Groove Korea 2017 February

issue 123

February 2017

Th e sounds of protest

seniors and youth

say what? korean at your skype-board

korean zombie ufc's the korean zombie is back in action this month

dive into dalkgalbi

dalkgalbi: a guide to spicy chicken heaven

www.groovekorea.com

Editorial Vol. 123 February 2017

Editorial february 2017

We live in a time of turmoil. In my home of the United States, Donald Trump, a man who has displayed racism, sexism and bigotry throughout his campaign was just inaugurated as president. Just a few days into office and he is already working to dismantle policies that have helped millions of Americans. Here in South Korea, we’ve watched possibly the largest-ever presidential scandal unfold over the past few months, leading up to President Park Geun-hye’s impeachment on December 9. One full of corruption and government meddling that has conjured the ghosts of

O n

dictatorships past.

But even amid these crises, there is hope. We’ve seen some of the largest ever protests take place both here in Korea and the United States in a peaceful manner. Millions of people raising their voices together calling for change.

I believe for all of us, that is why it is so timely and important that we are running our Insight story on the power of music during times such as these.

Throughout Korea’s modern history, musicians have been there, stepping up and fighting back and uniting people in the fight against injustice.

ct ohv ee r

4

www.groovekorea.com February 2017

february 2017

Since news of the corruption scandal surrounding President Park Geun-hye and her confidante Choi Soon-sil broke in November, citizens have taken to the streets calling for her impeachment in what have been South Korea's largest and most peaceful protests in history. Organizers have vowed to continue rallying until Park’s impeachment is upheld by the Constitutional Court or she voluntarily steps downs.

Cover Photo by Clayton Jones

It’s an important history to note. And it’s still happening. Even today, Korean musicians are releasing music that tells of the struggles that plague Korean society. They are taking to the streets and performing during the weekly candlelight protests, bringing people together through the power of music.

I believe it is a powerful message that can resonate with everyone – whether Korean or not. Music has the power to bring us together to fight for change. All over the world, people are struggling, but music can help us unite, fight back and overcome.

What's in this issue Vol. 123 February 2017

38

Despite the threat of government and broadcasting blacklists, musicians are making their voices heard.

04

EDITORIAL

10

Key People Meet Groove’s editorial team and a few of our talented contributors

14

What's on Festivals, concerts, happy hours, networking and events for every day of the month

18-21

National News National news with Korea JoongAng Daily

community

insight

22

30

How to…

Survive K-pop spinning This month, Heather Allman looks into how to exercise in K-pop Spinning classes around town

24

Who is Pacific Connect?

Making the South Pacific link with Pasifica Connect

26

Your Kids Are Scared To Speak english Seniors and Youth (SAY) offer a new perspective on learning Korean

6

www.groovekorea.com February 2017

28

Korean Language and Culture at your Keyboard Schools almost back in - and so are those impromptu nights out p40

As Valentine's Day approaches, a visit to the Love Museum could be in order

The sounds of protest Despite the threat of government and broadcasting blacklists, musicians are making their voices heard.

Entertainment 38

Three By… Comebacks, family squabbles, and true life injustice

40

Love Museum As Valentine's Day approaches, a visit to the Love Museum could be in order

42

A special place in their hearts Nordic electro trio takes on Seoul once again.

46

Picking the Brain of The Korean Zombie After a three year absense, Korea's own Chan Sung Jung (aka The Korean Zombie) returns to the UFC for Super Bowl weekend!

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What's in this issue Vol. 123 February 2017

42

Nordic electro trio takes on Seoul once again.

50

Groove Korea Goes art A look at some of the exhibitions around the city this month

Food & Drink 52

The hot dog Gets Its Due Hot dogs with all the toppings you crave.

54

Kimbap Cheonguk: A Breakdown How to eat at Korea's most ubiqitous restaurant

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56

Old Cap Bright and sunny Aussie-inspired fried fish dishes

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hop mori Shifts Craft Beer Culture South of the Han Seoul's best new brewpub from an old, familar friend

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dive into Dalkgalbi A guide to everyone's favorite spicy chicken dish.

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Key people Vol. 123 February 2017

Ali Saleh Steve Smith From the -30 degree days of Northern Greenland, to +52 degree days of the Middle East, and now in mild and beautiful Korea, Steve Smith has been an expat for over 12 years. His spare time is dedicated to photography, and adventure motorcycling, and loves to share his experiences with friends both new and old.

A California native, Ali has spent the past two years meandering about the Korean peninsula, teaching English, and, occasionally, writing stories with the hopes that someone, somewhere, will give it a home for publication. When he's not wiping noses or singing nursery rhymes, Ali spends most of his time watching movies, procrastinating, and staying up way too late into a night out because Seoul has no issues with it. You can check out his movie/travel blog here wait0what.wordpress.com/

Rob Shelley Rob Shelley is from Newfoundland, Canada but has found a home in Korea teaching Leadership to kindergarten children and writing for CraftBeerAsia. com

Gil Coombe

10 www.groovekorea.com February 2017

Barbara Bierbrauer Barbara Bierbrauer works as a journalist and a board member of the Songdo International Dog Club, that she founded, while rising two kids and two dogs.

She holds a master´s degree in political sciences and used to work as an executive headhunter in Germany. When not working she enjoys running half marathon, train her dogs and practices for a triathlon.

Emma Kalka Decided to be a music journalist at 15,and finally got her big break six years ago in Seoul. While she has focused on Korean hip-hop the past two years and runs the hip-hop blog Discovering Korean Underground, she's a fand of all live music, especially a good blues band.

Gil Coombe is an instructor at a private university in Seoul, who likes to mess around with copy editing and proof-reading in his spare time (and even occasionally convincing people to pay him for it). A keen interest in hiking and cycling around Korea has helped extend what was originally intended to be a oneyear post-university, pre-working overseas sojourn into a completely different career. A current member of KOTESOL, he has just started to inflict his views on teaching on others via conference presentations.

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naheen Madarbakus-Ring naheen@groovekorea.com emma KALKA music@groovekorea.com jordan Redmond food@groovekorea.com steve smith photo@groovekorea.com rob SHELLEY rob@groovekorea.com Co py Editors

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What's on MON

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WED

LA MODA ITALIANA A SEOUL Feb 1-3 | Westin Chosun Seoul

xXx: Return of Xander Cage

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Snowden

John Wick Chapter Two

Fifty Shades Darker

JOURNEY live Blue Square in Hannamdong Seoul

Hundertwasser ‘Green City’ Sejong Center Seoul

CALENDAR february 2017 FRI

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Fornasetti Practical Madness DDP Design Exhibition Hall Seoul

Namsangol Hanok Village Seasons Feast ‘Welcoming the Beginning of Spring’ hanokmaeul.or.kr

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Joe Satriani ‘Surfing to Shockwave tour in Korea’ | Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjangdong | Oct 7-9

Jeongwol Daeboreum: The day of the first full moon of the lunar year

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The Great Wall

CARLY RAE JEPSEN live in Seoul Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjangdong Seoul

SEKAI NO OWARI live Blue Square in Hannamdong Seoul

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In association with february 2017 / www.koreajoongangdaily.com 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.

18 www.groovekorea.com February 2017

CIA files shed light on Gwangju O utgoing U.S. Ambassador Mark Lippert conveyed 89 declassified documents related to the Gwangju uprising in 1980 to the May 18 Memorial Foundation.

Lippert, during his visit to Gwangju on Jan 18, conveyed the previously classified U.S. Embassy documents to the foundation, which commemorates the democratic uprising and massacre in the city in May 1980.

The compilation included reports and documents from the embassy leading up to and in the aftermath of the Gwangju uprising, between May and December of 1980.

Lippert, who heads back to Washington on Friday after serving as U.S. top envoy to Seoul for the past two and a half years, visited the May 18 memorial park in Gwangju and met with the foundation leaders.

The Central Intelligence Agency also published nearly 13 million pages of declassified documents online, which included those pertaining to the 1950-53 Korean War and the Gwangju movement.

These documents were previously accessible only from four computer terminals at the National Archives in Maryland. The foundation said on Jan 19 that the 89 documents it received from the U.S. Embassy may overlap with files on their previous records, but that it will analyze the documents for any new information it can glean on the happenings in 1980.

On Dec. 12, 1979, then Major Gen. Chun Doo Hwan staged a military coup, ousting acting President Choi Kyu-ha and ordering the arrest of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Jeong Seung-hwa, which followed the assassination of President Park Chung Hee on Oct. 26 that year.

The 10-day democratic uprising involving students in Gwangju took place between May

cant that the U.S. Embassy conveyed its docu18 and 27, 1980, during which citizens took up ments related to May 1980 for the first time. It arms and formed civilian militias, claiming is an expression of trust.” control of the city.

A June 23, 1980, memorandum to the diA bloody massacre followed when the rector and deputy director of Central IntelChun Doo-hwan regime sent special troops ligence on the warning assessment for East for a crackdown.

Asia, following a June 18 meeting in the afAccording to official government data, a termath of the May uprising, describes Chun total of 191 civilians lost their lives during the uprising. But civic groups and family mem- Doo Hwan’s recent activities and suggest he is moving “toward seizing power and establishbers claim higher numbers. ing one-man rule.”

The foundation previously obtained over It added, “There is a possibility of assas1,200 declassified U.S. government documents from the National Archives and Records Ad- sination and terrorist activities generated by Kwangju students.” The reports generally uses ministration (NARA) in 1996 and has been analyzing them.

While the documents it received from the U.S. Embassy this time overlap in large part with these previously obtained documents, portions that had been redacted have been restored, according to the foundation.

“We would now be able to fill in the blanks of the documents that we have previously At a press conference on Jan 19, Kim Yang-rae, executive director of the May 18 Memorial received, and we plan Foundation, makes public some of the 89 declassified documents which outgoing U.S. to gather these missing Ambassador Mark Lippert conveyed to the foundation. pieces together to fill the old Romanization of Korean locations and in the puzzle,” said Kim Yang-rae, executive director of the May 18 Memorial Foundation, names like Gwangju or Jeolla province.

“With the security situation quiet, US-ROK in a press conference on Thursday. “However, it will still be difficult to find out about a com- relations are satisfactory,” the memo also notes. mand to fire, the trend within the military au- “The Combined Forces Command is functional, thorities or other sensitive secret information.” and ROK troops used to suppress the Kwang“Precedent is important in terms of diplo- ju riots are back to normal positions. US-ROK matic relations,” he added. “It is very signifi- military cooperation has resumed.”

P

resident Park Geun-hye has a mobile phone under a borrowed name, a former aide said during her impeachment trial on Jan 18, an act that is punishable by law.

Jeong Ho-seong, a former presidential secretary, made the revelation while testifying at the Constitutional Court about an influence-peddling scandal centered on Park and her friend Choi Soon-sil.

According to Jeong, Park used such a phone even as a lawmaker prior to becoming president out of concerns about wiretapping and security in general. The former aide began serving Park in the late 90s. He is known as a member of the “doorknob trio” who had direct access to the president.

“It’s a rather painful side of our politics, but

there has long been controversy about wiretapping,” he said in response to a question from a parliamentary impeachment panel, which serves as the prosecution in the trial.

“We didn’t use [phones] registered under our names because of the risk of our conversations being tapped.”

South Korea bans the use of phones under borrowed names for most purposes and violators of that law can be punished with up to three years in prison or up to 100 million won ($85,000) in fines.

Asked whether Park was aware that her phone was registered under a borrowed name, Jeong said she probably used whatever phone was given to her.

He denied that Choi ordered the use of such phones.

Nati onal Ne ws

Park allegedly has phone under a false name Choi is accused of abusing her ties to the president to extort money from conglomerates and control state affairs behind the scenes.

Park was impeached last month for allegedly colluding with her.

Jeong himself has been indicted on charges of leaking classified documents to Choi. He has admitted to the charge, claiming he only intended to assist the president.

The former aide said he used a borrowed-name phone to contact Choi and exchanged two to three phone calls or text messages a day with her between January 2013 and December 2014.

Park is immune from prosecution while in office. The court has until early June to decide whether to uphold or reject her impeachment.

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Owner of largest porn site in Korea arrested

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O

n Jan. 3, two detectives from the police cyber bureau raided the office of a judicial scrivener in Incheon and arrested a 34-yearold man, surnamed Chung, for operating a pornography website.

Chung was arrested for violating laws that prohibit the sexual abuse of children, as some of the content on his site involved minors, and for allowing brothels, which are illegal, to advertise on his site.

Chung’s coworkers, with whom he had been working for more than three years, were in shock to see their colleague had been running Ggulbam (Honey Night), the largest Korean pornographic site after Sora.net was closed down.

Chung was immediately transported to Busan. On Jan. 5, he was imprisoned for taking 1.5 billion won ($1.3 million) in revenue, which he made through advertising expenses paid by brothels and gambling sites. Chung was found to have made over 70 million won a month.

Chung was a hard-working judicial scrivener, or notary public, by day, helping people with commercial and real estate registration procedures, and the manager of an illegal pornographic website by night.

Investigators were even more surprised to find that Chung had not only been brought up by parents who served in the civil service, but that he was a model student with top grades in high school.

Chung had no previous criminal record.

According to police, Chung’s grades in high school were high enough to get him into

medical school at Korea’s most prestigious universities, such as Seoul National University or Yonsei University.

But Chung suffered from severe social anxiety disorder, which eventually caused him to drop out of high school in 2000.

In 2013, Chung took the qualification exam to become a judicial scrivener. Although he made over 6 million won a month, he was not satisfied. That was when he found out that Sora.net, then the largest pornographic website in Korea, made billions of won by advertising brothels.

In June of that year, he created Ggulbam and hired six people to run the business. Ggulbam now has more than 420,000 members.

Chung paid the six employees a monthly salary around 3 to 5 million won to post pornographic videos to the site.

One employee, a 35-year-old insurance planner, even posted a video of himself having intercourse with a woman without her knowing she was being filmed.

When police started a full-on investigation into Sora.net last January, members of the site moved to Ggulbam to avoid legal charges.

Chung, as a way of popularizing his website, held a monthly contest in which thousands of members posted videos of themselves having intercourse with their girlfriends and wives in the hopes of winning the prize money of two million won.

Chung made 70 million won a month from 458 brothels. Over 14 months, he made 1.5 billion won. Investigators assumed Chung was neither married nor had a girlfriend because he was too focused on his website.

“Chung chose to run a pornographic website to make money, but it was actually close to being an obsession,” said Choi Ho-joon, chief inspector at the Busan police cyber bureau.

Chung had been careful to take steps to avoid being caught. He received ad charges only through bitcoin and contacted brothel owners through online telegrams or a communication system within the website, neither of which left any trace.

Burner phones were used to keep in contact with his employees, and he had about 40 bank accounts under false names. Also, the website’s server was based in the Unites States.

Nevertheless, police tracked down Chung’s IP address, but omitted him from the suspect list because the address was that of a judicial scrivener. At first, police assumed it was unlikely that a man of such a profession would commit a crime.

But then investigators looked into transactions of the 30 bank accounts linked to the site and found surveillance camera footage of Chung withdrawing a large sum of money from one of the accounts.

“I think he asked details of our investigation so as not to make the same mistake again,” said inspector Choi. “There’s a 99 percent chance that he’ll repeat his crime, because his offense only gets him a maximum of three years in prison and his past will lure him back into making a big amount of money.”

Police also arrested the person who developed the program for the website. The other five employees were indicted without detention.

The Supreme Court of Korea on Jan 25 drew its final verdict on the high-profile Itaewon murder case that took place two decades ago, upholding a 20 year prison sentence for U.S. citizen Arthur Patterson. Patterson, now 37, was found guilty of fatally stabbing Hongik University student Cho Jung-pil, then 22, at around 10 p.m. on April 3, 1997, in a Burger King in Itaewon in Yongsan District, central Seoul. Cho was found dead in the bathroom of the fast food restaurant, stabbed nine times in his neck and chest.

“The previous ruling that the fact that the defendant killed the victim has been fully proven is justified,” the top court declared.

“There is no room for any reasonable doubt that Patterson stabbed the victim Cho with a knife and killed him.”

A 20 year prison sentence is the maximum punishment possible for the defendant because he was a minor under the age of 18 at the time of the crime, the court said. At the time of the murder, Patterson, who was born in December 1979, was 17 years old. Patterson and his Korean-American friend Edward Lee,

then 18, were in the restaurant at the time of the murder and each blamed the other.

Lee was originally convicted for the murder in 1998 but was later acquitted by the Supreme Court, which ruled that there was insufficient evidence to conclude that the murder had been carried out by one man.

Patterson was also originally convicted of charges of possessing an illegal weapon, the knife used for the murder, and attempting to destroy evidence, and sentenced to 18 months in prison. But he was granted a special pardon on Liberation Day in August 1998 and left Korea the following year, taking advantage of the prosecution’s failure to extend his travel ban.

The success of the 2009 film “The Case of the Itaewon Homicide,” which resulted in a public outcry for justice, as well as complaints from Cho’s family, finally prompted a new investigation into the case. In 2011, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Patterson for murder and began extradition proceedings in collaboration with U.S. officials.

Patterson was extradited to Korea in September 2015 to face charges in a renewed investi-

gation.Prosecutors took advantage of new evidence, forensic technology not available in the initial investigation and additional testimony implicating Patterson, such as his alleged admission of the murder to a friend. Lower courts ruled that Patterson murdered the victim, a complete stranger, in a horrifying method and for over 19 years did not show any repentance, shifting the blame onto his accomplice, Lee.Lee was said to have encouraged Patterson to “stab anybody” on the day of the murder. The court said that these two told friends afterward that they “stabbed someone for fun.”

But because the top court ruled Lee was not guilty because of a lack of evidence in 1999, he cannot be punished a second time.

“I still remember when the ‘not guilty’ verdict was announced 20 years ago,” said Lee Bok-su, the 75-year-old mother of Cho, who wept after the final ruling at the Supreme Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul. “At that time, my vision darkened but now that the culprit has been revealed, my heart is at ease thinking that any regrets that Jung-pil, up in heaven, may have are finally resolved.”

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Patterson ruling upheld for 1997 Itaewon murder

Break the cycle and get in shape with one of Korea’s most popular fitness crazes Story and Photos by Heather Allman

Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)

C OMMU NITY

How to… Survive g n i n n K-pop Spi

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right, flashing strobe lights. Boisterous, deafening K-pop music.

Frenzied, accelerating dance moves. Sweaty, dehydrating bodies. Sounds like the inside of a Korean night club, right? Maybe. In reality, however, this is an accurate (and possibly even lacking) description of unimaginably eccentric, high energy, high intensity, seizure inducing, K-pop spinning classes, which are currently circulating around Korea. The intensity of K-pop spinning is actually one of its greatest appeals. It is a motivational workout executed in a group setting where no cyclist is left behind. Rows of warriors on bikes fight hard to perform choreographed dance moves to catchy K-pop tunes while synchronously pedaling to the other side of an imaginary finish line. At first, K-pop spinning may seem intimidating and maybe even a bit aggressive, but once you’ve survived your first class, it will be impossible to stop going back.

The term “survival” may make you want to pump the brakes. Why would anyone choose to endure such indisputable torture?

Classes are offered at standalone spinning Well, in some alternate universe—the K-pop gyms as well. If there is a gym near you, then spinning universe—a combination of upbeat it is likely that there is a K-pop spin class. Class K-pop music, perfectly chiseled instructors, lengths vary, but tend to last from an unexplainable time contin40-60 minutes, with minimal uum where time never ends K-pop spinning breaks throughout. The classes yet somehow simultaneously classes use use a combination of constant speeds on by, unending caloric a combination of pedaling and fast-paced, choreburn, sweat, and determination, constant pedaling ographed dance moves to proare addictive. Not only is K-pop and fast-paced, vide the perfect cardiovascular spinning extremely difficult, it choreographed workout, with muscle strength is also a lot of fun and has been dance moves development over time. proven to be a valuable workout. to administer So, what does it take to surFor those who are not inclined to the perfect vive a K-pop spin class? You create a daily gym regimen, but cardiovascular don’t need many things, but desire an effective way to burn workout with importantly, you need an off those pesky samgyeopsal muscle strength most open mind. You can’t go into and soju calories, K-pop spindevelopment K-pop spinning expecting to ning might be just what you’re over time. come out an expert on the dance looking for. A single K-pop spin moves. You probably shouldn’t class is estimated to burn anyexpect to be able to breathe or walk afterwards where from 400-500 calories, and is consideither, but you should expect to enjoy yourered a low impact exercise. self. A lot. There is something immensely galMany gyms and fitness centers in Korea vanizing about completing a workout where offer K-pop spinning classes as part of their struggle is inevitable but so is amusement. As membership fee, or for an additional cost.

C OMMU NITY Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)

rounded by (mostly) Korean nationals. Okay, you might be able to do that, but will you also be able to leave afterwards feeling good about yourself? Finally, if the music, enjoyment, and cultural exploration are not enticing enough, one of the most important aspects of K-pop spinning is that it is genuinely a good workout routine. Western spinning classes tend to focus on caloric burn, and leg and glute strengthening. In addition, K-pop spinning tones the abs and arms through strategically choreographed dance moves, and is extremely effective at building muscle endurance while encouraging cardiovascular training.

K-pop spinning will not get any easier, but your body and mind will get stronger. You will learn the dance moves, and you will walk out feeling proud of yourself. Most days.

S Spinning tel 02-987-6565 add Ebor Building B1 31-157 Nogosan-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul website www.sspinning.com Star Kali Fitness Yeonhee Branch 02-3141-4477 Eunpyeong Branch 02-353-2399 Shinchon Branch 02-365-6999 Gusan Branch 02-387-7799 Hongje Branch 02.379.6399 add Seodaemun-gu, Yeonheo 82, Seoul website www.starkalifitness.co.kr WMC Fitness Club tel 063-251-5567 add 486-17, Songcheon dong, Deokjin-gu, Jeonju website www.wmcgym.com

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with any other exercise, appropriate attire and athletic shoes are necessary. Think: breathable clothing. A water bottle and sweat towel are not required, but come highly recommended.

K-pop spinning will make you sweat a lot, so it is essential to stay hydrated before, during, and after your workout.

While all K-pop spinning classrooms are different, there is uniformity to their design.

Rows of stationary cycles zig-zag throughout the room, leaving no space for anything but a set of keys, a water bottle, or an occasional fallen body. All of the bikes face one single cycle at the front of the room. This cycle holds more power than any other cycle in the entire gym.

This is the cycle that will tell you to pedal faster, yell louder, dance harder, and if you endure enough, let you take a quick water break. The walls are painted with bright colors, one with floor to ceiling mirrors. There are enough LED lights fastened to the ceiling to house a Saturday night disco, and the sound system at the front of the room could accommodate a small music festival.

Once you’ve chosen your cycle, make sure

you are comfortable with its settings. Be sure to adjust accordingly, and do not be afraid to ask for help. Typical classes begin with five minutes of instructor-led stretching, which focuses on everything from neck to arm muscles, incorporating full body stretches reminiscent of an odd variation of the downward dog. Once this has finished, get your mind in gear and get ready to face the music. With the main lights turned down, the LED lights and music turned up, it is now time to pedal…and dance. For the remainder of the class, you will perform everything from body rolls to broad arm movements to rapid head flips, all while pedaling. Though the first class may leave you convinced that you’ll never truly learn the moves, it only serves as further motivation to return and prove that you do, in fact, have a little bit of rhythm and a whole lot of conviction.

K-pop spinning offers many long term benefits to its participants. If a calorie burner isn’t the only thing you’re in pursuit of, here are a few other reasons to engage. First on the list: the music. One cannot go anywhere in Korea without hearing K-pop music. What better way to become familiar with the latest songs, some lyrics, and a few dance moves, than in a high stress, high energy environment? Secondly, K-pop spinning is incredibly fun. Have you ever heard the expression, “If you can’t laugh at yourself, who can?” In a K-pop spin class, you will have plenty of opportunities to laugh at yourself, while also kindly lending that opportunity to those around you. Hopefully, they’ll be too busy laughing at themselves to realize that you just did every single dance move completely backwards.

Thirdly, K-pop spinning is one of the most unique ways to grasp the handlebars and attempt to acclimatize yourself to Korean culture.

There is no other place in the world where you will be able to pedal and dance to K-pop music while sur-

C OMMU NITY Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)

Who is

a k i f i s a P Connect?

Find out how to connect in the Land of the Morning Calm

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Story and Photos by Theresa Tupuola

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Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)

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nations. As a result of months of organizing, hat do most people in Korea cultural performances and volunteers surfaced know about the South Paciffrom as far as Jeju Island, Busan, Daegu, Pohang, ic? It may be safe to assume Incheon and other regions outside of the central there has been very little exhub of Seoul. These volunteers represented the posure to authentic South Pacific music, food, islands of Tonga, Fiji, Samoa, The Cook Islands, culture, language, people, or history. However, Aotearoa (New Zealand), and Hawaii. The comover the last ten years there has been an influx mittee was able to establish corporate fundof expatriates originating from various South ing and received gracious contributions from Pacific islands who have called South Korea Pacific-affiliated businesses and groups such their second home. This community consists as the Kiwi Chamber of Commerce, The New mostly of English language teachers from New Zealand Embassy, Fiji Water, Bonnies Pub, The Zealand, Australia or the US, international stuHidden Cellar and JR Pub & Restaurant. This dents from Fiji and Papua New Guinea, and the would prove to be instrumental in the success many Pacific Islanders enlisted in the US Army. of the raffles and fundraising efforts for both Given the growing community, Theresa Tupuotheir sponsored charities. In collaboration with la, chairperson and founder of Pasifika Connect Hawaiian bar owner Troy Armado of JR Pub 2016, formerly known as Poly Connect Korea & Restaurant, a Pasifika-inspired (2015), formed a team of enthusiasmenu was developed to represent tic Kiwi-Polynesians who wanted authentic island cuisine, quite an to host a Pacific-themed event to The event was extraordinary delight to be served enable their community to showan opportunity up at an Itaewon establishment. case their cultures as an attempt to primarily to mend the diaspora gap they all expromote cultural Dishes such as oka i’a (raw fish), chop suey, kalua pork, Maori fry perience as overseas-based Pacifawareness of ic Islanders, so far removed from the intricate and bread, and baked fish in coconut their ocean homelands. diverse nations of cream all proved to be favorites on In fact, this community came the South Pacific. the night.

Remaining true to the prototogether on various occasions, cols of Maori culture, the event many years prior to the formabegan with a karanga (traditional welcoming) tion of Poly Connect Korea. Beginning back in performed by a Kapa Haka group made up of 2011 when a South Pacific fundraiser in ItaeNew Zealand-Korea residents led by Karley won was organized for earthquake victims in Hemopo, welcoming VIP guests including the Christchurch, New Zealand, and to celebrate New Zealand ambassador Clare Fearnley and Samoa’s 50 years of independence in 2012. her officers, as well as distinguished guests repThe 2015 committee consisted of New Zealand resenting the Fijian and Papua New Guinea emmembers Melissa Porter (English instructor, Sabassies. A thrilling haka was performed before moan) and Kayc Hilihetule (English instructor, the VIP guests were adorned with leis to begin Niuean), who collaborated to not only form an what was truly a beautiful celebration of Pacific organization that promoted cultural awareness, cultural dance and song. but also used their platform as a way to donate 100% of their funds back into the local community. With the high turnover of English teachers, Pasifika Connect Looking Forward Melissa Porter soon followed suit, returning to With the Pasifika events gaining more and Samoa after a 15-year stint in Korea. Her posimore attention each year, it has been requested tion was filled in 2016 by Karley Hemopo (Engby the growing number of attendees to continue lish instructor, Maori). The new team in 2016 with a yearly event. In 2017, the Pasifika Conexpanded their project by enlisting corporate nect group will look at hosting the event for a sponsors to help promote the Pasifika Connect third time this September in Seoul. As expats 2016 event as well as contribute to their two seleave and new ones arrive, it is a great opportulected charities, The Angel House Orphanage nity for Pacific Islanders living in Korea to eduand The Oak Tree Project. cate both Koreans and non-Koreans alike about their distant ocean homelands and their sacred traditions. It also serves as an avenue for those Pasifika Connect 2016 Pacific Islanders to reconnect with themselves The Pasifika Connect 2016 event was held at and express their cultural pride. Corporate JR Pub & Restaurant in Itaewon on September 3, sponsors will be asked to participate again, with 2016. The event was an opportunity primarily to the hope that the good will shown to the local promote cultural awareness of the intricate and Korean community will continue to promote fadiverse nations of the South Pacific. With many vorable and valued relations between Korea and Pacific-Island affiliated groups already estabPacific peoples. lished on Facebook, the committee began advertising the event and encouraging not only their Facebook www.facebook.com/ attendance but their participation in cultural groups/1060632533970642/ Contact PasifikaConnectKorea@gmail.com performances representing the diverse Pacific

C OMMU NITY Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)

Korean Language and Culture at your Keyboard

Seniors and Youth offer a win-win for both the older and younger generations Story by Liam Ring Photos by Seniors and Youth

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t’s creeping towards 2pm on a brisk earcabulary and phrases he has researched and ly January afternoon in Seongbuk-gu. committed to memory for today. “There’s no Chores done and coffee freshly brewed way I’m going to forget these words,” he says. means no interruptions The familiar ringtone anfor an hour of Korean conversanounces the incoming Skype SAY not only tion. Sitting at his kitchen table, call from, her profile explains, teaches language Dara prepares for his first lesson a middle-school teacher based as a tool to with Seniors and Youth (SAY). in Jinju. Over the next hour communicate but He thinks the topic of the lesson she will take him through inialso plays (selected from a list available for tial greetings, questions based a broader role; his level) will give him the best on the topic, a short grammar a chance to change focus, pronunciation practice, chance of practicing the gramthe prejudice mar he has chosen in advance. and a role play. With the lesabout another He checks the questions that will son plan window open alongculture through be used for the discussion and the side the video, following the talking. vocabulary he has prepared to allesson structure is easy for low him to interact fluently with both of them, and they are his new teacher. Tapping the notebook in front soon exchanging information and opinions on of him, he points out the list of relevant vothe stress of adolescence, which allows him to

practice past tenses. As a middle school veteran, one can only imagine how much knowledge his teacher must have on the topic.

You won’t have needed long in Korea to realise that the older generation’s experience and wisdom is no longer valued in traditional Confucian style. Being shuttled into retirement at an increasingly early age (the average retirement age in Korea now stands at 53), the traditional concepts of respecting the elderly is increasingly being pushed aside in favor of faster development and more work at a cheaper cost for companies. Electoral promises for pension reform have been downscaled or even ignored as politicians pay lip-service to acquiring the loyalty of the king-making elderly vote, but then do little to act on those promises once they attain power. Korean society is inexorably moving on, and the people that did so

C OMMU NITY Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)

just wish I had written more stuff down!” Best of all though was the convenience; a one-toone Korean lesson without getting up from the kitchen table.

Looking ahead, SAY hopes to continue to make a difference across nationalities, cultures and age-groups. Plus it’s about a lot more than just Korean language learning for all involved. Soonjung remembers well experiences like meeting someone of the Jewish faith for the first time. For her, it has been “a great pleasure to get to know a student’s culture that I may have misunderstood or didn’t know.” It also offers Korean seniors the chance to interact with a younger generation, passing on their own wisdom while, in Soonjung’s words, having “our [own] lives become more energized” through interacting with young people.

So if you are looking for a new Korean lesson experience at an affordable price, then SAY might just be for you. Whether your focus is grammar, vocabulary, natural speaking or listening, SAY offers the chance to develop your skills at home in a comfortable and patient environment. And all while helping make a tangible difference to a generation which still has plenty to offer.

More info 30-min Trial lessons for $15 60-min Lesson for $30 90-min Lesson for $45 All lessons are taught by trained teachers that either have their own Korean teaching license or have completed 20 hours or training with SAY and the curriculum is designed by expert Korean professors from Yonsei and Princeton university.

Packages are available in sets of 3, 5, 10 lessons that will be discounted at each level.

Check the website for current promotional offers with big discounts for new users.

SAY uses Skype, appear.in and Google Hangouts to bring 1:1 video chats into your own home at a time convenient for you. website www.seniorsandyouth.com

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much to build the foundations of this society – consider that South Korea’s GDP was similar to the North’s in the mid-1970s – are being left behind to idle at home, babysit, or in extreme cases sell chewing gum and collect plastic for recycling. What can be done to still utilise a resource that this country seems increasingly bent on ignoring?

In response to an obvious need to utilise such life skills, a program was started at a senior’s centre in Seoul to channel available skills into a worthwhile project. Aiding Korean language learners at Princeton and Yale, the initial short-term project was expanded due to strong Lesson plans demand into a four-semester are provided program. But could it go furfeaturing main ther? The SAY organization has lesson points, since expanded to assist Korean a grammar focus, language learners outside of the key vocabulary, Intermediate and Advanced ivory towers of American eduand dialogues levels offer a maximum ten lescation, offering gainful employto help with son package. ment to just a few of the approxpronunciation Upon purchasing a packimately 3 million unemployed practice. age, the student receives an retirees living in this country email outlining the schedule while also giving students the and lesson materials they will be using. Leschance to start learning Korean, or to develop son plans are provided featuring main lesson or hone their Korean skills. points, a grammar focus, key vocabulary and Back in Jinju, Soonjung utilises a small dialogues to help with pronunciation practice. whiteboard to write down any words that Role-plays also play a part in each lesson, with need clarification. Her involvement in SAY the student using language learned during the stemmed from the difficulties she saw mullesson to complete a real-life task with the SAY ti-national families encounter in her own instructor. These role-plays often form the teaching environment. This made her want to fundamental goal for a SAY lesson, building a branch out from her own background in home student’s fluency through conversation rather economics into Korean language teaching. than the typical focus on basic drills and limSAY, she believes, “not only teaches language ited practise common in many Korean classes. as a tool to communicate, but also plays a Back in Seongbuk-gu, the lesson is finbroader role; a chance to change the prejudice ished with a thank you and goodbye. Having about another culture through talking.” She is not had the experience of speaking one-toone of a number of SAY instructors who have one for that length of time before, Dara had inbeen working with the program since its initially found the idea of so much conversation ception in 2014. Being a teacher already, she quite daunting. “But after ten minutes I got into perhaps found the job training less challengit and I actually really enjoyed it.” The quesing than others, but with lessons designed by tions sent in advance allowed him to prepare staff at the prestigious Yonsei University, the for the topic, and the grammar exercises used design allows all staff to work and communireal-life practices which he found systematic, cate lessons effectively to their students. useful and enjoyable without being prosaic.

So how can you get started? The Seniors He nods his head as he looks at his notebook and Youth website is an easy-to-navigate site again, before throwing his hands in the air. “I that allows you to book lessons at three different levels. Starting from $8 dollars for a single lesson and ranging up to $130 dollars for a set of lessons in the Advanced category, there are also regular special offers such as the Chuseok and Seollal packages. For beginners (one year of study recommended), knowledge of the Korean alphabet is important to get you started and the level promises you the chance to apply everyday expressions to real-life situations over an 8-lesson package.

C OMMU NITY Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)

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Why You Need To Hang Out With Your Korean kers You’re missing a huge part of the culture Story and Photos by Steve Lemlek

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hate team building exercises. by 5:40pm, I would be there, wrapped in a I really do. In fact, as a perpetual, blanket, wrist-deep in a piping hot container although not too successful, “entrepreof fried chicken, watching Anthony Bourdain neur,” I thought I would never have to re-runs illegally streaming on YouTube. participate in them.

It’s not like I hated my co-workers. In acBut then I decided to teach in Korea. And tuality, I really liked them. Mrs. Moon, my as luck would have it, regular team building co-teacher, was a wonderful woman. She was dinners and drinking sessions with co-workfive feet of pure candor. We wasted almost ers is a sort of workplace obligation. If you’ve every afternoon walking around the campus, been employed here for more than two weeks, checking on our amateur garden of sweet pothen you’ve probably already experienced tatoes and cabbage, and chewing the fat about them. The Korean term is hoesik. You might life abroad. My other co-workers didn’t speak know them better as “those meetings where so much English, but I had great relationships Principal Lee feeds me three bottles of soju with all of them. and I wake up in a co-worker’s closet”... or perI just didn’t want to spend my evenings haps that’s just me. with them.

A few years ago, I taught at a public school I’m an American. If you were to meet me, in the Paju countryside, and at it’d be one of the most obvious least once a month, my co-teachaspects of my personality. As er would come to me to anBesides my subtle an American, I come with a lot nounce that the teachers wanted of baggage. Besides my subtle patriotism and to grab grub after class. And in patriotism and my unhealthy my unhealthy the least offending way possible, obsession with grilled meats, I’m obsession with I would always say no. I would an individualist. grilled meats, claim that I already had plans I don’t want to delve too I’m an to meet friends. Or that I had an deeply into the philosophical individualist. early dinner date with a madeaspects of the term, but rest asup lady. Really, I would say anysured, most Americans believe thing to weasel my way out of this contrived that their own interests are more important workplace bonding. than the interests of the group. At least, when I especially hated that they were always it comes to the smaller aspects of social interlast-minute affairs. My co-teacher always action. For example, if I were a university stuseemed to tell me at 4:40pm; twenty minutes dent, and all of my fellow classmates wanted before my trusty bus number 52 would arrive to have a post mid-term party, I would feel no to ferry me home. In those days, I dealt with obligation to join then. In fact, I’d probably hate high-octane middle school students. By the it. Who are these people? I have absolutely no end of the day, I would be all but burnt to the relation to them and I shouldn’t feel compelled core. I spent most of my work day in a trance, to develop a relationship with them. I would dreaming of my cozy studio apartment. And sooner strike up a conversation with the trio of nothing was as reassuring as knowing that bros tossing a frisbee on the quad than anyone

in any of my actual classes.

But that’s not the case in Korea.

In almost any social situation, Koreans are bound by a form of Confucian values. Whether they’re co-workers or classmates, Koreans follow a set hierarchy that forces them to be familiar. Not too familiar, of course. They’re not best friends with their bosses or co-workers, but they must participate in “friendly” events as an observance of those Confucian values.

If you don’t, you’re liable to become an office pariah.

It’s a little hard for Westerners to wrap their heads around this one. I know our best comparison, at least from my American life, would be a combination of team building exercises and workplace favoritism. In college, between skipping every morning class and downing shots of cheap bourbon, I worked at a pizzeria. I noticed the folks who were chummiest with the boss received the most benefits. They got the best shifts. They got to leave earlier more often than others. The boss liked them so they got cool perks.

Gazing at the Korean system through that lens, our comparison of workplace favoritism doesn’t really match-up well. If anything, that Western concept is an incredibly diluted version of its Korean counterpart.

As an individualist from America, I find myself in the best of these situations. My Korean co-workers, employers, friends, hyeong, and nunna all want to spend time with me.

They want to take me out, introduce me to new food and new places. At the same time, they have a general appreciation that my culture is different than theirs. That I feel uncomfortable, almost dreaded, by social events that I’m compelled to attend. Knowing that, my Korean friends and co-workers simply leave

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the opportunity to attend open to me. And realizing that I’m in a foreign country with its own system of social interaction, I try to take them up on their invitations more often than not. We’re meeting each other half way, in a sense.

One day while working in that Paju public school job, Mrs. Moon approached me. She seemed a bit frustrated, which was an emotion that usually followed a meeting with the principal. Apparently, I was being a terrible guest at my school. At this point, I was about seven months into my contract, and I had weaselled my way out of every dinner invitation.

Well, apparently the other staff members and even the head honcho of the school, Principal Kim, weren’t happy with me. My avoidance of the regular dinner and drinks was a massive sign of disrespect. So on this particular Thursday, at 4:40pm, they grabbed me by my collar and dragged me to a team building dinner.

And it was awesome.

They took me into the countryside, to a little restaurant famous for dumpling soup and squid bulgogi. I spent three hours shooting the breeze with all of my co-workers. We ran through 12 bottles of soju between the eight of us. Even though I didn’t speak great Korean, and they weren’t confident in their English, we got to know each other through good-will gestures.

From that day on, I went to most of the school outings. I genuinely tried to talk daily to all of my co-workers, even those who didn’t speak English at all. I sincerely enjoyed getting to know them. It was a much better way to experience the country than my usual Anthony Bourdain YouTube binges.

So I encourage you to do the same. I know after a long day of work, there’s almost anywhere you’d rather be, but you should spend more time with your co-workers. You’ll get to know them.

Their lives. Their families. Through them, you’ll gather a much broader appreciation for South Korea. And how could you return to your home country if you missed out on such a fundamental cultural experience? Think about this before saying no to the next invitation.

• Gentle & thorough care

i n s i g h t Edited by Emma Kalka (music@groovekorea.com)

The sounds of protest Decades after dictatorship, musicians still fight for the freedom of expression

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Story by Emma Kalka Photos by Alecia Janeiro, Clayton Jones, Steve Smith

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Edited by Emma Kalka (music@groovekorea.com)

i n s i g h t

i n s i g h t Edited by Emma Kalka (music@groovekorea.com)

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usic has always played a role in sociopolitical movements around the world, inspiring and uniting people. From songs protesting the Vietnam War to Irish rebel music, it’s always been there pushing movements forward.

South Korea is no different. Protest music and socially conscious music has a distinct history in the country, starting with folk singers in the 60s and 70s, leading to the protest song movement in the 80s and onward to today, with many artists performing every weekend at the impeachment protests in Gwanghwamun.

And along the way, the government has stepped in to try and silence them.

In the 70s, many songs were banned for seemingly arbitrary reasons. Up until the mid-

90s, artists would have to submit their work to the government for approval before it could be released. Even after the laws were changed, musicians still reported backlash for putting out music with anything that could be perceived as an anti-government message.

Now that news reports have confirmed the existence of a presidential blacklist of artists who have spoken out against the government, many are starting to draw parallels between President Park Geun-hye and her policies today and those of her father, the late Park Chung-hee, back in the 70s.

However, despite everything, Korean musicians have continued to fight and use their music to speak out. Whether it was snuffing the censorship board and illegally distributing music on cassette tapes, uploading a diss track or performing at a protest, artists have

continued to rebel.

The dark days of censorship and protest The long battle between music and the government exploded in the 1970s. At that time Park Chung-hee was in power and after changing the Constitution, he went after musicians and popular culture, banning many songs from being played or distributed in Korea.

Guitarist and singer Shin Dae-chul of Sinawe said his father, legendary singer Shin Joong-hyun, faced the brunt of the government’s campaign. After refusing to write a song glorifying Park, every single song he released was banned by the government in retribution. One called “Beautiful Woman,” was banned for decadence as it told the story of seeing a beautiful woman on the street and constantly looking at her. Another called “Lie,” was banned because it was thought the song was about the government. In reality, it was about two lovers telling each other not to lie.

“There were actually no standards. Just whatever they feel when they see the words – if it’s aggressive or violent – or they feel that the lyrics symbolize that [the singers] are attacking the government, then they just, they can’t publish it,” he said.

i n s i g h t Edited by Emma Kalka (music@groovekorea.com)

The way we overcome [it] is not depending on broadcasting too much, saying whatever we want to say and enjoying our life. If it works, we are lucky. If it doesn’t, we just do what we have to do. Music.

- Bassist Han Kyung-rok, Crying Nut

tion. Nothing. Park’s regime just didn’t want to see some things. They tried to control everyone,” he added.

After Park’s assassination in 1979, things didn’t get much better, though there was improvement. There was a new military dictator – Chun Doo-hwan – and many songs that were previously banned were now permissible. But censorship ran rampant throughout the entertainment industry.

Shin recalled having a man run up to him with scissors while on stage, declaring his band would have to cut their long hair before they could perform on TV. They ended up performing with their hair covered. After writing and recording Sinawe’s first album in 1986, he had to send it to the government censorship board for approval before it could be released.

It came back covered in notes about what he would have to change before it could be deemed acceptable.

The decade was also marked by violent, sometimes deadly protests calling for democracy. Police would throw tear gas at protesters.

Protesters would throw Molotov cocktails.

People were beaten or tortured while being interrogated by police. Some died. Most of the protesters were young college students.

“You can’t imagine our 80s protests. It was like a battle scene,” Shin said. “We were living in a dictatorship… So when we had pro-

tests in the 1980s, that was against the dictatorship. We were looking forward to having a real democratic society… It was a battle. It was violent.”

However, from the ashes that quite literally filled Jongro during protests rose the protest song movement, or norae undong, which created a new genre in the music scene – minjung gayo, which translates to “song of the people” in English.

The songs were simple and direct in order to make them easier for the masses to learn.

They were mostly written by noraepae – protest song clubs usually based at Korean universities – and then distributed by word of mouth or sometimes through illegal cassette tapes, according to the unpublished paper “The Song of the Multitude: Diversity of Styles in Modern Korean Protest Music” by Kim Pil-ho.

Singer Lee Sung-soo from band Harry Big Button was a member of such a group at Seoul National University in the late 80s. He said they were heavy, dark songs. Fighting songs.

“We were chanting on the streets and singing protest songs. It makes us show more anger against the government,” he said. “Very determined. Very emotional in the lyrics… very direct.”

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“If you go to a Muslim country, there are limits because of religious reasons. But in our case, it has nothing to do with culture or tradi-

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Minjung gayo became so popular that in early 1990, after the Constitution had been changed and democracy won, the second album by Nochatsa, a professional protest song group, was the longest running No. 1 on Korean charts.

Once the dust had settled and Korea began to embrace democracy after a decade of protests, things began to look better for the music community.

“After the 1990s, we changed our Constitution and everything was free,” recalled Shin Dae-chul. “And even musicians could express their feelings and emotions through music and we actually thought we were living in a democratic society. Everything looked cool and fine.”

Freer, but not completely free South Korea had become a democracy. Censorship laws were loosened in 1996, but still fairly strict in terms of broadcasting.

While artists could now release whatever they wanted without government permission, anything deemed too violent or sexually explicit or that contained curse words was banned from TV and radio.

However, even with this new freedom, some members of the music scene felt there were still repercussions. Jundoy, lead singer of punk band Lazybone, said that there used to be some sort of retaliation if a band or musician released a song that the government didn’t approve of.

“If someone releases something that is bad to the government, there is payback.

There used to be payback. Like no opportunity or they don’t ask you to come on their show,” he said.

And as media and investigators dug deeper into the current corruption scandal surrounding President Park and her confidante Choi Soon-sil, signs of the government once again meddling with the freedom of expression came to light.

News broke of a blacklist containing the names of 10,000 artists, musicians and other cultural figures who had at one point spoken out against the government, essentially blocking them from receiving government funding.

Many in the cultural field rely on this funding to be able to create and produce.

Beyond that, in January 2014 the government passed the Public Culture and Arts Industrial Development Act, which required all individuals and companies operating in the arts and culture fields to register with a government agency. They would also have to report on their work each year to this agency.

Whoever refused to register would not be able to work or perform in public.

Singer Shin Dae-chul felt suspicious about the law when it came out in 2014, however his

suspicions grew even more when he heard that the blacklist was supposedly started around the same time, although so far there has been no reported connection between the two. He said he refused to register.

“I was suspicious about this law before, but now I can [see] everything in one big picture. With the blacklist and this law legislated at the same time, they had a big plan. Park’s administration had a huge plan. So this law should be gone,” he said.

Despite the potential backlash, artists have continued to talk about tough topics in their music. Lee from Harry Big Button said it is something that he as a rock musician has never worried about.

There were actually no standards. Just whatever they feel when they see the words – if it’s aggressive or violent – or they feel that the lyrics symbolize that they (singers) are attacking the government, then they just, they can’t publish it.

- Singer Shin Dae-chul, Sinawe “I’m a person who could speak my opinions and express myself completely compared to just an ordinary kind of person in any kind of circumstances. That’s what artists do,” he said. He added that he believes the lowered visibility of musicians who carry political or social messages in their music today is not so much because of fear, but because the public isn’t interested.

“Most people only listen to music on the charts – music charts. The kind of song that contains messages never went onto the charts.

So that’s why people don’t know about other musicians that take part in that kind of issue,” he said.

Shin believes that many artists are actually still afraid of a backlash, though more so from fans than the government.

“Actually, lots of artists and musicians, they are afraid of speaking their own opinions in public because they might lose fans who have different opinions. A lot of them are really careful about what they say,” he said. “But I

think this is the time that we have to raise our voices and also act.”

Local band Phonebooth is one such group that has continually released songs that take on social issues. They started with the song “Time is Over” off their first album “The Way to Live On” in 2008, which talks about military service and the inequality and corruption that allows those born into privilege to avoid service.

Most recently, they tackled such topics as Sewol, the unfair dismissal of workers, loneliness and unfair work conditions on their last EP and current “Civitas Project.”

“There are many social problems that exist and there are people that are saddened by them, and most importantly, we are human beings with a conscience and dignity, so we cannot tolerate or overlook them,” said bassist Park Han, who writes most of the music for the band.

Park continued that as social animals, they cannot ignore the environment around them and how they are affected by it, which is why they as a band tend to talk about social issues through their music. Frontman Hong Kwang-sun added that it is important, but they shouldn’t go beyond the stories that they live.

Han Kyung-rok, bassist for rock band Crying Nut, said that the band has had some songs buried in the past even before they came out due to their bitter satire on society. But that hasn’t stopped them.

“The way we overcome [it] is not depending on broadcasting too much, saying whatever we want to say and enjoying our life. If it works, we are lucky. If it doesn’t, we just do what we have to do. Music,” he said.

Filling the streets with music As musicians and citizens took to the streets to protest strongman Park Chung-hee and the following dictators in the 70s and 80s, recently millions of Koreans took to the streets to protest Park’s daughter, President Park Geun-hye. Even though Park was impeached by the National Assembly on December 9, the protests continue with organizers saying they won’t stop until she steps down voluntarily or the Constitution Court upholds the impeachment.

Unlike the previous protests, these have been largely peaceful as rumors spread that Park Geun-hye could institute martial law should they get too violent, according to Shin Dae-chul.

However, much like the democracy protests, music has played a part. Many wellknown musicians – young and old – have taken part, through performances or just participating. Jundoy from Lazybone said individual members have attended. Both Phonebooth and Harry Big Button have performed,

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as have many others such as Crying Nut, Bulhandang Crew, Jerry.K, Street Guns, Yang Hee-eun, Lee Seung-hwan and more.

“Musicians are Korean citizens and it is natural that we took part in the protests as performers. I think we musicians also have the right to make a voice loudly against something wrong or unjust by the government,” said Han of Crying Nut. “The role of music in protest is a peaceful bridge of revolution. In this protest, men and women of all ages attended and music lit the candle brighter, bonded us together and soothed our exhausted shoulders.”

Even Shin Dae-chul took to the stage, performing his father’s famous song “아름다운 강 산” He said he was inspired to perform after seeing a group of Park Geun-hye supporters called Park Samho singing the song at a counter-rally on TV. The sight infuriated him.

“That was the song my father made against the government… and that dictator’s daughter’s supporters are singing that song, it doesn’t make sense,” he said. “I suggested to the protest organizers (via Facebook post) if you contact me, I can play. I can show what this song is really about and what it really sounds like.”

For rapper Jerry.K, performing in front of

the crowds was an amazing experience.

“Other than during an election or on social media, this was one of the few times where I can express a political opinion. Also, it has historical importance so I wanted to join at any time and just add to the number of protesters,” he said.

He believes that musicians are not obligated to speak out more than ordinary citizens. The function of an artist is to convert feelings and thoughts faced in daily life into an artistic form, he said, so if an artist is not inspired to express sociopolitical opinions, then there is no need.

“However, if you voice your opinion about a political issue as a sense of duty as if it is the sole purpose of an artist, I don’t think it is a good influence for people socially and aesthetically,” he said. “However, if you don’t express it even if you had plenty of inspiration and interest but due to other matters, it looks like [you are] a coward.”

Park from Phonebooth said that because so many social ills were being protested at the candlelight rallies, it was natural for them as a band to perform.

“I think our songs and our stories are necessary for this society and its people,” he said.

“Just as people are participating and mak-

ing their voices heard, we also wanted our voices to be heard,” chimed in band guitarist Lee Tae-woo. “When there was a special Sewol performance, I especially wanted to play ‘Flowers on the Waves’ [the band’s Sewol tribute song].”

Music for the people For ordinary citizens, the recent protests would not have been the same without music.

Student Suh Hee-seung said that he believes music is to protests as mortar is to a brick house – when the protesters sang together in Gwanghwamun, it brought a sense of unity.

“The power to connect people who have never seen each other before through music, this unique power of musicians and music was evident throughout the protests,” he said.

He continued that music reflects the identity of a generation and age and that musicians are to record the sentiments of that group or time and communicate those feelings and ideas. Although it may have varied, music has always been about communication. Music can communicate to the masses the message it hopes to convey, he said.

“You can understand the problems of a society by reading a book, but you can’t feel it; music can make you feel it,” he said.

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Just as people are participating and making their voices heard, we also wanted our voices to be heard - Guitarist Lee Tae-woo, Phonebooth For another student protester, Shin Woojin, while he prefers minjung gayo to other forms of protest music due to its unique history, music at the rallies didn’t affect him personally, though he admitted it had a positive affect overall.

“I think musicians releasing songs related to this movement and protest have helped people gather together and participate in the protests more joyfully,” he said.

He added that he felt it is important to have more music in Korea that covers a variety of topics, as many songs are illiberal in their topics. “I want more songs with diverse topics apart from love songs.”

Seeing the involvement of musicians at the protests gave hope to Seoul resident Jo Young-hoon, who said that music helps people relate to one another more easily. It represents their lives and could be a good way to express the current issue.

“I appreciate musicians who have beliefs and talk about it in public. In the end, your lyrics are about what you believe in your life, whether it’s about love or politics,” he said. “It is important to talk about their thoughts and to share. It can be controversial, but it can change or gather public opinions.”

But there is still a ways to go, according to Shin Dae-chul. “I want to play music freely, but these circumstances don’t allow me to. So I want to make everything right. Change it so that I can play music absolutely freely. Until then, I’m going to work on it,” he said.

“Currently in Korea we are facing things that we thought were in our past. They were gone long ago. But Park Geun-hye’s government recalled all our past memories. It’s time to raise musicians’ voices.”

Edited by Emma Kalka (music@groovekorea.com)

the other hand, had more of a festival feel with music, food trucks, and candles.

“I absolutely felt positive energy among over a million protesters and felt that our future is bright. And absolutely I was proud of being Korean at that moment,” she said.

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“In times of disparity, music has brought the Korean people together, helping them formulate a voice. The influence of music dealing with political topics will now grow in Korea, now that the people understand its potential.”

Not all songs were written specifically for the protests; however, they still brought people together. Another participant, Young H.K. Pae who is an education program director at the Asia Institute, said a number were just popular songs by well-known artists such as Girls’ Generation, Lee Seung-hwan, and Deulgukhwa.

But one that stood out to her specifically was a performance of “아침이슬” by folk singer Yang Hee-eun. It was originally released in 1971 and became popular among student protesters at the time. However, as with many songs at the time, it was later banned.

“After four decades, she sang the same song at the protest with over one million protesters. I am sure that it was probably [lead to a] fullness of the heart for her,” she said.

Pae was struck by the contrast between the current protests and those in the 80s. She was caught in the middle of a demonstration in 1987 in Busan which left her with terrifying images of police brutality and violence.

The candlelight vigils in Gwanghwamun, on

Korean Movie Preview Comebacks, family squabbles, and true life injustice Story by Gil Coombe Photos by HanCinema

Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)

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Three by

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A

nd so ends 2016, a year in which Koreans continued to turn out in force for local product, with (at the time of writing) 8 out of the top 10 films at the box office being Korean. Train to Busan lead the way (though the author still insists that the prequel Seoul Station is the better film, a view for which I have gained very few sympathetic ears), and there are even talks of a Hollywood remake for the subtitle adverse.

There was a bit of a blip in November and December as people understandably chose political demonstrations over cinematic entertainment, but overall it has been a bright year on the economic side of things for Korean cinema. The following February releases are hoping to keep the streak going.

Yes, Family Release date February Directed by Ma Dae-yoon Starring Lee Yo-won, Jeong Man-sik, Esom Distributed by Walt Disney Company Korea

The omnipresent character actor Jeong Mansik (The Tiger: An Old Hunter’s Tale, Inside Men, Veteran) takes the lead as the eldest of three siblings Seong-ho, an immature man lacking a respectable job. The eldest daughter Soo-kyeong, seemingly headstrong and confident, is played by Lee Yo-Won, who I first became aware of back at the turn of the century with the one-two punch of Attack the Gas

Retrial Release date February Directed by Kim Tae-yoon Starring Jung Woo, Kang Ha-neul, Lee Dong-hwi Distributed by Opus Pictures

Finally, we downshift to something a little more sobering, a film based on the true story of a teenage boy who confessed to the killing of a taxi driver in 2000 (known as the Yakchon Five-Way Intersection murder case) after being subjected to a violent interrogation at the hands

Station! and Take Care of My Cat. Rounding out the dysfunctional trio is Joo-mi (Esom, The Queen of Crime, Like for Likes); what Joo-mi loses in talent, she makes up for in beauty.

It is the sudden appearance of a fourth, much younger, sibling, Oh-nak (Jeong Juwon) that puts the family in a spin and forces them to work together to solve a mystery. Previously known by the English title The Youngest, this family-cen-

tered comedy marks the directorial debut of Ma Dae-yoon, who previously worked as an assistant director on Sword in the Moon.

There has been little buzz for this film, but with the actors involved, we should expect at least some sparky interaction and keen verbal sparring, something which is hinted at in the trailer. Also, don’t be surprised if there is a third act shift into melodrama, as the conditions seem ripe for this Korean comedy standard.

of the police. Jung Woo (The Himalayas, Bloody Tie) plays lawyer Lee Joon-young, who becomes aware of the case of Hyunwoo (Kang Ha-neul, Twenty, Like for Likes), a prisoner who has been locked away for 10 years for the killing of a taxi driver, insisting the whole time that he is innocent. Joon-young decides to put his energy into setting Hyun-woo free, which requires a significant amount of detective work and leads to a number of angry confrontations with those who would rather see the past

remain buried.The trailer promises the expected mix of dogged detective work, angry confrontations, and emotional outpourings.

Korean movies that depict real-life murders are not uncommon, and they can go either way: trenchant and observant (e.g., Memories of Murder, centered around the Hwaseong serial murders between 1986 and 1991) or go too far into fiction to manufacture a cinematic ending (e.g., Children, based on the Frog Boys case from 1991). This is only director Kim Tae-Yoon’s third film, with the previous two being a crime comedy (A Cruel Attendance) and a father-daughter drama (Another Family), both unseen by me, so it is difficult to judge which direction this will take. Time will tell.

Film fans - remember to check The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) website regularly for updates on English subtitled screenings of Korean films occurring in Seoul. www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/schedule/subtitMovie.jsp

ENTERTAINMENT

Twelve years ago, Welcome to Dongmakgol was an enormous hit, the genial war-comedy of sorts eventually ending up second in the yearly rankings, behind the box-office phenomenon The King and the Clown (but who talks about Lee Jun-gi anymore?).

At the time, one would have expected the tonal control evident in the film and its box office success to have catapulted its director Park Kwang-Hyun into the major leagues.

(Though, in this author’s opinion, No Comment, for which Park directed the “My Nike” vignette, is even better, and one of the best Korean comedies since the turn of the century.) But it is only now, a dozen of years

the real world to uncover the truth. The trailer is all action, with only a little of the expected comic relief injected at the end, so at the very least, this should be an entertaining time-waster.

However, Park is a very good director, and it will be very interesting to see whether his decade-long absence from the multiplex has had any affect on his strong command of nostalgia and character. The only note of caution is that the film finished filming over a year ago, though the long delay to its final release may be the result of all the special effects that were obviously needed for the film.

Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)

Release date February Directed by Park Kwang-Hyun Starring Ji Chang-wook, Shim Eun-kyung, Oh Jung-se Distributed by CJ Entertainment

later (and a dozen Hong Sang-soo movies later), that we are finally getting Park’s second feature film.

Judging from the trailer, it certainly looks like a departure from Dongmakgol.

Ji Chang-wook, who has primarily plied his trade to great effect on TV (Smile Again, Empress Ki, The K2), stars as Kwon Yoo, a master of virtual video games who (as is customary for an action thriller) is framed for a murder he didn’t commit. With the help of Yeo-Wool, played by Shim Eun-kyung, who had an incredibly busy 2016 with five features to her credit (including voicing the lead in Seoul Station), he needs to use his virtual skills in

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Fabricated City

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ENTERTAINMENT

Love

m u e s Mu Where Love Meets Art

Story by Ali Saleh Photos by The Korean Love Museum

ENTERTAINMENT

Superheroes and traditional European art are also generously sprinkled throughout the museum. Guests can ride on Lady Godiva's horse, join the Hulk in some heavy lifting, and find Spiderman in a cheeky display of swinging into action. Classic arcade games like whack-a-mole come with their own erotic twist and nods to some of the greats of art, like Salvador Dali and Van Gogh, are laid out within the galleries. The Love Museum is rife with sex, fun, and pop culture, both old and new, providing a quirky and full experience.

“The key is diversity, both in terms of content and presentation,” Khon says. “We combine these different elements to make a more rich and relatable viewing for our visitors.”

Guests can oversee the expansive evolution of human civilization, read their zodiac love horoscopes, and enjoy a number of comic-strip pieces framed throughout the museum. Outrageous bathrooms, hot springs, and overly excited food items are all squeezed into the steamy, tumultuous mess that is the Korean Love Museum.

“We want to keep the content fresh, so we update our exhibits every year,” Khon says.

“We have a team of artists and planners who come up with new ideas for artworks, select those that fit the Love Museum concept the most, and execute them.”

While it's not the biggest venue, guests were entering and re-entering galleries, finding that they needed two or three viewings to fully appreciate the amount of detail that went into each room. With a fairly affordable entrance fee, the Korean Love Museum makes for a great day out in Hongdae with friends or a significant other and is a must-see for anyone visiting Seoul.

Add B1 floor, Seogyo Plaza 20 Hongikro 3gil, Mapogu, Seoul Website lovemuseum.co.kr Email Love@lovemuseum.co.kr tel 02-3144-7740 Admission Fee KRW 8,000

Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)

to maintain its lighthearted and jovial tone.

Rather than allowing the chance for shifty eye contact to take place in between aloofly examining over-sexualized pieces, guests are instead invited to join in on and become a part of the fun. The tension surrounding the subject of sex is broken when visitors are brought into the erotic experience. To laugh at it and, ultimately, themselves. To undermine whatever predispositions they came with and allow them to interact freely with the subject of love and sex through the medium of art.

“The main idea behind Love Museum,” Khon says, “was to create a place where people can feel more honest and free about this subject. We want visitors to explore the topic of love and sex in a light and entertaining way.”

Khon isn't the only one who feels this way.

A 24-year-old nurse visiting the museum, who preferred to be unnamed, commented on the significance of the Love Museum as it relates to eroticism in Korea.

“Korea needs this at some point,” she says, “to show people that they can look at the subject of sex naturally, instead of keeping it hidden. If we can talk about the subject more openly, we can also learn more about it.”

She mentioned that she thinks high school students would benefit most from the visit, allowing for a fun and light transition into a subject they could soon face as they enter adulthood.

The museum also had an impressive range of subjects. The Chunhwa gallery presents a nice selection of traditional Korean erotic paintings, shedding light on a part of Korean history that may surprise the unknowing expat or tourist.

As stated in the gallery, “Chunhwa literally means a spring painting because spring is the season when everything blooms and is full of life.” Each of the Chunhwa paintings has a small paragraph describing the piece and its historical significance, bringing an educational element to the gallery.

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S

ince 2013, Trick Eye's addition of the Korean Love Museum has bemused its viewers by bringing works of art to life in a whimsical and sexy manner. The Love exhibit has the same frivolous touch and nuanced use of trompe-l'oeil as its sister, the Trick Eye Museum, only with the greater theme of love and eroticism to dictate the mood and pace of the gallery.

Located in the heart of Hongdae, the Love Museum finds itself in one of the busiest streets and areas of Seoul. It is a quiet, sensual safe-haven surrounded by a cacophony of food, shopping, and the youthful atmosphere that comes with the university area. At the bottom of the stairs from the main entrance, an overly excited superman awaits the exhibit's viewers on a bench. And to the left of the Man of Steel is the direct entrance to the museum.

The museum is divided into six galleries: Fun & Sexy, Femme Fatale, Chunhwa, Erotic Garden, Dream House, and Sex Life. Each room has a distinct theme and mood, with mediums ranging from portraits, sculptures, digital art, machine art, and games, among others.

The gallery itself is brimming with color; a vibrant, dynamic interior that spares no space in bringing its product together. Walls, floors, ceilings, and even artwork within artwork are all utilized throughout the museum. Viewers can go “backstage” with the pieces and immerse themselves in paintings and murals, both traditional and contemporary. Hands-on sculptures and cutouts allow the guests to not just become a part of the art, but to become the highlight of the piece.

“Each artwork presents the topic of love and sex as an unfinished story,” Evgeniya Khon, part of the Trick Eye marketing team”, says. “Visitors are invited to complete its narrative by literally becoming a part of the exhibit.”

This is one of the elements that allow the provocative and often explicit material

s t r a e H

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ENTERTAINMENT

A special place in their For the band I Wear* Experiment, Korea holds something dear Story by Emma Kalka Photos by Steve Smith

T

here’s just something about Korea that gets to people. More and more people have been coming back or prolonging their stays over the years.

It’s the same for Estonian band I Wear* Experiment who recently wrapped up a three-concert tour in Seoul and Busan. It’s their second trip here -- the first being in early October when they performed at Zandari Festa.

“Coming back to Korea, for me, it’s coming back home,” says drummer Mikk Simson. Bandmate Hando Jaksi echoed the sentiment, saying it’s an amazing feeling coming back.

“Write something in your bedroom in Estonia, which is like Mordor.

Cold and wet place. And then you come to the other side of the world and people understand what you do,” he says.

The three – including singer Johanna Eenma – believe it was their shows at Zandari that has opened so many doors for them recently. After playing, they signed a distribution deal with Leeway in Korea, set up a show in Tokyo, and even had opportunities come up in Europe, which they thought was slightly ironic.

“It’s really weird to think that we had to come to the other side of the world to make some things happen Europe,” Hando jokes.

And it also got them an invitation to come back by DoIndie, who arranged their shows at Freebird and Evan’s Lounge in Seoul and Vinyl Underground in Busan. The trio combine many elements to create their shows. They use live instruments with electronic music and enlist fullscale light displays to create a unique experience for the audience. Their first show in Korea at Freebird was a wave of sound, light and color that rolled through the venue.

They bring their own technicians with them and adapt their concept to fit any venue. While in the past they had to cancel shows at places that couldn’t accommodate their set-up, they said that now they can adapt to anything from a café to a stadium. Hando said that in the end, all they want to do is put on the best show possible.

It’s a concept that Mikk says they’ve had since they even started the band.

“When we were setting up stuff for the first rehearsal, we said if we’re going to do this, perform one day, we’re going to have the lights, we’re going to have that sound guy, because that’s the way we want to do it,” he explains.

“Because if you want to see a band, you want to see a show. It works better with the lights. You can lie all you want to yourself, but the lights matter. It makes it come alive. It looks more interesting,” he continues.

When it comes to creating music, it is the sound that inspires the most, according to Hando. Mikk calls him the main pilot when it comes to generating themes and ideas for the music.

ENTERTAINMENT Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)

- Hando Jaksi, guitarist and synthesizer

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We are really sitting in the studio and going into the deep pockets of our hearts and those places where it’s written, ‘Don’t go in there.’ We take it very seriously.

The things we write down are honest.

ENTERTAINMENT Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)

44 www.groovekorea.com February 2017

“He comes up with the ideas and we help to put ourselves a bit into it, and maybe change the parts we don’t like. Hando is the mastermind and we are the minions,” he jokes. “Johanna is the queen. She can override stuff.”

Which is why Hando jokes that he has gray hair. The guitarist says that, while the other two may hate it, synthesizers play into his inspiration a lot. For lyrics, he says that they don’t tell fake stories. What they say comes from the heart.

“We are really sitting in the studio and going into the deep pockets of our hearts and those places where it’s written, ‘Don’t go in there.’ We take it very seriously. The things we write down are honest,” he says.

Sounds inspire Johanna as well. In the small amount of free time they had, the group managed to visit Gyeongbokgung and watched the changing of the guard ceremony that included traditional Korean music.

“They played really, really beautiful traditional music. And I was blown away. Right now I want to go to the studio and find the sounds and to do … something like that. Something with that inspiration,” she says.

The band hasn’t been around for very long, starting in 2012. And in that short time, they’ve experienced a lot. Their second gig took place at the Tallinn Music Week in Estonia, which in and of itself was a massive feat

for a new band.

“Nobody plays South by Southwest as their second gig, you know,” Hando says, explaining the enormity of the show. From there, they met many delegates and were able to do a European tour and they have plans to do more this year.

Mikk says that everything has happened so quickly that they haven’t even really had much time to sit down and process it. He says that it’s still going quite fast, which Hando agrees. “Everything has happened very fast and there is always so much to do, so there hasn’t been a moment where I can sit down and go through all those moments and think, holy shit. Like, what has happened?” he says.

One of those moments was opening for British band Hurts in the spring of 2016. It was their first time playing in an arena in front of about 6,000 people. Hando says he was so shocked to see that many people that he messed up his part in the first chorus. About 20 minutes before taking the stage, he had peeked out and saw about 10 people. He was shocked during the set when the light guy put on full lights during the first song and he could see the arena packed.

“It was like the most embarrassing and the most awesome moment of the last year,” he laughs.

As for what the future holds, they are

planning to start work on their next album and already have about 10 to 20 song ideas, according to Hando. They are working on a show in Southeast Asia this summer and hope to do more touring and festivals, especially in Korea and Asia. They say they love everything from the food to soju, which was the first thing they had upon landing in Seoul.

“I think I would be really, really happy if we could just tour here,” Johanna said. “If we couldn’t play anywhere else in the world, just only in Asia, I would be cool with that.”

Mikk says when they left after Zandari, there were tears in the taxi and it took him about a week after returning to Estonia to get back to normal.

“We didn’t want to leave. Let’s stay... Let’s not go home for a month or two or a year. Let’s get the family here,” he says, generating laughter from the others.

“It’s weird cause after traveling, you feel energized when you go home. We were just depressed,” Johanna adds.

Mikk says that when they arrived in Seoul and were driving into the city, the whole group became noticeably happier.

“Everybody was like, even the technicians who were there, the sound guy is supposed to be the grumpiest occupation on the planet – they were happy. So it really, Seoul really has something special for us.”

Because if you want to see a band, you want to see a show. It works better with the lights. You can lie all you want to yourself, but the lights matter.

It makes it come alive. It looks more interesting.

Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)

ENTERTAINMENT

- Mikk Simson, drummer

ENTERTAINMENT Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)

Picking the mbie o Z Brain of n a e the Kor Local UFC star Chan Sung Jung makes his long awaited comeback Story by Rob Shelley Photos by Robert Michael Evans Translation by Brian Rhee

46 www.groovekorea.com February 2017

“O

h! It looks like Chan Sung Jung’s right shoulder separated after that last combination,” yells UFC commentator Brian Stann. It was the fourth round of the main event of UFC 163: Aldo vs Korean Zombie. Jose Aldo hadn’t been defeated in ten years and was one of the pound-for-pound greatest fighters in MMA history. Still is. Challenging him for the Featherweight title was “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung from Pohang, South Korea.

After a couple of slow, tentative rounds, the Korean Zombie was starting to open up. “I

could feel that he was breathing harder,” Chan said. “He was losing energy and getting weaker. The strategy was to wait for that and then start pouring it on once that happened.” It was an unusually thoughtful strategy for the Korean Zombie, known best for pushing forward and throwing looping hooks while absorbing any and all punishment coming back his way.

But Aldo is a killer whose one big weakness is running out of gas in the later rounds. Finally, it was Zombie’s chance to walk Aldo down and try to melt him with pressure.

(UFC Commentary during the fight) Mike Goldberg: Ninety seconds here on

the clock in the third and Jung has got to open up… And there he goes!

Brian Stann: He caught him!

Goldberg: Now Jung is starting to throw.

Stann: He landed a nice right uppercut there on the champ.

Chan Sung Jung is a fan favorite in the UFC for his fearless style of fighting. He made a big first impression fighting Leonard Garcia in World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) in what was called a top five best MMA fight of all time. He won the rematch at UFC Fight Night 24 where he submitted Garcia with a “twister,” a very unusual move where you twist the

ENTERTAINMENT Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)

determined to win.

"At the beginning everyone was against [my desire to fight professionally]. My parents, my family, everyone was against it. But when I was 23 and started fighting in bigger promotions and started making money and got on TV, then everyone was like 'Oh, we knew you'd succeed!'"

Zombie wasn’t bothered by the criticism or anxiety of his friends and family. He was going to do what he was going to do, and those who knew him well were probably used to that. The hardest part was struggling to work part-time while trying to become a professional fighter.

"After my first fight in the WEC, and I got my big bonus, that's when I started to realize that I could make a living at this. Up until then I had basically done anything you can do part-time. I worked at McDonald's, a bar, a beer place, delivering newspapers: I did pretty much anything to make ends meet."

Chan clawed his way through the ranks as one of the world’s most exciting fighters, got his shot at the title, and then suffered a legendary run of bad luck.

Mike Goldberg: Zombie started to turn it up a bit with his striking in the third, Brian.

Brian Stann: He got here, he got to this point to fight for the title with a go-for-broke style and he’s not done that so far. He needs to.

As Aldo started to gas, Chan finally started to push the pace. He landed some clean shots on Aldo and was swinging the momentum of the fight. Then he threw one of his winging right hooks that went behind Aldo’s

47 www.groovekorea.com February 2017

entire spine of your opponent, with just one second remaining in the round. It was the first twister submission in UFC history, won Submission of the Year, and is still regarded as one of the most impressive submissions in UFC history. He followed that up by facing Mark Hominick, who had just pushed Aldo to the limit in a title fight. Zombie knocked Hominick out in a UFC record 7 seconds. Then he finished off highly ranked Dustin Poirier with a d’arce choke, earning Fight of the Year and Submission of the Year honors for 2012.

Even after those impressive victories and a rapidly growing fanbase, Chan wasn’t prepared for what came next. He was selected to replace an injured Anthony Pettis in the main event title fight against Jose Aldo. “I thought [the UFC brass] were playing a joke on me. But fighting the champion was a thrill.” That was in 2012. Zombie hasn’t fought since.

Chan Sung Jung is so unique as a fighter partly because of his overwhelming plainess. That’s But it’s his what a zombie is, someone who’s fearlessness unconsciously acting like everyat receiving one else. Watching footage from punishment that his WEC days at the start of the makes him the Zombie. “I got the about what he does. There was decade, he looks much smallnickname from no “moment” when the Zombie er and more ordinary than his my teammates was born; he just always was. opponents. In competitive fightat Korean Top "I was young and I was weak ing, there’s strict weight classTeam. I wouldn't and I wanted to be tougher. I es. Some guys are tall and long, get knocked down. thought if I had a girlfriend I'd but slim. Others are short and I'd keep moving want to protect her. If someone stocky. Chan is short and slim. forward, keep talked smack to me I'd want to Watching those earlier fights, punching.” It’s like go defend myself. So that's reChan looks like a Korean office watching the slow ally how it started. When you're worker who got tricked into stalking zombies young you think that way. You stepping into the cage. from The Walking want to be a man."

“The thing that I hear most Dead.

But the thing is, most men often [from the general Korean don’t think that way. Especially public] is that I don't look like a not men who are naturally small and weak. fighter.”

Heroes think that way. He’s describing Steve It’s mesmerizing to watch this small KoreRogers in the first Captain America movie an man constantly push forward against bigbefore he took the super serum. I wanted to ger guys: His eyes wide open, never flinching. know the moment in his life when he knew Sure, he has skill with kickboxing. In his fights he was a fighter, but was no one epiphany for he generally dishes more punishment than he Zombie because somehow, deep down, he was receives. But it’s his fearlessness at receiving always a fighter. And because this isn’t a movpunishment that makes him the Zombie. “I got ie, he had to make his own strength. the nickname from my teammates at Korean His first instinct, as a small and weak Top Team. I wouldn't get knocked down. I'd teen, was to join martial arts to help correct his keep moving forward, keep punching.” It’s like weakness. But Taekwondo and Aikido weren’t watching the slow stalking zombies from The practical enough. Wanting something with reWalking Dead. al-world application, he sought out kickboxing.

But he’s not a zombie. In truth, the KoHe doesn’t really remember the process of derean Zombie embodies the spirit of Timothy ciding to take amatuer fights. It was just what Olyphant's characters in Deadwood and Jusone does. Only, it isn’t. How many Koreans tified — the modern day strong, silent type and expats study Taekwondo as a jumping off modelled after Clint Eastwood. And he doesn’t point to professional cage fights? It’s the rare realize how extraordinary this is. When asked few that even think of martial arts as a pracquestions about his toughness he kind of tical self-defense these days. And his matches gives plain, matter-of-fact answers because in the cage weren’t the only fights Zombie was he doesn’t think there’s anything incredible

ENTERTAINMENT Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)

48 www.groovekorea.com February 2017

Chan expected to be out for ten months, head and shoulders, which popped his own which is already horrible for an athlete enshoulder out of joint. The kinds of hooks that joying the best success of his career, but he had rocked previous opponents were starting was actually out for much longer. He suffered to put the champion in trouble had now cost another injury before his next fight and then, Zombie in the biggest fight of his career. If you like so many young Korean men before him, watch the replay, you can see Chan trying to he had to report for his compulsory military pop his shoulder back into place himself, but duty. Zombie spent about two years in the serAldo had seen what happened. vice, first through basic training (After the conclusion of the and then working at a governfight) I was young and ment community center while Brian Stann: “Wow, the chalI was weak and he rehabbed his injuries. In total, lenger separates his shoulder off I wanted to be Zombie lost three years of his a combination. Jose Aldo saw it tougher. I thought athletic prime. When you’re on immediately and was relentless if I had a girlfriend the cusp of greatness, that’s a diwith kicks to that shoulder… the I'd want to protect saster no matter how you look at Korean Zombie is in obvious, exher. If someone it. Unless, of course, you have to cruciating pain right now… talked smack to quiet determination of the KoreMike Goldberg: Well, an unme I'd want to go an Zombie. fortunate way for this fight to defend myself.

“Everyone thinks of [their end with the injury to the chalSo that's really Korean military service] differlenger Chan Sung Jung. The rehow it started. ently.

There's some who dread sult will stand as a fourth round When you're young it and don't want to go. There's finish for Jose Aldo. you think that way. some guys who go early and With his belt and legacy on You want to want to get it done with. the line in front of his fellow be a man.

For me, obviously it was a countrymen in Rio de Janeiro, - Chan Sung Jung burden, especially in relation to Aldo had no intention of playing my career. But now that I'm done the sportsman. He immediatewith it I feel relieved.” He says this with zero ly kicked Chan his in injured shoulder three trace of emotion or hesitation. It’s just a simple times, threw punches, and wrestled Chan to matter-of-fact. The only hint of regret I get, and the ground. Chan tried his best to recover but just the barest hint, is when I ask him about with the shoulder still out of joint, and now missing out on the UFC’s first and only visit under duress, he covered up until the fight to Seoul in November 2015, headlined by his was stopped. I asked if he thought Aldo had good friend Benson Henderson. committed some sort of faux pas in being so “I really, really wanted to fight at that event. ruthless, but Zombie answered with predictIt was something we had talked about a lot and able stoicism: “That's fighting. That's how it I had really been looking forward to and anticigoes. If somebody has a weakness you try to pating. But I'm sure they'll be back again and I'll expose it.”

have to look forward to next time.”

Finally, after all that, the Korean Zombie is making his return this Super Bowl weekend, in Houston, Texas, against Dennis “The Menace” Bermudez. Bermudez is ranked eighth in the featherweight division so a win for Zombie would be huge. “I was really glad that I was matched up with a top ten guy in my first fight back. That means that, if I win, I'm right back in the [title] mix.”

However, the timing of Zombie’s return coincides with a major crisis in the Korean political landscape that no one has been able to avoid: President Park Geun-hye and the massive protests to impeach her. Zombie knows hard times and he wants to tell the Korean people to be like him. To stand up again, to press forward.

“These days things have not been great in Korea. There have been a lot of hard times.

Win or lose, I'm going to try my best and I want to make the Korean people proud. I want to show the strength of the Korean spirit.”

And things are looking up for Zombie. At the beginning of 2017 he signed a lucrative contract with the sports management company Lourus, Co., Ltd. “I'm very happy to be working with them as well as Monster Group and I want to thank everyone for all the help and the strength that you've given me. [And] I'm going to put on an exciting fight so I hope a lot of people will watch it and enjoy.”

More Info The Korean Zombie’s next fight is against Dennis Bermudez at UFC Fight Night 104.

It’s Saturday, February 4th at 10pm EST; it’s Sunday, February 5th at noon in Korea.

You can watch the fight in Korea on UFC Fight Pass (subscription service), on SPOTV (Korean cable channel), or at The Upper Deck.

49 www.groovekorea.com February 2017

Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)

ENTERTAINMENT

ENTERTAINMENT Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)

50 www.groovekorea.com February 2017

Groove Korea Goes Art From Realism to Cubism Story and Photos by Barbara Bierbrauer

I

D'Orsay has a great collection of Impresf there a “must go” place this month, the sionists and Post-impressionists, and if you Seoul Art Center (SAC) is it. If you are are as much of a fan of them as sick of the icy winds, grey I am, you will not be disappointsky, empty streets, and De Lempicka ed: Renoir, Cezanne, Manet, Valcold offices, check out what the transforms lotton, and Bounard, they are all SAC is offering and see how art women from being here. The exhibition is crowned can give you an energy boost. an art object to with a fantastic masterpiece...but Start with the Musee d'Orbeing an artist I will not spoil it for you. say. The very first hall will make themselves When others go low (to the you unbutton your coat and lockers), we go high. The second take a deep breath - from works, floor accommodates a fantastic extension to placed there, bare naked ladies, comfortable, the d'Orsay exhibition. The greatest decorative warm, looking like cats who got the cream, artist in the world, Alfons Mucha, is representsignal the start of your excursion. SAC and ed by a selection that covers not only his own Musee d'Orsay have a great sense of humour work, but those pieces that bear his influence.

– placing the portrait of the Countess de Keller One of the most celebrated artists of his in a special place will give you a surprising time, the exhibition surprises by including a cold shower. If you survive her staring you number of Mucha’s less famous (but no less down without your self-esteem been damimpressive) works, especially his oil paintaged, you will be more receptive to the more ings. Have you ever asked yourself, what did formal part of the exhibition. an artist of his caliber draw as a kid – check Witness how the first Impressionist tenout the exhibition and you will not be disapdencies in French art affected Realism. Hint pointed.

– look for the stock exchange! And learn about Mucha was an absolute cash-cow in his the anti-Semitism hidden there. Move on time, improving the sales of everything he to the founder of the Barbizon School, Jeantouched – from newspapers to candy boxes François Millet. Let yourself be entertained to world-famous French champagne. But the and warmed by the opulence and the lusother side of his productivity, the beauty of art, ciousness of his landscapes, telling the stories should never be forgotten. of the august midday, the erotic young milkIf the floral playfulness of Mucha makes maids and the pleasance of the scenery. Have you weary, continue on to the third floor, a look at Marie Bashkitseff's work and apprewhere the Tamara Art Heritage in cooperaciate the humor and fun hidden there.

tion with YJ Communication present for the first time in Korea the breathtaking Tamara de Lempicka. The Art Deco and Soft Cubism artist, the Grande Dame of the Art Scene in the 20th century offers a completely different view of women and art. While Millet’s milkmaids and Mucha’s Four Season ladies please the eye, de Lempicka's women are courageous, bold, full of self-esteem and confidence – and there to make a statement. De Lempicka transforms women from being an art object to being an artist themselves.

The combination of the three exhibitions, which offer an almost perfect through-line from Realism and Classicism to Impressionism and Art Neuvea to Cubism, summarizes the development of the fine arts, their origin, and their influences. It offers a great opportunity to discover the wonderful world of art and is definitely worth a day trip.

Seoul Arts Center www.sac.or.kr/eng/ Musee d'Orsay until March 5, 2017.

Alfons Mucha until March 5, 2017.

Tamara de Lempicka until March 5, 2017.

The Hot Dog Gets Its Due

A world of hot dog indulgence in Sinsa-dong

52 www.groovekorea.com February 2017

Edited by Jordan Redmond (food@groovekorea.com)

FOOD & DRINK

Story by Jordan Redmond Photos by Peter Kim

that ethos in two other decadent monsters: the Pitbulldog, which is a spot-on chili cheese dog, no hokey "chili sauce" here; and the Pugdog, a bacon-swaddled number.

If these options aren't enough to scratch your hot dog itch, BAD Container offers a build-your-own option with sausage-andbread as your base starting at just 3,000 KRW. Coleslaw and beef chili can be combined for a Carolina Dog or bacon and guacamole for a Sonoran. Each day of the week offers up two different dogs available as combos with seasoned, thick-cut fries and a coffee for 9,000 KRW. Still short of a true Korean hot dog, BAD Container does an admirable job giving hot dogs their well-deserved spotlight.

Recommended dishes Bulldog cheesesteak hot dog (5,900 KRW), Pitbull chili cheese hot dog (6,900 KRW), Tosadog guacamole hot dog (7,900 KRW) Add Gangnam-gu, Sinsa-dong 566-18 Hours Monday-Sunday 11am-10pm

53 www.groovekorea.com February 2017

Edited by Jordan Redmond (food@groovekorea.com)

FOOD & DRINK

T

he humble hot dog. Best known as mystery meat trimmings stuffed into a tight-fitting casing, the hot dog is cursed to forever suffer the ignominy of the discomfort that we feel putting on a sweater just after the holidays. To add further insult, the hot dog's very name is a harsh misnomer dating back to the stigma given to frankfurters served by Germans in late 19th century NYC. At the time, Germans were known for consuming dog and thus the name stuck. Hot dogs are often sold cheaply in amounts mismatched to their buns, pushed aside on the grill to make room for the more illustrious burgers, and are doomed to always resemble a phallus. If hot dogs could post on Facebook, their emotional status would most likely always read "aggrieved".

Since hot dogs are often pushed to the margins as snack or junk food, they are in precisely the right place in our gastronomic pecking order to act as a canvas for cultural expression. The world over, hot dogs morph along geographical boundaries to fit the local tastes. Often served streetside and best consumed after alcoholic indulgence, hot dogs are an accurate a marker of place as any for exactly where one is standing at any given time on our pale blue dot. Chile has its completo, a dog topped with mountains of avocado, mayonnaise, sauerkraut, and a spicy pepper salsa.

In Sweden, they go for a more pig-in-a-blanket style, surrounding the sausage with mashed potatoes and shrimp salad. The regional hot dog variations of BAD Container's America are well-documentunofficial motto is ed, from New York to Chicago, "F*ck Health" and Carolina to Arizona, and even one can see that spark salty arguments between ethos in the next geographically-opposed propotwo best dogs, the nents. Ketchup or no ketchup?

Pitbulldog, which Be careful what you say. is a spot-on chili So, it's both surprising and hot dogs? It's a question that Bad cheese dog, confounding that Korea hasn't Container in Apgujeong seeks to no hokey "chili found a hot dog that properly answer with an all-star cast of hot sauce" here, and expresses its culture. Grilled dog variations. Looking to headthe Pugdog, kimchi, swiss, and mustard a perceived coming trend, the a bacon-swaddled off on a dog? Yes, please. Yet, hot owner here enlisted the help of a number. dogs in Korea are among some Korean who spent 15 years living of the most disrespected in the in New York and who does an world. Sure, there's that double-fried, french excellent job of representing American excess fry-studded behemoth; but as for a good itthrough a menu filled with decadent options. eration of sausage-on-a-bun? Hot dogs here The standout here (for the simple fact that the are too often served on stale bread, the sautoppings could basically be a meal all on their sage lukewarm, and covered with no less than own) is the Bulldog, basically a cheesesteak three sauces, a crescendo of disappointment dog. Like the name implies, this is a true gutprovided by the tortured, withered lettuce, buster, a landslide of steak and rich white whose presence somehow always manages to cheese covering the wiener. The Tosadog (all be a shock, residing under the dog. the hot dogs here are cheekily named after When there is a hole in the food market, kinds of canines) is another undisputed winKorea is usually pretty quick to fill it. Trends ner, topped with some top notch guacamole over the past few years read like a catalog of and fresh tomato salsa. BAD Container's unWestern junk food standards. So, why not official motto is "F*ck Health" and one can see

Kimbap Cheonguk: A Breakdown Korean food training wheels that you'll ride again and again

54 www.groovekorea.com February 2017

Edited by Jordan Redmond (food@groovekorea.com)

FOOD & DRINK

Story by Jason Newland Photos by Bryan Watkins

F

Luckily, Kimbap Cheonguk is always there ew places in South Korea are as for a single customer, but to the uninitiated ubiquitous as the jack of all trades the menu can frankly be intimidating with its Korean fast food restaurant Kimbap endless options of staple Korean foods.

Cheonguk. Every neighborhood in Kimbap Cheonguk’s menu varies from loSouth Korea has its own Kimbap Cheonguk cation to location, but every menu has staple nestled between groceries, laundries, elecsections featuring the cemented tronic stores, and cafes. Some Korean food choices that make are nice, even pristine on the It is almost entirely Kimbap Cheonguk what it is. The inside, and others are so old and possible to eat at menus are usually broken into the ran down they’re almost scary a Kimbap Cheonguk following sections: Korean rice to step foot into. Not unlike for an entire year rolls aka kimbap; Korean meals North America’s Waffle House, and have something or, as they say in Korean, siksa Kimbap Cheonguk is a 24-hour different every (shik-sa not sick-sa); and bunsik establishment that brings all visit, which is hard ( the u is long), which consist of types—businessmen looking to say about any noodle dishes, dumpling dishes, for a quick lunch, drivers on restaurant and rice cake dishes. These seca break, students wanting a tions encapsulate a whole world snack between classes, famiof Korean food experience, It is almost entirelies looking for a quick Korean meal, mothers ly possible to eat at a Kimbap Cheonguk for quickly picking up kimbap for an impromptu an entire year and have something different social gathering, and perhaps a foreigner lookevery visit, which is hard to say about any ing for a place where they can eat alone berestaurant—however, although it’ll never be cause as every visitor of South Korea eventuthe best versions of those food, it’ll be more ally learns many of South Korea’s restaurants than palatable and some locations will surexpect at least a party of two before they’ll prise even the snobbiest eaters with unexpectserve their precious food. It doesn’t matter if ed quality ingredients and superb dishes. As someone wants to eat Korean BBQ solo, trawith many franchises, so much depends on dition simply isn’t going to allow it to happen.

the location, managers, and staff of the particular location one slips into from whichever road they were travelling.

The first part of the Kimbap Cheonguk menu is kimbap, the restaurant’s namesake, and it is perhaps the best food with which to benchmark a Cheonguk. Various branches will have speciality kimbaps for grabs, but trying the most basic rolls are the best way to judge the quality of any location. The most standard kimbap is the wonjo kimbap: seaweed wrap, rice layer, egg, pickled radish, artificial crab, ham, and some spinach. This is the base that the other standards are built on. The others are chamchi, which is tuna; sogogi, which is beef; kimchi, which is obvious; cheese, it’s the basic roll with an American cheese slice; and yachae, which is (probably)

a vegetarian friendly kimbap. There are few things better than ordering a chamchi kimbap and being greeted by a dry seaweed wrap around a thin layer of rice stuffed with a heaping amount of tuna and perfectly cubed sticks of yellow pickled radish, ham, artificial crab, carrots, spinach, and eggs. If the area of the ingredients exceed the circumference of the rice, the eater has lucked into a very good Cheonguk and they should visit them often to compliment their exemplary kimbap rolls.

The second part of the menu, the siksa or simply "meal" part, includes a myriad of Korean soups (guks with a long “u”); and stews, or jiggae (gee-gay); a smattering selection of fried pork, chicken, and fish cutlets known as kasu; an array of rice bowls referred to as deopbap (deopbap, the “a” makes an “ah” sound); and bokkeumbaps, or fried rices. The best of the soups and stews include: kimchi jiggae, the standard of Korean stews; byo haejangguk, a la hangover soup, which is pork spine in oily red stew supposedly made of oxblood, a surefire cure for the too much soju blues; and sundubu (soon doo boo) jiggae, a tofu and meat stew packing an absurd amount of protein. The kasu section includes: don kasu, (the “o” is between a hard “o” and soft “o”), a fried pork cutlet; saengseon kasu, a fried fish cutlet; and chicken kasu, a simple fried chicken cutlet. The pork cutlet can come stuffed with various delights such as sweet potatoes or mozzarella cheese for diners so inclined. The go-to deopbap is jaeyuk deopbap. It’s a rice bowl topped with pork and vegetables stirfried in sweet and spicy Korean marinade. Finally, bokkeumbap or magical fried rice. Sure, someone could simply order fried rice, but when in Korea why not go for the kimchi fried rice? After all, it’s the superior choice.

The third and final section of the menu is bunsik: the dumpling, noodle, and rice cake dishes. These are great to share or to greedily eat alone. The two dumplings that exist at every Cheonguk chain are sogogi mandu (the “a” in mandu makes an “ah” sound), beef dumplings; and kimchi mandu, kimchi dumplings. They’re all steamed and the chain will give you at least six if not more. They’ll be cheaper than expected and more than enough for one person. Pro-tip: use a rice spoon to cut the dumpling into edible pieces before picking them up with chopsticks and dipping them into the provided soy sauce. The noodle dishes will include ramen, cheese topped ramen, egg topped ramen, jajangmyeon (which are Chinese noodles topped with a black bean sauce), and spaghetti. Pro-tip No. 2: Don’t order the spaghetti. Last but not least, the rice cake dish, ddeokbokki (duck-boke- ee), Korean rice cakes and fish cakes swimming in a red pool of thick spicy sweet ooze. Pro-tip No. 3: Get this to dip kimbap in, the red ddeokbokki sauce makes kimbap fly.

With this breakdown of a Kimbap Cheonguk menu, at least its basics, there’s no more reason to fear its seemingly endless options. The next time a hankering for Korean food comes on, drop into Kimbap Cheonguk and give it another go around, maybe try one of the oddball choices on the menu or mix and match to make synergetic food combinations. Kimbap Cheonguk should and can be a foodie’s playground. If nothing else, there’s no better option for trying an extensive range of Korean food.

Old Cap

56 www.groovekorea.com February 2017

Edited by Jordan Redmond (food@groovekorea.com)

FOOD & DRINK

A

Frying Nemo Story by Andy Hume Photos by Robert Michael Evans

in Sydney. Walking up the steps you enter s the foreign food options availa pleasingly kitschy interior which owes as able to hungry Seoul expats mulmuch to a classic American diner as it does to tiply, those of us from the more the Australian seaside. obscure corners of the globe ocThe menu focuses tightly on fish burgers, casionally regret that our own food fads don’t as well as a sharing platter and the classic fish find as much traction as the burgers and burand chips. Service is brisk and friendly, and ritos that can now be found around seemingEnglish is spoken; Kim reckons that just over ly every corner. One of the staples of British half his customers are foreigners, and Aussie life alike, the lack of including a healthy contingent good fish and chips in Seoul has All of which of regulars from the nearby mililong been a sore point for those means that while tary base. There’s a late-afternoon of us who prefer our seafood Old Cap may not happy hour to tempt you through dead and battered instead of quite fool you into the door, too, during which beers wriggling on a dish. believing that like Asahi and Hoegaarden (or, if Previous attempts to recyou’re sitting you’re a masochist, Victoria Bitreate the local “chippy” have watching the surf ter) are available for as little as foundered on the lack of interrolling in, 3,000 KRW per bottle. est from customers, leaving a it represents as The Old Cap burger comfortcouple of Itaewon pubs and the good a plate of fish ably exceeds expectations. The mighty Mix & Malt in Hyehwa and chips as you’ll inch-thick fish patty may not look as the only places to find this see in Korea for that photogenic, but sandwiched comfort food classic. Recently, the price. with just the right amount of lethowever, a couple of new estabtuce and tomato, as well as a bit of lishments have tried to bring a jalapeno and slivered cucumber, it tastes great. touch of Aussie sunshine to the churro-lined It’s a well balanced burger and certainly worth streets of Gyeongnidan. the asking price of 8,900 KRW. Old Cap, which opened in the summer of The fish and chips is similarly priced 2016, is the brainchild of Min Sun Kim, who at a keen 9,900 KRW, and like the burgers it developed his taste for fish and chips while represents good value for the price point. The serving it up to customers on Bondi Beach

fish is breaded rather than battered, and Brits hoping for cod or haddock will have to make do with Vietnamese pangasius (basa), which is the fish most commonly found in Aussie chippies. It arrives at the table perfectly cooked, moist on the inside and just a little crunchy on the outside, with a little saucer of lemon provided for those who like to douse their fish in citrus.

It’s said that in Australia, fish’n’chips is all about the fish, whereas in Britain it’s all about the chips. Whatever the truth of that, the chips at Old Cap are the same frozen chips you’ll find at most Sydney chippies; nothing to write home about, it must be said, but you get a good portion for your money and most will have no complaints. Purists may quibble, too, with the slightly-sweet tartar sauce which is served on the side.

All of which means that while Old Cap may not quite fool you into believing that you’re sitting watching the surf rolling in, it represents as good a plate of fish and chips as you’ll see in Korea for the price. If you’re missing the taste of home, this is a new cod on the block, so to speak, that’s worth checking out.

Add Yongsan-gu, Itaewon-dong 346-9, 3F Tel 02-790-0701 hours 11am - 9pm (last food order 8:30pm).

Closed Mondays.

The finest quality

Hookah

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[The YOUN ] a SHISHA oasis

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The Youn

in downtown Jongno

Weekdays 12pm-2am / Weekends 12pm-4am

02-725-5684

Insa-dong Jongno 2ga

Jong-gak station

5th fl., 84-1 Jongro 2ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul

1+1

ALL local beers 6-8pm

* Happy Hour

FOOD & DRINK Edited by Jordan Redmond (food@groovekorea.com)

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i r o M p o H

Shifts Craft Beer Culture South of the Han Seoul’s best brewpub plants its flag in Garosu-gil

Story by Rob Shelley Photos by Robert Michael Evans

Prices Beers range from KRW 6,500-8,500 although there are specials and there’s a “Mystery Beer” for KRW 6,000 Add 15 Dosan-daero 11-gil, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul Hours Mon-Thurs 5pm-midnight; Fri-Sat 5pm-1am; Sun 3pm-11pm tel 070-8888-4605 Web www.facebook.com/hopmori

FOOD & DRINK Edited by Jordan Redmond (food@groovekorea.com)

and specials. Troy just hosted Ray Daniels, the founder of the Cicerone program (the beer equivalent of a wine sommelier) for beer lovers who want to completely geek out. Hop Mori has held beer classes and homebrew events.

On February 11th, it’s hosting a bottle share, where beer geeks are invited to bring different craft beers to share and discuss: no corking fee! There’s live music on the second Saturday of every month featuring local Korean-American country singer Mimi Roh. Lately, there’s been a 90-minute all-you-can-drink special popping up on occasional weekends. And there’s also the holiday Festivus and St. Paddy’s Stout Day celebrations.

But although Hop Mori has all the beer geek credentials, casual customers shouldn’t be scared away. As Troy says, “At the end of the day, it's beer. People drink it because they like the flavor and it makes them happy. Everyone should remember that. Don't take life too seriously. Enjoy.”

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S

is the Mango Habanero IPA. This first batch ince its beginnings, the Korean craft has a great mango and hop front with an acbeer scene has centered around cessible, clean, and mild spiciness at the finItaewon. But no longer. Garosu-gil, a ish. Troy’s greatest talent is probably in makfashionable strip near Sinsa station ing fruit-based IPAs. “Before the whole orange in Gangnam, is now the best craft beer neighand fruit IPA thing caught on,” borhood in the country. A big part Troy explains, “I did [the Jeju of the reason is Hop Mori.

Before the whole Tangerine IPA] over five years Hop Mori (Korean for "Hop orange and fruit ago here. Since then you've got Head") opened last year, but this IPA thing caught all these orange and tangerine brewpub has really hit its stride on,” Troy explains, IPAs that have hit the market these past six months as owner “I did [the Jeju in the US.” Troy Zitzelsberger has finally been Tangerine IPA] Incredibly, Troy’s talent licensed to brew. Troy is famous over five years in making flavored stouts is in the brewing community as ago here. Since on par with his fruit IPAs. His the face of Reilly’s Taphouse, Kothen you've got Seoul Cream Stout, first availrea’s first premium taphouse, and all these orange able years ago at The Booth, for his early contributions to the and tangerine IPAs was always one of my favorite fledgling homebrewers communithat have hit the Korean beers. Now he’s begun ty. His Jeju Tangerine IPA was one market in the US. playing with it. He has been of the first local craft beers; but serving a Salted Caramel Stout now Troy finally has the opporthese past few months; and his Christmas seatunity to brew himself. “Enough was enough. sonal Hot Cocoa stout is a decadent treat for I wanted to be able to do whatever the hell I anyone with a sweet tooth, featuring winter wanted with the beer. Do new stuff, bring new spices and an abundance of dark chocolate beer styles. So that's when Hop Mori opened.” flavor. As a bonus treat, try one of the many Now Hop Mori serves some of Korea’s best unique flavored pretzels that are specifically beers: with five mainstays in the lineup and designed to pair with different beers. five rotating beers. The Jeju IPA is still there, Finally, Hop Mori is elevating Garosu-gil’s but now it uses Hallabong oranges. Then beer credentials by hosting some great events there’s the Seoul Stout, ODB American strong ale, SMaSH Pale Ale, and Hefe Latte. All are great, but the ODB and Hefe Latte deserve special mention. The ODB has a complex grain bill and is elegantly hopped for a great balance between sweet, bready flavors and bitter, fruity ones. The higher alcohol content is well concealed behind the flavor. The Hefe Latte was supposed to be your standard hefeweizen with espresso, but Troy liked the base beer so much he decided to keep it as is. It’s called Hefe “Latte” now, despite having no coffee in it, because it’s so smooth and full-bodied. It’s the only “ordinary” beer on the menu, but it’s perhaps my favorite example of the style in Korea.

The five rotating spots have thus far been highlighted by great seasonals. Troy did three pumpkin beers for Halloween and two great Christmas beers that are just finishing up now. But my favorite of all his beer right now

Dive into

i b l a g k l a D Three spots to best experience sweet-and-spicy chicken goodness

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Edited by Jordan Redmond (food@groovekorea.com)

FOOD & DRINK

Story by Jordan Redmond Photos by Peter Kim

D

These days, nearly every city in Korea will have some place, whether it be a hole or a palace, dishing out a reliably satisfying rendition of this dish, often with the more recent option of coating it all in gooey white cheese.

irectly translated, dalkgalbi means “chicken ribs”, a pretty unappetizing misnomer, but don’t be misled.

There will be no need to vacuum off minimal shreds of meat from a chicken’s brittle little ribs. Instead, dalkgalbi signifies a kind of marinated chicken, usually concurrently sweet and spicy, cooked one of two ways. One method, the more common preparation, is cook it up in a cheolpan, a steep-sided pan, along with a smattering of vegetables, almost always napa cabbage, sweet potato, sesame leaves, and green onion. Not to be forgotten is the rice cake or log-shaped tteok which should be allowed to pick up a nice char from the pan. The other way to enjoy dalkgalbi is called ssutbul-style. Basically, grilled chicken. The best places will use a wire-mesh screen over charcoal which imparts a homey smoked flavor to the chicken. Think how Kenny Rogers would like to have done it if he had opened his sadly failed chain of BBQ chicken restaurants in Korea.

Both styles serve a purpose. Cheolpan-style allows for decadent and necessary denouement of fried rice and cheese to be mixed in with your chicken scraps. Going ssutbul-style provides a grilled texture and more traditional Korean BBQ-style eating experience.

If dalkgalbi is a misnomer, tiny bones be damned, then just how did the linguistic misdirection occur?

The dish originates from the scenic Gangwon-do city of Chuncheon and, like most things delicious, sprung from necessity-born innovation. According to local lore, in the early 1960’s a restaurant at the time ran out of pork for their dwaejigalbi, so the owner scrambled around and scored some chicken. It was tossed with the same sweet and spicy marinade as the

FOOD & DRINK

pork, thrown on the grill, and the rest is history. Imagine if the first test case of this had tragically failed for whatever reason: A bout of food poisoning or if the dish just didn’t fit their taste. We would possibly be without dalkgalbi in the form that we have it today, necessitating some Bill & Ted space-time continuum tinkering.

Eventually, dalkgalbi caught fire popularity-wise. At first, it was a go-to anju or Korean drinking food and also attracted the soldiers who have traditionally been stationed around Chuncheon. Students, the eternal locators of value-for-money food, helped to popularize it, too. These days, nearly every city in Korea will have some place, whether it be a hole or a palace, dishing out a reliably satisfying rendition of this dish, often with the more recent option of coating it all in gooey white cheese. As far as finding good dalkgalbi, it’s really hard to go wrong but here are a few destinations in Seoul where one can best enjoy this everyman food.

Add Gangnam-gu, Bongeunsa-ro 4-gil 37 1F

Ssutbul-style Tucked away in the very southern end of what can be considered Seoul is Cham-namu Ssutbul Dalkgalbi. A squat one-story building sits comfortably amongst other structures of a similar height, creating a scene and serenity not unlike Haussmann’s Paris. Once inside, scrawled celebrity autographs and decades worth of Bears baseball memorabilia colonize the wall space belying the restaurant’s relative old maid status. Having been opened all the way back in 1995, the worn interior tells a story of lots of late nights and the certainty of more to come. The menu is as simple as it gets. There’s only one option for dalkgalbi. Having ordered that, a satisfactory portion for two will arrive at the table having been pre-grilled to the point of being cooked enough so that you don’t poison yourself. However, it’s necessary to wait on the kind ajumma to flip the chicken pieces over the kindling charcoal until the skin achieves the necessary firmness, right at the point where it almost willfully separates itself from the meat. Accoutrements are also minimal as if to say “focus on the chicken, you numbskull”.

The cabbage can be used to cradle the chicken pieces but using the scarlet paste is a must as it’s more pungent and twangy than any store-bought equivalent. Also, make sure to throw some garlic on the grill. Meals can be accompanied by or rounded off with another Chuncheon specialty, makguksu or chilled buckwheat noodles.

Add Seocho-gu, Dongsan-ro 6-gil 37 Sewon Bldg.

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Jang-in Dalkgalbi is a well-run franchise located in the heart of Gangnam halfway between Gangnam and Sinnonhyeon Stations, a trendy dining-and-drinking destination for younger Koreans that also boasts spots dedicated to cheesesteaks, patty melts, and NY pizza. Not a recognized style as much as a quantifiable feeling, Jang-in Dalkgalbi’s variation is laser-targeted for the tastes of a generation raised on big flavors, food for those who are used to abundant cheese, spice, and salt in their food.

The interior of the restaurant hues towards more Scandinavian design of crisp blue and white and contrasts sharply with the greasy, slippery floors and stained walls of some of Chuncheon’s dalkgalbi institutions. The dalkgalbi here is presented in three distinct strips in the cheolpan. Two outer columns consist of almost equal amounts of fiery chicken, ramyeon noodles and mini-sausages all of which are separated by a bubbling middle section of white cheese. If dalkgalbi was a nation, this would be its flag. Soju should be ordered along with the meal as it will be necessary to quell the considerable heat. Dragging everything through the cheese strip is also requisite. Here, the aforementioned denouement should be attempted. After finishing off precisely 75% of what is in the pan, bokkeumbap or fried rice, should be called for. After about five eternal minutes, the pan will return with your food remains having been tossed with rice but more waiting is required for the bottom of the mixture to become crispy over the flame. If your stomach is full before this portion of the meal, you have failed the dalkgalbi experience.

Edited by Jordan Redmond (food@groovekorea.com)

Gangnam-style

Edited by Jordan Redmond (food@groovekorea.com)

FOOD & DRINK

Two bowls of cheese will come, white and orange, that cause one to wrestle with the bleak possibility that it may not be possible to save room for bokkeumbap.

Cheolpan-style Shin Mi-kyung Hongdae Dalkgalbi offers the most base and therefore the truest dalkgalbi experience of the three restaurants listed here. Portions are large, the interior is pleasantly grimy, and the cheese is provided in excess. Perched awkwardly on the second floor and over-looking Hongdae’s always crawling “Food Alley,” this place is your go-to at the end of a typically alcohol-saturated night in Seoul’s most vibrant nightlife district.

The cavernous L-shaped dining room has other side-warrens where one can imagine soju flowing from glass to mouth like a Boomerang-style video, the action repeated eternally or until someone falls out. The waitresses, possibly exchange students from eastern Europe, will come by and drop a dollop of jeon mixture into the cheolpan while the main dish is being prepared. Two bowls of cheese will come, white and orange, that cause one to wrestle with the bleak possibility that it may not be possible to save room for bokkeumbap. The cheese will bubble, tauntingly, and the chicken will continue to be dipped into the gooey body of dairy and then spun to get rid of any cheese strings. A corner table is the best seat in the house where one can look down and see past and future versions of themselves cavorting towards their own night-ending dalkgalbi experience.

Add Mapo-gu, Hongik-ro 3-gil 32 2F

LISTIN G S Edited by Sean Choi (sean@groovekorea.com)

HOTELS & RESORTS

EMERGENCY MEDICAL CENTERS

FAMILY & KIDS

American Embassy (02) 397-4114 • 188 Sejong-daero, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Novotel Ambassador Gangnam (02) 567-1101 • 603 Yeoksam 1-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

Seoul Samsung Hospital 1599-3114 • 50 Irwon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

Canadian Embassy (02) 3783-6000 • (613) 996-8885 (Emergency Operations Center) Jeongdonggil (Jeong-dong) 21, Jung-gu, Seoul

Grand Hilton Seoul (02) 3216-5656 • 353 Yeonhui-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul

Asan Medical Center 1688-7575 • 88 Olympic-ro 43-gil, Songpa-gu, Seoul

Somerset Palace Seoul (02) 6730-8888 • 85 Susong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center (053) 250-7167 (7177 / 7187) • 56 Dalseong-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu

EMBASSIES

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, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul

HOTELS & RESORTS

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Banyan Tree Club & Spa Seoul (02) 2250-8080 • San 5-5, Jangchung-dong 2-ga Jung-gu, Seoul

Park Hyatt Seoul (02) 2016-1234 • 606 Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, 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

Airlines Korean Air 1588-2001 Asiana Airlines 1588-8000 Lufthansa (02) 2019-0180 Garuda Indonesia (02) 773-2092 • garuda-indonesia.co.kr

EMERGENCY MEDICAL CENTERS Jeju Air 1599-1500 Gangnam St-Mary’s Hospital 1588-1511 • 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul

T’way Air 1688-8686

Yonsei Severance Hospital (Sinchon) (02) 2227-7777 • 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul

British Airways (02) 774-5511

Seoul National University Hospital 1339 • 28-2 Yeongeon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Delta Airlines (02) 754-1921

Jin Air 1600-6200

Yongsan Intl. School (02) 797-5104 • San 10-213 Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul Seoul Intl. School (031) 750-1200 • 388-14 Bokjeong-dong, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do Branksome Hall Asia (02) 6456-8405 • Daejung-eup, Seogipo-si, Jeju Island Daegu Intl. School (053) 980-2100 • 1555 Bongmu-dong, Dong-gu, Daegu

Dulwich College Seoul Dulwich College Seoul offers an exemplary British-style international education (including IGCSE and IBDP) for over 600 expatriate students aged 2 to 18 from over 40 different countries.

6 Sinbanpo-ro 15-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, Korea. www.dulwich-seoul.kr admissions@dulwich-seoul.kr 02-3015-8500

Cathay Pacific Airways (02) 311-2700

Emirates Airlines (02) 2022-8400

D ETUR

PO NS MU

NDO

HEALTH 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

Animal hospitals

AMUSEMENT PARKS

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.

Lotte World (02) 411-2000 0 • 240 Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu, Seoul Pororo Park (D-Cube city) 1661-6340 • 360-51 Sindorim-dong, Guro-gu, Seoul Children’s Grand Park (zoo) (02) 450-9311 • 216 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul Seoul Zoo (02) 500-7338 • 159-1 Makgye-dong, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do BOOKSTORES 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.

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

HEALTH 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 FITNESS Exxl Fitness Gangnam Finance Center, 737 Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul • www.exxl.co.kr

UROLOGY & OB Sewum Urology (02) 3482-8575 • 10th fl., Dongil bldg., 429 Gangnam-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul Tower Urology (02) 2277-6699 • 5th fl. 119 Jongno 3-ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul DENTAL CLINIC Boston Dental Clinic General dentistry / Periodontics / Orthodontics (02) 3482-0028 • 92-12 5F, Banpo 4-dong (Seorae French Village), Seocho-gu, Seoul

MUSEUM & GALLERIES

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, Jongno-gu, 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, Jung-gu, Seoul 10 a.m.-6 p. m. Closed on Mondays.

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul (MMCA SEOUL) (02) 3701-9500 • 30 Samcheong-ro, Sogyeok-dong, 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 & Joy Trained at Toni & Guy and Vidal Sassoon Academy in UK Color, Perm, Magic Straight, Treatment and more English Spoken For more info, call Johnny Tel 02.363.4253 Mobile 010.5586.0243 3rd fl. 168-3 Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu Hair & Joy

www.hairandjoy.com

Lotte Cinema Samsung Plaza

Qunohair Gangnam / Apgujeong Branch Tel 02.549.0335 10-6, Dosan-daero 45-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul www.qunohair.com

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

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

Hongik Univ. Station

Line #2

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