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july

2012

www.korea.net

july 2012

An Island of Mysterious Be

Ulleung

Coming Home After 62 Y

First Remains of S. Korean SoldiReturn Ho

Islets of Solitary Beauty in the East Sea

Dokdo

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Lear

A: ?

Who is he?

I buneun nuguseyo?

C: , ?

Then, is he your grandather?

geureom, i buneun

harabeojiseyo?

D: , .

.

Yes, he is my grandather.

He is reading a book.

ne, harabeojiseyo.harabeojikkeseo

chaegeul ilgeuseyo.

B: .

He is my ather.

uri abeojiseyo.

Have you ever had a picnic with your family?

Here is a picture of Jun-seons family picnic.

Lets talk about Jun-seons family.

TalkingabouTyourfamily

-()- makes a verb or an adjective

honorifc. You can use this orm to

show your respect or the subject o

the sentence when you describe the

action or condition o the subject.

I the stem o the verb or the adjective

end in or a vowel use --

and use - or the remaining

occasions. Notice that drops

when - comes ater

basic orm

(be) ida

(do) hada

(put) damda

(wash) dakda

(read) Ikda

honorifc orm(omal)

++

++

++

++

++

honorifc orm(inormal)

iseyo

haseyo

dameuseyo

dakkeuseyo

ilgeuseyo

father mother grandfather grandmother younger sibling

abeoji eomeoni harabeoji halmeoni dongsaeng

cook wash the dish read the book put some food in the dish eat the meat

yorireul hada geureuseul dakda chaegeul ikda eumsigeul damda gogireul meokda

Try to make a conversation with the ollowing vocabulary.Lets practice

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34

Entertainmentpuc IrilFsic FilFsivl

30

festivala w irri2012 arirg Fsivlt arirg

38

Gloal Koreamglieslisse-prcur

36

Sports30 Dys GRdyig fr Ld olyics

28

Now in Koreat bl agiselcriciy

16

PeopleC t-kw,prr f hsik

12

Pen & brushpir Kw Ki-s

20

SeoulLirris i Sulmr t Jus bks

24

Travela Isld fmysrius buyUllugd

18

Great KoreanGwgg Gr

contentsjuly 2012 Vol.8 no.7

02

A Cluster of Volcanic Rockswith a Unique Ecosystem

Dokdo IsFull of life

Cover StoryIslets ofSolitary Beauty in

the East Seadoko

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Cover story

Islets of Solitary Beauty in the East Sea

In the easternmost reaches of Korean

territory sits a cluster of beautiful

islets and reefs called Dokdo. Also

referred to as the Liancourt Rocks,

Dokdo is a collection of volcanic

rocksbig and smallformed from

cooled-down lava that gushed from

two kilometers underwater between

4.6 million and 2.5 million years agoduring the Pliocene Epoch. Dokdo

consists of two rocky islets called

Dongdo and Seodo and about 90

rocks and reefs. More than 1,000

land creatures and over 240 marine

creatures inhabit Dokdo along with

its residents and security guards.

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Many people simply think Dokdo is a singleisland, but it is actually a collection otwo main rocky islets called Dongdo and Seodo

and about 90 smaller rocks and rees including

Kokkiri Bawi (Elephant Rock), Chotdae Bawi

(Candlestick Rock), and Samhyeongje Bawigul

(Three Brother Rocks with Holes). When lava

rst gushed out to orm the rocky cluster 4.6

million years ago, Dongdo and Seodo were one

islet, but having been lashed and pummeled by

winds and waves over the eons, the islet becamewhat it is today.

Dongdo and Seodo are united 151 meters

(495.4 eet) below the water surace. Dongdo, the

smaller o the two, has two major volcanic t races

on its northern side and its peak is 98.6 meters

(323.5 eet) above sea level. Near the eastern

tip o Dongdo is a cup-shaped crater with a

depth o 100 meters (328.1 eet) that contains

seawater coming though two vertical caves

collectively called Cheonjanggul. On the slopes

o Dongdo grows herbage that is rooted in 20 to

30 centimeters o shallow-layered soil.

Carried away by the breathtaking view, you

will likely be awakened rom your trance when

the black-tailed gulls rudely welcome you with

their droppings on your ace, as Dokdo is one o

the major breeding colonies o t he seabird.

The cone-shaped peak o S eodo is 168.5

meters (552.8 eet) above sea level and is the

highest and largest o all the rocky members o

Dokdo. Looking like a single steep peak, it hasnumerous caves on its blus. There is a pool

o groundwater reerred to a s Mulgol (Water

Valley) that holds the water that seeps out o t he

cracks between the rocks. The pool is used as a

precious source o drinking water or those who

live and stay on Dokdo.

Fog, clouds, and wind are old riends o

Dokdo. More than 160 days a year, the cluster o

volcanic rocks is under the shade o the clouds,

which pelt the islets with rain or snow about

A Cluster of Volcanic Rocks witha Unique Ecosystem

DokDo IsFull oF lIFeDokdo is 87.4 kilometers southeast of

Ulleungdo. Due to its volcanic nature and

remoteness from the Korean Peninsula,Dokdo has a unique ecosystem. Howchanges in climate and other natural

elements affect an ecosystem is welldemonstrated on Dokdo. Now lets meet

the inhabitants of this collection ofvolcanic rocks in the East Sea.by Lee Jeong-eun and Kim Min-sun with Dr. Song Im-

geun (Dokdo Ecosystem Service) / photographs by MoonDuk-gwan and Lee Jun-gi

Cover story

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150 days a year. It is oten so windy that you can

only drop anchor on Dokdo or 60 to 70 days a

year. There is even a saying that without ortune

smiling upon you, you cannot enter Dokdo.

CREATURES OF DOKDO

Formed by underwater volcanic eruptions,

Dokdo has a unique ecosystem, dierent rom

that ound on the Korean Peninsula. Its sea

bed steeply drops down to over two kilometers

below the sea, and the species inhabiting itvary with depth. Warm and cold currents

mingle in the sea o Dokdo. Sea currents have

direct impact on the seawater temperatures

and underwater creatures. Large and small

rocks and rees are habitats or sessile marine

creatures, which live attached to hard suraces.

All these actors thoroughly explain the richness

o the marine species o Dokdo.

On the land located above sea level is a

treasure house o biodiversity. More than 1,000

speciesanimal and plantinhabit the islets,

rocks, and rees o Dokdo. Ever since its violent

creation, a wide range o plant seeds have

arrived on Dokdo by wind, currents, and birds.

According to the South Korean Ministry oEnvironment, 57 plant species inhabit Dokdo.

Recently, as more outsiders have been accessing

Dokdo, more non-indigenous plants such as

fowering plants and cultivated species have

been brought along or the ride.

Steep and exposed to strong salty winds,

Dokdo is not covered with thick layers o soil.

Weeds with powerul adaptability tend to

survive in the severe environment. Yet, this

doesnt mean that all the plants growing on

Dokdo are weeds, as there are also rare and

precious plants including three species that

only grow on Ulleungdo and Dokdo throughout

the world. The South Korean Ministry o

Environment has designated 13 foristically

rare species as special protected inhabitants o

Dokdo.

Geographically Dokdo is not a good

habitat or plants, says Dr. Song Im-geun, who

monitors the biological resources o Dokdo three

times a year. Yet still, spindle trees g row on

geography, and almost ba rren soil, the trees

serve as a barometer as to what kinds o trees

can grow on Dokdo.

The most requently spotted species are the

Sedum oryzifolium Makino,Aster spathulifolius

Makino,Artemisia japonica var. macrocephala

Pampan, and Echinochloa crus-galli (L. Beauov.),

and Rumex japonicus Houttuyn is spreading

quickly these days.

Dokdo dresses up with dierent garments in

dierent seasons. The rst plant that blossoms

in spring is the Arabis stelleri de Candolle, which

inhabits the gradual slopes and the parts in

between Dongdo and Seodo. In May and June,

Cover story

Various birds, especially black-tailed gulls inhabit the islets, rocks, and rees o Dokdo.It might be obvious that Dokdo is an attractive place or black-tailed gulls to live.

vertical clis, and new species come in and take

root. All these point to the vitality o Dokdo.

57 PLANT SPECIES BRAVE THE HARSH

ENVIRONMENT

Dierent parts o Dokdo have dierent soil

conditions. The sea clis ace gusty sea winds,

and rain quickly drips rom steep slopes into

the ocean, resulting i n dry, shallow layers o

soil lacking in nutrients. Naturally, the sea

clis have become home to colonies o Sedumoryzifolium Makino, Festuca rubra Linn,Aster

spathulifoliusMaxim, andArtemisia japonica

var. macrocephala Pampan. In the moist cracks

o the rocks are colonies o Phanerophlebia (L.F.)

Copel, while gradual slopes are occupied by

Agropyron tsukusiense var. transience (Hack.)

Ohwi and Echinochloa crus-galli (L. Beauov).

Also, colonies o Fallopia sachalinensis

(F. Schmidt.) RonseDecr. are only ound on

Seodo.

The Ministry o Environment has

designated 13 species o Dokdo plants as rare

and endangered. One o the 13 is Orobanche

coerulescens Stephan. Found on the top and

slopes o Dongdo, it has purple fowers andis an extremely endangered species with a high

biological value. It is a rare class 5 endangered

species. Those that are only ound in certain

areas on the Korean Peninsula including

Ulleungdo and Dokdo are class 4 rare and

endangered species. Growing on Dokdo are

our class 4 species, the Lonicera Insularis Nakai,

Fallopia sachalinensis (F. Schmidt.) RonseDecr.,

Festuca rubra Linn, and Campanula takesimana

Nakai.

Phanerophlebia (L.F.) Copel. is another species

to note. Being the only pteridophyte that

naturally grows on Dokdo, it orms colonies

in the slopes o the water pool on Seodo and

a section o Dongdo whose outline closely

resembles the Korean Peninsula. A colony o

Euonymus japonicus Thunb. (spindle trees) can

be observed on the north slope o Cheonjanggul

on Dongdo. Considering how steep the slope is,

it was birds, not people, that gave birth to t he

colony. Despite the strong sea winds, rugged

1

3

2

4

5

1 In May and June, theSedum oryzifoliumMakwhich is the most spreaDokdo, is in ull bloom.2Aster spathulifoliumMand Phanerophlebia (LCopel, the only ern spegrowing wild on the isla3Aster spathulifoliumMblooms splendidly arouOctober.4Sedum takesimense

has yellow fowers.5Orobanche coerulescStephan has purplefowers and is an extremendangered species wihigh biological value.(Photographs provided by Dr

Im-geun)

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Cover story

Actinia equina andAnthopleura japonica can be

spotted along the coastline, and beautiul coral

rees thrive deeper under the sea.

There are more mollusks than cnidarians

in the sea o Dokdo. A total o 125 species

rom 57 amilies h ave been recorded. The most

commonly spotted types are gastropods (snails

and slugs), most o which live on t he suraces o

pebbles and rocks in between seeds. From April

to June, the sea o Dokdo silently celebrates the

mating season o mollusks. Even in the shallowsea o Dongdo, numerous veligers (mollusk

larvae) and tiny young mollusks can be spotted.

The sea o Dokdo is rather cool, so it is a

perect place or seaweed to grow. According

to the Korea Ocean Research and Development

Institute (KORDI), there are more than 160

species o seaweed here. The sea is also rich

with over 100 species o sh including the

striped beakperch (aka rock bream; Oplegnathus

fasciatus), bulgyhead wrasse (Semicossyphus

reticulatus), and largescale blacksh (aka rudder

sh; Girella punctata); 33 species o decapods

including shrimp, hermit crab, and crab; a nd 32

species o tube worms including Serpula watsoni

and Ditrupa arietina.The microorganisms o Dokdo are also

noteworthy resources. In 2005, a research

team led by Dr. Yoon Jung-hoon and Dr. Oh

Tae-kwang o the Korea Research Institute

o Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB)

extracted our new genera and 31 new species

o microorganisms rom samples they collected

rom Dokdo. One o the our genera was

Donghaeana dokdonensis Yoon, and the germ

travelled to outer space with Koreas rst

astronaut, Dr. Lee So-yeon.

Last June, the Dokdo Fisheries Research

Center o the National Fisheries Research and

Development Institute (NFRDI) an nounced its

research ndings on the marine resources othe sea o Dokdo, which ocused on the long-

term changes in the underwater ecosystem

o Dokdo using the two edible marine brown

algae o Eisenia bicyclis and Ecklonia cava as

indicator species. The research ound that

the sea o Dokdo is a stable ecosystem where

creatures grow and breed better than in average

seawaters.

The sea o Dokdo is good or research to

nd how an ecosystem is aected by changes

in nature such as climate change, says Chun

Young-yull, head o the Dokdo Fisheries

Research Center.

MINERAL RESOURCES

In order to be ready or the day when ossil

uels like petroleum and natural gas will bedepleted, advanced countries have been trying

or years to develop new resources within their

own exclusive economic zones (EEZs). One

o the promising alternative uels is methane

hydrate. Methane, which under normal

conditions is a gas, is trapped within a crystal

structure o water under low-temperature and

high-pressure conditions in the deep sea that

orms an ice-like solid. This solid is a highly

potential energy source or the next generation.

the Sedum oryzifolium Makino, which is the most

spread pioneer plant on Dokdo, blossoms. Thespecies grows in thin layers o soil on rocks, and

ertilizes the soil as it withers and decomposes.

From July to September,Artemisia japonica var.

macrocephala Pampan, which usually takes

root in rocky cracks, is in ull bloom. The Aster

spathulifoliusMaxim is in blossom rom July to

November, but its prime is in October.

A HAVEN FOR BLACK-TAILED GULLS

Situated at the center o t he East Sea, Dokdo

serves as a pit stop or countless migratory

birds that pass through Korea. Black-tailed gulls

never ail to visit Dokdo during their mating

season, embroidering Dongdo with their black-

and-white presence. Up to 23,700 black-tailedgulls reportedly visit Dokdo to breed.

So ar, 40 species rom 20 dierent amilies

o birds have been observed on Dokdo. For this

reason, the Ministry o Environment designated

Dokdo as Specic Island No. 1, and the South

Korean Cultural Heritage Administration

designated Dokdo as Natural Monument No.

336 as it is a breeding ground or black-tailedgulls (Larus cassirostris), Swinhoes ork-tailed

petrels (Oceanodroma monorhi), and streaked

shearwater (Calonectris leucomelas). Dokdo is

a habitat or a wide variety o birds including

endangered species such as peregrine alcon

(Falco peregrinus) and honey buzzards (Pernis

apivorus).

MARINE CREATURES LIVING ON

STEEP SLOPES

Marine creatures are not as easily spotted

as fowers, trees, and birds are, but a rich

assortment o marine creatures still l ive together

with the residents and shermen around the

whars and lodging areas. Noteworthy amongthem are the i nvertebrates. Forty-our species

rom 23 amilies o the phylum o cnidarians

have been observed. Recently swarms o

Nomuras jellysh appear rom time to time,

due to having been swept by waves toward

the coastline. Moreover, sea anemones such as

1Corynactis viridisglowbeautiul fuovescent lig2Melithaea abelliferakkenthaladheres to thbottom ace o rocks.3Tetraclita japonicaPilis easily ound on the suo rocks under two metedeep.4Actinia equinaLinn commoly discovered onmeter below sea level.(Photographs provided by Dro

Fisheries Research Center)

1

32

Euonymus japonicusThunb.On the steep cli presents a

grand sight.

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The environment isnt very welcoming to human beings, but the island has been inhabited for

over 20 years. Lets listen to a coupleMr. Kim Seong-do and Mrs. Kim Sin-yeol,

who plan to live on Dokdo until they die and be buried in the sea off Dokdo.by Lee Jeong-eun / photographs by Lee Jun-gi

Dokdo has never been very hospitableto its human habitants. It is wi ndy,rainy, or snowy at least 300 days a year.

To add to its hostility, it is almost always

draped with sea og. Yet, it has permanent

residents, who made their home on this

unwelcoming place in the East Sea in 1991.

They are the only two residents o Dokdo,

Mr. and Mrs. Kim.

They arent the rst residents o this

rocky place. The late Choe Jong-deok was

rst. He built a house on Dokdo in 1965,

requenting it as i it had been his home

to catch sea cucumbers and abalones

together with emale divers called haenyeo

(incredibly skilled Korean traditional

emale divers with a long hi story), and

eventually in 1981 he ocially registered

as a resident o Dokdo and lived there or

6 years.

It was just ater he was released rom

his military service that Kim Seong-do

rst came to Dokdo in order to work with

Choe in the 1970s. He was a meoguri (a

Korean traditional male diver) and knew

the underwater world like the back o his

hand, so he managed the haenyeo. Kim

Sin-yeol, a haenyeo rom Jeju, the largest

island o Korea, came to Ulleungdo on a

business trip and met Kim Seong-do, and

the rest we say is history.

WISH TO LIVE ON DOKDO AND

BE BURIED IN ITS SEA

Choe passed away in 1987, and Mr.

and Mrs. Kim moved to Dokdo, eeling

responsible or saeguarding it.

I laid the 998-step stairway rom

Mulgol (a natural pool o groundwater) to

the house with these two hands o mi ne,

let alone the whars and the lodgi ngs,

recalls Mr. Kim.

Dokdo Is Not Reefs But a Home

Mr. and Mrs. Kim

interview

Lie on Dokdo has never been easy

comortable. The hardest moments we

when they missed their children, who

lived on Ulleungdo.

Since the children had to go to sch

they had no c hoice but to leave Dokdo

adds Mrs. Kim. Back then, boats didn

shuttle between Ulleungdo and Dokd

regularly as they do now, so we met ou

children once or twice a month.

I begged my husband to move out t

Ulleungdo, but he was as steady as a r

Now, they both married and come her

with their childrenour grandchildre

every summer vacation.

Their health wasnt good, perhaps

because o their hard lives on Dokdo.

Mr. Kim had her gall bladder removed

1997, while Mrs. Kim had brain surger

in 1995. Even though they werent you

and energetic anymore, they came bac

Dokdo ater they were released rom t

hospital. For Dokdo is their home, a sw

home to rest in.

Their children suggested that they

move to Ulleungdo or Pohang, a port

in Gyeongsangbuk-do province, wher

lie is comortable, but Mr. and Mrs.

Kim say that they want to l ive on Dok

until they breathe their last and be

buried in the sea o Dokdo. Ulleung-

appointed Seong-do the ijang o Dokd

title given to the leader o a ri-level vil

in a way to decla re that Dokdo belong

Ulleung-gun, a permanent part o Kor

territory.

Whether they are sick or healthy,

whether it is windy, rainy, snowy, or

sunny, the Kims occupy Dokdo. They

residents o Dokdo.

Cover story

Info

The Obsolete Habitant oDokdo Gangchi, or Sea Lion

Sea lions, known as gangchior

gajiin Korean, are creatures that

have inhabited Dokdo, Ulleungdo,

the coastal areas o the East Sea,

and the sea o Hokkaido, Japan

or hundreds o years.

However, beginning in 1903 the

population drastically decreased

due to ruthless overhunting by the

Japanese, who sought out their

skin. Back then their skin was

used to make premium bags or

bowls or tea drinking.

The number o sea lions that the

Japanese Takeshima Fishing and

Hunting Company hunted rom1904 to 1913 surpassed 14,000.

(Sea Lion Restoration Data Book

o Gyeongsangbuk-do Province).

Later in 1974, one sea lion was

captured alive near Hokkaido,

Japan, and that was the last sea

lion that has been spotted since.

Notice

A Special Exhibiti on, Dokdo,

Korean Land, and Its Creatures

The National Institute o Biological

Resources (NIBR) o the Ministry

o Environment holds a special

exhibition intended to promote

the biodiversity o Dokdo and its

academic value until September

30. Entitled Dokdo, Korean Land,

and Its Creatures, the exhibition

also shows the beautiul scenery

o Dokdo. On display are materials

about the value and biodiversity

o Dokdo and photos o rare

biological resources. The venue

has a special exhibition hall on

the rst foor o the Exhibition and

Education Building at the NIBRpremises in Incheon.

Should you have any inquiry,

please visit the NIBR homepage

at www.nibr.go.kr or call at 82-32-

590-7000.

What are the characteristics othe ora o Dokdo?Since Dokdo is windy and dry, big

plants cannot grow very well. Most

o the plants on Dokdo are short.

Much o the landscape is steep,

so the depth o soil layers usually

ranges rom 5 to 10 centimeters.

In addition, birds dig up the

already thin layers o soil to nest

or make space or breeding, which

causes soil loss.

Have there been any changes inthe ora o Dokdo since the frstmonitoring activity began?There have been no drastic

changes over those our years.

Dokdo was ormed long ago,

but only tiny parts are exposed

above the sea, limiting the plants

that can thrive on the island.However, we can eel gradual

changes are occurring through our

continued monitoring. Orobanche

coerulescensStephan, Sedum

takesimenesNakai, Campanula

takesimana Nakai, and Fallopia

sachalinensisare only oundin certain areas on the Korean

Peninsula including Ulleungdo and

Dokdo, and have a high biological

values. One o them, Orobanche

coerulescensStephan, which has

purple fowers, is an extremely

endangered species. We havent

discovered any plants that are

unique to Dokdo, but over time,

we expect that such plants will

eventually exist through evolution.

Dubbed burning ice, when trapped methane

is released by heating, it bursts into fames.

When 1 m3 o methane hydrate decomposes,

172 m3 o methane gas is released, thereore

making methane hydrate a very e cient source

o energy. Furthermore, it emits much less

carbon dioxide than gasoline and natural gas

when it burns, and the volume o deposits is

also enormous.

In 1992, South Korean and Russia conducted

a joint geophysical investigation in the East Seaand conrmed a possible presence o methane

hydrate deposits. The United States Geological

Survey (USGS) surveyed the worldwide

distribution o methane hydrate deposits

or years and ound that the seabed around

Dokdo is a link that connects methane hydrate-

bearing layers in the Pacic Rim. Three oshore

basins around the Korean Peninsulathe Jeju

Basin, Ulleung Basin, and Japan Basinare all

connected to a b elt o methane hydrate deposits,

which passes through the Kuril Islands and the

Bering Sea to reach Canada, the US, and Chile.

The Ulleung Basin is a link between the

Kuril Islands and the East China Sea, and at the

center o the link is Dokdo. This belt o depositspasses through the Ulleung and Jeju Basins and

reaches the sea near Taiwan. It is not a surprise

that enormous volumes o marine methane

hydrate deposits are being discovered around

Dokdo. A South Korea gas hydrate project team

discovered about 600 million metric tons o

marine methane hydrate 100 kilometers south o

Ulleungdo in 2005. The volume amounts to a 30 -

year gas supply or South Korea.

The development o techniques to prevent

methane emissions during drilling is one o

the challenges to overcome in order to tap into

this potential clean energy source o t he 21st

century. Methane hydrate produces only water

and carbon dioxide when it burns, says Dr.Park Jang-jun, a principal research scientist at

the Korea Institute o Geoscience and Mineral

Resources (KIGAM). In that sense, it is a clean

energy source, but i methane is released into the

air in the process o dril ling or it, it might have

a tremendous infuence on global warming.

talk & talk

D. sng Im-gun, rch f h Dd ecm sic

The fora o Dokdo is gradually changing

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PEN & BRUSH

An Artist Who Talks to You Throughthe Character Dongguri

Painter Kwon Ki-sooDongguri, a character with a round face and spiky hair, is almost synonymous withthe name Kwon Ki-soo. Rooted in traditional Oriental painting, his works tell storie

today and stir t he emotions of audiences of different nationalities and races. Natura

enough, more than half of his works are sold overseas. His growth as an artist seemto know no limits. by Im Sang-beom / photographs by Lee Min-hee

Kwon Ki-soo majored in Oriental painting.He drew with meok (Korean traditionalblack ink) and created hal-painting, hal-

installation works or three to our years.

However, Kwon elt rustrated by his own

limits and wanted to go beyond the realms o

Oriental painting. He elt limited in expressing

the stories o today through the use o meok and

desired a breakthrough. He started training

himsel in a manner to complete a drawing

beore a three-to-our-minute piece o music

nishes. This training went on or two to three

years. Beore then Kwon thought too much and

didnt know what he should do. He would only

have to tell his stories th rough his works.

Philosophy infuences art, but it is not what

art is all about, says Kwon. Without thinking

and calculating, I simply ocused on nishing adrawing beore the music ended, which brought

me such joy. My touches became dierent.

Things inside me came out through the tip

o the brush and meok without any conscious

eort. That is how the people I drew took an

increasingly abstract orm.

The theme Kwon primarily explores is no

something very noble and grandiose, but sto

about peopleincluding himsel and those

are aected by him.

ACCIDENTAL BUT INEVITABLE BIRTH

DONGGURI

An exhibition marked a turning point in Kw

Ki-soos career as an artist. He elt the exhib

prepared would not t the exhibition space,

so or a change, he drew on top o an exhibit

What came out o it was a very simple huma

orm. Without thinking very much, he name

Dongguri. This is how the cha racter Donggu

the gure in Kwon Ki-soos workscame in

being in the summer o 2002. The round sha

o his ace came out o the ngertips o noneother than Kwon, but he himsel didnt expe

that it would be that cute. People commente

that it looked like a cartoon character or pop

Despite such commentaries, the main the

was a clown, recalls Kwon. Beore I create

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Dongguri, I used to draw people who were

suering rom the 1997-1998 Asian nancial

crisis, more specically how they looked rom

behind. They all looked like clowns dancing to

the tune o big nanciers and political orces.

Dongguri also did many clownish things

in my works, too. One day a middle school

student emailed me, saying Dongguri was like

his ather. This encouraged me because I elt

that my works communicated well with my

audience.Later he graduated rom his resistance against

colors, which enriched his works. His works

oten eature a variety o objects including

fowers, rainbows, and bamboo. Whenever

he paints, he attempts novel combinations o

objects in order to convey a new message.

Dongguri signies human beings, and the

puppy symbolizes your animal companions,

riends, or lie partners, explains the artist.

Through them, you can look at yoursel

objectively. The fowers are to express

something beautiul and ideal. Consisting o

circles and lines, my works take on geometrical

orms.

The rainbow is a vessel to contain ancyand ideal stories and also symbolizes a bridge

leading to paradise, much like a narrow log

bridge seen in an Oriental landscape painting.

Oddly shaped rocks that are typically eatured

in Oriental paintings are expressed through the

shape o cubes that a re supposed to represent

apartment buildings or sometimes a

digitized world.

Multiple Dongguri in a

bamboo orest are parallel to Zh

lnQiXin(the so-called Seven

Sages o the Bamboo Grove

who turned their back on the

corrupt political machine in the

third century o China). Donggurilying on a cube leisurely looking

down at the water is a representation

o the painting Gosagwansudo: A Seonbi

Overlooking Waterby Kang Hui-an, a

Korean painter rom the 15th c entury.

Now Kwon uses more than just brushes and

meok. He cuts out shapes o adhesive tape with

a knie, does patchwork, and also works with

assistants. Although he uses contemporary

techniques, it is evident that he is still deeply

rooted in Oriental painting. He grew up in the

analogue era, but works in the d igital era. Kwon

ermented this dual experience into a unique

artistic sensibility.

DRAWING ANOTHER FUTURE THROUGH

THE PAST

Kwon Ki-soos messages with an Oriental tinge

have been highly acclaimed abroad, especially

in Southeast Asian countries. He has held

exhibitions in Jakarta, Dubai, Paris, and other

cities around the world.

In 2008, when Google collaborated with

almost 70 leading artists rom around the

world to create new themes or iGoogle, Kwon

was one o them. The others included the

celebrated American pop artist Je Koons and

such prestigious ashion brand names such as

Dolce & Gabbana. Kwon states that through thisexperience, he elt honored and was able to nd

an answer to how an artist rom the Far East

could have such global appeal.

Three large works he created using lenticular

printing were on display at the special exhibition

Future Passfrom Asia to the World at the

1 Kwon Ki-soo is grinning, surrounded by Dongguriin various poses.2 A work that is created through a modern interpretation ofclay dolls (tou) from the Silla Kingdom (57 BCE 935 CE),an ancient kingdom of Korea3Time, which uses various colors. 2008. Acrylic on canvas.227 cm x 540 cm4Balloon, an eight-meter work that was on exhibit in 2005 at theMuseum of Contemporary Art in Shanghai

54th Venice Biennale 2011.

Following its debut at the 54 th

International Art Exhibition

in Venice, Future Pass has

been travelling to cities all

around the world including

an exhibition in Taiwan rom

May to July. The next stop orFuture Pass will be Beijing in

October 2012.

Besides Future Pass, Kwons

schedule or the second hal

o this year is already packed,

starting with an exhibition that

marks the 20th anniversary

o the Gwangju Museum o

Art, ollowed by an exhibition at the Whanki

Museum in downtown Seoul and another one

in Taiwan.

Nowadays, Kwon explores new themes.

Last year he looked back on his lie and works

through the theme o refection, requently

eaturing images refected in water. This yearhe attempts to use new techn iques to show how

his works are createdor where they came

rom. With these new techniques, he wi ll show

his past and build a new uture on where he

stands today. It is us, his audience, who awaits

the uture he will draw out.

PEN & BRUSH

1

2

PEOPLE

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Hansik Benefts romGlobal Interest in

Slow and Fermented Foods

Cho Tae-kwon,PromoTer of

hansikCho Tae-kwon is so proud of Hansik, or Korean food, and for

good reason. Chairman Cho of GwangJuYo is convinced thatHansik is healthy for everyone around t he world, and the

timing could not be any better than now since the world isbecoming aware of the value of slow and fermented food.

by Kim Min-seon / photographs provided by GwangJuYo

PEOPLE

Cuisine says a lot about a country.It encapsulates every aspect o thecountrys lie style and culture and enriches

its culture in every respect. Metaphorically

speaking, Hansik is a vessel o Korean culture,

and Koreans should be proud o it.

Cho Tae-kwon, chairman o GwangJuYo,

lavishes in praise o Han sik. GwangJuYo is

a maker o premium ceramic t ableware.

The companys roots are in Gwangju

Gwanyo, which made ceramics or the royalamily o the Joseon Dynasty (1932-1910).

GwangJuYo adds to the dignity o the Hansik

dining table by oering classy tableware with

a royal touch.

What motivated you to help globalize Hansik?

Ceramics have been my amily business

or generations. When I inherited it,

I suddenly elt a tremendous sense o

responsibility and gained a new perspective

as a producer o cultural products. I became

interested in the cultural value o ceramics,

and began to see a bigger picture, which

encompasses ceramics, ood, liquor, and

ultimately cuisine. A range o everydayitems associated with cuisine came into the

big picture. I knew that all o them would

help make Korea bett er known worldwide.

This prompted me to take the lead in the

globalization o Hansik.

How is Hansik good? How is it dierent?

Hansik requires high-quality ingredients

seasonally acquired not only rom elds but

also rom the mountains, rivers, and seas o

Korea. This is very much a result o Koreas

our distinct seasons and its extremely varied

topography o elds, mountains, rivers, and the

sea. Hansik is unlike any other cuisine in that it

includes numerous dierent ermented oods,which Alvin Tofer, a renowned writer and

uturist, reportedly dubbed the favor o the

uture. I also think Hansik is generally very

healthy: many dishes are actually slow oods,

which people all around the globe increasingly

demand.

Youve been engaged in a variety o activities

to globalize Hansik. For example, you threw

a Hansik banquet in Los Angeles earlier this

year. How was it received?

The globalization o Hansik is about applying

science to Korean cuisine. In order to serve it

on dinner tables around the world in a more

attractive and benecial ashion, Hansik also

incorporates Koreas economic, social, c ultural,

and political elements. I have held many events

to raise t he worlds awareness o the benets oHansik.

I held the rst Beautiful Korean Dinner Tables

exhibition in 1998 and have since held ve

more. I threw a Hansik banquet in Napa Valley,

Caliornia in 2007 or 60 diners, and another

Hansik dinner party in Los Angeles this year.

I have invited people rom various elds to

Hansik dinners at my house in Seongbuk-dong,

Seoul quite regularly or more than six years.

All these dinners are intended to help opinion

leaders in dierent elds and the general

public better understand Hansik and learn

about Koreas beautiul culture. I elt extremely

rewarded when I saw both Korean-American

and oreign gourmets taste and praise Hansikduring the dinner party in Los Angeles earlier

this year.

Ater all, ood is rst experienced,

communicated, and shared, and then spread

throughout society. Once a society-wide

understanding about a certain ood is orged,

experts use their imaginations and creativity to

develop new ood, ceramics, liquor, cratwork,

and accordingly interior designs. Thus, a whole

new culture surrounding cuisine is established.

You always emphasize that ood is culture.

What do you mean by that?

Culture o a society is clothing, ood, and

housing that the members o the society enjoyand use. These three elements tell much about

a community or a nation, and showcase the

nations culture and intangible assets. So-called

cuisine culture is about more than ood, but

table etiquette, tableware (ceramics, cratwork,

and other artistic items), and interior design and

architecture that create a space and atmosphere

or dining. Food is more than just a meal to

ll your hunger, but a product o cultural and

economic activities that satis y your ve senses.

In other words, a culture in the 21st century is

an economy.

What is your avorite Hansik dish?

Kimchi jjigae. From time to time, I buy jokbal (pig

eet) to make kimchi jjigae my own way. I also

occasionally makejeon (Korean pancake) withpork, kimchi, and a bit o cheese.

Throughout the interview, Cho emphasizes that

ood is a culture

and an economy.

He expects

the global ood

service market

to reach KRW

5,000 trillion

by 2030. He

believes i Korea

reinterprets and

recreates its 5,000-

year history andtradition, it will

be competitive in

the market.

He believes

that i Hanok

(Joseon-style

Korean housing),

and traditional

Korean interior

design, costumes,

ceramics, cratwork, oods, and liquor are

recreated or the 21st century with the assistance

o world-renowned experts, it will make an

excellent cultural set.

Cho also expects and is convinced thatthe day will come when people around t he

world will enjoy Hansik in their everyday lives.

We look orward to his next creative step

to enriching Hansik culture ollowing the

steps he has already taken rom tableware

to ood to liquor.

1 Cho Tae-kwon is takinthe lead in the globalizaof Hansik with Koreantraditional ceramic table2 Korean cuisine cultureinclude the importance etiquette and proprietie

1

GREAT KOREAN

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GREAT KOREAN

The King Who Rue the Vstest Territory

GwanGGaeto the GreatGwanggaeto the Great expanded the Goguryeo Kingdom deep into Asia. Never before nor

since had the Korean nation controlled such a vast territory. Lets turn the clock back morethan 1,600 years to witness the adventurous and progressive spirit of Gwanggaeto the

Great, dubbed Koreas Napoleon. by Kim Min-seon

ounded in 371 by King Sosurim, the 17 th king

o Goguryeo.

RECONQUERING TERRITORY

Gwanggaeto the Great prepared step by step to

reclaim swathes o land lost under preceding

kings to enemies. The year ollowing his

ascension, this valiant and shrewd king xed

his eyes on the Baekje Kingdom. His attack was

a resounding success, and he then turned his

eyes to Silla and inltrators rom Japan. He alsomoved troops to central Manchuria to strike

and conquer the Khitan tribes that had crossed

the northern border o Goguryeo and aficted

loss o lie and misery on Goguryeo civilians.

When Gwanggaeto the Great went southward

to protect Silla rom Baekje raids, the Later Yan

Kingdom in China attacked Goguryeo with a

orce o 30,000 troops. The two ortresses

o Sinseong and Namsoseong ell into Yan

hands, and tens o thousands o Goguryeo

people were taken as captives. Gwanggaeto the

Great lost no time recapturing both ortresses

and went urther to recapture Liaodong.

The Liaodong Peninsula had been conquered

by his ather but was later lost to Murong Chui,the ounding emperor o Later Yan. As a child,

Gwanggaeto the Great would gaze over the vast

area o land that had been lost, and as king,

he reincorporated it into Goguryeo.

With one victory ater another through

all these campaigns, the realm o Goguryeo

eventually reached west o the Liaohe River

in China and the Nakdonggang River and

Joryeong to the south, where the kingdom

bordered the Silla Kingdom. Dongbuyeo

(86 BCE 410 CE, an ancient Korean kingdom)

and parts o the Russian Maritime province

also ell under the control o Goguryeo.

His glory did not last long. His health

deteriorated, possibly because o the extremerigors o his many campaigns. He died an

untimely death o an unknown ill ness in 413,

the 23rd year o his reign. He was posthumously

granted the title Gwanggaeto the Great,

which literally means The Great K ing o Vast

Territory Expansion.

STElE TO GWaNGGaETO ERECTEd IN

HIS MEMORY

His eats are inscribed on the Gwanggaeto Stele,

a monument erected in 414 by his son, King

Jangsu, in what is Jian, Jilin Province, China

today. This is where Crown Prince Damdeok

was coronated.

The stele is 6.39 meters tall, roughly the

height o a three-story building. It is the

largest stele in Korean history, which itsel

gives us some insight into the culture oGoguryeo.

The inscriptions on the Gwanggaeto Stele

state that Gwanggaeto the Great captured 64

ortresses and 1,400 villages, and the stele gives

us signicant inormation on the relations

between Koreas Three Kingdoms. A total o

1,755 characters are inscribed in 44 lines. About

140 o the characters are now illegible.

About 200 meters rom the stele is t he tomb

o Gwanggaeto the Great, and in its vicinity are

many other tombs o Goguryeo. On the walls o

the tombs are murals that tell us much about the

lives o the Goguryeo people. One o t he tombs

is called Muyongchong (Tomb o Dancers).

Inside is a mural called MuyongchongSuryeopdo (Painting o Hunting Scenes).

It depicts Goguryeo people hunting with vivid

dynamism. Any one o the hunters shown must

have been much like Gwanggaeto the Great

riding a horse over a vast eld.

No introduction to Gwanggaeto the Greatails to note that the king ruled the vastestterritory in Korean history. He was born i n 374

to a prince o Goguryeo who reigned rom 384

to 391 as the k ingdoms 18th monarch and was

posthumously titled King Gogugyang.

Goguryeo was an ancient Korean kingdom

(37 BCE 668 CE) ounded by Jumong, a prince

rom Buyeo. It was the rst o the three

kingdoms that thrived during the Three

Kingdoms Period o Korea, the other two being

Baekje and Silla. Goguryeo occupied the rugged

mountainous northern part o the peninsula

and much o what is Manchuria today.

While Gwanggaeto the Great was crownprince, he travelled extensively throughout

Goguryeo. He declared, Beore I become king,

I will look around the territory. I will not only

observe how my people live, but ocus on the

kingdoms geography in order to be ready or

enemy attacks.

Upon ascending the throne as the 19th mon-

arch o Goguryeo in 391, he named the era o

his reign Yeongnak, which means everlasting

joy. Goguryeo had previously used Chinas

era name, and his own designation o an era

name was a clear declaration to the world that

Goguryeo was an independent kingdom ree

rom Chinese intererence. He then instituted

policies that specically beneted the peopleand sternly punished ocials and infuential

gures who committed irregularities.

He also showed keen interest in education.

To educate the best and brightest young people

o the kingdom, he improved Taehak, which

was Koreas rst-ever public education system1 IncooperationwithGuriCityHall

1 The statue of Gwangthe Great in Guri City oprovince of Gyeonggi-d2 The stele of Gwanggthe Great in Jian, JilinProvince

SEOUL

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SEOUL

Libraries in seouLMore Than Just Books

There are over 100 public libraries th roughout the greater Seoul area, all ofwhich are open to foreigners residing in the city. A summer day spent at these

libraries will give you more than just books but also hidden treasures of fun.by Chung Da-young / photographs by Kang Min-gu

The National Library o Korea is the counlargest library, housing a rich depositoryo books and hi storical publications. From o

and rare books and documents, including th

that are designated as National Treasures,

to documents and records on North Korea, t

extensive library serves as the country s trea

house o records and literature. The library a

more than 500,000 new items to its collection

every year.

In 2009, the National Digital Library was bright next to the main building o the library

Equipped with state-o-the-art acilities, the

digital library provides digital and multime

services. Visitors with library cards are ree

use the computers and digital meeting room

ound all over the three oors o the library

visit the Multimedia Zone to see the latest in

house movie. The Creative Zone houses the

UCC Studio, Video/Audio Studio, and the

Digital Editing Zone with all the equipment

space necessary to record and produce video

and audio materials.

NAMSAN PUBLIC LIBRARY

The area o Namsan is popular among touriand oreigners or its various attractions and

places to see. Located in the center o downt

Seoul, Namsan is very accessible rom Itaew

Namdaemun Market, and Myeong-dong.

Attractions such as N Seoul Tower, Namsan

Park, and the Namsan Cable Car are requen

by locals and oreigners alike. Many oreign

embassies and residences are also situated in

the slopes o Namsan. The locational advant

and nearby attractions o Namsan Public

Library make it the most popular library am

oreigners living in Korea.

Foreigners residing in the area are regular

visitors to the library. To better accommodate i

oreign readers, the library provides access to o67,000 Asian books (mostly Chinese and Japan

and 13,000 English books. The Multicultural

Corner is also ound on the ourth oor, in wh

shelves are packed with English books and

materials about Korea and learning Korean.

The Squirrel Library is another acility th

1

2

1 Visitors are free to usethe computers with Internetaccess in the Digital Library.2 The Digital Library seen

from the main road.

SEOUL

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korea july 201222

Lena arrived in Korea with her husband Brian last August. She has explored many popular attractions and areas in Seoul,

but she had not yet visited the National Library o Korea. Here is a glimpse into Lenas frst day at the library.

readers love to visit. It is an outdoor mini library

setup where readers can enjoy a good book and

nature while squirrels scurry up and down the

thick tree trunks.

JEONGDOK PUBLIC LIBRARY

The quaint and trendy area o Hwa-dong, east

o Gyeongbokgung Palace, buzzes with tourists

and young people all day long. The small cas,

womens shoe shops, and boutiques are just

a ew o the things that attract thousands opeople every week, but there is another place

in this trendsetting area that cannot be missed.

Jeongdok Public Library is a hidden jewel in

Hwa-dong, oering more than just shelves ull

o books.

The library, almost obscured rom the main

road, is high up on a hillside next to a small

alley leading to the main shopping area o

Hwa-dong. The library has an old educational

historical background as it was the original

grounds or Gyeonggi High School, the frst

high school in Korea, which was ounded by an

order o Emperor Gojong in 1900. In 1977, the

library was built over the high school.

Jeongdok Public Library houses over 500,000books, local historical documents, and more

than 10,000 oreign books. The library is more

popularly visited by locals or its quiet study

halls and peaceul reading area surrounding

the ountain on the library lawn. In the summer,

the library grounds are green with lush trees

and plants including a 300-year-old locust tree.

A relaxing, quiet hour spent reading

at the library ollowed by a delicious dinner in

Samcheong-dong will make a perect Saturday

aternoon.

a Day at the nationaL Library of Korea

1 There are over 270,000old and rare books at theNational Library availableto the public.

2 The Namsan Public Libraryis the perfect place to enjoya good read in the open air.3 The Jeongdok PublicLibrary at Hwa-dong, Seoul.

Lena sigs up or a library

card on the frst oor o the

main building. Good thing

she didnt orget to bringher passport!

1

1

Lena is inormed that any

visitor is ree to look at old

and rare books on the sixth

loor. Intrigued, she goes

up to the sixth loor or a

rare opportunity to take

photos o manuscripts rom

rare books o the Joseon

Dynasty.

3

Walking out rom the main

building, Lena spots a new

bui ldi ng na med Dig ita l

Library. She tries the IPTV

Zone inside, an area or

watching Internet television

and visual material.

5It dawns on her that she

needs to check an email

rom her mother who is back

home. She uses a computer

in the lobby o the Digital

Library. Her library card is

the only thing required or

Internet access.

6

She searches or books

using a computer.

Then she goes to the pick-

up desk where the books

she has chosen are already

w a i t i n g o r h e r t o b e

checked out just like magic.

2

Coming downstairs, she

drops by the Map Room on

the ith loor. Voila! Her

eyes roam over atlases and

maps o every corner o the

world.

4

32

1

She wants to celebrate

her irst visit to her host

countrys national library,

so she goes to the LibraryGit Shop. It is a great place

to ind unique souvenirs

and gits with traditional

a n d m o d e r n K o r e a n

designs.

7Feeling accomplished, Lena

sits down at the Book Ca

with the books she checked

out. She opens one o thebooks while sipping a glass

o ice coee. What a cool

way to end a day at this

wonderul library!

8

travel

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An Island of Mysterious BeautyUlleUngdoUlleungdo is a volcanic island located to the east of the Korean Peninsula. Enshrinedin lush primeval forests and armed w ith perilously sheer cliffs, the island doesnt grant

outsiders easy access. Lets travel to this island of mysterious beauty that sits in thetransparent, emerald-green waters of the East Sea.

by Lee Jeong-eun /photographs by Moon Duk-gwan

The name Ulleungdo means hill-like islandwith dense primeval orests. The prospecto a trip to Ulleungdo can make your heart

utter not only because o its matchless beauty

but also because o its arrogant inaccessibility.

Weather permitting, you can set oot on the

island within three hours ater your departure

by ship, but due to strong winds and heavy

waves, there are many days in which not even asingle ship to Ulleungdo will heave up anchor

and leave dock.

Soon ater embarking on a boat heading to

Ulleungdo, the utter that started in your heart

goes down to your guts. Even i t he boat is a

large high-speed erry, it navigates no better

than a tiny lea on the high waves. Overcome

by seasickness, you become oblivious to the

expectations you had. However, the moment

you set oot on the island, your heart once

again utters. Wherever your eyes all there is

breathtaking scenerythe turquoise sea, thick

orests, and rocks o all sorts o odd shapes and

sizes. You soon convince yoursel that there

must be nothing like them anywhere else.Besides the main island, Ulleungdo has

44 islands and islets, and is inhabited by

some 10,000 residents. They mostly live in

Dodonghang (the largest port o Ulleungdo),

Jeodonghang (a multipurpose port with

a range o acilities), Taeha Maeul (a small fshing

village amous or its dried squid), and Cheonbu

Maeul (the most remote village o Ulleungdo).

From May to June, the island generously grants

easier access to outsiders and you will spot more

tourists than residents on the island.

There are two primary ways to enjoy the

island. You may want to travel along the

seashore or climb Seonginbong (Holy Hill),

a peak more than 984 meters (approx. 3,230 eet)above sea level.

CLEAR, EMERALD-GREEN SEA

Lets frst stroll along the coastline. One o the

best seashore walking trails stretches rom

Dodonghang to Chotdae Bawi (Candlestick

Rock) in Jeodong. The trail bends along the

meandering rocky coastline with clis o

bizarre shapes and natural caves. When a

series o volcanic eruptions created the isla nd

Ulleungdo, they carved out wonderul shapes

on the rocks. Amazed, excla mations come out

o your mouth that can not be held in. You wade

into the crystal-clear seawater and enjoy the

waves as they splash against your calves. Beoreyou reach Chotdae Bawi, you will come to

Dodong Lighthouse.

I you are tired, you ca n end your walk here.

Once you are back at your lodging, you wi ll fnd

that two hours have own by. Another beautiul

seashore trail leads you to the Naesujeon

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what to eat

Once you are on Ulleungdo, dont miss the

opportunity to eat honghap bap(seasoned rice

with mussels), myeongi namul, and yakso bulgogi

made rom cattle that eed on herbs and wild greens

including bujikkaengi namul(Erysimum aurantiacum

Maxim) and kudzu (wild arrowroot). Yaksois less atty

and more delicious than regular bee.

Honghap bapis a sort o special favor bibimbapin which

rice is cooked with mussels and then mixed with soy

sauce and sesame oil. Myeongi namulis oten pickled

in soy sauce and has a sweet and sour, and bitter taste.

However, do take caution as pickled myeongi namulwillstimulate your appetite so much that you will end up

eating much more than a normal portion o rice.

how to get there

Sip Weather permitting, high-speed erries depart rom

Gangneung, Mukho, and Pohang once a day during the

weekdays and twice a day on the weekends. Travel time

is roughly two and a hal to three hours.

travel information

Pohang

Seoul Mukho

Gangneung

Sunrise Observatory rom where you can see

Jukdo (the largest island belonging to Ulleung-

gun behind Ulleungdo) and its picturesque

surroundings unolding beore your eyes.

Driving along the coastal road is an excellent

way to look around the entire island. The

coastal ring road starts at Waoksa in Sadong.

From the car window, you can gaze upon t he

pebbly seashore and the clear seawater through

which you can even see the dancing seaweed

underwater. Along the road are beautiul rocks

with interesting namesGeobuk Bawi (Turtle

Rock), Tugu Bong (Helmet Peak), and Saja Bawi

(Lion Rock).

Pull your car over at

Taehahang (Taeha Port) where

there is a monorail that will

bring you up to a natural orest

o cedars. When ascending to

the top o the mountain, oddly

shaped rocks and green cedar

woods come into view, and when

descending, your eyes will take

in the magnifcent sea west o

Ulleungdo.

Lets drive urther clockwise.

A 452-meter-high, pointy peak

called Songgotbong (Awl Peak)

that extrudes rom Seonginbong

(Holy Hill) grabs your attention,

ollowed by Gwaneumdo (an

island belonging to Ulleungdo

with a pair o twin natural

caves), Samseonam (Three Angel

Rocks), and Gongam (Elephant

Rock), which are called the three mysterious

scenic views o Ulleungdo.

At some point you have to turn your ca r

around. The coastal ring road has been under

construction or the past 50 years, and roughly

4.4 kilometers are let to be paved yet.

SEONGINBONG COVERED IN

PRIMEVAL FORESTS

The various treks leading to Seonginbong

(984 m) are all narrow cuts through thick

natural orests preserved rom ancient days.

When Lonely Planet, t he worlds largest

publisher o travel guide books, dubbed

Ulleungdo one o t he worlds best kept secret

islands in 2011, it mentioned Seonginbong

in its short introduction o the island.

Walking a steep hillside or more than two

hours, you are then greeted by a thick virgin

orest flled with camellia, silver magnolia,

hemlock spruce, island linden, and mountain

ash trees. The closer you get to the summit, the

more Korean beech trees there are, which grow

exclusively on Ulleungdo.

Coming down rom the peak toward the

north, you reach Nari Bunji, a basin that is the

only atland on Ulleungdo. Having been born

as a volcanic island, Ul leungdo experienced

two major volcanic eruptions. The crater

rom the frst eruption, Nari Bunji, is unliketypical craters as it holds no water. Covered

with volcanic ash, Nari Bunji is unable to

retain enough moisture in its soil or arming.

In addition, it is covered with up to three

meters o snow during winter, which does not

start thawing until April. This harsh natural

environment gave rise to unique housing

styles such as tumak jip and neowa jip, which are

made o log walls surrounded by g round-to-

eave outer walls o cornstalks or silver grass.

Despite this unwelcoming natural environment,

16 households still inhabit Nari Bunji, and many

o them rent out rooms or run restaurants as the

number o tourists that visit the basin is steadily

increasing.One o the nicknames o Ulleungdo is the

heaven o herbs and wild greens. All greens

that sprout rom the earth in the mountains

and felds o Ulleungdo are edible, some o

which are even medicinal herbs. Famous among

them are myeongi namul (Allium victorialis

Linn), bujikkaengi namul

(Erysimum aurantiacum

Maxim), osmund, and

goatsbeard. In particular,

myeongi namul (an herb

that helps sustain lie

during elderly years)

grows through piles o

snow in early spring.

DOKDO MUSEUM

Dodong is the most bustling area o Ulleungdo.

More than hal o the population lives here,

and its narrow alleys are lined with restaurants

and lodgings. A port and public ofces are also

ound in this area.

It is also in Dodong where the Dokdo

Museum is located. The museum exhibits

historical materials that support Koreas claim

that Dokdo, also known as the Liancourt Rocks,

is part o Korean territory. Items here also

show the liestyle and natural

environment o Ulleungdo and

Dokdo.

Next to the museum is a

cable car railway that carriespeople to the peak, Manghyangbong (Peak o

Nostalgia). I the weather is good, you will be

able to see Dokdo (which is just 87.4 kilometers

away) with your naked eye.

1 Various erns orm acolony and homlock sprbeechtrees, and rowan grow around Seonginbo2 Scenery o Dodong, oway to Seonginbong.3 Bongnae Falls is asource o drinking wateUlleungdo.4 Squid fshing boats aranchored at the dock.

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Te Batte Aat EectctThe unprecedented blackout in mid-September 2011 amid an unseasonable heatwave

aected over 2 million households and businesses, stranding people in elevators,

causing trafc accidents at intersections, and disrupting actory operations. In ear oanother electricity shortage, the Korean government and companies have stepped in tocombat excessive electricity consumption beore the peak summer season.

by Julianna Chung

At the same time, the government has plan s

to raise electricity charges. The state-run Korea

Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), provider o 90%

o the nations electricity, has recently called or

a hike in electricity prices citing the current low

price as the main source o its widening defcit.

Experts expect higher electricity charges will

curb the demand or electricity.

Cool-Biz CAmpAign

In line with the temperature ban, government

agencies and private frms have started to adopt

the Cool-Biz campaign. A compound o cool

and business, Cool-Biz reers to an energy

conservation initiative launched in Japan in

2004 that advised workers to dress lightly and

casually rather than in heavy suits or ormal

clothing to enable air conditioners to be turned

down. Koreas Ministry o Environment

launched a similar campaign in 2009 under the

name Coolmaepsi, a combination o cool and

the Korean word maepsi meaning style.

From June to August, public servants o the

Seoul Metropolitan Government will have

the option o wearing shorts and sandals to

City Hall. The customer and client-acingdepartments, however, are encouraged to

dress ormally. Suwon City Government

will participate in the Cool-Biz movement by

wearing T-shirts to the ofce.

High-ranking bureaucrats are also taking

part in the Cool-Biz movement. On June 12,

President Lee Myung-bak and ministers

attended a Cabinet

meeting in short

sleeves in an eort to

save energy.

Companies are no

exception. KT&G,

Koreas largest

cigarette maker, hasliberalized workplace

dress codes by

permitting employees

to wear shorts and

sandals. This is the

frst dress code policy

Korea is no exception to global warm ing.The summer season has recently expandedto approximately six months, rom ea rly May

to mid October. Tropical night weather o over

25C is no longer a surprise. As a result, the

countrys reliance on air conditioning in the

summer is extraordinary. As a country solely

dependent on imported oil, t he government

has put orth measures to prevent anothernationwide blackout beore one o the hottest

summer seasons expected in recent years.

26 And 28 dEgrEEs CElsius

One o the energy-saving measures set

orth by the government is enduring indoor

temperatures above 26C in large private

buildings and above 28C in public ofces

between June and September. Private buildings

using more than 100 kilowatts o electricity

per hour are subject to the temperature limit

as well as businesses that use more than 2,000

tons o oil equivalent (TOE) o energy per year.

Violators will be subject to a fne o up to 3

million won. Department stores, ranchise coeeshops, clothing stores, cosmetics shops, banks,

and insurance company branches that turn on

air conditioners with their doors open will also

be subject to a fne. The names o public ofces

and departments that do not observe the rule

will be made public. IncooperationwithMinstryofEnviro

nment

change or the company

since its establishment in

1987. Financial institutions

including Samsung Securities,

Woori Securities, and Daishin

Securities also allow a no-tie,

no-jacket dress code or their

employees until September.

This is an exceptional case

or Daishin Securities which

was known to have a strict

ormal dress code, checking

employees attires b eore and

ater work hours.

lEAding To A ChAngE

in dAily livEs

The governments energy

conservation eorts have started to have

an impact on citizens as well. Realizing the

importance o energy consumption, consumers

have started to show interest in power-efcient

electronic goods. Customers always ask about

the power efciency when looking at elect ronic

goods these days. They are more cautious about

energy consumption than beore, says LeeSung-bum, the store manager o an electronic

goods store in Heukseok-dong.

The government hopes the energy

conservation campaign will not be a one-o

compulsory event, but one that will lead to

a undamental c hange in the nations power

consumption habits.

1 A sta member o LotMart, a large supermarin Korea, checks the indtemperature o the store2 Light clothing oCoolmaepsi campaignreduces the sensibletemperature by 2, andit causes decreasing theannual use o air conditIt can cut down 1.97 miltons o CO2 emission.

3 Fans are used at pubofces to stay cool and energy.

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A new interretation

2012 Ariran FestivalThe ArirAng

Arirang, the unofcial second national anthem o Korea and the song thatresonates in the heart o every Korean, was given the spotlight at the 2012 Arirang

Festival, The Arirang. From the origins to the modern interpretation,

Koreans are rediscovering the Korean traditional olk treasure.by Julianna Chung / photographs by Moon Duk-gwan

Arirang, the song that resonates in the hearto every Korean, is a Korean traditionalolk song that embodies the sorrows and

happiness o the Korean people. The song

originated rom the countryside o the province

o Gangwon-do, where villagers sang while

cutting trees, planting rice, weeding dry elds,

or simply or entertainment. The song refected

the personal lives and emotions o the people

and played an instrumental role in overcoming

the harshness o reality while acting as a media

tool or the lower classes. In the end o the 19th

century, Arirang became popular throughout

the country, resulting in the ormation o many

regional variations.

THE FESTIVAL

Oten played at international sports

competitions, the song inspires patriotism

among athletes and Korean residents abroad.

While it is a song that every Korean is amiliar

with, Arirang is oten considered a somber old

olk song.

In an eort to position it as a riendly song

to all generations and raise the national and

international awareness o Arirang, the Ministry

o Culture, Sports and Tourism hosted a one-o-

a-kind estival: the 2012 Arirang Festival The

Arirang. The three-day ree event held at t he

National Museum o Korea rom June 15 to 17,

Incooperationwith2012ARIRANG

FESTIVAL

provided people the opportunity to touch, eel,

and experience Arirang.

THE CONCERTS

Two concerts were eatured at the Festival:

Smiling Arirang on June 16 and Sharing

Arirang on June 17. The ormer concert, one

o the highlights o the estival, reinterpreted

the traditional olk song in a aster and more

cheerul version through collaborations with

K-pop artists. Children and adults rom all

generations enjoyed the concert with enthusiasm

as K-pop idol groups Sistar and Teen Top,

R&B diva Insooni, a capella g roup Sweet Sorrow,

and choreography team Nana School who

work with Girls Generation, IU, and Rain each

perormed a modern interpretation o Arirang.

Park Soon-hye, who attended the concert

with her 12 and ten-year-old daughters, was

1 Koreas R&B diva I nssings Arirang with theaudience.2 K-pop girl group Sistasings a modern interpre3 K-pop idol group Teenperforms at the SmilingArirang concert.

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participants story

tristan Geiller from france (23)Tristan, who has been living in Korea for one year,

found out about the Arirang Festival through a friend.

Participating in the Arirang Singing Competition, he

won the Popularity

Award by singing

his favorite Korean

song Good Dayby IU. I chose

this song because

it is the easiestK-pop song for

me. I am going to

practice more and

participate in the

competition again

next year!

WHAT dId yOu THINk AbOuT THE SmILINg ARIRANg

CONCERT?

I think its wonderul to have a concert like this but it also eels like the

estivities around Arirang started too late in Korea. As Arirang is a son

that runs i n the blood o every Korean, we must have more concerts an

estivals like this to share and embrace our traditional music with all

generations and the international community.

HOW dO yOu FEEL AbOuT THE mOdERN REINTERpRETATIO

OF ARIRANg?

It is a natural outcome. As time changes, dierent singing methods, lyr

and tempos are requested by the public. As you can see in todays conc

Arirang is no longer old traditional olk music but something that is on

with hip-hop and contemporary music. We must continue to showcase

side o Arirang to the public.

WHAT dOES ARIRANg mEAN TO OH JuNg HAE?

Arirang is like the nametag o Korea. When one tries to introduce Kore

oreigners, there is a limit to how much can be expressed in words or t

The olk song Arirang, however, delicately displays the history, though

and daily sentiment o the people in all regions very easily.

HOW WOuLd yOu INTROduCE ARIRANg TO FOREIgNERS?

I would just let them hear the music. Instead o trying to translate, exp

and convey the meaning o the song, I would let them listen and eel th

history o Korea to let the song move them itsel. Once they ask questio

ater listening to the song, I would give them explanations about the

history and meaning o Arirang.

extremely pleased with the concert. It is great

to see my kids listen to Gugak. They are only

interested in K-pop, but since t heir avorite

K-pop singer is singing Arirang, I am sure they

will become interested in it now.

The latter concert ocused on the themes o

tradition, amily, and Asia. Traditional musicians

including the triplet group IS (Innity o Sound)

and the Millennium Symphony Orchestra

played dierent regional arrangements o

Arirang, such as Jeongseon Arirang rom the

province o Gangwon-do, Jindo Arirang rom

the province o Jeollanam-do, and Miryang

Arirang rom the province o Gyeongsangnam-

do. The Asian Music Ensembles perormance

o Arirang with traditional musical instrumentsrom Vietnam and Mongolia was indeed a

unique experience or the audience.

ACTIVITIES FOR CHILdREN

For children to become more amiliar with

Arirang and its legacies, the theatrical

perormance Go! Go! Arirang! was run twice

at the estival. Theater group Kkocdusoeh

dynamically introduced local variations o

Arirang through masquerade dances, olk

dances, and pungmul (instruments or Korean

traditional percussion music) perormances.

Arirang is a song my grandmother likes and

I always heard her hum it alone, but I ca n sing

with her now! says Kim Sojin coming out o

the theater.

Young participants also had the chance to

experience and play with Arirang at 12 booths

prepared in ront o the museum. The booths

included Singing the various Ari rang beats,

Arirang puzzle booth, Tasting Korean

traditional ood, and Arirang Singing

Competition. Through these ha nds-on activities,

children and adults alike had the chance to

learn about Arirang and embrace the national

treasure as their own.

AN ACAdEmIC REVIEW

A symposium was also held under the theme

Arirang in Culture, Arirang in the World, in

which 24 speakers presented on the origins and

diusion o Arirang, Arirang in contemporary

literature, comparative studies on oreign olk

songs and Arirang, and Arirang in Korean

pop culture. The symposium provided an

opportunity or scholars and the mass public

alike to speculate on the uture path o the song.

Intervi ew

Oh Jn HaePansori Singer and Actress

Pansori (a genre o Gugak)singer and actress Oh Jung H

hosted the Smiling Arirangconcert. Oh is most amous o

her perormance in directorIm Kwon-taeks 1993 Pansori

themed movie Seopyeonje. Inan interview withKOREA,

Oh expressed her passion orArirang.

1 Theater group Kkocdusoehperforms at the childrenstheatrical performance Go!Go! Arirang!2 Gugak (Korean traditionalmusic) performer Lee Choon-hee performs with her youngdisciple at Smiling A rirang.3 Children enjoy the hands-on activity booths preparedin front of the museum.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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korea july 201234

Fantastic Films at

Puchon InternationalFantastic Film FestivalThe 16th Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival is ready to shock audiences with

antastic blood-curdling flms by international flmmakers.by Chung Da-young / photographs provided by PiFan

as smartphones have been submitted. Most o

these flms have imaginative storylines o the

kind that are rare in commercial flms.

The producer in charge o the initial screening,

Han Sun-hee, stated, We selected flms that

have antasy and imaginative storylines aligned

with the estivals message. They all clearly

depict human nature.

The 36 short flms will be shown in the

Fantastic Short Films and Puchon Choice

section. These flms will compete or USD 13,000

in cash prizes or the our awards o the Puchon

Choice section. At last years PiFan estival, Dead

on Time by Greek flm director Kostas Skitas

won the prize or Best Short Film and The

Adults Flesh by Jeong Ki-jeong won or the Best

Korean Short Film.

SPOTLIGHT ON

INDONESIAN FILMS

The Network o Asian Fantastic Films

(NAFF) will also be held during the

estival. NAFF is a genre project market

that was established as part o PiFan to

promote and support Asian genre flms

in such respects as flm development, co-

production, fnancing, and post-production.

NAFF 2012 is celebrating its 5 th

anniversary rom July 22 to 25 at the PiFan

venues. This year, NAFF will showcase

Indonesian flms in its Project Spotlight:

Indonesian Selections. The flms include

The Puchon International Fantastic FilmFestival (PiFan) began in 1997 in Bucheon,a metropolitan city in the province o Gyeonggi-

do. Ensconced between Incheon and Seoul, the

city receives heavy business and government

support or flmmaking and the visual arts.

The city gradually became a mecca o South

Korean visual arts including animation,

games, and flms. The PiFan estival committee

chose this city in 1997 to eature a specifc

genre o flms ull o resh new creativity and

imagination and to address topics that are too

unique or risqu or mainstream cinema. Since

then, the estival has showcased hundreds o

new South Korean and international horror,

thriller, mystery, and antasy flms, with a

particular ocus on East Asian and Southeast

Asian cinema.

The estival has garnered increasing support

over the years rom ans and cinema gurus

alike. PiFan earned its reputation as the most

dynamic and energetic flm estival in Asia.

The estival also closely collaborates with

the Yubari Fantastic Film Festival in Japan

and the European Fantastic Film Federation

or cinematic projects, and now has a major

presence in the world o cinema a s the biggest

gala o Asian genre flms.

From July 19 to 29, the 16th edition o PiFan

will showcase more than 210 flms rom 40

countries. For the Korean short flm section, 630

short flms were submitted or initial screening.

The competition was tough and the review

was rigorous. Ultimately, 38 flms made the cut

and were selected or the est ival. This year,

interesting flms created with new media such

Curious Grandma: The Murder of Annet Van

Houten by Lucky Kuswandi, vampire love story

Blue Blood by Billy Christia n, and Paul Agustas

Beautiful Beast, inspired by a classical Indonesian

horror flm.

The selection conveys not only a aithul

genre convention, but also characteristic

eatures based on deeply rooted Indonesian

traditions, said NAFF organizers. Previous

NAFF Project Spotlights have ocused on the

flms o China (2008), Singapore (2009), Taiwan

(2010), and Japan (2011).

Come to the Puchon International Fantastic

Film Festival this month and enjoy a wide range

o flms. The horror flms and dream-like stories

will send chills up and down your spine and

tickle your imagination, a great way to orget

the summer heat.

1 King Kellyby theAmerican flm produceAndrew Neel, will beeatured at the PuchonChoice section.2 Spellboundby Hwanho, will be eatured at World Fantastic Cinemsection.3 Horror Storiesis theopening flm or this yePiFan estival.

Date July 19 - 29

Place Korea Manhw

Contents Agency,

Bucheon

Tickets Tickets for

the opening and

closing features and

regular features can

be purchased online

www.pifan.com.

How to get there

Subway Get off at

Songnae Station,

Seoul Subway Line

1. Exit towards theNorth Square and ta

Bus 37 or 87. Get of

at the Korea Manhw

Museum.

Bus From Seoul

StationBus 1200From Yeongdeungp

StationBus 905

PiF

InFormatIo

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30 Days to GoReadying for the London Olympics

The 30th Summer Olympics in London is only a month away. South Korea aims to win ten

gold medals and rank at least tenth, as it did at the preceding two Summer Olympic events.Korea is ready to start. by Kim Min-seon

Olympic event) at the 2008

Olympics. So, it isnt too

ambitious o a goal to win

at least ten gold medals

and rank 10th or higher

at the London Olympics

this summer. Experts

predict that the goal could

be achieved with a big

margin.

S. KOREA TARGETS TEN

GOLD MEDALS

TO LAND IN TOP TEN

South Korea plans to send

more than 260 athletes to compete in 26 sports

at the London Olympics this summer. The

Korean Olympic Committee expects at least two

gold medals in each o the events o archery,

taekwondo, and judoin which the country

has been strongand at least one in each o the

events o swimming, badminton, gymnastics,

shooting, encing, and wrestling.

There are athletes that hope to continue their

gold medal streak ollowing their success at the

2008 Beijing Olympics, such as Park Tae-hwan

(a swimmer who won gold in the 400-meter

reestyle), Lee Yong-dae (a badminton player

who won gold in mixed doubles), and Jang Mi-

ran (a weightliter who won gold in the +75

kg category). In addition, the men a nd women

archery teams, who are the undisputable world

leaders, expect at least two out o our gold

medals in archery.

Jang Mi-ran says that she will be more

exible when aced with a crisis because she has

become more experienced and skilled.

Park Tae-hwan, nicknamed Marine Boy,

looks more confdent than beore. When he

was training overseas, he participated in the

Mel Jajac Jr. International Meet in Vancouver to

see what kind o shape he was in and won in

the mens 200 and 400 reestyle. With 50 days

let until the start o the London Olympics,

Park said that he places top priority on how he

manages his race.

My practice ocuses on records and races. I

The 2012 London Olympics, the largestsporting event o this year, is withinsight, and the South Korean athletes who will

represent the country in t he event are more

determined than ever to do t heir best, sweating

hard with last-minute preparations. The London

Olympics is going to be a global estival where

more than 10,000 athletes rom a round world

will fercely compete in 26 sports or a total o

302 gold medals. The number o gold medals

is the same as the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but

baseball and sotball are no longer on the list o

ofcial competitions.

London, the venue o the 2012 Summer

Olympics, is a city with special meaning to

Koreans when it comes to the Olympics. The

14th Olympics hosted by London in 1948 were

the frst Olympics South Korea frst part icipated

in. At the 1948 Olympics, 67 Korean athletes

competed in basketball, weightliting, boxing,

wrestling, and cycling and won two bronze

medals. Since then, the country has sent teams

o men and women athletes to every Summer

Olympics so ar, barring only t he 1980 Moscow

Olympicsall 15 Summer Olympic events

including the 1948 London Olympics.

The Korean Olympic Committee announced

that South Korea aims to rank 10 th or higher or

three consecutive Olympic events ollowing

the 2004 Athens Olympics and 2008 Beijing

Olympics. The country was ranked 9th with

nine gold medals at the 2004 Olympics and

7th with 13 gold medals (the most gold medals

South Korea has ever won in a single Summer

want gold, but its not

my goal. What I want

is a world record.

The Korean

Olympic Committee

and the Taereung

Training Center are

almost done with their

preparation or the

London Olympics.

The strategies they

have used are to select sports that South Korean

athletes can perorm well in, ocus on them,

resort to science in planning the training

regimes, operate training camps in London, and

create a stable training environment.

The number o training days the national

team members spent at t he Taereung

Training Center and the Jincheon Training

Center were increased rom 210 to 240, a nd more

trainers have been provided. Overseas and

customized special training has been oered,

as well.

The Korean Olympic Committee aims or

10th place with at least ten gold medals, says

Park Jong-gil, director o the Taereung Training

Center. I believe our athletes will win up to 13

gold medals. Im sure they will.

The only thing let or all the athletes

participating in the London Olympics is or

them to do their best and play air in keeping

with the spirit o t he Olympics.

1 Park Tae-hwan swimmmightily towards his secOlympic medal2 South Korean athletecheer for victory atthe Olympic inauguralceremony.2 Shooter Jin Jong-oh ithe mens 10 m air pistocompetition is stronglyexpected to win the golmedal.

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Korea Helps MongoliaEstablish E-ProcurementThe Mongolian Ministry of Finance implemented an electronic procurement systemwith a grant from the South Korean government last May. An adaption of the Korea

Online E-Procurement System (KONEPS) of the South Korean Public ProcurementService, the system is expected to help the Mongolian government achieve transparent

public procurement. by Im Sang-beom / photographs provided by the Korean Public Procurement Service

transparent e-procurement system, which is a

core part o its e-Mongolia policy, will boost the

international perception o the country.

SECOND TIME HELPING WITH AN

E-PROCUREMENT SYSTEM IN ASIA

This wasnt the rst time or the Korean

government to export its e-procurement system

in Asia, as Vietnam was the rst Asian country

to import the Korean-style e-procurement

system. The rst step o the project was taken

when the South Korean and Mongolian

governments inked an agreement in June

2007. The National IT Industry Promotion

Agency (NIPA) o South Korea conducted a

easibility study i n November 2007, and KOICA

perormed another easibility study in March

2010, which was ollowed by the signing o an

agreement between KOICA and Samsung SDS

in September the same year.

The development took o with a project

launch ceremony in January 2011, and Korean

experts in law, institutions, and unit price

contracts few to Mongolia in February. The

last month o last year saw a pilot testing o

the system, and nally an opening ceremony

last May marked the roll-out o the Mongolian

governments rst-ever e-p