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People & Culture
december 2011
IncheonHead to tHe
City of Globalism
SeaSonal cheerdonation fever
CatCHes in korea
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Contentsdecember 2011 VOL.8 NO.12
02cover story
Take a look into Koreas past through its art.
12pen & brush
Yang Haegues work explores the abstract.
16
peopleAn Son-jae brings Korean literature to light.
18great korean
Ahn Chang-hos activism crossed oceans.
20seoul
Feast on the multicultural cuisine of Itaewon.
22travelTake in sunsets and seafood in Incheon.
26festival
Celebrate winter with ripe persimmons.
27flavor
Bring in the new year with patjukporridge
02
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cover story
a glimpseof koreapastPainting was at its zenith in terms o both quality and quantity in the lateJoseon Dynasty. By depicting landscapes, scenes rom everyday lie andanimals in realistic detail, the times artists showed their love and prideor their nation and culture. by Park Min-young
T
opicImages;NationalMus
eumo
fKorea(inset)
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www.korea.net06|korea| december 2011
to develop a new technique o painting.
By modiying the times widely used
Chinese Southern School style, he
created a style o painting that was t to
portray Koreas landscapes. Jeong also
invented a unique way o painting that
involved holding two brushes in one
hand. Te artist consumed so many
tools during the process that the heap o
used brushes he threw out is known to
have been larger than a tomb.
Support rom Kings Yeongjo andJeongjo, who were generous patrons
o the arts, played a big role in the
development o painting as well. A high
demand or aesthetic paintings existed
in court at the time, and the most-
wanted variety was realistic landscapes.
Paintings rom the late Joseon
Dynasty showed a great dierence rom
those in its neighboring countries
it started to dierentiate itsel rom
the strong, bold aspects o continental
Chinese art and also rom the brilliant
colors o Japanese art. Rather, it was
independent and unique enough to have
even inuenced other cultures. Te eraspaintings are known to have played a
considerable role in the development o
the Japanese Southern School style.
gRowth oF genRe Paintings During
the early years o the Joseon Dynasty, art
depicting daily lie and people wearing
casual attire were considered relatively
vulgar. But in the latter hal o the
period, this idea was abandoned.
Genre paintings, or art that illustrates
the everyday lie o the artists time,
became greatly popular in the late
Joseon Dynasty. Te paintings are not
only highly valuable as art, but are also
important historical records that can
inorm the ollowing generations about
the times liestyle.
Some o the best painters o the time
were Yun Du-seo, Kim Hong-do, Shin
Yun-bok, Kim Deuk-sin and Jo Yeong-
seok.
Yun was an important gure in terms
o genre painting, as he was one o the
rst artists who ever attempted the style.
He lived and worked in the early 18th
century, and six o his original paintings
are intact, including Women Picking
Edible Plants and Carving Woodenware.
As well as depicting labor at the time,
the painting eaturing women gathering
plants at the oot o a mountain alsoinorms viewers what kind ohanbok
(traditional clothes) people wore
when working. Te womens jeogori is
signicantly longer compared to those
depicted in late 18th century paintings.
Kim Hong-do (also known as
Danwon) is another painter who
perected genre painting in the late 18th
century. He was a highly versatile artist,
but is best known or his genre pieces,
such as Pungsokdocheop (Korean Genre
Paintings), reasure No 527.
Te work is an album he made in his
30s and contains 25 paintings o various
events he witnessed in the country. Iteatures people working, playing sports,
eating, drinking, dancing and more.
Every gure has its own story. Like
Yun, Kim also lef the background bare,
allowing his main subjects to stand out.
In the painting Lunch, or example, a
dog stares at a group o pe ople enjoying
their midday snack, hoping or a share.
Treshing Rice shows the unsatised
rowns o young men striking sheaves o
rice to the ground in contrast with the
laid back posture o an old man, possibly
the landowner, in the background.
While Kim Hong-do ocused on
painting rural lie, Shin Yun-bok (whose
penname was Hyewon) depicted scenes
o urban lie. Shin was the rst artist
to boldly depict the gisaeng liestyle
and the relationship between men and
women. Te best known works are
included in Hyewon Pungsokdo. In the
album, Shin vividly portrays the ashion
and irtatious attitudes o gisaeng, as
well as the gallant and ridiculous actions
o men trying to win their avor.
Analyzing Shins paintings, one could
even assume that although women were
restricted by the patriarchy, they still led
rather active and autonomous lives.
PeeRing into PoRtRaits Following
the Goryeo style o the early Joseon
Dynasty and the Chinese styles in the
middle o the era, Joseons own style
was established in the latter part o
the period. One consistent aspect o
portraiture, however, was that the artist
who was given permission to paint the
king was considered the best in the land.
For this task, even painters rom outside
the court were considered or the job.
Unortunately, there are no original
extant copies o any o the kings
portraits. Tis is because artists regularly
burned each original afer copying it,
because it was orbidden to pass down
a kings portrait once it had aded. Te
names o the artists who copied the
portraits were kept secret.
Te peculiarity o late Joseon Dynasty
portraits is, once again, realism. Artists
did not try to beautiy the subjects at
all, but instead put in extra eorts not to
leave out a single hair o a beard or any
sun spots. Tey believed that, by doing
so, the painting could truly mirror the
subjects inner side.
It was not only the king and high
ocials that commissioned portraits
in the late Joseon Dynasty. General
yangban and even commoners started
to request portraits. And because artists
could paint according to their own rules
or this class o people, the artistry o
portrait painting quickly developed.
Various orms were introduced in
the period such as sel portraits, best
represented by Yun Du-seos amed
piece. Jeong SeonsMiindo, a ull-
length portrait o a gisaeng, can also be
regarded as a type o portrait.L
eeum,
SamsungMuseumo
fArt(above);NationalMuseumo
fKorea(opposite)
Famous FolK Paintings Among
the dierent kinds o olk paintings,
the ones that are best known rom thlate Joseon Dynasty are those eaturi
animals, birds, owers and bugs.
It was a genre most artists enjoyed
painting in order to earn some extra
money; even court painters created th
style ominhwa in their pastime, usu
on commission rom other patrons.
Several artists started to specialize in
the area, or more specically in paint
certain animals. Byeon Sang-byeok,
example, ocused on cats and was of
called the cat artist, and Kim Du-ry
was especially good with dogs.
Believing that each subject eature
in olk paintings represented someth
positive, elites o the society at the tim
exchanged olk paintings as New Year
gifs. For example, dogs symbolized
happiness, tigers meant courage and
magpies represented good news.
lf r, fr bv: Playing Cats rk f fk r by J s-p; Self-
portrait of Yun Du-seo r ry; prr f r h hyby c Y-.
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we experienced rapid economic growth
and most o us completely orgot about
what it was like during the Japanese
colonial era. It is time we take pride in
ourselves, he says.
Te museum was established in
1938 by Jeon Hyeong-pil (1906-1962),
who was better known by his penname
Kansong. He became a wealthy man at
the age o 24, having inherited a great
ortune, and was devoted to buying the
nations relics and artworks that wereleaking out to Japan. Price was never an
obstacle or him; i he thought an item
was o high quality, he purchased it.
One example is when he bought 20
pieces o Goryeo Cheongja (celadon
porcelainware) rom a British collector
in Japan by selling 10,000 patches o
eld in Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do
Province the equivalent o 400 houses
in Seoul at the time. It was worth it,
though, because seven o the Cheongja
were eventually designated as ocial
treasures.
Te museums collection includes the
only extant copy oHunminjeongeum, adocument explaining the new script or
the Korean language, written by King
Sejong. It is National reasure No 70
and was also registered on the UNESCO
Memory o the World list in 1997. Shin
Yun-boks Hyewon Pungsokdo (National
reasure No 135), a 30-lea album
containing the amed paintingMiindo
(Portrait o a Beauty), can also be ound
at the museum.
In Kansongs time, Japanese scholars
tried to plant a colonial view o history
in Koreans minds, emphasizing that our
culture was worthless. Kansong collected
the works because he did not believe it
and wanted to show how excellent our
culture was, says Choi.
Te museums opening to the public,
however, was delayed or many years
due to the afermath o the Korean War
(1950-1953). It was only afer Jeons
death in 1966 that his descendents
scouted Choi, a scholar and researcher
at the National Museum o Korea, to
work at the museum and reopen it.
Led by Choi, a group o researchers
who are now regarded as the Kansong
School started to study the museums
collection. Tey started the exhibits
in the autumn o 1971 and also the
publication oKansong Munhwa, a book
containing research papers related toeach exhibits theme.
Among the museums collection,
works rom late Joseon Dynasty
comprise the largest portion. Te
early Joseon Dynasty was inuenced by
Chinas Zhu Xis Neo-Conucianism, so
even people in our paintings resembled
the Chinese. In the latter part o
the dynasty, though, our own Neo-
Conucianism was established. When
ideology is the root, art is like a ower.
Our own culture started to blossom
because we nally had our own roots,
Choi explains.
Kansong sensed it. Tat is why
his collection is concentrated on the
late Joseon period, like paintings by
Gyeomjae (Jeong Seons penname) and
Danwon (Kim Hong-do). We have
enough to hold separate exhibitions on
08|korea| december 2011 www.korea.net
Y
onhapNewsAgency(bot
tom)
Koreas art history cannot be discussed without mentioningKansong Art Museum, the oldest private museum in Korea.Chie curator Choi Wan-su explains the history o the museumand shares his thoughts on late Joseon Dynasty paintings.by Park Min-young | photographs by Kim Nam-heon
A long queue o several hundred meters
orms down a narrow alley in Seongbuk-
dong, northern Seoul, every spring and
autumn. In line are people waiting or
nothing else but a precious peek into the
latest exhibit at Kansong Art Museum,
which only opens to the public twice a
year: or about two weeks at a time in
May and October. Visitors wait at least
an hour, or at most three, to get inside.
Kansong is the nations oldest private
museum and holds an impressivecollection o more than 12,000 priceless
artworks o all genres, including
paintings, sculptures and calligraphy,
rom the period o the Tree Kingdoms
(BC57-668AD) to modern times.
Among the collection, 12 have been
designated national treasures and 10
more are also recognized as treasures.
One hundred portrait and genre
paintings by 52 representative artists o
the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) were
brought out rom the museums private
stores or its last exhibit in October.
Upon hearing that complaints are
growing amongst art acionados aboutthe insuciency o twice-a-year exhibits,
Choi Wan-su, chie curator at the
museum, chuckles and shakes his head.
Museums in general play one or more
o these three big roles collecting art
or relics and preserving them; studying
them; and exhibiting them. Te role o
Kansong is to study works o art, not
exhibit them. In a way, we are doing
volunteer work every spring and all to
let the public know the results o our
studies, Choi says with a smile.
Te number o visitors to Kansong
jumped soon afer Te Painter of Wind
a drama about Joseon Dy nasty artist
Shin Yun-bok became a hit in 2008,
and has been steadily increasing since.
Choi believes that it is because Koreans
sel-esteem is getting stronger.
We are more educated than beore,
cover story
penetrating koreasart History
each artist.
Choi says that the peoples love or
their nation during the late Joseon
Dynasty is reected in their work.
Even Mount Geumgangsan, which
obviously never changed externally, i
painted more delicately compared to
early Joseon art. It is because the arti
examined the mountain more closely
nally regarding it as beautiul.
c w-xp v r(pp).t r Kar m(p r).t xrrf K(r).Vrbr f rr xb(br).
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at K Auction, says that the artworks
displayed at the shows are not easily
ound in auctions. Although collectors
are always looking or investable
artwork, high quality pieces rom the
late Joseon Dynasty rarely come out in
the market, Na explains.
Seoul Auction and K Auction, the
two biggest auction houses in Korea,
allot only a small part o their auctions
to antique art. In hopes o revitalizing
the market, several antique art-exclusive
auction houses such as A Auction and
My Art Auction were launched last year.
Due to the limited pool o collectors,
10|korea| december 2011
cover story
www.korea.ne
Y
onhapNewsAgency(above);SeoulAuction(opposite)
however, industry insiders nd it
dicult to animate the stagnant market.
Te collector pool or old art does
not expand that easily. Te general
assumption that old and rich people
are the only ones collecting antique art
is actually right. Among art collectors,
those interested in antiques only take up
about 30%. Most preer contemporary
art because antiques look rather somber
when placed in houses, says Eum Jeong-
woo, an auctioneer at Seoul Auction.As much as the collectors stay the
same, the prices do not uctuate either,
especially compared to the soaring
prices o contemporary art.
Up until 2000, antique art took up
about 80% o the lots in auctions, and
the rest was contemporary. But the
situation soon reversed as art started to
emerge as an investment tool. Demand
or older art continuously decreased.
Tanks to the stable pool o collectors,
though, prices have stayed the same,
even in 2008 when contemporary
art values dropped due to the global
economic crisis, Eum adds.
In act, I think people are starting
to change their minds about antique
art, seeing how stable they are. Tey
are realizing that classics never change.
Antique art auctions steadily mark about
UndervalUedpaintings
While museums were elated over the
recent string o successul exhibits
eaturing Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910)
paintings, auction houses were rather
indierent to the news. Such momentary
interest o the public does not
necessarily lead to actual sales, they say.
Te antique art market is going through
a slump, like the overall art industry.
Te recent popularity o antique art
among the public, temporarily buoyed
by the exhibitions, doesnt have much to
do with auctions, says Kim Jong-chun,
head o A Auction in Seoul.
Na Yun-jeong, an antique art specialist
75% to 80% sales each time.
Among late Joseon Dynasty artworks,
paintings by Jeong Seon, Shin Yun-bok,
Kim Hong-do and calligraphy works by
Kim Jeong-hui consistently comprise the
highest price range. At Seoul Auctions
latest antique art auction held in March,
Kim Hong-dos Baenguigwaneumdo
(Hermit) was sold at 160 million won
(US$139,360) and Jang Seung-eops
Hosaneoeundo (Landscape) was sold at
150 million won (US$130,662). Bothwere sold near the starting point o the
estimated price range.
Tere are detailed standards or xing
the price o Joseon Dy nasty paintings.
But even i the artist is the same, prices
can vary across genres. Jeong Seons
works, or example, range rom about
20 million won (US$17,422) to several
hundred million.
In the case o works o the same
genre and theme, some were painted
with extra care while some were not.
Te price depends on how much eort
the artist put into the work and how rare
that piece is. Jeong Seon, or example,painted many genres, but hisJingyeong
(realistic) landscapes are considered
the most expensive because they were
his major works, and were thus painted
with great care, says Eum.
Prices can also vary according to
whether the painting has a seal or not,
its overall condition, and its previous
owners. During the late Joseon Dynasty,
paintings were already highly valued, so
it is likely that the owners o works by
major artists were inuential gures in
society. I a painting carries the seal o a
big-name collector rom that time, it is
appraised at a higher rate.
Joseon Dynasty artworks and relics
can also be ound in overseas auctions
like Sothebys or Christies, because a
great number o them were leaked out
o the country or sold to oreigners
Experts have critically acclaimed thequality and value o late Joseon Dynastypaintings, but priceless works o art areas yet undervalued in local andinternational markets. by Park Min-young
during and afer the Japanese colonial
rule (1910-1945). Te auction results
overseas, however, are poor, especially
compared to Chinese antique art, which
continuously breaks auction records.
Te highest-ever priced antique rom
the Joseon Dynasty was made o whiteporcelain, which sold or 7 billion won
(US$6 million) in 1996 at Christies in
New York, while a Chinese embroidered
ceramic bottle was sold at over 97 billion
won (US$84.49 million) in 2010 in
Bainbridges o London.
Chinas antique art market is growing
because Chinese economic power is
getting stronger and they have great
pride in their own culture. Tey believe
that they should take back what is
theirs rom the world. Te country has
a large population, and a lot o them
are interested in overseas auctions,
comments Na.
Another reason Koreas antique
art market is depressed is because o
orgery issues. Instead o one ocially
authorized institute to appraise the
works, there are three private ones. So
opinions usually split in most cases a
ail to set a proper price or the work
Despite problems, however, critics
argue that antique art, especially late
Joseon Dynasty paintings, has a high
cultural value and potential to stand o
in the international market.
It was in the late Joseon Dynasty th
Koreans rst started to see their cultu
and artworks with their own eyes, say
art critic Sohn Cheol-ju. Evaluationon contemporary art can change
anytime. But old artworks, like late
Joseon Dynasty paintings, are already
considered masterpieces, he says.
Sohn adds that Koreas traditional
culture, including the paintings, is th
root o the recent Hallyu Korean wav
and that it could be proved anytime o
i people would realize it.
Many expected the Korean wave
to ade out quickly, but it didnt. It wi
expand even urther, carried by digita
tools like social networking sites. Te
art industry is relatively ignorant in t
aspect. Tere are almost no websites
to promote the value o our tradition
works overseas. What we need to do
right now is to establish a digital base
systematically organize and promote
artworks, Sohn says.
Pp bd l J-pA Bull s a Kr (pp).Hermitby K h-d d fr 160 (us$139,360) (bv).
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pen & brush
Speaking inthe Language
of Art
Yang Haegue
It is no exaggeration to say that one is an
internationally-acclaimed artist when
his or her works have been collected
by prestigious art museums around the
world. Te Solomon R Guggenheim
Museum in New York is the latest
addition to the list o major venues
to have included works by Korean
conceptual artist Yang Haegue, ollowing
the Museum o Modern Art, the Los
Angeles County Museum o Art and the
Carnegie Museum o Art.
Guggenheim purchased Yangs Series
o Vulnerable Arrangements Voice
and Windin October, which was rst
showcased at the Venice Art Biennale in
Yang Haegue is one o themost successul Koreancontemporary artistsrecognized domestically andabroad. he Guggenheimrecently added Yangs work totheir collection, cementing theartists reputation a little more.by Park Min-young | photographs by
Kim Nam-heon
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www.korea.ne14|korea| december 2011
2009. Composed o window blinds, ans and sprays, the work
stimulates all ve senses and entices curiosity by lling the
space with wind, ragrances and voices.
Yang met with KOREA at Kukje Gallery in central Seoul
during a short autumn visit here, saying that she was glad
to hear the news as it is a relie or an artist when a work is
collected by a museum. It means that the work will be well
maintained and that it is guaranteed a long, secure lie. Te
museum will showcase it over and over in many exhibitions. It
will be dierent rom works collected by individual collectors,
which usually disappear rom the eld, she explains.
She has condence that the oeuvre will work in whatever
exhibition the museum decides to showcase it in. Everyone
said that the work was too site-specic aer seeing it on
show in Venice. It was challenging or me, too, because the
aquarium-like white cube in the New Museum, where it was
next showcased, was very dierent rom the bustling pavilion
in the Biennale. But the result turned out to be satisying; the
museum even pulled down the ceiling so that the work could
stand out, Yang explains.
Crossing Boundaries Born in Seoul in 1971, Yang
graduated rom Seoul National Universitys Fine Arts College
and urthered her studies at Stdelschule in Frankurt,
Germany. German newspaper Capitalincluded her as one
o the top 100 international installation artists in 2009, along
with compatriot Lee Bul. Te young artist now lives and works
alternately in Seoul and Berlin.
Her art world can be roughly summarized as a collection
o amiliar materials lights, ans, inrared heaters, window
blinds, clothes hangers,
careully olded paper
cranes or shattered
glass but reassembled
in dierent ways to
create unamiliar, inspiring scenes. Te
completed works, mostly realized in the orm o
installations but as paintings or sculptures as well, carries the
artists sentiments about certain individuals and incidents, or
more generally about humanity, history and her memories.
Yang earned the gaze o the international spotlight aer
representing Korea at the 53rd Venice Biennale. She was invited
by museums all over the world to participate in group and solo
exhibitions. Some o her most important shows o late include
the 2011 joint exhibition Te Sea Wallshe held with Cuban
artist Felix Gonzales-orress at Arnolni in the UK; her 2011
solo show eacher o Dance at Modern Art Oxord in the UK;
and her solo exhibitionArt and echnique o Folding the Land
held at the Aspen Art Museum in the US.
In terms o work ethic, Yang is obstinate and meticulous
to the point o making her peers suer, as the artist hersel
lightheartedly describes. And unlike many artists who preer
to be secluded and conceal themselves when it comes to
communicating with the public, Yang is very outspoken.
It is not always in the orm o verbal language she
happens to be uent in Korean, German and English that
she expresses her thoughts, but through art, writing books or
even directing monodramas. She wrote the bookMelancholy
is a Longing or the Absoluteness in 2009 and directed the
monodrama Te Malady o Death in 2008, based on a shortK
ukjeGallery(oppositerig
ht,above)
how the materials she had
to use in her Seoul Nationa
University days at the
Department o Sculpture d
not suit her at all.
Te classes were very
academic. In order to stand
out in class, one had to be
really good at cracking ston
or kneading clay. I was not
the type. alking with the
materials or exploring thesymbol o the materials wa
not something or me, she
admits.
I mostly use manuactu
materials in my works. Te
were born in their own actory lines and already have a
purpose and exist or a reason in society. I am meddling in
middle o all that.
Her installation workManteufelstrasse 112 Single and
Solid, or example, is made o aluminum Venetian blinds, li
bulbs and radiators that mimic the models she uses in her
ofce. By gathering everyday household products that have
a relationship to warmth, Yang materializes the concept o
house without an address or specic location.
Te concepts are simple yet surprising. For Yang, ndinginspiration is a magical thing that is hard to recognize in th
moment. Can you explain every single decision you have
made in your lie? No. We [artists] may seem dierent, but
are the same. We are not aliens, she laughs.
story by French writer Marguerite Duras, whose work has
been inuential in Yangs style.
An artist should have a language o ones own, other than
the linguistic one, something that can be best expressed
through their works. It can be ones attitude or perspective on
the world. It diers depending on the individuals and their
backgrounds. I think that language is the most important one
or an artist, she says.
When questioned about her versatility in crossing genres
o art, literature and theater, Yang shakes her head. Tat is a
misunderstanding. I am not the type o person who does or
can do so many dierent things. Te things I do happen to
be realized in dierent media, but to me, they are simply my
works, she says.
Is it not what you do that should be clear, rather than
the genre? I think materials and media are what should
ollow, naturally, and get decided upon what you do. Tere
are, o course, artists who really ocus on the medium and
ponder deeply on questions like what is video, or what is
photography. But Im not that much o a media-oriented
person. I just take the materials that I need at the moment,
stay under until I ully digest and interpret them in my own
way, and come back up to the surace. Aer that, I like to be
ree o that material or genre.
CommuniCating inspiration At rst glance, Yangs works
can be difcult to understand. Her choice o materials, usually
ready-made objects available at stores anywhere in the world,
would require explanation or most, and is one o the most
characteristic aspects o her art. Te artist reminisces about
pc fASeries ofVulnerable
Arrangementsc YH wll-kw
wk (lf, flf). all vwf Y lhb nwm nwYk ().
2007 Remote Room, Galerie Barbara Wien (Berlin)
2008 Asymmetric Equality, REDCAT (Los Angeles)
Global EurAsia, Art Cologne (Cologne)
2009 Condensation, South Korean Pavilion, 53rd Venice Biennale (Italy)
Your Bright Future: 12 Contemporary Artists from Korea ,
LACMA (Los Angeles)
Monument to Transformation, City Gallery Prague (Prague)
Everything, Then, Passes Between Us, Kolnischer Kunstverein (Colo
2010 Voice Over Three, Artsonje Center (Seoul)
Voice and Wind, New Museum (New York)
After Architects, Kunsthalle Basel (Basel) 10,000 Lives, 8th Gwangju Biennale (Gwangju)
Like Eskimo Space, 1857 (Oslo)
2011 Teacher of Dance, Modern Art Oxford (Oxford)
The Sea Wall, Arnolfini (Bristol)
Art and Technique of Folding the Land, Aspen Art Museum (Colorad
Playing Among the Ruins, Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (To
tHe artists major exHiBits
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16|korea| december 2011
people
www.korea.ne
Te sounds ogayageum (Korean
traditional zither) ll the oce
cluttered with an astounding collection
o books and tea sets. Tis is where
Brother Anthony also known by
his Korean name An Son-jae since his
naturalization in 1994 translates
some o Koreas most beloved work,
bringing the world o Korean poetry to
the English language.
A ormer English literature proessor
at Sogang University, An has earned
a reputation as an exacting translator.
oday, he continues his work with
ervor, while also serving as the
president o the Royal Asiatic Society.
with politics, which helped instill a vein
o independence against government.
Despite the rocky welcome, An ound
beauty in Korean traditional culture.
When asked which part o Korea he
would most like to share with the outside
world, An replies: Te best thing to
share is Korean temples. He explains
that there, oreigners can be exposed
to all the elements o culture: hanok
houses, traditional cuisine, the sounds
o nature and Buddhist instruments.Te ollowing is excerpts rom the
interview, which has been edited or
length.
For the tea amateur, could you explain
what the main diferences are between
Korean, Chinese and Japanese teas?
Well, theres a lot less o it and nobodys
heard o it. Korean tea is rare, though o
course, you have a ew actories like O
Sulloc, which is the biggest one and run
by Amore Pacic. Korean teas coming
out o the actories tend to be a little bit
in the Japanese style and the plants in
Boseong and Jeju are basically Japanese
varieties o tea. Te best kind is hand-
dried, and they are basically Chinese
plants growing wild, and then sort o
planted in the tea elds o Jirisan.
Korean tea is, when its good,
handmade tea. Until recently, it was all
green tea, but now a lot o people make
yellow tea, or hwang cha. It has a sweeter
taste than green tea.
Korean tea is deeper, richer and
more natural because when making tea
by hand, humidity and wind become
actors, and it is much more variable
when produced on a small scale.
Which o the works you have
translated was most interesting to you?
Teyre all interesting; theyre all
impossible. Te rst volume we
published o Ko UnsManinbo, those
Brhr Ahy has walls up walls fbshls liig his ffi (ppsi). BrhrAhy dris a (p). May rar bs a bs i h raslars ffi (ab).
Brother Anthony, better known to some as An Son-jae, has dedicated more than 30years o his lie to the translation o Korean literature and the study o Koreantraditional teas. hough he already translated more than 25 volumes o poetry andliterature, to An, his work is still ar rom complete. by Ines Min | photographs by Kim Hong-jin
Culture inTranslation
A tea connoisseur and brother o the
France-based Christian monastery
aiz, An is so-spoken but rm in his
belies and opinions on Korea.
Arriving here in May 1980, just
a ew days beore the Gwangju
Democratization Movement, Ans
introduction to the country was stained
BAck to HeAvenby Chon Sang-pyong, translated by Brother Anthon
Ill go back to heaven again.
Hand in hand with the dew
that melts at a touch of the dawning day,
Ill go back to heaven again.
With the dusk, together, just we two,
at a sign from a cloud after playing on the slo
Ill go back to heaven again.
At the end of my outing to this beautiful wor
Ill go back and say: It was beautiful
poems evoke his childhood experiences,
the lie o the people in the villages down
in Jeollabuk-do Province, the village
lie, the women, the children during the
Japanese colonization, just beore the
war. O course, lie was harsh, children
died, people were hungry, but it was
very close to lie.
What approach do you think Korea
literature needs in order to appeal
more to an international audience?
A lot o Korean ction is written or a
Korean readership, and Korean write
o ction tend to assume a kind o
shared culture, psychology. So when
you translate it, and its read in anoth
culture, people are mystied because
things that need to be explained are n
explained theyre assumed.
Another thing is that a lot o Korea
ction, I think, is much too simple. S
much o it is the narrators particular
voice, oen a emale voice, telling a st
or a series o things that happen with
almost no development or ambiguity
suspense. Modern ction tends to pla
on diferent narrators telling the sam
event or you have altered versions o
what has happened. Te reader is le
with some kind o sense that Korean
literature can tend to be sentimental.
A lot o people in the world like
sentimental ction, though. I mean, w
saw that with Shin Kyung-sooks Plea
Look Afer Mom. You cant have a mo
sentimental book. But it appeals to
readers in America, and sales have be
quite good, so why not?
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great korean
D
osanAhnChang-hoMe
morialFoundation
Walking around the
streets o downtown
Riverside, Caliornia, one
can see statues o amous
historical gures. Te
likeness o Martin Luther
King Jr and Mahatma
Gandhi can be ound, as
well as one other: Ahn
Chang-ho. Te Korean
independence activist is
such a well-known gure
on the West Coast that
Riverside designated
August 11 the day
Ahns statue was unveiled
to the public as Dosan
Ahn Chang-ho Day.
Te legend o Dosan,
Ahns pen name, can
be seen throughout the
state: Los Angeles has a
reeway interchange named Dosan Ahn
Chang Ho Memorial Interchange, while
there is a post oce named aer him
in the citys Koreatown. He will also be
the rst East Asian to be inducted into
the International Civil
Rights Walk o Fame at
the Martin Luther King
Jr Center on Jan 6, 2012.
Te center was
established in 1968
to honor civil rights
pioneers rom around
the world. Inductees
include ormer US
Presidents Jimmy
Carter and Bill C linton;
Andrew Young, a ormer
ambassador to the UN;
Arican-American civil
rights activist Rosa
Parks; Stevie Wonder
and Jesse Jackson. Why,
you might ask, is Ahn
Chang-ho so respected
in the United States?
Ahn was born in
Gangseo (now North Korea) in 1878,
during the close o the Joseon Dynasty
(1392-1910) and a time when the nation
was plunged into conusion with the
prospect o oreign invasion.
A portrait of Korean independence activist andeducator Dosan Ahn Chang-ho (above). Ahnstands barefoot in an orchard (opposite top). Agroup photo at a branch of the academy Ahnfounded in Pyeongyang (opposite middle). Afamily portrait of Ahn Chang-ho, his wife andfour children (opposite bottom).
Te outbreak o the First Sino-
Japanese War (1894-1895) had a major
impact on Ahn, who was studying
the Chinese classics at the time. Te
war made him realize the necessity
o introducing a new culture and
civilization to his country and raising an
independent Koreas status and power.
When Japan won the war and
revealed its desire to invade Korea, Ahn
headed to Seoul to study. In 1896 he
attended Gusae Hakdang, a missionary-sponsored school in the capital city run
by Horace G Underwood, and converted
to Christianity. In 1897, he joined the
Independence Association, a social
political group which ocused on the
importance o a sovereignty that did not
rely on oreign inuences.
He also started his career as an
independence activist and educator
around this time. At the age o 22,
he established the rst private co-ed
primary school in Korea. In 1902, he le
or America to get a better education.
While studying in San Francisco and
Riverside, he witnessed the same
discrimination and contempt his
countrymen overseas were experiencing,
and began to dedicate his time
protecting the rights o local Koreans by
ounding the Korean Fellowship Society.
His activism led him to become one o
the rst people to bring together the
Korean-American community.
Te Eulsa reaty between Japan and
Korea in 1905, which virtually sealed
Koreas ate as a colony o Japan, brought
Ahn back home to Korea. Upon his
return, he launched the New Peoples
Association, a clandestine organization
or ostering the countrys independence,
ounded the Dae Sung School or
secondary education and organized the
Young Students Association to nurture
uture Korean leaders.
Hounded by the Japanese police,
A Life Dedicatedto a Nation
Many have ollowed in the ootsteps o legendary independence activist AhnChang-ho. He devoted more than six decades o his lie to Korean independenceand the unity o its people. Even today, Koreans owe much o what the country
has achieved to his hard work. by Seo Dong-chul
he moved to China and then to
Vladivostok, Russia, to explore bases or
his independence movement. He moved
to the US via Siberia aer trying to bring
together the Korean community in the
Russian Far East.
On March 1, 1919, as protests
against Japanese colonial rule swept
the whole nation, independence
activists gathered in Shanghai to ound
an interim government. Ahn joined
this government and devoted himselto national independence, holding
important posts such as Secretary o the
Interior, Deputy Prime Minister and
Secretary o Labor.
He was imprisoned by the Japanese in
1938 while trying to integrate diferent
independence groups. He passed away
just seven years beore the liberation o
Korea, on Aug 15, 1945. oday, he rests
in Dosan Park, Seoul, which was opened
in commemoration o the activist in
1973. Ahn dedicated his lie to restoring
Korean independence and leading a
prosperous nation. oday, his legacy
is still admired in the communities in
which he earned his reputation, rom
Seoul to Riverside.
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seoul
From above, clockwise: A parade at the 2010 Itaewon Global Village Festival;Paraguayan empanadas at Comedor; a dish at OKitchen; A woman eyes her hotstreet kebab in Itaewon.
One block west, OKitchen cooks u
impeccable usion are, like basil pest
orecchiette with ingredients grown o
the Korean-Japanese owners Mount
Dobongsan arm.
Joe McPherson, ounding editor o
the ZenKimchi Korean Food Journal
calls Itaewon an incubator or ethn
restaurants and the neighborhood
where restaurateurs test new ingredie
in Korea. He names Spanish tapas,
Brazilian churrascaria and homebrewbeer as the ckle scenes latest trends
Just like the menus, Itaewons
clientele is changing. With the
neighborhoods dark past behind it, a
generation o globally-minded Korea
now outnumber oreigners at many
establishments. On a recent Sunday
evening, 22-year-old Lee Uik-won
was among them. A student who has
traveled and lived overseas, he enjoys
Itaewons unique mix. He explains, Y
can make oreign riends and eat vari
countries oods. It eels exotic.
Tis past spring, a similar sentimen
was echoed by the hit single, Itaewon
Freedom by the duo UV and produce
Park Jin-young. Spread virally over
social media, the videos silly retro m
eatured Koreans with ake Aros sing
about a new world where everyone
meets in Itaewon.
While some lament Itaewons
gentrication, Wolounds owner Go
welcomes the richer mix. Koreans no
comprise about 60% o his weekday
patrons, and he says the pubs tightly
packed tables encourage socialization
In short order, he says, people talk an
interact and everyone has a good tim
As Koreas oreign population now
exceeds 1 million, the country has
entered its multicultural era. And, at
least in Itaewon, breaking bread has
proven to be the best way to break do
cultural barriers.
a ailed 16th-century invasion.
odays invaders, however, come
armed with oreign avors. Itaewon is
probably the only neighborhood in the
city where a ew meters could separate
a urkish restaurant, an Irish pub and
Comedor, a boisterous hole-in-the-wall
serving Paraguayan empanadas.
In recent years, these culinary odd
couples (and threesomes) have made
Itaewon the destination or local oodies.
And yet, this wasnt always the case.
When Canadian Wayne Gold arrived
in 1997, the neighborhoods oreign
options were a Western grill, a Tai
restaurant and a ew bad Italian eateries.
Whats more, the neighborhood was
better known or vice than vittles.
By the mid-2000s, however, the scene
was already changing. In 2006, Gold and
three riends opened an Irish pub, the
Wolound. Around the same time, the
stretch o asphalt behind the Hamilton
Hotel was showing early signs o what
was to come.
oday, the alley is anchored by
delicious destinations like Zelen, Koreas
only Bulgarian eatery. Customers o
the green-themed restaurant can enjoy
delectablepulneni chushki, baked
peppers stued with rice and minced
meat and topped with yogurt and resh
dill. Tis being eclectic Itaewon, you can
wash it down with Mukuzani wine rom
Georgia or a Jgerbomb.
Savoring ItaewonsRich MixAter decades o being labeled a seedy playground,Seouls colorul Itaewon neighborhood has parlayed itsmulticultural mix into becoming the citys mostcosmopolitan restaurant scene. by Matt Kelley | photographs by Choi Ji-young
Zelen
OKitchen
The Wolfhound
Comedor
ItaewonStation,Subway Line 6
Te sidewalks around Itaewon Station
are embedded with brass plaques. Each
depicts a country, its ag and how to
say hello in the respective language. In
Seouls multicultural hamlet o Itaewon,
such inormation is actually useul.
o celebrate their unique cultural
mosaic, every autumn local ocials
and merchants host the Itaewon Global
Village Festival. In-costume, the estivals
participants resemble an exaggerated
version o daily lie in Itaewon, a Seoul
neighborhood thats been synonymous
with oreign or decades, i not
centuries. In act, some etymologists
think the word Itaewon alludes to
oreign soldiers who stayed behind afer
4
1
Y
on
hap
News
Agency
(op
posi
te);Korea
Tourism
Organ
iza
tion
(bo
ttom
le
ft)
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travel
T
opicImages
Te sun crosses the water around
Incheon and heads west aer completing
its days work. Mountains and rivers
are colored red-orange like a ripe
persimmon, almost as i theyre grieving
over their separation rom the sun.
Beginning with the islands in the Yellow
Sea, they gradually embrace the parting
o ways. Soon, night will all, and the
two main majestic towers on Incheon
Bridge will shine in the darkness.
Cutting-EdgE City Im sitting atHeungnyunsa, a temple on Mount
Cheongnyangsan. Tis is the perect spot
to look over the Yellow Sea. Te dying
embers o the sunset hit everything here
the trees, the grass, the rice elds.
Te same is not true in the city. With
most people locked up in oces all day,
urban dwellers arent aorded the same
chance to watch the sun go down. Its
ironic that its only humans who cant
eel the sun and the wind, and embrace
such a beautiul sunset when every other
creature on the planet can.
Incheon is a city o sunsets and
beaches, while not being very ar away
rom Seoul. O the coast o Incheon,
the sun sets on an endless horizon,capturing everyones attention as
they stop and turn towards the west.
People living here are able to savor that
enchanted moment every day.
At the southern tip o the city is a p
called Soraepogu. At daybreak, the po
is alive with conversation and laughte
echoing the sounds o the splashing
sh. Te Yellow Sea around the Korea
Peninsula may not be home to the
largest diversity o sea creatures, but
nights catch o founder, black rock
gizzard shad, mullets and blue crabs w
all be available at the local market the
next morning.
Visitors rom both Incheon and Se
swarm to Soraepogu to relish in thevibrant sea lie and port market. Man
people choose to eat the sh raw, wh
is called hoe in Korean. Indeed, there
are ew other things as delicious as ho
Part o what makes cities like Venice, Amsterdam and Macau special is that theyreall located near bodies o water. Incheon ollows in this model, and adds to it aworld-class international airport and the site o the 2014 Asian Games.by Chung Dong-muk | photographs by Park Jeong-Roh
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wrapped in lettuce withgochujang(hot
pepper paste), which is available right
next to the market.
Autumn in Soraepogu is the season
or saeujeot(salted and ermented
shrimp), which is one o the most
important ingredients in kimchi.
Saeujeot is made by ermenting shrimp
caught between May and June or ve to
six months, then salt is added and it is
sealed in a big tin drum. Te longer the
ermenting period, the higher the price
it will etch.
Saeujeot has a unique taste that
adds a delicate favor to kimchi when
ermented. Merchants at Soraepogu are
oen very generous, allowing market
visitors to reely sample any o their
numerous products.
Lying west o Seoul, Incheon is Koreas
second biggest port city. Sailors leave
through Incheon port when heading
to the Pacic Ocean via the Yellow
Sea, while the citys airport serves as a
gateway to the rest o the world.
Incheons geographical location hashistorically made it the rst Korean
city to be exposed to outside infuences
and adopt new items: daily necessities
(matches, glass and soap), oreign ood
is undoubtedly the Northeast Asia
rade ower, a 68-foor building with
an observatory on the 65th foor that
commands a spectacular view o the
sea and the city. Once all the work is
completed on this landmark man-
made city in 2018, Songdo will certainly
attract the attention o the world, and
the Northeast Asia rade ower will play
a key role as a global business hub.
Ten theres Songdo Convensia, the
Compact/Smart City, the ri-Bowl,the Jack Nicklaus Gol Club and the
many luxury hotels, some o which
have completed construction. When
all is said and done, this international
city will come at a cost o more than
1.4 trillion won (US$1.2 billion) and
cover an area o 53.4sqm. It will be a
global business hub that embraces the
I and biotechnology industries with a
knowledge-based industrial complex, a
bio-industrial complex and cutting-edge
industrial clusters.
oday, a source o great pride or many
is the Incheon Bridge, which graceully
crosses over the adjacent sea to Songdo.
Te bridge is 21.4km long, built with
the latest technology, and supported by
the two main towers, which are 238.5m
high. It is Koreas longest bridge and the
worlds h longest cable-stayed bridge.
When you drive over it, youll eel as i
youre running on the sea.
Te current site o Incheon
International Airport was created
by reclaiming the land between two
surrounding islands, Yongyudo and
Yeongjongdo. Part o Koreas excellent
construction reputation stems rom its
vast experience in reclamation projects
that take advantage o its unique ria
coast.oday, Incheon International Airport
is positioning itsel as a major global
hub and has been ranked one o the
top airports by the SKYRAX World
(cider andjajangmyeon, or black bean
noodles), and other things like baseball.
For that same reason, Incheon has
been chosen by the Korean government
as the optimal place to launch a Free
Economic Zone (FEZ). Incheons FEZ
is a special area which aims to attract
oreign investment with government
support, based on the Foreign
Investment Promotion Act. Foreign
businesspeople are given various
incentives here, including nancialsupport, prime industrial locations and
tax benets.
Te city designated the three districts
o Cheongna, Yeongjong and Songdo
as part o FEZ. O these three areas,
Songdo International Business District
is the astest growing.
HEavEn on EartH You can ride a
water taxi and travel a two-kilometer
road created in Songdos Central Park
while taking in the exotic views o this
new city. Skyscrapers are going up all
around and will remind visitors o
international business centers in Asia
like Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore.
And the skyline, when seen against the
backdrop o a pure blue sky, is nothing
less than dazzling.
Te most impressive building here
How to gEt tHErEC There are a number of routes from Seoul
to Incheon, including three different
Gyeongin Expressways. Choose the one nearest to
your final destination in Incheon. Drivers can go over
the Incheon Bridge from the airport when going
south, or drive over the Yeongjong Bridge when
heading north.
Bs There are numerous buses that go from
Seoul to Incheon. You can board a bus at
Seoul Station, Gangnam Bus Terminal or Sinchon
Rotary. An airport limousine also runs from theairport to downtown Incheon.
t You can get to Incheon Station by transferring to Subway Line 1 on the Seoul
Metropolitan Subway. At the airport, you can take the Incheon International Airport
Railway and get off in the northern part of the city. You can also take a city tour by subway.
wHErE to StayAs one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country, Incheon offers a wide range of
accommodation, from five-star hotels to more affordable places. You can make a
reservation online for the Sheraton Incheon Hotel and the Hyatt Regency Incheon Hotel. Mu
Island Family Hotel (+82 32 752 5114) and Hotel Pi (+82 32 428 0314) are also nice places to
stay. You could also try staying at one of the newer hotels in Songdo like the Songdo Park Ho
(+82 32 210 7250) or the Songdo Bridge Hotel (+82 32 210 3000).
wHat to EatOn top of its coastal location, Incheon has a special place in Korean history as it was th
first city to open up to the outside world and thus has a great selection of cuisine.
Famous restaurant streets include East Incheons Samchi, Bukseong-dong Jajangmyeon,
Hwapyeong-dong Naengmyeon, and Bukseong-dongs Chinatown, to name a few. If you w
to try some special Korean food outside the city, try the grilled shellfish at Eurwangni Beach.
travEl information
ichesCh
Se Sepmke
a e S iBd
iche
Se
Airport Quality Audit or six straight
years. Currently, it is the second largest
handler o international reight and
the eighth busiest or international
passenger transportation.
Beyond the airport is a series oislands that eature pristine natural
beauty. wo sites everyone should visit
are Eurwangni Beach and Angels Rock
Beach on Yongyudo. Lovers on the
stretch o the sandy beaches, seagulls
above, and small restaurants dotting
waterline add to a quiet, beautiul sce
o relaxation.
Incheon will soon host the 2014
Asian Games, and is preparing or thprestigious event. Incheon is certain t
become one o the most popular coas
cities once Songdo is completed and
aer hosting the Asian Games.
a h e S (p). a e shesh (be). a k he bs Sepmke (be).
estival fav
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hough red beans are consumed yearround, winter is one o the best times to
savor the mythical and gastronomicaadvantages opatjuk. by Ines Mi
On the longest night o the year, during the coldest month
o the season, Koreans traditionally sit down to a bowl o
patjuk, or red bean porridge. Te winter solstice (dongji
in Korean) is marked by the consumption o this dish due
to generations o passed down olklore, and has come to
represent a traditional constant.
Te popular belie was that the color red rightens
o spirits and dispels
misortune, hence the red-
coloredpatbeans o the
patjuk. It was customary
to sprinkle some o the
porridge in the kitchen,
ront gate and yard beore
consumption, in order to
ward o demons and protect
rom inectious diseases. It is
believed that these practices
originated rom the tale o Gong Gong, a man who died
on the winter solstice. Legend has it that Gong Gong hated
patjuk with a passion, which is why his spirit shies away
when conronted by it at a household.
However, the most characteristic trait o patjuk is the
saealsim rice cakes, which provide a break in texture rom
the soened beans. Saealliterally means birds egg, in
reerence to the shape and color o the glutinous rice balls
that dot each bowl o patjuk. It was believed that a person
should eat the same number o saealsim as his/ her age,
which gave rise to the dongji colloquialism I ate another
year (I am a year older).
Patjuk is a airly simple dish to make, b eing comprised
o sweetened red beans, rice and water. Te minimalist
dish was typically consumed by itsel, with no side dishes,
which is contrary to most Korean cuisine. Tis was due to
the act that it used to be a winter meal, made when grains
were sparse. oday, patjuk is oen eaten in accompaniment
with dongchimi, or white water kimchi.Patjuk has a slightly sweet taste and a smooth texture.
Tere is a variety o dierent traditional porridges (chicken,
pumpkin, black sesame, etc), but it is patjuk that retains a
much-loved winter niche.
estival fav
Y
eongdongDriedPersim
monsFestival(top);YonhapNewsAgency(belowl
eft);GettyImages(opposite)
PersimmonParadise
Persimmons have long been a part o Asian tradition, and
are particularly known or their diverse uses and preparation
methods. One o the most popular varieties in Korea is the dried
kind, which will be celebrated this year at the 2011 Yeongdong
Dried Persimmons Festival.
Held rom Dec 16 to 18, this years edition will eature a host
o un amily events that make use o the ruits diverse attributes.
Visitors can make their own jar o persimmon jam rom the
regions best (cost is 1,000 won or US$0.88), participate in seed-
spitting contests or even compete to see who can peel the orange
ruit in a single, long strip. Tose who care or a bit o relaxation
can dip their eet into a cool bath, made rom the leaves and
peels o resh persimmons. An ice sculpture exhibit andgugak
(traditional music) perormances will be held throughout the
three-day event, and lessons in making cras rom the wood o
persimmon trees will be oered.
Te region o Yeongdong, Chungcheongbuk-do Province, is
best known or its ruit harvests. Roughly 221,000 persimmon
trees are cultivated on fve square kilometers in the county.
Yeongdong comprises approximately 68% o the provinces entire
persimmon production.
Te frst persimmon trees were
planted in Yeongdong in 1970, and
today the crops line a 37km stretch
o road that is known as Gam NamuGarosu (Persimmon ree Road).
Each all, the abundant trees become
spotted with the ripe ruits, creating
an idyllic harvest scene. Ag fk, patjukas ff v sps a msf.
Dont be fooled by this modest
title, which alludes to the concept
that the best food is homemade.
Second Best is perhaps the best
that can be bought, and
oftentimes people will line up
outside the entrance to get a taste.
28-21 Samcheong-dong,
Jongno-gu, Seoul
Ph +82 2 734 5302
Second BeSt PlAce in Seoul
The festival is held at the
Nangye Hall of Korean Classical
(Traditional) Music & Youth
Center in Yeongdong. From
Dong (East) Seoul Bus Terminal,
take an intercity bus to
Yeongdong. The bus departs
5 times a day starting at 8am.
How to Get tHere
PorridgeJust Right
he season has arrived to indulge inwinter ruits, but set aside the oranges andmake way or persimmons. by Ines Min
ch pay a h 2010 fsva (p f). Ks paak jam-makg (p gh). Psmms hag y (abv).
now in korea
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now in korea
KyoboLifeInsurance
Te rst Asian Dream Cup, a charity soccer game, was
held on June 15 at Tong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi
Minh City, Vietnam. Famous soccer stars rom Korea
and other countries, including Park Ji-sung, Park Ju-
young and Nakata Hidetoshi, hosted a soccer clinic
in a bid to provide hope and support to young soccer
players in Vietnam. Prots rom ticket sales were
donated to help develop youth soccer in Vietnam.
Joined by other major stars, the estival was hosted
by the JS Foundation, a social contribution group
established by Park this year. Park says the oundation
was a dream o his, adding, Id like to help make
dreams come true and provide hope to children rom
poor amilies, while providing an arena or diferentcountries to exchange cultures through soccer.
Charity acts by celebrities like Park are not only
attracting attention, but also raising public awareness
on the concept o donating. Comedian Hwang Ki-
TheBeauty of
SharingAs the year comes to an end, a growingnumber o people rom sports stars tocorporations are giving moreattention to the underprivileged. Beyondthe conventional means o donating cashand goods, people are now volunteeringmore oten, while companies take agreater role in social responsibilityactivities. by Lee Se-mi
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their own pockets. Te oundation, which aims to help young
entrepreneurs, is the rst and to date largest social
welare project launched voluntarily by Korean business
leaders with their own unds.
Kyobo Lie Insurance, Koreas leading lie insurer, won
the Seoul Welare Award last year in recognition o its well-
organized and consistent volunteer activities, which are
considered a model or corporate social contribution.
Kyobo established the Dasomi Foundation, which b ecame
Koreas rst social corporation in 2007 based on the Kyobo
Dasomi Caregiver eam, which started earlier in 2003. Te
program runs in partnership with non-prot organizations,
training disadvantaged women to be come proessional
caregivers. Te women then return the ree ser vice by taking
care o low-income patients. What started with 20 caregivers
has today increased to 16,000.
SKs social contribution oundation, Happy Nanum
Foundation, is also carrying out a variety o programs, suchas Sunny (a college student-based volunteer group) and
supporting the establishment o social corporations, which
started with its Lunch Box to Share Happiness project.
Tis last project gives out ree and nutritious lunches to
www.korea.ne30|korea| december 2011
children and senior citizens. It also provides jobs by training
cooks rom socially marginalized groups so they can lead
better lives and become nancially independent. Tere are
currently 29 centers nationwide providing ree meals to 13,500
people a day, while employing more than 500 people, 84% o
which come rom low-income amilies.
Modern donations Te public is becoming more involved
in donating as well. As donations continue to increase, the way
in which people share is also expanding.
Park Im-ja joined a two-year volunteer program in
Dandong, China, as a member o an international volunteer
group organized by the Korea International Cooperation
Agency (KOICA). Now studying childrens psychology at
graduate school, she has been donating every month to several
non-prot organizations since 2005. For Park, donating is a
part o her lie. Ive been donating small amounts o money
like 10,000 won [US$8.71] every month to a ew groups,including UNICEF and Nanum Munhwa. Although its not
very much, it still gives me pleasure to share and makes me
more ullled as a person. It eels good to help others. Im
planning to gradually increase the amount as I graduate this
soon, who serves as a PR ambassador or the undraising
organization Community Chest Korea, has been holding
undraising events since 2000. In the past decade, he has
donated over 1,000 wheelchairs through the Big Bicycle
March. Singer Kim Jang-hun, afectionately known as
the Charity Angel, has donated more than 10 billion won
(US$8.7 million) rom his concerts and commercials.
noblesse oblige In Korea, many government-led
undraising activities were taken over by private institutions in
the 1990s. In 2000, the number o donation methods grew, as
corporate social contribution expanded and more individualsjoined charitable organizations.
Major Korean conglomerates are leading the way in the
corporate world when it comes to sharing. Such corporate
contribution is welcomed by the public as a practice o
noblesse oblige, as these companies help the underprivileged
by establishing social welare oundations.
Last October, nine presidents rom Hyundai Group
companies, including KCC, Hyundai Department Store,
Hyundai Development, HI Investment & Securities Co,
Ltd and Hyundai Heavy Industries, established the Asan
Foundation with 500 billion won (US$435.5 million) out o
HappyNanumFoundation(oppositebelow);JSFoundation(oppositeabove;above)
semester and get a job, she says.
From simple donations to emergency aid, young people
are now emphasizing the concept o helping, which has onl
increased with the accessibility o social media. Sharing has
become as easy as simply clicking a button now.
Te increasing use o smartphones has promoted diverse
ways to share through social networking sites (SNS) such
as witter, Facebook and Goo gle+. Tus, communicating
through SNS has provided new ways o outreach with its re
time communication making donations ast and easy.
Te domestic Internet site Happy Bean is a good exampl
o making donations a part o daily lie. Internet users can
support non-prot groups o their choice by using the sites
e-mail, or posting to blogs or Internet cas. Tey receive
beans, a donation medium equivalent to 100 won (roughl
US$0.10), and can make use o bean auctions, bean coupon
and a bean store. Te site was launched in 2007, and in 201
raised 550 million won (US$479,000) or the Haiti earthquaYoo Han-il, one o the sites bloggers, says, I like that I ca
donate to an organization Im interested in just by blogging
photos. It may not be a huge contribution, but it still makes
me eel good that I can share something.
Corporate donations
In 2009, corporate donations increased by 100 billion won (US$87.1
million) from the previous year. An emphasis on corporate social
responsibility has been increasing, and the total amount of donations has
risen every year. Since 2005, corporate donations have gone up by more
than a trillion won.
Unit: trillion won
Y 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Corporate Donations 2.5 2.8 3.3 3.4 3.5
(Source: Koreas National Tax Service)
ac H Hy-j wh c f cc Vm (v). Vu f uchx (w).pk J-u fu h f cc ().
entertainment
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Te Korean lm industry has been booming with hits in
recent years, and estivals dedicated to Korean lms are now
appearing across the world. Hallyu, or Korean wave, has
moved rom television dramas to K-pop and is now advancing
through the cinematic arts.
Reaching major cities such as London, Singapore, Australia,New York and even Abu Dhabi, a solid run o estivals took
place rom August to December. Some o the events are in
their inaugural year, while others like the London Korean
Film Festival now in its sixth installment are quicklyY
onhapNewsAgency
becoming traditions.
Te growth o Korean lm estivals can be attributed to
several actors. Te rst is the growing popularity o lms on
an international level. According to the London Film Festival
website, the total export o Korean movies in 1996 was about
US$400,000. As o 2005, just nine years later, the amountincreased to US$76 million.
Te quality o lms has also greatly improved over the years,
with a number o directors earning the spotlight with their
innovative works. Just this year, Park Chan-wook, Kim Ki-duk
award-winning lms, opening with Bareoot Ki-bong, a
touching story about a mentally disabled 40-year-old who
runs a hal marathon on behal o his mother. Lead actors S
Hyun-jun and ak Jae-hoon made a special appearance. Ot
eatures screened include Cannes Un Certain Regard-winn
Ha Ha Ha (2010) and indie ickRe-encounter.
Te month-long Korean Film Festival in Australia took
place in two cities, Sydney and Melbourne. Director Ryoo
Seung-wan made a special appearance, and his lm Te Un
served as the Sydney events opener. Te Australian estival
hosted a competition or budding ethnic Korean lmmaker
and an array o Korean traditional perormances were held
Abu Dhabi is holding a three-day estival rom Dec 18 to
o be screened is Old Partner, a documentary about an eldarmer and his 40-year-old cow; Le Grand Che, a story abo
two ches competing to be the heir to the last Royal Che o
the Joseon Dynasty; and Bronze Medalist, the touching stor
o an all-emale high school liing team rom a rural town.
The poster for years LondonKorean FilmFestival is seentheater (opposClockwise, fromfar left: a filmgat the Australifilm festival;director Kim Ji-woon (left) anLee Byung-hunthe London evin 2008; a Korefilm festival inMoscow this yvisitors inIndonesia at afestival in 2009
With the growing popularity o Korean ilms at international ilm ests, Hallyus next step is in theemergence o estivals devoted to local cinema popping up all over the world. by Emily Shook
Film Festival Frenzyand others were recognized at the triumvirate o lm estivals:
the Cannes Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival and the
Berlin International Film Festival.
Te other is the active support o Korean consulates,
embassies and organizations abroad, such as Korean culture
centers, the Korean Film Council and the Korean Creative
Content Agency. Korean lm estivals are oen hosted in
conjunction with either an embassy or cultural center.
Tis years London Korean Film Festival took place rom
Nov 3 to Nov 24 and screened a wide variety o lms, rom the
2011 amily drama Sunny to the animated box ofce success
Leafe, a Hen into the Wild(based on the popular childrens
novel). Te estival has proven itsel a must-go venue or
Korean cinephiles looking to be the rst to see major Koreanworks. Kim Han-mins box-ofce hitArrow: the Ultimate
Weapon made its UK premiere as the events opening eature
while Kim Ki-duksArirangclosed the event.
Tis years Singapore Korean Film Festival ocused on
sports
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www.korea.ne
a sport that receives very little interest
rom the Korean population and or
which there is little inrastructure.
Beore I made the national team, I
trained at a school gymnasium without
a proper mat. And it was so cold that I
easily got ankle or wrist injuries Tere
is only one rhythmic gymnastics mat
that meets the international standard in
Korea. Tats at the National raining
Center (in northern Seoul), Son said in
a Yonhap interview last year.
Most people probably havent yet
heard o Yang Hak-seon, or know much
about the intricacies o the vault in
gymnastics. But that may soon change
completely. At the world gymnastics
championships in okyo in October,
Yang won the mens vault in historic
ashion, by attempting the most
dicult vault ever attempted at a world
championship. He was almost perect,
taking just a small step aer sticking the
landing, exhibiting great power, strength
and speed in the process.
Yang unveiled the handspring ront
triple twist back in July at a competition
in Korea, in which he also took gold.
Te vault has a degree o diculty o
7.4, while the other top competitors
in okyo attempted vaults no harder
than 7.0. Te event sent a clear signal
that hes the best in the world right
now, eectively raising the bar or the
competition in London.
Perhaps no Korean athlete casts as
great a shadow as Kim Yu-na, still one
o Koreas biggest stars, in sports or
otherwise, at home and abroad. But she
was not the only Korean emale gure
skater competing in Vancouver. Kwak
Min-jeong was a respectable 13th, and is
still just 17 years old.She was eighth at the Four Continents
Championship and third at the Asian
Winter Games this year. It remains to be
seen i she can take the next step in this
34|korea| december 2011
No matter the sport,
Korean ans love a
world-beater. Despite
the low prole o
gure skating in
Korea, Kim Yu-na
became one o the
countrys most
beloved celebritiesas she ascended
to the top
o the
gure
skating world. Swimmer Park ae-hwan
became a celebrity in his own right aer a
gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic
Games, and even those who know little
about swimming have ollowed the ups
and downs o his career.
Te ame o Jang Mi-ran a Beijing
gold medalist in weightliing and
ocially the worlds strongest woman extends beyond the sporting world,
while Manchester United midelder
Park Ji-sung (aka, Tree-Lung Park) tops
them all. His status as a sports icon was
cemented during the 2002 FIFA World
Cup and reached new heights when he
joined the English Premier League club
a ew years later.
Yet a new crop o athletes who have
thus ar fown below the radar are
looking to enshrine their names among
Koreas biggest sporting stars. Nineteen-
year-old gymnast Yang Hak-seon and17-year-old rhythmic gymnast Son
Yeon-jae have both qualied or their
rst Olympic Games and will arrive in
London next summer with plenty o
potential. Meanwhile, 2012 could see
an heir apparent or Queen Yu-na move
into the spotlight and Koreas next Major
League Baseball player make his big
league debut.
Six months o competing and training
abroad culminated with gymnast Son
Yeon-jae qualiying or the Olympics at
the 2011 World Rhythmic Gymnastics
Championships in Montpellier, France,
nishing 11th among 24 nalists in the
individual nal. She will be among a
group o just 16 competitors in London
in the all-around event, which includes
the hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon. Son
will spend most o the next ew months
training in Russia with her coach,
Nadezda Kholodkova.
Son will be one o Koreas most
marketable athletes in the run-up to the
Olympics. Her graceul, acrobatic moves
and beauty have led many to draw
comparisons between her and Kim Yu-
na. Im pleased that they compare me
to her shes so great, Son told YonhapNews Agency last year. But I have a
long way to go.
Te comparisons to Kim dont stop
there. Like Kim, Son is competing inY
onhapNewsAgency
winters major competitions.
Meanwhile, in Major League Baseb
Park Chan-hos return to Asia and Ch
Shin-soos struggles this past season
have le baseball ans hoping that a n
star can emerge in the major leagues.
In 2012, that player could be Lee Hak
ju, a 21-year-old shortstop rom Jeonj
Jeollabuk-do Province. Lee has climb
the rankings among proessional sco
who believe the amp
Bay Rays
player could
be an excellent
leado hitter withspeed and play excelle
deense, with the
potential to someday be
an all-star.
Clockwise, fromopposite bottom:17-year-old figureskater Kwak Min-
jeong; 17-year-oldrhythmic gymnastSon Yeon-jae;gymnast YangHak-seon; skaterKwak; Sonperforms.
Success at home is one thing, but when an athletegoes abroad and beats the world, he or she is assureda heros welcome back home. KOREA looks at ourathletes who may be the next to reach superstardom, taking a place alongside Queen Yu-na, theChoo Choo rain and hree-Lung Park. by Matt Flemming
Finding theNext Star
special issue
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K
oreaTourismO
rganiza
tion
On Nov 11 at 4am (KS) an announcement was made in
Zurich, Switzerland, that sent more than 1,000 people gathered
on Jeju Island into a renzy. Jeju had been named one o the
new Seven Wonders o Nature in a competition hosted by the
New7Wonders Foundation, a Swiss NGO that conserves and
promotes heritage sites around the world.
Te competition was the second o its kind rom the NGO,
which previously selected Seven Wonders o the World in 2007
rom a selection o 200 monuments. Jejus win is a part o the
oundations second project to nd the New Seven Wonders
o the Natural World. Aer a verication process, the winners
will be ocially inaugurated in early 2012.
Ranked 261st out o 440 initial locations in December 2008,
Jeju was voted one o the 28 nalists in July 2009. Koreas
largest island was then successully voted into the top 10beore it was announced as one o the nal seven. Te other
six winners are the Amazon in South America; Ha Long
Bay, Vietnam; Iguazu Falls, Argentina and Brazil; Komodo
National Park, Indonesia; Puerto Princesa Underground River,
the Philippines; and able Mountain, South Arica.
Te Foundation had several criteria or competitors, at least
one o which had to be met in order to qualiy: landscape,
island, volcanoes, beaches, caves, rainall and orests. Some
speculate that one o the reasons why Jeju was selected is
because it is the only entry that met all seven criteria.
Te island has long been a popular destination or couples in
Korea, as well as a popular spot or lming V dramas due to
its warm climate and sandy beaches. But aside rom the love-
struck couples wandering along the islands beaches, there is
just as much un to be had or the scientically minded.Geomunoreum , which reers to the oreum (Jeju dialect or
parasite volcano), is regarded as the nest system o lava tube
caves anywhere a act not lost on UNESCO, which in 2007
recognized it as a World Natural Heritage Site.
Seongsan Ilchulbong peak is perhaps one o the islands
most iconic vistas, a 600-meter-wide crater rising rom the
sea whose northwest side is a verdant hill that connects to
Seongsan Village. In spring, the islands hillsides are swathe
in bright yellow rape owers that overlook gol courses and
network oolle walking trails.
Te trails, 200km o connecting paths that take travelers
all along the south coast o Jeju, were inspired by the amou
Pilgrims rail in Spain and made rom hidden, orgotten
routes. Te trails take visitors through orests, mountains a
beaches, and ofer unrivalled viewsJejus dramatic volcanic landscape.
Another unique attraction is the
islands haenyeo. Concentrated on
Udo Island (Cow Island), the haen
are women amed or their natural
skills as divers. Udo is small enoug
that it can be traversed in a ew hours by scooter or gol car
Recently, Jeju has become known or its gol acilities,
which are so high-end that the island hosted a PGA our A
event in 2004 at Jungmun Beach Gol Club. Highlighting th
investment made in the island is the increase in world-clas
gol courses, and the 12 country clubs in 2004 have more th
doubled to 28 as o last year.
According to the Korea JoongAng Daily, around 700,000
tourists visited the island in 2010, accounting or 8.8% ototal tourist gures or the mainland. Te Jeju Developmen
Institute projects that the results o the competition will
increase tourism to the island by 8.5% in Korean tourists an
massive 73.6% in oreign visitors.
Mount Hallasan is anicon of Jeju Island(opposite). A haenyeodiver returns with hercatch (top left). An aerialphoto of SeongsanIlchulbong (above right).
A New WorldWonder
Jeju Island
Jeju Island, also known as the Honeymoon Isle, wasrecently voted by members o the international public as
one o the new Seven Wonders o Nature, beating outsome pretty prestigious competition. by Rob McGovern
summit diplomacy
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www.korea.net38|korea| december 2011
meters o natural gas annually rom
Russia. For a country that importsnearly all o its energy, Koreas deal
with Russia would ll 20% o the
energy-hungry nations projected
demands in 2015.
The 30-year, US$90 billion deal,
however, moved slowly because
relations between the two Koreas
worsened rapidly.
Russia has recently moved to nudge
the North to cooperate, and the stalled
project gained momentum in August
when North Korean leader Kim Jong-
il met with Medvedev and expressed
the isolated communist regimes
willingness to cooperate with the
pipeline construction.
More progress was made beore
Lees visit to Russia. The Korea Gas
Corporation and Russias state giant
Gazprom agreed in September to a
new timetable o the gas pipeline
project. They agreed that the
construction o the pipeline will beg
in 2013, and the Siberian gas supply
the North will start in 2017.
The two leaders agreed that the
project, when successully carriedout, will bring economic benets to
all three countries involved And
they agreed to cooperate closely,
said Park Jeong-ha, a Cheong Wa Da
spokesman.
Lee stressed that the project will n
only provide economic gains, but al
contribute to peace on the Korean
Peninsula and improve inter-Korean
relations. However, the president als
spoke to the Russian leader about
concerns o a North Korean risk.
Because o the Norths past two
provocations, the people are very
concerned about the risk o building
pipeline through the North, Lee wa
quoted as saying by Park during the
summit. We have high expectation
or Russias role to resolve the issue.
According to Park, the Russian
expanding an
international network
An ambitious energy cooperation
project between Korea and Russia was
discussed during President Lee Myung-
baks summit with Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev in early November, as
the two leaders rearmed their close
cooperation to provide Russias naturalgas to South Korea via a pipeline
through North Korea. In addition to
his trip to Russia, Lee visited France to
attend the Group o 20 Summit and
joined the premier orum to talk about
the global economic crisis.
GAS PIPELINE PROJECT Lee arrived in
St Petersburg, Russia, on Nov 1 and
met with his Russian counterpart the
next day. During the summit, the
two leaders discussed a wide range
o issues to delve into ways to give
more concrete shape to the strategic
cooperative partnership between the
two nations, to enhance substantive
collaboration and to work closelytogether or the modernization o the
Russian economy, according to the
Korean presidential oce o Cheong
Wa Dae (the Blue House).
In addition, the two leaders discussed
issues concerning the Korean Peninsula
and the international community, such
as eorts to end North Koreas nuclear
arms programs.
The highlight o Lee and Medvedevs
summit was their discussion on the
project to supply Russias natural gas to
Korea as early as 2015 possibly via
North Korea by building a pipeline. The
massive project has been in talks or
two decades, and an agreement was
conceived in September 2008 during
Lees rst summit with Medvedev in
Moscow. According to the deal, Korea
would buy at least 10 billion cubicYonhapNewsAg
ency
President Lee Myung-bak and Russian PresidentDmitry Medvedev greet each other warmly(opposite). Members of the Group of 20 stand fora group photo at the G20 Summit in Cannes,France (above).
President Lee Myung-bak visited Russia in November to push orward an ambitious project toimport Russias natural gas via a pipeline through North Korea. He moved on to France, where
Lee urged business leaders to work w ith governments to ght the nancial crisis. by Ser Myo-ja
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www.korea.ne40|korea| december 2011
including collaboration or thesuccessul hosting o Seouls Nuclear
Security Summit and Vladivostoks Asia-
Pacic Economic Cooperation (APEC)
summit next year.
According to Cheong Wa Dae, the
two leaders agreed to cooperate closely
to resume the six-party nuclear talks
to end North Koreas atomic weapons
programs, based on the understanding
that a comprehensive and undamental
resolution o the nuclear crisis on the
peninsula is the key to peace and
stability o the region.
Following the summit, Lee attended
a luncheon hosted by his Russian
counterpart. They later attended the
closing ceremony o the Korea-RussiaDialogue, hosted by St Petersburg State
University. It was the second time that
the two countries hosted the event.
The November visit was Lees third
trip to Russia during his term. It was
the leaders sixth summit, and their
meetings have become a routine part
o the two countries eorts to improve
ties, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
SEEKING BUSINESS COOPERATION
Following his visit to Russia, Lee arrived
in Cannes, France, to take part in
the G20 and a conerence o global
business leaders on the sidelines o the
premier orum.
According to Cheong Wa Dae, the
agenda o the G20 Summit included
response measures or the nancial
crisis in the euro zone, macroeconomic
policy coordination or the recovery