KOREA magazine [DECEMBER 2011 VOL. 8 NO. 12]

8/3/2019 KOREA magazine [DECEMBER 2011 VOL. 8 NO. 12]

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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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www.korea.ne12|korea| december 2011

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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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


10/29


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,


With the dusk, together, just we two,

at a sign from a cloud after playing on the slo


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?


11/29


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.


12/29


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)


13/29

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


14/29

24|korea| december 2011 www.korea.ne

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


15/29


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


16/29


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


17/29

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


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


18/29


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


19/29

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


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


20/29


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


21/29


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


22/29


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

KOREA magazine [DECEMBER 2011 VOL. 8 NO. 12]

Documents

Transcript of KOREA magazine [DECEMBER 2011 VOL. 8 NO. 12]