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Publisher Woo Jin-Yung, Korean Culture and Inormation Serv
Executive Producer Suh Jeong-sun
E-mail [email protected]
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Editor-in-ChiefRobert Koehler
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PhotographyRyu Seunghoo, RAUM Studio
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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
Written by Ben Jackson
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
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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
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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
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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
Yangjae Citizen’s Forest
Station 양재시민의숲역
(Sinbundang Line), Exit 5
1
2
5
4
Cherry blossoms, Yangjaecheon Stream
Spring blossoms in Yangjae Citizen’s Forest
Yangjae Citizen’s Forest
Yoon Bong-gil Memorial Hall
Cosplay
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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
Lotus Lantern Festival
MORE INFO
Lotus Lantern Festival
May 10−12
www.ll.or.kr
Popular Seoul estival pays tribute to ancient tradition
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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
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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
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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
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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
Written by Robert Koehler
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
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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
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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
Written by Robert Koehler
“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
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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)
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DIGITAL JOURNEYSINTO THE PASTKorea aims to excel in digital restoration of world heritage
Written by Ben Jackson
hotographs courtesy of EurAsia Digital Heritage Lab
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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
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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
Written by Robert Koehler
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
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“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.
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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
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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
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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
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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