(EN) Gwangju News December 2009 #94

Gwangju News International Magazine for Gwangju and Jeollanam-do

December 2009 Volume 9, Issue 12

Editor’s Greeting

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elcome to the December issue of Gwangju News, and our final issue of the year.

As Christmas looms, most expats will be making plans for the Christmas holidays. Thanks to the calendar, at least this year most of us can have more than one day off work. We’ve a listing of various Christmas events and performances, including New Year’s Sunrise festivals, towards the back of the magazine.

First, to draw your attention to two upcoming events. Here in Gwangju on Saturday, December 12th, the Bake and Book Sale be held at 1pm at the GIC, in aid of the Sungbin Girl’s Orphanage. Plus a little further afield on December 5th up in Seoul, Rubber Seoul 2009 will be taking place in three venues in Hongdae to raise local AIDS awareness, and money for AIDS sufferers in South Africa.

Our feature articles this month include the first of two pieces by Michael Solis, highlighting the problems of the mandatory HIV/AIDS tests required for some working visas in Korea, the discriminatory and inconsistent ways in which these rules have been introduced and implemented, and the negative stereotypes they wrongly reinforce. And on a different theme, Dan Lister looks at Gwangju City council’s latest efforts to ‘bring the mountain to the people’ with the so-called “Mudeung Old Road”: a newly renovated and reopened walking route up to the mountain’s summit. The walk starts close to downtown, so is being promoted as making Mudeung mountain more accessible to the general public. Go take a look.

In Arts, Doug Stuber reviews a virtuoso performance by 19-year-old double-bassist Seong Min-je with the Gwangju Symphony Orchestra, and introduces The Daedong Cultural Foundation, who welcomed a collection of 9 Asian artists to Gwangju for a week-long residency last month. In sports, 2Ys looks at Korean success in marathon running through the years, and Jeff Smith takes us back to that special evening on October 24th, and the “where were you when...” moment as Na Ji-wan hammered his series-winning home run off the final ball in the deciding game, to seal Gwangju's long awaited 10th Korean Series baseball crown.

Elsewhere, local blogger Brian Deutsch lists his highlights from the local blogosphere during 2009, Warren Parsons takes us on a journey through the history of tea, Maria Lisak finds a gem of a bar and restaurant in the less-visited Chosun back-gate area, and we’ve plenty more besides.

We hope you enjoy December issue, and wish all our readers a peaceful and happy Christmas. See you again in 2010.

Jon Ozelton, Editor

2010 GIC 1st Korean Language Class Weekday Classes - Period: January 11th – Feburary 26th (Twice a week for 7 weeks) - Class hours: 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (2 hours) - Tuition fee: 80,000 won (GIC membership fee: 10,000 won/ 6 months and textbooks excluded)

Saturday Classes - Period: January 9th – Feburary 27th (Once a week for 7 weeks) - Class hours: 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (2 hours) - Tuition fee: 50,000 won (GIC membership fee: 10,000 won/ 6 months and textbooks excluded)

Level

Textbook

Beginner 1-1

Seogang Hankookei 1A

Beginner 2-1

Seogang Hankookei 1B

Intermediate 2-2

Seogang Hankookei 2B

Level

Textbook

Beginner 1

Seogang Hankookei 1A

Beginner 2

Seogang Hankookei 1A

Intermediate 1

Seogang Hankookei 1B

Not*eThe tuition fee is non-refundable after the first week. ** A class may be canceled if less than 5 people sign up.

GIC is located on the 5th floor of the Jeon-il building, the same building as the Korean Exchange Bank, downtown. The entrance is located immediately to the north of the bank. Contact GIC office for more information.

Phone: 062-226-2733/4 E-mail: gwangjuic@gmail.com Website: www.gic.or.kr

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Gwangju News December 2009

Contributors

Contents 4

The Korean Way No. 82: 1936 Berlin Olympics and Koreans in the Marathon

December 2009, Volume 9, Issue 12

By 2Ys

Publisher: Prof. Shin Gyong-gu

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Infected, Detected, Accepted?

By Michael Solis

Editor in Chief: Doug Stuber Editor: Jon Ozelton

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Little Travellers

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2009 – A Blogger’s Top 5

Coordinator: Kim Minsu Layout and Design: Kim Minsu, Karina Prinanto

By Brian Deutsch

Proofreaders: Pete Schandall, Rob Smith, Hughie Samson, Miriam Ho, Laura Sparley, Michael Begin

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Storybook Finish

By Jeff Smith

Printed by: Saenal

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Bake & Book Sale

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Mudeung Old Road

Photographer: Bae Sang-don Cover Photo: 2009 Green Bicycle Festival

By Daniel LIster 16

Sushi Chef, Dae-il Choi

By Alva French

Gwangju News uses 100% E-PLUS recycled paper provided by Daehan Paper in Seoul. www.daehanpaper.co.kr

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Extraordinary Renditions

By Doug Stuber

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Useful Korean Phrases

By Park Su-ji, Noh In-woo

Special thanks to the City of Gwangju and all of our sponsors.

Copyright 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 publishers.

Gwangju News welcomes letters to the editor (gwangjunews@gmail.com) regarding articles and issues. All correspondence may be edited for reasons of clarity or space.

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International Students on Campus

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Photo Contest

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Cheongju Craft Biennale

By Ahn Hong-pyo

By Miriam Ho 28

The Artist’s Eye of Debra Meryl Josephson

By Doug Stuber

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Food Waste in Gwangju

By Ko Nam-il

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A Very Brief History of the Tea Plant

By Warren Parsons

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KoreaMaria: Food Critic Bada Jangeo

By Maria Lisak

k i m ’s Dental Clinic

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Basta

By Maria Lisak

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Digby

By Leroy Kucia

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Fortune-telling in Korea

By Park Min-ji

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Events Compiled by Ahn Hong-pyo, Park Su-ji,Park Min-ji, Ko Nam-il

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Community Board Gwangju News December 2009

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The Korean Way

No. 82

1936 Berlin Olympics and Koreans in the Marathon

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he Eleventh Olympiad was held in Berlin, Germany in 1936 when Nazi Germany was at the height of its national strength. It was three years after the Olympic Games that Germany invaded Poland starting World War Two. In many athletic events, Germans showed quite remarkable results reflecting their rising national vitality in the Games.

Adolf Hitler was then the Chancellor and President of Germany boasting his and German political powers.

In 1936, Korea was under Japanese colonial rule and even though there were some Korean athletes participating in the Olympic Games, they were registered as Japanese nationals with Japanese renderings of Korean names. Of these Korean athletes there were two Korean marathon runners, Son Gijeong and Nam Seung-nyong, entered under Japanese names, Son Ki-tei and Nam Sho-ryu respectively. The marathon was held on August 9, 1936 with 27 countries and 56 runners participating. Among them

was Juan Carlos Sabala of Argentina, the champion of 10th Olympiad in Los Angeles, U.S.A., and a strong favorite to win the race. According to the German radio broadcast recording at the German Historical Museum, the Berlin Olympic Organization Committee made onthe-spot radio broadcasting (there was no TV at that time) from the start to the finish of the race. One interesting thing about this radio-broadcast was that Son Gi-jeong was referred to as Ki-tei Son (Japanese name) until he reached the final straight in the main stadium, but when he was just about to finish the race, the announcer exclaimed “Er ist ein Koreanisch Student!” He was a high school senior student in Seoul at that time. He won the race with 2 hours 25 minutes 19 seconds, a new Olympic record.

He ran the race as a Japanese athlete wearing a shirt marked with a Japanese flag. Dong-a Ilbo Daily newspaper, one of the only two Korean language newspapers at that time, carried the photo of Son

Left to right: Son Gi-jeong winss the gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics men’s marathon; Nam Seung-nyong takes bronze in the same race; Son and Nam receive their medals, with winner Son trying to hide the Japanese flag with his wreath.

Wikipedia

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Gwangju News December 2009

The Korean Way

Far left: Hwang Yong-jo taking marathon gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. sporting-heroes.net

Left: Lee Bong-ju celebrates victory in the marathon at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games. fotoya.net

crossing the finish line, but on his breast the Japanese flag was erased. The daily just wanted to report that Son was not Japanese, but Korean. But the Japanese colonial authorities took notice of this erasing and were not happy and ordered the suspension of publication for some time. The reason was instigation of national feeling by erasing the Japanese flag. An episode goes that even though he won the race Son was not quite happy because he had to run as a Japanese.

In 2006, commemorating the 70th anniversary of his winning the race, Seoul City presented Berlin with a life-size statue of Son depicting him crossing the finish line.

Koreans are normally weak in track-and-field sports but the marathon is an exception. Before Berlin, Kim Eun-bae and Kwon Tae-ha raced in the 10th Olympiad in Los Angeles in 1932 and placed 6th and 9th respectively. Kim and Kwon were the first Koreans to ever participate in the Olympic Games as Japanese nationals because Korea was under Japanese rule.

After 1945 when Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule, Korean athletes wore Taegeukki(National flag) marked shirts and proudly competed in the race. Seo Yoon-bok won the 1947 Boston marathon and became a national hero. Three years later in 1950, also at the Boston marathon, Ham Gi-yong, Song Gil-

yoon, and Choe Yoon-chil swept the top three places and amazed the world. The New York Times ran a commentary: this is the effect of kimchi, the main dish of Koreans.

In Barcelona, Spain, in the 25th Olympiad August 9, 1992, Hwang Yong-jo won the marathon and opened the golden age of marathon running in Korea in the 90s. A succession of marathon runners appeared in both local and international events and obtained excellent results. The most conspicuous among them is Lee Bong-ju. He was a silver medalist at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, U.S., at the 1998 Rotterdam marathon, Holland, he ran 2 hours 7 minutes 44 seconds, at the 2000 Tokyo marathon, Japan, he ran 2 hours 7 minutes 20 seconds, in the 2001 Boston Race he got a silver, at the Asian Games he got a gold, and in the 2007 Seoul International Race he got a gold medal.

At 2008 Beijing Olympics, China, he ran 2 hours 17 minutes 56 seconds, finishing well behind African runners. On October 21st, 2009 National Athletic Meeting, he ran the whole marathon distance in 2 hours 15 minutes 25 seconds, winning a gold medal.

This was his retirement race and his 41st competitive full course in his life.

By 2Ys (An audacious pen name standing for Too Wise, whose real name acronym is S. S. S.)

Gwangju News December 2009

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Feature

Infected, Detected, Accepted?

Towards the elimination of HIV-related travel restrictions in Korea

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o this day, Korea remains one of seven countries that uphold the most rigid forms of HIV-related travel restrictions, a list that includes places like the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar, the United States and China. Both the U.S. and China have declared their commitment to remove travel restrictions for people living with HIV/AIDS. UNAIDS has labeled Korea as one of at least seven countries (Belarus, Cuba, Malaysia, the Republic of Moldova, Mongolia, and the Turks and Caicos Islands) that require foreigners to take HIV tests annually or whenever work or residence permits need to get extended.

According to the Korea Center for Disease and Prevention, 521 of 647 foreigners diagnosed with HIV have been deported as of 2008. Deportations continue despite findings by international organizations like Human Rights Watch and UNAIDS that conclude that the forced testing and deportation of foreigners based on HIV-positive status are ineffective and counterproductive.

With over 100 countries around the world having no HIV-related travel restrictions and more countries understanding the importance of adopting effective prevention measures, the question remains as to why Korea has not changed its policies.

Foreign-inspired movement against restrictions The tides may be changing in Korea, however, as a group of public interest minded foreigners has helped initiate a process that may result in the repeal of HIVrelated travel restrictions.

Approximately 50 foreign people have filed complaints

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Gwangju News December 2009

to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) regarding forced HIV testing, all of which have been transferred to the NHRCK's Human Rights Policy Division.

According to Kyung Hee University Law Professor Ben Wagner, "The transfer is good news because the NHRCK has decided that mandatory health checks and HIV tests present a 'grave' issue that goes beyond granting individual remedies and instead requires an examination of the nation's human rights policy and cultural change."

Last May Attorney Chang Suh-yeon, with the public interest law firm Gonggam, filed a case with the Constitutional Court on behalf of foreign instructors like Andrea Vandom who hold E-2 visas.

"That the Constitutional Court has accepted the Vandom case is mind blowing considering that pretty much everybody thought it would be rejected," Wagner writes. "The Court has sent a very positive message to the foreign community by showing its willingness to address issues of foreigners' rights."

According to Vandom, "I felt discriminated against and violated that, just because I am a foreigner, that I am considered a risk. There really is no evidence that foreigners are more likely to have AIDS or do drugs."

The date for the initial trial phase of the Constitutional Court's ruling has not yet been reported, though on July 31 the Court assigned the case with an official number.

In an e-mail the Deputy Director of the NHRCK's Human Rights Policy Division Lee Seong-tae said that it is possible for the Human Rights Commission to submit an official opinion to the Constitutional Court.

Such an action would greatly strengthen the case to repeal the travel restrictions. Lee estimates the trial could take as long as two years.

Feature

If the Constitutional Court rules that foreign instructors' mandatory submission of proof of HIV status is unconstitutional, then the Korean Immigration Service must remove the requirement.

Korea's International Obligations Not all Korean government officials want to repeal HIV-related travel restrictions. In reference to Korea's testing policies, Korean Ministry of Justice official Lee Bok-nam told The Korea Times that, "foreigners do not have the right to demand that a country guarantee equal rights with the nationals of the country regarding entry into the country."

What Lee overlooks are the binding international human rights treaties that Korea has signed. Korea has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which binds it to guarantee the right to equal protection of the law to all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, sex, or any other status.

Korea has also ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, with guarantees the right to health, as well as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

In 2006 Korea renewed its commitment to the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, which seeks to eliminate all forms of discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS by ensuring their privacy and access to health services, prevention, support, treatment, and legal protection.

Furthermore, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, arguably Korea's most powerful leader, has called for an end to HIV-related travel restrictions.

Combating Stigmatization Despite Korea's attempts to curb HIV levels through its immigration policies, the number of people living with HIV/AIDS in Korea is rising each year. According to UNAIDS, in 2007 approximately 13,000 people were living with HIV/AIDS in Korea. The statistic may underestimate the reality of the situation given that stigmatization deters many Koreans from getting tested, and that it is currently impossible to determine how many foreigners are living with HIV/AIDS. Combating stigmatization has been difficult, especially since presumably small sectors of Korean society have been operating anti-foreigner movements that associate HIV/AIDS with foreignness. The AntiEnglish Spectrum, a leading organization behind this movement, has promoted racist propaganda that seeks to stigmatize foreigners and frighten Korean women from having intimate relationships with members of different races and nationalities.

Certain hate groups have also criticized foreigners who get tested for HIV, even in light of recommendations by the Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and doctors across the globe who promote voluntary HIV testing and counseling as the best prevention and elimination measures.

According to Wagner, "The group's efforts have reinforced the dangerous and ignorant message that being tested for AIDS is 'suspicious.' Foreign teachers shouldn't have been stigmatized for being tested, but held up as examples of correct behavior and prudent action for responsible Koreans and non-Koreans alike."

Unfazed by the antiquated and baseless opinions of such groups, foreigners like Wagner and Vandom will continue working with Korean actors to pressure the Constitutional Court until it makes its final decision.

Their hope is that Korea will adopt internationally accepted and progressive reforms that will result in a safer, healthier, and more aware Korea.

By Michael Solis

The second part of this series will present the stories of two women who have chosen not to participate in the mandatory HIV examinations, resulting not only in their job loss but also a Constitutional Court case that may very well change Korea's testing and immigration policies.

Gwangju News December 2009

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Upcoming Event

Come out and share the world with Little Travelers and Medi peace!

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his Saturday December 5th, the world will be celebrating World AIDS Day and you can join in the celebrations up in Seoul. Little Travellers and Medi peace have joined forces to offer you a day of awareness, discussion, fun and most importantly the opportunity to help those affected by HIV/AIDS.

medical care for those who are isolated from global health care systems. In order to achieve these goals, Medi peace has several major projects which it is currently working on. To find out more about Medi peace and the projects they are working on please go to http://medipeace.tistory.com.

On the evening of December 5th the event "Rubber Seoul" will be taking place in Hongdae for its second year running. The event is being held to raise money to help fight AIDS in South Africa, and to remind people of the importance of safe sex, as the Korea Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 99% of the new cases of HIV/AIDS found in 2008 were transmitted sexually.

What Rubber Seoul is offering is access into three of Hongdae's most vibrant clubs: Jane’s Groove, FF and DGBD and the chance to see some of Seoul's hottest bands, all for a tiny 10,000 won. If that's not enough, you will also receive a Little Travellers doll to take home with you. Last year over 1000 people came out in Hongdae to join in Rubber Seoul 2008 and raised an astonishing 12 million won, which really helped improve women's lives in Africa. So don't miss out on this year’s event, come along have fun and help us to help others.

Also on the same day Medi peace are offering an interactive discussion with expert opinions. Not only will they address the dangers and medical facts surrounding AIDS but also the wider social issues such as the discrimination that people with AIDS live with and how we can change the stigmas attached with AIDS. It is of pivotal importance that AIDS ceases to be ignored and viewed as an irrelevant problem in Korea, if the steady spread of the disease is to be halted. So come along and join in the discussions.

Little Travellers are beautiful handmade pins made by women affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa. Little Travellers is a not-for-profit organization that started in Canada and is now here in Korea, run mainly by volunteers. These dolls are sold for 5,000 won each and 100% of the proceeds go to help fight HIV/AIDS in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, where over 40% of adults are infected. All proceeds from Rubber Seoul will go to the Hillcrest AIDS Center in South Africa. To learn more about Little Travellers please visit www.littletravellers.net.

Medi peace, a Korean founded organization, is a global healthcare NGO that aims to join aid efforts and help establish a primary health care system in disaster zones. Medi peace also provides 8

Gwangju News December 2009

If after reading this you are inspired to do more to help then you’re in luck as we are looking for volunteers to help us on the night of the event. You can contact us at korea@littletravellers.net. Please don’t forget to check the Rubber Seoul 2009 Facebook or www.rubberseoul2009.wordpress.com for updates on venues and bands!

Rubber Seoul 2009 Where: Hongdae: 3 Clubs – FF, DBGB, and Jane's Groove When: Saturday December 5th 2009.

How much: 10,000 won cover, complete with Little Traveller doll What: A night of fun, frivolity and music!

Check us out on Facebook at Rubber Seoul 2009.

Contacts: Thency 010-4363-0609 before 3 p.m. and Sue Bullas 010-5680-1800 after 3 p.m.

Local

2009 – A Blogger’s Top 5 American blogger Brian Deutsch has spent almost 4 years living and working in Gwangju and Jeollanam-do.

During this time, his ongoing blog looking at life and events here has grown rapidly and become one of the most widely read English-language blogs in Korea. He also contributes regularly to the Joong-ang Ilbo and Korea Herald. Here, he looks at some of his ‘Top 5’s in 2009 based on events from his blog “Brian in Jeollanamdo”.

Top five regional stories: 5) Formula One coming to Yeongam county. And with it, new visions about how to market the area to tourists both domestic and foreign.

4) New additions to Gwangju’s U-Square Bus Terminal.

The IMAX, Burger King, coffee shops, and Coldstone Creamery were a nice touch to an already excellent bus terminal.

3) Contract funny business and discrimination in schools.

When word got out that some public schools were refusing to hire black English teachers, and when others were making sudden alterations to contracts, teachers wondered what was next.

2) Commotion over Gwangju News’ love motel story. A small controversy in a local paper over a Gwangju News article about love motels raised questions about what foreigners are allowed to write, and whether it’s appropriate to be ashamed of motels.

1) The events that weren’t: the cancellation of scores of festivals in Korea, including several of the country’s biggest, is the festival story of the year. The Suncheon Bay Reeds Festival, the Gwangyang Meat Festival, and the Gwangju Photonics Expo were among the local festivals cancelled, ostensibly because over concerns over swine flu, but in some cases to also maybe save a bit of money.

Brian’s Top five personal favorite posts: 5) “McRefugees in Korea.” Looking at the differences between fast food cultures in Asia and the west.

4) “Another ‘ Foreigner’ fail.” One of the most commented-on posts of the year, looked at the use of the word “foreigner” by Koreans to refer to all non-Koreans, even when those non-Koreans are actually in their native countries.

3) “Lee Charm being blamed for KTO’S old failures.” Two of my favorite topics: motels and bad journalism.

2) “Korean language evolves into Konglish?” Arguing that the overuse of English in Korea is a domestic phenomenon, and that, no, bad English is not an evolution.

1) “Watching test day.” Standing outside a local high school, watching as teachers and family cheer on students before they took the college entrance examination in November.

Top five biggest issues talked about on Brian’s site 5) Love for motels. Korea often criticizes itself for its lack of budget accommodation options for foreigners, though I always like to speak up for what motels offer. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a “Tourist hotel” that can beat what nice motels offer for a fraction of the price.

4) Too much English in Korea? From bad English on government web pages to meaningless “Gibberlish” in songs and on advertisements, we started to take notice of just how much English Koreans are importing, and the toll it takes on both languages.

3) Portrayal of foreigners and foreign cultures. Why do English textbooks here have ridiculous “Cultural tips” about western cultures? Why do television shows present native speaker English teachers as clowns? Why do photojournalists ogle foreign women in bikinis? Why are there foreign faces all over festival brochures? Some questions worth answering.

2) Swine flu in Korea. The early measures against foreign teachers, the quarantines, the festival cancellations, the school closures, and the vaccinations were among the biggest stories of the year.

1) Fighting the bad press against native speaker English teachers. The media and some politicians frequently portray NSETs in a bad light, fabricating stories and spreading misinformation, but this year many positive steps were taken to combat the lies and shoddy journalism.

For more on Brian’s take on these issues, and many others concerning Gwangju, Jeollanam-do and Korea, visit his blog at briandeutsch.blogspot.com.

Gwangju News December 2009

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Sports

Storybook Finish The Kia Tigers’ Stunning Game-Seven Comeback Helped Return the Korean Series Title to Gwangju for the First Time Since 1997.

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ith one dramatic swing of the bat on a pressure-packed October evening, Kia Tigers’ outfielder Na Ji-wan ended 12 long years of frustration for Kia and its fans, became an instant Gwangju hero, and, without doubt, set off uncountable and unrestrained celebrations not only among the Tigers’ faithful at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, but in homes, apartments, restaurants, bars, taxis, and any other place you can think of throughout the Jeolla provinces.

Na’s solo home run, with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, ended the seventh and deciding game of the 2009 Korean Series and handed Kia its longawaited tenth franchise championship.

The monster home run, which was Na's second of the game, soared high over the left-center field wall, as well as some 25 rows of seats in the outfield stands. By the time it landed somewhere in the Jamsil Sports Complex parking lot, an exclamation point had been put on the Tigers' improbable season and an even more

improbable seventh-game comeback.

At the beginning of the Korean Baseball Organization 2009 season, most pundits figured Kia, which had finished at the bottom of the eight-team KBO standings in 2007, and sixth last year, would probably ended up in a similar position. Others thought the Tigers could possibly make a run for the fourth-place playoff spot, but that was about as high as expectations went.

To the shock of many, by the time the six-month regular season finished in September, Kia (81 wins 48 losses 4 ties) had won at least 80 games for the first time since 1993, and finished atop the KBO standings, which earned the Tigers an automatic berth in the Korean Series, for the first time since 1997.

As most expected, the Korean Series opponent turned out to be the formidable and then two-

Tigers' players toss manager Jo Beom-hyun into the air following their Korean Series title.

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Gwangju News December 2009

Kia Tigers Website (5)

Sports

Tigers' starting pitcher Aquilino Lopez shakes a bottle in jubilee after Kia won its tenth franchise championship in Seoul on October 24, 2009. Lopez won both Games 1 and 5 of the 27th Korean Series and arguably should have been named series MVP.

Kia first baseman Choi Hee-Seop (23) greets an ecstatic Na Jiwan (29), as both players head down the third-base line toward home plate following Na's Game 7 heroics.

time defending champion SK Wyverns (80-47-6), from Incheon, who had finished just one game behind the Tigers in the regular season standings.

hoon added another run-scoring hit to give Kia a tworun edge at 5-3. Relief pitcher Yoo Dong-hoon came on in the ninth inning to replace Lopez, who went eight strong innings to earn the win. Just as he had done 22 times in the regular season, Yoo shut down the opposition and picked up the save. The Korean Series was officially back in Gwangju and the Tigers were up one game to zero.

The Series turned out to be tightly contested one, with four of the seven games being decided by one run, including three of the last four matchups.

In the end it came down to one of the most highly anticipated moments in sports – Game 7.

GAME-BY-GAME RECAPS OF KIA’S FOUR VICTORIES IN THE 27TH KOREAN SERIES: GAME 1 Friday, October 16, 2009 at Mudeung Stadium, Gwangju FINAL SCORE: KIA 5, SK 3 In the first Korean Series game in Gwangju in 12 years, the Wyverns scored a run in the both the top of the third and fourth innings off of Kia starting pitcher Aquilino Lopez, to take a 2-0 lead. But, led by Lee Jong-beom, one of only a few remaining players from the Tigers' 1997 championship team, Kia stormed back to take a 3-2 lead in the bottom half of the sixth inning on a two-out bases loaded single from the 39-year-old Korean baseball legend. After SK tied the game with a solo home run in the seventh inning, Lee again came to the rescue with a run-scoring single in the eighth to give Kia the lead once more. Tigers' catcher Kim Sang-

GAME 2: Saturday, October 17, 2009 at Mudeung Stadium, Gwangju FINAL SCORE: KIA 2, SK 1 After a night game on Friday, the two teams were back at it the next afternoon in the only game of the series that I was able to personally attend. This one turned out to be a pitcher's duel between a pair of the KBO's top starters, Kia's Yoon Suk-min and SK's Song Eunbeom. The Tigers could only muster five hits in the game, but two by first baseman Choi Hee-seop were very timely, as he drove in a run with a double in the fourth inning and another with a single in the sixth to account for all of Kia's scoring. Winning pitcher Yoon pitched seven shutout innings. Yoo came on again in the ninth inning to try and preserve the lead, but allowed a one-out solo home run to SK slugger Chung Sang-ho, who had also homered the night before. The Wyverns next batter doubled, putting the tying run on second base and I could almost hear a pin drop as Tigers' fans began biting their collective nails. But Yoo didn't buckle under the pressure and induced a groundout and game-ending strikeout to give Kia a

Gwangju News December 2009

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Sports

two-game lead. The series then headed to Incheon where, in it’s home stadium, SK won Game 3 by a score of 11-6, and Game 4, 4-3.

GAME 5 Thursday, October 22, 2009 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, Seoul FINAL SCORE: KIA 3, SK 0 With the series now tied at two games apiece, the venue shifted once more, this time to Seoul. Lopez was the story in this contest as he fired a complete-game, six-hit shutout, which moved the Tigers within one win of a championship. The right-hander struck out six Wyverns’ batters and did not allow an extra-base hit, to pick up his second win of the series. Kia had a run in the third inning and added two more in the sixth for all of the game’s scoring. Lee Yong-kyu and Choi each plated a run for the Tigers. Kia’s Game 5 win turned out to be crucial, as SK edged Kia, 3-2, the following night to send the series to a seventh and final game.

GAME 7 Saturday, October 24, 2009 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, Seoul FINAL SCORE: KIA 6, SK 5 With the series hanging in the balance, the Tigers turned to American Rick Guttormson. The Kia starter pitched better than he had in Game 3, but suffered some bad luck when Wyverns’ first baseman Park Jeong-kwon hit a wind-aided two-run home run that caromed off the left-field foul pole and gave SK a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. The Wyverns extended their lead to 5-1 in the sixth inning and it looked as though their third consecutive Korean Series championship was just about in the bag.

Kia outfielder Na Ji-wan (middle) is mobbed by teammates, including regular season league Most Valuable Player, Kim Sang-hyun Kim, after his dramatic series-winning home run in the seventh and deciding game of last October's Korean Series.

Up to that point, the Tigers had hit a mere two home runs in the first 59 innings of the series. It looked like the clock had struck twelve on Kia and that its hopes for that elusive tenth championship had faded away, just two days after being well within its grasp.

But, the Tigers would not go down without a fight. Na started the unexpected rally when he belted a two-run home run to center field in the bottom of the sixth inning, which cut SK’s lead to 5-3. Rookie second baseman An Chi-hong, who had a run-scoring single to give Kia its first run of the game in the fifth inning, then hit a solo home run in the seventh, bringing the Tigers within a run at 5-4. Kim Won-seop’s single scored Lee Hyun-gon later in the seventh and Kia had defied all odds by erasing a four-run deficit in less than two innings.

The score remained tied at five into the bottom of the ninth. That is, until Na stepped up and turned the Tigers dream into reality. Na, a stout 24-year-old in his second season with the Tigers, was born in Seoul in 1985. On Saturday, October 24, 2009, he was born again, this time as a hero that helped bring the Korean Series title back to Gwangju, a city that had been waiting 12 long years for its return.

By Jeff Smith

Na Ji-wan (right) gets a pat on the head from teammate Park Kinam (48) and a double thumbs up from An Chi-hong after Na's monster home run brought the Korean Series title back to Gwangju for the first time in 12 years.

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Gwangju News December 2009

*For a five and a half-minute clip of Na's series-clinching home run and some of the celebration that followed, do a YouTube search for: [KIA V10 - KOREAN SERIES 7th Stage] - Na JiWan Game Ending HOMERUN (by MBC-ESPN).

Upcoming Event

Bake & Book Sale C

oming soon this December 12th, we’ll once again be hosting the Bake and Book Sale, selling baked and home-made goodies, as well as a wealth of books, to raise money in support of Sungbin Girls’ Orphanage.

Now in its 3rd hosting, the Bake and Book Sale has become an annual event in the Gwangju calendar. This year’s event will start at 1pm on Saturday December 12th, at the GAIA gallery, Gwangju International Centre (GIC) in downtown (map on page 3), selling a vast array of delicious baked goodness, loads of second-hand books, and some drinks. All are welcome!

The best of Gwangju’s home-made cooking will be on sale, featuring a wide and diverse range of goods to eat. The sale is officially from 1pm until 4pm, but will wind-up once everything is sold, so get there early to get your hands on the tastiest items before they go. Plus there will be a whole host of used books on sale. As Gwangju is something of an English literature desert, this offers the rare opportunity to pick up some new (and cheap) reading material, from a selection which is bound to beat that of any of the local bookstores.

As in previous years, Santa Claus will be stopping by to make a special guest appearance, so we invite families to attend: bring the kids and the camera and enjoy a comfortable family event with something for both parents and children.

All the money taken this year will go into the Sungbin Educational Endowment Fund. When girls reach the age of 18, they can no longer stay at the orphanage, and so face a very difficult and uncertain future. The Sungbin Fund aims to provide financial assistance for the girls to offer learning opportunities such as a college education or vocational training, to give them skills and a chance to support themselves in their future lives. Last year’s Bake Sale at the Speakeasy proved to be a great success, with upwards of 1.5 million won raised for the Fund, and we’re aiming to better that this year.

We’re currently looking for donations of both the book and bake variety. On the “bake” side, classic bake items such as cakes, bread loaves, pies, cookies and so on are always popular. And in a change from previous years, other oven-baked fare such as macaroni and lasagna are now also very welcome. Please package any food goods

Cakes and cookies, from the Gwangju Food Fair Jessica Solomatenko

into servings which you see fit to sell. For example, a loaf could be sold as a whole or in halves, or a large cake will be better sold in slices. Also, for the benefit of allergy sufferers, please clearly label if any product contains nuts.

For book donations, most of us have a stack of books lying around the apartment never to be read again, so why not free up some space by donating them to the book sale? All kinds of books and magazines are welcome.

If anyone wishes to donate items, then thank you in advance. All food and books should be taken to the GIC anytime up until 11:30 a.m. December 12th. Please also go to our Facebook page (search “Sungbin Bake Sale”), where you can let us know what you’re planning on bringing using the Discussion Boards, or get more information and updates on the event.

We encourage readers to get involved, by either baking, bringing books, helping as volunteer staff, or, equally as importantly, simply by attending on Saturday December 12th, to help make this a successful event.

So please take some time out of your Saturday schedule to come along, bring your friends and family, support a community event and raise money for a good cause. We hope to see you there!

The Bake & Book Sale Team

Gwangju News December 2009

13

Feature

The Re-opening of the Mudeung Old Road

W

ith the recent re-opening of the Old Mudeung Road Gwangju’s favourite nature spot offers a little something extra for mountain goers from all walks. Traveling through a previously less used area the new course combines local nature with history to give those who care to take the time a pleasant day’s activity as they trot along this enjoyable and quite doable course.

Through my years in this city Mudeung Mountain has represented a symbol of escape. Just a short journey away from downtown, a trip to Jungsimsa temple provides the porthole to a place seemingly another world away from the hustle and bustle of inner-city Gwangju. It has always impressed me how instantaneously one can feel they’ve left the city. To an extent, this sense of escape lives on in the mountain’s newest route.

One of the key features of the new route is that it actually starts just a short walk away from Chosun University, at Sansu-Ogori, so for most residents will represent a shorter journey than the trip out to Jungsimsa. In fact, with the local government keen to promote the new route, there are a number of signposts to usher hikers along from the intersection to where the course begins.

However, a budding hiker may be forgiven for thinking

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Gwangju News December 2009

they’re in the wrong place when standing at the start. It begins in the unlikeliest of places, an alley cutting through the midst of a small cluster of houses, though as the houses soon subside the mountain quickly presents itself. It is not long before hikers find themselves peering down over 18-storey apartment blocks and the life below.

As many climbs do, it begins with a breath-taking struggle, leaving the climber gasping with the immediate steepness as they leave Sansu-dong behind.

This soon relents as a generally flatter and more travelable path is reached.

The path throughout is well maintained, when the roads become treacherous there are stairs to assist, though be warned they prove to be spitefully slippery when wet.

If such mild hazards can be avoided, glimpses of historical Gwangju are represented amongst the trees for large proportions of the path; this mostly coming in the form of family tombs, some of which prove to be more splendid and decorative than average, and the majority share an untouched beauty.

It is the remnants of what appeared to be an old city wall which proved to be the biggest surprise. Such history is not regularly advertised in Asia’s selfproclaimed cultural hub. A closer inspection reveals

Feature

that the wall dates back to before the end of the Silla Dynasty (around 900 AD) when Gwangju went by the name of Mujinju, and at one stage they stood 3,500 meters in circumference around the city.

The path continues, intertwining itself with a road out the city, overlapping on numerous occasions. Despite being in close vicinity to transport, the feeling of being a distance from the city can still prevail, depending on the time of the week and amount of traffic flowing in potential earshot. Still, a rugged close-to-nature feeling prevails, accented further by crossing numerous on unsturdy looking bridges made of bound wooden logs.

To this point the path has taken the hiker both up and down hill. The highs and lows make it slightly rigorous as the path calls for a variety of muscles to be worked.

As the path pushes on, lifting upwards and sloping down, twisting round trees and small creeks it comes across what is known as Promise Bridge crossing a reservoir; although sorry to say that what the promise was exactly eluded me.

As the bridge ends an artificial garden appears on the slope of a hill. Seemingly manufactured to encourage a new breed of hiker – one perhaps less serious than you’d commonly find fully decked in hiking gear briskly scaling other parts of the mountain on a Saturday morning. The garden are easy on the eye and prove a popular rest area, and the ‘restee’ is well catered for. There are gazebos, benches and a simple garden/play area. An air of surrealism at this point, is provided by speakers around the perimeter playing tunes from a solo piano and the occasional public announcement. Surrealism was further compounded by the playing of the wedding march as my hiking companion trotted on through the area.

All in all, the experience of this alternative trek to Sosukdea peak offers a bit more than the mountainous routes covering the rest of Meudeung, and is certainly easier on the legs. There’s a sense of uniqueness in being a twenty-something year old hiker along this route, since the vast majority of path users tend to be a good fifteen years younger or forty years older. This is certainly a route more suitable for those slightly less equipped in cardiovascular ability, though that is not to suggest it doesn’t have its tough points.

By Daniel Lister

As the gardens are left behind, more ancient tombs are passed along the way side. The feeling of being a great distance from the city is encouraged further by the odd Korean farm houses in the gaping valley towards the right and the peaceful woodland occupying the left.

For those who struggle with long distances, and care not to go behind a tree when nature calls, facilities are provided sporadically throughout the route. This wooden shack of “relievement” is symbolic of the efforts that have been put in place to provide a comfortable setting for the hiker. In fact, throughout when the path proves difficult steps or handrails have been provided. Hikers’ needs are bolstered with the availability of resting areas, quaint wooden benches along the path and small clusters in places potentially used for picnicking.

Gwangju News December 2009

15

Interview

F

riends had been telling me to try this sushi restaurant in Shin Chang-dong for a while if only to marvel at how authentic the taste was compared to other sushi restaurants around town.

They also mentioned its chef, Daeil Choi, a personable young chef originally from Gwangju whose work has taken him to Los Angeles, Las Vegas and back working among some top Japanese sushi chefs. I asked Daeil if he’d be interested in being interviewed for Gwangju News. He agreed so I came back to ask him a few questions about sushi and his time in the United States.

A few weeks later I chatted with him at his restaurant, and found out Choi is a licensed Korean-cuisine chef who moved to Los Angeles when his brother left to pursue his education there. He also traveled there on a student visa. “I needed money [eventually],” he said flatly. Choi says he actually found it easy to find jobs working in Asian restaurants and started working alongside some of the city’s foremost sushi chefs.

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Gwangju News December 2009

Learning the ropes from the ground up, Choi moved up through the ranks learning the basics of Japanese cuisine and acknowledged to me the inherent differences between Korean and Japanese style sushi.

Little known fact, he tells me: many Koreans might be averse to Japanese style sushi because the rice is cooked in vinegar and not the sesame oil they are used to in their beloved kimbap rolls. “They don’t like the taste,” he says. This hasn’t deterred Choi whose popular Japanese sushi restaurant has a growing word of mouth following among foreigners in the vicinity since it opened about a year ago. “But the cultures are very similar,” he assures me. “Sashimi is very similar [in both Korea and Japan],” he says.

The small restaurant is bright, and modern complete with a sushi conveyor belt reminiscent of a trendy Tokyo sushi bar. If you come, Choi might sit you down at a booth himself and immediately give you an English menu of his offerings. The menu also proposes a fine

Interview

assortment of Korean and Japanese drinks including beer, soju, plum wine and sake. The California rolls (minus the usual avocado) were very fresh, and my new favorite, salmon tempura rolls, always hit the spot.

Overall the sushi remains true to its Japanese roots without giving in to the temptation of Korean accoutrements imposed elsewhere in the city. Tempura appetizers, udon and soba noodle soups are also offered along with miso soup that accompanies every order.

Besides learning how to create sushi, Choi reveals that he learned other things also, “I met Jewish people for the first time. They don’t eat pork, so that was very interesting. They eat a lot of sushi.” Coming from New York, I was struck by the innocence of this comment having never really thought how exotic Semitism might be to an outsider. Choi continues telling me about his travels. How he eventually left Los Angeles and went to Las Vegas. Although, he didn’t work in a fancy highend casino, he did work in a popular restaurant near the Vegas strip and lived quite comfortably.

Top: Shrimp Tempura, Bottom: Assortment of Korean and Japanese drinks Alva French

“[Eventually] it was very difficult … too hard and a lot of money,” he laments at one point. “Why?” I ask. “I had many [immigration] problems,” he admits. Choi wanted to stay in the United States and continue working, and had even considered opening his own place. Despite having thrived in the States for over four years, however, he applied for a green card and was unsuccessful. “If I had a green card, I would go back,” he says, but he gave up attempting to secure one and eventually packed up his things and returned to South Korea. “It is very expensive now,” he concludes.

As our interview comes to an end, Choi remarks “I would like to go back [to the United States], but only for a visit.” In the meantime, he seems content with the brisk business his restaurant does on any given night.

By Alva French Daeil Choi’s restaurant is located near the Shin Chang Elementary School bus stop (9, 29, 51, 72, 720) diagonally across the street from Paris Baguette and Kwangju Bank, the restaurant is open seven days a week. (tel. 062-956-1006)

Chef Choi hard at work in his restaurant

Alva French

Gwangju News December 2009

17

Art

Extraordinary Renditions: Two Amazing Events Few Knew about in Gwangju

Left to right: Art Works. Sculptor Yang Ming Dye from Taiwan; assemblage artist Terence Lin from Singapore; installation artist Mark Ramsel N. Salvatus III from The Philippines The Daedong Culture Foundation

S

ome cultural events are not attended by many foreigners, and others are not attended by any foreigners that live here. These seemingly underground events can be a great way to learn more about Korea, if you can figure when and where they are taking place.

Gwangju Symphony Orchestra

Gwangju Symphony Orchestra Performancce with doublebass, Seong Min-je Gwangju Symphony Orchestra

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Gwangju News December 2009

On Saturday, November 7th an amazing performance of double-bass by Seong Min-je turned the recentlysanguine Gwangju Symphony Orchestra (GSO) audience into a boisterous crowd that burst into an applause that lasted through four off and back-on the stage walks and bows. The 19-year-old virtuoso, who has performed as a solo bassist in front of full orchestras since he was 16, is currently in the doublebass ensemble Passione Amore in Munich, Germany. It is rare to see a bass soloist, but Seong’s performance was evidence that he is on his way to a brilliant career.

It also is further proof that the GSO has a capable conductor/artistic director in Gu Cha-boem, who should be retained for a long as possible.

Seong started his night with a Stuart Sankey arrangement of Bizet’s “Carmen Fantasy.” This may read like a novelty on paper, but the reality was stunning, as Seong jumped to the extreme range of his

Art

Orchestra. He started taking bass lessons at age 10, and was the youngest competitor at the Matthias Double-Bass Competition in St. Petersburg (17) in 2007, and won the competition in 2008.

In 1974 I saw Australian Barry Tuckwell perform a flawless version of Hayden’s Horn Concerto No. 1 in D, in front of the Rochester (N.Y.) Philharmonic. Until now, no other concerto or night of solo work has managed to match that evening, but Seong Min-je’s performance was brilliant, and the GSO went on the perform an excellent version of Tchaikovsky’s fifth Symphony.

It is the second time inside one year that they have performed it, and it proved that the quality of the orchestra improved considerably, especially in the brass section. The first performance was with an American guest conductor, then after nine months of Gu Ja-boem’s notoriously stringent rehearsals, the same piece proved much more harmonious.

Double-bassist, Seong Min-je

Yeonhap News

instrument with precision, passion and practiced enthusiasm, thereby gracing our ears with an extension of his heart. Though sweaty, he then returned to the stage to perform Sarasate’s Opus 20 “Zigeunerweisen.”

This time he extended the upper range of the doublebass with harmonics performed a full speed.

A harmonic is executed by placing a left-hand finger lightly, quite precisely on a string without pressing the string down so far it makes a “first pitch”, the normal tone created at any given place on a fingerboard. Much higher harmonic tones are possible, but not often required of bassists as part of a classical performance.

Of course, Seong obliged this maneuver while in the middle of multi-octave-jumping, at the end of lengthy arpeggios, and often for 16th notes... meaning he was able to use this technique in the middle of runs that were tricky enough at first pitch. OK maybe the exuberance of youth caused him to show off, and maybe someone near the stage in the stodgy section wondered whether this young man would ever be satisfied playing as the third bassist in an orchestra section. Well, perhaps Seong Min-je won’t have to do an awful lot of that, as he has already recorded a CD with the Butenberg Chamber Orchestra, and signed a contract with Deutsche Grammaphone last January.

Like most music virtuosos, Seong came from a musical family. His father is a member of the Seoul Symphony

On November 27 the GSO performed under guest conductor Claus Arp’s baton. Arp, a professor who teaches conducting at the Mannheim School of Music (Germany) was full of praise for his former student.

“Mr. Gu is solid in the basics with a great ear and ability to memorize a score, but it is his ideas that put him in the top echelon of the students I have had. It is better to have too many ideas than not enough,” Arp said at a dinner the night before the concert.

The Daedong Cultural Foundation The Daedong Cultural Foundation welcomed nine Asian artists to Gwangju for a week-long residency titled “The Freedom of Asia Spirit,” on November 18.

From China, photographers Zhao Da Peng and Zhao Nai Jian, as well as painters Huang Xiao Fen and Chi

Asian Artists invited by the Daedong Cultural Foundation The Daedong Cultural Foundation

Gwangju News December 2009

19

Feature

Mark Ramsel N. Salvatus III in hanbok The Daedong Cultural Foundation

Xue Ling were invited. From The Philippines installation artist Mark Ramsel N. Salvatus III, from Singapore assemblage artist Terence Lin, from India painter Devedra Kumar Shukla, from Taiwan sculptor Yang Ming Dye, and from Japan traditionalist Mika Ando gathered to swap art ideas, make new works, and exhibit at Gallery Nine.

The foundation, in its role as a regional cultural developer, puts out a commendable bi-monthly magazine that covers Jeollanam-do in 150 pages worth of glossy photos and in-depth stories. This is the first residency supported by the Daedong Cultural Foundation that has included as many as nine international artists. The diversity of cultures was matched by the diversity of styles, ranging from traditional watercolors to abstract expressionism. At the opening ceremony, which was held at the Hiddink Continental Hotel downtown, artists presented slides and large-scale prints of completed works and talked about motivations and techniques.

Photographer Peng Zhao Da was clicking away and smiling at the opening ceremony. His distinguished career includes founding the photography department at the Luxun Academy of Fine Art. He has published four books of photographic collections, most recently "Earth Constructions." Although cemented, by years, into the role of elder-statesmen, it was Peng's youthful enthusiasm that inspired younger artists in the residency.

The group participated in cultural forays, including donning hanboks and visiting historic sites around Gwangju. These visits probably helped shape what was produced while in town.

Dye Yang Min's work stood out for its imaginative use of semi-transparent lustrous "plastic rocks" that have a

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Gwangju News December 2009

variety of colors that relate well to each other in each sculpture. She hangs these on glass shelves that form a floating sculptural walking path that invites viewers to try to figure out how she makes the plastic around these "rocks" distort the floor below to create the effect that they are floating in water, not air. Her work here in Gwangju demonstrated attention to how colors relate to each other. Colored plastic in black, red and white hangs over black, cream and pink in work that mixes texture and graphics and expressive color splashes and shapes. The shadow lurking under the work adds a dimension that acts as a base. She is currently an assistant professor of Plastic Arts at Tainan National University in Taiwan.

Mark Ramsel N. Salvatus III placed his local work on the ceiling, which is not surprising considering the range of installations he has built and exhibited worldwide since 2001. Placing repetitive shapes in somewhat changeable in patterns has been a standard approach for Salvatus, and in Gwangju he started with a map and took a magic marker to "computerize" what appears to be a map of Jeollanam-do. This also causes a camouflage effect that made it feel like a map that had been heavily censored by military officials. The green and white map with black and some brown marker is eerie because all references to the location the maps depict have been marked-out completely.

Salvatus is an assistant professor at Kalayaan College in the Philippines.

Terence Lin, of Singapore, zoomed-in on cities and how the make-up of cities reach into human life and change our philosophy and behavior. His map of the BNY Apartment represents the beginning stage or work that, when finished, is made up of colored boxes that can spread out along the long wall of a museum.

Placement of small boxes with contact paper, or solid paint, or designs is key, and the mini-cities work as both well-designed ideas, and as colorful explosions.

It's hard to get a feel for how effective his finished work can be from this drawing, but museums and galleries around Asia have been treated to his serious yet ultimately playful take on modern life.

Gallery Nine, which had recently displayed an excellent group of Gwangju artists at a very prestigious show in Cologne, Germany, displayed the works of the artists.

Overall, the residency was a success, and proves that Gwangju will become more and more a place known to international artists, even before the Asian Cultural Center is completed.

By Doug Stuber â–ś See pages 40 and 41 for information on upcoming events and performances in Gwangju.

Useful Korean Phrases

성 탄절 [seongtanjeol] Christmas Dialog John: 이번 성탄절은 어떻게 보낼 생각이에요?

[Ibeon seongtanjeoreun eotteoke bonael saenggagieyo?]

John : What will you do this Christmas? 민수: 저는 교회의 성탄절 행사에 참여할 생각이에요.

[Jeoneun gyohoeui seongtanjeol haengsae chamnyeohal saenggagieyo] Min-su: I plan to go to a Christmas celebration in church.

John: 재미있겠네요. 교회에서 자주 성탄절을 보내나요?

[Jaemiitgenneyo. botong gyohoeeseo seongtanjeoreul bonaenayo?]

John: That sounds interesting. Do you often spend your time in church on Christmas? 민수: 네, 보통 가족들과 함께 교회에 가요.

John씨는요?

[Neh, botong gajokdeulgwa hamkke gyohoee gayo.

Johnssineunnyo?]

Min-su: Yes, I usually go to church with my family.

What about you?

John: 글쎄요, 가족들한테 전화하는 것 말고는 아직 생각해보지 않았어요.

[Geulsseyo, gajokdeulhante jeonhwahaneun geot malgoneun ajik saenggakhaeboji anaseoyo] John: Well, I haven’t thought about it yet, except giving a call to my family. 민수: 그렇다면 우리 교회에 와 보는 건 어때 요? 재미있을 거에요.

[Geureotamyeon uri gyohoee wa boneun geon eottaeyo? jaemiiseul geoeyo.]

Min-su: Then, how about coming to my church? It will be fun.

John: 좋아요!

[Joayo!]

John: Sounds great!

Vocabulary 성탄절: Christmas 행사: Event, Performance, Ceremony 전화: Telephone, Telephone Call 자주: Often 보통: Usually 글쎄요: Well... 함께: Together

Grammar 1. 저는 N을 할 생각이에요.

(I’m thinking to V, I plan to do N) This is an expression for telling future plans. “N” could be either a verb, like ‘먹을 생각 이에요 (I’m thinking of eating something)’, or a noun like,‘축구를 할 생각이에요 (I plan to play soccer)’.

2. ~을 해보다. (Try ~ing.)

It could mean your past experience like ‘서울에 가 봤어요 (I have been to Seoul)’, ‘그 책 읽어봤어요. (I have read the book)’ or, it could just simply mean you tried something, like ’그냥 한번 해봤어요. (I just tried it once)’.

Vocabulary Exercise In this letter grid, try to find as many Korean words as possible, joining letters horizontally, vertically or diagonally.

김 치 지 현 비 진 잉 자

한 민 죽 생 둘 가 추 묘

소 미 묘 각 기 성 휴 용

글 쎄 해 교 김 열 탄 마

보 영 행 주 성 밥 구 절

사 통 사 엘 함 축 읽 현

하 진 많 주 께 싱 매 다

다 함 자 도 주 싱 먹 화

The answers are on page 31.

By No In-woo and Park Su-ji In-woo(freshman) and Su-ji(junior) are students at Chonnam National University.

Gwangju News December 2009

21

Local Community

International Students On Campus

A

s there appears to be a boom in Korean universities looking to attract international students, so the number of such students has grown rapidly. According to official statistics, there are more than 60,000 international students nationwide due to government’s effort and relatively inexpensive budget than one for studying in States or Europe.

Especially, 93% of international students have come from Asian countries. They came to Korea to earn degrees, to appreciate Korean culture and learn how to speak Korean.

However, living and studying abroad is not always easy. From time to time, students can feel homesick, or that it’s difficult to catch up on classes given in Korean and hard to make Korean friends. While there are successful students who achieve their dreams, students who struggle with the language or culture are less motivated and can often fall behind. What and how an international student does are not solely affected from personal characteristics and life styles. Several policies from school can also affect them. As an example, Chonnam National University (CNU) recently published a guidebook for international students in Korean, English and Chinese, so that they can easily find some information they might need at any time or place in languages other than Korean. An international

student at CNU told me that “it is very helpful to me, since all I need is this book which is easy to carry.”

To have a broader sight regarding the issue, Gwangju News interviewed both an international student here in Gwangju, and a school officer who deals with undergraduate students at the Office of International Affairs, CNU. Firstly, I spoke with Ahmed, an international student from Bangladesh studying at CNU. Hong-pyo (HP): Thanks for talking with us. Please give us a brief personal introduction.

Ahmed (Ah): I am Tauhid Ahmed, and was born in 1983 at Tangail District in Bangladesh. My father is engaged with agribusiness and my mother is a housewife. Being raised in such a family, I always love to smile and try to do good for people around me with my understanding and ability. I am interested in voluntary activities, community social service, traveling, playing cricket and photography. I do always take a positive and welcoming approach to deal any activities and remain adhere until finish it completely. My personal motto is “a dutiful man is a beautiful man”.

International students participating in the 2008 Gwangju International Students Program 22

Gwangju News December 2009

GIC

Local Community

HP: What have you found to be the most enjoyable aspect of studying in Korea?

HP: Where does CNU stand in terms of international student affairs?

Ah: The different activities of CNU to become more global. CNU is trying to meet global environment pushing and offering many programs, global and domestic, student activities, making friends, mentoring programs, etc. I am always very positive to participate in such kind of activities. I also participated in one overseas program in University of Missouri-Columbia, U.S. with other Korean students over the last winter vacation. That was one of the dream study trip ever in my life.

Jang Mi-ri (JMr): As the flagship university in the region, Chonnam National University has 726 international students in total and 455 are seeking their undergraduate degrees. The majority of them come from China. Students from Mongol and Vietnam take up some portion of them, but their numbers are way behind than that of Chinese. Many universities in Korea had only focused on increasing the number of international students. However, there were so many cases of illegal part-time employments and other visa related issues that Korean government strengthened requirements for studying in university, such as allowing visa for only those who have acquired 4th level TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean). Now, universities also try to have qualified students with well-developed programs that will help their accommodation into studying in Korea.

CNU now manages Korean culture introduction programs, 1+1 Buddy-Buddy program and grant scholarship for those who need to improve their Korean abilities. Such efforts worked out and many international students achieve good grades from classes which are solely delivered in Korean, make Korean friends who not only provide language help but also became someone they can rely on, and have opportunities to look around Gwangju and Jeollanam-do area.

Also I enjoy the campus study environment. The university’s study environment is really nice, no active student politics exist on campus, but in my country student politics does exist on campus which I hate very much. But here, I just see students study, do research and get along with their friends. I feel really good to see this environment.

HP: What are some things that you hope to be changed?

Ah: To be more global, students need to change their mind-set a little bit. What I want to say is that maybe 20% of CNU students are OK to meet foreign students and their cultures, but the rest of the students look not welcoming to foreign students and culture; actually they don’t mix with foreign students or international activities in CNU campus. I don’t think that they don’t want to meet; definitely they want but may be they can’t mix because of their fear, shyness, or foreigner’s strange looks.

I have to say that university authority is very positive to make CNU globally innovating and offers many programs to students. But school authorities should try to help foreign students to practice their own cultures sometimes in CNU campus while they learn Korean culture. It would be wonderful for both sides. And Korean students will also have the valuable chance to learn foreign cultures while living inside CNU campus.

HP: Are there any other things you may want to mention?

Ah: What GIC is doing for foreign people is really appreciable. They are very much committed to keep foreign people’s life easy, here in Gwangju. I am really touched seeing what GIC is doing for foreigners. I appreciate and thank GIC and the people who are associated with GIC team. I regret that I can’t go to GIC these days but I did go there frequently when I was newcomer in Gwangju.

Secondly, I spoke with Jang Mi-ri, who is in charge of undergraduate students at CNU

H P : What are some things CNU hope that its international students would keep in mind?

J M r : CNU and I, as a person in charge of undergraduate international students wish that they can achieve their goals of earning degrees in Korea without many difficulties. We, at the Office of International Affairs at CNU, understand that it is not easy to study abroad with all hardships, but we hope you remember that the first and foremost goals you have now are study well and stay fine. There are many students who neglect or are not aware of obligatory reporting procedure that you make before having a part-time job. Doing so can result in serious matters such as being imposed with heavy fine, which normally exceeds the amount of money that you earn from the job, and suffering from being worried about those affairs. In short, costs outweigh the benefits.

It is clear that international students are minorities in Korea, and have very different cultural backgrounds, but their time here is crucial to them to achieve their academic goals and further their visions. Their success heavily depends on their strong willingness and effort; however the roles of Korean students, universities and local community to embrace them cannot be underestimated.

By Ahn Hong-pyo Hong-pyo is a senior student at Chonnam National University.

Gwangju News December 2009

23

PHOTO CONTEST

For generations, families have visited Naejangsa temple to celebrate the dawn of another colorful fall season.

Photo by Nicole Appel

Exhausted kindergarten kids on the bus home from a fun-filled field trip.

Photo by Joanne Cronin 24

Gwangju News December 2009

Statues line a stone wall at Daewonsa temple.

Photo by Sara Fladmo

Apples on display for sale outside a local mart.

Photo by Jessica Solomatenko

Gwangju News December 2009

25

Festival Review

“ Outside the Box �

I

ntricate surfaces, graceful furnishings, and everyday items that make wry commentary on our society are all featured in the 6th annual Cheongju Craft Biennale, which ran from September 23rd to November 1st, 2009. Entitled "Outside the Box," the Biennale challenges the limits of seeing different crafts as disparate industries. Bringing together 110 art pieces, citywide public space installations and an International Craft Competition, this exposition aspires to reveal universal values through many multi-disciplinary musings on birth, rebirth, memory, consciousness, tradition, form and function. "Craft," claims the Biennale manifesto, "is integration; with nature, with others, with its collective self."

The creative scene in Korea bursts forth every autumn with internationally renowned biennales: among these, the Cheongju Biennale is the largest craft symposium in the world. It falls on alternate years with Gwangju's prestigious Art Biennale and coincides with the newer Gwangju Design Biennale in which it has a fitting complement.

Cheongju is an affluent modern city with historical precedent for revolutionizing design: it is the birthplace of the earliest known printed book using moveable metal type. When we arrived one crisp, October morning after three hours of travel from Gwangju, clear directions and sleek signage marked the way to a well-executed event. I was one of half a million visitors, of which there was a wide sampling: sharing my bus ride were two trade professionals from Seoul and a middle-school girl in kneehigh socks who clutched her Biennale monograph with protective delight. Later on, I met a Canadian artist who had come to Korea on a grant to see her work exhibited.

"Pressing Matter," the first of two main exhibits, amassed numerous objects from designers around the world.

Opening the show was Chaise Lounge LC4, a "resting machine" personally sculpted by one of the most influential modern architects in 1929. Le Corbusier's tensile assembly uses gravity to support a natural resting position, adapting physics to human needs.

Industrial furniture from star designers, jewelry, tableware and folly sculptures continued the cross-

Main: Figures and shadows from Yoon Bo-hyun's 'Structure of Shadow', Upper-right: Campana brothers' rag-doll chair, Lower-right: 'Dripping' by Jordi Canudas bohyunyoon.com, artnet.com, jordicanudas.com

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Gwangju News December 2009

Festival Review

Left: 'Structure of Shadow', by Yoon Bo-hyun Right: One of Jordi Canudas' 'Less lamps'

disciplinary discussion. Instant-noodle cups fringed with silver-plated doilies posit Kim Jung-suk's questions on the ritual of eating, consumption, and disposable products; Benjamin Lignel is similarly dubious with parody jewelry tagged, "Happy Family, set of 2 adhesive rings." Two lamps by Jordi Canudas illuminate the poetic imprint of time and irreversible processes: one is slowly covered with dripping paint until it becomes opaque, the other needs to be physically broken to release light from its ceramic shell. Piet Stockmans had 10,000 cups scattered across the floor just before the exit. This homogenous mass, which seemed to me an abstract expression of the overwhelming quantity and range in "Pressing Matter," was the perfect denouement to the exhibit.

A colossal stacked log pillar greeted visitors in "Dissolving Views." This display contained several large scale installations including yarn walls, conceptual furniture and larger-than-life garments, tactile creations themed around the intersection of nature and artifice. "Dissolving Views" was also concerned with showing craft as a "living human impulse" through both stationary and moving, time-based pieces: there was Mark Zirpel's "Weather Station," a kinetic machine to calibrate weather, and Kim Byoung-ho's "Collected Silence," where a herd of silver trumpets are suspended in space, faintly chiming as visitors approach, casting bird-like shadows on an adjacent wall.

My favorite piece was “Structure of Shadow (Carnival)” by Yoon Bo-hyun; installed in its own small, cubic-room, it had dismembered action figures strung on a shelf unit in the center of a room, leaving just enough clearance space on all four sides for visitors to walk around. As the pendulum light in the center swung back and forth, the

bohyunyoon.com, jordicanudas.com

shadows changed in scale and their figures’ postures varied. Shadows were cast on the walls, floor and on entranced viewers.

Judging by crowd size, the public's favorite exhibit was the “Canadian Guest Pavilion”. Curated by Dr. Sandra Alfody of NSCAD, one of Canada's leading art universities, "Unity and Diversity" is an essay on Canadian identity.

This theme sounds appropriate for a show that is an ambassador to the world, but in fact, Canadians have always struggled with how to define their own identity.

After all, the title poses a paradox! Artworks fall under seven different strata: Water, Land, Contact, Flora/Fauna, Arrivals, Myth/Metaphor and Departures. In this comprehensive exploration I wonder if it evinces divergence that I, a Canadian immigrant, found the small personal narratives of fellow Asian-Canadians the most poignant.

Focused on attracting collectors, curators, academics, craftspeople with ongoing lectures, seminars, and a trade fair, the Cheongju Craft Biennale proved equally engaging for local residents. On a mellow Sunday afternoon, the convention center grounds were filled with children. Food stalls, artisan booths demonstrating how to carve traditional musical instruments, hands-on bookmaking workshops, music and marching-band performances all provide family-oriented entertainment. But the exhibit itself holds true delight; children exclaim over the Campana Brothers' chairs, woven out of rag dolls and stuffed animals, lopsided Victorian teacups bring them glee. An adolescent was intently studying a series of tiled perspective prints as I rounded a corner in the convention hall. It appears that the crafts speak to people of all backgrounds and ages.

By Miriam Ho

Gwangju News December 2009

27

Profile

The Artist’s Eye of Debra Meryl Josephson

P

hotography is a crowded field because so many people feel the jump from home photographer to professional is easy. Digital technology means you can shoot 100 shots looking for one good one without large film and developing expenses.

Newly-arrived Debra Meryl Josephson brings an artist’s eye to her photography, as her web site, with two galleries full of her paintings, attests. What makes her photographs stand out is her desire to show the everyday, even left-behind scenes in ways that coax us to seeing beauty in the mundane … take our breath away with something we’ve walked by a thousand times but never noticed.

“I was shy as a kid, and my father’s Canon AE-1 became a way to be involved in social gatherings. I drew a lot too,” Josephson said, while sipping coffee at Serendipity on Geumnam-no. “We’re supposed to engage and participate in life, and most jobs don’t offer that, but teaching and photography are both catalysts.

Teaching in Korea gives me a whole new culture to learn from, and maybe my students will catch some of my culture along with their English.”

These photographic samples are from Peru. Contrast and shadows in ‘Streetlight #2’ first draw us in to the faux window, then make us wonder what is lurking under the benches. The stark contrast on the wall versus torn posters, almost the same gray as the pole they are attached to, and the sharp precision of black lines on the white wall versus the streetlight itself barely making a dent in the dark watercolor sky. This same photo in color would not resound as well because the light and curling iron of the pole would hold no mystery against blue. She’s captured the repetition of the lampshade and curl, but those clear shadows couldn’t be made at night as the sun must have been at a fairly steep angle, yet the sky appears dark enough to be well past twilight. OK a Photoshop tweak from color to black and white may seem like a simple trick, but in this case the trick has worked, and we see an image that stands as an art piece because our naked eye could never come across this combination.

“The streetlamp photo was in the Sacred Valley – near

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Gwangju News December 2009

‘Streetlight #2’

Pisaq [Peru]. I was finished walking through the marketplace and was waiting for the bus to continue our tour and saw that shot across the street. The ‘King’ refrigerator photo was taken from an abandoned house in Mejia, Peru,” Josephson said.

‘King’ is all about perspective and the velvety realities of limited focal plane. By zooming in on a corner of an old rusty refrigerator and surrounding it with slightly blurry background graffiti, Josephson has made us question our own cushy lives twice over: first by reminding us that everything is transitory in a universe where entropy triumphs over all, and then making us scramble to find Spanish dictionaries to see what the locals in Peru are on about. Are they escaping from or imploring people to join the common man’s rebel forces in Mejia these days? Either way, poverty is the real subject, and ‘King’ is the perfect focus because those with no money (most of the world) smile a royal smile when they are getting joy from simple things.

Those of us too refined or educated to scribble graffiti may well force smiles in between the continual demands of our “money-centric” lives. I wonder what Gato (it is a male Spanish name) is up to these days?

“The title of the color piece is ‘Muneca Rota,’ or Rag Doll. I won first prize for that photo in Peru. It was Carnival there in Mejia, a coastal beach town. They wanted a photo that captured the feel of the celebration in their city,” Josephson said.

Darn, when I first saw this photograph I figured it was a clandestine shot of an act of civil disobedience by a

Profile

Clockwise from above: ‘King’, ‘Machu Picchu’, ‘Muneca Rota’ Debra M. Josephson (4)

secret sect of the “Daughters of the Peruvian Revolution.” Still, the image is striking because it’s not every day we see school uniforms smeared with mud on schoolgirls wearing rag-doll do-rag hats and wigs, while making graffiti. The first question is: is that a snack she’s about to eat or is there more mud to smear in that chip bag? Next might be: is the rag doll a local carnival tradition for middle school girls? It appears so, since they aren’t shy about writing Muneca Rota on the wall, and must be somewhat acceptable to do so, or this photo wouldn’t have won first prize, right? Finally, is this mud/paint (some of which is blue) indelible or can it be washed off easily? All these questions spoil the fun captured in an unexpected photograph from Carnival.

Josephson, who likes to “incorporate art into my classes at Kwak Young-Il’s Language Institute,” also taught English in Peru, and worked as a staff photographer at a summer camp, staying close to children throughout the year. “The last two summers I shot photos for a camp with 500 children. I posted photos on the camp web site every day, and the parents of all these kids wanted to see their children every day.

It was hectic, but not like a job because I had free reign to take any shot, and was able to capture moments of pure joy, and the look the children got when experiencing something for the first time.”

In ‘Machu Picchu’ the tree may be the focus, but the top third, with its added color, draws us back to the clouds. This allows us to imagine how high up we are, while retaining a close crop around the tree. The color is an important addition because the tree represents nature in an otherwise well-trampled, though hard-toreach place. The sacred nature of the lone tree in the

middle of an ancient courtyard can be lost in wider views. The black and white transformation highlights the architecture of the structures, built with intricately cut white granite and no mortar. It also hides at least two figures in the top right, which are easily missed, but might stand out in a color version of this photo.

Now that I see it this way, that tree is a defiant symbol of Paccachuti himself, the emperor who fended off the Chincas even though his father had fled, and then led the Incas, with his own son, to their greatest power in the 1400s. This tree, lonely though it must be for likeminded playmates, has persisted while thousands of panting tourists walk right by looking at architecture.

You can feel the spirituality in the tree and walls in this shot.

“I immerse myself and watch for the best visual image,” Josephson added. “I won’t settle for a life of quiet desperation. If you see me staring and spacing out, it’s just my little moment of photographic Zen before the next inspiration hits.”

To see more of her photography and paintings check out www.dmerylphoto.com

By Doug Stuber Gwangju News December 2009

29

Local Issue

Food Waste in Gwangju road is a 24-tonne dump truck on the construction site.

490 tonnes of food waste equals about 20 dump trucks and little 10-tonne truck.

The quantity of food waste dramatically increased over the past few years. It was originally 417 tonnes in 1995, 447 in 2006, and 472 in 2007. However, the amount varies seasonally－it jumps up to around 600 tonnes at kim-jang-cheol (김장철), the time of year when every household begins to make kimchi for the following year.

The equivalent of over 20 24-tonne dump trucks worth of food are wasted each day in Gwangju.

Watermelons go to waste at a food-waste disposal facility.

H

ow much food waste do Gwangju citizens make every day?

If you have advised people who leave food on the plate and dump it saying, “it is a sin to leave food, there are millions of people who are starving,” here are some statistics that you can use to make your advice reliable.

Let’s do the math. On average, each Gwangju citizen makes 350g food waste each day. This amount of food equals one green soju bottle fully packed with food waste. Think carefully; there are 1.4 million people in Gwangju. We make approximately 490 tonnes of food waste. 490 tonnes! It is hard to imagine how much this amount is. The biggest truck that we can see on the

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Gwangju News December 2009

Why do Koreans have so much food waste?

In Korea, there is a proverb which has exactly the same meaning as “too much water drowns the miller.” It means that you have added too much water to something, and spoiled or ruined the item. We Koreans serve too much of each side dish on the table, especially at restaurants. This causes too much food waste, at the moment. Furthermore, when people drink beer or soju, they have to order side dishes, which are served with fruit, fried food, soup, or dried fish. Mostly those side dishes are left on the table and then dumped in the waste basket.

Food waste vs General waste In Gwangju there is only one garbage disposal factory, in Nam-gu. This factory can only deal with edible waste. Usually people think of reusing food waste as fertilizer; however, the disposal factory is not equipped

Local Issue

with that facility. It can only be reuse food waste as livestock feed. This is why it has such strict criteria. Be careful! Not all the food that you throw away is reusable food waste.

Section

Food Waste

General Waste

Vegetable

Leaves and roots of cabbage, radish, lettuce

Roots of leeks, Pepper seeds, the skins of onions and garlic

Fruit

Flesh and seeds of any kind of fruit

Peanuts, chestnuts, walnut shells, peach and apricot pits

Red meat

Small minor bones of chicken, beef, pork

Big bones from chicken, beef, pork

Fish

Seafood meat, small fish bones

Eggs, the intestines of shellfish, main bones, shells

Rice, soup dregs

Tea, medicinal herbs

Residue

Food waste disposal criteria in Gwangju

2. Do it yourself. These days, many small restaurants let customers serve own their side dishes, such as kimchi, and pickled radish (단무지). It also benefits both you and the owner because owners can avoid being suspected of reusing leftover food, and customers can be assured that they’re eating fresh food.

3. As for the main dish, if you have food left, ask the restaurant to put it in a “to-go” bag.

4. No food left behind. It sound like very aggressive motto used in the military, but at least one day a week, try not to leave any food. If you are a cafeteria owner in a company notify customers that one day of week is “no food in the waste-basket day.”

5. Try to dry out food waste under the sun, or use a food waste composting machine.

I hope everyone in the world become conscious and responsible － or at least, the readers of Gwangju News. Anyone can take the initiative.

By Ko Nam-il

What are some ways to reduse food waste?

However we may try, approximately 450 tonnes of food waste cannot be used as livestock feed. Some part of it is dumped in the sea. (According to London Convention homepage in 2005, Korea was pointed out as one of the heaviest marine littering countries in the world.) Some self-governed cities use food waste to feed earthworms. It is reportedly possible to reduce 200g of food waste every week per citizen with 100 earthworms in a flower pot. Others use the food waste as fertilizer. However, most of the leftover food contains too much sodium; it has to be washed with water for some time to get rid of the excess. Another way to use this much food waste is to feed it to insects.

An insect which looks like a fly eats up food waste when it is in the larval stage.

Possible solutions 1. The best thing to do of all is to decrease the amount of food waste daily. If we decreased our daily waste by 50 grams each, it would result in a total reduction of 70 tonnes a day. 50 grams of food is not much at all. One small egg is 50 grams.

Vocabulary Exercise’s Answer (from page 21) 김치, 보통, 김밥, 축구, 읽다, 생각, 읽다, 먹다, 비둘기, 행사, 하다, 사진, 함께, 성탄절 and many more things are possible according to your Korean level!

Gwangju News December 2009

31

Feature

A Very Brief History of the Tea Plant Canto X ( The excellence of Dongda, Korean tea) Though Korea tea is originally The same as Chinese tea Its color, aroma, and use Boast of special merits.

Yookam tea tastes brilliant, Mongsam tea has medicinal effects While Dongda (Korean tea) has both.

The great ancient recognized it. from “Dongdasong” by the venerable Cho Eui

T

ea is an infused beverage made from the leaves of the Camellia Sinensis tree. Tea, also refers to the leaves, dried or un-dried, of the same plant before they are infused. This has led to some confusion over years because many infused beverages are referred to as “tea”. In Korea for example, there is ginger tea and jujube tea. While it is not incorrect to calls these delicious drinks “tea”, neither of them is actually made from the camellia sinensis plant. Finally, to add to the confusion, since there is only one type of tea plant, all the varieties of true tea, regardless of color, taste, and texture, all come from the same plant.

Camellia Sinensis is an evergreen, flowering, fruit bearing tree indigenous to the temperate mountain areas of the Himalayas. Native peoples from present day Nepal to Sichuan province in China have picked and consumed wild grown tea leaves for thousands of years. Originally and still to this day, remote villages have consumed the tea, boiled in water, for its stimulating medicinal effects. During the legendary Shang dynasty of China and into the later Zhou period, tea began to makes its way out of the high mountains into the low lying lands in all directions. This early tea was packed in large compressed bricks and traded on horse back throughout central, south, and east Asia. As

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Gwangju News December 2009

Camellia Sinensis flowers above the Uijae Museum in Mudeung Mountain Provincial Park.

tea continued to makes its way into the eager hands of consumers in China’s large cities, it soon lost its strictly medicinal use. Tea began to have a spiritual and religious significance and the practitioners of Buddhism and Daoism embraced it.

It wasn’t until the further unification of China under the Qin and Han Dynasties that tea began to have a larger place in society on the whole. The era of wildgrowing tea for local consumption disappeared as

Feature

The Chinese character for tea, reading the three elements from top to bottom, can be interpreted as meaning: “The revered plant that sustains man in his situation on earth.”

popularity. With even greater and more efficient trade routes and increasingly larger areas of tea cultivation, tea continued to move out of the incense draped confines of religion and into the cups of just about anyone who could afford it. During the Tang period, tea culture flourished, and tea drinking, especially among the upper classes, became an important daily ritual.

Special tea wares and accessories were made to accompany the liquor of tea. Even though tea culture expanded greatly, interestingly tea still remained a rather coarse beverage. Tang producers compressed tea into bricks or into ornately decorated moulds; , and while these pretty shapes looked wonderful, the liquor, when brewed was still very bitter and benefited from the addition of salt, fruit, or flowers.

new gardens in tea friendly environments.

It was also during the Tang Dynasty that tea made its way to Japan and to Korea. Chinese and Korean monks who traveled between the two kingdoms exchanged wisdom, news, and no doubt tea. Tea entered Korea during the Silla dynasty and tea drinking and tea culture flourished well into the Goryeo dynasty. Not surprisingly, the Goryeo period is famous for its beautiful celadon that is glazed to compliment the color of tea. Equally, the people of Japan’s Heian and Kamakura eras appreciated the presence of tea and adopted many of the tea drinking habits from their neighbors.

Finally, during the Tang dynasty, the height of Chinese art and culture, tea drinking took on a new sense of

Needless to say, tea drinking continued well into the China’s Song dynasty. The Song kings and aristocrats

Three elements: “plant” or “grass”, “man,” “tree” or “being rooted.”

demand spread throughout China. Because of the tighter, more organized trade routes instituted with the strengthening of imperial power in China, tea entered the markets from the mountains in much larger volumes. Moreover, as the demand for tea grew, so did the area of cultivated tea. Soon traders brought tea plants and seeds throughout the country and set up

Feature

were famous for their art and poetry, their ornate gardens, and elegant tea culture. No longer satisfied with coarse brick tea, Song tea makers developed a fine powered tea, which was whipped in a large tea bowl with wonderfully crafted bamboo whisks. In many ways, tea drinking became a highly elegant and stylized affair. From the accessories, to the paintings, to the poetry, the Song tea ceremony exemplified the extravagance of the era. Similarly, the modern tea ceremony in Japan, which emphasizes strict procedures and uses finely ground green tea called “matcha,” owes its beginnings to the early Song influence. This influence, however, was severed by the Mongolian invasion and conquest of the Song kingdom.

Kublai Khan, the great Mongolian leader and grandson of Genghis Khan, conquered China in 1271 with his well-trained mounted army. After removing the Song leaders of their power he set up a new capital city in northern China closer to his homeland. He became the great emperor of the Yuan dynasty ruling his empire from the Forbidden City. In his new capital, today’s Beijing, he built a new palace, made new laws, and changed tea-drinking habits forever. Unhappy with the coarse brick tea and also with the ostentatious tea ceremony of the Song, the Mongolians worked to create a loose-leaf tea that could easily be boiled with milk.

This style of tea drinking is the predecessor of today’s tea tea-drinking habits and the first step towards the production of green tea.

During the Ming Dynasty, China returned to Han Chinese leadership and tea culture picked up where the Song left off, but with a new style of tea. The Ming producers adapted the loose-leaf style left by the Mongolians, took away the milk, and discovered the

way to make delicate green tea. With this new subtle and refined tea, all things surrounding tea culture developed to accommodate it. Tea gardens and producers experimented with various methods of production, roasting, and drying, adding to the diversity of teas produced in China and setting the precedent for today’s tea production. Most appropriately, porcelain production too, changed to accommodate the new style of tea. While earlier darker teas called for earthier colored glazes, Ming kilns developed clean, bright, white and blue glazes to highlight the green color of their tea.

Inevitably the Ming dynasty would fall, giving rise to China’s last dynasty, the Qing. The Qing rulers from Manchuria, like the Mongolians of the Yuan dynasty, couldn’t develop a taste for the delicate drinking habits of the Chinese aristocracy. The new emperor preferred a darker brew, taken with milk, which is what he served to the first European explorers who arrived in his Kingdom during the mid 1600’s.

...to be continued next month, charting the rise of tea throughout Europe and then the world.

“I live and work in Naju, a place that has tea. From blossoms and fruit in the fall until fresh buds in the spring, during the wet monsoon and in the snow falling, tea is all around us.

My knowledge and interest comes from the people who grow, produce, and drink tea and also from numerous books written by tea advocates.”

By Warren Parsons

Historical Timeline

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Gwangju News December 2009

China

Japan

Shang Dynasty 1766-1050 BC Zhou Dynasty 1122-256 BC Qin Dynasty 221-210 BC Han Dynasty 206 BC - 210 AD Tang Dynasty 618-907 AD Song Dynasty 960-1279 AD Yuan Dynasty 1271-1368 AD Ming Dynasty 1368-1644 AD Qing Dynasty 1644-1912 AD

Heian era Kamakura era

794-1185 AD 1185-1333 AD

Korea Unified Silla Dynasty 668 - 935 AD Goryeo Dynasty 918-1392 AD Joseon Dynasty 1392-1910 AD

KoreaMaria: Food Critic

Bada Jangeo Good

Grilled eel: 13,000 won Eel Soup, Sea food Sujebi: 5,000 won Buses: 17, 35, 36, 81 Yulgok Elementary School Bus stop 27, 28, 35, 74 Duam Jugong Ib-gu Bus stop Taxi: Duam-dong Lotte Supermarket

A piece of old Korea: Traditional, sit-down Korean restaurant. Only floor seating is available. Jeolla is well-known as a Korean food mecca amongst Koreans. But as I live here longer and longer, the side dishes that come with my jjigae become fewer and more Chinese and Western than traditional Korean. In Duam-dong though, I floated through time to have a meal of eel with nothing but the best of Korean side dishes. One of my best and most authentic Korean meals in a long time.

Recommended menu: Grilled eel – spicy or salted, both are great. You can also try eel soup. I went with the sujebi to mix things up a bit. Chock full of seafood and thick, soft noodles which are almost dumpling like (similar to spaetzle or East European halusky noodles), it is a hearty meal.

Eel is usually a summer food here in Korea, but with the table-grilling experience followed by a hearty soup, it was a perfect meal for these chilly days.

This is a great find of the Korean restaurant that is being lost amongst the fusion-ization trend. In addition to its eel dishes, they serve sushi and sashimi. Lots of seafood as side dishes as well – mussel soup and seaweed with spicy sauce to start. The raw marinated crab is one of the many side dishes.

And special Korean veggies like hamcho as well as eggplant, radish and traditional kimchi. This is a nice neighborhood to check out as well – lots of small shops and people watching opportunities.

By Maria Lisak at Gwangju University

Gwangju News December 2009

35

Restaurant Review

No matter the season, Basta is always enough

I

f you haven’t had a chance to check out the neighborhood next to Chosun University, ‘tis the season to Wee Wii there! The humun, or back gate area has tons of things to do, drink, and eat. Basta, an Italian restaurant and bar, is a great meeting point to begin an evening out here. You can follow with coffee at Angel-in-Us, bowling, or check out Wee Wii down the street.

Basta is a rare treat in Gwangju. Combining good eats, sophisticated, cozy décor and great discounts, you feel as if you have been transported into another world.

With sensual lighting, patterned walls, and psychedelically etched slate flooring to complement cartoon murals, this huge space has a bistro ambiance.

The restaurant is literally laid out into Four Seasons, and the chef used to work at the Ritz Carlton.

Atmosphere and food combine for a five-star experience.

You can choose between four different rooms for the backdrop to your meal. One room overlooks the pedestrian traffic traipsing out of Chosun University’s back gate. With a café style feel, the “Summer” room is a great place to catch up with your friends for lunch.

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Gwangju News December 2009

The bistro style of the romantic “Autumn” room is a perfect place to sample pasta on your next date. The high-ceilinged center of the restaurant is “Spring,” which has a family-friendly layout with a widescreen TV. The bar is “Winter,” where you can warm up with beer or cocktails while catching the game on another big screen.

The restaurant was designed and built collaboratively by owners Sergei Tchaikovsky and Son Dong-gi. Sergei and his long time friend Son, combined their resources to make a feasting and party space. The bar, which just opened this June, is a popular place for the expat crowd’s weekend get-togethers and private parties.

Manager Seo Dong-won guides you to your preferred room, explains menu items, and makes recommendations as you navigate their many choices.

Sergei’s wife, Nika, also welcomes you through her handmade murals on the walls and the cool anime characters she created.

Sets are named after Nika’s cartoon characters. You can try the Andy, Barbara, Tim or Susie sets. Susie is the one in “kill heels” with the biggest eats. Lunch and dinner sets include a fare of salads, pasta, pizzas and

Restaurant Review

meat choices. Mexican is on the menu, too, with nachos and quesadillas. Kids’ menus are also available.

Boasting the best beer, Basta offers a long list of bottled brews from around the world as well as Hoegaarden and Guinness on tap (one of Gwangju’s few). There’s also a good selection of wines.

Additionally for sports fans, most Saturday and Sunday nights, EPL (English Premier League) soccer games are shown live on the flat-screen.

Son and Sergei, who have known each for nine years, are excellent role models for international business partnerships in Gwangju. When searching for a manager for their establishment, they found Seo, a former assistant to the Korean ambassador in UK. One would think he’d display some pretentiousness, but his friendly and inclusive nature is so welcoming that you feel like you are at your neighborhood pub. Seo, worried that he’ll lose his English proficiency, loves it

when expats drop by. Like so many Koreans repatriating back to South Korea after living abroad, he misses his lifestyle and the easy camaraderie that he experienced overseas. Go in to enjoy a Guinness on tap and a friendly chat with Seo.

By Maria Lisak

How to make a reservation for your next party: - Phone: 062-225-5887 Ask for Seo Dong-won - Discounts: 5% discount on everything except Max on tap - Sets: Beer and Whiskey Sets Available - Reservations for up to 170 people (reserving the whole restaurant and bar) - Late notice is not a problem.

- Experience in setting up your own party available. ※ Check them out for: Christmas, New Year, Seollal, Valentine’s Day

How to get to there

By Taxi: 조선 여중 앞 Sergei Tchaikovsky and Son Dong-gi

Gwangju News December 2009

37

Cartoon

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Gwangju News December 2009

Culture

Fortune-telling in Korea

W

ho does not want to know about their future?

Many people are so interested in what will happen in the future that they will use a variety of ways to learn even just a little bit about it. In Korea, there are many methods that people use to predict their future. Here, I’ll introduce some of the most popular fortune-telling methods in Korea.

1. Palm Reading (son-geum) Some Koreans believe that you can learn about your future by reading both of your palms. The right palm tells mostly about your social activities and your future jobs and the left one about your mind and feelings. Look at the picture of the palm for some examples. Line number 1 is your life line. It tells you about your life span and health. The longer the line is, the longer and healthier your life will be. Line 2 is your brain line. It is believed to show your intelligence. According to son-geum, people with a long brain line are mostly wise people of consideration. Lastly, line 7 is a wealth line. A long wealth line means that you will be rich and gain a lot of fortune in the future. The wealth line on the left palm shows your inherent wealth and the one on your right palm what you acquire for yourself. Palm reading is a very popular method of fortune-telling in Korea (and sometimes it gives a man a proper excuse to grab a woman’s hands for the first time!)

2. Face Reading (kwan-sang)

Another method of fortune-telling is by looking at one’s appearance. In Korea this is called kwan-sang, or face

reading. Koreans believe that people’s faces reflect their fortunes to some extent and there is actually a method to tell about your future by reading a face. For example, your eyebrows can suggest what kind of person you are and what your future might hold. If you have thick and upward eyebrows, as seen in the first picture on the first row, you are an energetic person and likely to have a happy family in the future. If you have downward eyebrows, it means that you are very confident about your opinion and try your best to make your ideas accepted.

People with short eyebrows are believed to be impatient and quick-tempered and people with long eyebrows are conservative and considerate. People who have a mole on an eyebrow have a chance to succeed in their careers but there is no possibility that they will get help from their family or friends. People with eyebrows that don’t have much hair are likely to be creative but not patient and people with thick eyebrows are believed to be very faithful to their parents and spouse. Finally, if you have eyebrows that are connected to each other, you are likely to be strong-willed and decisive. In addition to eyebrows, there are many ways to tell about you and your future by studying your facial features such as your eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and profile shape and so on.

3. Saju Palja Like astrology in western countries, Korea has saju palja, which means Four Pillars and Eight Characters. This method uses the year, month, day, and hour of one’s birth to predict one’s future. According to saju palja, a person’s destiny is decided the moment they are born. Many Koreans bring their birth date to a special fortune teller, especially at the end or beginning of the year.

4. Goong-hap Marriage is one of the most important events in life. Some Koreans want to make sure that their marriage is successful so they use the fortune-telling method called goong-hap before they’re married. Goong-hap particularly deals with couples who are getting married and some parents go to fortune tellers to hear about their child’s fortune when they’re married. In extreme cases, some marriages are not allowed because a fortune teller predicts bad luck in those marriages.

It seems that every culture has its own ways of predicting the future. However, these methods cannot tell all about what will be ahead of you. Don’t let your destiny be decided just by fortune telling. Make your own future for yourself!

By Park Min-ji Gwangju News December 2009

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Upcoming Events

Festivals The Garden of Morning-Calm, Lighting Festival Dec. 1st, 2009 － Feb. 28th, 2010 The Garden of Morning-Calm, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do

2009 Christmas in Busan Dec. 1st, 2009 － Jan. 3rd, 2010 Gwangbok-no, Jung-gu, Busan

run from Gwangju to Nonsan-si 12 times a day (irregular departure with 1 or 2 hour intervals). It takes about an hour and a half.

Pyeongchang Trout Festival Dec. 22nd, 2009 － Jan. 31st, 2010 Pyeongchang, Gwangwon-do Buses: A bus with an hour interval runs from the Dongseoul Terminal (East Seoul) All the homepages, except Hi Seoul, are only provided in Korean.

Sunrise and Sunset Festivals

2009 Boseong Tea Plentation Light Festival

Performances The Echo of Seoseok Village Dec. 4th, 2009 at 7 p.m.

Deman art hall Admission: 10,000 won Soprano: Park Gye, Son A-reum, Hwa Rye (Chinese) Kim Jang-hun and Psy Concert “One Touch” Dec. 26th, 2009 at 7 p.m.

Yeom-ju Multipurpose Gymnasium Admission: 66,000~110,000 won. Children under the age of 8 are not permitted to attend.

Jump (Musical)

Koreans feel the coming of New Year by watching sunset and sunrise. Many people go to the East Sea to watch sunset and sunrise. As a result, many festivals concerning sunset and sunrise are hosted in several places.

Dec. 11th, 2009 － Jan. 31st, 2010 The lighting hours: 17:30-24:00 Botjae Tea Field, Boseong-gun, Jeollanam-do 2009 Hi Seoul Festival (Light of Seoul)

Jungdongjin Sunrise Festival Dec. 31th, 2009 － Jan. 1st, 2010 Jungdongjin Hourglass Park.

Yeosu Hyangillam Sunrise Festival Dec. 31th, 2009 － Jan. 1st, 2010 Yeosu Hyangillam Baeksu seashore highway Sunrise Festival Dec. 31th, 2009 Backsu seashore highway Chilsanjung

Dec. 11th, 2009 － Jan. 17th, 2010 In the vicinity of Gwanghwamun Gwangjang (square) You can easily reach the square by Subway Line no. 5 at Gwanghwamun Station.

2009 Yangchon Dried Persimmon Festival Dec. 12th －13th, 2009 Yangchon, Nonsan-Si, Chungcheongnam-do Trains, including all three services,

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Gwangju News December 2009

17th Sungsan Sunrise Festival Dec. 31th, 2009 － Jan. 1st, 2009 Seogwipo Sungsan Ilchul mountain Busan Sunrise Festival Dec. 31th, 2009 － Jan. 1st, 2009 Dadaepo Beach, Yongdusan Park, Haeundae Beach Homi-got Sunrise Festival Dec. 31th - Jan. 1st, 2010 Homi-got Sunrise Plaza, Pohang-shi, Gyeongsanbuk-do

Dec. 24th － 27th, 2009 from 6 p.m.

G w a n g j u Culture & Art Center (Grand Theatre) Admission: 45,000~55,000 won Contact: 1588-0766 Musical comedy, performed with Martial Arts Performance including Taekwondo.

The Vocalist: Bobby Kim, Hweesung, Kim Beom-su Concert Dec. 12th, 2009 from 3 p.m.

Gwangju Culture & Art Center (Grand Theatre) Contact: 062-650-3069, 1544-0412 Admission: 77,000~99,000 won 2009 Swiss Fork Song Festival Dec. 12th, 2009 at 7 p.m.

Gwangju Culture & Art Center (Small Theatre) Contact: 062-375-3752, 011-3404400 Admission: 22,000~50,000 won Bambini di Praga Christmas Concert in Korea Dec 9th, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.

Sejong Center Grand Theatre: Chamber Hall (Seoul) Subway: City Hall Station, Line 1, Exit 3; Gyeongbokgung Station Line 3,

Upcoming Events Exits 6, 7; Gwanghwamun Station, Line 5, Exits 1, 8 Admission: 20,000~80,000 won

The Wizard of Oz (Musical)

G-Dragon - Shine a Light

from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Coex Artium (Seoul) Subway: Samsung Station, Line 2, Exits 5, 6 Contact: 02-738-8289 Admission: 50,000~90,000 won

Speakeasy Events

Dec. 5th, 7 p.m./Dec. 6th, 6 p.m.

Gymnasium No.1 Olympic Park, Seoul Admission: 77,000 won Olympic Park Station, Line 5, Exit 3 Contact: (02) 3142-1104 Guns N’ Roses

Legendary Californian rockers Guns N’ Roses make their long-awaited debut in Korea, playing one night in Seoul as part of the Asian leg of their 2009-2010 World Tour.

Dec 13th, 7 p.m.

Gymnasium No.1 Olympic Park, Seoul Admission: 110,000~132,000 won Olympic Park Station, Line 5, Exit 3 Contact: (02) 3141-3488 A Christmas Carol Dec 19th-31st, 3p.m., 7:30 p.m.

(Tue-Sat)/ 3 p.m., 7 p.m.

(Sun) Admission: 30,000~70,000 won Olympic Park Station, Line 5, Exit 3 Contact: 1588-5212

Dec 16th －28th, 2009, 7:30 p.m (Weekends 3 p.m. & 7 p.m.)

Sejong Center Grand Theatre: Chamber Hall (Seoul) Subway: City Hall Station, Line 1, Exit 3; Gyeongbok-gung Station Line 3, Exits 6, 7; Gwanghwa-mun Station, Line 5, Exits 1, 8 Admission: 30,000~50,000 won Contact: 02-399-1114 Harpist Kwok-jeong Christmas Dream Dec 24th, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.

Sejong Center Grand Theatre: Chamber Hall (Seoul) Subway: City Hall Station, Line 1, Exit 3; Gyeongbokgung Station Line 3, Exits 6, 7; Gwanghwamun Station, Line 5, Exits 1, 8 Contact: 02-780-5054 Admission: 33,000 won Hedwig (Musical) Nov. 14th, 2009 － Feb. 28th, 2010 from 3 to 9:30 p.m.

KT&G Sangsang Art Hall (Seoul) Subway : S a m s u n g Station, Line 2, Exit 2 Contact: 02-3404-4311 Admission: 50,000~90,000 won Legally Blond (Musical) Nov. 14th, 2009 － Mar. 14th., 2010

Saturday December 5th Kachisan. Expat rock band from Seoul. Come out to support live music in Gwangju's only live venue, Speakeasy.

Christmas and New Year Stay tuned for more info on Speakeasy's upcoming Christmas and New Year's parties! Check out the Facebook page for details coming soon.

Art Exhibitions Water and Fire (Modern Art Exhibition) Nov. 27th, 2009 － Jan. 31st, 2010 Sangrok Gallery, Gwangju Museum of Art ‘POP’ (Pop Art Exhibition) Nov. 21st, 2009 － Feb. 28th , 2010 Geumnam-no Gallery, Gwangju Children’s Gallery 3 Nov. 5th, 2009 － Jan. 31st, 2010 Children’s Gallery, Gwangju Museum of Art Kim Hyung-hee Metal Craft Exhibition

Organic + Geometry Dec. 1st - 7th Kumho Gallery, U-Square

Gwangju News December 2009

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Movies “Cartoon Cartoon” The Exhibition for the 100th anniversary of Korean Cartoons － Jan. 31st, 2010 Gwangju Museum of Art ‘Jeon-hwa-hwang’ 100th Anniversary Exhibition － Jan. 13th, 2010 Gwangju Museum of Art

Movies Sherlock Holmes Release Date: 24 Dec 2009 Genre: Action Language: English

Yeonwoo Association Calligraphy Exhibition Dec. 17th - 23rd Kumho Gallery, U-Square Fruit and Ashes An exciting new poetry and multimedia exhibition

by Jung Il and Andrew O'Donnell, will run from December 19th - 31st at Art Party gallery, Daein Market, downtown Gwangju.

An opening event including poetry (with translation) reading will be held at the gallery on the 19th (Saturday) at 5 p.m.

Here Now - a collection of moments The project is inspired by the idea that every life is a story; a collection of moments and memories.

This exhibition is the result of a year-long project by South African Visual Artist, Tamlyn Young. Tamlyn aims to visually document each day since arriving in Korea on 24th November 2008.

Every day she creates a mixed-media illustration on a specially designed 6 by 4 inch postcard. The artworks combine text and image describing significant experiences, emotions and events which define that day. Tamlyn is interested in the relationship between place and identity. This daily ritual is her attempt to observe and record the essence of each 24-hour period. The entire collection of 365 illustrations will be exhibited sequentially, creating a visual representation of one ‘alien's’ journey through time in a foreign culture.

Opening: December 5th at 4:30 p.m. after (GIC talk) at the GAIA Gallery, GIC To preview some of the illustrations and find out more about the project visit: day2day.withtank.com , justam.withtank.com

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Gwangju News December 2009

Synopsis In a dynamic new portrayal of Conan Doyle’s famous characters, “Sherlock Holmes” sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge.

Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country.

Cast & Crew Director: Guy Ritchie Screenplay: Anthony Peckham Starring: Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Robert Downey Jr., Kelly Reilly, Mark Strong

Law Abiding Citizen Release Date: 10 Dec 2009 Genre: Action, Thriller Language: English Synopsis Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is an upstanding family man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion.

When the killers are caught, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), a hotshot young Philadelphia prosecutor, is assigned to the case. Over his objections, Nick is forced by his boss to offer one of the suspects a light sentence in exchange for testifying against his accomplice.

Fast forward ten years. The man who got away with murder is found dead and Clyde Shelton coolly admits his guilt. Then he issues a warning to Nick: Either fix the flawed justice system that failed his family, or key players in the trial will die.

Soon Shelton follows through on his threats, orchestrating from his jail cell a string of spectacularly diabolical assassinations that can be neither predicted nor prevented. Philadelphia is gripped with fear as Shelton's high-profile targets are slain one after another and the authorities are powerless to halt his reign of terror. Only Nick can stop the killing, and to do so he must outwit this brilliant sociopath in a harrowing contest of wills in which

GIC Talk even the smallest misstep means death. With his own family now in Shelton's crosshairs, Nick finds himself in a desperate race against time facing a deadly adversary who seems always to be one step ahead.

Cast & Crew Director: F. Gary Gray Screenplay: Kurt Wimmer Starring: Jamie Foxx, Viola Davis, Gerard Butler, Regina Hall, Leslie Bibb, Colm Meaney, Bruce McGill, Michael Irby

GIC Talk Time: Every Saturday, 14:30-16:00 Place: GIC office (5th floor of Jeon-il Bldg) December 5 Topic: Finding and Enjoying Good Wine in Korea, and Home Cooking Ideas

The Countess Release Date: 03 Dec 2009 Genre: Drama Language: English Synopsis Todd Jackson (mid-40s), once an American diplomat filled with idealism, has lost his sight several years earlier, and is now reduced to a sordid life languishing in Shanghai's grand hotels and elite gentlemen's clubs, a burnt-out case. He has become bitterly disillusioned by real politic and deeply bereaved by the deaths of his wife and children – victims of violent events in the political turmoil of 1930s China that also robbed him of his sight.

After meeting Matsuda, a mysterious Japanese who appears to share his refined eye for low-life establishments, Jackson sets about realizing his masterpiece: a bar that will achieve the exquisite balance of romance, tragedy, and political tension.

When rumors circulate that Matsuda – a decidedly shadowy figure – has come to Shanghai to oversee a Japanese invasion of the city, Jackson willfully refuses to listen.

Speaker: Michael Handziuk (ESL Instructor, Dong Ah Institute of Media & Arts) In this talk, the speaker will share a list of tips on finding and enjoying the best wine that comes to korea, mixed with a few shopping and home cooking ideas for those times people crave something that is not Korean. We are expecting the audience to add a few ideas and recommendations of their own.

December 12 Bake & Book Sale (1 p.m. ~ 4 p.m.) * Homemade baked goods will be available for purchase, as well as various beverages. Also, used books will be on sale. This event is planned to raise money for the Sung Bin Orphanage. * For more information, see page 13.

December 19 Topic: Temple Stay in Korea

Sofia is a White Russian Bolshevik Revolution as perished. She now lives in late husband's aristocratic Katya.

countess in her thirties who fled the a child. Her immediate family have a Shanghai slum with members of her family and her ten-year-old daughter,

Jackson encounters Sofia one night working at her taxi-dance hall, decides she is the perfect blend of tragedy and sensuality and asks her to become the centerpiece of his perfect bar. Thus begins a relationship that will see Jackson – despite his best efforts – slowly coaxed out of his enclosed world.

Cast & Crew Director: James Ivory Screenplay: Kazuo Ishiguro Starring: Natasha Richardson, Ralph Fiennes, Vanessa Redgrave, Hiroyuki Sanada, Lynn Redgrave, Allan Corduner

Speaker: Basu Mukul (Director, Basu Mukul Culture Center)

December 26 No GIC Talk

All talks take place at the GIC office.

For more information, visit www.gic.or.kr or contact Kim Ji-hyun at: gwangjuic@gmail.com Check out pictures from previous GIC Talks http://picasaweb.google.com/gictalk

Compiled by Ahn Hong-pyo, Park Su-ji, Park Min-ji, Ko Nam-il, Noh In-woo

Gwangju News December 2009

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Community Board

Gwangju News Needs You Due to the rapid expansion of our community, we need more volunteers to help with the running of the magazine. Help the community and gain new skills.

for people who are tired of “just talking” about their idea and want to see it happen.

Drop ins are welcome. GIC membership required.

Volunteers are called 48 hours before the mail-out day (during the first week of each month). GIC needs 6-8 people who can help. GIC and Gwangju News are only as good as the volunteers who bring it to life!

Contact GIC at 062-226-2733/4, or e-mail us at: gwangjuic@gmail.com.

Creativity Workshop & Support Group Creativity workshop/support group: Move through the 12 weeks of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.

4th Saturday of the month 5-7pm @ GIC. January 23 will cover chapters 14. Please get a copy of The Artist’s Way and work on the morning pages, artist dates and tasks weekly. A group website is available at http://gicartistway.ning.com/ to connect prior to the first event.

Using the book, The Artist's Way, by Julia Cameron, participants are able to kindle and support their personal creative projects. Maria Lisak, a frustrated artist herself, offers to facilitate this support group for community members to write, create artistic projects or just live life as your “art”.

This is a 3-month commitment. Offered quarterly.

Advanced enrollment requested @ GIC or http://gicartistway.ning.com/. GIC membership required.

Are you looking for a translation service? Translation Service is available at GIC. Korean to English, English to Korean - Certificates; Criminal History, Family relation certificate, Marital Statement, Medical Record, etc - Webpages & catalogues - abstracts, literature, etc

Sung Bin Orphanage Sung Bin Orphanage is looking for long-term volunteers. We would like you to give at least two Saturdays per month. As well as being a friend, you will be asked to teach basic English to girls aged 7 to 14. For more information please contact Mike at: sungbinvolunteers@gmail.com.

Contact GIC for more information 062-226-2733/4

Gwangju Men’s Soccer The Gwangju international soccer team plays regularly most weekends. If you are interested in playing, e-mail: gwangju_soccer@yahoo.com.

You can help in a variety of roles: - proofreading - photography - writing - layout - administration - website or any other way YOU can think of.

Contact: gwangjunews@gmail.com Help Gwangju News Magazine!

Volunteer one day a month GIC needs volunteers to mail out Gwangju News. Gwangju News, published monthly, is sent to nearly 700 addresses. Join our Gwangju News mail-out volunteers at GIC.

Ideas into Action Grant Workshop: Turning an idea into a project proposal for GIC or Gwangju.

3rd Saturday of the month 5-7pm @ GIC This is an opportunity for you to put your idea into action at GIC or for the Gwangju community. Attendees will have an opportunity to design, develop and implement ideas for our community with the assistance of Maria Lisak, a longtime GIC volunteer.

Each month provides mentoring and coaching to attendees. No regular instruction is planned. This workshop is 44

Gwangju News December 2009

Free Health Clinic for Foreigners Venue: Gwangju Joongang Presbyterian Church.

Time: Sundays from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Offers: Internal medicine, Oriental medicine and Dental service. You could take some medicine after treatment.

How to get to there: Buses - 19, 26, 39, 59, 61, 74 (around Hwajeong crossroads) Subway - Exit 2 Hwajeong Station.

Apostolate to Migrants Center 969-10 Wolgok-dong, Gwangsan-gu Phone: 062-954-8004 Buses: 18, 20, 29, 37, 40, 98, 196, 700, 720 get off at Wolgok market bus stop.

Mass: Sundays 3 p.m. at Wolgok-dong Catholic Church GIC Counseling Team Do you need some help or question about living in Gwangju?

Contact GIC Counseling Volunteers at giccounseling@gmail.com We will try to provide best information and services for you.

The Gwangju Book Club Meets every Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. in front of the downtown YMCA before moving nearby for a discussion over coffee.

Welcoming new members!

Look up 'Gwangju Book Club' on Facebook for more details, or email cherrycoke52@hotmail.com for more information.

The Gwangju Women's FC Meets every Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Pungam-dong Welcoming new members!

Check out 'Gwangu Women's FC' on Facebook for more details, or email cherrycoke52@hotmail.com for more information.

The 3 Messengers Club Invitation Callng all people who are interested in learning about God, the Bible, the future and also improving their English.

Venue: Sangmu SDA Language Institute Time: 2:00-3:30 p.m. Every Saturday Topics: Prophecy Revealed, Solving the Mystery of Death, Simple faith, etc.

How to get there: Buses 46, 62, 63, 64, 518 (Across from 518 Memorial Park) Contact: Moises Tablang, Jr 010-29300867 or mion_81@hotmail.com Join us for our English worship service!

Gwangju Parents Association Want to share ideas on ways to raise children and talk about alternative educational options in Korea. The web forum is open to people of all nationalities. Please join our Facebook group: gwangju parents

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Gwangju News December 2009

Advertise in Gwangju News Target Your Customers!

Does your business cater to the foreign community?

Advertising in Gwangju News is the best way to reach your target market. 3,000 copies are printed and distributed every month. News about your services will spread like wildfire!

For advertising information contact Kim Min-su at (062) 226-2734 or e-mail: gwangjunews@gmail.com

Worship at Dongmyung English Service Sunday 11:30 am, Education Bld.

Pastor : Dan Hornbostel (010-5188-8940)

Bus: 15, 27, 28, 55, 74, 80, 1000, 1187 get off at Nongjang Dari or at Court Office Entrance

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GIC was established by the Gwangju City Government and Gwangju Citizens Solidarity in 1999 as a model of government and NGO collaboration. Gwangju City provides financial assistance to help GIC to carry out its missions of - providing foreigners with information and services - promoting international exchange programs in the fields of culture and economy - fostering international awareness among Korean youth

GIC has administered a number of programs in Gwangju and Jeollanam-do.

Its activites of note include the following: - A Monthly Magazine Gwangju News - GIC Talk on Saturdays - Korean Language Classes - Gwangju International Community Day - GIC Library

- GIC Concert - Additional Activities: Translation Service Counseling and conflict resolution services Information Service through phone and e-mail

Membership Fees

International Residents: 10,000 won/6 months Students: 10,000 won/year Korean Adults: 5,000 won/month Please remit membership fee to: Gwangju Bank 134-107-000999 / Kookmin Bank 551-01-1475-439 / Nonghyup 605-01-355643 Account name: 광주국제교류센터 *Your contribution to the Nonghyup account is used to provide assistance to the Third World countries.

The Benefits for the Center Members The Center members are privileged to - receive the Gwangju News and the GIC newsletter every month - participate in all events sponsored by the GIC - have opportunity to develop international friendship

5th Floor, Jeon-il Bldg, Geumnam-no 1-ga, Dong-gu, Gwangju 501-758, Korea Phone: 062-226-2733/4 Fax: 062-226-2732 Website: www.gic.or.kr E-mail:gwangjuic@gmail.com Directions: The GIC office is located in the same building as the Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) in downtown Gwangju. The entrance is immediately north of the KEB on Geumnam-no street, across from the YMCA. Subway stop: Culture Complex 문화전당역 Bus No.: 7, 9, 36, 45, 51, 52, 53, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61, 74, 80, 95, 150, 151, 518, 1000, 1187