KOREA Magazine (SEPTEMBER 2011 VOL. 7 NO. 9)

People & Culture
SEPTEMBER 2011
GWANGJU
DIVE INTO DESIGN
FUSION GUGAK
TRADITIONAL MUSIC MAKEOVER
ISSN: 2005-2162
K-CLASSICS
THE NEW AGE OF ARTISTS
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korean heritage
Talchum One of Koreas Important Intangible Cultural Properties, the Talchum mask dance is not only a performance, but demonstrates philosophical and dramatic tales of humans, animals and the supernatural. The Andong International Mask Dance Festival is an opportunity to experience the various Korean traditional dances and even interact with the performers. The festival, which runs from Sept 30 to Oct 9, will be held at both Maskdance Park and Hahoe Folk Village in Andong, Gyeongsangbukdo Province.
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Contents
september 2011 VOL.7 NO.09
02
COVER STORY
Korean artists lead the way for music, ballet.
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PEN & BRUSH
Novelist Jung Yi-hyun mixes realism and daring.
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PEOPLE
Designer Sohn Hye-won finds beauty in history.
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GREAT KOREAN
Sohn Kee-chung was Koreas 1st gold medalist.
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SEOUL
Travel the world from right within Seoul.
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FLAVOR
Enjoy songpyeon rice cakes for chuseok.
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TRAVEL
Discover Gwangju, the city of art and design.
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PUBLISHER Seo Kang-soo, Korean Culture and Information Service EDITING HEM KOREA Co., Ltd E-MAIL webmaster@korea.net PRINTING Samsung Moonhwa Printing Co. All right 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. 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. 11-1110073-000016-06
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NOW IN KOREA
Gugak, traditional music, sees a renaissance.
32
ENTERTAINMENT
Latin American fans show off their K-pop skills.
34
SPORTS
Local footballers invade the European league.
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SPECIAL ISSUE
Uigwe, royal protocols, finally return to Korea.
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SUMMIT DIPLOMACY
Korea holds summits with India and Malaysia.
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GLOBAL KOREA
Koreas agriculture models are helping others.
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MY KOREA
A Canadian divulges the delights of delivery.
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cover story
Yonhap News Agency (opposite, above left); KNUA
Koreas young classical artists are sweeping global competitions. With the worlds leading ballet companies beckoning to dancers and major symphonies searching for the next big musician, the country is proving itself a vibrant cradle for young maestros. This new generation of artists is leading the way to success.
by Lee Se-mi | photographs by Kim Nam-heon
TAKE CLASSICS TO NEW HEIGHTS

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Cho Seong-jin, who placed third for piano in the Tchaikovsky Competition, performs at the international contest (above). Soprano Hong Hae-ran, winner of the Queen Elisabeth International Competition, listens to Queen Fabiola of Belgium (left). Opposite, from left: Seo Sun-young, Son Yeol-eum, Cho Seongjin, Park Jong-min and Lee Je-hye.
Yonhap News Agency (above); Yonhap-AP (left); Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation (opposite)
At the 14th International Tchaikovsky Competition in June, five Korean musicians took home prizes in the piano, violin and voice categories. The competition, held in Russia every four years, has been dubbed the Classical Olympics, and the young musicians shocked the world with their talent. Soprano Seo Sun-young and bass Park Jong-min won the top prizes in the female and male voice categories. Son Yeol-eum and Cho Seong-jin placed second and third, respectively, in the piano competition, while Lee Je-hye took third place for violin. Additionally, Son won several Best Performance awards for her pieces by Rodion Shchedrin, Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky. In May, soprano Hong Hae-ran also made news by becoming the first Asian winner of the voice competition at the 7th Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium, one of the worlds top three music contests besides the Tchaikovsky and International Chopin Piano Competition. Using the Brussels win as a springboard, Hong is now poised
when he was 15, receiving international recognition for his performance of the complete works of Maurice Ravel at the Lincoln Center in New York. Violinist Chung Kyung-wha, the sister of Chung Myung-whun, entered Juilliard at 12 and quickly became a star when she played a Tchaikovsky concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra. Awardwinning soprano Sumi Jo attended the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome and sang at the worlds top five opera houses as a prima donna.
MUSICAL GUIDANCE Apart from the
rare exceptions, most of Koreas top veteran musicians have received their musical training overseas from an early
so-called homegrown classical kids (as they are known colloquially) has become such a talked about phenomenon. Behind a string of successes at international competitions are the educational support system and economic growth that have, together, enabled Koreans to foster an interest in art and culture. This generation studied at national institutions whose instructors were the very same people who had once studied abroad, and benefited from Korean companies that now support the arts. In short, becoming an artist is no longer the pipe dream it once was, and the field of classic arts in Korea is rapidly evolving with the times.
to launch her career with New Yorks Metropolitan Opera House this month. Their accomplishments are extraordinary, and these young artists whose ages range from 17 to 28 are part of the rise of local classical musicians. Each of the winners was
educated in Korea, demonstrating that it is no longer necessary for Koreans to receive their musical instruction abroad if they are to be successful. These steps toward classical independence have been long coming. A number of successful veterans have been paving the way for decades, and past winners of the Tchaikovsky Competition include pianist and conductor Chung Myung-whun, baritone singer Choi Hyun-soo (also known as Hans Choi), pianist Paik Hae-sun and singer Kim Dong-seub (also known as Gerard Kim). Others have gained recognition both at home and abroad with their rigorous international touring schedules and overseas activities. Paik Kun-woo, one of Koreas leading pianists, went to the United States to study at Juilliard School
age. As late as the 1980s, it was difficult to get a strong musical education in Korea a country where Western classical music had not been introduced until the 1960s without some form of governmental support. If one wanted to become a world-famous musician, the only way to achieve that goal was through ones own network, and preferably overseas. This is why the recent success of
Cho Seong-jin, one of the Tchaikovsky Competition winners, is currently studying at Seoul Arts High School. The other four competition winners studied at the Korea National University of Arts (KNUA) and soprano Hong also graduated from KNUA. KNUA has positioned itself as a wellspring for talented musicians through an education system that focuses on practice. Since its foundation
in 1993, it has given rise to numerous winners on the world classical music stage. In addition, the Korean National Research Institute for the Gifted in Arts (KRIGA), a stepping stone for many on the way to KNUA, has helped provide an early education for gifted youth in music since 1994. Several graduates from KRIGA later went on to win international music competitions. Professors with a wealth of experience and talent have been vital in helping these young artists. Choi Hyunsoo, winner of the 1990 Tchaikovsky Competition and the first male ethnic Korean singer to win, is now a professor at KRIGA. Acclaimed pianist and conductor Kim Dae-jin, a professor at KNUA, actually taught two of this years Tchaikovsky winners and also Kim Sun-wook, the winner of the 2006 Leeds International Pianoforte Competition and the first Korean to win the event. Young musicians are no longer looking west with wistful eyes. To study overseas is not a prerequisite to success or even necessarily a stepping stone to advancing on the global stage. It really helped to study under such excellent teachers who had international experience and at schools with wellorganized programs. The only reason I was able to win had to do with the groundwork laid by my teachers, says soprano Seo. Fellow Tchaikovsky winner Son adds, An artists identity comes from a sense of originality, and Im happy I have developed my own musical skills and identity in Korea.
AGE OF ACHIEVEMENT
Over the last four decades, Korean classical musicians have been increasingly distinguishing themselves at international competitions. The following musicians have made their mark at the worlds top classical music events: the International Tchaikovsky Competition, the International Chopin Piano Competition and the Queen Elisabeth Competition.
1974
1976
Kang Dong-suk takes 3rd for violin at the Queen Elisabeth Competition.
1985
Lee Mi-kyung takes 5th for violin at the Queen Elisabeth Competition. Kim Chin takes 6th in violin.
1987
Lee Mi-joo places 6th for piano at the Queen Elisabeth Competition.
Chung Myung-whun takes 2nd place for piano at the Tchaikovsky Competition, becoming the first Korean to place at the event.
1990
1991
Paik Hae-sun takes 4th for piano at the Queen Elisabeth Competition.
1994
Paik Hae-sun comes in 3rd for piano at the Tchaikovsky Competition. Lee Kyung-sun comes in 6th for violin.
Choi Hyun-soo (Hans Choi) wins the top prize for voice at the Tchaikovsky Competition (competing for the US).
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FOUNTAIN OF RESOURCES Koreans no
longer have to give up their dream of studying music due to a lack of funds, as major corporate sponsors of the arts are stepping in to help. Four of the Tchaikovsky Competitions winners (Son, Cho, Lee and Seo) have been the beneficiaries of the Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundations sponsorship program, which has been supporting young talent for the last decade. Their initiatives include scholarships, free airline tickets, opportunities to perform and free instrument rentals. Kumho accepts new musicians into its sponsorship program twice a year, in a cutthroat competition in which over 200 aspiring musicians apply. To date, roughly 1,000 people have benefited from the program. Another noteworthy music sponsor is the Daewon Cultural Foundation, which specifically supports classically-trained musicians. Korean Leeds winner Kim received financial and administrative support from 2005 to 2008, and has since signed with Askonas Holt, an international arts management company whose client list includes the likes of Sumi Jo, Chang Han-na and Chung Myung-whun.
DARE TO DANCE Korean ballet dancers
are rapidly making their mark on the world stage as well. Ten students from the KNUA dominated the 6th International Dance Competition Sicilia Barocca 2011 held in Modica, Italy, in July, winning in the junior, student and senior categories.
Sim Hyun-hee and Yang Chae-eun shared the top spot in the senior section, while Sim took top honors in the pas de deux with Kim Hyun-woong, a former member of the Korea National Ballet and a KNUA alumnus. Jung Ga-yeon and Choi Ye-lim jointly won the first prize in the junior category. Na Dae-han finished second in the same section. In the student category, Lee Sun-woo took the top prize, with Lee Goh-eun and Lee Soo-bin tying for second place, and Jun Joon-hyuk taking third. There was a lot of interest in Korean ballet because it was the first time our country had joined the competition. We were able to show that Korean ballet is indeed of a quality high enough to win at a major international competition, says Kim Sun-hee, a dance professor at KNUA. Kim herself graduated from the
well-known Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia, which has produced other legendary dancers such as Vaslav Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova. Since the competition, there has been a lot of inquiry about the Korean artform. Across the globe, there are more than 10 Koreans who dance as prima ballerinas and soloists at some of the worlds major ballet companies. Kang Hyo-jung, a dancer with Germanys Stuttgart Ballet, was promoted to principal dancer after her debut as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, a performance in which she received 12 curtain calls. Kang joined Stuttgart after winning a prize at Switzerlands Prix de Lausanne at 16 and has danced as a soloist with the company for the past years after dancing with the corps de ballet. On American shores, ballerina Seo
Hee became the first Korean soloist at New Yorks American Ballet Theatre. She debuted as Giselle in the popular classical ballet of the same title and won the prestigious Prix de Lausanne in 2003. In Russia, Bae Joo-yoon joined the Bolshoi Ballet in 1996. Similar to classical music, however, more and more dancers are getting their start in Korea. While both Kang and Seo studied abroad before joining international ballet companies, recent star Lee Sang-eun decided to join the Universal Ballet Company (UBC), one of only four professional companies in Korea, upon graduating from Koreas Sun Hwa Arts High School. Though Lee, a past winner of the Grand Prix Award at the Seoul International Dance Competition and a silver medalist at the Shanghai International Ballet Competition, later left the UBC, it is remarkable that she began her career entirely domestically. Earlier this year in May, Lee danced one of the leading roles in La Bayadre with the Dresden Semperoper Ballet. Park Sae-eun, a student at KNUA, joined the Paris Opera Ballet in August, while classmate Choi Young-gyu joined the Dutch National Ballet in May. Park, in particular, is the first Korean ballerina to enter the ranks of the French company, following in the footsteps of former-company member ballerino Kim Yong-geol, now a professor at KNUA. While studying at KNUA, Park won the top prize at the Lausanne competition in 2007, following it up with a gold medal at Bulgarias International Ballet
Competition Varna in 2009. Furthermore, Han Sung-woo, also a KNUA alumnus, has become the first Korean ballet dancer to join Great Britains Royal Ballet after winning second prize at the 39th Prix de Lausanne, a first for a male Korean dancer. More recently, Kim Ki-min joined Russias Mariinsky Ballet, the worlds top classical ballet company, as the first male Asian dancer. Mariinsky, the Dutch National Ballet and Great Britains Royal Ballet are all stages very much sought after by dancers around the world. Its a first step for Korean ballet dancers to adorn the global stage, says KNUA dance professor Kim Sun-hee.
RISE TO SUCCESS How did Korean
Active communication with overseas ballet companies has also enabled Korean dancers to take on new and different styles from Russia, as well as the latest trends from Europe and the United States. Koreans are creating their own legends in the classical music and dance fields. Young artists on the international stage are presenting hope to future homegrown classical kids in Korea. Indeed, the country is emerging as a powerful source of classical arts with the continuing growth of education and resources. Just as with K-Pop and the Hallyu Korean wave, unwavering support and investment are needed to ensure promising young talents continued success.
ballet become so competitive? The educational groundwork was laid in the 1980s and 1990s when several ballet institutions opened in Korea, one after another. It started with the Universal Ballet Company in 1984, then the Culture School of Korea National Ballet in 1993 and lastly the Dance Division at KNUA in 1996. The level of education has been enhanced as dancers from worldclass ballet companies such as Bolshoi and Kirov have returned to Korea as professors and instructors. Experts say Korean dancers have improved greatly as their overall physical condition strengthens and the educational system here becomes better.
Yonhap News Agency
Park Sae-eun is the first Korean ballerina to join a French company (opposite). Seo Hee is one of Koreas leading dancers (left).
1995
Park Jong-hwa takes 5th for piano at the Queen Elisabeth Competition.
2002
Kim Dong-seub takes 3rd for voice at the Tchaikovsky Competition. Lim Dong-min comes in 5th for piano.
2005
2007
Lim Hyo-sun takes 5th for piano at the Queen Elisabeth Competition.
Kwun Hyuk-joo takes 6th for violin at the Queen Elisabeth Competition. Brothers Lim Dong-min and Dong-hyek tie for 3rd place at the International Chopin Piano Competition.
2008
2009
Jeon Min-je wins the composition category at the Queen Elisabeth Competition. Kim Su-yeon places 4th for violin and Yoon So-young takes 6th.
2010
Kim Tae-hyung takes 5th for piano at the Queen Elisabeth Competition and Kim Da-sol takes 6th.
Cho Eun-hwa wins the composition category at the Queen Elisabeth Competition.
2011
Soprano Hong Hae-ran becomes the first Asian to win the Queen Elisabeth International Competition for voice. Soprano Seo Sun-young and bass Park Jongmin sweep the top voice prizes at the Tchaikovsky Competition. Son Yeol-eum and Cho Seong-jin place 2nd and 3rd for piano and Lee Je-hye takes 3rd for violin.
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cover story
Han Dong-il, one of Koreas most well-known pianists, made his debut at Carnegie Hall.
The Korean arts have undergone dramatic changes in the nations tumultuous modern history. In less than a century, Korean classical artists have soared to the top of their respective fields internationally. This remarkable growth seen by todays musicians and dancers was made possible due to the hard work and sacrifice of the generations that came before.
By the early 20th century, Western classical music had only barely begun to trickle into Korea. The few that heard it were quickly taken with its unfamiliar melodies, inspiring musicians to venture into the genre. A notable Korean composer from that period is Ahn Eak-tai (1906-1965), the creator of Aegukga, now the national anthem of South Korea. The first Asian to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Ahn was also the first Korean to study conducting. He headed to the United States after learning to play the cello in Japan and, after realizing that Koreans had borrowed a foreign song as their national anthem, decided to write one himself. Aegukga would become the first piece of original Korean music written and released overseas. In 1936, Ahn moved to Europe, where he learned to conduct from some of the great maestros of his day, such as Bernhard Paumgartner and Zoltn Kodly, in Germany, Hungary and Austria. Later, he met with the worldfamous composer Richard Strauss and became his assistant conductor. By his 40s, Ahn had already conducted over 200 orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Budapest Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Yun I-sang (1917-1995), born 11 years after Ahn, was one of Europes leading musicians in his day. Today, he is seen as someone who bridged Eastern and Western music, helping open a new era in the history of world music. After studying music in Japan, Yun moved to France and Germany to learn to become a composer. Yun excelled in
Ahn Eak-tai Foundation (left above, opposite bottom); Gyeonggi Arts Center (opposite top); Yun I-sang Peace Foundation (opposite second from top); Yonhap News Agency
PIONEERING CLASSICAL ARTISTS
Composer Yun I-sang is known for integrating traditional music with classical.
Chin Un-suk, a Germanybased Korean composer, is a contemporary pioneer.
applying elements of Korean traditional music to the Western musical scale. For instance, he would use the gayageum, a 12-string zither, as vibrato, or apply the singing styles of Korean traditional minyo or pansori to the cello or violin. His works include operas like Sim Tjong (performed at the opening ceremony of the 1972 Summer Olympics) and orchestral music such as Silla. When a feeling of helplessness dominated a post-war Korea, celebratory news of 14-year-old Korean pianist Han Dong-ils debut concert at Carnegie Hall on April 28, 1956, was joyously welcomed by Koreans. In 1962, he was invited to John F Kennedys White House to play Franz Liszts Mephisto Waltzes and Debussys Reflets dans leau. Three years later, he won the 24th Leventritt Competition, making Han the first Korean to have won an international classical music competition. Along with Pinchas Zukerman and Itzhak Perlman, Chung Kyungwha (1948-present) is one of the most respected violinists in the world. Her success became an inspiration for many young Korean musicians, especially after she was awarded a full scholarship to
Juilliard with the possibility of studying under the renowned Armenian violin teacher Ivan Galamian. In 1967, she entered the prestigious Leventritt Competition along with fellow alumnus Zukerman. The two ended up tying for first place as the jury couldnt select a single winner between the two. The history of Korean ballet overseas starts with Kang Sue-jin (1967-present). A role model for many aspiring dancers, the modifier the first seems to follow Kang everywhere she goes, as she was the first Asian to win the Prix de Lausanne and the youngest dancer to join the Stuttgart Ballet. She alone put Korea on the world map of ballet. In 1993, Kang was asked to dance the lead role in Romeo and Juliet in celebration of the works 30th anniversary. In 1999, she won the Prix Benois de la Danse, the veritable Oscars of the ballet world, and in 2007 was bestowed the title Kammertanzerin (Royal Court Dancer), an honor only given to four people in the 50-year history of Stuttgart Ballet. Both were firsts for Asians.
Ahn Eak-tai is one of Koreas first conductors (opposite). Ahn conducts an orchestra (below).
Pianist Paik Kun-woo, based in Paris, is another internationallyrecognized musician.
Conductor and pianist Chung Myung-whun directs the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.
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cover story
THE STARS OF KNUA

Korea is turning heads as its most talented young artists sweep international classical music and ballet competitions. At the center of this success is Korea National University of Arts (KNUA). Arguably the most influential national arts school in Korea, KNUA was established 18 years ago as a cradle for classical education that focuses more on actual practice than mere theory.
Five young Korean artists took home prizes at the 14th International Tchaikovsky Competition in June, all of whom were educated in Korea. The most interesting aspect of their success is that they each performed Western classical music with a Korean spin. Four out of the five winners from the prestigious Russian competition were from the Korea National University of Arts (KNUA), and the 6th International Dance Competition Sicilia Barocca 2011 was similarly dominated by 10 KNUA graduates. In addition to classical music and ballet, students from this national arts school are finding success in fields spanning from theater to moviemaking and animation. Many KNUA graduates took part in the production of the movie The Chaser,
an edgy thriller that made it to the final round of the Cannes Film Festival in 2008, including cinematographer Lee Seong-jae, art director Lee Min-bok and director Na Hong-jin. Emerging director Yang Hyo-joo, another KNUA graduate, won the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival this year for her short film The Unbroken. More than anything else, the government established KNUA with the intention of focusing on training and practicing, as it was determined to have Korea play a leading role in arts and culture in the 21st century, says KNUA president Park Jong-won. As a former film director, Park is an artist himself. He is known for his works Our Twisted Hero and The Eternal Empire, and had an active career in film
until he became a professor at KNUA in 1995. His work has not changed in principle, however, as he still focuses on the beauty of humanity and believes that education lies in the challenge of uncovering peoples true talents. Although there are many great art schools in the world, from Juilliard School to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, they are all separate institutions that focus on one major field. KNUA, however, has six different subdivisions: music, dance, drama, film and multimedia, visual arts and Korean traditional arts. In 2007, KNUAs Department of Architecture acquired international certification from the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the first time this certification had been awarded
to a school in a non-English-speaking country. The Animation Department was invited to Switzerlands Fantoche Animation Film Festival in 2007, along with the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium, and Italys National School for Cinema, which has, in essence, been unofficial recognition that KNUA is one of the top four animation education centers in the world. At the same time, KNUA is vastly different from most other arts universities in Korea, as it has established a curriculum of expertise with a focus on training and practicing. The school chooses a select few new students every year, with an educational program focused on private lessons, group discussions and field training. Students also have a number of opportunities to perform their work. The admissions process is also centered on practical aspects to the arts, whereby a students current skills are balanced against their potential. A practical examination and past school transcripts are considered too. In addition, the schools tuition is relatively inexpensive and still manages to offer excellent facilities, with generous post-graduate support. For example, music students are given 92 private practice rooms and chances to perform over 140 times annually, on different stages that include an ensemble room, a percussion room, an opera recital room, a large-scale orchestra hall and KNUA Hall. Upon finishing school, KNUA graduates frequently get jobs at art organizations or launch careers as professional artists. As of 2010, 5,222 men and women had graduated from KNUA, with 2,684 of them (51%) gaining employment in the arts. KNUA tries to find gifted children as early as possible, in order to focus on
KNUA GRADUATES WHO PLACED AT INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS

74 70 74 65 38 13 18 8 30 8 38
Music Dance
20
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011 (until June)
These statistics show the number of graduates and current students from the Korea National University of Arts (KNUA) that placed at international music and dance competitions. They include combined statistics from the music and dance departments of KNUA.
nurturing creativity from as early an age as possible. In some cases, KNUAs Art Talent Center will spend up to 10 years helping one child hone their skills. From 2011, it has also become an educational center for teachers of gifted children, making full use of KNUAs accumulated expertise and know-how. KNUAs educational programs produce world-renowned artists under a vision of nurturing creative professionals. Its important for artists to express the values of society through their art, and to become a leader in the art world, one should understand the importance of peoples inherent abilities, Park says. As Koreas only national art school, and the institution most responsible for heightening the nations arts, KNUAs vision is clear and simple. As Park puts
it, KNUAs vision is to foster beautiful artists, ones who can help make others happy. Musicians who perform at the Lincoln Center or Carnegie Hall, or winners of international competitions, are all world-leading artists. At the same time, those who perform in a small town and can capture the value and beauty of life through their art are no less important.
Korea National University of Arts
Park Jong-won, president of the Korea National University of Arts, speaks with KOREA in his office (opposite). Students practice Korean traditional instruments to perform Gugak (traditional music) at KNUA (above). KNUA is the only national arts university in Korea, and has six major departments, including drama (left).
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pen & brush
The Voice of a New Generation

With an urban sensibility, Jung Yi-hyun describes the world around her in a realistic, fast-paced writing style. Currently one of Koreas most prominent writers, Jung has penned several works one of which was adapted into a popular TV drama. So whats next for the successful author, known for her open-ended conclusions? by Choi Hye-jung | photographs by Kim Nam-heon
Jung Yi-hyun, a rising young writer in the world of Korean contemporary fiction, becomes genuinely excited when speaking about her latest work. The 39-year-old author is making her first major foray into the international literary scene with a joint work with Swiss author Alain de Botton (Essays in Love). When Munhakdongne Publishing first offered me this project with Alain, Jung says, I couldnt help but wonder if it would even be possible. I ended up saying I would love to be on board, as long as he was interested. Turns out, de Botton had read two of Jungs translated shorts and quickly agreed. Both of us are writing one novel each on a general theme, which is love and marriage. Although were using the same keywords and outline, the views we express will be different, as one will focus on an Asian woman in Seoul and the other a Western man in London, Jung explains about the work, which is scheduled to be published next year. Right now were at the stage where were sharing opinions on our first drafts. Although Japanese and Korean writers have collaborated in the past, this is the first time a Korean and European writer will be co-authoring a novel. Jungs earlier works, My Sweet Seoul (2006) and You Dont Know (2009), were published after she had written them serially for a newspaper and online. As her first traditional novel, the joint work carries even more significance for the young author.
For me, this is the first time Ive written a novel that was not done serially, she says. With my last work, You Dont Know, I wrote around 2,000 Korean letters a day. In truth, writing serially for a paper or for the Internet is just too demanding. If you make one wrong turn in your story, youre stuck with it and cant change anything Alternatively, writing a novel and only publishing it once Im satisfied with the final product, I can go back and start again or change parts at any point.
IN PURSUIT OF DESIRE Jung didnt always want to write. The
author majored in politics and diplomacy at university, before becoming disenchanted with the gap between the theory she was learning and the political environment she lived in. I saw a big difference between reality and ideals. At the time, there was a lot of confusion and instability running through Korean society, she says. The young woman began to drift from her major and finally decided to switch to creative writing in her late 20s. The more she wrote, the more she found she had a knack for fiction. Her career got off the ground when she submitted three short stories to the journal Literature & Society in 2002, which earned her the prestigious New Talents Award. The three stories were Rose of Sharon, Innocence and the winning piece Romantic Love and Society each of which was included in her first collection of shorts. In Rose of Sharon, Jung describes
Moonji Publishing
Jung Yi-hyun
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the love and jealousy that arises between two lesbians, a subject matter that was rare in Korean literature at the time. With Innocence, she told a story about the death of three husbands through one womans voice, and in Romantic Love and Society, Jung weaved the tale of a female university student who considers giving up her chaste life as a means to climb the social ladder. Each story displays a daring and provocative sense of writing, something unique to fiction writers just starting out. Literary critic Lee Gwang-ho once commented, Jung Yi-hyun discovers the potential for a new female writing style through an audacious and rebellious imagination; an ability in linguistic composition to subvert male hypocrisy and their extreme rigidity. Jungs fiction, which often features bad or disreputable women as its main characters, is bold in its unabashed depiction of desire as being something carefree and lighthearted, though with timely insights that are anything but oversimplified. Her main characters are femme fatales who stay true to their own desires and the pursuit of them.
GROWING WITH THE TIMES With the
publication of My Sweet Seoul, You Dont Know and Todays Lie (2007), Jung became the voice of the younger generation. When she won the 5th Lee Hyo-seok Literary Award in 2004 with the short story Another Persons Loneliness, and the 51st Hyundae Munhak Literary Prize in 2006 with Sampoong Department Store, she managed to acquire popular and critical success nearly simultaneously, a result of Jungs keen insight into the changing times. Many people define my work with comments like a sharp yet cheerful writing style and cynical though sensitive expressions, and this is probably because my
characters reflect their thoughts, attitudes and lifestyles within an urban setting, Jung says. Though its impossible to evaluate her style objectively, she feels that its important that a writer constantly evolves rather than stick to a known formula. This is why she loves her recent works the most, as they are proof of her evolution. In the blurb on the back cover of Todays Lie, notable female Korean novelist Park Wan-suh writes, To date, Jung Yi-hyun has come across as being a writer that is wicked for wickeds sake...With this work, however, she has displayed a more warm-hearted, profound point of view, something different from her past work, and has given me hope that her future fiction is virtually boundless. Todays Lie is comprised of stories about men and women living in the 1990s, and focuses on how each grows as an individual against their will, in the context of the times they live in. You Dont Know, a profound work of introspection about family, has a similar theme of progress and change. Told in the style of a mystery novel, the story begins with a murder and centralizes on the deteriorating relationships between six family members. As the title seems to suggest, the fragmentary family relations in the novel serve as a mirror to look into the reality of our own lives. Its a work of fiction that captures the distorted aspects of human life in contemporary times.
THROUGH HER EYES Jungs reality isnt always such a cynical,
REPRESENTATIVE WORK
MY SWEET SEOUL
The main character in My Sweet Seoul (2006) is Oh Eun-su, a single woman in her 30s who has been working at the same company for seven years. Written in an engaging style, the story details the lives of young people today, many of whom suffer from a general malaise because of a lack of options and motivation. The novel starts with an interesting question: What would you do on an exs wedding day? Although Eun-su is single, most of those around her feel shes old enough to be married. Instead of being mature, however, she stubbornly maintains that she is a grown child who avoids heavy words like responsibility and obligation; a voluntary minor. Three men then come into Eun-sus life, all around the same time: Tae-oh, an aspiring movie director who is years younger than Eun-su; Yu-jun, a friend and lecturer at a private educational institute; and Young-su, who appears to be a great marriage prospect and someone whom she was introduced to by her boss. The novel uncovers what happens in the course of these three mens relationships with Eun-su. A strong voice and a fast-paced sense of action are the main strengths of this novel, which people have a hard time putting down once theyve started reading. Towards the conclusion, Jung writes, Im 32. I have nothing, achieved nothing. Theres no one who loves me to death and no one whom I love to death. Is this melancholic freedom or free melancholy? Can I start life over again from nothing? Young readers were quick to identify with the protagonists philosophical dilemma and the book became a bestseller, often making news even while being released as a serial in the Chosun Ilbo newspaper. The popular novel was adapted into a TV mini-series drama in 2008 and a musical in 2009. It has since been translated to Chinese.
dark world. At the end of You Dont Know, the author writes: I suddenly felt that Id never really know them. Silently, I put one foot in front of the other toward that place. The ending ultimately provides the reader with a ray of hope. I was cynical for a long time, but I changed after getting married, Jung admits. Even when Im hard at work, writing in my study, I have to think of what Ill make for dinner, not to mention thinking of my husband and child. If I once approached everything in an objective, analytical way, today Im inclined to first feel a sense of empathy. For example, when I used to hear that a child had been killed in an accident, I would wonder what led to the accident and how Id approach it if I were using it as the basis of a story. Now I hear the same news and wish I hadnt heard about it at all. While people tell me Ive become a more compassionate person, I worry about that as a writer because a writer needs to keep a sharp handle on reality and in my case cold, analytic insight has been replaced by empathy. Jung says she draws inspiration for her fiction from casual banter at bars, stories that she hears in the course of her day and intriguing news articles. She is careful to never neglect the
daily events and incidents in life, because she uses these often overlooked moments as the basis for her work. So what makes her want to continue writing? I always think about this question, but its hard to answer. I just want to show what reality means to me and how people live in this place, through my own filter. Thats the kind of fiction I think about. Of course, whats important is not simply writing, but making my writing elicit sympathy from readers. However intriguing a story may be, if the story makes a reader think, Who am I and what am I doing with my life? then its a success, Jung says. Sometimes people ask me, Why does your fiction have no conclusion? Well, the thing is, theres no fixed ending in peoples lives. A woman might say that shell break up with her boyfriend if hes unfaithful to her, but when it actually happens she ends up still wanting to believe in him. Thats life. I think the same idea can be applied to literature. I like to write fiction that allows readers to participate and draw their own conclusions.
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Tucked away in central Seoul, Sohn Hye-wons office is found in what appears to be a cozy house, rather than an office building. A brown and whitespotted Brittany is the first to run out at the sound of the doorbell. Sohn, the creative director of branding company Crosspoint, and her staff raise a dog and cat there. Weve had them since we moved into this building in 2001. They keep us company, especially when we have to work late nights. To designers, nature is the greatest teacher, Sohn says. Sohn is famous for her Midas touch she repackages a brand, and it becomes instant gold. Familiar brand names in Korea like Hillstate (apartment complex), Cheoeum Cheoreom (distilled liquor) and Raison (cigarettes) are all part of her oeuvre. After majoring in the applied arts at Hongik University, Sohn started working at Crosspoint in the late 80s. Many, including herself, soon realized her knack for marketing, and she ended up buying the company in 1990. She has been running Crosspoint ever since, and is currently an associate professor of industrial art at her alma mater and a member of the Presidential Council on Nation Branding. After working in corporate branding for many years, the chic marketing expert fell in love with the unexpected five years ago: Korean traditional crafts. Enchanted by their classic charm, she directed several projects featuring the art, like the exhibit at Avenuel last summer, which showcased hundreds of works by 98 artisans. An international design convention at the COEX last winter introduced six Korean traditional crafts: hanok, housing; hanbok, clothing; Hanji, paper made of mulberry; Hangeul, the Korean alphabet; hansik, food; and Gugak, traditional music. Sohn also began collecting traditional crafts that had been acquired by Japan during the colonial period (1910-1945). About 300 small tables, closets, drawers and ornaments are safeguarded in a warehouse near her office. It started out as a hobby. I thought it would be nice to make a contribution to the country and future generations by buying the items and later donating them to the National Museum of Korea. But before I knew it, I became obsessed. My collection now ranges from items from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) to Japans colonial period, Sohn says. She is especially interested in najeonchilgi, or lacquerware inlaid with mother-of-pearl, of which she has several pieces. The craft is a several thousands-of-years-old technique that is Japanese colonial period, the Japanese loved the craft so much that many made it a habit to buy a new piece every time they went to Jongno-gu in central Seoul, where najeonchilgi shops were found in every other building. Even today, cheap najeonchilgi card holders are popular among foreign tourists visiting the Insadong neighborhood. The only problem is that the people have forgotten its beauty and value. Using her talents to persuade people of its aesthetics, Sohn decided to revitalize and promote najeonchilgi overseas. Her first goal is to exhibit the craftwork at the International Furniture Salon in Milan. The key to do that, she emphasizes, is to modernize the craft, not imitate the past. The handicraft has evolved over the years. It adapted a Peruvian mosaic technique during the Goryeo Dynasty, and the 10 traditional symbols of longevity appeared on them in the middle of the Joseon Dynasty (13921910). But we have done nothing to improve it in recent years. What we need to do is modernize najeonchilgi so that it can be remembered as a 21st-century version of the handicraft, says Sohn. Sohn has been contacting najeonchilgi artisans throughout the nation to teach them recent design trends. She even sent five Important Intangible Cultural Property-titled artisans to the Milan show in April. It wont be easy, but Sohn believes they will be able to exhibit their najeonchilgi at the Milan show as early as next year. She will also open a highend, modernized Korean traditional crafts boutique in Seoul this month. In about three to five years, Ill hand down the company to my staff and fully devote myself to the globalization of Korean traditional craft. My dream is to see it blossom in the world of the 21st century, says Sohn.
Modernizing Traditional
Sohn Hye-won
Sohn Hye-won is a master of coming up with iconic product names and promoting brand identities. The marketing expert fell in love with Korean traditional crafts and has since made it her lifetime goal to introduce them to the world. by Park Min-young | photographs by Park Jeong-roh
Crafts
among the most intricate in the world, Sohn explains. Najeonchilgi is made with seashells found in the southern sea near Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, where warm and cold currents meet. The colors are profound and mysterious, and coupled with Korean artisans dexterous skills, it would be hard not to be beautiful, Sohn says. Najeonchilgi has mesmerized the world since its peak in the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392). During the
Sohn Hye-won, director of the branding company Crosspoint, is famous for her design knack and ability to modernize Korean traditions (opposite). Sohns warehouse is a haven for Korean crafts, such as najeonchilgi (top to bottom).
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great korean
Sohn Kee-chung
While it may not seem odd that an ancient Greek bronze helmet from the 6th century BC is housed in the National Museum of Korea, what is unique is that it is recognized as Treasure No 904. The helmet was presented to marathoner Sohn Kee-chung as an award when he won the gold medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics. by Seo Dong-chul
The Bittersweet Victory of
Marathoner Sohn Kee-chung was the first Korean to win an Olympic track event, and running had been a part of his life since childhood. Born in Sinuiju, now in North Korea, in 1912, Sohn helped his family make ends meet by doing odd jobs around town, including deliveries that had the boy running all day long. By the time he was 16, Sohn found a job in Dandong, China, and he ran 8 kilometers to and from work every day as he didnt have money for transportation. Though he ran out of necessity rather than by choice, Sohns affinity for long distance running was apparent from an early age. When he was just 12 years old, he won the An-Ui Track Competition, a 5,000m event that stretched from Sinuiju to Antung. Later, he chose to attend Seouls Yangjeong High School, which was famous for its track team. From 1933 to 1936, Sohn won 10 of the 13 marathons he ran in Korea and Japan, qualifying for the Olympic team. Excited as he was to be competing in the international event, his heart was heavy. Sohn was to compete not for Korea, but as a marathoner for Japan, which had colonized the country in 1910. On Aug 9, 1936, Sohn surprised the world with his win in the marathon event. The little-known athlete from East Asia pummeled his competition with a time of 2 hours 29 minutes and 19 seconds, breaking the Olympic record. His win was bittersweet, however, as the Japanese flag was raised upon his
victory and it was the Japanese national anthem that rang through the stadium. Though the gold medal hung from his neck and a laurel wreath decorated his crown, Sohns face was dark. A photo of the awards ceremony depicts Sohn with his head bowed. In a legendary incident, the Choson JungAng Ilbo and Dong-a Ilbo newspapers printed photographs of Sohn on the medals podium with the Japanese flag blotted out from his uniform. In retaliation, the colonial government shut down the Choson JungAng, and publication of the Dong-a was suspended for nine months. By the time Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, Sohn had become a running coach, training Korean marathoners for international competitions. He coached Suh Yunbok and Nam Sung-yong for the 1947 Boston Marathon, with Suh winning the race. From that point on, Sohn was a constant source of support for Korean marathoners. He held a number of positions through the years, including chairman of the Korea Association of Athletics
Sohn Kee-chung Memorial Foundation; National Museum of Korea (right bottom)
Federations and a member of the Korean Olympic Committee. He is also said to have had a key role in winning Seoul the right to host the 1988 Summer Olympics, and was given the honor of being the final runner to carry the Olympic torch. Although the gold medal won by Sohn in Berlin is still recorded as a Japanese victory, his dream of seeing a Korean track athlete draped in a Korean flag finally came true in Barcelona in 1992 a full 56 years after Berlin. Hwang Young-cho, the marathon gold medalist, stood in front of the elderly Sohn before placing the gold medal around his role models neck. Thus, the Greek bronze helmet on display at the National Museum of Korea carries a place in local history. A reminder of the nations turbulent past, the helmet is a symbol of hope and pride. Sohn, who died in 2002, said upon donating the helmet to the museum, This helmet does not belong to me, but to our nation.
Sohn Kee-chung runs the marathon at the 1936 Summer Olympics (opposite). Sohn tries to hide the Japanese flag on his chest at the awards ceremony (top left). Sohn runs in a marathon (top center). Sohn, second from left, is presented with an honorary Greek helmet (top right). Treasure No 904 (left).
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Cultural Clusters
Koreas immigrant and expat population continues to grow, and with the rise of diversity, multicultural neighborhoods offer a peek into other worlds and cuisines. by Ines Min | photographs by Choi Ji-young
Korea is now home to more than 1 million expatriates, more than a quarter of which live in the capital. Over the past several decades, the increasing expat population has led to several immigrantconcentrated neighborhoods, where outside cultures have come to meld with Koreas. These uniquely hybrid areas allow locals a rare opportunity to step into a different though perhaps not quite traditional world.
THE FRENCH QUARTER The area of
Customers leave a Paris Croissant bakery in the French neighborhood of Seorae Maeul (left). Residents take a stroll down the main street of Seorae Maeul on a warm day (opposite top). The local French school attracts expats to the neighborhood (opposite bottom).
Hongik Univ Station
Hongbok
Daehwa Mart
Seorae Maeul (maeul means village in Korean) in southern Seoul is a dynamic, ever-changing neighborhood known for its concentration of French residents. Gone are the multi-lane thoroughfares and rushed pace of inner-city Seoul, and in its place is a two-way street with groups of twos and threes strolling leisurely to restaurants and cafs. Home to roughly 420 French nationals, the area of Seorae Maeul was first developed in 1985 with the relocation of the Lyce Franais de Soul to the neighborhood. The school became the center point of the expat population, many of whom came to Seoul in the 1990s as major French corporations entered the Korean market. Though the area today encompasses more of a European feel than a uniquely French one, the neighborhood still offers snippets of authenticity tucked into corners and alleyways. Htel Douce, an intimate bakery affiliated with a nearby pastry school, provides French desserts
Express Bus Terminal Station
Paris Croissant
Wine Nara
Htel Douce
Ten to Ten
Lyce Franais de Soul
Dong-a Ilbo (opposite top)
Jin Bo has fresh seafood cuisine on its menu and a variety of private rooms are available for a more intimate family setting (right above). A variety of imported alcohol and preserves can be purchased at Jin Bo, a popular restaurant in the Yeonhui and Yeonnam-dong neighborhoods (right).
and breads. One of their best sellers is the cannels bordelais, a traditional pastry originating from Bordeaux. The palmJin Bo sized delight features a crisp, Yi Hwa Won caramelized shell that gives way to a custard-like inside. Founder Jeong Hongyeon is a premiere Hae Ji Yeon patisserie, and his shop showcases everything from perfect macaroons to delicate chocolates and caramel clairs. Of course, the French are not only known for their sweets. There are several wine shops, with imports from Europe and North America, which can help quench ones thirst. Wine Nara has been a mainstay in the neighborhood since 2003 and offers a cool basement space for connoisseurs and explorers. The busy shop sells 40 to 50 bottles a day, with prices ranging from a reasonable 19,000 won (US$17.60) for a basic red to the finest French vintage at 1.8 million won (US$1,668) a bottle. Other culinary hints of truly French authenticity can be found in the secretive, basement restaurant of La Saveur, or even the local branch of the chain bakery Paris Croissant which employs a French patisserie and imports flour from France.
CHINATOWN Seoul might be the only
major metropolitan area in the world to lack a distinguished Chinatown. Putting this fact aside, however, the area surrounding the Yeonhui and Yeonnamdong neighborhoods in western Seoul serves as a de facto Little China.
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Though Chinese have lived in Korea for generations, large groups began to move to the area in the 1960s, following the establishment of the Overseas Chinese High School in Yeonhui-dong. The most notable aspect of the unofficial Chinatown, which centers on a long side street, is the prominence of Chinese restaurants, each specializing in distinct dishes. Yi Hwa Won offers a quiet atmosphere coupled with filling course meals, while other eateries prepare Uygur-inspired lamb skewers. At Jin Bo, a two-story restaurant
JAPANTOWN The Japanese
neighborhood of Seoul is located in Dongbu Ichon-dong, and is better known as Little Tokyo. The tree-lined main street lies opposite a public school, and the influence of the neighborhoods
refreshing bowl of soba, and Mori Sushi, pulling in customers with its fresh catch. Gookhwa is an izakaya comprised of a semi-open kitchen and grill that welcomes you as soon as you walk in. Customers sit at a low bar counter, where they can check out the days offerings of large whelk and sailfin sandfish straight from the southern coast. Skewers of ginkgo nuts, garlic, Pacific saury and mushrooms line the grill and a full, seasonal menu of Japanese dishes can be enjoyed. An assortment of high-end sakes and Asahi on draft are available.
Cafe Moss offers a variety of flavorful mochi ice cream, small rice cakes filled with ice cream, fruit fillings or frozen yogurt (left above). Fresh fish is grilled in the semi-open kitchen of Gookhwa (far left). A chef at Gookhwa tends to his skewers, which burst with seafood, garlic, nuts and meats (left).
Secrets of Songpyeon
Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving Day, is Koreas biggest holiday of the year. Family members gather at their homes to celebrate the years bountiful harvest and also take time to pay their respects to ancestors. It is this latter tradition that calls for songpyeon, or steamed, half moon-shaped rice cakes. Though generally known as tteok, which are offered to the ghosts of ancestors in order to appease the spirits, this particular variety of rice cake is offered during chuseoks ancestral rites of charye. Though tteok is consumed year-round, songpyeon is associated with the harvest holiday as it was originally made with the first rice crops. Today, they can be bought at any time of year, in a variety of colors and flavors. Songpyeon are small, walnut-sized cakes that can contain a variety of fillings, such as mixtures of chestnuts, jujubes, red bean, sesame or honey. The song in its name, which means pine tree, reveals the traditional process of making the treat. Rice flour, salt and boiling water are combined to make the shell, with a dab of sweetened filling placed inside the hollow center. The cakes are then individually shaped by hand and steamed over a bed of pine needles. According to local folklore, people who create beautifullyshaped songpyeon will be blessed with beautiful daughters. The pine needles in the final step of steaming help keep the cakes from sticking together and adds a subtle fragrance that truly distinguishes songpyeon. Recently, studies have shown that pine needles have health benefits, as the trees produce large amounts of phytoncide which kills germs and viruses in the air. A range of other ingredients can be added to the recipe, from ssuk (mugwort) to aromatic flowers. Different combinations of herbs and fruits are what create the varieties of songpyeon from HOT SPOTS dark green to light pink and a whole palette of unique Franchised and independent flavors. Songpyeon recipes tteok shops can be find typically vary from region to throughout Seoul. In particular, Insa-dong is famous for its region, as families integrate variety of quirky homemade the most abundant crops into shops and hidden alleys lined the cake. with outdoor displays of tteok.
Every chuseok, families indulge in a bit of folklore via the age-old tradition of songpyeon. These colorful, fragrant halfmoons contain history, culture and legend. by Ines Min
opened more than a decade ago, fresh seafood stews and chicken and hot pepper stir-fry are popular. The menu is a fusion of Chinese and Taiwanese foods. Our restaurant is popular among Taiwanese and Chinese diplomats, but also Koreans as well, says manager Cheng Gye-hye, a fifth generation Taiwanese expatriate. Our interior design makes people feel as if theyre in an actual restaurant in China, and our food caters well to their tastes. For the more adventurous, you can try your own hand at cooking a Chinese meal with the ingredients available at Daehwa Mart a small grocery store that specializes in imported goods. Though it is difficult to find singularly authentic Chinese, Cantonese, Taiwanese or Uygur cuisine in Seouls Chinatown, it is the propagation of a new, adapted culture that makes this area worth a visit.
some 1,000 Japanese residents can best be experienced by the multitude of cuisine to be had. In the 1990s, the neighborhood began to attract families of Japanese immigrants with its low-cost, well-kept housing. As the years went on, a closeknit community grew and today the quiet neighborhood is dominated by tall, majestic trees and the call of the cicada. Mono Mart, a 10-year-old haven for Japanese cooks and candy-lovers, is a tiny enclave filled to the brim with brightly-wrapped sweets such as corn flavored taffy and a range of Japanese sauces, frozen fish and snacks. Next door is Sanuki, a noodle house that offers a
Cafe Moss Azabu Ryu
Ichon Station
Japanese influences can be seen throughout the neighborhood, from the presence of mochi ice cream (a rice cake filled with frozen cream) to the ubiquity of shops that either carry Japanese food or specialize in the cuisine. Though France, China and Japan may be miles away, one can indulge in the tastes of these major world destinations from right within the heart of Seoul.
Korea Tourism Organization
Gookhwa Mori Sushi
Sanuki Mono Mart
Handmade songpyeon is made for the chuseok holiday.
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A view of the rock pillars on Mt Mudeungsan
GWANGJU
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Topic Images
The 4th Gwangju Design Biennale opens this month in the southern city. From Sept 2 to Oct 23, Gwangju will be filled with the excited buzz of artists and designers, converging on the heart of Koreas art history. by Chung Dong-muk | photographs by Kim Hong-jin
Mount Mudeungsan stands guard over Gwangju Metropolitan City. The surrounding area comprises a provincial park, connecting Gwangju to its neighboring counties. A landmark of the city, Mt Mudeungsan is known for its gradual slope, which makes it an easy climb to the famous trio of peaks: Cheonwangbong, Jiwangbong and Inwangbong. From the top, massive columns of rock formations can be seen 40m-long ridges of 10m- to 18m-high
pillars that rise toward the blue sky above. The people of Gwangju are said to be as great as their guardian mountain. Full of vigor, passion and a love of nature, the citizens here have an eye for beauty. Having established the now internationally-recognized Gwangju Biennale in 1995, a major art event held every two years, the city continues on its path of art evolution with its fourth Gwangju Design Biennale.
DESIGN IS NOT DESIGN This years
edition of the still relatively-young design biennale is spearheaded by the motto dogadobisangdo, which translates to design is design is not design. The existentially-themed event presents the changing concepts, practices and potential of contemporary design, and provides a new platform for the significance of Asia in the art world. Inspired by the opening lines of Laozis Tao Te Ching The way that is the way
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TRAVEL INFORMATION
HOW TO GET THERE
Ghana sculptor Eric Adjetey Anang will build a traditional, Ghanaian-style coffin with Korean influences for the 2011 Gwangju Design Biennale (left).
Airplane Flights depart from Seoul Gimpo Intl Airport to Gwangju Airport seven times a day. It takes 55 minutes. For more Gwangju information, call +82 62 940 0214 or visit http:// gwangju.airport. co.kr. Travelers can get to downtown Gwangju by shuttle bus (No 1000) from the Gwangju Airport. For more information about the shuttle, call +82 62 364 4221. Shuttle buses also run from Incheon Intl Airport to Gwangju at intervals of 30 to 60 minutes from 6:50am to 10:40pm every day. It takes about four hours. Call +82 62 360 8114. Train High-speed KTX trains run from Yongsan Station in Seoul to Songjeong Station in Gwangju nine times a day on weekdays. It takes about 2 hours and 50 minutes. Call +82 1544 7788 for more information or visit http://info. korail.com/2007/eng/eng_index.jsp. Bus Express buses run from Central City Express Bus Terminal in Seoul to Express Bus Terminal in Gwangju at intervals of 30 minutes. It takes about 3 hours and 30 minutes. For more information, call Express Bus Terminal in Gwangju (+82 62 360 8114) or visit www.kobus.co.kr.
is not always the way the biennale seeks to re-examine and redefine the fundamentals of design today. These days, design rules. Most local governments in Korea are desperately trying to build design-based cities, says famed architect Seung H-Sang, art codirector of the fourth Gwangju Design Biennale alongside Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. But I have a different view as an architect. Giving something a name with the word design in it, doesnt mean that it really is design. Painting surfaces and installing objects do not necessarily result in a design-based city or products with good design. A total of 129 artists and 74 companies from 44 countries will exhibit 132 works in the 2011 Gwangju Design Biennale. The biennale is divided into six main categories, then subdivided again to focus on the different areas of life in which design is key, such as environment and home. Though design was once seen as secondary to function, it has grown to prominence as a conceptual balance of aesthetics,
price levels. With this progress, the idea of what design is changes entirely.
CITY OF ART This years biennale
A view of Gwangju city (top left). Locals walk by an advertisement announcing the 2011 Gwangju Design Biennale (top). Tteok-galbi is a popular local dish (above).
technology and economy. The changing of the times also brought an accessibility to good design that didnt exist before. Instead of being a luxury that only those with time and money could afford, good design is increasingly available to all people, at all
centralizes on two words: name and place. Working with the idea that everything around us is design, it can be said that named design are objects like cars, while unnamed designs are those that are not recognized, but which in fact have an impact on our every lives. Similarly, placed and unplaced design is executed not only within the walls of the biennale venue, but throughout the city as a whole. Gwangju Folly, one of the biennale categories, has famous artists create installations at public facilities in rundown areas and call attention to the aesthetics of overlooked neighborhoods. This section of the biennale hopes to rejuvenate the city with a design makeover, creating decorative structures as part of a long-term, 10-year project with the help of international architects. Juan Herreros has taken on the Jangdong Rotary to redesign, and
Gwangju Design Biennale (opposite above left); Korea Tourism Organization (opposite below left)
Peter Eisenman is in charge of the Chungjangno Police Station. Others will transform university entrances and more. When it comes to design, many people will think about industrial design. But the Gwangju Design Biennale is different; this event focuses on delivering cultural and social messages, says Cho In-ho, head of the Policy Research Team at the Gwangju Biennale Foundation.
LAND OF FOOD Gwangju is not only
known for its strong art culture, but also for its range of cuisine. Located at the heart of Jeollanam-do Province, the region is at the center of the South and Yellow Seas, and has fertile earth from the Yeongsangang River and the streams that flow down Mudeungsan, Woraksan and Jirisan Mountains. Local cuisine is rich in fish, wild herbs and fragrant rice. There are four representative dishes of Gwangju: Songjeong tteok-galbi (a tender steak made of ribs), Mudeungsan boribap (broiled barley with assorted vegetables), oritang (duck soup) and
Gwangju kimchi (fermented cabbage). The best place to find tteok-galbi is at Songjeong-dongs Tteok-galbi Street, located across from the KTX Songjeong Station. The neighborhood is home to a traditional market and beef is one of the major items of trade. It was Choi Cheo-ja who first made tteok-galbi in the 1950s, tenderizing minced meat patties made from ribs. The melt-in-your-mouth tteok-galbi was perfect for those in weakened health, and the dish soon took off in the area. Today, the area has 15 tteokgalbi restaurants and among them Sea Songjeong Tteok-galbi (+82 62 941 3353) and Songwon Tteok-galbi (+82 62 944 0366) are the most popular. Mudeungsan Boribap Street can be found along the trail that leads to Mt Mudeungsan. The dish is a healthy way to energize the body before a hike, as its main ingredients are barley, a variety of fresh vegetables, gochujang red pepper paste and sesame oil. Check out Shieoganeun Boribap (+82 62 222 0208) and Haenim (+82 62 224 2260).
WHERE TO STAY
Gwangju has plenty of hotel and motel accommodations as the city hosts a variety of international events, like the Gwangju Biennale. Check out the five-star Ramada Plaza Gwangju Hotel (+82 62 717 7000) or the four-star hotels Prado Tourists Hotel (+82 62 654 9999) and Shinyang Park Hotel (+82 62 228 8000). Many motels and inns are located in the Sangmu District.
Gwangju Museum of Art
A Gwangju Design Biennale banner
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now in korea
Its 6pm and the husky yellow of dusk fills a room behind the stage at the Grand Ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Five women busily prepare for their big show, faces flushed with excitement after a seamless rehearsal practice. This is Queen, a popular fusion Gugak (Korean traditional music) group, and theyre about to hit the stage. To fully embody their music, the members of Queen are outfitted in coordinated, stylish dresses, decorated with traditional hanbok (Korean dress) flair. In the place of the longhemmed traditional wear, mini-skirts of organza and stilettos mark their image. Four of the five carry Korean traditional instruments - a gayageum (12-stringed zither), haegeum (a fiddlelike instrument), sogeum (a small bamboo flute) and an electric violin - while the fifth is vocalist. Queen performs the Korean folk song Doraji to an upbeat tempo but mixes in contemporary Western hits, from Dancing Queen to Hey Jude. Playing fusion Gugak is so interesting, because the addition of movement and dance to the performance helps create a dynamic ambiance, says gayageum player Kim Hyun-ah, who majored in the instrument at university.
THE REBIRTH OF GUGAK What do Sarah
To most young Koreans, Gugak, or traditional music, isnt regarded as particularly ear-catching. However, a fusion Gugak renaissance is growing.
by Lim Ji-young | photographs by Kim Nam-heon
Brightman, Lim Hyung-joo, Sumi Jo and Yang Bang-ean have in common? Except the fact that they are all gifted musicians, the answer is fusion. Brightman gripped the world with the popera hit Time to Say Goodbye and Lim is Koreas popera star. Jo broadened her musical domain from classical to include pop, and Yang created new genres by combining international
Fusion Gugak group Noreum Machi performs a lively concert.
Noreum Machi
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folk instruments from Korea, China, Japan and Mongolia. It is this fusion that helped inspire Gugaks own renaissance. The traditional music dates back to the Three Kindoms Period (57BC to AD668), moving from court entertainment to culture for commoners. Traditional forms of Gugak survive today, along with some 60 traditional instruments, but have long been thought to be inaccessible to most modern audiences. Attempts to modernize the music were made, and pop-influenced Gugak first emerged in the early 1980s with easy-listening melodies and lyrics. Although fusion Gugak would not become successful for decades, those first versions planted the roots for it to become a national phenomenon. Artists modify Gugak to create playful variations of such well-known melodies like Pachelbels Canon and even beats for b-boying. Fusion Gugak first made waves through the media, as TV shows and movies began to include the new genre as background music in production. Before long, the impressive, yet familiar, sound of fusion Gugak became a hit, and today, there are even management companies for bands that specialize in the genre.
Fusion Korea, which was established by a geomungo (sixstringed zither) player, is one such representative company and manages several groups, including Queen. We are flooded with inquiries for concerts, and we choose which one of our Gugak teams would best fit the characteristics and scale of each request, says representative Kim Chan-gil. Kim says he wants to combine dynamic Western music with Korean traditional music in order to create a new style of musical performance.
LAYMEN TO LOVERS The rise of fusion Gugak has been
HAEGEUM A string instrument that resembles a fiddle. A thin neck, hollow soundbox and silk strings are strung with a bow.
spurred by a number of events and festivals, and reaching a diverse audience has been key. I never thought Id enjoy Gugak. I didnt even like learning about it in school. But now, I think that Gugak is pretty fun and exciting, says Choi Sung-hee, an elementary school student who was visiting Marronnier Park with her parents to see a Gugak medley performance. The concert, held in the art district of Daehangno, was part of the first annual Marronnier Summer Festival, a two-week event that includes a host of shows.
SOGEUM A small bamboo flute that is held like its Western counterpart.
JANGGU An hourglassshaped drum that is beat with a stick.
GAYAGEUM A zither that can have anywhere from 12 to 25 strings. An electric version has also been made.
GUGAK VENUES Gugak performances can be seen in venues across Korea. The Seoul Namsan Gugakdang, a traditional theater at the Namsangol Hanok Village, organizes concerts throughout the year. To visit, take Subway Line 4 to Chungmuro Station and exit No 3. Visit http:// sngad.sejongpac.or.kr. Another venue is the National Gugak Center in southern Seoul. Take Subway Line 3 to Nambu Bus Terminal Station and exit No 5. Visit www. gugak.go.kr.
Queen takes a moment before a performance at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel (right). The five-member group Queen plays a set (below).
Most of the audience members were young, with several even swinging their hips to the rhythm of the Gugak. This is my first fusion Gugak concert. I know next to nothing about Korean traditional music, but even for a novice like me this show has been pretty interesting, says 22-year-old Kim Hyun-soo. While traditional forms of Gugak appeal to a largely older audience, the quick pace and modern reworkings of fusion Gugak have been luring youthful listeners. We wanted to attract and bring in more young people to the Daehangno area with the festival, and we figured that there would be nothing better than multi-disciplinary performances like fusion Gugak, says Kim Gap-su, popular actor and director of the festival. The event was held in order to establish the area as a youthful, cultural oasis, and the inclusion of Gugak was indicative of the genres return to being hip.
Fusion Korea (opposite bottom); Yonhap News Agency
KOREA AND THE WORLD Fusion Gugaks reach has now
extended to overseas audiences with the help of homegrown bands and the government. The Seoul Metropolitan Government launched a campaign to promote fusion Gugak through an official European tour that will see one of Koreas top bands participate in festivals in France, the Netherlands, Germany and Croatia. Noreum Machi, which combines a number of Korean music traditions into an ensemble group, has played in a variety of domestic and international venues.
A number of bands are making their names known overseas. Gong Myoung, a four-man group, has played a variety of international festivals, from South by Southwest in the US to the Frde Folk Music Festival in Norway. The band places an emphasis on percussion and rhythm, with complex arrangements of the daegeum (a large bamboo flute), the sogeum, piri (a double-reed instrument) and a janggu (an hourglass shaped drum). Yeoul, an all-female gayageum quartet, became a hit after their debut in 2003 with their catchy music. The group only plays gayageum, as they feel other instruments overwhelm its sound, and even invented an electric version in 2005. Other groups have been on the rise, combining jazz with Gugak or covering OSTs. The spectrum of Gugak groups is wide. From coffeeshops to temples and parks, a fusion Gugak concert is sure to always be just around the corner.
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entertainment
first K-pop competition to be held on an international scale in the country, with a total of 92 teams from 10 countries across Latin America performing songs by groups or singers from SHINee to Girls Generation. This years event, however, has doubled in size, highlighting just how quickly K-pop is growing. According to the Korean Cultural Center, a total of 171 teams from 14 countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela applied to compete this year in two categories: song and dance. The center said they hope the event will help Hallyu spread in Argentina, since it has already gained prominence in other countries such as Mexico, Chile and Peru. Of the competing 171 teams, 15 finalists were selected for the final on Sept 11 at the Sala Pablo Picasso del Paseo La Plaza. Each group submitted an application on the contest website in May, and auditioned either in person or via video. A jury selected the finalists from the preliminary rounds of auditions. This year, the final 15 hail from Chile, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Mexico, with nine groups competing in the singing category and six in dance. Last years winner, 17-year-old Victoria Lopez from Buenos Aires, Argentina, won for her rendition of SHINees Hyeya. On her trip, she was able to visit top Korean entertainment agency SM Entertainment, see stars perform on the variety show Music Bank and explore tourist sites such as Insa-dong. She told local Korean media that she hopes to one day become an international singer, just like her favorite idols. Its a dream for me to be like Korean artists, she said in an interview. While K-pop may be taking baby steps in Argentina, the teen says that the success of groups like TVXQ, SHINee and Girls Generation has been huge in a country where its still difficult to even purchase their merchandise. The exponential growth of fanbase has led to an increase in Korean media attention as well. Korean broadcaster SBS announced in July that it will hold auditions in Argentina for its next season of the popular show K-Pop Star, providing an opportunity for avid fans to fulfill their dreams a la American Idol format. So why exactly did K-pop become so popular in South America, a continent thousands of miles from Korea? Fans say the craze started when Asian culture was first introduced to the region through Japanese anime and comic books. From there, a natural progression of curiosity led to fans becoming interested in Japanese dramas and music, which then led to Korean dramas. Soompi.com, a major Korean music fan site, said that Hallyu gained followers quickly in part because the imported dramas were nothing like their Latin American soap opera counterparts. This new form of entertainment piqued interest and fans began to research the artists whose music they heard on the dramas. Also, several countries in the region, including Brazil and Chile, have large ethnic Korean populations, which further helped introduce Korean culture. Since it was difficult to gain access to K-pop, many fans started by watching music videos on the Internet. According to statistics gathered by YouTube and the Korean Network Studies, Super Junior, 2NE1 and Big Bang have some of the most watched videos on the Internet. A large portion of these viewers comes from countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. 2NE1s video for I Am the Best reached 5 million views online just a week after its release, with a vast majority of its audience from Brazil. Gradually, fans began asking local radio and music shows to play their favorite groups and songs. In Mexico, TV Aztecas program Venga la alegra does weekly spotlights on Korean groups during their 90 Segundos segment, which is 90 seconds of short clips introducing a group, singer or song. Similar programs in Colombia and Panama have followed suit, with Panamas radio program Banzai devoting an entire hour to K-pop, J-pop and J-rock.
Hallyu is no stranger to Asia and Europe. But a unique contest in Argentina has set out to promote K-pop in South America, fueling the wildfire of its popularity. by Emma Kalka
Dreams in Latin America
K-POP
A group performs at the 2011 K-Pop Latin America Competition prelims (opposite). A contest participant sings for her audition (above left). 2010 winner Victoria Lopez, right, stands with her award (above right).
Korean Cultural Center of Latin America
Its no secret that K-pop has spread like wildfire throughout Asia, moving into neighboring Europe and even gaining fans in North America. Now, Latin America is the latest region to be hit with Hallyu, the Korean wave, with countries from Mexico to Chile joining the trend. With the number of fans growing every day, and the demand for K-pop becoming stronger, events are popping up all over the region. One of the biggest is an annual K-Pop Latin
America Competition, held in Buenos Aires. The competition allows K-pop fans in South America to live out their dreams by either singing or dancing along to songs by their favorite Korean idols on stage. But only one winner or winning group can take home the coveted grand prize a free trip to Korea. The event is organized each year by the Korean Cultural Center of Latin America and the Korean Embassy there, along with several local media sponsors. Last years contest was the
And as K-pop grew in popularity, so did the desire for the groups to visit South America. Some call the past year the Year of Flash Mobs, as large groups of fans congregated spontaneously in several countries, hoping to attract the attention of Korean entertainment agencies. Peru and Mexico have been the sites of several of these fan flash mobs, and in response, SM Entertainment has stated it hopes to hold a concert in Latin America.
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sports
international-caliber talent. The Bolton Wanderers signed winger Lee Chungyong from FC Seoul in 2009, and the 23-year-old is emerging as one of the brightest young stars in the EPL. This season, Lee and Park will be joined in the EPL by 20-year-old striker Ji Dongwon, who signed with Sunderland after playing with Koreas Chunnam Dragons. The boy has been in fantastic form for both club and country, and he was one of South Koreas standout performers at the Asian Cup, said Sunderland manager Steve Bruce. The Premier League is very different to the Expectations for Son are sky-high, after the forward scored a remarkable 18 goals in nine preseason games. Son had three goals in 13 caps with Hamburger last season but should see a more significant role. This season I want to score 10 goals, Son told local media. In France, current national squad captain Park Chu-young saw his team, AS Monaco, relegated from Ligue 1. By August, it had become clear that he would be leaving Monaco for a top division team somewhere in Europe. Meanwhile, Nam Tae-hee will be looking to secure a spot on the starting 11 with am right now. Jung Jo-gook is another newcomer to Ligue 1, signing with Auxerre from FC Seoul back in January. The 27-year-old scored two goals in 16 appearances. Youngster Ki Sung-yueng is part of Celtic FC, which is expected to win the Scottish Premier League this season. Ki scored a goal in the teams first game of the season in July. Both coach Neil Lennon and Ki hope the highly-talented young midfielder can take a step forward this season. Ill try to score as many goals as I can this season and I am practicing
Footballers Go West
The Korean presence in European football is a relatively new phenomenon. Cha Bum-kun was the first Korean to make a mark in Europe in Germanys Bundesliga in the early 1980s, but even at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the South Korean roster was made up of a list of virtual unknowns. Only two players from that historic squad Ahn Junghwan and Seol Ki-hyeon were playing in Europe at the time. There are now at least 12 Korean players in Europes top leagues, and more are on the way. Park Ji-sung, who retired from the national squad earlier this year, remains Koreas biggest icon in world football. Park has been an integral part of one of the worlds best teams, Manchester United, and one of manager Alex Fergusons more reliable players since the team signed him in 2005. Park said he believes the Korean presence in
The Korean contingent in the top leagues of European football has seen a meteoric rise over the last decade. A crop of rising stars and emerging veterans have joined the established Korean players, raising the profile of local football. by Matt Flemming
K-League, so there is hard work ahead, but you just have to look at players like Park Ji-sung and Lee Chung-yong to see how well Korean players are adapting. In the Bundesliga, Son Heungmin, 19, and Koo Ja-cheol, 22, have been targeted for breakout seasons in 2011-2012. Koo joined VfL Wolfsburg from Jeju United back in January and was prolific at the AFC Asian Cup in January, scoring a tournament-high five goals. He was arguably the K-Leagues best player in 2010.
Hamburger forward Son Heung-min celebrates after a goal (opposite). Clockwise, from left: Ji Dong-won; Nam Tae-hee; Lee Chung-yong; Son Heung-min; and Ki Sung-yueng.
the English Premier League (EPL) will continue to grow. More Korean players will come, he told Sky Sports News. There are Korean players who have the talent to play in Europe. Hopefully they can come over to play and show how much Asian football has improved. Koreas domestic football league, the K-League, has long been among the strongest in Asia, and in recent years has been a breeding ground for
Valenciennes. Nam was the youngest Asian player to ever play in Ligue 1, when he debuted with the team in 2009 at age 18. At 20, the Busan native knows he has a lot of work ahead of him. Valenciennes is still a big team for me. In fact, I havent confirmed my starting position in the lineup. I still have a lot to learn with this club, Nam said. I want to play in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Then, I want to be starter for Valenciennes. I know I have to work harder. Im not satisfied with where I
my shooting in every training session, Ki said. Last season I got four goals. I want to score more than six this season. Ki is joined by defender Cha Du-ri on the Scottish giants roster. Cha had a long career in the Bundesliga before joining Celtic in 2010. With more Koreans plying their trade in Europe, the future of the national team is bright. Even with Park Ji-sungs retirement, there will be no lack of talent as Korea aims for a strong showing at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Yonhap-Reuters (above); Yonhap News Agency (opposite)
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special issue
Uigwe back home in years
145
protocols value, UNESCO placed Uigwe on its Memory of the World Register in 2007. The royal manuscripts are considered to be the essence of Joseons royal culture and history, portraying the dynastys Neo Confucian culture, ruling ideology and system of government. A portion of the returned volumes are on display at the National Museum of Korea until Sept 18. To celebrate the repatriation of the royal protocols, the museum is exhibiting 71 volumes of Uigwe along with other historical relics.
RETURN JOURNEY French troops took Uigwe in 1866, during their
A silk cover of a volume of Uigwe (opposite far left). Illustrations from the pages of the royal protocol (opposite left). A ceremony was held in central Seoul to celebrate the return of Uigwe (below).
Historical records looted by French troops in the late 19th century were returned earlier this year, and another homecoming of valued documents taken by Japan in the early 20th century is expected in December. by Park Min-young
National Museum of Korea (opposite); Yonhap News Agency
It took almost a century and a half for Korea to retrieve its lost ancient royal books from France 145 years to be exact. A total of 297 volumes of royal protocol, collectively known as Uigwe, from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) that were plundered by the French Navy in 1866, arrived in Seoul in four shipments between April 14 and May 27. Uigwe contain texts and hand-drawn illustrations of significant royal rites and ceremonies of the Joseon Dynasty, such as weddings, funerals, banquets and diplomatic events held by the royal family. The volumes returned from France are particularly valuable as they are editions printed exclusively for the king. Made of chochuji, a higher quality version of hanji (Korean traditional mulberry paper), the texts are protected in covers made of silk. Of the returned books, 30 are the sole copies in Korea. Throughout its 500-year history, the Joseon Dynasty published several editions of Uigwe. The copies, printed in order to conserve and protect the originals, were distributed to Buddhist temples and libraries throughout the country. Noting the royal
invasion of Ganghwado Island on the western coast of the peninsula. The invasion was in retaliation for Koreas persecution of French Catholic missionaries. The royal books had been stored at the islands Oegyujanggak, an annex of the royal library in Seoul, and what was left behind was destroyed in a fire set by the looters. In 1975, Park Byeong-seon, a Korean-born historian, discovered the royal documents at the National Library of France, which were mistakenly classified as Chinese. She reported her findings to the Korean Embassy in France, which officially requested the return of the volumes in 1992. French President Franois Mitterrand returned one of the books during his visit to Seoul in 1993, prior to Frances sale of high-speed train technology to Korea. He promised Korean President Kim Young-sam the repatriation of the remaining Uigwe collection. But it took 18 more years for Uigwe to return home. Long disputes and negotiations followed between the two countries until France finally decided to return the documents last year, on a five year-renewable loan. Authorities from both countries, however, pointed out that the loan was the best middle ground they could have found as the documents are listed as part of Frances national property. If we were to make this return a permanent one, we wouldve had to change the law [in France], and that would have been an extremely long and tedious process with very little chance of success, Jack Lang, former culture minister of France, told the Korean press in June, assuring them that the return is effectively permanent.
ANOTHER RECOVERY A total of 1,205 volumes of ancient Korean books
seized by the Japanese during their 1910-1945 colonial rule here will also be returned by Dec 10. Among them are 167 volumes of Uigwe that were once stored at the main royal library of Gyujanggak and a Buddhist temple in Gangwon-do Province, and another 81 are known originals. Japans governor-general office in Korea, supervised by then-resident-general Ito Hirobumi, took the books to Tokyo in 1922. The documents have been stored at the Imperial Household Agency in Japan ever since. The existence of the Uigwe in Japan was discovered in 2001 when Korean scholar Park Sang-kuk submitted a report to Koreas Cultural Heritage Administration. After a series of protests by Korean historians and Buddhists for the return of the documents, Japanese Prime Minister Kan Naoto pledged last August to return them to Korea.
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summit diplomacy
In July, President Lee Myung-bak continued his diplomatic outreach with global leaders in a significant summit with Indias president and a meeting with the king of Malaysia, both aimed at expanding Koreas bilateral cooperative ties with its Asian neighbors. President Pratibha Devisingh Patil of India visited Korea at the invitation of Lee from July 24 to 27. During her state visit, Lee and Patil held a summit at the Korean presidential office of the Blue House and discussed ways for the two countries to expand bilateral cooperation. The highlight of the meeting was the signing of a bilateral nuclear cooperation pact, a milestone agreement for Lees continuous efforts to export Koreas atomic power stations to the fast-growing, energyhungry economic giant of Asia. The agreement for the peaceful use of atomic energy is an important step to entering Indias energy market, as it provides the legal grounds for Korean companies participation in Indias nuclear plant construction projects.
MILESTONE NUCLEAR PACT India currently operates 20 nuclear reactors, producing 4,780 megawatts of electricity. Construction is currently underway to build six more reactors to add 4,800 megawatts supply, and the Indian government has an ambitious project to expand the nuclear power generation capacity to 63,000 megawatts by 2032. As of now, Russia, France and the United States have won contracts to build nuclear reactors in the lucrative market. Russia is currently building two and is consulting to win two more reactor bids. The site assignments were also made to France and the United States so that the two countries will build two reactors each. Following the signing of the milestone accord, Lee asked Patil for the Indian governments cooperation for Koreas participation in the countrys projects. While many countries around the world have reconsidered their nuclear power generation projects in the aftermath of the latest nuclear catastrophes at Japans power plants after the earthquake, India is
President Lee Myung-bak, second from right, stands with Malaysian King Mizan Zainal Abidin (opposite). Lee toasts with the Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil (top). Lee shakes hands with Mizan in a summit (above). A conference is held between Lee and his Indian counterpart Pratibha Devisingh Patil (left).
ASIAN ALLIANCES
Cheong Wa Dae
Asian neighbors have always been important partners of Korea. In July, President Lee Myung-bak held a meeting with the visiting president of India and signed a deal that will cement Koreas participation in Indias nuclear plant projects. He also met with the king of Malaysia and discussed ways to expand the two countries cooperation. by Ser Myo-ja
still expanding the peaceful use of atomic energy to keep up with its fast-growing economy. Since winning the US$18.6 billion bid to build four nuclear reactors in the United Arab Emirates, President Lee Myung-bak has worked tirelessly to export Koreas nuclear plant technologies. According to Park Jeong-ha, Lees official spokesman, Patil said during the summit she was very impressed by the safety of Koreas nuclear plants and the highly positive evaluation given by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Nuclear energy supplies 40% of Koreas electricity, and we have put forth steady
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President Lee Myung-bak walks with Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil at the Blue House in a summit between the two countries held on July 25 (left). Malaysian King Mizan Zainal Abidin, left, watches a 3D TV screen at Samsung Electronics, during his visit to Seoul on July 20 (below).
Manmohan Singh. Follow-up discussions took place between the two countries in July last year, and the final wordings were concluded in March this year. With the official signing of the agreement during Patils visit to Korea, the legal ground for the two countries nuclear cooperation has been completed, Park said. The civil nuclear cooperation deal is considered the first step to enter Indias atomic energy market and to receive a plant site allocation. Although it will take some time, we believe it is possible to sign a construction contract if India allocates a site for a plant to be built with Korean technology. BILATERAL COOPERATION During the summit, Lee and Patil also discussed efforts to expand the two countries cooperation, saying that diplomatic, security, economic, trade, social and cultural ties have improved significantly since they formed the Strategic Partnership in January 2010. They agreed to pay special attention to improving cooperation in politics, security and defense industry. According to the Blue House, the two leaders agreed that the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which took effect in January 2010, has tremendously contributed to expanded trade and investment exchanges as well as the exchanges between the two countries citizens. They acknowledged that the agreement should be improved to reflect the changes in the bilateral trade environment that have taken place over the past 18 months to bolster its strength. They also agreed to work more closely to ease more import restrictions. During the summit, Lee also expressed his hope for Korean companies expanded participation in other major infrastructure projects in India. He particularly sought the Indian governments support to realize POSCOs long delayed project to build a 12 million-metric-ton steel mill in the eastern
efforts to improve efficiency of reactors and develop technology to come to the current level, Lee was quoted as saying by Park. The recent IAEA safety inspection confirmed that Koreas nuclear technology is world-class, like that of the US. According to the Blue House, the state-
run Korea Electric Power Corporation signed a memo with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited in 2009 to enter the market. During his visit to India in January last year, Lee pushed forward the nuclear cooperation agreement during his summit with Indian Prime Minister
state of Orissa. The Blue House said the two presidents also agreed to conclude the ongoing negotiations on bilateral maritime and aviation cooperation and a double taxation avoidance agreement as soon as possible. They pledged to cooperate more closely for the successful 2011 Korea-India Cultural Exchange Year campaign, promising to build more cultural and information centers in each others countries. They also agreed to cooperate closely on the successful hosting of Koreas 2012 nuclear summit and other global issues such as climate change. During her four-day trip to Korea, Patil met with Park Hee-tae, the Chairman of the National Assembly, on July 26 and visited the research complex of Samsung on July 27. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, 76, is the first female politician to become Indias president and took the post in 2007. She is known for her philanthropy and successful political career, and won her first election at the age of 27 in 1962. During her visit to Korea, Patil laid flowers before a bronze bust of renowned
President Lee Myung-bak, left, gives a speech during the official Korea-Malaysia summit held at the Blue House on July 20 (above).
Indian poet Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore on July 25. The statue was erected in May in Daehangno, central Seoul, to mark the 150th birthday of the poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature as the first nonEuropean. Koreans have a high respect and love for his 1929 poem, The Lamp of the East, which described his hope for Koreas revival during the Japanese colonial period. GROWING FRIENDSHIP Lee met with Malaysian King Mizan Zainal Abidin at the Blue House on July 20 to discuss the two countries cooperation. After having successfully overcome the recent global economic crisis, Malaysia has demonstrated its competitiveness, Lee said. We hope to see continued protection for Korean residents in Malaysia and continued support for Korean companies operating in the country. According to the Blue House, Lee highly praised the two countries tireless efforts to
strengthen their cooperative partnership since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1960. He also said Mizans visit, following Malaysian Prime Minister Seri Najib Tun Razaks visit to Korea in April this year, will further develop the bilateral relations. Lee visited the country in December last year. Through frequent exchanges, the two countries leaders have pledged to expand their cooperative partnership in all aspects, particularly in trade and energy development, as well as in global agendas. Since forming diplomatic relations more than half a century ago, Korea and Malaysia continued to develop their partnership in political and economic fields. As of 2010, Koreas bilateral trade with the country recorded US$15.6 billion, the third largest among the ASEAN member nations. In 2010 alone, Korea has invested US$1.71 billion in Malaysia, while the country invested US$110 million in Korea. The Blue House said Lee stressed the importance of bolstering cooperation in the development of energy field, including nuclear energy, during his meeting with the Malaysian king. Mizan replied that he would like to see more cooperation between the two countries. The king expressed hope to see more cooperation in the renewable energy and green technology, which Korea is known for its competitiveness, a Blue House spokesman said. He also expressed hope to see further improvement in cooperation of tourism, culture and peoples exchanges. In 2010, 264,052 Koreans visited Malaysia, and 113,675 Malaysian visitors came to Korea, indicating a growing exchange of citizens. As of 2010, about 15,000 Koreans are living in Malaysia. During the meeting at the Blue House, Mizan congratulated Lee on Koreas success in winning the bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. He also attended a dinner hosted at the Blue House and visited Samsung Electronics.
Cheong Wa Dae; Yonhap News Agency
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global korea
KOREAS AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY GOES GLOBAL

Korea is earning a reputation overseas for its advanced agricultural technology, as the country is lending industry assistance to more and more developing countries. Once an aid recipient, Korea has turned into an aid donor, helping the international community solve such pressing global issues as poverty. by Seo Dong-chul
A trainee from the Ghana branch of the Korea-Africa Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative observes a flower on Jeju Island (opposite). Trainees at a horticulture institute learn to properly package fresh vegetables (left). A trainee learns to test glucose levels of fruit (below left). Participants listen to a lecture (below).
International Technical Cooperation Center
In 2000, 191 heads of state gathered at the United Nations headquarters in New York. They agreed on eight goals to reach by 2015 through international cooperation, calling them the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The first goal on the list was battling poverty and starvation, and the aim was to halve the number of those who live in absolute poverty, defined as those who subsist on less than US$1 a day. The heads of state noted that threequarters of those living in poverty live in rural areas, most of whom engage in farming. The OECD asserted that an increase in income for farming families enhanced agricultural productivity and was the key to eliminating poverty, a finding backed up by the United Kingdoms Department for International Development (DFID), which is responsible for official development assistance from the UK. Simultaneously, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest civilian charity organization, is lending its full support to help poor countries develop their agriculture, well aware that the main cause of sickness and death in the worlds poorest areas is famine. The foundation
launched the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) in connection with the Rockefeller Foundation after studying agricultural reform in a number of different countries. HISTORICAL SOLUTIONS Korea has established itself as a model for agricultural revolution. As recently as the 1950s, Korea was one of the poorest nations in the world. However, after joining the OECD, Korea officially became an aid donor in November 2009. This rapid transformation was made possible due to huge innovations in the nations agriculture.
Koreas Saemaul Undong (New Community Movement), an integrated rural community development campaign undertaken in the 1970s, was particularly helpful in this regard and is still a benchmark for many developing nations. The movement aimed to increase the income of rural communities and played an important role in shaping Korean society in the 1970s. Under a motto that stressed diligence, selfhelp and cooperation, Saemaul Undong helped lay the groundwork for food selfsufficiency through tasks that ranged from improvement of village roads to the
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construction of irrigation facilities. According to the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the amount of rice production increased from a meager 3.94 million tons in 1970 to over 5.62 million tons in 1985, then to more than 6.05 million tons in 1988. In short, it took less than 10 years for Korea to produce more rice, the staple of Koreans diet, than they consumed. GOING GLOBAL In September 2010, The 30th Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific (APRC) was held in Gyeongju. President Lee Myung-bak said at the opening ceremony, Advanced countries need to expand humanitarian support and development cooperation for developing countries. Based on Koreas experience in realizing food security, we will redouble our efforts to help developing countries with customized technologies and infrastructure
to match local conditions. The Korean government confirmed its determination to lead the global battle against poverty and famine, and the countrys experiences became a symbol of hope. Koreas overseas agricultural technology development program began in 1972. As of 2010, Korea had concluded 156 cooperation agreements with other countries or organizations, invited 3,708 people from 116 countries for training, and sent 437 agricultural experts to 72 nations. The KOPIA (Korea Project on International Agriculture), which is run by the Rural Development Administration (RDA), was launched in 2009 and helps integrate such agricultural projects in a more systematic way. RDA established KOPIA centers in six nations (Vietnam, Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Kenya, Brazil and Paraguay) in 2009, and a year later set up centers in four other nations (the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Algeria,
Cambodia and the Philippines). This year, it plans to establish five more KOPIA centers, starting with the one it opened in Ethiopia this July. Overseas agricultural development cannot happen overnight. Its necessary to build trust with other nations through a history of successful interactions, says Kim Nam-soo, director of RDAs Technology Cooperation Bureau. RDA plans to build 30 more KOPIA centers by 2013. KOPIA aims to continue agricultural cooperation with developing nations through technological support and the codevelopment of resources. The spirit of the project is based on customized support. RDA believes past support programs led by other countries were less fruitful even with their high-tech machines and proven agricultural methods, because they were not customized for local conditions. Its pointless to donate farm machinery to farmers who cant afford the gas to run it.
African trainees listen to a lecture on how to preserve agricultural genes at the RDA Genebank (left). A group of trainees visit an experimental apple farm to learn how to cultivate the plant in the future (opposite left). Trainees and instructors ripen the fruits of their hard learning and labor (opposite right).
KOPIA has kept this in mind as it has attempted to transfer technology to meet local needs. In Muguga, Kenya, for instance, farmers used to thresh grain by hitting a sheaf of rice on a hard surface. In response to this, KOPIA designed and then supplied a new threshing machine to Kenyans which could be powered by a bicycle. Furthermore, KOPIA shared other technology, such as a Korean traditional rice-planting technique using a motjul (rice planting line). These and other initiatives have led to a 20% increase in Kenyan rice production. In other areas as well, KOPIA is helping farmers support themselves and develop agricultural resources by focusing on a region or nations main crops. That has translated into tropical crops and bioenergy produce (used as an alternative energy source) in Southeast Asia; feed grains and fruits and vegetables in Central Asia; and oil plants and garden plants in Central and South America.
DIVERSE DONORS While KOPIA centers are helping increase the overall amount of production and farming household incomes, the Asian Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (AFACI) and the Korea-Africa Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (KAFACI) are programs designed to solve multilateral issues within a broader framework. AFACI was launched in November 2009 with 12 member nations, including the Philippines, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Mongolia, Thailand and Korea, which is presently the organizations secretariat. It aims to increase the average income in farming communities and address agricultural problems such as migratory insect pests and disease control. AFACI categorizes its tasks according to the scope and nature of the work that needs to be done, localizing needed support. The tasks are split up into pan-Asian regional and national categories, and offer workshops and training. Today, AFACI
is carrying out a wide range of projects, including building networks of agricultural technology and information, and bringing about organic farming technology development for sustainable agriculture. KAFACI was launched in July 2010 to reduce poverty and hunger through rural development in Africa. It has 16 members, including Ethiopia, Angola and Cameroon, with Korea serving as the groups secretariat. Africas agricultural background and history vary greatly from Koreas, which is why such close attention is being paid to the region. As one RDA expert explained, At first, each member nation proposes three technological fields they want to develop. Korea then invites experts from each of these fields to offer a 10-week training session at related research centers. Through this process, the two parties come up with a list of tasks to be accomplished and establish a direction in which to perform the projects.
International Technical Cooperation Center
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my korea
My second day in Korea, the bubbly English teacher I replaced showed me a Post-it note on the fridge I would inherit. Heres how you tell the delivery person your address in Korean, she explained cheerfully. That note spelled out my new address in Korean words with English letters: Beck sa hoe, beck sheep eel Bang-ee-dong. This was my first introduction to Koreas amazing delivery culture. Though I barely had a stitch of knowledge about the Korean nation, culture or language, I could order Korean food by phone. Once I learned the names of some dishes, of course. Delivery is baedal in Korean, and my wife says Korea has a baedal culture. The speed and convenience of delivery fits a nation that is always on the go. Drivers here share the road with legions of motorbike and moped-driving delivery men and women who dodge and dart into every obscure alleyway in Korea, bringing packages, supplies and food to anyone who needs it. Along with the bikers, delivery trucks and vans bring larger items around. The small, dark blue delivery vans have the proportions of the lunchbox I carried to school as a child, and their drivers fit them around sharp corners, into unbelievably narrow spaces. And what can be delivered? Almost anything. In the 1995 movie The Net, Sandra Bullock plays a woman who uses the Internet so much that nobody knows what she looks like. She orders everything online and has it delivered to her door, until she becomes a virtual hermit. If our worlds wired-in future really leads to home-delivery shut-ins, no nation will live better than Korea. Laundromats, clothing stores, package pickups, flower shops and baby supplies are either online or a phone call away, and delivery speeds can be astonishing. My wife once ordered an outfit from a store in the morning, and it arrived that same afternoon. We havent set foot in a pet supply store in over a year, though we own two dogs, and when I was out of country during her birthday, I had flowers delivered to my wifes workplace. Even moving houses in Korea includes door to door service. Entire moving crews will empty a house (with a lift, through the window of my apartment), load it, ship it and set everything up in the new place they only ask where each wardrobe and desk should go. My wife found a moving company with a book-shelf specialist, who packed away her considerable library and re-stocked the shelves in the new house, in exactly the same order as before, thanks to a system hed developed. Me, I can barely organize the photos on my computers hard drive! Meanwhile, my two favorite grocery stores both include free home delivery if you spend more than a certain amount.
DARING DELIVERY
In Korea, delivery service is not only ubiquitous, its a must. One Canadian expat explores the world of convenience and speed that comprises the countrys zipping motorbike culture.
This means we do not have to bring our car when we shop for food. Of course, the speedy bike-delivery workers may corner sharply on their way. Some places suggest you carry the eggs home yourself, and dont have ice cream delivered, in case theres traffic. Is even going to the grocery store too much strain? No problem; there are online shopping websites. While online clothing stores are multiplying, the most popular delivery item is probably still food. The most oftenordered cuisine includes fried chicken, pizza and Chinese food, but everything from rice dishes and soups, to cutlets, fried things and even sushi, are available. Couriers lug stainless steel boxes of Saran-wrapped dishes to the offices of dedicated workaholics logging overtime, or to the convenience store where my friends drink beers lazily on the patio together, or to the park where my wife and I let our dogs off the leash so long as I can explain the basics of where I am in Korean, the deliverymen will always find me. If Im in my apartment and the food was delivered on real, non-disposable dishes, I can leave the dirty plates outside my apartment, and the courier will come by and pick them up again later for re-use. The delivery bikers know their neighborhoods, some with side-streets intricate and treacherous as spider webs, almost with their eyes closed. Thanks to the population density in Koreas cities, running deliveries only within several city blocks remains viable for some types of delivery. Within that zone, service is amazing! During a difficult time in my life, I discovered that yangnyeom chicken (fried chicken marinated in a sweet and very spicy sauce) was one of the few comfort foods that tasted good even on my worst days. I once tried to order yangnyeom chicken at my house, but the shop I called explained apologetically that my address was outside their delivery area.
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Ten minutes later, I received a phone call from the franchise in the next zone of the same chain, which did deliver to my house. So how does one know what to order? Restaurants with delivery service advertise by distributing copies of their menus, sticking magnetic versions onto apartment doors or taping them onto staircases. This kind of marketing is one of the measures delivery services take to stay ahead in a competitive business. And competition is steep indeed. This spring, major Korean news outlets carried discussions about competitive food delivery services, first when a mega-store offered barbecue chicken as a loss leader, at less than half the price charged by neighborhood delivery franchises (which are usually independently owned). Local shops could not compete, and there was a backlash against the corporation for endangering the livelihoods and existence of purveyors of Koreas beloved chicken delivery. Not long after, several university-aged pizza delivery workers were killed in car accidents in the same month, prompting a discussion about the pressure on employees to drive dangerously, or be charged for losses caused by lateness. Because of the bad publicity, several chains dropped their 30 minute-delivery guarantees. Convenient as quick delivery is, any sensible driver in Korea, as well as any sensible pedestrian, supports lessened pressure on the reckless drivers who share the road with us. Delivery is not just limited to dense cities, nor to homes with street addresses, either, as evidenced by a friend of mine lived in the hometown of one of Koreas best dishes. Andongjjimdak, a rich and spicy chicken stew made with chewy glass noodles, in a soy-based dark and sweet sauce, and bits of vegetables. Its a heavy meal, and best eaten when you have time for a stroll afterwards, but it is also a wonder of a dish. Jjimdak is the name of the stew and Andong is a small town in the southeast where they make it so well that my friend who lived there refuses to eat it anywhere else. Even out in Andong, a small town by Korean standards, she remembers sitting by the dam outside the city, and calling jjimdak delivery. The small town chicken restaurants dispatched a bike to the spot on the riverside where she and her friends watched the sunset. The problem with Andong-jjimdak? By car, Andong is more than two hours from Seoul, so I can rarely spare an entire weekend just to settle a food craving. Yet my greatest delivery memory in nine years in Korea is the time my wife (with two days advance notice) ordered jjimdak from Andong, and they brought it all the way up, right to our front door in Seoul. We had to heat it up, but it was as good as it is in the southeast,
and despite the distance there wasnt even a big markup. I dont think Ive ever eaten a more satisfying, or surprising, meal. Some of the more specialized delivery services, like groceries and supplies, require a strong working knowledge of Korean, and maybe also a Korean ID card, to navigate allKorean websites and make online purchases. Not many expats I know capitalize on the full range of delivery services available in Korea. After getting over the initial shyness about placing a phone call in Korean, and with the aid of a few YouTube videos that can teach useful phrases, getting food delivery isnt hard at all. Even better, at every place I have called repeatedly, the dispatcher got to know my voice, and filled my order with as few awkward sentences as possible. My chicken place is on speed dial now, and while Im not completely wired in, Im enjoying one of Koreas best conveniences. by Rob Ouwehand | illustrations by Jo Seung-yeon | photograph by Kim Nam-heon
PROFILE Rob Ouwehand, known online as Roboseyo, came to Korea out of curiosity in 2003, and got hooked. He has written about Korean life, society, news and culture old and new, on his blog, roboseyo.blogspot.com, since 2006. His writing can also be found at the bridge blog nanoomi.net. He lives in Seoul with his wife, two dogs and an extensive book collection.
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KOREA Magazine (SEPTEMBER 2011 VOL. 7 NO. 9)

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KOREA Magazine (SEPTEMBER 2011 VOL. 7 NO. 9)

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People & Culture

DIVE INTO DESIGN

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Yonhap News Agency (opposite, above left); KNUA

TAKE CLASSICS TO NEW HEIGHTS

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FOUNTAIN OF RESOURCES Koreans no

Yonhap News Agency

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PIONEERING CLASSICAL ARTISTS

Chin Un-suk, a Germanybased Korean composer, is a contemporary pioneer.

Pianist Paik Kun-woo, based in Paris, is another internationallyrecognized musician.

08 | korea | september 2011

02-11cover story.indd 8-9

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THE STARS OF KNUA

KNUA GRADUATES WHO PLACED AT INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS

2011 (until June)

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Korea National University of Arts

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pen & brush

The Voice of a New Generation

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14 | korea | september 2011

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16 | korea | september 2011

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The Bittersweet Victory of

Sohn Kee-chung Memorial Foundation; National Museum of Korea (right bottom)

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18-19great korean.indd 18-19

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Hongik Univ Station

Express Bus Terminal Station

Lyce Franais de Soul

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Dong-a Ilbo (opposite top)

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Cafe Moss Azabu Ryu

Korea Tourism Organization

Gookhwa Mori Sushi

Sanuki Mono Mart

Handmade songpyeon is made for the chuseok holiday.

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A view of the rock pillars on Mt Mudeungsan

DESIGN IS NOT DESIGN This years

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HOW TO GET THERE

Gwangju Museum of Art

A Gwangju Design Biennale banner

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Fusion Gugak group Noreum Machi performs a lively concert.

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