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contentsdecember 2012 Vol.8 no.12

02

Cover StoryGreen Growthor All

Green KoreaGreen World

Going Green withthe GlobeKorea Leads theGreen Way

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korea december 20124

COVER STORY

Going Green with the GlobeKoreA leAds the Green wAy

The past four years have seen Korea make stellar progress in low-carbon green growth.

The government established legal and institutional frameworks to facilitate reductions ingreenhouse gas emissions and has invested increasingly heavily in green technologies and

industries,leading the international community in the green way.by Lee Jeong-eun and Chung Da-young / in cooperation with the Presidential Committee on Green Growth

South KoreasGreen Leadership

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the

foundation of the nation in 2008, President Lee

Myung-bak announced the beginning of the

green growth paradigm.

I propose a new vision for the nation:

Low Carbon Green Growth. Green growthis sustainable growth that al so reduces

greenhouse gases and environmental pollution.

It will be a new paradigm for national

development that creates jobs and new dr ivers

of growth for the nation.

His ambitious plans included setting up the

Presidential Committee on Green Growth an

the more dicult launching of an internatio

organization related to green growth. His

government has followed through, and after

four years, the nation is celebrating the rst

fruits of its success.

GREEN CENTER OF THE WORLD

On October 20, the Board of the Green

Climate Fund (GCF) announced that Songdo

International Business District in Incheon w

the competition to host the GCF. Five other

countries including Germany, Mexico, Nam

Poland, and Switzerland had also made bids

The GCF is a multibillion-dollar UN-oper

fund founded three years ago within the

framework of the UN Framework Conventio

on Climate Change to assist and n ance

developing countries adaptation and mitiga

practices to counter climate change. At the

Copenhagen COP in 2009, developed nationagreed to increase climate aid, now about U

ten billion a year, to an an nual USD 100 billi

by 2020 to help developing countries curb

greenhouse gas emissions and cope with o

droughts, heat waves, and rising sea levels.

that time, the fund should be comparable in

to the International Monetary Fund, and the

GCF should be commensurate in status with

World Bank and the Asian Development Ba

South Koreas hosting of the GCF Secretaria

evidences the nations international status an

inuence within the world as an active play

in green growth. When the GCF secretariat

establishes its headquarters in Songdo next

year, it will be the rst major international

organization to be based in S outh Korea and

the rst environmental organization in Asia

Before the bid for the GCF secretariat, Sou

Korea had already established two centers fo

strategy and technology development in the

eld of green growth: the Global Green Grow

The Hangwon Wind PowerGeneration Complex in Jejuis Koreas frst wind powergenerators generating21,900 MW o energyannually.

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COVER STORY

Institute (GGGI) and the Green

Technology Center Korea (GTCK)

initiated and set up by the Korean

government.

The GGGI, established in June

2010, is a thin k tank t hat develops

strategies for environment-

friendly economic growth. It is

an outgrowth of President Lees

commitment to next-generation

energy sources and technologies fordeveloped countries. The GGGI was

acknowledged as an international

organization at the Rio+20 Summit in Brazil

days after the announcement of Songdo. The

GTCK was launched in March this year as a

center of green technology R&D.

The establishment of the two was part of a

broader eort by Korean ocials to turn Asias

fourth-largest economy into a greener one and

share its experience with other countries.

Since President Lee Myung-bak proclaimed

green growth as a new n ational vision in 2008,

the government has allocated two percent of

the nations GDP per year toward reducing

local economies heavy dependence on fossilfuels, increasing use of alternative energy,

and development of green industries. In 2009,

the country pledged to cut its greenhouse gas

emissions by 30 percent from business-as-usual

levels by 2020. This May, the National Assembly

nearly unanimously passed legislation for the

establishment of a national carbon exchange

system by January 2015.

The three organizations (GCF, GGGI, and

GTCK) will be the nance, strategy, and

technology entities of the Green Triangle

initiative envisioned by the South Korean

government to build a sustainable platform

for green growth. South Korea has secured a

position in the international society as a political

bridge through numerous achievements such as

hosting events including the G20 Seoul Summit

in 2010 and the 2012 Seoul Nuclear Security

Summit. And now with the Green Trianglepieced together, South Korea is better positioned

to establish itself as a global environment leader.

Green Technology

South Korea is one of the rst countriesto

enshrine green growth in its national

development strategy. In 2008, the country

dedicated 80 percent of its scal stimulus

plan to green growth projects, particularly

infrastructure and transportation. The following

year, the government announced plans to invest

USD 85 billion in clean energy technologies

and implement its green growth plan, creating

more than one million new jobs and bolstering

a clean-tech export industry.

These plans were disclosed in 2009 during a

session overseen by the Presidential Committee

on Green Growth Strategy and Five-Year Green

Growth Plan (2009-2013). The government

presented its goal to become one of the top

seven global green powerhouses by 2020 and

one of the top ve by 2050. Since 2009, the

government has developed and invested in

new green technologies and implemented the

proposed policies.

CARBON TRADE SYSTEM

One of the ideas the government has beenpushing for is a carbon-trading system

requiring companies to reduce greenhouse

gas emissions. Under the so-called cap-and-

trade system on the emissions of greenhouse

gases, rms will have to trade allowances on

emissions measured in tons among themselves

in a marketplace like a stock exchange.

In the initial stage, the government will hand

out most of the allowances free of charge. The

cap will vary by company and industry. Then,

starting in 2013, the rms will have to keep their

emissions below the cap, or buy quotas from

other rms who have excess allowances. The

price will be naturally determined by supply

and demand in the market.Local business associations have opposed the

scheme, citing the cost. However, ocials assert

that the carbon-trading system is crucial toward

reducing the heavy dependence on oil and gas

imports and developing alternative energy

sources that are friendly to t he environment.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

The current government also aims to increase

South Koreas dependence on renewable energy

for all energy needs from 2.4 percent last year

to over 11 percent by 2030. The Renewable

Portfolio Standard (RPS), mandatory usage

of renewable energy for public buildings, the

One Million Green Homes Project, and greencar development are some of the governments

plans that are under way to realize t his scheme.

The usage of renewable energy for public

buildings was implemented in 2004, but

this policy has been strengthened after the

governments green g rowth plan. Before, ve

percent of the total construction fees for new

public buildings was set aside for installi ng

renewable energy systems. Now, ten percent

of total energy consumption must be met by

renewable energy. More homes are using solar

and geothermal power as sources of energy

instead of gas and fuel. In 2010, nearly 30,000

homes were transformed into green homes

with support from the government.South Korea is also leading the global

industry in green technology development.

Companies such as Samsung SDI and LG

Chemical have claimed more than 40 percent

of the global market for lithium secondary

batteries that are used to power smart phones

1 President Lee Myung-bakvisited Ilulissat during hisofcial visit to Greenland inSeptember.2 The GGGI wasacknowledged as aninternational organization atthe Rio+20 Summit 2012.

1

2

1 The Songdo I-Tower iIncheon will house the GSecretariat.

2 A hydrogen car uelleby a hydrogen uel cell.is recognized as the ecriendly car o the uture

1 2

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COVER STORY

and electric cars. Exports of secondary batteries

reached USD four billion in 2011, nearly double

the USD 2.5 billion level in 2009.

The countrys competitive edge in the

secondary battery market is also inuencingeco-friendly green car development. In 2010,

Hyundai Motor Company developed the

nations rst full-speed battery electric vehicle

(EV): the BlueOn. The South Korean government

has promised to support the private sector in

developing the parts and materials needed for

EV manufacturing, and it is already providing

a subsidy of USD 18,000 for each rst-time

EV buyer.

The East Asia ClimatePartnership (EACP)

Its so good to be able to read books at night!

exclaimed Bopha, a 12-year-old boy living inthe small village of Ta Ken Koh Sla in Kampot

Province, Cambodia.

Ta Ken Koh Sla was established for disabled

military veterans. This means that it is the

women and children who labor to earn a l iving.

The general living conditions are, naturally,

extremely poor. What is more, roughly 70

percent of Cambodian territory has no electric

power.

The only electricity the villagers of Ta Ken

Koh Sla could use was battery power, and thebatteries had to be recharged at a private diesel

power plant once every three or four days. That

is, until t hey got their own solar plant last May.

The Korea International Cooperation Agency

(KOICA) constructed two solar plants of 30

kW and 60 kW capacity as part of the East Asia

Climate Partnership (EACP), KOICAs agship

program. The 60 kW plant serves Ta Ken Koh

Sla, allowing the vil lagers to read and watch

TV as they please.

The EACP is KOICAs program to facilitate

green growth in Asia and help developing

countries better respond to climate change.

It was initiated at President Lee Myung-baks

suggestion at the G8 Summit held i n July2008. The EACP has since become a byword

for environment-friendly ocial development

assistance (ODA) for developing countries.

A new buzzword in the international

community is green ODA, and the EACP is

a green ODA initiative. There are not yet any

clear criteria for green ODA, but the OECD

Development Assistance Committees aid-

to-environment policy marker and the Rio

Markers must generally apply. Put succinctly,

green ODA considers the recipient countrysenvironment and green growth. Korea also

considers new and renewable energy in

addition to those factors.

The EACP helps residents in poor,

underdeveloped areas use a range of new and

renewable energy sources including solar

energy, hydroelectric power, biomass, and waste,

thereby facilitating job creation and boosting

incomes. The EACP is presently conducting 20

projects in ten countries including Sri Lanka

and Mongolia.

ODA AS A GREEN WAY

The Korean government has more plans for

green ODA. The Presidential Committee onGreen Growth (PCGG) foresees green ODA

representing at least 30 percent of Koreas total

ODA by 2020. Korea is especially competitive

in such areas as new and renewable energy,

energy eciency, and water management.

Increasing green ODA not only means a greener

future for developing countries, but also more

opportunities for Korean companies to enter

developing green markets with great growth

potential.

As seen in the Cambodian case earlier,

the EACP helps improve the quality of life

in the recipient countries, leaving a good

impression of Korea in their hearts, and above

all things heightens the awareness of green

growth among the governments and peoples

of the recipient countries.

Koreas green ODA will stimulate its own

growth and instill hope and dreams in the

hearts of numerous kids like Bopha in many

underdeveloped places across the world.

1 The LED panel installedin the ceiling o the ExpoDigital Gallery was a greathit during Expo 2012 Yeosu.

2 Smart grid and electricalinstallation

1 A view o the S ihwahLake Tidal Power Statio

2 Batteries being rechaat the solar power plantKoh Slar, Cambodia1

2

1

2

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COVER STORY

Why do we need green growth as a

new economic growth model?

Humanity, especially in advanced

countries, has, since the Industrial

Revolution, pursued economic growth,

depleting natural resources and

damaging the environment. This path

of economic growth is termed brown

growth. As a result, the planet,

humanitys only home, faces a serious

environmental crisis. Green growth

is meant to address the adverse side

eects of brown growth by suppressing

all sorts of activities th at damage

the environment through regulation

and taxation and thereby revamping

pricing systems to the eect they

become more environment-friendly.

Green growth is also about more

support for eco-friendly technologies

and industries.

Fully aware of the need for a new

means of achieving long-term growth

and a new economic paradigm, the

Korean government declared a national

vision with a focus on low-carbon

green growth for the next 60 years at

national ceremony commemorating t he

60th anniversary of the founding of the

Republic of Korea on August 15, 2008.

Green growth is no longer conned to

Korea, but has become a shared asset

growth an integral part of the everyday

life of Koreans, the government is

promoting green cities, buildings,

transportation, education, and lifestyle

in numerous ways. For example, we

plan to lay more railways, encourage

the use of bicycles instead of cars for

commuting, and induce people to

generate less food waste.

More and more businesses are

opting for green management with aforward-looking attitude. They invest

more in green technology to create

a new source of competitiveness.

Environment-friendly companies are

perceived as consumer-friendly, and

the public also feels the need for a

change in lifestyle to save energy and

reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

What are the challenges that the next

administration should tackle for

green growth?

The groundwork for green growth,

including the legal and organizational

frameworks and mid- and long-term

plans, has been established, but more

detailed institutional reforms are

necessary to achieve a more substantial

outcome. The reform of pricing and

taxation systems and other specic

institutional improvements should

be made to encourage businesses

and individuals to save more energy,

thereby reducing greenhouse gas

emissions. Deregulation and a support

system for green technology and

industries are called for to make new

and renewable energy more feasible.

The publics awareness of the

importance of green growth has risen,

but many still believe that green

growth means a lower quality of life

with annoying inconveniences. For this

reason, the practice of green growth

has been limited. If the incumbent

is needed more desperately than ever,

the roles of the three organizations are

expected to expand.

What are the major outcomes of green

growth in Korea?

For the past four years, the PCGG

along with ot her relevant government

agencies, many businesses, and

citizens have all made eorts to lay

the foundation for green growth.

For example, we now have an

overall framework, a system to

facilitate reductions in greenhouse

gas emissions, and green industries

that are ready to help drive national

economic growth. Of course, it is

premature to evaluate the outcome of

Koreas green growth policy, but I see

meaningful change.

The paradigm for national economic

growth changed from brown to green

growth, and we have established the

legal and institutional g roundwork to

underpin the change.

A ve-year plan for green growth

and national targets on reductions in

greenhouse gas emissions have been set,

and green technologies and industries

are receiving more investment. Green

industries are becoming the next great

growth driver. In order to make green

government has focused on paving

the way for green growth, the next

government should make aggressive

advances by making the case for green

growth so that the public will translate

their awareness into real practice.

What are the primary diplomatic

outcomes so far and Koreas role to

play in the international community

in regards green growth?

Koreas multifarious eorts to

establish green growth as a new

growth paradigm in the international

community have garnered signicant

outcomes. At such international

organizations as the OECD and

the United Nations, Korea has led

discussions on green growth and

suggested the adoption of declarations,

resulting in the adoption of the

Declaration on Green Growth by the

OECD ministers. The OECD is also

drawing up a Green Growth Strategy

Report. At the 2010 G20 Seoul Summit,

From Brown to Green GrowthChairman Yang Soo-gil of the Presidential Committee on Green Growth

Korea has been in the vanguard of shaping the worlds green growth paradigm for the past four years.Chairman Yang Soo-gil of the Presidential Committee on Green Growth (PCGG) tells us the outcomes of

Koreas effort for green growth so far, the hurdles ahead, Koreas role in the international communityas a green growth leader, and future directions. by Lee Jeong-eun

in the international community.

What is the meaning and role of the

so-called green triangle?

The green triangle refers to a green

architecture for all with the three

organizations for green growth that

involve Korea. They are the Global

Green Growth Inst itute (GGGI),

the Green Climate Fund (GCF) of

the United Nations, and the Green

Technology Center-Korea (GTCK).

The completion of this green triangle

has made Korea a global leader

in green growth. As international

cooperation to counter climate change

INTERVIEW

Korea as the chair incorporated its

support for the promotion of green

growth in the summit agreement,

and at the 2012 Rio+20 summit, Kor

presented green growth as an i nclu

action-oriented strategy for sustain

development and an nounced its pla

to pursue a Global Green Growth

Partnership.

The launch of the GGGI, which is

the rst international organization

of which founding was led by

Korea, Songdos hosting of the GCF

Secretariat, and KOICAs EACP are

examples of Koreas leading role in

promotion of global green growth.

The green way is a long way. As

a leader in green growth, Korea

needs to continue contributing to

international climate change eorts

continue to promote green growth,

and devise eective policies so that

its green eorts in concert with

countries around the world will

bear fruit for all.

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PEN & BRUSH

Rambling with a humorous facial expression,tigers pass by peony blossoms, which areexpressed with sophisticated scrumbling. On a

slender pine twig is a magpie with good news

to share.

Lee Yong-aes paintings are creations of

delicate touches of the brush. They feature

animals, plants, and objects that have long

been familiar to Koreans, as well as the lives ofKoreans. Traditional Korean folk painting called

minhwa is believed to be hundreds of years

old and is a treasured cultural legacy.Minhwa

paintings depict peoples lives and wishes

through humor and satire.

Ever since she discovered the value and

beauty ofminhwa 15 years ago, Lee has been

immersed in this genre of art. It took her years

to master the basic techniques ofminhwa, which

are notoriously dicult to acquire.

The rst step of painting i s to dye paper

using alder cones and gardenia seeds. The

possibilities for eect are endless. The shades of

color depend on the thickness of the paper, the

type and concentration of dye, and the numberof times the paper is dyed. This is why she dyes

her paper herself. After the paper is ready, she

decides what story to tell. The next step i s to

nally grab a brush.

First, she does a rough sketch with meok

(traditional black ink), and then colors the

painting using bunchae (special color paints),

beginning with white. Bunchae is not easy to

use. You have to rub a bunchae stick in water on

an inkstone or plate to make it uid paint.

Bunchae paints become solid or evaporate

quickly, says Lee, so I have to concentrate very

hard for three or four hours at a time. The white

bunchae is an especially sensitive paint, because

the seashell powder tends to precipitate and

renders dierent shades of white whenever it isstirred up.

When a painting is about 90 percent

completed, she brings it to a paper backing

shop to make the paper smooth and even.

As a nal step, she paints t he most important

and exquisite parts, small as they are. Shes

been following the same process for years,

but that does not mean she didnt have any

inner conicts about the direction of her art.

TRADITION OR REINTERPRETATION

One day, she was at an important crossroads:

shall I cling to the tradition ofminhwa or

creatively reinterpret it from a modern

point of view? The answer seemed elusive,but she eventu ally decide d to walk the two

ways at the same time. She decided to keep

the symbolism and humor ofminhwa, but

creatively experiment with it on the way.

Symbolism is what makes minhwaminhwa.

Painting the landscape as it un folds before

Aesthetic Symbolism Captured on Canvas

Folk Art PAinterlee Yong-Ae

Minhwa is a genre o traditional Korean olk art that has seen renewed interest inrecent years. The minhwa paintings by Lee Yong-ae are humorous, imaginative, and

unpresumptuous, capturing the lives o Koreans through symbolic gures and objects.

As a contemporary traditional olk artist, she experiments a great deal while retainingthe essential elements o traditional Korean olk painting.by Im Sang-bum / photographs by Moon Duk-gwan

Happy. A painting with

a very modern eature,

the English word

happy; 50 x 80cm,

2012.

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1 Artist Lee Yong-ae paintsminhwaas i she is praying.2 Lee uses a special paintcalled bunchaeor her work.

PEN & BRUSH

her eyes or an ideal world in an aesthetic

manner cant be minhwa, which ha s a clear

goal of depicting human lives using symbolic

figures, creatures, and objects. Everything

that is featured in a minhwa painting has its

own meaning. Peony blossoms symbolize

wealth and honor, pomegranates fecundity,

vases peace at home, and magpies good

news and blessings. Tigers are believed to

chase away evil spirits and bad luck. Tigersand magpies also symbolize greedy and

corrupt government officials and commoners

respectively. So a minhwa painting of a magpie

perched on a pine tree teasing and provoking

a tiger is full of humor and satire.

Lee constantly poses questions to herself on

how to respect the traditional form ofminhwa

but also rearrange the symbols in new and

varied ways. She doesnt constrain herself to

the real sizes and proportions of things and

even uses English words like happy in her

paintings. In order to give a three-dimensional

feel, she paints butteries separately and glues

them on afterwards.

Her solo exhibition held this last October

vividly demonstrated how she is walking thetwo ways simultaneously. Half of the exhibited

works were faithful to the tradition ofminhwa,

and the other half were minhwa paintings that

incorporate modern formative arts. Some view

her new minhwa style as pop art or Western

painting.

Lee is not alone. Recent years have seen

young painters attempt to reinterpret minhwa,

and she applauds them. Some paint minhwa on

canvas using acrylic paints; some create collagesusing clippings of photos and minhwa. It is

now common to frame a minhwa painting and

hang it in a modern space rather than hang it

in the form of a scroll.Minhwa paintings from

hundreds of years ago are dierent from todays

not only in content but also in form.

MINHWA AS PRAYERS

The value ofminhwa was hidden for so long,

like a ne pearl in the mud. Only in recent years

has the genre d rawn renewed appreciation. To

borrow Lees expression, minhwa is not fettered

by a strict frame of form, but a genre of freedom,

perhaps the best to encapsulate Korean humor

and satire and human beings universal wishesfor health, happiness, and abundance.

In that sense, minhwa is like a prayer for Lee.

Deeply absorbed in painting, she consigns

to oblivion her lifes tribulations, which any

soul must go through, and gains peace at

heart, set free from all the noisy voices within.

Minhwa also leads

Lee to moments of

enlightenment. While

coloring her painting,there comes a moment

to stop. When she

fails to stop, she soon

realizes what human

greed is, once again.

Perhaps, minhwa

is an ascetic means

by which Lee Yong-

ae perfects herself

as a human being

and an artist. What

is admirable about her practice of asceticism is

that she does not remain in her inner world, but

reaches out to t he outer world.

I can help others only just so much withmoney, Lee says. My humble hope is that

people will smile and be at peace when they see

my paintings, even if only for a moment.

Like those by painters of hundreds of years

ago, Lee Yong-aes minhwa paintings console

many souls of her time.

Shall We Talk?A paintingthat Lee Yong-ae did

when thinking o her son

and hersel. Its gold dust

accents are beautiul; 90x

85cm, 2011.

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PEOPLE

Incooperationwithwww.forthenextgeneration.com

Good morning, Doctor!Hi, Matae. Are you sick?I have a cold. No temperature, just a runny

nose. Im wearing ve layers, but caught a cold

anyway.

Oh, youre wearing too many clothes. Look

at this sweat. If you wear too much, you are

actually more likely to catch a cold. Drivingthe garbage truck early in the morning must be

hard.

Matae (a Korean transliteration of Matthew)

frequents the clinic oce of Dr. Cho Byung-kuk.

He has a mental disability. Like a small child

who looks around for his mom as soon as he

wakes up in the morning, Matae comes to her

oce at the slightest cough or scratch. It is his

very heart that he wants to have cured.

At a clinic attached to Holt Chi ldrens

Services, Cho spent about 50 years as a mother

and physician of children who were waiting to

be adopted. Today, she works for persons who

were not adopted because of their disabilities.

Next year, she turns 80, but she can not leaveHolt.

I joined the clinic in 1974 and retired in

1993, says Cho. Because of the low pay,

nobody wanted to ll the vacancy. So, I worked

there for another 15 years with the title, former

director. One day, I had to put down my

stethoscope for a while due to serious shoulder

pains. Some time later, I received a call from the

Holt Ilsan Center. They asked me to take care of

disabled children just for four months. That was

already three years ago.

The Holt Ilsan Center opened i n 1961 for

children who are both disabled and orphaned.

Their disabilities prevented them from beingadopted. The center is home to 270 persons

with disabilities including some who came here

when the center opened. Matae is one of t hem.

The residents not only receive training and

treatment, but learn how to live as independent

human beings. Mataes disability is not too

serious, so he works at the center to support

his wife and children.

MOTHER OF 60,000 ADOPTEES

Chos reasons for becoming a medical doctor

are painful. After losing two younger siblings

to disease and then seeing people injured and

dying during t he Korean War, she decided to

become a life-restoring doctor. She graduatedfrom Yonsei University School of Medicine

and did her internship at Seoul City Dongbu

Childrens Hospital, where she also served as

a resident. Before she joined Holt Childrens

Services years later, she volunteered there.

In the 1960s, Korea was an extremely

A Grandma With a Stethoscope

Dr. Cho BYung-kukShe spent about hal a century at a clinic attached to Holt Childrens Services Inc. as

a mother and physician o children waiting to be adopted. At nearly the age o 80, shestill holds her stethoscope to the chests o patientsorphaned and disabledto hear

their lungs and hearts. She tells us hopeul stories o one o the lowliest places in theworld.by Lee Jeong-eun / photographs by Moon Duk-gwan

PEOPLE

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PEOPLE

soon lifted, she had already suered great

frustration, asking herself, Was what I d id

merely to export orphans? She had only hoped

to nd new parents for sick and abandoned

children to help them grow in loving homes, but

there were few in Korea who were willing and

qualied to adopt such children. Thats why she

turned her eyes toward willing and qualied

families in other countries. She nearly resigned

out of distress but the thought of the children

who would be deserted once again drove her tocarry on.

LOVE CHANGES

More than 60,000 adoptees were under the care

of Cho at one time or another. When doing

the paperwork for those children, she always

wrote, discovered in/at _______ _ rather than

abandoned in/at ___ _____.

Well, I got the idea from Americans, says

Cho. When an adoptee has a chance to see

their adoption document as a grownup, they

feel hurt deep down if they see the word,

abandoned. Children abandoned are sad, but

children discovered are hopeful. So, ever since

1980, I always wrote, discovered.Cho has many well-thumbed photo albums

sent by the adoptive parents, showing that those

small, sick children had become all smiles and

healthy. Seeing them is heartwarming, bringing

tears to her eyes from time to time.

There was a child who lost her legs, says

Cho in reminiscence, because her mom had

jumped before a running train with the child

in her arms. Thankfully, she was adopted by an

American family. Some years later, her parents

sent me photos of her climbing a jungle gym,

and another some years later of her skating!

Who would have known such a miracle could

happen? I was so thankful to the world that my

eyes were brimming with tears.These days, she lives at the Holt Ilsan Center

in order to take better care of those 270 persons

with disabilitieschildren and grownups

whom nobody was willing to adopt.

An adoptee wrote, Now is the t ime to stop

working for a moment and say thank you, in

poor country, recalls Cho. Children were

abandoned at the door of the hospital, and a

quarter of them died because of mal nutrition

and inadequate medical treatment. More

than 2,000 children were left at the hospital

every year, and about 500 of t hese died soon

afterwards. Whenever I saw a child whose life

helplessly ickered away, I hated myself for not

being able to do anything but watch. Whenever

I had to write a death certi cate, I asked myself

accusingly, Am I a doctor, who is supposed to

heal people?

Back then, social interest in and the

governments support for such ch ildren werean impossible luxury. Children raised at

institutions or hospitals were more likely to

be sick and grow slowly even if they were fed

adequately. However, once they were adopted

and had a family, they became chubby and full

of vitality. Cho concluded that it was love, not

rice, that helped the children grow and that

sending them abroad as adoptees was the only

viable way to keep them alive and give them

opportunities to pursue happiness. She resigned

from the hospital where she had worked for 14

years, and moved to a clin ic attached to Holt

Childrens Services.

At the new workplace, she rolled up her

sleeves to nd new parents for children who

were without families. When their faces

regained their long-lost smiles upon meeting

their new parents, her heart was overwhelmed.

That joy kept her at Holt Childrens Services for

half a century.Of course, for all those many years, there

were frustrations, too. The international

community attached the stigma of exporter

of orphans to Korea, so t he government

completely banned the sending of children

abroad as adoptees. Although the ban was

a letter, says Cho. I feel the same way right

now. If I could, I would like to make a deep bow

to all those nurses and volunteers who have

helped me with this mission in many ways.

As long as my health allows, I want to meet the

children who were at Holt while taking care of

the residents here.

That is why this old physicianDr. Cho

Byung-kuktakes up her stethoscope again

today.

About Dr. Cho Byung-kuk

- M edical Director, Holt llsan Center

- Yonsei University Medical School, Bachelor o Medicine

- Order o Civil Merit, Camellia Medal on the 7th Adoption

Day, 2012

- 26th Boryeong Medical Award, 2010

- M edical Director, Holt International Childrens Services

Medical Clinic (1963-2008)

- Medical Director, Holt llsan Center Medical Center

(2008-present)

Dr. Cho Byung-kuk will turn80 next year, but she stilltreats the disabled to thisday.

GREAT KOREAN

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GREAT KOREAN

A Great Thinker and Revolutionist

Shin ChAe-hoShin Chae-ho was a great Korean leader during the turbulent period when the

Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) opened its doors to the wider world and eventually ellunder Japanese colonial rule. He always matched his deeds to his words and died

in a oreign land beore his atherland was liberated. His lie as a true ghter orindependence still resonates with Koreans today and is an inspiration or all.by Im Sang-beom / photographs with courtesy o the Danjae Arts Festival Committee

Shin Chae-ho was one of Koreas literatiduring an era when the nation was buetedby foreign forces and nally colonized.

He dees easy denition. He lived an intense

life as a journalist, historian, militant activist,

and more. He persistently resisted Japanese rule

without ever wavering or compromising at a

time when many other intellectuals betrayed

their nation for their own personal comfort and

success.

Born in 1880, he lost his father when he was

only eight years old, so hi s grandfather, who

ran a seodang (traditional Korean schoolhouse),took care of him. When he was 18, he entered

Seonggyungwan(which was comparable to a

modern-day national university) where he was

awakened to the necessity for reform in Korea

and the changes that were occurring all around

the world. In 1904, when Korea was threatened

with annexation before Japanese imperial

ambitions, he began to write for Hwangseong

Sinmun and DaehanMaeil Sinbo. His columns

scathingly denounced Japans attempts to seize

power in Korea and pro-Japanese Koreans,

and imbued the readership with patriotism.

Shin atly opposed a feudal view of history

focused on the dynasties or based on sadaejuui

(diplomatic subservience toward Ch ina, whichwas regarded as t he center of the world).

A THINKER AND DOER

Just before Korea was annexed by Japan, Shin

exiled himself to China together with Ahn

Chang-ho, Yi Gap, and other colleagues in order

to establish an overseas base for t he Korean

independence eort. In China, he immersed

himself in studies in search of ways to make

the i ndependence movement eective, explored

historical sites to learn more about a ncient

history, and also studied Engli sh. People who

personally knew him later recalled that he was

stubborn and had a very strange method of

study. His English pronunciation was also very

peculiar, but he had no intention of x ing it.After spending about ten years studying

and ghting for the independence of Korea,

Shin joined the Provisional Government of

Korea in Shanghai. This was in the wake

of the Sami l Independence Movement (lit.

March 1st Independence Movement) in 1919,

a nationwide uprising against Japanese rule.

When the provisional government became

mired in an internal power struggle, he began

to publish Cheongo, the rst newspaper written

only in Hangeul and wrote numerous essays to

encourage Koreans to ght for independence.

Shin was a hardliner who advocated violent

resistance rather than subtle diplomacy or a

cultural movement. In 1923, he announcedthe Joseon Dongnip Seoneon (lit. Declaration

of the Korean Revolution) in order to steel

the members of Uiyeoldan (lit. Organization

of the Righteous and Fierce) to the cause of

independence. This

was an organization

of independence

activists who held an

uncompromising, violent

line early in the 1920s. His

logical and well-ordered

declaration kindled

violent clashes for national

independence.

Around 1925, Shinbecame an anarchist

and joined the Eastern

Anarchist Association,

which eventually led to

his arrest by the Japanese

police in 1928. His

independence activities

were uncovered, and

he was sentenced to

ten years in prison.

He died of a cerebral

hemorrhage after eight

years of imprisonment,

but to the very end, his

uncompromising spirit

remained as strong asever before the stark

reality of his nation.

His unyielding

spirit as a erce patriot

is remembered with

famous anecdotes. As a

subject of a country that

lost its sovereignty, he

eliminated his name from

the census register and

never bent forward when he washed his face.

He also used to say, When I die, please cremate

my body and scatter the ashes in the sea so that

they will never touch the boots of the Japanese

invaders when they walk.The iron spirit of Shin remains in the Korean

psyche to this day. Koreans admire him as an

uncompromising intellectual with a glowing

love for his nation.

1 Historical books oppoeudalism written byShin Chae-ho duringimprisonment.2 The Joseon DongnipSeoneon, a declarationindependence or the p

1

SEOUL

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SEOUL

YeouiDoS iFC MAllBringing Shopping and Entertainment to

Koreas Wall Street

In the orest o gleaming skyscrapers on Yeouido, the central nancial distr ict o Seoul,

a new mega shopping center has opened its doors. IFC Mall brings new vibrancy to

Koreas Wall Street. by Chung Da-young / photographs by Moon Duk-gwan

7/30/2019 KOREA [2012 VOL.8 No.12]

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IFC MALL INFO

Open10 AM 10 P

(restaurants and CGTheater have their o

hours)

Tel+82-2-6333-570

Website: www.

icseoul.com

SubwayYeouido

Station, Line 5 and

exit 3

Yeouido is one of Koreas three mainbusiness districts, the other two beingdowntown Seoul and the Gangnam area.

An island on the Hangang River in the western

part of the capital, Yeouido is the nations

nancial center and home to many businesses

and investment banks. So, it was with great

surprise when IFC Mall opened in August of

this year, bringing shopping and entertainment

to the bankers a nd brokers of Yeouido.

IFC Mall is below street level, underneath the

International Finance Center. It was developed

by AIG Global Real Estate Development

in conjunction with Seoul Metropolitan

Government and is operated by Taubman Asia.

The mall is part of t he larger IFC project, which

includes three oce buildings and t he Conrad

Seoul Hotel, which opened in November. It is

an ambitious USD 2.2 billion retail project and

the rst international-style shopping mall

in Korea.

The mall has 40,000 square

meters of retail oor space on

three levels. The vast space

and scale of the mall are

unprecedented compared to

the closely spaced layout of

Koreas many department

stores. The absence of pillars

and wide halls aord a

space that bears comparisonduring the workweek, it can be very quiet on

the weekends. The primary customer target is

oce employees in their mid-20s to early 40s,

primarily young career women. Most of the

stores oer trendy and aordable clothes for

fashion-conscious but savvy spenders.

The mall houses global SPA brands such as

H&M, Zara, and Uniqlo along with agship

stores of popular brands such as Banana

Republic and Hollister. The opening of the

Hollister agship store in the mall created abuzz among young trendsetters as it was the

rst Hollister store to open in Korea.

The stores are more spacious and oer a

wider selection. They also have unique facades

that are representative of each brand concept.

Window shoppers can check out the latest

1 The mall houses over 50stores o global brands.2 The mall is part o thelargest IFC project whichincludes three ofce buildingsand the Conrad Seoul Hotel.3 The CGV Theater is alsoa place or movie premiersincluding the recent Koreanhit Masquerade.4 The glass pavilion actsas a natural lighting systemthroughout the mall.

The open, airy atmosphcreates a new kind oshopping experience ovisitors.

bestsellers at YP Books or see a movie at the

nine-screen CGV multiplex.

All the places to eat are on the lowest level,

L3. There are many dierent t ypes of restaurants

and cafes including Korean, Japanese, Mexican,

and American to choose from. From McDonalds

to more upscale restaurants like Wasedaya, a

Japanese-style grill, shoppers can stop for a

delicious meal in the mall. During the lunch

hour, the food court throngs wit h workers from

the nearby businesses.The mall is connected to Line 5 and 9 on the

Seoul Subway System through an underground

passage, making shopping easier rain or sh ine.

Even before you get to the actual mall, stores

and restaurants entice you o the walkway to

pop in.

with the layouts of international malls. But the

highlight of the mall is the 17-meter-high glass

pavilion that lets in sunlight during the day,

acting as a natural lighting system throughout

the mall. The open, airy atmosphere creates a

new kind of shopping experience for visitors,

and as you walk by the stores, you can almost

forget that the entire structure is underground.

SHOPPING AND ENTERTAINMENT

The mall was built to attract the employees of

nearby businesses as well as increase visitors

to the Yeouido area. Whereas the area bust les

1

2

3 4

TRAvEL

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A Pure White Town Under the Azure Sky

JeongSeon

in WinterWhen it snows, Jeongseon becomes a winter wonderland. Snowfakes cover everybranch like blooming white fowers, and in the low temperature you can se e your

breath whenever you exhale. A truly blissul experience in this land o snow is to havea bowl o warm buckwheat noodles at Jeongseon Oiljang, the Gangwon-do towns

traditional market open every th day. by Lee Jeong-eun / photographs by Moon Duk-gwan

TRAvEL

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is the only casino open

to Korean citizens.

EATING AND

RAILBIKING

While visiting

Jeongseon, you should

denitely go to the

Jeongseon Oiljang

itinerant market. It

opens every fth

day as its name, Oiljang (lit. ve-day market)

suggests, but there are also modern stores open

every day. Even so, the grandmas and grandpas

living in remote mountain hamlets come

down to the marketplace every fth day with

wild herbs, homemade trinkets, and the most

authentic life stories. The second and seventh

days of every month a re most recommended for

tourists.

After browsing through all sorts of wild

herbs collected from deep in the mountains

(and buying some of them), among other things,

you should visit Meokja Golmok (lit. Lets-Eat

Alley). Both sides are lined with restaurants

that sell specialties of Gangwon-dogondeure

namul bap (rice mixed with mountain greens

called gondeure), (buckwheat noodles),

memil jeonbyeong (buckwheat pancake), memil

buchujeon (buckwheat pancake with Asian

chives), nokdujeon (mung bean pancake), and

susubukkumi (sorghum pancake). Gondeure

namul bap is a kind ofbibimbap in which rice is

cooked with the herbgondeure namul (Cirsium

setidens). The herbs fragrance is unique, and

the rice is mixed wit h soy sauce before eating.

Kotdeungchigi guksu is a kind of buckwheat

noodle. The name literally means nose-ridge-

hitting noodles because people tend to eat

the noodles so enjoyably and quickly that thenoodles hit their noses. The soup for the noodles

is made with doenjang (fermented soybean

paste).Memil jeonbyeong is comparable to crepes

and is often eaten in the form of a roll with

minced kimchi packed inside. It tastes nutty

and spicy.

After a hearty lunch

at Jeongseon Oiljang,

try railbiking. The rail

runs about an hour

from Gujeol Station

to Auraji Station, and

biking along the rail

isnt as tough or cold

as one would expect,

other than on your

face. So, wear a face mask or a hat.

Biking the 7.2km track, you can enjoy the

rocky clis on both sides, run through a

tunnel decorated with pretty lighting, andpass Songcheon Valley and farming villages.

Pedaling slowly through the landscape of

Gangwon-do, you will soon nd yourself at

Auraji Station, where you can ride the Ariari

Ho train back to Gujeol Station.

On the mountain ridges in the twoGangwon-do towns of Jeongseon andYeongwol is a network of trails on which trucks

once transported coal from what today are

abandoned mines. People left the area aft er

the mines closed, but the trees, shrubs, and

grasses began to ourish much more vigorously

and luxuriantly than ever. All sorts of

wildowers dot the mountains from spring to

autumn, and snowakes pile up on every tree

branch, making them appear as ever-blooming

pure white owers.

The beautiful scenery has renewed interest

in the area. People have started referring to the

network of coal trails as Haneul Gil (lit. Paths

to the Sky). The paths run past Mt. Hambaeksan

(1,573m), Mt. Baegunsan (1,426m), and up and

down many steep hills. High1 Resort, a ski

and leisure resort, is establishing a 160km

network of trekking trails out of Haneul Gil in

cooperation with the county oce of Jeongseon

and the Korea Forest Service.

Of all routes of Haneul Gil, High1 Resort

especially recommends a three-hour route

that links Hwajeollyeong Hill Gil (lit. Path of

Hwajeollyeong Hill), Nagyeopsong Gil (lit.

Path of Larches), Cheonyeochima Gil (lit. Path

of a Girls Skirt), and a nearby observatory. The

route starts at the Kangwonland Hotel and ends

at the 18th hole of the High1 Country Club.

This route, which goes around High1 Resort,

is not particularly dicult, but in winter you

should set out early in the morning, as it not

only takes more time to nish, but the sun

goes down early. The most challenging part

of the route is the 3.6 kilometers from the hotel

to Hwajeollyeong Hill, but this shouldnt be

a problem even for unskilled mountaineers.

They can ride a cable car from the resort to the

summit of Mt. Baegunsan, from where they canwalk down to Hwajeollyeong Hill. One thing

to note: you wont be able to wade through the

knee-deep snow at the summit without sticks

and spats.

High1 Resort is also home to Koreas largest

casino with 100 tables and 960 slot machines. It

what to eat

Yerim Sikdang

Yerim Sikdang is a restaurant in the Jeongseon

Oiljang marketplace, especially requented by

Jeongseon natives. The restaurant is amous

or its gondeure namul bapand kotdeungchigi

guksu, o which

doenjangsoups are

especially appetizing.

how to get thereCar

SeoulJungbu ExpresswayHobeop JunctionYeongd

ExpresswaySaemal InterchangeWonju (National Roa

42)AnheungPyeongchangJeongseon

Train

Trains run six times a day rom Cheongnyangni Station in Se

to Jeongseon. The trip takes three and a hal hours.

TRAvEL INFORMATION

Seoul

Jeongseon

1 Shoppers can fnd allo wild herbs collected the mountains.2 Railbiking along theabandoned train rails is

unique activity in Jeong

The Jeongseon Oiljangis flled with herbs andspecialties o Gangwon-

do. It is one o the mostrepresentative markets inKorea.

1

FESTIvAL

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Trout live in clear freshwater with an averagetemperature between 7C and 13C. Acoldwater sh, trout is especially delicious in

the winter. When lleted raw, its esh looks

clear and reddish like pine wood. Its Koreanname songeo in fact was given for this reason as

the syllable song signies the pine tree. Every

winter, Pyeongchanga city famous for its

snowthrows a trout festival where you can go

ice-shing for trout and enjoy many other ice,

snow, and folk activities. About 450,000 people

Trout tend to nibble more lightly or aggressi

depending on the weather and time of day.

From 10 to 11 in the morning, the trout tend

bite rather hard, but the best time is from 2 t

in the afternoon.

Ice shing isnt the only activity at the

festival. One thing that really makes you fee

the winter intensely is catching trout with yo

bare hands. Speeding through the cold, fres

air is also extremely fun and memorable for

entire family, so come ice sledding, ice kartin

ice biking, snow sledding, or snow raft ing. A

one of those activities just sounds exciting,

doesnt it?

SCENIC SNOWSCAPE OF

PYEONGCHANG

Pyeongchang will be the host city of the

2018 Olympic Winter Games and is one of

Koreas most famous cities for breathtaking

snow landscapes. Packs of tourists come eve

winter to Daegwallyeong Pass in t he Taebae

Mountain Range for its snow festival and m

other tourist attractions including cattle and

sheep ranches and especially the r forest w

nestles Woljeongsa, an old temple believed t

built in 643.

Within the vicinity of Odaecheon Stream

are major ski resorts including Yongpyong,Alpensia, and Bokwang Phoenix Park. Many

foreign skiers from China, Russia, Southeast

Asia, and other parts of the world come to

Pyeongchang for skiing. Some of them end u

also enjoying the Pyeongchang Trout Festiv

making the city a global village in the winte

The Pyeongchang TroutFestival is visited by manyoreign visitors each year.

Ice Fishing for Trout

The Pyeongchang Trout FestivalThe 6th Pyeongchang Trout Festival will run through hal the winter on OdaecheonStream: rom December 22, 2012 to February 5, 2013. I you want to have a very cold,

snowy, un wintertime, then this global winter estival is or you.by Lee Jeong-eun / materials provided by the Pyeongchang Trout Festival Committee

came to the festival last year alone. The greatest

attractions are of course the thrilling moment

when the line jerks, indicating that the trout has

just taken the hook, and the anticipation.

The temperature of Odaecheon Stream is

already just right for trout, and the Pyeongchang

Trout Festival Committee lets loose more than

100,000 trout for the festival. Anyone can catch

one or two trout in three or four hours.

The trout let loose for the festival are

rainbow trout, which are raised in extremelyclean water at nearby sh farms, says an

insider of the festival committee. They are

chubby and yummy.

Chairman Ham Seung-ju of the festival

committee says the trout raised in Pyeongchang

have a strong umami taste, and there are sets of

equipment tourists can use to eat t rout, raw or

broiled, on the spot.

So, just how does one catch trout? The easiest

way, which the festival committee recommends,

is to troll. You may buy a troll sh ing kit

at any store that sells shing equipment

near Odaecheon Stream. For the skilled and

experienced, lure shing is also recommended.

First-timers can easily catchone or two trouts among thethousands.

NOw IN KOREA

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Nowadays, the eyes and hands of manyKoreans are almost glued to theirsmartphones from the moment they wake up in

the morning till they fall asleep at night. They

are all heavily engrossed in a mobile-based

puzzle game called AniPang, which gave rise to

the AniPang phenomenon in Korean society.

AniPang is a matchi ng game. You score when

you bring at least three of the same animated

characters together horizontally or vertically

and thereby blow them away. The animal

characters are An i (rabbit), Nero (cat), Pinky

(pig), Mongi (monkey), and Mickey (mouse).

Theres another character: Pang (bomb). The

game is named after the key animal character

Ani and the bomb character Pang (the sound

pang in Korean is synonymous with pow

in English). Your game money is indicated by

the number of heart symbols. With one heart,

you can play one match, and the total number

of matches you can play is limited. At rst, you

might think this kind of game is only for kids,

but not really. AniPang is addictive. People of

all ages get stuck on this simple-looking game

once they try to play it.

Sundaytoz, a social game developer, rolled

out AniPang this last September as a free

application. In 20 days, the number of people

who simultaneously connected to play the game

recorded one million, and now more than 20

million of the 30 million smartphone users in

Korea have downloaded the game application.

It wouldnt be an exaggeration to say that half

of Korea is in an AniPang frenzy. Sundaytoz

is on cloud nine, smiling at their insight that

the smartphone platform business would

become the next jackpot and noting the rapidly

increasing number of smartphone users,

whose personal computers are now idle

most of the time.

CONNECTING WITH ANIPANG

Unlike typical mobile-based games, AniPang

is linked with KakaoTalk, a free text messaging

service on smartphones. KakaoTalk also created

a stir in Korean society, pushing the three major

communications service providers in Korea

to lower their rates for text messaging. With

KakaoTalk, you can send not on ly text messages,

but also photos, videos, and audio les. You can

even have a group chatin text or voice. As of

December 2011, the number of text messages

sent via KakaoTalk per day reached one bill ion,

or 690,000 per minute, whereas Facebook sees

695,000 status updates per mi nute across the

entire world. Ka-Talk hae, (meaning, Contact

me via Kak aoTalk) has b ecome an everyday

means of expression among the Koreans.

You can play AniPang with those who are

on your KakaoTalk friends list. If you want to

play with a Kak aoTalk friend, you just need to

send an invitation. You can compete with your

KakaoTalk friends in score rankings. The hearts,

the game currency, are good gift s for your

friends.

This friendship building disguised as

competition is a major success factor. In order to

continue to play AniPang, you need hearts; in

order to get a heart, you should i nvite a friend

or receive one from a friend. This mechanism

encourages users to continue to communicate

with other users whom they k now. Your

friends, relatives, teachers, business associates,

or anyone in the oine world becomes yourcounterparts to play an AniPang match in the

online world. Separation anxiety thus gives way

to a sense of connectedness. Even people who

didnt previously to play games at all cannot get

themselves out once they get in on AniPang.

The AniPang craze in Korea reveals the

essence of social games. Cable TV broadcasters

and department stores are now holding

AniPang matches, and theres no sign that

this addiction will fade away any time soon.

Whenever Pang (bomb) explodes with a pow,

your stress ies away; when you compete with

your Kakao Talk friend, youre thrilled; and

when you see your score go up, you delight like

a child. Who wouldnt want to have such fun?A second and third AniPang will appear to

cheer you up when you are mentally exhausted

in busy 21st-century Korea. All you need i s only

your smartphone to enjoy fun social games

like AniPang anytime anywhere in this IT

powerhouse of Korea.

Play AnytimeAnywhere in Korea

AniPAngOne out o every ten smartphone users in

Korea is an AniPang anatic. This social game

was an immediate hit with the Korean publicwhen it was launched last September. Now,

AniPang is a byword or successul socialgames. What explains the craze?

by Im Sang-beom /photographs by Moon Duck-gwan and

courtesy o Sundaytoz

1 AniPang, Koreas No.match game.2 AniPang is the hottesissue among Koreans.

2

1

SPORTS

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Taekwondo perormance inTimes Square New York

Taekwondo Around the WorldTaekwondo has become the worlds most practiced martia l art since becoming an

Olympic event in 2000. Lets look at why t aekwondo is so avidly pursued today.by Im Sang-beom

More and more people around the worldare falling in love with all things Korean,from kimchi to K-pop songs including PSYs

Gangnam Style and Korean TV dramas.

This worldwide surge in popularity of Korean

culture is often termed Hally u (Korean wave),

and at the root of Hallyu is taekwondo.A time-honored traditional martial art

of Korea, taekwondo is believed to have

assumed its present form in the years after

Koreas liberation from Japanese colonial rule.

According to experts, there were six major

martial arts studios following liberation, and

the leaders of the six studios were masters in

such martial arts as taekkyeon, taegeukgwon,

subak, kung fu, and karate. In the process of

their exchange and research, the modern form

of taekwondo took shape.

Taekwondo techniques are broadly divided

into hand techniquesjireugi (punching),jjireugi (thrusting), chigi (striking), and makgi

(blocking)and powerful foot techniques

ap chagi (front kick),yeop chagi (side kick), and

bandal chagi (crescent kick), to name a few.

It was in t he early 1960s that taekwondo was

introduced overseas. People at rst thought

taekwondo studios were Chinese restaurants

but soon found themselves shouting Korean

expressions under heavy concentration,

mesmerized by this mysterious martial art.

Taekwondo is more about defense and less

about attack. The martial art is also designed

to cultivate the mind as well as train the

body. These noble aspects make taekwondo a

dignied martial art. That is why most Korean

children were in the past regularly sent to

taekwondo studios, and also why overseas, the

trainees (and even their families) respectfully

called their taekwondo instructors master.

Taekwondo became a sport for the entire

global village when it was made an ocial

Olympic sport at the 2000 Summer Olympic

Games in Sydney. With the new scoring system

and electronic protectors adopted at the 2012

London Olympics, taekwondo matches are now

even more thrilling to watch.

BE AT ONE IN TAEKWONDO EVENTS

Korea hosts matches and events for taekwondo

practitioners worldwide. Tournaments where

superb athletes compete and strut their stu

are great opportunities for people from around

the globe to become one with each other. The

most authoritative competition is t he World

Taekwondo Championships by the World

Taekwondo Federation, founded in 1973. Since

then, the championships have been taking place

biannually all around the world in places such

as the United States, China, Canada, Germany,

and Spain. It is likely that Mexico will host the

championships next year.

There was a major competition this year, too.

For the last six days of October 25, 2,190 athletes

representing 293 teams from 43 countries

competed in the seventh Gyeongju Korea Open

International Taekwondo Championships. The

championships were especially meaningful

because the host city was Gyeongju, the ancient

capital of the Silla Kingdom (57 BCE 935 CE),

strewn with historic sites a nd monuments.

At the World Youth Taekwondo Camp by the

Taekwondo Promotion Foundation, children

learn about Korean culture a nd taekwondo.

In 2010, it included a program to teach t he values

of the Olympic Games. This year, the camp took

place in Seoul and Muju. Sheila Radziewicz,

who earned her black belt in taekwondo despite

having been born without arms, was invited to

deliver a special lecture and was a tremendous

inspiration to the children.

The construction of a taekwondo institute

is under way in Muju. Once

completed in 2013, the institute

will be open to people from

around the world who want

to learn taekwondo or conduct

research on the martial art.

Taekwondo has for years

been a martial art for all.

Whether you are Korean or not,

young or old, the moment you

put on the white taekwondo

uniform, you become a

taekwondoin (taekwondo

practitioner) and are at one with

other taekwondoin with upright

posture, precise movements,

powerful energy, fast reexes,

and a respectful at titude. You

will grow with taekwondo, and

taekwondo will spread further

with you worldwide.

IncooperationwiththeOrganizingCommitteeof

theGyeongjuKoreaOpenInternatio

nalTaekwondoChampionshipsandTakwondoPromotionFoundation

A TAEKwONdO

PERFORMANCE By

BLACK BELT MASTER

JUNBI STANCE

Junbi Stance:Get ready in Korean.

Openyourlegshoulderw

apart.Putyourhandsdowninfro

your belt.Maketightstsinadownw

motion in ront o your beltWhen you go into junbi sta

say Yes, sir!

KICKING STANCE

Yourrightfootstepsback.Putyourhandsuptoprote

your body.(Let hand protecting your right hand protecting yourbody.)

This stance gets you readykicking.

HORSEBACK RIDING

STANCE

Separateyourlegs.Toesfacingforward.Bendyourknees.Putyourhandsonyourwa

tight fst.This stance gets you ready

punching.

ENTERTAINMENT

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Gangnam Style with slightly dierent lyrics,

racked up more than 100 million views within

69 days of its launch on YouTube.

Ice Cream, her latest music video, garnered

ten million YouTube views in the shortest period

of any Korean music video. The media has also

noted her potential for becoming a global star.

In its report on t he release of HyunAs Ice

Cream, UK daily The Guardian said, In fact, if

anyone could follow PSY's success, it would be

4Minute's very own HyunA. The music website

Popjustice introduced HyunAs Ice Cream

along with music videos by global sta rs such

as Justin Bieber. After the news of her eminent

comeback, MTV Russia showed great interest in

her performance and dubbed her one of Koreas

sexiest stars.

This past August, Kim Junsu (aka Xia Junsu),

a member of boy group JYJ, had a successful

concert as a solo singer in the Hammerstein

Ballroom in New York. The concert was a

meaningful step for Xia Junsu himself and also

for all K-pop singers, who have been seeking to

break out into the global market.

Last May, Xia Junsu released his rst single

album, Tarantallegra, and set out on a world tour.

Including the rst concert of the tour in Seoul,

Xia Junsu has put on a series of concerts in 11

cities in Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, China

(Shanghai and Hong Kong), the United States

(New York), Mexico, and other countries so far.

Some 55,000 fans have packed his concert venues.

The world tour will nish with a concert at the

Turbinenhalle i n Oberhausen, Germany, making

Xia Junsu the rst Asian singer to ever perform

there.

The album Tarantallegra (and the song, too)

has been well received. Before its release,

the album was at the top of Tower Records

pre-order list, and after its release it soon

topped Japans iTunes pop album ch art (May),

Germanys Asian Music Chart (July), and

Chiles EtcTV Pop Chart (July). It was also

ranked tenth on t he Billboard World Album

Chart (June). The leading K-pop news source

Kpopstarz.com recently dubbed Tarantallegra

the best K-pop song of 2012.

THE FUTURE OF K-POP

Ever since singers from leading

Korean entertainment agency SM

Entertainment performed in Paris in

June 2011, Korean boy and girl bands,

often dubbed idol groups, have had

concerts across the globe, spawning

news and stories and fueling

the K-pop Hallyu (or the K-pop

wave). About a year after the Paris

performance, K-pop gained tremendous new

momentum thanks to PSYs Gangnam Style.

iTunes Charts in almost all countries where

iTunes has a presencein the United States,

Canada, France, and the United Ki ngdom

simultaneously launched a new category for

K-pop, probably because the Gangnam Style

fever had been stirring up such g reat interest

in popular Korean songs.

K-pop songs from 20 years ago are also

drawing interest overseas. Lists of K-pop

Classics are being announced by foreign

websites, which include songs by Korean

singers who were popular in the 1990s such as

Shin Seung-hun, Kim Gun-mo, Kim Bum-soo,

and DJ Doc.

It is true that PSY is fueling the popularity of

K-pop worldwide to an unprecedented degree,

but it should also be noted that before him

were such groups as Wonder Girls and Girls

Generation, who cleared the way for Korean pop

music in the global market. What now matters

most is helping new artists to reach for their

dreams and venture out into the world with

their inimitable creativity and individuality.

They will shape the future of K-pop to entertain

and move everyones hearts, including yours.

1 HyunA, eatured in PSYsGangnam Style music video,is stepping up to become thenext world star with her latestsong and music video.2 Frances iTunes introducedsongs by popular singers in the1990s such as Shin Seung-hunand Kim Gun-mo.3 Kim Junsu is the frst koreanto go on a world tour as a solosinger.

3

1

2

PSy MAKES

yOUTUBE HISTOR

PSYs Gangnam

Style viral song

suppressed Baby

the most viewed vi

o all time on YouTAs o November

24 6:50 pm, PYSs

Gangnam Style

music video record

803,695,387 views

topping Justin Bieb

Baby o 803,442,

views. It took only t

months or GangnStyle to break the

record that Baby to set or three yea

Even now, the num

o views or Gangn

Style is still increa

and it seems that it

will be a matter otime beore it hits 9

million views.

Setting Sights onNew Heights

k-PoP

evolveSThe global sensation caused by PSYsGangnam Style has pushed K-pop

into the next phase o its evolution.The worldwide success o PSY has

spurred K-pop stars to reach new heightsby unleashing their inimitable creativity

and individuality. Lets meet someKorean singers who are ready to ride

the new wave o K-pop. by Yang In-sil

Who on earth is that girl?That is a typical remark in the longstring of comments under PSYs Gangnam

Style video on YouTube, which has been

shaking the world for weeks and weeks with its

signature horse-riding dance. Featured in the

viral hit video along with other Korean stars is

HyunA, who dances sensuously in the video

while ashing a never-fading smile on her cute

face, leaving a strong impression in the minds

of viewers worldwide. The lead singer of girl

group 4Minute, which was taking a break, she

is now seen as a viable candidate for the second

PSY. In her video for Oppan Ttak Nae Style

(lit. Oppa, Youre Just My Style), a variation of

GLOBAL KOREA

GLOBAL KOREA

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With the click of a mouse, the residentsof Songpa-gu, Seoul can pay the nesfor their parking tickets and check for any

outstanding taxes. They can request and print a

copy of their residence registration, take part in

various administrative surveys, and receive the

latest local news.

The Songpa-gu Oce has developed its

Internet civil application issuance system to

facilitate the administrative tasks and eliminate

the inconvenience of having to visit public

oces in person. The Internet Tax Payment

System also allows citizens to track and pay

their regional taxes or parking nes online,

without having to visit a bank. Most district

and regional oces throughout the country

now provide digital administrative services

for their residents.

EFFECTIVE

E-GOVERNMENT SYSTEM

Of course, South Korea is not the only country

with an e-government platform. The United

States already enacted an e-government law

in 2002, and the United Kingdom, Japan,

and Switzerland have i mplemented electronic

voting systems. But no other country u ses

e-government more eectively than Korea.

In 2002, i mport-export procedures, which

were previously overseen by multiple agencies,

were streamlined into a one-stop service

system. As a result, import-export cargo

processing time has been shortened from an

average of 9.6 days to 3.6 days.

Over years, South Koreas e-government has

been evaluated as one of the worlds best by

organizations worldwide, and its eectiveness

is widely acknowledged by the international

community. For the second consecutive year,

Korea has ranked rst in t he e-Government

Development Index of t he UN Global

e-Government Survey 2012 of 193 countries,

and it is on record for having achieved the

greatest e-government development.

SOUTH KOREAS

E-GOVERNMENT ExPORT

An increasing number of countries have

been knocking on Koreas door to import

its technology and obtain expertise in

e-government. The E-Indonesia network in

Java, Sumatra, and Bali, e-government training

in Thailand, online registries in Kazakhstan,

cooperation committees with Indias Union

Government, and elaborate e-government

plans for regional governments in Russia are

some of the recent projects based on South

Koreas e-government solution.

Maeng Hyung-kyu, Minister of Public

Administration and Security (MOPAS), visited

the Philippines last month to sign an MOU

with the Philippines Department of Science

and Technology and provide assistance in

constructing the Government Integrated Data

Center in Manila.

The signing of the MOU took place in

accordance with a request from the government

of the Philippines for stronger governmental

relations with South Korea to develop the

countrys IT solutions and e-government

system.

MOPAS also agreed to assist in setting up

the Flood Prevention Warning System in the

mountainous regions of Mindanao Island,

Philippines, which suered the brunt of

devastation by Tropical Storm Washi last year.

Back in 2002, when the e-government system

was rst promoted, exports of the e-government

system totaled USD 100,000. Just ten years later,

the annual export volume was as much as USD

240 million. The government expects annual

exports to reach USD 300 million this year.

South Korea leads Global Trend fore-Government SystemAn IT powerhouse, South Korea is also setting the standard or e-government. Find out how countriesthroughout the world are adopting it to make paying taxes more convenient or everyone. by Chung Da-young

2

1

1 MOPAS is initiating sme-government solutions

various online services increase work efciency2 Korea hosted the Gloe-Government Forum 2

Koreas e-governmentsystem is being adopted bymany countries.

1

SUMMIT dIPLOMACy

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1 President Lee Myungbak (right) meets withVietnamese Prime MiniNguyen Tan Dung on thsidelines o the Summit2 President Lee sits at tASEAN+3 Summit tablewith Chinese Premier WJiabao and Japanese PMinister Yoshihiko Nod

Leaders o 13 nations joinhands during the opening othe ASEAN+3 Summit.

South Korean Leader Visits Cambodiafor Regional Cooperation SummitsPresident Lee Myung-bak visited Cambodia to meet with the leaders o ASEAN, China, Japan, Russian and

the US to chart uture cooperation. by Chung Da-young

South Korean President Lee Myung-bakvisited Cambodia on November 18 to attenda trio of annual meetings: a summit with the ten

member nations of the Association of Southeast

Asian Nations (ASEAN); a meeting between

ASEAN and South Korea, China and Japan; and

a meeting of the East Asia Summit (EAS) forum.

The President rst attended t he 15th Korea-

ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asia Nations)

Summit held at the Peace Palace in Phnom

Penh, Cambodia on November 19. Also joined

by the leaders of the ten member states ofASEAN, he reviewed the status of cooperation

between Korea and ASEAN countries and

exchanged thoughts on the direction for future

cooperation.

The president and the ten leaders evaluated

their accomplishments from the last ve years

including the completion of the Korea-ASEAN

Free Trade Agreement (FTA), establishment

of the Korea-ASEAN center, and hosting of

the Korea-ASEAN commemorative summit in

2009 as well as the establishment of a strategic

partnership between Korea and ASEAN i n 2010,

led by the New Asia Diplomacy Plan of the

Korean government. In addition, they welcomed

the establishment of the Korean Mission to

ASEAN in September, promising to strengthen

actual cooperation between Korea and ASEAN.The president conrmed that Korea will

expand its development assistance to ASEAN

for the common prosperity of Korea and

ASEAN, especially reinforcing its support in the

Mekong area. He also an nounced the countrys

willingness to provide intensive support

in sectors in which Korea is strong such as

information and communications technology toimprove connectivity among ASEAN countries.

They also welcomed the agreement on the

ASEAN-Korea Forest Cooperation which took

eect this year and agreed to strengthen their

cooperation in green growth and climate

change countermeasures through the activities

of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)

and the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

President Lee also attended the ASEAN+3

Summit that was held later on to discuss

measures and actions to further enhance

cooperation in the future. Leaders from

the Association of Southeast Asian Nations

(ASEAN) as well as Korea, Japan, and China

exchanged views on food security, the nancialcrisis, and economic integration, expressing

their will to forge closer ties during the summit.

The national leaders reviewed the progress

made since the establishment of the ASEAN+3

Summit in 1997, taking note of its role in

expanding cooperation in all spheres,

in particular nance, culture, agriculture,

and education. The leaders agreed to

work together to address t he complicated

international and regional challenges they

face, making full use of the well-established

cooperation mechanism.

On the last day of his visit, the Korean

president also took part in the 7th East Asia

Summit (EAS), an 18-nation forum involving the10 ASEAN nations plus six dialogue partners

of the Asia-Pacic region. A joint statement was

issued to declare the launch of negotiations

to forge what is dubbed the "Regional

Comprehensive Economic Partnership" or RCEP.

The declaration said the participants

are committed to "achieve a modern,

comprehensive, high-quality and mutually

benecial economic partnership agreement

establishing an open trade and investment

environment in the region to facilitate the

expansion of regional trade and investment."

President Lee said during the summit that

economic integration in the EAS region should

aim for "open regionalism" and lead ultimately

to an economic community that bonds the Asia-

Pacic region together.

1

2

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THREE-PHASE RELOCATION

Dubbed the Multifunctional Administrative

City or Happy City, Sejong will be home to

36 government agencies including the Oce

of the Prime Minister, 11 ministries, and two

commissions, which account for 10,452 jobs

in total. They will all be in place by a three-

phase relocation plan by 2014. The city wil l

also become a national research hub with 16

national research institutes including the Korea

Development Institute (KDI) and the Korea

Research Institute for Human Settlements

(KRIHS), which employ 3,353 people combined.

The rst phase of the relocation, slated for

2012, covers 12 organizations (including t he

Oce of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of

Strategy and Finance, the Ministry for Food,

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the

Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime

Aairs) as well as their 4,139 employees.

In 2013, the Ministry of Education, Science

and Technology, the Ministry of Knowledge

Economy, and 16 other organizations with a

total of 4,116 civil servants will have a new

address in the second phase of the relocation

plan. Finally in 2014, the Happy City of Sejong

will welcome 16 national research institutes

with 2,197 research personnel as well as six

government agencies including the Ministry

of Government Legislation and the Ministry ofPatriots and Veterans Aairs.

The total relocation budget is a whopping

KRW 22.5 trillion, of which KRW 9.26 trillion,

or 41.2 percent, had been executed by t he end

of this past October. The construction of t he

Oce of the Prime Minister was completed

A New Home for the Korean Government

Sejong CityLast September 14, the ofce o the South Korean Prime Minister moved rom Seoul toSejong, and other central government agencies and national research institutes will soon

ollow suit to make Sejong the administrative heart o Koreaits second capitalby 2014.by Yang In-sil

The era of Sejong City was ushered in lastSeptember 14 with the relocation of theoce of the South Korean Prime Minister from

Seoul to Sejong, ten years after former President

Roh Moo-hyun pledged in 2002 to establish such

an administrative capital. The moving of the

six departments under the Oce of the Prime

Minister is the rst step in a gradual relocation

of 36 central administrative agencies and 16

national research institutes. When t he relocation

is completed in 2014, Sejong will become the

new heart of the administration of the Republic

of Korea both in name and substance. It is not

only a change of address for the S outh Korean

government but also an indication of a more

balanced development model of the country in

the future as well as a shift of administrative

power from Seoul to the geographical center of

the country and beyond. It is also expected that

the relocation will facilitate the diusion of the

national population, of which about one-fth

lives in Seoul.last April, and the oce is already bustling

with 119 people.

The buildings for those organizations that

will nd a new home in Sejong are expected

to be ready for inspection by the 15th of this

month and to open the day after Christmas

for thousands of civil servants relocating from

Seoul. The buildings to house the government

agencies in the second relocation phase

including the Ministry of Education, Science

and Technology and the Ministry of Culture,

Sports and Tourism are under construction and

about 28 percent complete. Groundbreaking

for the third-phase buildings took place

in September, and excavation and other

foundational works are underway to be ready

for the Ministry of Government Legislation, the

Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission,

and the other organizations for which relocation

is slated for 2014.

LIFE IN SEJONG

Sejong will be accessible from major cities of

Korea by 13 intercity roads that connect to

high-speed KTX railways and expressways.

Government departm

have started to move

Sejong City. Employe

o the Ministry o Lan

Transport Maritime A

are settling into their ofce in the Governm

Complex Sejong.

The Ofce o the PrimeMinister in Sejong City

IncooperationwiththeMultifunctio

nalAdministrativeCityConstructionAgency

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in fact, pushed MACCA into the happy worry of

having to build more such schools.

A U-school has a ubiquitous educational

environment provided by wireless Internet

access that allows the teachers and students to

teach and learn using smart

korea [2012 vol.8 no.12]

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