korea [2013 vol.9 no.05]

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/korea-2013-vol9-no05 1/29

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


Publisher Woo Jin-Yung, Korean Culture and Inormation Serv

Executive Producer Suh Jeong-sun

E-mail [email protected]

Magazine Production Seoul Selection

Editor-in-ChiefRobert Koehler

Producer Ko Yeon-kyung

Editorial Advisors Jang Woojung, Hu Young Sup

Copy Editors Daisy Larios, Hwang Chi-young

Creative Director Jung Hyun-young

Head Designer Lee Bokhyun

PhotographyRyu Seunghoo, RAUM Studio

Printing LEEFFECT

All rights reserved. No part o this publication may be reprodu

any orm without permission rom KOREA and the Korean CultuInormation Service.

I you want to receive a ree copy o KOREAor wish to cancel a

please e-mail us. A downloadable PDF fle o KOREAand a map

with common Korean words appearing in our text are available

the thumbnail o KOREA on the homepage o www.korea.net.

발간등록번호 11-1110073-000016-06

04

14

28

26

CONTENTS MAY 2013 VOL.9 NO.5

14 PEN & BRUSH

Calligrapher Kang Byung-in

18 PEOPLE

Cho Hi-bu’s Noonbisan Village offers new possibilities

20 TRAVEL

International Garden Expo Suncheon Bay Korea

24 SEOUL

Yangjae Citizen’s Forest

26 FESTIVAL

Seoul Lotus Lantern Festival

28 SPORTS

A new generation of Korean baseball players

30 ENTERTAINMENT

The tug of war over national music

34 SPECIAL ISSUE

Sungnyemun Gate reborn

36 CURRENT KOREA

World Journalists Conference 2013

38 SUMMIT DIPLOMACY

President Park meets US Secretary of State John Kerry

40 GLOBAL KOREA

Digital journeys into the past

42 MY KOREA

Hiker Roger Shepherd talks about Korea’s mountains

44 MULTICULTURAL KOREA

Severance Hospital’s Dr. John Linton

46 TALES FROM KOREA

Lessons learned from tortoises and hares

48 GREAT KOREAN

Kim Ok-Gyun

50 FLAVOR

Pickled apricot and apricot tea

High-quality, low-cost healthcare

draws international attention

C O V E R S T O R Y04

Korean Healthcare

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


V E R S T O R Y

KOREANHEALTHCAREHigh-quality, low-cost healthcare draws international attention

Written by Ko Yeon-kyung Late last year, a luxury Royal Jet chart

Abu Dhabi’s department o health la

at Incheon International Airport ca

very special passenger. Eleven-year-old Moh

Al Hadram had been diagnosed with leukem

year beore. Upon arrival in Korea, Mohame

taken by ambulance to St. Mary’s Hospital in

Banpo-dong district to undergo hematopoie

cell transplantation, an advanced procedure

stem cells—in this case rom donor bone ma

provided by the National Marrow Donor Pr

the United States—are transplanted to comb

orms o cancer, including leukemia. Accord

JoongAng Ilbonewspaper, Mohamed’s moth

hospital sta, “We were amazed when we he

the transplant procedure is under way,” notin

such a procedure was impossible to obtain in

Dhabi. In the United States, such a procedur

cost twice as much as it does in Korea.

In 2011, roughly 150,000 oreign visitors c

to Korea in order to undergo medical treatm

Korean hospitals. Tis was up rom just und

in 2007, and the numbers continue to rise. T

given rise to a booming medical tourism ind

that brought KRW 200 billion to Korea in 2oreign patients, Korea’s primary draw is its

combination o high-tech, high-quality med

at prices ar below those o the United States

and Japan. Foreign healthcare providers are

note, too, as oreign governments increasing

interest in emulating Korea’s healthcare succ

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


V E R S T O R Y

Overnight Success

ou won’t have to look hard to nd evidence o Korea’s medical

ourism success. Go to Seoul’s posh Gangnam district any

ay o the week, and you’ll nd groups o oreigners coming

nd going rom the neighborhood's many aesthetic clinics—

ome to no ewer than 400 such clinics, this may be the plastic

urgery capital o the world. Many have come rom other East

Asian nations, inspired by the grace and beauty o Korea’s

ncreasingly popular singers and dancers, but others have come

om urther aeld: Russia, Europe, and the Americas.

Korea’s medical tourism success is remarkable when

ou consider that it wasn’t so long ago—well within living

memory o most Koreans, in act—that Korea was regarded as

omething o a medical black hole. Just a generation ago, most

atients were orced to rely on their local drugstores to get any reatment at all.

So what changed?

From the 1970s, the Korean

overnment began a major

ush to improve the nation's

ealthcare system. In 1977, the

overnment mandated that all

ompanies with 500 employees

r more provide health

nsurance; in 1979, this was

xpanded to include smaller

ompanies o 300 employees or

more and state workers. Te banner year, however, was 1989,

when the National Health Insurance Program was implemented,

ringing universal health insurance to Korea just 12 years aer

he implementation o the rst health insurance act.

Paid or by co-pays rom the insured and, o course, taxes,

he National Health Insurance Program revolutionized

Korea's healthcare system—whereas it had previously been

rohibitively expensive, it was now possible to visit a doctor or

asic ailments and pay under KRW 10,000 or treatment.

Under the reormist administration o President Kim Dae-

ung, public health benets were expanded urther. Public

ealth clinics were established throughout the country; indeed,

ven the smallest rural communities usually have a public

ealth clinic where local residents can seek basic care.

Tese reorms—together with Korea’s dramatic economic

and social development o the 1960s–1990s—led to dramatic

improvements in patient care as demand increased and

medical technology improved.

Foreigners Take Note

Changes in Korea’s medical laws in 2009 allowed local hospitals

to advertise to and seek out oreign patients. For their part,

oreign patients proved receptive—60,000 came in 2009, with

the numbers climbing ever since. Te Ministry o Health has

set a goal o attracting 300,000 medical tourists by 2015. While

many patients come rom Korea’s Asian neighbors, the largest

single supplier o oreign patients had been the United States

until 2012, when it was displaced by China. An increasing

number o Russians regard Korea as a good destination

or medical treatment. Te stars are coming to Korea, too,

including American actors

Peter Fonda and Kristin Davis,

Chinese actress Zhang Jingchu,

and American ootball player

errell Davis. Davis came

to Korea in 2011 to receive

treatment on his knee using a

stem cell treatment unavailable

in the United States.

Tanks to the growing

popularity o Korean pop

culture, plastic surgery has led

the way, but oreigners such as young Mohamed are coming

or other procedures as well. Inertility treatment, or instance,

has become something o a national specialty. Korean hospitals

are not only extremely good at these treatments, with success

rates o 40 percent, but costs are remarkably low, in some

cases costing just one-sixth o what they’d cost in the United

States. More and more oreign patients are coming or cancer

treatments, eye surgery, and other inpatient treatments, too.

Cost, o course, is a major actor in drawing medical tourists

to Korea. Korean medical services are typically 20–30 percent

cheaper than those in the United States, and in some cases,

they can be much cheaper. Hemorrhoid surgery, or instance,

will cost just a little over KRW 1 million in Korea; in the United

States, it is ten times that amount. Cancer treatments, too, are

considerably cheaper than not only the United States and JapanA young patient rom Kenya in Korea to receive ree heart

surgery at Gangnam Severance Hospital © Gangnam Severance

Hospital

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


V E R S T O R Y

ut also some medical tourism competitors such as

ingapore. Costs are typically higher than in China,

ut lower than at China’s international hospitals,

where well-heeled Chinese customers would go or

etter-quality care. Prices are roughly on a par with

ingapore’s or-prot hospitals.

High quality—especially compared to cost—is

nother selling point. All Korean hospitals are, by law,

on-prot institutions; accordingly, they prioritize

atient saety and satisaction above all else. Moreover,

hrough the Hospital Evaluation Program established

n 2004, Korea has been evaluating its own medical

stablishments to promote higher quality care. In

011, Korea adopted a healthcare acility assessment

nd accreditation system, the Korea Institute or

Healthcare Accreditation (KOIHA). In 2012, KOIHA

was accredited by the International Society or Quality

n Healthcare, evidence that Korea’s assessments were

p to global standards.

Tese standards—and Korea’s technical prowess—

nsure high-quality care.

Korea’s cutting-edge medical care and relatively low

osts are certainly the two biggest draws or oreign

atients, but they are not the only ones. Korea’s

medical boards are notoriously dicult—only 0.5%

o medical students pass. Students that pass the exam

then must undergo a yearlong internship and our

years o residency. ypically, it takes 11 years or a

Korean doctor to become a specialist. When married

with Korea’s advanced medical inrastructure, highly

capable doctors can do wonderul things. Smart

environments allow Korean doctors access to patient

inormation when and where they need it. Equipment

is not only advanced, but plentiul—Korea ranks third

in the OECD in the number o C scanners and MRI

scanners per capita.

As with many industries, location is key. o North

Americans, Korea may seem hal a world away, but to

many o Korea’s biggest medical tourism customers

like those rom Japan, China, Russia, Southeast Asia,

and the Middle East, Korea is no more than an eight-

hour ight away. Even or potential patients in urther-

o locales like the Americas and Western Europe,

Seoul is well linked by direct ights. Once in Korea,

the nation’s advanced transportation network makes

getting around painless.

Even Korea’s mild climate has played to its

advantage. Compared to some o its more tropical

competitors, Korea’s temperate climes help reduce the

risk o post-op inection or inammation.

2

ource: Ministry o Health & Welare

Medical Tourists to Korea in 2012,by Nation of Origin

31,472

ChinaUnitedStates

30,196

Japan

18,462

Russia

16,325

Mongolia

8,347

Vietnam

2,1971. Foreign reporters visit Jaseng Hospital

o Oriental Medicine

2. Skin treatment at Mi Oriental Medicine

Clinic © Mi Oriental Medicine Clinic

3. IAAF President Hamad Kalkaba Malboum

receiving a general checkup at Keimyung

University Dongsan Medical Center

1 2

3

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


V E R S T O R Y

0

EXPANDING HEALTHCARE SECURITY

A priority o Korea’s public healthcare system is providing high-quality and aordable care

to neglected segments o society.

In 2009, Seoul Medical Center began a “moving dentistry” program or the city’s low-

income elderly who might otherwise not receive dental care. In its rst year alone, the

center’s dentistry-on-wheels traveled 12,000 km throughout Seoul, bringing the ree dental

clinic to 8,700 patients.

Likewise, public medical centers in Gyeonggi-do are craing plans to provide ree medical

care to low-income, elderly residents living around the province. Tere are currently 244,000

people over the age o 65 living in the province; o these, about 130,000 lack amily members

who can support them.

A number o public medical centers provide medical services to Korea’s growing migrant

worker population. Gyeonggi-do Medical Center Paju Hospital provides a range o support

or oreign migrant workers, reugees, marriage immigrants, and other socially vulnerable

groups. In particular, the hospital oers ree outpatient support through amily visits to

provide continuous health maintenance, promotion, and recovery assistance.

In April 2012, Gunsan Medical Center signed an agreement with a local migrant workers’

group to provide ree checkups and treatment services to Gunsan’s oreign migrant workers,

many o whom nd it difcult to pay or medical services due to the poor local economy or

their undocumented status.

One recent example exhibited cooperation between private charity and national

healthcare. In April 2013, Seoul’s private Nanoori Hospital invited a Kirghiz man to Korea

to receive treatment or a lump on his shoulder that was causing him pain. As he was

undergoing treatment, however, it was discovered that the lump was, in act, a malignant

tumor. Nanoori Hospital inquired to the Korea Health Industry Development Institute,

which contacted Korea’s National Cancer Center, which agreed to provide the man with ree

treatment.

GROWING INTEREST IN KOREA’S

HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

As more oreign patients come to Korea or medical care, some oreign countries a

to bring Korean healthcare home.

On April 9, 2013, Korea and Saudi Arabia inked a deal to cooperate in healthcare.

the key parts o the agreement is the winning Project, in which Saudi Arabia aims t

Korea's medical technology, system, and culture. In essence, Korea is exporting its he

system whole to the Middle Eastern kingdom. As in so many other aspects o moder

the turnabout is proound—just 50 years ago, Korea was receiving similar help in the

healthcare rom the United States.

Te deal also calls or Korea to help train Saudi medical personnel as well as de

build hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Te kingdom's King Fahd Medical City (KFMC) w

the site o the winning Project's rst run, with participation rom Gachon Univer

Gil Medical Center, Samsung Medical Center, Pharmicell Co., the Korea Institute

Radiological and Medical Sciences, and Seoul National University Hospital.

In 2011, Korea’s National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) signed an MoU with

Vietnamese Security Service Administration (VSS) to help develop Vietnam’s heal

insurance system. Te NHIS will assist in bringing a Korean-style health insuranc

to Vietnam, which has benchmarked the Korean healthcare system or its efcienc

technology, and comprehensive scope. Vietnam wishes to achieve universal health

coverage by 2014.

1

2

Mobile dental clinic or the elderly

Seoul Medical Center

Seoul Medical Center © Seoul Medical Center

Workshop on Korean health insurance system or visiting

Vietnamese ofcials © National Health Insurance Service

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


K

orea’s healthcare system has allowed Korea

to achieve remarkably high marks for public

health at a relatively low cost. It’s for this reason

that the system, a social health insurance system with

universal coverage, is drawing interest overseas. KOREA

talked with Kim Jong-dae, the president of the National

Health Insurance Service (NHIS), about the development

of Korea’s health insurance system and the NHIS’s plans

for the future.

What are the unique characteristics o theNational Health Insurance (NHI) system inKorea?

National Health Insurance (NHI) in Korea was rst

implemented in workplaces with 500 or more employees

in 1997. By increasing population coverage step-by-

step, Korea nally achieved universal coverage in

1989. Tus, it took only 12 years, which is seen as an

unprecedentedly short period o time or achieving

universal coverage.

Korea’s NHI is closer to a social health insurance

(SHI) system, which is operated by the insurer with

contributions rom the insured as the source o nancing, rather than a national health service (NHS)

system, which is directly operated by the government

through taxes.

But unlike the typical SHI system, NHI requires

mandatory participation o all citizens living in Korea

and a single insurer. In the case o Korea, the National

Health Insurance Service (NHIS) is the single insurer

in Korea, and it takes the ull responsibility o operating

the Korean NHI program. Tat is the dierence between

a typical SHI system and Korean NHI. Additionally,

requiring mandatory participation o all providers in

Korea is one o the unique characteristics o Korean

NHI.

When Korean NHI was frs t introduced, whichhealth insurance systems were used asbenchmarks?

When the Korean NHI was rst designed, the health

insurance systems o Germany and Japan were our

benchmarks. Aer some arbitrary pilot projects

targeting groups o employees and the sel-employed

rom 1968 to 1977, Korean health insurance began

taking the insured's contributions as a main nancing

source, and its operation was on autonomy o insurers

driven by the insured's representatives.

What are strengths o the Korean NHIsystem?

First o all, one o its major strengths is maximizing therange o risk pooling at the national level by achieving

universal coverage, which eliminates any boundaries

o geographical area or occupation. Te top level o

cost-eectiveness o the Korean NHI is also one o its

strengths. In 2012, the contribution rate o Korean NHI

was only 5.8%, which is relatively low as compared to

UNIVERSAL

AND COST-EFFECTIVE

Written by Robert Koehler

Photographs courtesy of NHIS

2

V E R S T O R Y

other countries (Germany: 15.5%, France: 13.85%,

Japan: 9.48%).

Even though Koreans pay a lower level o

contributions than other countries, their health status is

relatively high as compared to other OECD countries.

For example, lie expectancy has risen to 80.7 years

(OECD average: 79.8 years), and the inant mortality

rate (deaths per 1,000 live births) dropped to 3.2 (OECD

average: 4.6) in 2010.

Also, the high accessibility o healthcare services is one

o the greatest achievements

o Korean NHI. Te

number o ambulatory care

consultations per capita was

12.9 times per year, whichwas higher than the OECD

average o 6.5 times per

year.

As a single insurer in

Korea, the NHIS manages

big data, including 8.136

trillion medical records o

whole population’s health

inormation. Using this big data, the NHIS completed

the construction o the Health Inormation Database

in 2012, which contains the past 10 years o personal

health inormation o all the insured, such as medical

history, health screening history, etc.

By taking advantage o big data, we hope to provide

personalized lie cycle healthcare services or all the

insured at an individual level.

How do you expect the health policies o thePark administration to impact the current

health insurance system?Te direction o the new administration’s health policies

are “improving benet coverage,” “increasing the

health quality o all Koreans,” and “enhancing nancial

sustainability o Korean NHI.” Tus, the direction

o the new government’s health policies will make it

possible to signicantly reduce the individual’s nancial

burden o healthcare services and provide better q

o healthcare to all Koreans, while overcoming the

nancial risk that we are acing due to the very rap

increase o the aging population and the decrease

ertility rate.

What is the uture goal o National HealInsurance Services?

Te uture goal o NHIS is to make NHIS the worl

best health security organization, thereby reducin

people’s concerns abou

burden o medical exp

What is needed to reali

is to guarantee a high le

benet coverage and a

quality o care. Moreov

NHIS is planning to pr

personalized lietime

healthcare services usin

Health Inormation Da

o the whole population

which was constructed

on the NHIS’s big data—

help prevent diseases and maximize the improvem

people’s health.

Are there countries that are interested using Korea’s National Health Insurancesystem as their benchmark?

Many developing countries rom all around the

are interested in our system, as is the US. In 201

25 countries participated in the annual internati

training course hosted by NHIS, and there are al

a growing number o oreign research groups wh

visited NHIS (18 groups in 2011, 19 groups in 2NHIS is currently advising Vietnam, Ghana, a

Bolivia on designing health i nsurance systems. A

many other countries such as Belgium, Tailand

Philippines, and Sudan are seeking joint project

develop better healthcare systems through MoU

NHIS.

NHIS Ilsan Hospital, the only hospital in Korea directly run by NHIS

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


4

N & B R U S H

Calligrapher Kang Byung-in sits at his desk, his brush dancing across sheet o paper.

Spring

On a sunny spring aernoon,

Te wind makes the fowers bloom.

In barely a minute, the poem is complete, signed with Kang’s pen name

stamped with three separate red insignia. Outside, the wind buets the o

sunny spring aernoon.

Around Kang is a menagerie o brushes and a orest o calligraphy and

all testimony to his work as a calligrapher on a mission: to demonstrate th

strength and beauty o Hangeul, Korea’s indigenous alphabet. Tough oe

praised or its scientic basis and the logical way in which it was tailor-ma

the sounds o the Korean language, Hangeul has historically been overlook

aesthetic terms. Many o the country’s highest-rated calligraphers, le unm

Hangeul’s perceived angular simplicity, stayed with the millennia-old trad

using Chinese characters even aer Hangeul’s invention in the mid-15th c

Over the last 10 years, however, Kang’s development o a distinctive and d

orm o Hangeul calligraphy has been helping brush away existing stereoty

regarding the artistic potential o the script.

Eternal Ink

Kang’s love aair with calligraphy began early. “Te moment I rst held a

it became my destiny,” he says. At elementary school, he was already produ

calligraphy or classmates; it was at this time, too, that he chose the pen na

that he still uses. Literally meaning “eternally [with] ink,” the name Yeongm

demonstrates Kang’s passion or the medium with which he still works so

HANGEUL,REWRITTENKang Byung-in unleashes the ull emotionalpotential o Korea’s unique writing system

Written by Ben Jackson

2

1. 95ㅎ © Kang Byung-in

2. Kang Byung-in

1

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


years later. He rst carved it into the side o an eraser in order to

stamp works produced or his riends at school.

Despite not having any amily background in calligraphy,

Kang ound himsel inspired by Korean calligrapher Chusa Kim

Jeong-hui, a 19th-century gure amed throughout Northeast

Asia or his talent. “Nobody in my amily or my village had

anything to do with calligraphy,” he says. “Encouragement rom

my calligraphy teacher at school helped me a lot. I carried on

writing during my military service, sometimes when I was on

night duty. I would be called upon to write ocial documents

and certicates or my unit.”

Popular Potential

While traveling to Japan during the early 1990s, Kang noticed the

abundance o calligraphy on signs, book covers, and commercial

products—something ar less common in Korea at the time. Tis

awakened him to the potential or commercial, as well as artistic,

success or handwriting in Korea. Since then, he has become one

o the pioneers o popularizing calligraphy. He cites the example

o a book titled Haengbokhan Igijuuija (the Korean translation

o Wayne Dyer’s sel-help book Your Erroneous Zones). “It hadn’t

been selling well, so the publisher decided to redesign it. I did the

calligraphy or the ront page, and aer that it started selling a

lot more. Tis awakened publishers to the appeal o calligraphy.”

Such book covers are now a common sight in Korea. Kang’s

work also adorns the packaging o many o Korea’s most amous

products, including cosmetics, book covers, V drama posters,

and even Jinro’s immortal Chamiseul soju.

Characters with Character

Commercial success, however, is just part o Kang’s wider desire

to celebrate and promote Hangeul in new ways. He enthuses

about the egalitarian origins o the script, invented under the

direction o King Sejong in order to bring literacy within the

reach o commoners—an extremely enlightened concept at

the time. But emotion is the new element he strives to add to

Hangeul’s highly impressive unctionality. “A letter or character

has various aspects,” he says. “Meaning, orm, sound, sense o

movement. What I try to add to these is eeling. Tere are three

principle Hangeul styles: panbonche, which is the most angular

and square-shaped; gungseoche, which is less angular but still

very regular; and minche, which is the most ree. I you look

N & B R U S H

at everyday documents written in minche during the Joseon

era, they’re the most ull o eeling. In novels, or example, the

handwriting acquires a more urgent look when there’s a ght

scene and the writer gets excited, or a gentler tone during love

scenes.”

Kang’s expressive writing is certainly ull o emotion. He

takes ull advantage o Hangeul’s untapped potential to

convey volume, intensity, and even direct images. Te word

or “spring” (봄) is transormed into petals, a stem, and roots.

“Forest” (숲) is rendered to look like trees in a orest. “Horn(s)”

(뿔) appears like the head o a cow with a ormidable pair o

horns. Tis is something ound in certain Chinese characters

but almost unheard o in the world o Hangeul.

Dynamic Vowels

Kang also makes use o the circulatory principle behind

Hangeul’s vowel system. By placing one or more dots or

notches to the le or right o a vertical line, or above or below

a horizontal line, every vowel sound in the Korean language

can be reproduced. Kang takes these dots and dashes

them to accentuate the meaning o the words they de

솟다 (to soar upwards) acquires a long stem, shootin

the air like an unleashed rework. At the tip o Kang’

Hangeul’s simplicity is transormed into its greatest s

a huge, oen untapped potential or expression wort

the dynamism o the Korean language itsel; a means

celebration rather than mere communication.

Kang’s work has even been known to acquire a thir

dimension. Iron sculptures o his exuberant Spring (봄

ound in various places around his studio. “It would b

put up an even bigger one, in ront o a building som

he says.

In a world increasingly dependent upon the proc

word, Kang’s role in publicizing the beauty and stre

handwritten Hangeul is arguably more important t

Perhaps, almost 600 years afer it was rst invented,

remarkable script is on the verge o a revolutionary

its own.

6

1. Spring © Kang Byung-in

2. Flower © Kang Byung-in

3. Kang at work

1

2

MORE INFO

he website o Kang Byung-in’s

tudio, Sooltong, can be ound

t www.sooltong.co.kr.

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


Korea is now a predominantly urbanized nation, with

less than six percent o its population living in the

countryside. Barely hal a century ago, however, it

emained largely the agricultural society that it had been or

enturies. In the late 1960s, just as Korea’s economic miracle

was picking up pace, the village o Noonbisan in the province

Chungcheongbuk-do set o on a trajectory o its own that

ed to its current incarnation as one o Korea’s most progressive

arming villages. KOREA caught up with Cho Hi-bu, one o the

Noonbisan Foundation’s most senior members, to see what was

oing on there.

Visitors to Noonbisan Village are greeted by a anare o

hicken songs rom the sheds arrayed on the mountainside. In

mid-April, the plum blossoms are out and rows o garlic and

nion stems, planted the previous October, await harvest in

une. Cho Hi-bu leads a tour around the arm: hand-tended

vegetable patches lie beneath ruit trees; long chicken sheds

ace south into the spring sunshine, with chicken eed growing

in a eld behind; ruit trees make sporadic appearances; and

eggs are washed, sorted, and packaged in a processing acility

while cookies and other baked goods are produced in another.

Bovine Breakthrough

“In 1968, Father Clyde Davis o the Maryknoll Mission

arrived in Korea rom America,” explains Cho. “He saw the

rural poverty here at the time and decided to do something to

help solve it. At that time, nobody but rich people ate bee in

Korea. Cows were working animals, almost more valuable than

humans. Father Davis brought bee cattle rom America and

helped start a cooperative system or rearing them and selling

the meat.” A system o credit unions also developed, sometimes

making loans in the orm o cows rather than cash.

8

E O P L E

Cho le Seoul or Goesan, the county in which

Noonbisan is located, in 1976. As industrialization, the

mechanization o arming, and increasing competition

rom imports brought rural populations crashing down

and turned up the pressure on increasingly elderly

armers, a movement to search or alternatives was

beginning.

Noonbisan Village has since grown into a place o

education or local producers—there are around 300

in the area, most o them practicing organic arming.

It also oers a arm experience or visitors rom urban

areas—some o whom end up leaving the city or rural

arming lives ( gwinong , literally “return to arming,” is

becoming an increasingly amiliar term in Korea)—

and oers the use o its processing acilities.

Te oundation’s chicken sheds are ull o large,

healthy-looking chickens. Built according to the

principles and techniques developed by Japanese

sustainable arming pioneer Yamagishi Miyozo, they

are naturally ventilated, and the chicken manure is

dried by the wind and sun as it is deposited on the soil

oor. Another crucial aspect o Yamagishi’s thought

was that the number o chickens on a arm should be

determined by the capacity o the arm to grow enough

eed or them, as witnessed by the eld o ryeg

other chicken eed crops urther up the moun

Creating a Consumer Base

In 1986, Hansalim, a joint producers’ and con

cooperative, was established, aimed at boostin

domestic agriculture and antibiotic- and horm

ree livestock. “Hansalim now has around 350

consumer members, mostly in the Seoul metr

region, as well as about 2,000 producers aroun

Korea,” says Cho. “Te producers only sell pro

consumer members at xed prices: it doesn’t

the open market.”

Cho’s philosophy is oriented toward sel-su

at a communal level. “Society has lost touch w

the value o basic products,” he says. “Money h

become an abstraction, accumulated or the sa

accumulation rather than as a substitute or d

bartering o goods, which was its original pur

With increasing awareness o environmenta

disillusionment with materialism, and awaren

other possibilities, Noonbisan’s model o coop

sustainable living looks set to continue attract

Koreans in search o a dierent kind o lie.

KOREA'S FARMING FUTURECho Hi-bu’s Noonbisan Village oers new possibilities


1

2 3 4 5

1. Organically raised crops,

Noonbisan Village2. Korean-style home,

Noonbisan Village

3. Humanely raised

chickens, Noonbisan

Village

4. Packing hormone-ree

bee

5. Hansalim, a co-op store

linking rural producers and

urban consumers

6. Noonbisan Foundation

senior member Cho Hi-bu

MORE INFO

http://eng.hansalim.or.kr

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


V E R S T O R YR A V E L

Written by Shin Eunjung

Photographs courtesy of Suncheon Bay Garden Expo 2013

Suncheon Bay Garden Expo 2013

GARDENOF THE WORLD

Located in the southern part o the Kor

Peninsula, Suncheonman Bay is one o

world’s top ve coastal wetlands. It is h

around 200 species o migrant birds and 120 ty

saltwater plants. wenty-ve rare species o bir

seen here, including Hooded Cranes and Black

Gulls. In act, Suncheonman Bay is known or h

largest number o rare birds among the world'sHooded Cranes are an endangered species, and

100 o them regularly visit the bay. Tere are on

9,800 Hooded Cranes in the world, so more th

percent o them visit Suncheonman Bay every y

percent o the world’s population o black-head

also visit the bay. Te bay is popular with birds

the mud ats and reeds puriy the river water a

wide reed elds oer ood and a place to hide.

Suncheonman Bay preserves not only the w

but also various birds and wetland creatures.

bay has become one o the most popular tour

destinations in South Korea. Te Internationa

Exposition Suncheon Bay Korea 2013 will attr

tourists rom abroad and provide an opportun

the Korean people to show how they have dev

their tourism industry while preserving natur

Te total size o the main expo site is overw

It is divided into two main areas which are co

by the Bridge o Dreams. Most o the gardens

including the World Garden Zone and Sunch

Garden, are on the East Gate side. Suncheon

designed by the amous landscape architect C

Jencks, welcomes visitors to the expo. Te lak

represents the mountains and water in Sunch

presents Suncheon as an eco-riendly city. Fro

Bonghwa Hill in the lake garden, visitors can c

glimpse o the World Garden Zone.

Graceul S-shaped waterway, Suncheonman Bay0

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


Gardens from All Over the Worldn the World Garden Zone, each garden represents

ach participating country's identity and culture. A

otal o 11 countries are participating in the Suncheon

ay Garden Expo including France, Italy, Germany,

he US, China, Japan, Tailand, Spain, the UK, the

Netherlands, and Korea itsel. Te British Garden is

n a Victorian style. It is both a part o nature and a

eprieve rom everyday lie. At the Dutch Garden,

isitors can see miniature windmills and admire the

eautiul colors o the tulips, the national ower o

he Netherlands.

Korean environmental artist Hwang Jihye, a two-

me winner at the UK’s Chelsea Flower Show, has

lso created a splendid garden named A Lugworm’s

ath. Te garden shows respect or nature and

emonstrates how nature belongs not only to humans

ut also is shared with other living creatures. Even a

ugworm’s path can be a beautiul garden. Tis garden

makes people think about how human beings livewith others on Earth.

Te Bridge o Dreams links the main expo area to

he Suncheon Bay International Wetlands Center,

uncheon Bay WW Wetland, and Arboretum

Zone. Te bridge not only connects the two areas

ut also is an art object itsel. It is the rst bridge art

allery in the world; it was built with 30 abandoned

cargo containers and exhibits 145,000 paintingsrepresenting the dreams o children rom across

the world. Te bridge symbolizes the connection

between nature and humanity as well as between

nature and the city.

Suncheon Bay WW Wetland was designed

with advice rom the Wildowl and Wetland rust,

an NGO helping wild birds living in wetlands.

Te International Wetlands Center uses solar and

geothermal power to save energy and oers a chance

to see water creatures and water plants including

crabs, mud skippers, and reeds. In the Arboretum

Zone, visitors can enjoy a light climb through a

traditional Korean garden or a peaceul cypress orest.

Aer the end o the exposition, Suncheon Garden

Expo will become a recreational place or local people

and tourists who may return to see the gardens in the

uture. Unlike with other expositions, the site o the

Suncheon Garden Expo does not need to be remodeled

or demolished aer the end o the exposition. Natural

objects like owers and trees will grow and continue

to be attractive eatures o the Suncheonman Bay area.

Te Suncheon Garden Expo aims or a balance between

humanity and nature and seeks to preserve nature

rather than alter it or the benet o humanity. Te value

o Suncheonman Bay and the gardens will increase over

time, and Suncheon will continue its environmentally

riendly development and become an ever greener city.

1. Beautiul reeds o

Suncheonman Bay

2. Dutch Garden

R A V E L

1 2

MOR

Suncheon BayGarden Expo 2013

Seoul

Jejudo

B

4 5

3

1

2

1. Hooded Crane Maze Garden

2. A Lugworm’s Path

3. Suncheon Bay International

Wetland Center

4. Suncheon Bay Personal Rapid Transit

5. Bridge o Dreams

2

Transportation

Seoul (Yongsan Station)

→ Suncheon Station (KTX),

3 hours 12 minutes

Seoul (Central City Terminal)

→ Suncheon Bus Terminal,

3 hours 50 minutes

Gimpo International Airport→ Yeo

Airport (16 fights per day), 55 min

Restaurant

Galdaechon (specializes in seaood, inclu

mudskipper and cockles)

314 Suncheonman-gil, Suncheon, Jeollan

T. 061-746-1700

Accommodation

ECOGRAD Hotel234 Baekgang-ro, Suncheon, Jeollanam-d

T. 061-811-0000

FYI

http://eng.2013expo.or.kr

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


E O U L

Yoon Bong-gil Memorial Hall

In the heart o the park is Yoon Bong-

gil Memorial Hall, dedicated to Korean

independence activist Yoon Bong-gil. Yoon is

best known or carrying out a bombing attack

on a Japanese army delegation in Shanghai on

April 29, 1932. Te attack killed the commander

o Imperial Japan’s Shanghai Expeditionary

Army and another high-ranking Japanese

ocial. Yoon was arrested on the scene and

executed later that year. Te attack served as an

inspiration to both the Korean independence

movement and China’s struggle to resist

Japanese aggression.Opened in 1988, the Yoon Bong-gil Memorial

Hall holds many personal artiacts related to

Yoon as well as other displays related to the

Korean independence movement. Tere’s a

statue o Yoon outside the hall as well.

Te park is also home to three other

memorials: one dedicated to the victims o the

1987 KAL bombing, another to the victims o

the tragic Sampoong Department Stor

in 1995, and the other to a group o Ko

commandos. Tese monuments are clu

the south end o the park.

Cosplay in Seoul?

Te area around the monuments is, od

enough, also Seoul’s best-known locati

“cosplay” (“costume play”). Acionado

subculture dress up as their avorite c

characters, more oen than not rom c

animated lms, and graphic novels. T

prominence within this subculture is la

a product o its proximity to the a Cen

the venue o the monthly Seoul Comic

Korea’s largest comic and animation con

Essentially Korea’s Comi-Con, Seoul Co

World hosts, among other things, cospla

and gatherings. Tese gatherings are po

not only the participants themselves but

photographers who ock to capture im

colorul and surreal.

Sometimes there really is truth in advertising. Yangjae Citizen’s Forest

is exactly what it says it is, a wooden swath o green in Seoul’s Yangjae

district, opened to the general public in the mid-1980s as part o the

district’s aceli ahead o the 1988 Summer Olympic Games. It’s no mere

clump o trees, though. o Seoulites, particularly those who live in the afuent

Gangnam neighborhood, it represents a great green lung in the heart o the

urban jungle, a place to escape the cacophony o the city without having to

board a train or plane. It’s even got some cultural quirks to keep even the non-

dendrologically-minded interested.

So Many Trees, So Litt le Time

Yangjae Citizen’s Forest is something o a rarity—a thick orest in a major

metropolis. Within the park’s nearly 80,700 square meters you’ll nd no ewer

than 94,800 trees o 43 species, including pines, zelkovas, maples, chestnuts,

Korean pines, white plane trees, and metasequoias. It makes an especially

impressive sight in autumn, when the great variety o trees turn a kaleidoscope

o colors, but it’s equally impressive in spring, when the leaves sprout and the

many owers and plants lend a sweet scent to the air.

Pleasant walking paths take visitors through the more scenic parts o the

orest. One path is lined by giant metasequoias that reach toward the sky like

the pillars o a cathedral. One especially popular stretch is the Bareoot Walking

Road, a 140 m path on which walkers stride bareoot over a variety o suraces.

Te acupressure put on various trigger points on the oot is said to yield a wide

variety o health benets.

In addition to the trees, you’ll nd many convenience and leisure acilities

throughout the park, including a playground, a tennis court, pleasure ponds, a

ountain, park benches, and even a wedding ground or those who’d like to get

hitched under the leaves.

Gangnam’s green getaway

YANGJAE

CITIZEN’S

FOREST

MORE INFO


Station 양재시민의숲역

(Sinbundang Line), Exit 5

1

2

5

4

Cherry blossoms, Yangjaecheon Stream

Spring blossoms in Yangjae Citizen’s Forest


Yoon Bong-gil Memorial Hall

Cosplay

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


6

here are perks to living in

Seoul: the lights never go out.

Tat’s especially true in May,

when ower-shaped lanterns lining the

treets and alleys keep the city bright.

For centuries, South Koreans have put

p lotus lanterns in Seoul once a year to

elebrate Buddha’s birthday. Tis year, the

estival will be held rom May 10 to 12, the

weekend beore Buddha’s 2,637th birthday.

In Korea, a country highly inuenced

y Buddhism, the estival means more

han just a pretty light show. Te Lotus

antern Festival revives Buddhist

elies and traditions through parades

nd perormances, all using light to

ymbolize Buddha’s good deeds and

enevolence in a dark world o suering.

Like previous editions, old-style lotus

anterns will go on display at Bongeunsa

emple in southern Seoul and Jogyesa

emple in the central part o the city on

he rst day. Te real estivities begin the

ext day, when its trademark parades are

o be held. Starting with the Lotus Lantern

arade rom 4:30pm to 6pm, the Lantern

arade will ollow along the main Jongno

Road rom 7pm to 9:30pm. Te party

pirit will continue with ower petals

mbroidering the night sky, a post-parade

celebration, rom 9:30pm to 11pm.

On the last day, the estival provides

hands-on experiences you will not want

to miss. Make lanterns yoursel ollowing

the guidance o your instructor and

learn about Buddhist culture rom other

countries at special exhibitions. O

course, lantern lighting will continue till

the last day.

Every year, visitors are pleasantly

surprised to see lanterns o dierent sizes

and shapes. Last year, popular animation

character Pororo was turned into a lantern

and received an overwhelming response

rom people o all ages. Regardless o

design, the level o detail on colorul

lanterns characterizes the religion. When

lit, the lanterns illuminate dramatically

against the night sky.

Tough the event looks quite

modernized, it dates back to the Silla

Kingdom (57 BCE–935 CE). Tis piece

o Korea’s cultural heritage has been

celebrated or about 1700 years, and

records show that it used to be solely or

royal amilies. Food, wine, and music

used to ll the air during the celebration,

but slowly, the Lotus Lantern Festival

evolved into the modernized olk event

we have today.

Te estival has taken place in dierent

orms and embraced slightly dierent

meanings. In 1955, Buddhists began

marching on the street with lanterns as

a symbolic event to ree people rom

darkness and misconceptions. Aer

people’s long, enduring eort to keep these

spiritual values alive, the Lotus Lantern

Festival was designated a national holiday

in 1975. Trough its accumulated ame

and signicance, the annual estival was

designated an Intangible Cultural Heritage

by the Cultural Heritage Administration

last year.

In that sense, the Lotus Lantern Festival

is no longer just a religious event or

Buddhists. According to organizers, at

least 300,000 Seoulites and oreign visitors

watch or march with the parades in May.

English brochures and guidebooks are

available.

SEOUL LOTUSLANTERN FESTIVAL

S T I V A L

2

1

Jogyesa Temple

Making lotus lanterns

Lotus Lantern Festival

Participants carry lotus lanterns


MORE INFO


May 10−12

www.ll.or.kr

Popular Seoul estival pays tribute to ancient tradition

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


8

Dodger Stadium has been home to some o the greatest international

talents in Major League history. Te historic roll call includes Fernando

Valenzuela, Hideo Nomo, and o course Park Chan-ho, the rst Korean

to ply his trade in the MLB.

It’s anybody’s guess whether Ryu Hyun-jin, the 26-year-old Korean who agreed

to a six-year, USD 36 million deal to play in inseltown, will one day be mentioned

among those names in Los Angeles Dodgers’ lore.

Ryu’s ans will point to his seven years o brilliance within Korean proessional

baseball and his bedazzling changeup to declare that he more than b elongs in baseball’s

highest stage.

His doubters nd it hard to imagine him being the same, lights-out orce he was in the Korea

Baseball Organization (KBO). Against the superior bat speed and plate coverage o Major League

hitters, Ryu’s astball isn’t ast enough and his breaking balls don’t break enough, they say.

But all the debate on whether Ryu has the raw stu to be a major league starter sort o misses

the point: his mind could be a bigger asset than his arm.

Sel-doubt has never been part o Ryu’s makeup; his condence seems almost irrational at

times. His memory is short and selective: i he struck out ve but gave up ve runs in a game,

he will remember only the strikeouts later. He has succeeded because he simply doesn’t let

ailures get to him.

Ryu’s unappability was on display in his start against the Pittsburgh Pirates at

Dodger Stadium, when he registered his rst major league win.

Coming o a shaky debut against the reigning World Series Champions—the San

Francisco Giants—when he conceded three runs (one earned) and 10 hits over six-

plus innings, Ryu was rung up early against the Pirates.

He gave a lead-o single to Starling Marte and a towering home run over the

le eld wall to Andrew McCutchen in the rst inning or a quick 2-0 Pirates

lead. However, Ryu only gave up one more hit beore he was relieved by Ronald

Belisario in the top o the seventh.

Over 6 1/3 innings, Ryu struck out six Pirates and gave up only three hits

and two walks. Te Dodgers battered the Pirates pitchers or six runs,

driven by a 4-RBI evening by Adrian Gonzalez, to cruise to a 6-2 win.

“Te pitch [to McCutchen] was a mistake. But it was a wake-up call that

inspired me to pitch more aggressively aer that,” Ryu told reporters aer

the game.

While Ryu is trying to establish himsel as one o the better young players in

the majors, Choo Shin-soo, leado man and center elder or the Cincinnati Reds,

is already there.

Joining the Reds in the o-season aer spending seven seasons with the

Cleveland Indians, Choo is o to a torrid start at the plate, hitting three home

runs and driving in six runs aer nine games. He is hitting .371 and maintaining

an on-base percentage o over .500.

He has been struggling deensively this season, newly playing in center aer

spending most o his career as a right elder. His raw ability inspires condence

that he will get better as the season progresses.

Choo is a true “ve-tool player”—a player who excels at hitting or average and

hitting or power and who is known or his base-running skills, throwing ability,

and elding abilities. In his over-700-game career, Choo has hit .290 with an

on-base percentage o over .383. Tat goes with 751 hits, 86 home runs, 371

RBIs, and 86 stolen bases, numbers that are enough to make the argument

that Choo has already eclipsed Park as the best Korean major leaguer ever.

As good as Ryu and Choo are, some Korean ans would be tempted to

say neither o them is the country’s top baseball export. Lee Dae-ho,

the beey slugger playing or the Orix Bualoes in Japan’s proessional

baseball league, is considered one o the best right-handed hitters not

playing in America right now.

Aer hitting 225 home runs and 809 RBIs in 10 seasons or the

Busan-based Lotte Giants, he hit 24 home runs and drove in 91

runs in his rst season with the Bualoes last year. He

is o to a better start this season, leading the Pacic

League with a .401 average and 15 hits aer the rst

eight games.

P O R T S

Written by Kim Tong-hyung

Ryu, Choo highlight new generationo Korean baseball players

Dodgers pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin

Ryu signs with the Dodgers

Reds center felder Choo Shin-soo

1

2

3

HARDBALL

KOREANS

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


As traditional music departments in universities close

their doors and jobs in traditional music ( gugak)

orchestras become scarce, players who grew up with

the beats o Western pop in their ears and the gyrations o scantily

clad go-go girls in ront o their eyes nd themselves scrambling to

make a living. “Necessity is the mother o invention,” the English

saying goes, and musicians trained in Korean traditions now nd

themselves combining ingredients rom various genres to eed the

vocierous pop tastes o their audiences.

With their strapped-on black plastic molded instruments,

shaped like gayageum, geomungo, haegeum, and janggu, the

group SuperSound has moved about as ar away rom traditional

gugak as a gugak band can go. In their recent Youube video

“Waikiki”—or perhaps in this case “Why, kiki?” (a Korean sound

or laughter)—band members dance in patent leather pants and

sparkling miniskirts in ront o white emale prison guards who,

though dressed in riot gear, bring to mind the women in Robert

Palmer’s song rom the 1980s, “Addicted to Love.” When the lead

singer and gayageum player asks in English, “Who the hell is

laughing at me?” it’s hard to know who she’s asking.

Yet it is still more common or today’s groups to put their

traditional wooden instruments to new uses, as in World o

Music, Arts and Dance (WOMAD) avorite Dulsori’s World Beat

Vinari (“vinari” reers to binari, a kind o prayer or blessings

and good ortune) which combines drumming, dancing, singing,

and instrumentals with video, lighting, and paper butteries that

wing their way through the audience to create an electriying

perormance spectacle that embodies the elusive Korean word

heung (興), which could perhaps best be translated as joy or

exceitement.

More That Just a Pretty Face

Upon their debut a ew years ago, the gugak group SOREA won

both the Korean Creative Content Agency’s Best New Album

Written by Jocelyn Clark

Te tug o war over national music

TRADITIONAL MUSICGOES POP?

ERTAINMENT

Top to bottom: Haegeum, g

geomungo, and janggu© S

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


Award and the Gold Award in the Creative Korean

raditional Music Competition at the Korean

raditional Music Festival in 2005. However, more

recently, SOREA has come to be known or its

players’ K-pop accoutrements—short skirts, strapless

tops, and strappy heels, backing up the B-boy dance

group Extreme Crew. Nevertheless, the group has

stated that their aspiration is “to be recognized as

gugak missionaries rather than a pretty girl group.”

SOREA might learn how to water gugak’s roots

even while bringing its seeds to oreign soils rom

the work o another evangelist, pansori singer Lee

Ja-ram. While perhaps best known or her role as

the loyal daughter Seonghwa searching or her voice

in the Western-style musical version o the movieSeopyeonje, Lee has been quite active mothering

inventions o her own.

Finding an Identity

Lee has set out to give the pansoriorm new blooms,

creating an original pansoribased on the work o

the German poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht, Te

Good Person o Sichuan (German: Der gute M

von Sezuan). Lee’s Sacheonga sheds the Han

in avor o a zoot suit, among other costume

adds an electric guitar, a drum kit, and other

percussion instruments to the lone barrel-sh

buk drum that traditionally accompanies pa

Tematically, her pansoricarries orward Co

values—filial piety, chastity, loyalty, and resp

elders—orced onto the bawdy street rap o t

o yore by reviser Shin Jae-hyo in the second

the 19th century. But at the same time, Lee c

questions aced by modern Korea. As Brecht

prostitute protagonist struggles to embody “

as dened by God, longstanding moral conc

placed on Korea’s current socioeconomic terpointing to the idea that the relationship bet

a society’s classes, political structures, and w

thinking all grow out o economic realities. L

to be asking, now that we are rich and global

we really? What do we look like? How do we

Tese are poignant questions that belong at t

o any branding discussion.

1. Dulsori playing janggudrums © World Beat Vinari

2. Lee Ja-ram singing © Lee Ja-ram

3. Dulsori playingbuk © World Beat Vinari

2

2

ERTAINMENT

1

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


On May 4, citizens and public leaders will gather at Sungnyemun Plaza to

celebrate the completion o the restoration o Sungnyemun Gate. Designated

National reasure No. 1 by the National Heritage Administration in 1962, the

historic old gate has spent the last ve years undergoing restoration ollowing a tragic

re in 2008. Te return o the gate to the arms o the public will not just represent the

reinstatement o a centuries-old Seoul landmark to its proper place in Seoul’s skyline but

also mark a new period in Korea’s cultural development.

Gate of Exalted Ceremonies

Standing proudly on the road linking Seoul City Hall and Seoul Station, Sungnyemun Gate

(“Gate o Exalted Ceremonies”) is, in a sense, a microcosm o the city o Seoul. Flanked by

skyscrapers and rushing trac, the handsome old gate typies the dynamic coexistence o

old and new that so epitomizes the Korean capital. When it is lit up at night, it becomes one

o the city’s most iconic images.

Sungnyemun once served as the southern gateway to the royal capital o Seoul; its

common name, Namdaemun (“Great South Gate”), serves to remind Seoulites o its

ormer unction. During the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910), the gate was one o our great

gates that controlled trac in and out o the great city walls that completely surrounded the

capital. At 4am, the gates were opened with the tolling o the great bell at Bosingak Belry

on Jongno Road, and at 10pm the gates were closed with a second tolling o the bell.

Work on the gate began in 1395 and was completed in 1398. Te base o the gate is

composed o solid granite blocks. Piercing the base is a single arched gateway through

which all trac passed. A two-story wooden superstructure caps the base like a hat; prior

to the 2008 re, it was the oldest wooden structure in Seoul. Te gate is still one o Korea’s

oldest city gates in existence as well as one o the largest.

While the gate has stood the test o time, it has not done so without diculty. In the

rst decade o the 20th century, Imperial Japan demolished the gate’s supporting city

walls, ostensibly to build a tramway. Te gate was severely damaged during the Korean

C I A L I S S U E

4

War; to this day, the base o the gate is pockmarked by bullet holes as a reminder o the past

worst calamity to beall the gate, however, occurred on the night o Feb 10, 2008, when an a

set re to the gate’s wooden superstructure, destroying much o it.

Bringing the Gate Back to Life

Work to restore the gate began almost immediately. Quite ortuitously, a 2006 restoration ha

produced detailed blueprints o the gate, easing the reconstruction process. In addition to th

wooden inrastructure, large sections o the gate’s supporting city walls—torn down by the

a century ago—were also rebuilt as part o the eort to register Seoul’s old city walls with U

Much care was dedicated to the reconstruction. Korea’s top artisans, including several gov

recognized masters, participated in the KRW 15.3 billion project. In some ways, the restore

better than the pre-re one. Prior to the re, the gate was topped by actory-made roo tiles

have been replaced by traditionally red roo tiles that better protect the wood rom rot. Di

prevention measures including a CCV system and an integrated sprinkler system have be

integrated into the design. o emphasize the importance o protecting cultural properties, s

o the original wood—charred black rom the 2008 re—have been kept in place as remind

cost o ailure.

Te May 4 completion ceremony will be marked by speeches, hands-on events, and traditio

perormances. Te Korean government hopes the opening o the gate will mark the beginnin

era o cultural prosperity that lessens social tensions and reduces the cultural gap. With this in

the government is hosting a series o participatory events to emphasize the importance o pro

Korea’s cultural heritage and the symbolic signicance o the gate in promoting social commu

SUNGNYEMUNREBORNSeoul’s historic gate returns to the people


1. Signboard, Sungnyemun Gate

2. Dragon painting on gate ceiling

3. Guardian fgure on roo

4. New CCTV installed on gate

5. Colorul roo eaves

Memorial coins to mark the

storation o Sungnyemun Gate

Reconstruction site

Memorial Coins

To mark the restoration o

the gate, Korea Minting

and Security Printing & ID

Card Operating Corporation

(KOMSCO) has issued 30,000

memorial coins eaturing

images o the gate. With ace

values o KRW 50,000, the coins

can be purchased or KRW

57,000 rom NongHyup and

Woori Banks.2

1

MORE INFO

www.sungnyemun.or.kr

Hoehyeon Station회현역

(Line 4), Exit 5

1

2

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


R E N T K O R E A

More than a hundred journalists rom all

over the world gathered in Seoul in April

or an international conerence, where

they called or peace between South and North Korea

and discussed the uture role o journalism.

According to the organizers o the event, as many as

110 journalists rom 74 nations—as well as 30 oreign

correspondents based in Seoul—participated in the

World Journalists Conerence, which sought to bring

discussion on a number o diverse issues, ranging rom

the changing role o journalists in the age o digital

media to peace on the Korean Peninsula. Hosted by the

Journalists Association o Korea, the conerence was

aimed at promoting ties among journalists around the

world and talking about the uture o journalism in the

rapidly changing global media environment. Te week-

long event kicked o on April 15.

Te key participants in the opening-day ceremony

included Prime Minister Chung Hong-won and Jim

Boumelha, the president o the International Federation

o Journalists (IFJ), as well as reporters rom British

daily Guardian, German public broadcaster ARD,

China’s ocial Xinhua News Agency, and Japanese

national broadcaster NHK.

In a congratulatory message at the opening ceremony

held at the Korea Press Center in central Seoul, Prime

Minister Chung Hong-won asked the participants

to redouble their eorts to convey the South Korean

people’s wishes or peace on the Korean Peninsula to the

world. “Journalists’ impressions, when combined with

the Internet which brings the world together, also aect

the tense situation on the Korean Peninsula,” Chung

said. “We’ve seen a slew o cases where a single photo, a

single line rom an article, changed the whole world.”

World Journalists’ Declaration for

Peace on the Korean Peninsula

Te participants issued the World Journalists’

Declaration or Peace on the Korean Peninsula, which

expressed their worries over the recent crisis between

the two Koreas and called or immediate dialogue

regarding denuclearization and inter-Korean peace,

the organizers said. “Tere is serious concern o

recent increase in tension on the Korean Penin

accompanied by ear o a crisis situation, raisin

need or immediate dialogue to seek a viable s

they said in the declaration. Te participants a

called or a responsible attitude rom North Ko

diplomatic eorts rom the Six Party alks’ me

nations.

Te opening-day ceremony was immediately

by the subsidiary events, including a conerence

uture o journalism in the age o digital media”

“digital media and the changing role o journali

same venue.

Aer the conerence, some o the participati

journalists toured the country’s easternmost is

Dokdo and the demilitarized zone (DMZ), am

others. Dokdo has been the subject o dispute

Korea and Japan—who have had a complicated

history—over a variety o issues, including the

ownership. Organizers said that the scheduled

Dokdo was aimed at delivering the message th

is part o Korean territory in the context o his

geography, and international law.

Others visited the DMZ, which crosses the 3

parallel on an angle and cuts the Korean Penin

roughly in hal. Te DMZ is a strip o land run

across the Korean Peninsula and has served as

zone between the two Koreas since the armisti

was concluded in 1953.

Tey also inspected the SK elecom headqu

Samsung Digital City, and the Electronics and

elecommunications Research Institute (ERI

others, in order to observe the I industry in o

most wired countries in the world.

Te conerence was the rst o its kind hoste

Journalists Association o Korea. Te associati

to hold the event annually starting next year.

Te organizers said that the conerence and

subsidiary events marked an opportunity to h

peace and national security on the Korean Pen

amid the recent tensions and crisis between th

Koreas since earlier this year.

Reporters discuss the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the futureof journalism at World Journalists Conference 2013

Written by Tae-soo Sohn

JOURNALISTS CALLFOR PEACE

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


8

1

resident Park Geun-hye met with US Secretary o State John

Kerry at the presidential mansion o Cheong Wa Dae on April 12.

Kerry was in town to discuss matters related to the Korean

eninsula, including North Korea.

During the meeting, President Park expressed her hope

hat the Korea-US alliance could make urther progress to the

ecurity and prosperity o not only the Korean and American

eoples, but to all the peoples o the international community.

Warning North Korea that it would ace a strong response

hould it launch a provocation, she also le open the possibility

common development based on mutual trust should North

Korea accept change and come orward or dialogue.

Secretary Kerry responded that the United States would

espond rmly with its South Korean allies to North Korean

hreats and provocations and stressed the importance o close

cooperation between Washington and Seoul.

President Park and Secretary Kerry also discussed the Korea-

US Free rade Agreement (KORUS FA) and the contributions

it has made to bilateral trade and economic growth in both

Korea and the United States.

Park also expressed hope that the Korea-US atomic

energy agreement might be revised—through a “creative

approach”—in a more advanced and mutually benecial way.

Te Korea-US atomic energy agreement is set to expire in

March o next year.

President Park Geun-hye met with NAO Secretary General

Anders Fogh Rasmussen at Cheong Wa Dae on April 12. Te

two leaders discussed Korea’s budding partnership with the

Atlantic alliance, with Secretary General Rasmussen saying,

MIT DIPLOMACY


“NAO’s partnership with the Republic o Korea is still young,

but it has great potential.”

During the meeting, Secretary General Rasmussen expressed

his desire to engage with the Asia-Pacic region. “NAO’s global

perspective does not mean that we seek a presence in the Asia-

Pacic region. What it does mean is that we seek to engage

with the Asia-Pacic region. And the Republic o Korea is a

key partner in this endeavor.” Noting Korea’s contributions to

eorts in Aghanistan, he said, “In Aghanistan we have learned

the skills we need to work together and the value o working

together. Tose are lessons we must keep and build on.”Secretary General Rasmussen also condemned North

Korea’s recent threats, which he said “pose a serious threat to

regional and international peace, security, and stability.” He

called on North Korea to ends its provocations and ulll its

international obligations to ulll its UN Security Council

resolutions.

President Park Geun-hye met with Olympic Council o

(OCA) President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah

Wa Dae on April 16 to discuss cooperation to ensure t

Asian Games are a success.

Te 2014 Asian Games will be hosted in the Korean

o Incheon.

President Al-Sabah is also president o the Associat

National Olympic Committees.

Also attending the meeting were OCA Vice Preside

Yong-sung, OCA Director-General Husain Al-Musal

and Minister o Culture, Sports and ourism Yoo Jinr

as well as President Kim Jung-haeng o the Korean O

Committee and President Kim Young-soo o the 2014

Asian Games Organizing Committee.

1. President Park Geun-hye meets US Secretary o State John Kerry 2. A meeting with NATO Secretary General Anders Fo

3. A meeting with Olympic Council o Asia (OCA) President Sheikh Ahmad Al-F

1 2

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


0

he great transition rom analog to

digital has become almost synonymous

with that rom the 20th century to

the 21st. Te preservation and reservation o

tangible cultural heritage, however, retains a

largely analog image: redevelopers must be kept

at bay, stone stopped rom crumbling, tourists

controlled, looters apprehended. Te broken

limbs o statues must be painstakingly restored

and those buried unearthed by archaeologists

rather than blind bulldozers.

But Korean scientist Park Jin-ho is part o

a growing global movement to unite digital

technology with cultural heritage. Director

o EurAsia Digital Heritage Lab, he has spent

the past several years working with a process

known as digital restoration, which is adding an

important new dimension to our relationship

with the buildings and objects o the past.

Using a sophisticated combination o data

gathering and 3-D animation, digital restoration

is bringing lie back to silent and disappearing

parts o Korean and global heritage.

Virtual Recreation

Park’s rst digitization project came in the orm

o a one-year project to digitally restore Angkor

Wat, Cambodia’s most spectacular temple

complex. Cambodia supplied the material,

while Korea provided the technology and

unding. Te one-year project produced a 3-D

animation o the temple, a eat accomplished by

Korea ahead o other advanced countries with

greater experience in analog restoration. Park

subsequently worked on the digital restoration o other

historical sites in Hue, Vietnam’s ormer imperial capital,

and on Seokguram Grotto, one o Korea’s UNESCO

World Heritage sites. He is currently working on a

project to digitize Borobudur, one o Indonesia and the

world’s greatest Buddhist monuments.

Digital restoration is used to create 3-D animations

and other digital products related to sites, allowing

virtual visits, re-enactment o lie at the time when the

buildings were built or in use, and records or uture

analog restoration. Te 3-D animation o Seokguram, or

example, can be played at any global exhibition o Korean

culture. “oday, Ho Quyen royal arena in Hue just exists

in the city, without much indication o what it was used

or,” says Park. “In act, it was like a Vietnamese coliseum,

where tigers and elephants were set against each other in

a ght to the death. We were able to recreate scenes rom

the arena during its era o active use.”

Cooperating to Rebuild the Past

In addition to their immediate cultural and historical

benets, such projects play an important role in the

ongoing raising o Korea’s global status. “Other countries

such as France, England, Japan, and even India have

decades o experience in analog restoration techniques,”

says Park. “It will take quite some time or Korea to

catch up in that area. But digital restoration is a eld in

which Korea has the technology and expertise to excel.

In act, such projects have the potential to become part

o Hallyu (the Korean wave, currently spearheaded by

V dramas and pop music): they enhance the

world heritage in countries with which we coll

while promoting Korea’s advanced levels o dig

technology.”

Te digital restoration process begins with the

o cooperation rom project host countries. Tis

ollowed by site investigations and planning how

nished digital product will be used. Next come

important archiving stage: taking photographs a

scans, writing screenplays or animations, and g

historical materials, including historical photos,

and previous studies. Tis data is then systemati

organized beore being used in the nal stage to

actual digital product, be it a 3-D animation, ho

virtual reality program, or exhibition.

Government Support

It has only been a ew years since Korea’s status

rom international recipient o aid to that o do

however, cultural ocial development assistan

has begun accounting or a small part o the co

international eorts. “We have a budget o KRW

million this year,” says Lee Yena, deputy directo

Cultural Heritage Administration (CHA)’s Int

Cooperati on Division. Tis year, the CHA’s cu

ODA will be targeting projects in Asian countr

include restoring damaged world heritage sites

establishing systems to protect intangible herit

CHA’s rst such project was the digital restorat

Hue’s Ho Quyen royal arena on which Park Jin

worked. “Collaborating with other countries in

not only helps them preserve their own cultura

but can bring indirect benets through resultin

increases in tourist numbers,” says Lee. “We ho

gradually increase the scale o our cultural OD

coming years.”

Park is currently hoping to add digital restor

the analog restoration that the Korean governm

about to start at Hong Nang Sida, a temple in L

Korea’s rst such overseas project. “Convergen

between digital and analog restoration is an ar

Korea really has the potential to excel,” he says.

B A L K O R E A

Thái Hòa temple in Imperial City,

ue, Vietnam © KAIST

Digitally rendered Apsara rom

ngkor Wat

3-D imaging o Borobudur temple

Kim Yeong-gon

oncept artist or restoration)

1

3

2

DIGITAL JOURNEYSINTO THE PASTKorea aims to excel in digital restoration of world heritage


hotographs courtesy of EurAsia Digital Heritage Lab

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


As the owner o a hiking company in South

Korea, I am oen asked by my clients and

even Koreans: why Korean mountains?

Te entire Korean Peninsula is about 75%

mountainous; that gure hasn’t nor can it change.

Tis ever-present backdrop o mountains is what the

Korean people were raised under, inuencing them

aily. Teir oldest known history is ounded rom

mountains. Back when civilizations were rst being

ormed, the Egyptians were making their pyramids; the

Koreans only needed their mountains. Te ounding

King, Dangun, was born in 2333 BCE and was said to

ave achieved the immortal status o Mountain Spirit

n the sacred peak o Mt. Guwolsan in what is now

resent-day North Korea. Korea’s highest and holiest

eak, Mt. Baekdusan (2750 m), is located at the very

op o Korea. Baekdusan is a high desolate volcanic

andscape blanketed in snow, where shrilling Siberian

winds prevent human habitation. However, its caldera

a crystal blue lake and represents to the people o

Korea their birthplace. For Koreans, the mountains

ontain not only Koreans’ spirits but the spirits o

he mountains—they are used together, their DNA

nseparable.

On the peninsula, the mountains stretch endlessly

over the horizon, like a sea in a heavy gale. Te white

ridges are twisted, with gnarled orests o native

hardwood pines growing eerily rom cli aces and

smooth boulders the size o palaces. Deep mountain

valleys pass as airylands o rock-strewn streams

gushing water greener and clearer than any emerald

on Earth. Rivers are guided by bladed mountain

ranges and escorted out to the seas. Villages orm

alongside coastlines, riverways, and mountain edges.

K O R E A

Fortresses—o which there were once thousands in

Korea—were erected on mountain ledges and ridges.

Shamanic shrines and, later, Buddhist hermitages were

built high in the mountains to attain greater kinship

with the mountain spirits. Te most precious herbs

and spices came rom the mountains. Mountains

inuenced everything: religion, art, literature, oods,

and water. Tey even dictated the angles and locations

o villages and palaces based on the geomantic will

and identity o the neighboring mountain system. Not

much was void.

Mountains and Humans

Tis terrain can even be diagrammed, making it more

unique to Korea. Te Baekdu Daegan (White Head

Great Ridge) orms the backbone o the peninsula.

Tis continuous ridge transmits natural energies

throughout the peninsula. It also orms the watershed,

providing lie. From there, its subsidiary ridges

and lesser ridges splay throughout the penin

transmitting and guiding these natural energ

waterways arther. On an old carved wooden

used to make Korea’s oldest maps, this detail

exactly like the human chart o our arterial, v

and central nervous systems. In a sense, to da

this energy is to damage lie. Mountains and

are biologically the same to the Koreans.

It was only by chance some six years ago th

exploration o these stunningly beautiul mo

ridges began. It was their endless maze that l

to the side o Korea that not many Westerner

about. It was the mountains that showed me

these historical places once were and where m

still remain today. It was the study o its peak

revealed to me Korea’s cultures and histories.

more time I spent in the mountains, the grea

these energies had on me. I too became part o

landscape.

BECOMING ONEWITH THE LANDSCAPE

Written by Roger Shepherd

ustrated by Kim Yoon-Myong

Hiker Roger Shepherd talks about Korea’s mountains

2

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


TICULTURAL KOREA

“My great-grandather came in 1895

and went to Mokpo in 1897. My

grandmother was born here in 1899, my

dad was born in Gunsan in 1926, I was born in Jeonju in

1959. Counting my kids, that’s ve generations.”

It would be air to say Dr. John Linton o Yonsei University’s

Severance Hospital has long-standing amily ties to Korea.

Tose ties grew even stronger when Linton became a Korean

citizen in March 2012. He is constantly nding ways to

give back to the nation o his birth and is now lending his

expertise to the administration o President Park Geun-hye,

where he is an advisor on issues pertaining to inter-Korean

relations, regional harmony, and multicultural amilies.

Going Back a Long Way

Linton’s great-grandather, American missionary

Eugene Bell, came to Korea with the American Southern

Presbyterian Mission in 1895. Te Lintons contributed

enormously to the development o the Korean southwest,

establishing countless schools, hospitals, and even

universities, like Daejeon’s Hannam University.

Born and bred in Korea, Linton is unapologetic o his

love or the country. “I love Korea terribly and I don’t plan

to retire to the States. I hope to be buried here when I die,”

he says. “I have received so much rom Koreans.” In 1980,

he received special entry into Yonsei University, and to date

he is the only Westerner to pass the Korean boards. In 1991

he became the chie o Severance Hospital’s International

Health Care Center, and our years ago he was named head

o amily medicine.

Looking to give back, he began tinkering with ambulances

aer he returned to Korea rom residency training in the

United States. He produced an ambulance better suited to

Korean conditions. “It’s a knockdown o a US rig. It’s just got

a smaller ootprint on the road. It’s designed so you can get

a maximum amount o equipment into a minimum amount

o space,” he explains. “And to make a long story short, 5,000

o the ambulances I designed are on the roads right now.” He

also taught Korea’s rst paramedic course in 1993.

Linton has also contributed to relie eorts in North

Korea through the Eugene Bell Foundation, run by his

brother Stephen. Originally ocused on ood aid, the

oundation now sends medical aid to North Korea a

been particularly committed to helping ght tuberc

the North. “[Stephen] was the rst person given pe

to send B drugs rom this government,” he notes.

rst shipment o humanitarian aid to North Korea u

administration. And I had a little bit to do with that

Lending a Helping Hand

Linton is now an advisor to President Park Geun-

involvement with Park dates back to the campaign

he joined Park’s preelection emergency committee

asked me to join the emergency committee last spr

he recalls. “I very, very politely reused to do it bec

was a oreigner, and it’s illegal or a oreigner to tak

in politics. But on October 3 she sent one o her cl

condants here... He said he didn’t want me to do

political, all we want is your support with South-N

relations, East-West harmony, and multicultural a

And I said, that’s me.”

He sees multiculturalism as “preparing Korea o

reunication.” “Some 30 percent o the wives in th

countryside are oreign,” he says. “I we could learn

assimilate these oreign wives, we can certainly as

North Koreans.”

He stresses the need or something akin to the

Immigration and Naturalization Service o the Un

States. “Basically, I made three proposals,” he says.

We need to be more selective about whom we rece

2: We’ve really got to watch out or the second gen

We shouldn’t make the same mistakes other count

have made. No. 3: I think we should insist that Ko

the language o Korea and that the Korean culture

preserved.”

o oreigners wishing to integrate into Korean soc

he advises them to keep an open mind. “Te single m

important thing is that Korean society is never what

on the outside,” he says. “I became an expert on Nor

in three visits. Aer 10 visits I started to have questio

Aer 20 visits I was totally lost. And it’s not just beca

communism but because Korean culture is very sop

So, it’s like an onion, there’s more layers and more la

still learning every day about Korean culture.”

4


Born and raised in Korea, Severance Hospital’s Dr. John Lintonis helping Korea face the challenges of the 21st century

GIVING BACK TOTHE LAND HE LOVES

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


“B

yeol Ju Bu Jeon,” or “Te Hare’s Liver,” is a Korean olktale rom the 7th century. Te

story is recorded in Korea’s oldest existent history, published in the 12th century, and

has been analyzed by Conucian scholars. Te tale resembles Aesop’s able “Te ortoisend the Hare” in that both tales eature a turtle and rabbit as the principal characters, but the setting,

morals, and political implications o the stories are quite dierent.

As the story goes, the Dragon King, the king o the sea, was deathly ill. His subjects suggest that a

are’s liver could cure him, yet none o them are brave enough to venture onto land to get the liver—

hat is, until the turtle volunteers. Once ashore, the turtle nds a rabbit and persuades him to visit the

nderwater kingdom, where great riches, beauty, and honor—the turtle claims—await. Te rabbit

6

ES FROM KOREA

Written by Charles Luskin

ustrated by Shim Soo-keun

Lessons Learned fromTortoises and HaresByeol Ju Bu Jeon teaches us thatclever sometimes trumps foolhardy

agrees. Back underwater, in the audience o the Dragon King, the rabbit is restrained and reg

inormed that he must sacrice his liver (and his lie) to save the king. Te rabbit cleverly tell

that he would be honored to help save the king’s lie but has le his liver in the woods. Rabbits

tells the king, knowing the value o their livers, hide them aboveground in secret places. Te h

that he would be honored to retrieve it and give it over to the king i the king would send the t

escort him. Te Dragon King is won over by this cavalier attery and sends them back. Once

the rabbit runs saely away rom the turtle, telling him that they will never get his liver, that th

ools to believe him, and that the Dragon King will just have to die. Ten he vanishes.

While the stories’ principal characters are obviously the same, they impart morals that are very

in substance and scope. In “Te ortoise and the Hare,” the moral o the story is twoold; rst, d

arrogant about your abilities, as the rabbit was, and second, hard work and determination trump

talent. Te Korean story is just the opposite. Te quick-thinking hare outsmarts the brave, loyal,

dim-witted turtle. Te hare relies on his natural intelligence to win the day. Indeed, the rabbit is

o cleverness in Korea. In this regard, “Te Hare’s Liver” has much more in common with the A

American olktales o Br’er Rabbit than “Te ortoise and the Hare.” Both the Korean hare and

Rabbit trick the powerul into letting them escape to their avored ground—the ground or the

hare and the bri ar patch in Br’er Rabbit’s case.

Te moral o “Te Hare’s Liver” also extends beyond the scope o that o the able—beyond

personal sphere and into the social one. Te Korean hare is symbolically associated with the p

population, whereas the turtle, in the story, is associated with authority and royalty. Given the

associations, “Te Hare’s Liver” imparts a deense mechanism or the powerless: a social mora

is, when wronged by the powerul, the weak should be sly and clever to escape unscathed. By

same token, there is also a social moral or the turtle: do not waste noble qualities with oolish

Indeed, at the end o the tale, the tortoise is le with very little. His attributes go unheralded b

the king is le to die and the rabbit has gone ree.

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


With new technologies and ideologies

arriving rom Western nations, times

were changing too rapidly in 19th-

century Joseon Korea. In addition, the arrival o

modern nationalism and imperialism turned Korea

into a battleground or its neighbors’ ambitions, and

its newly desired independence became increasingly

unlikely. Kim Ok-Gyun, a government ocial and

leader o the Independence Party, acutely perceived

these challenges and tried to modernize the country

in whatever way possible to preserve its existence. He

was rustrated at every turn, however, and in 1884,

Kim saw no other solution than to lead a bloody

coup, kidnapping the king and murdering his political

opposition.

Te rustrations that prevented Kim Ok-Gyun rom

realizing reorm through peaceul means may have

had their genesis in his amily background. Kim was

born in 1851 into a relatively impoverished branch o

the amous, yet waning, Andong Kim clan. Although

he passed the state exams with the highest honors in

1872 and secured an exceptional initial appointment,

his lack o close inuential blood relations retarded

his advancement in government. He became close to

King Gojong but languished or ten years in various

appointments o middle rank.

From early on, Kim was attracted to change. He

was inuenced by the Silhak school o Conucianism,

which stressed equality, pragmatism, and technological

exchange. Further, he clandestinely studied Japanese

translations o Western books on science, politics,

and history at a time when reading such material

was illegal. Kim increasingly came to admire the

Japanese model o modernization, and he thought

that Japan could be a useul counterweight to Chinese

dominance.

In 1881 Kim convinced Gojong to send him to

Japan. While there, he wrote editorials advocating

modernization and, with Gojong’s support, attempted

to procure loans to nance reorm. Kim proposed broad

reorms o the economy, government, and society:

he sought to abolish the class system, modernize the

E A T K O R E A N

Written by Charles Luskin

KIM OK-GYUNActivist and reormer attempted to bring Korea

nto the modern world

military, reorm taxes, remit grain debts, rationalize government

bureaucracy, and establish a principle o equal ri ghts.

While Kim was abroad, his political opposition mobilized.

Te Min clan, the queen’s amily, consolidated its power and

allied itsel with the Chinese, who were garrisoning troops in

the country. Tus, when Kim returned to Korea in 1884, he

was unable to inuence a government dominated by China

and his amilial and political opponents. Te Min action,

virulently against Kim’s pro-Japanese and reormist positions,

threatened to have him removed rom government or

criminally charged.

The Gapsin Coup

o save himsel and, in his view, his country, Kim and his

coconspirators planned a coup so that they could enact their

reorms unopposed. Using re and dynamite as distractions,

they abducted the king and killed key Min amily members.

Tey secured the military assistance o the Japanese legation

soldiers to ght the much larger Chinese garrison. Al

the ambush went according to plan, little else did. Te

soldiers were outmatched, and aer just three days Ki

to Japan. He was assassinated aer ten years o exile in

though it is unclear who ordered the killing: the Min

the Chinese.

Kim Ok-Gyun is a challenging gure. He was at o

arsighted, realizing that Western-style modernizatio

the only way to preserve Korean sovereignty, yet nai

trust o the Japanese and incautious in his plans or t

especially given that Gojong avored reorm. Te op

that ollowed the Gapsin Coup o 1884 discredited K

ideology completely, eectively destroying any chan

modernization when Korea needed it most. Indeed,

years later, Japan managed to wrest Korea away rom

and colonize it. Te coup remains controversial, and

historiography has undergone several shis over wh

to blame.

1. Kim Ok-Gyun

2. Memorial, Kim Ok-Gyun

3. Historic post ofce in Seoul

where the Gapsin Coup was

launched

1

8

2

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


V E R S T O R YL A V O R

Pickled Apricot

and Apricot Tea Written by Monica Suk

Apricots are usually known or helping

digestion and giving natural sweetness

to ood. For these reasons, Koreans have

long enjoyed apricot as liquor, tea, pickled, and

processed ood. Apricot variations are simple to

make, as seen by pickled apricot, a common side

dish in Korea. Named maesil jangajji in Korean,

the sweet and sour dish is made by soaking green-

colored apricots in sugared water and storing them

or 10 to 15 days.

I you’re not a an o pickled ood, try apricot

tea, or maesilcha. Just put 1 or 2 spoons o apricot

extract into a cup o hot water and drink it afer

each meal. Apricot tea is also known or helpinglose weight and stopping diarrhea.

Te extract is quite useul once you make it. It

is ofen used or other dishes too, like seasoned

vegetables and chicken or pork boiled in soy sauce.

0

Shall we watch a moviDo you have plans this weekend? MingMing

suggests something to her friend Minsu.

Let’s make plans in Korean!

민수 씨, 주말에 시간 있어요?우리 영화 볼까요?Minsu ssi, jumare sigan isseoyo?Uri yeonghwa bolkkayo?

-아요/어요

You can use this form when you propose

or suggest something to the listener. Verb

stems ending in아 or오 take-아요. Verb

stems ending in other vowels take -어요.

-(으)ㄹ까요?

In spoken Korean,-(으)ㄹ까요? is used to make a suggestion or inquir

someone’s inclination. The subject of the sentence,우리 (we), is often o

-(으)ㄹ까요? takes the form of a question, it sounds softer or more po

요/어요 when making a suggestion.-을까요? is attached to a verb stem

consonant, and-ㄹ까요? is attached to a verb stem ending in a vowel.

Root form -아요/어요-(으)ㄹ까요?

Makes the suggestion sound softer

영화를 보다Yeonghwareul boda

To watch a movie영화를 봐요

Yeonghwareul bwayo.영화를 볼까요?

Yeonghwareul bolkkayo?

강남역에서 만나다Gangnamnyeogeseo mannada

To meet at Gangnam Station

강남역에서 만나요.Gangnamnyeogeseo mannayo.

강남역에서 만날까요?Gangnamnyeogeseo mannalkkayo?

저녁을 먹다 Jeonyeogeul meokda

To eat dinner

저녁을 먹어요. Jeonyeogeul meogeoyo.

저녁을 먹을까요? Jeonyeogeul meogeulkkayo?

한강에 가다Hangange gada

To go to the Hangang River

한강에 가요.Hangange gayo.

한강에 갈까요?Hangange galkkayo?

LeprMawitfriefolconabo

강남역에서 만나요.Gangnamnyeogeseo mannayo.

네, 좋아요. 어디서 만Ne, joayo. Eodiseo manalkka

좋아요. 우리 저녁도 Joayo. Uri jeonyeokdo meog

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


I B R S / C C R I N ° : 1 0 0 2 4 -4 0 7 3 0

N O S T A MP R E Q U I R E D

R E P L Y P A I D / R É P ON S E P A Y É E

K OR E A ( S E O UL

) K O C I S

1 5 H y o j a -r o , J on gn o- g u

S e o ul ( 1 1 0 - 0 4 0 )

R e p u b l i c of K or e a

B y ai rm ai l /P ar avi on

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


Readers’ CommentsYour ideas will be reected in orthcoming issues o KOREA.

1. Is the content o KOREA Magazine useul or understanding Korea?

(1) Very useul (2) Useul (3) Somewhat useul (4) Not useul at all (5) No opinion

2. What kind o content do you fnd most interesting or useul in KOREA?

(1) Cover Story

(2) Interview (Pen & Brush, People)(3) Travel & Culture (Travel, Seoul, My Korea, Current Korea)

(4) International Cooperation (Global Korea)

(5) Other (please speciy)

3. How do you fnd the editing, layout, and print quality o KOREA?

(1) Excellent (2) Good (3) Average (4) Poor (5) Very poor

4. Which article in this issue did you fnd most interesting and why?

5. Do you have any suggestions or improving the content o KOREA,

or any new ideas or regular sections?

6. Your Personal Inormation:

Gender : Female Male

Country :

E-mail :

Subscribe online or your ree copy o KOREA.It’s as simple as…

1 Korea.net

2 Home>Resources>Publications>KOREA Magazi

KOREA

This monthly magazine provides frsthand

inormation on culture, tourism, and policies.

Subscriptio

Latest Update: April 2013

54 pages

3 Enter your street address or a ree hard copy

or download a PDF fle o the magazine each month.

2013MAY

7/30/2019 KOREA [2013 VOL.9 No.05]


We invite you to

Suncheon Bay Garden Expo 2013Apr. 20 ~ Oct. 20, 2013

70 gardens (World Gardens, Participatory Gardens)Arboretum, International Wetland Center

Around Suncheon Bay, Suncheon

korea [2013 vol.9 no.05]

Documents