표지+세네카 2010.4.

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People & Culture

MAY 2010

May 2010 www.korea.net

KOREA’S
MOTOR
WAY
www.korea.net

ISSN: 2005-2162
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PRELUDE

The Beauty of Korea The Tidal Flats on the southwest coast of Korea,
spread around Gomso, Yeoja and Hamhae bays and the Sinan archipelago, are
unique macrotidal flats where typical embayed tidal flats turn into open-coast tidal
flats during the monsoons. They have no barrier islands, just like other tidal flats in
the Yellow Sea. During winter, strong waves create sand flats, while in summer, the
mud flats expand as tidal currents overpower the waves. The Southwestern Coast
Tidal Flats, including Suncheon Tidal Flats (pictured on this page), were included
on UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage sites in January 2010.
ⓒ Choi Ji-young
5월호목차 2010.4.27 9:39 AM 페이지 1 Mac-2 가상 프린터 T C M Y K
COVER STORY 04
From difficult beginnings, Korea’s car
industry is the fifth largest in the world. And
for this, we can thank for strong localiza-
tion policies and old-fashioned Korean grit.
CONTENTSMAY 2010 VOL. 6 NO. 5
PEN & BRUSH 16
For Jeon Gyeong-rin, love is invariably
accompanied by pain or loss. With a world-
view like this, it was perhaps inevitable that
she would become a novelist.
PEOPLE
Throughout Korea, a group of profession-
als is offering their work for free through a
group called Pro Bono. This is the story of
one such altruist: Dr. Lee Soong-in.
TRAVEL 24
With some of the country’s finest tradi-
tional porcelain and its most exquisite
rice, Icheon, on the outskirts of Seoul, is
a real hotspot for traditional Koreana.
20
MY KOREA 32
Besides the sounds and sights, a crucial
part of Seoul’s charms is its smells —
especially those coming from its array of
irresistible street foods.
SUMMIT DIPLOMACY 36
st
At the 1 Nuclear Security Summit last
month, 47 nations gathered in Washing-
ton DC in April to discuss issues related
to nuclear weapons and security. In mak-
ing it a successful event, Korea played its
role, too.
GLOBAL KOREA 40
Cited as a key part in Korea’s rapid
growth, the country’s “Saemaul
Movement” is now being tried out in Africa
— with encouraging results.
www.korea.net
NOW IN KOREA 44
Long an identifying landmark in Seoul,
today the Han River is increasingly serving
as a locus for walking, cycling, swimming
and practically every sport you can think of.
PUBLISHER Seo Kang-soo,
Korean Culture and Information Service
EDITING HEM KOREA Co., Ltd
E-MAIL webmaster@korea.net
PRINTING Samsung Moonwha Printing Co.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced in any form without permission from
KOREA and the Korean Culture and Information
Service.
The articles published in KOREA do not necessarily
represent the views of the publisher. The publisher is
not liable for errors or omissions.
Letters to the editor should include the writer’s full
name and address. Letters may be edited for clarity
and/or space restrictions.
If you want to receive a free copy of KOREA or wish
to cancel a subscription, please e-mail us.
A downloadable PDF file of KOREA and a map and
glossary with common Korean words appearing in our
text are available by clicking on the thumbnail of
KOREA on the homepage of www.korea.net.
발간등록번호 : 11-1110073-000016-06
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COVER STORY

Korea’s Motor Way

ON THE FAST
TRACK
TO SUCCESS On the global stage, Korea’s automobiles raise rapidly nowadays.
The Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, in particular, strongly spot-
lighted on its own quality and reliability. Yet the company’s success
overseas certainly hasn’t been an overnight affair. It has been built
through exhaustive research into local conditions and, in part, its
factories’ role in helping revitalize local economies.
And as Hyundai-Kia’s star has continued to rise, other
Korean automakers have being vitalized, too.
by Shim Hui-jeong

ⓒ Topic Photo
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“It was like a desert here, and Kia was the fountain.” So said Annie Davison last
February as she breathlessly thanked the Korean automaker for setting up shop
in her hometown of West Point, just south of Atlanta, Georgia. In an astonishing
turnaround for the area, which had suffered a long, slow economic decline, con-
struction began on the Kia plant just before the subprime mortgage crisis
engulfed much of the U.S. economy. In 2008, Kia Motors America started hiring
online, a first for the U.S. automotive industry. In addition to 1,100 local hires
of its own, Kia’s 25 business partners, which all entered the country together,
has hired another 4,000 people thus far. As a result, Kia’s Georgia plant has
created 5,100 new jobs.
Kia is planning to hire a total of 3,300 people by 2013, with its business
partners upping manpower to 7,500 over the same period, for a grand total of
10,800 employees. The Georgia Tech Research Institute has forecast that
Kia’s plant will create over 20,000 jobs in nine neighboring counties by 2012
and its overall economic impact will be as high as US$6.5 billion.

A GLOBAL CONCERN Among major automakers, Hyundai-Kia — a group formed in

1998 when Hyundai bought a controlling interest in Kia — is fast becoming a glob-
al company with local characteristics. Just a few years ago, however, nobody was
predicting Hyundai would be one of the major auto-making success stories. Though
today one of the fastest growing car brands in the United States, Hyundai Motor
Company (as it was known back then) was long hamstrung by a — largely deserved
— image as a low-cost, low-quality producer. Selling 126,000 cars in its first year
in the market, 1986, and 264,000 cars the following year, Hyundai was undone by
a reputation for being shoddy and unreliable. As a result, sales suffered and sec-
GM Daewoo’s compact car model Gentra drive along winding
ondhand Hyundai’s could be had for practically nothing. But things started to roads (above). Kia opened a production factory in Georgia,
change in 1999, when Chung Mong-koo became the CEO and president of U.S., positively affecting the local economy (below). Korean
cars are exported to all over the world (bottom).
Hyundai-Kia. Meetings were scheduled twice a month just to address quality
issues, and employees from every single department — acknowledging that
quality had to be tackled from the ground up — conducted product quality man- making hesitant Americans open their wallets with an astonishing promise to
agement with a renewed sense of purpose. pay up to three months of installments for people who were looking for work, or

By 2009, just eight years after they’d placed rock bottom, Hyundai cars were
recorded top on a product quality analysis list compiled by J.D. Power and
Associates, a marketing information firm. In March 2010, Hyundai ranked sixth in
J.D. Power’s durability performance analysis, a measure of automobile reliability
three years after purchase. Coming higher than stalwarts of trust such as BMW
and Volkswagen, Hyundai reveled in its second top 10 finish in two years.
TURNING CRISIS INTO OPPORTUNITY When asked to select the most intimi-
dating automaker to emerge in recent years, automakers around the world
ⓒ GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Company (top); Hyundai Motor Company (middle, bottom)
to buy back the cars if employed customers lost their jobs. In a month when
automakers suffered the biggest decline in U.S. car sales since 1963, Hyundai
actually posted a growth of 14 percent.
BRINGING THE WORLD TOGETHER In 2000, Hyundai-Kia had only 3 overseas
An exterior of Korean car company SsangYong Motor’s plants. As of April 2010, the group has 11 overseas production bases. In addi-
Chairman H (top). A dashboard of Lacetti Premiere of GM
Daewoo Auto & Technology — another Korean automobile
tion, Hyundai is currently constructing a factory in Russia with a production capaci-
company (above). ty of 100,000 cars, and is preparing to build other plants in Brazil and China.
As Hyundai-Kia becomes more global in scope, it is investing heavily in locally
Daewoo Auto & Technololgy Company (above)

named Hyundai. This success has brought increasing attention from internation- customized community services. In China, the group is taking the initiative in
ⓒ SsangYong Motor Company (top); GM

al media, who are analyzing just how a company that was something of a joke preventing desertification and helping the environment by conducting a five-year
less than 20 years ago has grown into the world’s No. 5 automaker (by number project to turn 50 million square meters of arid land in Inner Mongolia into
of cars produced and sold). grassland by 2012. In the Indian market, where Hyundai-Kia is the top seller,
Just as Hyundai made a name for itself 10 years ago with its America’s Best the group donates 100 rupees to the Hyundai Motor India Foundation (HMIF) for
Warranty promotion campaign, the company again adopted an astute marketing each car it sells there. This year, Hyundai-Kia donated approximately
strategy targeting the United States in the midst of the global financial crisis. In US$750,000 to the foundation, a 67 percent increase over the previous year.
January 2009, under its Hyundai Assurance Program, Hyundai succeeded in The company is also helping improve medical and educational conditions in

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remote and marginalized regions of the country.

Last March, the Hyundai-Kia Group provided US$200,000 in relief funds to earth-
quake-stricken Chile. Also, in cooperation with Hyundai Mobis, an affiliate that pro-
vides auto parts, the group conducted repair tours for cars damaged by the earth-
quake and offered discounts on auto parts. In previous years, Hyundai-Kia has
looked to fulfill its social responsibilities by providing funds and resources following
disasters such as the 2003 Bam earthquake in Iran, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsuna-
mi, the 2006 Java earthquake in Indonesia and the 2007 Greek forest fires.
In the United States, Hyundai Motor America employees travel across the coun-
try in white Santa Fe to offer financial support to child cancer patients. The compa-
ny is also working as a sponsor of the Soccer for Hope program, which raises
awareness for children with cancer by teaching them how to play the sport.

KOREAN AUTOMOTIVE BRANDS GAINING LEVERAGE OVERSEAS GM Daewoo,

whose parent company is the new GM, is being revitalized as the global auto-
motive industry shows signs of recovery. From January to March this year, GM
Daewoo exported 116,479 cars, while selling 259,508 complete knockdown
(CKD) kits to overseas markets. Those numbers represent a 19.7 percent and
38 percent increase, respectively, over the same period last year.
The rising status of GM Daewoo can be seen through at the Beijing Motor
Show 2010. Ambitious entries from the company are next-generation vehicles
that GM Daewoo has taken the initiative in developing. CEO Mike Arcamone,
who has held his position since last October, said, “It shows the importance of
GM Daewoo that the next-generation global cars, whose development was led
by GM Daewoo, were shown as major models from Chevrolet at a recent interna-

ⓒ Topic Photo

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tional motor show.” The company is playing a leading role in designing cars for
the future as it also develops parent company GM’s compact cars. This is seen
in GM Daewoo’s Seoul Advanced Design Studio, which analyzes trends of the
global automobiles’ design for GM develops. At present, only four countries
have more than two GM design centers, Korea, the US, UK, and Germany.
Renault Samsung Motors Company is enjoying the greatest boom in its histo-
ry thanks to high sales of its new cars this year. In April 2010, the company cel-
ebrated its 10th anniversary since acquiring Samsung Motors. Over that time,
Renault Samsung has established itself as a premium brand in Korea and has
earned the respect of customers around the world by exporting models melding
Renault’s cooperative development platform with Korea’s unique style. Indeed,
Renault Samsung’s decade of success clearly shows the brand power of
Samsung. Furthermore, as Renault Samsung achieves substantial results with
its great product power in Korea and overseas, the Renault Group has pro-
longed its contract to use the trademark and Samsung name until 2020.
Renault is paying 0.8 percent of domestic sales (2 million to 3 million Korean
won) as royalties to Samsung every year.
In addition, Renault Samsung Motors Company is exporting more cars than it
ever has since its launch in 2000. Starting with the export of its SM3 model,
the company has increased the total number of cars it sends overseas, with
exports making up 48 percent of total sales in 2008. This year, Renault
Samsung’s exports from January to March increased by 171.5 percent over the
same period last year. Renault Samsung exports its SM3 CE model under vari-
ous names — Scala, Sunny, and Almera — to the Middle East, Europe, and

ⓒ GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Company (top); Hyundai Motor Company (middle); Busan International Motor Show (bottom)
SsangYong Motor’s Super Rexton continues its fame as SUV An orange-colored Gentra of GM Daewoo (above). Hyundai is
maker (top). The Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group supports sev- an official sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup (below). The
eral sporting activities (above). Renault Samsung Motors, Busan International Motor Show 2010, a biennal motor show,
another Korean car company, unveiled its New SM5 model last is held from April 29 to May 9 (bottom).
January (below).

Russia, while its SM5 model is sold as the Safran and the QM5 as the Koleos
to over 60 countries worldwide (except North America).

ⓒ SsangYong Motor Company (top); Kia Motors (middle); Renault Samsung Motors (bottom)
The SsangYong Motor Company is noted for its creation of a characteristically
Korean SUV. The company was a breath of fresh air to the country’s automotive
industry with the Korando series, Korea’s first four-wheel drive station wagon.
Since then it has continued to make SUVs like the Musso (the epitome of
Korean four-wheel drive vehicles with its unique style and excellent perform-
ance), which was first released in 1993, the luxury SUV Rexton in 2001, and
the Kyron and Actyon in 2005. SsangYong named its new crossover utility vehi-
cle (CUV) the C200 Korando C, with the aim of reviving the legendary success of
its predecessor, the company’s best known model during its heyday, and mov-
ing forward as the new SsangYong.
Korea is the world’s fifth largest carmaker. Many automobile companies have
succeeded in distinguishing their unique characteristics in the global auto mar-
ket. Hyundai-Kia disposed of its old image — selling low-priced cars — and is
instead transforming itself into a leading global brand with amazing product
quality and design. GM Daewoo and Renault Samsung have also contributed to
raising the status of Korean brands, while SsangYong is also continuing with
production of its Korando model in domestic and overseas markets.

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COVER STORY

Throughout Southeast Asia, Korean cars are increasingly vying for
road space with more established Japanese brands. Korean
automakers’ more recent success in a region long dominated by
Japanese cars is a testament both to Korean cars’ value for
money, and their ever-improving standards of engineering. And as
sales improve, so do peoples’ perceptions. In Vietnam, for
instance, being made in Korea has become such a stamp of quali-
ty for cars; many people make a point of not removing Korean-lan-
guage stickers and brochures from the car after they’ve bought it.
When Korean cars entered the Chinese market in 2002,
they became the vehicle of choice for taxi firms throughout
Beijing, for their high product value. Building on this success,
Korean automakers have already constructed two manufactur-
ing plants in China with plans to build a third. Indeed, with
sales so healthy in the country, Korean car makers plan to roll
out new models for sale only in the Chinese market. In India,
meanwhile, small Korean cars are having a big impact —
thanks to canny localization policies. After thorough research
into local needs and tastes, Korean automakers worked out
that a slightly higher roof in their cars would be very helpful for
the large number of Indians who wear turbans.
In the United States — long the most competitive market for
automobiles — Korean-made cars are also enjoying great suc-
cess. While top Korean brands continue to do well there, some
American automobile brands manufactured in Korea — notably
the Chevrolet Aveo — are also
selling well, demonstrating
Korea’s increasing importance in
all aspects of the automobile
industry. The success story
stretches right across the world
to Russia’s Far East, where con-
A key part of Korean automakers’ success overseas has
been their stringent efforts to adapt to regional market condi-
tions. When Korean car firms initially set up a plant in a foreign
country, their first priority is to establish relations with con-
sumers as a means of gauging local sentiment and adjusting
their sales strategies accordingly.
Perhaps most important in the ascent of Korean car firms,
though, has been their willingness to diverge from most major car
makers — who tend to rely on unchanged existing models when
they build plants overseas — and release new models that are
adjusted for different markets. This has served to reassure local
consumers, who seem more willing to trust the commitment of a
firm that brings new models to a foreign market. In India and
China, for instance, brand-new Hyundai models such as the i10
and a customized version of the Avante have been big sellers.
Korean car makers have gone to great lengths to connect with
local employees, too. Korean managers overseas have tried hard
to adopt local cultural practices and to give workers plenty of
opportunities to air their grievances or make suggestions. Having
had time to fine-tune their employee relations policies, Korean
companies are gaining an ever better reputation as desirable
places to work.
This emphasis on human resources and on adapting to cul-
tures has won Korean automakers a lot of respect around the
world. Thanks in large part to these localization strategies, the
overseas production of Hyundai,
Korea’s largest automaker, now
eclipses that of its domestic facto-
ries. Between January and March,
2010, Hyundai produced 397,000
cars in Korea, as compared with
442,000 cars at overseas plants,

KOREAN CARS: MAKING sumers have been attracted by

Korean cars’ combination of
providing still more evidence of
just how international the Korean

INROADS OVERSEAS good value and reliability.

In response to the competi-
tion, Japan, whose carmakers
auto industry has become.
From being considered cheap
knock-offs of better brands,
Korean cars are going places. Thirty years after first selling cars worldwide, Korea is have traditionally been the Korean cars are now regarded as
now the fifth biggest car producer in the world, according to research carried out by strongest here, has begun offer- some of the best quality, yet rea-
the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association (KAMA). This commanding ing state support for exports of sonably priced, cars in the world.
position is evident in the global expansion of local automakers. In addition to its used cars, in order to enable Today, the Korean car industry is
Korean cars’ success in the United States, practically every growing market is home dealers in Russia’s Far East to increasingly snapping at the
to auto plants run by Korean companies. Furthermore, one domestic brand has sell Japanese automobiles at heels of the big boys, with sales
ⓒ SsangYong Motor Company

ⓒ Hyundai Motor Company

recently announced plans to establish an automotive plant in Brazil, the heart of lower prices. As yet, however, forecast to account for as much
the measure has had only a lim- as 7 million units — 10 percent
the South American market. Today, Korean cars are a truly global presence.
ited effect in stemming the gen- of the global market — by 2015.
by Kwon Yong-ju
eral consumer tide toward Korean cars, it seems, have
Korean cars. plenty of places to go yet.

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COVER STORY

ECO-FRIENDLY:
CLEANER
AND GREENER
The term “green” has recently
become a buzzword in the automo-
bile industry. Although there is a
national drive to respond to the
global financial crisis, there is also a
collective need to deal with climate
change, which is why Korea is mov-
ing foursquare into the field of eco-
friendly automobiles. The Korean
automotive industry has already
come up with the LPi hybrid, an
LPG engine installed within a hybrid
vehicle, and is about to release a
next-generation hybrid in the form
of an electric vehicle (EV). Today, as
with the rest of the world, Korea’s
automotive industry is thinking
green in order to cut carbon.
by Kwon Yong-ju
When people think of eco-friendly cars, they usually imagine some fuel efficiency. As the whole concept of eco-friendliness with Another notable emerging technology is neighborhood electric
form of alternative fuel: EVs, say, or fuel cells. Much of the focus, car fossil fuels refers to getting more kilometers to the liter, vehicles (NEVs), which are loaded with lead storage batteries
however, is in fact on cars with a higher fuel efficiency or reduced gas the lower Cd on this hybrid car was a big development. and lithium-ion batteries. Designed for driving within cities at
emissions. Today, all major efforts at cutting the use of fossil fuels in Also increasing the car’s eco-friendliness is its weight and speeds of less than 60 kilometers per hour, NEVs are already
cars include ideas on how to use oil and gas more effectively, while its power generation system, which has reduced the car’s CO2 being developed by some small- and medium-sized companies.

ⓒ AD Motors (opposite left, above); CT & T (opposite right)

not compromising on looks or performance. This is why, at last year’s emissions to a minuscule 85 grams per kilometer. Getting a For those who like a bit more bite in their green cars, Korean
Geneva Motor Show, Hyundai’s next- whopping 33 kilometer to the liter, it’s no exaggeration to say automakers are planning to start production of full EVs by next
generation hybrid concept car caused that the i-flow has raised the bar for hybrid technology. year. Though not, yet, quite as powerful as cars powered by inter-
such a stir. However, even more important than hybrids, at least if the vol- nal combustion engines, EVs are getting closer, and when one
Called the i-flow, the car drew at ume of interest in Geneva was anything to go by, are electric cars. manages to go 200 kilometers at 160 kilometers per hour on a
least as many plaudits for its sleek Representing 80 percent of the eco-friendly cars on show at the single charge, the age of electric vehicles will truly have arrived.
design as for its hybrid-system Swiss car show last year, electric cars seem finally to have come To date, what we’ve seen is just a taste of the potential for
power unit. At just 0.25, the i-flow’s of age, and Korean researchers and car makers are taking note. eco-friendly cars. But if it can combine all the eco-friendly car
drag coefficient (Cd) is less than Last March, KAIST, a prestigious Korean technical university, technologies it has accumulated through the development of
that of a sports car, meaning low developed an “online electric vehicle” (OLEV), which works by fuel cells and EVs, Korea has a good shot at being a contender
resistance while driving and greater drawing on electric power carried in underground cables. in the global eco-friendly market.

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PEN & BRUSH
THE
CONSOLER OF
ILL-FATED
LOVES
Jeon Gyeong-rin is a woman for whom love has always
been painful. All kinds of love — between a man and a
woman, a parent and a child, even between friends —
have at one time or another caused her great pain and
torment. She began writing, she says, to ease the
anguish that love had accumulated in her mind. And
her stories quickly found an eager audience among the
jilted, the lost and the sensitive.
“It may seem that I am obsessed by themes of love
but that is simply not true,” says Jeon. “I just want to
talk about women and can’t avoid writing love stories,
Jeon Gyeong-rin which are the main stream of their life. The women in
If people define love according to their
own experiences, then Jeon Gyeong-
rin has suffered a very painful life.
Described by many as Korea’s finest
writer of love stories, Jeon says that
people’s loves resemble their lives in
that no one can bear to lose them.
There is, she says, no alternative to
love, but that’s what makes it so pro-
found an experience.
by Lim Ji-yeong | photographs by Kim Nam-heon
my novels suffer from pain and conflict between their
sense of identity and love. Love is not a new topic, of
course, but I think I describe it with a more intense and
extreme sensitivity.”
As befits one whose characters are such hostages to
emotion, Jeon says she became a novelist not because
she wanted to, but because she had to. Her literary
career began with Moon in the Desert, a short story for
which she won an annual literary contest hosted by the
Dong-A Ilbo, a Korean daily, in 1995. The success con-
tinued over the next three years, with an award from
the Hankook Ilbo (another local newspaper) for 1996’s
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A Shepherdess, the Munhakdongne novel prize for the
full-length novel A Man in No Place (1997), and a 21st
Century Literary Award for her 1998 short story
Merry-go-round Circus Woman. Famously self-depre-
cating of her own talent, Jeon’s insistence that she
merely scribbled her own thoughts in order to hone
her writing ability makes her even more of a favorite
among her ever-growing coterie of fans.
LOVE, PAIN, LOSS As well as having a strong sense of
identity, Jeon often seems to be more affected by
events, or to interpret them differently, from the norm.
Whereas the age of 20 is an exciting time for many, as
youth crosses the threshold into adulthood, for Jeon it
represented a sad farewell to her teens, a sense of loss
KOREA
MAY
18 2010
she communicated beautifully in her novel While Black
Sugar is Melted.
“Birth, old age, sickness, and death in life are all just
too heavy for me,” says Jeon. “The reason we live is not
because our life is full of happiness. We just live
because life was given to us. We experience painful loss
everyday but we have to overcome it in order to live.
And this task is even harder for women, who are more
physically and socially vulnerable.”
The characters in Jeon’s novels are, very often, not so
different from herself. They are intense and sensitive,
with a strong consciousness of their own identity. They
love more deeply and get hurt more. With her tendency
to draw out and analyze the hidden desires of women,
Jeon is often referred to as a “feminist author,” but one
A SHEPHERDESS
(LA FEMME À LA CHÈVRE)
> Language French
> Publisher Edipolis (Lyon)
> Published 2000
The novel A Shepherdess was published in 1996 in Korean
language. In this novel, for which she won the 29th Hankook
Ilbo literary award, Jeon Gyeong-rin depicts the ups and
downs of life for a woman who has always lived her life fol-
lowing a socially-accepted destiny. Like many others, howev-
er, she doesn’t try to escape her fate in the hopes of finding
an easier life. For the heroine of this book, departing from
destiny is not a way to overcome your problems, but just a
temporary, and ultimately unsatisfying, release. Because of
this, “the woman who drives
goats” stays within her
course, only dreaming of
change. A powerful, moving
allegorical tale, A Shepherdess
is Jeon’s meditation on rebel-
lious love and human destiny.
THREE TOMBS,
THREE VALLEYS AND
THREE WATERFALLS
(LE TROISIOME
TOMBEAU, LA
TROISIOME VALLEE,
LA TROISIOME
CASCADE)
Jeon’s third collection of novels, published five years after
1988’s The Last House on the Beach, Water Station includes
the famous short story Bride of Moon. Translated, along with
Jeon’s masterwork A Shepherdess (La Femme à la Chèvre),
into French, Water Station describes collision and conflict
between a conventional man trying to protect his family and
the desire of a woman trying to find her identity.
A STORY ABOUT ORDINARY WATER-DROP
PATTERN DRESS (EIN GANZ EINFACHES
GEPUNKTETES KLEID)
> Language German
> Publisher Pendragon (Bielefeld,
Germany)
> Published 2004
This short story is part of the Novel
Collection of Korean Modern Female
Writers, a selection of works by Korean
authors that was translated into German.
Its great psychological power prompted
one German newspaper to describe
Jeon’s contribution to “looking at a
woman’s tears falling like water drops.”
In the novel, the author compares the
sexual experience of a girl to a worn
dress, soberly describing the fraying of
the fabric as the girl grows up.
needn’t be a feminist, nor even a woman, to take some-
thing from her work. In Habit of Passion, her most
acclaimed book so far, Jeon talks less about sexual
inequality, and more about the loves and relationships
of women whose lives have been restricted by customs
and traditions.
With her newest novel, Meal on the Grass, released
this year, Jeon hints at a slightly sunnier outlook, with
an underlying optimism that had thus far been hidden
beneath emotional turmoil. At one point writing, “One
who has loved more and deeper doesn’t get hurt by
love,” Jeon demonstrates a genuine warmth, and a
belief that no matter how severe the heartbreak, we can
all eventually heal through the redemptive power of
love. The bigger danger, she seems to be saying, is of
never trying to love for fear of being hurt. After the
desolation of loss, we can all refill our souls through
intimacy and connection.
In While Black Sugar is Melted, one passage reads,
“Time is like an ocean, the air, and a nail that is ham-
mered into one point. Without perceiving it, I came to
love vanishing time.” To Jeon, love, just as much as
time, helps us to recover from even the most unbear-
able pain. And she knows, and relates, this catharsis as
well as anyone.
A CHANGING PERSPECTIVE For all this, as Jeon has
entered into her 40s, she says she realizes that love is
simply illogical. From the beginning, she says, it is a
kind of big trap. Now with a young, beautiful daughter
of her own, Jeon says that though, superficially, women
in Korea are freer than ever to advance and express
their true feelings, this very openness has forced
expressions of love to hide behind increasingly devious
masks. Perhaps more than ever, people disguise their
feelings in order to avoid being hurt. And this era that
forbids open love has, she says, actually made us all
weaker than ever.
Still, for Jeon, the battle against this affected indiffer-
ence remains a noble one. Currently, she is working on
a story about a man who spends all of his time staring
at the same woman. The theme of the novel may
sound like one that has been so discussed and dissect-
ed it seems to have fallen into the realm of cliché. But
for Jeon, and for almost all of us, the theme of love
continues to cast a bewitching spell from which we
cannot escape.
KOREA
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20-23 people 2010.4.27 9:19 AM 페이지 20 Mac-2 가상 프린터 T C M Y K

PEOPLE

GIVING
BACK Lee Soong-in doesn’t fit the normal
image of an Oriental medicine doc-
tor. At just 34, Lee is a dashing figure
who knows how to match a pink tie
with a green doctor’s blazer. But
KOREA didn’t travel three hours just
to admire his dress sense. Lee hap-
pens to also be a member of the civic
organization Pro Bono.
by Cheon So-hyeon | photographs by Park Jeong-roh

KOREA discovered Lee Soong-in through a recommendation

from Pro Bono Korea. A shortened version of the Latin phrase
meaning “for the public good,” pro bono refers to volunteerism
or to volunteers who share their expertise with the community.
In the past, the majority of pro bono work took place in the
fields of law or conventional medicine. More recently, however,
that scope has been growing to include such areas as educa-
tion, culture and, increasingly, Oriental medicine, too.
Through his membership in the Bokchi Medical Society, Lee
had been volunteering for some time before getting involved
with Pro Bono Korea. However, as Lee says, joining up with the

KOREA KOREA
MAY MAY
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civic group added new momentum to his voluntary work.
“I can’t wait for our monthly voluntary sessions,” says Lee,
who works in Gwangju city. “Doctors enjoy treating patients,
obviously. But by volunteering, I get to meet people who can’t
otherwise go to Oriental clinics. It offers me valuable experi-
ence as an Oriental doctor, but on a personal level, I just
delight in watching the patients feel happy.”
Since last September, Lee has offered free treatment to
patients on the last Thursday of every month. To assist with
Pro Bono’s medical work, the Nam-gu public health center in
Gwangju offered use of its facilities and provided the group
with a list of around 30 patients facing particular financial diffi-
culties. Suffering from such illnesses as angina, asthma, skin
problems and arthritis, the patients couldn’t afford convention-
al or Oriental medicine, and so the chance to receive three
months’ treatment free of charge — both from Lee and five
other volunteer doctors — was an enormous blessing.
THE POWER OF HOPE As Lee acknowledges, most Koreans
feel somewhat uncomfortable using Oriental remedies, both
because they take longer to work and because they cost more
than Western medicine. But this, he says, is precisely why his
pro bono patients were so pleased to receive the treatment,
and even more delighted when it helped make them better.
“These patients have been in endless pain, and for them to
see progress after taking Oriental medicine gives them hope,”
Lee says. “Thinking there may be only one kind of medicine to
cure certain conditions would be depressing. But just the
knowledge that there’s something else that can help gives you
the extra breathing room.”
One woman, suffering from renal failure, was able to find
this out for herself when she visited the public health center.
needed for treatment, and so they press on different parts of
the abdomen to locate the problem. Then, from 220 prescrip-
tions, they select one based on the patient’s individual body
make-up and also on their symptoms. This, says Lee, is what
they did in the ancient times of Oriental medicine.
“Oriental medicine is very sensitive,” he says. “Western medi-
cine will bring you fast overall effects depending on your condi-
tion, but Oriental medicine needs very specific and accurate diag-
noses in order to work. For instance, muscle relaxant in western
medicine works on all muscles, but in Oriental medicine, we’d
use something that would only affect a certain area, such as a
muscle on your inner arm. Oriental medicine can protect the body
and improve your overall physical constitution at the same time.”
Someone who can attest to the efficacy of Lee’s brand of
Oriental medicine is 16-year-old Seo Mi-ju. Suffering from a
rare illness called lupus, Mi-ju lost all her hair and her face was
covered in a rash. At a point of near desperation, Mi-ju turned
to Oriental medicine, and after a course of treatment the infec-
tion on her scalp cleared up almost completely. With the help
of Lee and his associates, Mi-ju is now hopeful that her rash
will soon be gone too.
SHARING WHAT’S PRECIOUS Lee’s career as a volunteer
Having donated one of her kidneys to her older brother 13 dates back to his days as a student at Wonkwang University.
years previously, her remaining kidney had recently deteriorat- Though all student doctors have plenty of opportunities to vol-
ed. With kidney problems being so difficult to treat, and her unteer their services, Lee, being one of the far rarer Oriental
quality of life dipping so dramatically, the woman was both sick
and despondent. After several months of treatment with
Oriental medicine, however, the woman began to see improve-
ment in her condition. Lee now fondly recalls how, after seeing
her in abject misery for so long, she one day smiled at him for
the first time and thanked him for helping. Though she is now
back on dialysis treatment, the experience, Lee says, gave her
hope in facing her illness again.
medicine doctors, was in particularly high demand on islands
or other remote parts of the country. Sometimes locals would
be skeptical about the motives of the big-city types sweeping in
to offer temporary care. But soon locals were convinced there
were rewards one could only gain through voluntary work.
After graduating, Lee spent several months working with
local churches to offer free treatment to migrant workers.
Saying he has a “greed” for volunteering, he is always looking
for new ways in which to offer free treatment, and would like to
travel someday to offer his services overseas.
“I think I should share what’s most precious to me,” says
Lee. “Sure, I can make more money now and volunteer when I
am older. But that would only mean I’d be sharing something
that’s left over. It diminishes the meaning of it all. Offering
Oriental medicine treatment is what I do best today and volun-
teering in that area makes it more meaningful.”
Clearly, Lee’s commitment to volunteering goes way beyond
being merely a hobby or a diversion. At his request, his wife, Lim
Eun-gyeong, herself an Oriental doctor who runs a clinic in Naju,
is now also offering some free services through Pro Bono. As
they help people with even chronic illnesses to get better, Lee
believes that he and his wife’s activism will do much to improve
perceptions of Oriental medicine in general. Lee himself was
inspired to become a doctor, and to cure debilitating illnesses,
after his grandfather died of a heart attack. Through his voluntary
work for Pro Bono, Lee’s dreams are coming true, too.
WHAT IS PRO BONO KOREA?
Launched on Dec. 17 last year, Pro
Bono Korea is attempting to make
pro bono work a key part of the
“third generation” of Korean civic

ⓒ Pro Bono Korea (middle, bottom); Getty Images / Multibits Image (opposite)
activism. The group has so far
As it always was, the human kindness shown by volunteers
drawn volunteers including theater
such as Lee is a big factor in stirring hope in the sick and less actors, art therapists, lawyers,
fortunate. And because Oriental-medicine doctors spend at teachers and firefighters. Pro Bono
continues to offer help in an array
least half an hour with their patients, trying to discover not just
of fields: The group has hosted a
what is wrong with them but also how they live and what kimchi making event, offered free
makes them tick, they can offer the kind of warm, personable Oriental medicine treatments, and
set up the so-called “living library”
service that conventional doctors in Korea often can’t.
where people with extensive knowl-
Lee’s group, the Bokchi Medical Society, places particular edge meet with those who need
stock in trying to discover patients’ symptoms and diseases, a help in a particular area. Inquiries
slightly different approach to standard Oriental medicine, which +82-(0)2-2168-0280 Website
www.probonokorea.com
looks at physical constitution and the balance of yin and yang.
Eschewing acupuncture and “fire cupping” (in which cups with
reduced air pressure are placed on the skin), Lee and his asso-
ciates believe that the patient’s insides contain the information

Lee Soong-in bottles Oriental medicine (top). A Pro Bono Korea volunteer doctor Some natural materials for traditional Oriental medicine (above).
treats patients (middle). Lee says volunteering work is one of the most precious
things in his life (above).
KOREA KOREA
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22 2010 2010 23
24-31 travel-8p 2010.4.27 9:21 AM 페이지 26 Mac-2 가상 프린터 T C M Y K

TRAVEL

ICHEON:
Icheon, located in southeast Gyeonggi-do
Province, is the bona fide center of Korean
pottery and the home of Korea’s highest
quality rice. With more than 1 million visi-
tors to the Icheon Ceramic Festival, held

The Soul of from the end of April through mid-May,

Icheon’s traditional pottery is a feast for the
eyes, while its many restaurants provide a
banquet for the taste buds.

Porcelain
by Lee Se-mi | photographs by Kim Hong-jin

Pots are dried out in fresh air at the halfway point to their completion. After drying,
firing in the kiln is the next step.
24-31 travel-8p 2010.4.27 9:21 AM 페이지 28 Mac-2 가상 프린터 T C M Y K
Though not quite as thriving as it was in its late-1950s heyday,
Icheon today remains one of the most important places in tra-
ditional Korean pottery. Concentrated in the Saeum-dong and
Sindun-myeon areas, Icheon’s pottery industry is now based in
a village comprising 300 or so houses that are just an hour’s
drive from the bustle of Seoul. A short trip on National Highway
No. 3 will lead the visitor directly into downtown Icheon, where
the Sindun-myeon pottery village is located.
We arrived early at Handoyo, the shop and studio of Seo
Gwang-soo, whose renown as a potter has seen him elevated
to the position of Gyeonggi-do Province’s Intangible Cultural
Properties No. 41. Located in the secluded end of Namjeong-ri,
where bamboo leaves rustle gently in the spring breeze,
Handoyo’s entrance is decorated with broken shards of pot-
tery, giving hints of the owner’s passion.
Seo entered the world of pottery in 1961, at just 14, and
has devoted the rest of his life to his art. He is famous for
KOREA
MAY
26 2010
pieces in his gallery that he refuses to sell, whatever the price,
because he feels they best capture this ineffable essence of
traditional Korean porcelain making.
Though many of the students here are themselves devotees,
there is a host of programs for the more casual learner as well.
The process begins with students flattening out the clay and
forming a round bottom, which is then followed by the coiling
method, an easy means of making pottery using long, thin
strips of clay. Although each program is a bit different, all of
them last about two hours and include elements of the spin-
ning wheel, hand painting, tea ceremonies and lighting the pot-
tery kilns. Whatever pottery you make is then sent to your
home within a month.
THE ART OF RICE Just 10 minutes away from the pottery vil-
lage is Sansuyu Village, which, along with Sandong-myeon in
Gurye-gun, is home to Korea’s largest colonies of sansuyu, or
Korean Dogwood. The sansuyu colonies here are between 100-
and 500-years-old, and every April they host special festivals to
mark the blooming of the sansuyu flowers (although the red,
autumn foliage is no less spectacular).
At the entrance to the village, vendors sell sansuyu in fruit
form and in tea, both of which are known to be effective at
fighting fatigue. Nearby, painters and photographers await visi-
tors, ready to capture them in pictures alongside the transcen-
ⓒ Icheon Ceramic Festival (top, middle)
dent beauty of the Korean Dogwood.
So engrossing are the nature and ceramics on show in the
pottery and Sansuyu Village, it is easy to forget all about eating
lunch. But this can be remedied in style as soon as you get to
one of Icheon’s famous rice restaurants. Given that white rice
is the staple of the Korean diet, Koreans are very exacting
reviving the lost art of Korean traditional white porcelain, espe- about its taste and quality. It takes something truly special for
cially the Muji Dal-Hangari (moon-shaped) white porcelain from a region’s rice to be renowned in Korea. But Icheon’s passes
the late Joseon Dynasty period (1392–1910). The deep milky that test with flying colors.
color of Dal-Hangari is what makes this pottery distinct, and Korean rice differs from that found in Southeast Asia, which
Seo insists on using a traditional kiln fired with pine trees, tends to be glutinous in character. For the distinct type of rice
instead of the cheaper gas kilns that are mostly used today. preferred here, the earth, climate and water of Icheon are all
Unlike gas kilns, which can make several pieces of neatly perfect. When cooked, the grain of Icheon rice becomes trans-
finished pottery at once, the traditional kiln’s success rate is parent and shiny, and when eaten, it is chewy, with a flavor
only 30 percent or so. However, the traditional method leaves that sweetens the longer it stays in your mouth. The rice of
a distinct, earthy finish that gas could never emulate, even choice for kings in the Joseon Dynasty, Icheon rice has lost lit-
using the exact same material and glaze. tle of its luster today, with a string of restaurants in the city
Beginning with a bisque firing at 900℃ followed by a glaze serving slight variations of their local specialty.
firing at 1,300℃, the kiln’s fire changes from black to white to Typical, local rice dinners consist of a bowl of cooked rice
red, imparting a deep and mysterious hue to the porcelain. Seo served in a hot dolsot (stone pot) and is nicely presented with
teaches his students that the most important part of pottery is abundant side dishes including doenjang-jjigae (bean paste
“feeling” the fire, yet admits that he still doesn’t entirely under- stew), kimchi, soy crabs, roasted fish, galbi (ribs), jeon (Korean
stand it himself. Fiercely devoted to his art, Seo has kept many traditional pancakes) and japchae (glass noodles). After
Anyone can learn to create pottery in Icheon, as classes are available in order to fully Icheon Ceramic Festival welcomes foreign visitors who are interest-
experience the traditions of the city (above). ed in learning the art (top, middle). Master potter Seo Gwang-soo
handpaints his pieces (above).
KOREA
MAY
2010 27
24-31 travel-8p 2010.4.27 9:21 AM 페이지 30 Mac-2 가상 프린터 T C M Y K

scooping the rice from the stone pot, water is added to make
sungnyung (scorched-rice water), which is enjoyed after the
meal. Though the rice tradition here is old, the restaurants,
surprisingly, are not, with the first one popping up a little less
than 20 years ago. Today, there are more than 40, and each
one is constantly busy, even on weekdays.

A REUNION WITH NATURE Relaxing after lunch begins with

Seolbong Park, a 330,000-square-meter swath of land located
in the Gwango-dong part of Icheon. The venue for such festi-
vals as the World Ceramic Biennale, the Icheon Ceramic
Festival and the Icheon Rice Cultural Festival, Seolbong Park
includes Seolbongho Lake, the Seolbong International
Sculpture Park, the Icheon Museum and the Icheon World
Ceramic Center, which houses a wonderful collection of mod-
ern pottery and porcelain. As well as being a pleasant nature
retreat, Seolbong Park has some great educational venues
for kids, with a wide selection of artistic and historical
exhibits from around Korea and the world. At Toya Land,
unusual looking sculptures catch the eyes, and none more
so than the world’s largest ceramic instrument, Sorinamu, a
12-meter-tall structure with 2,007 small ceramic bells chiming
at the slightest breeze.

Making pottery is a skill of patience and perfection. The art can become a finished
good after meeting the approval of Seo’s fastidious eyes.
24-31 travel-8p 2010.4.27 9:22 AM 페이지 32
Mac-2 가상 프린터 T C M Y K
Also within Seolbong Park is Seolbongsan Mountain, which
is scattered with numerous Buddhist relics. Shaped like a
crane hovering over Icheon, Seolbongsan, at just 394-meters-
high, takes no more than 30 minutes to climb. From the sum-
mit, visitors are treated to tremendous scenery, with strange
rock formations and a panoramic view of Icheon.
Around 15 minutes’ walk further downhill, amid the chirping
of countless birds, Seolbongsan reveals Yeongwolam, a beauti-
ful, 1,300-year-old Buddhist temple from the Jogye Order of
Korean Buddhism. After a drink from the mineral spring to
quench your thirst, the temple steps lead to the
Maaeyeoraeipsang (Buddha statue), designated a national
treasure, carved into the rocks of the mountain. Better still,
visit this month and Yeondeung (lotus lanterns) of different col-
HOW TO GET TO ICHEON
> By car 5 minutes from the Jungbu Expressway ors will illuminate the statue to mark the Buddha’s birthday.
Seoicheon I.C. (Local Road No. 12)
5 minutes from the Yeongdong Expressway Icheon I.C.
(National Road No. 3)
> By bus Buses depart the Dong Seoul Terminal from
06:00–22:40 (buses every 15 minutes, 50-minute ride)
Buses depart the Seoul Express Bus Terminal from
06:30–21:30 (buses every 30 minutes, 1-hour ride)
POTTERY HOUSES WITH POTTERY MAKING CLASSES
> Yewon pottery house 192-7 Namjeong-ri, Sindun-myeon,
Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do Province Inquiries +82-(0)31-634-
2144 www.yewonceramic.co.kr
> Haegang Ceramics Museum 330-1 Sugwang-ri, Sindun-
myeon, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do Province Inquiries +82-
(0)31-634-2266 www.haegang.org
ICHEON RICE RESTAURANTS
> Taepyeongseongdae 573-1 Saeum-dong, Icheon-si,
Gyeonggi-do Province Tel +82-(0)31-638-8088~9088
> Cheongmok 626-11 Saeum-dong, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
Province Tel +82-(0)31-634-5414
FESTIVALS
> The 24th Icheon Ceramic Festival The Icheon Ceramic
Festival has been running for 24 years, with some 23 mil-
lion visitors from 1987 coming in 2009 in total. This year,
the festival will be held in Seolbong park, Icheon from April
24 through May 16. Under the theme “Joyful Ceramic Trip
to Icheon,” the festival welcomes visitors to experience tra-
ditional Korean ceramics with programs including pottery
experiences, design exhibitions and superb pottery and
porcelain exhibitions. Website www.ceramic.or.kr
<INFO>
Handoyo kiln
454-2 Namjeong-ri, Sindun-myeon, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
Province Tel +82-(0)31-632-7105
Yeongwolam temple
438 Gwango-dong, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do Province
Tel +82-(0)31-635-3457
Icheon World Ceramic Center
69-1 Gwango-dong, Icheon-si, Gyeonggi-do Province
Tel +82-(0)31-645-0614
A view of Sansuyu Village is seen (opposite). The Buddha statue in
Yeongwolam temple (top). Sorinamu, a structure with ceramic bells
at Toya Land (above left). Icheon is the main producer of a famous
KOREA
type of Korean rice (above right). MAY
2010 31
32-35 my korea 2010.4.27 9:24 AM 페이지 32 Mac-2 가상 프린터 T C M Y K

MY KOREA

KINETIC STREET
CUISINE
To tell the truth, street food in Korea is nothing new. On every corner and
every street, you’ll find food stalls selling the new, the bizarre and the play-
ful. All the food is designed to travel and you’ll often see high-heeled
women walking with a hot dog on a stick or suited men standing next to a
food stall to grab a quick bite. In Korea, this is the original fast food.
Korean street food is a wonderful fusion of creativity, culture, and mobility.
Some of the foods, like braised silkworm larvae, are simply bizarre, while oth-
ers are playful, such as the tornado potato: A whole potato cut to look like a
spiral staircase. Others seem to have come straight out of the TV show
MacGyver. The ColPop, for instance, is a soda cup with a bowl on top for a lid.
Pieces of crispy fried chicken sit on top, so you can sip your soda and eat your
chicken on the run. The Korean streets are a wonderland of interesting treats
and you can eat three full meals (and between-meal snacks) on the go.
The avenues of Myeongdong, besides being rammed with shoppers, are
awash with fabulous street carts. Here, you’ll find thick ribbons of fish cake
skewered on long wooden poles and cooked in crab stock. You’ll see savory
hamburger patties wrapped around chewy white rice cakes. And you’ll cer-
tainly smell the massive dried and smoked octopus tentacles that are sliced
and grilled on heated black stones.
With so many of them fighting for the attention of passersby, street foods
in Myeongdong have to make a statement. One of my favorite treats when I
visit is the “dokkaebi hot dog,” a hot dog on a stick that is battered, fried and
then studded with crinkled French fries. I ask one of the vendors what
dokkaebi are and she explains that they are prankster demons who carry

KOREA KOREA
MAY MAY
32 2010 2010 33
32-35 my korea 2010.4.27 9:25 AM 페이지 34 Mac-2 가상 프린터 T C M Y K
spiked clubs — not unlike the hot dog I am eating — which they bang on the
ground to bring forth magical feasts or golden coins.
I take my demon club hot dog and continue down the road to find my next
treat. These days, seemingly everything is available from street food vendors.
As with the city’s restaurants, street foods are increasingly picking up foreign
influences, with Myeongdong itself home to vendors selling kebabs, thirty-
centimeter-tall ice cream cones, hamburgers and much else besides.
After I finally finish my hot dog, though, I know just what I want next:
ppopgi. Served on a popsicle stick, ppopgi is a lollipop that smells just like
créme brulee. You’ll see old women squat on the ground as they heat up sugar
in a small metal pot until it melts to a rich, caramel brown. Add a pinch of
baking soda and the candy bubbles up and thickens. They’ll then put this
KOREA
MAY
34 2010
PROFILE
Daniel Gray, a Korean-
American, is the creator of
the popular restaurant
review blog www.
seouleats.com. When he
is not writing about food,
eating food, or taking pic-
tures of food, he sleeps.
He works at O’ngo Food
Communications where he
writes books on Korean
food and develops culinary
tourism programs and
cooking classes for travel-
ers to Korea.
sticky mixture on a board, flatten it, and stencil a shape such as a cloud, a star,
or maybe a bird. Now, ppopgi isn’t just a food; it’s a game, too. If you can eat
around the stenciled shape without breaking it, then the vendor will reward
you with another ppopgi. I don’t succeed, but one was enough.
Later, as dinnertime approaches, I know I’m going to need something more
substantial. Luckily, at just this moment, I draw near a street cart selling spicy
rice cakes and fried snacks. Sauteed along with fish cakes in a spicy and sweet
red chili paste sauce, these rice cakes are typically served along with your
choice of battered, fried treats including sweet potato slices, dumplings, egg,
noodle rolls and vegetable fritters. It’s all about the sauce with this streetside
delicacy, so what I like to do is order a selection and have the vendor mix it up
in the sauce. Yummy, very filling and cheap: only 3,000 won(US$2.73).
In the evenings, tented food bars will open right on the edges of Seoul’s
streets. One of the best places to experience this is over by Jongno 3-ga near
the middle of town. Here, on most nights, the main drag will be lit up by a
procession of orange tents and yellow lights.
There is something peculiarly enticing about sitting in these tents at night
with friends. The conversations are more down to earth and personal. The
foods you order there are made to accompany alcohol — typically soju,
Korea’s best-known fire water, but sometimes milky rice wine (makgeolli) or
beer. Soju is served in small glasses and throughout the evening everyone will
propose continuous toasts and, more often than not, down the drink in one.
It could be a toast of congratulations but often it is simply a toast of together-
ness, of friendship. Koreans drink to build relationships and a sense of com-
fort — you’ll never see a Korean drink alone.
As I look around the tent, I can see people of all backgrounds united under
one plastic roof. Next to me sits a group of elegantly dressed women in busi-
ness attire, bottles of beer spread around their table. They are wearing clear
plastic gloves and eating chili sauce-coated chicken’s feet (supposedly full of
gelatin, which is good for your skin). Adjacent to them is a middle-aged cou-
ple in casual attire sitting across from a Korean man wearing a beret and,
though night has fallen, sunglasses. A movie star, perhaps?
They have plates of rolled egg omelette dishes specked with small pieces of
carrot and green onion with a drizzling of ketchup on top. The soju has
already begun flowing, and three green bottles sit atop their small red plastic
tabletop like emeralds on a royal carpet. Then, on the corner of the bench
where my friend and I are eating, two older men, looking like they’ve just fin-
ished construction work, pull up a seat. Loud and boisterous, they seem on
the verge of fighting each other, before their booming laughs clear the air.
They sit and recount stories to one another as they take turns pouring white
rice wine into little tin cups.
Inside this roadside tent, in the middle of the night, I feel like I am seeing
the real Korea. When people ask me to tell them stories of life here, I will
invariably talk about the street foods and the atmosphere in these tented
restaurants. Just like the city that they and I call home, street foods here are
fast, piquant and always on the go. by Daniel Gray | photograph by Kim Nam-heon |
illustrations by Jo Seung-yeon
KOREA
MAY
2010 35
36-39 summit diplomacy 2010.4.27 9:27 AM 페이지 1 Mac-2 가상 프린터 T C M Y K

SUMMIT DIPLOMACY

NUCLEAR SECURITY SUMMIT AGREES On April 13 in Washington DC, the

first Nuclear Security Summit wrapped
up its two-day session with leaders
TO SECURE NUCLEAR MATERIAL agreeing to implement new systems to
prevent terrorists getting hold of
nuclear materials. The first summit of
KOREA TO HOLD NEXT SUMMIT IN 2012 its kind to deal with nuclear security
issues, the conference was called in
response to the perceived growing
The first Nuclear Security Summit concluded last month after two threat of nuclear terrorism since the
days of meetings. With the aim of preventing nuclear terrorism and September 11 attacks in 2001.
The leaders in attendance endorsed
preparing safety measures for existing nuclear material, heads of a joint communiqué and a plan of
state from around the world gathered in Washington DC as U.S. action, with the goal of securing loose
President Barack Obama, the summit’s host, attempted to forge nuclear material around the world with-
in four years. The communiqué called
common ground for dealing with nuclear weapons on a global level. nuclear terrorism “one of the most
South Korea, meanwhile, was selected as the host of the next challenging threats to international
Nuclear Security Summit in 2012. by Kwon Kyeong-hui security” and reaffirmed the fundamen-
tal responsibility of each state to pre-
vent “non-state actors,” such as terror-
ist groups, from obtaining nuclear
materials.
In another positive development, 47 countries’ heads gathered at a round table for est amount of plutonium — about the
the first Nuclear Security Summit in Washington
the United States and Russia reached size of an apple — could kill and injure
DC (opposite). Korean President Lee Myung-bak
an agreement to dispose of 34 metric arrives in Washington DC with his presidential hundreds of thousands of innocent peo-
tons of plutonium, enough to build plane in April (above). ple. Terrorist networks such as al-Qaida
17,000 nuclear weapons. Hailing it as have tried to acquire the material for a
“an essential step in the nuclear dis- nuclear weapon, and if they ever suc-
armament process,” the U.S. State three international agencies — the ceeded, they would surely use it.”
Department said the deal was signed United Nations, the International Through a mixture of plenary ses-
“to prevent the plutonium from ever Atomic Energy Agency and the sions, with all leaders participating,
being reused for weapons or any other European Union — together in a single and individual summit meetings,
military purpose.” forum. Leaders from the five recognized President Obama managed to secure
At the summit, the U.S. also adopt- nuclear power states — the U.S., all the agreements he’d been looking
ed a firm stance on North Korea. Britain, China, France and Russia — for. In his summits with leaders of
“Sanctions are not a magic wand,” were joined by top figures from India, China, India and Pakistan, Obama
said U.S. President Barack Obama, Pakistan and Israel, non-signatories of offered a variety of tradeoffs to bring
“but it is our hope that as pressure the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty them on board. As the summit drew to
builds for North Korea to improve its who are either known or believed to a close, the 47 heads of state and
economic performance, for example, to have nuclear weapons. With such a three representatives of the interna-
break out of that isolation, that we’ll large number of attendants, it was the tional bodies agreed that nuclear ter-
see a return to the six-party talks and biggest summit hosted by a U.S. presi- rorism was the biggest threat to inter-
that we will see a change in behavior.” dent since the international conference national security and that each coun-
to launch the UN was held in San try should build a security system to
ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES Francisco in 1945. control nuclear material.
Inviting 47 countries to this summit, The summit was divided into various In the months and years ahead, the
the United States looked to bring the sessions under different topics, with the effectiveness of the communiqué will
ⓒ Yonhapnews Agency

most important nuclear powers — in leaders free to discuss these issues depend entirely on the actions and
ⓒ Cheongwadae

terms of possession of nuclear materi- with each other. Addressing the assort- intentions of its signatories. But the
als, operational nuclear plants, plans ed world leaders at the Walter E real significance of this summit is that
to bring more plants online, and region- Washington Convention Center, it has formed a widely agreed basis on
al balance — plus representatives from President Obama said, “Just the small- the nature of the threat and how to

KOREA KOREA
MAY MAY
36 2010 2010 37
36-39 summit diplomacy 2010.4.27 9:27 AM 페이지 3 Mac-2 가상 프린터 T C M Y K
Korean President Lee and US President Obama deal with it. Before the summit ended,
have a discussion during the conference.
leader after leader took to the podium
to declare that his or her country
would dispose of its nuclear material
or would ship it out safely. The
Ukraine, which possesses a huge
amount of Soviet-era nuclear material,
announced that it would destroy all of
its highly-enriched uranium by the time
of the next summit in 2012.
And this was far from President
Obama’s only success. When he
asked President Hu Jintao of China for
cooperation in tackling Iran’s nuclear
ambitions, Hu, in a big departure from
regular Chinese policy, reportedly
acknowledged that placing sanctions
KOREA
MAY
38 2010
on Iran was inevitable. German
Chancellor Angela Merkel also spoke
up in favor of sanctions, further bol-
stering U.S. efforts to isolate the
Middle Eastern nation.
However, with the host country, and
many others, so eager to seal big
agreements, the summit steered clear
of several key contentious issues,
including nuclear disarmament and
nuclear non-proliferation. The New
York Times reported that President
Obama, in his summits with Indian
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza
Gillani, asked neither man about his
plans for manufacturing new nuclear
weapons. Administration officials said
raising the issue would be “too politi-
cally divisive,” but for many observers,
encouraged by the sheer scope of the
meeting, President Obama’s reticence
on this issue represented the biggest
single failing of the summit.
KOREA’S TIME Of particular interest
to the southern part of the Korean
peninsula was the news that Korea
would be the venue for the next
Nuclear Security Summit. In his open-
ing address, President Obama
announced that President Lee Myung-
bak “has agreed to host the next
Nuclear Security Summit in Korea.”
President Lee said “I assure you I will
do my best to make this summit a
success,” and added “I hope to see
all of you in Korea.”
The unanimous decision means that
in two years, Korea will be at the cen-
ter of world efforts to curb nuclear pro-
liferation. Quite how this news will
play in North Korea, whose own
nuclear arsenal is one of the biggest
challenges to global nonproliferation
efforts today, remains to be seen.
Participating leaders welcomed
South Korea’s hosting of the next
summit. They showed a great deal of
ⓒ Cheongwadae
interest in the country’s planned oper-
ation of a nuclear security training
center as well as its stated intention
of sharing its know-how in IT-based
management of nuclear materials. In
a special press conference after the
decision was announced, President
Lee said, “The international communi-
ty should strive toward the fundamen-
tal goal of making this world without
nuclear weapons,” he continued. “But
perhaps what’s more important for
South Korea is to achieve a nuclear-
free peninsula.”
Though denuclearization of the
Korean peninsula remains a top priori-
ty for President Lee’s administration,
the North has traditionally refused to
negotiate with Seoul on the matter,
insisting it must be settled directly
with the United States. But with
Seoul’s new pre-eminence in the issue
of global nuclear security, that may
become a harder position for the
North to maintain.
In a press conference, President
Lee referred to the North as he gave
his feelings about the purpose of the
summit. “North Korea and Iran have
been identified as countries that seek
or hold nuclear weapons without join-
ing the Nuclear Non-proliferation
Treaty,” he said. “This meeting will
form a big part of efforts to persuade
them to abandon these weapons.”
President Lee also announced the
South’s hosting of the 2011 Global
Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism.
Proposed by the United States and
and Russia during the G8 Summit in
2006, this working-level conference is
designed to help prevent the trading
of illegal nuclear materials and to
allow participants to exchange infor-
mation on countermeasures to
nuclear terrorism. Seventy-seven
nations have now signed up.
As the host of the 2012 Nuclear
Security Summit, Korea is expected to
enjoy a big boost in its international
standing and in its exports of safe
nuclear power plant technology. There
were three major factors behind the
decision to bring the summit to Korea:
first, its solid track record in nuclear
power development; second, the
recent rejuvenation of the US-ROK
President Lee visited the Korean War Veterans
Memorial during the Nuclear Security Summit, in
Washington DC, with US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton.
alliance; and third, it sends a strong
message to North Korea regarding its
own nuclear ambitions.
As the fifth largest producer of
nuclear power, Korea was hailed at
the summit for its world-class opera-
tion of nuclear power facilities, and
also for its unwavering commitment to
nonproliferation. The first speaker at
the inaugural summit, President Lee
stressed how far South Korea’s
nuclear power had come, and added
that the country planned to add anoth-
er 19 nuclear plants by 2030, bringing
the total in Korea to 39.
President Lee also pointed out that
South Korea has made great strides
in nuclear security. He cited the 2006
founding of the Korea Institute of
Nuclear Non-proliferation and Control,
an independent body overseeing pro-
tection of nuclear material, and the
setting up of an IT-based comprehen-
sive control system to track down and
monitor atomic materials. Regarding
North Korea, President Lee said that
the South Korean government has pre-
pared a grand bargain approach to
address North Korea’s motives for
possessing nuclear weapons, and is
working to cooperate it with the other
members of the six-party talks.
Improvements in U.S.-Korea ties
since Lee came to power in 2008
were also instrumental in bringing the
next summit to Seoul. In a summit
between the two countries last June,
the United States endorsed “the Joint
Vision for the Alliance of South Korea
and the U.S.,” and has since recog-
nized South Korea as a global partner.
A high-ranking source in Washington
said, “The Obama administration sees
South Korea as a country that shares
the U.S. vision of a nuclear-free world
and one that will responsibly try to
bring this goal about.”
In 2012, presidential elections will
take place in Korea and the United
States, with changes in the Chinese
leadership also scheduled. Along with
the 2012 nuclear security summit in
Korea, it promises to be a very inter-
esting year.
KOREA
MAY
2010 39
40-43 global korea 2010.4.27 9:29 AM 페이지 1 Mac-2 가상 프린터 T C M Y K
GLOBAL KOREA
Of the government and civil assis-
tance programs that have taken place
around the world, Korea’s Saemaul
Movement is a fine example of sup-
porting people to help themselves.
Implemented in the 1970s, Saemaul,
or “New Village,” was a rural develop-
ment program that made help condi-
tional on villagers taking the initiative.
Now considered a key part in Korea’s
economic rise, it now informs the
country’s overseas relief activities.
Since the Saemaul Movement was
aimed at rural Korean areas in the
1970s, it is often well-suited to condi-
tions in agricultural communities else-
where. In recent years, many local
development programs in Africa have
switched to the Saemaul method,
which Hwang Chang-young, the head
of international affairs at the Korea
Saemaul Undong Center, insists “is
not just a relief program.”
“It’s not simply about providing pes-
ticides or seeds,” Hwang says. “The
townspeople hold meetings and draft
action plans for regional development
and then we support their implementa-
tion. We pursue the localization of the
Saemaul Movement.”
Last March, the Korea Saemaul
Undong Center invited 25 representa-
tives from Uganda, Tanzania,
ⓒ Korea Saemaul Undong Center (above, bottom left); Ministry for Food, Agriculture,
KOREA HELPS DEVELOP
‘NEW VILLAGES’ IN AFRICA
A well-known Talmud saying has it that rather than just giving a hungry
man fish, you should teach him how to catch them. And in Africa, where 33
of the world’s 49 least developed nations are located, that kind of help is Forestry and Fisheries (bottom right)
desperately needed. Under the Seoul Declaration, agreed upon at the 2009
Korea-Africa Forum, Korea promised to double its official development
assistance to Africa by 2012. One year on, and that pledge is edging closer to
being realized. by Oh Kyong-yon
KOREA
MAY
40 2010
Cameroon, the Philippines and three
other Asian countries to offer insights
into the Saemaul Movement. The dele-
gates were told about Korean agricul-
tural communities, the country’s agri-
cultural policy and specific cases of
how Saemaul had worked. They also
visited farming villages and agricultur-
al schools, picking up some practical
tips while they were there.
“The Saemaul training program
could be enormously helpful for the
development of poor countries,” said
Rubwiriza David from Uganda. “I
hope Korea’s training continues and
that they add a Korean language pro-
gram, too.”
SAEMAUL MOVEMENT: MADE IN
AFRICA Osmundi Zakaria Ndunguru, a
village head in Tanzania, called the
Saemaul Movement “a theory to help
overcome poverty,” and added, “I will
disseminate the message movement
across my country so everyone can
draw on it to try and escape poverty.”
Congolese farmers, who are members of the
Saemaul Movement Center, cultivate a corn farm
(opposite). Ugandan fishers look on at a fish farm
that is participating in a Saemaul-related project
(below left). Korea’s MIFAFF visited three countries
on the African continent to support regional agricul-
tural development in March and April (below right).
KOREA
MAY
2010 41
40-43 global korea 2010.4.27 9:29 AM 페이지 3
At present, there are 25 nations
where the center is offering support to
Saemaul programs, with another 51
expressing interest. In the past three
to four months, the vice foreign minis-
ter of Côte d’Ivoire, the chief presiden-
tial adviser from Burundi, and Ghana’s
minister of agriculture have visited the
Saemaul center, with all showing con-
siderable enthusiasm for the training
program.
Of the countries to have adopted it
so far, Congo is considered to have
KOREA
MAY
42 2010
Mac-2 가상 프린터 T C M Y K
had the most success with Saemaul.
Set up in 2004, Congo’s Saemaul ini-
tiative has successfully run programs
such as the New Village Project, the
Rich Village Project, Build Your Own
Farm, Build Your Own Home, and the
Goat and Pig Bank. Today, 1,075
members across 18 villages are tak-
ing part in Saemaul-related projects in
Congo, and the Korean government
now hopes to make the country the
center of Saemaul activities for the
whole of Africa.
“The Saemaul Movement is also a
spiritual one that instills confidence in
people,” said N’Kumu Frey Lungula,
chairman of the Congo Saemaul
Movement Center. A student in Korea
Korea International Cooperation Agency (far right)
ⓒ Korea Saemaul Undong Center (below, right);
in 2003, Lungula is credited with intro-
ducing the movement to his country.
COMMITTED TO AID Since the
OECD’s foundation in 1961, Korea is
the first country to develop from a
recipient nation into a donor, and is
now a member of the exclusive donors
Saemaul Movement members hold a briefing ses-
sion with locals in Tanzania, to explain the concept
and meaning of the Saemaul Undong (opposite). A
farmer participating in the project shows off his pro-
duce in Congo (above left). KOICA now actively runs
projects to help build farms and develop villages in
Zanzibar, Tanzania (above right).
club called the Development
Assistance Committee. Today, in addi-
tion to the Saemaul Movement, the
government is continuing to provide
aid through other channels, such as
international organizations.
One such organization, the Korea
International Cooperation Agency
(KOICA), has been running projects to
increase productivity in farming and
fishing villages, as well as to improve
their market access and living condi-
tions. KOICA plans to concentrate on
sustainable programs led by African
countries themselves, such as the
Comprehensive African Agricultural
Development Program. In the most
impoverished countries, KOICA helps
build basic living infrastructures, while
more developed nations get help in
agricultural and marine production,
processing and distribution. This year,
the agency plans to build shrimp
farms in Algeria, help agricultural and
marine product processing in Nigeria,
and develop regional farming in
Ethiopia. Overall, KOICA will assist in
29 projects over 16 countries, with
more than US$33 million earmarked
for the effort.
Korea’s Ministry for Food,
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
(MIFAFF) is also taking steps to help
Africa. During March and April, the
Agriculture, Marine and Food
Cooperation Agency visited three very
different countries in the continent. In
the Congo, the agency selected model
villages for agricultural development.
In Ghana, it agreed to pursue coopera-
tive projects in food, livestock and
fishing. While in Tunisia, the agency
signed a memorandum of understand-
ing over forestry cooperation in a bid
to help strengthen the two countries’
agricultural and marine cooperation.
With projects such as these, Korea is
sharing its own valuable experiences,
and making good on its 2009
promise.
KOREA
MAY
2010 43
44-48 now in korea 2010.4.27 9:31 AM 페이지 44 Mac-2 가상 프린터 T C M Y K

NOW IN KOREA

With spring comes the warm sunshine that

illuminates the waters of the Han River, the
body of water that bisects Seoul. Every
spring, city residents stream out to enjoy a
whole range of sports and leisure activities by
the Han. Flowers are in full bloom by the
riverside, as people take full advantage of an
area that is fast becoming the center of sports
and relaxation.
Today, the Han is not just a barrier separating
the north and south, but one of the major
spots for outdoor fun in the capital. With
Seoul having come so far so quickly, the Han
is a reminder to its people that the city, and
life here, are now meant to be enjoyed and
reveled in. by Seo Dong-cheol | photographs by Kim Nam-heon

A man practices his take-off for a day of paragliding on the grasses of the Han River Park.
44-48 now in korea 2010.4.27 9:31 AM 페이지 46 Mac-2 가상 프린터 T C M Y K

One fine spring day, I visited Yeouido’s recently completed Han

River Park. Cyclers in figure-hugging gear, swarms of inline
skaters and joggers running with friends greeted me upon my
arrival. From the soccer field nearby I could hear players shout-
ing. Tandem cyclists, with the rear rider looking suspiciously
relaxed, then caught my eye, as did water skiers and wind-
surfers splitting the waters of the Han in two.
Choi Jin-gyu, who works in the sales department for LG Life
Sciences, was busy cheering for his company’s soccer team. “We
have goodwill matches with a soccer club from another LG affili-
ate once every two weeks,” Choi explained. “Sometimes we rent
a nearby elementary school playground, but we started coming to
the Han River a lot more after they built a few soccer fields here,
where we can also get nice views and a lot of fresh air.”
I later met Oh Jong-ryeol, an assistant manager of People
Who Commute by Bicycle (Korea’s largest cycling club with
more than 330,000 members), who has been cycling for over a
decade. “A few of us are planning to cycle back and forth
between Yeouido’s Han River Park and Gangseo Wetland
Ecological Park, which borders Gimpo to the west of Seoul,” he
explained. “It’s safe and comfortable to travel this route
thanks to the new bicycle lanes along the Han River. In recent
years, cycling has become a lot more exciting because these
bicycle-friendly facilities are being improved in Seoul.”
The reason the Han is attracting ever more fun-seekers lies
in the large-scale refurbishment and expansion of related infra-
structure taking place here. The total length of bicycle lanes
along the Han in Seoul is over 41 kilometers on the south side
of the river, and roughly 30 kilometers on the north side. When beach volleyball. Seo Eun-gyeong, who recently moved from
you factor in the bicycle lanes along branches of the Han, the Incheon to Seoul because of her job, said excitedly, “I didn’t
total stretches into the hundreds of kilometers. Rather than know you could do so much at the Han. I definitely want to
just pave lots of lanes on the riverbank, the city chose to learn how to windsurf on the Han this summer.”
reclaim fields of reeds and wetlands, allowing people to enjoy
activities like cycling or inline skating even more. BEYOND THE HAN Even away from the central stretch of the
Kim Wu-seok, a student who works part-time at a bicycle water, there is still plenty to do. Besides Jungrangcheon, which
rental shop in Mapo-gu, said, “There are separate bicycle passes through the northeastern part of Seoul, branches of the
parks at the Han River parks in Nanji and Gwangnaru that have Han River such as Tancheon, Anyangcheon, Bulgwangcheon
racing lanes, a rail biking area, a park featuring interesting and and Hongjecheon all have jogging lanes and bicycle lanes that
unusual bikes, mountain bike paths, and extreme cycling are teeming with people throughout the week.
areas. The Han River has become a real paradise for cyclists.” “I mostly go to mountains to mountain bike,” said Heo
People can do more than just cycle along the Han River, Geum-dong, a member of the cycling club Suwon MTB. “But
though. There is a campsite at Nanji’s Han River Park with sometimes I use the path from the Han River to Anyangcheon
room for almost 200 tents, in an area surrounded by the Han’s in the west. There is no better place than this to enjoy long-dis-
beautiful natural scenery. Han River parks in Gwangnaru, tance racing with such convenience.” On weekends, mountains
Jamsil, Yeouido, Ttukseom and Mangwon have swimming in Seoul such as Bukhansan, Dobongsan, Gwanaksan,
pools open in the summer, while the parks in Ttukseom, Inwangsan and Cheonggyesan are crowded with people in col-
Jamwon, and Mangwon have facilities for windsurfing and orful hiking attire. At 836.5 meters above sea level,
waterskiing. Some visitors are now even paragliding or playing Bukhansan Mountain forms part of a national park whose

A Seoulite practices some biking tricks (top). A group of friends enjoy a game of vol- The river serves as an arena for windsurfers and experts alike (top). A man watches
leyball near Han riverside (above). as his kite catches wind at one of the Han’s parks. (above).
KOREA KOREA
MAY MAY
46 2010 2010 47
44-48 now in korea 2010.4.27 9:37 AM 페이지 48 Mac-2 가상 프린터 T C M Y K

arresting beauty makes it a major draw for locals. On a clear

day, you can see downtown Seoul and the city’s suburbs, nearby
Dobongsan, Namsan, Gwanaksan and Bukaksan mountains —
even the Yellow Sea. It’s fair to say that Bukhansan is a real hol-
iday destination in the heart of the city.
Over the past decade or so, sport climbing has also become
increasingly popular in Seoul. As well as Ttukseom Han River
Park, which has an artificial climbing wall, Danggogae,
Eungbongsan and Boramae Park have outdoor climbing walls
that meet the highest international standards. “Around the city
center, there are over ten indoor climbing walls that people can
use after work,” said Yun Gyeong-im from the Son Jeong-jun
Climbing Center. “There are currently around 3,000 to 4,000
people who are into sport climbing in Seoul alone, as the num-
ber of people who are interested in the activity has increased
steadily since the late 1980s.”
The Han’s transformation is ongoing. The river’s parks in
Banpo, Ttukseom, and Nanji were completed last year as first-
ⓒ Yonhapnews Agency

phase projects, with others to be built in Jamsil, Ichon and

Yanghwa belonging to the second phase of The Han River
Renaissance Project, which is scheduled for completion in
March 2013. According to officials, plans are in place to build
more facilities for swimming, beach volleyball, fishing, cycling
and inline skating. While new facilities are springing up all over
the place, the Han’s more traditional charms and pastimes are
being preserved, too. So whatever their pleasure, visitors to
Seoul are sure to find something to enjoy along the stretch of
the diverse river.

Sport climbing is one of the rising popular outdoor activities in Korea, as many artifi-
cial climbing walls have been built throughout the capital (top). A man rides a
recumbent bicycle on a path near the Han River Park (above left). Families can take
KOREA
MAY
a leisurely ride on pedal-cars (above right).
48 2010
무제-1 1 2010.4.27 10:6:56 AM
무제-2 1 2010.4.27 11:36:40 AM
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