Gi chul Choe | UPenn MLA 2021 Portfolio

GI CHUL CHOE

P O R T F O L I O www.gichulchoe.com choegc92@upenn.edu 2016-2020

EDUCATION University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA, USA Master of Landscape Architecture

Class of 2021

Konkuk University | Seoul, South Korea Bachelor of Forestry and Landscape Architecture

Class of 2018

EXPERIENCE University of Pennsylvania | Teaching Assistant | Philadelphia, USA Studio: Field Operations Green New Deal Super Studio - Middle Branch Futures

Jan. 2021-Current

University of Pennsylvania | Research Assistant | Philadelphia, USA Research: African Speculations

Jan. 2021-Current

PennPraxis | Design Fellow | Philadelphia, PA, USA

Jun. 2020-Aug. 2020

Dongsimwon Landscape Design | Designer | Seoul, South Korea

Feb. 2018-Jul. 2019

Landaura | Researcher & Designer | Seoul, South Korea

Dec. 2017-Jul. 2019

CTOPOS | Intern | Seoul, South Korea Mirim Horticulture & Gardening | Intern | Seoul, South Korea

HONORS & AWARDS 2021 CBDX: Cities for All Competition Winner Stuart Weitzman School of Design Scholarship Stuart Weitzman School of Design Excellent Graduate Award 2018 The Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture Excellence Award 2016 Landscape Architecture Summer Design Camp Korea Konkuk University Scholarship Konkuk University

SKILLS Software AutoCAD, Sketchup, Rhino, Grasshopper, Lumion Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Adobe Premiere, After Effect), Arc GIS Pro, Microsoft Office Website Builder Wix, EditorX, Webflow Analog Architectural color & graphite Drawing, Model Building

Jun. 2012-Aug. 2012 Mar. 2012-Apr. 2012

GI CHUL CHOE choegc92@upenn.edu +1.267.581.7794 www.gichulchoe.com

ACADEMIC AMPHIBIOUS CITY 2050 Lagos, Nigeria

TECHNATURAL SUBLIME Production and Storage Landscape

PERMEATING GREEN Defensible Space and Community

UNION CITIES African Diversity

PROFESSIONAL ROSE GARDEN Public Engagement Project

CONSTRUCTION Private Garden Construction

SEJONG GROUND WALK Connection and Space

INDIVIDUAL PLANT DICTIONARY Personal Plant Research

OTHER WORKS Landscape Drawings and Research

ACADEMIC

ANIMATION https://vimeo.com/490671888

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CBDX Cities for all International Competition

Winner

AMPHIBIOUS CITY Fall2020 Studio: Speculation on the post-neoliberal city: Imagining spaces of future settlements (New Towns of the African Continent) Lagos, Nigeria Instructor: Christopher Marcinkoski WEBSITE https://www.speculationonsettlement.net/copy-of-lagos-1

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2050 LAGOS: AMPHIBIOUS CITY Climate change and population explosion By 2032, severe inundation and storm surges resulting from global climate change have forced populations living on Victoria Island and Eko Atlantic to relocate to the land-side of Lagos Lagoon. Along this interior coastline a new Lagoon City was established, providing equitable housing for both displaced and existing populations. At the same time, the PanAfrican Union decoupled from the global economy, and in turn, so too did Nigeria’s reliance on the petroleum industry, shifting Lagos’ economy towards sustainable practices of renewable energy and aquaculture.

Despite these events, extreme climate change has resulted in recurring storms that not only threaten Victoria Island but the mainland areas of Lagos as well. As a result, it was decided that following its evacuation, Victoria Island— the former business and wealth hub of Lagos—would be repurposed as an environmental reserve. This newly established Victoria Reserve protects Lagos from storm surges by deconstructing existing buildings and infrastructures in order to rewild the entirety of the Island. While the former petroleum industry and neoliberal urbanization decimated the existing mangroves along the Atlantic coast of Lagos, the new Victoria Reserve creates an opportunity to reestablish the mangroves and their associated habitats.

As a result, Victoria Reserve is now the center of Lagos biodiversity and its most important protection against sea-level rise. Upon establishing the Reserve, the Lagos government also established a network of renewable energy infrastructures off Victoria Reserve’s southern coast. In order to manage these two new environmental infrastructures, the Lagos government has deployed caretakers to reside in select areas of the Victoria Reserve. In addition to this small population of caretakers, some former residents of Victoria Island and Eko Atlantic chose to remain in the Reserve as part of newly formed Freetown communities. However, the majority of the residents of this area chose to migrate to the new Lagoon City in order to be protected from worsening climate events.

With the newly established protection from the Victoria Reserve, the residents of the Lagoon City are able to safely settle and develop truly Amphibious communities. In this way, the Victoria Reserve and Lagoon City have co-evolved to create an entirely new form of mega-city urbanism capable of protecting Lagos from worsening climate challenges while simultaneously expanding the city’s ecological performance.

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Amphibious City

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Amphibious City

Gulf of Guinea

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OIL AND NEOLIBERALISM

Oil Companies

Minimal Social Investment

Extractive Economy

Tax Flight

Expansion of Global cities

Multi-International Petroleum Companies

Government Oil Dependence 75%

Environmental Degredation

Loss of Habitats (Mangroves)

Regulator Corruption

Devastated Economy (Fishery)

NNPC Company

Nigerian national Petroleum Corporation

Oil Theft

2050 LAGOS ANIMATION SETTINGS VICTORIA RESERVE 2050 inundated neoliberal city center 12

Amphibious City

Civilians

Nigeria's economy is highly dependent on oil. The oil dependence is 75%. When the global oil price was bottom in 2014, Nigeria was in recession and is still struggling. Even when the oil price is high, not lot of the revenue from ol gets to the people. Oil revenue is used to pay the debt, salary for the elites, and to international oil companies. They have created the elite enclaves and economy for the affluents neglecting the social responsibilities.

Lagos is famous for its Neoliberal global cities such as Eko Atlantic or Lekki but it is also famous for its people living in slums which consist of 70% of Lagos population (Mostly in west part of Lagos, Mainland).

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Amphibious City

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2050 LAGOS ANIMATION SETTINGS

LAGOON CITY 2050 equitable amphibious settlements

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Amphibious City

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ACADEMIC

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Amphibious City

TECHNATURAL SUBLIME Fall 2019 Studio: New York Transition New York, USA Instructor: Ellen Neises, Colin Curley

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THE HUB OF RENEWABLE ENERGY Renewable potentials of New York and Storage potentials of Hudson Valley

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Amphibious City

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RENEWABLE ENERGY STORAGE POTENTIALS The Hudson Valley has the potential to become the next Renewable Storage Industry to support the state. The Hudson Valley’s proximity to the New York City, Energy Infrastructures, and connection of Upper and Down State make it a suitable place for Renewable energy storage.

The Hudson Valley used to be heavily dependent on industries and towns were created around the industries. However, the Hudson Valley had it’s the downfall of the economy in the past few decades due to the downfall of industries. Industries became no longer competitive after the global trade and cost efficiency of transportation. The renewable energy industry especially the energy storage industry along the Hudson River will not only revitalize the Hudson Valley’s economy but also enable New York State’s ambitious goal to be net-zero by 2050.

RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION

LOCAL MICROGRID CONNECTION

LOCAL ECONOMY

LOCAL AGRICULTURE ECOLOGY

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Amphibious City

QU ST

REGIONAL MICROGRIDS

Emergency Flood Absorption

Water Exchange

HUDSON RIVER

RAINWATER Treated Waste Water as Energy Source

Water Storage Overflow

HYDROELECTRIC PUMP STORAGE

ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT OF THE PARK

MUNICIPAL SERVICE

STORAGE AND EQUAL PRODUCTION

Subsidies & Job Creation

Local Energy Production

LOCAL MICROGRIDS

INDIVIDUAL SCALE PRODUCTION

INDUSTRIAL RENEWABLE ENERGY

Export Sales

Supplemental Import

LOCAL INDUSTRY

Surplus Energy Recovered

Surplus Energy Stored

AGRICULTURE

NYISO REGIONAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTION

RENEWABLE ENERGY AND DUCK CURVE DEMAND (DAY) MW Hour

SUPPLY (DAY) MW

Renewable

Natural gas

Imported

Hour

INDUSTRIAL HISTORY

ENERGY OVERGENERATION (Duck curve) MW 2012

UARRY RENEWABLE TORAGE

2013

Ramp need ~13,,000 MW in Three hours

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018-19 2020

Overgeneration risk

Hour

CURTAILMENT (2014-2019) Megawatt hour(MWh)

2019

2017

2015

2018

2016

2014

Month California ISO - Today’s Outlook

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POST-EXTRACTION KINGSTON QUARRY

EXISTING CONDITION

EXTRACTION LANDSCAPE Hudson Valley has it's long industrial history serving not only the New York City but also US industry as well. Kingston Quarry also had its role in history providing Cement, Bricks, and Ice through extracting the land and creating unique topography and ecology today.

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Technatural Sublime

1840’s-1905 Natural cement extraction 1959-1980 Limestone extraction 1860’s-1960s Clay extraction 250ft

Devil’s lake

Extraction

Lost lake Quarry

Fill

Hudson River

EXTRACTION HISTORY

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LEGENDS 1

Ferry Dock

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Entrance Plaza

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Wharf

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Substation

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Transition Plaza

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Death Valley

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Solar farm

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Upper Quarry (Upper reservoir)

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Hudson river Observatory

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Upper Quarry

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Community Area

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Transmission corridor entrance

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Solar farm Observatory

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Callanan Industry

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Lost Lake Quarry (Lower reservoir)

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Devil's Lake

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Entrance Observatory

EXTRACTION TO PRODUCTION Hudson Valley had traditionally been the industrial backbone of the New York City and New York State. Due to the decline of Industrial boom in America, lot of places for materials had been abandoned. Technatural Sublime aspires to change the perception of Hudson Valley from extractive economy to productive economy by facilitating the production and storage of renewable energy.

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Technatural Sublime

Upper Lower Quarry Quarry Energy preservation Energyfor preservation Pumped for Pumped Hydro Hydro Electric Electric System System

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2 3

9 4 Solar Energy Landscape Extraction to Production

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1

7

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5

14

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Visitor Center Silos

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Lower Quarry Energy preservation for Pumped Hydro Electric System

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HUDSON RIVER

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TECHNATURAL SUBLIME

Pumped Hydro Electric System Lower Quarry Ecotone

Surplus Renewable Energy

Energy Storage

Quarry Terrace Experience of the relationship between renewable energy and ecology Software: Lumion, Photoshop

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Technatural Sublime

Solar Energy Field

Silos and Visitor Center

Hudson River

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PRODUCTION LANDSCAPE Landforms and Solar farm

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Technatural Sublime

STORAGE LANDSCAPE Energy Storage Quarry and Ecotone

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REGRADING STUDY MODEL

GRADING STUDY MODEL Sandbox model and regrading

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Technatural Sublime

REGRADED MODEL Regraded CNC quarry model for renewable energy landscape

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ACADEMIC

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National Exhibition of Korean Landscape Architecture

Honorable Mention

PERMEATING GREEN Spring 2016 Seoul, South Korea Instructor: Kyung-jin Ahn

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URBAN ISOLATION Hwayang-dong is one of the densely populated districts in Seoul. Residential areas are surrounded by commercial areas which result in the influx of floating population and decrease of community areas. Illegal parkings are dominating the street creating the isolation of the residents.

POPULATION AND COMMUNITY AREA South Korea Seoul Hwayang-dong Population density (people/square kilometer)

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Permeating Green

Green space per capita (square meter/people)

Population concentration in Seoul

Land Use Residential Commercial

Road system

Due to rapid urban development in the 1970s, districts in Seoul suffered from unwise planning. The buildings were densely constructed next to each other, with no semi-public spaces— the transitional areas that extend from private buildings to public spaces—in between them. Residents do not feel a close connection with the current public areas and therefore engage with the urban environment as isolated individuals.

“Permeating Green” aims to reinforce residents’ sense of personal responsibility for the urban ecology. By introducing semi-public spaces, residents become responsible owners for their community.

Green Belt confining expansion

Isolated residents 80,862

24,506

Floating population

Residential Population

Concentration of one person household 37

REINTERPRETATION OF “DEFENSIBLE SPACE THEORY” (OSCAR NEWMAN) I have applied the “Defensible space theory” into my design emphasizing the formation of “Semi-public spaces” to create small community groups. Communities encourage the ownership of residents to the space and manage their own land. This ownership is the driving factor that will sustain the urban environment an inhabitable space.

Personal space Individuals are isolated from the community and they remain ignorant to the surrounding environment.

BUILDINGS

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Permeating Green

COMMUNITY

Semi-public space Transitional space from buildings to public space gives residents the ownerships to manage their own land.

Public space The scale of public space is too grand and open for individuals to feel the ownership of the place.

STREET

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MASTER PLAN

COMMUNITY SPACE

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Permeating Green

URBAN NEIGHBORHOOD

Current road system

Potential community spaces “DIY Garden“

Parking towers

Connecting communities

Minimizing Passing traffics

Creating identity “Urban neighborhood”

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PAT H

Focusing on the movement, the design has strong directional pathways with subordinate gathering places -spaces that are designed to interact with surrounding environments.

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Permeating Green

P L AC E

The function of gathering is emphasized in this design. The core area is lower than the ground level and subordinate spaces become the background and buffer-zones of the core area.

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ACADEMIC

ANIMATION https://vimeo.com/488786443

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Union Cities

UNION CITIES Fall2020 Studio: Speculation on the post-neoliberal city: Imagining spaces of future settlements (New Towns of the African Continent) Africa Instructor: Christopher Marcinkoski

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COLONIZATION HISTORY OF AFRICA Invasion of Europeans in African continent during the period of New Imperialism severed the borders into pieces in order to exploit the resources. During this process, there were decimation of population, slavery and destruction of the diversity of ethnicity.

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Union Cities

SUPRESSION OF ETHNIC DIVERSITY AND SCRAMBLE FOR AFRICA

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PAN-AFRICAN UNION AND UNION CITIES This altered model of Kimbembele Ihunga, 1994 by Bodys Isek Kingelez aspires to show the future of African continent after independence and decoupling from Neoliberalism.

Connection over separation, independence over dependence.

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Union Cities

ETHNIC DIVERSITY AND CONNECTION Based on the analysis and reinterpretation of Kimbembele Ihunga, 1994 by Bodys Isek Kingelez

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PROFESSIONAL

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Ground Walk

GROUND WALK 2019 Dongsimwon Landscape Design International Design Competition for New Government Complex Sejong Sejong, South Korea Team Leader: Gye-dong Ahn, Gyung-tak Park

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Ground Walk

GROUND WALK The connection between the two natural sources(Bangchuk stream and Sejong lake park) integrate the public facilities into the new pedestrian system called “Garden way.” The Garden way divides the 250m vehicle centered grids into pieces to give more diverse choices for pedestrians. Previous grid system will work as a service road and the major Galmero will partially be constructed underground to ease both the traffic and Garden way.

Role : Landscape Master Plan and Diagrams

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Ground Walk

DISSOLVING CITY Role : Landscape Modelling

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GROUND WALK AND CREATING SPACE

Role: Renderings Software: Sketchup, Lumion, Photoshop

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Ground Walk

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Role: Renderings Software: Sketchup, Lumion, Photoshop

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Ground Walk

Transition : Public space to Security zone The design mainly focuses on the smooth transition from the public space to security zones inside the building. Utilizing the reflection pond and vegetation, the design segregates the main circulation and security zones while fufilling the needs of the community.

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INDIVIDUAL

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Ground Walk

PLANT DICTIONARY Personal Plant Research Filteration of Plant species according to environmental needs

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PROCESS Designers can have the optimal choice of plants by incorporating the use of “Tree dictonary” to decision making process. The “Tree dictionary” filteration process corresponds with the results of GIS analysis of a site leading to more scientific and diverse selection of plants.

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Ground Walk

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FILTERATION OF DATA The application and the process of “Tree dictionary” to a hypothetical environment.

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Ground Walk

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INDIVIDUAL

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Ground Walk

OTHER WORKS Personal and Academic Drawings Urban Ecology Research

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GRAPHITE DRAWINGS

Size : 420mm X 297mm Material : Granite

MATERIAL SKETCH PRACTICES

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Drawings

Size : 297mm X 420mm Material : Graphite

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COLORED DRAWINGS

ECHO By echoing the basic form of the Old harbor, the design creates encircled spaces that interact with the water. Tide changes enable the diverse alteration of the topography throughout the day.

CONCEPT Concentric circles and intersections create distinctive spaces and invite the water inland.

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Drawings

CENTRAL JOINT CONCEPT By bridging the elevation difference through diverse connections, buildings and parking lots will be reinterpreted as a new urban topography serving as potentials to form a community area.

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URBAN ECOLOGY STUDY Understanding the Urban Ecology of Brooklyn Bridge Park

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Drawings

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GI CHUL CHOE

www.gichulchoe.com