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7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


Publisher Woo Jin-Yung, Korean Culture and Inormation Serv

Executive Producer Suh Jeong-sun

E-mail [email protected]

Magazine Production Seoul Selection

Editor-in-ChiefRobert Koehler

Producer Ko Yeon-kyung

Editorial Advisors Jang Woojung, Hu Young Sup

Copy Editors Daisy Larios, Hwang Chi-young

Creative Director Jung Hyun-young

Head Designer Lee Bokhyun

PhotographyRyu Seunghoo, RAUM Studio

Printing LEEFFECT

All rights reserved. No part o this publication may be reprodu

any orm without permission rom KOREA and the Korean CultuInormation Service.

I you want to receive a ree copy o KOREAor wish to cancel a

please e-mail us. A downloadable PDF fle o KOREAand a map

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the thumbnail o KOREA on the homepage o www.korea.net.

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CONTENTS APRIL 2013 VOL.9 NO.4

14 PEN & BRUSH

Painter Lee Wal-chong

18 PEOPLE

Metal Designer Choi Hong-kyu

20 TRAVEL

Byeonsanbando National Park

24 SEOUL

Seoul Arts Center

26 FESTIVALS

Cheongdo Bullfghting Festival

28 SPORTS

Bundesliga Trio Brightens Korean Football Prospects

30 ENTERTAINMENT

K-Pop Earns a Global Fan Base

34 SPECIAL ISSUE

Korea’s National Brand on the Rise

36 CURRENT KOREA

Smart Devices Are Taking Over

38 SUMMIT DIPLOMACY

President Park to Strengthen National Deense

40 GLOBAL KOREA

Sharing Korea’s Experience

42 MY KOREA

Makgeolli Awakening

44 MULTICULTURAL KOREA

TV Personality Guzal Tursunova

46 TALES FROM KOREA

Pinocchio vs. The Magic Folding Fan

48 GREAT KOREAN

Yu Seong-ryong

50 FLAVOR

Jindallae Hwajeon & Dugyeonju

Monuments to both the past

and Koreans’ respect for the environment

C O V E R S T O R Y04

Korean Fortresses

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


V E R S T O R Y

Janganmun Gate, Suwon Hw

Korea’s ortresses are monuments to both the pastand Koreans’ respect or the environment

Written by Peter Bartholomew

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


Korea is a nation o ortresses, evidenced by the act

that ortresses account or the largest number o

historic sites designated by the Cultural Heritage

Administration o Korea. While castles, town walls, and

other deensive ortications can be ound around the world,

topography and necessity have inspired Koreans to develop

a unique ortress tradition distinct rom not only the West’s,

but also Korea’s Asian neighbors’. Korean ortresses are

not merely military structures—they also reect Korea’s

traditional architectural aesthetic, its engineering prowess,

and, above else, the Korean reverence or nature. From

Korea’s earliest dynasties in the rst hundred years BC,

military strategy was based around a nationwide series o

mountaintop ortresses to deend the country. Tus they

are also monuments to history, symbolizing Koreans’ age-

old struggle to deend their independence rom oreign

aggression.

Monuments to History

“We are an Eastern nation o ortresses.”

- Early Joseon Dynasty scholar and statesman Yang Seong-ji

It’s said that to properly understand Korean history, you

should have a good knowledge o Korea’s ortresses. It’s

unclear when, exactly, Koreans began building ortresses, but

we do know they’ve been doing it or quite some time. Te

earliest historical mention o ortresses was a reerence to

Wanggeomseong, the capital o the ancient Korean capital o

Gojoseon ounded in 194 BCE. Even in the capital o Seoul,

you can nd the remains o two large earthen ramparts

believed to have been built sometime during the rst ve

centuries o the Common Era.

Te earliest ortresses were largely earthen walls, oen

built around settlements to give them added protection

against raids and invasions. As Korean society grew more

sophisticated, however, so did its ortresses. By the Tree

Kingdoms Era (57 BCE–668 CE), the Korean Peninsula

witnessed almost constant warare by big, politically

advanced kingdoms elding large armies. Great bastions

dotted Korea, especially the strategic central regions o the

country where the rontiers o the three kingdoms met.

Fortress-building continued apace with the rise o the

Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392), which built stone or

strategic mountaintops throughout Korea. Te dyn

commissioned the construction o the Cheolli Jang

(Long Fortress o 1,000 Ri), a series o deensive wa

along Korea’s northern rontier to protect the kingd

rom nomadic Manchurian raiders. Like the Great

or Hadrian’s Wall, this impressive series o ortica

also regulated immigration and trade and, perhaps

importantly, marked the border between civilizatio

great wilds beyond.

Under the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910), an addi

dynamic added to the mountain ortresses: constru

o town walls around more than 300 population ce

throughout the country. Resources were increasing

ocused on the construction o these walls to prote

important towns and villages, especially those cont

provincial government administrative centers calle

gwana. Most notable among these was the new roy

o Seoul, which already had our mountain ortress

protecting the city. In coastal districts requently su

to pirate raids, walled towns were an especially imp

means o protecting populations and providing sec

or oensive operations.

Te devastating Japanese and Manchurian invas

o the 16th

and 17th

centuries, respectively, prompte

construction, restoration, and renovation o deens

ortresses atop mountains and along strategic mou

passes. In the later part o the dynasty, the importa

new ideas rom abroad inspired more advanced o

design, best demonstrated by the spectacular, UNE

registered city walls o Suwon.

Fortresses continued to play a role into the mode

era. Coastal ortresses on the island o Ganghwado

the scene o clashes with French and American rai

the late 19th century. In the 20th century, however, m

ortresses and city walls were demolished in the na

modernization, particularly under Japanese rule.

Types of Korean Fortresses and ThCharacteristics

Koreans have built several kinds o deensive orti

each with their own unique unctions and charact

V E R S T O R Y

Suseonjeondo, a 19th century woodblock print mapo Seoul, indicating location o the city walls

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


Te most common orm o Korean ortress was, by ar,

he mountain ortress, or in Korean, sanseong . Korea is

ometimes called a “country o sanseong ,” and or goodeason—so ar, about 2,400 mountain ortress sites have

een discovered throughout the country. Given Korea’s

mountainous terrain, the prevalence o mountain ortresses

hould perhaps be o little surprise.

Constructed largely o stone, Korean mountain ortresses

were usually built high atop strategic mountain peaks.

Mountain ortresses ollowed two general types. Te rst,

he pogok type, usually began on a mountain slope and

ollowed ridge lines to the peak. Te walls usually covered

mportant valleys, too. Te second was the temoe type—this

ype usually ringed a high peak like a halo. Both orms were

ighly irregular in shape. Tis is because they were designed

o ollow the rambling lines o topmost mountain ridge

opography or maximum deensive eect. Clis, valleys,

eaks, and other important topographical elements were

areully taken into consideration, making each and every

ortress unique. Tese ortresses usually had their own water

upply, allowing the deenders to better withstand sieges.

Unlike European ortresses or city walls, which are

eestanding and with stone walls on both sides, the Korean

walls were, in eect, a retaining wall. Tere is no stone wall

n the inside o the crenellations. One side o the natural

illtop or mountain ridge was cut away vertically on the

utside o the wall and aced with heavy stone, orming a

etaining wall; thus the wall could never be blasted down by

rtillery bombardment, which was the inherent weakness o

uropean ortresses and city walls ollowing the invention o

high-powered artillery. For instance, during the attempted

invasions o Korea by the French in 1866 and the Americans

in 1871, both superior military orces tried to capture thestrategic island o Ganghwado but ound it impossible

to break down the walls o its coastal bastions with their

powerul artillery. Te earth and stone taken rom the

outside cut was moved to the inside o the wall to orm a

low-angle ramp leading to the crenellations, providing ast

and efcient movement o men, weapon, and ammunition

to the topmost positions o the walls, both up and down and

sideways.

Clearly, ortress walls were built to house a military

garrison. oday visitors to sanseong can see only the stone

walls and a ew wooden pavilions over the stone-arched

gates penetrating these walls. Te military compounds

originally included anywhere rom 20 to 70 buildings,

some including small royal palace reuges or royalty to

use as a redoubt during time o war. Buildings included the

large gaeksa(ofcial guesthouse) and other administrative

buildings, barracks, kitchens, ofcers’ quarters and storage

buildings. Some ortresses included beautiully aesthetic

pleasure pavilions on their walls, used or relaxation during

times o peace and as observation platorms during war and

military exercises.

Mountain ortresses served both deensive and oensive

roles. As deensive structures, they controlled strategic

passageways and overlooked important invasion and

supply routes. Invaders could choose to bypass mountain

ortresses, but they did so only at their own peril. Fortress

garrisons could always sally orth and cut supply lines or

attack rom the rear.

Mountain ortresses also served as sae havens or the

king, his high-ranking ofcials, and civilians in times

o emergency. Te extensive mountain ortication o

Namhansanseong, located just south o Seoul, had a small

palace compound protected in its walls that was used as a

haenggung (royal redoubt).

Mountain ortresses served as secure bases or oensive

action, too. Tey were useul orward bases to project

power. For instance, the imposing bastion o Samnyeon

Sanseong Fortress in central Korea, built in 470, was used by

the kingdom o Silla to launch attacks on the neighboringkingdoms o Baekje and Goguryeo.

Besides mountain ortresses, the other major type o

ortress wall architecture ound in Korea was the town or

village wall, or eupseong (literally “town ortress”). In the

Joseon Dynasty, almost all o Korea’s major cities and towns

were walled. Since the start o the 20th

century, most o the

old town walls have disappeared, although several, such as

Nagan Eupseong, Gochang Eupseong, and Haemi Eupseong,

still stand in good shape to remind us o what these towns

must have been like. A larger version o the eupseong , the

doseong (literally “capital ortress”), surrounded the royal

capital o Seoul.

Like mountain ortresses, town walls were made o stone.

Tey were usually constructed using corvée labor, oen

draed rom the surrounding areas. Te town walls had an

additional and important unction o population control,

especially to keep undesirable people such as thieves and

local brigands out aer dark. Each walled town had a large

bell, usually hung in the south gate, which was rung at

sundown to announce the closing o the city’s gates. Once

the city gates were shut, nobody could enter the inner

sanctum o the walled compound until morning. Tose

hapless individuals arriving too late to enter the town had

to nd alternative accommodations outside the walls, thus

creating a superb market or small inns strategically located

near the city gates outside o the walls.

Te walls were also crucial to urban planning. Tey

dened the urban limits. Administrative buildings

placed to the north and markets to the south. Te t

main road oen linked the wall’s east and west gate

can be seen most dramatically in the most spectacu

Korea’s old walled cities, Seoul, where present-day l

such as Gyeongbokgung Palace (and indeed, the cu

presidential palace o Cheong Wa Dae) and the tra

o Jongno still adhere to this basic layout.

2

Hanyang Doseong (Seoul)

Namhansanseong (Seongn

Ganghwado (Incheon)

Suwon Hwaseong (Suwon)

Ondal SanseonHaemi Eupseong (Seosan)

Samnyeon Sanseong (Boeu

Nagan Eupseong (Suncheon)

Gochang Eupseong (Gochang)

Major Korean Fortresses

1. Hwaseomun Gate, Suwon Hwaseong Fortress

2. Seoul City Wall on Mt. Naksan

3. The presidential palace o Cheong Wa Dae

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V E R S T O R Y

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V E R S T O R Y

0

Adhering to Nature

As architectural monuments, Korea’s ortresses adhere to an

ver-present theme in Korean architecture—reverence or

ature.

Mountain ortresses ollow no standardized style, as each

ne was custom-built in accordance with the surrounding

opography. Seen rom above, the walls resemble a snake

writhing its way up and down the mountain’s ridges and

eaks, similar to the Great Wall o China.

Fortresses were built using low-impact methods. Unlike

Chinese ortresses, which were made rom brick baked at

reat cost to the surrounding woodlands, Korea’s ortresses

re made o granite excavated rom nearby quarries with

ttle damage to orest resources. I there were streams

earby, the tendency was to build stone gates into the wallpanning the stream and supporting the wall above to allow

he water to ow uninterrupted rather than change the

tream’s path using dams or reservoirs.

Te outstanding use o topography can be seen in the

onstruction o city walls, too. o get a ner appreciation or

his, one should see the Suseonjeondo, a mid-19th

century

woodblock print map o the capital o Seoul said to have

een drawn by renowned Joseon Dynasty geographer Kim

eong-ho. In the map, we can clearly see how the town walls

were designed to make maximum use o Seoul’s surrounding

mountains.

Hanyang Doseong: Seoul City Wall

Te most impressive o the Joseon Dynasty’s town walls

was Hanyang Doseong, better known as Seoul City Wall.

Originally 18 km long, Seoul City Wall—designated Historic

Site No. 10—once ringed the capital in its entirety, running

up and down the ridges o the city’s surrounding peaks and

lining the lowland valleys. oday, some 12 km o the wall

still remain, mostly in mountain areas. In act, parts o the

wall still unction in their original capacity. Architect Hwang

Doojin notes, “In some parts, such as Mt. Bugaksan and Mt.

Inwangsan, the wall is still alive as a military structure, a part

o Seoul's deense system, thus qualiying itsel as the oldest

historic monument still used or its original unction.”

Seoul City Wall’s history is as long as that o Seoul itsel.

Work began on the ortication in 1395, almost immediately aer Joseon Dynasty ounder King aejo moved the capital

o the new kingdom to Seoul. Some 197,400 men were

draed to construct the wall, which amazingly took only 98

days to build. In 2012, Korea submitted the wall to UNESCO

or registration on the World Heritage List; ofcials hope the

registration will be complete by 2015.

ypical o Korean ortresses, Seoul City Wall strictly

adheres to the local topography. Seoul was chosen by King

aejo or its outstanding pungsu(better known in the West

as eng shui) properties, with protective mountains to the

north and the Hangang River to its south. Te city wall was

designed to integrate into this environment. It ollows the

contours o the city, snaking up and down the ridges o the

city’s our mountains.

Access in and out o the ortress—and thereore, the

capital—was regulated by our main gates and our lesser

gates. Te our main gates were built in accordance with the

our cardinal directions and positioned in accordance with

pungsu. Tese gates consisted o a stone base with an arched

gate and topped by a wooden pavilion superstructure. Tree

o the gates still stand, while one—the old Donuimun,

or west gate—was demolished by the Japanese in 1915,

ostensibly to build a tram. Currently, the best preserved

o the gates is Heunginjimun, Seoul’s old east gate, which

dates back to an 1869 reconstruction. Te old south gate,

Sungnyemun, had been Seoul’s oldest building and National

reasure No. 1 (original wood construction dating rom

1479) until its wooden inrastructure was demolished and

rebuilt in 1962 and again destroyed in an arson attack in

2008. It’s currently in the nishing stages o a ve-year

reconstruction scheduled or completion in April 2013.

Nowadays, it is possible to hike the entire length o the

wall. It’s not an easy trek—sections o the wall require steep

climbs, and hikers should expect to set aside at least 10

hours to complete the entire course. o make it more un,

Jongno-gu is handing out commemorative badges to hikers

who collect all o the stamps or completing each section

o the wall. But even without the badges, a hike along the

wall can be an inspiring experience. “Another beauty o

the ortress is that, being a closed circle, it takes you right

where you started,” says architect Hwang. “My avorite point

is Dongdaemun Gate; i you start rom there early in the

morning, walking around the ortress clockwise, the sun

ollows you most o the day, illuminating the parts o Seoul

that you like to see like a gigantic celestial searchlight. It is

such a rare and special experience in which you, the city, and

the cosmos all become one.”

Suwon Hwaseong

Suwon Hwaseong is, in short, a masterpiece o Korean

engineering. Te walls were built or a combination o

purposes: to protect a large military garrison, as a town

wall or the population and government center and or the

protection o an exquisite country royal palace.

Suwon Hwaseong is the crown jewel o Silhak, an

intellectual movement within late Joseon Dynasty

Conucianism that prioritized science and practical learning.

Constructed at the behest o the reormist King Jeongjo

between 1794 and 1796, the imposing town wall utilized

the latest engineering and ortication techniques o its day,

including ideas imported rom the West through China. Te

town walls—which ring almost 6 km around the heart o

the modern city o Suwon—stand in good repair today. In

1997, the ortress was registered with UNESCO as a World

Heritage site.

Te primary architect behind the project was “Dasan”

Jeong Yak-yong, the greatest o all the Silhak thinkers. Not

only did he draw up the blueprint or the ortress stonework

itsel, he designed some o the complex pulleys and cranes

used in its construction as well. Jeong documented

construction process in such detail that the 18th

-ce

documentation enabled the authorities to precisely

the ortress to its original state aer it was severely d

in the Korean War. Uniquely, the ortress was built

paid rather than corvée labor.

o visitors, Suwon Hwaseong gives o a very exo

almost Occidental eel. Te structure incorporates m

architecture rom both East and West—the wall bri

towers, command posts, bastions, and b attlements

allow deenders to rain down re on would-be besi

massive north and south gates—some o the largest

in Korea—are protected by additional hal-moon-s

demi-lunes. In good Korean ashion, the walls also

advantage o the natural topography, ollowing the and allowing water to ow in and out naturally.

Along the walls are several rened and aesthetica

pleasing pavilions perched atop the walls. Tese ser

pleasure pavilions or viewing the beautiul scenery

or gatherings o the aristocracy and military ofcer

observation posts during battle and training exercis

Dongbukgangnu Pavilion is especially exquisite in d

overlooks a beautiul lotus pond artully placed at t

1. Seoul City Wall, Mt. Naksan

2. Namhansanseong

2

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


An expert on Korean architecture and one o the

nation’s oremost experts on historic ortications,

Sohn Yeong-sik thinks Korea’s ortress walls are

unique in a very egalitarian way. “Korean walls are ‘ortresses’

rather than castles,” he says. “For example, the ortresses

built in Japan during the Warring States period, like OsakaCastle, were just that, castles. Tey were built or use by lords

to protect them and their amilies. Korean ortresses, on the

other hand, were built to house all the residents o a particular

district so that they could take shelter there in an emergency.”

Tey also dier rom China’s grand border ortresses like

the Great Wall. “We built ortresses in mountain areas near

population zones or good deensive points using the natural

topography, he says. “At any rate, the key characteristic o

Korean ortresses is that they were built to house everyone.”

Sohn notes that Koreans would careully choose the

locations or ortications, placing them on mountains that

were neither too high nor too low so that locals could ee to

them or shelter in an emergency. Tey also made excellent

use o the topography to deceive enemies. He explains,

“Fortresses use the outside o ridgelines so that when you

look at them rom the outside, they aren't easy to see, but i

you get close, you can see how big the walls are.”

Another characteristic o Korean ortresses is that they are

many in kind. “You have walls or capital cities, like Seoul'scity walls,” he says. “I you go to the provinces, there are town

walls built largely or administrative purposes. Why would

they build these walls? Partly or deense in an emergency,

but also so ofcials could express their authority.” Tat’s

not all. “Tere are also ortresses where the king could take

shelter in an emergency, like Namhansanseong, or places

where the king could go on holiday,” he continues. “Te most

common kind are the mountain ortresses, where reside

local districts could take shelter in an emergency. And w

ones similar to the Great Wall o China during the Gory

Dynasty—the Cheolli Jangseong.”

Not only are the ortress types dierent, Sohn explains

are their eras and materials. “We also have many ortressthat remain rom a diversity o time periods, rom Gojos

through the Tree Kingdoms Period, and many were bui

until the end o the Joseon Dynasty,” he says. He notes th

because many o Korea’s surviving ortresses are made o

many mistakenly believe all Korean ortresses were made

stone. Tis was not the case, however—earthen walls wer

more common, and there were many wooden ortresses,

Sohn sees much merit in Hanyang Doseong, or Seou

City Wall, as a potential UNESCO World Heritage site.

biggest characteristic o Hanyang Doseong is that it's th

o Korea's capital, Seoul,” he begins. “At 18.625 km, it’s a

very long. It was built using men mobilized rom all ov

the country. It also uses the landscape well to cover a wi

area. It was built using pungsu to determine things such

the placement o the gates. And while the ortress serve

protect Seoul's people in an emergency, it also served as

external wall to protect the palaces and other places wh

the king stayed.” Sohn also points out its remarkable sta

preservation, noting previous restoration work done in decades. “Despite it being over 600 years old, it's also la

intact, with just about 5 km o it now missing,” he says,

noting that the gates are largely original, with only a ew

being destroyed completely—others were moved or pa

rebuilt. He says, “"It can boast o being the ortress with

most auth enticity.”

Built to House everyone

Korean architecture expert Sohn Yeong-sik on Korean fortress walls

Written by Robert Koehler

Photograph by Susan Hagopian

the ortress walls while discretely concealing a small barrack

nd gun emplacements under the pavilion oor.

Te detached palace (restored in 2003) represents an apex

n palatial architecture in Korea; it was used by King Jeongjo

when visiting his ather’s nearby tomb, as well as a summer

esidence when it pleased him and his court. Tere are

eautiul screen paintings here o Suwon Hwaseong, the most

amous dating rom the 1795 birthday party o the king’s

mother, Lady Hong o Hyegyeong.

Other Provincial Fortresses

Namhansanseong

Running 11.76 km along a strategic hilltop overlooking Seoul

rom the south, Namhansanseong is a mountain ortress that

ates mostly rom the 17th

century. rue to Korean mountain

ortress design, it harmonizes closely to the undulatingontours o the mountain. Namhansanseong is most amous

or the role it played in the Manchu invasion o Korea in

636. With Manchu orces moving on Seoul, King Injo ed to

he ortress’s royal redoubt palace enclave with a 13,800-man

orce, supplemented by 3,000 warrior monks. Tey held out

or 45 days until ood ran out, orcing Injo to surrender.

Nagan Eupseong

Located deep in the southwest part o Korea near the city o

Suncheon, Nagan Eupseong is one o Korea’s best surviving

Joseon Dynasty walled towns. Extremely picturesque, the

walls encircle some 85 households, many o whom live in

rustic thatched-roo homes.

Gochang Eupseong

Located in the southwestern town o Gochang, this well-

preserved town wall hosts a estival each all in which women

walk around the walls three times carrying stones on their

heads as a prayer or long lie and entry into heaven.

Mountain Fortresses of Central Korea

Te central regions o Korea are home to the country’s

highest concentration o mountain ortresses. Many o these

ortications date back to the Tree Kingdoms Era, when this

region ormed the rontier between the kingdoms o Silla,

Baekje, and Goguryeo. Te ortresses here were also critical to

the deense o the economically and strategically vital—and

requently ought-over—Hangang River Valley. Samnyeon

Sanseong in Boeun and Ondal Sanseong in Danyang, both in

the province o Chungcheongbuk-do, are two o the region’s

representative mountain ortresses.

2

Geumseongsanseong 2. Suwon Hwaseong Fortress 3. Gochang Eupseong 4. Suwon Hwaseong Fortress

3

V E R S T O R Y

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7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


In 1990, Lee Wal-chong decided to quit his job as a proessor at Chugye University o

in Seoul and move permanently to the island o Jejudo.

Lee, who just turned 69, knew exactly how he wanted to live the rest o his lie: pe

and in nature. Jejudo was about as ar as he was able to get rom the noisy capital city, whi

lled with dust and student activists in the 1980s.

“Students weren’t listening to what I was teaching and the whole city was just a mess du

series o student protests, which were a part o the country’s democratization movement,”

explained during a phone interview with KOREA.

His brave decision took him to a dreamlike world, as he puts it, a place where the weathe

warm all our seasons and lie is subjective.

“Living here, I was no longer swayed by other people. You don’t bother anybody and no

bothers you. Tat helped me ocus solely on my paintings.”

Along with director O Muel, who recently won a slew o awards or his Jejudo-set lm J

is also a leading artist taking the global spotlight to Jejudo. His paintings depict a subtle er

that contrasted the West’s explicit painting style. People in the art world, especially those r

Japan, became ond o the artist’s unique expression and techniques and gave him a chanc

a solo exhibition in okyo.

Basics of life

Most o Lee’s recent paintings are split into two parts: sky at the top and earth on the botto

distortion or blus are present, as everything is just the way he sees the world.

In his paintings, Lee takes people to the basics o lie. Colorul owers, lovers, and butte

reely on his canvas, and where sky and earth meet, there are always people or the houses t

in. It eels like the world is embracing humans and their ordeals o happiness.

One o his paintings eatures an orange-red-colored sun rising over a small town surrou

green woods. Exuding distinctive color and energy, this depicts the bountiul nature o the

lee Wal-cHongPainter Lee Wal-chong captures the beauty o Korea’s island paradise

Written by Monica Suk

hotographs courtesy of Lee Wal-chong

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N & B R U S H

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


6

Interestingly, not a small number o his paintings portray people playing gol. Tough his nature-

oving style contrasts with Korean people’s bias about playing gol—gol has been understood in Korea

s a sport or the privileged classes—they do not appear awkward at all. Te warmth and harmony

nside Lee’s paintings break down prejudices and melt a thick layer o ice in people’s minds.

“I eel like… now I know what art is. It’s about painting things just the way they are. I a

ypocrite—or somebody who likes to show o—draws something on a canvas, I wouldn’t want to

ee the work. Being who you are and drawing what is there in ront o you. Tat matters,” Lee said.

Te artist’s paintings are a mix o the Korean traditional painting style and modern elements like

ars or houses. But mostly they are inspired by olk paintings, known as minhwa in Korean.

Minhwawas painted mostly by the lower classes in the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910) and thus

aptured people’s ordinary lives, scenes such as people watching a cockght or a group o menarming. Regardless o whether an animal or human is portrayed in the painting, minhwa is all

bout the intimate relationship between humans and nature.

“I preer minhwa to ollowing traditional drawing techniques. It’s very un to see paintings done

y just ordinary people. Tey’re portraying themselves and their lives in it.”

The Golden Mean o Lie in Jeju

Another intriguing eature in his paintings and exhibitions are their titles. Most o his works are

N & B R U S H

introduced to the public under the same name, Te Golden Mean o Lie in Jeju .According to the artist, Te Golden Mean o Lie in Jeju signies the unbiased, natural st

human being. Striking a balance between his oasis and reality on the canvas, he nds the t

symbolic and precise or conveying his messages.

“I don’t even have time to worry about naming these paintings. Te Golden Mean o Lie

compact and the most suitable title or everything I draw. Live simple, live happy, love natu

amily. What more do you need?”

On top o that, the artist also uses dierent media in order to constantly try something n

From sculptures to carved wood, the materials also catch people’s eyes. Lee preers using r

natural materials like Hanji (Korean traditional paper), ceramics, and clean terracotta.

Needless to say, the demand is high. Some people complain that the artist doesn’t hold ex

oen enough, but Lee says that’s because he “ran out o paintings.”

According to a study, Lee is the country’s top artist in seeing his paintings increase in val

during the last decade or so. His paintings now cost 246 percent o their 2002 price. His a

popularity keep growing, but these are no more than numbers or the artist.

“Fame and popularity are like morning dew and bubbles—they disappear eventually. It’s

see people buying my paintings, but even i they don’t, that’s still okay or me,” Lee added,

back down to his rm belie in Te Golden Mean o Lie in Jeju .

Having spent about 23 years on the island, Lee says he still has not gured out the golden

in his lie.But many who have been watching Lee’s career say he knows the true meaning o the go

mean in lie, as seen by his numerous charity works.

For over 20 years, Lee has been working with UNICEF by opening charity exhibitions to

money or children in third world countries.

When asked how he wants to be remembered by people, he said in his careree tone, “o

honest, whether or not they know me and whether or not I become popular is not in my h

just living happily with my amily, and to support them and others here is my main job.”

Ccti

In the article “Classic Short

Stories by Hwang Sun-won”

that appeared in the August

2012 issue o KOREA, we

mistakenly attributed thelead-in to the eature and the

author biography at the end to

An Son-jae. Those passages

were in act written by Pro.

Bruce Fulton o the University

o British Columbia. It should

also be noted that “The Crane”

was written in January 1953,

not 1952. We apologize or the

errors.

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


Mor

Lck Musum

T. 02-766-6494, www.lockmu

3

1

On a quiet back street in Daehangno, Seoul’s popular

theater neighborhood, sits a rusting lump o iron.

Te lump is lled with metal o all kinds—nickel,

rass, silver, more iron—as well as staircases, corridors, shas

light, backlit display shelves, cabinets ull o locks, bolts,

harms, pots, trinkets, antique chests, drawers o undisplayed

ocks, corkscrews, and donated items. Brass sh lie next to

wooden turtles and iron rogs. At the heart o it all, Choi

Hong-kyu points to an antique lock on a wooden chest. “Te

elationship between urniture and lock is like that between

ower and buttery,” he says. “Te lock has to suit the piece o

urniture—this pine chest goes well with its iron lock.”

Choi is director o the Lock Museum, one o Seoul’s best-

nown specialty museums. He is also a designer, ironmonger,

istory lover, and sel-proessed collection addict. His

ove aair with iron began 35 years ago when he joined an

ronworker as an apprentice. Inspired by his boss, who became

role model o sorts, he began working hard and developed

passion or iron. “People think working with iron is a wild

process, with heat and re,” he says. “Actually, it’s very sensual.

It’s a warm, gentle material. It’s also the most environmentally

riendly material, because it can be recycled indenitely.”

Becoming the Snake’s Head

Driven by a desire or achievement, Choi began collecting:

rst antique ceramics, then antique arm implements, then

antique locks. “I you want to be a collector, you need money,

time, and discernment. ime and discernment are one thing,

but having enough money is another. You need a lot o money

to collect Silla ceramics. So I decided to collect something

that nobody else really collected, something that

I could excel at given time and an acquired

discernment. We have a saying in

Korean: ‘Te head o a snake is

better than the tail o a

dragon’.” In other words,

it’s better to excel at

something modest

8

E O P L E

than be mediocre at something grand. “Locks are a perect

combination o science and design,” he adds. “And they’re

more about opening than closing. Keys and locks are about

communication: i we say we have the key to something, it

means we understand it.”

Choi has managed to excel at lock collecting. He now

possesses somewhere in the region o 5,000 historic locks,

housed in a purpose-built museum designed by leading

Korean contemporary architect Seung H-Sang and opened 10

years ago. “Tis is probably the rst private museum in Korea

designed specially to reect the nature o its contents,” he says.

Hence the apparently closed and locked exterior—the rusting

lump o iron—clad in Seung’s trademark weathered steel

paneling and the open interior, with its clever use o windows,

skylights, and atria to admit indirect natural light.

Taught by Nature

As well as being a collector, Choi remains active as a designer.

He works to keep the crasmanship that produced his artiacts

alive. “A lot o museums have a stuy eel, just displaying

objects,” he says. “But this place is not like that. In one room

we have preserved the workshop o a traditional master

locksmith exactly as it was when he last used it, and we run

traditional metalwork classes with crasmen in another space.

Teme museums are the place to go i you want to learn

about something in depth. I you just want an overview, go

somewhere like a national or history museum. When

at the locks here, it makes you wonder why people ma

the way they did. You get the eeling that people in the

era [1392–1910] enjoyed their work.”

Choi cites his unconventional path to success as bot

and a weak point. “I had no ormal education as a des

he says. “It means I'm open to doing new things in ne

His designs—including urniture and decorative obje

place an emphasis on their materials: cast iron, unvar

wood, cement, resin. His ascination with the sensual

he says, stems rom his most ormative early years. “I

almost everything at elementary school,” he says. “I gr

on the slopes o Mt. Bukhansan, so I was able to expe

our seasons and the changes in nature.”

Hearing Choi talk about his collection, design work

passion or traditional crasmanship is rereshing in a

that has always placed historical emphasis on literatur

and ne arts—not least o all because o his eorts to

traditional cras alive. He is now at work with Seung

once again, this time on the creation o a multipurpos

complex in Yangpyeong, a rural area to the east o Seo

Due or completion in 2015, the complex, which will

workshops, perormance venues, and more, is set to b

addition to the local cultural scene. In the meantime,

Museum remains the place to go or a ascinating alte

glimpse o Korean history.

using tHe Past to

unlocK tHe FutureMeeting ironwork designer and lock collector Choi Hong-kyu

Written by Ben Jackson

2

1. Choi Hong-kyu 2 Exterior, Lock Museum 3 Lock Museum

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


v e r S t o r yR A V E L

Written and photographed by Robert Koehler

Green mountains, blue seas, and golden sunsets

ByeonsanBando

national ParK

Byeonsanbando National Park does so

no other national park in Korea can—

scenic shoreline with rugged alpine s

In this sense, it’s a virtual microcosm o the bes

has to oer. A million and a hal people visit th

each year to take in its dramatic vistas and spe

sunsets, some o the most romantic in Korea.

While Byeongsanbando is best known or its

surroundings, it’s got a bit o culture, too. It’s h

to two major Buddhist temples, including Nae

emple, one o Korea’s most architecturally im

monasteries. You’ll also nd a unique shaman

where villagers pray to a local deity in hopes o

the saety and prosperity o the village’s sherm

Naebyeonsan

Occupying a peninsula on the southwest coast

Byeonsanbando National Park is really two pa

one. Te inner part o the park, Naebyeonsan

Byeonsan”), is where you’ll nd the park’s rock

wateralls, and major Buddhist temples. Te o

Oebyeonsan (“Outer Byeonsan”), is where you

the picturesque seashore, including one o the

o the park, the Chaeseokgang Clis.

Naebyeonsan is crisscrossed by a number o

hiking trails. Te most popular takes you rom

Naebyeonsan ticket ofce to Jikso Falls, where

cascades 30 meters into a jade-green pool below

pleasant, 40-minute hike.

Many visitors stop at the waterall, but or a

and more taxing—exploration o Naebyeonsan

continue up the trail into the mountainous hea

park. Along the way you will hit Gwaneumbon

(425 meters), which oers sweeping views o t

park.

From Gwaneumbong, hike down to Naesosa

the park’s largest Buddhist temple. Founded in

Naesosa is a masterpiece o Korean architectur

charmingly rustic buildings harmonizing per

the dramatic mountain location. O particular

its lovely 17th

-century main hall, with beautiu

ower-pattern doors and a spectacular paintin

Chaskgag Clis0

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


2

white-robed Avalokitesvara behind the main Buddha image. Be sure to visit

the temple tearoom, too.

Te park’s other major Buddhist temple, Gaeamsa, is also well worth a

visit. It doesn’t get nearly the number o tourists as Naesosa, which lends it a

serenity that Naesosa might lack in the peak season. Like Naesosa, however, it

boasts a beautiul main hall rom the 17th

century, built to harmonize with the

rocky peaks that orm its backdrop.

Oebyeonsan

Oebyeonsan is comprised largely o scenic coastline. Tis section o the park is also ideal or windshield tourists—National Road No. 30 takes you along

a good stretch o the region’s inspiring coastline. Along the southern stretch

o the road you’ll nd the rustic shing port o Gomsohang. Te port is well

known or its salted seaood products. O historical note are the old salt arms,

where salt is extracted rom giant pools o seawater through evaporation.

Te best known o Oebyeonsan’s coastal sights are the Chaeseokgang Clis.

Te base o these stratied clis is granite and gneiss rom the Cambrian

Mor

What t eat

Clams, both o the

common ( baekhap ) and

short-neck ( bajirak )

varities, are the local

specialty. You can get

these in porridge ( juk ) or

roughly KRW 10,000. I you’d like someth

more substantial, baekhaptang(clam ste

be had or KRW 35,000 or two. You can f

restaurants serving these dishes in Gyeok

Wh t Stay

The best accommodations can be ound a

Daemyung Resort Byeonsan, where room

begin at KRW 110,000. There are plenty o

seaside hotels and motels around Gyeokp

T. 082-1588-4888

Gttig Th

Express buses to the gateway town o Bua

leave hourly rom Seoul’s Express Bus Te

(travel time: 3 hours, 10 minutes). From B

there are local buses that take you to the

tourist sites.

Bysabadnatial Pak

Sul

Jjud

Bus

1 3

1. Sea seen rom cave o Chaeseokgang Clis

2. Main hall, Naesosa Temple

3. Salt arm, Gomsohang

1. Seao

Byeons

Nation

2. Sans

Naesos

Period—countless years o battering rom the sea has given them their current

shape. At the bottom o the clis are several caves that you can enter at low

tide. Te sunsets rom the caves are especially lovely.

About a kilometer north o the Chaeseokgang Clis are another set

o similarly stratied clis, the Jeokseokgang. Near these clis is a small

wooden shrine overlooking the sea. Tis shrine, Suseondang, is dedicated to

Gaeyanghalmi, or the “Old Lady o Suseong.” Te guardian entity o these seas,

this spirit is said to have nine daughters—eight are married to each o Korea’s

traditional eight provinces, while she hersel lives with her youngest in the

shrine, where you can nd a painting o the amily. Te Old Lady o Suseong

calms the seas to keep local shermen sae; in the old days, she also kept

nearby villages sae rom tigers. Villagers still come here the rst lunar month

o every year to make sacricial oerings to the deity.

All o Byeongsanbando National Park oers beautiul sunsets, but the

most spectacular is the sunset over Solseom, or “Pine Island.” Te setting sun

silhouettes the lonely cluster o pines against a backdrop o gold. It’s a sunset

best shared with someone you love.

2

R A V E L

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


4

1

Center: two perormance venues, three museums, the

Vitamin Station, and the outdoor areas.

Te Music Hall and the Opera House are the two

perormance venues. Te Music Hall consists o the

Concert Hall, the IBK Chamber Hall, and the Recital

Hall. Te Concert Hall has the largest capacity at over

2,500 seats and is known or its amazing acoustic

architecture. Te Music Hall stages perormances

including the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Korean

Chamber Orchestra, and a wide variety o other

musicians.

Te Opera House includes the Opera Teater, the

CJ owol Teater, and the Jayu Teater. Te Opera

Teater is the largest o the three, seating over 2,300

people. Ballets, operas, musicals, dance perormances,

and plays can all be seen at the Opera House.

Tere are three museums at the Seoul Arts Center:

the Hangaram Art Museum, the Seoul Calligraphy Art

Museum, and the Hangaram Design Museum. Tese

museums are home to exhibitions such as the Seoul

Modern Art Show, Van Gogh in Paris, and Voyage to

the Pop-Up Book World , just to name a ew.

Te Vitamin Station was built in 2008 or the

convenience o visitors, oering inormation stations,

ticketing booths, shops, caés, and restaurants. Te

Vitamin Station serves as the entrance into the Seoul

Arts Center.

During the warmer months, the outdoor areas

eature special perormances or visitors. Te Music

Plaza is a place to enjoy special programs and music

perormances. Te World Music Fountain is a

popular part o the Music Plaza; there visitors can

enjoy a dancing water show set to popular songs. Te

Shinsegae Square Outdoor Stage is where visitors can

enjoy a more diverse range o perormances like jazz

concerts and b-boy shows.

Surrounding Area

Te surrounding area within Seocho provides other

opportunities to experience both nature and culture.

Tree must-see spots are Mt. Umyeonsan, the

National Gugak Center, and Seorae Village.

Behind the Seoul Arts Center is Mt. Umye

Resembling a sleeping cow, this mountain is

hiking trail or its one-hour hike and the vie

63 Building, N Seoul ower, and Olympic Pa

Right next to the Seoul Arts Center is the N

Gugak Center. Formerly the National Center

raditional Perorming Arts, it is a place that

preserves and promotes Korea’s traditional ar

olk music and dance. Visitors can watch per

take lessons, or visit the Gugak Museum.

In the northern part o Seocho is Seorae V

Tis is the French village that is home to a go

portion o Korea’s French community. It is al

home o the French International School. Se

Village is a great place to stroll through to n

bakeries, products, and ood. It has a similar

Sinsa’s Garosu-gil.

While there are many locations in Seoul wh

can nd evidence o Korea’s historical ngerp

there are ew places that oer a taste o culture

unique as Seocho. Te Seoul Arts Center lea

in representing Korea’s art and culture, and it

visitors with a place where culture and nature

1. Opera House. © Seoul

Arts Center

2. Opera House. © Seoul

Arts Center

3, 4National Gugak Center

© National Gugak Center

E O U L

he Seoul Arts Center is beautiully situated between

the urban landscape o Seocho-dong and the clean

silhouette o Mt. Umyeonsan. From Seocho Station,

he path to Mt. Umyeonsan via Banpo-daero is surprisingly

icturesque. Te wide street is lined with oreign auto

ealerships, caés, and restaurants, all leading up to Seoul Arts

Center.

Te main structure o the Seoul Arts Center that’s visible

s the Opera House, which was built in the shape o a gat

Korean traditional hat). It’s the landmark building that people

ecognize when they think o the Seoul Arts Center, and it is a

tting blend o the traditional and the modern.

Te layout is open and relaxing. Te design embraces its

natural surroundings rather than pushing them aside. Strolling

through the grounds, you will notice the mixture o sculptures

and art pieces within the brush and trees. Tis gives the sense

that along with art, nature is on display as well.

Te Seoul Arts Center was created in 1987 to “develop

and promote art and culture and expand opportunities o

cultural enjoyment to people,” according to their mission

statement. Since that time, over 30 million visitors have been

able to observe, watch, or listen to a variety o dances, music,

paintings, sculptures, and other orms o artistic expression.

Tere are seven main sections that make up the Seoul Arts

Seocho’s Seoul Arts Center blends art and culture withurban and nature

WHen art and

culture call 2

3

4

More InFo

Sul Ats Ct

www.sac.or.kr

T. 02-580-1300

natial Gugak Ct

www.gugak.go.kr

T. 02-580-3300

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


6

What the traditional bullghting in Korea’s bullghting capital Cheongdo in the

province o Gyeongsangbuk-do lacks in style or stylized ourishes, it makes

up or in blunt and up-ront honesty.

Cheongdo Bullghting Stadium hosts ghts every weekend, attracting tens o thousands

visitors. Bulls are categorized into weight classes. Sometimes they’re ed a bottle o soju

to make them more belligerent. Otherwise, there isn't much

to elaborate on beyond the basic idea o two bulls in a dirt pen

who wrestle with their horns and bulk until one o the bulls

yields.

Yet or all its simplicity, this rural pastime—now a national

pastime—can be surprisingly entertaining. Entrance into the

Cheongdo Bullghting Stadium is ree. But spectators in a

betting mood can purchase a “bull ticket” to gamble on their

contestant o choice. For those who are serious about picking

the right contender, the organizers advise looking into past

winners, but ultimately it’s down to how bullish your bull is

eeling on that particular day.

But this April 17–21, Cheongdo celebrates the institution

o bullghting with the annual Cheongdo Bullghting

Festival, the nation’s largest bullghting event. Besides the

matches themselves, the estival provides a variety o other

entertainment such as concerts, perormances, exhibitions, and

specialized zones with hands-on arming activities or visitors.

Tere are also matches with bulls rom other countries.

Korean traditional bullghting originated as a leisure activity

or armers and has been around or thousands o years, dating

back to the Tree Kingdoms period o Korea (57 BCE–668

CE). Tat was back when Korea was a predominantly arming

society; bulls were the most prized possessions o well-to-do

armers, and no one ound anything unexpected about the idea

o being entertained by two tussling animals.

Bullghting can be a lot more enjoyable when understood

in the context o a past when lie was entirely about arming

the land and bulls were absolutely essential to arming—and

thereore lie. In Korea’s traditional arming society, b

could be emotional events, with amilies and even ent

villages rooting or their star bull. Bulls went to ghts

out in ribbons and a bell around their neck.

O course, while bullghting may have been the socia

month or a typical Gyeongsang-do armer, Korea is no

an agrarian society. City dwellers rarely suer rom a lac

excitement. But in this sense, the anachronistic avor o

Cheongdo Bullghting Festival is also an attraction and

Visitors can also stop by the Cheongdo Bullghting

Park one building away rom the domed bullghting

but the trip might be more valuable or amilies with

theme park does not oer much in the way o English

inormation, but it does have a collection o lie-size d

eaturing bulls, bull statues, and photo galleries.

Korean bullghting is inevitably compared to the Sp

bullghting tradition. But it lacks the elaborate rituals

costumes, and characters o the Spanish bullght. It’s

the ground. It’s earthier. And it’s a sport, not a ceremo

And above all, the bullghting you see in Cheongdo

end in death. While the bullghting techniques describ

the Cheongdo Bullghting Festival website—head-but

shoving, and hitting with the horns—might prove atal

human, Korean bullghting is about grappling, not gor

bull skedaddles and remains in retreat or a minute or m

declared the loser and the match is over.

Fittingly, the Cheongdo Bullghting Festival slogan

powerul challenge! An honest victory!”

When it comes to Korean traditional bullghting,what you hear is what you get

cHeongdo

BullFigHting Festival

S T I V A L

1. Bulls lock horns 2. Stadium, Cheongdo Bullghting Festival 3. More ghting bulls © Cheongdo Bullghting Festival1

More InFo

Chgd Bullfghtig Fstival

www.청도소싸움.kr

T. 054-370-6373

2

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


8

English Premier League veteran Park Ji-

sung’s retirement rom international ootball

in 2011 was the sunset or Korea’s “golden

generation” o players who elevated the country’s

ootball into global relevancy.

wo years later, a trio o promising youngsters

plying their trade in the German Bundesliga is

making the argument that the uture o Korean

ootball is once again in good hands.

Park, 31, now in his debut season or the lowly

Queens Park Rangers, cemented his place in the

pantheon o Asian sporting greats during his

illustrious seven-year run with Manchester United.

Still, it’s hard to remember whether Park ever

generated as much excitement as Son Heung-min,

the 20-year-old Hamburg SV striker who is attracting

interest across the Premier League and Europe.

Son, who mixes clinical skills with impressive

awareness and quick decision-making, is regarded

as one o the best young players in Germany and has

been an integral part in engineering a better-than-

expected Hamburg squad. His nine goals this season

is second only to the 11 scored by his Latvian

partner-in-crime Artjoms Rudnevs.

Even in his prime, Park was never the ocal

part o an oense, instead regarded as the

ultimate team player who contributes with

his nonstop running and industriousness.

Son, on the other hand, is displaying a

potential to develop as a true match-

winner.

Inter Milan, Chelsea, Arsenal, ottenham

Hotspur, and even Park’s old team Manchester

United are some o the top European clubs

competing to sign Son away rom Hamburg.Although he claims that he is happy where he is right

now, Son is apparently mulling his options careully,

recently turning down a three-year oer rom

Hamburg that would have paid him EUR 2.8 million

per year.

Whether or not his uture lies with Hamburg, Son

is determined to leave a lasting mark. In an interview

with the Bundesliga’s website, Son reveale

goal is to best the 17 goals scored by Korea

legend Cha Bum-kun or Bayer Leverkus

the 1985–1986 season.

Cha, now a television commentator,

considered the greatest ootball player Kore

produced, scoring 98 goals in 11 Bundeslig

beore retiring rom the league in the 1

season.

“[Te 17 goal record] is the mark that I a

at. I also want to score a hat trick,” Son said.

While Son has just started to scratch th

o his immense talent, Koo Ja-cheol, the

old midielder playing or FC Augsburg

Bundesliga club, seems to be coming into h

he lamboyant playmaker is one o

bright spots in a disappointing season or

scoring three goals on two assists and disp

impressive versatility that makes him ee

as a winger and central midelder.

Koo’s relentlessness and direct smashm

makes him a delight to watch, and he is in

showing a nose or the net. he downs

all-out style is his vulnerability to mist

turnovers. Still, it’s always apparent to every

stadium that, win or lose, Koo isn’t return

with any bullets le.

Koo is currently playing with his Korean

squad teammate Ji Dong-won, who is on l

English Premier League Club Sunderl

1.87-meter-tall striker, oers a rare comb

size, speed, and skills.

He has been praised or his uid skills an

positioning and composure in ront o

While his coaches wish Ji would assert himphysically and develop as a true goal-line

the good news is that he is still only 22.

Son, Koo, and Ji were part o the Korean

ootball team that won the bronze in l

London Summer Games. he nation is ea

what they will be capable o in the next Wor

1

2

P O R T S

3

Written by Kim Tong-hyung

Koreans doing big things in one o Europe’s toughest leagues

Bundesliga

trio BrigHtensKorean FootBall ProsPects

1. FC Augsburg’s Koo

Ja-cheol

2. Hamburg SV’s

Son Heung-min

3. FC Augsburg’s Ji

Dong-won

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


ERTAINMENT

As global demand or K-pop events grows

uriously every year, how to meet ans’ need

has become the greatest concern or Korea

entertainment agencies.

“Due to the explosive demand in North and South

America and Europe, Big Bang decided to kick o th

rst world tour last year, which went around 24 cities

12 countries,” YG Entertainment’s PR ofcial Lee Seo

yoon told the magazine.

According to Lee, Big Bang attracted an accumulated

number o 73,000 ans during the tour to non-Asian

countries such as Peru and England. Te gure in 2008

Zero. Te rm even had to add another show in Englan

aer the rst sold out in no time.

Boy band JYJ, JYJ’s Kim Junsu, and girl group 2NE1

all experienced the same thing during their world tour

last year. Surely the power o music transcends borders

time, culture, and language, or at least it did wherever t

visited.

JYJ’s South America tour to Chile and Peru in 2012

the nal destinations o the trio’s world tour held in 1

countries, is a great example. Chile is a 30-hour ight

rom Seoul, which is about twice as long as a ight to

York. In the venue, however, that distance was merely

number. In just one show, about 3,000 screaming em

ans were cheering the members’ names, roaring and

singing along to the Korean and Japanese lyrics o JYJ

songs.


Korea’s music stars are earning an bases outside o Asia

K-PoP KnocKin’

on tHe West’s door

0

1. JYJ concert

2. Concert ans © C-JeS Entertainment

2

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


2

Like their Asian ans, JYJ’s Latin American ans were

ttracted to the unique beat o K-pop, its melody, and the

erormance style o its concerts.

“It’s dierent rom American music. It’s very addictive, very

atchy, and hard to orget,” said Lisa Ortiz, who calls hersel a

ie-hard Puerto Rican K-pop an. “I got to know about K-pop

nd JYJ in 2009, when not many riends around me were very

nterested in it. Back then there were no an clubs or large-scale

oncerts like this,” she noted, reerring to the rapid growth o

he industry in Latin America in the past three years.

Tip of the Iceberg

Tis is just the tip o the K-pop iceberg emerging on the other

ide o the globe. Make your visit to broadcasting stations on

heir music program recording days and you will easily spot an

rmy o non-Asian emale ans. Not a small number o them

re on three-day or week-long trips to tour around K-pop

hows.

SM Entertainment’s Lee Soo-man had some insight into

the power o K-pop and how ar it could reach rom the very

beginning o his business. Selected artists were trained to

learn English, Chinese, or Japanese, and sometimes the

rm hired young aspiring artists o other nationalities, or

Koreans who had spent their entire lives in other countries.

Tat was the CEO’s preparation or what was to happen in

the late 2000s. In 2010, the rm decided to march towards

the world under the banner “SM own.” Language was not

a problem, since at least one or two o them were amiliar

with local languages, and all o them had learned English and

Chinese. Te recording artists hold a series o world tours

annually, keeping in touch with a sizable an base spread

around the world. In 2011, SM artists swept audiences in Paris

and Los Angeles o their eet.

Last June, SM Entertainment CEO Lee Soo-man announced

that he would establish a micronation o people supporting

SM artists. What sounded like a religious statement was the

entertainment guru’s ambitious project to bring global K-pop

ans together beyond their online interaction in social media

and blogs. Te agency even vowed to grant “citizenship” and

pink “passports” to people who communicate through K-pop.

Within just two months o the declaration, it became a

reality. Everything was happening too ast and strong to say

that the CEO’s remark was preposterous or insane. On the

day o the virtual nation’s opening ceremony at the SM ownLive our III last August, overseas ans rom over 12 countries

swarmed the venue. Fans rom Japan, mainland China, Hong

Kong, and Singapore were in the crowd o some 40,000, but

the ans that caught people’s eyes the most were the ones

rom countries outside o East and Southeast Asia, including

Germany, Italy, England, Kazakhstan, Sweden, and Poland.

YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment also have their

own group tours outside Korea, using the titles YG Family

and JYP Nation, respectively. Not surprisingly, the shows are

growing in size and number each year.

“In 2008, when Big Bang had just begun their overseas

activities, it was very much limited to Japan and China.

In between those our to ve years, everything’s become

explosive,” the YG ofcial explained.

JYJ’s agency, C-Jes Entertainment, has also strived to expand

its place in the market by branching out to other regions. Te

size o their overseas concerts is comparable to any other local

agency’s, but o course, there were countless barriers and risks

along the way.

“Lots o K-pop artists and agencies are araid to venture into

new areas because you really have to prove your credibility to

the local organizers, which can be costly,” C-Jes Entertainment

CEO Back Chang-ju said during an interview with local

newspaper Korea JoongAng Daily last year.

Without these brave initiatives, Korean music would not

be enjoying the position it has now in the global music scene.

Tanks to their eorts, reactions to K-pop are immeasurable,

especially online. Korean idol stars and entertainment news

reporters have countless number o ollowers on their witter

and umblr accounts, and it is even difcult to count how

many countries those reactions are coming rom. All eyes on

their avorite K-pop stars, some ans respond to their witter

posts in Korean, and sometimes the artists write to ans inMalaysian, English, Chinese, or Japanese. When a member o

boy band Super Junior posts a picture on the service, it usually

gets retweeted around 25,000 times.

Bright Future

But K-pop has been constantly knocking on the doors o music

markets abroad, even when demand was not as high as it is

now.

In the 1990s, so-called rst-generation idols like H.O

G.O.D., and Shinhwa broke into the Chinese music in

something only a handul o Korean musicians were a

to do. Ten, at the beginning o the new millennium,

young 13-year-old girl named BoA splashed onto the

scene. Right aer her debut, she ew over to Japan to

oundation or Korean music.

In past interviews, these Korean Wave pioneers hav

pointed out that idol stars nowadays have greater acc

chances, and andom in the West. World tours used to

the ultimate dream or many Korean stars, but it’s now

towards gaining the title “K-pop sensation.”

As it appears, the uture is looking bright—or at lea

another ve to ten years. Tis is largely attributable to

sensation Psy, who made millions o people around th

jump on their eet last year with “Gangnam Style,” wh

hit 1.4 billion views on Youube to date.

Psy opened a new door or K-pop by appearing on a

o American talk shows like Te Ellen DeGeneres Sho

dancing with top stars like Britney Spears and Usher.

thought receiving a warm welcome at Dodger Stadium

surprising, but that was just the beginning o a major

K-pop’s position in the world.

Te term K-pop oen evoked images o cute girl gr

boy bands dancing in a perect line, but now people aro dierent genres o Korean music. Like Korean dram

K-pop used to be heavily criticized or relying too mu

star power with low-quality content, but now the ind

branching out. I K-pop continues to bring something

and dierent, it could become something more than j

trend and last longer than ve to ten years.

1. Girls’ Generation

2. Super Junior

3. Big Bang

1 2

TERTAINMENT

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


Korea’s transormation rom a war-ravaged,

poverty-stricken nation to one o the world's most

important economies and vibrant societies in

the space o a ew decades is the stu o legend. But has the

change in the country's image been as rapid?

Many Koreans are proud o their country’s transormation

and keen to let the rest o the world just how much

they have achieved. Beyond national pride, however, lie

potentially huge benets rom an improved “national

brand.” At the heart o the question is the “Made in Korea”

label. Te Lee Myung-bak government aimed to convert

the perceived “Korea discount” into a “Korea premium” so

that the very virtue o being made in Korea added, rather

than deducted, nancial value to the country’s products.

With this in mind, and in order to improve Korea’s stature

in the eyes o the world, the Presidential Council on Nation

Branding was established in 2009.

Corporate Brands and National Brands

Several o Korea’s leading corporations already enjoy very

positive brand images, urther contributing to their global

success. In its Best Global Brands 2012 report, Interbrand,

the world’s largest brand consultancy, ranked Samsung

ninth worldwide in terms o brand value—one place ahead

o leading Japanese company oyota—with a brand value o

US$32.893 billion. “Samsung is one o the biggest successes

o 2012, marked by a meteoric 40 percent rise in brand

value,” the report said. Hyundai and Kia also made the top

100 global list, in 53rd and 87th place, respectively. Tis

year, Korea also joined the ranks o countries to have their

own national brand rankings published by Interbrand: Best

Korea Brands 2013 ranked Samsung Electronics, Hyundai

Motor, and Kia Motors rst, second, and third—naturally—

ollowed by telecommunications giant SK elecom and steel

leviathan POSCO.

Innovation Nation

Interbrand global chie executive Jez Frampton cites Korea’s

strong tech sector, heavy industrial backbone, “joined-

up approach to business, and ocused and aggressive

investment and development strategies” as the elements

behind Korea’s ongoing success, but he also points to the

country’s growing presence in the global cultural an

realms, highlighting the extraordinary phenomeno

singer Psy and his record-smashing track “Gangna

“Psy signies Korea’s potential to establish itsel a

cultural and artistic inuence. Tis provides greate

and opportunity or ‘Brand Korea,’ literally openin

new door or brands in a world ever more hungry

entertainment and new cultural reerences.”

Premium across the Board

While Korea’s corporate giants may have establishe

enormous brand power o their own, it is the count

and medium enterprises (SMEs) that stand to bene

most rom a Korea premium by increasing the valu

products because o where they are made. One nat

index, compiled jointly by Samsung Economic Res

Institute and the Presidential Council on Nation B

ranked Korea 13th

worldwide in 2012, up six places

2009. Te index takes into account Korea’s global s

in areas such as celebrities, contemporary culture,

and technology, economy and corporations, policie

systems, and Koreans as a people.

While such indices may merely be attempts at th

impossible—putting an absolute value on an abstra

concept, such as a national brand—there are a gro

number o signs that Korea’s global standing is imp

Early this year, the Economist ranked Korea as the

place to be born in 2013, ahead o Italy (21st), Japan

France (26th

), and Britain (27th

). Te ranking is bas

a combination o surveys and statistics ormulated

measure which country will provide the best oppo

or a healthy, sae, and prosperous lie in the years a

ourism, another indicator o positive global imag

enjoyed an explosion in recent years: in 2012, the n

oreign tourists visiting Korea surpassed 10 million

rst time, double the 5 million gure recorded in 2

All this is good news or Korea's conglomerates,

and the nation as a whole, oering economic bene

greater international stature. Expect the small coun

achieved the impossible to play an ever greater role

world stage in the uture.

C I A L I S S U E

4

Corporate and government efforts to create aKorea premium’ bear fruit

Written by Ben Jackson

a neW BrandoF nation

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


R E N T K O R E A

South Korea has long been a major player in the

mobile device industry. Here, mobile devices are

everywhere. Tey can be ound in the hands o

almost every commuter, whether they are waiting or the

train, standing at a bus stop, or even while walking to work.

In a caé it is common to nd patrons enjoying their day

with a beverage in one hand and their smartphone in the

other. Even in bustling shopping areas like Myeong-dong,

one can nd tourists holding up their devices to capture

video o ood vendors, street perormers, or even just the

atmosphere—video that is uploaded to social media sites

like Facebook as a way o bringing the outside world into

theirs. Tis is Korea leading the way in mobile culture.

Commuter culture is a perect match or the mobile

device world, especially in a city like Seoul, where millions

o people commute daily, either via subway or bus. Almost

every commuter on the subway has a smartphone. Walking

down the street, it’s even common to nd people buried in

their phones, either playing games or texting.

Anipang, Anyone?

Mobile gaming has become a dominant orce in Korea. You

will nd men and women in their 40s, 50s, and older playing

the same games as the 12-year-old next to them.

What are the masses playing, exactly? On any given

subway, you are likely to nd commuters playing

Kakaoalk’s Anipang game or any other game oered on

Korea’s top mobile messaging platorm.

Initially a basic messaging application, Kakaoalk has

become a social network program or smartphones, much

in the way that Facebook is, except that in Korea, Kakao is

king. In addition to messaging abilities, users are able to set

up group chats, send video, talk via ree calls, purchase gis,

and play games.

Similar to Facebook, Kakao games are centered on a

scoreboard made up o those in a user’s network o contacts.

Anipang is Kakao’s most popular game (or now). Each

round is a minute long, and a user’s score is stacked against

riends. Te combination o competition, brevity, and

commuting time all contribute to Kakao’s success in Korea.

Mixing Work with Play

Te dominance o mobile devices extends to the cl

and workplace as well. More and more people are u

smartphones and tablets or work. Services and app

such as Google Drive, Calendar, Mail, PDF readers

basic word processors are making it easy or people

productive in and out o the ofce.

Students are also using their smartphones and ta

more than just media and games. extbooks and st

are available or tablets and smartphones. More and

schools are also integrating the use o these devices

their classrooms. With mobile devices, the line bet

and productivity is now blurred.

Candid CameraKoreans have no reservations about using their pho

devices to take photos or videos in public.

In the United States, or example, when a celebrity

in public, spectators tend to be more discreet about s

a photo; many people either don’t want to be an ann

just don’t care enough to approach someone amou

In Korea, celebrities are oen mobbed by smartp

carrying citizens, with spectators on the side captur

wild scene on their own camera phones, which is a

on social networking sites or all to see. Korean net

have a lot o power to inuence the lives o celebrit

the status o their reputations.

Te culture o “citizen journalism” is quite power

Korea. For instance, netizens are said to have been re

or 2PM’s Park Jaebum leaving the popular K-pop b

Mobile smartphones have given people the power to

and heard. Combined with the power o viral videos

journalism is something that will continue to inue

country.

Korea is a leading player in mobile technology, e

with companies like Samsung and LG leading the w

social networking, mobile gaming, mobile product

citizen journalism are trends that will continue to g

evolve with the technology here in Korea.

6

Korea’s MoBile

cultureKorea’s mobile device trends becoming the norm

Written by James Kim

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


8

1

At a joint

commission

ceremony

at the Korean military

headquarters o

Gyeryongdae on March

8, President Park Geun-

ye expressed her determination to protect Korea’s national

ecurity and upgrade the country’s deensive capabilities.

Vowing to respond strongly to any North Korean

rovocation, President Park said she would “make every eort

o make the Republic o Korea a country o strong deense,

wealth, and power.” She also made it clear, however, that i

North Korea were to change its ways, her government would

ctively pursue a trust-building process with the North so that

oth sides could coexist peaceully, in turn opening the way to

eaceul reunication.

Noting that Korea’s current reedom and prosperity is based

n strong deense, including the tight alliance with the United

tates, President Park said, “Te new government will actively

boost cooperation with allies and upgrade comprehensive

national deense capabilities.” Korea’s uture shall be

determined by how it handles the challenges posed by the

North, she said, telling the cadets, “Te duty o protecting the

country and the people through strong national deense lies on

your shoulders.”

President Park also praised the role Korea’s military has

played in promoting Korean development, saying, “Te Korean

military has been playing the role o locomotive in leading

the development o Korea since its ounding.” o promote

the morale o the military and boost the welare o Korea’s

armed service personnel, she promised to “actively support

the advancement o the overall environment and culture o

military lie” so that men and women could ulll their military

service in satisying ways.

President Park handed out lieutenant’s insignia to a total

o 5,738 graduating military cadets, including 163 emale

ofcers and two international cadets, Vietnam’s Vu Dinh

Tuc o the Korea Naval Academy and Tailand’s Tawatchai

Tonsangkaew o the Korea Air Force Academy.

President Park Geun-hye didn’t waste any time in

bolstering Korea’s oreign relations, spending her

second day in ofce meeting with a host o oreign

delegations.

On February 26, President Park met with Governor-General

David Lloyd Johnston o Canada, where she noted that 2013

was a signicant year in bilateral ties. “Te year 2013 means

a lot to both Korea and Canada, because this year also marks

the 50th anniversary o diplomatic relations between the two

countries, as well as the 60th anniversary o the cease-re o

the Korean War,” she said.

President Park then met with US National Security Adviser

Tomas Donilon. Te two discussed bolstering cooperation

between Korea and the United States as well as the upcoming

Korea-US summit, expected in May or June. President Park

also expressed gratitude or the congratulatory message sent to

her by US President Barack Obama.

President Park also met with a delegation o representatives

rom Denmark, France, Britain, and Germany, where she

expressed hope or strengthened cooperation and uture-

oriented ties. She subsequently met with Indonesian V

President Boediono, Peruvian Vice President Marisol

and UN Deputy Secretary General Jan Eliasson. Expr

thanks to the international community or the role it h

in Korea’s development, President Park told Eliasson

UN has played a crucial role in the transition o Korea

o the powerhouses o the world and it was now time

to return the avor.

Later in the day, President Park met with a Japanese

delegation that included ormer Japanese Prime Mini

Yasuo Fukuda and Secretary General Fukushiro Nuka

the Alliance o Korean-Japanese Lawmakers. At the m

she emphasized the role o interparliamentary diplom

promoting riendly Korea-Japan ties.

President Park later met with delegations rom Agh

urkmenistan, Gabon, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.

met with Vietnamese Vice President Nguyen Ti Doa

nally Australian Governor-General Quentin Bryce,

she expressed hope that negotiations or a Korea-Aus

rade Agreement (FA) would proceed smoothly.

MIT DIPLOMACY

Written by Robert Koehler Written by Robert Koehler

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


0

he Korea Development Institute (KDI) has been

the leading government think tank in South Korea

since 1971. Te KDI School o Public Policy &

Management, reerred to in short as the KDI School, is an

fliate o the KDI created in 1998.

Te KDI Division o External Aairs told KOREA, “Te

KDI School has provided exceptional education programs

hat combine current trends and academic theories with

omprehensive and innovative practical research so as to

ormulate a national vision and key policy agendas.” Unlike

raditional universities in Korea, the KDI School is an

stablishment that encourages applications rom a large range

international students rom developing nations. Te selected

domestic and international students are mid-level proessionals

rom both the private and public sector seeking to complete

urther studies at a Master’s or PhD level.

Students come rom a variety o elds including charity,

media, and government and are able to share knowledge

and experience rom their previous working environments.

According to the KDI School Admissions Ofce, “more than

50 percent o the international students have proessional

experience in the public sector. Tey reely share their

experiences and skills during class.” Tis inormation exchange

is bolstered by the act that lecturers are veteran policymakers

with experience at the well-respected KDI.

As well as operating development policy research and

Sri Kre’s ExperieeKDI School of Public Policy & Management training future world leaders

Written by Loren Cotter

hotographs courtesy of KDI

delivering capacity-building training or international students,

School osters an international environment where Korean mid

government ofcials can apply or courses such as the Global M

Program. Aer a oundation year at the KDI School, students go

one o 29 overseas associate institutions to expand their educati

returning to Korea.

Tis cross-pollination has spawned a dynamic system in whic

Korea can share its current domestic practices with uture intern

leaders as well as initiating innovative change within its own go

through the input o its multinational students. As Dean Nam S

Woo o the KDI School underlines, “Our student body with div

proessional and cultural backgrounds provides an open educat

environment, which leads to a well-connected global alumni nespanning 101 countries.”

KDI School StuDEnt: ManISh JoShI

Manish Joshi rom New Delhi, India is completing a Master’s degree in Public Policy at the Korea

Development Institute (KDI) School o Public Policy & Management.

What led to you study at the KDI School in Korea?

I used to work in entrepreneurship development or a nonprot global NGO. Aer a ew years, I elt the need to study aga

my experience in creating and managing programs I wanted to get into policymaking. I wanted to study in Asia because i

study in a region it’s easier to apply your learning there. Te KDI is one o the best think tanks in the region so I decided t

at the KDI School.

How has your experience studying in Korea and at the KDI School been so far? Hathey both lived up to your expectations?

It’s been great. I think the KDI School is denitely an exception in Korea, because at least 65 percent o my class are intern

students. Everything is taught in English and all o the proessors have studied at top universities—they have a lot o exp

Te best thing is that they are not just teachers; these are people who have actually worked on making policies and are thexperts. Te quality o the teaching is wonderul.

Do you think there is one thing you have learned from studying at the KDI Schoolstudying in Korea that you will take back with you to your home country?

I will take back to India the entire experience o living and studying in Korea. In 60 years there’s not a country that has im

so much (economically). I'm quite amazed by how well Korea has done, and it probably comes rom the act that organiza

discipline in the country are strict. Tat’s one thing that has really impressed me.

B A L K O R E AMor

KDI Schl Public Plicy & Ma

www.kdischool.ac.kr

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


“Geonbae! ”We clinked our ceramic bowls lled with a milky liquid that was not milk. I was suspicious. I it looks l

but isn’t milk, it likely won’t taste good. I was pleasantly surprised that it was light, zzy, and a little sw

reminded me vaguely o champagne punch rom a wedding I went to years ago.

Tis was my rst introduction to makgeolli in 2005, during my second year in Korea. It was also my

culinary awakening. My rst year, I was underwhelmed by Korean ood. Barbeque was ne, but it seem

the side dishes were red and tasted the same. Te soups had two avors–extremely bland or doused w

much chili pepper that you couldn’t taste anything else. Korean beer was notoriously weak, and green b

soju was just not my thing.

Ten I moved to a dierent area. Some new riends took me to an outdoor restaurant at the oot o M

Gwanaksan near my new home. Tey ordered the gamut o the menu. Crispy pajeoncame out on a w

loaded with green onions and seaood. Te boribap was like bibimbap but with a lot more avor, accom

by individually prepped vegetables rom the local gardens that weren’t all covered in red. Te smoked

tasted like bacon. Tis, I came to discover over the years, was the real Korean ood. Tis was the traditio

o the peasantry. It came rom the earth. It was honest. It required no gimmicks or shortcuts. Makgeol

came rom this tradition.

Calling makgeolli a “rice wine” commits a gross injustice. It’s more akin to a beer in that it’s low in al

a short shel lie, is brewed, and comes rom a grain. Just as beer was since Sumerian times through m

Europe, makgeolli used to be mostly a armer’s beverage.

It’s a tradition that was almost lost, and only recently has it been revived; it is now thriving. During t

Joseon period, a lot o traditions were ading away. During the Japanese colonial times, they were syste

eliminated, including methods or making alcohol. Tis was a great tragedy or the world because peo

Korean Peninsula were amed or their ermenting prowess, and that included booze.

By the end o the colonial period, ew traditions remained. Andong Soju was still around, which kep

methods o turning grain into distilled loveliness brought over rom the Middle East by the Mongolian

that was the only bright light in a bleak landscape.

Yet at the turn o this century, an awakening happened—a renaissance. Scholars like Park Rok-dam

old records and revived lost recipes and techniques. Government regulations relaxed, letting more pro

get into the makgeolli brewing business. Makgeolli became artisanal. It also caught on with Korean and

youths around 2008, spawning the makgeolli craze that we still see today.

With the advent o this craze, people have tried to dress it up in wine glasses and decanters. But serio

there are only two proper receptacles or makgeolli—a ceramic bowl or a dented metal one. And the de

to be there. A bowl lets you take in the ull aroma o this earthy beverage. A bowl also encourages you ttwo hands, so all your attention is ocused on the drink beore you. A bowl makes it more pleasurable t

a deep dra while sitting outside, watching the sun set behind the mountain.

Aer quickly nishing my bowl, my riend spooned out some more or me. I held my bowl properly

hands and accepted while making sure to rell her receptacle.

I had almost given up on Korean cuisine. Tankully we have had this reawakening in the art o alcoh

I am always thankul that this simple armer’s brew awakened my own awareness o the deep secret hea

Korea’s culinary—and alcohol-laden—treasures.

K O R E A

2

MaKgEollIawaKEnIng

Written by Joe McPherson

ustrated by Kim Yoon-Myong

Rediscovering Korea through alcohol

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


TICULTURAL KOREA

B

orn in Uzbekistan, Guzal ursunova rst came to

Koreans’ attention through the popular KBS program

Misuda, which eatured comely young oreign-born

women discussing their lives in Korea. She has since appeared

in a number o other popular Korean television programs,

including SBS’s hit drama Roofop Prince. Impressed by Korea’s

communal culture—or instance, the use o “our” where

Westerners might use “my”—she recently even applied to

become a Korean citizen.

Guzal took some time out rom her busy schedule—she’s

about to do a movie—to discuss her lie in Korea with us.

KM: What is your childhood background? Where were you

born, where did you go to school?

GuzaI: I was born in Uzbekistan, and I attended Russian

school in ashkent (the capital o Uzbekistan).

KM:When did your interest in Korea/Korean culture begin?

Guzal: When I came to Korea. I didn’t know anything about

Korean culture beore I arrived.

KM:What kind o challenges did you ace when you rst

moved to Korea?Guzal: I didn’t know the language so it was hard and I got lost

a lot. Also, the smell o garlic in a lot o ood took some getting

used to.

KM:What are the big cultural dierences between your home

country and Korea?

Guzal: Uzbekistan is the country o Islam, and the liestyle o

the people there is pretty slow. In Korean culture, everything is

always moving ast. It is very dierent rom Uzbekista

KM:How do you think Korean ashion and beauty d

European or American ashion?

Guzal: I nd that Koreans have more interest in ashi

beauty than Europeans or Americans!

KM:How do you think Korea’s view on oreigners ha

since you rst arrived here?

Guzal:When I rst arrived here, a lot o Koreans oe

looked at me because there were not many oreigners

time. However, many oreigners are coming to Korea

days. I believe this is because Korea has become well k

worldwide. Koreans are also used to seeing oreigners

KM:What are some o your avorite places in Korea a

Guzal: I like Busan. I like seaood, so I like going ther

KM:Do people recognize you easily? How do you ee

the ame and recognition?

Guzal:When there are people that recognize me, it is

uncomortable or me.

KM:What do you normally do on an average weeken

Guzal:On the weekends, I usually hang out with rien

stay home with my dog.

KM:What is your avorite type o Korean ood? Do you

Guzal: I like hanjeongsik (ull-course Korean meal) so

I can cook some Korean ood, such as guk (soup) and

(stew).

KM:What are some o the things you miss most abou

home country?

Guzal: I miss my parents a lot. I also miss the ood a

other than that, there are not many things that I miss.

KM:What is your view on the uture o the oreign p

in Korea?

Guzal: I think that there will be even more oreigners

the uture. I also think that there will be more interna

marriages.

KM:What are you working on these days? Do you ha

special projects coming up?

Guzal: I’m going to work on a movie next month!

4

Written by James Kim

Photograph courtesy of Kook Entertainment

An interview with actress and TVpersonality, Guzal Tursunova

chItchat wIth guzal

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


Nowadays, more stories will talk about nose jobs than growing a

nose, but not a small number o old books used noses to symbolize

characters’ intentions and nature.

Both ables use this to carry on the story, but they diverge in

dierent directions rom the setting.

Pinocchio is a good-hearted puppet whose goal is to become a

real boy, and he has Jiminy Cricket as his conscience. Pinocchio

may oen end up in trouble, but he always has Jiminy to rescue

him. Naïve as ever, his nose grows long when lying and shortens

when telling the truth, and it’s clear in the story that the character’sbehavior come rom his pure curiosity as a young boy or puppet.

Te Magic Folding Fan, in contrast, begins rom the old man’s true

bad intentions to deceive people or his own good. He doesn’t have

any airies or crickets to guide him when going o in the wrong

direction in lie. While Pinocchio learns his lesson and a happy

ending ollows, the covetous old man gets a rather bleak ending:

death.

eaching children that too much is as bad as too little is great. But

considering Te Magic Folding Fan’s target readers, one could raise

some questions: Is human nature undamentally evil? Do evil people

never get a chance to change their ways?

W

e all know how the story o good old Pinocchio goes—whenever the beloved wooden puppet

would tell lies, his nose would grow. His adventures depict the wonderul world o children’s

imaginations and gives them a lesson in being honest.

While the classic children’s story is universally well known, other tales rom dierent regions are seemingly

dentical to Pinocchio. Comparatively un and instructive, the Korean able Te Magic Folding Fan is one o

hem. Te Magic Folding Fan, which ocuses on the important lie lesson that too much is as bad as too little,

ells the story o an old penny-pincher who plays childish pranks on people by making their nose grow with a

ed paper an.

Aer making their noses grow, he gets paid to place their nose back in the right place using a blue paper

an. Having earned enough money to enjoy his lie, he gets greedier than ever. One day, the awul miser ans

is own nose to reach up to the sky in order to steal the Great Jade Emperor’s heavenly peach. Curious at

what is moving his precious peach, the emperor has the old man pulled up by his nose. With his blue an, the

old man quickly reduces his nose, but that quickens the time it takes him to reach

the sky. Suddenly, the nose slips out o the hands o the emperor’s courtiers,

and the man alls to the ground and dies.

6

ES FROM KOREA


ustrated by Shim Soo-keun

Pii vs.te Mi Fdi FToo much really is as bad as too little

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


K

orea, Japan, and China have had a long

history o trade, cultural exchange, and

conict, with Korea serving as the conduit

or all three, sometimes tragically. In May 1592, newly nied Japan under oyotomi Hideyoshi attacked

Korea with the goal o conquering China. During the

ix-year-long Imjin War, more than 150,000 soldiers

anded on the Korean Peninsula and advanced as ar

s Pyongyang. But or the shrewd leadership o Yu

eong-ryong, the Japanese might have been successul

n annexing parts o Korea and orcing China to

surrender. Yu was instrumental in the deense o

Korea in the Imjin War, during which nearly 2 million

died and Korea’s population declined by nearly twenty

percent.Yu was at once a scholar, administrator, commander,

and advisor, and he distinguished himsel by his

ability, oresight, and patriotism. Te son o a

provincial governor, Yu was born in 1542 in Uiseong

in southeastern Korea. Coming rom a yangban amily

(Korean gentry-nobility), Yu was educated in Chinese

classics and groomed or a position in government,

E A T K O R E A N

Written by Charles Luskin

yu seong-ryongoseon Dynasty prime minister’s leadership helped save Korea in

ime o greatest crisis

studying under the great neo-Conucian

scholar Yi Hwang. Yu passed his

examinations at age 25 and was given

various government posts, rom ofcial

copyist o the Bureau o Records and

librarian o the Conucian Academy to

the director o the Ofce o Advisors,

gradually rising through the ranks until

he became First State Councilor and

supreme commander in 1593.

He used his considerable power as

councilor to contribute to the deense o

the nation in disparate ways: he reormed

the military, negotiated oreign policy,

devised military strategies, and soothed

a population agitated by war. Beore

the war began, Yu presciently argued

to reinorce all southern ortresses and

reorm deense doctrine to a more

exible system—all against the protests

o other ministers. He later organized the

manuacture o gunpowder weapons and

devised a new unit structure where there

had been none. Most importantly, he

promoted his childhood riend, Yi Sun-

sin, then an obscure, low-ranking ofcial,

to the position o admiral. Because Yi

Sun-sin proved to be a commander o

incredible ability, dominating at sea, the

Japanese orces ound themselves cut o

rom supplies and reinorcements and

were orced to halt their advance.

Yu’s actions as state councilor were

motivated by a deep patriotism, a moral

obligation to act on behal o the state.

For example, Yu advised the king to stay

in the country instead o eeing to China

or ear that eeing would irreparably

damage the state, though staying meant

greater personal risk or them both.

He also took unilateral military action

against the Japanese, contravening

Chinese agreements, in an attempt to

end the war more decisively. When

the Chinese seemed more interested in

negotiating peace, he pressured them

to continue attacking. ellingly, aer

the war, Yu’s most scathing criticism

was not towards the Japanese and the

suering they inicted, but towards the

incompetence o Korean ofcials or

ailing in their duties to the Korean state

and people.

Yu saw the people as the base

state. Given citizens’ grave circu

he treated their misconduct wit

leniency. Perhaps reective o h

patriotism was his eectiveness

organizing volunteer armies to

Japanese orces. Rather than co

population to ght, he oen ap

duty and morality—principles

own education—to move the p

action.

Despite his contributions, riv

actions in 1598 impeached Yu

his titles were later restored, he

returned to ofce. Yu wrote his

memoir, Te Book o Correction

warn against the mistakes and

o the war. When Yu Seong-ryo

in 1607, three days o mournin

declared in his honor, yet it seem

lessons he tried to impart were

learned. Tree hundred years la

region was again embroiled in

conict, which also ended in tr

1. Byeongsan Seowon,

Andong

2. Manuscript by Yu

Seong-ryong © Cultural

Heritage Administration

3. Byeongsan Seowon,Andong

1

2

8

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


V E R S T O R Y

What is your hobby?What do you like to do in your ree time? Let’s talk about hobbies in Korean! What is

your hobby?

제 취미는 수영이에요. je chwimineun suyeongieyo.

My hobby is swimming

민수 씨도 수영할 수 있어요?minsu ssido suyeonghal su isseoyo?

Can you swim, too, Minsu?

아니요. 저는 수영을 못해요.aniyo. jeoneun suyeongeul motaeyo.

No, I can’t swim.

밍밍 씨는 취미가 뭐예요?mingming ssineun chwimiga mwoyeyo?

What is your hobby, Mingming

제 취미는 스키예요. je chwimineun seukiyeyo.

My hobby is skiing.

-(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다

-(으)ㄹ 수 있다/없다 is used after averb stem to indicate ability. In otherwords, -(으)ㄹ 수 있다 means “can”and-(으)ㄹ 수 없다 means “can not”.Use -ㄹ 수 있다/없다 after a vowelor ㄹ. After a verb stem that ends in aconsonant other than ㄹ, use -을 수 있다/없다. Notice that when -ㄹ 수 있다/없다 is added to a verb stem thatends in ㄹ, ㄹdrops.

못

This adverb is used infront of an action verb,meaning “not being ableto”, or “not having thecapability of”.

basic formability inability

-(으)ㄹ 수 있다 -(으)ㄹ 수 없다 못

수영을 하다suyeongeul hada

수영을 할 수 있어요.suyeongeul hal su isseoyo

수영을 할 수 없어요.suyeongeul hal su eopsseoyo

수영을 못해요.suyeongeul motaeyo.

스키를 타다seukireul tada

스키를 탈 수 있어요.seukireul tal su isseoyo

스키를 탈 수 없어요.seukireul tal su eopsseoyo

스키를 못 타요.seukireul mot tayo.

테니스를 치다teniseureul chida

테니스를 칠 수 있어요.teniseureul chil su isseoyo

테니스를 칠 수 없어요.teniseureul chil su eopsseoyo

테니스를 못 쳐요.teniseureul mot chyeoyo.

Wha 하

못 splafro

Let’s practice!

Let’s talk about yhobby with yourdemonstrated a

그러면 민수 씨는 취미가 뭐예요? geureomyeon minsu ssineun ch wimigamwoyeyo?

So, what is your hobby, Minsu?

L A V O R

Jindallae Hwajeon& DugyeonjuWritten by Monica Suk

Photograph courtesy of Institute of Traditional Korean Food

Don’t think that fowers are or your eyes only. Back

in the old days, when ood was scarce and hard to

come by, Korean people ate lower petals or put

hem in ood or color and taste. Jindallae hwajeon, or azalea

pancake in English, is a Korean lower pancake that is still

widely loved or its beautiul bright pink color and delicate

aste. People used to eat this simple variation o a Koreanraditional pancake on a special day, March 3 by the lunar

alendar—women would pluck lowers and play outside

o celebrate the return o spring. But now that people have

ccess to lowers all year long, you can even make this at

home with glutinous rice four and sugar.

Azalea is also used or making alcoholic drinks. Dugyeonju

s made with unreined liquor and lavored with azaleas.

With about 21 percent alcohol, it is pleasantly sweet enough

o drink alone or with jindallae hwajeon. Studies show that

dugyeonju was passed down rom the Goryeo Dynasty

918–1392) as a olk medicine; it was even used to treat

King Taejo, the ounder o the Goryeo Dynasty. Produced

n the township o Myeoncheon, Dangjin, in the province o

Chungcheongnam-do, dugyeonju is designated as Important

ntangible Cultural Property No. 86-2.

0

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


I B R S / C C R I N ° : 1 0 0 2 4 -4 0 7 3 0

N O S T A MP R E Q U I R E D

R E P L Y P A I D / R É P ON S E P A Y É E

K OR E A ( S E O UL

) K O C I S

1 5 H y o j a -r o , J on gn o- g u

S e o ul ( 1 1 0 - 0 4 0 )

R e p u b l i c of K or e a

B y ai rm ai l /P ar avi on

7/28/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.04]


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or any new ideas or regular sections?

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