[GN] Gwangju News February 2021 #228

Gwangju & South Jeolla International Magazine

February 2021 #228 Gwangju and South Jeolla International Magazine I February 2021 #228 Cimate Crisis Respone

Climate Crisis Response Yun Won-Tae

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Gwangju & South Jeolla International Magazine

February 2021, Issue 228 Published: February 1, 2021 Cover Photo

ICEC President Yun Won-Tae (By Kim Hillel Yunkyoung)

THE EDITORIAL TEAM Publisher Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Chief Copy Editor Layout Editor Photographer Communications Copy Editors Online Editor

Dr. Shin Gyonggu Dr. David E. Shaffer William Urbanski Isaiah Winters Melline Galani Kim Hillel Yunkyoung Jeong Jiyeon David Foster, Di Foster, Jonathan Moffett, Joseph Nunez, Thomas DeVore Melline Galani

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 English-speaking communities.

The Gwangju News is published by Gwangju International Center: Jungang-ro 196-beon-gil 5 (Geumnam-ro 3-ga), Dong-gu, Gwangju 61475, South Korea Tel: (+82)-62-226-2733~34 Fax: (+82)-62-226-2731 Website: www.gwangjunewsgic.com Email: gwangjunews@gic.or.kr GwangjuNews gwangjunews

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.

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February is here The second month of the year With this second issue we bring a second New Year.

Hotter than spices More dangerous than ISIS Herein is Gwangju’s response to the climate crisis.

Everyone in every nation Has dreams; they are a sensation But Korea has a long tradition of dream interpretation.

Lost in Gwangju, is that right?

Wander through tunnels dark as night As preservation progresses at the May 18 torture site.

Minhwa painting, long in history Offers a picture of Korean glory Tigers, clouds, magpies, dragons, here they join to tell the story On GFN, the radio There’s lots to listen to, you know High up on their lengthy list: The Drop with Danno.

We bring the Gwangju City News, And “Who is Mark Gonzales?” we muse, On school zone safety, see a concerned mother’s views.

Read about Valentine’s Day, Speak post office talk in Korean Everyday, And see “My First Snowfall,” our snowy white photo essay.

Try our recipe for kimchi-jjim Visit Blessing Burger, a hidden gem Sample macarons at The Plain, or give a go at all of them.

English through storybook teaching And student-centered classes we are preaching As for the Language Exchange, towards expertise it is reaching.

Puzzle over our monthly crossword Read two poets who yearn to be heard Open February’s Gwangju News and peruse its every word.

As always, stay COVID smart And stay COVID safe Throughout the COVID scourge.

David E. Shaffer Editor-in-Chief Gwangju News

February 2021

Registration No. 광주광역시 라. 00145 (ISSN 2093-5315) Registration Date: February 22, 2010 Printed by Join Adcom 조인애드컴 (+82)-62-367-7702

From the Editor

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Copyright ©2021 by the Gwangju International Center. All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by this copyright may be reproduced in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise – without the written consent of the publisher.

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Photo of the Month

The Photographer

When Ryan Berkebile is not taking photos of abandoned neighborhoods, he likes to write blog posts for his website, Long Distance Runner. Recently, Ryan put out his first zine called The Bulldozed Future. You can find out more about this and other projects at longdistancerunner.org and on Instagram: @l0ngdistancerunner and @naturaryan1600

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CONTENTS February 2021 01. From the Editor 02. Photo of the Month MONTHLY NEWS 04. Gwangju City News FEATURES 06. Climate Crisis Response 10. Ringing in the New Year...Again!

14. People in the Arts: Minhwa, Painting the Peoples’ Desires 18. Zoning in on Safety BLAST FROM THE PAST 20. The Korean Dream World TRAVEL 22. Lost in Gwangju: Gwangju City Preserves 5.18 Torture Site COMMUNITY 38. GFN Radio: The Drop with Danno 40. Local Entrepreneurs: The Plain

Issue 228

FOOD & DRINKS 43. Recipe: Kimchi-jjim – Braised Kimchi with Pork Belly 44. Restaurant Review: A Hidden Gem: Blessing Burger in Haenam TEACHING & LEARNING 47. KONA Volunteer Teaching: English Through Storybooks II 49. Everyday Korean: Episode 38 – 우체국 (Post Office) 50. Creating a Student-Centered Classroom 54. GIC Language Exchange Program CULTURE & ARTS 19. Crossword Puzzle 26. Valentine’s Day 30. Photo Essay: My First Snow in Gwangju 34. Brand Review: Who is Mark Gonzales?

37. Gwangju Writes: A Metaphysical Reconstruction of Dansa Park; Safe New Year

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February 2021

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Gwangju City News Reprinted from the Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall website.

Gwangju City to Be Carbon-Free by 2045

S MONTHLY NEWS

tarting in 2021, Gwangju City will be promoting the Gwangju General Plan for the AI-Green New Deal to realize a “carbon-neutral energy-independent city in 2045.” In August 2020, the Gwangju community declared a “climate crisis emergency,” and the Gwangju General Plan for the AI-Green New Deal was announced.

From the policy establishment to the implementation stage, public-private governance was formed in which the administration, government, industry, civil society organizations, and experts participated, while the “CarbonNeutral Cities Promotion Committee” is to be launched in early February, and operations will begin in earnest. For 2021, the AI-Green New Deal will invest separate private capital of 347.7 billion won for 62 projects under three strategies of “creating a green transition city, climate-safe city, and green industrial city.”

In the field of green energy conversion, 800 million won (of which 400 million won will be private capital) will be invested in the Citizens Solar Power Plant Installation Project, which will create funds from installing solar power facilities. Two-hundred million won will be invested to create an energy conversion village-hub center to support energy-conversion education and civic-led activities.

The high-tech industrial complex, which was designated as the Green Energy ESS Power Regulatory Free Zone in November last year, will invest 19.5 billion won from this year to promote private-oriented power demonstration projects. In the construction sector, 16 billion won will be invested in green remodeling projects of 3,500 households and 47 facilities, such as national daycare centers, health centers, and public medical centers, to improve energy use and the living environment.

In the transportation sector, 44 billion won will be invested, starting with the first six hydrogen city buses introduced in December 2020, and gradually expanded in 2021. Also to be

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February 2021

As a first step, it will establish a mid- to long-term road map for realizing carbon-neutral energy independence by 2045, set goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by stage and field, and check the implementation status annually. At the same time, the climate crisis response preliminary review system and

performance management common indicators will be in effect to ensure execution.

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5 increased is the supply of eco-friendly vehicles by discontinuing use of 7,300 old diesel vehicles and the purchase of 1,200 electric vehicles.

In order to establish a stable hydrogen supply base, 16 billion won will be invested to install additional charging stations in addition to the Byeokjin-dong hydrogen charging station and establish a hydrogen production base by 2022.

In the area of green spaces and ecology, there will be investments in 14 locations, including parks and the Yeongsan River Grand Park. The Jangnok Wetland, the first national wetland within a city in Korea, provides a window for communication with environmental groups and residents to prepare ways to use valuable natural assets wisely.

In the industrial sector, 16.6 billion won will be invested for the clean air industry cluster, which provides demonstration facilities and development of fine dust reduction, by the second half of the year. A total of 8.4 billion won will be invested in building and equipping of the Eco-friendly Air Industry Demonstration Complex, which will support the development of core technologies to improve air quality of multi-use facilities.

“This year, 2021, is the first year of the Gwangju General Plan for the AI-Green New Deal in which Gwangju is transforming itself from a high-carbon energy-dependent city to a citizenled, energy-independent, carbon-neutral eco-friendly green city,” said Park Nam-ju, director of the Environmental Ecology Bureau.

The main items to be checked are (a) whether the delivery app registration information matches the contents of the business report (b) whether the country of origin of the restaurant ingredients is appropriately indicated, and (c) whether the product is used and stored in accordance with the expiration date.

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The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family wants to identify the level of gender equality at national and regional levels in order to establish policy directions from the perspective of gender equality and to examine tasks by fields. Since 2010, the degree of gender equality in the country and region has been surveyed annually and announced in four stages.

The Gender Equality Index consists of gender-equal participation in society with respect to (a) women’s human rights and welfare and (b) gender equality awareness and culture in eight areas: economic activities, decision-making, education and training, welfare, health, safety, family, culture and information.

Gwangju City Checks May 18 Historical Sites Gwangju City has conducted full inspections on the May 18 historical sites by the end of January, ahead of the 41st anniversary of the May 18 Democratization Movement. The inspections of all twenty-nine May 18 historical sites and facilities include the inspection of signs and stone monuments across the city and cross-checking with local governments to investigate whether the facilities are damaged or not, in addition to carrying out environmental maintenance in preparation for the upcoming anniversary.

Once the inspections are completed, the government will establish a maintenance plan in accordance with the results and complete any necessary repairs and maintenance of the facilities before May 2021. Large-scale historical sites, such as the old site of the 505 Security Forces, the former Armed Forces Gwangju Hospital, and the former Gwangju Red Cross Hospital, will be patrolled and additional security equipment will be installed.

Translated by Melline Galani.

February 2021

In preparation for the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday (Seollal), Gwangju City is conducting special inspections of delivery restaurants through February 10. As the non-face-toface culture has spread due to the social-distancing regulations imposed by the pandemic, the demand for delivered food has increased significantly, and as the Lunar New Year holidays are getting closer, City Hall is conducting inspections for the restaurants registered on food delivery apps so as to provide safe food to the Gwangju public.

Gwangju City announced that it has achieved a “high” result in the regional gender equality index for 2019, conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. According to the report released by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in January, there were four cities and provinces that received high ratings: Gwangju, Daejeon, Busan, and Jeju, where Gwangju was the only local government that has risen two levels, from the middle to the top.

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City Hall Inspects Delivery Restaurants

Gwangju Gets “Best” Rating in Gender Equality Index

MONTHLY NEWS

In the field of resource recycling, a model is being developed for the separation of transparent PET bottles in apartment complexes, which was begun in December last year, to areas outside of the apartment buildings. In addition, the recycling rate will be increased by expanding collection centers for each region so they will be able to handle disposable products whose emissions have increased due to the prolonged COVID-19 situation.

Businesses that violate the laws will be promptly dealt with, and after reviewing related laws and regulations, strict measures will be taken. “As the demand for food delivery has increased due to COVID-19, we will do our best to ensure food safety for our citizens and establish a fair trade order through proper labeling of place of origin,” said Kim Hyun-si, head of the Special Judicial Police for Public Safety.

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Climate Crisis Response ICEC, a Leader Towards a Sustainable Gwangju

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February 2021

FEATURE

Interview by William Urbanski

We are all aware of climate change, and we are aware that it is affecting the environment around the world, but are we aware of whether or how Gwangju may be affected? The Gwangju News has recently caught up with Dr. Yun Won-Tae, President of the International Climate and Environment Center, for an interview on the climate crisis and what is required to create a sustainable Gwangju

Gwangju News (GN): First of all, Dr. Yun, thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Could you please tell us about your background, both academic and personal?

Yun Won-Tae: Thank you for inviting me. I appreciate your interest in the International Climate and Environment Center (ICEC). It is a pleasure to introduce myself and my work to the Gwangju News’ subscribers.

I grew up in the countryside and was always interested in nature; clouds especially fascinated me. This led me to the study of meteorology at the University of Cologne in Germany, where I earned my PhD. Upon returning to Korea, I went to work for the national government as head of the Korean delegation to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate (UN IPCC) and later as president of the National Typhoon Center of the Korea Meteorological Administration. I have also worked with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as an expert advisor.

My family and I moved to Gwangju in 2019. Since then I have been serving as president of the International Climate and Environment Center (ICEC), secretary general of the Urban Environmental Accords (UEA), and professor of meteorology at Chonnam National University. In dealing with climate change and environmental issues in the city, I am focused on the strategic development of resilience and low-carbon sustainability of Gwangju.

GN: Please introduce the ICEC to our readers. What kind of initiatives is the ICEC involved in?

Yun: As we are all aware, more than half of the world’s

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▲ President Yun Won-Tae

population resides in cities. Dense population in urbanized areas equates to heavy energy consumption and significant greenhouse gas production. So, cities are hot spots of vulnerability and exposure. Climate change calls for new approaches to sustainable development that take into account complex interactions between climate, social, and ecological systems.

Founded by Gwangju City in 2012, the ICEC was originally called the Climate Change Response Center.

Later, when it was merged with the secretariat of the Urban Environmental Accords, the name was changed to the International Climate and Environment Center. For nine years, the ICEC has been committed to the vision of creating a sustainable Gwangju through vigorous efforts to research and develop climate change response policies, support green living among citizens, and realize a lowcarbon green city.

The ICEC has three basic goals: (a) developing and disseminating science-based technologies and policies for urban environments which, of course, includes Gwangju; (b) raising public awareness of the climate crisis and encouraging participation through inclusion and the education of local citizens; and (c) promoting knowledge-sharing and capacity-building programs via a global network of cities called the Urban Environmental Accords (UEA).

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7 GN: Could you briefly explain the Urban Environmental Accords (UEA)?

Yun: Simply put, the UEA is a promise. In June 2005, mayors from across the globe gathered in San Francisco for the United Nations World Environment Day. Sharing a common belief, city mayors voluntarily committed to implement and encourage city governments to adopt actions to realize the right to a clean, healthy, and safe environment for all members of society.

When analyzed, the data collected from these programs provide vital information for sound policymaking in fields of climate adaptation and response, as well as citizen-led initiatives. These tools are also made available to the international community via UEA networks and related organizations. In this way, Gwangju and the ICEC share their efforts in creating sustainable cities globally, helping cities around the world build their capacities for urban resilience.

Currently a global collective of 156 member cities from 51 countries, the UEA continues to build upon and extend the efforts put forth by the signatory mayors. Through research, discovery, and development of innovative ideas and best practices, as well as various knowledge-sharing and capacity-building programs, the UEA endeavors to continually move forward to achieve long-term sustainability in our urban environments and beyond.

GN: Could you further introduce some of the key programs of the ICEC? Yun: Sure. The world is suffering from extreme climatic events, and Gwangju is no exception. As annual average temperatures are expected to rise in the next ten years, extreme climatic events such as heatwaves, increases in fine dust particles, and heavy rains with flooding are expected to become much more frequent and severe.

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The Urban Assessment Model System (UAMS) is a three-dimensional, mathematical simulation model for calculating air flows, heatwaves, and fine dust dispersions in orographically structured terrain. The UAMS is suited for studying the climatic effects of local land use changes as well as for analyzing the climate of urban and suburban areas. The UAMS was developed to evaluate the environmental conditions within entire cities, providing information for decision-making in areas vulnerable to climate change, and it also helps to address the stratification of climate analysis difficulties.

The Urban Carbon Management System (UCMS) is used to regularly monitor and manage carbon emissions to facilitate the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) produced in urban and suburban areas. GHG reduction regulations are being strengthened worldwide, with the importance of urban-based GHG reduction gaining more attention. Recently, a number of countries and cities, including Gwangju, are making commitments to move to a net-zero emissions economy. This is in response to climate science showing that this is necessary in order to halt climate change. Net zero means that any emissions are balanced by absorbing an equivalent amount from the atmosphere.

The ICEC continually monitors carbon emissions in Gwangju and the surrounding metropolitan area.

Establishing and employing the UCMS in the city, ICEC seeks to identify the characteristics of current GHG emissions to aid in the reduction of future emissions.

February 2021

In order to effectively adapt to and mitigate the effects of the climate crisis, information based on scientific analysis is essential to urban planning and environmental policy development. To this end, the ICEC developed and operates the Urban Assessment Model System (UAMS) and the Urban Carbon Management System (UCMS), both of which I will further explain in a moment.

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Subsequent to the 2005 gathering, the 2011 UEA Summit was held in Gwangju and continues biennially, hosted by an elected member city, including San Antonio (Texas, USA), Iloilo City (Philippines), and Melaka (Malaysia).

Next year it will return to South Korea, as the 2021 UEA Summit and Executive Committee Meeting and will be held in Yeosu.

▲ Figure 1. Predicted temperature and precipitation in Gwangju (2021–2030).

FEATURE

Through the UEA network, the secretariat shares ideas, opinions, and suggestions with member cities for sustainable urban development and promotes education to strengthen the efficacy of the city’s efforts. In collaboration with the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the UEA recently launched a three-year training program. In October of last year, 25 civil servants of the Cambodian Central Government participated in the first of a three-part series on Sustainable Water Management via an online platform. In future sessions, we plan to expand and diversify the scope and content of the program.

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February 2021

FEATURE

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GN: I feel a problem with the global warming dialogue worldwide is that it presents environmental problems (like large-scale greenhouse gas emissions) as such huge problems that it makes individuals feel helpless. What are your views on this, and are there things that individual citizens of Gwangju can do to lessen their negative impacts on the environment?

Yun: In addition to administrative support (policies, regulations, etc.), public awareness is essential. Gwangju City and the ICEC continue to make their best efforts to encourage and support community participation through various projects. Sharing science-based information via education programs, special events, and campaign drives, the ICEC works directly with citizens to foster community instructors. Fostering instructors contributes to creating jobs in Gwangju, as well.

GN: Gwangju, as with most major cities, has substantial traffic, which causes a whole host of environmental and pollution issues. As well, some people just seem to be opposed to taking public transportation. Do you think there are initiatives the city could introduce (carpool lanes, for example) to reduce the number of cars on the road?

Yun: A key factor in reducing the number of cars on the road is to provide efficient public transportation, specifically eco-friendly and user-friendly public transport. Construction of the second subway line began last year, and the first of three phases will be open in 2023, with phases two and three opening in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Currently, Gwangju has 37 electric buses and six hydrogen-powered buses in use. The city plans to build more charging stations and ramp up the hydrogen production base within the next couple of years. In the long term, Gwangju plans to realize 100 percent renewable energy for the bus system by 2030.

GN: Speaking of cars, I have been seeing more and more Teslas and electric cars on the road. Do you think electric cars are a good way to address the problems associated with car emissions?

Yun: Yes, it is a good start. The argument has been made that electric cars are charged by energy produced at power plants that are burning fossil fuels. It is a valid point, but reducing the number of cars with internal combustion engines is the better choice in terms of overall energy efficiency and GHG emissions. However, in order for electric cars to have a more meaningful impact, the source of electricity must become environmentally friendly, such as solar and wind power. Gwangju plans to increase the generation of renewal energy needed to realize carbon neutrality. The transition to eco-friendly energy sources will greatly reduce GHG emissions in the vehicle and power-production sectors.

GN: There is no question that greenhouse gas emissions are a serious contributor to environmental problems and global warming. But too often, people use greenhouse

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▲ Figure 2. Results of CFD analysis of 3x5 kilometer area near Gwangju City Hall with grid spacing between 5–28 meters (analysis derived from UAMS data, 12:00, August 8, 2020).

▲ Figure 3. 3-D Analysis of the UAMS.

▲ Figure 4. Applied analysis on the climate Vulnerability-Resilience Index (VRI) in UCMS.

▲ Figure 5. Analysis of GHG emissions in Gwangju using UCMS. This graph represents GHG emissions measured over the past ten years.

Emissions in Gwangju have remained relatively steady since 2013, with the exception of noted increases in 2013 and 2018. Both events were attributable to the increase in energy use caused by heatwaves in the region.

gas emissions as a single-factor explanation for all environmental problems. What, in your opinion, are other, more commonly overlooked contributors to

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environmental problems, especially with respect to Gwangju?

Yun: To be clear, climate change is the most significant environmental problem humanity will face over the next decade, but it is certainly not the only one. Water shortages, loss of biodiversity, air pollution, and waste management are a few of the challenges we must address, as well. But it is important to realize that everything is interconnected, it is a circular ecology. Global warming due to GHG emissions is accelerating climate change, which is attributable to severe drought conditions and exacerbates water shortage problems. Poor waste management practices have catastrophically damaged our oceans, creating serious environmental issues that affect all life. The WHO estimates that 90 percent of humanity breathes polluted air, and the sources of air pollution are the same sources of GHG emissions. So, you are correct in noting that GHG emissions are not the only contributor. We should look at the entire picture and realize that each environmental issue is very much linked to the others.

GN: Discussions on pollution and global warming tend to focus on the doom-and-gloom aspects of climate and environment change. What are some positive changes or signs of progress that you have seen in Gwangju and around Korea?

Yun: The whole world has been aware of the significance of the climate crisis. Armed with the knowledge that we must all act together, world leaders have made announcements of their plans for the coming years. They are making commitments to move to a net-zero emissions economy. Like most countries, Korea has declared that it plans to be carbon neutral by 2050. In line with these efforts, on July 21 of last year, Gwangju committed to becoming a carbon-free city by 2045 and announced the Gwangju General Plan for the AI-Green New Deal.

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Corrections to the January 2021 Issue Page 19: “Banking-Related Vocabulary” should have read “Online Shopping-Related Vocabulary.”

Page 29: “Christina Lauren Wightman” should have read “Lauren Wightman.”

The Gwangju News regrets the errors. ㅂㅈㄷㅁㄴㅇa

February 2021

Graphics courtesy of ICEC. Photograph by Kim Hillel Yunkyoung.

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To prepare and roll out this plan, Gwangju is organizing a specialized support group this year. Led by the ICEC, this group will attract projects in related fields, make assessments on the performances of the projects, and help build community networks for citizen participation.

In this way, the ICEC plays a key role in the realization of carbon neutrality and the Green New Deal of Gwangju.

Thinking globally while acting locally, the UEA will aggressively work within its network to aid in mitigating further environmental damage.

GN: Thank you, Dr. Yun, for mitigating the gloom-anddoom fears that so many of us hold. It is immensely reassuring to know that Gwangju City and the ICEC are striving to alleviate the climate crisis and create a sustainable Gwangju.

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Ringing in the New Year… Again!

Korea’s Lunar Legacy

By David Shaffer

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February 2021

FEATURE

W

hen I was young and growing up in North America, New Year’s was a special event. My parents and their best friends, who lived up the road, would get together on December 31 at either our place or theirs to spend New Year’s Eve. They would sit around the kitchen table to talk, joke, and gossip over warming cups of coffee and homemade cookies and cake.

The evening would often involve the making of the annual eggnog, the traditional holiday drink, but the normally teetotaling parents also were known to occasionally, and clandestinely, spike their eggnog to make it a bit alcoholic.

As the evening grew closer to midnight, everyone would gravitate to the television in the living room to watch the festivities in New York City’s Time Square, culminating in the big silver ball descending at the stroke of midnight.

When I came to Korea, I encountered a very different New Year’s: different foods, different customs, even different dates! If you did not get all the celebrating in that you had planned on in January, do not feel disheartened; Korea features a second New Year’s festivity three to seven weeks later every year! When I came to Korea, the first of these two holidays was called Sinjeong (신정, new New Year’s) and the later one, Gujeong (구정, old New Year’s). The more recent of the two holidays, Sinjeong, was created by the newly born Republic of Korea government after the colonial period. This was to show the world that it was not a backward country but instead was following the ways of the West, including celebrating the New Year according to the Gregorian calendar, on January 1.

Sinjeong is a one-day official holiday, while Gujeong, more commonly known as “Seollal” (설날) these days, is officially a three-day holiday. In recent decades, the existence of two New Year’s holidays has at times been hotly debated both by the general public and the government: Why should we have two New Year’s holidays; is that not illogical? If we keep them both, which should be the main one? In the process of this wrangling, the name of the lunar New Year has shifted: Seollal, or Seol (설), and Minsogui-nal (민속의 날, Folklore Day) during the latter 1980s when proponents of a single New Year’s day were strong.

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▲ Eathly- God Ox

The Year of the Ox

This year, according to lunar calendar tradition, is Sinchuknyeon (신축년, shin-ox-year), which traditionally begins on the first day of the first lunar month – February 12 this year. And also according to tradition, this year is 4354 of the Dangun calendar, named after the legendary founder of Korea’s Gojoseon kingdom in 2333 B.C. The name Sinchuk is one of the 60 names in the sexagenary cycle used in naming Korean years, which means that a year’s name repeats itself every 60 years. Each year’s name is composed of two parts: one of the 10 heavenly stems (cheongan, 천간), and one of the 12 earthly branches (jiji, 지지). Shin (辛) is the eighth of the 10 heavenly stems, combining with Chuk (丑, ox), the second of the 12 earthly branches. The 10 stems (let’s call them A–J) and the 12 branches (which we will number 1–12) combine linearly to create the 60 names of the years. For example, A1, B2, C3 … J10, A11, B12, C1 … J8, A9, B10 … and so on, until the cycle of 60 combinations is complete and begins to repeat itself. This year is also called the Year of the White Ox. Each year is associated with one of five colors (white, black, green-blue, red, yellow). The White Ox is said to bring good fortune (and after this past year, we sure could use it!).

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11 Ancestral Rites

Tradition grows deep roots, and Korea’s centuries-old lunar New Year’s holiday has most certainly survived and thrived, though how it is observed has in some aspects changed over the years. Performing ancestral rites is still a very important part of Seollal. Very early in the morning, the finishing touches are put on preparing foods for setting the table of offerings to the family ancestors – foods that family members may have spent most of the previous day preparing. This ritual, charye (차례), usually takes place in the home of the family head, who is the first son in the family line. The number of generations represented at the ritual table, often the five or seven most recently departed, depends on the customs of the clan that the family belongs to. Over the years with the spread of Christianity, this observance has moved from its original “ancestral worship” to paying respects to those who have passed on.

Seollal Customs

▲ The sexagenary cycle for years.

dutifully devour. In the Korean age-counting system, everyone becomes a year older on the first day of the new year. This “new year” used to begin with Seollal, but as the importance of the Gregorian calendar has increased, becoming a year older on January 1 has now become the norm for most. So if you were born in, say, the year 2000, you would be 22 years old for all of 2021 (2000 is counted as year 1, 2001 as year 2, etc.). Though one celebrates their birthday, whenever that may be, they do not become a year older on that day.

On the wall of the kitchen, or another room of the house, it was not uncommon to see a pair of unused, freshly woven ladles made of rice straw. It was believed that if you bought a set of New Year’s ladles, known as bok-

▲ Sexagenary chart of year names with the five ox years circled.

February 2021

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Back in the family head’s home, children are awakening and getting washed and dressed for the day. They may be putting on their finest outfits or possibly their ceremonial hanbok (한복) in preparation for their requisite greeting to their grandparents and elders. This formal bow, sebae (세배, full bow with hands, head, and knees to the floor), was not difficult to get the children to perform because they knew that it included receiving a gift from those they bowed to, usually a gift of money, called sebae-ton (세배돈).

It is soon time for the children, and those staffing the kitchen, to have breakfast. On the menu is the traditional Seollal dish, tteok-guk (떡국, rice cake soup). The children were eager to finish the tteok-guk breakfast because they were told that they would become one year older if they did. Those most eager to up their age might have a second, or third, bowl of soup in the belief that one becomes a year older for each bowl of Seollal tteok-guk that they

FEATURE

After the charye rites are completed and the extended family that has gathered at the home of the family head has eaten their breakfast, a mid-morning trek is made to the gravesites of one or more of the most recently departed family heads. Foods like those prepared for charye are packed for the trip into the hills, where the graves are often located. The gravesites may be quite a distance away, as they were often located on a hillside (determined by geomancy) in the vicinity of the family head’s home in the countryside. At the grave, foods are set out on a mat (rice, soup, rice cakes, meats, fish, and fruits, as well as a cup of alcohol) and ceremonial bows are made in the rite called seongmyo. Afterwards, the family members in attendance may have lunch with the ceremonial foods before their return.

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12 wind in a single day. Kite-making and kite-flying (yeonnalligi, 연날리기) were once a more major undertaking.

The kites were larger and sturdier, with intricate shapes and vivid designs on them. At the beginning of the new year, on a paper attached to the kite or written on the kite itself was the Chinese character for “misfortune” (厄, 액, aek). The kite was flown high into the sky, and the kite string was then cut for the kite to fly off and out of sight, taking with it all of one’s possible misfortune for the entire year ahead.

FEATURE

▲ Sieve on wall awaiting the Yagwangi spirit.

jori (복조리, “happiness ladles”), they would bring good fortune to the household in the coming year. Bok-jori sellers once carried their wares from house to house on the eve of the new year, but more recently, one would have to go to the traditional market or another store to purchase bok-jori. It used to be a tradition in my family to add a new pair of “lucky ladles” each year to the collection hanging on the walls of the different rooms of the house. Sadly, this tradition discontinued as bok-jori have become more difficult to acquire.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

Fun and Games

Lunar New Year’s Day, and the days surrounding it, has long been a time of solemn rituals but also of gaiety.

The traditional Seollal entertainment most well-known today is the game of yut (윳), a board game played on a 30-centimeter rubbery mat with four sticks that serve as “dice.” The players are children with the adults coaching and cheering them on in the living room of the apartment.

When I was younger and going to the countryside for Seollal, the game had a somewhat different appearance.

The yut playing “board” was rolled out on the open area in front of the house – a large rice-straw mat more than a meter square with a large “X” inside a square drawn on it.

The yut sticks were short, stubby wooden pieces, and the game was not for boys – the menfolk were playing and wagers were being made.

Yut was not the only game men would engage in. Inside the house, the hwatu (화투) cards would come out and the bets would be on. Hwatu, however, is not Seollalspecific; it can be played anytime three or more men get together and have a floor to sit on. The most popular hwatu game these days is probably go-stop (고스톱), though nationwide, min-hwatu was once the game of preference – except in the Jeolla area, where sambong (삼봉) was the signature game played with hwatu cards.

Fun and games are for the children, too. At this time of year, it is easy to find kite-making kits at stores. These fragile fliers are often assembled and destroyed by the

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Jegi-chagi (제기차지), a game similar to hacky sack, has often been played over Seollal. The jegi (제기) is often a store-bought plastic weight with streamers extending from it – a colorful transformation of the homemade, cloth beanbag that was once the typical jegi that children would skillfully kick into the air for as many times as possible.

Just as popular as jegi-chagi was pengi-chigi (팽이치기, top spinning). The top was a stubby cylinder of wood, coming to a point at the bottom. The “spinner” was a handheld stick with a cord attached to one end to do the spinning when the top was properly struck. Much like jegi-chagi, pengi-chigi has given way to the much more sedentary games children now amuse themselves with on their computers.

On New Year’s night, special caution was required to guard one’s shoes, especially for the children. It was said that on this night, the night spirit Yagwangi would come to take the shoes that it liked. To prevent this, a large sieve was hung on an outside wall near the shoes because Yagwangi would be tempted to count the holes in the sieve. However, the sieve would have too many holes for Yagwangi to count before the rising sun would chase the night spirit away.

A Fortnight of Festivities

The lunar new year was traditionally not a one-day affair, nor the three-day holiday that it is today. Festivities spanned the 15-day period from the new moon of the new year to the full moon of the first lunar month: Daeboreum (대보름; February 26 this year). During this time, farmwork was put on hold throughout the entire village for the village folk to prepare and conduct numerous rites and village-wide games.

Individual families would hold household rites (antaek, 안댁) to appease the guardian spirit of the home and ward off disease, calamity, and misfortune for the coming year. Similarly, the village would hold a rite (dangsanje, 당산제) at the village tree to the village guardian spirit, which included farmers’ band music, dance, and offerings of food and drink.

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13 A major undertaking in many villages was the weaving of a huge rope for the village’s tug-ofwar (jul-darigi, 줄다리기) in which the whole village was represented; the winning team was assured a good harvest in the coming year. Gossaum (고싸움) was a between-village competition involving two huge ropes used as battering rams to knock the opposing team’s commander off his rope perch, resulting in the certainty of a good harvest for the winning village in the coming year. Until recently, this was still held in Daechon-dong of Gwangju’s Nam-gu.

Photo Credits • The sexagenary cycle for years: By Cmglee, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86283295 • Sexagenary chart of year names: motioneffect.tistory.com • Earthly-God Ox: Munsin-baekgwa • Yut board and sticks: Kokiri, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-sa/3.0/ • Go-ssaum: Gwangju Daily News, http://www.gjdaily.net • Kite flying: Preservation Association of Korean Traditional Kite • Sieve on wall: The Academy of Korean Studies

새해 복 많이 받으세요

(Wishing you many New Year’s blessings).

Yut board and sticks.

Go-ssaum

The Author

February 2021

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David Shaffer is spending his fiftieth Seollal in Korea this February. He is the author of Seasonal Customs of Korea (Hollym, 2007) and has authored a years-long column on Traditional Korea in The Korea Herald.

Dr. Shaffer is also editor-in-chief of the Gwangju News.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

Though Daeboreum day was in the middle of winter, everyone was thinking ahead for good fortune in the year just beginning. This included keeping cool in the summer by “selling one’s heat” (deowi-palgi, 더위팔기). Children would wake up early to call out the names of others as if to get their attention. If the person replied, they had “bought” the caller’s heat. Be aware, this still may occur today, as older people remember of it being practiced in their younger years.

And then, finally, in the darkness of Daeboreum evening, folks would climb to an elevated area where they could get a good view of the Daeboreum moon, one of the two biggest and brightest full moons of the year. As the bright moon rose, solemn supplications were made to the orange orb for good health, good fortune, and other personal wishes for the year ahead.

This year, I have prepared my own ahead of time.

Kite flying

1/26/2021 10:07:18 AM

14 People in the Arts

Minhwa, Painting the Peoples’ Desires

By Kang Jennis Hyun-suk

W

hen the new year comes around, we make resolutions hoping for our lives to be happy. Are you still keeping your New Year’s resolutions?

Fortunately, you can have a second chance in Korea with the Lunar New Year, which comes in February this year. In Korea, parents and children, husbands and wives, and brothers and sisters kneel and bow to each other while giving mutual words of blessing for the coming year.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

In the old days, there was an additional New Year’s custom.

People exchanged paintings of happiness with each other. They put the paintings on the walls in their homes or on the doors to bring them good luck for the year. In particular, putting up a painting of a tiger was believed to repel bad energy. These paintings were called sehwa (세화, New Year’s painting). Sehwa is one sub-genre of folk paintings known as minhwa (민화, literally, folk + painting). We still exchange New Year’s calendars with wonderful traditional paintings on them when the New Year comes. I think this is likely a modern-day manifestation of our ancestors exchanging of sehwa.

What Are Minhwa Paintings?

Minhwa are free-style, informal folk paintings resembling the Egyptian murals or the Goguryeo Dynasty (37 B.C. – 668 A.D.) murals. Minhwa contains the essential consciousness and spirit

of nature. Many of them have twodimensional configurations. People enjoyed minhwa throughout their daily lives. On doors, walls, folding screens, ceramics, and even mats, the patterns of minhwa contain the people’s hopes and desires.

For example, peaches symbolize immortality, pomegranates and watermelons represent prosperity for one’s offspring, leopards denote bravery, and deer and rocks signify longevity. Different minhwa painting types are named after the symbols they contain.

— Hojak-do (호작도, tiger and magpie paintings) These paintings were made in the hope of bringing good fortune in the new year. Korea was a country of tigers. Two-thirds of the land area are mountains, a favorable habitat for tigers. And there were certainly many stories about the Korean tiger.

One of them is “Gotgam and the Tiger.” As the story goes, once upon a time, a hungry tiger came down to a village and sat in front of a hut where a baby was crying. The tiger could hear an old lady’s voice from the hut. She told the baby, “Stop crying or the tiger will come and eat you up! The tiger was surprised.

“How does she know I am here?” he thought. But the child did not stop crying. The old lady next told the baby to stop crying because Gotgam was coming, and the infant suddenly stopped crying. The tiger’s pride was hurt. “How frightening

Cheakgeori (still-life bookshelf) painting [detail].

(Asian Art Museum, San Francisco) 2021�02��(February).indd 14

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15 Gotgam must be!” the tiger thought to himself. “Scarier than me!” and he ran away so fast that he lost his tail!

(The tiger did not know that gotgam is “dried persimmon” in Korean.)

This was only one of the many tiger stories that my grandmother told me when I was young. However, there are no longer tigers living in Korea’s mountains. The Japanese hired hunters and killed off all the tigers in Korea during the Japanese colonial period (1910~1945). The last official record was that of a male tiger captured in October 1921.

Now, we can see the tigers of the Joseon Dynasty period only through minhwa folk paintings.

The people of old believed that the evil spirits would run off when they saw the tiger paintings. So, in the new year, people would put the tiger paintings on their walls or on their doors. At first, the minhwa tigers looked brave and scary, but gradually the paintings became simple and more comical. They depicted a mother tiger with long eyelashes, a male tiger with a shy tail, or a tiger smoking a long-stemmed

— Sip-jangsaeng-do (십장생도, ten longevity symbol paintings) Represented in sip-jangsaeng-do are ten objects that were thought to symbolize longevity: the sun, clouds, rocks, water, pine trees, bamboo, cranes, deer, turtles, and bullocho (불로초, the herbal fungus of eternal youth). These were originally objects of nature worship and were also depicted in murals of Goguryeo Dynasty royal tombs. They were also present in poetry, paintings, and sculptures of this period. During the Joseon Dynasty, sip-jangsaeng paintings were made into folding screens, and they were hung in the royal palaces to celebrate the New Year. The paintings were also loved by the general public later, and they were even embroidered on pillow covers.

— Chaekgeori-do (책거리도, stilllife bookshelf paintings) There are two kinds of chaekgeori paintings. One is paintings of books on bookshelves and the other is of diverse still-life objects that may or may not include bookshelves.

The paintings of bookcases are called chaekga-do. King Jeong-jo (1752–1800) of the Joseon Dynasty was such a book lover that he had a chaekga-do screen placed behind his throne rather than the conventional ilwol-obong-do (sun, moon, and five peaks painting) screen, which symbolized the king. Following the king’s lead, his officials also put the chaekga-do screens in their homes.

We can determine what was popular in olden times through the items depicted in chaekgeori-do.

— Hwajo-do (화조도, flower and bird paintings) The upper class in Goryeo Dynasty

February 2021

2021�02��(February).indd 15

Sun, Moon, and Five Peaks, by Sung Hye-sook [detail].

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

▲ Magpies and Tigers, by Shin Jae-hyun.

pipe. According to one popular interpretation, these ridiculous tiger images symbolized the corrupted power of the late Joseon Dynasty, and the magpies chirping above the tiger represented the common folk scolding the corrupt officialdom.

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www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

FEATURE

16

times and those who studied Confucian texts in the Joseon Dynasty are called sadaebu (사대부, gentry). If chaekgeori-do were to be found in the sadaebu master’s study, hwajo-do were found in the room of the lady of the home. These paintings contained flowering branches projecting from a vase containing the water of life, an abundance of flowers blooming, and playful birds and butterflies. Hwajo-do of a pair of birds sitting on a branch represented wishes for a couple’s happy life. These paintings were also often made into folding screens to decorate the rooms of the lady of the house.

— Unnyong-do (운룡도, cloud and dragon paintings) The god of water, the dragon, was believed to rule the seas and bring rain. Fishermen prayed to the Dragon King for a safe return before setting out on a fishing trip. Farmers also held rain rituals by painting dragons on banners during periods of drought. Potters drew dragons on their pottery, too. Just as with tiger paintings, the dragons in unnyongdo also transformed into humorous depictions in the late Joseon Period.

— Munja-do (문자도, Chinese character paintings) Munja-do are paintings containing stylized, artistic Chinese characters.

They contain the characters representing the virtues of Confucianism, as the Joseon Dynasty was built on Confusion ideology.

Children of the upper class were able to study the Confucian virtues at seodang, small private schools.

However, the common people could learn these virtues through munjado without knowing how to read Chinses characters.

As an example of munja-do, the Chinese character 孝 (효, hyo) means filial piety. It is the first of the eight virtues of Confucianism.

(For all eight, see the accompanying graphic.) One of the many stories about hyo is that of a son from the

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The Origin of Minhwa

When did minhwa paintings first appear? According to records of the early Joseon Period, the royal court artists produced the sehwa (New Year’s greeting paintings) three months in advance and offered them to the king in the last month of the year, and the king gave the sehwa to the officials and the royal family as New Year’s gifts. But before the Joseon Dynasty, the poem describing the “ten long-life objects” was written

by Goryeo Dynasty scholar Yi Saek. ▲ Munja-do (Chinese character painting) of 효 (孝, hyo), c. 19th century.

Jin Dynasty of China who broke the pond ice in the middle of winter and caught a carp for his sick mother.

She ate it and was cured! Another is about a man who got bamboo shoots in winter for his mother for the same reason. This is why carp and bamboo shoots appear in munja-do with the Chinese character hyo representing filial piety. Similarly, the other seven Confucian virtues have stories that go with them and symbols that appear with the corresponding Chinese character in their munja-do paintings.

It is often thought that folk paintings were painted by unknown artists with no professional training who just imitated the “orthodox” paintings of established artists. However, Kang Woo-bang, an art historian who has worked with Korean art at the National Museum of Korea, found folk paintings in ancient sculptures. He said that minhwa is the root of Korean painting history.

This appears to be at odds with the definition of minhwa proposed by Yanagi Mineyosi, who was a Japanese art collector. Yanagi coined the name "minhwa" for Korean folk paintings.

The Chinese character for min (民) means “ordinary folks” and hwa (畵) means “paintings.” Yanagi insisted that minhwa as a genre began in the late Joseon Dynasty. Is Yanagi’s naming and description of minhwa proper? As minhwa is getting greater attention from many people these days, the definition and the naming of our traditional folk painting genre deserves further discussion.

Who Paints Minhwa Today?

There was an additional style of munja-do that emerged in the late Joseon Dynasty. Rather than painting on vertical sheets or panels, it was much freer, like in ancient murals.

They drew Chinese characters for their personal wishes for things like happiness and a long life as munjado.

— Artist Kim Saeng-soo (김생수) The Jeolla Provinces is the place where traditional Korean paintings and calligraphy using only black ink are more deeply rooted than other regions. So, there was little space for folk paintings. Kim Saengsoo started painting in his 20s and operated an art gallery in Itaewon, Seoul, while continuing his painting and exporting folk paintings. His father was also a calligrapher, and

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— Artist Sung Hye-sook Sung Hye-sook, a calligrapher, grew up in Ulsan and came to Gwangju to learn traditional blackink calligraphy. There she met her husband, also a calligrapher, and settled in Gwangju. At first, she started making pottery as a hobby.

But when she drew traditional patterns on the pottery, she fell in love with them. She found that the patterns she was drawing were of minhwa style. That is how she entered the path to minhwa. She went to Seoul and Incheon to learn from the best experts on folk paintings. She studied minhwa passionately and held her first exhibition at Mudeung Gallery in Gwangju three years after beginning her minhwa studies.

In Conclusion

It is a pity that there is so much more to say about minhwa that I cannot write here. I have recently read a dozen books on minhwa and was surprised by the diversity and depth of our folk paintings. It has been a great honor for me to be able to conduct interviews with Kim Saengsoo and Sung Hye-sook, the two great pillars of Gwangju minhwa.

I would also like to thank Chung Byeong-mo, a professor at Gyeongju University, for allowing the Gwangju News to use his photos.

Photographs of Sung Hye-sook’s and Kim Saeng-soo’s works by Kang Hyunsuk, courtesy of Sung Hye-sook and Kim Saeng-soo, respectively, from their catalogues.

Photographs of other minhwa works

by Kang Hyun-suk, courtesy of Chung Byeong-mo from his book Folk Painting: The Revolt of Unnamed Artists.

The Author

▲ Detail of Songha-maengho-do (Fierce Tiger in the Pines), by Kim Hong-do. (Leeum Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul)

Kang Jennis Hyun-suk is a freelance interpreter who loves to read books.

History is particularly one of her favorite topics.

She enjoys making new artist friends through writing this “People in the Arts” series for the Gwangju News.

Email: speer@naver.com.

February 2021

2021�02��(February).indd 17

my interview with Sung, it was quite easy to recognize her passion for traditional Korean art.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

he used to draw a tiger and place it on the wall when the younger Kim returned from a long trip. His father believed the tiger would fight off bad energy (i.e., evil spirits). In this way, the younger Kim grew up under the influence of folk paintings throughout his life. He came to Gwangju almost 20 years ago and operates the Woocheong Museum of Art in downtown Gwangju. Kim said that he wanted to give chances to the younger generation to encounter Korean folk paintings and has been instrumental in forming the Gwangju Traditional Folk Painting Association. Kim has held the folk paintings exhibition from eastern to western Korea and has also participated in the Korean and German Art Exchange Exhibition at the Asia Culture Center. Kim points out the limitations of the term minhwa. Therefore, he gives lectures under the title of “Traditional Color Paintings.” To carry on the tradition, several of Kim’s students teach folk painting at cultural centers in Gwangju. In commemoration of his 70th birthday, Kim will be holding a mid-March exhibition at Mudeung Gallery.

Sung was honored to have the director of the Gahoe Museum of Art, Yoon Yeol-soo, write an endorsement for her first exhibition. Later, she won the grand prize in an art competition held in Cheongju and is a member of the Minsu-hoe, a group of prizewinners in major competitions.

These days, she is teaching art students and hopes that her efforts will soon bear fruit. Transitioning from calligraphy to ceramics and from ceramics to minhwa in such a short period of time, she is now one of Korea’s top minhwa artists. During

▲ Dragon painting on vase, 17th century.

(Goryeo Museum, Tokyo)

FEATURE

▲ Sehwa painting by Kim Saeng-soo, 2020.

17

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18

Zoning in on Safety In the School Zone

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

FEATURE

A

fter seeing the movie Dark Knight, I was quite amazed. One of the reasons is because a yellow school bus crashed through the lobby of a bank.

The school bus was as solid as an armored vehicle, and it made me think about how concerned with student safety they are in America. Another time was when I was studying abroad in the U.S. in my 20s. I remember a day when a yellow bus came to a stop in the neighborhood, and suddenly it seemed like the whole world had stopped.

All the cars waited until the last student on the bus had stepped onto the ground and headed to the backyard of his home. When the school bus stopped, all the cars stopped, too. Then I thought to myself, does that happen in my country? Actually, Korean road traffic law has similar rules to those of America. The text of Article 51 of the Road Law reads: “When a school bus has stopped with lights flashing, which indicates that children are getting on/off, any car behind the school bus and any car in a lane on the other side of the street must stop temporarily before proceeding slowly.”

Even though I love living in Gwangju and know many good people here, the picture on the road that we typically see every day, especially within school zones, is sometimes disappointing. I rarely see drivers make temporary stops and then drive on slowly – on either side of the street. I sometimes observe drivers driving on past the school bus when children are getting off of it after finishing daycare or study at an academy. An accident that happened on November 17 in Unam-dong, Buk-gu, was heartbreaking – a truck ran into a family of three siblings in a school zone, killing a two-year-old girl and injuring the other family members. Supposedly, the driver did not see the family when the vehicle started to move, even though it was at a crosswalk!

As a mother of two children, a seven-year-old girl and a five-year-old boy, I am acutely aware that school zone safety is a crucial issue that people should consider seriously. Whenever I help my children across the street safely or drop them off at daycare, I witness a lot of drivers who do not abide by the traffic rules, even though Minsik’s Law, was passed last year by the National Assembly and has been in effect since May 25. Under “Min-sik’s Law,” which was named after Kim Min-sik, a nine-yearold boy who lost his life after being run over by a speeding car in a school zone, drivers are responsible for avoiding accidents in school zones. For example, if a driver injures

2021�02��(February).indd 18

By Ryu Hyejung a child under the age of 13 while driving in a school zone at a speed over the limit of 30 kilometers per hour, the driver will be given a minimum prison sentence of one year and up to 15 years, or be fined five to 30 million won.

Drivers who kill a child of the same age will be sentenced to a minimum of three years in jail.

Some drivers say that if a child crosses the road suddenly between cars, they likely would not have a chance to notice the child coming, and it would not be easy for that driver then to avoid the accident. Those critics state that Min-sik’s Law is too harsh for drivers. For example, guilty drivers could have stricter punishments than those who commit crimes such as rape or assault. However, before demanding this law be amended, it is necessary for drivers to have a greater awareness of child behavior on the streets.

First, children, especially under the age of 13, tend to concentrate on just one object and run. So, this characteristic gives rise to accidents such as being run over. For instance, a child could run out into the street to get a ball while playing or cross the street toward their family on the other side of road without looking in both directions, left and right.

Second, children are unable to predict the speed and motion of cars. A car needs a minimum distance for braking and stopping. However, it is hard for children to estimate how quickly a moving car will come toward them. Also, illegally parked cars block both children’s and drivers’ views of oncoming traffic.

Therefore, as adults, we have to understand children’s behavior and be prepared when proceeding toward and through a school zone, no questions asked. Under the law, more fences and traffic lights along sidewalks will be installed, and surveillance cameras will be increased for safety. I hope children and parents can make it a priority to use school zones more safely, too. I think drivers and passengers have to roll up their sleeves together to prevent accidents involving children in school zones.

The Author

Ryu Hyejung is giving traffic safety courses for drivers. Also she is a mother of two children, and sometimes writes English articles about traveling and life.

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19

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Look for the answers to this crossword puzzle to appear in March in Gwangju News Online (www.gwangjunewsgic.com)

Created by Jon Dunbar

DOWN 1 Shiny fabric 2 LG TVs use this 3 Muffled explosion 4 Tik-___ 5 “Muslim Girl: A Coming of Age” author Al-Khatahtbet 6 Goes with Winter or Hyundai 7 One of 17 UN objectives 8 SK semiconductor maker 9 Mosque leader 10 Long-range missile 11 Russian news service 16 “___ humbug!”

20 Jeong Ho-seung or Yun Dong-ju 21 UN health organization 22 K-pop group 23 Mobile device software 24 Oldest Korean studies org.

ACROSS

25 Digital movie effects

1 Restaurant ___ 28

35 Imperial unit of pressure

27 Actor Chaney

5 Donkey

36 Snake

28 Lotte Cinema rival

8 Intense anaerobic workout

38 Be jealous of

29 Self-made

12 Indian potato

39 Shelter for single mothers and women suffering domestic abuse (2 words)

14 Village People song

32 Byproduct of fire 34 Golf starting point

17 Apprehends

45 Social media

18 Rave music

46 “Give the devil his ___”

19 Goes with Gasteyer or Santa

49 Made by 20 down

20 Aussie gin-based fruit drink

50 Gwangju artist Song

21 2021’s zodiac animal (2 words)

52 Small hole in skin

44 Type of chicken offered at 1 across

23 Curved span in architecture

53 Domesticated dog or cat

46 Cartoon explorer

26 Wedge tool

54 Goes with queen or race

47 Mountain where Undae Village is found

27 Alternative to 2 down

55 Questions

48 Birds lay them

30 Buddhist temple tower

56 Attempt

50 Presentation file

33 Korean curry maker

57 Hammington and Waterston

51 Distances in US football

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37 Classier 39 Widely shared online images with text 40 Harmony 41 TLS predecessor 42 Older brother 43 Bon-moo and Kwang-mo

February 2021

15 Food broadcast

42 Northern tribal state conquered

by Goguryeo

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

13 Scooterist counterculture

31 “Banana Boat Song” (hyphen)

1/26/2021 10:07:27 AM

20

Blast from the Past

The Korean Dream World

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

blast from the past

Everyone dreams, and everyone dreams often – several times a night. Most of our dreams, however, are not remembered upon waking. But those that are remembered are often subject to Korean interpretation, depending on the content of the dream. Stephen Redeker dealt with Korean dreams and their interpretation in his earlier contribution to the Gwangju News (May 2013). That article has been resurrected and revitalized here for your reading enjoyment. — Ed.

H

ow important was that dream you had last night?

In Western culture, dreams are viewed more as a novelty – an interesting (or embarrassing) topic to bring up among friends. However, in Korea, dreams can be much more meaningful than that. In this country, dreams are seen as omens. Similar to Chinese culture, dreams in Korea can be interpreted to symbolize good or bad fortune and even foretell the future of unborn babies.

in the sky. A dream like this symbolizes huge success in the dreamer’s life. When someone dreams of themselves flying, it is also a dream suggesting future success. A dream in which one is falling is just the opposite. A dream about cats or dogs may be called a “dog dream” (gaekkeum, 개꿈), a useless dream holding no particular predictive powers.

Animal Dreams

Nature plays a part in fortunate dreams as well. You might think that a dream of a blazing inferno has a negative connotation. The reverse may actually be true.

The Korean fire dream can be interpreted as meaning that your burdens and troubles in life are burning away so that you can start afresh. Hopefully, in your dream you do not put out the fire. If this happens, the sight of ashes could mean that the problems will return. Other good-luck dreams regarding nature include hiking in the mountains, swimming in the sea, and seeing clear skies.

Let’s start with the good. Pigs are a symbol of wealth in Korea. That is why you will find plastic “piggy” banks being sold in so many stores. When someone dreams of a pig, this can mean money is coming their way – even more so if there are many pigs in the pig dream (doejikkeum, 되지꿈), or if the pigs interact with the dreaming person.

True Tale: One expat living in Gwangju had a dream of many little pigs nibbling at his toes. The next morning, he related the dream to his Korean wife, who immediately suggested that he buy a lottery ticket for good luck.

(Buying lottery tickets after having a pig dream was common practice at the time.) After thinking about the lottery ticket suggestion, several days later, he bought a couple of tickets when he came upon a streetside lottery ticket kiosk. However, before the lottery winners were announced, this expectant expat slipped off the sidewalk, hit his head on the pavement, was rushed to the emergency room, had more than a dozen stitches put in his forehead, and took weeks to heal. He never bought a lottery ticket again. His pig dream seemed to have been misinterpreted: Although there were many piglets in the dream and they were interacting with the dreamer, it was not a pleasant interaction. The biting was painful. To bring good fortune, the pig dream apparently needs to be a pleasant dream.

Some other lucky animals include bears, tigers, carp, phoenixes, and even snakes. A dream of a dragon is considered super lucky, especially if it involves flying high

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Nature Dreams

Clean, clear water flowing towards one’s location, as with flood waters approaching a village or house, is a good omen (good fortune is coming). Water flowing away or muddy, murky waters is a bad omen (one’s good fortune is departing). Surprisingly, dreaming of blood, urine, and excrement are considered good omens! It is believed that these indicate that the toxins have been flushed from the body. (This might help explain why urinating on the parched earth was part of an old rain-making ritual, and why a pile of poop is often depicted so glamorously as emoji and in children’s books and comic books.)

Good Dreams, Bad Dreams

Now, on to some of the bad dreams. A nightmare is scary no matter where you are in the world, and it is never a good thing. When people have dreams about losing teeth, this can symbolize several things: Losing one tooth can mean someone close will become sick or possibly die, losing a few teeth means the road ahead will be rocky in the future, and losing all one’s teeth suggests that everything will fall apart, leaving the toothless dreamer

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21 in a dire situation with dire decisions to make. Dreams about losing other parts of the body, such as one’s hair, nails, and eyebrows, are considered bad omens, because they are “leaving” the dreamer, as with water flowing away.

A dream about one’s deceased forbearers is healthy, but a dream about a ghost, or the grim reaper itself, is deadly.

Dreaming about the angel of death signifies that you will be taken to the afterlife. Some common themes of bad dreams are falling, running away, locked doors, mirrors breaking, and animated dolls. Dolls are usually cute, but when they are moving around in your dream, it is never a good thing. That is, unless you are the puppeteer of a marionette-type doll. In that case, you have got everything under control in your life.

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It is good advice to handle your dreams with caution.

Having dreams with unfavorable omens are best when forgotten quickly and given no afterthought. When good fortune comes with a positive dream, keep it a secret to enjoy the success it may bring. Pleasant dreams!

Resources

Original text by Stephen Redeker.

Supplemented by David Shaffer.

Ahn, S. (2015, Match 13). Good dreams, bad dreams, and baby omens. The Korea Herald. http://www.koreaherald.com/ view.php?ud=20150313001034 Kang, M. (2013, June 23). Dreams can have many meanings. Korea JoongAng Daily. https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/ news/article/article.aspx?aid=2973483

February 2021

Dreams are not just passing subconscious thoughts; they are premonitions that can be passed on to others.

A good dream can be bought or sold. For your dream to keep its good fortune, it must be kept secret. If you know someone who is in need of your dream’s omen, you can sell it for any amount of money or trade it in for something else. After the transaction is complete, you can explain the dream in hopes of sharing the good fortune with that person. As legend has it, Kim Munhui of the Silla Dynasty (7th century A.D.) traded a dress for a good dream from her sister. Soon after Munhui conceived and married, and later became the queen of Silla!

True Tale: The Korean wife of an expat in Gwangju was with child, but before a sonogram examination was able to determine the gender of the fetus, the mother-to-be had a dream. In this dream, she came upon a chestnut tree, and the tree began dropping its chestnuts to the ground. She gathered up as many chestnuts as she could in her skirt, but there were far more dropping chestnuts than she could gather – an overwhelming deluge of chestnuts. The mother-to-be interpreted this dream to, without a doubt, be a harbinger announcing that her first child was to be a boy. Sure enough, weeks later a new sonogram bore this out: It was a boy! As for the baby’s destiny, well, he grew up to love boiled and roasted chestnuts!

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True Tale: An expat living in Gwangju was busy at work in his office when he received a phone call from his Korean wife – something that she did not often do.

She asked him if everything was all right, and he told her that, of course, it was. When he asked her why she called, she merely replied that there was no particular reason.

At home that evening, he pressed her further on the phone call, and she said that she had called because she had had a dream about him the night before. She would not, however, reveal the contents of the dream. Over the years, such phone calls happened periodically, but the details were never revealed. Rather than merely crossing his fingers, the uneasy husband kept a framed paper talisman hanging on his office wall to protect against any misfortune.

Another important part of Korean “dream culture” is the taemong (태몽). These are dreams about a mother’s conception. Oftentimes the mother has her own dreams filled with symbols relating to her unborn baby, but close friends and family members can have these dreams as well. The baby’s gender can be foretold according to various objects appearing in the dream: Certain fruit, flowers, or jumping fish are symbols for a girl. If a mother dreams about certain vegetables, the night sky and stars, or rainbows, then she may have a boy. A baby’s destiny can also be foreseen in a dream. Many of the abovementioned examples of good dreams, such as the flying dragon, can be related to the future of an unborn baby.

blast from the past

Dreams about living individuals, especially family and close friends, are subject to a wide variety of interpretation.

If the person seen in the dream is contented or in a favorable situation, this is a good omen, indicating that fortune is to come their way in some form or manner.

However, if the person appearing in the dream is sad, distressed, or in an unfavorable circumstance, the dream is interpreted as foretelling of some misfortune to befall the person in the dream.

Conception Dreams

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22

Lost in Gwangju

Gwangju City Preserves 5.18 Torture Site

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

By Isaiah Winters

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23

O

n the third anniversary of my joining the Gwangju News team, I’m happy to return to a historic site that was the topic of my very first Lost in Gwangju article: the former 505 Security Forces’ command center in Ssangchon-dong. There many changes are underway now that it’s finally undergoing much-needed restoration as the forthcoming 5.18 History Park, and on a welltimed revisit, I was fortunate to discover a secret bunker beneath the command center’s grounds, adding to its grim mystique. Ultimately, the site is shaping up to be one of the relatively rare success stories of historical preservation that I’ve seen over the years – and one with a story still to tell.

To provide some historical context, during the Gwangju Uprising of May 1980, the 505 Security Forces were stationed at this site and tasked with suppressing the region’s flourishing democratization movement. This involved detaining, interrogating, and torturing prodemocracy activists who opposed South Korea’s U.S.backed junta under military strongman Chun Doohwan. Said activists were forced into the basement’s many underlit chambers and “tenderized” for their unorthodox political views. Though the immediate aims of the Uprising were stomped out, the country would surprise many by holding legitimate democratic elections just seven years later, thereby ushering in the current Sixth Republic.

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February 2021

It’s uncertain whether the site’s tunnels and bunker will be preserved as part of the proposed 5.18 History Park.

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www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

TRAVEL

24

▲ Preservation of the former 505 Security Forces’ command center (shown in white) grinds to a halt following heavy snow.

It’s also important to note that the democracy that emerged from the tumult of the 1980s is, in broader retrospect, part of a much larger wave of global democratization. This “third wave” includes democratic transitions in Taiwan, the Philippines, and much of Latin America. Overshadowing these were the more closely observed post-communist transitions across Eastern Europe that rose from the Soviet Union’s ashes.

Interestingly, the Chinese Communist Party had its own well-known brush with pro-democracy activists during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, which it quashed in 505-fashion. The irony is that despite Tiananmen Square’s ultimate failure, it’s still better known and visualizable (see “Tank Man”) than the Gwangju Uprising’s delayed success. Accordingly, anyone seeking to convey 5.18’s global significance would benefit from framing it as the Korean precursor to the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

Given the command center’s infamous role in the Gwangju Uprising, I’ve been keenly interested in its fate since I found it in 2017. For some, I imagine the torture site doesn’t deserve any taxpayer investment beyond a good bulldozing and routinely salted earth, while for others, its 3.8 billion won conservation as a public memorial and educational site far outshines the abhorrence it engenders. I’d put myself firmly among the latter group, though I do have my qualms with the way in which the site is being preserved. On my most recent visit, I noticed that the semi-circular sentry posts located along the site’s perimeter had been completely demolished. These were the most visually stunning remnants of the site

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and should have been saved. What’s more, the towering bamboo thickets surrounding the outer walls gave the site a feeling of wild seclusion that harmonized with the past – but those are sadly all gone, too.

The silver lining to their removal is that more of the compound was exposed around the time of my last visit.

This allowed me to spot a tunnel entrance in a nearby hillside that otherwise would have remained completely overgrown and out of sight. Upon closer inspection, what I thought was just one tunnel entrance turned out to be two – with one being far larger than the other. The larger one had clearly been boarded up for years, though one of the wood panels was missing, making it easily accessible.

Roughly three meters high by two across, this L-shaped tunnel led to a capacious, pitch-black bunker that reeked of mold. While walking it end to end, my weak phone light revealed an additional pair of claustrophobic tunnels on one side, though where they led was beyond my paygrade to find out. They were, however, more vertical than horizontal in alignment, which suggests their function was more in relation to what was immediately above the bunker.

Given the bunker’s location and size, my best guess is that it was connected to the onsite fueling station above, possibly acting as a storage area for fuel or other material.

To give some perspective as to its size, I guesstimate that it could hold two large city buses side by side with plenty of room to spare. It’s therefore not hard to imagine large tanks or barrels down there with pump systems

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25 connecting upward. Whatever was kept down there, the larger tunnel entrance was likely used for moving bulky items in and out, while the smaller entrance was used more for moving personnel on a quotidian basis or whenever loading and unloading clogged the larger tunnel. Wanting to know more, I turned to the internet but unfortunately found nothing, which is understandable given its former role as a secretive military site.

Whether the proposed 5.18 History Park will preserve the bunker is hard to ascertain. Around the time of the groundbreaking ceremony in July 2020, an architectural rendering of the proposed changes was released, but the bunker is hard to make out and lots of buildings of lesser historical value are missing, as they’ve already been demolished. In their place will be a learning center, an outdoor performance hall, and a parking lot, in addition to a few symbolic monuments like a large gate and colonnade. Another major focus of the site’s preservation is on providing the public with more freely accessible green spaces, including a large lawn and walking trails.

Ultimately, the most significant buildings will be fully preserved by 2023, while other parts will be finished sooner and made public in stages1. I look forward to seeing this piece of history restored and its lessons shared in the years to come.

Photographs by Isaiah Winters.

Source

1

Park, J. (2020, July 15). 광주시, 16일 505보안부대 옛터서 “5·18 역사공원” 착공식. 머지투데이 [Money Today]. https://news. mt.co.kr/mtview.php?no=2020071517228218596

▲

Today the larger tunnel is filled with moldy, old junk.

▲ In May 1980, pro-democracy activists were brought down to this basement beneath the command center for torture and interrogation.

The Author

February 2021

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www.gwangjunewsgic.com

Originally f r o m Southern California, I s a i a h Winters is a Gwangjubased urban explorer who enjoys writing about the City of Light’s lesser-known quarters.

When he’s not roaming the streets and writing about his experiences, he’s usually working or fulfilling his duties as the Gwangju News’ heavily caffeinated chief copy editor.

You can find more of his photography on Instagram @d.p.r.kwangju

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26

Valentine’s Day Pagan, Christian, Folkloric, Commercial

O

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

n Tuesday, February 14, much of the world, Christian and otherwise, celebrates Valentine’s Day. But what is the story behind this much observed day? The origin of this date is uncertain: It seems to be linked to the pagan tradition of the feast of the Lupercalia, a Roman spring ceremony. On February 14, the sacred marriage between Zeus and Hera took place in Athena, as well as the Roman festival in honor of the fertility god, Lupercus.

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February 13 was the day dedicated to peace, harmony, love, and family.

The priests of Lupercus performed a purification ritual involving the sacrifice of goats and the consumption of wine. After the ritual, the priests would go to the streets of Rome with the goatskins touching anyone whom they encountered.

Young women took advantage of the opportunity because it was said that by touching the goatskins, they could improve their chances of giving birth to a child. During Lupercalia, girls’ names were collected in boxes and boys extracted them. Then the boys would pair up with the girls whose names they had selected. The pairing was to last all year, but most of the time, the result was just a physical relationship.

At another place and time, this day was long ago called Birds’ Wedding Day, mainly by people from the Nordic countries and the British Isles because people imagined that birds chose their mate exactly on February 14.

But what of the well-known Saint Valentine? Information about his life is conflated with the legend. The biographic sources Martyrologium Hieronymianum (5th–6th century A.D.) and Passio Sancti Valentini (8th century A.D.) seem to convey the existence of two saints named Valentine, with the first being a martyr from Rome, and the second being a martyr from Terni. But in recent years, a new hypothesis has been adopted by the scholar Vincenzo Fiocchi Nicolai, which proposes that Valentine from Terni and Valentine from Rome were the same person. Therefore, there was only one Valentinus, Bishop of Terni, who arrived in Rome in 270 A.D. during the Christian persecution by the Roman emperor Claudius II; there he was killed and buried.

Valentine was called to Rome by the orator Craton because news of the saint’s work had spread throughout the capital. Craton was impressed with Valentine’s sanctity, charity, and apostolate. He hoped Valentine could heal his son, who had been ill for several years. After the young man was healed, Valentine converted Craton's family to Christianity.

In fact, tradition says that the saint united in marriage a Christian girl named Serapia and a Roman centurion. This act contravened Claudius’ edict, which forbade marriage between legionaries and women who belonged to the Christian faith. Due to these events, Valentine was imprisoned and sentenced to be beheaded on

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27 St. Valentine’s Day. But it is also an attempt to find a place in the same marketplace for a distinctively Welsh product.

▲ Saint Valentine (wikimedia.commons)

February 14, 273 A.D. It is said that his remains were buried 63 Roman miles from Rome on Via Flaminia, the ancient road leading to Terni (Italy).

In Europe

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In Finland and Estonia, Valentine’s Day is a celebration of friendship rather than love. In fact, February 14 is “Friends’ Day,” a day when people usually give greeting cards and small gifts to friends. The streets are decorated with hearts, but the holiday emphasizes love for friends and family. However, February 14 is a suitable day for getting engaged in these two countries as well.

In Slovenia, a proverb says that Valentine’s Day brings the keys that unlock plant roots, so on February 14, plants and flowers begin to grow.

Valentine’s Day was celebrated as the day when work began in the vineyards and fields. It is also said

February 2021

Dydd Santes Dwynwen is considered to be the Welsh equivalent to Valentine’s Day and is celebrated on January 25 every year. In the 1960s, as the commercialization of St. Valentine’s Day continued apace, the first St. Dwynwen’s Day cards were produced in Wales. St. Dwynwen’s Day is in part a protest against the globalizing commercialization of

In Denmark and Norway, Valentine’s Day is not celebrated on a large scale, but many people take the time to spend some romantic time with their life partner or send a greeting card to a secret love. In Sweden, February 14 is called “All Hearts Day,” but it is not an official holiday.

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The man famous for supposedly sending the first Valentine’s Day card was a 21-year-old Frenchman Charles, Duke of Orleans, who was imprisoned in the Tower of London after having been captured during the Battle of Agincourt (1415). He sent a poem titled “Farewell to Love” to his 16-year-old wife, Bonne of Armagnac.

In France, a traditionally Catholic country, Valentine’s Day was traditionally observed with une loterie d’amour in which single people stood in front of houses calling out other singles. They eventually paired off for the evening. After the practice got out of hand and was banned by the French government, sending greetings became popular. Today, French Valentine’s Day revolves around gift-giving, as is common in many Western countries.

CULTURE & ARTS

February 14, as a feast day, was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 A.D. There is disagreement amongst historians about whether the holiday was meant to replace the pagan fertility festival Lupercalia. Either way, as time passed, more romantic connotations came to be associated with the saint. Over time, the holiday and Christian significance were replaced by Valentine’s Day, which has as its spiritual patron Cupid, the god of love, which essentially generated the commercial side of the holiday.

The holiday has been celebrated in Britain since the 17th century. The most valued Valentine’s Day gifts are handmade pastries and sweets.

British tradition includes the baking of a cake in the shape of a heart, which is given to a loved one.

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28 that birds get married on this day. Certainly, it is only recently that it began to be celebrated as “Love Day.” “Love Day” was traditionally March 12, St. Gregory’s Day. In Romania, the traditional holiday for lovers is Dragobete, which is celebrated on February 24. The name comes from a character in Romanian folklore who is supposed to be the son of an old woman called Dochia. Etymologically, part of the name Dragobete can also be found in the Romanian word for “love,” dragoste.

Romania has also started to celebrate Valentine’s Day, although it already had its own traditional holiday in Dragobete. These days, all Romanians are familiar with Valentine’s Day, but very few know about Dragobete.

CULTURE & ARTS

In the Middle East and Africa

In Turkey, Valentine’s Day has become popular in the last 15 to 20 years due to the rising consumption economy.

Malls and shops are decorated, roses and chocolates are sold, and restaurants and nightclubs are visited. Its traditional lovers’ day is St. Gregory’s Day. In Persian culture (Iran), the day dedicated to love takes place on February 17. It was celebrated in the Great Persian Empire as early as the 20th century B.C. In Egypt, there is another holiday on the 4th called the “Day of Egyptian Love.”

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February 2021

The people of Ghana have adopted many Western traditions similar to Valentine’s Day. However, since 2007, February 14 has been declared “National Chocolate Day,” which is fitting given that Ghana is one of the largest exporters of chocolate in the world. The decision was made by the Ghana Ministry of Tourism out of a desire to promote the state’s contribution to global chocolate production and to attract foreign tourists to West Africa – both commercial considerations.

In North and South America

People in the United States most likely began exchanging greetings on this holiday around 1700. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first greeting cards in America. Known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” she made elaborate greeting cards out of silk, ribbons, and colorful images.

flowers. It was chosen as the day before Saint Anthony’s Day, known there as the saint of marriage, when many single women perform folk rituals to find a good and loving husband. In Brazil, February 14 is not used, as this date is too close to another holiday called Carnival.

Mexico celebrates Valentine’s Day (or El Dia del Amor y la Amistad) on February 14. As in many other countries, it is celebrated with balloons, flowers – particularly roses – and other gifts to express one’s love. Many couples go out for dinner to make the most of a romantic evening.

In Colombia, Día de Amor y Amistad (Day of Love and Friendship) is celebrated on the third Saturday of September. This is essentially the Valentine’s Day of Colombia. In this country, the “secret friend” is a very popular tradition, which involves designating each participant as a recipient of a secret gift.

In the Far East

Thanks to a focused marketing effort, Valentine’s Day has also appeared in Japan and Korea.

In Japan, girls give chocolates to the boys they like, as well as to their friends on this day. But not all chocolates are created equal. There are two types of chocolate that the women give. One is called giri-choco that are quick readymade chocolates that you give to friends and family, or people that you love in a non-romantic way. Giri means obligation, so these chocolates are more of an obligatory gift for loved ones to show that you care. The other kind are honmei-choco. Honmei-choco are given to the guys that girls are truly romantically interested in, or their romantic partners. These chocolates are usually either fancier, more expensive, or homemade.

Valentine’s Day in Korea is a bit different from Valentine’s Day elsewhere in the world. In fact, Valentine’s Day has now become just one of 12 “love days” celebrated on the 14th of every month in Korea. These days range from the popular (White Day, March 14) and depressing (Black Day, April 14), to the bizarre (Hug Day, December 14) and everything in between. A lot of money is both spent and made on Valentine’s Day and White Day, while the other love days receive little commercial attention.

Currently, according to the Greeting Card Association, approximately one billion greeting cards are sent globally each year on Valentine’s Day. This makes Valentine’s Day the second busiest holiday of the year (following Christmas) in terms of the number of greeting cards sold.

On White Day in both South Korea and Japan, the men are expected to return the favor to those who gave them chocolates on Valentine’s Day. In the past, the return gift was a meringue or white chocolate in Japan and white candy in Korea, hence the name White Day. But now lingerie has also become a very common gift.

In Brazil, Valentine's Day (or Día de los Novios) is celebrated on June 12. Couples give each other gifts such as chocolate, greeting cards, and usually a bouquet of

The Chinese also celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14. In addition, China has its own version of Valentine’s

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29 Day, which is celebrated as three festivals (Lantern Festival, Shangsi Festival, and Qixi Festival).

Perhaps the most romantic and endearing of Chinese lovers’ traditions is the Qixi, or Double Seven Festival, that has been celebrated since the Zhou Dynasty (1046– 256 B.C.). Qixi is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, which is in August of the Gregorian calendar. This day is known as Chilseok in Korea.

Red hearts, pink bows, candies wrapped in purple, angels hanging between fluffy and blue clouds, love statements, and other “sweet and cute” events are just some of the elements of modern Valentine’s Day. Every February, on

Compiled by Melline Galani.

Resources CrestinOrtodox.ro. (2012, February 2). Sfantul Valentin: Sarbatoarea Roz. https://www.crestinortodox.ro/reportaj/sfantul-valentin- sarbatoarea-roz-72309.html Critic Arad. (2020, February 14). Sfantul Valentin. https://criticarad. ro/sfantul-valentin-intre-semnificatii-crestine-legende-populare-si -implant-comercial/ Evans, L. (n.d.). Saints of Terni. Key to Umbria http://www. keytoumbria.com/Terni/St_Valentine.html Ketchell, M. (2017, January 5). How St. Dwynwen wrongly became known as the Welsh Valentine. The Conversation. https://the conversation.com/how-st-dwynwen-wrongly-became-known-as- the-welsh-valentine-71520 Scapin, L. (2013, February 14). The message of St. Valentine is in the power of love. Episcopia Romano-Catolica de Iasi. http://ercis.ro/ actualitate/viata201302.asp?id=20130258 Travel China Guide. (2020, June 23). How many Valentine’s Days are there in China? Amazingly three! https://www.travelchinaguide. com/essential/holidays/chinese-valentines-day.htm Umoh, V. (2019, February 13). A day with Saint Valentine of Rome: Patron of young couples. Vu Biblia Academia. https:// valentineumoh.com/2019/02/13/a-day-with-saint-valentine-of- rome-patron-of-young-couples/

CULTURE & ARTS

Legend has it that a god and a goddess fell in love against the wishes of the Jade Emperor and the Heavenly Queen Mother. It is a love story between Zhinü (a weaver girl, symbolizing the star Vega) and Niulang (a cowherd, symbolizing the star Altair). Their love was not allowed, so they were banished to opposite sides of the Silver River (symbolizing the Milky Way). Zhinü fell in love with Niulang, and they got married without the knowledge of the Heavenly Queen Mother. Niulang and Zhinü lived a happy life together. Niulang worked in the fields while Zhinü did weaving at home. As the years passed, they had two children, one boy and one girl. As with many legends, there are many variations of this story. Niulang and Zhinü are known as Jik-nyeo and Gyeon-u in the Korean version of this love story.

the 14th, Valentine’s Day is celebrated with great pomp, and the “holiday” has become a very clear landmark on the twisted map of consumer habits, borne of pagan beliefs, Christian virtue, and legendary lure.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

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February 2021

Photo by Jesse Goll, Unsplash.

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30 Photo Essay

My First Snow in Gwangju

By Emmanuela Sabatini

W

inter has come and it has been snowing in Gwangju! I am so glad to experience my first snowfall in Gwangju.

I never thought that Gwangju would have such heavy amounts of snow. Since the end of December 2020, I have been able to see a lot of snow in Gwangju. This is an opportunity that I could not afford to miss because we do not know what will happen in the future. This was the reason I started my snow photo journeys at local universities in Gwangju. I met a snowman at every university. The snow-covered ground looks so white, but the sunlight gave a color gradation to it that was so pretty. I am enjoying the snow in Gwangju, even though it is actually hard for me to bear the cold weather.

The Photographer

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

CULTURE & ARTS

Emmanuela Sabatini is originally from Jakarta, Indonesia. She did an internship at the Gwangju International Center from September to December 2020.

You can follow her life journey at www. emmasabatini.com.

Instagram: @emmasabatini

Chosun University steps to the Main Building.

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Chosun University

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Chonnam National University

February 2021

Chonnam National University

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CULTURE & ARTS

Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology

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Chonnam National University

Chonnam National University

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

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Brand Review

Who Is Mark Gonzales?

By William Urbanski

The Big Names in Skateboarding

When people think of skateboarding, there are usually two names that spring to mind: Tony Hawk and Rodney Mullen. No doubt, the familiarity of these names comes from the Tony Hawk Pro Skater video game franchise

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

CULTURE & ARTS

O

ne of the freshest and most surprising fashion brands to be making inroads into the Korean market lately is Mark Gonzales. The brand, which takes its namesake from professional skateboarder Mark Gonzales, seems to be focused on producing lifestyle (or some may say “streetstyle”) clothes that feature his autograph and cartoon bird logo. Many eponymous brands like Versace or Christian Dior invoke a certain sophisticated elegance or mystique – words that definitely do not pop into my head when I think about “the Gonz.”

While a household name in the skateboard world, he is still relatively unknown in the mainstream, which is why it is time to pull back the curtains and find out who Mark Gonzales really is.

and to some degree Mullen’s unfortunate TED Talk with around two million views. Tony Hawk is, without question, skateboarding’s ambassador to the world and the most well-recognized skateboarder ever. Rodney Mullen is a tad bit more “underground” than Tony Hawk and made a name for himself first through the freestyle contest circuit in the 1980s and later through his incredible technical skateboarding. In addition to their sidewalk surfing prowess, both Hawk and Mullen are also surprisingly articulate business owners. Besides these two men, there are a handful of other skateboarders whose names have entered the mainstream, such as Daewon Song (who is a hero in Korea) and Ryan Sheckler (whose MTV show Life of Ryan earned him the moniker “Cryin’ Ryan”), but nowhere near the level of Hawk and Mullen.

While Mark Gonzales (the man, not the brand) is often overlooked or unknown to the mainstream, he is truly the godfather of modern street skateboarding, and the impact he has had cannot be overstated. When you see skateboarders cruising down the street, flipping their board down stairs or jumping over garbage cans, you basically have Mark Gonzales to thank (or curse, if you happen to be a cantankerous old buzzard). While Gonzales did not “invent” as many tricks as Mullen or Hawk, his creativity and approach to street skateboarding were unlike anything anyone had seen before. In the ’80s, when most “street skaters” were content doing handstands and pirouettes, Gonzales was sliding down handrails and jumping over gaps that were unthinkable at the time and still hold up today. At least one professional skateboarder claimed that seeing Mark Gonzales for the first time was like watching an alien. Truly, if there were a Mt. Rushmore of skateboarding, Gonzales’ weird head would be on it.

An Impactful Career

▲ Gonzales is well known as a pioneer of handrail skating.

2021�02��(February).indd 34

In the early ’80s, when modern skateboarding emerged from the terrible, banana board-riding, soul-cruising ’70s, there were basically two “disciplines” – transition (including vert ramps and pools) and freestyle. Basically, everyone has seen or is familiar with pool skateboarding and vert ramps, the massive, elongated “U” shaped structures that skaters use to fly into the air. Much less well known, but perhaps equally impressive in its own right, is freestyle skateboarding, in which skateboarders used smaller, skinnier boards to perform routines

1/26/2021 10:07:48 AM

35 is also undeniable is that Mark Gonzales is a very strange dude. Not necessarily weird in a bad way, but let us just say you would not confuse him for a Rhodes Scholar.

While raw talent and guts are the prerequisites to a career as a pro skater, what is less understood is that any prospective pro needs to possess an “x-factor”: a certain “je ne sais quoi” that sets himself apart from the rest. For Mark Gonzales, this x-factor was his art projects and, especially toward the end of his career in earnest, he was well known for the funky pictures he would produce.

Now, full discretion: I know next to nothing about art or the art world. That being said, I really do not see what was so special about his wild doodles, and his art is the point where my interest in and appreciation for his talents come to a screeching halt.

From the Streets to the Mainstream

involving flipping and standing on their boards on flat ground. Hawk and Mullen were each masters of these two domains. As vert and pool skating slowly died out (mainly because it was difficult to find and even more difficult to build and maintain a vert ramp) and freestyle skaters started suffering from unrelenting ridicule for dressing like sissies, there was a void to be filled by “street skating.” While a talented vert skater in his own right, street skateboarding is where the Gonz was, as the youngins say today, an industry disruptor.

Mark Gonzales was basically the right person doing the right thing at the right time and pretty much the entire skateboard industry fell in love with him. To this day, to speak ill of him or his skateboarding is tantamount to heresy. Fortunately for me, I do like his skateboarding in addition to appreciating the impact he has had.

A Strange Dude

2021�02��(February).indd 35

February 2021

On top of his influence as a skater, in terms of securing sponsorship deals, endorsements, and career longevity, the Gonz’s success as a professional skateboarder is undeniable. He has ridden for the biggest companies in skateboarding and has been part of the Adidas skateboard team since before huge corporate brands being involved in skateboarding was even a thing. What

But the Gonzales of today is a Gonzales that is far, far past his prime. He is being marketed as more of an artist (which he ain’t) and less as a former pro. Remember that opening a business on this scale is not just a bunch of bros who chip in a few bucks each: It requires massive cash injections and nobody is going to put up that kind of cash to back someone if he is just too weird. Gonzales “the skateboarder” would have been toxic from a large-scale

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

Without getting into trick names and skateboarding terminology, what set Gonzales apart was the way he was able to make use of the whole spectrum of everyday objects, including stairs, ledges, benches, and rails spontaneously and intuitively in a way that made them look like they were specifically designed for skateboarding.

The other, less obvious reason has to do with the insular nature of skateboarding. Even though skateboarding is more common and accepted now than ever before, it is still, as a poet such as Walt Whitman might say, “a river with strong currents of counter-culture and a rejection of mainstream values.” These sentiments were even stronger throughout the ’80s and ’90s, and success as a skateboarder, especially as a “street skater,” meant embodying this recalcitrant attitude. That is to say, the very factors required to have a successful pro skateboarding career precluded fitting into the view of what was acceptable to the mainstream. It was either you were a skater or a tool of corporatist society: There was no either/or. In short, there was no way for the Gonzales of yesteryear to front a major corporate brand without compromising his legitimacy as a skater.

CULTURE & ARTS

▲ Even well past his prime, Gonzales still skates and is still quite a weird fellow.

Given how important a figure he is in the skateboard world, it is interesting to speculate as to why, until quite recently, Gonzales never had the mainstream appeal of Hawk or Mullen. I am sure there are myriad reasons, but my hunch is that for many years nobody was going to ever back this guy because he comes off as a complete lunatic. Just go on YouTube and listen to the super weird way he talks for 30 seconds. Everything he says is like an imitation of someone else’s voice and he is constantly muttering nonsense. Entertaining for sure, but not exactly fodder for a sophisticated audience.

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CULTURE & ARTS

36

▲ Photo by Lukas Bato, Unsplash.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

Conclusions

I was actually quite surprised when I first learned that this brand has not only a Korean website but also a couple of brick-and-mortar stores in Seoul. Upon further reflection, I think Mark Gonzales might just be a good fit for the Korean market. It is weird without being offensive. This innocuous image is key where grown men regularly send emojis of teddy bears holding hearts to their girlfriends. As for the actual clothing, besides being a little more colorful and zany than the standard T-shirts you would find at Big 10, I do not see what the brand is doing to really innovate, but then again, while having impeccable taste in clothing, I am no fashionista.

So, now you know a little about the man, the myth, and the soulless corporate entity that is using his name for a fast buck. All that being said, I think it is a cool brand, and I have schemes in the near future that involve dishing out some serious won on some shirts with cartoon birds on them. While some may criticize me for describing

2021�02��(February).indd 36

Mark Gonzales as an insipid corporate trademark while simultaneously backing his brand, I would refer them to Walt Whitman’s famous quote: “If I contradict myself, so be it. I contain multitudes.”

The Author William Urbanski is the Gwangju News’ managing editor and its special skateboarding correspondent.

Instagram: @will_il_gatto

▲

marketing standpoint, but Gonzales the artist who used to be a pro skateboarder is just edgy and cool enough. In short, Gonzales was and is such an “out there” character that until there was enough time between him and his skateboard career, he just was not a good candidate for mainstream appeal.

Gonzales managed to stay relevant throughout his career through a mixture of innovation and brilliant trick selection.

1/26/2021 10:07:50 AM

Gwangju Writes 37

A Metaphysical Reconstruction of Dansa Park

Safe New Year

By Stephen Kagarise

By Muthukumar Elangovan

Never before the whole world turned Upside down when we all mourned For the tolls Of lost souls In the fight against COVID-19.

That’s most of last year’s scene!

Imagine a cozy yet spacious-sized cube and step inside.

Above you, a green metal overpass blocks the snow wind, and rain, while it thrums with the murmur of cars.

Square rubber mats of dark green cushion your feet.

Set the cube in a cathedral of trees beside a bus stop.

A stained-glass mosaic of overarching foliage shimmers in the midday sun.

As you swing your arms back to front after each set of chin-ups bathe in the soft green luminescence.

We took steps that are giants’, With an alliance of modern science.

Lot’s learned, That’s earned, And contrived a swift vaccine To break the shackles of quarantine!

This New Year’s not bringing an end.

But it’s the beginning of descent Down steep hill.

With strong will And bold smile upon despair, I wish you a safe New Year!

Stephen Kagarise has been living in Gwangju for the past eight years.

Dansa Park was once a stop-off on many of his long walks. It had a fully and benches where older people could sit and chat, space for dogs to run and play, and a narrow band of almost wildlike greenery in the gap between two overpasses. Email: stephen.kagarise@gmail.com

2021�02��(February).indd 37

biologist at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST). He’s a naturalist, loves reading non-fiction books, and writes poetry, short stories, and about other topics on his blog. Email: pentomuthu@ gmail.com

February 2021

stocked exercise area, but also tables

The Author Muthukumar Elangovan is a molecular

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

The Author

1/26/2021 10:07:51 AM

38

The Drop with Danno Interview by William Urbanski

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

COMMUNITY

In furthering the Gwangju News’ collaboration with the Gwangju Foreign Language Network (GFN) to keep our community well informed, this issue of the Gwangju News offers an interview with the host of the station’s nightly music show, Daniel J. Springer, who brings “The Drop with Danno” nightly to the southern-most reaches of the peninsula between 8 and 10 p.m. Here is our interview.

William Urbanski (William): With so much content online (podcasts, webcasts, etc.), what do you think radio broadcasts offer that other types of media cannot?

Daniel J. Springer (Danno): That’s a good question, but kind of misleading, because most radio shows, including mine, offer their shows online after broadcast for ondemand listening. But yes, being in any medium of entertainment nowadays is extremely competitive, no doubt.

In terms of what I do, radio programming can offer a level of expertise and guidance to the uninitiated or even music enthusiasts to make for an exciting mix of music and a bit of history or education thrown in to make it truly entertaining. Additionally, the music market today versus, say, 30 years ago is exponentially larger and more specialized, as everything becomes far more targeted with platform algorithms along with the ease with which artists can produce new tunes. So nobody has time to wade through all the new stuff, and I’ve found that most people on their own tend to just listen to the same thing over and over or randomly run into stuff they like. The guy on the radio does have time to wade and is an absolute audio addict, so he’s a good guide for new stuff if he’s given the freedom to choose, which luckily is a freedom I have producing the show’s content. Additionally, you won’t hear

2021�02��(February).indd 38

anything on the FM radio waves here in Korea that’s quite like “The Drop,” with our emphasis on promoting good music no matter its source, looking at history in context, and just having fun with a very wide variety of sounds over a week’s time, with each night’s focus being different.

William: Growing up, did you listen to the radio a lot? What were some stations or DJs you liked to listen to?

Danno: Well, as a guy who came of age in the 1980s and 1990s, yeah, I listened to a lot of radio growing up, but as a kid it was mostly talk and sports. It wasn’t like now, obviously.

You’d wait around for your favorite programs on TV or sometimes radio, even back then. My parents were always listening to the very early shock jocks like Steve Dahl and Gary Matthews in Chicago when I was a little kid. I later discovered house music from some taped shows of the Hot Mix 5 on WBMX, which was like nothing else on radio even into the 1990s, and God bless the people with the tapes and the internet for preserving those mixes, which is a huge inspiration for what I do with “The Drop.”

William: When I was growing up, certain radio personalities in Toronto were very popular because of the way they spoke or because of the energy and humor they projected. Are there any special ways you try to develop your radio personality?

Danno: A bit, maybe. I don’t try to

put on a “persona” so much as clarify and sharpen my delivery, which is always an ongoing process, but everybody in any form of media does have a bit of character development to do. Humor is definitely something I try to use in a rather deadpan or salty kind of way, especially during our Under the Radar indie shows on Tuesdays because it’s a great comedy counterpoint to Prince Paolo, whose bubbly persona is always sunny and positive.

William: What are some ways you try to connect to your audience here in Gwangju and in Yeosu?

Danno: I prefer giving away concert tickets, but obviously that’s been out of the question due to COVID-19 for a good while now. I do have guest artists from all over the world on the show every Friday to take over the playlist and give an exclusive interview, and often get sweet little promos from them or their label to give away to our listeners here in Korea. I also like to support the artists and do buy a good amount from them independently from my own funds as well, especially during COVID-19, because they are definitely in dire need due to that.

Mostly since the pandemic started, we’ve been giving away T-shirts and LPs monthly to our listeners. A great way to support your favorite artists is to buy music on Bandcamp. On certain Fridays, they have what they call Bandcamp Fridays, where all money spent goes 100% to the artists,

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39 which is just fantastic, especially for acts trying to do it on their own.

William: Radio broadcasts obviously have the disadvantage of the listener not being able to see the DJ. How do you overcome this barrier to engage the audience?

Danno: Well, social media is basically the big way to do that, but also having the show available in podcast form has been a boon to gaining listenership. It seems everybody has an image of media intake nowadays that’s just people watching video all day, which is obviously not the case since nothing would get done. I’m always looking to create a connection with the listener beyond the radio, so engaging the show via social media with playlists and what’s going on is a great way to do that.

William: Well, Danno, we sure hope you keep up the momentum with “The Drop” and that GFN keeps up the momentum in serving our foreign language-speaking community. Thank you for your time.

Photographs and graphics courtesy of Daniel J. Springer.

The Interviewee

“Under the Radar Tuesdays” with Prince Paolo A full two hours of the latest indie and underground tunes released the previous week with the ever-positive man about town, Paolo Mondragon.

Always a (very inappropriate) laugh or two between the cuts!

“Round Trip Wednesdays” with Barbora Brunclíková Each week, we take a trip to a new country and explore the music of our destination, then fly back to Incheon to check out the latest Korean indie tunes that you won’t hear on the airwaves elsewhere.

“Sampled & AMPED Thursdays” with Dan Lloyd Our sampled funk-and-soul first hour explores the latest in the renaissance in funk, soul, boogie, and disco tunes followed by Gwangju’s man on the drums, Dan Lloyd, joining us to go over the latest in rock stars and smashed guitars.

“Guests & Requests Fridays” We invite local and international artists to join us and take over the second-hour playlist, often premiering unreleased gems from albums not yet out! A great look into the artist’s process of creation in the studio.

“Club Session Saturdays” Exploring some of the best dance music and electronica out there for two hours to get you in the mood to bump!

William Urbanski is the Gwangju News’ managing editor and its special skateboarding correspondent.

Instagram: @will_il_gatto

2021�02��(February).indd 39

“Sunday Drive”

In order to get you ready for the week ahead, we explore a set of relaxing tunes, live performances, and generally chilled tunes to help you relax, recharge, and refresh for the week ahead.

February 2021

The Interviewer

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

Daniel J. Springer (a.k.a. “Danno”) is the creator, host, writer, editor, and producer of “The Drop with Danno,” broadcasting on GFN 98.7 FM in Gwangju and 93.7 FM in Yeosu nightly between 8 and 10 p.m. Prior to this, he was a contributor to several shows on TBS eFM in Seoul along with being the creator and co-host of “Spacious” and “White Label Radio” on WNUR in Chicago.

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook: @gfnthedrop Show RSS Feed: https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-drop-withdanno

“New Muses Monday & The Popcast” with Yejin Lee We explore the latest tunes out over the weekend, then talk gossip, soundtracks, and new pop tunes with Chonnam National University student Yejin Lee!

COMMUNITY

William: What is your vision for the future of “The Drop with Danno”?

Danno: We’re currently looking to try and expand beyond Gwangju, but mainly I’m just focusing on sharpening the craft of the show and building a relationship with both the artists and our listenership. The feedback since making the show available as a podcast on demand in August has been tremendous, so we’re mainly just looking to continue to play sweet tunes and keep up the momentum we’ve built in the past two years.

What’s Up on “The Drop”

1/26/2021 10:07:53 AM

40 Local Entrepreneurs

The Plain

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

COMMUNITY

Taste Beyond Expectations

I

had never been a macaron fan and could not understand the craze that swept Korea for this French dessert. I did try many places with macarons in search of that special something, but without success – until one day when I ate my first macaron from The Plain. I will never forget that day. I chose a crème brûlée macaron and was speechless after tasting it. The Plain has, by far, the best macarons I have ever had and now I am their devoted customer. They use only the best ingredients, and everything is handmade, fresh, and delicious with topquality, top ingredients but reasonable prices (2,500 won per macaron). It is the hot spot in Gwangju and is very well known among Koreans. It also is small, like, only a maximum three people can enter at once. All the aspects mentioned above made me want to know more about the person behind the miracle, so I arranged an interview with Kim Yeo-ryeong for my own benefit as well as that of the readers of the Gwangju News.

Gwangju News (GN): Hello and thank you for taking time to do this interview. Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Kim Yeo-ryeong: First, I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to introduce my shop to the Gwangju News’ readers. My name is Kim Yeo-ryeong (김여령) and I operate a small dessert shop that makes macarons and cakes.

GN: How did you come up with the idea of opening a business here? What are the biggest challenges of owning and running your own business?

Kim Yeo-ryeong: Starting a business for the first time was a challenge I had not thought through in detail at the time. I accidentally came across a dessert called macaron and wanted to learn how to make it, so it started as a hobby. I fell in love with making these cookies and thought, “I’d rather open a store than do this at home,” and I was able to find my current store through a friend.

2021�02��(February).indd 40

Interview by Melline Galani To tell you the truth, there are no big difficulties in running the store except, maybe, the space. As the store became better known over time, the space proved to be insufficient compared to the increased amount of work, so I would say this part is the most difficult one. I run the store with my mother and younger sister, but it is too narrow for the three of us to work together at the same time.

GN: What were you doing before you opened the store and how long has The Plain been around?

Kim Yeo-ryeong: Before opening the store, I taught English at a language school because my major was English. The Plain was opened in May 2017, so it will be our fourth anniversary in a few months.

GN: You have the best and most delicious macarons in Gwangju. What is the secret behind this special taste, and where did you learn to make these delectable delicacies?

Kim Yeo-ryeong: Thank you deeply for considering The Plain macarons to be delicious. I learned how to make macarons first in Gwangju and, in order to make them better, secondly in Cheongju. I think the secret to the special taste is the homemade jam. My mom makes the jam that goes into the macarons, and she works with a minimal quantity of sugar to limit the sweetness. With less sugar, the lifetime of the jam is shorter, so we must make it often. We are trying to put not only natural flavors into our products but also high-quality ingredients all wrapped up with love and passion.

GN: How did you perfect your own macaron recipe? We know they are not easy to make.

Kim Yeo-ryeong: The recipes we use today are The Plain’s signature. After taking baking classes, I tried many variations at home and adjusted the recipe. The macaron crust is called coque and is really tricky to make well. I used to practice making it dozens of times a day. I

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41 practiced so hard and for so long that my parents told me I should open a store [smiling].

GN: This location of The Plain is really interesting in that even though it is on a popular street, it is so tiny and easy to miss. Do people struggle to find your shop?

Kim Yeo-ryeong: Indeed, the store is small and sometimes not easy to find. I thought about moving somewhere else but decided not to because the actual location is too good [on Art Street in downtown Gwangju]. Usually, if customers have problems finding it, they call me for further directions.

GN: It seems kind of weird that macarons have become so trendy, right? It does not seem like they are really that accessible. What do you think attracts people to them?

Kim Yeo-ryeong: Yes, macarons are rather expensive precisely because they are not easy to make at home;

it takes a lot of time and practice to be able to make a decent dessert like this. Moreover, it is also difficult to make diversified flavors. But they are really delicious treats coming in so many flavors and colors, and I think this is what attracts people to them.

GN: Besides macarons, do you do other desserts? How can people order these desserts?

Kim Yeo-ryeong: We occasionally sell other desserts.

We make regular cakes only when specially ordered. Our customers order through KakaoTalk, and we make the taste and design they want. In addition to that, we also make various desserts such as madeleines, financiers, cube cakes (a small cake in the shape of a cube, enough for 1–2 persons), and cookies. However, for these desserts we do not take orders due to time constraints: Making the macarons and the custom-made cakes takes up the whole day.

COMMUNITY

Kim Yeo-ryeong

2021�02��(February).indd 41

February 2021

Store entrance view.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

Macarons on display.

1/26/2021 10:07:55 AM

42

COMMUNITY

▲ Custom-made cakes.

GN: What is your favorite dessert? And your favorite flavor?

Kim Yeo-ryeong: This is the hardest question to answer.

Obviously, my favorite dessert is macarons, and I eat them daily. If I am to choose flavors, they would be velvet cream cheese and crème brûlée! These flavors are also consistently the best sellers in the store.

▼ Macarons and the cube cake on display.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

GN: Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we know many businesses are facing hardships. Please tell us how the pandemic has affected your business.

Kim Yeo-ryeong: Summer is the off-season for dessert shops, even without the second wave of the pandemic that we experienced during the summer of 2020. At that time, the streets were empty, and the number of customers decreased, too, so we were impacted, but it did not have a deep effect on the business.

2021�02��(February).indd 42

GN: That is a relief to hear. What does the future look like for The Plain?

Kim Yeo-ryeong: At the top of the list is the expansion of The Plain. Since our place is so small, I want to expand it quickly for the sake of efficiency. The second step would be to hire a reliable employee to help since I work around ten hours a day, sometimes 17 hours during busy periods.

I would also like to open a second store in the Suwan District soon. But my biggest goal is to take good care of my health and to make delicious macarons for a long time.

GN: Well, we certainly wish you good health for good macarons! Thank you so much for your time.

Photographs courtesy of The Plain.

THE PLAIN (더플레인) Address: 31 Yesul-gil (17-2 Daeui-dong), Dong-gu, Gwangju 광주 예술길 31번지 (대의동 17-2) Operating Hours: 11:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. or until sold out; closed Sundays and Mondays KakaoTalk: @더플레인 Instagram: @_the_plain_ ; @theplain_cake

The Interviewer

Melline Galani is a Romanian enthusiast, born and raised in the capital city of Bucharest, who is currently living in Gwangju. She likes new challenges, learning interesting things, and is incurably optimistic. She cannot live without the macarons from The Plain and buys them on a weekly basis.

Instagram: @melligalanis

1/26/2021 10:07:57 AM

Korean Recipe

43

Kimchi-jjim Braised Kimchi with Pork Belly

By Joe Wabe

Among some of the most popular variations of jjim are galbi-jjim (갈비찜), agu-jjim (아구찜), tteokbokki (떡볶이), and jjimdak (찜닭), to mention a few. Two of their common denominators are sweetness and tenderness – traits that make this recipe flawless for this (very cold) winter.

(Serves 4) • 400 grams of pork belly • 400 grams of aged kimchi • 1 tablespoon of rice wine • ½ cup of red pepper flakes • 2 tablespoons of sesame oil • 2 tablespoons of soy sauce • 1 tablespoon of anchovy stock • 2 tablespoons of cooking syrup (or brown sugar) • 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds • 1 tablespoon of minced garlic • 1 green onion (sliced) • 1 medium onion (sliced) • 3 shiitake mushrooms • 2 cups of water

Preparation

•

• •

The Author

Joe Wabe is a Gwangju expat who has been contributing to the GIC and the Gwangju News for more than ten years with his work in photography and writing.

2021�02��(February).indd 43

•

February 2021

•

Before placing the meat and kimchi in a pot, prepare the paste by adding the following to a small container and mixing well into a thick paste: red pepper flakes, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, sesame seeds, anchovy stock, and syrup. You can help form the desired texture by adding a little bit of water if needed.

In a wide pan with a lid, place the pork first, pour the rice wine over it, and then cover it with kimchi, onions, and mushrooms.

Cover the preparation in the pan with the paste and add water.

Simmer at low heat for about 50 minutes. Do not stir while it is cooking but with a ladle gently scoop the liquid from bottom to top. This will allow the distribution of the sauce through the process.

Add the green onions 10 minutes before it is done and – voilà! – soon you will have the perfect kimchi jjim.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

The term jjim (찜) originally referred to dishes made in a big steamer, but the method has changed over the years, and in contemporary Korean cuisine, other techniques such as boiling or using a pressure cooker have superseded the old ways, providing a new meaning to jjim for dishes that resemble steaming in appearance.

Now, as long as the process of reducing the broth to a thick flavory sauce is completed, it is good enough to be placed into this “jjim” category.

Ingredients

FOOD & DRINKS

I

f you are a kimchi jjigae (김치찌개) enthusiast, you are definitely going to be swept off your feet with this recipe. I think of kimchi-jjim (김치찜) as the “ultimate” version of the stew but with distinct variations: less liquid, sweeter, and with more elaborated flavors. When it is well made, the kimchi and pork with their buttery texture will melt in your mouth, leaving you dazzled as if sunshine had just flooded your soul.

1/26/2021 10:07:58 AM

44 Restaurant Review

FOOD & DRINKS

Chili Fries

The Mushroom Burger

A Hidden

Blessing Burger in Haenam

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

L

iving in rural Korea can be tough, especially when the homesickness sets in, but Blessing Burger in Haenam has become our home away from home and Friday night tradition. We don’t often get Western food down here, but this hidden gem, right in the heart of Haenam, more than satisfies that craving. From the delicious burgers to the irresistible milkshakes, we always leave feeling happy and well fed. The owners, Joseph Choi and Yuna Kim, are always so lovely and welcoming and were kind enough to grant me time to do this interview for the Gwangju News.

Interview by Maria Moschini Joseph: I studied music, audio production, and Korean traditional music, and Yuna’s major was Chinese language and literature. I worked at the Busan Metropolitan Traditional Music Orchestra and for many fusion music bands.

Yuna Kim: When I graduated from university, Joseph and I got married, and I worked as a department teaching assistant and at a sushi lunchbox factory in Toronto.

Maria Moschini: Hello and thank you for agreeing to this interview. Firstly, where are you both from and what made you decide to move to Haenam?

Joseph Choi: I am from Busan, but Haenam is Yuna’s hometown. When we came to Haenam, I had just finished school in Toronto, Canada, and was working as an audio engineer / music producer. At the time, Yuna’s brother asked me for help with his business, which I did not want to do, but he wanted to work with me because he needed someone whom he trusted. We are Christian and he also wanted us to go to church as a family, so we decided to live in Haenam.

Maria: What’s the Blessing Burger philosophy?

Joseph: We really like conversation with customers, and we hope that customers can be comforted and share the joy of eating our food. So, we really like it when customers say that they are happy and comforted after eating. When we started here, we dreamed of influencing the local economy, and at that time, we had a lot of ideas and thoughts, but we realized that we were setting our sights too high.

Yuna: You know, these days everyone wants to go higher in life, and in the beginning, we wanted to go higher or “sharper” (to use a musical term) and gather many local people here, but that was our greed talking, and now we are thinking a bit “flatter” by concentrating on one person at a time and not 100 or 1,000.

Maria: Before you started Blessing Burger, what sort of work were you both doing?

Joseph: We do not want to become commercial; we want to stay original, so we are focusing on one customer at a

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45

Gem

time and having a closer and more personal relationship with each.

Most Koreans are not familiar with pulled pork and were instead looking for a beef burger, so that is when

2021�02��(February).indd 45

Maria: What’s been your favorite part about this experience so far?

Joseph: When customers tell us that our burgers are good, it is comforting for us. Sometimes customers give us letters and gifts, and we are always very touched by that.

Yuna: Sometimes, customers do not buy anything. They just come to meet us, and if they are sad, we can comfort them. We are glad that we can give them some hope.

Joseph: Over time, I have realized that every customer is so important, and I have to do my best to empathize with them. Every customer teaches me something.

February 2021

We missed North American food, so we tried it out. The customers really enjoyed it and asked us to put it on our menu. We started with just pulled pork, omelets, salad, grilled cheese toast, and a few other items, but we hadn’t had any restaurant experience. Naturally, we needed time to work out recipes and wanted to make the time going from kitchen to customer shorter and keep our costs low, so we thought about what would be good for both us and the customers.

Maria: Why did you decide to name the restaurant “Blessing Burger”?

Yuna: “Blessing” means that I have a blessing and can bless someone else. Someone comes here and gets a blessing. I can bless people with hope, love, and faith, so I decided to name it after that idea. It may not be a fitting burger name because I started with just a souvenir shop and café, but I cannot change the name now. www.gwangjunewsgic.com

Maria: When did you start Blessing Burger and what gave you the idea?

Joseph: We started this store as a gift and local souvenir shop. At the time, Yuna made sweet potato candles, magnets, cups, and such things, and then we updated it to a coffee shop. Then, because we have a small stage, I looked for some local artists because I wanted to make events like small concerts, open mic nights, workshops, seminars, space rental, a flea market, a farmer’s market, etc. Then, last Christmas, we wanted to have a small Christmas party, so we needed food. We spoke about what was good and thought that hotdogs might work, but we could not find a big enough sausage, so we changed to pulled pork burgers and poutine.

we decided to make the burgers that we have now. We are always looking for what needs to be increased or decreased; the process has been trial and error.

FOOD & DRINKS

▲ There are different burger/fries and pop combos to order from the menu.

Maria: What are some problems that you have had to overcome in opening Blessing Burger?

Joseph: Cultural problems: A burger is a different

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FOOD & DRINKS

46

▲ Joseph and Yuna.

▲ Our home away from home.

culture’s food, and Korean people, especially people in the countryside, do not understand American burger culture. A lot of people have asked us where the bulgogi burger is and others have said it is too salty, so we must always explain the menu and American burger culture.

We always think customers’ feedback is so important, so we change things step by step and figure things out as we go along.

Yuna: We like to think that we are providing our customers with a taste of a different culture, not just familiar food.

Joseph: We had six burgers, but now we have fewer burgers on the menu to make things more convenient and timesaving for our customers. But if the local people begin to understand American burger culture better, then we can expand our menu. I am also looking to have small music concerts – that is why I made the stage – so maybe after COVID-19, we can do that. If we get the chance, we also would like to move to the first floor because the restaurant would be more noticeable there and customer access would be easier.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

Maria: Which menu item would you say is Blessing Burger’s specialty?

Joseph: The most popular burger is the Bacon Tomato Burger. I always recommend it to our customers.

Yuna: Because it is the perfect balance, everyone likes it.

Maria: How have you gone about attracting more customers?

Joseph: A lot of the time, we just advertise through word of mouth, but we have also used Instagram, posters, and flyers.

Yuna: We have not advertised a lot because we are focusing on the food and service at the moment. We will do more advertising in the future.

Maria: Has it been difficult running a business during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Joseph: Yes, waiting for customers has been the hardest part. When we have customers, we are so busy and time goes fast, but when there are no customers, the time spent waiting is tough.

Maria: Are there any future developments that customers can look forward to?

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Maria: Thank you, Yuna and Joseph, for your time and for introducing Blessing Burger to Gwangju News readers.

Your burgers are truly a blessing!

Blessing Burger Address: 18 Jungang-2-ro, Haenam-eup, Haenam-gun (2nd Floor) 해남군 해남읍 중앙2로18번길 2F Operating Hours: Monday–Wednesday, Saturday 11:30 a.m.

– 4:00 p.m., Thursday & Friday 11:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m., closed Sundays, and closed every first Monday of the month.

Phone: 061-532-8845 Instagram: @blessing_haenam

The Interviewer

Maria Moschini is a high school English teacher living in Gangjin. Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, Maria moved to South Korea in April 2019. She has a degree in English literature and a postgraduate qualification in teaching.

Maria loves the opportunity that South Korea gives her to pursue her passions for teaching and traveling. Instagram: @mariamoschini

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KONA Volunteer Teaching

47

English Through Storybooks II Compiled by William Urbanski

A Story of Adapting and Learning

— Shilpa Rani, India The current COVID-19 pandemic has proven to have a devastating effect on interpersonal relationships since social distancing has become the norm all around the world. But here is a story of how the very same pandemic brought people together.

On the day of volunteering, the volunteers joined a

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As Darwin has been said to have stated, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” KONA volunteers have brought people together even in situations of drastic change, like the COVID-19 pandemic, by adapting and continuing their work for the community.

KONA, 2020, and Me

— Kevan Hudson, Canada In October 2019, I left South Korea after living in the country for fifteen years and returned to my native land of Canada. Before leaving, from 2015 to 2019, I volunteered with KONA and thoroughly enjoyed my time with the organization. However, I thought my volunteering with KONA had sadly finished when I came back to Canada.

Then in 2020, the current pandemic hit Korea and the

February 2021

▲ Zoom session with the Gwangju Children’s Home.

The founder of the KONA volunteering program, Professor Young-im Kim, has been kind enough to allow my son, Adhrit Pradeep, to volunteer, too. He now presents a science topic for discussion each week. KONA has been an integral part of his childhood. Even though we live around 5,000 kilometers from Gwangju, we have been able to be a part of the KONA family and have been cherishing our time together.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

I moved back to India (my home country) two years ago, after being a volunteer with UNESCO-KONA. Apart from occasionally messaging to find out how KONA families were doing, there was no other reason to keep in touch.

On one such occasion, I was made aware that due to social distancing rules, the students were learning online.

Since KONA follows the technique of teaching through stories and also follows a scheduled teaching-learning pattern, they were able to easily adapt their program to online learning. KONA has been doing volunteer work at the Gwangju Children’s Home (광주애육원), twice a month. On my request, I was asked to join their sessions.

Zoom chat from their respective homes in different countries, including Korea (KONA families), and foreign volunteers from Japan (Yoshiko), India (myself), Canada (Kevan Hudson), Britain (Tiana), and the children at the Gwangju Children’s Home in Gwangju. Due to there being a large number of people, we split into breakout rooms and read and learned from one another. At the Gwangju Children’s Home, the children were usually split into two groups, with each group having its own student leader who assessed and organized the learning each week. But twice a month, they were allowed to present what they had learned in the form of a presentation to others. They were then corrected and motivated to learn through various activities.

TEACHING & LEARNING

In the first part of this two-part series, we heard stories from three volunteers at the KONA Storybook Center, a UNESCO-associated volunteer organization in Gwangju that promotes cultural exchange and English learning through storybooks. The volunteers in last month’s article hailed from Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.

Now, we will hear experiences from three more KONA volunteers, who are from India, Canada, and Korea.

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48 (from Japan) teach English to the students. We have found that there are some limits to communication with one another on Zoom compared with meeting face to face. Nevertheless, I am happy to see and talk to my students online.

▲ Zoom presentation about Canadian culture and food.

TEACHING & LEARNING

rest of the world. As a result, KONA moved its programs online, as did all other places of learning, such as elementary schools, high schools, and universities.

What happened next? I happily restarted my volunteer work with KONA in 2020. Since restarting, I have done several presentations on Zoom with KONA. Primarily, I have created PowerPoint lessons discussing Canadian culture and food. Using photos, key words (target language), quizzes, and questions, myself and others in the KONA universe have talked about my hometown of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, and learned about poutine. Yes, many Canadians love poutine. But please do not say or spell it like Putin. He is the leader of Russia, not a dish of french fries, gravy, and cheese curds. Please remember: It is poutine not Putin. Thank you!

I am very happy that Zoom has brought KONA members and myself together again. Seeing familiar faces, teaching online, and talking about Canada is fun for me. Stay healthy everyone.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

Volunteering at the Children’s Home

— Um Jun-yong, Gwangju, Korea Hello, everyone. My name is Um Jun-yong. I am from Gwangju, but now as a sophomore, I stay at the dormitory of Yongbuk Middle School in Namwon. As my father works for social welfare organizations, I have been helping others since I was young and started volunteering with my parents. As I now live in a dormitory, the Saturday when I volunteer is the busiest day for me. Sometimes it overlaps with other events in my schedule, and sometimes it is very tiring.

Before my volunteering sessions with the students of the Children’s Home, I research and arrange the English stories uploaded by my students. I then open some English tale sites to help me teach them better. When the children and foreign teachers first connect to Zoom, we start by taking a picture and then the students are divided into small groups for study. Shilpa and I teach English to Kim Yohan, Kim U-young, Lee Ha-yul, and Lee Hyunjun. Sometimes we have presentations of a story map that relates to the English story chosen by the children. They present their favorite stories in a clear voice and suitable tone. When someone has difficulty speaking, Shilpa, Kim Yohan, or I help them to improve their speaking skills.

After finishing all the presentations, we evaluate the presentation of the English story. Afterwards, we have time to discuss what stories will be next. I personally help my students choose their next stories by providing story resources on the internet, such as “Little Fox.” When we get all the courses finished, we share what we felt and thought. I think it is important for us to have feedback time together because we are able to find out what others think and what to do next in a more effective way.

When I see my students smiling brightly in difficult situations while doing volunteer work, I feel proud and warmhearted. I read books with foreigners and give special lectures on world culture with teachers from other countries. The characteristics of each country and the motivation to go to them in the future have impacted my vision a lot. In the future, I want to teach my students with great care and joy. Although I am a middle school student, I have a lot of things to do, but I want to be happier with the joy of sharing through volunteer work, so I do not want to rest. Finally, I sent a “thank-you” to all the foreign volunteers for assisting the KONA program.

During the COVID-19 situation, I hope that everyone can stay healthy and remain thankful in all circumstances.

Photographs courtesy of KONA Center.

Since 2015, I have taught English to the students of the Gwangju Children’s Home on the fourth Saturday of every month. However, unfortunately, due to COVID-19, I started to teach English on Zoom. A volunteer from India (Shilpa) and I teach English to the students for an hour on the second Saturday of every month. On the fourth Saturday of every month, Hyun-ji and Yoshiko

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49

Everyday Korean Episode 38 우체국 (Post Office)

By Harsh Kumar Mishra

Grammar ~는 김에: This grammar pattern is mostly used with Korean verbs to express “while one is doing one thing,

정민: 윌슨:

네 네. 무슨 일이에요?

~는구나: This pattern is used with verbs (or with adjectives

Wilson:

Yeah, sure. What is it?

정민:

서울 친구한테 택배를 보내야 하는데 박스가 좀 무거워요. 혹시 우체국까지 같이 들어 줄 수 있어요?

as ~구나) to express exclamation.

Ex: 한국 음식을 잘 먹는구나!

I see you like Korean food!

Vocabulary 도와주다 택배 박스 무겁다 들다 새로 나오다 우표 수집 다양하다 갖다 엽서

to help parcel box to be heavy to have/hold/carry newly to come out postal stamp collection to be various to have/possess postcard

우편 등기 우편번호 보내는 사람 받는 사람 보험 세관신고서 항공 우편 선박 우편

post registered mail postal code, zip code sender recipient insurance customs declaration airmail surface mail

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윌슨:

당연하죠. 가는 김에 새로 나온 우표도 찾을 수 있어요.

Wilson: Of course. While on the way, I can also get those newly released postal stamps.

정민:

윌슨 씨도 우표 수집을 좋아하는구나!

Jeongmin: You too are a stamp collector!

윌슨:

네. 50개 국가의 다양한 우표들을 갖고 있어요.

Wilson:

Yes. I have various stamps from 50 different countries.

정민:

대단하네. 나도 어렸을 때 엽서 수집하는 것을 좋아했어요.

Jeongmin: That’s awesome. When I was young, I too liked

collecting postcards.

February 2021

TOPIK GUIDE (topikguide.com) is the most comprehensive website devoted to the TOPIK exam. It has been helping Korean language learners pass the TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) for more than eight years. On our website, you can get all the TOPIK updates, grammar and vocabulary materials, and study tips. You can also visit our TOPIK Guide YouTube channel.

Jeongmin: I have to send this parcel to my friend in Seoul, but

it’s a bit heavy. If it’s okay, can you help me carry this

to the post office?

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

Post Office-Related Expressions

윌슨 씨, 죄송하지만 좀 도와줄 수 있어요?

Jeongmin: Wilson, I’m sorry, but can you help me out?

TEACHING & LEARNING

another thing is also done.”

Ex: 집 청소를 하는 김에 설거지도 했어요.

Since I was cleaning the house, I did the dishes, too.

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50

Creating a Student-Centered Classroom

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

TEACHING & LEARNING

By Dr. David E. Shaffer

W

hen I began teaching English in Korea, standard practice was to introduce new words by writing them on the blackboard (yes, they were black), saying the new lexical item several times, then explaining its meaning and using it in a sentence.

The teacher might follow up by asking a student or two to make their own sentence using the new lexical item before handing out a worksheet to everyone. The worksheet might include a matching exercise, where students were to match the words in one column with their definitions in the other. A second exercise might be to write each of the new words in a sentence. And with this exposure, the student was expected to “learn” the new word, which in most cases required memorization.

The banking model of education was trending. The term was coined by Paulo Freire (1970) as a metaphor of students as containers to be filled with knowledge by the teacher, that is, to receive, file, and store the deposits.

The transfer of knowledge was thought of as being unidirectional, from the teacher to the student, much like an online bank transfer is now made. Freire was the first to criticize this traditional banking model, but in time, many would follow.

The banking model is a teacher-centered approach to learning. In this conventional approach, the teacher functions as the presenter of information to students, who are expected to passively receive it. It is still quite commonly found in Korea in many university lecture halls and in even more high school classrooms, whether it is an English classroom or that of another subject. The relative inefficiencies associated with teacher-centered learning have led to the development of student-centered learning, where the focus is on the student in the learning process rather than constantly on the teacher.

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Let us look at both the teacher- and student-centered learning approaches and consider their advantages and drawbacks to show how focusing more on the student can make for a more enjoyable as well as effective learning environment.

The Teacher-Centered Approach

As teacher-centered learning has been the mainstay of classroom instruction for such a long period of time, it surely has some strong points. When instruction is centered on the teacher, the teacher assumes total control of the lesson and the students’ activities. That is, the class is orderly and the classroom is quiet. With the teacher taking direct responsibility for student learning, the class benefits from the focused approach to the lesson derived from the teacher’s carefully laid preparation and lesson plans. As the teacher has control of the class, they easily feel a sense of confidence in their teaching – self-assured that all students are provided with the same material and none are missing out. Also, student confusion is minimalized, as they always know that their attention is to be on the teacher.

From the above, you may have deduced that with the teacher-centered approach, students work alone.

Interaction with other students is discouraged (“Quiet, please!” “Do your own work!”). Since students participate individually, the burden is on the teacher to make the lesson highly interesting. If the teacher cannot hold the students’ interest, they will easily become bored, minds will wander, and learning will not take place.

Collaborative activities such as pair work, group work, and project work are not part of the lesson, so students do not have the opportunity to share in discoveries, as is common in inquiry-based learning. Without collaborative activities, students have fewer opportunities to develop

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51

communication skills and critical-thinking skills, or for that matter, to develop the skill of collaboration, which is valuable in learning and essential in life.

The Student-Centered Approach

Student-centered learning does have its drawbacks also, but these are not serious if the teacher lets the students know what is expected of them. Because the studentcentered approach releases students from strict teacher

Implementation

If students are not familiar with the collaborative nature of student-centered learning, they may not feel comfortable and prefer to work alone; however, with time and increased exposure to collaborative work, they soon prefer it to individual work in class. With teachercentered learning, the teacher feels more confident (though possibly falsely so) that each student is exposed to the same information (that which is delivered by the teacher), but with the discovery-based nature of studentcentered learning, the teacher may be less confident that there are not any students who missed something.

However, as every teacher knows, student uptake always

TEACHING & LEARNING

In student-centered learning, rather than the flow of information being one-directional, it becomes more of a sharing between the teacher and students, and also between students as they collaborate on tasks and projects.

The life skills of collaboration and communication are fostered. While some activities are collaborative, students also learn how to work independently, which is also an essential life skill. The additional aspect of collaborative learning, in itself, adds student interest; they feel a sense of being in control of their learning process – they have agency. The focus of learning is on student inquiry and student discovery. And few will argue that knowledge gained through finding something out for yourself will not stick with you longer that if someone just tells it to you.

control, the classroom will become louder when students are working in groups. The teacher can keep the noise level under control with reminders to the students. I have always considered a certain level of noise in the classroom as a good thing, as it was an indication that students were interacting towards achieving their task goal. Classroom management can eat into class time, e.g., giving instructions, arranging groups, controlling overly noisy and overly active students, but once students become familiar with the routines, classroom management requires less time.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

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52

varies from student to student in the same class regardless of the method of teaching.

All things considered, if implemented properly, considering the needs and preferences of the students in the class, student-centered learning is a more effective teaching approach than teacher-centered learning. It must be remembered that teacher-centered activities do have a place in student-centered learning – how much depends on the teacher’s and also the students’ degree of comfort with both student-centered and teacher-centered activities. Transitioning from a totally teacher-centered to a student-centered approach should be gradual, giving students time to adjust to the new, and most likely strange, classroom practices, thereby reducing the

Effective implementation of student-centered learning rests heavily on the teacher knowing their students – not just their names but their interests, learning styles, and preferences in skills they wish to focus on. Gathering this information on each student could take a considerable amount of time. However, Nunan (2015) has devised a student learning preference survey (next page) that makes the task easy for both the teacher and the student.

Responses are on a 1 to 5 Likert-type scale to survey items of five types: topics, methods, language areas, out of class, and assessment. The teacher may add, subtract, and adjust items to make the survey more relevant to the group being surveyed. When teaching a new group of students, giving this survey on the first day of class could speed up the process of getting to know your students and their learning preferences. Whether your classes are predominantly teacher-centered or student-centered, you may wish to give this survey to your students just to see how closely your teaching dovetails with what the students consider their needs and preferences to be.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

TEACHING & LEARNING

risk of resistance to the unfamiliar procedures.

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53 Learning Preference Survey

Complete the survey by circling the number that best corresponds to your own beliefs about how you like to learn.

Key: 1 = Not like at all, 2 = Not like much, 3 = Just soso, 4 = Like, 5 = Like a lot Topics In my English class, I would like to study topics . . .

1. about me: my feelings, attitudes, beliefs, etc.

(1 2 3 4 5) 2. from my academic subjects: psychology, history, etc.

3. from popular culture: music, films, etc.

4. about current affairs and issues 5. that are controversial: underage drinking, etc.

Language Areas This semester, I most want to improve my . . .

11. listening 12. speaking 13. reading 14. writing 15. grammar 16. pronunciation

(Adapted from Nunan, 2015, pp. 20–22.)

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Check the Chapter’s webpages and Facebook group periodically for updates on chapter events and online activities.

For full event details: Website: http://koreatesol.org/gwangju Facebook: Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL The Author

David Shaffer is an educator who has many years of experience in the field of English education in Korea. Over the decades, his teaching approach has evolved from heavily teacher-centered to heavily student-centered, and he is most gratified with the results. As vicepresident of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter of KOTESOL, Dr. Shaffer invites you to participate in the teacher development workshops and their regular meetings. He is a past president of KOTESOL, and is currently the chairman of the board at the Gwangju International Center as well as editor-in-chief of the Gwangju News.

February 2021

Assessment I like to find out how my English is improving by . . .

22. having the teacher assess my written work 23. having the teacher correct my mistakes in class 24. checking my own progress / correcting my own mistakes 25. being corrected by my fellow students 26. seeing if I can use the language in real-life situations

GWANGJU-JEONNAM KOTESOL UPCOMING EVENTS

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

Out of Class Out of class, I like to . . .

17. practice in the independent learning center 18. have conversations with native speakers of English 19. practice English online through social media 20. collect examples of interesting/puzzling English 21. watch TV / read newspapers in English

Freire, Paulo. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed (M. B. Ramos, Trans.; 2nd. ed.). Continuum/Seabury Press. (Original work published 1968) Nunan, David. (2015). Teaching English to speakers of other languages: An introduction. Routledge

TEACHING & LEARNING

Methods In my English class, I would like to learn by . . .

6. small group discussions and problem-solving 7. formal language study, e.g., studying from a textbook 8. listening to the teacher 9. watching videos 10. doing individual work

References

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54

COMMUNITY

GIC Language Exchange Program

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

▲ GIC Language Exchange participants during a Christmas themed meeting, December 2020.

My Highlight of 2020 Compiled by Aline Verduyn

S

aying 2020 was tough would be the understatement of the year. Our high hopes and aspirations were soon put to a halt. Despite it all, Gwangju pulled through and the community did its best to make it a memorable year. While social distancing, the Language Exchange Program (LEP), a program of the Gwangju International Center since 2017, did manage to have some interesting conversations on Sunday mornings.

One of the topics discussed was the highlights of 2020, aside from the elephant in the room – COVID-19. Here are the participants’ responses to their highlights of the year.

2021�02��(February).indd 54

Zahra from England

Moving to Korea in the middle of a pandemic was not easy, but I have made so many amazing memories that it is hard to choose just one highlight for last year. Spending a week exploring the palaces and markets in Seoul, enjoying the Chuseok sunshine on Jeju Island, and visiting Jeonju’s Hanok Village are just a few of my highlights from 2020. Mostly, the best part of 2020 has been meeting so many new people, friends, co-teachers,

1/26/2021 10:08:08 AM

colleagues, and students – and I cannot wait to see what 2021 has in store.

Woochan from Korea

After graduating from high school, I entered Chosun University’s Medical School last year. It is exciting to be able to study what I dreamed of since I was young. Now I am preparing every day to become a medical worker. I want to make an effort to become a good doctor.

Jun from Korea

Emmanuela from Indonesia

2020 was a roller coaster year for me! I was struggling with my master’s thesis in the first half of the year, graduated, and then had a chance to be an intern in the Gwangju International Internship Program in the second half of the year. My journey in Gwangju has truly begun!

David from Korea

Nikki from the Philippines

Grace from Korea

My highlight of 2020 is love. Last year, all my plans got screwed up, and I needed to fix them. But whenever I tried to do something, things did not go as well as I thought they would. I was quite stressed and it made

2021�02��(February).indd 55

My best highlight in 2020 was hiking up Mudeung Mountain, which I never before thought I could reach the top of alone. Thanks to Gwangju Hikers, I was able to be immersed in the beauty of nature and relax after a week of work. From then, I have been able to continue hiking with the group each month. If you are interested in hiking, please join us.

Inkyu from Korea

In January, when I was in New Zealand, I went skydiving.

That was my first time to not feel any stress. Falling from the sky was awesome – you wouldn’t believe it! My friend told me before skydiving, “It will make you high.” After skydiving, I was indeed really high, so if I get the chance, I will do it again.

Jana from Serbia

My highlight of 2020 was finishing my master’s thesis and graduating from Konkuk University’s Graduate School of Culture Contents and Communication. Writing the whole thesis in Korean was one of the biggest challenges of my life, so I would like to remember this difficult, virus-stricken year with that accomplishment in mind.

Cheer up, everyone who might be in a similar situation at this time – you can do it! Also, another highlight that wrapped up the year 2020 was the invaluable experience of being part of the Gwangju International Internship Program at the GIC. Thank you, GIC!

Eunsuk from Korea

My highlight of 2020 was a meeting with my friends.

We had been busy working, raising our kids, and supporting our families.

Finally, we got together in Seoul last summer. We shared lots of our stories and promised to be at the same place to take a photo every year. We still have dreams and want to cheer each other on. Jayoung, Samok, Sunok, and Huisu, keep reaching for your dreams!

February 2021

other.

My highlight of 2020 was attending two academic conferences related to my field of study. It was particularly challenging because I was part of the committee staff at one and presented my research at the

Le from Vietnam

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

My highlight of 2020 was staying at home for the longest time in my life and thereby gaining a little understanding of myself.

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COMMUNITY

I lived in Australia for a couple of years since 2018 and made a bunch of memories that I can never forget. I went to Cairns, which is located in the north of Queensland, with my friends. It was literally full of nature, particularly the Great Barrier Reef. Now that I have gotten back from Australia and am currently staying in Gwangju, I will try not to forget the sights and feelings I experienced.

me depressed. But what I feel proud of is that I tried to meet with my family as soon as possible. With them, I could feel the love of family more than before through this situation. It was a really warm and happy experience.

Even though I had a hard time, I was able to smile and keep aiming for what I wanted. I hope I can travel abroad with my family next year.

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56 Lauren from Australia

As my first year living away from home, living abroad, and working a full-time job, last year was understandably full of many ups and downs.

But, if I had to choose one moment to be the highlight of my year, I couldn’t. 2020 brought me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to experience so many new things, like writing a newspaper article, participating in language exchanges, going on a temple stay, and meeting so many amazing people from all around the world. The whole year was a highlight and will always be special to me because not only did I learn more about a country, culture, and language that I love, I also learned about myself.

COMMUNITY

Usop from Korea

My highlight of 2020 is that I got the job that I had been dreaming of. I would like to share my good fortune with people who are seeking a job. 2021 will be filled with happiness for everyone. Happy New Year!

Julena from the USA

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

February 2021

The highlight of my 2020 would have to be the amount of personal growth and aspirations I was able to accomplish.

Due to the lack of numerous distractions, I was able to start some of the things I had so long made excuses not to do in previous years. Last year served as a year of reflection and introspection for me, allowing me to scrutinize my life choices. I was able to see where I used to be, where I am now, and where I want to go later in life. 2020 was not a particularly eventful year, but it did allow me to take a chance on myself and my dreams, and I think for that I will always remember it as a special year for years to come.

Yongmin from Korea

Some bad things happened to me last year. My company is going to divide into two – a parent company and a subsidiary company in 2021 – and I will go to the subsidiary, which is worse than staying with the parent company. What is worse is that the subsidiary will not guarantee our employment. That is the biggest concern for all the subsidiary employees. We need to think about something to support our lives economically without help from our company – things such as investments in stock or real estate.

Hyunsoo from Korea

My highlight of 2020 was beginning a new job! I spent

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a year feeling excited and worried. I hope 2021 will be a year full of new and exciting things. Happy New Year, and I wish you all the best in everything you do!

Aline from Belgium

I thought I had reached my highlight in February when I got to see a temple in the snow, but the best was yet to come. I discovered a passion for photography and got recognized for it (thank you, Gwangju News!).

I also started working for GFN Radio. Never had I dreamed of visiting a radio station, let alone walking into a recording studio! It was the start of a new adventure, and now it is a weekly event.

Jurang from Korea

A lot of things happened to me last year. I came back to Korea from lots of traveling, met nice people, and started to work as an English teacher. To be honest, however, it was the worst year in my life so far. But I strongly believe God has a reason for giving me a hard time, and I’m sure He has wonderful plans for me in the future.

LANGUAGE EXCHANGE

Every year different hosts bring new flavor to the Language Exchange’s weekly meetings. This year, Lee Woo Chan and Aline Verduyn are running the program on Sunday mornings from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon at the GIC Hall. With a hot cup of coffee, students from all over Gwangju and the world have group conversations in English and Korean. The topics of discussion are diverse, give insight to our respective cultures, and are announced ahead of time. The morning ends with a fun yet informative quiz and a group photo. The group is always wellbalanced between Korean and international students, ranging from all levels of English and Korean proficiency. There is no obligation to come every week, people join as they can. The group is also very active on social media and keep in touch throughout the week as well. It is a welcoming group that is eager to answer any questions on English, Korean, or navigating through Gwangju. Newcomers are encouraged to join the group. Face-to-face meetings are expected to resume soon – COVID conditions permitting. Updates are announced on all the group’s social platforms. Facebook: GIC Language Exchange; Instagram: @giclanguagexchange2021

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