Groove Korea September 2014 by Groove Korea

Finding yourself

Eat Your Kimchi and Talk To

gets easier at You Are Here Me In Korean claim real estate in Hongdae

www.groovekorea.com

KOREA â&#x20AC;˘ Issue 95 / September 2014

The

Search Adoptees return in search of answers

The

Stand

Unwed mothers battle stigmas to choose their own destiny

The pursuit of

Family

EDITORIAL

To comment, email editor@groovekorea.com

An adoptee returns to meet ghosts, gain closure and confront many closed doors

Adoptees’ right to their records Editorial

By Andrea Kim Cavicchi

t was a chilly afternoon in mid-December of last year. Glistening snowflakes fell from the sky as we walked through a heavily wooded area toward a small mound of soil covered by thousands of pine needles and leaves. “I think this is it,” said the local ijangnim (village chief) in Korean with a thick Gyeongsang dialect, “but I’m not positive because this is a public burial ground. Just know that everyone becomes part of the earth and nature when they die. Your mother’s spirit is all around us.” After eight frustrating years of searching for my Korean mother, my mind suddenly went blank as I stared at what may or may not be my mother’s burial site. “Omma, anyeong,” was all I could say as tears streamed down my face. I was born in Andong in 1983, adopted to Massachusetts at three months old and returned to Korea in 2005. Three months into my stay, I decided to search for my Korean family, mainly because I wanted to thank my mother for giving me life and absolve her from any guilt she may have. When I first visited the Holt International Children’s Services to initiate a birth family search, the social worker scanned my file, looked me square in the eye and told me there wasn’t any information about my birth parents. “Kim Mee Sook,” I sounded out loud as my eyes fixated on three Hangeul syllable blocks that were written on the paper in front of my

social worker. “This information is confidential,” she snapped and quickly closed the file. Sadly, I know that I am not the only one who has been denied access to my adoption records. One of my closest friends has been relentlessly searching for 13 years. Her social worker admits that her adoption file contains the information of three different children but refuses to hand over the file to my friend. After three false reunions and five negative DNA tests, my friend continues to plead for her adoption records and search for her birth family. There are countless other stories like ours. For Korean adoptees, birth family searches can be filled with multiple challenges. Some searches may take just a few weeks before adoptees and birth families are reunited, while others may span decades and yield few answers. A lack of information, restricted access to adoption records, incorrect information, falsified records, language barriers and the physical distance to Korea are some of the obstacles that hinder the reunion process. In recent years, adoptees have begun a fight for access to their information. Just last week, a Korean law professor presented law revisions he plans to submit to the government that would in effect shut these efforts down. The revisions would allow biological parents to establish a one-time block so their children cannot access their birth records until the parents are deceased. The purpose behind this

proposal is to protect the rights of the birth parents, particularly those of unwed mothers. However, the effect is that our rights are pitted against those of our own mothers and families. I also wonder if the birth mothers who choose the block, who may be in an emotionally vulnerable state at the time, will feel very differently about this decision later in life. I know of numerous birth mothers who are overjoyed to be reunited with their adult adopted children. For some birth parents, reunion provides an opportunity to heal from past traumas or reconcile guilt. I am one of the “lucky” adoptees who reunited with my birth family, and yet I do not consider my reunion a success story. I was finally able to meet the ghost of my mother and obtain some semblance of closure, but my mother’s dramatic death at the age of 28 remains shrouded in mystery, and I am still learning to grieve the death of the mother I never knew. Yet I acknowledge my birth family search has yielded more answers than the searches of many others. I watch friends and countless other adoptees struggle for something they may never attain. The tears I cried the day I met the ghost of my mother were of joy and sadness. But they were also tears for my fellow Korean adoptees who have struggled to reunite and for those who may live a lifetime with unanswered questions and unresolved grief.

Andrea Kim Cavicchi is a Ph.D. candidate in Modern Korean History at UCLA and an advocate for adoptee rights. She returned to Korea last summer on a Fulbright research grant, and has since been working with the adoptee community in Seoul. —Ed.

next up: OCTOBER 2014 Food

Insight

A metal bar for the masses

The disappearing face of Kim Il-sung

If only the live music scene in Itaewon was on par with its dining options, our little neighborhood would be a much richer place. With the notable exception of the semiannual HBC fest, Hongdae has always had the lion’s share of concerts –– that is, until now. There’s a new kid on the block and a cause for optimism in the gu: Thunderhorse. The ‘Horse originally opened in December 2012 down the street from Taco Bell in a second-floor location, and moved to their current location in Gyeongnidan –– next to Thunder Burger, coincidentally –– last November. And while there are certainly other watering holes featuring bands, Thunderhorse is the only venue whose primary focus is on the music; everything else is secondary. No longer must audiophiles sit through shitty-sounding sets played on busted monitors and neglected drum kits. The owner, Kirk Kwon, is a professional sound engineer and has made it the mission of the bar to have nothing but high-quality, well-mixed concerts on top-of-the-line equipment. “I just want to have a place where musicians and music lovers can be relaxed, feel at home and enjoy themselves,” he says.

In late July, as summer was (not) kicking into gear, the central bank of North Korea replaced the country’s highest denomination currency unit, the 5,000 won note. This was a big news story, but not for any economic reason: As in December 1947, April 1979 and July 1992, when all existing currency units were swapped, and 1998 and 2005, when single new denomination bills were issued, all the state had done was swap one bill for another at a rate of 1:1. The most interesting element was political, and concerned the images on the new money. After paying visits to local branches of the central bank to make their exchanges, sources working with my company, Daily NK, confirmed the appearance of the new bill. On the front there is an image of the Pyongyang house in which the government asserts, seemingly falsely, that Kim

Story by Ian Henderson

www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

Il-sung was born. On the back is the cavernous International Friendship Exhibition complex at Mt. Myohang. Buried in the side of a mountain, this is where the many gifts bestowed upon Kim Ilsung, Kim Jong-il and Kim Jong-un down the years are stored and displayed. A basketball signed by Michael Jordan, for example, and a famously unattractive, not to mention ethically questionable, stuffed alligator holding a tray of cocktail glasses. Therefore, the new money no longer incorporates any likeness of Kim Il-sung, the self-titled North Korean national founder and someone whose image had previously been on the country’s highest denomination currency unit for decades. This came as a surprise to ordinary North Korean people. Column by Christopher Green

CONTENTS

What’s in this issue

ISSUE 95 SEPTEMBER 2 0 1 4

34 52 FOOD

48 Little Russia

If all you know about Russia is Putin and #sochiproblems, you’re missing out on what’s great about Central Asia: food hearty enough to get you through a Siberian winter.

WELCOME

COVER STORY

records An adoptee returns to meet ghosts, gain closure and confront many closed doors.

The decision for an adoptee to try to find their birth family can be painful and confusing — and hardly the most difficult step of the journey. Between a child’s desire for identity and a mother’s right to privacy, whose needs are greater?

06 Editorial: Adoptees’ right to their 12 Key people

Introducing some of the editors, writers and photographers behind September’s issue

13 The inbox

Opinions and feedback from readers

34 Tracing an unknown past

40 A silent sacrifice, a human cost

Groove explores the choices Korean women have when they find themselves pregnant and single: the stigma, the options and the lack thereof.

54 Fending off the winter blues

Opt for dried beans this fall and you’ll be rewarded with a painless — and, if done properly, gasless — protein source that’s easy any season.

58 58

A selection of our editors’ favorite articles

The darkening yard An expat reflects on Western travelogues, Eastern poetry and life outside the megacities as she explores the island of Oedaldo.

18 On the Cover

62 A Singaporean saunter

22 What’s on

Festivals, concerts, happy hours, networking and events for every day of the month

Funds trump rights in the armed forces; woman escapes second murder rap in deaths of lover and husband; crackdown begins on politicians’ book money; Korean executed in China for drug trafficking; K-pop cover dance groups overstep the line

Forget the dog and cat cafés —check out the rescue shelter that doubles as a vegan foodie haven. The Coexistence Café knows how to walk the talk.

DEstinations

14 Must reads

26 the news

52 Vegan eats, vegan drinks, vegan love

INSIGHT

46 Why Get a Credit Card in Korea?

After last month’s exposé on the potential pitfalls of Korean credit cards, our resident expert sheds light on the benefits. (He prefers playing good cop, anyway.)

Check out our GrooveCast episodes on these stories at groovekorea.com.

The island city-state may be the world’s most expensive place to live, but two of its neighborhoods offer cultural richness to all who walk their streets.

66 Silversmithing in Bali

Five years after exchanging vows, an unconventional couple put a unique twist on another time-honored tradition: self-made wedding rings.

CONTENTS

What’s in this issue

ISSUE 95 SEPTEMBER 2 0 1 4

Music & Arts

Song of the schoolboy Between Berklee training and being a top-notch Korean music mentor, Henry Bloomfield was destined to pen a hit track on ROK-y soil.

70 Toying with photography

Dug from the kitschy shops of Insadong, a Filipina photographer’s most prized subjects are small, plastic and can withstand being frozen in a block of ice.

72 From Writer to indie publisher

Whether it’s raising awareness about social issues or telling compelling stories about them, sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands.

HarryBigButton What does a Seoul-based rock trio do after conquering the Korean festival circuit? For HBB, it’s time to work smarter, rock harder and focus on a “Perfect Storm.”

Community

Finding yourself gets easier at You Are Here Expat Korea mainstays Eat Your Kimchi and Talk To Me In Korean join forces offline to revolutionize café culture in Hongdae.

84 Nevada’s hanging gardens of Fabulon One part eccentric TV personality, one part accomplished urban gardener: Nevada Rhodes gives Groove a tour of his rooftop sanctuary.

79 DVD CORNER

“Our Sunhi (우리 선희)” “Hot Young Bloods (피끓는 청춘)”

94 Gyeongju expedition

Known as the “museum without walls,” the picturesque Gyeongju region spent nearly a century as capital of the Silla Kingdom, and now guards the tombs of its former kings.

A self-proclaimed “Australian ajumma,” Nichola Gwan has turned the cultural differences of her marriage into a humorous (but respectful) multimedia presence.

Chance & Dan DO Korea Combining talents in radio, journalism and comedy, Chance Dorland and Dan Wiberg’s new podcast is set to be the most entertaining forum for expat discussion in Korea.

92 Distractions

100 COMICS

Raymond Salcedo may be a playwright at heart, but that’s not stopping him from directing and filming his way to cinematic acclaim in Korea.

“Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” (Sept. 4) “Lucy” (Sept. 4)

Capturing Korea

88 My Korean Husband

76 Artist’s Journey

78 AT THE BOX OFFICE

80 92

You focus, we share New photography magazine Photographers in Korea (PIK) showcases some of the best submissions from their upcoming special edition.

Check out our GrooveCast episodes on these stories at groovekorea.com.

101 GAMES

102

HOROSCOPES

104

GROOVE LISTINGS Doctors, travel agencies, restaurants, hotels, airlines, nightclubs and more

Credits - Contributors

KOREA 4th floor, Shinwoo Bldg. 5-7 Yongsan 3-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Korea.

KEY PE OPLE

Some of the editors, writers and photographers behind this month’s issue

Remy Raitt Contact info (010) 5348-0212 / (02) 6925-5057 Advertising ads@groovekorea.com General inquiries info@groovekorea.com E DI TORIA L Editorial Director Elaine Ramirez elaine@groovekorea.com Insight Editor Matthew Lamers mattlamers@groovekorea.com Community Editor Jenny Na jenny@groovekorea.com Music & Arts Editor Emilee Jennings emilee@groovekorea.com Food & Destinations Editor Shelley DeWees Editor-at-large John M. Rodgers jmrseoul@gmail.com Senior Copy Editor Jaime Stief Copy Editors Daniel Deacon, Kevin Lee Selzer GrooveCast Host Chance Dorland chance@groovemedia.co.kr Social Media Team Celeste Maturen A RT & D E S I G N Art Director Park Seong-eun sam@groovekorea.com Illustration Director Wilfred Lee wilfred@groovemedia.co.kr Design Adviser Prof. Kim Duck-mo M A RKE T I NG & A D M I NI S T R ATI O N CFO Steve Seung-Jin Lee steve.lee@groovekorea.com Marketing Executive Jay Park jpark@groovemedia.co.kr Manager Peter Chong eschong@groovekorea.com Accounting Choi Hye-won Web, I.T. Dan Himes danhimes@groovekorea.com W R I TE RS & P R O O F R E A D E R S

Alejandro Callirgos, Alexander Hall, Andrew Stokols, Anita McKay, Anna Schlotjes, Annie Narae Lee, Anthony Greene, Anthony Levero, Beryl Sinclair, Bryoney Hayes, Christopher Green, Connor Dearing, Conor O’Reilly, Conrad Hughes, Daniel Deacon, Daniel Kang, Dave Hazzan, Dean Crawford, Deva Lee, Eileen Cahill, Felix Im, Gaea Dill-Dascoli, Gareth Sharp, George Kalli, Haeryun Kang, Harold Swindall, Hyunwoo Sun, Ian Henderson, Ian McClellan, Jamie Keener, Jean Poulot, John Power, Josh Doyle, Kellie Ell, Ken Fibbe, Ken Hall, Kyndra Love, Laine Ritter, Leslie Finlay, Liam Mitchinson, Matt VanVolkenburg, Megan Fox, Paul Sharkie, Rajnesh Sharma, Remy Raitt, Ron Roman, Ryan Ritter, Sean Maylone, Shane Torr, Shireen Tofig, Simon Hunter-Williams, Simon Powell, Simon Slater, Sophie Boladeras, Stephanie Anglemyer, Stephanie MacDonald, Timothy Cushing, Tom Godfrey, Walter Stucke, Wilfred Lee

PH OTOGR A P H E R S & I L L U S TRATO RS

Adam Paul Czelusta, Aimee Anne, Andrew Faulk, Christina Singer, Colin Dabbs, Craig Stuart, Darren Farrell, Dirk Schlottmann, Don Sin, Dylan Goldby, Fergus Scott, Hannah Green, James Anderson, James Kim, Jen Lee, Jessica Lia, Jon Linke, Jungeun Jang, Kaegan Saenz, Kevin Kilgore, Merissa Quek, Michael Hurt, Michael Roy, Min Pang, Nathan Shacochis, Nicholas Stonehouse, Nina Sawyer, Pat Volz, Peter DeMarco, Rob Green, Robyn Viljoen, Sabrina Hill, Samantha Whittaker, Turner Hunt

Publisher Sean Choi sean@groovekorea.com To contribute to Groove Korea, email submissions@groovekorea.com or the appropriate editor. To write a letter to the editor, email editor@groovekorea.com. To have Groove Korea delivered to your home or business, email subscribe@groovekorea.com. To promote your event, email events@groovekorea.com. To advertise, email ads@groovekorea.com. The articles are the sole property of GROOVE MEDIA CO. Ltd. No reproduction is permitted without the express written consent of GROOVE MEDIA CO. Ltd. The opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher.

12 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

South Africa

After completing her Bachelor of Journalism degree, Remy worked as a news and lifestyle reporter. Then the gypsy wanderlust took hold. While planning where her passport will take her next, she enjoys pajeon and makgeolli pit stops on hikes, badminton in the park, taking in Korea’s burgeoning art and fashion scenes and craft projects at home.

Deva Lee South Africa

Deva’s feet haven’t stopped itching since she was born in megadiverse South Africa, and she feels freest when in transit. She writes on food and contemporary culture, and plans on making a religion out of research. Read her work on her blog theculturemuncher.wordpress.com and follow her on Twitter @DevaLee.

Jamie Keener U.S.

Jamie is from Austin, Texas, a town where no one wants to grow up. Before moving to Korea to explore her Korean-American roots, she worked in professional theater and now has an MFA in creative writing. Now that Jamie is all grown up, she’s a teacher, a writer and a world traveler.

Sabrina Hill Canada

Sabrina has been a photographer on film sets for major and indie films. A native of Toronto, she has been in Korea for just over seven years. She has a degree in political science from Brock University and runs the Center for Strategy and Peace in Korea, a Seoul-based nongovernmental organization. Ask her a question about North Korea and be prepared for a long-winded treatise.

Chance Dorland U.S.

Chance is an American journalist and radio enthusiast from a 1,000-person town in Iowa. He graduated from Emerson College in Boston, and has since lived in NYC, LA, Germany, Colombia and Korea. After working for Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Howard Stern and Adam Carolla, Chance served in the U.S. Peace Corps where he taught English and hosted a bilingual radio program. Find his projects at SeoulItUp.com.

TH E IN B OX

Where my child’s smile is concerned, I want the best. Any father would feel the same.

To submit a letter, email opinion@groovekorea.com

Schizophrenic celebrations So much war. So many anniversaries of lies, death and destruction. Enough is enough. “It is forbidden to kill, therefore all murderers are punished unless they kill in large numbers and to the sound of trumpets,” Voltaire said. Oh, how I detest these ceremonies of remembrances of glorious victories and the continued glorification of past wars and conflicts. We send our young people to massacre and be massacred on the excuse of “nationalism” — that devotion to a flag, an anthem, a boundary so fierce that it engenders mass murder — one of the great evils of all times, along with racism and religious hatred. Mark the words of Albert Einstein: “He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would fully suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, senseless brutality, deplorable love-of-country stance, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignorable war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action! It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.” And we constantly adorn with medals those who do it. When will we ever learn? People oddly forget what took place. The rose wilts but the thorns remain — for all parties involved. Please, let’s forget these regretful and sorrowful happenings and hope that one day these will stop being repeated. Let’s grow up and imagine that they never happened. As long as we continue glorifying the wars of the past, we can look forward to still more wars supported by an insensate population. It is well and proper to remember the war dead, for they all died innocent of the sins of the politicians who put them in harm’s way. However, the best way to honor the war dead is to make sure that the politicians don’t add to their numbers; we are currently doing a very poor job of that. Maybe one day, we could erect an international monument here in Malta remembering all the war dead of all nationalities who lost their lives through the sheer selfishness, greed and stupidity of their fellow human beings whom they trusted. A big red flag denoting the useless bloodshed throughout the ages would be more than fitting. I do not want to sound cynical, but I believe that not much has changed in the past 5,000 years of human history. That being said, I’m still reminded of Will Rogers, who is known to have pointed out, “You can’t say that civilization didn’t advance, however, for in every war they kill you in a new way.” Who will dare say that we haven’t made progress? By Joseph M. Cachia, freelance journalist, Vittoriosa, Malta (jmcachia@maltanet.net)

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MUST READS

A selection from our editors

MU S T R E A Ds

80 94

Finding yourself gets easier at You Are Here

“It was huge, way more than we were expecting,” says Hyunwoo Sun, language teacher at Talk To Me In Korean and co-owner of the café. “One girl flew in here just for the opening, and then went back to America the next day.”

Capturing Korea: Gyeongju expedition

Tucked along the peninsula’s southeast coast, Gyeongju is known affectionately as the “museum without walls.” Photographer Adam Faulk and Dylan Goldby explore what has earned this region its coveted UNESCO status.

Song of the schoolboy

Impersonating a lovestruck tween, Bloomfield belts the Korean-language hook “I’m so in love with my homeroom teacher” between equally sugary English musings about the fictional Ms. Mary.

The darkening yard

The travel writer Pearl S. Buck once wrote, “Many people lose the small joys in the hope for the big happiness.” What Buck so eloquently identified is nowhere more evident than in South Korea.

PIK special edition

Groove Korea invited Photographers in Korea Magazine to showcase its favorite works of the year.

Little Russia

Beyond Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station lies a largely undiscovered piece of multicultural Seoul.

14 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

C OVE R Uniting family

In the midst of Korea’s rousing economic upswing, there’s one leading export that is more troubling than impressive: children for international adoption. Though adoption is often seen as a positive solution to a common social problem — children need parents, and there are many who are happy to step in — the supply for such a “natural resource” raises questions about who the mothers are, what pushes them to give up their children and the barriers preventing adoptees from finding their birth parents. Read the story on Page 34.

Cover illustration by Wilfred Lee Design by Park Seong-eun

O u r pa st three iss u es

August 2014

July 2014

June 2014

An oasis out of the ashes At home in Korea Smoothie party!

Itaewon freedom Reflections on a restaurant Get your garden growing

Down the Marmot’s Hole More than cod Urban exploration

ESARANG

DENTAL CLINIC

We value and care for your Smile General Dentistry Prothodontist

Cosmetic Dentistry Veneers Implants

8 mins from Itaewon St.

Suhyup Bank

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Mon/Thu/Fri 9:30am ~ 6:30pm Tue 9:30am ~ 8:30pm Wed 2:00pm ~ 6:30pm Sat 9:30am ~ 2:00pm Sun 10am ~ 2:00pm

Address

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W hatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; s O n SUN

*All the events published in this calendar are subject to unforeseen changes by the promoters. Groove Korea does not take responsibility for any misunderstandings or third-party damage. For suggestions or comments, email events@groovekorea. com

MON

1 q

2014 Annual Korean Literature English Essay Contest

@ B-One Lounge, Itaewon; b1itaewon.com

The 36th MBC Construction Expo

CPhl Korea 2014

Music

Nicola Benedetti Violin Recital

Picasso & Great Artists

Chuseok Korean Thanksgiving Day

(medical, pharmaceutical products)

@ Coex Hall B; last day; coex.co.kr and cphikorea.co.kr for more info

Step Up: All In

Movie

@ various theatres; cineinkorea.com

Lucy

Opens nationwide. See our preview on Page 78

11 Rib night

Exhibit

One Piece Special Exhibition

(Thursdays)

Memorial Log: Conclusion of Hard Battles, One After Another @ The War Memorial of Korea Peace Plaza; last day; interpark.com

14 Exhibit

Exhibit

CPhl Korea 2014

Sports

7,000 won for a rack & Ladies night 50% off house drink

@ Seoul-Mokdong; 2p; mykbo.net

@ Bull & Barrel, Itaewon

Hanwha Eagles v. Nexen Heroes

(medical, pharmaceutical products)

@ Coex Hall B; last day; coex.co.kr The Pulitzer Prize and cphikorea.co.kr for more info Photographs @ Seoul Arts Center; last day; sac.or.kr

Tuesday BBQ NITE

@ Craftworks Taphouse Namsan 6-10p; 15,000won

Nanta!

23 Music

@ Coex Hall B; to 9/20; seoulhandmadefair.com Art

Pizza Night 5,000 won off

Exhibit

Seoul Modern Art Show

@ Seoul Arts Center; to 9/28; sac.or.kr

Dance

Seoul International Dance Festival @ venues in Seoul; Sept.

@ Sejong Chamber Hall; 7:30p; sejongpac.or.kr

25-Oct. 18; sidance.org

Festival

The 5th Korea Wine Festival

Chunchun Dakgalbi and Makkuksu Festival

Sound City 2014

Quiz night 9pm

@ Yonsei University Nochun Theater; last day; interpark.com

@ Bull & Barrel, Itaewon

Musical

Nam June Paik Archives: Rheinland, My Artist Heimat

ARTS

Seoul International Handmade Fair

Pianist Mateusz Borowiak Recital

10% off food orders; 1-5p; Sat. & Sun. Concert

@ Seoul Arts Center; last day; sac.or.kr

ROSE & CROWN

@ Rose & Crown, Itaewon; blog.naver.com/rosencrown12

Exhibit

From Renoir to Damien Hirst

@ Myungdong or Chung jungno Nanta Theaters; nanta.i-pmc.co.kr

WEEKEND SPECIAL

The Great Artists of the 20th Century:

Musical

@ near Chunchun Station; to 9/28; mdfestival.com

Festival

Musical

Hedwig

@ Baekam Art Hall; to 9/28; baekamhall.com

@ Yeongdong Sports Complex; to Sept. 28; ydwine.com

Geumgwanchong Torch and King Iuji

@ National Museum of Korea; last day; museum.go.kr

ARTS

Musical

Chicago

@ D-Cube Arts Center; last day; ticket.interpark.com

Movie

@ Seoul Arts Center; 8p; sac.or.kr

@ Daejeon Museum of Art; to 10/9; dmma.daejeon.go.kr

THU

Exhibit

@ Kintex Ilsan; last day; kintex.com

ARTS

WED

EXPO

to Sept. 29; eng.klti.or.kr Win an iPad!

Peggy Gould

TUE

September

Music Show Wedding

@ Hongdae Music Show Wedding Theater; nanta.i-pmc.co.kr

@ National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art; last day; mmca.go.kr

October 10.3(Fri)-5(SUN)

Nam June Paik Archives: Rheinland, My Artist Heimat

@ Jara Island, Gappyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do www.jarasumjazz.com

FRI

S AT

@ Club MUTE in Itaeawon clubmute.com

@ B-One Lounge, Itaewon; b1itaewon.com

Ricado Ferreira (Berlin)

Disco experience with Faze action

Cultural

Moonlight Tour

@ Changdeokgung Palace; to 11/8; interpark.com Musical

Dracula @ Seoul Arts Center; interpark.com

PTTL w/ Tony Blunt @ CLUB MUTE, Itaewon; clubmute.com

Film screening

‘Aimless Bullet’ (1961) w/English subs

@ Haechi Hall in Myeong-dong; 3p; Free; fb.com/seoulfilmsociety

13 Exhibit

28th Korea Emigration & Investment Fair 2014

@ Coex Hall B; to 9/14; coex.co.kr Music

Camarata Chorale’s Autumn Pops Concert

@ Chungdong First United Methodist Church, 7p; 15,000-25,000 won; tickets@camaratamusic.com or camaratamusic.com

DGURU

Festival

Seoul Players’ 4th Annual International 10-minute Play Festival and Competition

@ CLUB MUTE, Itaewon; clubmute.com Festival

Nalanda Korean Culture Festival

@ Arts Tree Theater in Guro (arts-tree.co.kr); to Sept. 27; 15,000-20,000 won; seoulplayers.com

@ Dongguk University’s Manhae Square; 11a-4p; cham@cham.me

27 SAT 2014 Heineken present STARDIUM @ Jamsil Olympic Stadium; www.5stardium.com

Capturing Korea

Gyeongju Exhibition

Photo walk explores remnants of an ancient kingdom; Oct. 3-5; see our story on Page 94

Column by Dr. Lee Moon Won

Differences in hair loss based on ethnicity and place of residence

aving treated patients with symptoms of hair loss who are of different ethnicities and come from many different countries, I have noticed that the nature of hair loss varies from place to place. While the symptoms of hair loss are typically the same — one’s hair becomes thin and weak before eventually falling out — a person’s ethnic background or country of primary residence will have a definitive impact on the age at which this occurs. In addition, one’s family background and grooming habits will also influence the scalp conditions that accompany these symptoms. For Caucasian men with a familial history of hair loss, the condition typically presents itself after the age of 20, and at a very rapid pace after that. Patients who seek treatment at an early stage of hair loss are more likely to remain committed and continue seeing results, while those who wait longer to pursue their options are much more likely to give up on the treatment and simply shave their head. If a patient is seeing signs of seborrheic dermatitis on the scalp surface, they will need to wash their hair every day.

For my patients from Russia and Central Asia, I typically find that people wash their hair one to three times a week, letting their hair dry naturally after each wash. This is often cited as the reason why some of them not only present hair loss symptoms with greater frequency but also suffer from dandruff and inflammation such as seborrheic dermatitis on the scalp surface. In these cases I recommend washing one’s hair only once every two or three days, and drying one’s hair with a hair dryer after each washing. If patients are hoping to obtain more specific information regarding why they are experiencing hair loss, it is also possible to undergo diagnostic tests, such as scalp diagnosis and blood and hormone tests. Overall, I have found that many of my Western patients are more interested in holistic treatments that come with fewer side effects. As a result, our clinic is happy to provide this kind of treatment, offering medicine and products that are made of natural, organic components so they can get treatment and not have any concerns. Our clinic is well aware of the reality that people with curly hair, especially women of African descent, must maintain a different cleaning schedule than people with other

types of hair. More sensitive to either underor over-washing, however, these patients are more prone to scalp surface issues such as dandruff or other scalp conditions. Though people of African descent have a lessened predisposition to hair loss when compared to other ethnicities, the number of African-American clients visiting our clinic is growing. It is difficult to transplant very curly hair, so they solve the problem of hair loss by taking internal and external medicine consistently. Our Japanese, Chinese and Korean clients typically visit our clinic for preventative treatments — usually for scalp-related disorders. For these cases, I recommend that they undergo the scaling procedure in our spa facility. The procedure not only cleans the scalp, but also helps resolve any future scalp issues directly at the source. Having a variety of experience with treating patients from all over the world, our clinic is happy to accommodate a diverse array of treatment options. For those patients who visit our clinic from afar, I am happy to provide more individualized treatment methods according to the specific condition at hand, a level of flexibility that has helped our clinic stand out among its peers.

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All stories are culled with consent from Korea JoongAng Daily’s website and edited by Groove Korea for length and clarity. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Groove Korea. — Ed.

N a t i o n a l

N e w s

with

September 2014 / www.koreajoongangdaily.com

Funds trump rights in the armed forces The lack of attention and resources paid — a practice that has led to a spate of suicides by the military toward the human rights sit- and fatalities. uation in its own ranks has come under fire Such tragedies have struck a chord with the following a string of abuse cases and suicides general public — all able-bodied Korean men that were recently made public. between the ages of 18 and 35 are required The Korean Army found itself at the center to complete compulsory military service of controversy once again after the abrupt — and sharpened the spotlight on just how death of a young conscript in its 28th Divi- much military officials are actively working sion was unveiled. to improve the situation. The 23-year-old private, surnamed Yun, According to recent data, only 127 million died after being beaten and sexually humil- won, or 0.0005 percent, of this year’s entire iated by his superiors in the barracks for national defense budget of 25.1 trillion won, months, according to the Center for Military was assigned to human rights–related matHuman Rights. For weeks after his passing, ters. The findings were submitted to New the Army claimed Yun had died after choking Politics Alliance for Democracy Rep. Seo on food. The incident has since raised ques- Young-kyo by the Ministry of National Detions about military culture, as well as the or- fense. ganization’s handling of human rights issues Taking into account the more than 600,000 regarding its own soldiers. soldiers currently serving, this means that It also recalled similar issues of bullying only 210 won was invested per soldier for and violence in the barracks that have either human rights purposes this year. been encouraged or tolerated by its leaders The budget for human rights–related mat-

ters was increased from 85 million won in 2009, and 160 million in 2010, to 328 million won in 2011, but it was decreased again to 167 million won in 2012 and 141 million won last year. The human rights budget was the largest in 2011, though about 200 million won was spent that year on a committee tasked with investigating mysterious deaths in the military, meaning that the actual amount put forth to protect soldiers’ human rights has essentially stayed consistent over the years. While the human rights budget decreased for three consecutive years, the entire national defense budget steadily increased from 20.3 trillion won in 2009 to 25.2 trillion won this year. “The Ministry of National Defense has aggravated the situation by only patching up incidents within the military forces and also by ignoring human rights education, the fundamental solution to such problems,” Seo said.

Woman escapes 2nd murder rap in deaths of lover, husband The 50-year-old woman at the center of a grisly murder investigation has avoided a second murder charge, police said. Police earlier said the woman, identified only as Lee, confessed to killing her 49-yearold lover in May and keeping his body in her apartment. During their initial investigation, police also found the decomposed body of her husband in the apartment, and had been trying to establish the facts about his death. Lee had denied killing him. “Lee said she kept her husband’s corpse be26 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

cause she loved him,” said Kim Chung-hwan, chief of the Pocheon Police Precinct, at a briefing. “She also said that she found him dead 10 years ago when she tried to wake him in the morning.” Kim added, “She stated that she did not know she had to report his death.” The length of time since the husband’s death, police said, made it impossible to contest Lee’s assertion that her husband died from natural causes. The police yesterday also concluded that the suspect killed

her 49-year-boyfriend, who was identified only as Lee, last year. They could not prove whether she killed her husband, though, because there was no evidence to refute her claim that her husband died of natural cases. The police yesterday forwarded the case to the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors’ Office. She is accused on one count of murder, two of keeping corpses and on one charge of child neglect for living with her 8-year-old child in the apartment with the corpses for two months.

Crackdown begins on politicians’ book money As prosecutors were preparing to charge opposition lawmaker Shin Hak-yong for accepting at least 150 million won ($147,300) at a book publishing event last September, the practice of politicians raising funds at such events was finally declared a veiled form of bribery. A special investigation team at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office said Rep. Shin of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy received at least 150 million won in supposed book sales during an hour-long publishing ceremony last year. By looking into Shin’s accounts, prosecutors discovered that he received nearly 100 envelopes each containing a 1 million won check and 10 envelopes each containing a 5 million won check, totaling 150 million won. If added to the other, smaller donations, the total amount surpasses 150 million won. The prosecutors discovered that of the 150 million won they had found in Shin’s safe-deposit box, 39 million won was given by the Korea Kindergarten Association in what they said were apparent kickbacks. Prosecutors are sanguine that they can prove the money exchanged was bribery for his influence-peddling as Shin proposed a revision to laws regarding early childhood education in April last year, five months before his book ceremony. The politician alleges that the donations were legal and that there was no breach of the political funding law. The prosecutors’ release of figures in Shin’s alleged graft case was the first time details of a book publishing event by a lawmaker were made public. In Korea, book publishing events are a source of funding for political activities involving politicians,

Korean executed in China for drug trafficking China executed a 55-year-old Korean man surnamed Jang for drug trafficking a day after carrying out capital punishment on two other Korean men for similar charges, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Jang was arrested in June 2009 in Qingdao, Shandong province, eastern China, by officials for trafficking and selling 11.9 kilograms of methamphetamine. He was sentenced to death in a Qingdao court in May 2012. The ruling was upheld in a Shandong higher court in June last year. Chinese officials informed the Korean consulate in Qingdao of the approximate week of Jang’s scheduled execution. The executions of the three Korean men were carried out despite Seoul’s plea for clemency to Chinese authorities on humanitarian grounds. Jang is the fifth Korean to be executed in China.

including lobbying by interest groups. The political funding law states donations to politicians at publishing events are legal and don’t have to be reported to tax authorities. People invited to such events, many of whom are businessmen, customarily send envelopes full of cash or large checks in the form of a “donation” to purchase lawmakers’ biographies. Most of the books end up in the trash soon after the brief ceremonies. Under the political fund-raising law, which was revised in 2004, lawmakers can accept a maximum of 150 million won through fund-raising events each year. Individuals are restricted to annual donations of 20 million won or less. But since book publishing ceremonies are considered private events, there’s no cap on their donations and lawmakers are not bound by law to report those earnings to the election watchdog. Likewise, there is no set price for books supposedly bought at such ceremonies. The books themselves are self-promoting biographies written with the help of ghostwriters who receive between 10 million won and 30 million won per publication. Many lawmakers take advantage of the loophole in political funding regulations. But the prosecution of Shin may alter or even end that loophole. “Although the money was paid for books at a publishing ceremony, if it is proved that it was intended for influence-peddling, we can apply a bribery charge,” said a prosecutor involved in the investigation. “And if payments of millions of won are ridiculously high and way beyond common sense, we

can prosecute on charges of receiving illegal political funds.” According to the JoongAng Ilbo, three lawmakers from the ruling Saenuri Party and 15 from the opposition NPAD would be summoned for questioning on alleged influence-peddling charges. The questioning of such a large number of lawmakers across party lines on graft charges and political fund law violations would certainly add to public distrust of the political establishment. Because book publishing ceremonies are virtually the only source of political funds without regulatory strings attached, most lawmakers hold at least one such event during their four-year term. When a lawmaker holds a book ceremony, officials from state-run institutions monitored by a parliamentary committee to which that lawmaker belongs usually attend the event to smooth relations through a large donation. Only a few lawmakers have rejected the pervasive practice. Among multiple-term lawmakers, Saenuri chairman Kim Moo-sung and Reps. Lee Hahn-koo, Chin Young, Kim Tae-hwan and Han Sun-kyo have never hosted publishing events. Rep. Yoo Ihn-tae of the NPAD has never published a book in his 22-year political career. “I was offered to publish a book three years ago, but I declined,” said the veteran lawmaker. “If I were to write a book (on my political career), I would have to go very deep into details by revealing names of lawmakers involved in my story. If I could not do that (as a sitting lawmaker), the book would just become mere self-promotion. I do not wish to write such a book.”

K-pop cover dance groups overstep the line

The number of malicious rumors, negative Internet comments and copycat cover dance groups a K-pop act spawns are often used as a measure of popularity in the world of contemporary Korean music. Yu Hye-na, a spokesperson for WM Entertainment’s B1A4, says being emulated by cover dance groups suggests the band is doing a good job. “We kind of feel flattered and grateful,” said Yu. “Cover dance” is a term that describes the act of mimicking a K-pop group’s moves while “cover dance group” refers to a tribute ensemble that imitates a K-pop act as closely as possible. Cover dance groups have been around for years, ever since K-pop began to diversify into different channels, but some walk a fine line between homage and plagiarism, giving the nation’s entertainment industry

a headache. For instance, a copycat version of B1A4 debuted in China under the name “Fighter” in 2012. The Chinese boy group was a carbon copy of the original Korean boy band, imitating even tiny details such as the members’ stage outfits, which are accented with hot pink. The teaser images the Chinese group released ahead of its debut were also identical to those of B1A4. “As far as I know, we would have to go to the country and sue the group,” said Yu. “I assume that it is not a big deal for big companies, but it’s quite hard for a small company like us.” Major players such as SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment and JYP Entertainment, Korea’s big three music agencies, have all also had similar issues with imitation groups in recent years.

Brace yourself for a better smile Story by Alejandro Callirgos / Photos by Ha Si-yoon

mong the high-rise buildings in Gangnam’s Cheongdam-dong is an unassuming white suburban-looking house with potted plants lining the entryway. While it might look somewhat out of place in Seoul, many expats in Korea would find this place familiar, welcoming and inviting — exactly how Dr. Jay H. Kim wants his patients to feel when they first arrive at IVY Dental Clinic. Dr. Kim is an Ivy League-educated and U.S. Board-certified orthodontic specialist with over 20 years of experience treating adults and children in the U.S. and Korea. He has a combined 14 years of education and clinical training from New York University, the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Dental Medicine, the University of Illinois at Chicago and the NYU Medical Center, a background that sets him apart from other Korean dentists. “Many (Korean) dentists are educated in the States, but few complete their undergraduate and graduate degrees, residency and fellowship there,” Dr. Kim says. He believes that his extensive U.S. education and training is a plus because he can better relate to expat patients on a personal level. “We can really communicate. I think that’s very important. I enjoy interacting with my patients.”

28 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

In addition to general dentistry services, Dr. Kim and his team of dental professionals specialize in dental braces and teeth whitening. IVY Dental offers four types of braces for adults and children — Invisalign, speed braces, ceramic braces and lingual braces — and two types of whitening for adults — bleaching and laser. From a long list of patient testimonials, Louise M. writes, “Without (IVY Dental’s) sweet, caring and wonderful staff, the process of having my braces would have been difficult. However, they made this process painless and easy!” Another patient, Mauli W., writes, “Dr. Kim and the staff at IVY Dental have made the process of getting braces very easy and efficient. It’s thanks to everyone here that I now have a bright and confident smile!” IVY Dental accepts all foreign dental insurance and helps patients fill out forms. For members of the U.S. military and their families, IVY Dental is a TRICARE Preferred Provider. Patients who refer family and friends to IVY Dental receive a referral reward, and the clinic has special offers for new patients and family members. “Since the first time I walked in, Dr. Kim made me feel welcome. Soon thereafter I felt like I was being treated like family,” writes Lucy M. You can trust your teeth to the dedicated dentists at IVY Dental. Dr. Kim and his team will make you smile before, during and after your dental treatment and will keep you smiling from year to year.

‘It’s thanks to (IVY Dental Clinic) that I now have a bright and confident smile!’ Mauli W.

More info j Address 71-9 Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul Phone (02) 518-2722 Website www.IVYsmile.kr Getting there c Go to Cheongdam Station, line 7, exit 12, and find VIPS restaurant on your left side. Turn left and find IVY Dental Clinic.

30 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

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COVER story Edited by Elaine Ramirez (elaine@groovekorea.com)

Tracing an u n k n ow n pa s t Korean adoptees fight uphill battle to find their roots Story by Deva Lee / Illustrations by Pat Volz and Darren Farrell

am Myung-nan picked up a baby, clothed only in blankets, from the pavement. It was June 16, 1984, and the baby girl was assumed to only be a couple days old. Ham took her to a police box in Mia-dong, Seoul, and she was then placed in a private adoption agency called the Social Welfare Society, adopted to Canada about nine months later and given the name Sarah Ishida. Growing up, Ishida had no exposure to Korean language or culture. Her parents “just never thought that was important,” she says.

34 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

She grew up observing Jewish holidays and learned the importance of remembering the Holocaust. For Ishida to revisit her own history, she would need to confront some uncomfortable truths. It wasn’t until her late 20s that she was ready to look into her past. “There was something blocking me from moving forward in my life,” she says. “(My adoption) was something that I’d never really addressed.” Although she had thought about her biological mother before, it wasn’t until the summer of 2011 when she started thinking more seriously about her adoption and looking for her family.

Ishida began her search by contacting the Canadian public agency that worked with Korea’s SWS. After getting almost no support from them, she contacted Korea Adoption Services, the government’s adoption authority. But with 5,000 miles, a 17-hour time difference and a language barrier between her and Seoul, it would be impossible to continue her search without returning to Korea. “(In the past) I would always deny having a desire to look for my birth family,” she says, but she finally decided “it would be better to be honest and to try.” On Feb. 12, 2012, she packed through the night and got on a plane.

A generation of adoptees Ishida is part of a generation of adoptees who grew up overseas and are now returning to South Korea each year by the thousands. The 1970s and ‘80s saw the peak of international adoption in Korea, and since this generation has come of age, many have returned to seek answers about their biological parents. But of the approximately 80,000 adoptees who looked for their birth families between 1995 and 2005, less than 3 percent were successful. So why did the remaining 97 percent fail? Their search for their roots is mired by language barriers, poor record-keeping and fraudulent practices by their adoption agencies. Information was initially controlled by private adoption agencies and birth family searches were not regulated. The government tried to help by revising the adoption law, making these records public property, compiling a central database and giving adoptees free access to their records, but there are still huge gaps in the revised law’s implementation. Adoptees find their biggest hurdle in finding their birth mothers is insufficient post-adoption services.

We are most anxious to send as many of our orphans to the States as possible. In particular, we desire to have adopted those children of Western fathers and Korean mothers who can never hope to make a place for themselves in Korean society. Those children should appeal to Americans even more than Koreans.’ President Syngman Rhee to the U.N. ambassador, 1954

War and the adoption boom With more than 200,000 children adopted abroad since 1954, Korea is one of the largest exporters of children in the world. International adoption typically follows a national emergency, and for Korea it was the war: Thousands of mixed-race children were born to American GIs and Korean women, and often ended up abandoned. President Syngman Rhee considered the orphan boom so dire that he pleaded with the U.N. for help. “We are most anxious to send as many of our orphans to the States as possible,” he wrote to the U.N. ambassador to South Korea in 1954. “In particular, we desire

to have adopted those children of Western fathers and Korean mothers who can never hope to make a place for themselves in Korean society. Those children should appeal to Americans even more than Koreans.” Harry and Bertha Holt, an American couple, responded to a call from World Vision and embarked on a Christian mission to take such children to the U.S., far from the discrimination the youths faced in Korea. After successfully lobbying for a change in U.S. law, the Holts adopted eight mixed-race Korean children, eventually setting up an international agency in 1956 that sparked momentum for the first wave of adoption. In the meantime, the Korean government formalized a system for adoption, enacting the Orphan Adoption Special Law to facilitate international adoption in 1961 as an alternative to costly institutional care. Between 1964 and 1972, four agencies including Holt imported some 6,000 children. Initially, 90 percent of all adoptions involved mixed-race children, but by 1970 most adoptees were entirely Korean in ancestry. Rather than being orphans, the vast majority were children of unwed mothers. The government helped fund private maternity homes and adoption agencies to address child welfare problems, but a vicious cycle began: The lack of welfare prompted some to give up their children, while international adoption hindered the development of an adequate social welfare system. Even decades after the war when many mixed-race babies had been swept to the U.S., demand for Holt’s services remained high. They placed children in the U.S. as quickly as 3–6 months by 1983, which appealed to U.S. couples who hoped to avoid the lengthy wait for an American child. By 1985, the country was sending more adoptees abroad than any other in the world. Despite becoming a model for international adoption, Korea falls short of some of the international standards for ethical adoption. According to a U.N. treaty on intercountry adoption, a child must be registered immediately after birth and has the right from birth to a name, to acquire a nationality and, as far as possible, to know and be cared for by his or her parents. South Korea remains one of only two OECD countries that have not yet ratified the treaty. The country took one step toward subscribing to the convention by revising its adoption law in 2012 to promote the preservation of biological families by granting more rights to single mothers and making birth registration mandatory. In addition, the law requires that Korea Adoption Services act as a central authority overseeing adoption policy and prac-

tice. KAS is also required to prioritize family preservation and domestic adoption before turning to intercountry adoption, which can only be used as a last resort. Despite the government’s push toward domestic adoption, local numbers remain well below international rates.

Adoptee nation Since the 1990s, an influx of adoptees have returned to their home country as grownups in search of answers. For most adoptees, their return is a temporary visit on one of the many “homeland tours” offered by adoption agencies, adoptee organizations or private companies. Others, like Ishida, choose to live in Korea for a longer period, but often struggle with adapting to Korean life and reconciling their individual and national identity with their Korean roots. Before leaving Canada, Ishida hoped to rediscover certain aspects of Korean culture. “I wanted to have a certain level of Koreanness,” she recalls, but “didn’t realize how hard it is to be Korean.” Most of the time she feels that she is “just a visitor in someone else’s country,” but still refers to herself as Korean at times. “I’m Korean in Canada, but I’m not Korean in Korea,” she explains. While her race is noteworthy in Canada, it is only one of the many requirements for fitting the “Korean” identity. “To be considered Korean by Korean nationals,” says Ishida, “you need to be a full-blooded Korean, live in Korea for more than 20 years, have family here that you actually know and interact with who are full-blooded Koreans, speak the language fluently and plan on living here for the rest of your life while following the social norms.” Considering this, she feels she will never be considered Korean. “I don’t know why it took me a long time to come to this realization. … People still call me ‘foreigner’ all the time.”

‘Our presence can bring to the surface conflicted feelings about public pasts and private events which were traumatic for them — feelings most have worked hard at repressing. Koreans sometimes feel a lot of guilt over our involuntary exile, as they continue to send babies away for adoption as a method of saving social status after moral transgressions.’ Leanne Leith

COVER story Edited by Elaine Ramirez (elaine@groovekorea.com)

Adoptee Laura Wachs grew up in Seattle in a white, middle-class family. Korean culture played no role in her life, which is why she came to Seoul in June. “That’s why this trip is such a big deal,” she says. “I know nothing about Korean culture and I’m afraid of the ignorance that exists in my life due to that. “To be honest, I was embarrassed about my Korean heritage for a long time. I think grow-

‘Our presence can bring to the surface conflicted feelings about public pasts and private events which were traumatic for (Koreans) — feelings most have worked hard at repressing.’ Leanne Leith

ing up in a predominantly white and privileged society made me think I was better than my culture,” she adds. “I’m realizing how proud I am of being Korean, and what an honor it is to learn and be a part of these two different worlds.” Leanne (Suki) Leith, raised in the U.S., returned to Korea in 2009 and stayed for four years. “I came to get a glimpse of the country I came from but knew nothing about,” she says. Having grown up in the Midwest, Leith, like Ishida and Wachs, knew little about Korea while growing up. Parents of that generation were advised to assimilate their children into Western culture, a marked change from the parents of today, who are increasingly teaching them to embrace their ethnic and racial heritage. One of the greatest obstacles adoptees face is their inability to speak Korean. “We are trying to explain something extremely complicated to people, yet (we’re) handicapped without the tools for communication — all while trying

to grapple with feelings of rejection and trying to identify with the people who were agents (or victims) of a difficult history, so we can make peace,” says Leith. Leith thinks Koreans are sometimes hesitant to accept adoptees because they don’t know how to categorize them. “Our presence can bring to the surface conflicted feelings about public pasts and private events which were traumatic for them — feelings most have worked hard at repressing,” she says. “Koreans sometimes feel a lot of guilt over our involuntary exile, as they continue to send babies away for adoption as a method of saving social status after moral transgressions.” Leith says this can be very alienating. “Many visiting adoptees are in the midst of a really harrowing existential identity exploration.” Like many adoptees, Ishida is not comfortable with her identity. “I didn’t have an identity, but they gave it to me at an orphanage,” she says, referring to her first arrival as a nameless infant. Ishida’s adoptive mother gave her a biblical first name and she inherited her Japanese father’s family name. Her name is both Western and Eastern, which continually raises questions about her ethnicity and nationality. “I have nothing else to call myself since my Korean name was given to me by a nameless, faceless social worker,” she says.

Searches around the globe Before regulations were strengthened, agencies’ speedy adoptions assumed that the children would never return to search as adults, and that the relinquished children would be forgotten. In consequence, contact between child and parent years later is often impossible. If the child was abandoned, as is presumed in Ishida and Leith’s cases, searches are even more difficult. Adoptees outside of Korea usually begin their search by contacting the local branch of their adoption agency. These private companies often charge high fees for the release of any documents. When Wachs reached out to Catholic Community Services, “they wanted to charge me over $300 to try and get ‘potential’ information,” she says. Leith has seen many adoptees get charged hundreds of dollars to access photocopies of their files which, for the most part, contain only the documents needed to make them legally adoptable in the country they were sent to. “So even if you pay money to your local adoption agency, you might not get all of your records,” she says, noting that international agencies don’t always hold all the documents because they are merely distributors for the state-supported agencies that are licensed to facilitate international adoptions. Holt has admitted that its birth searches, es-

36 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

Where Korean babies are exported International adoptions , main countries 1953-2009

Sweden 9,173 Norway 6,339 Denmark 8,723 Germany 2,352 England 72 Netherlands 4,099 France 11,126 Switzerland 1,111 Belgium 3,697 Luxembourg 578 Italy 387

Canada 2,260

Total

163,782

United States

110,246

Australia 3,402

Source: Ministry of Health and Welfare Note: Date ranges vary. The figure excludes private, illegal and military adoptions, and most estimates put the number at more than 200,000.

‘To be considered Korean by Korean nationals, you need to be a full-blooded Korean, live in Korea for more than 20 years, have family here that you actually know and interact with who are full-blooded Koreans, speak the language fluently, and plan on living here for the rest of your life while following the social norms. I don’t know why it took me a long time to come to this realization. I’m never going to be Korean. People still call me “foreigner” all the time.’ Sarah Ishida

pecially those made from outside the country, were difficult because Holt International Children’s Services and Holt Children’s Services of Korea (Holt-Korea) are separate organizations. “The Ministry of Health and Welfare grants money to the major adoption agencies for post-adoption services, so those agencies are bound to follow the mandate to provide affordable access to adoption records,” it says, describing such adoption agencies as brokers in the adoption process. “The children they send to foreign countries are often passed on through smaller, local adoption agencies. And those agencies are located in many different countries, provinces and states — each with their own laws about records access — and none of those lesser adoption agencies have to follow Korean law about post-adoption services and won’t, because they aren’t being subsidized.”

Negotiating the barriers When adoptees come to Korea to continue their search, it does not necessarily speed up

or simplify the process. In her four years in Korea, Leith did not find her birth family. After encountering huge difficulties when trying to obtain information from her agency, Holt, she began investigating the laws and policies on record-keeping and eventually founded an international advocacy group, Korean Adoptees for Fair Records Access, which she describes as a platform to share knowledge about how to access records. She said she became an activist after Holt withheld information from her file. “I was disgusted with the maze we adoptees must maneuver through to receive the little history about ourselves that exists in their possession, and that international adoption continues over a half century beyond its inception.” Many adoptees have become activists to combat the systems that they believe are keeping them from accessing their records. “Almost all of the adoptees (in Korea) are interested in expanding access and tools to assist their searches, fair and accurate media portrayals of their population which promote their humanity and improving Korean soci-

COVER story Edited by Elaine Ramirez (elaine@groovekorea.com)

Agencies facilitated speedy adoptions, assuring that the children would never return to search as adults and with the assumption that the relinquished children would be forgotten. In consequence, making contact with a child or parent years later is often impossible. ety’s reception and valuation of them,” she says. Now there are a number of adoptee-run NGOs, advocacy groups and activist organizations that are instrumental in law and policy change. Shannon Heit, an adoptee who works with the Korean Unwed Mothers Families Association, sees Korean adoptees as a diaspora returning to address the ills of Korea’s past. She and other activists have joined hands with unwed mothers’ groups to stop what she calls a legacy of loss. Positive aspects of adoption are emphasized in the public, but Heit argues, “No matter what ‘positive’ things we have gained from our adoptions, we have all lost our families and our cultural heritage.” Ishida came to Korea in part because she felt the need to communicate with KAS and her agency in person. However, she found their English services were sorely lacking. “I Off the record can’t do anything without a Korean-speaking person,” she says in frustration. The glaring Beyond the language barrier, getting access language errors on the KAS website are in- to adoption files is still difficult. Records are dicative of their inability to communicate ef- not owned or held solely by the government, fectively with international adoptees. What’s and until recently, they were considered the more, the English and Korean websites are private property of adoption agencies. The different, says Jane Jeong Trenka, founder aforementioned revisions to the Special of adoptee group Truth and Reconciliation for Adoption Law were intended to address this, the Adoption Community of Korea (TRACK). with KAS being mandated as the govern“KAS does not translate English-language ing authority for post-adoption services and requests from adoptees into Korean on its tasked with compiling the central database of website.” According to KAS post-adoption all adoption records. services social worker Sara Yun, just four At present there is only one social worker staff members are able to speak English. at KAS who deals with birth-family searches Birth family searches are even more difficult — Sara Yun. “I am also in charge of building for non-English-speaking adoptees. There networks with overseas adoptees and adopis almost no support in European languages, tee associations, and other related organizaapart from KAS’ sole French-speaking volun- tions. I sometimes help overseas adoptees teer. with translation as well,” she says. Due to the The agencies are similarly lacking. As in hundreds of adoptees searching for their birth many cases, the institution Ishida visited had parents each year, an average day for her is both English and Korean versions of her re- extremely busy. “I take requests and queries cords, but she found inconsistencies between from adoptees regarding birth family search the two: “Some documents are not translated via email, (in person) and on the phone and to English and few are sent to the adoptive respond to them. I am also working on orgaagencies abroad. The Korean documents are nizing and managing our special events.” the most important,” she says. But there is no set deadline to complete the

38 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

transfer of records to KAS, and no additional funds or staff have been allocated to this task. Adoption agencies still hold most information. “KAS is merely a router,” says Leith. The organization is meant to petition the agencies for any information, but she says their services are inconsistent. Agencies are required by law to provide adoptees with all the information in their file, apart from the name and address of their birth family, yet are not held accountable. “The Ministry of Health and Welfare and KAS are unwilling to force the agencies to uphold their obligations under law, citing their lack of budget, lack of manpower or lack of authority,” says Trenka. After KAS failed to help Ishida, she went directly to her adoption agency for her file. “I went back three times to get my documents and every time the documents changed,” she says. “KAS said the reason my file keeps on changing is because of the Special Adoption Law. There was no further explanation.” The law states that KAS can request information from public organizations and adoption agencies as needed, and these agencies are obligated to comply. According to this, she says she should have been given all the informa-

tion in her file. “I think (KAS) uses the Special Adoption Law as a way to cover inconsistencies in their files and record keeping,” says Ishida. Hanna Johansson, a Swedish adoptee, had a similar experience. “This is my fourth trip back to Korea and every time I come back here, I get more information,” she says. “When I visited SWS in 2010, they showed me all my adoption papers, my whole adoption file.” But when she returned in 2013, she was told that because of the Special Adoption Law, she could not access the same file. Without the help of nonprofit agencies, Johansson couldn’t have found out further information. “It’s sad that adoptees who want to reunite have to depend on volunteer work,” she says. After years of struggling to gain access to her records, in 2010 Johansson was finally able to visit the address where she was abandoned. “SWS has had this address since 1976 but only revealed it to me in 2010,” she says. In 2013, she met the policeman who found her (his name had also been withheld until then), and she also managed to contact a distant relative with a DNA match. “Even though we are sixth cousins, she is the first blood relative I have ever met.” The inconsistency in record-keeping, along with the falsified records, is another stumbling block for adoptees. Many countries require certain paperwork in order for a child to be eligible for adoption, such as proof that the child is an orphan. As most adoptees are not orphans, this paperwork was often invented by adoption agencies. This was the case for Laura Klunder, who works with KoRoot and Adoptee Solidarity Korea. “Rather than being documented at birth as a member of my family, I was documented by a social worker as an orphan with no parents,” she explains. This can make tracing birth families very difficult. In addition, the births of adoptees tended to go unregistered because, until recently, birth registration was legally required but not enforced. Had the births of all adoptees been registered in the ‘70s and ‘80s, the success rate of birth family searches would undoubtedly be higher, says Klunder. “For many adoptees, birth registration is fundamental to the success of our search process because at the very least, it records our date of birth. Many adoptees don’t even know their birthdays, and therefore cannot even begin the search for their first family.” Wachs returned to Korea this year for the first time to find that her records were falsified. She initially thought her search was going well, as ESWS had a record containing her biological parents’ full names, date and city of birth, how many people were in her

family and even descriptions of their personality. But before leaving for Korea, she received devastating news. “KAS found my mother left a fake ID and they have no info on her. In talking with other adoptees, I learned that many mothers made false identities to protect themselves.”

‘An adoptee has a right to all of their information and the parent has the right to refuse to meet them. But access to one’s own personal information is an inalienable right.’ Shannon Heit

Making contact If all documents are in order and there is identifying information in the adoption records, KAS is obligated to contact the birth family to request the release of such information. Even so close to the answers, the search often ends in failure. “Although we succeed in locating birth parents,” says Yun, “there are lots of cases in which the birth parents do not respond.” Yun says that is the most difficult part of her job. “I feel frustrated when I am not able to locate birth parents and when birth parents don’t respond to the mail that I sent for getting their consent (to release personal information). It is very difficult for me to tell adoptees about the result.” KAS’ official means of communication is by telegram, which is sent to the listed address citing only the adoptee’s foreign name. This can result in a very confusing message. Without consent from the birth family, KAS cannot legally give the adoptee the birth mother’s name or address. “There are also some difficulties in how to balance between the rights of adoptees to their roots and the rights of birth parents to their privacy,” says Yun. Heit of KUMFA argues that this doesn’t respect adoptees’ rights. “I personally think that an adoptee has a right to all of their information,” she says. Even today, there is no system for confirming the receipt of these letters. Adoptees see the biggest problem with the Special Adoption Law as being the lack of implementation. “The law is already good, but they are just not implementing it,” says Trenka. “Sometimes there really isn’t much information (on record). Technically, according to the law, this real lack of original information in some cases should be the only stumbling block now.” Little has changed since 2012,

as the ministry claims to be under-budgeted, Trenka says. KAS may be struggling due to a lack of funding, but adoption agencies are still subsidized by the government. So while the government has promised to prioritize post-adoption services, for many this has amounted to lip service. “The Ministry of Health and Welfare created KAS and all its predecessors, and post-adoption services in general, as a public edifice to say they are accommodating adoption-related concerns,” Leith says.

The last resort Adoptees who have left KAS and the agencies empty-handed often turn to the mass media. Ishida appeared on a TV show early this year, a last resort for many adoptees who endure being a form of entertainment in the hopes that it will aid their search. According to KBS, the success rate of those who go on TV is about 50 percent, which makes it a better option than relying on KAS. Last year Ishida organized events to put up “Missing” posters bearing her face and Korean name, in the neighborhood where she was abandoned. Although she thinks it’s “highly ineffective,” she wanted to take control of her search. “And it really was cathartic,” she says. Ishida left Korea early this year, and has stopped actively searching for her mother. Although she found the search painful and at times embarrassing, she exhausted all options. “I took action and I tried. That’s my result.”

More info j Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Ham Myung Nan (함명난), or with any information that may aid Sarah Ishida, Suki Leith, Hanna Johansson or Laura Wachs in their searches can contact the editors of Groove Korea. Local groups for adoptee and single mothers rights and services Global Overseas Adoptees’ Link (G.O.A.’L) Website: www.goal.or.kr KoRoot Website: www.koroot.org Adoptee Solidarity Korea (ASK) Website: www.adopteesolidarity.org Truth and Reconciliation for the Adoption Community of Korea (TRACK) Website: www.adoptionjustice.com Korean Unwed Mothers Families Association Website: www.kumfa.or.kr

COVER story Edited by Jenny Na (jenny@groovekorea.com)

A silent sacrifice,

a human cost

Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unwed mothers combat a social stigma and lack of services to keep their children Story by Deva Lee and Jenny Na / Illustrations by Vanessa Sae-hee Burke Translation by Shannon Heit, Soyeon Kim and Holly MacKay

GrooveCast Deva Lee talks with GrooveCast host Chance Dorland about the struggle of single mothers in Korea and how adoptees find their birthparents. Check out the podcast at groovekorea.com.

ok Kyoung-hwa moved into a home for unwed mothers in Seoul in the final month of her pregnancy. She was 32 and her fiancé had recently broken off their engagement because, as she later found out, he had met another woman. Her pregnancy was a secret from everyone apart from her mother and the father of her child, who had told her to get an abortion before breaking off their engagement. That made entering the facility an especially difficult and degrading experience. Today, her memory of that time is enough to evoke intense emotions. “When a woman is pregnant, it’s a very celebratory thing, and people always ask the woman if there’s anything they can do or if there’s anything she needs,” Mok says, her voice shaking. “When they’re in labor, other moms receive bouquets and lots of friends and family members come to congratulate them. But us? No one comes to congratulate us.” In Korea, a high percentage of unwed mothers give their babies up for adoption, a practice that has now become expected. Mok is one of a growing number of women who are choosing to raise their children on their own while combating social conventions that for years have encouraged women to give their children up for adoption. “At the very least, people shouldn’t be pointing fingers at us,” Mok says. “And because unwed moms don’t want to hear that kind of blame, they stay quiet. That’s what hurts the most.”

‘When a woman is pregnant it’s a very celebratory thing, and people always ask the woman if there’s anything they can do or if there’s anything she needs. When they’re in labor, other moms receive bouquets and lots of friends and family members come to congratulate them. But us? No one comes to congratulate us.’ Mok Kyoung-hwa, KUMFA president

Korea’s international adoption industry

Unwed mothers’ advocates argue that adoption agencies hold unchecked power over vulnerable unwed moms who come to them for help, as many of them have nowhere else to go. These women receive little support from the government, their families or the public, causing an increasing number of expectant mothers to enter government homes and shelters, including those run by adoption agencies. Last year, 34 percent of mothers listed economic hardship as a reason for relinquishing their parental rights. Choi Hyoung-sook gave her son up for adoption in 2005, but days later decided to reclaim him. When she turned to an unwed mothers’ home run by Holt Children’s Services of Korea for help, however, she was encouraged to give up her parental rights. “When I went in for counseling, they told me I first had to sign the adoption consent form before they would talk to me, even though I was still thinking about what to do,” says Choi. The practice is illegal, but was one of many routinely used tactics by agencies at the time to encourage relinquishment. The agency also told her she could meet her child and have correspondence with him when he was older, in contrast to domestic adoption, which is usually carried out in secret. She says she’s since learned that the “talk about reunion was a lie” — a bargaining point used by the agencies to encourage relinquishment. According to Shannon Heit, the volunteer coordinator for the Korean Unwed Mothers Families’ Association, “Half of the unwed mothers’ facilities in the country are currently run by adoption agencies, which is a clear conflict of interest. Many of the unwed mothers homes run by adoption agencies only accept mothers who are giving up for adoption or mothers who have a higher likelihood of choosing adoption (mothers who are younger with no family or support network).” In the fallout of the Korean War in the 1950s, 90 percent of all adoptions involved mixed-race children, but by 1970 most adoptees were entirely Korean in ancestry. By 2012, at least 90 percent of adoptees were the children of unwed single mothers. This shift happened around 1970, and the government responded by directing funds toward private maternity homes, creating a system where a lack of social welfare left few options for unwed mothers outside of adoption. Meanwhile, the prevalence of adoption relieved the government of needing to come up with a more lasting solution. By the 1980s, the agencies had started engaging them-

selves in profit-making activities and real estate investments, and were running their own delivery clinics, foster homes and temporary institutions, explains Korean Studies scholar Tobias Hübinette. “Since then, a growing number of maternity homes for young, unwed mothers have been the main source for newborn and healthy babies,” he says. Meanwhile, the cost of international adoption has steadily Increased. It’s estimated that together the four agencies collect an average of $35 million per year, according to Eleana Kim, assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Rochester. “Adoption policy has become a seemingly permanent solution to what was, at the time, considered an emergency situation. What was supposed to be a humanitarian effort to rescue mixed-race children and war orphans became the largest and longest-running adoption program in the world.”

Weighing the options

Mok decided to have her baby in a government-subsidized unwed mothers’ home, but because she had plans to raise the child herself, none of the 33 unwed mother facilities in the country at the time would accept her, and only two of them even returned her call. Unwed mothers who relinquish their children for adoption are able to stay in these facilities for up to two years, with the option of a six-month extension. Women who choose to raise their children on their own, however, must vacate the facilities after one to two years to make space for new residents. When they leave, they confront a whole new set of problems. Despite the support pledged in the Single Parent Family Support Act in 2007, financial aid from the government continues to be minimal. The act claims to provide expenses for education and child care, as well as legal and counseling services. At present, however, unwed mothers with children under 12 years old and who earn less than roughly 1.2 million won a month are provided 70,000 won a month by the government, while parents who adopt receive almost three times as much. Mok says most mothers don’t meet this requirement because the calculation includes income and possessions such as a car or house, as well as their parents’ wealth, even if they aren’t receiving parental support. Their other option is to put themselves below the poverty line, currently measured at 980,000 won per month. She says most moms try to stay within the gap. Although fathers are required by law to pay child support, the lax enforcement and

COVER story Edited by Jenny Na (jenny@groovekorea.com)

The women who are giving up their children for adoption are not doing it because they don’t want to raise their kids. ‘It’s because they don’t have any other choice, especially if the child’s father will not help support, (and) if the parents will not help support … then they really have no other choice. We need to get rid of this public atmosphere that encourages these women to send their children for adoption.’ Mok Kyoung-hwa

complex legal process often means that the financial responsibility is often carried by the mothers alone. When Choi’s son was born, she made it clear that she would only respect the father’s right to see the child if he fulfilled his responsibilities. “He gave me money for about three years when he was young, about 700,000 won a month, but there were times when he did and times when he didn’t,” she says. He maintains a relationship with the child, and might buy him something if he needs it, but he has since stopped paying child support and Choi has no way to compel him to do so. In addition to the financial burden, Choi also faces discrimination at work, and knows other unwed mothers who have been fired after giving birth. The women aren’t the only ones facing discrimination — their children are often targeted as well. Choi, whose story has been widely reported in the Korean media, says her son had to change schools last year because he was being teased by his classmates. “When he was in his first year of elementary school, other children kept asking about rumors they had heard about me being an unwed mom and he became a sort of outcast,” she says. “Other kids were told by their parents not to play with him because he was in an unwed

42 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

mothers’ home.” She says unwed moms need to show that they are raising their children well by coming forward in society and defying stigmas. “We chose to raise our children and should not be thought of any differently or in a bad light because of that decision,” she says. “We should be respected as any other person is respected to raise our child in peace.” Unwed mothers also need support because, she says, they aren’t the only ones who have a role in raising their children. “Society does too.” The lack of support essentially forces women to give up their children, Mok says. “And if that’s the case, then in the end the children will end up in adoptive homes, foster families or in child welfare facilities. And in any of those three situations, they are getting more support from the government than we are.” Compared to the 70,000 won per month that unwed mothers receive, she notes that foster families receive a monthly stipend of 500,000 won, child welfare facilities such as orphanages get 1.05 million won per child per month and families adopting domestically receive around 150,000 won per month for each child up to 14. Mok uses the metaphor of a broken cup to illustrate her point, saying, “Instead of investing money after the cup’s already been broken, (the government) should invest it in keeping the child in a healthy environment with its parents. The amount would be less than what they’re currently spending, and isn’t that a better investment?” According to Mok, the women who are giving up their children for adoption are not doing it because they don’t want to raise their kids. “It’s because they don’t have any other choice — especially if the child’s father will not help support, if the parents will not help support … then they really have no other choice. We need to get rid of this public atmosphere that encourages these women to send their children for adoption.” Mok says agencies claim that women relinquish their children because they want better lives for themselves. In her experience, that’s not the case. However, she acknowledges there are moments when the difficulty of raising a child alone can wear on a person, and it’s in those moments of insecurity or stress that a woman may feel adoption is the only choice. “Some of these women could get on their feet financially if they were given the chance and the support, but they’re not able to get that,” Mok says. “If society were to allow that moment (of insecurity) to exist and worked to protect the woman, more women could keep

their children. But society takes advantage of that moment and in effect forces the mother to choose adoption.”

Paper orphans and the baby box

Revisions to the Special Adoption Law in 2011 aimed to shift the focus of the country’s adoption system to promote the preservation of original families, in line with international standards. It enforces a mandatory seven-day reconsideration period for expectant mothers in the wake of numerous reports of coercion. One woman’s baby was reportedly taken by an agency worker who had her sign relinquishment papers while she was still under anesthesia after delivery. The law will also ban adoption agencies from providing facilities for unwed mothers by 2015. Mok says the law provides mothers with an extra legal barrier to help protect their right to parent their own child. The seven-day deliberation period “gives women one more chance to think practically about whether or not they can raise their kids,” she says. “Before, mothers were being asked to sign off on adoption before they even gave birth, so they weren’t truly considering whether they could raise their kids. They were being told that it wasn’t possible to raise their child, and they were just accepting it.” An audit of Holt Children’s Services of Korea in June found the agency to be in violation of the adoption law in a number of areas, including the deliberation period. Although the agency had followed the law for 567 of 600 children born after the law went into effect in August 2012, 33 children were taken from their birth parents before the seven days had passed. The audit also notes that before the law went into effect, 78.7 percent of children sent for adoption, or 1,022 out of 1,299, had been taken from birth parents within seven days. The new law also enforces birth registration as a way to prevent abuses in the adoption system. In many countries, it’s illegal to adopt a child unless he or she is an orphan. This is also true in Korea, but adoption agencies have often created “paper orphans” to facilitate adoption, cutting all ties between child and family. Proponents of the law are concerned that a child who is not registered would have no legal protection. Yet some mothers have been unwilling to register their child’s birth, fearing discrimination. It is estimated that about 3,000 children of unwed mothers go unregistered each year. The government doesn’t list the status of

The baby factory

Sources: Korea Ministry for Health and Welfare and Families; Bethany Christian Services; Holt International

Children in need of protection (1958-2004) No. of babies exported 155,014 Abandoned 68,272 / Broken homes 3,818 Unwed mothers 36,539 / Other 164 Total 154,850

Price foreign new parents pay

Korean agency fee $18,765 (Holt: $22,500) U.S. agency fee $10,950 Total $29,715

Price Korean new parents pay

Major adoption agencies in Korea

2.198 million won ($2,200)

Holt Children’s Services of Korea ESWS | SWS KSS (post-adoption services only)

Total intercountry adoptions (1953-2009)

Average combined income $35 million per year

162,683 children

‘Adoption policy has become a seemingly permanent solution to what was, at the time, considered an emergency situation. What was supposed to be a humanitarian effort to rescue mixed-race children and war orphans became the largest and longest running adoption program in the world.’ Eleana Kim

“unwed mother” on official family records. But as Choi says, “The child’s name is on the mother’s hojuk (birth record) and the child’s hojuk will only have the mother’s name, so anybody who looks at it will know.” Since the law’s implementation, the installation of a baby box in Seoul — an initiative driven by a Korean pastor to provide a safe place to drop off babies — has seen an increase in the number of abandonments. Proponents of the baby box say it will allow children to be adopted instead of being left on the street, a claim Choi refutes. “Before there was a baby box, expectant mothers were not leaving their children in the street,” she says. “But now, mothers who would not normally have left their children now think the baby box a safe place to leave their children.” Child abandonment was actually on the decline before the baby box was installed, but increased after the implementation of the Special Adoption Law revisions after heavy media attention. Heit says the media’s portrayal of the baby box has given the impression that the children will grow

Total domestic adoptions (1953-2009) 72,947 children

up happy. “Unfortunately, this is the way unwed mothers are being convinced that they should put their babies in the baby box,” she says. “There’s this huge misconception that it’s sort of an unselfish choice for the mother to make in order to give their children a happy life.” The U.N. officially opposes the use of baby boxes worldwide because they facilitate abandonment, which is illegal in Korea. Nonetheless, some mothers are desperate enough to use it. Activist Jane Jeong Trenka says that this is because they have not been informed that there is a process called “partial registration,” which allows births to be registered but remain private. Mok says the alternative is to establish a relief center to give women in emergency situations a place to stay. “The way the current system is set up, there all these conditions you have to meet, and if you don’t meet those conditions, then you’re out of luck. For example, if you already have a child and you are pregnant, there’s literally nowhere you can get support. So there needs to be a place that accepts people in emergency situations, crisis situations, unconditionally.”

COVER story Edited by Jenny Na (jenny@groovekorea.com)

‘The first question they always asked was “Why didn’t you have an abortion?” The second was always “Why didn’t you send for adoption?” So it got to the point where these moms thought, “Why do people see me raising my kids and that’s the first question they ask? Why is it that I can’t raise my child alone without it being weird or something mentionable?”’ Shannon Heit

44 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

Family preservation first

Mok says that in order to change the misperceptions about unwed mothers, society needs to create an atmosphere of support — one that includes greater economic assistance, unbiased counseling and enforcement of child support — instead of one that encourages the separation of mother and child. She feels that familial support is especially important, and that families need to embrace rather than reject a woman in crisis as she had been. Although Mok’s mother had opposed her ‘As a mother, it’s a pregnancy, she helped her find a place to live natural instinct to want after the baby was born and would travel two hours by public transportation and back to to keep and raise your watch the baby while Mok was at work. “If it child. Even though it’s hadn’t been for my mom’s support,” Mok says, “I don’t know how I would have done it.” difficult, I have no When it became physically impossible for regrets, and my child her mom to continue, Mok moved back home. That’s when her father found out, and when has given me new life. he did, he tried to kick Mok’s mother out of I would do anything the house and demanded a divorce. He finally agreed to let Mok’s son stay, but wouldn’t let for my son.’ Mok in the house until after a few months later, Choi Hyoung-sook after her mom convinced him that it would be the best thing for their daughter. Mok and her son Ho-seong still live with her parents, and her father has since had a change of heart. “Now, he treats Ho-seong like he’s the king of the house, and because of that, Ho-seong really thinks it’s true. He’ll say things like, ‘Well, grandfather said that I was the best. Grandfather said I was the king for the day, so I’m king for the day.’” Mok and other unwed mothers are combating the questionable practices that have contributed to the idea that their children are unwanted by telling their stories and participating in policymaking activities, including the revisions to the Special Adoption Law. The women have also launched advocacy and service organizations, and together these groups have reclaimed Adoption Day (a national awareness day created to promote domestic adoption) as Single Moms’ Day to push the government to support their right to raise their children. In fighting discriminative laws and policies, these activists are also aiming to shift perceptions. According to Heit, “The first question (people) always ask is, ‘Why didn’t you have an abortion?’ The second is, ‘Why didn’t you send for adoption?’ So it got to the point where moms thought, ‘Why is it that I can’t raise my child alone without it being weird or something mentionable?’” As Choi puts it, “As a mother, it’s a natural instinct to want to keep and raise your child. Even though it’s difficult, I have no regrets, and my child has given me new life. I would do anything for my son.”

More info j Local advocacy groups and service organizations for unwed mothers’ rights Korean Unwed Mothers Families’ Association Website: www.kumfa.or.kr Korean Unwed Mothers Support Network Website: www.kumsn.org InTree: Unwed Moms for a Changed Future Website: cafe.naver.com/20130202pm02/98

INSIGHT Edited by Matthew Lamers (mattlamers@groovekorea.com)

The Money column

Why get a credit card in Korea?

Revisiting the brighter side of flashing plastic Column by Paul Sharkie / Illustration by Christina Singer

s was discussed last month, there are some very legitimate precautions to consider before signing up for a credit card in Korea. Some people will have seen my advice as a justification for staying as far as possible from credit cards in Korea and assume they are not an option for them. When used responsibly, however, a Korean credit card can often offer many more benefits than a simple debit card, and can even provide more security for your everyday finances. Although I previously emphasized how easily tarnished a Korean credit rating can be when it comes to late payments, I would also like to shed some positive light on flashing your plastic in the ROK. So, why should you get a credit card in Korea?

If you’re told you do not qualify for a regular credit card, you may be able to apply for what is known as a secured credit card, which involves putting down a deposit of money that acts as security for the credit card provider to then issue you with a card and an agreed limit.

ABOUT THE writer Paul Sharkie is the Foreign Client Relationship Manager for Shinhan Bank’s Foreign Customer Department. Please visit Shinhan Expat Banking on Facebook for more information. The banking information provided in this column is based on Shinhan Bank policies and may not be applicable to all banks in Korea. — Ed.

46 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

1. Building your credit rating

For those who plan to be here for the long run, if you have no credit or are trying to improve your credit score, using a credit card responsibly will help, as credit card companies record and report your payment activity to credit authorities. Debit cards, by contrast, are not considered in this process, so getting a credit card would be a step toward proving your ability to manage your finances.

TIP If you are told you do not qualify for a regular credit card, you

may be able to apply for what is known as a secured credit card, which involves putting down a deposit of money that acts as security for the credit card provider to then issue you with a card and an agreed limit. Although not a popular method for those who don’t have a lot of spare cash, don’t write this option off immediately; you do get the money back when you close the account (with added interest), and your use of this card also helps boost your credit profile.

2. Discounts

A comparison with your bank back home will quickly reveal how much more competitive and — as a consequence — rewarding the Korean market actually is. While Korean cards in general (both debit and credit) do offer a lot of rewards, the range of benefits that come with credit cards can prove to be quite useful. Discounts at restaurants, amusement parks, department stores and even on transportation are as standard with many cards. Some even allow you to accrue Air Miles, which come in very handy indeed!

3. Safety

Generally, paying with a credit card makes it easier to avoid financial loss if somebody manages to get hold of your card details. If your debit card is fraudulently used, the money is deducted from your account almost immediately, which can prove to be disastrous for anyone on a strict financial budget. Having your cash stolen may cause problems for both you and your creditors, and late payments can also damage your credit score. Although investigation is possible, it can take a while for any fraudulent transactions to be reversed and for you to be able to retrieve your funds. For those who prefer to use credit cards, however, should your card details fall into the wrong hands, at least your hard-earned money remains in your account. This option enables you to otherwise function as normal with comparatively less inconvenience, and just as is done with debit cards, cases of credit card fraud are investigated and a resolution can be found. (Each case varies from bank to bank and is treated on its own merits, so please contact your card provider for more information)

Applying

Application requirements depend on the individual circumstances of the applicant. For the most part, if you’ve worked in Korea for more than three months at a large corporation, it is easier for the card company to issue a card. Crucial to the process however, is submitting proof of your income (three recent pay slips and your contract of employment to your main bank, coupled with additional bank statements if you are applying to another bank). If you are not sure, simply call your bank’s foreign customer helpline or visit a branch to find out more.

FOOD & DRINK Edited by Shelley DeWees (shelley@groovekorea.com)

Little Russia

Tiny neighborhood in Seoul serves up mountains of central Asian fare Story by Dave Hazzan / Photos by Jo Turner

48 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

eyond Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station, away from the hideous alien monstrosity that has replaced Dongdaemun Stadium, lies a largely undiscovered piece of multicultural Seoul: Little Russia. There are Mongolian textile shops, Uzbek travel agents and Russian minimarts selling vodka, caviar and pickled beets. Though many of the denizens look Korean, they speak a polyphony of Central Asian and Eastern European languages: Russian, Ukrainian, Tajik, Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Uzbek and Mongolian. In fact, most residents of Little Russia are not Russian at all, but come from former Soviet states once dominated by the Eurasian nation. It’s exotic but not overly so — like the French community in Sorae or Chinatown in Daelim, you always know you are in Korea. Walking around is fun for the people watching, but the real reason to come here is for the food. We took a Korean, a New Zealander, two Americans and a Russo-Ukrainian guide to try out three of Little Russia’s restaurants; what we got was an afternoon of reasonably priced culinary joy and a few insights on the area’s surprising authenticity.

‘You can smell it from down the street and it smells incredible.’ Sonja Butler

Garlic, pepper and old-fashioned charm Samarqand, named after the historic city in Uzbekistan, is probably the most famous of the Little Russia restaurants. “You can smell it from down the street and it smells incredible,” said Sonja Butler, one of our American friends. We ordered three types of shashlik, or grilled meat on skewers, which is the restaurant’s specialty: two lamb, two beef and two minced beef. The food came with pickled carrots and onion, something our Korean friend, Wayne Jeong, thought Koreans would appreciate. “I believe Koreans will love this. Garlic, pepper — good combination.” The lamb was especially popular. “The garlic hits you first, along with the rich, buttery lamb flavor,” Butler said with a mouthful of lamb. “It’s quickly followed by a quick punch of cumin. The meat is exceptionally well cooked and tender.” James Wright, our other American, agreed, hailing the lamb as “perfectly cooked, way better than the Chinese anything in your district. Amazing marinade — juicy, not overpowering. Very savory.” The minced beef was well marinated in a rich brown sauce with onions and garlic. On its own, the meat was a bit chewy, but like all shashlik, the creamy tomato and dill dipping sauce is needed for the full experience –– after a quick dip, the meat had a balanced, clean taste. The waitress, a Tajik student, was pleasant and attentive, and the restaurant was very pretty inside. Looking around, Jeong pointed out, “I like it here because the customers are mixed with foreigners and locals. The interior is a bit old-fashioned, but I think it is what it is.”

FOOD & DRINK Edited by Shelley DeWees (shelley@groovekorea.com)

We got fries with the beef stroganoff instead of mashed potatoes, which proved to be a great choice: The beef was soft and tender, the fries crispy and our plov, served alongside, was tasty too. Want fries with that plov? Directly down the street from Samarqand is My Friend, a spacious old restaurant with a disco ball hanging from the ceiling, a TV playing Russian documentaries in the background and a beefy Uzbek-Korean waiter who said the customers are very eclectic and international — mostly Russians and Central Asians, like himself. We ordered borscht, salad, beef stroganoff and plov (a kind of rice pilaf). Stepping outside tradition, our table ordered fries with the beef stroganoff instead of mashed potatoes, and this proved to be a great choice: The beef was soft and tender, the fries crispy and our plov, served alongside, was tasty too. The yellow rice with chunks of well-marinated lamb and a bit of cumin was enjoyed by most of the group, but Jeong thought it was a bit dry and in need of more flavor. The side salad was made with cucumber, tomato and onions, and seasoned with dill, paprika and chili flakes. “Lovely and bright,” Butler said. “Very fresh.” The borscht, however, was another issue. Though everyone agreed it tasted good — some thought it was excellent — there was universal disgust when the bowl came topped with mayonnaise instead of sour cream. It can traditionally be served both ways in Russia (it’s apparently a matter of personal taste), but we were all clearly on the losing side of that argument. We ate our fill and washed it down with a quarter liter of Siberian Five Lakes vodka. That seemed to help smooth things over.

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A walk on the nuanced side Gostiny Dvor was our last stop. Located above a minimart where you can get all kinds of Baltika beers (see info box for more), not to mention bras, cheese and secondhand Russian novels, Gostiny Dvor looks like your Russian grandmother’s dining room. There are white tablecloths with paper doilies, heavy polished silverware and a big television (the same Russian chainsaw commercial came on at least three times during our sitting). We ordered akrorha, salanka and myaso po-kapitanski, all of which were new and different to us. Akrorha is a yogurt-based cold summer soup with cucumber, dill, green onions, potato, egg and, most noticeably, ham: in Wright’s words, “potato salad in a soup.” Though it was tasty and refreshing in the heat, the strong-tasting ham overwhelmed the other flavors when you got a bite of it — still, a bit of an adventure all the same. The salanka turned out to be a hot soup, similar to borscht, with sausage, carrot, green onions, olives, sour cream and lemon. This one was dubbed “a sandwich in a soup” by our group. It was tasty, but the next dish was even better: myaso po-kapitanski (literally meaning “captain’s meat”). This pork, cheese, potato and chive mashup looked like a deconstructed shepherd’s pie and tasted extra hearty, with the “awesome” verdict being handed out by all. Butler felt that overall the food at Gostiny Dvor was more subtle, and that everything was a bit more nuanced and balanced compared to the other restaurants. “This is more a place to have a nice meal,” she explained, “not where you would go to get drunk.” “I like the ambience here,” Jeong said. “Very classic.” It could have used individual dinnerware sets, though, as everyone was reaching over everyone else to dig into the communal plates. Tatiana Babaskina, our guide for the day, found herself pleasantly surprised by the quality of our meal. She’s lived in Seoul for 15 years — splitting her time between Korea and London for the last six — and gave us a crash course in Russian food while we supped. “A normal Russian meal is served in three courses,” she explained. “A hot soup (usually borscht or shchi) as the first course, meat with either potatoes or macaroni as the second course and finally tea or a fruit (kompot) drink with dessert as the last course.” The food in Little Russia was, she said, “saltier and more authentically Russian than what I’m normally used to. Living in Korea, I started ‘Koreanizing’ my Russian meals, adding more spices and using different vegetables for preparing certain meals, like making borscht with tomatoes instead of beets.” But here, she got the real stuff. “I think most Koreans don’t know about Russian food at all,” Jeong said. “It was my first time, but it tasted very good –– there was nothing weird. I’d like to come to this area again with my Korean friends.” A good idea would be to visit sooner rather than later, while the experience is still authentic.

Russian beer j

Getting there c

Baltika Breweries is the largest beer maker in Russia, and their beers are available throughout Little Russia. Each bottle has a large number printed on the label — you purchase them by asking for that number, but the numbers don’t represent alcohol content. Here’s what each one means:

Samarqand and My Friend are on the same street, outside Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station, exit 5. From street level, turn right and cross the little street, then take a left on Gwanghuidong 1(il)-ga. You’ll see both restaurants. To get to Gostiny Dvor, walk out exit 7 of the same station and double back to the right. The restaurant is down the first alley on the left.

#3: Classic lager, 4.8%. A basic pale lager, a little better than mass-produced Korean beer. #4: Original, 5.6%. A red/brown beer, similar to a honey brown. This was the favorite for most of us. #6: Porter, 7%. A very dark and strong porter, but crisper than most black beers. #7: Lager Export, 5.4%. A pale lager that is virtually tasteless. Probably our least favorite. #8: Wheat, 5%. Like a Hoegaarden or similar weizen beer, though a little less citrusy. #9: Strong lager, 8%. A powerful lager with a clean, strong taste. Be careful with this one. As for the other numbers, there is no #1, and #0 (a nonalcoholic beer) and #2 (pale) are not commonly found in Korea.

FOOD & DRINK Edited by Shelley DeWees (shelley@groovekorea.com)

Coexistence Café does it for the animals

Vegan eats, vegan drinks, vegan love Story by Jamie Keener / Photos by Nina Sawyer

an often-overlooked pocket of Seoul hidden just north of the Han River lies a place to protect the domesticated creatures that many of us have grown to love. More than just a sanctuary for rescued animals (and the plant-eating people who adore them), Coexistence Café provides a feeling of home: It’s like going to grandma’s house to spend a sunny afternoon eating delectable goodies and staring at odd, fragile trinkets in every nook and cranny. At Coexistence, there are several rooms to explore during your visit, each more endearing than the last. In the first section there’s a dog shrine, complete with Polaroid snapshots of pets and a simple décor that includes blankets and animal paintings; the outside patio has an urban garden and a hand-painted mural featuring happy animals under a Tuscan sun. Some might be tempted to dismiss the styling as overly precious — the entire café is doused with nature and a clear love for animals — but the staff say they designed it that way intentionally, hoping to make it an inviting experience for all visitors.

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Encouraging CARE for the community

Especially in Korea, where modern society is built on a meatcentered diet from Korean BBQ to the equally popular chicken hof, an effort needs to be made to understand how animals truly contribute to balance on planet Earth — and it all starts with food.

The café was originally established by CARE, or the Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth, the biggest animal rights group in Korea. Each year they raise more than 1 million won for animal rights causes. The not-for-profit business was founded in 2002 by Soyoun Park, wife of current director AJ Garcia, who established the offshoot café with her husband as a way to promote a cruelty-free lifestyle and to reduce animal suffering. The space was also a perfect vehicle for them to introduce more vegan food to the community. Garcia says the Coexistence mission is not just about vegan food, but about “reducing animal suffering by living a compassionate life.” The way to do this, he says, is to go vegan, vegetarian or to simply make a decision to reduce your consumption of animal-based products. In Korea especially, where modern society is built on a meat-centered diet from Korean BBQ to the equally popular chicken hof, an effort needs to be made to understand how animals truly contribute to the balance on planet Earth — and it all starts with food. “There are a lot of animal protection groups,” Garcia says, “but we wanted to take it a step further and provide Korea with good, vegan food.” They’ve got veggie versions of several Korean favorites, including a vegan cheese tteokbokki and black bean noodles, along with some other international dishes like cold mung bean noodle salad, stacked roasted veggie and vegan burgers (which are highly recommended), pastas, homemade cakes and Soy Delicious ice creams. On the beverage side of the spectrum, they also carry organic juices and a wide selection of coffee drinks. Operating vegan means the Coexistence kitchen has put together a menu that includes tofu, tempeh, grains, corn and soy-based milk products, but absolutely no animal products to be found: no eggs, no meat, no dairy, no honey. The café also commits to using only non-GMO products and produce in their dishes. “There are a lot of restaurants in Itaewon that offer vegan food now,” says Garcia. But Coexistence stands apart in one important way: “All our profits go to support CARE. This is our way of giving back to the community, our way of protecting the animals on this Earth.”

Running — and walking — smoothly

In addition to its restaurant, Coexistence has an animal adoption center for rescued cats and dogs on the second floor of their bright yellow Dapsimniarea building. An army of gracious volunteers and donors help keep the place running smoothly, providing love, attention and daily walks to the dogs to make sure every animal arrives in their new home healthy and happy. Garcia and Park house more than 300 animals in this shelter and in two others they operate as well. The third level of their space will soon be used as an education center, where the owners hope they can launch what will someday amount to a movement: doing activism in defense of animals while also educating the community about the treatment of not only domesticated animals in Korea but animals in different cultures all around the world. The Coexistence Café strives to add a dash of love to their food — both for humans and animals — by bringing greater awareness to the Korean community. Getting there c From Dapsimni Station, exit 4, walk straight and take your second left. Walk five more minutes until you see a bright yellow building on the left side. The café is on the first floor.

FOOD & DRINK Edited by Shelley DeWees (shelley@groovekorea.com)

Seoul Veggie Kitchen

Stock up and boil some beans

Fending off the winter blues Story by Shelley DeWees / Photos by Malinda Mills

The best way to prevent the winter blues from settling in early is to embrace some comfy winter traditions in your cooking — and that means beans. Mountains of ‘em. About the writer: Shelley DeWees worked as a vegan chef for a Buddhist monastery before moving to Seoul. She is a columnist and the food editor for Groove Korea. — Ed.

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t’s happening. Summertime is looking worn and bedraggled, and there are already little slices of autumn shining through the gauzy sun. Soon it’ll be sweaters and dark beer for everyone: Shorts will be tossed to the back of the closet in favor of constricting skinny pants (damn you), iced coffee will go by the wayside and, once again, winter will be upon us. Personally, as a northerner, I always welcome the ability to go outside without collapsing like flan in a cupboard — all those people who are impossibly fresh-looking all the time will finally stop cringing when they see me, shiny-faced and wilting — but I understand: For some people, the end of summer can really suck. Yet hope remains! The best way to prevent the winter blues from settling in early is to embrace some comfy winter traditions in your cooking — and that means beans. Mountains of ‘em. There’s nothing better than a sexy winter stew or a pile of hummus to brighten up your soon-to-be-dreary days; with bread and wine and a few saucy pals, you’ll completely forget that, yes, soon it’ll be nasty again. So learn some new stuff now and save yourself the annoyance later.

Basic home-boiled beans The first thing you’ll notice when you shop for beans is that there are two kinds, dried and canned. The second thing you’ll notice is that the cooler people are walking straight past those colorful cans and into the more subdued corner of the grocery store: the dry goods section. This is where the real party’s at, because you can buy way more beans for the price of one sad can of Bush’s Best, which was probably packed more than a year ago. Dry beans will run you less than 6,000 won and there’s a multitude of varieties to tempt your palette: basic black, red, white and pinto beans are available along with some flashier ones like Anasazi, calypso and appaloosa. The cooking strategy is virtually the same no matter the bean, and they’re also much easier to digest and less likely to cause gas. So you can cook whatever you want and not even make your fellow commuters glance around in disgust. Bonus!

Ingredients • 2-3 cups beans, any kind • lots of water

Dump the beans in a big bowl, cover them with at least 2 inches of water and place the bowl in the fridge overnight to soak. This step requires a little bit of preparation, but trust me, you shouldn’t skip it unless you want to send your friends running for the hills — beans that aren’t soaked before cooking, like the kind you get in a can, cause lots and lots of farts. Soaked beans do not. The next day, drain the beans and rinse them well (and don’t skip this step either; see the above reason why boiling beans in their soaking water can cause notable awkwardness). Pour the beans into your biggest pot and add as much water as possible to allow for a full rolling boil without going over and then crank up the heat. You can put a lid on the pot to help speed things up, but don’t go too far away; eventually, a huge head of foam will appear on the surface of the water and you’ll need to skim it off before it makes a big ol’ mess. Some kinds of beans will create a whole lot of foam, so you might have to do this two or three times to finish a full batch. Once you’ve got a really rockin’ boil, turn the burner down to medium and cook for at least an hour, uncovered. Cooking time will vary widely according to the kind of bean you’re working with, but as a general rule you should check for doneness after 60 minutes and then at 30-minute intervals after that. Also, keep in mind that if you see the water level dropping you can always dump in some extra, no sweat. When the beans are soft — and you’re ogling at all the potential soups and salads and dips and veggie burgers in front of you — reserve whatever you need for that day’s recipe and spread the rest out on a cookie sheet. When they’re cool, bag ‘em up and freeze for a future glorious (and fartless) winter’s eve.

Story by Shireen Tofig / Photos by Ha Si-yoon

Between Chef Paolo Collavini brings Italian touch to Itaewon

talian chef Paolo Collavini has landed in Seoul after four continents and 15 countries. His travels, spanning from North America to the Middle East and Africa to Asia, have brought him to the upscale restaurant Between located in the heart of Itaewon. Chances are you’ve passed this three-story, floor-to-ceiling glass windowed bar and tapas lounge not far from the Hamilton Hotel. He’s traveled the world over, taking traditional Italian cuisine with him. He has been at Between for the past six months, turning the menu from Spanish to nearly 85 percent Italian with an international touch. Growing up in a humble family in Como, Italy, a small city just north of Milan, Collavini watched his mother cook and decided to attend culinary school. “My mother was a good cook, so I always admired her and always tried to copy her taste. I got a great feeling with food and I liked to eat and discover what she was doing and then that was it. I just decided I didn’t want to live in Italy. I wanted to discover the world. So that was very simple.” In 1985, Collavini worked as a chef on an American cruise ship. Four years later he came back to land and for the next 24 years he bounced from country to country. He’s worked in Japan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Lebanon, Italy, Turkey, Greece, Zimbabwe, Morocco, Kuwait, Barbados, Oman, Abu Dhabi and Sri Lanka. The majority of his work has been in five-star hotels and resorts, including his own Collavini Restaurant in the Paradise Hotel in Busan. “I’m a guy that doesn’t (care) where I am and what I have. After two years I get the feeling to change and do something new,” he said. “Right now I live day by day. I love Asia and I have no intention to go back. Asia is my place.”

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Groove Korea: What is your cooking philosophy? Paolo Collavini: Since I was 30 I haven’t wanted to grow in position, become executive chef, be in charge of many outlets, be in the office all day and just order people and write schedules and check things. I’m a guy who gets satisfaction in cooking. This year I’m turning 50 and I’d like to keep cooking. I believe in being traditional and simple, following my roots and the relation with what I have on hand in terms of budget, ingredients and staff and the kind of clientele. I just … do my job. I always cook Italian and I believe (it) to be correct — doing Italian food with what I have. I’m not the kind of guy who likes to make fusion or experiment and stuff like that. I just try to be simple and traditional with what I have.

Is this from what you learned in school, or from your mother? From my mother I learned how to give taste to the food. I like tasty food; I don’t like bland flavors, so my palate, when I eat by myself, I like intense flavors. Here in Korea you have to be careful because what could be tasty for me could be salty for Koreans. I’ve done this many times, changing countries, so I’ve learned how to modify and control my taste. What’s your biggest challenge cooking for a Korean clientele? The biggest challenge is understanding more or less what the people like. Whenever I’m doing something in the kitchen I always like the staff to judge what I’m doing and then we get two or three opinions and we share this. Because in the end, it’s not for me, it’s for them. So we always have to find the borderline between me and their palate. I think it’s a very democratic way to do the job because at the end of the day, 90-95 percent of the guests are Korean. In the end, you have to make the guest happy. What’s the focus of Between? The main point of this place is the ambience, the visibility. It’s a trendy place where young Koreans like to mix together, especially on the weekend, and they like to be seen and they like to drink. It’s quite expensive, and I believe our drinks are on the same level as a four- or fivestar hotel. The food is not that expensive and we have music all day long and at night. On Friday and Saturday there’s a DJ playing, so it’s a trendy place. It’s mainly for Koreans (which doesn’t mean foreigners can’t come), but it’s not focused on the foreign market. How often do the dishes change? We have a dinner menu which is small. We change it every four months. Every week we have ten different specials. Three appetizers, three pastas, two meat, one fish and one dessert. You never see the same thing. So it’s very interesting for the guests. We wanted it to be seasonal, but most vegetables can be found year-round. Right now, fresh figs, peaches and cherries can only be found in the summer. So in these two or three months I do a dessert with peaches or figs. Is there anything you want the readers to know about you? I believe that cooking is a feeling, and the day that we, as cooks, no longer tests ourselves and we don’t love our job anymore, it’s better that we quit. It’s better that we change jobs.

BETWEEN DINING & TAPAS LOUNGE (02) 795-6164 Seoul, Yongsan-gu, Itaewon 1-dong 124-7 1F-3F facebook.com/betweenitaewon MON-THU 11:30 a.m. - 2 a.m. 11:30 a.m. - 4 a.m. FRI 11:00 a.m. - 4 a.m. SAT 11:00 a.m. - 2 a.m. SUN LUNCH (MON-FRI) 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. BRUNCH (SAT-SUN) 11:00 a.m. - 5 p.m. BREAK TIME 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. 57

Destinations Edited by Shelley DeWees (shelley@groovekorea.com)

58 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

The

darkening yard Escaping urban entrapment for Korea’s simple life Story and Photos by Sabrina Hill

he travel writer Pearl S. Buck, a favorite author of mine, once wrote, “Many people lose the small joys in the hope for the big happiness.” This profound measure of wisdom has always had an unspoken authority over my feral and fierce subconscious, and what Buck so eloquently identified is nowhere more evident than in South Korea. Since my arrival in Korea over nine years ago, I’ve dedicated my life to simplicity. Work is a triviality, a necessary evil I both loathe and keep in check. Escaping from the unceasing burn of Seoul’s neon lights and making my way to villages and islands — those obscured by Korea’s towering peaks and divorced from the mainland by jagged bluffs — is a remedy for my feeling of urban entrapment. Perpetually searching out the unseen, I’m always trying to find peace in the isolation and tranquility of Korea’s gifted beauty. This travelogue is a record of one of those pilgrimages, one of my excursions to places of repose and majesty. Free of the blight of the familiar arsenal of franchises polluting Korea’s growing megacities, these communities are sleepy and tranquil, exceptional places to relish the small joys of life Buck spoke of.

Destinations Edited by Shelley DeWees (shelley@groovekorea.com)

Free of the blight of the familiar arsenal of franchises polluting Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing megacities, these communities are sleepy and tranquil, exceptional places to relish the small joys of life Buck spoke of. 60 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

A simpler life Our title comes from the Korean poem “A pair of shoes in the yard” by Moon Tae-jun, which has haunted me for many years. The verse speaks of sadness for our life of sacrifice; a sacrifice for lavish consumerism, sanctioned by the overlords parasitically existing off our interest payments. “The darkening yard” is the epiphanic moment in this tale: It is the start of a soul’s meditative journey to inoculate itself from the trappings of the predictable, insipid, capitalist urban lifestyle — the beginning of a search for the stillness promised in the Land of the Morning Calm. The national bourgeois collective, with their marked concerns for material interests and a saddening lack of passion, indeed do forego the small joys in search of faster phones and fine cars. The darkening yard is my search for Korea’s simple life, and that search started along the peninsula’s southern coast, nestled among the minute islands where fishing and farming are still fundamental ways of life. I recently discovered one such island whose inhabitants numbered so few that on the day I spent there I saw no more than 10 locals. Oedaldo is charmingly known as the “lovers’ island,” a name sure to eventually draw hoards of tourists to its humble shores. Simple and unassuming hanok dot the island, with most being run by elderly retirees who have repur-

posed the buildings for straggling tourists who sometimes get stuck overnight. Though even with few creature comforts, these places are quite welcoming. If you visit Oedaldo, it’s likely that you’ll be spending much of your time walking the uncut coastline that gracefully ascends from the murky waters that wrap the entirety of the island.

Purposeful labor, purposeful joys As I walked, I was reminded of the fact that far too many people slog, scurry and sacrifice their well-being in hopes of bettering only the mirage of a meaningful existence. Later, only after decades of labor, in a moment of honest reflection do they discover that which they had thought was merely shreds of a life: a leased car, an apartment that they do not own and a short vacation every few years. These things are the yield of a life sacrificed under the backbreaking hum of florescent lights and the glaring eye of a sweaty overseer. As I wandered around Oedaldo, I found I both respected and envied the inhabitants of this fine, little island. Life there is lived by means of toil and the strength of a person’s spirit. Nothing comes easy, as much of their food is either harvested locally from their farms or drawn from the unforgiving sea. Those living on Oedaldo have chosen to embrace the small joys, such as having the Yellow Sea at their feet and the

torrid, amber sun on their backs. There may be fewer than a dozen cars on the island, but with everything no more than a 20-minute walk away, cars seemed like an unnecessary distraction — merely a source of noise pollution reserved for laggard, lethargic mainlanders. These southern islands and undiscovered villages are the places we should be seeing in ads, but are always sidestepped in favor of sparkling fashionistas and tiresome tourist venues. They’re abundant, just waiting for you outside Korea’s capital region, and they’re the closest approximation to what the first travelers must have witnessed when settling this region. Korea is a beautiful place, and breaking free of the noise and light pollution of modernity will unveil it for you.

Getting there c Oedaldo is located west of Mokpo, approximately 40 minutes from the city via the ferry, but Mokpo International Ferry Terminal is the only place where you can hop a boat. Book early, and bring food and water (there are only a few eateries on the island and no convenience stores). Some of the images featured in this article are in Sabrina Hill’s newest book, “Canvas Fire: A Collection of Sublime Photography from Sabrina Hill.” Website: www.sabrinaconstance.com.

Destinations Edited by Shelley DeWees (shelley@groovekorea.com)

A Singaporean sa u n t e r Walking through two of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best neighbor hoods Story by Merissa Quek / Photos by Merissa Quek and Ida Marie Skeie

62 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

ingapore currently has the honor of being the most expensive city in the world. With the city-state’s dazzling bright lights and almost ubiquitous skyscrapers, it is easy to overlook some of the best neighborhoods in Singapore –– these are but two of the most interesting, both historically and culturally.

Around Arab Street and Haji Lane Singapore’s first Arab settlers came within a few months of the British in 1819 and mostly settled in this area, a short walk from the historic center of town. Almost two centuries later, you can still find shops selling fabrics in a dizzying array of colors and prints, elaborate oriental carpets and rattan baskets. Robe-clad Arab men sit at the shop fronts smoking their pipes, and calls for prayer from the mosque regularly reverberate through the air. At night, the smell of smoke wafting from shisha pipes fills the narrow lanes. But in an area mainly consisting of two-story pre-WWII shophouses, the most imposing building is Sultan Mosque. A cream-colored building with brown trimmings, complete with minarets and topped off with a large gold dome, Sultan Mosque is the largest mosque in Singapore. The original structure was built in 1824 –– funded by the East India Company –– and as more Muslim settlers arrived in Singapore, a new and bigger mosque was completed in 1928. This is the structure that stands today. Curious sightseers are allowed to enter the main hall of this mosque (provided they remove their shoes), which is a large open area with two rows of doors letting the sunlight in. Ornate chandeliers hang from the ceiling while the large fans whirl in their tranquil, mesmerizing way and Muslims sit on the red carpet in quiet prayer. This mosque, located within a labyrinth of small lanes in an area crammed with shops, feels like an oasis. A five-minute walk from the mosque is Haji Lane, a narrow, one-way street lined with small, independent shops selling the latest in street fashion –– this is where the fashion-forward come to find that quirky piece to set them apart. At night, a furniture shop along the lane selling mid-modern style furniture (A Thousand Tales, it’s called) transforms into Bar Stories. There is no menu: Each cocktail is customized to suit after the bartender determines your preferences, and patrons sit on and among the various display pieces of furniture throughout the shop. It’s a perfect way to spend a balmy evening in this humming city.

Robe-clad Arab men sit at the shop fronts smoking their pipes, and calls for prayer from the mosque regularly reverberate through the air. At night, the smell of smoke wafting from shisha pipes fills the narrow lanes.

Destinations Edited by Shelley DeWees (shelley@groovekorea.com)

Around Katong and Joo Chiat As small as Singapore is –– it takes about an hour to drive across the entire state –– there are distinct differences between the east and west of the island, and Singaporeans from the east can be especially loud in proclaiming this fact, boasting of the unique heritage that can be found there. They’ll tell you this is the old Singapore-that-was, before independence in 1965. Historically and culturally important, the east of this island is well worth a gander just to see for yourself why East Singaporeans feel such a sense of pride. The heart of the east lies in the Katong and Joo Chiat areas. These were home to Singapore’s community of Peranakans, descendants of the 15th- to 17th-century immigrants. Having lived for generations along the Straits of Malacca, a narrow stretch of water on the west coast of peninsular Malaysia and Singapore and one of the most important shipping lanes in the world, the Peranakans have fused elements of the Chinese, Malay and Indian cultures to create a new tradition indigenous to Singapore. Starting at the junction of East Coast Road and Joo Chiat Road, walking west on East Coast, you’ll find a line of colorful pre-WWII shophouses. Rumah Bebe, housed in one of such restored shophouses, offers a glimpse into the intricate and opulent tableware, furniture, jewelry and dress of the Peranakans. But on an island famous for its gastronomic delights, Katong is likely known best as home to some of the most fantastic local food: This is where laksa, a Peranakan soup dish blending Chinese and Malay elements, can be sampled. There are several eateries along East Coast Road, and all of them hawk their spicy coconut noodle laksa, topped with shrimp, fish cakes and cockles. About a minute’s walk down Joo Chiat Road from the East Coast/ Joo Chiat junction is Sinpopo, an old-style coffee shop particularly good for its take on traditional Singaporean desserts. And after you’re full beyond reason, you can walk it all off on your way back downtown.

Historically and culturally important, the east of this island is well worth a gander just to see for yourself why East Singaporeans feel such a sense of pride.

64 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

Getting there c Several airlines run daily flights from Seoul to Singapore, usually with a layover in Kuala Lumpur, Taipei or Ho Chi Minh City, for around 450,000 won. Singapore Airlines, Asiana Airlines and Korean Air have direct flights to Singapore, starting from 750,000 won.

More info j Bar Stories www.barstories.com.sg Rumah Bebe www.rumahbebe.com Sinpopo www.sinpopo.com Joo Chiat Food Walk www.betelbox.com/tour-food.htm

Destinations Edited by Shelley DeWees (shelley@groovekorea.com)

Two lovers seal the deal in paradise, five years late

Silversmithing

i n Bal i Story by Gaea Dill-D’Ascoli / Photos by Gaea Dill-D’Ascoli and Jan Alanzo

he walk from our hotel’s side street in Ubud, Bali, to the silversmithing classroom was only about five minutes, but it was still enough time to work up a sweat. A small white sign with black lettering marked the gate into I Wayan’s compound: “Wayan” means teacher or master, so Jason and I crossed our fingers and hoped we had the right place. We walked through the gates to find two parked cars and one of those ubiquitous Balinese altars. There was no classroom, no silversmithing tools, no display room, only a grandmother cooking eggs on an outdoor stove behind the vehicles. She smiled and directed us further into the compound, and as we approached the next building, two children wearing backpacks came tumbling out. They waved and pointed us yet further into the compound. We descended a slight hill to a porch where two middle-aged women were washing clothes and gossiping, and after a moment they ushered us into an open-sided building with dented, worn desks. This, finally, looked like it might be a place to learn something about molding silver.

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More info j Chez Monique Jewelry in Bali runs three daily silversmithing classes, Monday through Saturday. Advanced booking is required. Website: www.chezmoniquejewelry.com

After a few minutes’ wait, I Wayan, the man in charge of the operation, came out with bottles of water and books of silver crafts. He asked what we’d like to make, and we looked at each other in confusion — we thought this silversmithing class was going to be a demonstration, with maybe a little tool-touching. We really didn’t think we were going to spend the morning making our own jewelry, but after a moment, we decided on rings: It had been five years since we’d gotten married and we still hadn’t dealt with the ring situation — or at least not to our satisfaction (one misplaced here, one misplaced there). As more students started to trickle in, Jason and I decided on a design with two geckos — a symbol of good luck in parts of the South Pacific — and the words “te gabis,” meaning “it’s good.” I Wayan sized our fingers and drew out the width and length of the rings on paper. We sketched in the details of our geckos: mine entwined their tails, while Jason’s were caught in the act of kissing. Once we had the paper version, the silversmiths cut strips from a sheet of silver and glued the paper to its shiny surface. Then we moved to a workbench and were handed a heap of punches with every kind of blade I could imagine — they were straight, curved, fat, thin, long and short, some with steep corners and some with no curve at all, and our job was to match He asked what we’d the length, curve and thickness of like to make, and the punch to the line on the paper. We spent hours picking up and we looked at each discarding punches, searching for other in confusion the perfect curve to fit the image: — we thought this It was like doing a jigsaw puzzle, silversmithing class except you can’t see the box and was going to be a you don’t know if you have all the pieces. I would say it was a labor demonstration, with of love, but really it was a labor of maybe a little toolcuriosity. I wanted to learn about touching. We really silversmithing, and I was having didn’t think we were one of the most hands-on lessons going to spend the of my life. When we’d etched our geckmorning making our os onto the front of the rings, own jewelry. we flipped the strips over and punched “te gabis” onto the backs of each. Once the etching and engraving was complete, one teacher pounded the strip into the ring by hitting the metal around a piece of dowel with the handle of the hammer. We tried the rings on (good thing, since they were both too big) then used tin snips to slice off bits of silver until the rings fit to I Wayan’s satisfaction. Now properly fitted, one of the silversmiths used a tiny propane torch to weld the rings shut, after which point he painted on an oxidizing agent and left the rings in front of a hair dryer (the heat from the dryer speeds up the oxidization process and turns the silver black). After the whole thing had oxidized, he took the rings to an electric buffer where we polished them smooth. A progression of sand papers and brushes scraped off the oxidized layer from the flat part and allowed the black oxidization in the etching to stand out. We left and headed for lunch with our two new rings, forged together exactly as we would have expected: five years late, perfectly flawed and unique beyond compare.

MUSIC & ARTS Edited by Emilee Jennings (emilee@groovekorea.com)

Song of the schoolboy Henry Bloomfield sings of love with his homeroom teacher Story by Remy Raitt / Photos by Gwanoo Baek

GrooveCast GrooveCast host Chance Dorland talks with Henry Bloomfield about his music video success and next steps. Check out the podcast www.groovekorea.com / September 2014 at groovekorea.com.

any English teachers in Korea are accustomed to students casually dropping the “L” bomb on them. But American musician Henry Bloomfield didn’t need confessions of love to write, arrange and perform his schoolboy crush-inspired song “Ms. Mary.” Impersonating a lovestruck tween, Bloomfield belts the Korean-language hook “I’m so in love with my homeroom teacher” between equally sugary English lines about the fictional Ms. Mary. “This song would be so much cooler if I could say it was about a student who was obsessed with me, but I can’t,” says Bloomfield. “When I’m teaching a class I often wonder what my students are actually thinking about and to what extent they feel for their teachers, so this song was just a lighthearted take on that.” The humorous nature of the music video contrasts with Bloomfield’s suave looks, confident vocals and the jazzy instrumentals. The coy allure of the lyrics and melody highlight the appeal of Ms. Mary herself, while the immature antics the men get up to in the video seem to be aiming for laughs. It’s all in good fun, though, with the lion’s share of the giggles going to a scene where Bloomfield and the band battle it out for Ms. Mary’s affection using fruit offerings and paper balls as ammo. A Berklee College of Music graduate, Bloomfield says he was brought up with a jazz background, but that his sound is quite varied and “constantly moving back and forth,” which is something this playful piece of music illustrates well. “With the groove and the horns, my hope is that the song has a retro Motown feel,”

Bloomfield says. Bloomfield was drawn to Korea by the tight-knit Korean community he was in contact with at Berklee. He says the chances of him teaching and creating music in the country would have been pretty slim if it weren’t for the friendships he developed at college. “I met Sung Taek Oh, the band’s drummer, at Berklee, and this completely arbitrary connection has changed the track of my life,” he says. Soon after meeting Oh, Bloomfield met another person who would end up having a tremendous influence in his life. Bloomfield was in his first steady full-piece band when he met session bassist and music professor, Hoon Choi. “Hoon is my musical mentor.” Bloomfield says. “Since I arrived in Korea, he has helped me so much. I feel like I owe him everything.” Choi is the bassist on the “Ms. Mary” track. He also connected Bloomfield with Roll the Dice Pictures, who shot the video in an atypical Seoul apartment and the hagwon where Bloomfield works. The same people are involved in Bloomfield’s latest single, “Her Leaves,” which the artist describes as “a more contemplative, smooth-sounding electronic piece.” And while YouTube may be the easiest place to catch him, Bloomfield also plays shows around Seoul as the front man of The Henry Bloomfield Band. Bloomfield hopes to spend his next stretch in Korea focusing solely on his music while making himself more commercially available to write and arrange for others. He is currently working on his first Korean LP.

More info j www.henrybloomfield.com

MUSIC & ARTS Edited by Emilee Jennings (emilee@groovekorea.com)

Toying with photography M e e t the P r ince ss an d t h e Ge n e ral Story by Remy Raitt / Photos by Diana Lim

ust like most photography enthusiasts living the expat life in Korea, Diana Lim scarcely leaves home without her camera. And if she’s got her camera, you can be sure that she’s also brought along her two favorite models — bound up in winter socks — awaiting their next adventure. The Princess and the General are two Korean figurines Lim picked out at a store in Insa-dong after receiving a gift card. “I just bought the cutest things in the store,” she says. With no real plans to do anything specific with them, Lim says her future muses sat around for a while before they made their debut in her photographs. A self-confessed rookie when it comes to toy photography — that is, the photography genre devoted to shooting small figurines and the like — Lim says she only started fiddling with cameras for the first time when she arrived in Korea four years ago. “My job in social media within the tourism industry let me fall into photography,” she says. Within a week on the job, Lim was already bored of her simple point-and-shoot camera and swapped it for a more advanced gadget. Lim said she had originally planned to photograph traditional landscapes, but just couldn’t find the patience required to do it well. It wasn’t until a few months later on a mid-winter’s eve that she found her inspiration: “I wanted to go photograph the fresh snow but I hate the cold weather, so I decided to be lazy and just go take photos on my rooftop. I took the Princess and General up with me, and while I was taking pictures of them the General fell flat on his face.”

70 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

‘I took the Princess and General up with me (on the roof), and while I was taking pictures of them the General fell flat on his face.’ - Diana Lim

More info j www.flickr.com/photos/traveloriented/sets/72157640922775363

Lim says the picture of the General’s happy accident got a good online response. From there, ideas and situations involving her figurines just kept coming. Since her first photo shoot with them in 2010, Lim has photographed the pair in over 65 situations. Her craft has advanced to the level of using clever lighting and angles to set different moods, creating different emotions that bring unexpected life to the hanbok-clad figures. But it’s not just the Princess and the General that make the photos; the backgrounds pop too. Lim has taken the couple across Seoul and its surrounding areas, built them furniture and even froze the Princess in a block of ice as an homage to Disney’s hit movie. “There needs to be a sense of place or a landmark in each picture,” Lim says. “That said, the series is mostly inspired by my own experiences.” And while the Korean landscape is explored and celebrated in many of the photographs, the culture is also commented on, this being most apparent in the tongue-in-cheek photograph titled “Selfie.” Although she has plans to possibly turn the series into a calendar, Lim says commercial gain is not the objective of the series. “It’s a great way for friends to see what I get up to, because I take the Princess and General wherever I go. I feel like I’m also promoting the beauty of Korea. I’m really fond of this country, so I want to share that.”

MUSIC & ARTS Edited by Emilee Jennings (emilee@groovekorea.com)

From writer to Indie Publisher Stories that make a difference Story by Shane Torr / Photos courtesy of bruinbutterfly

72 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

hen Monique Simpson arrived to her new home in Sillim-dong, she set out to discover all that the area had to offer. In the few months off after her completed work contract before returning to the U.S., she decided to put her findings into written form: Simpson wanted to create a mysterious world set in Sillim’s adult entertainment area. Unfortunately, between Seoul’s writing clubs and an array of book agents stationed locally and abroad, few parties were immediately taken with Simpson’s unique style. After dealing with the frustration of continuous rejection letters from established publishing houses, she decided to take matters into her own hands. She and Jill Moreno Ikari, a friend and former university classmate, have established bruinbutterfly, a startup indie publishing house. Their first venture into publishing has come in the form of “Seoul Nights,” the product of Simpson’s vision. Groove Korea: When did you get the inspiration to start something as bold as an indie publishing house? Monique Simpson: Being in Seoul was a great boost to the entrepreneurial spirit that I didn’t realize I had. I saw how Seoul was like the Promised Land for people who had an idea for a business. Many foreigners create programs, films, theater performances and so forth, (but then) “Seoul Nights” was rejected for more than six months by publishers. You reach a point when you have no choice but to do the typical “hero/heroine journey.”

What is the idea behind the publishing house, and what do you hope it will achieve? The idea behind bruinbutterfly is to combine elements of sociology, travel and creative writing to produce edutainment for readers with international and urban interests. I would like to tell unique stories that reflect social issues, and I hope to use some of the profits from the book sales to donate to charities that are working to improve the issues written about. I think that’s the next step in journalism and literature — authors bringing attention to problems — but we also need to contribute financially to the solution if we are really seeking change. Being based in the U.S. and having an American editorial board, how to you plan on reaching an international audience? The Internet is where the majority of books are sold, so of course that is the foundation of bruinbutterfly. I hope to raise funds in order to publish the books and to work with bookstores in the countries that are featured in the novel itself. For example, “Waiting for God,” another one of our potential books, is set in Laos but has characters from Korea, Japan, Ecuador and Chile. Lastly, good literature has a way of finding international readers. (Our company) may never become Penguin or Random House, but it can contribute to the literary world and the greater social improvement of a few places. You were the one who conceptualized “Seoul Nights,” but the final product was written by Ze lé Roi. How has lé Roi further developed your initial idea, and how much input did you have in how it was written? I wrote a rough draft with notes and ideas, though I was aware that people didn’t like my slow pace of telling stories. Book agents told me that the idea was good, but the writing style was not for them. Ze lé Roi has a style that’s fast-paced and has cultural reference and sarcasm, which also fits modern times. I had to take my ego out of the mix and step back from the project. That was the only way for this project to succeed.

More info j bruinbutterfly indie publishing Website: bruinbutterfly.wordpress.com

What’s the next step for bruinbutterfly? We are selling previews of novels to try and raise money and gain attention. It’s a slow process and each step is a new lesson. We’re also doing a Kickstarter campaign this summer and hiring an outside editor and book designer. I want to grow bruinbutterfly into a small business that tells interesting stories, makes a profit and contributes financially to community groups. 73

MUSIC & ARTS Edited by Emilee Jennings (emilee@groovekorea.com)

rock n roll seoul

HarryBigButton Breaking boundaries, one song at a time Column by Sophie Boladeras / Photos courtesy of HarryBigButton

fter forming in 2011, HarryBigButton has undergone one of the most common rites of passage for any hard rock band hoping to endure the test of time (at least in Korea): a lineup change or two. The current members, however, form a solid and charismatic threepiece that has consistently delivered crowd-pleasing rock jams while still evolving with each record. Before their first EP, “Hard’N’Loud,” the most fundamental elements of the band’s sound were already in place, and staying true to their roots has been a natural part of this progression. The band members recently sat down with Groove Korea to reflect on their own evolution, as well as how Korea’s hard rock scene has changed since the ‘90s. Groove Korea: Tell us about your latest EP, “Perfect Storm.” Sung-soo Lee: “Perfect Storm” contains five new songs recorded at Mplus Studio with Hyung-seok Oh and mastered at Sterling Sound in New York by multi-award-nominated mastering engineer Joe LaPorta, who previously mastered “Wasting Light” by Foo Fighters and many other great albums. What inspired the cover art, and who designed it? Lee: I usually design it myself, but this time I wanted something special, so I contacted my friend who did the cover art for my old band sPoON in the ‘90s. I asked her to draw the main elements extracted from each lyric and to put them together as one object. It turned out really well.

74 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

How does “Perfect Storm” differ from your fulllength album “King’s Life”? Lee: “Perfect Storm” is an extension of the “King’s Life” album, but it has evolved in many aspects such as sound-making and arrangements. What are some of the challenges you have faced as a rock band in Korea? Lee: The rock music scene in Korea isn’t big like K-pop is; actually, it only takes up a very tiny portion of the entire music scene. For this reason, it’s hard to meet a wide range of audiences in Korea. I’ve been trying to focus on writing good music in order to break genre barriers. Let’s see what we can do. You played live at the Soundholic Festival. How did you find that show? The crowd’s response to your set was huge! Lee: It was absolutely great for us to watch people making a big circle pit and slamming zone during our show. The Soundholic Festival was really enjoyable! Do you each have a personal favorite song to play? Lee: It’s hard to choose only one, as I enjoy every single song. “Coffee, Cigarettes and Rock’N’Roll” and “King’s Life” both make my blood boil. Neil Smith: I really enjoy playing “Circle Pit,” especially at big shows, because our fans run around in a big circle in the middle of the audience and go crazy. Dae-Hui Kang: My favorite song to play is “Perfect Storm.”

HarryBigButton is: Sungsoo Lee lead vocals and guitar Neil Smith bass Dae-Hui Kang drums

You have played at some pretty big music festivals in Korea. Which one did you enjoy the most? Lee: Our first big festival debut at the Jisan Valley Rock Festival in 2011 was memorable for us. The Busan Rock Festival and SuperSonic Festival last year were also more than great. What is your creative process in making a track? Lee: Basically, I make every track and let other band members listen to them later on. We then play them over and over again together at a rehearsal studio and refine them until we’re all satisfied. Where do you find inspiration for your lyrics? Lee: It comes from everywhere actually: from my friends, from relationships, from current affairs and from the voice deep inside me. Everything happens around you, and even small things can become the most inspirational ones. It seems like it’s all random, but you always have to focus on what’s happening out there and try to not just focus on yourself. You have to listen to others and listen to what’s happening right now. I think that’s the most important thing. How has the indie rock music scene in Seoul changed since the ‘90s? Do you think it has improved? Lee: In the ‘90s, most bands played heavy metal, so there was a big metal scene and they focused on particular genres. Now, people are playing their own stuff and you can’t even judge what sort of genre they play. It’s a good thing that many kinds of musical styles exist at the same time, but sometimes they are just following the trends. People have a tendency to play more trendy music rather than music that’s unique and has its own character. I think that’s the only negative aspect of the scene right now: There’s a sort of limitation here because of the limited scene that we play. As a result, there aren’t a lot of ways to promote our music to a larger audience — something we hope to improve in the future. What are your aspirations for HarryBigButton in the coming months? Lee: In the near future we’d love to perform for global audiences and to eventually become one of the best hard rock bands in rock history. Rock ’n’ roll! Got any big shows coming up? Lee: We played at the Pentaport Rock Festival this past summer, and we hope to play at other big festivals in the coming year. So please come and join us!

MUSIC & ARTS Edited by Elaine Ramirez (elaine@groovekorea.com)

, o d e c l a S d n o m y a R h t i w r w e o i t v c r e e r t i d In d n a r e t i r w screen Colum

76 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

hotos co ed Lee / P n by Wilfr

b evin Lam urtesy of K

ert

aymond C. Salcedo first visited Korea 20 years ago while stationed on a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine, taking the helm as the vessel chased Russian, Chinese and North Korean submarines throughout the west Pacific. Now the writer-director is the associate director of Seoul Shakespeare Company, whose staging of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” he directed in May. He has worked with various other production companies based in Korea, including Seoul Players and Camarata Music Company. His latest project was the script for the short comedy “Caliban’s” — the 2012 winner of Seoul Players’ Ten Minute Play Festival — which premiered on screen in July. Artist’s Journey’s Wilfred Lee sat down with Salcedo to discuss writing and directing for theater in Korea. Groove Korea: How did you come up with the idea for “Caliban’s”? Raymond Salcedo: I was reading a very tragic nonfiction book that detailed accounts of the famine in North Korea, and one narrator described a market that used dead bodies they’d collected to serve in soups for the living. In one part, a woman recalls trying to persuade her friend to eat the soup in order to survive, and she used some pretty twisted logic to get her friend to do so. And I chuckled. I decided immediately to write a satiric play featuring a similar dynamic. I have to say that I very much love what the genius filmmaker that is Kevin Lambert did with my humble little play. It’s truly a stunning piece.

‘It actually feels like I’m suffocating if I can’t express myself creatively when I have the impulse. It can come out as words typed in my computer or as colors brushed on a canvas.’ Raymond Salcedo

More info j Website: fb.com/itsallmudoutthere

At this point in your directing career, what is the process like? The 10-minute play I’m currently directing (“Odd Man Out”) is a very risque one that pushes actors to commit in ways most actors have not. I needed them to trust both me and the process in order to feel safe and certain that the choices we are making for the production are about the art and are not merely gratuitous or exploitative. Fortunately, they are a generous group of talent, and I have rarely had as much fun in the rehearsal room as I’ve had with these beautiful people. What’s your writing process like? It depends on the project. Last year, I woke up from a nightmare at 4 a.m. and wrote the bulk of a play based on my dream in about an hour. Of course, I worked on it for months after that before submitting it to Seoul Players’ Ten Minute Play Festival last year. I’m proud that it advanced to the finals that year, and I hope to film that play as well, perhaps this fall. For other writing projects, I usually start with a kernel of an idea — maybe it’s just a line or two — and I write from there, hoping to discover a message that I can convey. The wonderful thing is that I find inspiration in many, many different forms.

What forms of writing do you enjoy most? Playwriting, just because I love to visualize how a piece might be staged live in a theater. I’m also beginning to enjoy adapting scripts for the screen. Honestly, any form is satisfying as long as I’m able to get something I want out of me. It actually feels like I’m suffocating if I can’t express myself creatively when I have the impulse. It can come out as words typed in my computer or as colors brushed on a canvas. How has being a director in Korea influenced or helped you? There are tons of challenges working in a foreign country, so I’ve sharpened my skills in problem solving, which are a large part of directing and producing anywhere. I’ve also grown to appreciate what it means to put on a show in a particular place and cultural context. I’ve learned to focus my message so that it’s relevant and appealing to a broader, multinational audience. What makes a great director? In my humble opinion, directors need a solid vision and the leadership skills to see it through. Directors absolutely need to believe in their vision so that all their actors and collaborators have faith in the project. Everyone involved wants to know that what they’re committing so much of their time and energy to is worth it. It’s the director’s job to make sure that happens. What are your future plans for writing or directing? I plan on staying in Seoul for the foreseeable future, so I hope to continue writing, directing and filming shows here. I also want to stage a fulllength play that I’ve been writing — maybe in the next year or so. Currently, I’m in preproduction for SSC’s next main stage show, “Titus Andronicus.” I guarantee that this show will be unforgettable.

MUSIC & ARTS Edited by Jenny Na (jenny@groovekorea.com)

AT THE BOX OFFICE THE BIG SCREEN Preview by Dean Crawford

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Directed by Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller September 4

A few years ago, a film came along that I thought was visually stunning. The use of 3-D was second to none, and the color palettes were gorgeous to look at. Yes, you’ve guessed it — that film was “Step Up 3D” (2010). It was a terrible film with terrible acting, but, boy, did it look good! Some of the dance scenes were amazing, which firmly cemented “Step Up 3D” as my second favorite in the “Step Up” series after the original. “Step Up 5” (“Step Up: All In”) is being released this September, but if you’ve seen any of the other sequels, you know that a preview of the film could just have a picture of a dollar sign saying: “Don’t ask questions, just give us your money!” That’s why I thought it would be better to preview the long-awaited sequel to Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez’s “Sin City” (2005) titled “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.” Much like the original, the sequel is a collection of stories focusing on many of the city’s stranger and more violent characters, some of

Lucy

Directed by Luc Besson September 4

Action / Crime / Thriller U.S.

which are returnees from the original film and some of which are new characters that will appear in segments written specifically for the sequel. Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba and Bruce Willis all return, joined by new additions like Ray Liotta, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Josh Brolin. The cast looks fantastic, but the biggest problem I have with the trailer is that it all just looks like more of the same — great if you loved the first one, I suppose. While I was impressed by the film’s look, which was heavily influenced by Miller’s graphic novel (so much so that Rodriguez insisted on Miller getting a directing credit), I definitely found it to be a case of style over substance. An interesting film, yes, but I doubt the original would have been able to keep its fan base without its unique look. I really hope the “Sin City” sequel doesn’t fall into the same trap as “Step Up 3D” and sacrifice substance for style. Fans have waited nine years for this, and I wouldn’t want them to be disappointed.

Action / Sci-Fi France

There’s no denying Scarlett Johansson’s gan Freeman is Professor Norman and Korea’s worldwide appeal as a movie star, though I very own Choi Min-sik plays drug lord Mr. Jang. sometimes feel that her popularity derives from From the frenetic first trailer, it appears that not her looks rather than her skills. I’m not saying only does Lucy gain a superior intellect, she she isn’t a good actress, because I thought she also has some kind of telekinetic ability, meanwas excellent in “Lost in Translation” (2003), ing she can bat enemies away with a single flick and let’s not forget she starred in one of the of her finger. It looks like a very interesting prospect, and Coen Brothers’ best films, “The Man Who Wasn’t There” (2001). She excelled again in it’s great to see a new action film with a feJonathan Glazer’s amazing “Under the Skin” male lead. If you think that’s no big deal, I would (2013), but that was a micro-budget film un- ask how many female-led action films you can likely to have been seen by the masses. Despite name off the top of your head? “Salt” (2010)? carrying that movie, I never really think of Jo- “Haywire” (2011), perhaps? (Johansson was hansson as a leading lady. However, that might good as the Black Widow in “Captain America: be about to change with her starring role in Luc The Winter Soldier” (2014), but she’s no more than a supporting character.) The real answer Beeson’s newest action film, “Lucy.” The film has a synopsis that makes it sound is “not enough.” The days of Cynthia Rothrock like a prequel to the “X-Men” movies, with its kicking ass are long gone. “Cynthia who?” I website telling us that Lucy is “a woman ac- hear you cry. Exactly. Here’s hoping “Lucy” is the start of a new cidentally caught in a dark deal who turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a chapter as a leading lady for Scarlett Johansmerciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.” son because, as “Under the Skin” proved, she Johansson plays the title character, while Mor- certainly has the talent.

GrooveCast GrooveCast host Chance Dorland and columnist Dean Crawford talk movies. Check out the podcast at groovekorea.com. www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

KOREaN DVD CORNER THE SMALL SCREEN Review by Dean Crawford

Drama 89 minutes

Directed by Hong Sang-soo R

Our Sunhi 우리 선희

Sun-hi (Jeong Yu-mi), a film graduate from film; it is simply one that relies on the dialogue Seoul, has distanced herself from her friends and and the performances of the actors to carry the teachers as she tries to decide what she wants feature. It’s artistic choices like this that earned to do with her life. She eventually comes to the director Hong Sang-soo the Silver Leopard for realization that she wants to study in the United Best Director at the 66th Locarno International States, but to do that she needs a reference from Film Festival. All of the actors excel, but to varying degrees. her former professor, Mr. Choi (Kim Sang-jung). The outing results in a chance meeting be- Lee Seon-gyun, who I thought was excellent in tween Sun-hi and her ex-boyfriend Moon-su “All About My Wife” (2012), is very watchable as (Lee Seon-gyun), who is clearly still in love with Moon-su. On the other hand, Jeong Jae-yeong her. As it turns out, Moon-su is friends with Yuk- appears to be playing an alternative version of jae (Jeong Jae-yeong), who also has feelings for his brooding cop from “Confession of Murder” Sun-hi. Eventually, we learn that Professor Choi (2012). It works for the most part, but it’s hard to is also besotted with Sun-hi, but the only person really know what he is thinking. I also found it hard to engage with the title who truly knows how everybody feels in this concharacter, as you are never quite sure if she has fusing love triangle is Sun-hi herself. It’s ironic that a movie about filmmakers hap- genuine feelings for any of the three men she is pens to be one of the least cinematic I’ve seen inadvertently playing against each other, or if she all year. There is very little camera movement is just stringing them along to further her ambiand each shot lasts well over five minutes; one tions. It definitely seems like the latter when it static shot in particular where Sun-hi and Jae- comes to Professor Choi, but with the way the hak discuss their lives is over 16 minutes long. film is set up, don’t expect any definite answers That’s not to say “Our Sunhi” (2013) is a bad — just enjoy the ride.

Comedy / Drama 121 minutes

Set in the rural town of Hongseong in the early 1980s, “Hot Young Bloods” (2014) follows the lives of four teenagers during their final years in high school. Romance is in the air for some, violence and humiliation for others in this “American Pie” (1999)-reminiscent romantic comedy by director Lee Yeon-woo. The main characters are Jung-gil (Lee Jongseok), the school lothario who is working his way though all the girls in his year: So-hee (Lee Se-yeong), the new transfer from Seoul who becomes the object of Jung-gil’s affections; female gang leader Yeong-sook (Park Bo-yeong), who is developing feelings for Jung-gil and Gwang-sik (Kim Yeong-gwang), the school thug who is dating Yeong-sook and has a real hatred for Jung-gil. I won’t lie, my inner child thoroughly enjoyed watching the horny antics of Jung-gil, particularly the scene where he loses a game of rock-paper-scissors and is made to walk down a crowded car on his school’s train with a large eggplant down his trousers! Watching his cheesy lines as he tries and fails miserably with the new girl from Seoul, who is wise to his

Directed by Lee Yeon-woo PG-13

Hot Young Bloods 피끓는 청춘

tricks, is just as amusing as it is cringe-worthy. As funny as I found the first hour, it was a bittersweet feeling, as I knew that at any moment the film would undoubtedly make a huge tonal shift and become something far more serious, and no doubt slightly depressing, and that was indeed the case. The film is a lot like Yun Je-kyun’s “Sex is Zero” (2002): For every scene that makes you laugh, there are just as many scenes of violence and despair showing people who genuinely hate their lives, which, let’s be honest, is pretty depressing. Sure, the film has a short comedic coda that riffs “An Officer and a Gentlemen” (1982) and suggests there is some sort of happy ending for our two main characters. But much like the film itself, I found it difficult to spontaneously revert back to my original happy mood. If the film hadn’t ramped up the drama quite so much, it would have been an excellent period comedy. Still, with a quality soundtrack straight from the ’80s, “Hot Young Bloods” is a very enjoyable film — just one that doesn’t really know what it wants to be.

COMMUNITY Edited by Elaine Ramirez (elaine@groovekorea.com)

Finding yourself gets easier at You Are Here

Eat Your Kimchi and Talk To Me In Korean launch cafĂŠ in Hongdae Story by Josh Doyle / Photos by Fergus Scott

GrooveCast The You Are Here crew speaks with GrooveCast host Chance Dorland in an epic coffee-infused episode. Check out the podcast www.groovekorea.com / September 2014 at groovekorea.com.

e all know about drinking away your problems, but is it possible to drink your way to speaking Korean? If you trade liquor for coffee and maybe even open a book or two, could you simply walk outside after a cup of joe and have some sort of meaningful conversation with a random ajeossi in perfect Korean? Not so much. Learning a new language takes hours of hard work, dedication and motivation, like needing to tell your landlady she has to knock before coming into your apartment. But while coffee alone can’t teach you Korean, the people selling it can — at least if you come to the You Are Here café in Seoul.

Catering to a growing need The creators of Eat Your Kimchi and Talk To Me In Korean have come together to turn an old house in the city into a creative space for artists, a study hub for language learners and a coffee shop for thirsty people. The café had its opening Aug. 9, drawing a crowd of more than 1,000 people who feasted on milkshakes with such enthusiasm that they broke the blender. “It was huge, way more than we were expecting. One girl flew in here just for the opening, and then went back to America the next day,” said Hyunwoo Sun, language teacher at TTMIK and co-owner of the café. “We’re trying to help people connect, to make a place ‘We’re trying to help people where people can meet, people can study and bloggers can meet. There’s not really a place for that in Korea,” connect, to make a place said café co-owner Martina Stawski of Eat Your Kimchi. where people can meet, Located in the heart of Hongdae’s guesthouse district, this café changes that. For a traveler it offers a people can study and place to get breakfast and plan out one’s day. For the bloggers can meet. There’s local resident it offers so much more, acting as a space for creative projects and guided self-study sessions led not really a place for that by members of the TTMIK team. The café has its own in Korea.’ —Martina Stawski, classroom with a wall-sized chalkboard, where three times a week someone from TTMIK will be in house to co-owner, You Are Here café answer Korean questions. Sun hopes other teachers will use the café for their classes as well. “We (the TTMIK team) can’t always be here. We want other teachers to form their classes and use this place freely,” said Sun. This is part of his goal of making TTMIK “the center of Korean education in the world,” a plan he talks about with evil-genius determination. Korean teachers and professors around the world are already using TTMIK material in their lessons and looking to them for guidance. You Are Here is another step on their road to making Korean accessible to anyone who wants to learn.

COMMUNITY Edited by Elaine Ramirez (elaine@groovekorea.com)

82 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

Foodie haven The café isn’t all Hangeul and textbooks. You Are Here is a lounger’s dream, a place to find your bearings in the city or just kill some time. With two floors of wide-open space, a balcony for spilling poetry and a front yard for your dog to roll around in, it feels more like a shared home with a full-time kitchen staff than a café. People come and go with the casual air of neighborhood friends, leaving the impression they’ll be back before long. The menu features most standard Korean café fare, plus a few items you won’t find anywhere else. Martina’s Chocolate Zucchini Brownies are one example, or if you prefer something heartier, co-owner Simon Stawski has something called Power Balls, a mix of so many nuts and seeds that even a nutritionist might have a hard time keeping it straight. “It’s really dense, but it doesn’t taste like health food. The chocolate chips give you that little something sweet,” he said, battling Martina for the chance to explain the recipe. “If you can’t tell, we really care about this stuff.” Their foodie passion is undeniable. Sun explained that all 20 people involved in the café chose the menu, and they all had to agree on an item before it made the cut. “If one person said, ‘I hate this,’ we removed the item. We were really picky. We tried 20 different cakes, and now we only have two,” he said. That sense of care is all over You Are Here, with fresh flowers on every table and several electrical outlets on every wall – small details that make a big difference. “Even though we’re excited about the menu, we’re more excited about the space and what it can provide,” said Simon.

Community offline Their vision includes a spot for bloggers and other creatives to meet, making up for the lack of studio space in Seoul, a problem that seems uniquely Korean. “In LA it’s like, ‘let’s collaborate, we’ll meet at the studio!’ Here it’s like, ‘let’s collaborate ...’” said Martina, her voice trailing. They hope the café will bring Korea’s small but growing blogging community together for more joint projects. And why not? This café is already a meeting

of two worlds, bringing the resources of two startups known for their Internet presence to a physical place where you can actually go and share ideas as a group. But like all big changes, there’s been an adjustment phase. “We’re used to getting instant feedback and reading comments,” said Simon. “Yesterday (opening day), when someone would buy something I’d sit down and ask, ‘How did it taste? What was the texture?’ I think I was weirding people out.”

The café isn’t all Hangeul and textbooks. You Are Here is a lounger’s dream, a place to find your bearings in the city or just kill some time. Eventually, the public might get used to giving their thoughts in real time, but the café will soon feature technology to allow them both options, making the intersection of these two worlds complete. They’re also looking to put beer on the menu, but only if something makes it past their cutthroat tasting process. “We don’t want to sell Cass or Hite,” said Sun. “We’ll have a You Are Here beer.” The people behind You Are Here have made this a place of nearly endless possibility. The next few months will show the owners how people intend to use the space, but overall, the concept is meant to represent something familiar in a city that can sometimes feel chaotic. For those who do come to study, there’s no place where you’ll have more resources at your fingertips. Buddha said the jug fills one drop at a time. The You Are Here café says the waygook learns language one cup — or chocolate zucchini brownie — at a time, whatever your preference may be. More info j Address: Seoul, Mapo-gu, Donggyo-dong 204-53 Hours: 10 a.m. – 11 p.m. daily Website: www.fb.com/youareherecafe, www.twitter.com/youareherecafe

COMMUNITY Edited by Jenny Na (jenny@groovekorea.com)

Nevada’s Hanging Gardens of Fabulon Local celebrity jack-of-all-trades talks about life after death and building paradise Story and Photos by Tom Godfrey

evada Rhodes wanders around his rooftop garden. He picks a weed from a pot, checks a wet spot on the floor near his pool to make sure it isn’t leaking, adjusts stems and checks on the tomatoes. He has an inability to sit still, and his mind appears to operate at a constant, frantic pace. “I don’t even have to grow tomatoes,” Rhodes says, bleachblonde hair gleaming in the hot sun. “They just pop up! I had the first one (of the season) three days ago. My mouth is watering just thinking of it!” Internationally acclaimed comedian Tom Rhodes (no relation) accurately described Rhodes on Tom Rhodes Radio as a “oneman volcano bursting with fabulosity.” Nevada Rhodes (age: “I don’t have an age, consider yourself slapped.”) is a character. He stands tall and speaks with an explosion of enthusiasm. He has been keeping Koreans and foreigners entertained for years, currently starring on MBC’s long-running television show “Surprise.” He is quick to offer a drink, lend a hand or tell a joke. He also happens to be an openly gay man who has turned his standard apartment with roof access into something more.

A chicken, some ducks and a whole lotta fabulous To understand who Nevada Rhodes is, one needs to understand what his garden is. To say it’s just a rooftop garden would be doing the space a huge disservice. Rhodes and his guests instead refer to it as the Hanging Gardens of Fabulon. “I thought of that name after a margarita,” he says. The produce that can be found in his garden includes mint, squash (“or zucchini, I forgot how to tell”), two types of beans, broccoli, sweet peas, watermelon, at least two kinds of tomatoes, strawberries, two kinds of hot peppers, two types of bell peppers, kale, an avocado tree (“It’ll take seven years to get an avocado!”), red radishes, yellow melons, scallions, peanuts and potatoes. And those are just the things you can eat. JoshRoy and Ellie May, who both happen to be ducks, live under a bench in a corner. They share the space with Chickie-Poo, a chicken. Before the current couple of divers took up residence here, there was another duck named Tweets. Tweets vanished one day, having, presumably, flown away. “I was teaching Tweets to fly,” Rhodes explains as though it is

84 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

a normal thing to say in the middle of Seoul. Rhodes started the garden as a simple way to keep guests from falling over a gap in the rail on his balcony to a soju-induced death. Over the years, however, it has grown in tandem with his enthusiasm and knowledge. His learning has been ongoing, hard-fought through trial and error. This year he learned which plants would blot out the sun if put too high in a vertical garden. On the more experimental side of things, he’s dabbling with duck-proofing, making jury-rigged pool vacuums and using compost tea (a potent concoction that will let plants grow fuller and faster). He often lounges on a homemade hammock he made after studying knots on YouTube. He also speaks seriously about forming a partnership with a person or group that could help spread the idea of vertical gardens as a sustainable source of food. “You could grow many plants without taking up much space,” he says. “I see the pots on the side of the road with flowers in them. I think it would be so cool to put them into a poor neighborhood with something useful, like vegetables.”

To understand who Nevada Rhodes is, one needs to understand what his garden is. To say itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just a rooftop garden would be doing the space a huge disservice. Rhodes and his guests instead refer to it as the Hanging Gardens of Fabulon.

COMMUNITY Edited by Jenny Na (jenny@groovekorea.com)

From Mormon mission to Seoul Pride

Rhodes, a native of Las Vegas, first arrived in Korea in 1994 as a very different person. “I came to Korea as a Mormon missionary,” Rhodes says with an almost apologetic tone. “Self-righteousness is a blindfold.” His evolution becomes even more pronounced when set against his actions at Pride a few weeks ago. “At the parade a protester laid down in front of the (procession),” explains Laura Di Nucci, a friend and fellow actor. “(The man) said that his leg was hurt but he was just trying to stop the parade. Nevada lay down next to him and started to sing him love songs. He was able to move this guy without any threat or violence.” Rhodes is a man with a heart that outweighs all boundaries. “He often helps in translating between his Korean and foreigner neighbors,” says David Pipes, a fellow actor, “to make his neighborhood a more pleasant environment.” He once got a call in the early morning hours asking him to tell a waitress to bring the “sauce that comes with meat” over the phone. He did it. This kind of care and generosity, which comes with a dose of eccentricity, carries over to his acting career. According to Juana Urbano Jiménez, an actor and model, Rhodes is renowned for showing up to shoots carrying a coffee machine. “He takes his soy milk, cups, syrup and cookies,” says Jiménez, “just so everybody can have the coffee they want.”

‘He tries to put a smile on anyone’s face, even strangers. I think the reason why he has to make videos is because when he is alone he feels the necessity to share his jokes with the world.’ Juana Urbano Jimenez

86 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

Alive and kicking

These days, everything comes back to the garden. Rhodes spends a lot of time there and it shows; along with the plants there are stands, containers and furniture (much of it made or repurposed by Rhodes) everywhere. Like the garden, Rhodes’ house is a treasure chest of homemade determination. Walking inside, the first sight is a statue or mannequin clothed only in potted plants and a pair of panties. “I didn’t want her to be naked,” Rhodes laughs. There are chests that he has refinished, things he has built from scratch and furniture he has salvaged. His ottoman and a few other pieces once belonged to former President Kim Young-sam, meaning Rhodes might be the only person who is growing veggies from a former president’s filing cabinet. In a side room is a bed with a computer monitor rigged so that a person lying on their back can see it clearly — a relic from a darker time. “In 2004 I was hit by an ambulance,” Rhodes says in a disarmingly calm voice. “I was dead for a while.” Doctors managed to save him, but his brief journey into the unknown left a mark on him. “I could see, hear and feel all eternity,” he says with a childlike smile. “Because of this, I don’t fear death. It was a wonderful experience.” “Death, I mean,” he says, “not seeing my leg when I woke up.” Rhodes was wrecked. A man who was once pulling 3- to 6-hour workouts six days a week could hardly stand for 30 seconds without help. “I made a video about it all to really pull at the heartstrings.” He laughs. “It hasn’t even hit a thousand views.” Rhodes talks a lot about YouTube which he says has been his outlet as well as his teacher. He uses his down time, sometimes while lounging in his pool, to think of and film short videos for his new channel. The videos are a collection of random, often hilarious, glimpses into his mind. At their heart, they are just plain fun. “He tries to put a smile on anyone’s face, even strangers,” says Jiménez. “Jokes come to his mind at any place and in any situation but always are (delivered) with all due respect. I think the reason why he has to make videos is because when he is alone he feels the necessity to share his jokes with (the world).” While Korea literally nearly killed him, he credits the country with helping him become the force of nature he is today. “I discovered my creative side here,” he says. “The way things were going at home wasn’t heading that way.” Rhodes tosses bits of tomatoes to his winged companions. “I’m hoping they’ll give me grandkids!” he says. Di Nucci says whenever Rhodes does something, it’s 100 percent. “He shows everyone you can build what you want. He built his own paradise. He is a good reminder of what you can do when you don’t live lazily.”

More info j You can catch “Surprise” on Sundays at 10:35 a.m. on MBC, or check out Nevada Rhodes’ YouTube channel for a steady supply of laughs. Website: www.youtube.com/user/TheNevadaRhodes

COMMUNITY Edited by Jenny Na (jenny@groovekorea.com)

While their married days are filled with these types of interactions, their early dating life was just as endearing. “One time when I was sick, I really wanted Chinese congee (rice porridge), so Hugh bought me some. But he was rushing after the bus, tripped in the middle of the road, spilled the congee and got a big gash on his knee,” Nichola says. “He showed up later at my apartment with ripped jeans and bleeding knees and only half the congee left.”

‘The comics mirror what is happening in our life; it’s an ongoing story broken down into short daily chapters, so I guess that’s one of the appeals — wanting to know what happens next in the story.’ Nichola Gwon

Korea’s most famous

Australian ajumma Comic artist Nichola Gwon swaps cultural quirks with My Korean Husband Story by Stephanie McDonald / Photos and comics courtesy of Nichola Gwon

ichola Gwon was a single gal living in Australia when her life took an unexpected turn: She gained a new language partner who would later become her partner for life. Now, she’s a married ajumma transplanted to Korea who runs a blog about the man she married and their cultural differences. She started the blog, My Korean Husband, as an outlet for her artistic inclinations and her experiences as a newlywed. She says she also hoped to dispel some of the negative portrayals of Korean husbands she saw online, and to offer a more positive characterization. Her story unfolds in a series of comic strips full of hu-

morous situations about love, life and cultural differences. The couple also has a YouTube channel with episodes filmed by both. Nichola met her husband Hugh (Gwon Sunhong) in 2010 in Sydney during a Korean language exchange, and the two began dating shortly thereafter. They married just a year and a half later in April 2012, with the encouragement of Nichola’s mother, who herself married after only four months of courtship. The blog centers on Nichola and Hugh’s interactions, with a healthy dose of humor thrown in. In one strip, Nichola rags Hugh out for eating smelly, dried squid, but Hugh then turns the tables and rags on Nichola for eating smelly macaroni and cheese.

GrooveCast GrooveCast host Chance Dorland got the personal story behind My Korean Husband from Nichola and Hugh. Check out the podcast at groovekorea.com.

She says the blog has changed her views not only about Korean culture, but also her own. “Now that I am in Korea, I am more aware of how much more Korea is a community-oriented society, whereas Australia, as with most Western countries, is an individual-oriented society,” she says. My Korean Husband is now a much-loved and respected blog that resonates with readers in Korea and worldwide. The blog receives around 79,000 hits a month, and its YouTube channel has 11,000 subscribers. Nichola is also working on a comic book written for a Korean audience with English subtitles that’s due for publication this month. She spoke with Groove Korea about the growth of the blog, keeping readers hooked and how sharing her culture with her husband, and vice versa, has made for a happy marriage.

Groove Korea: What was your intention when you first started the blog? Nichola Gwon: When I was younger I worked as an artist, but gave it up several years ago because I didn’t like dealing with the traditional art world. I went back to studying and didn’t paint for several years. By the time I met my husband, I had a creative urge again but wasn’t sure what I should do. Eventually, the idea of a blog came about and I thought comics were a good way of sharing our life. It was like starting at the beginning again. I also found a lot of negative stuff about Korean husbands online and wanted to show a positive voice. Have you been surprised by the positive response to My Korean Husband? The biggest surprise was how many people relate to our comics because they have a similar relationship. There were things that I thought were personality quirks, but so many women have told me that their Korean husband does the exact same thing. We didn’t realize there was a cultural reason for it. The other surprise was just how much people follow and appreciate the comics. People have said how much the comics make their day, how they have helped them get through a difficult time or been the only reason they got out of bed when they were struggling with depression. That has really touched us.

Why do you think people have responded so well to the blog? The comics mirror what is happening in our life; it’s an ongoing story broken down into short daily chapters, so I guess that’s one of the appeals — wanting to know what happens next in the story. People also start to feel like we are their friends because we become part of their daily routine. We are showing the reality of romance and relationships, but still in a positive way. A lot of the comics are humorous and my husband and I poke fun at each other, but I think people can see how much we care about each other. Negativity can draw a lot of people very quickly, but it’s not sustainable. Positivity has a slow burn and takes a lot of work to create something that people want to keep coming back to, but the rewards are much greater. What’s been the most surprising thing about being married to a Korean? How caring and romantic Korean guys can be. The difference in their definition of masculinity is surprising, but I really like it. For example, Korean men don’t have problems with using face masks and beauty products, being stylish and having things like earrings. This, of course, is the younger generation; there is a huge difference between my husband and his friends and his father’s generation. Korea is a rapidly changing country. What advice would you give to people who are dating a Korean? Learn as much about the culture as you possibly can. Use the fact that you don’t speak the same native language to your advantage and always be conscious that there may be misunderstandings. Hugh and I are slower to jump to conclusions about what the other person means and slower to get upset. Waiting to fully understand the situation can benefit the relationship a lot. I personally think good relationships aim to be bicultural. Rather than one person having to adapt completely to the other person’s culture and maybe feeling resentful, if both people learn about each other’s culture and meet halfway it should be a happier relationship. It’s not always easy being married to someone from another culture, but there can be many amazing experiences and rewards. More info j Websites www.mykoreanhusband.com www.youtube.com/user/MyKoreanHusband www.facebook.com/MyKoreanHusband twitter.com/MyKoreanHusband mykoreanhusband.tumblr.com

COMMUNITY Edited by Elaine Ramirez (elaine@groovekorea.com)

Chance & Dan Do Korea

A n Au d i e n c e - b a s e d l i v e p o d c a s t f o r t h e e x pat c o m m u n i t y Story by Elizabeth Kim / Poster courtesy of Chance and Dan Do Korea

orea’s expat community will soon have its own latenight talk show for local news and entertainment. The live podcast show, Chance & Dan Do Korea, emphasizes the importance of the average person’s voice through audience participation through dialogue about the country. The project is the brainchild of Chance Dorland, a regular contributor to Groove Korea and the voice behind GrooveCast, and Dan Wiberg, the host and creator of the Seoul International Comedy Competition. After three years of working together, the veteran podcast duo is bringing a dynamic radio show specifically to the expat community. “This show is unique in that not only is it live, but it will also have a variety of guests, talent and news in each episode,” says Wiberg. “It’s something I’ve never heard of for expats in Korea before.” The variety of Korean bands, comedic groups and guests is sure to entertain and engage the audience in conversations about the country that many are adopting as their home. The “newsmaker” component of the show discusses local current events with an expert who is up to date on what’s happening around the country. Dorland says the expat community will benefit from the newsmaker, as many people cannot easily access dayto-day news stories due to language barriers. These weekly live recordings will not be like typical talk shows in which only the hosts talk with the guests, but a platform for broader discussion about issues related to Korea. Dorland and Wiberg expect the expat community to interact with the entertainers and newsmakers, with attendees welcome to ask questions, voice their thoughts and share their personal stories about being an expat. Popular expat comedian Wassim, indie rock band Baekma and expat journalist John Power are scheduled to appear on the first recording. The podcast is sponsored by Groove Korea, Rocky Mountain Tavern, Seoul Homebrew and other local businesses. A Facebook event is advertising the first show, and a Facebook page will continue to promote future recordings. The new live podcast will keep the community in the loop on what’s happening around town in an interactive setting. “If you come to one of our events, you can participate just as much as us, especially if you’re funny or disagree with what we’re saying,” says Dorland. “In the end, all I really want is to have great conversations about Korea and our fantastic lives here.” The first live podcast recording of Chance & Dan Do Korea is on Sept. 12 at 9 p.m. at Rocky Mountain Tavern in Itaewon.

GrooveCast Chance and Dan give you a taste of their upcoming variety show podcast via Groove Korea’s ownwww.groovekorea.com podcast, GrooveCast. Check out the2014 episode at groovekorea.com. / September

More info j Chance & Dan Do Korea When: Sept. 12, 9 p.m. Where: Rocky Mountain Tavern Website: chancedorland.podomatic.com

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Advancements in endodontic treatment far from microscopic

For more information or reservations, call Ms. Kelly Soe, the English coordinator at Yonsei University Dental Hospital. +82 2 2228 8998 +82 2 363 0396 idc@yuhs.ac 50-1 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul www.yuhs.or.kr/ en/hospitals/dent_ hospital/Conserv_ dentist/Intro

n recent years, the dental industry has seen a spike in the quality of dental microscope technology, as well as its potential applications. Though the use of these tools began in the area of endodontic dentistry, also known as root canal therapy, microscopes are now also used in such areas as aesthetic prosthodontics (cosmetic dentistry), periodontics (dentistry regarding the gums, jawbone, etc.) and implant dentistry. For endodontic dentistry in particular, or that which pertains to the soft, nerve-filled pulp in the center of the tooth, treatment sites are rarely visible without the use of a microscope. While past practices depended mostly on the skill and experience of the dentist performing the procedure, the use of microscopes has remarkably improved the accuracy and success rate of such treatments. When it comes to teeth where either carries or traumas have resulted in infected pulps, endodontic treatment is performed as a way to remove infected tissues and seal the canals with biocompatible materials. This strategy helps to both promote healing and inhibit further progression of the infection. An important point to consider, however, is that the extensively complex structures of root canals make them almost impossible to treat effectively without the use of microscopes. Another common endodontic procedure is apical microsurgery, which usually takes place when the root canal therapy did not succeed and is a last treatment option to save a tooth before extraction becomes necessary. During the microsurgery, root ends and the lesions around them are surgically removed before the remaining canals are located, cleaned and sealed to prevent reinfection. But because locating these remaining canals with the naked eye is not easy, apical surgeries

have always been known to be troublesome for dentists. Nowadays, however, with the proper equipment, the microsurgeries can be performed faster and more accurately, resulting in marked improvement in the proceduresâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; success rate. Our dentists at Yonsei Dental Hospitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department of Conservative Dentistry have performed more than 3,000 apical microsurgeries with a success rate of more than 90 percent. These excellent results have been applauded by international dental academies, and the literature published on our methods has received great attention and recognition. In 2008, Yonsei Dental Hospital founded the first and only Dental Microscope Center in Korea as a means of meeting the growing demand for treatment of this caliber. The number of referrals documented from other local dental clinics has increased significantly, with patients citing the microscope technology as the explicit reason for their interest in the facility. In addition to the advanced tools available on site, a recent survey showed that patients also reported a high level of satisfaction with the quality of care that they received from our staff. Our microscope center not only treats patients with serious dental conditions but also provides learning opportunities for other local dentists who would like to learn how to use dental microscopes. It is through this approach that the Dental Microscope Center seeks to help improve the standard of endodontic treatment in Korea. The Dental Microscope Center at Yonsei Dental Hospital is a pioneer in the field of endodontic dentistry in Korea, and will continue to promote advancements in both the quality of training available to dentists and the quality of treatment available to patients.

Euiseong Kim, DDS, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Conservative Dentistry Yonsei University College of Dentistry

Special feature Edited by Elaine Ramirez (elaine@groovekorea.com)

Photographers in Korea special edition

You focus,

we share Groove Korea invited Photographers in Korea Magazine to showcase some of its favorite works of the year ahead of its special edition. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Ed.

92 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

IK started out as an online photography magazine featuring contemporary work from established and emerging photographers in Korea. The magazine publishes information on exhibitions, in-depth tips, reviews, interviews and carefully curated imagery, all with the goal of showcasing significant but lesser-known photographers, as well as bringing their originality, creativity and style to a wider audience. One of the main visions of the PIK project is to contribute to the development of Korea’s photography scene and to help connect local and international talent both within the peninsula and abroad. For this reason, we operate an interactive Facebook page where photographers can submit their work and have it shared. This initiative has been a tremendous success and has formed an incredible network between a wide swath of photographers in Korea — expats and Koreans alike. Having reviewed such a diverse collection

of material, it has become exceedingly difficult to describe which photographs we prefer in the magazine and on the Facebook page. However, we look for those photographs that can easily be connected to a certain artist, carrying a personal and recognizable mark from that person. We also look for photographs that can be distinctly connected to Korean culture and geography. For the past eight months, the PIK team has been assembling a collection of captivating work from all over the peninsula. It has been truly inspiring to see so many different views of the country. With summer concluding, we wanted to pause for a moment and create a special edition that would allow us to look back at this amazing journey and show our appreciation to our contributors in a unique way. We knew this task would not be easy to accomplish, so we gathered a group of talented and professional photographers to help us select some of the best submissions. We care-

fully chose the judges by looking, first of all, at the quality of their work, and secondly at their style; we didn’t want any significant pictures to get lost, so we made sure our judging panel reflected the same diversity we hoped to see in our final product. In the end, the project wasn’t easy, and we truly appreciate that so many artists have taken the time to send their work to us. Without you, we couldn’t have put this issue together. Once published, the magazines will be distributed in all the major cities across the country. Overall, we hope that our project has somehow served as an inspiration to many, and that it will continue to be used as a tool for the development of photography in Korea. Lorryn Smit, editor-in-chief, PIK Magazine

More info j www.photographersinkorea.com www.facebook.com/PhotogsInKorea

CAPTURING KOREA Edited by Elaine Ramirez (elaine@groovekorea.com)

Gyeongju expedition

Photo walk explores remnants of an ancient kingdom Story and Photos by Andrew Faulk and Dylan Goldby

94 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

CAPTURING KOREA Edited by Elaine Ramirez (elaine@groovekorea.com)

96 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

CAPTURING KOREA Edited by Elaine Ramirez (elaine@groovekorea.com)

98 www.groovekorea.com / September 2014

ucked along the peninsula’s southeast coast, Gyeongju served as capital of the Silla Kingdom for 992 years, from B.C. 57 to A.D. 935. During this time, the city flourished as a center of culture, art and learning. Today, more than 1,000 years since the city held the peninsula’s governmental seat, Gyeongju is known affectionately as the “museum without walls.” The nickname is well earned, seeing that UNESCO has officially deemed the entire municipality of Gyeongju as its own World Cultural Heritage site. Unsurprisingly, Gyeongju is high on the tourist to-do list among Koreans and foreign tourists alike. Walking through the streets of Gyeongju is akin to walking through time. Meandering around the old city will see you weaving between traditional hanok houses where time has stood still, visiting tiny temples whose owners seem as old as the city itself and catching the last light of day reflected in the royal pond of Wolji — discovering unexpected pockets of life at every turn. It isn’t just strolling by imperial tarns that brings visitors close to the kings of Korea; so many years later, Gyeongju continues to physically cradle Silla royalty. A multitude of earthen tumuli (tombs) command respect and remind onlookers of the dynastic power in their midst. Yet the kings of ancient Silla were not interested in power alone. In Silla’s heyday, royalty made a point of steering the capital city, and thus the kingdom, toward Buddhism. During the sixth century, affiliation with Buddhist tradition not only strengthened royal power but also united the people under a common tradition. The lasting heritage of Buddhism can still be experienced today through cultural relics such as Seokguram Grotto. One could argue that the very essence of Korean Buddhist tradition is also found in Gyeongju: Bulguksa temple provides visitors with a glimpse of Korean Buddhism’s unique history that has been preserved locally and recognized globally. The city and its surroundings are dotted with temples, palaces and artifacts from various points in Korean history. These days, however, it is the residents of Gyeongju who truly define its modern identity; they are friendly, welcoming, down-to-earth people who above all else love a great time. While life seemingly runs at a slower pace in Gyeongju, the city boasts a lively atmosphere that feels far removed from the hectic urban trance of Seoul. Being hours away from Korea’s current capital by car, bus or train, Gyeongju is perhaps not a destination to check out on a whim. But one great reason to make plans to see the city is the upcoming Flash Light Expeditions’ travel photography workshop. Local expat photographers will host a limited number of participants on an all-inclusive tour of the ancient capital from Oct. 3 to 5. More info j Flash Light Expeditions workshop, Gyeongju When: Oct. 3-5 Website: www.flashlightexpeditions.com

100

COMICS

Games

EASy

Crossword - Sudoku

Medium

Across 1. Cutting remark 5. Bones, anatomically 9. All excited 13. Iranian currency 14. Capital of Belarus 16. Alaska city 17. Referee 19. Highland valley 20. China shop purchase 21. Anticipate the evidence 23. Pianist Dame Myra 25. Bari’s region 26. River of Rome

29. Really, really bad 31. Got on 32. “Long, Long ___” 33. Out of the country 36. Sun. follower 37. Gorbachev predecessor 39. ___ de coeur 40. Go for 42. Nectar collector 43. Veer out of control 44. One of the Redgraves 46. Mess up 47. Refinement

48. Highway 50. News report 52. Sham 56. Years and years 57. Extirpated 59. Betting setting 60. Where the Axe and the Exe flow 61. Hurtle 62. Abbr. on an envelope 63. “Auld Lang ___” 64. Conductance units

18. Bambi’s kin 22. Very large 24. Palm starch 26. Press down 27. Borodin’s Prince 28. Philanthropic 30. Flops 32. Stopped 34. Barren 35. Carthaginian queen 37. Granter of wishes 38. Fiscal period 41. Attacks

43. Pitching style 45. English counties 46. Not fem. 47. Sound of Washington 49. Add one’s two cents 50. Theda of silents 51. Business suit shade 53. Beehive State 54. Art __ 55. Words from Wordsworth? 58. Put on

HArd

Down 1. Annoying kid 2. Campaign worker 3. Indian prince 4. Went red 5. Leaves out 6. [As written] 7. Be abrupt 8. Off the track 9. Lean and bony 10. Fairy-tale trespasser 11. Alpha’s opposite 12. Bit of inheritance 15. Memento

Evil

Crossword Medium

HARD

EVIL

August AnswerS

Easy

Horoscopes Aries

September 2014

March 20 - April 20

Wondering what life’s all about this month, Aries? Things may have seemed pretty dull for a while, but that will change. One of the Leos at work tries your patience. Be careful not to lose your temper; a little understanding goes a long way. A Sagittarius supervisor takes note.

Taurus

April 21 - May 21

Don’t let pride get in the way of friendship. Put your judgments aside long enough to see someone else’s opinion. You might even learn something. Thinking about a shopping spree this month? Do it. But be careful not to spend too frivolously — splurge only on what you need.

Gemini

May 22 - June 21

Feeling both happy and sad this September? Don’t sweat it. Things should start to calm down by mid-month. Start by putting your priorities in order. And if you’re thinking of putting romance last on your list, think again; a Pisces may just change your mind for you.

Cancer

June 22 - July 22

It’s time to think of career options. If you’ve been considering a change, now’s the time to make your move. It’s never too soon to start planning ahead. If things at home have been a little shaky, try not to dwell on it. A long weekend getaway helps put things into perspective.

Leo

July 23 - August 23

Tired of all the games in your romantic life? Then stop stepping onto the playing field. Use this month to think things through and gain some perspective, looking to the future and letting go of the past. Put work on the back burner and concentrate on your friends. After all, where would a Leo be without a social life?

Libra

September 24 - October 23

You’ve taken some time away from your usual routine, and now it’s time to regroup. Work is demanding this month; it will take all your energy just to stay afloat. A female Scorpio asks for more responsibility. Give it to her. Finances are stable, but don’t stray too far from your plan. An exciting invitation on Friday starts the month off right.

Scorpio

October 24 - November 22

Don’t let a disappointment keep you from advancement this month — what’s holding you back? Be a fighter. Give 100 percent to all you do this September, as motivation that comes from teamwork will help start you off on the right foot. Romance needs effort and cultivation to make it blossom.

Sagittarius

November 23 - December 21

If the daily grind has been getting you down, Sagittarius, look to make a change. A whole new experience may be just what you need. Take a trip to the bookstore this month and look for some ideas. Finances need serious attention. Balance your books carefully.

Capricorn

December 22 - January 19

Slow down, Capricorn. A day off gives you rest and relaxation. Your romantic life needs some work. The Scorpio who’s become extra friendly lately pushes for more this month. Don’t jump too soon; you need to figure out what you really want. Only time will let you know for sure.

Virgo August 24 - September 23 Play with fire and you’ll get burned — especially in love. It takes you a while to learn your lesson, but this month is a start. Take time to reflect on what you really want and move toward it. Use the past as a guide for the future. Evaluate your mistakes so you can avoid repeating them.

Aquarius

January 20 - February 18

Look to a Virgo for advice on your career this month — then just make sure to follow it. You’ve been jumping around in too many interests lately and spreading yourself too thin. Stop and decide what you want to do. Your short attention span must be satisfied, so make sure your work is something that you like.

Pisces

February 19 - March 19

Don’t let a temporary bad mood drive a permanent wedge between you and a friend. Think before you act. This month requires extra patience, so be prepared. A family member asks for your advice in money matters. Make a memorable lesson out of your explanation, or you’ll just repeat yourself later.

Column by Dr. Lim-gwon Kang

Why do I need to vaccinate my pet?

s a result of advances of modern veterinarian medicine, companion animals now have the opportunity to live longer, healthier lives than ever before. A large part of what makes this possible is the availability of vaccines that can protect pets from deadly and infectious diseases. For dogs and cats that are unvaccinated, however, these diseases still pose a significant threat to their health and well-being. Although vaccine programs have seen a great deal of success in recent years, neither pet owners nor veterinarians can afford to be complacent about the importance of keeping pets up to date on their vaccinations.

How do vaccines work? While there is certainly a wide array of vaccines on the market, each tends to work through a similar principle. Most vaccines contain a very small portion of the virus or bacterium that is understood to be the infectious agent. When this material is introduced into the body in a vaccine, the body’s immune system responds through a series of steps that include making antibodies and modifying other cells that will recognize the target organism later. When the individual encounters the “real” agent after receiving the vaccine, the body recognizes the harmful agent and draws from these preexisting stores of antibodies to protect itself from becoming sick.

Which vaccines does my pet need? Factors to consider include your pet’s lifestyle (how much time your pet spends outside), where you live, where you travel with your pet and how much contact your pet has with other animals. Your veterinarian may want to discuss modifying the vaccine recommendations to ensure that your pet is well protected.

What is the recommended schedule for vaccines?

Why does my pet need vaccines? Basically, vaccination is an important weapon against infectious diseases. Some diseases, such as rabies, are transmissible to humans, so protecting your pets also protects your family members and community. Even pets that spend most of their lives indoors or have very limited contact with other animals are not completely safe from exposure to infectious diseases. In cats, for example, panleukopenia is a potentially fatal infection and can spread through contact with bodily fluids (mostly urine and feces) from an infected cat. Panleukopenia can live in the environment (such as on contaminated bedding, food bowls, litter boxes and other items) for a very long time, meaning that the infection can continue to spread long after the original host has moved on.

Korea Animal Transport (KAT) & Chungwha Animal Hospital (02) 792-7602 21-1 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Puppies and kittens generally receive their first vaccines when they are around six to eight weeks old, depending on the vaccine and manufacturer’s recommendations. Booster vaccines are generally given during your puppy or kitten’s checkup visits; your veterinarian can discuss the recommended schedule with you. Some vaccines must be repeated annually, while others only need a booster after the first year before switching to a three-year booster schedule.

Vaccination remains one of the most important services your veterinarian offers, and although it is a routine procedure, it should not be taken for granted. Vaccination also allows a regular opportunity for your veterinarian to perform a physical examination, which is very important for keeping your pet healthy. Protecting patients is your veterinarian’s primary goal, and developing an appropriate vaccine protocol for your pet is as important as any other area of medicine.

Itaewon Station Exit 4

Exit 3

chungwha77@gmail.com

Hospital hours Mon - Sat : 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

j www.cwhospital.com

Grooming hours Mon - Sat : 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For reservations, call (02) 794-9967.

The Pet Hotel M (02) 797-3040 pethotelm@gmail.com

j www.thepethotelm.com Chungwha Apt.

Chungwha Animal Hospital

LISTINGS

Edited by Sean Choi (sean@groovekorea.com)

EMBASSIES American Embassy (02) 397-4114 • 188 Sejong-daero, Jongnogu, Seoul Canadian Embassy (02) 3783-6000 • (613) 996-8885 (Emergency Operations Center) Jeongdong-gil (Jeongdong) 21, Jung-gu, Seoul British Embassy (02) 3210-5500 • Sejong-daero 19-gil 24, Jung-gu, Seoul Australian Embassy (02) 2003-0100 • 19th fl, Kyobo bldg., 1 Jongno 1-ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul Philippine Embassy (02) 796-7387~9 • 5-1 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul Spanish Embassy (02) 794-3581 • 726-52 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul French Embassy (02) 3149-4300 • 30 Hap-dong, Seodaemungu, Seoul

TRAVEL AGENTS Fides Travel (02) 755 5470 • fidestravel.co.kr Prime Travel (02) 6739 3570 Shoe String Travel (02) 333 4151 • shoestring.kr/eng/abo01.htm Soho Travel (02) 322 1713 • sohoholiday.com Top Travel Service (02) 737 4289 • toptravel.co.kr/eng Unique Travel (02) 792 0606

DOMESTIC TOURS Adventure Korea (010) 4242-5536 • adventurekorea.com Discover Korea (02) 398-6571 • discoverkoreatour.com/en

Explore Korea sonyaexplorekorea.com Joy Leisure Service (02) 2307-8642 • joyleisures.com Panmunjom Travel Center (02) 771-5593 • koreadmztour.com Seoul City Tour (02) 774-3345 • seoulcitytour.net Tour DMZ (02) 755-0073 • tourdmz.com Travel Pants Korea (010) 9961 5765 • travelpantskorea.com

HOTELS & RESORTS Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul (02) 2250-8080 • San 5-5, Jangchung-dong 2-ga Jung-gu, Seoul Novotel Ambassador Gangnam (02) 567-1101 • 603 Yeoksam 1-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul Grand Hilton Seoul (02) 3216-5656 • 353 Yeonhui-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul Somerset Palace Seoul (02) 6730-8888 • 85 Susong-dong, Jongnogu, Seoul

Seoul Samsung Hospital 1599-3114 • 50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul Asan Medical Center 1688-7575 • 88 Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpagu, Seoul Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center (053) 250-7167 (7177 / 7187) • 56 Dalseongro, Jung-gu, Daegu

Airlines Korean Air 1588-2001 Asiana Airlines 1588-8000 Lufthansa (02) 2019-0180 Garuda Indonesia (02) 773-2092 • garuda-indonesia.co.kr Jeju Air 1599-1500 T’way Air 1688-8686

Eton House Prep (02) 749-8011 • 68-3 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul A unique British-style Prep School for children of all nationalities from 2-13 years of age. A broad, challenging and innovative curriculum preparing pupils for senior school and life beyond. www.etonhouseprep.com Branksome Hall Asia (02) 6456-8405 • Daejung-eup, Seogipo-si, Jeju Island Daegu Intl. School (053) 980-2100 • 1555 Bongmu-dong, Donggu, Daegu

Dulwich College Seoul (02) 3015-8500 • 6 Sinbanpo-ro 15-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul admissions@dulwich-seoul.kr www.dulwich-seoul.kr The curriculum from Toddler to IGCSE (ages 2 years to 16 years) follows the best practice of the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and English National Curriculum enhanced for an international setting.

Jin Air 1600-6200 D ETUR

Park Hyatt Seoul (02) 2016-1234 • 606 Teheran-ro, Gangnamgu, Seoul Lotte Hotel Busan (051) 810-1000 • 772 Gaya-daero, Busanjin-gu, Busan Park Hyatt Busan (051) 990-1234 • 51, Marine City 1-ro, Haeundae-gu, Busan 612-824, Korea

EMERGENCY MEDICAL CENTERS Gangnam St-Mary’s Hospital 1588-1511 • 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul Yonsei Severance Hospital (Sinchon) (02) 2227-7777 • 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul Seoul National University Hospital 1339 • 28-2 Yeongeon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul

PO NS MU

NDO

British Airways (02) 774-5511 Cathay Pacific Airways (02) 311-2700

AMUSEMENT PARKS

Delta Airlines (02) 754-1921

Everland Resort (031) 320-5000 • 310 Jeondae-ri, Pogok-eup, Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do

Emirates Airlines (02) 2022-8400

FAMILY & KIDS

Lotte World (02) 411-2000 0 • 240 Olympic-ro, Songpagu, Seoul

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

Pororo Park (D-Cube city) 1661-6340 • 360-51 Sindorim-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul

Yongsan Intl. School (02) 797-5104 • San 10-213 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Children’s Grand Park (zoo) (02) 450-9311 • 216 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul

Seoul Intl. School 031-750-1200 • 388-14 Bokjeong-dong, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do

Seoul Zoo (02) 500-7338 • 159-1 Makgye-dong, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do

070-7504-8090

Oriental massage spa in Itaewon at a reasonable price.

3rd fl. 124-7 Itaewon 1-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul 12pm-9pm

BOOKSTORES

Animal hospitals

What the Book (02) 797-2342 • 176-2, Itaewon 1-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul • whatthebook.com Located in Itaewon, this English bookstore has new books, used books and children’s books.

Chunghwa Animal Hospital / Korea Animal Transport (02) 792-7602 • 21-1 Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul www.cwhospital.com

Kim & Johnson 1566-0549 • B2 fl-1317-20 Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul

Woori Pet Hospital (02) 393-6675 • 299-1 Youngcheon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul

MUSEUM & GALLERIES

HEALTH DENTAL CLINICS

UPENNIVY Dental (02) 797-7784 • 300-26 Ichon 1-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul Mir Dental (053) 212-1000 • 149-132 Samdeok-dong 2-ga, Jung-gu, Daegu Esarang Dental Clinic (02) 701-2199 • 26-16 Singongdeok-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul Chungdam UPENN Dental (02) 548-7316 • 131-20 Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul SKIN CLINICS TengTeng Skin (02) 337-4066 • 10th floor, First avenue Building, Nonhyeon 1-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul If you have a skin problem, Dr. Julius Jon will take good care of you. English is spoken. Nova Skin (02) 563-7997 • 2 floor A Tower, 822-1, Yeoksam 1-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul ORIENTAL MEDICINE Lee Moon Won Korean Medicine Clinic (02) 511-1079 • 3rd fl., Lee&You bldg. 69-5 Chungdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul Specializes in hair loss and scalp problems and offers comprehensive treatments and services including aesthetic and hair care products. Soseng Clinic (02) 2253-8051• 368-90 Sindang 3-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul Yaksan Obesity Clinic (02) 582-4246 • 1364-7, Seocho 2-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul www.dryaksan.com

National Museum of Korea (02) 2077-9000 • 168-6 Yongsandong 6-ga, Yongsan-gu, Seoul The NMK offers educational programs on Korean history and culture in English and Korean. National Palace Museum of Korea (02) 3701-7500 • 12 Hyoja-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul This museum has a program called Experiencing Royal Culture designed for English teachers to help learn about Joseon royal culture. Seodaemun Museum of Natural History (02) 330-8899 • 141-52 Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul Don’t know where to take your kids on weekends? This museum exhibits a snapshot of the world and animals. National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea (02) 2188-6000 • 313 Gwangmyeong-ro, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do Leeum Samsung Museum of Art (02) 2014-6901• 747-18 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Closed on Mondays, New Year’s Day, Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays. Kumho Museum (02) 720-5114 • 78 Sagan-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Closed on Mondays. Gallery Hyundai (02) 734-6111~3 • 22 Sagan-dong, Jongnogu, Seoul The first specialized art gallery in Korea and accommodates contemporary art. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Closed on Mondays, New Year’s Day, Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays.

Plateau (02) 1577-7595 • 50 Taepyung-ro 2-ga, FITNESS Jung-gu, Seoul Reebok Crossfit Sentinel 10 a.m.-6 p. m. Closed on Mondays. (02) 790-0801 • reebokcrossfitsentinel.com National Museum of Modern and Exxl Fitness Contemporary Art, Seoul (MMCA SEOUL) Gangnam Finance Center, 737 Yeoksamdong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (02) 3701-9500 • 30 Samcheong-ro, • www.exxl.co.kr Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul Body & Seoul 010-6397-2662 • www.seoulmartialarts.com UROLOGY & OB Tower Urology (02) 2277-6699 • 5th fl. 119 Jongno 3-ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Daegu Art Museum (053) 790-3000 • 374 Samdeok-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu Art space for local culture presenting Daegu’s contemporary fine arts and internationally renowned artists.

Hair consultant from UK. Trained at Vidal Sassoon and TONY&GUY in UK Hair Salon in Sinchon Brazilian conditioning keratin based straightener. SAFE for colored, highlighted, bleached, damaged and even frizzy hair! 1 min. from Hyundai Dept. in Sinchon Subway.

Hyundai Dept.

EXIT #1 Subway Line2 Sinchon Station.

Reservations

02-325-2225 / 010-8809-3443 Open Hours

10:00AM~9:00PM www.lucyhair.com

facebook.com/Lucyhair2011

Restaurants

Hair & Joy Served as Art Director at London’s Renowned RUSH SALON and nominated by the Guardian for “Best Hairdresser”

Trained at Toni & Guy and Vidal Sassoon Academy in UK Color, Perm, Magic Straight, Treatment and more English Spoken For more info, call Johnny Phone 02.363.4253 Mobile 010.5586.0243

Hair&Joy

Mapo-gu Dong gyo-dong 168-3_ 3F Seven Uniqlo Springs

HonhIk Univ. Stn. Line2 Exit8

www.hairandjoy.com Gangnam Apgujeong Branch

Qunohair

Phone 02.549.0335 www.qunohair.com 10-6, Dosan-daero 45-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

100% All Natural Ingredients Shave Ice

Jin Donburi (02) 2235 1123 • 103-9 Jeodong 1-ga, Junggu, Seoul The chef here trained in Japan and serves an authentic Japanese-style donburi (donkatsu over rice) at an affordable price. Katsudon goes for 6,000 won.

KOREAN & BBQ Small Happiness in the Garden (02) 975-3429 • 28-3 Jeodong 1-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul

Dr. Oh’s King-size Donkatsu / O Baksane Donkatsu (02) 3673 5730 • 131-32 Seongbuk-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul This place serves donkatsu the size of a car wheel and this restaurant dares you to finish it in one sitting.

Ondal (02) 450-4518 • 177 Walkerhill-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul Looking to impress a date or a business partner? Head to the premier traditional Korean restaurant in Seoul.

Myeongdong Donkatsu (02) 776 5300 • 59-13 Myeong-dong 1-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul This is the most popular and oldest Japanese-style donkatsu restaurant in Myeong-dong. Try the wasabi.

Hadongkwan (02) 776-5656 • 10-4 Myungdong 1-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul This place simply has the best gomtang (beef soup) in Seoul.

Namsan Donkatsu (02) 777-7929 • 49-24 Namsandong 2-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul Since 1992, this casual Korean-style donkatsu restaurant has been a favorite of Namsan hikers and taxi drivers.

Two Plus (02) 515 5712 • B1 fl. 532-9 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul Served here is a high-quality beef loin at a reasonable price. Tosokchon (Samgyetang) (02) 737 7444 • 85-1 Chebu-dong, Jongnogu, Seoul A popular Korean-style chicken soup with ginseng is popular at this place. Former presidents enjoyed this restaurant. A bowl of soup costs just 15,000 won.

Battered Sole (02) 322-8101 • 52-23 Changcheon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul Battered Sole is a relative newcomer, but they serve up some of the best fish and chips in Korea. This is the real deal. Simply India (02) 744 6333• 1-79 Dongsung-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul VEGETARIAN

Pho Hoa (02) 792-8866 • 737-4, Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul

Sanchon (02) 735 0312 • 14 Gwanghun-dong, Jongnogu, Seoul www.sanchon.com

Grill5taco (02) 515-5549 • 519-13 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

5mins from Korea Univ.

INTERNATIONAL

THAI & VIETNAMESE

Dos Tacos (Gangnam) (02) 593-5904 • 104 Dessian Luv, 1303-35 Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul The best and largest taco franchise in Korea; try out their shrimp potato burrito.

Coffee

DONKATSU

Jang Sa Rang (02) 546-9994 • 624-47 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul The menu at this traditional Korean restaurant ranges from classic kimchi pancakes and stone pot rice to an array of meats and veggies.

MEXICAN & TEX-MEX

Sala d

서울시 성북구 안암동4가 41-36 세화빌딩1층

Jo’s Basket Grill & Dining (02) 744-0701 • 31-37 Dongsoong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Pizza Hill (02) 450-4699 • 177 Walkerhill-ro, Gwangjingu, Seoul The first restaurant to serve pizza in Korea.

Toast

1F, 41-36, Anam-dong 4-ga, Seongbuk-gu

JAPANESE

ITALIAN & FRENCH

Fresh Squeezes Juices Smoothies

02.929.1351,

AMERICAN & BRUNCH

Veggie Holic 070 4114 0458 • 204-59 Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul www.veggieholic.co.kr March Rabbit (02) 3444-4514 • 560 Sinsa-dong, Gangnamgu, Seoul Daegu 5th Lounge (053) 764-3579 • 207-10 Doosan-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu This fabulous lounge does just about everything right. If you’re in search of space for private parties, this is the place. G’day (American & Brunch) (053) 746-1217 • 980-9 Suseongdong 4-ga, Suseong-gu, Daegu This Aussie brunch cafe serves the best brunch in Daegu at the best price. www.facebook.com/CafeGday

Night clubS The Paris (Italian & French) (053) 763-8998 • 207-10 Doosan-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu This place offers fine dining in one of the few authentic French restaurants in town. Dos Tacos (Mexican & Tex-Mex) (053) 255-4885 • 34-4 Dongsung-ro 2-ga, Jung-gu, Daegu Pan Asia (International) (053) 287-7940 • 2 fl., 21-9 Samdeok-dong, Jung-gu, Daegu South St. (American) (053) 471-7867 • 664-10 Bongdeok 3-dong, Nam-gu, Daegu Bagel Doctor (Café) (053) 421-6636 • Samdeokdong 2-ga, Jung-gu, Daegu Miyako (Japanese) (053) 761-5555 • 402-5 Sang-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu Beyond Factory (Italian/café) (053) 255-7614 • 40-63 Daebong-dong, Jung-gu, Daegu Italy & Italy (Italian / French) (053) 423- 5122 • 22-2, Samdeok-dong 1-ga, Jung-gu, Daegu

La Luce (European) (053) 255-7614 • 40-63 Daebong-dong, Jung-gu, Daegu

The Pho (Vietnamese) (051) 256-8055 • Saeabusan town, Sinchangdong 1-ga, Jung-gu, Busan

Ariana Boccaccio Hotel Brau (Buffet) (051) 767-7913 • 200-1, Dusan-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu

The Grill On The Beach (Pub) (051) 731-9799 • B1 fl. Sea star bldg., 1417-2 Jung 1-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan This submarine-themed pub carries international beer and a wide selection of wine.

Thursday Party (Bar) 21-23 Samdeok-dong 1-ga, Jung-gu, Daegu Busan Wolfhound (Haeundae, Busan) (051) 746-7913 • 1359 Woo 1-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan Rock N Roll (Bar) • 2 fl, 56-5, Daeyeon 3-dong, Nam-gu, Busan Wolfhound (Irish Pub) (051) 746-7913 • 2 fl, 1359, U 1-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan Fuzzy Navel (Mexican Pub) (051) 754- 6349 • 178-13, Millak-dong, Suyeong-gu, Busan Farmer’s Hamburger (American) (051) 244-5706 • 35-1 Daechungdong 2-ga, Junggu, Busan

Paniere (Café) (051) 817-8212 • 225-1 Bujeon-dong, Jin-gu, Busan The European-style brunch restaurant/café serves fresh fruit juice and sandwiches.

DRINKS BEER AND COCKTAILS Big Rock (02) 539-6650 • B1 818-8, Yeoksam 1-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul This place imports premium beer from Alberta. Its comfortable atmosphere and huge space is perfect for just about every occasion. Once in a Blue Moon (02) 549. 5490 • 85-1 Chungdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul A live jazz club in Seoul that hosts renowned musicians from Korea and around the world.

Octagon 175-2 Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul Cocoon 364-26 Seogyo-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul Eden Ritz Carlton 602 Yeoksam-dong, Gangnamgu, Seoul Elune 1408-5 Jung 1-dong, Haeundae-gu, Busan Mass 1306-8 Seocho 4-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul

Massage, Spa & Beauty Lucy Hair (02) 325-2225 • 2nd floor, 30-10, Chandcheon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul Look your best effortlessly with the help of Lucy. Her internationally trained hair stylists treat your locks with the best hair products in a modern and cozy environment.

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