back atmosphere.“One shot!”

drops a shot glass o booze (usually a hard liquor or

into a larger glass o something else (normally beer)

chugging it down as quickly as possible. In Canada,

always consumed by a group o people simultaneous

you happen to be the loser o a drinking game – as p

evening o merriment.

It wasn’t something my riends and I did that oen

when we did, we all knew what kind o night it was g

to be. When I would be scraping mysel out o bed th

morning, eeling the agony o too much drink the ni

it wasn’t uncommon or me to think to mysel, “I ne

have had that bomb shot. It all went wrong aer that

Little did I know that in Korea, bomb shots are no

a “sometimes drink” but a signicant part o the drin

When I arrived in Korea or the rst time in the spring o

2009, some cultural aspects seemed very oreign and unusual

to me, though others, while still dierent, elt very amiliar.

It had been only three years since I had graduated rom

college, during which I had learned about a lot more than

just journalism. I had lived in something o a raternity,

and while it wasn’t exactly Animal House, we explored the

various creative manners in which to consume alcohol

like it was our job. Be it Boilermakers (beer with a shot o

whisky) or Jagerbombs (beer with a shot o Jagermeister)

or, on St. Patrick’s Day, Irish Car Bombs (Irish cream and

whisky dropped into a pint o Guinness), I was already well

acquainted with bomb shots upon my arrival in Seoul.

A bomb shot, or those who are unamiliar, is when one




was just about to sink. Once he had prepared

two glasses, he handed them out to the

rst two victims.

Tey stood up and promptly

downed these little cocktails in

“one shot,” to light applause.

Tose same two beer glasses

and two shot glasses were then

relled or the next people.

wo-by-two, everyone took

his or her turn.

Sitting at that long table

o newspaper journalists,

there were a ew distinct

groups: those or whom

downing a ew poktanju

meant just another day at

the oce, so to speak; thosewho recoil in disgust when the

glass is handed to them, dreading

each and every time it’s their

turn to drink and the attention and

embarrassment they will ace i they

reuse; and those who can’t wait or it to be

their turn again.

When it came to me, I was anxious to give it a

try. Along with one o my oreign colleagues, we rose and

knocked them back, and I gave the glass a little shake to show

I’d drank it all. I know many oreigners who dread the taste

o soju. But this, I thought to mysel, was really good! ruly, a

cultural experience I could embrace wholeheartedly.

Te poktanju ritual, where everyone takes his or her

turn drinking rom the same glass, is central to the Korean

communal drinking culture. Te boss, or the most senior

person at the table, has bottle rights, which means he or she

will be the one pouring the drinks or everyone (except him

or hersel, o course). But with great bottle rights come great

bottle responsibility: to ensure everyone at the table is on their

way toward intoxication, whether they like it or not.

And really, getting drunk as ast as possible is what a bombshot is all about. For us Canadian beer drinkers, we might

have a Boilermaker on a special occasion like a birthday or a

going-away party. But visit a busy hof or barbecue restaurant in

central Seoul around quitting time and you’ll see that poktanju

needs no special occasion.

Many countries’ drinking habits and traditions play a big

role in the nation’s overall cultural reputation. Russians are

PROFILE

ulture. In my rst job in Korea, I worked at a newspaper,

here I quickly learned about a corporate culture that

romoted evenings o drinking as sta bonding experiences

here sobriety is sacriced in the name o camaraderie. And

here are ew quicker ways to sacrice sobriety than drinking

oktanju (literally, bomb alcohol).

Te rst time I encountered the Korean version o a

oilermaker was aer a company soccer game, when the boss

ok everyone out or barbecue, despite our outt’s loss at the

ands o a rival media company.

While some Korean bosses can be very conservative and

aditional, their serious demeanor oen disappears the

oment they leave the oce.

My boss at that time, who on any given work day wore a

our expression o disappointment, was in his element sitting

the middle o the table, happily handing out drinks to one

nd all like it was Christmas Day. Immediately aer we sat

own, bottles o soju and beer arrived at our table and the

n began.

I watched as he took a small beer glass and lled it halway,

hen hal-lled a shot glass with soju. He then foated the shot

ass inside the beer glass and topped it o with soju until it

known or their consumption o vodka, Germans or their love

o giant mugs o beer. But i there is one thing that separates

Korea’s drinking culture rom all others, it’s speed.

Koreans may not be the world’s biggest drinkers, but they

may well be the astest.

Perhaps it’s because o the amed ppali, ppali (hurry, hurry)

mentality that predominates here, but at happy hour (or even

lunchtime), the soju fows ast and easy. I learned very quickly

that in this environment, an empty glass rarely stays empty or

long. It’s customary or someone to give you a rell as soon as

they notice you’ve consumed it all. It doesn’t take long until

you begin to spot “bombed” oce workers heading or home,

perhaps destined to all asleep on the subway, awakening only

aer they’ve completed a round trip on subway line No. 2, as a

riend o mine once did.

Because soju is so cheap and ubiquitous, it is the most

common liquor used in poktanju. But it can also be a whisky

and beer mix. I’ve always been puzzled by the practice o dropping an expensive ne whisky into a glass o beer. It seems

like such a waste o a quality liquor to dilute its taste in beer.

Some dispense with the placing o the shot glass in the beer

glass, and simply mix the two together, a drink reerred to as

somaek i it’s made with soju. While some disagree, I eel that

adding a little soju to beer makes it taste a little better. While

Korean beer is rereshing and crisp, it’s also quite plain.

It’s been my experience that bomb shots, ironically, are not

that popular among university students, even though a similar

communal drinking culture does exist. Some student riends

o mine introduced me to a drinking game called itanic,

where each person takes turns pouring soju into a shot glass

foating in a glass o b eer. Te one who sinks it, must drink it.

While in North America, institutions o higher learning are

the centers o this type o drinking activity, the poktanju ritual

seems to be most common among oce workers here. In

Korea, it’s quite common or companies to hold retr

the sta goes away or a ew days to a hotel or resort

auspices o Membership raining. In many cases the

retreats are less about proessional development and

about the bonding experience with your ellow cowo

you might expect, poktanju serves as a catalyst.

On one company outing, at the end o the day, we

in one big hotel room. We played a game where we a

turns singing a solo or the room. When it was my tu

handed a cup o beer and soju and was told it was m

to sing. As was the custom, I downed my poktanju in

shot” and launched into my own rendition o Hotel C

Ten it was my turn to mix a drink and hand it o to

next vocalist. It was a great night, but ast orward to

morning and the whole occasion seemed a lot less jo

But back on that spring day in 2009 when I had m

taste o Korean bomb shots, we ate galbi (roasted rib

or bee) and drank many more poktanju at the urginboss. By the end o the evening, he told me he was p

me, and assured me that I’d do just ne in Korea. I e

about that, although by the next morning I wondere

all those bomb shots were really such a good idea.

Korean drinking culture can be a little complex o

especially when it comes to drinking with colleagues

way you hold your glass, to the way you touch glasse

cheers, to who gets to pour the drinks or who, it can

lot to remember. But these traditions or me make it

more interesting. All over the world, people gather t

and drink to get to know each other a little better. T

experiencing the poktanju culture, I did a lot more t

get bombed. I became a little closer with my colleagu

gained some insight into the Korean way o lie. by M

Flemming | illustrations by Jo Seung-yeon | photograph

Jeong-roh

Matt Flemming is Canadian who

has been living in Seoul for almost

two years. He is currently the

English editor ofMorningCalm,

the in-flight magazine for Korean

Air. He enjoys exploring Seoul,

indulging in delicious Korean

cuisine and playing ball hockey

near Olympic Stadium.




eoul

Situated on the border o the Jongno-gu and Jung-gu districts,

Cheonggyecheon Stream is a tourist attraction and a resting

place or citizens. Nearly every week o the year, people gather

along the stream or various cultural estivities and events. Te

stream’s modern orm is the result o the Cheonggyecheon

Stream Renovation Project that took place between September

2005 and July 2007. Te project was led by then-mayor o

Seoul, Lee Myung-bak. Te 6km-long, newly renovated stream

begins at the Dong-a Ilbo building in Gwanghwamun and

ows to the Sindap railway bridge in Seongdong-gu District.

Cheonggyecheon Stream was called Gaecheon during the

Joseon Dynasty. Gaecheon means to “dig a stream,” indicating

that the stream was modied to meet the requirements o

everyday lie. Te stream was originally a natural watercourse

that ormed where water gathered in the center o Seoul rom

the mountains surrounding the city. Consequently, heavy

rains would cause ooding in the area, damaging surrounding

houses. Due to continuous damage in the area, King aejong,the third king o the Joseon Dynasty, started to structurally

maintain Gaecheon.

While aejong conned his renovations to the stream’s

main channel, his successor, King Sejong the Great, worked to

control the stream’s sub-branches. All the small tributaries that

owed into Gaecheon were renovated and supyo, or pillar with

gradations to measure water levels, was installed in Gaecheon

to prevent ooding. King Yeongjo renovated the stream

urther by piling rocks on the banks and altering its ow so

that it went in a straight path.

Te name Cheonggyecheon Stream, which means “clear

owing stream,” rst appeared during the Japanese colonial

rule. Presumably, the stream got its name in 1914 when Japan

renamed all the streams. Following the 1945 liberation rom

Japanese rule and the end o the Korean War in 1953, the

Cheonggyecheon Stream area became the slums o Seoul. Te

government decided that the only solution to the economic

blight in the area was to completely cover the stream

Construction began in 1958, and by 1970 Cheonggy

Stream was hidden under an overpass. In the 1990s,

was a hotbed o noise, automobile exhaust umes an

congestion with the gathering o large and small sho

districts specializing in tools, printing and lighting. F

2003, the Cheonggyecheon Stream Renovation Proj

implemented to create a green center, leaving behind

polluted past.

new paradigm for eco cities Te Cheonggyech

Stream Renovation Project helped spark an interest i

environment in Seoul and was the city’s rst step tow

becoming an eco city. Since the renovation project, o

waterways in the Seoul metropolitan area have seen

revitalization projects including the Seongbukcheon

Jeongneungcheon and Hongjecheon streams. Such s

based urban environment renovation projects have bmodels or other cities like okyo and Osaka, who a

interested in making their metropolises more eco-r

Cheonggyecheon Stream is a leading tourist destin

Seoul today. Te banks are lled with plazas and par

eature landscape architecture, ountains and special

that give the stream a diferent eel at night. Te trai

bank o Cheonggyecheon Stream are perect or tou

because they connect popular sites such as Gwanghw

Jongno, Insadong, Myeongdong and Dongdaemun.

to the stream can eat at a variety o nearby restauran

immerse themselves in one o Se oul’s oldest and mo

traditional markets, Gwangjang Market.

Te Cheonggyecheon Stream o Korea’s past, whe

would swim and nobles would gather, no longer exis

the stream is slowly collecting new memories rom i

Five years have passed since the renovation project a

uture o the Cheonggyecheon Stream area is bright

chyh s ju l, bu l y ulul v (bv l, l, ). a v h chyh s ( b). wlk l chyh, yu u gj mk (bv ©

Korea Tourism Organization (left, opposite

bottom left, middle)

Cheonggyecheon Stream served as a politicalenter or the monarchy as well as a place

where people made their livelihoods andelebrated special events during the Joseon

Dynasty. Ater being covered by a highway verpass, the stream ound new lie through a005 renovation project. oday,

Cheonggyecheon Stream is lowing in theeart o Seoul and once again breathing lie

nto the city. by Lee Se-mi | photographs by Kim Hong-jin

600 years of seoulhistory

CheonggyeCheon Stream



ravel

Just as it takes a certain amount o time or it to turn rom winter to spring,the Cittaslow movement believes that there is a proper pace to human lives.he movement designates places around the world as “slow cities,” wheretraditional ways o living are valued. A journey to Korea’s slow area o Jeungdo Island is a vacation rom the ast lane and a chance to return to thenatural speed o our body and soul. by Seo Dong-cheol | photographs by Kim Hong-jin

© Korea Tourism Organization

A uie a Uje-i, Je

Time Runs Slowly HereJeungdo Island




trAnsportAtIon

tai Take the KTX or Saemaul trains at

Yongsan Station in Seoul to get to Gwangju

or Mokpo. Transfer to an intercity bus bound for

Jeungdo Island.

Bu Take an express bus from Central City

Terminal in Seoul to Gwangju or Mokpo Bus

Terminal and take an intercity bus to Jeungdo Island.

For more information, visit http://eng.shinan.go.kr.

Ca Take Seohaean Expressway and head

south until Hampyeong Junction to take the

Gwangju-Muan Expressway. Exit through Bukmuan

IC and head toward Saokdo on Route 24. Then cross

Jeungdo Island Bridge.

DInIng

sal reaua Located next to the Salt Cave Healing Center, Salt Restaura

traditional Korean dishes that are foreigner-friendly. All dishes are seasoned w

and glasswort, making them tasty as well as healthy. Glasswort is a type of plant knoeffective in preventing high blood pressure and diabetes and is also rich in dietary fib

fight obesity. The menu includes roast fish, glasswort chicken fries with sweet sauce

minced meat and more. For more information, call +82 [0]61 261 2277.

LoDgIng

El Dad re The El Dorado Resort sits on the hills of Ujeon Beach. This

elegant resort will make you feel like you‘re in a private villa. In keeping with

eco-friendly spirit, greens are found in every corner of the resort grounds. El Dorado

Ocean Spa Land, with its salt cavern, germanium hot spa, seawater spa and massag

For more information, call +82 1544 8865, or visit www.eldoradoresort.co.kr.

You don’t just have to eat to

rom aepyeong’s gorgeous ba

Salt Cave Healing Center, loca

to the Salt Museum on the easo the island, gives visitors a re

chance to improve their health

inhaling small particles o salt

anion and micro salt emitted b

is known to heal asthma, bron

even psychological conditions

depression.

ime always ows at a certain speed. Yet

he way people experience that time can

ary widely. I you’re very busy, you’ll

nd that a month or even a year has

own by without you noticing it. You

ight grab a cab to get to work instead

walking, and you might eat ast-

od or a candy bar instead o a proper

nner. Your idea o a break might be

aving a cup o instant coee and some

ookies rom a cae chain.

Te Cittaslow movement rejects lie

the ast lane in avor o slow living.

n its designated “slow cities,” you can

ste dishes made rom organic seasonal

gredients that have been prepared

ith a care that takes time. In a slow city,

eople work and rest according to theunrise and sunset. While it may sound

d ashioned, local culture thrives in

uch cities.

Te Cittaslow movement began in

e small uscany village o Greve in

hianti, Italy, in October 1999. Started

a slow ood campaign, the movement

oon spread throughout Europe

nd then the globe. In December

007, the Cittaslow Organization

ccepted Jeungdo Island (Sinan-gun

ounty), Changpyeong-myeon Village

Damyang-gun County), Cheongsando

land (Wando-gun County), Agyang-

yeon Village (Hadong-gun County),

aeheung-myeon and Eungbong-

yeon villages (Yesan-gun County),

onju Hanok Village (Jeonju City)

nd Yuchi-myeon Village (Jangheung-

un County) as slow cities o Korea.

orea was the rst country in Asia to

ave designated slow cities. Since then,gyang-myeon Village (Hadong-gun

ounty) and Daeheung-myeon (Yesan-

un County) were added to the list,

disputably making Korea a leader o

ow cities in Asia.

One o these slow cities, Sinan-gun

ounty’s Jeungdo Island, was rst put

in the global spotlight in 1975. In that

year, a sherman accidentally shed up

celadon pottery rom the ocean, which

led to a large-scale excavation project.

reasures that had been buried beneath

the sea or several hundred years once

again saw the light o day. Between 1976

and 1984, as many as 28,000 Chinese

artiacts dating back to the Song and

Yuan dynasties were salvaged.

While Jeungdo Island is no longer

digging up jewels rom the ocean, the

island is still a treasure. Jeungdo Island

is home to salt elds that produce

high-quality bay salt, restaurants that

cook resh and healthy slow ood and

residents that are kind and welcoming.

© Korea Tourism Organization (middle)

trAvEL InformAtIon

thE Art of BEIng sLow When you

cross Jeungdo Island Bridge, the rst

thing that comes into view is the vast

intertidal zone. Te mudats lining the

southwest coastal lines o the Korean

Peninsula are a biological treasure

trove. In particular, the coasts o Sinan-

gun County teem with sea lie such as

sh, crabs, clams and octopus as well

as countless seashore plants including

glassworts, sweetbriers and more.

UNESCO recognized the island’s unique

intertidal ecosystem and designated it a

biodiversity conservation area.

Te wide intertidal zone that

stretches across the west coast o the

island is amous or mudskippers. A

sea sh belonging to the Goby amily,

mudskippers use their pectoral ns to

walk across the land. I you walk along

the 470m long Jjangttungeo (meaning

mudskipper in Korean) Bridge that cuts

across the middle o the intertidal zone,

you see the mudskippers hopping along

the mud. Between the mudskippers and

the millions o other living creatures

squirming in the mud, the intertidal

zone looks like a living creature moving

this way and that.

I you cross the bridge and continue

walking along Ujeon Beach, you’ll come

upon Jeungdo Mudats Eco Exhibition

Hall on your lef, standing in ront o the

El Dorado Resort. Te hall hosts a well-

organized exhibit showing how mudatsare ormed, the vast ecosystem o

mudats and what mudats in dierent

parts o the world look like.

Along with a rich ecosystem, the

island is home to aepyeong Salt Farm,

which produces bay salt. Formed in

1953, the arm sits in the middle o the

island and armers harvest salt rom

the lake the same way they have been

doing or almost 60 years now. It is

Korea’s largest salt lake and every year

16,000 tons o bay salt are produced

in the wind and sun. Climb up to the

salt eld observatory on the eastern

part o the island and the 300m-wide

eld will come into view. More than

60 salt storage units stand next to the

shimmering eld, creating an exotic

scene you will nd nowhere else.

Jeungdo Island’s bay salt is dierent

rom the common rened salt that is

produced by electrolyzing seawater.Te bay salt is truly a “slow ood” as it is

created with assistance rom the wind,

sunlight and human labor. It takes about

a month or seawater in the eld to turn

into salt. As salt crystals ower on the

surace o the eld, they are raked into a

storage house where they will sit or six

months to a year to dry out. Once the

salt is dry, armers harvest the salt or

consumption.

Bay salt only accounts or 2% o the world’s salt production and it is

currently produced in Australia, Peru,

China, France and Austria among other

places. Jeungdo Island’s mineral-rich

ocean water and intertidal zone makes

aepyeong’s bay salt some o the best in

the world.

El Dad re Ugeojitguk u Tteok-ga

mk

seul

gajuJeud

pie ee ieju beydUje Beac,idi aeec ail(abe). Aae akeal a ataeye bay(i). Yu caexeiecee eeec al ae sal Caeheali Cee(bel).



www.k4 | korea | march 2011

Korean athletes have been lauded or their competitiveness

in winter short track events, but it wasn’t until the Vancouver

Winter Olympic Games that the world saw just how versatile

the country’s winter athletes could be. Last year, Korean

competitors won gold medals in speed skating, gure skating

and short track at the Olympic Games. In the Astana-Almaty Winter Asian Games, Korea continued its balanced growth

by winning ve gold medals in speed skating and our gold

medals in short track.

Lee Seung-hoon, a world-class speed skater, took home

three out o ve o Korea’s gold medals. Lee changed his

specialty rom short track skating to speed skating in August

2009. Just seven months later, Lee won the silver medal in the

pecial issue

© Yonhap News Agency

Kwak M-jog, roz mals las’ fgur skag, prfolf). Skars wo wo a gol mal sp skag las’ aarry Kora flags afr r wg ra (ao rg). Loo lras s gol mal (oppos op). Km Su-joo womals 7Asa Wr Gams (oppos oom).

men’s 5,000m and the gold medal in the men’s 10,000m at the

Vancouver Olympics, a rst or an Asian speed skater. At this

year’s Winter Asian Games, L ee won gold medals in the men’s

5,000m and 10,000m races. He grabbed his third gold medal

o the games in the mass start race, which made its debut as a

competition this year in the Asian Games. Le e went down in

history as the rst male speed skater to complete the eat.

In ladies’ speed skating, Noh Seon-yeong rose rom

obscurity to snag two gold medals in the mass start and team

pursuit competitions. In the ladies’ 5,000m, Park Do-young

won the silver medal, rounding out Korea’s skating success.

Mo ae-bum and Lee Sang-hwa surprised the world by

nishing rst in the men’s and ladies’ 500m speed skating

competitions, respectively, to win gold medals at the

Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. While they both were

recovering rom injuries and not in top orm at the Asian

Games, Mo took home silver medals in the men’s 1,500m and

team pursuit competitions while Lee won the bronze medal inthe ladies’ 500m competition.

Veteran skater Lee Kyou-hyuk, who took part in ve Winter

Olympic Games, won the bronze medal in the men’s 1,500m

and took the silver medal in the men’s team pursuit at this

year’s Asian Games. Lee was recognized as a champion short-

distance skater this January aer winning gold medals or

two straight years at the World Sprint Championship, held

this year in Heerenveen, the Netherlands. Lee has won a

total o our gold medals (2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011) at the

championship. He and three other athletes who have each

won our gold medals at the championship share the honor o

taking home the second most gold medals in the history o the

championship.

While “Queen” Kim Yu-na was too busy preparing or this

March’s World Figure Skating Championship in okyo to take

part in the Asian Games, Korea’s Kwak Min-jeong took the

bronze medal in Astana-Almaty. Kwak is rising as a star gure

skater, and she is expected to ollow Kim Yu-na’s success.

Kwak’s medal is Korea’s second medal in the gure skating

event and Korea’s rst in the single gure skating event in the

history o the Winter Asian Games.

In the short track events, where Korea has traditionally excelled, Korea grabbed our gold medals at the Asian Games.

Noh Jin-kyu took home two o those gold medals, one or the

men’s 1,500m and one or the men’s relay. Noh is the brother

o speed skater Noh Seon-yeong, and the siblings set a new

record at the Asian Games or winning a combined our gold

medals at the games. While Korea had not won any gold

medals or ladies’ short track competitions since the 1994

Once again, Korea has proven that its success at the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games last yearwas not a luke. Korea ranked third by winning 13 gold medals, 12 silver medals and 13 bronzemedals in the 7th Asian Winter Games in Astana-Almaty, held rom January 30 through February

. Korean skaters won nine medals in ice sports, while in the skiing competition Korea won ourold medals, the most ever in a single sport in the history o Korean sports. by Kim Hyeon-jin

Lillehammer Winter Olympic Games, both Cho Ha-

Park Seung-hi took home gold medals at the Asian G

ReMARKAbLe AdvAnceMent in the SKiinG eve

Korea has not traditionally excelled in skiing events

country won our gold medals in the Asian Winter G

Astana-Almaty. Kim Sun-joo became Korea’s rst e

to win two gold medals in the Asian Games by nish

in the downhill and super giant slalom events. Rook

Dong-hyun won the gold in the super combined.

Lee Chae-won showed great potential by winning

rst gold medal in the ladies’ cross-country event in

Games. Te Korea Ski Jump eam won the precious

medal in the large hill K125 group competition, as w

Tanks to Korea’s eforts to bring the Winter Olymp

to Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do Province, more and m

Koreans are interested in winter sports. Te governm

also been improving Korea’s winter sports inrastrucproviding more support or athletes, which has tran

better perormances in international competitions.

Korea is in the midst o its third bid to host the W

Olympics in Pyeongchang, this time or the 2018 Ga

While the country was disappointed in its previous

Koreans are more optimistic than ever about their ch

hosting the global winter sports estival.




ow in korea

Last month, Kim Hyeon-woo, a resident o Sillim-dong in

Seoul, bought a new smartphone. Kim’s previous phone

was still unctional and new enough that he had to pay a

cancellation ee because he got rid o his old phone beorehis contract was nished. But Kim couldn’t wait to buy a

smartphone any longer. He was starting to eel out o date,

seeing his riends and colleagues build networks through SNS

and communicate with their riends anytime and anywhere

with their sleek, new smartphones.

“Smartphones have a lot o unctions. But I bought one to

use SNS,” Kim said. “While using Kakaoalk, a ree messenger© Yonhap News Agency

Homegrown

SNS iN the

LimeLigHt

As more and more people buy smartphones, social network services (SNS) arerevolutionizing the way we interact with others. Applications like Facebook mobile k

people connected 24 hours a day and are used throughout the world. But as one o thleading countries in the I sector, Korea’s take on the SNS revolution has been diere

Korean companies have released their own, homegrown answers to witter and FacebAnd they’re inding success in the country’s mobile market. by Seo Dong-cheol

program, and Me2day, a micro blog service, I elt tha

a new world.”

Mun Eun-jin, an employee at DK Korea, has cha

way she talks with riends aer purchasing a smartphsays she now communicates with her riends mostly

Kakaoalk, as most o them also have smartphones.

“I have seldom used SMS [Short Message Service]

getting a smartphone,” Mun explains. “I like it, as I c

photos or videos ree o charge.”

She adds, “A big benet is the act that I can talk to

people without a computer.” For example, when Mun

On o Kon tlcommunictions nd mobil pon opto, LG Uplus, luncd SNS svic pps “plcbook” nd “Wgl” in Jnuy (bov

© (clockwise from top left) Daum Communic

ations ; SK Telecom; Kakao




Me2day the competitive edge they need in the SNS m

Korean companies are also making use o SNS to

the social commerce market. A social commerce bu

allows companies to interact with and sell products t

customers through SNS. Te ront-runner o the Ko

commerce market is icket Monster, which was esta

with just ve employees in May 2010. Seven months

its ounding, the start-up venture hit 20 billion won

sales. icket Monster has been showing amazing gro

and the company aims to have 500 employees and p

billion won in sales in 2011. T

commerce market is expected t

in Korea as Groupon, the world

social commerce company, is co

making inroads in the region.

Korean SNS companies conti

evolve and record rapid growth

the newest SNS applications areelecom’s Social alk and Chec

Social alk enables users to upl

recorded voice messages to per

voice blogs that they can then s

others. Checking enables peopl

reviews o V shows and movie

currently has a text-based mess

application, Show alk, and is p

release a new communication m

Olleh alk. Te new

will connect the un

popular SNS such as

Facebook and Me2d

NHN, the operator o the giant Internet portal Na

soon launch a new SNS-riendly homepage called N

Naver is used daily by 3.4 million Koreans, about 90

the total number o Internet users in Korea. Naver M

be a social homepage where people are able to use n

personalized web services such as e-mail and addres

but also SNS pages such as Me2day, blogs and messa

on a one-stop basis.

Last year, the world saw how smartphones and SNrevolutionize the way we communicate with each ot

While SNS designers got a late start in Korea, indust

like Kakaoalk and Me2day have proved that homeg

applications can compete on the global market. With

smartphone sales expected to increase again this yea

will be looking to Korea or exciting and innovative

applications that bring people closer together.

The STreNGThS Of KOreaN SNS Te number o smartphone

users in Korea surpassed 7 million at the end o 2010 and is

now close to 8 million. Te three wireless telecommunication

carriers in Korea aim to reach 20 million smartphone users

by the end o this year. SK elecom hopes or 10 million,

K wants 6.5 million and LG Uplus expects 3.5 million. Te

number o smartphone users in Korea is expected to triple in

2011 rom last year.

Since the SNS market is so tightly connected to the

smartphone and tablet

market, competition

in Korea between

SNS providers has

been erce. Korean

applications like

Kakaoalk and Me2day,

however, are proving to

be strong players on thismarket that includes

oreign brands like

witter and Facebook.

Kakaoalk is a

homegrown application through which smartphones are able

to exchange messages rom anywhere in the world. Trough

this service, people are able to chat in real time and can share

photos and videos without a sending ee.

Te application pulls inormation rom the smartphone’s

phonebook, so users can seamlessly communicate with theirriends or colleagues without having to create a whole new

contact database or the application. In this way, Kakaoalk

helps users keep in touch with their riends in a convenient

and cost-efective manner.

Since its release in March 2010, Kakaoalk has seen

dramatic growth. Te number o Kakaoalk’s registered users

exceeded 6 million just 10 months aer its release. oday,© Daum Communications (above); LG Uplus Corp. (left); Kakao (opposite above); NHN Corp. (opposite below)

1.2 million people sign up or Kakaoalk every month. Tanks

to this application, 80% o smartphone users in Korea now

enjoy text messaging ree o charge. Kakaoalk expects the

number o registered users to surpass 20 million by the end o

this year. In January, Kakaoalk made headlines or becoming

the most popular ree application in Hong Kong, Macao and

our countries in the Middle East: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar

and the United Arab Emirates.

Analysts attribute the success o Kakaoalk to the

application’s uniquely Korean characteristics, which set it apart

rom witter and Facebook. Kakaoalk

was the rst to ofer smartphone users a

group chatting service.

“Facebook and witter are more

stranger-based communication services,

compared to Kakaoalk,” says an

application developer who wished to

remain unnamed. “Kakaoalk userscommunicate mainly with acquaintances

whose phone numbers are saved in their

smartphones. Tis is more Korean.”

Te developer added that Kakaoalk

keeps improving its application.

“Kakaoalk is expanding into diverse

sectors. For example, Kakaoalk began

a ‘giicon’ service to send online gis

to riends in partnership with K at the

end o last year.”

Me2day, another homegrown SNS, is

also rapidly growing. It has increased its

registered users rom just 28,000 at the

end o 2008 to 4 million today. Me2day

has made inroads in the SNS market

by diferentiating itsel rom similar

applications like witter. While witter

unctions like an open blog, where anyone

can see what you post, Me2day limits

viewers to people you’ve approved, giving the service a more

intimate eel.

“Me2day is clearly diferent rom witter,” said Koreansinger Ho Ran aer using both services. “I eel that witter

is like a window and Me2day is like a space. Te diference

between witter and Me2day might be the diference between

a plaza and my room. witter is more Western and individual.

Me2day is more Eastern as Eastern people want more trust

and stronger personal relationships.”

Tis diferent cultural approach may give Kakaoalk and

avel plans with ve riends, she invited all o them to

akaoalk and they easily decided the schedule and course

the trip.

Smartphones have radically changed how Koreans like Mun

nd Kim communicate. According to a survey conducted in

nuary by Scotoss Consulting, a management consulting rm,

oreans spend more time using SNS than e-mail. Te survey

650 people in their 20s to 50s ound that Koreans used SNS

r 44.5 minutes per day during the week and 47.1 minutes

er day on the weekend. Tis

ompared to an average o just

4.9 minutes per day during the

eek or e-mail and 18 minutes

n the weekend. Tis means they

pent nearly twice as much time

n SNS than they did writing or

ading e-mails. Te survey also

und that the Koreans surveyedlked to people on the phone or

0.9 minutes per day and sent

xt messages or 22.7 minutes

er day on average. Tis led

searchers to conclude that SNS

as become the most popular

ommunication tool among

oreans.

Celebrities have been quick to pick up

n this shi in communication methods.

y utilizing SNS, everyone rom musicians

nd movie stars to cartoonists and cultural

itics have ound a new way to interact

ith the public. Without the hassle o a

ublicist or even a journalist, celebrities

ow express their opinions and communicate directly with

eir ans on witter and Me2day. One Korean singer even

sed SNS to gather ideas rom his ans on how he might help

arginalized people and then implemented some o the ideas,

eating a new paradigm or celebrity-an interactions.

Te Korean government has been actively using SNS as a

ol to publicize policies. Te Ministry o Foreign Afairs andrade signed a partnership deal with NHN, Korea’s largest

nternet company, in January and it now delivers government

ews to SNS-savvy Koreans through NHN’s Me2day ser vice.

Te Ministry o Culture, Sports and ourism also has a

Me2day account that ofers news and inormation on culture,

ports and tourism. Tese government services have been

opular among concerned citizens.

KkoTlk, Ko’spopulppliction, osenglis svic(top). T sitsymbol o M2dy,Ko’s om-gown SNSppliction (bov).

Dum, on o tlding Intntcompnis, osmobil Intntpon svic ttis popul in tSNS ild (bov).LG Uplus cntlyld n SNSpomotion witSmsung’s GlxyTb (igt).




– with their silk covers, elegant binding,

quality paper and sumptuous illustrations.”

Uigwe have important historical

value because they describe how ocial

government and royal events were held

during the Joseon era. Uigwe were

developed as a reerence or government

and court ocials planning these events,

and include details such as the proper

procedure and cost o various ceremonies.

The records cover everything rom

coronation and royal marriage ceremonies

to state unerals.

There were two types o uigwe, one or

the king and royal amily and another or

general purposes. The uigwe covering royal

ceremonies were made with hig

silk covers and are valued or the

and documentary value. The rec

stored in Oegyujanggak on Gan

Island, since that library was con

saer than the those in the capit

When the French looted the i

stole many o the royal uigwe, d

Koreans a precious historical asse

historians who have examined th

the National Library o France o

30 o the 297 records are the on

copies in the world. This unique

excited historians, who hope the

give them greater insight into im

events that occurred in the latte

the Joseon Dynasty.

For a long time, it l ooked as i

researchers in Korea would be u

to see the uigwe stolen by the Fr

rsthand. The Korean governme

that the books should belong to

ummit diplomacy

South Koan Amassao to Fan Pak Hung-shin (lft) an Paul Jan-Otiz, Fnh foignminist ito, sign an agmnt in Fan(ao). Th xtio of Ogujanggak inGanghwao Islan (opposit).

n September 18, 1866, French orcesvaded Ganghwado Island, west o

oul (then, Hanseong, the capital o the

seon Dynasty). The invasion is known as

yeong-in yango, which means “Western

sturbance during the byeong-inyear.”

ance invaded the country to retaliate or

e execution o French missionaries by the

Oegyujanggak bOOks

heading hOme

It has been 145 years since French troops looted precious palace records

rom Korean soil during Byeong-in yango, the French invasion o Korea in

1866. In the res o Byeong-in yango, historical records rom the Joseon

Dynasty stored in Oegyujanggak library disappeared. Now, the ancient

books are heading back to Korea ater a two-decade-long battle.by Lim Ji-young | photographs by Kim Nam-heon

Joseon government. The encounter wasthe rst armed confict between Korea and

a Western power.

The overall result was a French retreat

and a check on its infuence in the region.

However, historically important books

and documents on political and cultural

events o the period were looted during

LOOTed bOOKS redIScOveredThe

records taken by the French include 297

texts, with dates ranging rom the 14th to

the 19th centuries. These books would go on

to become the core o the Korea collection

in the National Library o France. It was

not until 1975 that a Korean librarian, Park

Byeong-seon, who worked at the National

Library o France, discovered that the

Oegyujanggak books still existed.

“When the French army came to

Oegyujanggak on Ganghwado Island

where these palace records were kept, they

burned most o the books as well as the

building itsel, except or the uigwe,” Shin

Byung-ju, a history proessor at Konkuk

University, told the JoongAng Daily in

2008. Uigwe are ancient documents that

dictate the protocols o royal ceremonies

and events o the Joseon Dynasty.

“It was because even oreigners

recognized the value o these documents

the invasion. The 5,607 books kept in theroyal library, Oegyujanggak – an annex

o Kyujanggak royal library in Hanseong,

known as the saest library in the Joseon

Dynasty – were set on re or stolen. The

books recorded and illustrated all o the

rituals, ormalities and daily routines o the

royal court during the Joseon Dynasty.





Th Kujanggak lia atSoul National UnisitMusum has manahis (ao). Anxhiition hall inOgujanggak onGanghwao Islan (lft).

Kim Young-sam one o the 297 books and

promised to return the complete collection

in coming years at the Korea-France

summit in Seoul. Mitterand used the book

as leverage in his bid to export technology

or France’s high-speed train TGV to Korea.

While France won the bid, the president

reneged on his promise to return the uigwe

records to Korea. France suggested that

instead o returning the books, they could

permanently “loan” the uigwe to Korea

in exchange or other ancient Korean

documents. Koreans rejected this proposal,

nce they were looted during the war.

took ten years o meetings beore the

ench government agreed to send the

ooks back to Korea.

He bATTLe TO reTrIeve THe ANcIeNT

OOKS Korea was met with erce

pposition rom France when it began

bbying or the uigwe to be returned

1991. It wasn’t or two years that the

untry saw any progress on the matter.

In September 1993, French President

ancois Mitterand gave Korean President

saying that it amounted to sacricing

more cultural properties in order to have

what was stolen rom them. Koreans were

becoming more aware o the importance

o cultural heritage during this period and

pressed the government to be rm with

France on the uigwe matter.

In January 2002, a ve-member Korean

delegation – which included historian

Kim Mun-sik, now a history proessor at

Dankook University – headed to France

to examine the books in the National

Library. Because the Korean historians were

allowed to check out only one book at atime, they could examine only 100 out o

the 297 books.

A Seoul-based civic group led a lawsuit

against the library in France in 2008 to get

the stolen books returned to Korea. But

the Paris court turned down the demand

in the ollowing year, saying the Korean

books were French national property.

Eight years passed since the historic

on-site inspection, and Korea’s royal

documents remained in France. Korean

historians continued their lobbying work

during that time and nally saw their

eorts payo last year.

bOOKS Are reTUrNed TO KOreA AFTer

145 yeArS The long-running dispute

reached a turning point when French

President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged in

November last year in Seoul to return

the centuries-old Oegyujanggak books

during the G20 Seoul Summit meeting. His

promise helped begin negotiations that

would resolve the thorny diplomatic eud

between the two countries. Ater months

o discussions, the two sides reached a

ormal agreement in Paris.

The French government will return the

Korean royal books taken by France this

spring. In accordance with the agreement

between the two parties, all 297 volumes

will be relocated to the National Museum

o Korea in Seoul by May 31 on a

renewable ve-year lease. While the lease

ormat is not ideal, historians ar

to nally be able to access the im

records in Korea.

The uigwe deal is a hard-earn

or Korean historians, ater 20 ye

lobbying. Yet, Korea still has hun

o thousands o cultural assets th

were stolen during the 1950-53

War and Japan’s 1910-45 colonia

o the peninsula. Experts say tha

than 760,000 ancient books, doc

cratworks and other orms o c

assets are now in about 20 die

countries around the world. Theo the artiacts are in Japan, wh

the Korean artiacts during its co

Ater the French government

the Japanese government has ag

return 1,205 ancient artiacts it s

although the agreement still nee

approval by its parliament. Histo

hopeul that the return o Oegy

books will give their eorts to re

the stolen artiacts momentum.

Korean historians may be able to

history and culture o this land b

no arther than the National Mu

Korea in Seoul.

© Kyujanggak Institute For Korean Studies (top)

JIKJI: THe OLdeST MOveAbLe

MeTAL-TyPed bOOK Jikji is a book of

Buddhist scripture created in 1377 with the

world’s oldest moveable metal type system. The

book was published at Heungdeoksa Temple in

Cheongju and is currently managed by the

French National Library. Collin de Plancy, who

worked in Seoul from 1890 to 1903 as a French

diplomat, took the second volume of the book

along with other historic collections to France.

Later, Jikji passed into the hands of antique

collector Henri Vever in France and was

donated to the French National Library by his

family in accordance with Vever’s will in 1950.

The book was printed nearly 70 years before

the famous Gutenberg Bible printing in

Germany, and is clear evidence that Korea was

the first nation in the world to design and use

metal type. Together with the Seungjeongwon

ilgi , Diary of the Royal Secretariat, Jikji was

designated a UNESCO Memory of the World.

WANG OcHeONcHUKGUK JeON:

KOreA’S FIrST OverSeAS

TrAveLOGUe Written in 727 during the

Unified Silla Period, Wang ocheonchukguk jeon

records the experiences of the monk Hyecho as

he traveled through India, the Middle East,

Persia and Central Asia for four years. The

travelogue’s name comes from the Chinese

word for India in the 8th century, Cheonchuk.

Translated literally, the book’s title is “A Report

After Traveling Five Cheonchuk Countries.” In

1908, French archeologist Paul Pelliot

discovered an abridged version of the Wang

ocheonchukguk jeon in Cangjingdong within

Dunhuang’s stone cave in China. The book

took the form of a scroll where a total of 227

rows of Chinese characters were written. Pelliot

took the scroll with him to France and it now

resides in the French National Library. Korean

historians are eager to get a hold of the scroll

because of its historic descriptions of India and

Central Asia in the 8 th century.

MONGyU dOWONdO: A

MASTerPIece OF KOreAN ArT

An Gyeon, an important painter of the Joseon

Dynasty, created this marvelous roll painting in

1447. Mongyu dowondo translates as

1

2

3

“Paradise in a Dream”, and was based on a

dream that Prince Anpyeong had. The painting

features verses and calligraphy by Prince

Anpyeong and is 106.5cm long and 38.7cm

tall. While Mongyu dowondo is unclear when

the painting was handed over to the Japanese,

it is believed the painting left Korea in the late

19th century. The painting was sold to antique

gallery Ryusendo around 1947 and then sold

to Tenri University, where it resides today.

Mongyu dowondo is a highly valuable painting

because it is believed to be the last remaining

artwork by An Gyeon.

SUWOL GWANeUM dO: A

rePreSeNTATIve GOryeO

bUddHIST PAINTING Together with Goryeo

celadon, Buddhist paintings from the Goryeo

Dynasty have high artistic value. Suwol

gwaneum do portrays the journey of Sunjae, a

child monk, to meet the Buddhist Goddess of

Mercy at Mt. Botarak. Suwol means “the

moon reflecting over the water,” an expression

of vain desire in Buddhism. Suwol gwaneum

do is currently kept at Senso-ji Temple in Tokyo,

Japan. It is assumed that the painting was

either presented to the Japanese during the

Goryeo Dynasty or looted at the end of the

Goryeo era or during the Japanese invasion

of Korea in 1592.

reNOWNed KOreAN TreASUreS ScATTeredArOUNd THe WOrLd

4

Antiqu ooks an xhiition atifaispla in th Ogujanggak uilin




lobal korea

Kean Nay speal es,te UDT/SEAL, ndut anexese te ast Pyentaek n Januay 22.

OperatiOn Dawn a success thanks

tO internatiOnal cOOperatiOn

An operation led by the South Korean Navy’s Cheonghae anti-piracy unitrescued the reighter Samho Jewelry rom Somali pirates on the Arabian Sea on

January 21, 2011. Launched just beore the sunrise, the operation Dawn

of the Gulf of Aden was a resounding success thanks to the

international assistance Korea received. Many countries provided

reconnaissance jets and warships in nearby watersduring the operation. by No Ju-seob

The Dawn of the Gulf of Aden o

began at 4:58am on January 21,

the 4,500-ton destroyer Choi Yo

Korean Navy inched closer to the

Jewelry. As a Lynx helicopter pro

covering re, rigid infatable boa

carried Underwater Demolition T

agents toward the Samho Jewel

these agents that reed Samho J

crew, but the navies o several co

aided in their success.

A P-3C patrol plane owned by

United States Navy fying above

Jewelry passed on intelligence torescuers that there were three p

on the hijacked ship’s stern, our

bridge and our others on the m

The Samho Jewelry was blocked

sides during the operation by th

Korean destroyer Choi Young an

ton Omani naval destroyer. Whe

helicopter passed on the intellig

the pirates’ locations, Choi Youn

2.7 nautical miles away rom the

Jewelry, while the Omani destro

nautical miles rom the hijacked

As the Cheonghae soldiers or

pirates to surrender, they played

recorded message in the Somali

warning the pirates to give up th

weapons i they wanted to live.

naval destroyer had helped the

Navy record that warning. Once

was recovered, an SH-60 helicop

the US Navy helped to quickly tr

Seok Hae-kyun, the wounded ca

the Samho Jewelry, to a hospita

The Foreign Ministry in Seoul

South Korean Naval ocers who

coordinated their eorts with O

Britain and the United States to

operation a success. Oman helpe

by treating and evacuating the i

The US and Britain provided mili

assistance during the operation.

crew o the Samho Jewelry was

rom the Somali pirates on the s

o collaboration between Korea© Yonhap News Agency




19-year-old student Brallat Aul.

The Kenyan Foreign Ministry recently

reported that Somali pirates collected

US$150 million in ransom in 2008 alone. In

a country that has made little industrial and

economic progress under volatile political

situations, piracy has grown into the most

promising and steady indu stry. Analysts

say as long as hety ransom changes hands

and those in dire nancial standings enter

piracy, it will be virtually impossible to

completely eliminate piracy.

As piracy becomes more entrenched,

Somali pirates have become more violent

with their hostages, physically abusing

them and torturing them, or sometimes

using them has human shields. Buster

Howes, the operation commander major

general o the European Union’s Naval

Force Somalia (NAVFOR), testied that

some Somali pirates hang their hostages

upside down and put their heads into

the sea, or lock them inside a rerigerator

and beat them up.

is expected to eature some the nest

lmmaking sta Korea has to o er. The

company said the script is now in its nal

phase and they will start shooting around

September, with February next year as the

target opening date. The company hopes

to distribute the lm worldwide.

PirATES bEcomiNg SmArTEr, morE

brUTAL Somali pirates started emerging in

the early 1990s at the onset o the Somali

Civil War. With unemployment high in

Somalia, teenage boys turned to hijacking

ships. The ransom paid per hostage in

a hijacking can be tens o thousands o

dollars, making it a lucrative, though

dangerous, career.

Korean authorities are investigating

the ve pirates who hijacked the Samho

Jewelry and were captured alive by the

Cheonghae unit. They are all young men

in their teens and 20s. Their names are Ali

Abdullah, a 21-year-old ormer soldier; Arai

Mahomed, a 23-year-old sherman; Serum

Abdullah, a 21-year-old cook; Ali Abukad-

Aeman, a 21-year-old ormer soldier; and


ree allies. The operation also served as a

owerul warning to pirates that Koreans

ll not bargain with them in any uture

jackings.

The Geummi 305, which was hijacked

n October 9 by Somali pirates o the

enyan coast, was recently released

nconditionally. The ship’s release was

artially due to the act that Geummi

shers, which owned the boat, had led

r bankruptcy and could not pay the

nsom demanded. But it is likely that the

avy’s swit action in the Samho Jewelry

se also played a role in the pirates’ecision to give the ship up without a ght.

hE DAwN of ThE gULf of ADEN moviE

hristmas Entertainment, which invested

the popular Korean lm The Host ,

cently announced it would produce a

onction lm, tentatively titled The Dawn

f the Gulf of Aden. The company said the

m won’t just ocus on the rescue o the

mho Jewelry, but will also tell the stories

the UDT agents in the Korean Navy.

The lm will cost 20 billion won and

c Yun-j, ande c Yundestye (tp). fe Sal pates eesent t busan, Kea, nestatn(ae). Te Sa Jeely and c Yundked at an oan pt (el).

Sals aad te Sa Jeely eplae teexstn ees n Januay 31 (ae). Tee ennee te Sa Jeely dun anntee t te pess (t el).

The successful rescue operation of the Samho

Jewelry ship, which had been hijacked by

Somali pirates, was largely aided by diplomatic

wheeling and dealing behind the scenes. While

the Defense Ministry led the military

operations, the Foreign Ministry provided

support as the agency handling piracy cases.

On January 15, immediately after the hijacking,

the Foreign Ministry set up an emergency task

force in Seoul and operations headquarters in

the Korean Embassy in Kenya. The ministryquickly began discussing necessary measures

with Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of

Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs and other

related agencies. About 10 Foreign Ministry

officials – including Baek Joo-hyun, director-

general of the Overseas Koreans and Consular

Affairs Bureau, and Kang Seok-hee, head of

the Overseas Korean Nationals Protection and

Crisis Management Division, plus a military

officer from Combined Maritime Forces – were

dispatched to Oman as quick response team.

Their goal was to provide the Cheonghae

anti-piracy unit with any necessary supplies

before the unit’s rescue operation began. The

quick response team also worked closely with

the local embassy and helped three

Cheonghae soldiers and the Samho Jewelry

captain receive treatment at an Oman hospital.

The team also made sure the rest of the Samho

Jewelry crew returned home safely and

handled the legal issues involving the captured

Somali pirates. And before the operation, the

Foreign Ministry informed related countries,

through diplomatic channels, of the situation

and sought cooperation.

The Samho Jewelry had two sailors from

Indonesia and 11 from Myanmar. The Korean

government told those two governments,

through local embassies, about the rescue

operations and discussed cooperation. The

ministry also sought help from its allies with

experience in military operations against

pirates, such as the US.

Officials at the Samho Jewelry headquarters,

who remained on the edge of their seats

during the first six days of the hijacking,

breathed a sigh of relief on January 21, when

bEhiND ThE ScENES of ThE SAmho JEwELrEScUE, DiPLomAcY PLAYED A hUgE roLE

iNSiDE ThE iSSUE

the news of the successful rescue oper

reached them. Along with ministry wo

Seoul, the Korean Embassy in Oman p

huge role in ensuring the success of th

operation.

Ambassador Choe Jong-hyun and fou

Ministry officials are stationed at the e

Oman. They were able to secure supp

Oman government from the beginnin

planning. The embassy actively engag

Cheonghae unit and the Oman govern

the destroyer Choi Young reached the

waters of Oman and prepared all nece

operation measures.

In particular, the embassy gained Oma

in transporting the injured people and

providing a destroyer. When three sold

wounded by pirates’ gunshots during

first operation on January 18, the Oma

government carried them in a helicopt

local university hospital. The next day,

navy sent out a destroyer to the opera

and monitored the pirates. Buoyed by

assistance, the Cheonghae was able t

the operation with success. Ambassad

spoke with Oman’s navy commander

close contact with other Oman govern

officials.

When the rescue operation ended suc

Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan was

Lunar New Year reception for about 1

ambassadors and heads of internation

at the ministry headquarters. He delive

news and drew applause from the dip


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/korea-magazine-march-2011-vol-7-no-3 26/2948 | korea | march 2011

been in operation since April 16, 2009,

with the Choi Young Korean destroyer on

Somali waters.

Ethimios E. Mitropoulos, the secretary-

general o the International Maritime

Organization, attended the general

assembly o the International Association

o Maritime Universities held at Korea

Maritime University. He argued that

in order to resolve the Somali piracy

problem, the complex political situations

in Somalia must be taken care o. He

added that nations must also ensure the

saety o crews and secure routes or

ships passing through the region, increase

humanitarian aid to Somalia and nally,

encourage coordination between navies in

the Gul area. Mitropoulos also said that

the political situation in Somalia could be

solved by a new, more stable government

in the country that can unite Somalis and

end the civil war there.

When a stable government has taken

control, Somalia can develop a coast guard

or navy o its own to ght piracy. The

secretary-general urged the UN Security

Council, the Arican Union and NATO to

keep providing humanitarian support to

Somalia until the country is stable.

iNTErNATioNAL cooPErATioN NEcESS-ArY To fighT PirAcY Over the last two

decades, Somali pirates have evolved

rom rough-and-tumble groups trying to

make a living to more sophisticated units

that bring in hired guns to terrorize ships.

Only through international cooperation

can nations hope to eradicate this violent

industry. Pirates have been having a eld

day attacking oreign commercial vessels

that sail to and rom Saudi Arabia and

other oil exporting countries in the region.

Foreign vessels oten carry huge

amounts o crude oil and have a large

crew. With so much oil and so many human

lives at stake, ship owners have little choice

but to shell out large ransoms. The ransoms

have allowed pirates to institutionalize

their industry.

They have even set up a stock market o

sorts now, with investors that help maintain

their pirating. Each pirate organization

registers at the pirates’ market, just as a

company lists itsel on the stock market.

Investors provide operational costs or

weapons. Once the pirates earn ransom,

investors get a return on their investment.

There are about 100 such “piracy"

companies in Somalia. The military there is

reportedly involved in some o them, too.

With Somalia’s government and military

unable to stop piracy, prompt international

eorts are needed to tackle the problem.

Korea has endorsed six piracy-related

resolutions by the UN Security Council

and is a member o the Contact Group on

Piracy o the Coast o Somalia (CGPCS).

Yet, the eect o these actions has been

minimal, says the Foreign Ministry. Instead,

the ministry says that ensuring peace in

Somalia, increasing the sel-deense abilities

o shipping companies and coordinating

anti-piracy eorts with international

players will be key to ending piracy.

One step toward better international

coordination was taken at a UN meeting

on eradicating Somali piracy. Participants

discussed ways in which militaries could

work together on anti-piracy missions

and governments could eradicate the

international nancial networks through

which pirates make their investments

and share ransom money. Maritime

countries and representatives o some

10 international agencies attending

the meeting expressed their concern

about the uptick in piracy and called or

stronger military coordination. Participants

also talked about setting up a special

international court in a neighboring

Arican country to Somalia, in case a Somali

court releases pirates captured by oreign

armed orces.

Combined Task Force 150, a multinational

coalition unit, has been battling the pirates

around the Gul o Aden since August

2008, and Korea, Japan, China, the EU and

NATO have dispatched troops to the task

orce.

The Korean National Assembly in March

2009 passed a motion on dispatching

soldiers and the Cheonghae unit was

ounded on March 3 that year. They’ve

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Falconry Inscribed in 2010 on UNESCO’s

Representative List of the Intangible Heritage

of Humanity, Falconry is the traditional

activity of taking quarry by means of trained

birds of prey. It has been practiced for

4,000 years and in 60 countries. In Korea,

a few falconers, including Park Yong-soon(pictured on this page), have helped keep

this ancient human heritage alive.

© Choi Ji-young

korea magazine [march 2011 vol. 7 no. 3]

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