You are on page 1of 29

COVER STORY

K-ANIMATION
Written by Kaye H. Lee

Korean characters and animated productions are winning over a global audience

ost Koreans who grew up prior to the 1990s were fond of American animated characters like Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny or Japanese characters like Astro Boy and Anpanman. In the early 2000s, however, new animated characters began to appear. One of them was Korean company Iconix Entertainment's Pororo the Little Penguin, which recently celebrated its 10th birthday at the Seoul Character & Licensing Fair 2013 (July 1721, 2013). In January of this year, then President-elect Park Geun-hye attended a preview screening of Pororo: The Racing Adventure, an animated feature produced to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the popular character. In her opening remarks for the event, Park stressed the ever-increasing role of cultural content.

technologywould be nurtured. In so doing, the government will ignite the engine of a creative economy and create jobs. Even if we ignore the presidents speech for the moment, we can see that cultural content has already become a key Korean industry. According to the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), Pororos brand value is KRW 85 billion, and its total economic effect adds up to KRW 5.7 trillion. It has produced about 1,500 kinds of products, from toys and published materials to performances and insurance. It recorded KRW 50 billion in sales in 2010 alone. Following Pororos phenomenal success, a variety of animated characters have been poised to be Pororos successor to the throne.

Watching Pororo, I came to have great hope for the Firstly, we have Robocar Poli, the super transforming possibilities of the Korean cultural content industry, she said. robotic car that saves our friends and neighbors when they As I pledged during the presidential campaign, we must are in danger. Robocar Poli was the most popular preschool actively support cultural industries, including animation, as a animation in Korea in 2011. It was so popular, in fact, that it new major industry and a new engine of growth, and we are earned the nickname Prime Minister Pol. actually doing so. Next is Kioka, a curious little girl with a great imagination. Nowadays, the most popular animated character in Korea Kioka is being shown not only on broadcast television but also is without a doubt Pororo. Pororo the Little Penguin is a cable and IPTV. computer-animated TV series that began broadcasting in Other challengers include the troublesome polar bear 2003. We can ascertain the popularity of the characternot Backkom, the sausage monkey Cocomong, the baby gorilla just among children but also the general publicfrom the nicknames it has been given, such as Pororo the President and Pororo the God. Its popularity extends beyond Koreas boundaries as well; beginning with its debut on French broadcasting giant TF1, it is now shown in over 130 Pororo the Little Penguin nations. (left) and his friend Crong ICONIX/ OCON/ EBS/ In her inaugural address on Feb 25, 2013, SKbroadband President Park declared that the creative economy would become Koreas new growth paradigm. In the 21st century, culture is power. It is an era where an individuals imagination becomes creative content, she said. Across the world, the Korean wave is welcomed with great affection that not only triggers happiness and joy but instills abiding pride in all Koreans. She said creative industries would be supported, and the content industrymerging culture with advanced
4 5

COVER STORY

Doongdoong, the alien prince I-Kooo, and the baby bus Tayo. Keep in mind, all these characters appeared over just the last 10 years.

Korean Animation in the World


Loved at home, Korean animation is getting a good response from international film festivals and the international market. Since 2008, exports of critically well-received Korean animation have steadily increased, and export markets have grown more varied. At MIP Junior, a global showcase for childrens programming held annually in the French city of Cannes, Korean animation is attracting more attention and bringing home awards. In 2010, Robocar Poli was awarded the MIP Junior Licensing Challenge prize. After this, it began to air on leading channels in 50 countries worldwide, including Frances Canal Plus, Taiwans YoYo TV, Al Jazeera, Russias CTC, Japans TV Tokyo,

Israels Nick Jr., and Disney Asia. The same year, Canimals was selected as the best animation by a jury composed of children ages seven to ten. Korean production company Vooz, the makers of Canimals, was already well-known internationally for its popular character Pucca. It is now conducting a global marketing campaign aimed at not only all of Asia but also Europe and South America. The Airport Diary, which was awarded a Grand Prix by the Kids Jury at MIP Junior 2012, began airing in China in late April 2013. The animations Korean production company, DPS, has formed PDL, a joint venture with its Chinese partner Pinggo, and is now pushing to air its program on 150 channels throughout China. Kioka won the Best Animation Award at the 2012 Shanghai TV Festival; a global sales contract was later signed with major French distributor AWOL. In its first week of airing on Australian state broadcaster ABC, it was the most watched childrens show and the fourth most-watched program overall. In August of this year, it became the most-watched program overall. Contracts have been signed with over 20 more major channels worldwide. Tickety Toc has agreements to air on channels in about 170 countries. In April 2012, it aired in Britain through Nick Jr. It is now being shown in 35 nations, including the United States, Australia, and European countries. It was the most-watched program on Nick Jr. in the United States and Great Britain; the French language-version was the most-watched program on Canadas Disney Junior channel. Because animation requires a lot of capital and personnel, it cannot survive for long if it doesnt make money. Popular character animation can become a firm basis for value-added industries and an effective marketing method. When Robocar Poli toys were launched, demand far outstripped supply. Eager parents paid premium dollars to get the toys for their children. After Robocar Poli aired on French kids channel Piwi Plus, Robocar Poli toys sold out at Toys R Us shops across France and was the stores bestselling product among preschoolers in the first half of 2013. Keita Sato of Dreams Come True (DCT), which owns the rights to the program in Japan, discovered the show when he came across the character at shops during a market research trip to Korea. Taken by the products quality and the charm

of their characters, he decided to push to make the characters the prime content of his company. Several products released in Korea are currently being distributed in Japan; talks are under way with about 10 other Japanese licensers. DCT has been continuously promoting the character on Japanese broadcast television and cable as well as through a series of published cartoons.

1. An exhibit celebrates the 10th anniversary of Pororo at the Seoul Character and Licensing Fair 2013 2. Robocar Poli is one of Koreas most popular animations. RoiVisual 3. Red and Yellow, two maggots from the series Larva. Tuba Entertainment

Launched in Korea in 2011, Buru & Forest Friends enjoyed an average viewer rating of 23%spiking at 45%when it aired on Danish national broadcaster DRTV. Considering how dominant DRTVs childrens programs are in Denmark, this is a considerable accomplishment. Taking advantage of its local popularity, the program has linked up with global Danish toy company Lego to use the character in a toy project, and discussions are being held with major Swedish publishing house Egmont to launch a publishing project. Children can also experience the world of Korean animation through 3-D stereoscopes, 4-D films, and character theme parks. Some 600,000 people a year visit seven Pororo theme parks, the latest of which opened in August 2012. Character theme parks are a stable source of income; they are opening up in a variety of regions and forms, from small-scale kids cafs to multicharacter theme parks. Seoul Land, which was Koreas first amusement park, has transformed into a full-scale character theme park, initially focusing on Vroomiz, Canimals, and Pucca and now including
7

COVER STORY

POPULAR KOREAN ANIMATED CHARACTERS & FILMS


Pororo the Little Penguin
(Iconix Entertainment)
One of the most popular Korean animated figures of all time, Pororo is a little penguin who lives in a forest in a far-off land with his anthropomorphic friends. Through the challenges they encounter, they learn practical and moral lessons.

Kioka (Goldilocks Studio)


Kioka is a very curious little girl who meets her friends in a snow globe village. With their extraordinary imaginations, they turn everyday situations and objects into sources of adventure.

Robocar Poli (RoiVisual)


This childrens cartoon is so popular Korea it was even featured (along with Pororo) on a set of commemorative stamps. Like the Transformers, Robocar Poli and his friends are transformable robots. The titular character is a police car, while his friends are a fire engine, ambulance and rescue helicopter. Together with their human friend Jin, they come to the rescue when woe befalls the residents of Brooms Town.

Dooly the Little Dinosaur


(created by Kim Soo-jung)
Despite a history that goes back to 1983, the tale of the mischievous baby dinosaur Dooly and his human family didnt take off until the late 1990s. Kidnapped by aliens, Dooly now has magic powers, although he doesnt always know how to use them.

1
1. Korean animation on display at the 2013 Angoulme International Comics Festival. 2. Korean and European cartoon producers talk at the Korea-EU Cartoon Connection 2011. 3. Poby, one of Pororo the Little Penguins friends. CONIX/ OCON/ EBS/ SKbroadband

Tickety Toc (The Foundation)


Now shown aound the world on the Nick Jr. channel, this series of 11 minute episodes tells the story of twins Tommy and Tallulah, who live in a fantasy world behind the Tickety Toc Clock. Episodes focus on their madcap efforts to make sure the clock keeps chiming on time.

Robot Taekwon V
(directed by Kim Chang-gi)
Released in 1976, this groundbreaking animated feature produced by famed director Yu Hyun-mok was Koreas response to Japans popular giant robot manga of the same era. Incredibly popular when it was released, it provided a Korean hero to a generation of Korean children. As the title would suggest, the titular character performed the Korean martial art of taekwondo.

Robot Arpo, Tickety Toc, and The Airport Diary. The first Tickety Toc Land opened in Cheonan in May; one month later, Robocar Poli Play Park opened up. The regular and special musicals hosted by these parks have become popular events with families. Within a decade, we could see K-animation theme parks opening up across the world and Korean musical performances going on world tours.
3

Backkom
(RG Animation Studios)
Also called Bernard, this series of animated shorts is a coproduction between Korea, Spain, and France. The titular character is a curious but bumbling polar bear who manages to get himself in trouble by the end of each episode.

More Challenges for Korean Animation


Unlike K-pop which relies on the popularity of its idol stars, or K-dramas which require a certain degree of cultural understanding, K-animation can be directly appreciated by the world thanks to its fun and universal stories and cute, lovable characters.

Moreover, Korean animation producers have found a market in animation for preschoolers. This is in part because American and Japanese animation has dominated the markets of other age groups. Spanish animation producer BRB Internacional decided to invest in Backkom after seeing a one-minute pilot video on the Internet. RG Animation, the Korean production company that produces the series, had previously been experiencing business difficulties. Thanks to the character, however, it could right the ship and grow. While details may differ, most Korean animation companies likewise started small but grew on the strength of their animations. Preschool animation is no longer Koreas only market. Moreover, Korean animators have begun to embrace the mobile revolution, leaving TV for smartphones and tablet PCs. The 90-second slapstick comedy animation Larva aims for a wider audience than the one most animation targets. Rather than being limited to TV, the series catches the eyes of its audience wherever they may be, be it on a bus, subway, or in an
9

COVER STORY

elevator. With no dialogue, the series relies on expressions and body language, and thanks to this, it is capturing audiences of all age groups and even crossing borders. While feature-length films of popular TV animation series are bringing TV viewers to the theater, creative animated shorts have opened a new path. Based on a best-selling childrens novel, Leafie, A Hen into the Wild (2011) set a Korean animation box office record by recording over 2 million viewers. It also garnered the Best Animation Award at the 5th Asia Pacific Screen Awards and the Best Sitges Family Film award at the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival. Bringing together animation studio Odoltogi and live-action film production company Myung Film, it was the first successful example of such a coproduction. For director Oh Seong-yun, it was an impressive debut. He is now working on a new feature-length animation, Underdog. A much younger pioneer in animated features is director Yeun Sang-ho, the man behind the 2011 feature The King of Pigs. Maggie Lee of the Hollywood Reporter wrote about the film, Ugly, pitiless, and mightily provocative in its representation of human debasement, his satire on class inequality burns like acid. The film won three awards at the 16th Busan International Film Festival and was invited to the Directors Fortnight at the 65th Cannes Film Festival. Yeuns second feature, The Fake (2013), was invited to the Vanguard section of the 38th Toronto International Film Festival. Its theatrical release is scheduled for later this year. One of the major options for producers of feature-length animation is international coproduction. Korean production company Redrover partnered with Canadian firm ToonBox Entertainment to produce the animated feature Nut Job, scheduled for release in 2014. The production cost of the action-packed comedy is the highest ever for a Korean animation, totaling KRW 2.3 billion. It will be distributed to over 3,000 theaters in North America. Full-scale promotion will begin with the Toronto Film Festival in September and the American Film Market in November.

4
1. Director Lee Dae-hees Padak, Padak (2012) 2. Yeun Sang-hos The King of Pigs (2011) 3. Oh Seong-yuns Leafie, A Hen into the Wild (2011) 4. Korean-American director Jennifer Yuh of Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) 5. Cartoon Network Arabia Studios Creative Director Adam Khwaja explains the Middle Eastern market to Korean animation industry officials in Abu Dhabi in 2012.

Future of Korean Animation


If you watch the ending credits of any recent Hollywood film, youll soon learn that the number of Korean computer graphic artists, animators, and researchers who have entered

Hollywood and its animation industry has grown. Hundreds of Korean artists now work for major Hollywood studios like Disney, Pixar, and Dreamworks, where they help produce some of the worlds best-known animated works. Two representative names are Peter Sohn, who directed Pixars animated short Partly Cloudy (2009) and was the basis for the little boy character Russell in Up (2009), and director Jennifer Yuh, who directed Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011). In 2012, five Korean artists working for Pixar visited the Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival (SICAF) to share the secrets of Pixars production process and promote their recent film Brave (2012). To them, it was now commonplace to see artists who were born and raised in Korea find work in Hollywood studios. The Koreans in Hollywood can be divided into two groups: the first are those pursuing their goals in the very best

environment, and the second are those who wish to return to Korea and set up their own studios. Both will lend strength to future generations of Korean animators. If we are to predict the future of Korean animation, perhaps we should first take a look at some people who are about to take off. According to the Contents Educational Institution Report of 2010, conducted by KOCCA from December 2010 to March 2011, there were 1,736 regular academic institutions and 121 irregular academic institutions with animation-related subjects. Regular institutions range from high schools with specialized animation programs to universities. For something a bit more recent, there were 71 colleges and universities on the list of the 6th Best University Cartoon and Animation Festival. Lets take a look at four unique and major schools producing much of the nations outstanding animation talent.
11

10

COVER STORY

year and one-year, two-month programs. Many of the schools works have been introduced at local and overseas film festivals such as the Busan International Film Festival and Annecy International Animation Festival, including The Story of Mr. Sorry (2008), What Is Not Romance (2009), which was the grand prize winner of the 14th Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival, The House (2010), and The Dearest (2011). Today, Korean animation firms are displaying their characters and products at all sorts of markets, fairs, and film festivals. Everyone loves taking their photos with actors in character costumes. Mickey Mouse and Anpanmanboth born in the 20th centuryare still very much active. What will the future of Korean characters born in the 21st century be? Can you see these characters with the families of the 22nd and 23rd centuries? Of course, new characters will be born, but you cant forget the ones you grew up with.

Students learn animation at the Chungkang College of Cultural Industries.

Korea Animation High School


Founded as an autonomous high school in 2000, this school is divided into four departments: comic creation, animation, film direction, and computer game production. Each class has about 25 students, many of whom are producing results like winning awards in local and international film festivals like the Ottawa International Animation Festival. Most of the graduates continue their studies locally or overseas.

PLAYING TO YOUR STRENGTHS


Iconix Entertainment CEO Choi Jong-il surveys the Korean animation landscape
Interview by Robert Koehler

Chungkang College of Cultural Industries


The animation major here includes everything from traditional 2-D animation to 3-D animation, CGI special effects, 3-D stereographics, and real-time high-tech animation. Students work on their own creative animated shorts and commercial work, including some of Koreas best academic-industrial cooperative projects. Students works are often selected by famous international film festivals, and graduates are active in many production companies in the Korean animation industry.

Korea National University of Arts (K-ARTS)


K-ARTS Department of Animation at the Film, TV & Multimedia School was founded to overcome the limitations of Koreas comics and cel-animation industries, produce outstanding talent for 21st-century animation art, and create unique content in the new, ever-changing theater and multimedia environment. Since 2010, the school has operated an International Exchange project in cooperation with Tokyo Art University. The Communication University of China joined this project in 2012.

Korea Academy of Film Arts


The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) runs this school with the goal of producing specialized talent for the Korean film and animation industries. The Animation Direction Course began in 1999 with 12 students. In 2006, it began a feature production research course for graduates of the schools one12

As the production company behind Pororo the Little Penguin, Iconix Entertainment is very much in the vanguard of Korean animation. At the corporate headquarters in Seouls Gasan Digitial Complex, Iconix Entertainment CEO Choi Jong-il explains that while the Korean animation industry has its strong points, there are also things that could use improving, too. He cites two major strengths. Firstly, Korean animation is very diverse, he says. If you compare it with American and Japanese animation, Korean animation shows you a very diverse world view. The diversity also includes mastery of newly created media. While the United States and Japan focus

on theaters and TV, respectively, Korea looks at multiple media. In the case of Korea, weve been focusing on new platforms such as mobile phones and the Internet and animation for preschoolers. The other strength of the industry, says Choi, is its bang for the buck. Its true that the most technologically advanced animation companies are in the United States, but in the case of major American studios like Pixar or Dreamworks, they produce blockbusters by spending astronomical amounts of cash, he says. But in the case of Korea, you can get new things such as 3D animation for a reasonable cost. The weaknesses of the industry are primarily connected to its youth. If you look at the Korean animation industry, its not that old, he says. This means it does not have a lot of accumulated experience. This lack of experience means some facets of the industry have developed more than others. I think in character design, weve reached a global level of completion, but it seems our story development capacity still lags a bit behind, he says. I think if we can supplement this, we can become much more competitive.
13

PEN & BRUSH

KIM UN-SU
Written by Moon Gwang-lip Written by Moon Gwang-lip Photographed by Roy Cruz

Author of The Cabinet examines the hypercompetiviness of Korean society

man who entrusts Kong with managing X-files of marginalized people called symptomers that he kept inside the cabinet. The symptomers, which the writer admits got some inspiration from Jacques Attalis A Brief History of the Future, are not just mutants or losers of natural selection but foreshadow the Neoanthropinae that will take over human beings as the lords of the Earth in the not-so-distant future, according to Dr. Kwon. The implausible yet fascinating stories of the 375 symptomers kept in the cabinet come to light one by one by in Kongs narration as the abnormally normal protagonist goes through improbable friendships, ventures, and jeopardies on his own. Due to its clever adoption of surrealism, an approach that has been unfamiliar in the realistic tradition of Korean literature, the novel draws a parallel between the 41-year-old writer and such vanguards of magical realism as Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Haruki Murakami.

woman keeps a living lizard on the tip of her tongue. The time skippers jump from one timeand one placeto another. A man risks his life growing a merciless gingko tree under his finger while a magician joins the cause of a young giant who wants to be a cat. In a homogeneous society that squeezes everyone into a mold of conformity and predictability, these type of characters may sound not just unfathomable but dangerous. Writer Kim Un-su turns those potential monsters lurking in an imaginary modern-day Korea into the subject of compassion in a page-turner that heralded the advent of another standardbearer for a new Korean literary wave. The Cabinet, which earned Kim the prominent Munhak Dongne literature grand prize in 2006, is now bidding to join the ranks of Asian classics as it reaches out to readers outside of Korea. It was introduced to Chinese readers by a Shanghai-based publishing company in 2009. A French translation was completed and published in France this April under the French name Le Placard. The Literature Translation Institute of Korea, which operates under the wing of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, chose it as a priority Korean novel deserving of translation and is planning to translate it into English. The lead character of this 344-page novel, a Mr. Kong working at a research institute affiliated with a public company, finds himself having become an inadvertent custodian of the 13th cabinet sitting in the reference room of the institute. The cabinet was originally under the care of Dr. Kwon, a mysterious
14

Mirroring Korean Society


Kim calls it simply a Korean novel that straightforwardlyor reverselymirrors Korean society. This is a society where everybody competes so hard to eat and live. That is why such changed human beings cannot but be born here, said Kim in a recent interview in Busan, his hometown. Looking back, many people that I met in my 20s and 30s were all like that. They all looked exhausted. A month after his book was translated into French, he was invited to the SaintLouis Book Fair in Alsace, a northeastern border region of France, with another Korean novelist, Cheon Un-yeong. There, he saw people living in very different conditions than in Korea; people would invite friends over for dinners that often lasted seven hours. He had a fan meeting in Alsace and was asked by a French fan whether these symptomerslike Mr. Ok Myung-kuk, an architect in the 13th cabinet files who claims that he came across his doppelganger in Sillim-dong, southwestern Seoul, and had sex with him; or Mr. Kwak in Bonghwa, Gyeongsangbuk-do, a torporer who sleeps 172 days nonstop and awakes after his family has held his funeralare by-products of their own boredom. Kim said he found the question intriguing, as no one asked it in Korea. He figured that in a slow society like Alsace, people may try to be someone else just out of boredom. In a fast-paced society like Korea, boredom is a luxury, he said. Korean people have a deeply entrenched psyche that they have to run at fullthrottle speed all the time. They fear that once they fall behind, they will die, he said. It is a society of hyper speed. Everybody is eager to get admitted into Seoul National University, the writer said, referring to the prestigious college, which used to symbolize the best in
15

French translation of The Cabinet

PEN & BRUSH

Korean society and is still a source of frustration and resentment for many in the nation. Every school is ranked from top to bottom. Every student is measured by how good a GPA they have. Once they graduate from college, they compete to have an apartment in Seoul. They see everybody else has one, so they feel like they also need to have one. It is a fatigue society.

Opting Out
In such a hypercompetitive society, he remains as an exception. Graduating from what he calls the most neglected of high schools at the time in Busan, he stayed away from college for several years, pursuing a writing career in between short stints. He said that it never occurred to him that he had to settle into society by such efforts as seeking a stable job. He once taught at private institutes for teens, and there were bright students in his class, six of them the best test-takers in each of their schools. I asked them what they wanted to do in the future, and nobody there knew exactly which major they wanted to study at which college, let alone which job they wanted to have in the future. They just wanted to surpass other students. That is the raison dtre for many people in Koreacompeting to prove themselves, Kim said. He said he was lucky that he did not fall into that trap. I knew what my dream was early on. I was 17 and I realized that I wanted to be a writer, he said. The wandering years after high school gave him a perspective on society and life, a valuable asset for a writer, but writing was constantly disturbed by his day or night jobs. He wanted to become more systematic about realizing his goal of becoming a professional writer and finally went to college at the age of 26. He enrolled at Kyung Hee University in Seoul with a major in Korean literature and continued his studies through graduate school at the same college. Armed with a growing knowledge of literary theory, he continued to produce writing during his college years, finally launching his official literary career at the age of 31. His novella Farewell to Friday won the annual literary contest hosted by the Dong-a Ilbo newspaper in 2003. A follow-up success, however, did not come quickly, and his eight or nine featurelength novels written since 2003 went unnoticed. Before I turned 35, I thought that I may have a special soul like that of [Fyodor] Dostoevsky, but as I screwed up with several novels, I realized that I am not that special, Kim said. The epiphany shifted his focus from his ambition to become a literary giant that would write convoluted novels to the stories, which are precious in and of themselves. That worked well, he said. The Cabinet, one of the 112 entries for the 2006 Munhak Dongne award, earned a unanimous decision from such talented panels including writers Lee Seung-woo and Jeon Kyung-rin, the first time such unanimity was reached by the awarding panels in the history of the literary awards doled out by the publishing house. Kim said he finally felt
16

Dr. Kwon said that the time had come for the human species to give way. Will humans leave history the way dinosaurs quietly left the stage? Why? Well, it seems they are fed up with the very civilization they built. What a laugh! Environment does not even matter here; it is the very order they created themselves that pushes them to go. Next!

1. Jap (2013), a collection of short stories 2. The Plotters (2010) 3. The Cabinet (2006)

Le Placard, p30

that he had become an author when he finished writing The Cabinet. Kim went on to write, and his 2010 novel The Plotters earned him greater fame with Korean readers. The Plotters, a story about assassins, is now being made into a movie in Korea, and an English translation project is also in the works. In June, he published Jab, a collection of nine short stories, to favorable reviews. The person of Kim Un-su can be sloppy, but the story that Kim Un-su writes can be great. That is what The Cabinet is really about, Kim said. A novelists job is not to talk about himself but to keep in store very beautiful stories in a cabinet and pull them out to show them to the people who need them. In 2009, he moved his base from Seoul to Jinhae, a small Gyeongsangnam-do city now incorporated into Changwon. It is only an hour away from Busan, and he frequents his

hometown port city to see his family and do the research needed for his upcoming novel. He is now working on a story based on his childhood experiences. He was born in Gamcheon-dong, Busan, where a cluster of shanties dot the steep hills. In recent years some have rediscovered the area, calling it Koreas Santorini for its unique landscape. In fact, it is one of the most poverty-stricken regions in Busan and has been home to many leaders of organized gangs which are infamous across the country. It is a rural area within the city, Kim said. Some of my acquaintances told me had told that I could write a novel about the experience of living there, but I didnt like the idea. But, now, I am more attracted to such a story than the stories of The Cabinet. If I had liked a story of a caf in the past, now I like the story of a dabang (traditional teahouse), he said.
17

FROM 0 TO 8,448
Written by Max Kim

Mountaineer Kim Chang-ho and his unaided ascent to becoming the King of the Eight-Thousanders

setter for fastest completion, having completed the feat over a span of seven years, 10 months, and six days. The only other Koreans to have successfully conquered all 14 peaks are Park Young-seok, Um Hong-gil, Han Wang-yong, and Kim Jae-soo, but none have done so without the aid of bottled oxygen. But what makes Kims feat even more impressive is yet another self-imposed limitation on his expeditionthe complete rejection of motorized transportation. Though many climbers employ quick transportation to base camp, Kim, keeping true to his slogan of from 0 to 8,848, started at 0 meters (sea level) from the Indian Oceans Bay of Bengal, kayaking 156 km, cycling 893 km, and walking 162 km to Everest Base Camp before embarking on the actual climb. I wanted to rise to the challenge with human ability alone, says Kim. Climbing the Himalayas requires something more than just tough stamina or strength of mind. I needed to become one with the mountaineven the calluses on my heels yearned for and devoted themselves to climbing Mt. Everest.

Dangerous Territory
However, even with such rigorous preparation, Kim says that the after-effects of his climb were debilitating. Known as the death zone, prolonged activity at heights of over 8,000 meters above sea level are reported to have a crushing effect on even the most well-trained human body. At such altitudes, the human body acts on its instinct to survive, says Kim. This means that the body cuts its losses by abandoning nonessential organs farthest from the heart and the brain. The first ones to go are toes, fingers, and ears. Even when safely out of the death zone, Kim says that the body is unable to immediately regain normal functionality from the deadly effects of oxygen-deprivation, making the descent an exponentially difficult task. I couldnt drink a single sip of water, let alone eat, says Kim. I couldnt even speak properly for two days after the expedition. The most difficult chapter of the expedition, however, wasnt the fatigue; on the last day of the descent, May 21, 2013, tragedy struck Kims team as fellow climber and teammate Suh Seongho was discovered dead in his tent, presumably due to hypoxia and extreme exhaustion. It was the most difficult time in all my 24 years of climbing. Suhs death didnt seem realit still doesnt, says Kim. Seongho was 10 years my junior and together we climbed 11 of the eight-thousanders. We spent the better part of each year sleeping in the same tent, working for the same goal. More than a teammate, he was a brother, and no accomplishment can fill the void he has left behind.
1 19 2

hen alpinist Kim Chang-ho describes the sensation of being atop the peak of Mt. Everest, its not quite what one might expect. In lieu of breathtaking views and a billowing sense of accomplishment, what Kim describes is a gruesome scene of a slow, delirious death by asphyxiation, brought upon by the peculiar nature of his latest featclimbing all 14 eight-thousanders (the 14 peaks in the Himalaya and Karakoram mountain ranges that exceed 8,000 meters above sea level) without bottled oxygen. Past the 8,700-meter point, I couldnt control my own body, says Kim. I was almost at the peak, and when I tried to pull myself together, my breath felt as though it had stopped, I lost control of my bowels, and my sense of memory and time seemed like a choppy blackand-white film reel. Though thousands have succeeded in climbing Mt. Everest as of 2013, few have done so without supplemental oxygen, and even fewer have successfully climbed all 14 eightthousanders with this limitation. Having completed Everest as the final, 14th peak this past May, Kim is the first Korean to achieve this accomplishment and an international record18

1. Kim makes his way up Mt. Everest without the aid of bottled oxygen. 2. Kim in his off-mountain attire.

Scenic seaside trekking course is an exercise in healing


Written by Robert Koehler
Wind farm near Sunrise Park Yeongdeok County Hall

YEONGDEOK BLUE ROAD


20

21

L
MORE INFO

iking along Koreas scenic East Sea coast is a supremely salubrious experience. The refreshing wind, the sound of the waves as they crash upon the beach, the smell of the salt water, the splendid sunrises over the ocean horizonit soothes the soul, if only for a weekend. Reconnecting with nature, we at last feel whole, our spirit rejuvenated. Stretching along the entire coast of the southeastern port town of Yeongdeok, the Blue Road is one of Koreas most popular hiking trails. And not without good reasonthe 64-km route takes you through beautifully bucolic scenery, including striking ocean vistas, picturesque hills, and quaint fishing villages. Throw in a meal of the towns legendary snow crabs, and youve got all the makings of a spiritually invigorating, culturally rewarding, and gastronomically satisfying travel destination.

Land of the Snow Crab


The most popular of the Blue Roads sections is Course A, a 17.5-km trek along the coastline of southern Yeongdeok. Most hikers begin at Gangguhang, a scenic fishing port that takes in the lions share of Yeongdeoks snow crab catch. While in town, youll be tripping over restaurants serving snow crab, Yeongdeoks signature dish and the towns best-known product nationally. A decent-sized crab can be a tad expensivethe best variety, the bakdal snow crab, can sell for over KRW 100,000but their rich meat makes for sublime eating. Crabs are usually served steamed. The highlight of Course A is a beautiful wind farm near the end of the trailits especially lovely at sunrise and sunset. Another highlight is Sunrise Park, which offers vistas of the sea from its bluffs. At 15.5 km, Course B follows the coasts cliffs from Sunrise Park to Chuksanghang, another major crabbing port. This is a very pleasant course that brings you right up to the sea itself. Chuksanhang is much like Gangguhang, except with even more rustic fishing port charm. Its also a very good place to enjoy a post-hike meal. Course C takes you all the way to Goraebul Beach, the northern end point of the Blue Road. Along the way youll pass Goesi-ri Traditional Village, the ancestral home of the Yeongyang Goesi branch of the Nam clan, a Joseon Dynasty aristocratic family. Its well worth the visit some of the homes are over 200 years old. A recent addition to the Blue Road, Course D follows the pretty coastline south of Gangguhang. The highlight of this stretch is a lovely little pier built above the green-blue sea.
Places to Eat In Yeongdeok, the snow crab is king. The best places to score crab are the fishing ports of Gangguhang and Chuksanhangthe former alone has 300 crab restaurants. Many sellers can even ship crates of crab to your home, office, or anywhere you want them. Admittedly, crabs require some skill to eat, but restaurant staff will usually help you out. Where to Stay Downtown Yeongdeok and the port of Gangguhang have a good many motels and hotels, although nothing especially fancy. Many homes along the trail serve as guesthouses, too. The most intriguing place to stay, though, is the campground (T. 054-730-6337) near Sunrise Park. Here youll find ten colorfully decorated capsule houses. Be sure to reserve ahead of time as they can fill up quickly. Getting There Buses to Yeongdeok depart from Seouls Dong Seoul Bus Terminal (travel time: 4 hours, 20 minutes).

A meal of Yeongdeok snow crab

Road of Healing
In January 2013, the Korea Tourism Organization asked Korean Internet users to name their top 100 tourist sites in Korea. Yeongdeok Blue Road placed 12th, a reflection of Koreans growing desire for healing, or positive, healthy lifestyles to overcome the stress of todays extraordinarily competitive ones. On the Blue Road, hikers can become one with the verdant hills and the green-blue sea extending as far as the eye can see. The Blue Road runs from below the port of Gangguhang in the south to Goraebul Beach in the north. All told, the course stretches 64.6 km, but it has been broken down into four smaller sections that take around five to six hours each to walk. If youre planning to hike the whole thing, set aside at least two days.

Goesi-ri Traditional Village

1. Snow crab market in Gangguhang, the primary port of Yeongdeoks snow crab catch. Yeongdeok County Hall 2. Green-blue seas along the Yeongdeok Blue Road. Yeongdeok County Hall

2
Seoul

Yeongdeok

Jejudo

22

23

for TV broadcast. Accommodations have been spread out to 23 facilities providing some 2,000 rooms, many of which are disability-friendly and provide childcare services for athletes with children. All of the rowing events take place over a straight 2,000-meter course and vary from those featuring solo rowers to crews of eight. In the open category, all athletes can participate regardless of weight; in the lightweight category, men are not allowed to surpass 72.5 kilograms and women 59 kilograms in weight. It remains to be seen whether the World Rowing Championships in Chungju will spark local interest in the sport, which barely registers in the public consciousness. The list of strong rowing nations is heavy with European ones, including the traditional powerhouse of Britain, while the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia have also been successful in the sport. The Korean presence has been close to anonymous, although the performances of athletes have been improving. At the Samsung World Rowing Cup in Australia in March, Ji Yoo-jin won a silver medal in the womens lightweight single scull, while her teammate Lee Hak-beom won a bronze in the mens lightweight single scull, representing the countrys first medals in a World Cup event. Both Ji and Lee are part of Koreas 13-member team in Chungju, led by head coach Yoon Yong-ho. Great Britain, which topped the medal table in the sport at the 2012 London Olympics, appears once again as the team to watch in Chungju. Britains rowers are targeting a minimum of three medals at the tournament, which they see as a platform for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

2013 World Rowing Championships brings the worlds best to Korea


Written by Kim Tong-hyung

EAGER CHUNGJU TAKES ON THE ROWING WORLD


1

C
24

hungju is a quiet town in the countrys interior that even its most committed residents would describe as sleepy. However, it does have a distinguishing attraction in the beautiful and huge Tangeumho Lake, which is at the center of the citys plans to rebuild itself as a dynamic hub for water sports and leisure. The lake is the venue for the 2013 World Rowing Championships, to be held from Aug 25 to Sept 1 and seen as an important audition for Chungju in attempting to reintroduce itself as a tourist destination. Chungju is only the second Asian city to host the rowing worlds, which took place in Kaizu, Japan, in 2005.

At the time of this writing, organizers said about 2,000 athletes from 80 countries had expressed their commitment to compete in Chungju. This is more than the 68 countries represented at the 2011 event in Bled, Slovenia, which had been the largest world championship by participation. We spent three years preparing this event, which we believe will provide the platform for Chungju and the province of Chungcheongbuk-do to emerge as an international destination for water sports and tourism. We will do our best to make sure this happens, said Kim Jeong-seon, secretary general of the events organizing committee, in the weeks before the event. He stressed that the quality of the facilities and the way the design

blends well into the beauty of the natural surroundings makes Tangeumho Lake one of the worlds best venues.

Local Interest
The municipal government spent around KRW 67.2 billion (about USD 60 million) to build state-of-the-art facilities at Tangeumho Lake, including a 2.25-km rowing course and a spectator stand capable of seating 1,100 people. Also notable is the floating, 1.4-km concrete bridge installed on the rowing course. Seven meters wide, the bridge is capable of holding broadcasting vans and other television equipment, which organizers believe will enable more exciting footage

1. Athletes train hard for the 2013 World Rowing Championships. 2. Championships venue on Chungju's Tangeumho Lake.

25

E N T E R TA I N M E N T

just amazing. The rhythm and the energyits just killing the summer heat. Ive never seen such a performance before. Yamaguchi Hiroko, 33, from Japan, also said that shes been to many K-pop concerts throughout her five visits to Seoul but that it was her first time to see a traditional performance. I just happened to walk by and had to stop my journey to watch the show, said Yamaguchi. My friends and I started dancing up and down together with the beat. It's so interesting. The Yeonheedan Palsandae members knew how to please foreign audiences, not forgetting to greet foreigners in their language. Last year, the group also participated at the annual Thames Festival in London, putting them in the limelight. During Saturday's show, which lasted about 50 minutes, Yeonheedan Palsandae showed off their repertoire of pungmul performances. Although it may not have been the first time for most locals to witness such traditional performances, they were busy pressing the shutters of their cameras. Kim Joon-sik, 42, from Seoul, who came to Insa-dong with his wife and two children to take a look at the traditional market, said he last saw a traditional performance as a high school student many years ago. Back then, I watched the show because it was compulsory. I didnt know traditional performances were this exciting, said Kim, who had his six-year-old daughter hoisted on his shoulders to give her a better view. Its such a great opportunity for my kids to watch the show, not in a dark concert hall but outdoors among people, to experience the whole atmosphere.

shouting out, Bravo! as the performance came to an end. She said she filmed the whole performance with her camcorder so that she can show her family and friends back home. Ive heard a lot about traditional Korean food, dance, and music, but Ive never imagined it would be something as amazing as this, said Guarracino with a laugh. I feel so sad I couldnt record when we did that gang gang . . . you know, the holding others hands thing. What Guarracino was referring to is the ganggangsullae, a traditional Korean circle dance play that involves whirling around in circles, hand in hand. Gathering the audience together to join hands for the ganggangsullae is the signature repertoire of Yeonheedan Palsandae when it closes the show. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourisms Oulmadang Pungmulsaesang, which runs under October 20, is held at four more locations: Culture Station Seoul 284 (the former Seoul Station in central Seoul), Dongseong-ro Outdoor Stage in Daegu, Gugok Falls in Gangwon-do, and Suncheons Naganeupseong in Jeollanam-do. Ten different traditional performing groups will hold 20 performances at each location during this period. According to Park Jeong-gyeong, an arts and science researcher at the ministry, an average of 400 people gather per performance at the Culture Station, 200 at Insa-dong, 300 in Daegu, 100 in Suncheon, and 50 in Gangwon-do. As the Gangwon-do performance is held by a waterfall, its quite difficult for people to just stop by and watch the show like people do in Seoul, said Park. Considering such circumstances, we believe the project so far has been very successful, said Park.

PUNGMUL TURNS ON THE CHARM


Government efforts to rejuvenate Korean percussion music are paying off
Written by Yim Seung-hye

Hand in Hand in the Heart of the Capital


Gina Guarracino, 39, from Italy, gave a thumbs up at the stage,

D
26

espite the scorching summer heat on a recent Saturday evening, a group of Koreans wearing red and yellow traditional clothing were all in a sweat, jumping up and down, turning their heads around and around, and beating their traditional instruments to the rhythm at the Nam Insa Madang in Insa-dong, central Seoul. They are the members of the Yeonheedan Palsandae, a pungmul (traditional Korean folk music and dance) band, one of several groups that have been holding free traditional performances for the public since June 8 as part of the Ministry

of Culture, Sports and Tourisms Oulmadang Pungmulsaesang project to revitalize the traditional pungmul. As the memberseach wearing a hat that has either a long white ribbon, a large tassel, or feathers attached to the end turned their heads around and around, the audience cheered and clapped in amusement. I cant believe how they can manage turning their heads around so close to each other without getting their long ribbons tangled, exclaimed Helen Bain, 67, from Australia, who was in Seoul on a two-week holiday with her husband. Its

1. Pungmul show in Seouls Insa-dong district. 2. Korean drumming at Suncheons Naganeupseong Fortress.

27

SPECIAL ISSUE

based on two dozen criteria including disability access, the existence of publications and databases, the presence of privacy policies, security policies, contact information, and the number of online services. In 2012, the United Nations E-Government Survey also placed Korea at the top of the e-government world rankings, despite an overall trend of international improvement and increasing competition in the previous two years.

mobile public procurement service provider.

Promising Statistics
KONEPS is not the only Korean e-government system enjoying success overseas, however. In August last year, MONSIS, a Mongolian version of Korean statistics portal KOSIS (Korean Statistical Information Service) went on-line in the giant central Asian state. Built as part of Koreas official development overseas program, MONSIS is a one-stop portal offering access to a wide range of officially approved government statistics. Statistics Korea, the government agency that operates KOSIS, plans to use the launch of MONSIS as a springboard for continued overseas exports of comprehensive statistics production and distribution systems. Korean e-government is now attracting more attention than ever among other Asian countries. Early in August, a delegation of high-ranking Vietnamese officials visited Seoul for a two-week e-government training session, becoming the tenth such group to do so this year. Other visiting delegations so far in 2013 have included those from Bahrain, Turkey and Uruguay. As telecommunication infrastructures improve worldwide, making the switch to e-government more feasible and desirable than ever before, Koreas leading status in the field looks set to ensure continued export of its cutting-edge systems and the forging of new international relationships.
1. Visitors take a look at some massive Samsung LCD screens at the Korea Public Procurement Expo 2012. 2. Delegates gather for the Global e-Government Forum 2012 in Seoul.

Open System Benefits SMEs


Among recent success stories is Korea On-Line E-Procurement System (KONEPS), operated by the countrys Public Procurement Service. Described by the PPS as a single window for comprehensive information on procurement of all public organizations, providing one-click online service for government procurement, KONEPS is one of the largest e-commerce systems in the world. By 2010 it already surpassed global on-line commerce giant eBay in terms of trade volume, achieved between some 44,000 public entities and 228,000 suppliers. In the first half of this year, KONEPS clocked up trade of 43.8 trillion won, an increase of 6.2% over the same period in 2012 (the Korean governments entire spending budget for 2013, by comparison, amounts to 342 trillion won). Particularly encouraging was the fact that small and medium enterprises, which face stiff competition in the Korean business ecosystem dominated by large conglomerates, accounted for no less than 70.5% of this figure. But perhaps the most convincing endorsement of KONEPS is its unprecedented international success. As of the end of 2012, Korea had signed MOUs with 19 countries worldwide on e-procurement. Vietnam, Mongolia, Costa Rica and Tunisia have imported the KONEPS system itself, while additional MOUs on e-procurement knowledge sharing and system establishment were signed in July this year between Korea and Indonesia and Algeria. A previous MOU between Korea and Italy on cooperation was also renewed. A 2011 report on mobile government published jointly by the OECD and the International Telecommunication Union, meanwhile, cited South Korea as a model example of a

BRINGING BUREAUCRACY INTO THE 21ST CENTURY


Koreas world-leading e-procurement and other electronic government services going from strength to strength at home and abroad
Written by Ben Jackson

G
28

ot a product or service to sell to your government? If so, you may be bracing yourself for a storm of paperwork and a bureaucratic headache. But the days when government bureaucracy meant bundles of paper documents, rubber stamps and long queues at offices with awkward opening hours may soon become a thing of the past, thanks to the everdeveloping array of e-government services available around the world.

Korea is now firmly established as a global leader in e-government. Having set itself ambitious targets early in the 20th century for e-government service provision and usage in a bid for greater efficiency, openness and convenience, the country now offers its citizens the chance to access government bodies and deal with bureaucratic matters on-line in a wide variety of areas. By 2006, Brown Universitys Annual Global E-Government Study was ranking Korea first globally in terms of e-government

29

CURRENT KOREA

huseok, the holiday sometimes referred to as Korean Thanksgiving, is all about family. It is one of two major holidays in Korea (the other being the Lunar New Year) that traditionally see people making a mass exodus out of the city to meet their families in their hometowns. There, they catch up, indulge in traditional homemade food, and most important of all, pay respect to their ancestors by visiting their graves and engaging in sacred offering rituals called jesa and charye. But although some things remain the same, times have changed. KOREA Magazine examines some of the latest trends of the jubilant festivities of this Korean harvest festival season.

Back to the Markets


After years of government campaigns to promote traditional markets, Korean wives have finally begun to return to traditional markets to prepare meals and tables for jesa and charye. This comes after many observers voiced concerns over the decline of traditional markets amid the rise of large discount stores run by conglomerates. Over the past several years, the Korean government has mandated that large discount stores close on certain days. It also distributed vouchers to its employees that can be used at traditional markets. Traditional markets also sought to transform themselves through various marketing campaigns. Sales rose at least four times in days leading up to the last years Chuseok compared to average days, said Han Seongsik, who has been running a fruit market in Bangsin Market in western Seouls Banghwa-dong. Fruit is traditionally placed on tables for ancestor veneration rituals. Figures also support this trend. E-mart and Lotte Martthe top two discount chainssaid that their sales during Chuseok last year declined for the first time. While the former reported a 5.3-percent sales decline on-year, the latter logged a 1.7 percent sales decrease. In contrast, sales of the Onnuri vouchers that can be used at traditional markets were at their highest during Chuseok last year. Jeon Nam, representative of butchers at traditional markets, also estimates that sales at traditional markets increased by 20 percent during last years Chuseok compared to the year before. He said that it appears sluggish economic

conditions have caused people to turn to traditional markets. Although items at the traditional markets may appear less clean and attractive than those at the large retailers, they certainly are cheaper. According to NongHyup (the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation), fruits and vegetables at markets are usually 10 to 30 percent cheaper than at discount stores, while fish can be between 20 to 50 percent cheaper.

Technology and Travel


Advancement of technology has also changed the scene of Koreas autumn harvest holiday. Many people share greetings and gratitude on their smartphones through gifticon applications, through which they can send coupons that can be used as cash at various retailers, such as coffeehouses. Jeong Gi-il, a mobile business manager at SK Marketing & Company, said that downloads of gifticon apps rose explosively in the days leading up to Chuseok. Young wives also resort to smartphone apps to prepare the table for the ancestor veneration ritual, which can be complicated and full of rules that the younger generation may find hard to remember. Koreas No. 2 mobile carrier, KT, says that applications having to do with Korean ancestor veneration rituals have topped the popular app list every holiday period since the countrys adoption of smartphones several years ago, right alongside apps for road navigation and expressway traffic congestion. Travel patterns have also changed over the years. In the

past, Koreans would endure the hardship of crowded trains and endless traffic jams to travel downcountry to their hometownsbut not anymore. Korea is seeing an increased number of cases in which parents living outside cities travel to the homes of their children in cities. My in-lawswho live in Busanvisit us every other holiday so that we dont have to suffer the horrible traffic every year, says Maeng Min-kyung, a 32-year-old working mother. And with the increasing number of single-person households in Korea, many are opting to travel overseas, get plastic surgery, or stay home during the holiday. It is now a common scene to see airports packed with travelers during the holiday, and flight tickets soar. Also, convenience stores have launched Dosirak (lunchboxes) for Chuseok, targeting single-person households.

A 21 -CENTURY
The most traditional of Korean holidays is undergoing some changes
Written by Kim Hyung-eun

ST

1. A very busy Bujeon Market in Busan just ahead of the Chuseok holiday. 2. A family uses an app to prepare the Chuseok ancestral rites table. 3. Many Koreans return to their hometowns for the Chuseok holiday.

CHUSEOK

3 31

30

SUMMIT DIPLOMACY

resident Park Geun-hye marked the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement by thanking Korean War veterans for their enormous sacrifices. I would like to show my respect for the supreme sacrifice and devotion of all war veterans who gave their lives to protect the Republic of Korea, said Park at a ceremony held at the War Memorial of Korea on July 27. The great spirit of all war veterans, including UN soldiers and patriots, who devoted and sacrificed everything for the freedom and peace of this country, will be remembered in our hearts forever. President Park announced that the government had designated July 27 as UN War Veterans Day to

BOLSTERING A LONG-STANDING FRIENDSHIP


Korea, New Zealand to boost already close cooperation

SHOWING APPRECIATION TO VETERANS


President Park expresses hope that Armistice anniversary can usher in new era of peace

commemorate the sacrifices made by UN forces in the Korean War. President Park expressed her desire that the 60th anniversary of the Armistice open a new era of peace and hope on the Korean Peninsula. She urged North Korea to abandon its nuclear program and make changes for the lives and freedom of the North Korean people so that peace on the Korean Peninsula could be built through a trust-building process. President Park also reiterated her call for a DMZ World Peace Park in order to transform the heavily armed area into a zone for peace and trust and a starting point for peace and the reunification of the Korean Peninsula. The ceremony, hosted by the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs under the title Our Future Together, was the governments first official function to express Koreas appreciation for the countries that helped out in the Korean War. Some 4,000 people attended the event, including leaders and representatives of the 21 nations that participated in the war, the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, foreign ambassadors to Korea, heads of government organizations, citizens, students, and the war veterans themselves. Included among the attendees was New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and Noeleen Heyzer, executive secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. During the three-year Korean War, 178,000 soldiers were killed and another 555,000 wounded.

resident Park Geun-hye held a summit with New

structures. She also noted that New Zealand was one of the countries Koreans wished to visit most and that the 8,000 Koreans studying in New Zealand and the other 30,000 residing there was evidence of the brisk people-to-people exchanges between the two countries. President Park expressed hope for enhanced cooperation in science, technology, information, and communications through the Korea-Australia-New Zealand Communications Ministers Meeting. She asked Prime Minister Key to provide assistance to Korean businesses so that they could participate in public transportation and electricity distribution-related infrastructure projects in New Zealand. She also expressed hope for strengthened cooperation in national defense matters through the recent effectuation of the agreement between Korea and New

Zealand on the protection of classified military information. Zealand Prime Minister John Key at Cheong Wa Dae President Park also expressed gratitude for New Zealands on July 27. unending support of Seouls North Korea policies. Prime Prime Minister Key was on a visit to Korea to attend the Minister Key noted his ceremony marking the 60th governments continued anniversary of the signing support, especially of Seouls of the Korean Armistice facilitation of constructive Agreement. President Park dialogue with Pyongyang. noted the sacrifices of New Prime Minister Key Zealanders in the Korean said the conclusion of a War, saying these sacrifices Korea-New Zealand FTA allowed South Korea to was important given the safeguard freedom and expectations of bilateral democracy and achieve relations over the next 60 economic development. She years. He expressed hope recalled that New Zealand that such an agreement sent 6,000 soldiers to Korea would be signed at an during the course of the war, President Park (right) and New Zealand Prime Minister John Key (left) early date considering the even though the country had potential for collaboration between the businesses of the two only about 10,000 troops at the time. countries, the need to enhance the competitive edge of New Prime Minister Key said he was very impressed by Koreas Zealand businesses currently at a disadvantage to businesses impressive progress in democracy, economic development, from Koreas other FTA partners, and the potential benefits and education in the six decades since the Korean Armistice to Korea of transfers of New Zealand technology in the Agreement. He expressed certainty that remarkable agricultural sector. achievements would also be made during President Parks President Park said the conclusion of such an agreement would tenure. promote bilateral trade and investment and suggested the two Noting the strong affinity Koreans feel for New Zealand, countries pool their wisdom to come up with creative alternatives President Park said the two nations had great potential so that a FTA could realize a balanced sharing of benefits. for cooperation thanks to their complementary industrial
33

32

POLICY REVIEW

places in Seoul, not just at the airport. This will cause tax revenues to drop by KRW 50 billion (USD 44,769,290) annually, but income from tourism will increase in general by about KRW 300 billion, Cho Hyun-jae, the first culture vice minister, said at the conference. In an effort to make tourists stay in Korea safer and more pleasant, the Korean government will also set up a tourist police force within regional police administrations starting in October. It will dispatch tourism police to popular sightseeing areas like Myeong-dong, Insa-dong, and Itaewon in initial stages and crack down on illegal activities targeting foreign tourists. Other measures include increasing the number of wharfs for cruise ships from the current three to 12 by 2020, allowing the operation of casinos on foreigner-only cruises, and allowing foreigners to purchase one condominium in Korea per year. Also starting next year, more Chinese people will be eligible for multiple-entry visas, which allow them to visit several times within a certain period. Residents of Beijing and Shanghai, as well as spouses and underage children of Chinese who already have such visas, will be eligible. In addition, qualifications for multiple-entry visas for Southeast Asians will be eased.
3
1. Chinese tourists pose in Korean court clothes at an event at the Lotte Department Store. 2. A tourist takes in the K-pop display at Gangnam Tourism Information Center. 3. Automated departure system at Jeju International Airport.

KOREAN TOURISM TO BECOME SAFER, EASIER, AND MORE FUN


Government lays out series of measures to improve the tourism experience
Written by Kim Hyung-eun

Regional Governments Join in


Its not just the central government that is working to improve the Korean tourism industry. Regional district administrations are also attempting to make travel to Korea easier and more convenient. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said on July 24 that it

E
34

ncouraged by a boom in tourists, especially from China, the Korean government is rolling up its sleeves to usher in a new era in the countrys tourism industry that will see sightseeing become safer, easier, and more fun. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the number of foreign tourists coming to Korea in the month of July was a record high of 1.23 million. This figure is a 22% increase compared to a year ago. The number of Chinese tourists coming to Korea was 590,000 in July, up 83% on-year, as more direct travel routes were introduced between Korea and China in addition to loosening visa regulations for Chinese citizens.

In hopes of making things even better, the first Tourism Promotion and Expansion Conference hosted by President Park Geun-hye and attended by various government officials and civilian expertswas held at Cheong Wa Dae on July 17, during which a host of new measures aimed at improving tourism regulations and infrastructure were announced.

Wider VAT Refunds


For starters, come January foreign tourists will be able to get refunds on the 10% value added tax (VAT) charged on their hotel bills. Also, getting a refund of the VAT they pay when shopping will be easier; they can get the refund at 13 different

has signed an MOU with Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) to open a comprehensive tourist information center within the support structure of KEB headquarters in Myeong-dong, a hot spot for tourists. Under the agreement, KEB will provide the space for the center to the Seoul government for free for the next 10 years. The Seoul government said that the centerslated to open sometime before this magazine goes to printwill not only provide information to tourists but also run programs in which tourists can experience the traditional culture of Korea. This comes after the Gangnam-gu Office opened a similar facility on July 26 near the Hyundai Department Store in the posh area of Apgujeong-dong in southern Seoul. I hope the center will not only provide conveniences to foreign tourists but also introduce the charms of Gangnam through medical tourism offerings and Hallyu (Korean wave), Gangnam mayor Shin Yeon-hee said at the opening. Gangnamthe setting of singer Psys explosive global hit Gangnam Stylewasnt previously as popular to foreign tourists as Myeong-dong and Insa-dong in the northern part of Seoul. But with the song that captured the hearts of people worldwide, more and more tourists are flocking to the area, according to media reports.
35

CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY

in 6,000 spots, mostly residents centers, health centers, and welfare facilities by 2016 and 4,000 more commercial Wi-Fi zones by 2017, with emphasis on provincial areas rather than the metropolitan regions. Wi-Fi demand has been increasing rapidly due to the rise in use of smartphones, tablet PCs, and notebook computers, especially among the younger generation. In order to cope with the trend, Korea had been offering wireless broadband services in major cities. Also, many public restaurants offer free Wi-Fi during business hours. But 53 percent of the countrys Wi-Fi spots are located in the metropolitan regions, including Seoul, while the majority of other cities and remote areas have remained underserved with regard to the service. Ministry officials say that expansion of Wi-Fi areas will help ease financial burdens on consumers and narrow the information gap between people in Seoul and other cities.

3
1. Koreas ubiquitous Wi-Fi lets people use their mobile devices uninterrupted on the go. 2. KT workers build a Wi-Fi zone in downtown Seoul's Gwanghwamun area. 3. A KT app lets users easily find nearby Wi-Fi zones.

Surpassing 100% in Broadband


A recent report says that the high-speed wireless Internet penetration rate in Korea has surpassed the 100 percent mark for the first time among the member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which means that every resident of Korea uses high-

Even More Wired


With free Internet access spots expanding to 12,000 by 2017, Koreas already impressive IT infrastructure continues to improve
Written by Sohn Tae-soo

W
36

ith Korea emerging as one of the worlds leading countries in terms of Internet connectivity and speed, the government is moving to come up with more effective programs to provide more free Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity) Internet access zones across the country so that citizens can have better access to the Web. In Korea, which counts some 23 million long-term evolution (LTE) mobile network subscribers and has become the first advanced country to pass 100 percent wireless penetration, free Wi-Fi services are likely to be expanded further in the years to come. Wireless broadband is a popular technology that provides high-speed Internet access or computer networking

access over a broad area. The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning announced that it plans to increase the number of free-ofcharge public Wi-Fi hotspots from the current 2,000 to 12,000 by 2017, thus expanding its free public Wi-Fi service to provide nationwide coverage over the next four years. As only 2,000 Internet access spots, including bus terminals and hospitals, have been connected with free Wi-Fi networks so far, the government plan is aimed at providing more free wireless Internet access zones around the nation and giving citizens better access to the Web from portable devices. The ministry plans to newly establish public Wi-Fi networks

speed wireless Internet service. Recent OECD broadband statistics show that Koreas penetration rate of high-speed wireless Internet service was 100.6% as of December of 2012, thus ranking first among the 34 member countries. The figure is nearly double the OECD average of 54.3%. According to the report from the Paris-based club of advanced economies, Korea edged out Sweden (98%), followed by Finland (87.8%), Japan (82.4%), Denmark (81.5%), Norway (77.9%), and the United States (76.1%) . The rapid distribution of smartphones is viewed as the main reason for the nations remarkable high-speed Internet service penetration rate. High-speed wireless Internet services include those provided by third-generation and fourth-generation smartphones, wireless broadband (WiBro), and wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) .

LTE Subscribers Number Nearly 25 Million


The number of subscribers to the long-term evolution (LTE) mobile network in the country amounted to a total of 22.9 million people in June 2013, according to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. SK Telecom, the country's leading mobile carrier, took the lions share with 11 million users, followed by KT with 6.05 million and LG U+ with 5.89 million.
37

GLOBAL KOREA

n a 2008 presidential cabinet meeting, directions were given to take the next step in realizing the revered King Sejong the Greats dream by actively promulgating the Korean language across the world. A couple of years and a revised governmental bill later, the groundwork was set to launch a worldwide network of King Sejong Institutes, academies designed to educate interested global citizens in Korean language and culture. Although the start was small, with only 22 institutions in 2010, growth and expansion was as quick as anything else Korean, and the network now boasts 117 branches in 51 countries as of this past July. Clearly, the world is quickly falling under the captivating spell of Sejongs creative and scientific alphabet.

Global Distribution of King Sejong Institutes


117 Branches in 51 Countries as of July 2013

The Beginnings
After the idea for the King Sejong Institute was proposed, two governmental branchesthe Presidential Council on National Competitiveness and the Presidential Council on Nation Brandingworked together to eventually form the King Sejong Institute Foundation, which became responsible for funding and managing the institutes various branches in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism The foundation determines the conditions for a regular Korean academy to become an official branch of the King Sejong Institute, which include minimum requirements as to the size and breadth of the facilities and the academic qualifications of the instructors. Once an application is submitted, a committee of advisory board members determines whether or not to officially sponsor it as a legitimate representative branch. Once a branch is determined, it can receive funding, sponsorship, and instructor allocation. Aspiring instructors can apply for employment through the headquarters and the institutes website, where training and instruction will be provided should the applicant meet the necessary qualifications.
Europe 14 countries 23 branches Africa 5 countries 5 branches Asia 22 countries 73 branches Oceania 2 countries 2 branches North America 3 countries 8 branches South America 5 countries 6 branches

HANGEULS GLOBAL EXPANSION


King Sejong Institutes bring the Korean language to global learners
Written by Felix Im

comprehensive materials to help the non-native learner of Korean develop as extensive a knowledge of the language as possible without actually stepping foot inside Korea. Outside of the traditional grammar and language tutorials, students can also learn through cultural materials such as Korean songs, traditional music, K-pop, Korean folktales, and more. There is also a shared web space where students can post writing samples and videos of themselves speaking Korean to exhibit their abilities in the language. Speaking contests are also held to promote and celebrate the foundations success. Materials can be acquired by registering online at the official website, where there is a dictionary for students as well as an email address to which students can send their questions about Korean and Korea. Materials, ideas, and methods on how to make classes more interesting are also available for instructors who wish to improve their knowledge and teaching talents.

done not only on the historical and linguistic nature of the Korean language but also on how to make Korean more readily understandable to non-native speakers. This past July, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the King Sejong Institution Foundation announced that they were allocating the administration of 23 branches in 17 countries to Dongguk University in Gyeongju, evidence of the continuing expansion and flourishing of King Sejong the Greats scholarly vision.
1. More and more foreigners are showing interest in learning the Korean language. 2. Chosun University President Jeon Ho-Jong gives a diploma to a Vietnamese student at the King Sejong Institute graduation ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Learning Korean, Sejong-Style


All institutes offer a uniform curriculum that can basically be divided into Korean Language and Korean Culture. There is also an extensive selection of non-classroom material available online, including historical lessons on King Sejong, video clips about Korean life, video tutorials, and a variety of other

Expansion of Scope and Operations


The King Sejong Institution Foundation not only focuses on education but also invests a great amount of resources into funding professors and academic experts in research to continually develop our knowledge and understanding of the complexities and beauty of the Korean language. Research is

38

39

G R E AT K O R E A N

ANDREW TAEGON KIM


Koreas first Catholic priest was a martyr for his faith
Written by Max Kim

hough he was martyred at the early age of 25 in 1846 amid strong anti-Catholic sentiment in heavily Confucian Korea, Koreas first Catholic priest and patron saint Andrew Taegon Kims legacy is widely recognized to this day. His struggle and eventual martyrdom stood as a symbol not only of resistance but also of the unbreakable will of the Korean laity, who are credited as having founded the Church of their own accord years before Korea welcomed its first foreign missionaries. Born in 1821 into a family of Roman Catholics during a time when Christianity was prohibited by the Confucian monarchy for the threat it posed to traditional hierarchies (primarily for their refusal to participate in ancestral worship), Kim was familiar with the persecution that came with practicing the forbidden religion. Both his great-grandfather and great uncle were martyred for their faith, and, concerned for his own familys safety when the threat of persecution worsened, Kims father Kim Jaejun (Ignatius) soon took his family to the mountains near Yongin to avoid meeting the same fate as their relatives. Their new home in Yongin allowed the Kim family to practice their faith in stealth, helped by the fact that they were in proximity to a well-established Catholic community. In such relatively nurturing surroundings, Kims faith was able to flourish, but with so many male family members absent, poverty was inevitable. After being baptized at the age of 15 by a French priest in 1836, Kim left to study at the Paris Foreign Missions Society in the Portuguese colony of Macao, pledging with two other seminarians to dedicate their lives to their faith. Korea at the time was judged to be much too hostile to foster theological education by the supervising French priest, Saint Pierre Phillibert Maubant, who took the three students under his tutelage, teaching them Latin and

2
1. Portrait of Father Andrew Taegon Kim. 2. Jeoldusan Memorial Church, a Catholic holy site where countless Korean Catholics were martyred in the 19th century. 3. Tile mural of Kim found at Yangji Catholic Church, Yongin, Gyeonggi-do. Father Ju Ho-sik

otherwise preparing them for their theological studies. Father Maubant and his fellow foreign missionaries eventually became high-profile targets; the monarchy consequently captured and tortured many Korean Catholics to track down what were seen as vehicles of subversive foreign influences. To quell such unnecessary brutality, Father Maubant and two other French missionaries eventually gave themselves up to the authorities and were subsequently beheaded by the Hangang River in 1839, a tragic fate that Kim himself would soon meet.
3

Final Martyrdom
Despite political unrest in Macao and health issues, Kim was ordained a priest in 1845 by French Bishop, Jean Ferrol, and returned to Korea to continue the work of his mentors in Seoul and Yongin. However, his priesthood and mission work soon came to an early end; in June 1846 he was captured on the southeast coast while trying to establish secret entry routes into Korea for other missionaries and was eventually imprisoned and convicted of treason. On September 26, Kim was tortured and beheaded by the Hangang River. His last words were, This is my last hour of life, listen to me attentively: if I have held communication with foreigners, it has been for my religion and for my God. It is for Him that I die. My immortal life is on the point of beginning. Become Christians if you wish to be happy after death, because God has eternal chastisements in store for those who have refused to know Him. Seven years later, as Bishop Ferrol himself faced death from physical deterioration, he said, You will never know how sad I was to lose this young native priest. I loved him as a father loved his son. In 1984, Pope John Paul II canonized Kim along with 102 other Korean martyrs.
41

40

M Y

K O R E A

fixture of the Seoul diplomatic scene since 2008, the Czech ambassador to Korea, Jaroslav Ola, Jr., will soon be leaving Korea. Well of course thats very difficult, he says about his departure. Because when you stay somewhere five years, you have created a kind of bond with not only institutions but also persons. And Im pretty sure that I will keep in contact with some of the people. And I will definitely keep dealing in a limited way with Korea in the future.

plenty of new developments that were not there five years ago, he says. And thats one of the things that surprised me, and which I dont see in many other countriesthat speed and zeal for change. Its almost as if Koreans are living in a science fiction film, which may explain why they enjoy historical dramas so muchwhen you already live in the future, youve got to go back to the past to escape.

A Surprisingly Deep Relationship Staying Longer, Better Branding


Granted, Ola has been here longer than usual. Compared to most ambassadors, who stay just four years in a host nation, hes been here for nearly six. I feel that society has changed significantly in the 21st century and that longer terms for diplomats are betterbetter for the nation they serve and better for the host nation, he says. Traditional diplomacy said: you should be an observer and describe what you see to your headquarters. Now you should be an active participant of the daily life of the host country, because if youre not participating in whats going on, you cant really do your job. It can be hard work representing a medium-sized nation in Seoul, where there were 107 embassies as of August. For Ola, nation branding is key to making a difference. I dont have to deal with big businesses so much, as Korea-Czech trade is already going wellwe have big investments from Hyundai, Doosan, and GS Caltex, and they are well aware of our potential, he says. But when going to SMEs or universities, you must create a positive image of your country, and I think Ive learned from the Korean side about branding and how to go into it strongly. I learned many things and used it to create a better Czech-Korean understanding. Officially speaking, Korean-Czech relations began in 1990, when the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Eastern European communism opened up a new diplomatic world for both nations. Unofficial contact between the Czech and Korean peoples, however, go back much, much further. As Czechs are traditionally travellers and traders with an interest in the wider world, they also came to Korea. Czechs have been involved in several of Koreas critical moments in modern history, even if this involvement is not widely known in either Korea or the Czech Republic. Ola retells one such incident. I remember a couple of years ago, the Irish ambassador, who as he was leaving, spoke about the first Irishman who came to Korea, he says. And it was an unfortunate thinghe came with the Americans to Ganghwado [during the American raid on the island in 1871] and was killed there . . . A couple of years later I found that one of the men who had tried to save him, in the same battle, was Czech. And he received a Medal of Honor, the highest American
2

A VERY CULTURED AMBASSADOR


Written by Robert Koehler

A Changing Nation
As any long-term resident of Korea can tell you, this is a country that transforms quickly. A gentleman I was talking with once told me that Seoul changes significantly every three years, and that somebody who hasnt been here in the last three years has no idea what the city looks like, Ola says, recalling just how much things have changed over his five and a half years. Even coming in from Incheon International Airport, you see lots of changes on both sides of the highway before you enter Seoul, numerous new buildings,

Outgoing Czech ambassador to Korea Jaroslav Ol a, Jr. has brought Korea and the Czech Republic closer through culture

1
1. Korean collection of Czech literary classics, edited by Ambassador Olsa 2. Collection of Enrique Stanko Vrzs photographs from 1901 visit to Seoul

42

43

M Y

K O R E A

military order. The first Westerner to die in Seoul was also a Czech, a Prague-born American journalist who died of smallpox soon after his arrival in Korea. Perhaps the most interesting point of early Korean-Czech interaction came in 1919, when the 60,000-strong Czechoslovak Legion in Russia passed much of its weaponry to Korean independence fighters. This came about through a meeting between Korean independence activist Lyuh Woon-hyung and Czechoslovak Legion General Radola Gaida. There were two reasons: firstly, the Czechs had to give up their arms before leaving, and they didnt know what to do with them, he explains. The second was that they were from a small nation (Czechoslovakia) newly independent from a bigger nation, so they had a feeling of togetherness with the smaller nation of Korea fighting against the bigger nation of
1

Japan. Czech machine guns and pistols were given to Koreans in Vladivostok, who smuggled the arms across the mountains into Manchuria. These weapons, in turn, were used during the Battle of Cheongsan-ri in October 1920, when Korean independence fighters defeated a much larger Japanese force. The Koreans left an impact on the Czech troops. There are plenty of published memoirs from the Czechs in Vladivostok, and every book has at least one or two paragraphs about Koreans, how they were unhappy, how they were subjugated, and how the Japanese were harsh to them, he says. And even the photographs that we have from these 1919 soldiers, approximately 50 of them are of Koreans. Theres a funny photograph of a Korean wedding, and part of the wedding are two Czechoslovak soldiers standing with the bride and the groom. Its kind of a confirmation of their close relationship. Ola has been particular fascinated with Han Hung-su, a 20th-century Korean scholar who, while largely unknown in his homeland, helped launch Korean studies in Europe in the 1940s. He was the first translator of Korean literature into German and Czech, he says. He wrote the very first history of Korea published in a Western language aimed at Central Europeans. He wrote it in German, but due to war it was never published in German, just translated into Czech and published in 1949. A trained historian, Ola has worked to focus attention on Hans contributions. I published a very short article in the Royal Asiatic Societys journal Transactions with my friend who is a professor at Vienna University, and we are now in the process of writing a 80100 page concise history of Han and his writings, he says. And we also collated more than 1,000 pages of his writings, many of them found in manuscript form in German in a contemporary 1940s text, which were kept by his friend in Czechoslovakia. And this shows a man who is forgotten, a man who did something incredible for the knowledge of Korea inside Europe, but nobody in Korea knows much about him and his life and work in Europe.

Promoting Korea-Czech Exchange


If you had to sum up Ola in one word, it would be cultured. He is a former journalist, coeditor of the Czech science fiction magazine Ikarie, and author of the Czech-language Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Literature in 1995. Much of his effort in Korea has gone to promoting cultural exchanges between Korea and the
44

Czech Republic. His endeavorsincluding the donation of old Czech historical materials about Korealed him to be named an honorary citizen of Seoul in 2012. When I was coming to Korea I knew that the presence of Czech culture in Korea was really big, he said. What amazed me when I arrived was that it was significantly bigger than I imagined. As Im a former journalist and a lover of culture, I said to myself, Yes, culture is one of the ways, one of the vehicles I can make a difference with. What Ola found was that while Czech culture had a profound presence in Korea, said presence was not always identified with the Czech Republic. When I arrived here the Czech Republic was understood as first, a place of great music, because Dvok, Smetana, and Janek were on the market and everybody who knew classical music knew them; as a beautiful tourist destination; and as a good investment opportunity, he explains. But Czech musicals like Three Musketeers were played but not very connected to other Czech-related things. People were drinking Czech beer, but it was not very visible. Milan Kundera and Franz Kafka were well-known, but Kafka was connected with Prague yet not Czech, and Kundera was understood more as a French writer. Olas job was to bring it all together. Our aim is create a new image and also to create a wider image, he says. That means, yes, Milan Kundera is a French writer, but of Czech origin. I have no problem with that (laughs). And I know that half of his works were written in Czech, not French. The literary exchange has been particularly fascinating. While major Czech writers such as Kundera, Kafka, and apek are naturally available in Korean translation, so too are lesser-known works such as Flesh by Martin Harnek. Meanwhile, a great number of Korean writers have been translated into Czech. When I did a bibliography of all the Korean writers in Czech translation, the number came to about 160. One important tie concluded under Olas watch is an agreement between the Literature Translation Institute of Korea and leading Czech publishing house Argo to start a Korean contemporary literature series in Czech translation with the first book to be published in October. Korean-Czech cultural exchanges extend into many other sectors, too. Ola has written a book on the relationships that exist between the Korean and Czech film industries that will soon be published in Korea; in it, he notes that the first Czech film played in Seoul in the 1930s. Korean films have been

3
1. Opening of the Czech Center Seoul in the Hongdae district. 2. Czech and Slovak photos at the Seoul International Photo & Imaging Industry Show 2011 3. Ambassador Ol a meets with famed Korean novelist Kim Young-ha.

a constant presence at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, one of Europes major film events, witht he first major retrospective of Korean film held in 2001. Korean filmmakers make frequent use of Czech locations and studios for filming and Czech musicians for soundtracks. Ola himself has sat on the jury of the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PIFAN), Koreas second biggest film festivals. The importance the Czech Republic has placed on exchange with Korea can be ascertained from the fact that there are only four Czech cultural centers outside of Europe: New York, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, and Seoul. Korea is really a question of the last decade, he says. We have direct daily flights between our capitals, which is something that few other European countries can do, except for the big ones. And with Czech Airlines in cooperation with Korean Airmaking Prague airport its European hub, our cooperation will rise even more.
45

MULTICULTURAL KOREA

hen Mongolian-born Lee Ra first came to Korea with her husband in 2003, there wasnt a word for multiculturalism in the local language. She never imagined that seven years later she would be campaigning as a politician with a focus on representing migrant women just like herself. Korea has changed dramatically in the last 10 years, and Lee has been around to witness these changes. An aging population due to a dangerously low birthrate, as well the increasing number of international marriages taking placewith high numbers of these being between older Korean men and younger Vietnamese or Chinese women, according to Lee means that Korea is having to adopt multiculturalism. But there have been some difficulties. This is where the government came in, realizing they needed to quickly put programs in place to support multicultural families. Lees journey began at a center in support of these groups, where she became a volunteer. I could see the good side of these activities [at the center], she explains. But I always wanted to make improvements. It was the chief of this very facility who urged her to go into politics. I never thought I could do it, but gradually I came to the point where I felt like I could make a contribution, she says. While its only natural to first think of Jasmine Leethe Saenuri Party member who became the first foreign-born representative to be voted into the National Assemblyin terms of politics and multiculturalism in Korea, Lee Ra boasts the title of being the conservative partys first non-ethnic Korean member two years prior to Lees win, when she won a position as a proportional representative of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly in 2010. Local media reported that antiimmigration devotees campaigned for her removal, calling her a poisonous weed due to her being a non-ethnic Korean. There were some strange and difficult experiences, but thats how I learned a lot, Lee explains. The whole election process was a very noble experience, she says. Her enthusiasm to learn and please people was perhaps what made the voters feel an affinity towards the popular politician. Sometimes during my election campaigning I had to undertake activities to attract people. People would ask me to sing Mongolian songs, she laughs. I didnt see any relation with this to political activity, but my strong eagerness to do

Lee meets with foreign exchange students on visit to the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly.

everything was important because I felt that what I was doing was for people, not for myself.

Education is Key
One policy she supports for people, and for multicultural women in particular, is reform in education. Learning Korean is the most important first step for wives who come to Korea from abroad, according to Lee. Every problem, from economic troubles to relationship issues, is always hampered by language barriers. She asserts, If they knew how to communicate, it wouldnt be that much of a problem. Lee also pushes education for Koreans as well as non-natives. There are issues with the stereotyping of multicultural families as being deprived and therefore being a drain on the economy, she says. In order to turn those stereotypes [upside down], its very important to educate young people in schools. I am hoping for a more integrated society for younger children, who can receive education to understand multiculturalism and to be able to socialize with multicultural families. As a key figure in the history of multiculturalism in Korea, what does she think are its benefits for the peninsulas future? As we accept more foreigners, foreign policy and international relations will improve. Any kind of stereotypes that we have towards each other will decrease. [Welcoming multicultural families] is a great way to advertise Korean culture and Korea and how it is a great place to live.
47

Families Come First


Written by Loren Cotter

Mongolia-born Korean lawmaker Lee Ra of the Gyeonggi Women, Family and Continuing Education department discusses her journey into Korean politics

46

TALES FROM KOREA

n Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do, there lies the royal tomb of King Suro, the first king of Gaya. Whether the tomb is really occupied by King Suros corpse remains a matter of debate in academic circles, as theres a question of whether he actually existed. Whether fact or fiction, from whats stated in the Samgungnyusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms), King Suro is indeed a historical figure who played a significant role in Koreas history. The oldest reference that allows us to trace the history of King Suro and the Gaya Kingdom is the Garakgukgi in Samgungnyusa. Garakgukgi was written by a writer who was dispatched to Gimhae, which was at that time known as Geumgwan, when King Munjong ruled the Goryeo Dynasty (9181392). The story was then summarized by a monk and was rewritten in Samgungnyusa.

The Beginning
According to Garakgukgi, when the world began, there were no countries, no kings, and no vassals. However, there were people and those who acted as leaders. There were nine leaders, who ruled over about 70,000 people living in 100 houses, but there was no one to call a king. So King Suro became the first king and was named so because in Chinese, su means head, or first, and ro means to appear. Just a little north from King Suros tomb in Gimhae is Gujibong Peak, which resembles the head of a turtle. Six golden eggs in a golden box wrapped in a red cloth were said to be let down from the heaven at the top of the peak. After 12 days had passed, the eggs hatched. Surprisingly, King Suro wasnt the only one born on that day. Six boys hatched from the golden eggs, and King Suro was one of them. Each boy became a king and ruled over other parts of the land. However, it was King Suro who first chose the land for building a capital, which he called Garak, also known as Gaya.

daughter, Heo Hwang-ok, would find her husband in a small harbor in Korea. Upon Heo's arrival, the two married, and according to Samgungnyusa, their marriage was the first recorded interracial marriage on the Korean Peninsula. Moreover, Heo was 16 when she married King Suro, who was only around six, which probably makes him the first Korean man to get married to an older woman, a trend that has recently become popular on the Korean Peninsula.

The Progenitor of the Gimhae Kims


King Suro was not only the first king of Gaya and the first Korean man to marry a foreigner but also the progenitor of the Gimhae Kim clan. Queen Heo is said to have given birth to 10 children, the start of the powerful dynasty of the Gimhae Kim clan. Starting with King Suro, Gimhae Kims are known for having produced numerous well-known literary and martial arts statesmen. Gimhae Kims were especially influential during the Goryeo Dynasty, as there were 15 minister-level statesmen, about 10 vassals of merit, eight generals, and more. However, the only Gimhae Kim minister during the Joseon Dynasty was Kim U-hang. The surname recovered after the Japanese colonial era and again produced men of distinguished talents.
49

King Suro
Written by Yim Seung-hye Illustrated by Shim Soo-keun

Gaya founder was also a pioneer of multiculturalism

The Nations First Interracial Marriage


In July of 48 AD, a boat with a princess from the ancient Indian city of Ayodhya onboard anchored at a small harbor on the Korean Peninsula. She embarked on her journey after her royal parents had a dream that their

48

Priority / Prioritaire By airmail / Par avion


IBRS / CCRI N : 10024-40730
NO STAMP REQUIRED

NE PAS AFFRANCHIR

REPLY PAID / RPONSE PAYE KOREA (SEOUL)


KOCIS
15 Hyoja-ro, Jongno-gu Seoul (110-040) Republic of Korea

Korean boy band B.A.P. TS Entertainment

Readers Comments
Your ideas will be reflected in forthcoming issues of KOREA.

1. How useful is KOREA Magazine for understanding Korea?


Please circle the number on the scale that best represents your response.

Subscribe online for your free copy of KOREA. Its as simple as


7

1
Very useful

Not useful at all

2. What kind of content do you find most interesting or useful in KOREA? (1) Cover Story (2) Interview (Pen & Brush, People) (3) Travel & Culture (Travel, Seoul, My Korea, Current Korea) (4) International Cooperation (Global Korea) (5) Other (please specify) 3. How do you find the editing, layout, and print quality of KOREA? (1) Excellent (2) Good (3) Average (4) Poor (5) Very poor 4. Which article in this issue did you find most interesting and why?

1 Korea.net 2 Home>Resources>Publications>KOREA Magazine


KOREA This monthly magazine provides firsthand information on culture, tourism, and policies.

Subscriptions
Latest Update: August 2013 54 pages

5. Do you have any suggestions for improving the content of KOREA, or any new ideas for regular sections?

Enter your street address for a free hard copy or download a PDF file of the magazine each month.

6. Your Personal Information: Gender : Female Country : E-mail : Male

SEPTEMBER

2013

You might also like