Opening a communicative space

between Korea and the world

The Buddha’s birthday

illuminates Seoul
Songs from the Korean soul to the world’s ears 5
MAY
ISSN: 2005-2162

2009
A buried love resurfaces at last
www.korea.net
  May 2009
CONTENTS  VOL. 9 / NO. 5

6 22 35 52
Publisher
Yoo Jin-hwan
Korean Culture and
Information Service
06 Cover Story
• Buddha’s Birthday festivities illuminate Seoul 30
Korean Literature
• Hwang Seok-yeong: A life of struggle
against injustice
51 Hidden Champion
• Staying on top of fabric takes latest tech-
nology
Chief Editor
Ko Hye-ryun

Editing & Printing

12 Diplomacy
• G-20 nations to cooperate for economic recovery
34
Book
• Seeing Buddha in Korean eyes

52 Sports
• Sellout crowds for KBO on opening day

16 • Korea’s girl of many firsts

JoongAng Daily
Global Korea
Cover Photo
Paper alnterns in the
Sangdoseonwon
E-mail
webmaster@korea.net

Design
• Joint technical training center opens in Guatema-
lan capital
• Charity’s hiking dentists save Himalayan mouths
35
Human Story
• A buried love resurfaces at last
• A traveling festival to sell Koreans on biking
for work and pleasure

40
Temple.
Korea through the Lens
58
JoongAng Daily
Photo by JoongAng Ilbo
• Korean experts build water system in Ethiopia Design
• First Ladies, Dance with Drums, spring and • A new eco-friendly era begins at Korean
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be • The Korean Wave roars along the old Silk Road.
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liable for errors or omissions.
20

Green Growth
• Fresh wind blows in Seokbo
• One powerful little flower
44
Travel
• Ascension from the sea 62 People
• Literature: the key to understanding
Letters to the editor should include the writer’s full name • Grappling with abuse on film

48
and address. Letters may be edited for clarity and/or

22
space restrictions. Series: Strategies for Growth • A man and his Old Partner
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66
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발간등록번호: 11-1110073-000016-06 Kang Ik-joong’s child-world

4 korea May 2009 May 2009 korea 5


A luminary’s party
enlightens Seoul
Korea’s capital celebrates the birthday of the Buddha
with a lantern parade of thousands and exquisite artwork
T
he street of Jongno in central
Seoul turned into a river of
glowing lanterns on April 26
as thousands of people
marched in celebration of the Buddha’s
Birthday, which falls on May 2 this year.
The parade was the highlight of the
Lotus Lantern Festival, which was held
from April 24 to 26. It started from
north and south of the city center — at
Dongguk University and Dongdaemun
— and continued up Jongno until it
reached Jogye Temple, home of the big-
gest Buddhist sect in Korea. Since Bud-
dha’s Birthday became a national holi-
day in 1975, the parade has taken place
on the eighth day of the fourth month of
the lunar calendar each year.
Every year, over 100,000 lotus lan-
terns of different shapes illuminate the
street, while more than 300,000 specta-
tors and participants, including monks
and performers from Buddhist coun-
tries in Southeast Asia, gather. The lan-
terns are also hung at temples and along
streets in many parts of the country.
The elaborate lamps are made of
hanji, or mulberry paper. For believers,
the illumination of the lanterns symbol-
izes the enlightenment of the Buddha.
Although the parade is just over
6 korea May 2009
Cover Story
three decades old, the origin of the lotus
lantern dates back to 1,000 years ago. It’s
first mentioned in Samguk Yusa, or His-
tory of the Three Kingdoms, written by
the priest Ilyeon, who noted that the
kings of Unified Silla saw a lotus lantern
at Hwangnyong Temple.
The Goryeosa, or History of Goryeo,
also records a lotus lantern celebration
at temples and palaces across the nation
during the Goryeo Dynasty, which rec-
ognized Buddhism as the state religion.
The tradition was reborn as a festival
in modern times. In the first few years
after its recognition as a holiday, large
crowds started gathering at a lotus lan-
tern event at Dongguk University. To
accommodate them, the venue of the
festival was moved in 1976 to Yeouido,
from where people marched to Jongno.
In 1996, the event was given the name
Lotus Lantern Festival, and the parade
route was changed, to proceed from
Dongdaemun to Jogye. This was when
the festival turned into an event for all:
Buddhists and non-believers.
There are even a growing number of Visitors enjoy colorful
international participants. At a street lighted sculptures on
[JoongAng Ilbo]
fair, monks and performers from 10 Cheonggye Stream in
Buddhist nations, including Sri Lanka, downtown Seoul.
Nepal, Thailand, Mongolia, Bangladesh,
May 2009 korea 7

Buddha’s Birthday: A luminary’s party enlightens Seoul
Cambodia, Taiwan, India and Tibet, set up booths and
shared their traditional customs and music.
Hundreds of foreign visitors enjoyed crafting lotus
lanterns, eating temple food, copying Buddhist sutras
and trying Buddhist painting and traditional games.
Korean Buddhism has a long history. Through
China, Buddhism arrived in Goguryeo, one of the
three ancient Korean kingdoms, in A.D. 372. About a
decade later, it spread south to another Korean king-
dom, Baekje. It finally landed in Silla about a century
later. Buddhism was at its peak during the Silla and the
Unified Silla dynasties (57 B.C. to A.D. 935), but its
followers were persecuted under the Confucian Joseon
Dynasty (1392 to 1910).
During the Joseon period, Buddhists lost their
power and their assets were confiscated. Monks were
treated as second-class citizens and temples were driv-
en out of city centers into the mountains. This persecu-
tion lasted five centuries. But it could not destroy the
legacy of treasures left by 1,600 years of Buddhism on
the Korean Peninsula. In fact, over 70 percent of Kore-
an cultural properties are related to Buddhism.
The Three Kingdoms (57 B.C. to A.D. 668) and the
Unified Silla (668 to 935) were crucial periods during
which the foundation of Korean Buddhism was being
laid. Silla especially elevated Korean Buddhist culture
to a new level, represented by Seokgatap, a stone pago-
da at Bulguk Temple that is considered one of Korea’s
finest. Around the time Silla unified the peninsula,
Buddhist culture fully blossomed. Countless temples,
pagodas and monuments arose around the capital
Gyeongju. Among them are Seokguram Grotto and
Bulguk Temple, both Unesco World Heritage sites.
The Goryeo Dynasty (918 to 1392) succeeded Silla
and embraced Buddhism as a state religion. Zen flour-
ished during this period. Jinul (1158 to 1210), one of
Goryeo’s most revered monks, was a Zen master. If
Silla embodied Korean Buddhist art, Goryeo laid the
philosophical foundation of Korean Buddhism, repre-
sented by the Jogye Order, firmly based on Zen.
Goryeo produced a number of great monks in
addition to Jinul. Ilyeon (1206 to 1289), the author of
Samgukyusa, deserves special mention for his irre-
8 korea May 2009
Cover Story
placeable record of ancient Korean history.
Another notable achievement in that period is the
Tripitaka Koreana, or Palman Daejanggyeong. This
Goryeo-era collection of scriptures is on the Unesco
World Heritage list. It is the world’s oldest extant Bud-
dhist canon in Chinese and the most comprehensive
woodblock edition of Buddhist scripture ever made.
The Tripitaka Koreana was produced during the
Mongol invasions of the early 13th century. The huge
project was undertaken in the hope that Buddha would
have mercy and help expel the Mongolian army.
After enjoying the privileges of a state religion for
nearly 1,000 years, Korean Buddhism suffered a long
decline during the Joseon Dynasty. Buddhist monks,
who had been treated as aristocrats in Goryeo, were
demoted to the level of shamans and butchers, the
lowest class in Joseon. They were even banned from Clockwise from left:
entering the fortress walls of Korean cities. Overseas visitors fold paper
But even this oppression could not crush Korean lotuses; the festivities at
Buddhism. A number of monks contributed to Joseon Bongeun Temple bathe
by defending the country during war and the Japanese southern Seoul in a warm
occupation. The Venerable Seosan (1520 to 1604) was glow; a family looks on,
probably one of the most distinguished figures in the paper flowers grapsed tight,
history of Joseon Buddhism. He earned his reputation and crowds parade through
by successfully leading a monks’ army, with other the city carrying lanterns
famous monks including Samyeongdang and Yeong- and pulling floats depicting
gyu, during the Japanese invasions from 1592 to 1598. Buddhist saints and symbols.
Seosan also created an important doctrine continued
in modern Korean Buddhism, “sagyo ipseon,” meaning
“Finish scriptural study to enter Zen.”
Monks also struggled against Japanese occupation
from 1910 to 1945. Manhae (1879 to 1944), whose
secular name was Han Yong-un, was the key figure in
Korean Buddhism from the final years of Joseon
through the colonial period. He was one of the 33
nationalist leaders who signed the Korean Declaration
of Independence that launched the nationwide libera-
tion movement on March 1, 1919.
Despite these constant national struggles, Korean
Buddhism was influenced by Japanese Buddhism.
Most notoriously, Korean monks were encouraged to
abandon celibacy and marry, following the Japanese
Buddhist custom. As a result, married monks account-
[Press Q]
ed for over 90 percent of new Buddhist clergy toward
May 2009 korea 9

Buddha’s Birthday: A luminary’s party enlightens Seoul
the end of the colonial period.
After liberation from Japan, Korean Buddhism fell
into a confused and bitter struggle between married
and unmarried monks. Violent clashes between sects
made headlines.
Korean Buddhism did not return to its former
prestige until the mid-1990s. Strong reform efforts
eventually put an end to internal power struggles in
the Jogye Order, the biggest Buddhist sect in the coun-
try. In the wake of the reforms, the number of adher-
ents has been rising, albeit slowly.
Korean Buddhism has a history of 1,700 years, and
it has had tremendous effects on Korean society and
development. Buddhism is also the biggest religion in
terms of number of believers in the country.
Of the over 48 million Koreans, 53.9 percent
believe in a religion as of 2003, with 97.5 percent of
them counting themselves as members of major reli-
gions such as Buddhism, Protestantism and Catholi-
cism. Buddhism has the largest number of followers,
12 million, of all religions in the country. There are
now over 25 Buddhist sects in Korea, but nationally
Korean Buddhism is synonymous with the Jogye
Order, the biggest sect, based on Zen.
Zen Buddhism arrived from China at the end of
the Unified Silla Dyansty, but the Jogye sect only took
form later, during the Goryeo Dynasty. Though Jogye
was dissolved during amid the persecution of the
Joseon Dynasty, it was re-established in 1941 in an
effort to separate Korean Buddhism from Japanese
Buddhism, becoming the first officially recognized
Buddhist sect in Korea.
The Jogye Order has a total of 12,000 monks and
1,800 temples officially registered in
the country. Ninety percent
of Korea’s 870 temples recog-
nized by the government as
historic belong to the
Jogye Order. It also has
90 monasteries and
1,500 would-be monks
studying at 17 Buddhist
colleges run by the sect.
10 korea May 2009
Overcoming division
to live the saintly life
The order also runs one elementary school, 10 middle
schools, 11 high schools and two universities. Dong-
guk University, one of the few Buddhist universities in
the world, was founded in 1906 and has over 20,000
students.
The Jogye Order has also been at the forefront of
the propagation of Korean Buddhism around the
world. Masters including the Venerable Seung Sahn
and the Venerable Gu San spearheaded the effort,
which has helped Jogye expand. The sect now runs 136
temples outside Korea: 84 in the United States and
Canada, six in Europe, seven in Latin America, seven
in the Pacific region and 32 in Asia. Some 120 non-
Korean monks have been ordained in the Jogye
Order.
An official at the order said Korean Buddhism’s
strength is that it continues the traditions of Zen Bud-
dhism.
“There are few countries where the Buddhist world
is as well organized as in Korea,” said Hong Min-suk,
a manager of the social affairs department at the Jogye
Order.
Hong said China lost much of its Buddhist heritage
because of communism, while Buddhism is not as
closely embedded in the lives of people in Japan.
Temple stay programs have become one of the
main tools to spread Korean Buddhism to foreign
visitors, and to Koreans as well. There are over 100
temples in the country offering temple stay programs,
and, since 2002, they have been promoted as a way for
foreign tourists to experience Korean culture up
close.
Temples in major cities as well as in remote moun-
tains provide the programs. Nine temples in Seoul
participate, including Myogak Temple, Bongeun Tem-
ple and Gilsang Temple. Last year alone, over 2,000
Koreans and more than 700 visitors from overseas
took part in the weekend programs provided by Myo-
gak in Jongno District, Seoul.
The main part of the weekend programs, which
usually start on Saturday afternoon, consists of strik-
ing a bell, bowing to Buddha, Zen meditation and
mountain hiking in the early morning on Sunday. 
By Limb Jae-un
Cover Story
“W
anting Enlightenment is a Big Mis- monk. I felt like I had known him for a long time.”
take” may seem an unlikely title for “I told him that once I had wanted to become a
a Buddhist book. But Hyon Gak is Catholic priest,” Hyon Gak said. “Cardinal Kim told
no ordinary Korean monk. me he was sorry that someone like me left church.
In his new book, released in March, the blue-eyed But I told him that I never left church.”
Hyon Gak writes about the shock he felt when he met “Then he turned around and looked at me atten-
the Venerable Seung Sahn, as well as tales about his tively. And he smiled at me,” Hyon Gak said. “I knew
relationship with his late master. that he understood me.”
Hyon Gak is the author of the best-selling book, Though they never met, Hyon Gak was at Har-
“Manhaeng: From Harvard to Hwagye Temple.” He vard at the same time as President Barack Obama. He
became the first foreign head priest of a Korean tem- said Obama has the heart of a Buddhist saint.
ple in 2001 when he was named chief of Hyeonjeong “Obama is biracial and was once an outsider,” he
temple in Yeongcheon, North Gyeongsang. said. “That doesn’t come from one’s head but origi-
“When I was at Harvard, I listened to the Vener- nates from one’s experience.”
able Seung Sahn giving Buddhist teachings,” Hyon Finally, Hyon Gak said, monk or not, people
Gak said. “I was taken aback. I was so moved that I should live a life of giving.
cried all night, almost every night. I was very thank-
ful that such teachings exist in the world.”
Hyon Gak took a one-year leave from Harvard.
He moved to Korea in November 1990 and trained
in Zen practice at Shinwon Temple on Mount Gyery-
ong in South Chungcheong Province.
Hyon Gak returned to Harvard after he finished
training, but he had no interest in studying. “It was
not fun to read books. I read books as one reads
menus,” he said. “People do not look at the menu
once they have started eating.”
Later, he wrote a thesis based on Seung Sahn’s Hyon Gak
teachings. Masatoshi Nagatomi, a Buddhist scholar
who taught at Harvard and guided Hyon Gak, passed
the thesis to a publisher of Buddhist books, which
released it in the United States two years ago.
Hyon Gak also spoke of Stephen Kim Sou-hwan,
Korea’s first cardinal, who passed away in February.
He said he met Cardinal Kim once, in New York.
“I wanted to meet him personally,” Hyon Gak
[YONHAP]
said. “We drank tea at a Korean cathedral in New
York. I felt like I was talking to a venerable Buddhist
May 2009 korea 11
Diplomacy

L
eaders of the world’s most powerful econo-
mies gathered in London on April 2 to set a
road map to recovery amidst the worst eco-
nomic downturn since the Great Depression
of the 1930s. At the G-20 financial summit, the leaders
hammered out a clear-cut, goal-specific agreement to
fight the financial crisis.
Addressing journalists after the G-20 summit,
President Lee Myung-bak said the gathering of the
world leaders was a success. “Each nation has diverse
opinions, but British Prime Minister Gordon Brown
worked very hard to narrow down the differences and
coordinate the positions,” Lee said. “As a result, we
have forged an agreement from diverse positions.”
He went on to say that it is historically meaningful
that emerging and advanced economies gathered and
hammered out an agreement. “If this agreement is suc-
cessfully implemented, it will be remembered as an
example of how an unprecedented crisis can be resolved
through international cooperation,” he added.
During the summit, President Lee stressed the
importance of coordinating the macroeconomic poli-
cies of the major economies and stopping the spread
of trade and investment protectionism amidst a wors-
ening economic crisis.
It was not the first time Lee’s efforts to prevent the
spread of protectionism had gained the support of
world leaders. At the first G-20 financial summit in
Washington, D.C. in November last year, Lee proposed
a “standstill” commitment, urging member nations
not to erect any new trade and investment barriers.
The proposal gained support and was included in
the declaration signed by G-20 leaders at the end of the
Washington meeting. At the London meeting, G-20
leaders extended their support for Korea’s proposal to
expand the “standstill” commitment to not just trade

G-20 nations to cooperate

President Lee Myung-bak
(front, far left) poses with and investment but also the financial industry.
other leaders of G-20 coun- At the London summit, a further accord was
tries at an economic summit reached on the need to reform international financial

for world economic recovery

in London last month. institutions, promote global trade and investment and
reject protectionism.
The so-called standstill commitment agreed upon
at the November summit in Washington to prevent
In London, leaders agree to oppose protectionism, spend on stimulus any new trade barriers will be extended for another
year, leaders agreed. Following South Korea’s initiative,
the World Trade Organization was given the authority
to monitor measures around the world that restrict
trade and release quarterly reports on the issue.
12 korea May 2009 May 2009 korea 13

U.S. President Barack
Obama talks with President The leaders also agreed that in coop-
Lee Myung-bak. eration with the International Monetary
Fund, the G-20 economies would mon-
itor their macroeconomic policies.
President Lee shakes hands “The two agreements were actively
with Chinese President Hu pushed by South Korea,” Seoul’s Foreign
Jintao. Ministry said. “Since the Washington
summit, global economies have formed
a regime to reform and regulate the
financial market, but the world did not
have a sufficient system to coordinate
macroeconomic policies and imple-
ment a ‘standstill’ commitment to
stop protectionism. That’s why
South Korea consistently pointed
out these issues at this meeting and
led an initiative to create these sys-
tems.”
The key agreement reached at
the G-20 summit for sweeping fis-
cal expansion and financial regula-
tion reform called for $1.1 trillion
14 korea May 2009
to be pumped into the global financial
system and for $5 trillion to be spent by
the end of next year on fiscal stimulus
measures. The leaders also agreed to
increase the resources available to the
IMF by $500 billion, to support a new
Special Drawing Right allocation of
$250 billion, to support at least $100 bil-
lion of additional lending by multilat-
eral development banks and to ensure
$250 billion of support for trade
finance.
The leaders also agreed to establish
a new Financial Stability Board to
strengthen financial supervision and
regulation. The board will be a succes-
sor to the Financial Stability Forum, of
which Korea recently became a mem-
ber. “The FSB should collaborate with
the IMF to provide early warning of
macroeconomic and financial risks and
the actions needed to address them,” the
leaders agreed.
In efforts to overcome the economic crisis, G-20
nations each implemented various economic stimulus
measures, but their macroeconomic policies have had
little effect due to the insecurity of the financial mar-
kets. In order to stabilize the market and hasten eco-
nomic recovery, handling toxic financial assets is the
key issue, President Lee told the world leaders.
As a member of the G-20 “troika,” Korea actively
participated in setting the agenda and establishing
principles on how economies can successfully clean up
toxic assets. Lee shared with other world leaders how
Korea had successfully disposed of bad finances in the
aftermath of the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis, mak-
ing a major contribution to the G-20 agreement on
cleaning up toxic assets.
The G-20 leaders also agreed to meet again before
the end of this year to follow up on the implementation
of what was agreed upon at the London summit.
Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said this commitment proves
the G-20 summit has become an established frame-
work for global governance.
“Korea will host the G-20 summit next year, and
we will further our contribution to develop the G-20
meeting to serve as an effective regime for resolving
global issues,” Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said.
On the sidelines of the G-20 summit, Lee also met
with Korea’s key neighbors to discuss pending bilat-
eral issues and global matters.
Just before the official opening of the multilateral
meeting, Lee met with U.S. President Barack Obama
for their first bilateral summit and addressed efforts to
fight the financial crisis, the U.S.-Korea alliance, the
North Korea threats and other matters.
At the meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed their
commitment to the alliance between Korea and the
United States, which has lasted over a half-century.
The summit took place on the eve of North Korea’s
threatened long-range rocket launch, and Lee and
Obama agreed to take serious and coordinated action
with the international community to counter Pyong-
yang’s provocative stance.
Presidents Lee and Obama agreed that the interna-
tional community must act in unison to respond to a
North Korean rocket launch, possibly referring the
matter to the United Nations Security Council, said
Lee’s spokesman, Lee Dong-kwan.
At the meeting, they also reaffirmed their commit-
ment to rid North Korea of nuclear arms.
Lee and Obama also agreed to move the stalled
U.S.-South Korea free trade agreement forward, the
Blue House said.
Diplomacy
The U.S. president thanked Korea
In a January for its support in trying to stabilize war-
summit in torn Afghanistan. The Blue House said
Lee and Obama agreed to cooperate in
Seoul, Aso the reconstruction of Afghanistan and
and Lee put aid to Pakistan.
Obama invited Lee to visit Washing-
aside disputes ton, and Lee accepted the offer. The next
to focus on Korea-U.S. summit is scheduled for
June 16, and Obama also agreed to visit
the economy. Korea in the near future.
Lee also met with his British, Japa-
nese, Australian and Chinese counter-
parts on the sidelines of the G-20 sum-
mit.
During the meeting between Lee
and British Prime Minister Gordon
Brown, the two leaders agreed to expand
their cooperation to fight climate change
and seek green growth. They also dis-
cussed efforts to conclude the Korea-EU
free trade agreement and coordinate
their responses to the North’s rocket
launch.
Taro Aso, the Japanese prime minis-
ter, met with Lee on April 1, reaffirming
their cooperation to counter the North’s
provocations.
President Lee shakes hands North Korea and efforts to fight the
with British Prime Minister global economic and financial crisis
Gordon Brown. were also on the agenda at a meeting
between Lee and Australian Prime Min-
ister Kevin Rudd in the afternoon the
same day.
They also agreed to continue with
efforts to develop the two nations’
friendship and move forward with
negotiations for a bilateral free
trade accord.
Lee met with Chinese Presi-
dent Hu Jintao on April 3. At the
meeting, the two leaders expressed
satisfaction that South Korea and
China’s strategic cooperative part-
nership is developing smoothly.
They also agreed that the North’s
rocket launch would have a negative
impact on the peace and stability of
Northeast Asia. They pledged coop-
eration for complete, verifiable dis-
mantlement of the North’s nuclear
arms program.  By Ser Myo-ja
May 2009 korea 15
Global Korea
Jang Si-jung, vice
president of Koica, and
Guatemalan Vice Presi-
dent Rafael Espada shake
hands (right) at the
center’s official opening
on March 18.
Joint technical training center
opens in Guatemalan capital
A
new training center in Guate-
mala is emblematic of Korean
KOICA efforts to share technical
in Guatemala knowledge around the world.
After three years under construction,
the largest information and communica-
tions technology, or ICT, training center
in Central America opened on March 18
in Guatemala City, Guatemala.
The Korea-Guatemala ICT Training
Center, built with the technical assistance of
the Korea International Cooperation Agency, is a
seven-story building where computer classes are con-
ducted for Guatemalan government officials, corpo-
rate workers and ordinary citizens.
Though Guatemala is steadily developing its infor-
mation and communications technology, many people
in Central American nations are still unfamiliar with
how to use the Internet and other computer program
tools, according to a Koica official.
So, at the request of the Guatemalan government,
Koica launched the training center project with a grant
of $2.5 million in February 2006.
The Guatemalan government, which intended to
spend another $2.5 million from its own budget on the
center, increased the amount to $3.5 million, since
fostering human resource development and informa-
tion and communications technology are two of its
four major development goals.
“Originally planned to have four stories, the center
turned into a seven-story building with the additional
funding. This reflects how the Guatemalan govern-
ment wanted to improve its ICT infrastructure,” said
16 korea May 2009
Charity’s hiking dentists
save Himalayan mouths
The Purme
Foundation
Provided by KOICA
in Nepal
Kim Jung-hoon, media relations officer at Koica.
Provided by the Purme Foundation
Koica not only supervised construction of the cen-
ter, but also dispatched IT specialists to install comput-
ers and software. In summer 2007, training sessions
were offered in Korea for Guatemalan administrators Dr. Seok Do-jun, left, and
and instructors to help them efficiently manage and college student volunteer
operate the training center. Chun Han treat a young
At an opening ceremony attended by over 500 dig- dental patient.
I
nitaries, Guatemala’s Vice President Rafael Espada
said, “Science and technology are valuable tools, and t was a climb difficult to enjoy. Trudging up a trail Dr. Lee Geum-suk, a dental professor, was one of
are essential in promoting orderly development and at 3,450 meters above sea level left a few in the the volunteers. She saw that the local residents who
growth for the country and the region.” group ill from the altitude. But these dentists had had received higher education, and those who worked
“I am very grateful to Korea for its friendship with a mission to accomplish, and one of them, Jung as trekking guides, had better teeth than the less edu-
our country and for sharing with Guatemala the Tae-young, even called it a “gratifying experience” and cated. She said she was concerned to find a woman
advances in technology that have improved the qual- is certain he will be back on this trail again. who appeared from her teeth to be in her 60s was actu-
ity of life of Koreans,” Espada said. The group of 27 dentists, nurses and volunteers ally only in her late 30s. The widespread habit of chew-
Kim said the center, located at the Calle del Estadio were in northeast Nepal in late January as part of a ing tobacco was another factor contributing to the
Mateo Flores in the Guatemalan capital, currently medical outreach program established by the Korean situation, she noted.
offers classes to nearly 700 trainees on topics that Purme Foundation, which works to help the disabled. The trip was spearheaded by a dental service arm
include using the Internet, databases, application The two-day hike was part of an eight-day itinerary. run by Purme. The foundation explained that it plans
development, operating systems, networks and 3-D Their goal: Namche Bazaar, the gateway to Mount to expand the service into other medical fields as well,
animation. “Koica hopes that the establishment of the Everest, where the Seoul-based foundation launched a replicating its rehabilitation centers for the disabled in
ICT center will allow the Guatemalan government to temporary free dental clinic, its first abroad. Seoul abroad.
achieve its goal, taking the lead in the standards of IT “We plan to revisit the same village periodically so The Purme Foundation is the brainchild of Whang
training centers in Central America,” Kim comment- that we can see the progress in the condition of the Hye Kyung, who had one leg amputated after a traffic
ed. locals’ teeth,” said Jung, who is a team head at Purme. accident 10 years ago in Britain, and created it after
“When word of the state-of-the-art facility spreads “That way we are really contributing continuous aid.” discovering that Korea lacked the facilities to look after
across Central America, Koica will be getting more The only dental clinic in Namche Bazaar closes in the disabled properly. When her British insurance
requests from other countries for technical aid,” he the winter. When Purme’s outreach team started its company paid her claim, she used 100 million won
predicted. “This will naturally help spread Korean IT free temporary service, local residents said they walked ($75,216) of it to establish the Purme Foundation in
know-how to other countries, which as a result will for days to line up and receive help. On Jan. 25, Purme 2005 to help others like her. Her foundation is now
raise Korea’s international status and strengthen its volunteers extracted 162 teeth and taught 273 how to raising funds to build a rehabilitation hospital with 50
international cooperation.”  By Kim Mi-ju brush their teeth, according to their records. beds within this year.  By Lee Min-ah
May 2009 korea 17
 Global Korea

The Korean Wave roars

along the old Silk Road
Culture
Festival

C
entral Asian countries are getting a taste of
Residents of Kilte Aullalo Korean culture, thanks to the the Korean
Woreda of Tigray, Ethio- Culture Festival held in Uzbekistan,
pia wait in line at one of Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan from April
in Central Asia
popular Koran movies, including the hit
romantic comedy 200-Pound Beauty,
the thriller Joint Security Area and the
family drama The Way Home, played an

Provided by KOICA
the public water supply 20 through May 1. The traveling event introduced tra-
facilities established by ditional and modern Korean culture to communities
Koica. across Central Asia, with performances, movie screen-
ings, Korean food and hanbok, Korean traditional
clothing. The Korean Culture Festival was co-orga-
nized by the Korean Culture and Information Service
important role in introducing locals to the
Korean way of life.
The Korean food tasting was another high-
light, with royal court cuisine from the Joseon Dynas-
ty (1392-1910) and delicacies made from Kimchi on
offer. The popularity among locals of Daejanggeum

Korean experts help build (KOIS) under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and
Tourism. KOIS has been playing a leading role in pro-
moting Korean culture overseas, and it was with this
(Jewel in the Palace), a Korean television drama about
the royal chefs, made visitors curious about Korean
food.

water system in Ethiopia goal in mind that it contacted the governments of the
three countries.
The respective host governments provided venues
for the events and helped with preparations and pro-

E
thiopia helped Korea during the Korean War,
and now it’s returning the favor.
Tsegay Berhe, the president of the state of
Tigray in northern Ethiopia, thanked Korean
Ambassador to Ethiopia Chung Soon-suk for a water
supply project provided by the Korea International
Cooperation Agency.
The $1.75 million project, which began in June
2007, was completed on Jan. 24 in one of Tigray’s arid
regions, Kilte Aullalo Woreda, at the request of the
state, which has long suffered from chronic water
shortage.
At the opening, Berhe said, “Ethiopia and the
Republic of Korea have a warm historic relation-
ship, ever since Ethiopia sent its troops to
KOICA Korea in the 1950s under the UN. Korea has
in Ethiopia risen from the ashes of the Korean War
and become one of the developed coun-
tries of the world. Ethiopia needs to take
the development experiences of Korea as
an example.”
Koica’s experts were dispatched to
Kilte Aullalo Woreda to build wells, pipe-
lines, reservoir taps and pump control hous-
Central Asia has a unique connection to Korea, as motion. Thanks to their strong support, the festival
human needs. I’m glad this water project will help 320,000 ethnic Koreans have been living caught the attention of local
improve the lives of Tigray residents,” said Song In- there since their ancestors were forced communities and enjoyed
yeup, Koica’s chief representative to Ethiopia, in charge to move from China and Primorsky high attendance. In fact,
of the project. Krai, Russia in 1937. Korean-made cars, Almaty, Kazakhstan, named
Adugna Jebesa, Ethiopian state minister of water cellular phones and high-tech IT prod- the last week of April “Kore-
resources, praised the multi-village water project as ucts are also popular here, along with an Week” thanks to the
“one of the top examples of international cooperation apartments built by Korean construc- Korean Culture Festival,
in Ethiopian history.” tion companies. The Korean Wave has holding various events for
Most African countries lack sufficient potable even crashed upon these mostly land- the local ethnic Koreans.
water. The situation is severe in rural areas like Kilte locked countries, with television dramas An official at the Korean
Aullalo Woreda, a Koica official said. gaining in popularity. Culture and Information
“Unlike urban areas that have quite solid water The culture festival was held in four Service said, “Central Asian
connections, many residents in rural areas choose to cities and in the capitals three Central countries are gateways for
dig their own wells as they lack access to water facili- Asian countries — Uzbekistan, Kazakh- spreading the Korean Wave
ties. Many rely on rain water and water from wells for stan, and Turkmenistan — over 12 days. [from Asia to Europe], as
drinking water, which may spread illness,” said Kim Performers introduced Hwakwanmu, they are geographically
Jung-hoon, a media relations officer at Koica. Korean palace dance; Taemyungmu, a located in between.”
He added that of three African countries — Sudan, folk dance; the daegeum (bamboo flute); He emphasized that
Senegal, and Ethiopia — with poor water supply infra- the gayageum (twelve-stringed Korean Central Asia is a very impor-
structure, the situation in Ethiopia is the worst. Run- harp), and Korean breakdancing. Each tant region for the agency’s
ning water is rare in rural areas, and most walk long drew hearty applause from local com- culture marketing strategy.
distances to fetch water. But with the new system, Kim munities. Local artists even joined in, The Korean Culture Festival
believes the risk of disease from poor drinking water making the festival a different experi- helped local Korean com-
will shrink, as it did after Koica completed a similar ence for each city it visited. munities take pride in their

Provided by KOIS
ings. In April 2008, Ethiopian workers were invit- project in Senegal.“Better water will decrease poverty Korean movie screenings also played home country and feel good
ed to Korea to learn how to operate the system. and contribute to the fast growth of rural communi- an important role in promoting Korean to be ethnic Korean. 
“The demand for clean water is one of the basic ties,” Kim said.  By Kim Mi-ju culture to the local communities. Seven By Hong Jin

18 korea May 2009 May 2009 korea 19

 Green Growth

Fresh wind blows in Seokbo

The village in Yeongyang County is turning frustrating gusts into power

W
e may associate the global financial crash
with Wall Street brokers in fancy suits, but
small towns and farming villages have been
affected too. In fact, they could be even more
vulnerable.
But some towns and villages are weathering the crisis by
leveraging their own potential. And one of them is Yeongyang
County in North Gyeongsang.
The county has only around 18,800 residents, ranking
near the bottom among Korea’s 230 cities and counties. It has
no manufacturing, and nothing but red peppers, mountain
herbs and clean air to sell. Yet its area is 815 square kilometers,
On Mount Maeongdong in Seokbo village, winds blow at
a speed of 5.7 meters per second and in a consistent direction,
so it’s always been difficult for residents to farm here.
But those conditions are perfect for wind power genera-
tion. And so 31 wind turbines already stand 80 meters high,
their 37-meter wings ready to harness what had been a disad-
vantage. Since December, 26 of the turbines have been pro-
ducing electricity.
Acciona Energy Korea, a local unit of the Spain-based
renewable energy company, has begun to build an additional
10 wind turbines and plans to build another 10 on the moun-
tain this year, to supply 225,000 megawatt hours of electricity

1.3 times the size of the city of Seoul. Yeongyang is constantly
on the list of regions that lag behind and require government
help.
Still, this county is getting by. It sold more than $1 million
worth of red peppers abroad in 2007, despite the relative weak-
ness of Korean agricultural exports. And it’s turning its strong
mountain winds into a precious resource, with the nation’s
biggest wind farm now under construction in the county.
[JoongAng Ilbo]
per year. That amount is enough to supply power to 50,000
homes for one year. The electricity produced here will be sold
for at least 107.66 won per kilowatt to the state-run power
distributor, Korea Electric Power Co. Rapeseed oil is one source of renewable biodiesel, required by Korean law to be added to locally sold gasoline.
“We will complete this wind farm with 104 turbines in
total by 2011, providing electricity for up to 150,000 house-
holds,” said Lee Chang-seon, chairman of Acciona Energy
Korea.  By Koh So-young

One powerful little flower

As the rapeseed blossoms, Korea hopes it’s found a new energy source

S
pring has finally come to Gye-
hwa, a small town in Buan
County, North Jeolla. The rice
paddies that stretch across the
town are surrounded by yellow rape-
seed flowers, which seem to be overrun-
ning the entire town. That’s because
farmers in Buan, which has a popula-
tion of about 64,000, hope to use rape-
seed oil as a major source of biodiesel
fuel. The county now grows rapeseed on
some 500 hectares of land, two years
after the Agriculture Ministry and the
county government set out to begin a
joint project to develop new renewable
energy sources.
The plan provides a farming house-
[JoongAng Ilbo]
than the farmers can earn by growing
barley.
“The harvest for the first year of
2007 was not quite good, since the farm-
ers didn’t have enough skills. But the
crop sowed last fall is growing so well,”
said Yoon Bong-jin at the Buan county
government’s environmentally-friendly
agriculture department. “We will har-
vest in June.”
Growing the rapeseed is one thing,
but developing new energy sources
from it is a wholly separate, and elabo-
rate, process. The National Agricultural
Cooperative Federation buys the entire
crop of seeds from the farmers and
sends them to a local energy company
other ingredients such as soy oil to pro-
duce biodiesel, which is provided to
local refineries.
The refineries then sell gasoline with
biodiesel added to gas stations and oth-
er consumers. Korean law requires all
gas at filling stations to contain a certain
percentage of biodiesel — currently 1.5
percent, to be raised to 2 percent next
year.
The Agriculture Ministry is running
pilot projects not just in Buan but also
other rural areas including on Jeju Island
and in Boseong and Jangheung counties
in South Jeolla. A total of 1,350 hectares
nationwide are blossoming yellow under
the pilot project, and the government is

Atop Mount Maeongdong, 26 wind

turbines already produce electricity, with hold that chooses to grow rapeseed with which specializes in producing biodie- hoping to increase rapeseed production
a goal of 104 to be built by 2011. financial assistance of about 2.5 million sel. from 725 tons in 2007 to 510,000 tons
won each year ($1,885), slightly more The company mixes the seeds with annually. By Jung Ha-won

20 korea May 2009 May 2009 korea 21


L
isten to Barbara Bonney’s
collection of classical Korean
songs, or gagok, and you may
wonder if she’s really Ameri-
can.
Bonney’s new CD, sung in Korean
Songs from the Korean
and showing her dressed in a gorgeous
traditional hanbok, has received nearly
perfect reviews as an impressive and
moving performance. It’s her unique
high voice, with its purity and clarity,
soul to the world’s ears
that’s earned her the title “First Lady of
the aria.”
“The Best of Korean Songs,” pro-
duced by the Korean Culture and Infor-
mation Service, the South Korean gov-
ernment agency responsible for Korean
public diplomacy overseas, includes
eight songs such as “Longing for Mount
Geumgang,” “Azaleas,” “A Letter” and
“Wondering if You Are Coming,” all sung
in Bonney’s beautiful voice and accom-
panied by world-famous cellist Mischa
Maisky and the Bolshoi Chorus.
Bonney’s pronunciation is almost
exactly like a native Korean singer’s, a
perfect encapsulation of the emotions
the songs express. KOIS produced this
collection of Korean songs to introduce
the lovely pieces to international visitors
to Korea and curious expatriates in an
easy to comprehend format.
“Longing for Mount Geumgang,” a
Lyric soprano Barbara Bonney longtime Korean favorite, was composed
doesn’t speak Korean.
Yet her collection of classic Korean arias, The impeccably trained international soprano Barbara Bonney put tireless effort into produc-
sung in their original language, ing a faithful recording of classic Korean songs.
still manages to deliver their full
emotional impact.
[JoongAng Ilbo]
Mischa Maisky
22 korea May 2009
by Choe Yeong-seob in 1961 with lyrics
written by Han Sang-eok, as an ode to the
magnificence of the peninsula’s northern
peak, which has long held a special place
in Korean mythmaking. It includes the
lyric, “Whose creation, you bright and
beautiful mountain? Oh, how I miss the
twelve thousand peaks standing so high
and silent. Now I see our free people
together humbled by you...” Popular
among overseas professional singers, it
has already been performed by Placido
Domingo and other musicians on 16
CDs sold worldwide.
The words to “Azaleas” were written
by the late Kim So-wol, a beloved Korean
poet, to music composed by Kim Dong-
jin. It is a woman’s lament at the end of a
love affair. Bonney’s version is even more
touching thanks to her high and clear
tone.
The international press has praised
Bonney, calling her a “lyric soprano with
a pure voice,” and praising her voice as
“very clear and almost perfect.” Korean
music fans have known and loved her for
10 years, since she began performing
recitals here.
The singer said she listened to count-
less recordings of the songs to better help
her sing in Korean. She also told report-
ers that she has been helped by Korean
musicians to understand the meanings
of the songs.
Barbara Bonney
Culture
]
[JoongAng Ilbo
Soprano Barbara Bonney and cellist Mischa
Maisky both wear traditional hanbok on the
cover of “The Best of Korean Songs.”
“If I only pretend to be impressed and
moved by the Korean songs, audiences
would see what was wrong.” Therefore,
she had to make a great effort, she said.
Born in Maine in the United States,
Bonney started her musical life as a cel-
list. When she was 19 years old, she began
studying as a soprano in Austria. Since
then she has won world acclaim, per-
forming at the Royal Opera House Cov-
ent Garden and La Scala in Milan and
giving music lessons at the Royal Acad-
emy of Music in London.
Mischa Maisky has also performed
in Korea several times, so his cello work
on the disc sounds natural and elegant,
familiar to Korean ears.
An Israeli born in Russia, Mischa has
performed with pianists Martha Arger-
ich and Sergio Tiempo, violist Gidon
Kremer, and conductors Leonard Ber-
stein, Zubin Mehta and Daniel Baren-
boim, among many others.
He is scheduled to give a solo cello
recital in Seoul in November this year.
Maisky also appears on the CD cover in
a hanbok decorated with pretty amber
studs.
The Bolshoi Chorus was established
in 1928 and has performed religious
music and operas in more than 130 cities
across the world, with more than 500
songs in their repertory. Its local fame
comes mainly from its Korean Gospel
collections, which include recordings of
“The Lord's Prayer” and “Jehovah is my
Shepherd.” More information on Korean
music can be obtained at the Korean gov-
ernment’s official Web site, www.korea.
net. By Hong Jin
May 2009 korea 23

Updating a moving
musical tradition
A
sk any young Korean on the
streets if they listen to gagok,
classical Korean songs.
The answer, most likely,
will be no.
They may even have to struggle to
remember the titles of the most famous
pieces: “Bongsunga” (Garden Balsam),
“Geujibap” (In Front of That House),
and “Gohyangsaenggak” (Thoughts of
Home), to name a few. Gagok has long
given voice to quintessential Korean
sentiments. But since the influx of West-
ern music in the mid-20th century,
things have changed.
Classical Korean songs have been
largely shunned by the public, deemed
old-fashioned and melodramatic.
Today, gagok are mostly absent from
TV, radio and other mass media.
These pieces sound like Western
opera, with emotional and poetic lyrics,
classical musical accompaniment and a
theatrical singing style. In fact, many
gagok use as lyrics some of Korea’s most
famous poems.
Lee An-sam, 66, has been an evan-
gelist for classical Korean songs for
some time. He’s been on the gagok cir-
cuit for about four decades, and he first
began composing in his 20s. He says
that classical Korean songs are facing “a
historic watershed” today.
“If classical Korean songs don’t
change, they will be history, buried with
the passage of time,” Lee said firmly in a
recent interview at his small studio in
downtown Seoul.
Lee has been at the forefront of
efforts to update gagok, and to fight ste-
reotypes about them. He even invented
a new genre, which he calls “Clapop,”
several months ago, using his experi-
ence and the network he’s built over the
years to encourage well-known singers
24 korea May 2009
Culture
Lee An-sam, a Korean composer, says,
“There can be preferences, but there’s
no room for prejudice” in judging classi-
cal and popular music.
Singer sets out such as Soprano Kang He-jeong to create albums and
hold concerts.
to save Korean “It’s natural that people find gagok difficult and
gagok through rather unfriendly, because they’re very literary, philo-
sophical and profound. In that sense, their target audi-
fusion with ence is those with a taste for literature and philosophy,”
popular sounds Lee said.
That is why Lee thought it would be paradoxical to
try to appeal to the general public with existing songs,
which are sophisticated and refined. Instead he has
pushed forward with changes in form, rhythm and
harmony.
“I realized that in order to get closer to the general
public, music had to be made more easy, fun and
dynamic. That is what Clapop is like.”
Listening to Lee’s album, “Lyric-Clapop,” is of
course not exactly a traditional experience. But still, it
does not veer too far from the elements of gagok:
poetic lyrics, and a certain degree of solemnity and
gravitas.
Although he has his roots in classical music, Lee
says he quite often listens to pop music, even singing
some at karaoke. Though to him pop music sounds
complex, confused, even disorderly at times, he said
he respects it because it is a reflection of a modern
society that is just as complex, confused and chaotic.
Lee is also embracing the culture of modern times
— the Internet. He opened an online cafe on the Daum
portal last summer, and it now has some 800 mem-
bers, spreading the “good news” about classical songs.
He held a concert especially for his members on April
18.
“Music is a mirror to a certain country, people and
culture. There are different languages, but the same
musical notes. That is why there can be preferences,
but there is no room for prejudice, be it classical or
pop,” Lee said. Lee has written about 200 classical
songs. The most famous include “Deep in My Heart,”
“When Buckwheat Flowers Blossom” and “Good
[JoongAng Ilbo]
Shepherd.” He is now working on his seventh album
and will hold his sixth annual concert in coming
months.  By Kim Hyung-eun
[joongAng Ilbo]
Lee An-sam’s “clapop”
albums update gagok for
You can get a glimpse of his activities through http://cafe.
modern times. daum.net/ansamlee.
May 2009 korea 25
 Culture

I
t was a fall morning, and artist Kang Ik-joong went to a lake on
the outskirts of Seoul where his giant balloon installation was
supposed to float on the water. Instead it deflated into a con-
torted shape. But at that moment, Kang was inspired with what
would became the motif of his recent series of work: the moon jar.
“I was devastated when I first got there and saw my work,” he said.
“But all of a sudden the shape reminded me of white porcelain, and
then I knew this was something I had been trying to say for years. I
came back to my studio in New York and started painting moon
jars.”
Three years later, the artist created “Mountain-Wind,” an instal-
lation made up of 2,611 painted wooden panels adorning the facade
of Gwanghwamun gate in central Seoul, which is currently undergo-
ing a major restoration. Each panel is 60 by 60 centimeters and is
painted with the artist’s fingers, not a brush. Most depict moon jars
of various shapes, like the ones cherished for their austerity among
local Confucian scholars during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
In February, Kang created “Samnamansang” for the National
Museum of Contemporary Art. The work, made up of 60,000 3-inch
panels depicting various icons, letters and paintings of moon jars,
adorned the museum walls surrounding the video tower titled “The
More the Better” by Paik Nam June, the late famed Korean-American
artist and Kang’s artistic mentor from their days in New York. “Saml-
lamansang,” a reference from Buddhist teaching that means, “All
forms of nature are guided under the sun,” was, in a way, Kang’s hom-
age to Paik and a celebration of “Multiple Dialogue,” the show the two
artists put on in 1994 at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
“For Paik, I think ‘The More the Better’ was like a rocket that
could fly to the future,” Kang says. “I felt that my role was to set the
[JoongAng Ilbo]

light on the launchpad.”

Above, Kang Ik-joong stands in front of his
work, “Multiple Dialogue” at the National
Since their release, Kang’s moon jar paintings have quickly
became coveted collector’s items among contemporary art lovers.
One assembly of the panels made local news when it was sold recent-
ly by Sotheby’s for $134,500.
Despite his rising status in the contemporary art world, Kang said
one soon realizes the fuss about one’s work on the art market has

Art as fraud, art as history: Museum of Contemporary Art.

Below, “Happy World”, 2004 (Ali Center)
little to do with everyday life as an artist.
In an e-mail interview, Kang recently described to me his per-
sonal connection to art-making through a list of metaphors. He

Kang Ik-joong’s child-world called the activity of art “a recipe on how to cook side dishes.”
- I paint with my eyes half closed.
- I paint with my left hand if possible.
- I paint even if I’m not good at it.
The famous artist has never forgotten what it feels like to start anew - I paint when I am happy.
- I paint when I’m hungry.
- I paint when I’m sleepy.
- I paint what I know.
Provided by Kang Ik-joong

- I paint what’s easy.

- I paint what’s around me.
- I listen, I see and I paint.
- I paint as I’m lying down.
- I paint as I stand.
26 korea May 2009 May 2009 korea 27

- I paint as I run.
- I paint with my eyes half open.
- Ha! I paint myself laughing.
People who have followed Kang’s
works over the years know it started out
depicting subjects that are deeply per-
sonal and evolved to grander themes
like peace and reunification. Byron Kim,
a Korean-American artist, once
described Kang’s earlier work as “the
metaphysics of the mundane.” “Happy
World,” a series of Kang’s work with
children commissioned by the G8 sum-
mit meeting and the United Nations is
representative of his recent work.
In the fall, he unveiled the “Wall of
Hope,” a giant mosaic done in collabora-
tion with 50,000 children of migrant
workers and Koreans based in Ansan, a
factory enclave, for the Gyeonggi Muse-
um of Art. The installation stretches 64
by 14 meters, filling the museum’s two-
story wall completely with a map of the
mountains, rivers and islands of the
peninsula as a backdrop.
Personal recollections are common
in these works: The children sent in
their first baby shoes, their mother’s lip-
28 korea May 2009
‘[Children] are
stick and a Pokemon doll. But also among the submis-
sions were blunt slogans like “MB Out,” a common
like a small catchphrase used by demonstrators during protest ral-
window to me. lies against the nation’s current president, Lee Myung-
bak. One sent a picture of a machine gun.
No matter “It’s me, my past and my future, that I discover
how small they more and more working with children,” Kang said.
“These are like a small window to me. No matter how
are, I can see small they are, I can see the world through them.”
the world Kang moved to the United States in 1984 when pop
art and street graffiti artists like Keith Haring and Jean-
through them.’ Michel Basquiat were emerging. He had just graduated
from Hongik University, but it wasn’t until the early
’90s that the American art world took any notice of his
work. Back then, the artist’s pockets were stuffed with
drawing tools and small 3-by-3 inch swatches of can-
vas. He drew during his long subway rides to the flea
market where he worked.
On each trip, he filled his canvases with glimpses
of life in New York, daily musings and words or ran-
dom phrases that popped into his mind, which some-
From Left, “Moon of times included notes on masturbation and disturbing
Dream” ,2004(Hosu non sequiturs like “I won’t get you pregnant.”
Lake, Korea). “Youth”, When not drawing, he worked on “8,490 Days of
2007(UNESCO, Paris). Memory,” a statue of General Douglas MacArthur
“Buddha Learning English”, behind a spectacular mosaic made of 8,490 chocolate
2000(Collection of Ludwig bars, which reflected the number of days the artist had
Museum). lived in Korea before he moved to the United States.
Culture
From Flushing to Seoul:
Kang’s global chronicle
The bars recalled the bittersweet
memories of the war-torn country
where American GIs shared chocolate
with local kids, and the land of the hero-
ic general meant sweetness and safety
from communist invasion. The response
to this work at the Whitney Museum of
American Art was phenomenal.
In 1997, Kang represented Korea at
the 47th Venice Biennale, a sign of
mainstream acknowledgement. Never-
theless, Kang has learned always to
make art as if he were just starting out.
Kang said he recently came to
rethink Paik’s once controversial words,
[joongAng Ilbo]
“Art is just fraud,” when he came across
one of his mentor’s works from 1981.
On a television monitor, Kang saw
“Mountain-Wind” at Gwanghwamun gate, Seoul
paint scribbles by Paik that included the
word “sagi,” which means both “fraud”
and “historical text” in Korean, as in “Happy World,” permanently installed on the mezzanine walls of a sub-
“Samguksagi,” or History of the Three way station in Flushing, New York, plays with irony. It puts together 7,000
Kingdoms. This new interpretation small paintings on ceramic tiles, each depicting flashes of Kang’s random
moved Kang deeply. thoughts: from sex, violence and politics, to the banalities of urban living.
“[The scribble] was the shortest and The work instills in the viewer a sense of urgency, as it gathers images,
the longest book I’ve ever read,” Kang words and phrases which the artist collected from public advertisements
said. “It’s the shortest, yet longest phrase and floating words across the city, phrases like “We like Tyson” and “I
Paik ever said to me.” By Park Soo-mee won’t get you pregnant.”
The work is displayed in New York’s second-largest Asian-American neigh-
borhood; Kang produced each of the paintings on his subway rides to
work at a flea market in Far Rockaway during his earlier years as an im-
migrant worker living in Queens.
“Mountain-Wind” is a public installation at Gwanghwamun, central Seoul.
The historic palace gate is undergoing major restoration, and Kang’s work,
41 by 27 meters, is made up of 2,611 painted wooden panels, each de-
picting different shapes such as traditional Korean porcelain and local
mountains. As a whole, they form a silhouette of the original gate. At the
bottom of the work are three smaller gates, from the original Gwanghwa-
mun structure, to which digital prints of paintings contributed by 2,000
children from around the world will be installed. The project was donated
to the Korean government by the artist; the authorities paid only for the
cost of the materials: 500 gallons of paint.
“Gateway,” an installation in the departure lobby of an international ter-
minal at San Francisco International Airport, is made up of wood carvings
and objects that reference Kang’s dreams and experiences in New York.
“Beautiful Mountains and Rivers,” permanently installed in the lobby of
Provided by Kang Ik-joong
Heungguk Life Insurance Building in central Seoul, is one of the artist’s
best-known works among the local public. The installation, which com-
prises 7,500 panels, features a giant panoramic view of man and nature.
It depicts small paintings of people, flowers, trees and the English and
Korean alphabets, and stretches 7.62 meters in length.
May 2009 korea 29

Hwang Seok-yeong
A life of struggle against injustice
The activist writer has called Korean society stuck in a
‘nationwide state of homelessness,’ reflected in his work.
S
ince publishing his first short story in
1962 while still a high school student,
Hwang Seok-yeong (born 1943) has
lived as a writer in direct engagement
with life, witnessing the tumultuous events of
Major works modern Korean history firsthand and drawing
artistic inspiration from his own experiences as
“Far From Home” a vagabond day laborer, a student activist, a
(Gaekji, 1971)
Vietnam War veteran, an advocate for coal
“Jang Gilsan”
(Jang gilsan, 1984)
miners and garment workers and a political
“The Shadow of Arms” dissident.
(Mugiui geuneul, 1983-1987) In 1989, Hwang visited North Korea in
“A River That Does Not Flow” direct violation of the National Security Law.
(Heureuji anneun gang, 1990)
For the next four years, he lived in New York
“The Old Garden”
(Oraedoen jeongwon, 2000)
and in Berlin, and upon returning to Korea in
“A Guest” 1993, he was arrested and sentenced to seven
(Sonnim, 2001) years in prison. He was released in 1998 and
“Simcheong” resumed writing almost immediately, serializ-
(Simcheong, 2003)
ing The Old Garden in the Dong-A Daily.
Source: Korea Literature Translation Institute Hwang defined the reality of Korea as a
[JoongAng Ilbo]
30 korea May 2009
Korean Literature
“nationwide state of homelessness,” and has
continuously explored the psychology of peo-
ple who have lost their “homes,” symbolic or
real. Home, to Hwang Seok-yeong, is not mere-
ly a place of origin, but an idea of communal
life rooted in feelings of solidarity and human-
ity. The destruction of one’s home due to war or
social injustice, and the struggle to overcome,
whether individually or collectively, such dev-
astation form the thematic core of Hwang’s lit-
erary works.
From short stories such as “The Chronicle
of a Man Named Han” and “The Road to Sam-
po” to the multi-volume saga Jang Gilsan,
Hwang has produces works of unique verbal
energy and unparalleled wit that entertain as
well as instruct the readers. Among the honors
Hwang has received are the 1989 Manhae Lit-
erature Prize, the 2000 Danjae Literature Prize
and the 2001 Daesan Literature Prize.
May 2009 korea 31
 Korean Literature

The Guest The Old Garden

The title of this bestsell-
ing novel about a 1950 mas-
sacre in Sincheon in North
Korea is significant in a
number of different ways.
In naming this novel The
Guest, which refers to small-
pox in Korean folk tradition,
the author likens two West-
ern philosophies — Catholi-
cism and Marxism — to a
fatal plague, the cause of
many deadly conflicts. In
another sense, “guest” refers
to the rootless beings that
have yet to achieve autono-
my in life and find a sense of
belonging.
For the first time in
many years, Reverend Ryu
Yo-seop, who now lives in
Brooklyn, New York, is going
back home to North Korea.
Days before his departure,
however, his brother Ryu Yo-
han passes away in his New
Jersey apartment, and Yo-
seop suffers from a series of
unsettling dreams and hallu-
cinations.
As he boards the plane to
Pyongyang with a piece of
bone from his brother’s cre-
mation packed into his suit-
case, the ghost of his brother
appears and enters his body.
The two brothers, now one,
arrive in Pyongyang and
head toward their hometown
of Sincheon in Hwanghae
Province.
There, Yo-seop remem-
bers the 45 nightmarish days
in 1950 when Sincheon civil-
ians were violently massa-
cred by right-wing Christian
thugs, including his own
brother Yo-han. The dead
appear as ghosts, each telling
their story and clamoring for
resolution.
Following the form of
jinjinogui gut, a shamanist
ritual from Hwanghae in
North Korea that consoles
the spirits of the dead and
guides them to bliss,
Hwang’s novel represents a
journey to redemption and
final release from the suffer-
ings of the world.
With the sophistication
and boldness characteristic
of all his works, Hwang’s
The Old Garden is a poi-
gnant love story set against
the chaotic events of 1980s
Korea and the collapse of
the Eastern Bloc.
O Hyeon-u, a member
of an underground pro-
democracy organization, is
on the run. Wanted by the
police for his involvement
in the May 19, 1980 Demo-
cratic Uprising in Gwangju,
O hides in the small moun-
tain village of Galmoi
where he meets and falls in
love with a school teacher
named Han Yun-hi.
For three months, the
lovers lead an idyllic life
away from the troubled
world. Their relationship
comes to an abrupt end,
however, when O leaves the
village to rejoin the democ-
racy movement and is
arrested soon thereafter.
Released after 18 years
in prison, O learns about
Yun-hi’s death.
He returns to Galmoi,
where he finds Yun-hi’s
notes and journals, which
allow him a panoramic
view of the life she led after
their parting, from the
birth of their daughter and
her encounters with various
student activists to her
study abroad in Germany
and the fall of the Berlin
Wall, which she witnessed.
The old garden refers to
the house in Galmoi where
O and Yun-hi lived togeth-
er for three months, and
represents the utopian ideal
for which revolutions are
fought, as well as warm, all-
embracing humanity.
Conceived during the
author’s exile in Germany
and his subsequent three
years of imprisonment, the
novel was first serialized in
Dong-A Daily and then
published after much revi-
sion.

Reviews Hesperus

An ode to the marginalized youth

Hwang Sok-yong’s Hesperus marks an unprecedented ap-
proach and a great change for the author. Hwang is a seasoned
writer of 65 who has been writing for most of his life. But after 45
years meeting his readers through paper and ink, Hwang discov-
ered the Internet, more specifically the blog, as a new means of
communicating with his readers. This novel was posted as a series
on his blog over six months, during which time the site logged 1.8
million visitors. The book version has been a steady best seller since
its publication in August 2008.
The main audience of Hesperus is not the middle-aged readers
who grew up learning sociopolitical criticism through Hwang’s “The
to seven years in confinement, then was released in 1998. Inspired
by his broadened world view since his visit to North Korea, Hwang
revealed a new side of himself through The Old Garden (2000), The
Guest (2001), Shimcheong (2003), and Princess Bari (2006). Instead
of being overwhelmed by academic discussions of sociopolitical re-
alities, Hwang sought to focus on the inner turmoil and strength of
those pursuing the small pleasures of everyday life, and attempted
to turn traditional rites and myths into a new form of fictional text,
finding a traditional voice on a modern platform.
Hesperus is representative of Hwang’s exploration of new fron-
tiers. Jun, the protagonist of the novel, comes home for a visit be-
Korea through backpacking stories and construction site pilgrimages.
In the process, Jun comes to the crude realization that the stories he
had been writing were merely empty shells, and vows to find his per-
sonal literary identity in the rough and tumble of reality.
The title, Hesperus, is the name of his newly discovered self, taken
from the Greek name for Venus in the evening. It hangs in the same
place in the sky, but is no longer the “last star hovering at the dawn.”
Hesperus appears in the western sky after dinner, “right around the
time when the dogs begin to wish for their leftovers.” Instead of as-
piring to be the last glittering star at dawn, Hwang embraces a new

Provided by Korea Literature Translation Institute

Land of Strangers,” “A Chronology of Mr. Han,” The Shadow of
Arms, and Jangkilsan, but the teens and young adults who were
introduced to him through “The Road to Sampo” in their Korean
literature textbooks.
It is a well-known fact that Hwang went through an important
turning point in his life when he attended the First Transnational
Festival in Pyongyang in August 1990. He stayed in Berlin and New
York for a few years before returning to Korea in 1993, whereupon
he was imprisoned for his attendance at the 1990 festival, sentenced
fore being drafted into the Vietnam War. The story unfolds as he
reminisces about the past. Jun’s friends In-ho, Sang-jin, Jeong-su,
Seu-ni and Mi-a all refuse to take the elite track guaranteed by their
competitive high school, and go out into the world in search of their
own paths, where they find revelations and despair.
Thus, the many plot threads follow the travels and adventures
of the young adults who venture outside the boundaries set by their
school. On the way, readers encounter the intellectual circles that
formed around music cafes and school clubs, and a slice of 1960s
personal literary identity beginning with the wretched, lonely image
of a dog gazing hungrily at the evening sky.
Hesperus is a Bildungsroman about the generation that lived and
grew up over 40 years ago, but the youth of today have also found a
connection with it.
The book speaks to the small, helpless people we see in ourselves
sometimes, and to a sense of inferiority and marginalization. Thus it
marks a literary turning point for this venerable author. 
By Shim Jin-kyung

32 korea May 2009 May 2009 korea 33

 Book Human story

reflect the styles of two historical splinter Chinese

dynasties — Northern Wei (A.D. 386-534) and North-
ern Qi (A.D. 550-577), respectively. The Northern Wei
style emphasizes Chinese elements, while the North-
ern Qi hews more closely to Buddhism’s Indian ori-
gins. Though these influences are obvious, they were
not adopted wholesale. Instead they were used to cre-
ate a uniquely Korean style.
Completely different in style and form, the two
images, thought to have been made in the sixth or
seventh century, are invaluable specimens in the study
of the gradual changes that took place in Buddhist
sculpture. The image with the sun and moon crown
may have lost most of its gilding, but originally it was
covered in 5 millimeters of gold, indicative of very
Provided by The Korea Foundation

sophisticated casting technology. The lotus crown

Provided by Andong national university

This Buddha with a lotus crown is a valuable landmark in the
history of Korean religious art.
image retains much of its original gilding.
Since its introduction to the Korean Peninsula in
the late fourth century, Buddhism has left an indelible These shoes were woven
imprint on the thought and culture of the people of in the 16th century by
Korea. In this regard, the two Buddhist sculptures a wife with her hair, in
provide a meaningful glimpse of the everyday life and prayer for her husband’s
culture of ancient Korean society. recovery.
To allow readers to appreciate the images fully, the
catalog includes about 100 photographs and illustra-
tions of the two sculptures, along with detailed com-
parisons and two essays by art historians.

The Buddha The Korea Foundation published the first book in

this series in 2005: “Fragrance of Korea: The ancient
gilt-bronze incense burner of Baekje.” The beautiful A buried love resurfaces at last
seen through and elegant burner introduced in this book is Korean
national treasure No. 287, and is widely appreciated for
its exquisite craftsmanship and unique artistic and his-
A wife’s devotion to her husband 400 years ago touches hearts today
Korean eyes torical value. This burner, dated to the late sixth cen-

A
tury, is cast in bronze and gilded with gold. The book

A
long-awaited look at two beloved Korean
representations of the historical Buddha is
finally here.
“Eternal Images of Sakyamuni: Two
Gilt-Bronze Korean National Treasures,” published in
English by the Korea Foundation, affiliated with the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, is a valuable
overview of Korean Buddhist art but also a close exam-
ination of two Korean national treasures (No. 78 and
No. 83).
The second book in this series of spotlights on
Korean national treasures compares a gilt-bronze
image of a pensive Buddha with a sun and moon crown
(No. 78) and a Buddha with a lotus crown (No. 83),
both housed at the National Museum of Korea.
Supposedly these two major works of Asian art
34 korea May 2009
features detailed photographs of the incense burner,
together with diagrams of the diverse pictorial motifs
on the body and lid. The images are organized by sub-
ject matter, along with pertinent information in the
accompanying captions.  By Hong jin
The Korea Foundation has published two books in English
spotlighting specific national treasures.
human story transcends
time and space — like the
one told by a wife lamenting
the death of her husband in
a letter written more than four centuries
ago.
The letter, which starts with the
words, “To Won’s father,” was found
accidentally in April 1998. The descen-
dants of the royal Lee family of the
Joseon Dynasty were changing the buri-
al site for their ancestors in Jeongsang-
dong, a village in Andong City in North
Gyeongsang Province. Andong is
known as a center for Confucian teach-
ings and Korean traditions.
Two tombs at the site contained one
mummy each. One was Lee Eung-tae,
the grandson of Lee Myeong-jeong, a
bureaucrat during the last period of
monarchic rule on the Korean Penin-
sula, and the other was a woman identi-
fied only by her surname Moon, the
wife of Lee Myeong-jeong. The mum-
mies were unbelievably intact, largely
because the wooden coffins were encap-
sulated in a lime-soil mix, which hard-
ens like stone when exposed to water.
Archaeologists said the clay caused the
high degree of preservation.
The two tombs not only contained
mummies but also clothes, paper docu-
ments and a pair of shoes. Moon’s tomb
had 60 pieces of clothing, while her
grandson Lee’s tomb had 50, along with
a handful of letters written in Hangul
and sandals. In accordance with the
wishes of their descendants, the mum-
mified bodies were reburied, so no ana-
tomical or pathological data could be
obtained.
One of the letters was by the wife of
Lee Eung-tae to her deceased husband,
and it has been the object of ceaseless
attention over the past decade. Two
other identifiable letters were written by
Lee’s older brother, Mong-tae, when he
was mourning his sibling’s death.
The wife’s letter, written in 1586,
starts with a lament: “You always said
we would be living together to die on the
May 2009 korea 35
 Human story

same day. So why did you go to heaven

alone? Why did you go alone, leaving
me and our child behind?”
According to the Andong National
University Museum, which was in
charge of the excavation and of caring
for the artifacts it uncovered, Lee Eung-
tae was born in 1556 and died at age
31.
The question, “Who will my unborn
child call daddy after his birth?” sug-
gests that she was pregnant at the time
‘The striking love.” The prestigious magazine wrote, “A mournful
note and a pair of sandals from the 16th century have
expressions of captivated Korea.”
Most recently, the wife’s letter was featured on the
love, fear or cover of Antiquity Journal, a British quarterly review of
world archeology. In its March issue for this year, the
yearning... are journal ran a paper titled, “Eung Tae’s tomb: a Joseon
not often ancestor and the letters of those that loved him.”
The thesis, written jointly by Korean and Israeli
found in scholars, read, “Attracting our special attention in this
case are the striking expressions of love, fear or yearn-
extant ing, which are not often found in the extant historical
‘Sending off a younger brother with tears’
Farewell to my younger brother;
For 31 years you and I lived with our parents.
Suddenly you leave me, and I suffer from your loss.
I protest to earth but am still desolate; to heaven without any response.
Leaving me here alone, with whom are you going to be in heaven?
Your children, I am here to look after them.
All I wish is to reach heaven, for it won’t be long till we meet again.
And please bless our parents with longevity.
Your elder brother writes this, crying in disorientation from your absence.

of writing. There was another boy, prob-
ably named “Won,” born to the couple.
Another sentence reads, “Please let
me go with you. My love for you, it’s
unforgettable in this world. And my sor-
row, it’s without end.”
At the time, the letter reminded
many of the Hollywood melodrama
“Ghost,” in which a husband who finds
himself a disembodied spirit after death
comes back into contact with his wife.
The sandals discovered along with
the letter also show how desperate she
was. In fervent prayer for the recovery
of her ailing husband, who lay on the
verge of death, she made mituri, Korean
rope sandals. While conventional mituri
are made only of hemp, she weaved
them with her own hair.
In Korean tradition, making shoes
out of human hair was a means to pray
for a loved one’s quick recovery from
illness.
When discovered, the sandals, nine
centimeters wide and 23 centimeters
long, were wrapped in hanji, Korean tra-
ditional paper made of mulberry bark.
Given the paper carries a message, “You
died before you could wear these shoes,”
historical documents. This was indeed quite informative, as Poem on a fan from older brother to younger brother:
there is a common preconception about the suppos- Your integrity was like a split bamboo,
documents.’ edly simple and austere lives of the ruling people of the Your purity was like white paper.
Joseon Dynasty.” I am sending this fan I have been using to you, on your eternal journey.
The couple’s story has also inspired a slew of art,
including a traditional Korean song, two novels and a From your brother, lamenting your death
play. Korean and Japanese tourists have bought thou-
sands of copies of the letter.
In 2006, a dance troupe led by Andong University
Professor Chung Suk-hee staged a performance that
interpreted the letter. Titled “Going out in 450 years,”
the dance performance had four chapters.
In the first, a background screen on the stage
showed the recorded scene of the excavation of the
tombs in 1998, while the dancers create a mysterious
solemn mood. In the second, the husband, one of the
mummies, and his wife, the mother of Won, spend
time at a traditional market in their home town,
Andong. The third chapter features the couple making
love, and the last shows the wife, with a premonition
of her husband’s death, making her husband’s sandals
by weaving her hair with hemp.
An opera based on the old story is also in the mak-
ing. On April 10, the North Gyeongsang Province gov-
ernment said it will provide financial aid to a local
opera troupe from Pohang, a port city near Andong,
to create Neungsohwa, which means trumpet creeper
in Korean. That flower is a metaphor for the bereaved
wife.
[JoongAng Ilbo]

it can be inferred that Eung-tae died
before the sandals were completed.
Numerous domestic and foreign
publications have dealt with the story
since its discovery. In November 2007,
National Geographic ran the picture of
the pair of mituri with the title “Locks of
Aniquity Journal recently
published a Korean-Israeli
paper about the entombed
letters.
“As can be seen from Turandot and Madame But-
terfly, most of the world-renowned operas are themed
on love. Neungsohwa is based on a real story that is
hardly to be found in any other part of the world,” said
Poem and letter from Lee Mong-tae to his younger brother Eung-tae
Park Chang-geun, professor of music at Andong Uni-
versity and director of the opera. 
By Seo Ji-eun

36 korea May 2009 May 2009 korea 37


To Won’s father, June, 1586
You were always telling me. “Dear, we
will live to grow our hair gray till the same
one day when you and I die together.” Then
why should you go ahead, leaving me alone
behind? Why should you when my little
children and I have no one to rely on for the
life ahead of us?
38 korea May 2009
Do you still remember how your heart
dwelt in mind and my heart in yours? I used
to say to you when we were together at
night, “Can other people care for and love
each other as we do? Can they, really, the
same way as we do?” How could you leave
me this way, without any consideration?
I don’t think I am able to live this life
without you. The only thing I can think
of now is flying to you. Please take me to
where you are. My heart toward yours, this
is the last thing I can forget on this earth.
In my sorrowful heart remains only an end-
less grief. I wonder how I can live with our
children, thinking of you, with no heart to
lull mine.”
Please answer me all these even in my
dreams as soon as you read this letter. This
is the reason I’m enclosing this letter in your
grave, wishing you would come home in
my dreams and tell me everything I want
to hear from you. Once you told me there
would be something you had to tell this un-
born baby after it came to this world, but
you have gone so suddenly. And who do
you think I can teach it to call Daddy?
Can you try to understand all of my sor-
row and grief? Where under the sun can
thing such as this happen? You only passed
away to the other world, but is your heart
grieving as much as mine? I cannot write
down my endless grief, only roughly and
Human story
hastily can I do it.
As I told you, when you read this let-
ter carefully, please show me yourself in
my dreams, and tell me everything I want
to hear. I am so sure that I can see you in
my dream. Oh dear, come secretly, will you?
And show yourself. Closing this letter, I have
left too many things unsaid. Goodbye.
[JoongAng Ilbo]
May 2009 korea 39
 Korea through the Lens

Click
Korea
Dances with drums — Dancers from the
Kook Soo-ho Didim Dance Company perform
on April 12 at an outdoor stage in Songpa
District, southern Seoul. The Songpa District
Office and the Ministry of Culture, Sports
and Tourism will sponsor traditional Korean
folk performances every Sunday until May
31. (Right)

First ladies — The wives and guests of

Right: A rainbow by any
other name — This multi-
colored rose was created by
Lim Gi-byung, professor of
floriculture at Kyungpook
G-20 heads of state pose together at a din-
ner at London’s Downing Street on April 2.
Korean first lady Kim Yoon-ok is seated in
a floral-print hanbok fourth from left in the
front row. (below right)
Sing & Dance — One of the musical teams.

[JoongAng Ilbo]
‘Dream Girls’ is giving a passionate perfor-
National University, and his mance in the Third Musical Awards Opening
research team over three Ceremony held at the National Theater of
years of research. Korea on Apr.20th. (Below)

[NEWSIS]
[YONHAP]
[NEWSIS]
 Korea through the Lens

Sun flowers — A distribution company

installs solar power generating panels that
look like mountains, trees and flowers on
a rooftop. Company officials said that the
solar panels can generate enough electricity
to power around 160 households for one
year. The Korea Electric Power Corporation
will purchase the electricity generated by
the solar panels.
[YONHAP]

Bald as the Buddha — Boys play in front of Donghwa Temple on Mount Palgong, Daegu.
After having their heads shaved, they will experience Buddhist life for a short period ahead of
Buddha’s Birthday, which falls on May 2 this year. (Above)

[JoongAng Ilbo]
Joy! — South Korean players crowd Kim Chi-woo after his game-winning goal on April 1.
South Korea defeated North Korea 1-0 in the match at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. (Below)

[NEWSIS]
Springs and sprays on the subway — Artificial blossoms spruce up Seoul’s line No.1 trains . The North Gyeongsang government is sponsoring the
[YONHAP]

promotion to draw tourists to the province. The economic downturn has caused regional government to increase marketing efforts.
 Travel

Ascension from the sea

Tiny Seokmo Island offers natural and cultural satisfaction

S
eoul may be crowded, but it’s easy to escape
— in fact, access to a mountain and an island
are both within an hour’s drive.
Mount Nakga rises 246 meters on Seok-
mo Island, in Ganghwa County, Incheon. And on it
sits Bomun Temple, the center of Ganghwa’s Buddhist
culture.
The tiny Seokmo Island takes five minutes to reach
by ferry from Ganghwa Island, the third-largest island
in Korea, not unlike hopping on two stepping stones.
Atop Nakga’s peak, it’s easy to see the heads of tiny
islands poking above the water, while at the foot of the
mountain sits the Yeochari Tidal Flat, one of the
world’s four largest. Turn north, and the territory of
North Korea is so close that Yeonbong Peak in Hwang-
hae Province may seem to be waving hello.
When the sun sets behind the watery horizon and
the crimson curtain begins to fall on the eastern sky,
serenity spreads and time seems to slow over the
ocean.
Famous Korean mountains located on islands
include Mount Halla (Jeju City, 1,950 meters) Mount
Mari (Ganghwa County, Incheon, 486 meters) Seongin
Peak (Ulleung County, North Gyeongsang, 984
meters) Mount Jirimang (Tongyeong, South Gyeong-
sang, 398 meters) and Mount Nakga.
The highest peak on Seokmo Island is Mount Hae-
myeong, but Mount Nakga is better known because it
is home to Bomun Temple. To hike starting from Jeon-
deugijae and moving along the ridges of Mount Hae-
myeong, Mount Nakga and Mount Sangbong takes
three to four hours. It’s a pleasant trek as the route is
not very steep or very difficult, and offers spectaular
views of the Yellow Sea.

[JoongAng Ilbo]
The trailhead at Jeondeugijae can be reached via
the road that connects to the ferry at Seokpo-ri and
Bomun Temple. Walking along the forest for about 15
44 korea May 2009 May 2009 korea 45

minutes leads to the ridge. A lookout
point at a boulder offers a simultaneous
view of Seokpo-ri and Wepo-ri, while to
the right Boreum Island and Jumun
Island frame the ocean.
After hiking for half an hour along
the ridge, which resembles the back of a
silkworm, one arrives at Mount Haemy-
eong, the highest peak on Seokmo
Island. A rough rock face to climb is one
of the hike’s more exciting episodes.
After passing through Banggae Pass
and Saegari Pass, one reaches a rock bed
that is large enough for about 50 people
to sit down and rest. It also offers the
best view of Seokmo Island overall.
Nunsseop Bawi, or the Eyebrow Boul-
der, is so close that it feels like one can
almost touch it.
On the way to the giant stone eye-
brow, a descending route forks off. Do
not follow it, but keep walking straight
46 korea May 2009
to arrive at Nunsseop Bawi. From there, a three-min-
ute walk down a forest path reveals a fork in the road;
one way leads to Mount Sangbong and the other to
Bomun Temple. From here, it takes one hour to make
it to Mount Sangbong and back.
The climax of the Seokmo Island hike comes at
sunset. As long as it’s not winter, one can stay and
enjoy the sunset without having to hurry back to the
mainland, as the last ferry from Seokpo-ri departs as
late as at 9 p.m., and the island offers good accommo-
dation for those who wish to stay overnight.
Bomun Temple on Seokmo Island was founded
during the reign of Queen Seondeok of Silla, and is
One of three one of three major temples in Korea dedicated to the
major temples Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.
The story goes that 14 years after the temple was
to the goddess founded, a fisherman named Goh pulled in from the
ocean in his nets a statue of the Buddha and 22 statues
of mercy in of the Buddha’s disciples, and placed them in a rocky
Korea is cavern on the right side of the temple. Since then,
legend has it that prayers offered in the cavern are
located here. always answered, making Bomun an important stop
Travel
[JoongAng Ilbo, JoongAng M&B, Friday ]
Seokmo Island
To get to Seokmo Island, one has to
pass Ganghwa Island, the third-largest
island in Korea, after Jeju and Geoje.
The goindol dolmen on Ganghwa
Island are registered as Unesco
World Cultural Heritage sites, with
other dolmens in the Jeolla provinces.
Jiseokmyogun, the largest dolmen
site, includes about 130 of the pre-
historic monuments. The site where
Clockwise from far left: Nunsseop Bawi, a boul- the Goryeo kingdom held court after
der on Seokmo Island with a Buddha carved escaping the Mongol invasion is also
into it, is so called because it resembles a man’s on the island. In the 19th century, two
eyebrow; this goindol dolmen is registered as a skirmishes with forces from the United
Unesco World Heritage site; Seokmo has long States and France took place here.
been known for its saltpans; the peak of Mount Heungseon Daewongun, regent to
Nakgi offers stunning views of the sunset be- King Gojong, in January 1866 execut-
hind the watery horizon. ed nine French priests and thousands
Above: Seokmo’s black-faced spoonbills, once of Korean Catholics as part of an iso-
threatened, are now protected by law. lationist policy. The news reached Rear
Admiral Roze of France’s Indochina
fleet, who led three battleships up the
Han River, from Aug. 10 to 22, 1866.
On Sep. 15, he took three battleships,
four gunboats and around 1,000 sol-
diers to invade Ganghwa Island before
withdrawing on Oct. 5. The French
took gold and silver, burned down the
royal library and took the regal books,
for Buddhist pilgrims. Behind the temple, a relief of Buddha is carved on a cliff which have still not been returned.
face, and inside the courtyard Chinese junipers grow around a large grinding Five years later in 1871 the American
stone that is said to have been used when around 300 monks lived at the tem- Asian fleet attacked Ganghwa Island
ple. with five battleships. In early June
Seokmo Island used to have a large saltpan that produced sea salt, but now 1871, the U.S. army landed in Chojijin.
it is closed. Instead, there is a small private saltpan near Minmeoru Beach. Soon it attempted to take Gwang-
Bicycle tours of the island take about three hours, and bicycle rental stops seong Fortress. In the fierce hourlong
are located near the ferry stop at Seokpo-ri and at the entrance to Bomun battle, the Joseon army’s 600 or so
Temple. Even more convenient, one can leave the bicycle anywhere on the island soldiers resisted mightily, but some
when finished. Simply call 016-757-8265 and the rental shop will come pick up 350 were killed. About 30 years ago,
the bike. The rental fee is 5,000 won for three hours. Call the Samsan-myeon when the fortress was restored, seven
office (032-932-4554) for more information on Seokmo Island. soldiers’ graves were found.
A cluster of restaurants are located at the entrance to Bomun Temple and Located on the south side of
near the ferry at Seokpo-ri. You may be disappointed if you want gourmet food, Ganghwa, the five-kilometer Yeochari
but there’s nothing quite like a cup of makgeolli rice liquor with deep-fried
mugwort after an exhausting hike.
Tidal Flat is one of the four largest tidal
flats in the world, 53 times larger than
The first ship from the Wepo-ri Ferry Terminal (032-932-6007) departs at 7 Yeouido. The tidal flat is an important
a.m. The last ferry from Seokpo-ri departs at 9 p.m. The fee for a round trip is habitat for the black-faced spoonbill,
2,000 won, and to take a vehicle on board costs 24,000 won. The ferry runs once an endangered bird species. Details
every 30 minutes. A bus ride between Seokpo-ri and Bomun Temple costs 1,000
for a one way trip; it leaves once every hour. The trip takes 15 minutes.
are available at the Yeochari and
Ganghwa Tidal Flat Center.
By Kim Se-jun
May 2009 korea 47
 Blueprint for final success
in world content market
Special
Series
06
New Growth Engine Industries
How will information technolo-
gy shape the content industry? At
last year’s World Economic Forum
held in Davos, Switzerland, IT lead-
ers were asked which industry shows
the most potential. They pointed to
content, followed by Internet por-
tals.
Befitting its reputation as a nation
with strong IT, Korea has already
helped develop digital multimedia
broadcasting, Wibro and IPTV.
However, the country lacks content
to distribute in new media, leading
to more imports. Ironically, the pop-
ularity of Japanese dramas and U.S.
shows such as Prison Break has been
helped along by Korea’s contribu-
tions to media technology.
“Content economics” has been
the name of the game since before
the digital convergence environment
was established.
As the potential of content eco-
nomics became known, it emerged
as an important sector in the global
economy. Some countries have long
been nurturing the content business
as an engine of growth.
One of the most prominent
examples of strategic development is
the United Kingdom’s “Cool Britan-
nia” strategy announced in 1997.
48 korea May 2009
Since then the United Kingdom has
developed their content industry,
which includes filmmaking, adver-
tising, design and other fields, as a
key industry. As a result, Britain’s
creative industry was able to gener-
ate revenue of about 126 trillion won
($93.9 billion) last year. The revenues
generated by the British content
industry, which is now counted
among the world’s top three, last year
accounted for 7.3 percent of GDP.
Obviously, content economics
can bring tremendous benefits to a
country in terms of value-added
production, increased exports and
other economic indexes. In addition,
content economics also generates
decent jobs that meet the expecta-
tions of highly educated young peo-
ple who have both creativity and
technical capabilities. What’s more,
as “moving brands,” content busi-
nesses stimulate growth in the tour-
ism, hospitality and other service
industries as well as related manu-
facturing sectors, leading to the
improvement of corporate and
national image in one stroke.
Korea’s content industry has
achieved a certain amount of success
in recent years through the efforts of
the private sector and the govern-
Images from videos of musi-
cians are projected onto the
ceiling and walls of Carnegie
Hall during intermission
of the YouTube Symphony
Orchestra performance April
15, 2009 in New York. It
is the first orchestra to be
selected entirely through
auditions on-line.
ment’s support. However, the reality
is that there is still a gap between the
local industry and global standards.
Under these circumstances,
many problems have surfaced that
need to be addressed. The country
lacks core technologies, a highly
skilled professional workforce, trans-
parency, fairness in investment and
retail structures.
In addition, the country lacks
experience working in the global
market and has insufficient stan-
dards of copyright protection.
Although the government has
come up with various measures and
has made efforts to address the prob-
lems, they have not always been in
tune with the situation.
As a result, each new administra-
tion has ended up simply repeating
the slogan of developing Korea into
one of the world’s top five content
producers.
Fortunately, the current admin-
istration has included the content
industry as a new growth engine in
its green growth plan announced on
August 15.
Rather than presenting a blue-
print for the future, the government
is trying to pinpoint the problems
that must be addressed within the
[AFP]
May 2009 korea 49
 Successive administrations have supported content
only in empty slogans. We must break the cycle.
Special
Series
06
New Growth Engine Industries
industry.
At the same time, the govern-
ment is trying to clearly define the
roles that must be carried out by the
public and the private sectors. One
example of such efforts is the Con-
tent Korea Commission that was
formed in May. It consists of more
than 60 civilian experts, industry
representatives and officials from
related organizations.
Since then, the Content Korea
Commission has been gathering
opinions from key players in the
content industry and has worked to
consolidate the government’s policy
tasks. The committee has selected
developing next-generation conver-
gence content, leading a second
revolution in online games and
developing global content as the
main projects for developing Korea’s
cultural product.
The KCC presented the projects
at the new growth engine report ses-
sion held on Sept. 22. Having done
so, we now have the basic outline for
making Korea a strong maker of
content.
We overcame the painful finan-
cial crisis in the late 1990s with our
IT industry. In the current situation,
the cultural technology industry
should play a key role in Korea’s eco-
nomic recovery. The question now is
50 korea May 2009
how to go about achieving those
goals.
When comparing successful for-
eign examples, it seems it would be
efficient to keep the current model,
which maintains a cooperative rela-
tionship between the private and
public sectors.
The government should focus on
education, training, developing new
technologies and other areas related
to establishing industrial infrastruc-
ture, while the private sector must
concentrate investment in globally
competitive areas to generate jobs.
In particular, Korea’s content
industry will be able to reap maxi-
mum results if it is merged with the
country’s information technology
sector, which enjoys global competi-
tiveness. If the country strategically
develops the computer graphics
industry, for example, it could lead to
a breakthrough to allow the country
to compete with Hollywood on the
global market.
In addition, there is a need for
the government and the National
Assembly to work together on the
problems that have been pointed out
and to revise various regulations.
The concerned bodies should
establish the financial means to
develop the industry and set up an
organization to control the resources
Hidden
Champions
Staying on top of fabric
takes latest technology
K
orea once had a competitive
edge in the textile industry.
But as labor got more expen-
sive it lost ground to coun-
tries such as China and Vietnam.
designated for content development, Yet Samil Spinning continues to be
which have until now been scattered the world’s No. 1 maker of high wet
among various ministries. modulus viscose rayon spun yarn.
If the country is to avoid repeat- According to the Ministry of
ing the empty slogan of “developing Knowledge Economy in 2007, the
Korea into one of the world’s top five company’s high wet modulus (HWM)
content producers,” we need to estab- viscose rayon spun yarn was one of
lish a system for private-public coop- 127 products that had a leading pres-
eration and carefully draw up poli- ence worldwide, with 33 percent of the
cies that reflect the needs of the global market in 2007.
industry. The viscose rayon fiber developed
by Samil Spinning has better tenacity
and elasticity when wet compared to
regular viscose rayon, yet with the
same softness and comfort.
The global market is an important
source of income for the company,
since 95 percent of its revenue comes
from overseas sales.
Samil was established in the 1970s
as a cotton manufacturer, expanding
in 1992 to other areas including modal
and tensel. Today the company spe-
Younghoon David Kim cializes in cellulose, with main prod-
Samil Spinning ucts focused on high tenacity rayon.
• Younghoon David Kim is the As the local textile industry goes
chief executive and president Samil holds 33% of the world downhill, Samil Spinning has stayed
of Daesung Group. He market for HWM viscose rayon. ahead by quickly adjusting. The com-
is the chairman of the pany has emphasized the latest tech-
Content Korea Commission nology and incorporated it into its
[Provided by HJC Helmet]
and serves as the chairman production lines.
of the Special Committee on Samil Spinning was once one of the
Cultural Industry of the leading fabric companies in Korea,
Federation of Korean with more than 1,400 employees.
Industries. Today it has around 250 employees
including its Seoul office.
Although the number of workers
has gone down by more than 70 per-
cent, the company still makes a profit
thanks to automation. Almost 90 per-
cent of the fabric manufactured by
Samil is machine-made. At the com-
pany’s third plant, which opened last
year, fewer than 40 employees oversee
operations, and all processes use the
latest digital equipment. The company
invested more than $20 million in the
plant, including imports of foreign
manufacturing equipment to produce
rayon. The promodals manufactured
here are sold to over 50 fashion brands
including Gap and Banana Republic.
The company also outsourced
areas that lacked competitiveness.
Samil Chairman Ro Hee-chan,
who also chairs the Korea Federation
of Textile Industries, has always
focused on research and development
The chairman believes that with-
out facilities investment to stay com-
petitive it is difficult to survive. Already
Ro is planning to build a fourth plant
in 2013 targeted at producing high-
end textiles. And to establish a global
brand Samil launched “Ecosil” and
registered patents in 17 countries.
The chairman also stressed the
development of high-value fabric
materials. He said that while industrial
fabric accounts for more than 60 per-
cent of the fabric market in Europe and
Japan, Korea’s industrial fabric, only
account for 25 percent, and therefore
it is necessary to expand such develop-
ment.  By Lee Ho-jeong
May 2009 korea
May 2009 korea 51
51
 Sports

Sellout crowds for KBO

on opening day
W
hile many look forward to warm
spring weather, sports fans eagerly
await the season for a whole different
reason: baseball!
The 2009 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) sea-
son got off to an impressive start last month. In fact, all
four opening games were sold out, setting an opening
day attendance record of 96,800. It was the first time
in KBO history that all four stadiums were filled to
capacity on opening day.
Though the popularity of baseball had waned in
recent years, the Korean team winning the gold medal
at the Beijing Olympics last year and placing second at
the 2009 World Baseball Classic had fans buzzing
about baseball again.

The 2009 Season

The KBO consists of eight teams, but unlike in
America, where the teams are affiliated with a city,
teams in Korea are named after their sponsors. Hence
the Samsung Lions and LG Twins — and the numer-
ous name changes some teams have endured through-
out the league’s history. The regular season consists of
133 games, with four of the top teams advancing to
postseason play.
The defending Korea Series champs, the SK
Wyverns are many fans’ favorite to win the title this
year. That would give them three straight titles. The
only other club to achieve that feat was the Haitai
Tigers.
“We are approaching this season with the mindset
of a challenger and not the defending champions. We
will work to achieve our goal of 80 wins and another
title,” said SK manager Kim Sung-geun.
While most experts have stated a number of times
that all eight teams have a shot at the title this season,
a balanced team that has a special chance of dethron-
ing SK is the Lotte Giants. Led by an American man-
ager, Jerry Royster, the powerful duo of Karim Garcia
of Mexico and Lee Dae-ho is being expected to pro-
duce an exciting brand of baseball.
Hong Sung-heon of the Lotte Giants gets tagged out at home by Cho In-sung of the LG Twins
The Past

[NEWSIS]
at an April 7 game at Jamsil Stadium.
Baseball was introduced to Korea by an American
52 korea May 2009 May 2009 korea 53

missionary, Phillip L. Gillett, in the ear-
ly 20th century, but a professional league
KBO Teams
did not materialize until 1982. The very
first KBO game between the MBC Blue
Dragons (now the LG Twins) and the
Samsung Lions was played in the now
demolished Dongdaemun Stadium on
March 27, 1982.
While the current league consists of
eight teams, in the beginning there were
six: the OB Bears, Haitai Tigers, Sam-
sung Lions, Lotte Giants, MBC Blue
Dragons and Sanmi Super Stars.
The top story of the inaugural sea-
son was a pitcher for the OB Bears
named Park Chul-soon. Having spent
some time in the farm system of the Mil-
waukee Brewers, the 26-year-old baffled
his peers with his knuckleball.
In the 1982 season, Park won 24, lost
four and saved seven games. While Park
carried the Bears to a title-winning sea-
son in 1982, he never duplicated his
dominating stats again in his 15-year
career due to numerous injuries.
The next pitcher to terrorize batters
in the KBO was the current Samsung
Lions manager, Seon Dong-ryeol. The
portly manager might not look the part
of an intimidating ace, but Seon is often
referred to as one of the best — if not the
best — to have pitched in the KBO. In a
KBO career spanning 10 years with the
Haitai Tigers, Seon put up 146 wins, 40
losses and 132 saves with a career ERA
of 1.20.
Kim Sung-han, named the all-time
greatest first baseman on the KBO quar-
ter-century team, was a versatile player
who could handle a number of positions
for the Haitai Tigers. In a May 16, 1982
game against Samsung, Kim started the
54 korea May 2009
game as a designated hitter before tak-
ing the mound from the fifth to eight
innings and finally finishing the game as
SK Wyverns
Korea Series titles: 2007,
a third baseman.
2008 There are a number of others who
Home: Munhak Baseball deserve mention too, such as Chang
Stadium (Incheon) Hyo-cho (left field), Lee Jung-hoon
(right field), Lee Man-soo (catcher) and
Doosan Bears
Korea Series titles: 1982,
Lee Seung-yeop (first base).
1995, 2001
Home: Jamsil Baseball Sta- The Future
dium (Seoul) If Park and Seon were the trailblaz-
ers who got the fans to visit ballparks in
Lotte Giants
Korea Series titles: 1984,
droves during the early years of the
1992 KBO, Ryu Hyun-jin, Kim Kwang-hyun,
Home: Sajik Baseball Kim Tae-kyun and Kim Hyun-soo are
Stadium (Busan) just a few of the young players who rep-
resent the league’s future.
Samsung Lions
Korea Series titles: 1985,
With 31 home runs last season, Kim
2002, 2005, 2006 Tae-kyun is widely considered the best
Home: Daegu Baseball batter in the KBO and has his sights set
Stadium on new goals this season.
“I am looking to follow up on last
Hanhwa Eagles
Korea Series titles: 1999
season’s efforts by hitting 40 home runs
Home: Daejeon Baseball this season,” said Kim.
Stadium Kim Kwang-hyun of the SK Wyverns,
a 20-year-old southpaw with an impres-
KIA Tigers
Korea Series titles: 1983,
sive combination of fastball and slider,
1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, contributed 17 wins in the 2008 cham-
1991, 1993, 1996, 1997 pionship season.
Home: Moodeung Sta- Another young lefty, Ryu Hyun-jin
dium (Gwangju) has chalked up 48 wins and 19 losses
and 511 strikeouts since entering the
Seoul Heroes
Korea Series titles: 1998,
league in 2006.
2000, 2003, 2004 Kim Hyun-soo of the Doosan Bears
Home: Mokdong Base- is an outfielder who hits for average. The
ball Stadium (Seoul) 21-year-old won the batting title last
season with a .348 average and boasts a
LG Twins
Korea Series titles: 1990,
.323 average with 14 home runs and 121
1994 RBI over his short career. If Kim learns
Home: Jamsil Baseball to hit with power, he could dominate the
Stadium (Seoul) league for years to come.  By Jason Kim
Korea’s girl
of many firsts
With her record score of 207.71 at the Worlds,
Kim Yu-na is the favorite at the next Olympics.
[AP]
Kim Yu-na displays the Taegeukgi on the ice after winning the world championship.
K
im Yu-na, the Korean figure
skating star, has accomplished
a lot of firsts. She is the first
Korean skater to win an Inter-
national Skating Union's Grand Prix
event at a senior level, to win a Grand Prix
Final, and to win an ISU Four Continents
Championships title.
And the 18-year-old can now add
another: the world title.
In late March in Los Angeles, Kim
became the first Korean to win the ISU
World Figure Skating Championships.
She even became the first female skater
to score more than 200 points on the new
ISU scoring scale.
And as skating wins go, this was
about as lopsided as it gets. With a score
of 207.71, Kim defeated Canada's Joan-
nie Rochette by more than 16 points.
It was also a personal victory for Kim.
She finished in third place in the past two
world championships, each time battling
nagging hip and back injuries. But com-
pletely healthy for maybe the first time in
her senior career, Kim repeatedly said
leading up to the tournament that she
had never felt better.
And it showed on the ice.
The championship was essentially
over after the short program. Dazzling
the crowd at the Staples Center in Los
Sports
Angeles, Kim put 76.12 points on the
board, a world record, to lead the pack by
nearly nine points — a nearly insur-
mountable margin in figure skating.
No one stood between Kim and the
top of the podium. Skaters who trailed
Kim entering free skating had to pull off
the performance of their lives to have
even a chance of challenging her. But as
one skater after another came up short, it
became evident, even before Kim took to
the ice, that the 18-year-old Korean only
needed to manage an average program to
seal the deal.
But Kim, behind her elegant and
friendly girl-next-door facade, is a ruth-
less competitor. She went out and scored
131.59 points to top the field in free skat-
ing and to take home the coveted world
title.
“Being the world champion was my
dream and I did it here,” Kim said follow-
ing her victory. “It's just amazing.”
It was her performance that was truly
amazing. Her free skate was so outstand-
ing that she had the best score even with
a mistake on a triple jump.
Kim has established herself as the
early favorite to win the ladies’ gold med-
al at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olym-
pics. Mao Asada of Japan, the 2008 world
champion who had been Kim's nemesis
for the past three seasons, has looked
uncharacteristically shaky at her past two
international competitions, the 2009
Four Continents Championships in Feb-
ruary and then the Worlds. Asada actu-
ally failed to win a medal in Los Angeles.
Off the ice, Kim has become a nearly
omnipresent figure in Korean culture,
especially on television, this year. The
variety of products she endorses includes
automobiles, air conditioners, milk, cos-
metics, jewelry and pastries. She has
signed lucrative endorsement deals
worth billions of won, making the skater
a highly visible star on par with some of
the nation’s leading actors.
With her endeavors on and off the
ice, Kim has singlehandedly brought fig-
ure skating into the mainstream in Korea.
And that’s another first.  By Yoo Jee-ho
May 2009 korea 55
 Sports

Interview Jan Boonstra

Criss-crossing Korea
in green, by bicycle

A
Dutch-born business-
man, Mr. Boonstra has
been riding across the
Korean Peninsula for over
14 years, biking 60,000 kilometers
in all.
“If your schedule permits, our news-
were the roads he has traveled by bi-
cycle. They extended from Jeju Island
to Munsan, Cheolwon and the DMZ,
even from Wan Islet to Gangneung.
The map was covered in green.
Boonstra’s personal Internet site
(http://user.chollian.net/~boonstra)

[Press Q]
paper [the JoongAng Sunday] would
like to have an interview with you.
The “Tour de Korea” does contain a cycling race portion, but its main events are designed to promote bikes to regular Korean citizens. Let me go and visit you in Busan,” I
said to him.
He replied, “It’s OK. I’ll come to
shows in both English and Dutch all
the information he’s collected on
biking in Korea. It offers a bicycle
road map from Busan to Seoul to-
gether with detailed information on

A traveling festival to sell Koreans Seoul by bike.”

And that’s how I met Jan Boonstra,
attractions and accommodations. All
the information available on his Web

on biking for work and pleasure

59, a resident of Yangjeong-dong, site was uploaded after cross-check-
Busan. He showed up in Seoul for ing the Seoul-Busan route himself
the interview, just a week after our three times over the past two years.
conversation. He’d managed to ride Perhaps this is more evidence that
Korea has caught drive to achieve green growth. The Lee Myung-bak admin- all the way to Seoul in two full days. you can’t take the Netherlands out
bicycle fever, with pro- istration has laid out plans that stress ecologically sustainable The gauge attached to his bicycle of a Dutchman. Boonstra was born
grams for cyclists over economic development, and encouraging the use of bicycles showed he’d traveled 511.2 kilome- in Groningen, Netherlands, well
the past few months cul- as transportation has been a key part of those efforts. Fewer ters. It may be the longest he’s come known as a bike city. He started
minating in the nation’s vehicles on the roads naturally help reduce carbon dioxide for an interview without using fossil riding when he was an elementary
first cross-country bicy- emissions. fuels, he said. school student.
cle race in late April. And earlier this year, the government announced that, “I was planning to take a bike trip He has traveled by bicycle in 31
The first Korean Bicycle Festival was organized by the over the next 10 years, it will build a bike path to run more during my vacation, so the Joong- countries and has never owned a car,
Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Pub- than 3,000 kilometers across the country. Ang Sunday has made my vaca- renting one for family outings when
Jan Boonstra:
lic Administration and Security and the Seoul Olympic Sports According to the Ministry of Public Administration and In his 14 years here, Jan Boostra
tion more pleasant.” Boonstra was necessary.
Promotion Foundation as a Korean equivalent of the Tour de Security, 1.24 trillion won ($931.2 million) will be invested to has cycled 60,000 kilometers. assigned to the Korea branch office He emphasized, “My bicycle is the
France, which covers thousands of kilometers over a few set up the trail by 2018. This is in addition to another of the Netherlands-based dredging most precious tool in my life.”
weeks. 1,297-kilometer cycle path to be built by 2012 to accompany and earthmoving company Bokalis “It is a transportation method and
But where the Tour de France is a grueling race to deter- a revitalization project on the country’s four major rivers. International BV in 1994. Since then a good way to keep in health... It is
mine the world’s best endurance cyclists, the Tour de Korea The 2018 bike path will start in Seoul, pass through he has clocked up enough kilome- just like a channel linking strangers
is designed as a traveling festival. Incheon and move down the west coast to Mokpo, South ters here to circle the globe one and and strange places.”
There was a race portion, covering 1,840 kilometers (1,140 Jeolla. Then the path will travel further south and make an a half times. I asked him about the recent atten-
miles) over nine days, stopping in 13 cities and open to 300 easterly turn toward Busan, before coming back up north to Boonstra showed me a map of the tion paid to biking in Korea. He
amateur and recreational cyclists. But on the sidelines, cycling Goseong and Gangwon, and finally returning to Seoul. No Korean Peninsula in his backpack. said, “It is good to see an increasing
events were held at the 13 regional stops, and these local runs pedestrians or vehicles will be allowed on the three-meter- All the roads on the map were high- bicycle population. However, bicycles
[JoongAng Ilbo]

covered just 10 to 20 kilometers each. wide track. lighted in green. I got another shock should be used for transportation,
The goal of the event as a whole wasn’t to see who could And the environment isn’t the only thing on the govern- at his explanation. not leisure.”
race the fastest or who could endure the most. The slogan said ment’s mind. The bike trails, some of which will run along He told me that the green highlights  By Yoo Jee-ho
it all: Two wheels working as one. scenic coastlines, are expected to generate substantial tourist
The event was to bring Korea together in a nationwide revenue as well.  By Yoo Jee-ho

56 korea May 2009 May 2009 korea 57


T
he biggest auto show in the
country took place over 10 days
at the Kintex convention center
last month in Ilsan, Gyeonggi,
drawing about 956,650 visitors. The pri-
mary focus of this year’s Seoul Motor
Show was eco-friendly technology
unveiled by local automakers, including
liquefied petroleum gas-powered cars,
hybrids and concept vehicles.
But the biannual show, started in 1995
and now in its seventh iteration, was mut-
ed compared to past events.
This year 158 companies, including
auto parts suppliers from nine countries
and 13 domestic and foreign automakers,
participated in the event, 30 fewer compa-
nies than in 2007. And while all five Kore-
Environment was the
watchword at the Seoul Mo-
tor Show, with carmakers
showing off hybrids aplenty.
58 korea May 2009
an automakers — Hyundai Motor, Kia
Motors, GM Daewoo, Renault Samsung
Motors and Ssangyong Motors — were
present, many import brands were absent
including BMW, Nissan, Chrysler, Volvo,
Mini, Land Rover, Mitsubishi and Saab.
“The British International Motor
Show in London was called off this year,
while most foreign importers are not
going to the Tokyo Motor Show,” Yoon
Dae-sung, executive managing director
of the Korea Automobile Importers and
Distributors Association, said.
Still, the significance of the motor
show could not be denied. It signaled the
start of a new era of eco-friendly hybrid
automobiles on the Korean market. Local
companies aggressively showcased plans
Design
to develop environmentally-friendly
technology to not only overcome the cur-
rent economic crisis but determine the
future direction of the local industry at a
time when the government is pushing
green growth.
With the economy struggling and
environmental rules getting stricter, car-
makers have focused on maximizing fuel
economy and overall performance.
First-quarter sales of automobiles
Ssangyong C200
dropped sharply as the domestic econo-
my shrank. Korean firms sold 1.07 mil-
lion vehicles in the first three
months of 2009, a 21.2-percent plunge
from the same time last year. Exports
dropped in particular, far more than
domestic sales. The five carmakers in
Renault Samsung SM3
Kia Sorento R
Provided by 2009 Seoul Motor Show Homepage
Hyundai Blue Will
Hyundai Avante LPI Hybrid
May 2009 korea 59

total sold 255,809 vehicles on the local market, or 14.6
percent fewer than in the first three months of 2007.
But exports plummeted 23.1 percent to 815,886 units.
Even market leader Hyundai Motor suffered a sales
drop of 13.5 percent year-on-year.
At the show last month around 30 cars of the 149
on display incorporated eco-friendly technologies for
better fuel efficiency.
Hyndai unveiled its concept vehicle the Blue Will,
which previously went by the codename HND-4, and
the Avante LPI Hybrid. The Blue Will is a hybrid
equipped with a 1.6-liter gasoline engine and 154
horsepower, thanks to a system that injects fuel not
through valves but using cylinders. The vehicle can
travel up to 64 kilometers on a single charge of its 100-
kilowatt battery. When gas-powered the Blue Will has
a fuel efficiency of 21.3 to 23.4 kilometer per liter.
The Avante LPI is the world’s first hybrid vehicle to
incorporate liquefied petroleum gas technology. The
vehicle will be available on the local market in July.
According to Hyundai, the LPI Hybrid is pollution-
free, and is equipped with the latest lithium polymer
battery and LPG gamma engine. The capacity of the
vehicle is 1,600 cc, and it has a fuel efficiency of 17.2
kilometers per liter.
Finally, Hyundai’s special edition Genesis Prada,
which made its global premiere at the Seoul exhibition,
caught the attention of luxury-minded visitors. The
company made only three of these collaborations with
the global fashion powerhouse Prada. Hyundai will
auction off two of the vehicles, with the profits to be
donated for charity, while the remaining one will nev-
er be sold. Hyundai Motor’s Namyang research and
development center and Prada’s Design Center in Italy
had worked on the project since November 2008.
Kia Motors, the No. 2 local automaker and an affil-
iate of Hyundai, unveiled its latest SUV, the Sorento R.
In just a week the vehicle, which previously went by the
code name XM, already has notched up 2,000 orders.
It comes in three models: diesel, gasoline and LPG.
The 2.2-liter diesel-powered SUV meets the Euro 5
emissions standards, which is part of the company’s
efforts to expand its lineup of eco-friendly vehicles.
This version has 200 horsepower and a maximum fuel
efficiency of 14.1 kilometers per liter. The SUV is also
equipped with the latest IT technologies including
Bluetooth, USB and iPod connectors, plus a cutting-
edge cruise control system and smart key.
The company also displayed its Forte LPI Hybrid,
which like the Avante LPI incorporates LPG technol-
ogy. The vehicle, which will go on sale a month after
Avante LPI, also gets fuel economy of 17.2 kilometers
per liter.
GM Daewoo, meanwhile, introduced its parent
company’s unique fully electric vehicle, the Chevrolet
Volt, in its first appearance in Asia. It can travel 64
60 korea May 2009
Ilbo]
[JoongAng Ilbo]
[JoongAng
Top, the Renault Samsung SM3. Above, the Kintex convention center.
A redesigned kilometers on a single charge and will be
the world’s first plug-in vehicle in a long
Renault time. GM Daewoo and General Motors
Samsung SM3 both have high hopes it will alleviate
their financial problems. The vehicle
was the top will be commercially available next
year.
passenger car GM Daewoo also introduced the
at the show, next-generation Matiz, which on the
global market will be sold under the
according to name Chevrolet Spark. The vehicle
journalists. made its global debut at the Geneva
Motor Show earlier this year. The com-
pany plans to retail the compact vehicle
in the European and Asian markets in
2010, and in the U.S. in 2011.
GM Daewoo CEO Michael Grimal-
di, who hopes the Spark will boost the
company’s international sales, said the
delay is because the compact vehicle
market in the U.S. is relatively undevel-
oped compared to Europe and Asia,
where there is a huge demand for small
cars. Grimaldi said GM needed a year to
adapt the vehicle to the preferences of
U.S. buyers. The biggest change from
the previous Matiz is in its size, with the
new version up to 3,640 millimeters lon-
ger. Though actually a five-door hatch-
back, the vehicle is designed to look like
a three-door hatchback. The vehicle has
also adopted a more sporty look.
Renault Samsung Motors intro-
duced its upgraded SM3, based on the
Renault Megane, in the first facelift of
the vehicle since it debuted seven years
ago. It was voted best passenger vehicle
by journalists at the show. The new SM3
is also the company’s first vehicle to use
the H4M engine, developed jointly by
Renault and Nissan. It also uses Xtronic
Continuously Variable Transmission,
which helps raise the vehicle’s fuel econ-
omy. The only other Renault Samsung
car to use this system is the QM5.
Among new midsize vehicles, the
new SM3 is the biggest at 4.62 meters
long. It will be sold on the local market
starting later this year.
The company’s concept vehicle
eXM, which made its world debut at the
motor show, also caught the attention of
visitors. The slick, futuristic car sports
Design
[NEWSIS]
an environment friendly design. It was credited by
Korean designers at the RSM design studio, Renault’s
second-largest design center.
Ssangyong Motors, which is currently under a
court-mandated debt workout program, introduced
its concept SUV the C200. Roughly the size of the
Honda CR-V, it is the first Ssangyong vehicle with a
monocoque body, which helps lower weight, contrib-
uting to fuel efficiency and passenger comfort.
The C200 is equipped with a diesel hybrid engine
with a 34-kilowatt electric motor, which Ssangyong
said raises its fuel efficiency 20 to 30 percent compared
to a gasoline engine. C200 has a six-speed manual
transmission and generates 175 horsepower. The vehi-
cle was voted the best concept car by journalists.
Import brands also took part. World leader Toy-
ota showed off its Prius and Camry hybrids in its
first appearance at the Seoul Motor Show.
The Prius was the world’s first hybrid. Since its
appearance in 1997, 1.2 million units have been
sold. The model shown in Seoul is the third gen-
eration, which made its global debut in January at
Despite its the North American International Auto Show. It
has a fuel efficiency of 21.3 kilometers per liter.
current woes,
Honda showed its hybrid New Insight, which
Ssangyong the company said sold 18,000 units in the month
after it went on sale in Japan since February. It get
had the top a fuel efficiency of 30 kilometers per liter.
concept car at Germany-based Volkswagen displayed its
Tiguan R Line, with the strongest engine among
the show in its compact SUVs, and Passat CC Coupe. Mercedes-
Benz introduced its GLK compact SUV and Audi
C200 SUV. showed its Q5 compact SUV. By Lee Ho-jeong
May 2009 korea 61

Father Kevin O’Rourke hopes to introduce
the world to the beauty of Korean writing
M
ost expatriates cool on their
adopted land after a few
years. But Father Kevin
O’Rourke has never let his
passion for Korean culture die.
A 70-year-old Irish priest in the Mis-
sionary Society of Saint Columban in
Seongbuk, Seoul, O’Rourke was the first
non-Korean to build a career studying and
translating Korean literature.
“No wind, no swell; / a world so various
opens before my eyes. / No need for a lot of
words; to look is to see.”
Entitled “Small Lotus Pond,” this is
[Press Q]
Father Kevin O’Rourke has been in Korea since 1964, and is the first non-Korean to earn a
doctorate in Korean literature.
62 korea May 2009
O’Rourke’s translation of a poem by the
Buddhist monk Hyeshim (1178-1234)
from the Korean kingdom of Goryeo.
The priest began translating Korean
literarature, from short stories and contem-
porary poems to classical sijo (three-line
lyric poems), in the early 1970s.
“When I first started studying Korean
literature, I concentrated on poems written
by poets Park Tu-jin, Seo Jeong-ju and Cho
Byung-hwa in the early 20th century. But as
time passed pieces written during ancient
times grabbed my attention and I tried to
explore them,” he said. “You need to look
closely into works created in those early
times rather than modern times in order to
understand Korean values and souls.”
The priest began translating poems by
Kim Sak-kat, the pen name of Kim Byeong-
yeon (1807-1863), 10 years ago. He recent-
ly finished an English collection of 80
selected works by the poet and is looking
for a publisher.
“It is shameful to learn that not much
research has been done on Kim’s works and
that there is only one book introducing
them,” O’Rourke said. “The year 2007
marked the 200th anniversary of Kim’s
birth and not one academic institution held
a symposium or seminar to talk about his
philosophy and works."
O’Rourke was ordained in December
1963 and came to Korea as a missionary
with five others in late September a year
later. The day after he arrived, he started
studying Korean at Yonsei University’s
Korean Language Institute.
He earned a master’s in Korean litera-
ture at Yonsei in 1970.
“Since I considered language a very
important tool for a successful missionary,
I wanted to be fluent in Korean. I also
thought researching Korean literature was
essential to understanding Korean culture,”
he said.
He was then dispatched to Chuncheon,
Gangwon, to carry out his missionary
duties, and briefly taught at Kangwon
National University there.
He also gave lectures part-time at
Kookmin University in Seoul for two years
after returning from Chuncheon.
The priest became a full-fledged pro-
fessor at Kyung Hee University in 1977.
While teaching O’Rourke became the first
non-Korean to earn a doctorate in Korean
literature in 1982.
“It is so beautiful to see how Korean and
Chinese characters are written. I am happy
to devote myself to studying and translating
many wonderful old literary works,” he
said. “I want to introduce [these] writings
to as many foreigners as possible.” 
By Lee Min-yong
Yang Ik-june is an actor-
turned director who has
won global accolades for his
debut film, Breathless.
The director of Breathless calls it a frank depiction of his own family life
M
eet Yang Ik-june, 34, and
you may think a man
this down-to-earth and
spontaneous can’t pos-
sibly be a big-time movie director.
But Yang’s debut film Breathless
has taken top honors at a number of
international events, including the
Tiger Award at the 38th Rotterdam
International Film Festival in January
this year, the top prize and critics’
award at the 11th Deauville Asian
Film Festival in March, the Audience
Award for International Selection at
the Buenos Aires International Inde-
pendent Film Festival in April, and
more.
Why did Breathless strike such a
chord? “They came to see my movie,
which they thought might be inter-
esting, and happened to like it, that’s
all. All the cast, including myself, had
been just ‘us’ throughout the movie-
making process, and viewers seemed
to feel it and sympathize with us,”
IS}
[NEWS
Yang said.
The film is about Sang-hun, a vic-
tim of domestic violence who grows
up to become a gangster with a hot
temper who doesn’t hesitate to use
violence. But he unexpectedly finds a
ray of hope when he meets a fearless
neighborhood high school girl, also a
victim of abuse. Yang wrote and
directed the film based on his own
life, and played the lead.
Due to the film’s intense depiction
of violence and dysfunctional fami-
lies, it created quite a stir. Yang said
one viewer told him, “You look so
normal and even gentle in person
[compared to in the film].”
“Sang-hun is a part of me, say, an
aggressive side of me, while the per-
son whom you will be seeing in per-
son is also a part of me. I’ve always
been and will be the human Yang Ik-
june on and off screen,” said Yang.
Asked why he filmed his own life,
Yang said, “All people live under the
People
People
influence of their families, whether
they like it or not, particularly in
Korea. And they have a lot to say
about [their families], often connect-
ed with feelings of love and hatred at
the same time. Many still feel uncom-
fortable doing so.
Yang continued, “But we cannot
turn away forever, and what I did was
just look squarely at it and show it
without adding to or subtracting from
what I’ve felt throughout my life.”
This actor-turned-director was
explicit about his principles of acting
and filmmaking.
“Filmmaking is and should always
be a challenge, since it is creating
something out of nothing, using your
imagination while setting foot in real-
ity,” said Yang.
“I rarely tell actors what to do on
the set. Actors should be able to
express what they already have inside
themselves. That’s what actors are
supposed to do.” By Park Sun-young
May 2009 korea 63

W
ith very few excep-
tions, independent
movies have to be sat-
isfied with a run at film
festivals, perhaps a brief theatrical life
on a couple of screens and finally a long
career sitting on DVD store shelves.
But Old Partner, happily, turned out
to be one of those exceptions.
The low-budget documentary is
poised to become the country’s highest
grossing independent film. It opened
Jan. 15 in about seven theaters with
typically low expectations. But critics
and moviegoers loved the film, and at its
peak, Old Partner was shown on more
than 200 screens.
Directed by Lee Choong-yeol, the
movie tells the story of a crippled old
farmer and the dying cow that has
served him faithfully for decades. The
production cost and minuscule mar-
keting budget barely touched the 100
million won ($75,000) mark. It’s hard to
imagine a Korean studio investing in a
project like it. Nevertheless, the latest
estimates show it’s earned several
times more than what was spent to
make it.
Old Partner’s focus on sim-
ple rural life, and on the strong
bond an aging farmer has
formed with his cow (so strong
64 korea May 2009
that his wife gets jealous) has drawn mostly urbanized
viewers whose industrialized country prides itself on
achieving near-miraculous economic growth since the
Korean War — yet clearly still harbor a nostalgia for
the pastoral Korea of old.
Just as intriguing as the movie’s real-life plot is how
it was made in the first place. Director Lee spent five
years searching for the right pair of man and cow, hav-
ing drawn his inspiration from his own rural child-
hood. Stories passed around about the process of cre-
ating the film drew viewers just as much as the docu-
mentary itself. Lee, constantly low on cash, had to
struggle to keep his producer on board, especially
because the old cow — who was supposed to die —
refused to play its part, pushing the completion date
back farther and farther.
Eighty-two-year-old farmer Choi Won-kyun is the
star of the movie, along with his companion cow. And
Lee Sam-sun, Choi’s wife, completes the unusual love
triangle. Since the movie’s January premiere, an ava-
lanche of curious visitors has invaded the private life
of the couple, who until now had enjoyed absolute
privacy in their rural village.
The movie has done well among critics, win-
ning an award at the prestigious Pusan Interna-
tional Film Festival. It also played at the Sundance
Film Festival. The director, Lee Chung-ryoul,
became the first recipient of the “Rookie Director
Award” at the PaekSang Arts Awards as an indie
film director.
Lee Choong-yeol The movie at times has maintained its spot as
Director of Old Partner the number one movie despite being challenged by
domestic movies filled with stars and by Holly-
People
Old Partner tells the story of the life of Choi Won-kyun, 82, a farmer in
Bongha, North Gyeongsang, and the cow that has been his constant
companion. In fact the two are so close in the film that Choi’s wife Lee
[JoongAng Ilbo]
Sam-sun is jealous, in an unusual and touching tale.
wood films. For a struggling film indus-
try, the movie’s success at the box office
is an important lesson for movie pro-
ducers — namely that a simple, heartfelt
story can go a long way.
South Korea’s previous box-office
record for an independent documenta-
ry film stood at 120,000 tickets. But Old
Partner has topped the 3 million mark.
Even President Lee Myung-bak has
watched the film. Bongha village in
North Gyeongsang, where the film was
shot, is planning an “Old Partner”
museum to cash in on the movie’s suc-
cess. The old couple has been besieged
by tourists, and there has been concern
from the movie director about the
instrusions on their daily lives. On the
other hand, the village seems thankful
for the possible influx of cash.
The dynamic tempo of South Kore-
an development and the sometimes cold
nature of its society, with cutthroat com-
petition for jobs and schools, may have
laid the groundwork for the movie’s
huge success. At least that’s what movie
critics think happened.
Provided by Warnangsori blog
“A buddy tale between human and
beast that depicts a strong bond is deep-
ly touching the hearts of viewers. It’s
playing on human nature, and that is the
most appealing point,” said culture crit-
ic Kim Jong-hui. By Brian Lee
May 2009 korea 65
Foreign Viewpoints
Back to a
life of many
cultures
‘All educated Koreans [of the
premodern age] — though the
great majority had never left
Korea — were at least
bilingual and bicultural.’
John M. Frankl is currently an associate
professor of Korean studies at Yonsei Uni-
versity’s Underwood International College.
Professor Frankl received his B.A. in East
Asian Languages from U.C. Berkeley, after
which he came to Korea and completed
an M.A. in Korean Literature at Yonsei.
He then returned to the United States and
entered Harvard University where he earned
a master’s in Regional Studies: East Asia and
a Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Civiliza-
tions. His dissertation focused on represen-
tations of “the foreign” in Korean literary
and historical texts. Most recently Professor
Frankl has been working on Korean fiction
and essays from the 1930s.
66 korea May 2009
T
he idea of a narrow national
identity is a relatively recent
phenomenon. In Korea, such
definitions really did not form
until the early 20th century. Premod-
ern distinctions were not so much be-
tween “Korean” and “non-Korean”
as they were between “civilized” and
“barbaric.” Whether one was civi-
lized, and thus included, was based on
the acceptance of a common culture,
which depended to a large degree on
written language.
As such, all educated Koreans —
though the great majority had never
left Korea — were at least bilingual
and bicultural. Multilingualism, and
multiple, coexisting identities are his-
torically natural. In fact, the nearly
schizophrenic approach to language
and nationality exhibited in late 20th-
century Korea may be directly linked
to the cognitive dissonance that arises
when trying to cope with the narrow-
minded nationalistic demand for an
artificially unified identity.
All of this began to change as Ko-
reans were exposed to pressure and
threats from abroad, and to national-
ism. Even under Japanese colonial rule,
however, most educated Koreans ac-
cepted that bilingualism would contin-
ue to be a fact of life on the peninsula.
The only difference was that Japanese
— or English for many — had replaced
literary Chinese as the language to
master.
The truly significant shift came in
1945 with Korea’s liberation from Ja-
pan. The generation that came of age
after 1945 was the first in over 1,000
years to believe monolingualism and
monoculturalism were natural and
sufficient. Although the nationalism
of this period was both a postcolonial
outgrowth and a factor in Korea’s later
development, its utility was relatively
short-lived. By the late 1990s, it had
essentially already been judged by
Koreans themselves as obsolete. Na-
tionally, as Korea became a producer
not only of ships and cars but also of
culture and art, insularism and xeno-
phobia became hindrances. Individual
Koreans outpaced the government
and began pursuing bilingualism and
biculturalism on their own.
By the beginning of the 21st centu-
ry, this trend was irreversible. Koreans
understood the need for bilingualism,
and were expressing that with their
feet and wallets. In 1995 there were
1,200 middle school students studying
abroad. In 2000, that number showed
a modest rise, to 1,799. But then the
number quintupled over the next five
years: 9,246 South Korean middle
school students were studying abroad
in 2006. Thus this trend is growing
stronger over time. And it is actually
the numbers for primary school stu-
dents that show the greatest changes.
In 1995 there were 235 primary school
students studying abroad. By 2000,
the number had tripled to 705. But
by 2006, it had reached 13,814. The
numbers of high school and university
students, of course, are also rapidly in-
creasing. The result is that South Ko-
rea, despite its relatively small popu-
lation, has been the country sending
the largest number of foreign students
to the United States for the last two
years running. And there are also large
numbers of South Korean students in
Canada, Australia, New Zealand and
Great Britain, as well as at internation-
al schools throughout Asia.
International education is a fait
accompli, and the government is the
only party not acknowledging this.
By providing neither the facilities nor
the laws to allow its citizens to pur-
sue international education in Korea,
the government is needlessly creating
social and financial problems. Families
are divided for years, while hundreds
of millions of dollars flow out of the
country. Korea has been talking about
democracy and globalization since I ar-
rived in 1987. Why not begin to allow
citizens to choose how they will edu-
cate their children, spend their money,
and live their lives?