Copy Editor Dr. David E. Shaffer, Catherine Sasmita, David Richter
Layout Editor Lee Hwadahm
Online Editor Lee Hwadahm
The Gwangju News is the first English monthly magazine for the general public in Korea, first published in 2001. Each monthly issue covers local and regional issues, with a focus on the roles and activities of the international residents and local Englishspeaking communities.
The Gwangju News is published by the Gwangju International Center: Jungang-ro 196-beon-gil 5 (Geumnam-ro 3-ga), Dong-gu, Gwangju 61475, South Korea
Tel: (+82)-62-226-2733 Fax: (+82)-62-226-2731
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From the Editor
With a mist-filled breeze moving in through the window after a summer rain, I sit at my computer penning this message to introduce our latest issue of the Gwangju News. Just as Korea’s rainy season brings with it a freshness in the air, it is our hope that this July issue brings a renewed freshness to your monthly reading pursuits.
That same mist floats over Gwangju’s Gwangcheon-dong area, which has been in the news recently as the setting of a gripping post-May 18 documentary, Gwangcheon-dong – Mr. Kim. Read in our cover feature the impressions of the American University professor and film critic who came to this locale to absorb May 18 landmarks and institutions and view the debut of the movie.
In another July feature, we introduce “Another Type of Travel: To Cinema Locations” in Gwangju, near Gwangju, and at more distant venues, where you can transform going to the movies into a full-day excursion – and without hurting your pocketbook.
You’ve probably heard of Gwangju Democracy Forum, but have you heard of its younger counterpart, the Gwangju Youth Democracy Forum (Y-GDF)? It is international in scope, and one of our regular article writers was there to attend and report on the two-day event as our third feature in this issue (see “A Call to Civic Duty”).
Another recently-held Gwangju event that was international in scope was Gwangju Together Day 2024. This event was designed “to create a social environment for citizens and foreigners in Korea to live together while respecting each other’s cultures and traditions.” Read our report on the multitude of activities at this year’s assemblage.
When we think of art, we commonly think of acrylic paints on canvas – but not artist Kim Juyon. She does installations that sprout plant life! [See People in the Arts.] Read about the connection between cuisine and home [Soul-Baring Bowls], and read about three different “I” cuisine restaurants in Gwangju –Indian, Indonesian, and Italian [What to Do in Gwangju].
Email: gwangjunews@gic.or.kr gwangjunews
Registration No. 광주광역시 라. 00145 (ISSN 2093-5315)
Registration Date: February 22, 2010
Printed by Jieum 지음 (+82)-62-672-2566
For volunteering and article submission inquiries, please contact the editor at gwangjunews@gic.or.kr
Special thanks to Gwangju City and all of our sponsors.
Check out “Ultimate,” frisbee, that is. Find out what music is dropping this month [Top of the Drop]. And learn “How Languages Are (and Aren’t) Learned.”
We hope you enjoy this month’s issue of the Gwangju News!
David E. Shaffer
Editor-in-Chief
Gwangju News
※ Erratum: June 2024, p. 12, "2012" should be "2021."
Gwangju & South Jeolla
This photo captures a stunning summer sunset view from a local park. It showcases gorgeous pink and orange hues in the sky reflected on the water, a concrete bridge, and a few high-rises on the horizon.
The overall scene is a beautiful blend of urban life and natural beauty, typical of a summer evening in Gwangju.
The Photographer
Yousra Feriel Drioua is an Algerian Global Korea Scholarship awardee currently residing in South Korea and majoring in media communication and journalism. She loves writing, coffee, and intriguing conversations. She wishes to become someone useful to society and others. Instagram: @myyigli
Gwangju City News
July 14 Is North Korean Defectors’ Day
This year, the government has established July 14 as an official anniversary day: North Korean Defectors’ Day. To celebrate the day, Gwangju City will also hold an event at City Hall to observe the new annicersary day on July 10. The North Korean Defectors' Day falls on the 14th, but the event at City Hall will take place on the 10th.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Gwangju City Hall on Wednesday, July 10. It will feature various activities. As an event to promote North Korean food, there will be a North Korean cold noodle tasting experience. The day will also include exhibitions and sales of handicrafts made by North Korean defectors and products from the companies they run as well as various performances and talent shows.
Meanwhile, the government has designated North Korean Defectors’ Day as a national anniversary with the aim of embracing North Korean defectors and fostering integrated cultural exchanges between South Korean and former North Korean residents. July 14 marks the initial enforcement of laws supporting the protection and settlement of North Korean defectors, thus establishing July 14 as North Korean Defectors’ Day in commemoration of this significant date.
Dalbit Children’s Hospital No. 2 Designated
To strengthen the child safety medical system, Gwangju City has designated Gwangju Central Hospital in Gwangsan-gu as Dalbit Children’s Hospital No. 2 following Gwangju Christian Hospital in Nam-gu as No. 1.
Dalbit Children’s Hospital is a medical institution that provides specialized pediatric care for minor illnesses in a comfortable environment close to home, at a lower cost than emergency rooms. Starting on June 28, Gwangju Central Hospital will operate as Gwangju’s Dalbit Children’s Hospital No. 2, providing specialized pediatric care 365 days a year through 2026.
Furthermore, Gwangju has designated Shinchang Deahyeong Pharmacy (신창대형약국) as a partner pharmacy, allowing prescriptions to be filled late
into the night. The pharmacy is located on the 1st floor of 70 Sinchang-ro, Gwangsan-gu.
Meanwhile, Dalbit Children’s Hospital No. 1 is at Kwangju Christian Hospital, located in Nam-gu.
Kwangju Christian Hospital (No.1)
Operating Dates/Time: 6:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. on weekdays, 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 a.m. on Saturdays, (break times 12:00 - 02:00 p.m. / 5:30 - 6: 30 p.m.) 10:00 - 12:00 a.m. on Sundays and public holidays. (break times same as Saturday.)
Operating Dates/Time: 6:00 – 11:00 p.m. on weekdays, 09:00 a.m. - 09:00 p.m. on Saturdays, 09:00 a.m. - 06:00 p.m. on Sunday and public holidays.
Address: 6 Suwan-ro, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju.
Phone: 062-376-7052
Bicycle Insurance Policy for Buk-gu and Gwangsan-gu
Buk-gu
• Guarantee Period: June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025 (1 year)
• Insured Individuals: All residents registered in Buk-gu (including foreign residents)
• Enrollment Procedure: Automatic enrollment for all residents of Buk-gu (no separate enrollment procedure required)
• Insurance Guarantee: Death, permanent disability, diagnostic fees, hospitalization fees, fines, attorney fees, and accident processing support for traffic accidents.
For more information: Construction Division (062-410-6777)
Gwangsan-gu
• Guarantee Period: June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2025 (1 year)
• Enrollment Procedure: Download the form from Gwangsan-gu’s website and submit directly to the insurance company for claims.
• Insurance Guarantee: Bicycle, death in personal mobility device (PM) accident, permanent disability, diagnostic fees, hospitalization fees, and fines
For more information: DB Insurance (1899-7751)
City Hall Opens as Space for Citizens
Gwangju City Hall has been revitalized as a public space freely accessible to its citizens. Departing from its traditional role as merely an administrative hub, City Hall has transformed itself into a people-friendly space where citizens can relax, engage in community activities, and participate in cultural events.
On the first floor of Gwangju City Hall, multipurpose areas, a stepped relaxation space, and an eco-friendly automatic café have been installed. Additionally, outside amenities include a rose tunnel, resting areas, and a photo zone.
Now open to citizens both inside and out, it is anticipated that City Hall will evolve into a citizen-centered space in the future.
• Insured Individuals: All residents registered in Gwangsan-gu (including foreign residents) Summaries and translations by Lee Hwadahm.
Gwangju Storytelling in the Jeonju Film Festival
By Patricia Aufderheide
At the 2024 Jeonju International Film Festival, where I had the privilege of reporting as a journalist (my article is at https://filmmakermagazine.com/125959jeonju-international-film-festival-2024/), the challenge of recovering memory – or even of acknowledging when memory has been lost or suppressed – was everywhere. There were documentaries about Jeju 4.3, about hidden histories of women who suffered domestic abuse, about colonial-era Korean tweens who were
seized to work in prison-like Japanese textile factories, about Zainichi women living out their last years in Japan but still dreaming of Korea.
And there was a memorable documentary, Gwangcheon-dong – Mr. Kim, about a hidden history of post-5.18 Gwangju – hidden, at least, to Gwangju outsiders like myself. Kim Hwangyeong, a media artist and co-director with his friend, the local KBC documentarian Park Dong-hee, decides to take up residence in an
1 & 2. Views of the Gwangcheom Citizen Apartment. 3. Filming of the documentary.
apartment complex in Gwangju that is about to be demolished. This complex has a distinguished history. Poor, internal refugees who dreamed of grassroots democracy made it a communal project, and the Deulbul Night School (들불야학) flourished there. One of the complex’s leaders, democratic activist Kim Yeong-cheol, also protested in 5.18 and was savagely tortured,
suffering physical and psychological damage from which he never recovered. The community, however, persisted into the present, with both its communal customs, such as shared meals, and its ideals. (The complex is included in the redevelopment area, and discussions are being made for historical preservation, but this is also unclear now.)
The film gently makes the case that younger generations need to know and celebrate this history, through the self-deprecating persona that Kim Hwan-gyeong creates. He shows up, neither announced nor introduced, to a complex where the residents – who are fighting with the city water services – have no running water to the apartments. The residents are either suspicious of him or perhaps think he might be mad. The oldest woman there steadfastly ignores him, but finally the widow of the leader victimized in 5.18 builds a relationship with him. Gradually, as relationships bloom, the story not only of the complex’s past but of the still-vital values and democratic dreams of the residents emerges. And the growing relationship between Kim Hwangyeong and the residents shows how important building inter-generational bridges is. The film is to be shown on KBC after its festival run.
“Over the past decade that I’ve lived in Gwangju, I’ve seen that the story is so full of warmth, with so many interesting stories of individuals, which tell the human side of the pro-democracy movement,” co-director Park told me at the Jeonju festival. “The story of 5.18 is well known, but we wanted to tell one suffused with compassion. What lies inside of human hearts was at the root of democratization.”
It’s a film that has enriched my understanding of Korean documentary film, which I was studying in Korea as a 2024 Fulbright senior research fellow, at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. The film also had a lot more meaning to me because I had made a trip to Gwangju on my way to Jeonju. There, with the help of Shin Gyonggu, head of the Gwangju International Center, and writer Lee Hye-yong, I had seen the site of the origin of the uprising at the university, as well as the memorials, cemetery, and museum. I had heard the stories of martyrs and survivors, and learned about the long process of recovering memory. This brought home to me the central importance of memory-building as a process of building Korean identity, as a democratic act, and an act of faith in democracy itself.
I had also visited the Jeju 4.3 Peace Park. There, the very first exhibit in the entire memorial drives home the importance of memory-making as a cultural and a national project. It is a plain, unadorned block of stone titled “Unnamed Monument.” Its caption reads, “As the Jeju incident still does not have historical definition, this monument has no inscription.” That is a powerful statement about the importance of the work of memory-making, and the scale of the work to be done.
It is heartening to know that Korean documentary filmmakers have taken on this important work as their own, in the spirit of many who have demanded democracy in Gwangju. The “historical definition” called for in the Jeju peace memorial is one that is developed through storytelling. Journalism, novels, films, and the personal contact across generations and cultures, such as what I experienced on my trip to Gwangju, all do that crucial storytelling work.
Synopsis of Gwangcheon-dong — Mr. Kim Gwangju is known as a key city of democracy in Korea. Kim Hwangyung, a young media artist, begins to live in a typical slum, Gwangcheon-dong. The residents share stories about the lives of the early urban poor in post-May 18 Gwangju and concerns about rapid redevelopment. (The Gwangcheon-dong area in which the documentary is set is scheduled for demolition within this year.)
Photographs courtesy of Park Dong-hee.
The Author
Patricia Aufderheide is a university professor in the School of Communication at American University, the author of among others Documentary Film: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press), and in 2024 was a Fulbright senior research fellow at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.
A Call to Civic Duty
The 2024 Gwangju Youth Democracy Forum
By Yousra Feriel Drioua
Margaret Mead once said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” On that note, “active citizenship” is a concept we often hear of but one that is rarely fully grasped for what it is or what it stands for. In recent times, the collapse of democracy appears to be a global pandemic sweeping across nations, which is quite alarming. Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe are some of the most prominent and current examples. Not only is the presence of good leaders crucial in such times, but civilians and, more importantly, their involvement in state affairs is essential.
However, for people to fulfill their duties, they must first understand what their role is and – in the case of civilians – why it is of utmost urgency. Authoritarian regimes love apolitical individuals. Surely, I am bypassing a lot of intricacies of such regimes with this statement. Yet, one cannot deny how threatening politically aware and engaged folks are to such governments. That is why activism in all its forms is vital to democracy. Activism, in simple terms, is the practice of taking direct action to support or oppose a cause, often to promote social, political, or environmental change. Put differently, it is intrinsically linked to the concept of active citizenship, where individuals engage in various forms and levels
of civic participation to influence public policies and societal norms.
A form of activism that I’ve partaken of is attending the Gwangju Democracy Forum (GDF). As small – and rather convenient and privileged – an act as it may be, I believe it embodies some principles of active engagement and strategic leadership that are needed to promote democratic values and human rights. I get to unlearn what I was spoon-fed by society about how evil politics are and how the young should stray away from it. I also get to redefine what politics means to me and acknowledge my duty as a citizen. Being politically indifferent has never been the answer in seeking justice and freedom.
Each year, the May 18 Foundation organizes the GDF. The latter is meant to serve as a knowledge and expertise exchange platform for activists,
NGOs, and democratic organizations from all spectrums of civil society. Over the last two years, however, the foundation has made an addition to the forum: a program specifically designed for youth called the Gwangju Youth Democracy Forum, or Y-GDF. It serves the same purpose as the regular forum, except that it does so with youth.
Although the forums take place in May, the recruitment starts as early as March. Except for transportation fees to Gwangju, the Y-GDF is a fully funded opportunity. It targets students from all over Korea, both international and Korean, experienced or not. I believe that is what makes it an enriching experience for those with a newfound passion for democracy or politics in general. I mean, where else would one get the chance to casually run into Walden Bello and talk about the U.S. elections over lunch? The Forum’s programs are incredibly heavy with knowledge-
1. Y-GDF participants holding the banner before the 5.18 Eve March.
2. The first teams to arrive after “Find the M.”
3. The close of the Y-GDF workshop.
sharing sessions and informative lectures, but it is the dialogues with real civil society members that leave the greatest impact on participants. For Y-GDF participants, it is a chance to feel empowered and motivated to make a change.
The Y-GDF delegates start their program two days before the GDF begins. On the first day, we broke the ice with a game called “Find the M.” Teams followed clues to historical spots in Gwangju, taking group photos to receive the next clue. The first team back to the memorial building won. On the second day, delegates were grouped by region to present a briefing of the country’s history and its ruling party’s timeline, what we deemed as shortcomings and positive attributes –if the latter applied – and finished it off by picking each other’s brains on what was presented. After a lunch break, we were asked to develop plausible solutions for the most persistant and common issues among those discussed.
It’s always interesting to witness how everyone’s individual perspectives and state of affairs differ, yet as teams, they manage to find common
ground. All in all, active citizenship and political engagement are more crucial than ever in today’s turbulent times. The Gwangju Youth Democracy Forum exemplifies how young people can be empowered to understand and partake of civic duties. By fostering an environment where youth can learn, discuss, and collaborate, the Y-GDF not only educates but also inspires future leaders.
Yousra
Drioua is an Algerian Global Korea Scholarship awardee currently residing in South Korea and majoring in media communication and journalism. She loves writing, coffee, and intriguing conversations. She wishes to become someone useful to society and others. Instagram: @myyigli
The Author
Feriel
The closing session of the Gwangju Democracy Forum.
Photographs courtesy of Yousra Feriel Drioua.
Another Type of Travel: To Cinema Locations Watching Movies on a Dime
By David J. Richter
Not sure what to do this summer? Why not watch a movie or two? And on top of that, why not go somewhere other than the CGV down the street for a change?
The movie theater landscape here in Korea is dominated by CGV, Megabox, and Lotte Cinema franchises. The same is true for Gwangju, for the most part. While there is nothing wrong with any of these theaters – I often go to watch movies there too – they do come with a few drawbacks. The biggest is probably the pricing. Watching a movie nowadays costs roundabout 15,000 won per person, which frankly is quite a lot of money. Smaller theaters (often in the countryside) offer the same movies for a fraction of the price. Granted, the selection might be a bit more limited, but the price for the movie and concessions, as well as the smaller and more comfortable atmosphere, make up for that and then some.
Also, these giants often air the most anticipated and popular international (mostly American and Japanese) and Korean productions, but oftentimes, they do not offer screenings for smaller or independent movies or lesser-known foreign films. To watch such movies, one has to look elsewhere. Independent movie theaters often offer that alternative, but where to find such theaters? If you have not finalized your summer plans just yet, why not go to one of the non-franchise theaters here in Gwangju, or take a day trip to one of the theaters within a bus ride’s distance?
Right here, within Gwangju, is a very unique and special movie theater. Gwangju Theater (광주극장) is located on Chungjang Street in the downtown area and has been there for almost a century at this point. The theater opened in 1935, and when going there, you can notice this left and right (in a good way). The theater is a single-screen theater, but surrounding that on each floor, they showcase relics from the theater’s long history, so going there a bit earlier is recommended. The auditorium is two-storied, with the balcony usually being where guests will be seated for regular showings and the main seating area being used for larger events. The theater’s size also comes with a few caveats. As cooling or heating it is not easy, in winters it can get a bit chilly and in summer it tends to get rather hot. The selection of movies usually available at Gwangju Theater is mostly made up of independent movies as well as some older productions. The theater also hosts various events year round.
Gwangju Theater. (Noropdoropi / Wikimedia)
Gwangju Theater
Gwangju Independent Film Theater
Right next door to the Asia Culture Center (ACC), and also not far from Gwangju Theater, is the Gwangju Independent Film Theater (광주독립영화관). Unlike Gwangju Theater, however, this theater is not nearly as old. The auditorium is also a lot smaller and well acclimated year round. Here too, screenings are primarily independent and smaller productions, but one thing to keep in mind is that the Gwangju Independent Film Theater shows mostly Korean movies, often without subtitles.
If you are up for a trip outside of Gwangju, even though admittedly not far, you could head to Damyang. While it is best known for its bamboo forest and the various bamboo-themed foods and drinks, and while it is a great place to go just to walk and enjoy a bit more greenery than Gwangju can offer, Damyang also has a smaller movie theater right next to the bus terminal: Damyang Dambit Cinema (담양 담빛시네마).
This movie theater, unlike the two mentioned above, does not specialize in independent films but rather just serves the Damyang market with the currently most popular movies. With the price being as cheap as it is and not having to sit in a ginormous, empty theater, its small and cozy auditorium is most desirable. If you own a bike, then I would also like to recommend biking the trip to Damyang, it is a really pretty and peaceful ride.
A bit further from Gwangju then any of the other theaters, and also in a bigger and more popular city, Indie Plus Pohang (인디플러스 포항) is also the cheapest by quite a bit. By nature of being located in a semi-large city, this also means that instead of being the one and only theater in the area, this theater is another special-interest cinema, showing mainly independent, smaller, and foreign films. It is located not too far from the center of the city and about a 30-minute walk from the beachfront. Also, this theater has a single large auditorium, not unlike Gwangju Theater, but while Gwangju Theater has that vintage feel, for lack of a better term, the Indie Plus Pohang feels more like a large audimax lecture hall found at universities.
Of course, there are many other small-town cinemas and independent movie theaters all across Jeollanam-do and Korea, all of which surely have their own charm and something slightly different to offer. While I have already bookmarked a ton of them, I have not made it to them yet. I do hope that this article might lead to
Gwangju Independent Film Theater. (GIFT)
Indie Plus Pohang
Indie Plus Pohang. (David J. Richter)
someone giving any of these theaters a shot and that the movie of choice will also deliver.
Just like Damyang Dambit Cinema, Hwasun Cinema (화순시네마) is a small local theater not too far from Gwangju, and just like Damyang Dambit Cinema, Hwasun Cinema is managed through OLC (Our Local Cinema), hence the same website and pricing. This also means that Hwasun Cinema also screens blockbusters over independent films at a fraction of the price of the big chains. However, when it comes to Hwasun, I would not recommend going there by bike. It is a pretty nice ride up until the bike path ends and one needs to push their bike through a tunnel without a pedestrian walkway. Just take the bus and enjoy Hwasun and a movie.
Cinema
While Damyang feels quite “countrysidey” and Hwasun feels a lot more suburban, Namwon feels a lot more like a small town (probably since it is much further from any major city). This movie theater is more of an oddity, at least to me.
The theater is run by NH, which is obviously a company just as big as any of the ones running the three big movie chains mentioned above, but this is the only place I have seen NH operate a movie theater. Overall, NH Cinema (NH 시네마) looks and feels much like a cross between a small cinema like in Damyang or Hwasun and a CGV/ Megabox/Lotte. Here too, the movies showing are current popular movies. Namwon also has another small theater that shows independent films, but I have yet to go there.
Goheung Small Movie Theater
Goheung is a small town on the southwestern coast of the peninsula, directly west of Yeosu. While the town itself is really close to the ocean, it does not actually connect to the sea. Goheung, from the time I went there, is a very quiet town without much of a tourist population, which is a good thing if you ask me. Goheung does have a museum for space travel, but as I did not go there, I can not really comment on it. Goheung Small Movie Theater (고흥작은영화관영화관) falls into the group of small-town theaters that screen blockbuster movies in smaller halls. This theater, however, is located a tiny bit out of town, which makes for a nice walk through town and a bit beyond.
David Jona Richter, born and raised in the extreme south of Germany, is a current graduate student at Chonnam National University. Befo re coming to Korea in late 2022, he spent about three years in the U.S. midwest in Chicago. Besides his studies, he tries to engage in local communities in Gwangju and Korea.
The Author
Goheung Small Movie Theater. (David J. Richter)
NH
in Namwon. (Naver Map)
NH Cinema
Jinwon-myeon’s Quintet of Anomalies
By Isaiah Winters
Just outside Gwangju, in a sleepy little hillside township named Jinwon-myeon, lies a series of oddities fit for a novelty-seeking weirdo like me. Our grim quintet of anomalies includes a corpse exposed by a landslide, a cave where human-vermin intercourse spawned a monarch, a badly decomposed Chiropteran chandelier, a hillock fortress destroyed by foreign invasion, and a steep, saw-toothed hike leading to remarkable vantages. Each deserves its own attention, so let’s begin.
Jinwon-myeon, located on the Gwangju side of Jangseong-gun, first came to my attention last
October when I was tramping through the area simply because it was there. Along the way, one of the hillsides drew my attention because it’d tumbled down over the trail due to a recent landslide. The landslide occurred exactly where a series of burial mounds stretched up the hillside, and while the area is slowly being stabilized through reforestation, still protruding from the earth is an exposed coffin wrapped with bright cloth and clear plastic to prevent it from further erosion. As of this article’s submission, the coffin can still be seen via satellite.1 Rest in pieces, poor corpse.
The exposed coffin still visible via satellite.
About a ten-minute walk from our unearthed coffin is Janggun-gul, a mythic cave with a graphic backstory. According to legend, a local woman married either an earthworm2 or a spider3 and from this cave produced a child by the name of Gyeon Hwon, who went on to establish and rule the kingdom of Later Baekje in 900 CE. Today, the cave is easily accessible but also home to a roost of bats. I realized this after throwing in a few rocks to scare off any animals inside before entering. They began chirping at me from the pitch blackness, which was my cue to move on unless I wanted them all to fly at my face like bats out of hell. I prefer to let sleeping bats hang, so I moved on.
In another part of the nearby foothills is an
abandoned complex that may have served as a mountain retreat in better days. When I have the time, I meticulously scour each room of derelict buildings for anything worth photographing, and one room here didn’t disappoint. I pulled open the door and immediately thrust it shut after I saw a lone bat inside dangling from a ceiling wire like a macabre chandelier. Cracking the door to get a better look, I soon realized the bat was dead and decomposing. Its body had become brittle and perforated with time, like the old paper doors of a hanok. Holding my breath, I had a field day examining its tiny toes still wrapped tightly around the wire. Hang tight, my little friend.
The centerpiece of all these odd discoveries is the mountain fortress of Jinwon-seong, a former
1. Janggun-gul, the mythical birthplace of Gyeon Hwon.
2. Dead bat chandelier.
The view from Bultae-san where Jangseong-gun meets Gwangju.
administrative center for the government built in roughly 600 CE during the (first) Baekje period. The fortress would remain in service for 1,000 years until it was destroyed in one of the late 16th-century Japanese invasions of Korea. Despite the site’s historical significance, it wasn’t until 2015 that its walls were properly excavated. 4 I recently visited in the hopes of finding part of the wall to photograph and walk along, but all the overgrowth since 2015 made that a challenge. Honestly, it’s not worth visiting unless you’re really into history. I didn’t even bother taking photos while there.
To even out the death, decay, and disappointment featured hitherto, I’ll leave you with a steep, lonely slog of a hike with a huge payoff: Bultae-san. All the little foothills of Jinwon-myeon lead up to this jagged ridge of peaks and troughs. Standing at a sheer 720 meters with nothing to block your view toward Gwangju, it offers the best vantage of Jangseong-gun’s vast southern stretch as it transitions from rice fields to high-rises. I always find something new at this underrated mountain, and recently I’ve learned that it even has waterfalls – potentially with swimmable pools beneath. It looks like more research is required, so don’t be surprised if you see a future article on this underexplored area.
Looking down at Gwangju and Mudeung-san between crags in Bultae-san.
Sources
1 Using satellite view with either Kakao Map or Naver Map, type in the following address and check the top-right corner of the shaded area to see the exposed coffin: 전남 장성군 진원면 선적리 산 22-4.
2 Gyeonhwon (n.d.). 견훤 (Gyeon Hwon). Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/ Article/E0002178
3 Jeong, Y. (2020, November 17). “견훤 태어난 장군굴, 기정진이 세운 고산서원...” 장성군 고산마을 이야기 흥미진진 (“Janggun-gul, where Gyeon Hwon was born; Gosan Seowon, built by Ki Jeongjin…” The story of Gosan Village in Jangseong-gun is fascinating. Gwangju Jeonnam Daily. https://www.kjilbo.co.kr/ news/articleView.html?idxno=91645
4 Bae, D. (2016, December 28). 첫 공개된' 천년고성' 장성 진원성 (Jangseong Jinwon-seong, the “thousand-year-old castle,” unveiled for the first time). Newsis. https://mobile.newsis.com/view.html? ar_id=NISX20151013_0010346620#_PA
Photographs by Isaiah Winters.
The Author
Born and raised in Chino, California, Isaiah Winters is a pixel-stained wretch who loves writing about Gwangju and Honam, warts and all. He’s grateful to have written for the Gwangju News for over six years. More of his unique finds can be seen on Instagram @d.p.r.kwangju and YouTube at Lost in Honam
Gwangju Together Day 2024 Global Harmony Encompasses Everyone!
By Park Yeonju
Spinning the globe could leave you facing numerous countries to the point that you lose count. It’s hard to experience in one lifetime all the things these countries have to offer, but what if they all got together? It’s possible if you come to Gwangju Together Day, the city’s highlighted event in the first half of 2024. On May 25, 2024, the 17th Gwangju Together Day was held at Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall, hosted by Gwangju Metropolitan City and co-organized by the Gwangju International Residents Center and the Gwangju Cultural Foundation.
Gwangju Together Day, already in its 17th year, is a legal anniversary designated in 2007 to create a social environment for citizens and foreigners in Korea to live together while respecting each other’s cultures and traditions. The opening ceremony was held in the conference room of Gwangju City Hall at 10 o’clock. In Mayor Kang Gi-jung’s opening address, he announced the start of the 17th event and presented commendations to people of merit.
This year’s Together Day was a meaningful day for the Gwangju International Center (GIC) in particular, as they received the Prime Minister’s
Commendation in recognition of their long-term contributions to the field of settlement support and social integration for foreigners in Korea. Founded in 1999, the GIC is the first international center to be organized in the country. They have established a global communication center where migrants in Gwangju City and Jeollanam-do can seek assistance and participate in activities. It is an organization that has been at the forefront of helping Gwangju grow into a globally inclusive city.
The pleasant ceremony was followed by the World Music Performance. The first performance was by an Uzbek band that treated the audience with cheerful guitar riffs and their sweet voices. The second performance was a traditional Filipino dance by the Gwangju-Jeonnam Filipino community. Their movements combined with traditional costumes animated the stage and completely fascinated the viewers.
About an hour after the ceremony started, booth operation began in earnest. On the first floor of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council building, a lot of fun booths were waiting for Gwangju citizens and foreigners. “What’s this?” “It smells
delicious!” The first place that attracted many people was the Global Food Zone. As the Korean saying goes, “The easiest way to refresh your mind and spirit is through your stomach.” Food always brings people together and gives joy to our daily lives. The pleasure will surely double if we go beyond what we usually eat to experience something new.
A variety of flavors could be found throughout the Global Food Zone, ranging from delights offered by Romania, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Ethiopia, India, Canada, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Among the eight countries’ booths, the Canadian dessert booth was the most successful in stopping people in their tracks. Bustling with liveliness, the booth staffer welcomed everyone with a bright smile. Their roasted brownies, marshmallow biscoff, cookie bars, and other homemade desserts gifted all with a daily dose of sweetness.
The star of the Vietnamese booth was their spring rolls, where shrimp and chicken met with crisp vegetables. Visitors could eat spring rolls made on the spot with fresh ingredients. One could dip them in chili sauce and take a bite for an authentic Vietnamese experience. Five countries participated in the Global Culture Zone: Ethiopia, China, India, Kenya, and Vietnam. Among them, a traditional Indian clothes experience booth stood out. Visitors could wear traditional Indian women’s clothing and place a decorative red mark on their forehead. The bindi is said to have religious meaning for the community and serves as a beauty mark for women. If even for just a short moment, visitors were able to take time to understand diverse religious beliefs and a country’s beauty just by trying on their traditional clothes.
The international residents' support organizations’ booths were also set up with the purpose of supporting the daily lives of foreigners. Institutions that can work hand-in-hand with foreigners during their time of need, such as the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency, Family Center, Association of Migrant Women, and the Institute for Public Health and Equity, also contributed to Gwangju Together Day. At the Gwangju Foreign Student Supporters’ booth,
there were bead bracelet- and necklace-making activities that were especially popular among children. This provided them with a meaningful experience making accessories independently alongside international students from various countries.
On the same day, Gwangju Citizens’ Day was also commemorated, and many people enjoyed picnics on the lawn of Gwangju City Hall. The Gwangju International Residents Center lent mats with “Gwangju” written on them for free to help citizens enjoy the event. Gwangju Together Day did not miss the opportunity to be ecofriendly. Food purchased at the Global Food Zone was served on stainless steel trays and with reusable cups. By using reusable utensils rather than its disposable ones, everyone could practice environmental protection while pleasantly enjoying the festival. Several small supporting events were held as well, enriching the festivities of the day. One of them was a plastic toothpaste squeezer giveaway, where visitors could exchange five bottle caps for the gift after visiting the booths.
Gwangju Together Day has brought the world’s colorful charms together for 17 years as a place for global harmony, where Gwangju citizens and foreign residents alike can gather. As if showing its enthusiasm for the festival, the sky was clear and laughter was continuously heard throughout the day. The festival provides us with not just a chance to have fun but to also deeply understand the world’s diverse culture and flavors. I hope that the event’s success created unforgettable memories of May 2024 for everyone. Let’s look forward to next year’s festival, where everyone can come together once more!
Photographs
by
Tae Sang Park
The
Author Park Yeonju is an undergraduate at Chonnam National University, majoring in political science and diplomacy as well as Chinese language and literature. She was born and raised in Gwangju and wants to promote the colorfulness of the city that she has been with for a long time. Also, she wants to deliver various voices of the world. It is her dream to become a true journalist by inheriting the spirit of May 18.
Shades of International Cuisine in Gwangju: Indian, Indonesian, and Italian
By Dhivyaa S. P., Catherine Sasmita, and Chiara Sicca
Gwangju has always been known to be the home of extraordinary Korean dishes, but the city also hosts a variety of international cuisines. These establishments, old and new, help bring forth Gwangju’s colors as a culturally rich city, ready to emerge as a global hub. Our team of contributors has compiled a list to guide you in taking your first step in the exploration of diverse flavors and perspectives that Gwangju has to offer through the eyes of wanderers from India, Indonesia, and Italy.
Comfortable seating arrangements that perfectly complement the restaurant’s beautiful Indian-themed décor.
India Yasijang
Nestled in the heart of the Sangmu district, India Yasijang offers an authentic North Indian culinary experience. The rich, colorful curtains and decor reminiscent of Indian culture set the
stage, with standout features like a miniature Taj Mahal and a statue of Lord Ganesh adding to the exotic charm. Bollywood music can be heard, enhancing the vibrant atmosphere, and the restaurant boasts plenty of comfortable seating, ensuring a relaxing dining experience with the availability of stools for kids making it a familyfriendly spot.
The service at India Yasijang is exceptional, with friendly staff who speak excellent Korean. During my birthday celebration there with my Korean teacher and a few friends, the staff kindly provided birthday attributes like hats and a sash, turning the occasion into one of my most memorable birthdays.
Our meal included Chicken Biryani, Punjabi Chicken Tikka, and a set menu.
India Yasijang offers a wide variety of food and drinks, from crispy samosas to aromatic masala chai. Our meal included Chicken Biryani, Punjabi Chicken Tikka, and a set menu featuring naan, salad, chicken skewer with vegetables, and a curry of our choice. The portions were generous enough for the three of us, and we particularly enjoyed the Punjabi Chicken Tikka. A variety of vegetarian options is also available to cater to diverse dietary preferences.
While the prices are a bit steep compared to other Indian restaurants in Gwangju, especially from a student’s perspective, the quality and experience offered justify the cost. Overall, I highly recommend India Yasijang to anyone looking to immerse themselves in Indian culture and cuisine. Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or simply in the mood for delicious North Indian food, this restaurant is sure to leave a lasting impression. (Dhivyaa S. P.)
Dhivyaa S. P. is from India and currently enrolled in a master’s program for AI convergence in Gwangju, South Korea, chosen for its emphasis on AI development.
An avid space enthusiast, Dhivyaa loves discussing outer space and the creation of the universe. Outside of her academic pursuits, she enjoys hiking, volunteering, and savoring a warm cup of green tea latte. Her writing blends her experiences with insights into Korean culture and history. Instagram: @my.hobby.page
While pursuing my Korean language studies at Chonnam National University, I met an Italian compatriot who works as a pizza chef at the restaurant La Grosso. I don’t eat Italian food outside very often due to my preference for local cuisine, but one day I was missing the flavors of my home country and decided to give it a try.
La Grosso is an Italian restaurant offering traditional Italian food, situated in the Dongmyeong-dong area of Dong-gu. The ingredients used are of high quality and imported directly from Italy, and the dishes are prepared using authentic Italian techniques. The pizza is made in a traditional oven, which is quite rare to find here in Korea. For the first time, I savored a real Neapolitan pizza in Gwangju, and it was
Outside La Grosso restaurant.
Traditional pistachio mortadella and margherita pizza.
La Grosso
truly delicious. They offer a variety of mouthwatering pizzas, such as Margherita, Pistachio e Mortadella, and Prosciutto e Rucola, and if you prefer light bites, they offer a wide selection of pastas and antipasti. Another pleasant surprise was that after more than two years in Korea, I was thrilled to order a Spritz, a traditional aperitif from northern Italy that is both expensive and difficult to find here.
While the prices at La Grosso are higher than average, they are justified by the use of imported ingredients and the cozy, warm atmosphere of the restaurant. The staff is exceptionally kind, and I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone craving authentic Italian cuisine. (Chiara Sicca)
La Grosso
Open: Daily 11:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Address: 212-5 Dongmyeong-dong Dong-gu
Contact: 0507-1319-2195
The Author Chiara Sicca, originally from Torino, Italy, has found a new home in Gwangju, where she enjoys the peaceful life that the city offers. She has recently completed her Global MBA at Chonnam National University. In her free time, Chiara likes to play volleyball, hike, and sip coffee at local cafes.
Warteg
Bahari
Lee Hana first opened the doors to this authentic Indonesian restaurant in 2015, providing the remedy to the Indonesian community’s homesickness through traditional dishes packed with authentic flavors. Her warm personality and the laid-back atmosphere make customers feel as if they are returning home after a long day.
“Warteg” in Indonesian is short for “warung Tegal,” a type of stall that proliferated in the 1960s, thanks to people from the city of Tegal in Central Java. Although the restaurant takes on a humble name, the array of dishes offered and the richness of the flavors are anything but modest.
The restaurant takes pride in its Sate Kambing Hotplate, where the tender and fragrant lamb skewers are served warm on top of a hotplate with delightful condiments. Other signatures include the fried Ayam Kalasan with crisps, roasted chicken dishes, such as the Ayam Bakar Bumbu Kalasan and Ayam Bakar Bumbu Taliwang, as well as the Indonesian favorite deep-fried catfish, Lele Goreng Crispy. What will most certainly transport you to the archipelago is the heat and savor of their sambal. As the cherry on top, imported Indonesian products such as condiments, snacks, and beverages are also available for visitors to purchase. (Catherine Sasmita)
Warteg Bahari
Open: Monday–Friday: 3:00–11:00 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Address: 2nd Floor, Bia-dong 716-10, Gwangsan-gu
Phone: 010-9298-2685
The Author
Catherine “Cat” Sasmita is a master’s student at Chonnam National University studying business administration. Originally from Indonesia, Cat enjoys bouldering, reading, and of course, searching for all types of spicy food.
Warteg Bahari’s Ayam Geprek, savory sambal on top of smashed fried chicken.
Top of the Drop
By Daniel J. Springer
Th is is our monthly installment of soon-to-drop and recently dropped releases from the music world. The best of the best that may not yet be on your radar, sly favorites and audio gems selected by Danno,” longtime host of GFN’s The Drop with Danno. — Ed.
High Pulp – “Slaw” (L’éclair Remix)
For those unfamiliar, L’éclair is a Swiss duo that have been making some of the best chill beats out there, and this latest collab with LA-based experimental jazz collective High Pulp just screams out for a voice on the beach this summer after the sun has set. Just enough chop and energy in the freeze will keep the bumpy ones happy too, and it has a twisty edge of darkness to it that adds a cloud to the sunshine.
Fightmaster – “Emmett”
One interesting thing to note about this multi-talented singer-songwriter, actor, and producer is that ER Fightmaster is, in fact, the name on their birth certificate. Recording under the Fightmaster moniker, this artist has put together some of most unusual and raw psychedelic Americana out there, and their latest EP, Bloodshed Baby, is not to be missed.
Yannis & The Yaw – “Walk Through Fire”
When Afrobeat father Tony Allen’s posthumous album
There Is No End dropped, we had no idea that the man was being (almost… we suppose?) literal. The amount of oneoff jam sessions turned into albums since Allen’s unfortunate demise have been nothing short of incredible, and Lagos Paris London, a collaborative but abortive EP done in collaboration with Yannis Philippakis of Foals, is the latest star to form in a seemingly metastasizing galaxy that Allen left in his wake.
Lunar Isles – “Fade Out”
This was the final single to drop in the run-up to the release of David Skimming’s fifth studio album in just under four years’ time. The now Seoul-based artist has not only put together a prolific run in this time, but his self-produced albums are remarkably high quality listens and the craft therein just gets better and better. Parasol dropped in full on June 21, and if you’re in for a summer drive or two as the season kicks into high gear, this is one to have bumping with you on the ride down the coast.
Brijean – “Euphoric Avenue”
This Oakland-based duo has gained quite the profile since their debut with a mostly dance-based house repertoire. However, this latest single channels the likes of Björk and Zero 7 more than anything else, with whimsical pitch-perfect vocals from the band’s namesake and lead singer. The accompaniment is equally superb, an eventually triumphant piece of string bliss that fits Brijean’s voice to a tee. Not merely striking out on a different path, this one shows the depth of this duo’s deep quality. The band’s latest album, Macro, drops July 5.
JULY INCOMING
Kasabian – Happenings (July 5)
Brijean – Macro (July 12)
Clairo – Charm (July 12)
Denzel Curry – King of the Mischievous South, Vol 2 (July 19)
Dr. Dog – s/t (July 19)
Cults – To the Ghost (July 26)
The Author
Daniel J. Springer was the creator, host, writer, editor, and producer of “The Drop with Danno,” formerly broadcasting seven nights a week on GFN, now an independently released weekly affair. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook: @ thedropwithdanno
Area Sports in Review
A monthly overview of local sports, featuring area teams and brought to you…
By Zhang Jiuzhou (Julius)
Despite Strong Start, Tigers Face Mid-Season Challenges
The Kia Tigers had a remarkable start to the season, maintaining the top spot in the league for a considerable time. The players hunger for victory reached its limit, and the team’s overall win rate has been declining recently, leading them to a period of crisis and instability. Since late April, the team has suffered defeats every Friday, falling victim to the “Friday curse,” which has slowed their momentum. The most critical blow was a five-game losing streak against the Lotte Giants.
Wil Crowe, who held a 5–1 record and a 3.57 ERA after eight games, experienced a sore elbow last month and examination confirmed damage to the medial collateral ligament of his right elbow. He is now listed as a player undergoing rehabilitation. Cam Alldred was then signed as a replacement player, with the Tigers investing a significant amount to secure him. The unexpected contract scale has sparked some controversy, highlighting the team’s high expectations of Alldred and their strong desire to maintain their leading position.
vs Samsung / in Daegu
vs LG / in Jamsil
vs SSG / in Gwangju
vs Samsung / in Gwangju vs Hanhwa / in Daejeon
vs NC / in Gwangju
vs Kiwoom / in Gocheok
vs Doosan / in Gwangju
vs Gamgwon
vs Ulsan
vs Incheon
vs Daegu
vs Suwon
James Naile and Yang Hyeon-jong play pivotal roles as the Tigers’ ace pitchers this season. Naile currently holds a 7–1 record with a 1.82 ERA in 13 games, leading the league in both wins and ERA. On June 6, Yang Hyeon-jong threw his 2,003rd career strikeout in a home game against the Lotte Giants, becoming the second pitcher in KBO history to surpass 2,000 strikeouts.
The Kia Tigers’ home games continue to enjoy high attendance despite their recent struggles, with six consecutive sellouts from May 24 to June 2, tying the club's record for consecutive sellouts. The remainder of the Tigers’ season is expected to be significantly influenced by how they overcome their current crisis, with the team’s future trajectory likely dependent on head coach Lee Bum-ho’s leadership and the players’ focus.
Bold Leadership Transforming Gwangju FC
The K-League announced that it will not impose any league-level disciplinary actions on Gwangju FC head coach Lee Jung-hyo for his attitude during an official post-match press conference. On May 25, after an away game against Incheon United, Lee was involved in a heated exchange during the press conference, which sparked controversy. Gwangju FC had been penalized with a VAR-awarded penalty kick, costing them the victory.
Known as the “Jose Mourinho of the K-League,” Lee Jung-hyo has made bold statements regarding his coaching philosophy. One of the most striking examples of Lee’s daring strategies this season is the remarkable transformation of Heo Yool. Initially a highly regarded “powerful forward” with experience on the U23 national team and boasting a height of 192 cm, Heo has been playing as a center-back this season instead of his usual forward position. Coach Lee believes that Heo Yool has completed the transition in positions well due to his composure in defense, making him a more advantageous defender than an attacker. As Gwangju FC is preparing to participate in the 2024–25 AFC Champions League Elite, Lee plans to focus on quality over quantity in player recruitment, intending to develop and utilize the existing squad effectively.
AI Peppers Strengthen Roster with Key Signings
The AI Peppers, the women’s professional volleyball team is making significant strides by completing four major signings, aiming for a transformative season. In April, the Peppers recruited libero Han Da-hye from GS Caltex as a free agent, and they announced the addition of middle blocker Lim Ju-eun from Korea Expressway Hi-Pass the following month.
On June 4, the Peppers traded for setter Lee Wonjeong from Heungkuk Life Pink Spiders. Lee, who started her professional career with Korea Expressway Hi-Pass in the 2017–18 season, expressed her commitment to contributing to the team’s victories with a fresh mindset. Three days later, the team signed free agent Lee Ye-rim, who was selected as the third pick in the second round of the 2015–16 V-league by Hyundai E&C Hillstate and scored 103 points in 31 matches last season, significantly contributing to Korea Expressway Hi-Pass’s offense.
Head coach Chang So-yun commented, “The team’s height has improved this season, and I expect Lee Won-jeong’s height to bring new dynamics. Lee Ye-rim’s addition strengthens our defensive depth, and I hope she can replicate last season’s performance with us.”
The Author
Zhang Jiuzhou (Julius) is from Harbin, China. He began writing in 2022 and has contributed to the Chinese media in Gwangju. He concurrently serves at a sports data company. He is pursuing a master’s degree in media and communications and is responsible for the Chinese Students Association at Chonnam National University.
WThe Lightness of Being Artist Kim Juyon
hen I first saw Kim Juyon’s work at the City Museum’s exhibition hall, I was intrigued by her modern artworks, as I had grown most accustomed to only twodimensional pieces. In her art, the sight of seeds meticulously sprinkled on fabric and growing into life allowed me a sense that life and death coexist. Clothes, originally meant to protect the human body, lose their function and instead become a foundation for new life to flourish. However, Kim Juyon takes this a step further. During the exhibition, she includes the entire life process – from the sprouting of new life to its full bloom and eventual disappearance – as part of her artwork.
Poets say that overly descriptive poems do not leave room for the reader’s imagination, while overly abstract ones lose their emotional impact, making poetry writing far from easy. Modern art seems to have a similar dilemma. Finding the right balance of metaphor in artworks that can resonate with viewers feels akin to writing poetry, but that is the challenge that Kim Juyon has taken on. The featured artist for this issue of the Gwangju News is Kim Juyon. After graduating from the Department of Fine Arts at Chonnam National University, she obtained her Meisterschülerin from the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK, Germany) and has been actively creating art in Germany and Seoul for many years. I recently had the opportunity to interview Kim Juyon to discuss her art.
Jennis: Hello and thank you for your precious time. You are a modern artist not often encountered
By Jennis Hyunsuk Kang
in this region. This spring, you participated in a group exhibition titled “Generative Mind” with two other artists at Choi Sang-jun Art Museum just outside of Gwangju in Hwasun County. You planted moss on layers of newspapers to make what looked like a world map, and the piece was titled Yi-suk Can you tell us what yi-suk means?
Kim Juyon: The story behind the title Yi-suk dates back to my time studying in Germany. During my studies at the Berlin University of the Arts, my professor asked me about Eastern philosophy, things like yin and yang. Growing up in Korea, which had rapidly modernized and whose consciousness had Westernized, thinking about Eastern philosophy brought me great confusion. It led me to question my identity, so I decided to study it on my own for four to five years with books sent by my father, who was a professor of philosophy. He always said that understanding history and philosophy was essential to becoming a true artist. Through this self-study, I became interested in the life that forms the world. Being a vegetarian, I often planted vegetable seeds around the house and ate what I grew. One day, noticing sprouts growing from a loofah sponge, I was struck by the wonders of life. I realized that this might be what Buddhism refers to as yi-suk. Literally translated, yisuk (이숙) means “all lives ripen differently according to cause and effect,” but I think it also implies enduring the joys and sorrows that arise from those processes.
Jennis: You stacked up 8,000 copies of newspapers and planted moss on top of them to create the image of a world map. Why did you choose newspapers as a material for this?
Kim Juyon: Newspapers are a form of media that contains stories of their times, including politics,
history, and culture. They symbolize nurturing life atop the stories of an era.
Jennis: I have previously seen your work at the Gwangju Museum of Art in which seedlings sprout from an article of clothing. I wonder why you titled that work The Lightness of Being?
Kim Juyon: In 2011, I stayed at the King George Island Sejong Station in Antarctica for a monthlong residency. During the white nights, I endured the cold and wind alone while filming the changing seascape. At the moment a giant iceberg moved towards me, I felt an unreal sense of awe and simultaneously a profound fear, realizing that this fear was essentially the fear of death. Standing before immense and sublime nature, I felt the insignificance of a single human existence. After returning to Korea, over the span of five years, I created ten pieces titled The Lightness of Being. These works metaphorically express the ephemerality of life through seeds –germinating, growing, changing, and eventually
perishing – on clothes, which symbolize human existence.
Jennis: For the last question, could you tell us about the direction you see your future works going in?
Kim Juyon: Depending on the project, the form of my work may change, but I believe my ecological approach will continue.
Jennis: Thank you for your valuable time for this thought-provoking interview for the Gwangju News.
Photographs courtesy by Kim Juyon.
The Author Kang Jennis Hyunsuk is an explorer of art galleries and museums on weekends. She has been doing oil painting for almost a decade, and she has learned that there are a lot of fabulous artists in this City of Art. During weekdays, She loves to play with kids at her English school in the Suwan area of Gwangju. Instagram: @jenniskang
1. Metamorphosis IX (2024). Wood pallets, 8000 copies of newspapers, moss, 562×236×133 cm.
2. The Lightness of Being III (2015). Photo, pigment print, 108×144 cm.
3. Organic Landscape I (2012). Photo, pigment print, 137×91 cm.
How Languages Are (and Aren’t) Learned
By David Shaffer
Language learning methods are not always as effective as they might at first seem to be. Here we will take a somewhat deeper (though admittedly brief) look at some of the popular beliefs held by the general population about learning a second language.
The Sooner, the Better This heading refers to children and suggests that the younger a child is when they begin to learn a second language, the better the results will be. This conclusion derives mainly from the observance of the seeming effortlessness with which toddlers acquire their first language –whether it be English or one of the other seven thousand languages spoken worldwide. However, we must consider that learning a second language, in many ways, is not like learning a first language (L1). Firstly, an infant is born with no language to rely on; the motivation to speak is, therefore, tremendous in order for them to communicate – crying has its limitations. Their acquisition of their L1 appears to be rapid, partly because they are super-motivated to have a language at their disposal and partly because they are surrounded by their L1 all day long and every day.
In contrast, in learning a second language (L2) in their L1 community, the need for the L2 is not nearly as great as it was for learning their L1, resulting in less motivation to learn the L2. Also, the hours of language contact and use for an instructed L2 per month are far fewer than for an L1. Therefore, learning an L2 is not nearly as easy as learning an L1. Adding to the difficulty is possible L1 interference in the L2 learning process. And on top of all this, the younger a child is, the longer it takes for a specific amount of learning to take place, making L2 learning more expensive the younger the child is.
Listen and Repeat
When I think of imitation in language, the image that comes to mind is that of a parrot repeating “Polly wanna cracker” after their pet owner. We can also observe that toddlers will use repetition in learning their L1. It was out of observations such as this that the audio-lingual method was developed for second language learning. One of the main elements of this method was listenand-repeat drilling. The belief was that if learners were surrounded by only grammatically correct L2, they would not make mistakes. Therefore, students were expected to replicate exactly the grammatical prompt that they were given. After years of this method’s popularity, research showed that learners’ grammar proficiency did not improve. What the method lacked was language creativity. The learner was not creating and conveying a message. The method lacks meaningfulness. It is not even necessary to understand the drill prompt to imitate it. This does not, however, mean that the listen-andrepeat technique does not have a place within a broader set of teaching techniques; it has proved to be most useful for pronunciation practice.
Perfect Pronunciation
Ask any English learner what their language learning goals are, and their reply will almost certainly include to have native-speaker pronunciation. Putting aside the task of determining just exactly what they mean by “native-speaker pronunciation,” in a context where the learner’s L1 sound system is so different as Korean is from English, attaining nativespeaker pronunciation is an impossibility for most. Spending hours and hours on replicating the individual sounds and the individual words of English will have little effect on rendering a sentence such as “What do you want to do?”
into colloquial English (“What dja wanna do?”). Perfect L2 pronunciation is an unrealistic goal. What teachers and students should aim for is intelligibility. Everyone, native and non-native speakers, speak English with a dialect of some sort. The goal of L2 English learners should be for their English to be intelligible to a broad group of English speakers – both native and non-native English speakers.
Error Correction
Again, ask any English learner about their error correction preferences, and they are most likely to want all of their mistakes corrected and to have them corrected immediately. This, however, is an unrealistic goal. To begin with, except for the most advanced learners, it would be impossible for the teacher to correct all grammar and pronunciation errors and still allow the learner to engage in a meaningful conversation. In addition, many learners who say they want their errors corrected immediately actually feel irritated if the teacher attempts such immediate error correction. Others don’t pay attention to the teacher’s corrections, being more intent in conveying their message than on perfection. Also, the amount of correction should be dependent on the type of activity. For fluency activities, little or no correction may be desirable; for accuracy activities, more correction would be advisable. When to correct? This is dependent on a number of things. The teacher may decide to correct the student during their conversation (explicitly or implicitly), at the end of their dialogue, or at the end of the activity. In short, error correction should be selective and nonintrusive.
Content and Language
Why not combine the teaching of the L2 with that of subject matter, such as science, in the same course? In fact an entire teaching approach has been built upon this idea – content and language integrated learning (CLIL). This sounds quite practical, and in theory it is. However, in practice, it often runs into problems. In contexts such as Korea, where CLIL is implemented mostly at the university level, students are often not at the language proficiency level that the course
is taught at. Instructors are often well versed in only one of the two areas required of them: EFL instruction and course content. The instructor’s language skills may also be problematic. Before a CLIL-type English-medium instructed course or curriculum is implemented, it should be confirmed that the required conditions are all met. Otherwise, teaching the content course and the EFL course separately, would be more effective.
Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL Upcoming Events
Monthly Chapter Workshops
· Date: July, 2024 (Saturday)
·Topic 1: New Perspectives, New Possibilities: Class Activities to Encourage Cosmopolitan Awareness
·Topic 2: Practical Techniques for Cultural Awareness
· Venue: Gwangju National University of Education
ESBB Intl. TESOL Conference & KOTESOL
National Conference
· Date: October 12–13, 2024 (Saturday)
· Venue: GNUE
Call for Presentation Deadline: July 31
· Website: https://koreatesol.org/NC2024
Check the chapter’s webpages and Facebook group periodically for updates on chapter events and additional in-person and online KOTESOL activities.
For full event details:
· Website: http://koreatesol.org/gwangju
· Facebook: Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL
The Author David Shaffer, PhD, has been involved in TEFL, teacher training, writing, and research in Gwangju for many years as a professor at Chosun University. As vice-president of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter of KOTESOL, he invites you to participate in the chapter’s monthly teacher development workshops and in KOTESOL activities in general. Dr. Shaffer is a past president of KOTESOL and is the editor-in-chief of the Gwangju News
Ultimate
The Current State of Ultimate Frisbee in Gwangju and Korea
by David J. Richter
Back in early 2012 the Gwangju News published an article titled “Ultimate Frisbee: Gwangju Uprising” by Ryan Noll. In that article Ryan explained what ultimate (or ultimate frisbee) is and its current state. He also provided a way for anyone interested to contact him in case they wished to join. Since then, surprise surprise, quite a lot has changed and, with that, the article is now mostly outdated. In this update to the 12-year-old article, I will try to give a look at where ultimate is now and what has consequently changed. I will also try to provide some information for readers who wish to give ultimate a shot.
The one thing that still stands 100 percent correct from Ryan’s article is the short explanation of the rules, and since I don’t think I can do a better job, I will just re-use it here: “Ultimate is played with a flying disc on a field that is similar to a small American football field. The disc is passed between players until it is caught in the opposing team’s end zone. The name ‘Ultimate’ comes from the first game played in New Jersey in 1968, when it was described as the ‘ultimate game experience.’ Since then, the game has spread to almost every American university campus and on to club teams. Ultimate has also gained
popularity on the international level and has become increasingly popular in countries that surround Korea, such as China, Japan, and the Philippines.”1 Ultimate also differentiates itself from other sports through its “spirit of the game.” Ultimate heavily values fair play, to a point where games are self-officiated, meaning there are no referees, and players themselves call fouls, goals and everything in between. The sport is also very welcoming to beginners, as most players here in Korea are very open to help out, give advice, and much more.
The old article talks about the “Gwangju Uprising,” a team that played in the ROK Ultimate League, both of which have since disbanded as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. This has left a big hole in the ultimate scene here in Korea, along with a few other factors, many of which are also related to the pandemic. Ultimate is a sport that was brought here by immigrants and was also practiced in larger numbers by foreigners, many of which are no longer residing in Korea. At the same time, with play being impossible during the pandemic, “older” players moved on from competing, while no new players could join, all of which combined has reduced the number of active players here in Korea rather significantly.
The Ullive team upon receiving their third-place medals at K-Cup 2024.
Here in Gwangju things are looking to be on the rise again, though. While Gwangju Uprising is no more, and Ulssu Ultimate, a inter-university ultimate club between Chonnam National University (CNU) and Chosun University, has also disbanded, a new club has formed in its place at CNU, and it is bigger than ever. I asked Kim Taemin, one of the founders of Ullive, about the club, and he told me that after they re-established ultimate at CNU and founded Ullive, they had somewhere between 20 and 30 members initially in 2022. But now, only a few years later, Ullive has exceeded 130 members this semester, a number that is very promising for the future of the sport here in the city, especially since many of them are beginners. He also mentioned that, despite everything, Ullive managed to finish in third place at this year’s K-Cup, one of the biggest mixed team tournaments in Korea, exceeding all expectations.
This admittedly larger-than-expected interest bodes well for ultimate here in Gwangju, but currently that comes with an asterisk. With Ullive being a university club and one with so many members, it is currently not recruiting any new players and even when it does, only CNU students are able to sign up.
That being said, there still are ways for newly interested readers to give ultimate a try. For one, there are local leagues in some of the bigger cities around Korea as well as Facebook groups that organize play on a more local level. On the national level, some of the biggest tournaments are run by KUPA (Korea Ultimate Players Association), which is also in charge of the Korean National Team. KUPA organizes various tournaments here in Korea and is the official Korean national member federation of the WFDF (Word Flying Disk Federation). I spoke with Aren Siekmeier, who is on the board of KUPA; he said, “KUPA, the Korea Ultimate Players Association, aims to tie all these opportunities together and promote the growth of the sport, and is always looking for more opportunities for growth. The national governing body for the sport, KUPA (recognized internationally by WFDF) supports these local leagues and also operates grass tournaments
for club teams to compete in, as well as a few beach hat tournaments every year, which are open to everyone including beginners [no need to already be on a team, as teams are drawn at random]. Busan Bids on the Beach just wrapped up at Haeundae this past weekend, with a turnout of over 135 players from Korea and abroad.”
The Gwangju and larger Jeolla region have also hosted some hat tournaments and local leagues previously, and with the growth of university clubs like CNU, there is a lot of potential for branching out into other competitions locally. KUPA is always eager to see more club teams form and to support new university programs with discs or other equipment.
Additionally it would be great for the ultimate scene in Gwangju, and Korea as a whole, if other universities (or just a group of people) here would follow suit and establish their own clubs and, while the paperwork and all the formalities would have to be carried out by students of that university, experienced Ullive members could lend a helping hand when it comes to the sports side of things.
It would be great if ultimate in Gwangju will keep growing, especially if it will grow past the CNU campus. Here’s to hoping that soon we will be able to have a city-wide league or joint practices.
Source
1 Noll, R. (2012, April 12). Ultimate frisbee: Gwangju uprising. Gwangju News. https://gwangjunewsgic. com/features/ultimate-frisbee-gwangju-uprising/
Photographs courtesy of David J. Richter
The Author
David Jona Richter, born and raised in the extreme south of Germany, is a current graduate student at Chonnam National University. Before coming to Korea in late 2022, he spent about three years in the U.S. midwest in Chicago. Besides his studies, he tries to engage in local communities in Gwangju and Korea.
Soul-Baring Bowls Longing, Connection, and Cuisine
By Catherine Sasmita
Living in a country where your native tongue is thousands of miles away from being recognizable is oftentimes an isolating journey. For individuals like myself, it can be very hard to admit the longing, as it is much easier to keep the intensity of melancholy at arm’s length. Raised in a culture where a bowl of sliced Fuji apples is an expression of love, it is a lot more elementary for me to convey my yearnings by saying, “I miss the food that we used to share on Sunday mornings.”
It is very easy to associate a person dear to me with the dish we used to enjoy the most. Every dish becomes a portal to my memories – all the leisurely mornings and exhilarating nights I spent with the people I grew to become. The scent of fish cooking on the charcoal grill reminds me of early evenings on the terrace with my family, where my father would be crouching as he set up the grill. Knife-cut noodles bring back fond memories of my late grandfather sitting across from me, slurping the food that reminds him of his own birthplace. To her family and friends, it would be very obvious that I consider my mother synonymous with bakso (meatball soup).
As I yearn for the flavors of home, dishes like bakmi (pork noodles) and nasi campur (mixed rice) hold a special place in my heart. However, replicating these Chinese-Indonesian dishes is also a laborious task, as they consist of so many different ingredients that demand varying levels of care. Each cut of meat requires different techniques, cooking time, spices, and seasonings. The same is also true for the array of palatestimulating condiments that are a must for those with a similar penchant for the cuisine. The vegetable ensemble would not be as colorful, as you might never find some of them here. The mouthwatering aroma of the flavorsome broth and the bustling noise in the market are what would paint the perfect picture, but I must not fall into my own delusions of thinking I might find the scenery overseas.
Even after spending a decent amount of time in this terrain, I still yearn for the taste of home. I have long given up on looking for things I know are irreplaceable, but I have shifted my focus to discovering attainable traces of familiarity and sharing them with the people that have grown to be dear to me. As essential as food is to life, getting to know someone involves delving into understanding their culinary habits. Behind every meal is a story, and with every bite comes a new narration to be discovered. The act of introducing my cherished dishes to those I care about becomes a silent declaration of affection, a testament to the human experience of sharing. “I care about you, so I share with you the food of my culture.” Many of my bonds have been strengthened thanks to the introduction of cuisines foreign to me from the very first day I stepped out of my home country.
Warm conversations over foods from home.
Once in a while, I think about home, and I can still smell so vividly the spices my grandmother used to cook with. It is as if my life here was just projections I configured in deep slumber and reality is calling me back into its arms. It is not as if I am deprived of consolation, for when I am craving for motherly care, I go to the nearby restaurant and soothe my concerns with a bowl of kimchi jjigae (김치찌개, kimchi soup), where the elderly lady will look at me content as she sees my ddukbaegi (뚝배기, earthen bowl) is empty. Each time my peers and I are fatigued from a long day of pursuits, we quickly devour hearty servings of samgyeopsal (삼겹살, pork belly), similar to what my friends and I would do back in my hometown. The sound of sizzling meat is always welcomed to accompany our animated chatter. When the world becomes too deafening, I approach one of the restaurants in Pyeong-dong (평동) and let the warmth of familiarity make its way to me.
Perhaps it is the realization that came after my fear of what the aftermath could be if I were to leave this locale that has allowed me comprehend that one can have multiple homes at the same time.
The path we have taken may have led us to feel estranged, but these seemingly small exchanges are what draw us closer to each other; we are all bridged by the knowledge that we are not the only ones still dreaming of the comfort we left. Home can exist in the warmth of shared meals and the bonds formed over finding familiarity in a whiff of spice. While the life of a nomad may lead to moments of estrangement, it provides the opportunity to find homes in unexpected forms. I hope I continue to devour every plate and bowl served to me with the same passion and excitement as I do now, knowing that food is an essence of home.
The Author and Photographer
Catherine “Cat” Sasmita is a master’s student at Chonnam National University studying business administration. Originally from Indonesia, Cat enjoys bouldering, reading, and of course, searching for all types of spicy food.
1. A Singaporean meal, the closest to Chinese-Indonesian dishes.
2. Kimchi jjigae, to soothe the soul.
3. Nasi Goreng Ayam Geprek, an Indonesian favorite.
MUSIC CONCERTS
Four Seasons National Choir: War and Peace
Date: July 2 (Tue.)
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Gwangju Arts Center, Grand Theater
Admission: R seats 30,000 won, S seats 20,000 won, A seats 10,000 won
Reservations: Gwangju Arts Center website / Ticketlink (1577-7890)
Eligibility: 7 years of age and older
Phone: 062-613-8235
Gwangju City Symphony Orchestra
Otium Concert III [Romantic]
Date: July 18 (Thu.)
Time: 11:00 a.m. & 7:30 p.m. (Running time 70 min.)
Venue: Gwangju Arts Center, Small Theater
Admission: S seats 20,000 won, A seats 10,000 won
Reservations: Gwangju Arts Center website / Ticketlink (1577-7890)
Admission: All seats 15,000 won (Non-designated seats)
Eligibility: 3 years of age and older
Reservations: Asia Culture Center website
Phone: 1899-5566
Children’s Musical:
Giraffe Zippy with a Short Neck
Date: July 4 (Thu.)
Time: 7:30 p.m. (Running time 50 min.)
Venue: Gwangju Arts Center, Small Theater
Admission: R seats 20,000 won, S seats 10,000 won
Eligibility: 3 years of age and older
Telephone 1588-7890 (10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.)
The 2024 Chungjang Commercial District
Renaissance RA-ON Festa will be held on Chungjang-ro and in underground shopping areas through December.
Designed to stimulate the local economy, RA-ON Festa takes place every
Crossword Puzzle Answers for the June Issue
final weekend of the month, Friday through Sunday. It will feature specialized programs tailored to each commercial zone, offering a variety of attractions, entertainment, and food options. Programs include K-pop competitions, busking performances, and flea markets.
Particularly during the summer vacation season in July, August, and September, there will be a beer festival, while October will feature the Chungjang Festival, including nighttime flea markets and Black Friday events; and in December, a Christmas tree lighting ceremony and performances.
The seasonally tailored programs and events will be diverse and varied.
Complied by Lee Hwadahm.
The first three people to complete the monthly crossword puzzle correctly and send us a photo of the completed puzzle will receive a cultural gift certificate for 5,000 won!
A gift certificate will be sent to prize winners online on the 5th of the following month.
- Email via gwangjunews@gic.or.kr or DM via Instagram at Gwangju International Center.
Cultural Gift Certificate for
2024 Chungjang RA-ON Festa
Created by Jon Dunbar
(2
(2 words)
(2 words)
1 Program for street cats
2 Profitability of an investment
3 Pen’s liquid
4 Slang for British broadcaster
5 Tech research institute in Daejeon
6 Filmmaker Korosi
7 Squirmy fish bait
8 Big, flat chunk
9 Butterfly festival site
10 Pie ___ mode (2 words)
11 Bean and Cool J
14 Singer Lipa
18 HYBE’s hitman, Si-hyuk
19 Holmes or Couric
20 Actor Jeremy
21 Gwangju women’s volleyball team (2 words)
24 Park in Gwangju’s Dong-gu
25 Prowl
27 Goes with code or tie
28 Canada’s biggest province
29 0-0
30 Wong or Muhammad
32 Hongdae’s district in Seoul
34 Posting in a French store
36 Homeplus competitor
39 School in Durham
40 Bruce or Hwadahm
41 6 down’s “Sua/___”
42 Opposite of West
43 Popeye’s competitor
44 RR spelling of Uhm
46 Winnebagos
47 “... thus wide I’ll ___ my arms”: “Hamlet”
48 Secret org.
For only 50,000 won/year, you help the GIC provide a space for exchanges for the local and international communities to learn and experience various cultures from around the world and to promote respect for diversity and inclusivity.
Bene�its as a GIC member:
Receive the Gwangju News every month by email. Priority for participation in programs. Get discounts on paid programs and space rentals. Borrow books and materials from the GIC Library. Get receipts for contributions provided for year-end tax settlement.
We support the activities of a community aimed at friendship and exchange among residents, both domestic and foreign, in Gwangju!
Application Period
Jun. 21 (Fri.) - Jul. 12 (Fri.)
Support Period
Jul. 22 (Mon.) - Nov. 30 (Sat.)
Fields of Activity
- Regular meetings for the Gwangju local and international community covering culture, arts, language, environment, sports, workshops, and more.
- Non-profit community events and programs where domestic and international participants come together for culture, arts, sports, exhibitions, festivals, and more.
Terms and conditions for application
- Non-profit communities with activities and events for cultural exchange.
- Members of the group must consist of both Koreans. and foreigners in Gwagnju.
- Open group for anyone who is interested in joining
Inquiries
062-226-2733 community@gic.or.kr
Process
Final selection:July 18, 2024 (Thursday) Individual notifications.
Fill out the application form at the GIC website and submit it by email to community@gic.or.kr
