Gwangju and South Jeolla International Magazine I August 2019 #210 Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-sup: One Year of Innovation for a Three-Year Leap into the Future
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1 Gwangju & South Jeolla Intern ational Magazine
August 2019, Issue No. 210
Published: August 1, 2019 Cover Photo Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-sup Courtesy of Gwangju City Hall
THE EDITORIAL TEAM Publisher Editor-in-Chief Managing Editors Production Editor Layout Editor Photo Editor Photographer Proofreaders Online Editorial Team Researchers
Dr. Shin Gyonggu Dr. David E. Shaffer William Urbanski, Karina Prananto Isaiah Winters Karina Prananto Sarah Pittman Kim Yunkyoung Ynell Mondragon, Elisabeth Loeck, Timothy Berg, Di Foster, David Foster, Joseph Nunez Karina Prananto, Shahed Kayes Baek Ji-yeon, Yoo Yeon-woo
The Gwangju News is the first English monthly magazine for the general public in Korea, first published in 2001. Each monthly issue covers local and regional issues, with a focus on the roles and activities of the international residents and local English-speaking communities. Copyright © 2019 by the Gwangju International Center. All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by this copyright may be reproduced in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise – without the written consent of the publisher.
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For advertising and subscription inquiries, please contact karina@gic.or.kr or 062-226-2733. Special thanks to Gwangju City and all of our sponsors.
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During your respite from the August heat, take a looksee at our features. Our cover feature commemorates the first year of Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-sup’s term of office, detailing what has been accomplished and what his ambitious plans are for his remaining three years. Our second feature showcases “Kimchi Crusader” Kwak Eunjoo, who has devoted her life to promoting and developing Gwangju kimchi. For additional heat relief, make a bowl of kong-guksu from our recipe for this cold soybean noodle soup. Or order a meal at the air-conditioned Hidden restaurant, which we review this issue. If you prefer traveling from your armchair, read what treasures have been uncovered in an abandoned Gwangju hospital (Lost in Gwangju), or let us take you to Andong and its vicinity for some incredible touring (Around Korea), or let us take you all the way to Amsterdam for a city to fall in love with (From Abroad). Once you have explored the above, we are sure you will be ready for more. Well, we have it! Read up on the stiffer drunk-driving rules (Community). Find out what people think about the Hong Kong protests and about business establishments not accepting cash (Opinion). For those who need to bone up on their hospital language, go to Everyday Korean. To learn about the host of English teaching associations in Korea, take a look at Language Teaching. This month’s Blast from the Past tells how the sexes were separated Joseon Dynasty-style. Kim Chunsoo’s poetry, “The Flower,” in Gwangju Writes is of a quite different view. After reading our book review of Malala Yousafzai, you will want to read more about her struggle against the Taliban. Still have some time to pass? Have a go at our crossword puzzle. And of course there is the latest news and happenings around Gwangju that we have for you (Gwangju City News, August Happenings, and Community Board). Enjoy your August with the Gwangju News!
David E. Shaffer Editor-in-Chief Gwangju News
August 2019
For volunteering and article submission inquiries, please contact the editor at gwangjunews@gic.or.kr.
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ugust is upon us, bringing with it Ip-chu (입추, the Entrance of Autumn). But don’t let that fool you: Ip-chu is still followed by Mal-bok (말복, the third of the three Dog Days) and later by Cheo-seo (처서, the Lesser Heat Wave). So as you take refuge from this swelter, the Gwangju News provides a refreshing remedy: Take a look at the cool photos of the 18th FINA World Championships Gwangju 2019 that we have for you in our Photo of the Month and our extended Photo Essay.
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The Gwangju News is published by Gwangju International Center, Jungang-ro 196-beon-gil 5 (Geumnam-ro 3-ga), Dong-gu, Gwangju 61475, South Korea Tel: (+82)-62-226-2733~34 Fax: (+82)-62-226-2731 Website: www.gwangjunewsgic.com Email: gwangjunews@gic.or.kr GwangjuNews gwangjunews
From the Editor
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Photo of the Month
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ARTS & CULTURE
By Sarah Pittman
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ebastian Morales Mendoza and Daniel Restrepo Garcia of Colombia dive in perfect synchronicity in the men’s 3-meter synchronized diving event on July 13 at the 18th FINA World Championships Gwangju 2019.
The Photographer
Sarah Pittman is an English teacher with a degree in psychology from California State University, Fullerton. She discovered her love for photography while working at Disneyland and has been honing her craft with practice and YouTube videos ever since.
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CONTENTS AUGUST 2019. Issue No. 210
EDUCATION 38. Language Teaching: The Multitude of English Teaching Organizations in Korea 41. Everyday Korean: Episode 20 – 병원 The Hospital
FEATURES 06. One Year of Innovation for a Three-Year Leap into the Future: Anniversary of Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-sup’s First Year in Office 14. Photo Essay: Moments in Gwangju: The 18th FINA World Swimming Championships 2019 22. Kwak Eun-joo: Promoting Gwangju’s Kimchi to the World
FOOD & DRINKS 42. A Date at “Hidden” 44. Kong-guksu: Cold Soybean Noodle Soup
BLAST FROM THE PAST 26. The Way Koreans Kept Intergender Distance
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OPINION 48. What Got Hong Kong Protesting? – Opposition to the Extradition Law and the “Lion Rock Spirit” 50. Towards a Cashless Society COMMUNITY 52. Expat Living: Tougher Punishment for Drunk Driving
August 2019
TRAVEL 28. Lost in Gwangju: Sorting Gwangju’s Cancer Jars – Day 1 32. Around Korea: Andong and Vicinity – Experience Incredible Korean Traditional Heritage 34. From Abroad: City of Amsterdam, Netherlands
ARTS & CULTURE 02. Photo of the Month 45. Book Review: Malala Yousafzai’s Struggle Against the Taliban 46. Gwangju Writes: The Flower 53. Gwangju News Crossword Puzzle
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MONTHLY NEWS 04. Gwangju City News 54. August 2019 Happenings 56. Community Board
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Gwangju City News Reprinted with permission from Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall Photograph courtesy of Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall
MONTHLY NEWS
Athlete Park Tae-hwan Visits Gwangju for the FINA Championships
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orea’s swimming star Park Tae-hwan visited Gwangju on July 21 at Nambu University to cheer on the 18th FINA World Championships in his role as the promotional ambassador of the event. On this day, Park met Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-sup, the chairman for the FINA 2019 Organizing Committee. “I came to show my support to my juniors and the rest of the athletes, and for the success of the event. I also hope for good results from Kim Seoyoung, at the semifinals of the 200-meter individual race tonight at 8 p.m,” Park said. Park also showed a lot of interest in the cutting-edge facilities of the stadium. “Many swimming venues in Korea are without an air conditioning system, so it was very hard for our athletes, but here at Nambu University the swimming facilities are equipped with the best environment for the main events of the FINA Championships.” He also thanked Gwangju City for giving lots of care and active support to the participating athletes.
athletes and revitalizing swimming as a daily sport or activity is part of the goal of the event. He added that to make it work, they need mental support from athletes like Park Tae-hwan. In reply, Park said that he plans to help expand swimming infrastructure in Korea and that he will actively participate whenever he can to support Gwangju. After being appointed as the promotional ambassador for the FINA Championships, Park has been participating in various programs and in promotion. Since his appointment in September 2017, Park has been busy with fan autograph sessions, being an instructor for a daily mentoring swimming program, attending the mascot unveiling ceremony, and the official uniform fashion show, to name a few. In addition, through his role, Park’s photos have appeared on banners, in advertisements in Gwangju and Seoul subways and at the Gwangju-Songjeong Station, and in souvenir production, posters, leaflets, program books, promotional videos, and memorabilia.
Mayor Lee said that although it is important that the event be successful, the legacy of projects such as fostering
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Make “Gwangju Kimchi” During the FINA Championships!
41.9-kilometer-long circular line will be constructed in three stages.
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Construction of the first section of 17.06 kilometers – which will connect City Hall to Gwangju Station after passing through Sangmu Station, Geumho Complex, the World Cup Stadium, Baekeun Square, and Chosun University – will begin in late August and is expected to be completed by 2023.
wangju Kimchi Town is organizing a program aimed at the athletes and visitors to the 18th FINA World Championships in Gwangju for a hands-on experience at making kimchi in Gwangju. The program was held July 12–28 during the FINA World Championships and will be held August 5–18 for the FINA World Masters Championships. This experience program is called the “Gwangju Kimchi Festival,” and among the dishes to be made is baechu kimchi (Chinese cabbage kimchi), kimchi bukkumi (kimchi roll panckage stuffed with various ingredients), radish and cucumber kkakdugi (cubed kimchi), beet nabak kimchi (sliced beet water kimchi), and mukeunji japchae (glass noodles stir-fried with ripened kimchi). This program will be held twice a day: in the mornings from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, and in the afternoons from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m at Gwangju Kimchi Town. A shuttle bus is provided to the venue from the World Championships Village (Athlete’s Village). The participation fee is 10,000 won per person. To inquire more about the program, please call Gwangju Kimchi Town at 062-613-6433.
Old Gwangju Red Cross Hospital to Become Children’s Culture Space
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Im’s remarks raised hopes regarding the further revitalization of the downtown area. The old Red Cross Hospital was founded in 1954 as a public healthcare facility. It also played an important role during the May 18 Democratic Uprising by providing care to victims. In 1995, the hospital was sold to Seonam University’s medical school and then closed down in 2014 due to corruption at the school.
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onstruction of Gwangju’s second subway line will finally begin after 17 years of controversy. The
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Eight Drivers Caught for DUI on First Day of Stricter Law
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total of eight drivers were caught while driving under the influence in Gwangju and Jeollanam-do on the first day of the enactment of stricter regulations. During a one-hour crackdown from midnight on Tuesday, June 25, seven drivers were caught in Gwangju. Among the total, three drivers had their licenses cancelled and four had theirs suspended. The driver caught in Jeonnam had their license revoked. The new DUI law, called the Second Yoon Chang-ho Act, imposes stronger restrictions and punishments on driving under the influence. (Please see our Expat Living column this month for more information on this new law.) Those with blood alcohol levels of 0.03 percent or higher will have their licenses suspended, and a blood alcohol level of 0.08 percent or higher will result in the revocation of one’s driver’s license. The corresponding figures under the previous law were 0.05 percent and 0.1 percent.
Free Wi-Fi on All City Buses
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eginning in July, all city buses are to be equipped to provide free Wi-Fi. To access this service, passengers can connect to the Wi-Fi network named PublicWifi@ Bus_Free_0000 with “0000” for “bus number.”
August 2019
Gwangju’s Second Subway Line to Begin Construction
The first two sections will be connected and become a circular line, while the third section will be a 4.84-kilometerlong branch line between Baekeun Square and Hyocheon Station. Construction on the third section will begin in 2021 and be completed in 2025.
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lans to renovate the old Gwangju Red Cross Hospital (featured in the Gwangju News’s January 2019 issue) situated in downtown Gwangju are being reviewed. Im Taek, head of the Dong-gu District Office, held a press conference June 17 to mark his first year in office and said he would like to utilize the old hospital site to improve the after-school education environment for children.
The second section of 20 kilometers – which will connect Gwangju Station to City Hall after passing through Chonnam National University, Ilgok Complex, Cheomdan Complex, and Suwan Complex – will be constructed between 2020 and 2024.
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FEATURE FEATURE
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One Year of Innovation for a Three-Year Leap into the Future Anniversary of Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-sup’s First Year in Office Provided by the Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall www.gwangjunewsgic.com 2019 www.gwangjunewsgic.comAugust August 2019
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▲ Mayor Lee on his inauguration day on July 2, 2018.
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n June 26 at Gwangju City Hall, Mayor Lee Yongsup held an official press conference providing a report on his first year of work in office as well as his plan for the remaining three years of duty. In particular, Mayor Lee counted among his three top achievements concluding a contract for investment in automobile factories, building the city’s second subway line as a result of success with his model of governance, and laying the foundation for Gwangju to become a leading city in the fourth industrial revolution in terms of the future employment and livelihood of its citizenry. Mayor Lee said that during the past year, work has been difficult and there have been many sleepless nights, but that the time has also been very rewarding as he has been able to contribute to his hometown. For the development of Gwangju, he realized that he needed to take a new path through innovation. The Mayor continued by saying, “Therefore, as soon as I took up my post, I suggested a vision of Gwangju (‘Gwangju, to the Future of Korea’), the goal of the
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administration (‘A Righteous and Affluent Gwangju’), the two major methods of policy implementation (‘Finding the True Color of Gwangju, Creating Better Employment Opportunities’), and the three major values of administrative policy (‘Innovation, Communication, and Integrity’).” “Based on the policy of creating employment opportunities,” the mayor added, “I reformed the administrative policy and organizational culture. With the attitude of ‘The Answer Is at the Source,’ I communicated with the citizens of Gwangju and closely gained their trust in the administration, bringing their active participation into the administration.” Mayor Lee emphasized, “During my first year in office, my administration has succeeded in resolving old matters that had been on hold for several years. Gwangju is slowly being transformed into a leading city of the fourth industrial revolution.” To conclude, the mayor said that for the remaining three years, based on a hundred achievements in the six fields of innovation through the trust of the citizens of Gwangju, he will promote ten key policies to strengthen the city, so
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9 that the future of Gwangju is the future of the Republic of Korea. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE FIRST YEAR THROUGH INNOVATION First, Gwangju-compatible job creation, a unique employment model led by the local government in integrating society through the input of labor and management, was achieved. As a first example of this, the historic achievement of building a car factory with domestic capital for the first time in Korea in 23 years has been accomplished. Once the automobile factories and parts factories are in place, more than 12,000 jobs will be created in Gwangju, and this will be an opportunity to strengthen competitiveness by reinvigorating the current Korean economy of “high cost and low efficiency.” In addition, the reshoring effect on overseas companies that have been reluctant to invest in Korea in recent years due to high wages and labor disputes will create domestic investments by overseas manufacturing industries.
as a success story in that we have resolved long-standing disagreements in the region through dialogue and compromise. Especially, it is considered a model example of considering public opinion, including opposing and minority opinions, to arrive at a consensus. This process has been recognized academically and has been awarded the Korean Policy Award. As the administrative procedures of the central government were finalized with the approval of the project by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport on June 13, construction will start in earnest after the FINA World Swimming Championships, and the first section of the subway will be opened in 2023 as planned. Third, Gwangju has been transformed into a leading city of the fourth industrial revolution in compliance with the three strategic investment areas of President Moon’s administration: artificial intelligence (AI), the hydrogenbased economy, and big data industry.
As planned, the mayor intends to begin construction of an automobile plant in the second half of 2019 and for it to begin mass production in 2021.
Gwangju is pushing ahead on the largest AI-centered industrial complex construction project in Korea. This AI-centered research and development project will change the country’s future industrial landscape. It has been selected to receive a waiver from further evaluation in the government’s preliminary feasibility study.
Second, the launch of construction of Gwangju’s Subway Line No. 2, which had been halted for 16 years, through fair and transparent public participation. This can be considered as a new chapter in grassroots democracy and
In addition, in the future the employment and livelihood sectors will benefit from attraction to Gwangju of the only eco-friendly automobile parts certification center in Korea, the establishment of a branch of the “energy
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Mayor Lee gives a lecture on education and innovation to public officials in September 2018.
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▲ Mayor Lee at a press conference on the planning for Gwangju Subway Line 2 on June 19, 2019.
▲ Mayor Lee (center) checks the condition of the facilities for the high diving competition at Chosun University in preparation for the approaching typhoon on July 20, 2019.
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11 valley” electric research institute, the opening of Korea’s first hydrogen fusion energy demonstration center, the establishment of a hydrogen-fueled electric power plant, and the eco-friendly air industry with LG Electronics, which are rapidly being reorganized.
top priority and the Presidential Citation was awarded in the disaster safety field evaluation. The elimination of deadly traffic accidents involving children and a decrease in the traffic accident death rate have been achieved, making the city the safest in the country.
Fourth, with my inauguration, “Better Job Creation” was instituted as a priority task for the municipal administration, and the municipal government was reorganized as a whole.
Eighth, through customized welfare and a community of sharing and solidarity, a happy Gwangju without isolation or discrimination is being created.
This reorganization consisted of the establishment of an employment committee under the direct control of the mayor, the establishment of a four-year roadmap for employment policies, the expansion and reorganization of the Bureau of Employment Promotion to the Office of Employment Promotion, the strengthening of the employment impact assessment, and the implementation of a job performance evaluation system for all departments. Fifth, massive expansion of cultural tourism infrastructure to enhance the cultural competitiveness of Gwangju. Gwangju is the first municipal organization to open a comprehensive cultural administration by establishing the position of culture and economy deputy mayor, and establishing a four-year vision for its cultural policy. We have greatly expanded the infrastructure of the culture tourism industry of Gwangju through the development of foods representative of Gwangju, stories and performances expressing the charm of Gwangju, the Gwangju City Tour as a representative tourism product, the designation of the Kim Daejung Convention Center as the center for international meetings, Jeollanam-do duty-free shops, and e-sports stadiums.
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Ninth, through innovation and communication, the municipal administration has been redesigned and reformed for job creation and the creation of a distinctive Gwangju. This has been done by establishing the Committee for Citizens’ Rights and the promotion of the Committee for Gwangju Innovation, through the vitalization of the local economy, through the reinforcement of “on-site administration” (18 on-site inspection tours), through an online human recourses management system for voluntary transfer, by introducing performance-related planning, and by starting the monthly award for best civil servant. These have helped expand the cooperative culture of emphasizing work and performance. Tenth, the immense effort to hold a successful 18th FINA World Championships in Gwangju, which began on July 12, has resulted in the highest number of participating countries (193) in the history of the event. Translated by Min Park and Karina Prananto Photographs courtesy of Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall
August 2019
Seventh, due to the construction of the nation’s first 5G-based smart disaster management platform and the 3–3–3 civilian safety movement, citizen safety was given
In addition, Gwangju has become the leading city in volunteerism by setting up an online volunteer platform for the first time in the nation’s history. The mutual growth of both labor and management and the partnership between Gwangju and Daegu have provided a good model for regional alliances.
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Sixth, Gwangju is transforming itself from a drab, gray city into a city of art and design through the introduction of civilian experts in architecture participating in public administration. During the past year, eleven areas have been selected for city renewal projects, including Gwangju Station and Baekun Plaza, and about 1.2 trillion won (national provision: 91.8 billion won) has been made to transform the city. Gwangju-Songjeong Station is also being developed through the KTX Leading Investment District feasibility assessment, allowing the city to pass through a gateway into a realm that is distinctly Gwangju. In addition, the Gwangju Stream’s Arirang Cultural Waterway Project, in which people coexist with nature, is being promoted in earnest as well.
The municipal administration is building a welfare safety net by eliminating welfare blind spots and implementing the following: expanding volunteer support for the low socioeconomic-status working class, implementing a basic livelihood security system, expanding job opportunities for the elderly by 4,000 or more, providing housing projects for supporting the independent living of people with development disabilities, expanding the provision of customized welfare, and mobilizing a group of 1,798 volunteers to identify local families in crisis. Also, the administration has laid a safe foundation for those with dementia by setting up district-centered dementia safe centers and opening a cooperating research center of the Korea Brain Research Institute.
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Capacity: 4,413 rooms in 24 buildings Facilities: Convenience stores, bank, post office, cafe, and souvenir shop.
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All images and information in these pages are provided by the 18th FINA World Championships Gwangju – Promotion Team.
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World Championships Village 1085 Usan-dong, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju
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14 Photo Essay
Moments in Gwangju
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ARTS & CULTURE FEATURE
The 18th FINA World Swimming Championships Gwangju 2019
▲ Performers take part in the opening ceremony of the 18th FINA World Championships at Universiade Gymnasium on the Kwangju Women’s University campus in Gwangju on July 12. (© The Organizing Committee of the 18th FINA World Championships Gwangju 2019 and Yonhap News Agency)
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▲ South Korean President Moon Jae-in declares the opening of the 18th FINA World Championships at Universiade Gymnasium on the Kwangju Women’s University campus in Gwangju on July 12. (© The Organizing Committee of the 18th FINA World Championships Gwangju 2019 and Yonhap News Agency)
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August 2019
▲ Fireworks display at the opening ceremony of the 18th FINA World Championships at Universiade Gymnasium on the Kwangju Women’s University campus in Gwangju on July 12. (© The Organizing Committee of the 18th FINA World Championships Gwangju 2019 and Yonhap News Agency)
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▲ South Korean diver Kim Su-ji performs during the women’s 1-meter springboard event at the 18th FINA World Championships at Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center in Gwangju. (© The Organizing Committee of the 18th FINA World Championships Gwangju 2019 and Yonhap News Agency)
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▲ Britain’s Adam Peaty reacts after winning the men’s 100-meter breaststroke finals of the 2019 FINA World Championships at Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center in Gwangju on July 22. (© The Organizing Committee of the 18th FINA World Championships Gwangju 2019 and Yonhap News Agency)
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August 2019
▲ Above the Clouds: Luxemburg’s Alain Kohl competes in the men’s 20-meter high diving event at the 2019 FINA World Championships at Chosun University on July 22. (© The Organizing Committee of the 18th FINA World Championships Gwangju 2019 and Yonhap News Agency)
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Beautiful teamwork performed by the Russian team for the artistic swimming team technical final competition on July 16 at Yeomju Gymnasium earned them the gold medal. (© The Organizing Committee of the 18th FINA World Championships Gwangju 2019 and Yonhap News Agency) The Korean artistic swimming team waves to the crowd after performing their routine in the team preliminaries on July 17. (Photo by Kim Yunkyoung) A Korean athlete performs a flip in the air. (Photo by Kim Yunkyoung) Support: The Belarusian team performs in the team preliminaries on July 17. (Photo by Kim Yunkyoung)
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▲ Tears of Joy: Kyung Da-seul of South Korea’s women’s water polo team (center) rejoices with her teammates after scoring the country’s first goal in a second-group match against Russia at the FINA World Championships at Nambu University in Gwangju on July 16. (© The Organizing Committee of the 18th FINA World Championships Gwangju 2019 and Yonhap News Agency)
▲ The Japanese and Italian teams compete in the water polo preliminaries on July 17 at Nambu University. (Photo by Kim Yunkyoung)
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▲ Anna Marcela Cunha of Brazil crosses the finish line first in the women’s 25-kilometer open water swimming finals of the FINA Championships at Yeosu Expo Ocean Park in Yeosu on July 19. She captured her second gold of the championships, following one in the 5-kilometer race. (© The Organizing Committee of the 18th FINA World Championships Gwangju 2019 and Yonhap News Agency)
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Athletes participating in the 5-kilometer open water swimming event held at Yeosu Expo Ocean Park on July 13. (© The Organizing Committee of the 18th FINA World Championships Gwangju 2019 and Yonhap News Agency) ▶
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FEATURE
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Kwak Eun-joo
Promoting Gwangju’s Kimchi to the World Written by Karina Prananto
“W
elcome! Please sit down” – friendly and welcoming. That’s the first impression we had when we met Kwak Eun-joo, winner of the Gwangju Kimchi Festival’s Presidential Award in 2000, in her office at the JS Cuisine Academy in Seo-gu, Gwangju. While getting comfortable, we were immediately served plums and cold drinks. Her office was filled with photos of her activities promoting kimchi all around Korea. In one corner of the room, I saw a picture of her children. We thought that in meeting someone who has achieved so much the atmosphere would be tense, but she was very warm, just like one’s own mother. And true, she said that she had many things to thank her mother for.
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Although she is now successful, she remembers the times when it was very difficult to develop a recipe. “I made five different variants of a recipe each time and invited 50 people from the general public to give them a try. If I thought my No. 2 recipe would be the best, many of my general public tasters might have liked my No. 5 recipe better, so that ended up being the one we chose. Everyone’s taste is different. In many cases, people have tastes quite different from what is expected.” Sometimes Kwak also had trouble when she had to teach in front of foreigners, as the preparation method for kimchi is a bit complicated. “We have to make sure that the method is translated correctly so that the kimchi is made well. Some people want to start with difficult things, like japchae (잡채, stir-fried glass noodles with vegetables) or galbi (갈비, short ribs). I would
August 2019
After she got married, she learned more about food preparation, and soon afterwards, she entered the Gwangju Kimchi Festival for the first time but unfortunately was not successful. So every day she tried making kimchi and presented it to her professor to evaluate. Each time she would receive feedback. “I would present the kimchi with just a bowl of rice for lunchtime. I tried to make many different kinds of kimchi from different regions over several months. My professor would just say what needed improving. It was only in 2000 that I entered the competition again for the
After receiving the award, Kwak’s life has never been the same. She has been invited to teach cooking at numerous places. Aside from teaching cooking at the academy, she is also currently working on a project to improve Mudeung Mountain Boribap (보리밥, steamed barley). She made a recipe for kids, as well as seasonal boribap with wild herbs and young radish. She is also currently serving as the general secretary of the Bitgoeul Traditional Cuisine Academy. She teaches at Gwangju Kimchi Town, the main venue of the Gwangju Kimchi Festival, where she also conducts experience programs. Sometimes, she will work until nighttime when there is an exhibition. Now, she is busy with the 18th FINA World Swimming Championships and FINA Masters Championships leading cooking experience programs for the international athletes and visitors. www.gwangjunewsgic.com
Born 62 years ago in Boseong, she is the first daughter of five children. As a first-born, she thinks that she is responsible for her younger siblings and that it was natural at that time to be learning cooking from one’s own mother. After graduating from high school, she and her four siblings moved to Gwangju, where she took over her mother’s role in preparing meals for her younger brothers and sisters. “Back then there were no school-supplied meals. Everything had to be prepared at home. So you can imagine that I had to prepare four dosirak (도시락, lunch boxes) for my sisters and brothers every day,” she said, looking back on those times.
Gwangju Kimchi Festival; I was in my 40s then, and I finally won the Presidential Award. It was extra special, as I received it from President Kim Daejung.”
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24 suggest to those just starting out to begin by learning to prepare simple and practical dishes, like kongnamul gukbap (콩나물국밥, bean sprout soup with rice). Still, she enjoys teaching foreigners how to make kimchi, as her main goal is to promote Gwangju kimchi to the world. “Gwangju kimchi is famous worldwide. If you say to people in Seoul that this is kimchi from Gwangju, they will be very impressed. Personally, my favorite kimchi is pa kimchi (파, green onion).”
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
August 2019
She is very positive about Korea’s kimchi being a representative Korean food in the future. She keeps developing new recipes like kimchi bukkumi (김치부꾸미, kimchi rolls), kimchi sandwiches, oi-kkakdugi (오이깍두기, cubed cucumber kimchi), and kimchi japchae, among others. She says that these days, children do not eat kimchi because they are not used to eating it at home. “At schools, the meals will definitely include kimchi, especially Chinese cabbage kimchi (baechukimchi, 배추김치). If their parents don’t give them kimchi at home, they won’t eat kimchi at school. So even if it’s just a little at the beginning, give your children kimchi to eat.” By introducing different kinds of kimchi as snacks, she hopes that young children may want to start eating kimchi. “People may doubt the benefit of kimchi, as they
see that we use lots of salt, but if you use bay salt that has been stored for at least two years, once the bittern is precipitated out from it, it will lose its sodium and saltiness. You can feel it when you grab a handful; it doesn’t stick to your palm. That’s why people buy salt a year or more in advance for the next year’s kimchi-making.” For those who want to try making kimchi for the first time, her only tip is to know the basics. “Some people might feel kimchi is a bit difficult to make and might feel discouraged at first when they try to make it, but it’s easy once you know the basic steps. And once you know the formula, it will be very easy. For example, if ganjang (간장, soy sauce) is one tablespoon, sugar is half a tablespoon, garlic is half the sugar, and green onion is half the garlic, etc., you can later adjust the composition to suit your taste as you get better at it.” Looking back in time to her childhood, she said she credited her mother as her major influence. “The way she raised her children was commendable. Not once did she yell or show any anger toward us. She would always encourage us to do better, and she never said ‘don’t’ to us. This way, I developed a sense of quick decision-making and leadership. Now, I have my own children. I’ve raised them the way my mother raised
Chinese Cabbage Kimchi (Baechu Kimchi)
Kimchi Bukkumi
Kimchi Japchae
Radish Kimchi
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▲ Proud Moment: Kwak (right) receives the Presidential Award for kimchi-making in 2000.
me. I want to maintain the legacy of my mother by developing my own brand. I will probably call it ‘Jeongok Kimchi’ (정옥김치), naming it after my mother, so that it will be the first thing that comes to people’s minds when they think about kimchi. That is my dream.”
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Interview translated by Min Park Photographs by Hillel Kim and courtesy of Kwak Eun-joo
The Author
Karina is from Indonesia and has been living in Gwangju since 2006. It was also the first year for her to attend the Kimchi Festival, where she tried making kimchi for the first time. Although she still struggles eating old fermented kimchi, she likes fresh kimchi and kimchi fried rice.
August 2019
Gwangju City often calls her to ask her to teach kimchimaking. “As a citizen of Gwangju, I feel obliged to promote and introduce kimchi to the world. I have been invited to China to do a kimchi exhibition, and people there love our kimchi. We have also developed a kimchi sushi.” I think that kimchi has become such a global phenomenon that even some of my relatives back home will ask me to bring them some Gwangju kimchi when I go back to visit.
On leaving her office, I had developed a whole new perspective of this representative food of Korea. I cannot wait for the Gwangju Kimchi Festival, were I hope to again meet Kwak Eun-joo.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
Now, successful and busy, she says that she will never stop promoting kimchi. She feels proud that Gwangju Kimchi Town was opened in 2010. Since then, the Gwangju Kimchi Festival has been held there annually. This year, it will be held for three days, October 25–27. “I think there are very few festivals in Korea that have been held for decades. We will hold the 25th Kimchi Festival this year. I am glad we have a bigger space to accommodate it than previously.”
Before we left, I asked Kwak one last question that had been lingering in my mind for a while. For someone who has dedicated almost her whole life to kimchi, what would it be like if the course of life were to change, and she would no longer be making kimchi. “I think I would just be working in an office,” she said. A very simple answer, by which I think she meant that it would not happen anytime soon, as kimchi is her passion.
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26 Blast from the Past
The Way Koreans Kept Intergender Distance Written by Shin Sang-soon
blast from the past
(Originally appearing in the August 2009 issue of the Gwangju News.)
남녀칠세부동석 男女七歲不同席
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
August 2019
“R
“Males-females age-seven not-same-seat!”
eaching the age of seven, boys and girls are no longer to sit together.” This is a teaching of Confucius long adhered to in Korea. Based on this tenet, there arose a custom and a system that strictly regulated or prohibited contact between the sexes. This was a kind of social rule, keeping a proper “intergender distance” (nae-oe beop, 내외법). Together with the so-called “way of the three obediences” (samjong-ji-do, 삼종지도, 三從之道), which require that a female obey her father before marriage, obey her husband after marriage, and obey her son after her husband’s death, the intergender-distance rule was a very effective unwritten social rule to restrict the freedom of women during the Joseon Dynasty. This intergender distancekeeping rule was in force even after the Kabo Reforms of 1894, which eliminated the class distinctions between yangban (양반, literati) and commoners, and thus allowed women to cast off their woman’s shawl (sseugae-chima, 쓰개치마) used to cover the head and upper body when going out, similar to the Muslim woman’s chador. INTERGENDER-DISTANCE RULE: A SHACKLE FOR KOREAN WOMEN The current expression naeoe-handa (내외한다) simply means “observing the rules between the sexes.” Nae-oe refers to “man and woman,” signifying the concept of distinction between the sexes. This gender distinction was gradually and naturally formed from early childhood. When a son was born, he was laid on a table and made to play with jade toys, and when a daughter was born, she was left on the floor and made to play with roofing tiles. When they were growing up and called by senior people, the boy was to answer with a quick and snappy response,
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but the girl was to answer with a slow and soft response. The content of their education was also different. At five, boys were to learn the numbers and four directions; at nine, they were taught the counting of days; and at ten, they were sent out to be taught by a teacher. But as for the girls of ten years of age, they were not to go out of the house but were to learn spinning, silkworm culture, needlework, clothes-making, ritual preparation, etc. Gender distinction was clear in the house’s structure, as well. The inner building was meant for women and the outer building was the men’s quarters. Between the buildings was a middle gate, and except for special occasions, no man was allowed inside the gate. When walking in the street, men were to walk on the right side, women on the left. Inside the house, the clothes for the husband and wife were not to be mixed on the rack or wall shelf. The relatives with whom face-to-face meetings were allowed for females were only parents, siblings, parentsin-law, and paternal and maternal uncles and aunts. Women had to restrict themselves as much as possible in going out of the house. The upper-class women of the Joseon Dynasty era made only a few outside-the-house excursions in their lifetime. On inevitable occasions, they had to cover their face with sseugae-chima or ride in a palanquin (enclosed sedan chair) carried by four men. The most extreme gender distinction during the Joseon era was the prohibition of a widow to remarry. As for men, remarriage was not only possible after their wife had died, but they were allowed to keep concubines even when their wife was living. Not only that, the wife was not allowed to feel jealousy towards the concubines. Wives were bound by seven valid causes for divorce and jealousy was one of them. The other causes were non-obedience to parents-in-law, bearing no sons, lustfulness, contracting malignant disease, talkativeness, and stealing. There were three occasions, however, when the wife was
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▲ A Korean woman’s head shwal (sseugae-chima).
”The effects of this can still be witnessed today in restrained male– female interaction in comparison to that found in many Western societies.”
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Neo-Confucian rules held strict sway over interactions between male and female youth, husbands and wives, and indeed between all men and women during the Joseon Dynasty period in Korea. The effects of this can still be witnessed today in restrained male–female interaction in comparison to that found in many Western societies. Girls and boys often go to separate middle schools and high schools. And male and female students entering university often sit on opposite sides of the classroom. Arranged by David Shaffer
The Author
Shin Sang-soon (1922–2011) was a longtime professor of English education at Chonnam National University. Though trained in linguistics, he was extremely astute in Korean history, traditions, and social interactions. After his retirement, he authored “The Korean Way” under the penname “2Ys,” a column in the Gwangju News that ran from 2002 to 2010. Prof. Shin was also a senior advisor to the Gwangju International Center.
August 2019
The commoner class, in general, followed the social customs set by the yangban class, and the commoner widow understood the prohibition against a widow remarrying, but society was somewhat lenient in this
matter, allowing her to remarry. For the yangban widow, however, remarriage would deprive her sons of government posts. During the Joseon Dynasty, the denial of a government post meant the deprivation of yangban status.
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not to be divorced: when there was no place for the wife to go after divorce, when the wife had observed a threeyear mourning period with her husband for his deceased parents, and when they had started their married life in poverty but later become affluent. If the husband violated this seven-causes rule, that is, if he divorced his wife in spite of his wife’s innocence, he was punished with one and a half years of imprisonment. If the wife was divorced in spite of adhering to one of the three exceptions to divorce, the husband was punished with a caning of 100-lashes and was made to live with his wife again. In cases where the wife contracted a malignant disease or committed adultery, this rule did not apply.
▲ An Iranian woman’s chador. (Graphic by Ay Dokhtare)
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28 Lost in Gwangju
Sorting Gwangju’s Cancer Jars: Day 1 Written and photographed by Isaiah Winters
“Another left breast. Lame. What do you have?” “It’s … a testicular tumor! Hell yeah! Put this one on the shelf with the others.” TRAVEL
– Two excited urban explorers
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
August 2019
on
O
ver a recent two-day period, a friend and I spent hours digging through flimsy boxes filled with hundreds of loosely sealed jars and prescription bottles containing human body parts. The specimens included diseased organs, tumors, and other abnormal growths that individually ought to have struck a sickening chord; however, after hours of dispassionate sorting, even a bloated mastectomy became yet another bland discovery. The countless prescription bottles filled with miscellaneous tissue were particularly tedious to sort through, with only a lone vial of rectal polyps catching my interest. Ultimately, sorting through Gwangju’s forgotten cancer jars proved to be a peculiarly mundane experience. The particular hospital where we were had been abandoned for some time, and yet there was an astonishing amount of equipment and documentation remaining inside. In fact, there were so many fully equipped medical rooms to look through that the sun was close to setting by the time we’d finally found the boxes of body parts in a nondescript room. They’d been left there almost as an afterthought, like Christmas decorations in June.
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Whoever put them there had far more concern for the costly medical equipment in the room, which they’d covered with shower towels to keep the dust off; meanwhile, the boxes sat wide open. Given the hospital’s mismanagement and eventual closure, this gross display of negligence wasn’t surprising. Lacking gloves, we did our morbid work as delicately as possible. There were, of course, a few minor leaks and spills due to the jars’ fragile seals, which caused the room to stink like a high school dissection lab. Our aim in all this was to find the most freakish specimens and set them aside for later photography. A stomach, colon, and uterine myoma soon found themselves on the shelf next to an abdominal mass and a jar drably labeled “bowels.” Another box yielded a dark, egg-like ovarian cyst and a pancreatic mass that looked like an undercooked pork cutlet. Aside from these, the larger jars mostly contained mastectomies distinguished as either “right breast” or “left breast” along with the patients’ names. The piece de resistance was the massive right testis tumor of some poor bloke. We managed to take a few photos of these gems on day one, but with sunlight waning, we decided to pack things back in and return early the next day – with gloves. Believe it or not, this discovery actually wasn’t the first of its kind in Korea. A collection of abandoned animal
▲ An X-ray is held up in “The Cancer Lab.”
▶ A jar of uterine myoma shares the foreground with a right testis tumor.
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August 2019
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A dummy models spectacles in an optometry lab.
Emergency medical gear sits unboxed.
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▲ A giant painting hints at a brighter past.
specimens up in Seoul was the first, though sadly it was destroyed last year. Dubbed “The Nightmare Lab” by members of our urban exploring community, it contained mostly animal specimens, including starfish, frogs, and even a cat’s nervous system. (See the November 2018 issue of the Gwangju News for the full scoop.) I never got to see “The Nightmare Lab” myself, but from the pictures I did see, it was far more photogenic than what I’ve dubbed “The Cancer Lab” featured in this article. Frankly speaking, the Gwangju specimens are downright disgusting – both aesthetically and in terms of the circumstance in which they were abandoned. Nevertheless, given the larger context, “The Cancer Lab” is ultimately a timely successor to “The Nightmare Lab” with a uniquely human touch.
The Author
Originally from Southern California, Isaiah is a Gwangjubased urban explorer who enjoys writing about the City of Light’s lesser-known quarters. When he’s not roaming the streets and writing about his experiences, he’s usually working or fulfilling his duties as the Gwangju News’ heavily caffeinated chief proofreader.
August 2019
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With roughly half of its doors still firmly locked, there’s a lot that’s yet to be unveiled at this hospital. For example, we suspect there’s a morgue on the premises, though we haven’t accessed enough rooms to know for certain. Given that the hospital has been extensively vandalized over the last few years, there’s a strong feeling of impermanence surrounding its most sensitive contents. While the animal specimens in Seoul’s “Nightmare Lab” stood for over half a century, something tells me the human specimens of Gwangju’s “Cancer Lab” won’t enjoy the same longevity, despite some samples already being over two decades old. That’s why we found it important to visit the site again the very next day, which resulted in another set of bizarre discoveries that will be featured in next month’s edition of Lost in Gwangju.
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Day one at this hospital yielded another unique discovery that made us eager to return. Early on in the day, we came across an unlocked room containing lots of military-style medical equipment, including a half dozen bloodspattered field gurneys and stacks of wooden emergency medical kits from the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs. Most of the larger kits had been emptied of their contents, but at least one still had packages of gauze, a gasmask, and a portable emergency kit with chemical and antimicrobial agents inside. Among the gear were also a khaki jacket and hat worn by members of the country’s Civil Defense Force, which provided a major clue as to who might have used all this surplus
military gear; however, exactly why it all ended up at this particular hospital is still somewhat of a mystery.
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32 Around Korea
Andong and Vicinity
Experience Incredible Korean Traditional Heritage Written and photographed by Lea Moreau
TRAVEL
A
s long as I can remember, Andong has been one of my favorite places in Korea. In fact, the very first time I came to Korea, I decided to visit Andong without any second thoughts. I was backpacking around the country and knew so little about the city. For a more authentic experience, I reached out to a local Korean on the Couchsurfing website, and this was to become the start of my adventure. Who would have thought that my host was actually the manager of the Andong Hahoe Folk Village? In fact, he came to pick me up at the bus station, and thanks to him, I visited the Hahoe Hanok Village, known as one of the rare UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Korea.
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August 2019
One of my favorite things about the village is that you can admire the Korean architecture with beautiful thatchedroof houses, making it the perfect photo zone. I remember myself walking around the village and being transported back in time to the Joseon Dynasty. This aspect of Korean culture, and especially the well-preserved Joseon era-style architecture, will amaze you with its beautiful simplicity. The name of the village, Hahoe, was inspired by the surrounding landscape. Ha is from the Chinese character for “river,” and hoe from “turns around.” It describes how the Nakdong River meanders around the village. The Hahoe Folk Village is a place you cannot even dream of. It is one of the most authentic and well-preserved places in Korea. For more than 600 years, members of the village have lived together, keeping the same traditions and rituals. Each year, an annual folk festival takes place in the village, showcasing one of the oldest cultural practices: the Hahoe mask dance. After going back to my host’s house, he cooked for us one of the most famous local dishes: Andong salted mackerel, called gan-godeungeo (간고등어). Having the chance to try homemade local food was an amazing opportunity to taste the “real” Korea.
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A house in the Hahoe Folk Village.
I thought that was all for the day, but our host decided to take us for a ride. Driving us around the vicinity of Andong, we could get a full view of the potential and treasures the city has to offer. We first stopped by the Woryeong Bridge (월영교), a great place with beautiful scenery. At night, it is very quiet, and when the sun goes down, the rainbow lights turn on, highlighting the beautiful bridge’s silhouette. Our night stroll continued into the mountain, and this time, our host brought us to one of the most memorable places I had ever visited in Korea: the Incheon-dong Stone Buddha (incheon-sukbulsang, 인천동 석불상), also known as the Jebiwon Buddha (jebiwon-seokbulsang, 제비원 석불상), a 12-meter-high Buddha carving in the rock hillside from the Goryeo Dynasty standing over the Sobaek Mountains. A lot of legends are associated with this location, but one of the most famous is that if you make a wish at the foot of the Buddha, your wish will come true. There is such an incredible vibe that arises from this place. Furthermore, you can also visit Yonmi Temple located just next to the Buddha. The whole area is located in the mountains and is incredibly peaceful, making it
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The community tree in the Hahoe Folk Village, where wives would pray to have children.
A beautiful old house in Andong.
A big Buddha carved in the mountain.
one of the best places to visit when in Andong. It is also one of the most off-the-beaten-track sites and remains so underrated in Korea.
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Andong is full of potential and a perfect place for a weekend getaway. It is a city that will transport you back in time and allow you to understand more fully what Koreans’ lifestyle was like during the Joseon Dynasty. With its beautiful nature, delicious food, and wellpreserved heritage, Andong should definitely be on your bucket list of must-see cities in Korea.
The Author
Lea is a French travel specialist currently based in Sunchang, Jeollabuk-do. She works with local government entities in order to develop tourism in the Jeolla provinces and actively promotes both Jeollanam-do and Jeollabuk-do on social media and TV. She has created two YouTube channels in order to share her passion for travel, while giving useful tips and advice. You can follow her on Facebook and YouTube under the name Leadventure. For more information about Jeolla travel, check out Lea’s other YouTube channel Jeolla Go.
August 2019
Recently, Andong became famous for providing some of the setting for Mr. Sunshine, a popular TV drama in Korea. Many tourists will now be able to take pictures and recreate some scenes from the drama in one of its most famous locations: Manhyujeong, a traditional Korean pavilion built during the Joseon Dynasty. If you are a
K-drama fan, do not miss this opportunity!
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The next morning, I decided to visit the Andong city center and started off with its most famous bakery: The Mammoth Bakery. As a Frenchwoman, I was pleased to try some of their delicacies, especially the cakes. They were a little pricey but definitely worth the expense. I continued by walking to Sungjingol Mural Village where I enjoyed my time taking pictures of the Mural Painting while observing locals drying hot chili peppers on their rooftops. This mix of traditions and modernity in the city prompted me to reflect a lot on Korea’s culture and lifestyle.
A night walk on the bridge.
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34 From Abroad
City of Amsterdam, Netherlands
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August 2019
TRAVEL
Written and photographed by Joe Wabe
▲ Bikes by the canal. Most Amsterdammers commute by bicycle.
T
hey say “home is where your heart is,” and now my heart is in Amsterdam. Many years ago, I made a promise to my Dutch friend that I was going to visit her. It was not an empty promise. I really felt I would visit one day, and even though many years went by, the moment finally came when all the circumstances were set at the right time. I have traveled to many big and popular cities, but Amsterdam has been by far one of the best. I discovered that what many people call a “small city” was actually bigger than I thought, perhaps not in size and population, but in terms of things to do and experience.
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I discovered that Amsterdam was more than the coffee shops, canals, and red-light district. CLEAN CITY Amsterdam has been catalogued as one of the cleanest cities in the world. The city is surrounded by lots of green spaces and parks, and most people commute by either bicycle or public transportation. Amsterdam has more than 600,000 bicycles roaming the city and a large percentage of the cars are electric. The city currently pilots forms of transportation to make parts of the city
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emission-free, including taxis, mopeds, scooters, buses, and boats. And as part of the Clean Air Action Plan, the Amsterdam City Council plans to ban gasoline and diesel cars by 2030. CITY OF THE ARTS Amsterdam is not only the home of the Rembrandt and Vincent Van Gogh museums but also the cultural capital of the Netherlands. The city is host to an incredible variety of artists, museums, performances, and concert venues. Culture and the arts are the foundation of the city, which not only enriches the lives of the residents but also the many visitors that come every year. The city has invested a great deal in the arts, and this has paid huge dividends. The mission statement of the Amsterdam Arts and Culture Memorandum is “Just as Amsterdam belongs to everyone, so do the arts.” So with a clear vision that art should be available to everyone, this city is definitely a paradise for art lovers. CITY OF CANALS Amsterdam is the most watery city in the world. Its canals and harbors, which contain both salt and fresh water, fill a full quarter of its surface. Its
old Canal Belt was placed on UNESCO’S World Heritage list in 2011. Each canal has a rich history and important and interesting sights. The first canals were dug for water management and defense, but with the passing of time, they became important passageways for the transport of merchandise. The city, which is also known as the “Venice of the North,” has 165 canals and hosts 1,281 bridges that now function as major tourist attractions. The government ensures that the water stays clean and, as a result, every year the canals get cleaner and cleaner. CITY OF BEER Beer has been brewed in the Netherlands for ages. The country’s hop gardens first appeared in the 14th century and breweries blossomed during the Middle Ages. Amsterdam became a major brewing center in the 15th century, and in that period of time, beer was one of the few things that could be consumed safely, since water was often contaminated and milk had a very short shelf life. Amsterdam is not only the home of the Heineken and Amstel breweries, but it hosts many micro-breweries all over the city, and every pub in the city usually offers a vast selection of world-class craft beer. Supermarkets are
People enjoying the sunset by the canals.
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August 2019
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August 2019
The Museumplein across from the Rijksmuseum, the museum housing Rembrandt’s works.
Bitterballen are traditional Dutch croquettes.
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Craft beer from the brewpub Poesiat & Kater.
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▲ Westermarkt near the city center.
no stranger to variety either. You will never suffer from the lack of a good ale or lager, and best of all, many brews are very affordable.
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Reference
The Economist. (2017). Safe cities index: Security in a rapidly urbanising world. Retrieved from http:// safecities.economist.com/safe-cities-index-2017 [1]
The Author
Joe Wabe is an established photographer and Gwangju local business entrepreneur. He has been contributing to the GIC and the Gwangju News for more than eight years.
August 2019
SAFE CITY Amsterdam ranked sixth on the list of safest cities in the world to visit and number one in Europe according to The Economist[1] magazine. Although stolen bikes and pickpocketing might occur from time to time (mostly to tourists), the chances of being the victim of violent crimes are very small. According to the city council, crime
Additional ingredients of this amazing city are its impressive architecture, friendly people, amazing food, stunning sunsets, and futuristic designs, to name a few. I could go on and on, but this short summary will give you an overall idea of why my heart is in Amsterdam and why I believe this city is more than just coffee shops and a red-light district. If you have plans to visit Europe, be sure you make Amsterdam part of your itinerary. Doei!
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CITY OF BEAUTIFUL CLOUDS In general, the weather in Amsterdam is not one of the best since it is a little unpredictable; however, among the most impressive weather factors are the beautiful and unique cloud formations that are on display up in the sky on most days of the week. These cumulus clouds inspired many famous painters in the past, like Rembrandt and Jacob van Ruisdael (some clouds are even called Ruisdael clouds). There is a general belief that because there is so much water in and around the city, a greater amount of reflection is generated, creating moisturerich gray skies that make for hard contrasts. The impressive views before sunset make Dutch skies a must-see experience. Even in the Dutch language there are many different names for different types of clouds, like cauliflower, sheep, anvil, and stacked clouds.
rates are decreasing every year. Of course, places like the red-light district are still considered dangerous due to the fact that they are mostly controlled by gangs and because of the trafficking of illegal drugs, but other than that, you can walk around pretty safely, do whatever you want, and all without much worry.
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38 Language Teaching
The Multitude of English Teaching Organizations in Korea Written by Dr. David E. Shaffer
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
August 2019
EDUCATION
T
he formation of English teaching organizations has flourished in Korea. While in other countries in this part of the world there may be only one or two English teaching organizations (ETOs), in Korea there are more than a dozen! “Why does Korea have so many ETOs?” is a question I so often hear from expat English teachers in Korea as well as from members of ETOs outside of Korea. I often start my attempt at an answer with a joke that I heard decades ago (from a Korean) but one that holds a seed of truth: If three Koreans are put together, they will form two groups! Koreans like to form groups: political parties proliferate ahead of election time, numerous small churches dot a single neighborhood, and alumni of the same class in school form umpteen reunion groups. There are advantages, though, of having myriad ETOs in Korea. It allows for more people to be active participants in English language teaching-related activities and leadership. It allows for more annual conferences and other English language teaching (ELT) events to be organized and attended by English educators, and it creates more opportunities for ELT-related individuals to present at these conferences. Similarly, it allows for the publication of more academic journals – each ETO has one – and thereby creates more opportunities for individuals to get their research published. Because of the sheer number of ETOs populating the Korean ELT scene, many Koreans as well as expat English teachers may not be familiar with more than a few of them. So, what follows is a brief introduction to the major nationwide ETOs in South Korea. KATE The Korea Association of Teachers of English (KATE) is the oldest and largest ETO in Korea. Starting out in 1965 as a college English instructors’ association, it changed its English name to KATE in 1994 as it attempted to broaden its membership base to public school English teachers and
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others. Its main activities are the publication of a quarterly academic journal, English Teaching, and holding two annual conferences: an international conference in July and a smaller spring event, the KATE SIG Conference. As is true of most of the general ETOs in Korea, its membership is heavily university faculty members and its board of directors is almost exclusively tenured university professors. Website: http://www.kate.or.kr/ PKETA The Pan-Korea English Teachers Association (PKETA) was founded in 1989 as PETA (Pusan English Teachers Association). It grew into the Gyeongsang-centric Yeongnam English Teachers Association (YETA), and later, to become more nation-wide, changed its name to PKETA and began to add out-of-area directors to its board. However, most of its membership is from the Gyeongsang area and its events are held exclusively in this area. It has published a quarterly journal, English Language Teaching, since 1992 and holds an annual national or international conference. At times, an additional professional development event (symposium or workshop) is organized. Website: https://pketa.jams. or.kr/ ALAK The Applied Linguistics Association of Korea (ALAK) was formed in 1982 and has been publishing a journal and holding events since that time. Its quarterly academic publication is the ALAK Journal and at present it holds an annual international conference. Some years, it has additionally organized a seminar or workshop. Although its name suggests a difference from other Korean ETOs, its journal focus and conference contents mirror those of general ETOs. Website: http://www.alak.or.kr/ KAFLE The Korea Association of Foreign Languages Education (KAFLE) has been in existence since 1995 and caters to teachers of other foreign languages in addition to
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39 teachers of English. Its membership is mainly composed of professors and instructors concerned with English studies. It publishes a quarterly journal, Foreign Languages Education, holds an annual international conference, and sometimes organizes a spring workshop. Website: http:// www.kafle.or.kr/ KAPEE The Korea Association of Primary English Education (KAPEE) was organize in 1995, just two years before elementary school English instruction began in Korea. The association focuses on elementary school educators and on academics doing research on elementary English education. KAPEE began publishing a journal when it was founded, Primary English Education, that has grown from a one-issue-per-year journal to a quarterly publication in recent years. KAPEE, ostensibly, has a network of branches in each region of Korea, but some appear completely and the others minimally active at present. Website: http://www.kapee.or.kr/ KASEE The Korea Association of Secondary English Education (KASEE) has formed more recently than many of our other ETOs, in 2007, due to an earlier secondary school English association becoming less active. As its name indicates, KASEE focuses on middle and high school educators and researchers. It holds a conference each year, a colloquium in the spring, and publishes a journal quarterly, Secondary English Education. Website: http:// kasee.org/
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MEESO The Modern English Education Society (MEESO) is another non-specialized ETO. It was created in 2000 and holds an annual conference, either national or international in scope. Its journal, Modern English Education, has been published since 2000 and has been a quarterly for almost a decade. Although MEESO can be considered “nationwide” in its membership, few of its members or board directors are from the Jeolla area, and its conferences are held in Seoul or nearby areas. Website: http://www.meeso.or.kr/ KEES Although its English name does not reflect it, the Korea English Education Society’s (KEES) name in Korean includes “English curriculum” (한국영어교과교육학회). KEES was founded in 2001 by professors of the Korea National University of Education (KNUE) located near Cheongju in the central part of Korea. The association remains very KNUE-centric. Its presidents are on the KNUE faculty, and the directors on its board are predominantly from universities in the KNUE area. Its annual conference is held at KNUE or at other universities in the Chungcheong area, and a considerable number of its conference
August 2019
STEM The Society for Teaching English through Media (STEM) had its beginnings in 1998 as a movie-centric association concerned with teaching English using material from movies as well as things like the translation of English language movies into Korean. STEM holds an annual conference that moves around Korea rather than hovering in the capital area. It published only a newsletter in its early years, but in 2000, STEM Journal was born and has since grown from one issue to three issues annually. STEM has expanded to media beyond motion pictures
GETA The Global English Teachers Association (GETA) started out in 1995 as HETA (Honam English Teachers Association), founded by Dr. Lee Heung-soo of Chonnam National University. The following year, its semi-annual academic journal, Studies in English Education, began publication. HETA started out as a regional association for the Jeolla area and, like PKETA, changed its name to GETA and recruited some board directors from outside the area to obtain national status. However, the bulk of its membership is Jeolla-based, its presidents are also Jeollabased, and its conference venues alternate between North and South Jeolla locations. GETA’s presidents alternate similarly. Website: http://www.geta.kr/
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
KAMALL The Korea Association of Multimedia-Assisted Language Learning (KAMALL), as its name suggests, is concerned with teaching English with the use of multimedia. It was founded in 1997 and has held an annual conference, joint conference, or workshop almost every year since that time. Multimedia-Assisted Language Learning, the association’s scholarly journal, started out with a single issue in 1997 and has grown into a quarterly journal this decade. Website: http://www.kamall.or.kr/
in subject matter for its publications and conferences. Website: http://www.stemedia.co.kr/
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40 participants are often KNUE graduate students. It also publishes a quarterly journal, Journal of the Korea English Education Society. Website: http://www.kees.kr/ ETAK The English Teachers Association in Korea (ETAK) is also a Chungcheong-centric ETO. ETAK was formed in 1994, and most of its presidents, directors, and members are from the Chungcheong area. ETAK’s annual conferences are held at universities in the North and South Chungcheong Provinces, and its quarterly journal is English Language and Literature Teaching. Website: http://etak.or.kr/
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
August 2019
Although some of these ETOs concentrate on a specialized area of ELT (e.g., media, secondary education, materials development), I am sure you have noticed that almost all of them are basically journal–conference associations; that is, their main activities are publishing a scholarly journal and holding one or sometimes two conferences per year. Their board of directors consists almost exclusively of university professors (except KAPEE) whose board meetings are almost entirely about journal publishing and conference planning, and they all have partnerships with each other. There is one ETO in Korea, which we have not mentioned yet, that does not, and intentionally does not, conform in many ways to this mold: Korea TESOL. KOREA TESOL Korea TESOL, or KOTESOL, is shorthand for Korea Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. The organization was formed in 1993 through the merger of a ten-year-old Seoul-centric ETO (AETK) and a smaller five-year-old Daejeon-centric ETO (KATE, not the same as above). Both were heavy on expat English-teacher membership, as is KOTESOL today. As do the other ETOs that we mentioned, KOTESOL has an academic journal and holds conferences – among other activities. In recent years, the Korea TESOL Journal has matured into a semiannual publication. However, KOTESOL also publishes a yearly post-conference volume of KOTESOL Proceedings for selected papers from its annual international conference, as well as a quarterly news magazine of ELT articles, The English Connection. KOTESOL also does conferences, and does them well. Its spring national conference was held in Jeonju (North Jeolla Province) this year with renowned ELT authority Jack C. Richards as the plenary speaker. Its two-day international conference is held in October each year (the 12th and 13th this year) and attracts more than twice as many attendees as its nearest Korean ETO counterpart. This year’s invited speakers include none other than Rod Ellis (Australia), Andrew D. Cohen (USA), Thomas S.C. Farrell (Canada), and Lee Bo-young (Korea).
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However, what really sets KOTESOL apart from the rest of the ETO pack is its system of regional chapters and its special interest groups (SIGs). Its half-dozen SIGs cater to interests such as classroom management, reflective practice, and social justice. KOTESOL has nine chapters serving different regions of the country. Most of them are organized very much like the Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter, centered in the City of Light. The Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter holds monthly meetings to which it invites two speakers to present talks or workshops for professional development. During the morning of monthly-meeting day, there is also a reflective practice session. The Chapter holds a regional conference each March, while most of the other eight chapters also hold regional conferences at differing times throughout the year. As you can see, with so much activity happening at the local level, KOTESOL members have the opportunity to be involved in organizing as well as participating in local events throughout the year. More information is available on the KOTESOL website: https://koreatesol.org/
The Author
David Shaffer has lived and worked in Gwangju since he came here with the U.S. Peace Corps in the early 1970s. He is vicepresident of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter of KOTESOL. On behalf of the chapter, he invites you to participate in the teacher development workshops at their monthly meetings. For many years, Dr. Shaffer has been a professor of English language at Chosun University. He is a long-time member of KOTESOL, and at present he is national president. In addition, Dr. Shaffer has served on three of the above ETOs’ boards of directors, organized several of their conferences, and been a member of most of these ETOs, attending and presenting at their conferences. He is presently the board chair at the Gwangju International Center and also editorin-chief of the Gwangju News.
GWANGJU-JEONNAM KOTESOL MONTHLY MEETING Date: August 10 (Saturday) Place: Gwangju National University of Education • Presentation 1: To See Every Piece of the Mosaic: A Discussion on Diversity in the Classroom by Diane Santos • Presentation 2: Roleplaying Games (Paul Johnson) • SwapShop: Share with the group your activity, teaching idea, etc. For full event details: Website: koreatesol.org/gwangju Facebook: Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL
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41
TOPIK GUIDE (topikguide.com) is the most comprehensive website devoted to the TOPIK exam. It has been helping Korean language learners pass the TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) for more than seven years. On our website, you can get all the TOPIK updates, grammar and vocabulary material, and study tips.
Everyday Korean
Episode 20: 병원 (The Hospital)
Prepared by Harsh Kumar Mishra
Ana:
EDUCATION
아나:
언니, 건강검진을 받아야 하는데 어디에서 받으면 좋아요? [Eon-ni, geon-gang-geom-ji-neul ba-da-ya ha-neun-de eodi-eseo ba-deu-myeon jo-ayo?] I need to get a health check. Where’s a good place to get one?
정민:
모든 병원에서 받을 수 있어. 난 개인적으로 현대병원으로 가.
아나:
거기 치과도 있어요? [Geo-gi chi-kwa-do is-seo-yo?]
Ana:
Is there a dental department there as well?
정민:
응, 거의 모든 진료과들이 있어. 나도 목이 좀 아파서 이비인후과 가려고 하는데 내일 같이 갈까?
[Mo-deun byeong-won-eseo ba-deul su is-seo. nan gaein-jeo-geuro hyeon-dae-byeong-weo-neu-ro ga.] Jeongmin: You can get one at any hospital. I personally go to Hyundai Hospital.
[Eung, geo-ui mo-deun jil-lyo-kwa-deu-ri iss-eo. Na-do mo-gi jom apa-seo i-bi-in-hu-kwa ga-ryeo-go ha-neun-de nae-il ga-chi gal-kka?] Jeong-min: Yeah, they have almost all medical departments there. I, too, am having some throat problems and am thinking of going to the ENT department. Shall we go together tomorrow?
좋아요. 혹시 거기 병원비가 비싸요? [Hok-shi geo-gi byeong-won-bi-ga bis-sayo?]
Ana:
Sure. Is the fee expensive there?
정민:
아니, 건강보험 가입자면 하나도 비싸지 않아.
아나:
다행이다. 그럼 내일 만나요. [Da-haeng-ida. Geu-reom nae-il man-nayo] Thank goodness. Then, see you tomorrow.
[Ani, geon-gang-bo-heom ga-ipja-myeon ha-na-do bi-ssa-ji ana.] Jeongmin: No, so long as you’re a health insurance subscriber, it’s not expensive at all.
Ana:
Grammar ~아야/어야 하다: This is used with verbs to indicate an obligation to do something and has the same meaning as “have to” or “should.” Ex: 과제를 내일까지 제출해야 해요.
~(으)로: This particle has many uses in Korean. It is attached to nouns and can refer to direction, means, or transport. Ex: 전남대병원으로 가 주세요. Please take me to CNU Hospital. 저는 택시로 갈게요. I’ll go by taxi.
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건강검진 health check 받다 to receive 거기 there 치과 dental department 진료과 medical department 목 throat 아프다 to hurt 이비인후과 ENT department 병원비 hospital bills 건강보험 health insurance 가입자 subscriber 비싸다 to be expensive
Useful Medical Terms 피부과 안과 성형외과 신경과 수술 증상 치료 의사 환자 식중독 정형외과
dermatology dept. ophthalmology dept. plastic surgery dept. neurology dept. operation symptom treatment doctor patient food poisoning orthopedic surgery dept.
August 2019
I have to submit the assignment by tomorrow.
Vocabulary
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
아나:
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www.gwangjunewsgic.com
August 2019
FOOD & DRINKS
42 Where to Eat
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43
A Date at “Hidden” Written and photographed by Cami Ismanova
T
he culinary world is diverse in the City of Light. “Of course,” you might say, “Who doesn’t love to have a fragrant cup of coffee in the morning, grab brunch at a nearby café, or go out for dinner at a favorite restaurant?” A lot of new and interesting places are emerging day by day, making our daily choices easier. We are so lucky that nowadays we can use SNS to find a bunch of new restaurants to satisfy our tastes and preferences. Among all the hidden gems of Gwangju, the restaurant featured in this article is truly “Hidden” (히든, Hideun). It is a small, elegant restaurant in the downtown area serving exquisite dishes cooked by the friendliest chef, Bak Jae-hyeong (박재형). It has a unique atmosphere, accompanied by a simple, yet stylish interior suitable both for a chill dinner with friends or romantic dates. The place offers a variety of mouthwatering dishes such as Salmon Tartar, Galbi Risotto, Chicken Vegetable Salad, and many others. There are always cheese and fruits for appetizers while waiting for your order to be served. “Hidden” also offers a variety of wine and cocktails to freshen up a hot summer evening.
To conclude, I would say I genuinely enjoyed my evening at “Hidden.” I loved the tasty food, the nectarous wine, and the welcoming atmosphere in general. And do not forget to bring lovely company along with you to create new memories in a new place. P.S. Although I will include the address below, I would like to give a hint to hopeless wanderers like me: “It is on the corner!”
HIDDEN t Daily, 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. (closed Sundays) P Munhwa-jeondang-ro, 23-beon-gil 34-1, Dong-gu, Gwangju 광주 동구 문화전당로 23번길 34-1 À 010-6607-7272
The Author
Cami is a student at Chonnam National University majoring in economics. Cami writes poems both in English and Russian as one of the ways to express herself. She happens to love traveling around and reading classics.
August 2019
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Now, I will move to the practical part of the review. The place can be awesome, but what is the use if one finds it less affordable, right? But “Hidden” played even this card wisely, since the prices match the quality. The price range for the main dishes is from 8,000 won to 15,000 won, depending on their size and complexity. The desserts’ prices start at 7,000 won and the sangria prices start at 6,000 won. “Hidden” is open from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. every day except Sundays. You might want to book a table in advance, but I find it unnecessary. You can contact the owner and/or check up on the menu contents via SNS.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
When I visited “Hidden” for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised by the presence of fresh flowers on the table. “Beautiful and thoughtful,” I noted to myself. Then the chef served us a glass of water and handed the menu to us. The menu is purely in Korean; an English version is not provided. However, the chef can help you out by suggesting a flavorful dish in case you do not speak Korean. We ordered the Chicken Vegetable Salad, the Salmon Tartar, and two glasses of sangria. The Salmon Tartar is scrumptious! It is served with hot crispy bread loaves on the side to put fresh, dulcet salmon pieces on. The Salmon Tartar, which I personally love, is light and flavorsome. However, if you happen to be a gannet and/ or a gourmand, you might find it too light. In this case, I would recommend ordering the more substantial Galbi Risotto. The sangria they serve can be fairly described as “ambrosia”; it is that lovely. It is divine, for every sip is balsamic, leading to a rich aftertaste. For a delightful gustatory finale, there are desserts like Strawberry Cream
Bread and Cube Bread with Jam for you to choose from.
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44 44 Korean Recipe
Kong-guksu
Cold Soybean Noodle Soup
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
August 2019
FOOD & DRINKS
Written by Joe Wabe
S
ummertime in Korea brings many creative dishes to the table, including dishes that are designed exclusively to help people recover and endure the hottest days in this season. The heat tends to make many people lose their appetite for solid food and instead look for ways to cool their systems, as fatty food during the hot summer months is usually shunned by many Koreans. Kong-guksu (콩국수), or soybean noodles, is a refreshing seasonal dish that is very popular in summer not only for its nutritional value but also for its coolness, affordability, and filling properties. It is known that kongguksu was created as an alternative for kkae-guksu (깨국수, sesame noodle soup), which was an upperclass summer dish made with chicken broth that had to be boiled for many hours. However, since commoners could not afford it easily, the need for energy during the sultry months of summer gave birth to this dish. It was known to be high in calories, which could replace some of the fat that was usually lost during summer. This popular summer noodle dish is served in a chilled soybean broth made from ground soybeans, which results in a thick, milky, and creamy texture that is very trendy among vegetarians. After the noodles are added and topped with slices of cucumber, boiled egg, and tomato, this protein-filled dish will make you feel alive again, especially on a hot or humid summer day.
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Ingredients • • • • • • •
Joe Wabe is an established photographer and Gwangju local business entrepreneur. He has been contributing to the GIC and the Gwangju News for more than eight years.
1 pack of noodles (300 grams) 1 cup of soybeans ½ cup of peanuts or pine nuts 1 tablespoon of salt or sugar for taste 2 boiled eggs ½ cucumber 6 cups of water
Preparation 1.
2. 3. 4. 5.
The Author
(Serves 4)
Soak the beans overnight and boil them for five minutes using a sufficient amount of water. Rinse the boiled beans in cold water and remove the hulls. Roast the nuts for a better taste. Blend the beans and roasted nuts together with six cups of water. Strain the blended beans and set the soup aside to cool. For a better taste, refrigerate for 24 hours. Boil the noodles and rinse them in cold water. Serve the bean soup with the noodles. Garnish with thin strips of cucumber and boiled eggs cut in half, and season with salt or sugar, depending on your taste.
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Book Review 45
“Seduced, Killed and Blamed” Malala Yousafzai’s Struggle Against the Taliban Written by Kristy Dolson
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Published in 2013, there have been gains made for equal education in defiance of political and religious extremism. But there have been setbacks as well. We take our many freedoms for granted, but we must remember that it is not enough to rely on miracles. Let Malala’s story be a reminder that we must use our voices to speak up and speak out against oppression and violence aimed at children.
The Author
Kristy Dolson lived in South Korea for five years before taking a year off to travel, read, and spend time with her family in Canada and Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Education and now lives in Yeosu, where she splits her time between teaching at the new Jeollanamdo International Education Institute and reading as much as she can. (Photo by Cheyenne Taylor)
August 2019
The autobiography was a collaborative effort between Malala Yousafzai and award-winning war correspondent Christina Lamb. The detail used to describe historical events and cultural traditions is stunning and the book, told in the first person, was beautifully crafted. It begins with a prologue detailing the moment that changed Malala’s life. Then the story backtracks to when Malala was born, and the five parts that follow recount her life
While Malala’s story deals with life under authoritarian rule, she reveals how ordinary people can find the courage to resist despite constant fear of violence. In the Swat Valley where Malala grew up, a man rose to become an influential person by broadcasting his strict Islamic beliefs over a radio. He condemned many things as un-Islamic and gathered a large following. Neither the military, nor the government did anything to stop him. There are charismatic figures seeking to restrict or harm others in every country. Malala’s story highlights how important it is to speak out against religious extremism and policies meant to restrict or harm others. www.gwangjunewsgic.com
Malala came of age in Pakistan during a time of political upheaval, when the country swung between military rule and elected officials. Not only that, but religious terrorists were gaining power throughout the country and demanding Islamic law be instated by the government. It was in this politically charged and oppressive climate that Malala’s optimistic father opened a school. He was constantly under threat by a government that demanded bribes and terrorists that forbade girls from being educated. As a result, Malala became an advocate for education and freedom from terror from an early age. This brought her awards and international acclaim, but it also made her a target for the Taliban. Their failed assassination attempt only served to solidify her position as an international advocate and amplify her message of universal education.
and the concurrent history of her country as she grew and developed into the young woman who would eventually be tracked down and shot in the back of her school bus. The epilogue concludes the narrative, along with a short note on the “Malala Fund.” I hope to donate to this fund in the near future.
ARTS & CULTURE
A
s the new semester approaches, I find myself thinking about Malala Yousafzai. In our home countries and in South Korea, we take it for granted that everyone has the right to a full education. But in many countries this is not the case. In her autobiography I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, she uses the unique story of her country and her life to spread awareness about the ongoing fight for equal education and justice around the globe.
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46 Gwangju Writes
The Flower
꽃
Before I called out her name
내가 그의 이름을 불러 주기 전에는
she was
그는 다만
nothing more than a twitch.
하나의 몸짓에 지나지 않았다.
When I called out her name
내가 그의 이름을 불러 주었을 때
she came to me
그는 나에게로 와서
and became a flower.
꽃이 되었다.
August 2019
Just as I called out her name
내가 그의 이름을 불러 준 것처럼
someone please call out a name for me
나의 이 빛깔과 향기에 알맞은
befitting this hue and scent of mine.
누가 나의 이름을 불러 다오.
To her I too want to go
그에게로 가서 나도
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
ARTS & CULTURE
Written by Kim Chun-soo (김춘수, 1955) Translated by David E. Shaffer
and become her flower.
그의 꽃이 되고 싶다.
All of us
우리들은 모두
want to become something.
무엇이 되고 싶다.
Me for you, you for me,
너는 나에게 나는 너에게
we all want to become an unforgettable twinkle.
잊혀지지 않는 하나의 눈짓이 되고 싶다.
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47
The Poem and the Poet
K
im Chun-soo (1922-2004) was born in Chungmu (now Tong-yeong) in Gyeongsangnam-do. After graduating from Gyeonggi High School, he attended the Arts Department of Nihon University. Kim taught at Tong-yeong Middle School and Masan High School before obtaining professorships in the humanities at Kyungpook University and later at Yeungnam University. In 1981, he became a National Assemblyman, and in 1986, he became president of the Korean Poets’ Society. Kim debuted as a poet in 1946 with his collection Wings, and in 2004, he was awarded a special Sowol Literary Award for Poetry. The poetry of Kim Chun-soo is often associated with the symbolism of Western poetry. The tendency of his symbolism, however, is revealed to be a search for poetry at its purest. Kim’s unending search began with Rilke-like supplications and an attraction towards the poetization of the absolute. In the supplications of his early poetry, we notice Kim’s transcendental tendencies, and due to the limitations placed upon humans, a transformation to the expression of excruciating pain evolves. Grief and misfortune seem to be an unavoidable consequence of endless search for Kim. His pain, however, has been greater than that of many. Kim went to Japan for a college education. But at about the same time that fellow poet and activist Yun Dong-ju was imprisoned by the Japanese, Kim was also put into a Tokyo prison for his Korean independence activities. Kim was fortunate to survive (Yun did not).
2019�8��.indd 47
The Author
Dr. David E. Shaffer is a long-time resident of Gwangju who has for many years held a professorship at Chosun University. He is now the board chair of the Gwangju International Center and editor-in-chief of the Gwangju News. He has written extensively on English teaching and learning, and has published books on Korean language, poetry, and traditional culture. Dr. Shaffer was also the 1994 top prize winner of the Korea Times Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards in the poetry division.
August 2019
The “flower” in this poem is not merely a colorful plant with a pleasing scent; it is a living presence, a consequential conception, a metaphor for a meaningful existence. However, before it had a name called out, before it had any relationship with “I,” the flower had no meaningful existence, at least from “I’s” viewpoint – it was but one of innumerable nameless objects. When it was named – whether it be as “flower,” “kkot (꽃),” or whatever – from
Just as the flower has to be perceived in order to be, the “I,” too, yearns to be perceived. If “I” is not given a name, he cannot have any type of meaningful existence. This is why “I” longs to have his name called out. The requirements of his being mirror those of the flower. For there to be any extension, any meaningful representation, of an object, or for there to be any expansion and development of the self, there must first be an existence – not merely a “twitch” (momjit, 몸짓) but profoundly a “twinkle” (nunjit, 눈짓). In all of us, there exists this profound desire for a meaningful existence that will last into eternity.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
In Kim’s later works, he deals with existentialism, and his skillful manipulation of the Korean language is quite evident. In his representative poem, “The Flower,” that which exists and that which does not is expressed from an existential perspective. Through the poet’s perceptive naming, that which is “nothing more than a twitch” is transformed from nothingness to something-ness.
that time forth, it had an existence, a meaningfulness.
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OPINION
48
What Got Hong Kong Protesting? Opposition to the Extradition Law and the “Lion Rock Spirit”
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
August 2019
Written by Chloe Chan
O
n June 16, hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong citizens took part in a protest against a proposed extradition law. According to the organizer, Civil Human Rights Front, nearly two million people participated. If this number is accurate, considering Hong Kong has a population of around seven million people, then one out of every three and a half Hong Kong citizens joined the protest. Regardless of the accuracy of this mind-blowing figure, this protest is still marked as one of the largest demonstrations in Hong Kong history. So why are Hong Kong citizens so outraged by the extradition bill? Even though Hong Kong has officially been part of China since 1997, it has remained a self-governing special administrative region under the “one country,
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two systems” policy. China guaranteed Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy for 50 years, allowing the region to remain as an independent city, separate from China’s communist ideology. With such a safeguard, Hongkongers are able to defend their freedom. In February 2019, the Hong Kong government launched a proposal regarding the extradition of suspects to different countries, including extradition from Hong Kong to mainland China. The birth of this proposal began with the case of a Hong Kong citizen who murdered his girlfriend in Taiwan. The authorities failed to send the criminal to Taiwan for trial due to the limitation of the existing extradition law – this later was seen as an excuse for the Chinese central government to take further control over Hong Kong by introducing the new extradition law.
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49 There is a concern that if the bill is passed, when a human rights activist or anyone against the ruling communist party escapes from mainland China to Hong Kong, they could be arrested and sent directly to the mainland without the need to go through any trial in Hong Kong’s courts. Hence, such a law is being judged as a deprivation of autonomy and, what is more, Hongkongers fear for the loss of freedom of speech as well as personal liberties. Some people may judge that Hongkongers have overreacted or are too sensitive towards the bill. However, the protest is definitely not aimed to separate Hong Kong and China, but instead is a voice for freedom and a widespread message of democracy. It is about ensuring that citizens are able to continuously enjoy political rights such as freedom of speech. To trace back to what made Hongkongers tough and fearless in fighting for civil rights, we can look at the “Lion Rock Spirit,” a value that has been passed from generation to generation in Hong Kong. The term “Lion Rock Spirit” came from the TV series Below the Lion Rock in the 1970s. The TV series portrays the beautiful qualities of the working class in Hong Kong during the tough economic period after World War II – perseverant and able to advance bravely. This term is still being widely used and has become the identity of Hong Kong citizens. Recently, the “Lion Rock Spirit” has embodied meanings of more than solidarity, including the values of democracy and justice.
There was a Cantonese pop song called “Egg and Lamb” that was quite popular during the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement in 2014. I have translated part of the lyrics that depict a modernized “Lion Rock Spirit”:
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“Group A, be an egg crashing on the wall / Not afraid of ending heroically, we will never give in / Group B, be a lamb stuck on a ranch for the rest of our lives / How to choose between these two options? / It is time to decide / Keep dragging on, or we will end up terribly /”
This song may also explain the mentality of Hongkongers when they decided to go to the streets for large-scale protesting. Even being as fragile as an egg confronting a solid wall, we will never lose our pride for defending our rights and freedom. Photographs by Natalie Leung and Lawrence Fung.
The Author
Originally from Hong Kong, Chloe Chan is currently volunteering at the Gwangju Trauma Center and is busy preparing for her master’s degree in NGOs at Chonnam University.
August 2019
I soon realized that upholding the spirit of indigenousness can be influential and drive people to seek what is truly important for their homeland. It can influence citizens to fight for their rights by making visible changes in society.
▲ A photo by a 28 year-old female protester in Hong Kong.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
In April 2019, I participated in a dark tour in Gwangju. At that time, I first heard of the term “Gwangju Spirit.” I was told that it is a core value of Gwangju citizens and what made Gwangju people brave enough to fight for independence while facing furious Japanese soldiers and to confront the martial law forces during the Gwangju Uprising. These dark histories have refined Gwangju and pushed it forward. Hong Kong has also endured the Asian Financial Crisis and the SARS epidemic, both of which reshaped Hong Kong and led Hong Kong in a new direction.
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50 Opinion
Towards a Cashless Society
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
August 2019
OPINION
Written by William Urbanski
T
here is a purveyor of coffee that operates stores all across the globe whose products I thoroughly enjoy. Their coffee is delicious and their stores are warm and inviting. Even their prices, which are more than I like to pay for coffee, are fair when considering the quality and overall ambiance. Furthermore, I have no opinion about their labor standards or anything like that. Despite all this, this franchise, whose name starts with an “S” and ends with an “arbucks,” recently instituted a policy that I cannot and will not support: their decision to stop accepting cash. We may be led to believe that using digital payments is just more convenient or even the way of the future, but who really benefits when stores abandon cash? I will give you a hint: not you.
percent. The fact that people pay more when using their cards is well-studied and well-documented.
The first reason for a store not wanting to use cash is that there are certain expenses that come with handling paper money. Counting and tracking money adds expense in terms of man-hours. Coins and bills delivered from a bank incur service fees. Although I am not sure of how much of a problem it is in Korea, there is also the risk of accepting counterfeit money. On top of these reasons, at least once in the history of mankind, an employee has “skimmed the till,” meaning “took out a long-term interest-free loan from his employer.” If a business is able to do away with these pesky expenses associated with cash, it does nothing but help the bottom line.
This whole trend of moving towards a cashless society is laden with problems. Among the myriad international examples, three stick out.
The second reason a business would want to do away with cash is more sinister: Businesses know that people who use digital payments spend more. Why this happens can be illustrated by a simple example. If Johnny has 5,000 won and wants to buy a coffee that costs 5,400 won, he will not buy the coffee. If Johnny had only “planned” on spending “about” 5,000 won on coffee and used his card to pay, he will most likely just say “whatever” and buy it. Well, in the second case, Johnny just paid an extra 8
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“Nobody uses cash anymore,” I can hear you say. But let us be clear: Any establishment that demands digital payment is not doing it as a favor to you. They are doing it because in the heat of the moment, when the nice cashier tells you that that your coffee will cost 8 or 20 percent more than you planned, you will not want to look like a cheapskate to the people behind you in line and will pony up. Demanding digital payments exploits the taboo against appearing parsimonious to either the customer behind you or, gasp, to the cashier.
San Francisco recently pushed back against stores that accepted only digital payments, mandating that all brickand-mortar stores must accept cash. The reason? The city considered not accepting cash a form of discrimination against the most vulnerable people in society: the elderly, the handicapped, recent immigrants (who often prefer cash precisely because the countries they come from suffer from poor financial institutions, so they do not trust anything but cash), and other numerically significant groups of people that, for whatever reason, do not or cannot have access to bank accounts or credit cards. Recently in the UK, courts ruled that the biggest class action lawsuit in the history of Britain may proceed against Mastercard. The basis of the lawsuit is that all people in Britain paid higher prices due to excessive Mastercard fees. Not only does this tie into what I mentioned above with how people who use digital payments will simply
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51 pay more, but it also shows how overreliance on digital payments raises prices across the board. When a retail operation incurs an extra expense, such as the high transaction fees demanded by Mastercard, it will have to make up for that loss by passing on the high prices to the customer. Whether or not the class action lawsuit in the UK will result in every single UK citizen receiving a lumpsum payout or not, it sets the legal precedent that digital transaction fees raise prices and cause people to spend more. Sweden, perhaps the most “cashless” society in the world, has experienced problems with its transition, even though most of society is on board with the change. Particularly hard hit are the elderly who in many cases struggle with using technology required to use and track digital transactions. Besides problems with adapting to the necessary technological change, there are somewhat comical examples of the issues created when the kroner is no longer king. Even public toilets, the last bastion of refuge for confused tourists and people who prefer to not do their business behind dumpsters in dank alleys, simply will not take coins. As well, in many instances, because they don’t keep any on hand, banks just do not allow people to withdraw or deposit cash. Weird. THE DIGITAL DOWNSIDE This is a somewhat subtle thing, but while using digital payments may be a convenient thing, it is not necessarily a good thing or even a sign of progress in society. Furthermore, there is no nobility in using your phone to pay for a smoothie, and using digital payments makes you neither cool nor hip, and certainly not a member of the Digital Elite™.
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The Author
William Urbanski, managing editor of the Gwangju News, has an MA in international relations and cultural diplomacy. He is married to a wonderful Korean woman, always pays cash, and keeps all his receipts.
5,000 won coffee budget Coffee costs 5,400 won
Card or cash?
Card (or other form of digital payment).
Exactly 5,000 won in your wallet.
Buy or not? Most likely pay the extra 8% like a chump.
No coffee today.
August 2019
EMBRACE THE PAIN OF PAYING The next time you fork out some cash for a coffee, a pair of shoes, or whatever, pay attention to that little bad feeling that accompanies someone taking your money. That is called the pain of paying. Even though you get something in return, there is a little and subtle feeling of loss because you had to give something up. Compare this to paying with a card: You hand over your card and the cashier hands you back your card, plus the item you wanted. On the surface, on a purely superficial level, you got something without giving anything up. Great, but this transaction obfuscates,
I am not here to rally against digital payments. There are many cases where digital payment is a good thing, but buying coffee is not one of them. Some (business owners especially) might suggest that a business has a right to determine how it will accept payment. To this, I have one word: poppycock. If a business wants to operate in a society, it should be forced to accept all forms of legal tender. In the same way that a restaurant in Korea cannot demand to be paid in Euros, a business, especially a retail operation, should in no way, shape, or form be able to reject paper won. In the end, providing coffee to the masses is not an essential service, and any coffee shop, especially a multinational one that operates under the umbrella of the Korean marketplace, should not be allowed to start dictating economic policy.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
Another often overlooked aspect of a cashless society is the way in which purchases are tracked and information is collected. In a world of targeted advertising, is it really a good idea to help people who would separate you from your money? Paper money offers a huge advantage over digital payments: anonymity in a way that no block-chain, crypto currency, or secure debit transaction, will ever be able to provide.
or at least minimizes the fact that you just parted with your hard-earned money. This pain of paying is not a bad thing: It forces us to carefully consider our purchases. Embrace the pain of paying.
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52 Expat Living
Tougher Punishment for Drunk Driving Written by Ryu Hye-jung
COMMUNITY
P
unishments for traffic violations in Korea vary depending on the crime: If one fails to obey a traffic signal, he or she gets 15 points in penalties and is fined up to 70,000 won. For drivers with penalties exceeding 40 points, the driver is suspended from driving. Driving while drunk, however, can result in the loss of life for drivers, passengers, and other citizens. Therefore, traffic violations due to drunk driving can result in more serious punishments. If a driver receives more than 100 points worth of penalties due to drunk driving, then he or she has to take a minimum six-hour mandatory traffic safety education course.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
August 2019
Educating drivers about the consequences of their behavior has been my career, and now I want people to be more aware of the changes to traffic laws related to driving while impaired by alcohol. The new and tougher punishment for drunk driving, called the “Yoon Chang-ho Act,” has taken effect starting on June 25, 2019. This revised act follows the death of the law’s namesake, a 22-year-old Korean solider who was killed by a drunk driver with a blood alcohol level of 0.181 percent, far higher than the blood alcohol limit of the time (0.05 percent). After Yoon’s death, Koreans around the country had to confront the reality that any family could be torn apart or any friend could be lost due to drunk driving. Despite causing Yoon’s death, the driver was sentenced to just three years in jail. Thus, there was an urge for harsher regulation on drunk driving nationwide. With the implementation of the Yoon Chang-ho Act, the legal blood alcohol limit has been revised to 0.03 percent, and drivers who have a level above 0.08 percent will be subject to confiscation of their driver’s licenses. The Act will also give longer prison terms to those who cause a death while driving inebriated. Now, drunk drivers will be imprisoned for one to two years and fined from five million won to ten million won. For those whose driver’s
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licenses are confiscated, the disqualification period to get a driver’s license back will increase to a maximum five years. Fatalities from drunk-driving accidents are not only a Korean problem, but one the world is facing. According to the Korea Road Traffic Agency, the number of drunkdriving cases last year was 19,381, down 0.7 percent from 2017 (19,517 cases). The death toll from drunk driving dropped 21.2 percent in 2018 to 346. Meanwhile, after the implementation of the original Yoon Chang-ho Act last December, the number of drunk-driving cases in Jeollanam-do was down 30.2 percent in the first quarter of 2019 from the same period last year. In Gwangju, the number of cases decreased about 37 percent from January to April this year. While the decrease in drunk-driving cases is encouraging, I am skeptical of the long-term results. The lower death toll from drunk-driving cases is a good start, but it still represents 346 family members, friends, and fellow Koreans who lost their lives to drunk driving. From my interactions with these drivers in the traffic safety courses, I believe that Koreans need to reconsider the idea that drunk-driving cases are simply a mistake or a common accident. Drunk drivers can kill young soldiers, mothers, grandparents, and children, and treating this action like an accident with short-term consequences for drivers will not deter future violations. The Yoon Chang-ho Act is a positive start, and I hope to see more action taken to address this serious problem in our society.
The Author
Ryu Hye-jung is a traffic safety educator and driving instructor. She loves discovering new things and going on adventures with her children.
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53
CROSSWORD PUZZLE Created by Jon Dunbar
ARTS & CULTURE
ACROSS
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DOWN 1 Cheat 2 Length times width 3 Hideout 4 “Lost in Gwangju” columnist Winters 5 Daewoo’s microvan 6 K-pop girl group 7 Horse-drawn transports 8 Private university in Gwangju 9 Honolulu island 10 Goes with field or shaft 11 Male siblings 19 Korean CIA equivalent 21 ___-cone 24 Stomach muscles
25 26 27 28 29 30 32 35 36 37 38 40 41 42 43 45 46 47 50
Japanese drama form Sportage maker Modern-day sedan Keanu Reeves character Building at former provincial office site Yoo Eun-hae’s agency Hyundai Motor luxury brand Debacle Top choice Asian energy force Goes with human or equal One of the Three Musketeers Semiconductor memory chip Law Consider Wild West lawman Wyatt Caroline or Perlman ___ Fifth Avenue in New York Changnyeong County wetland
Look for the answers to this crossword puzzle to appear in September in Gwangju News Online (www.gwangjunewsgic.com)
August 2019
39 40 41 44
Indonesian tourist destination Lee Myung-bak’s de facto company Brush Gershwin and Steven Behr Internet CD company 1960s rock musical Star Wars princess Goes with Fannie or West Utterance of dread Editor Prananto Copies of Gwangju News Smart computers African antelope Pharaoh accessories National university in Gwangju “Sk8r ___” Petrol Prefix on -friendly or -system Editor-in-chief David “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim” musician Actor Henry ___ Cusick Hawaiian tuna “Agony uncle” columnist Kia baseball club
Regrets Musician Susie or Johnny Skull’s musical partner Baldwin or Guinness Stock market debut Expedition Note Distress call Jjimjilbangs
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
1 5 8 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 22 23 24 27 31 32 33 34 37
48 49 51 52 53 54 55 56 57
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54
Gwangju Happenings Compiled by Baek Ji-yeon
GWANGJU NATIONAL MUSEUM
P 110 Haseo-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju À 062-570-7000 ` https://gwangju.museum.go.kr/
MONTHLY NEWS
MASTERPIECES OF CIZHOU WARE FROM CHINA: THE ART OF BLACK AND WHITE 중국 자주요 도자 명품전 - 흑백의 향연 May 28 – August 18
GWANGJU MUSEUM OF ART
P 52 Haseo-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju À 062-613-7100 ` http://artmuse.gwangju.go.kr/
VISUAL DELIGHTS 맛있는 미술관 July 2 – November 3 Exhibition Halls 1, 2 본관 제1, 2전시실
August 2019
“UIJAE, BECAME A MOUNTAIN” ART EXHIBITION 의재毅齋, 산이 되다 July 10 – October 20 Exhibition Halls 3, 4 본관 제3, 4전시실
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
PHOTO EXHIBITION: 2019 REPUBLIC OF KOREA 100 YEARS – 10 SCENES THAT CHANGED HISTORY 2019 대한민국 100년, 역사를 바꾼 10장면 사진 전시회 February 28 – December 15
BEIJING CREATIVE CENTER’S “BEIJING CORRESPONDENCE” 북경창작센터 10주년 기념 특별전 <북경서신> June 11 – October 13 Exhibition Halls 5, 6 본관 제5, 6전시실 ART PICNIC “OPEN” 아트피크닉 ‘펼치다’ Every Saturday from March to October, 14:00–18:00 Open Area 광주시립미술관 잔디광장
AROUND GWANGJU THE JUNG YUL SUNG MUSIC FESTIVAL 정율성 음악축제 t August 23 P 60 Bukmundae-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju À 062-670-7464 ` http://www.jysfestival.kr/
DAEIN NIGHT ART MARKET 2019 대인예술야시장 t Every Saturday P Daein Market, Dong-gu, Gwangju À 062-223-1420 ` https://daeinmarket.modoo.at/
2019 GWANGJU FRINGE FESTIVAL 2019 광주 프린지 페스티벌 t April–December (every Saturday) P Along Geumnam-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju À 062-223-0410 ` http://fringefestival.kr/
1930 YANGNIM SALON 1930양림쌀롱 t April–August P 27-2 Yangchon-gil, Nam-gu, Gwangju Yangnim Travel Lounge À 070-4239-5040 ` http://salon1930.com/
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Gwangju Theater P 62 Chungjang-ro 5-ga, Dong-gu, Gwangju (Two blocks behind NC Wave) ￦ 8,000 won À 062-224-5858 ` http://cafe.naver.com/cinemagwangju (Korean) * Synopses excerpted from Wikipedia, IMDb, and Hancinema. All English language films are presented with Korean subtitles; nonEnglish international films are presented with Korean subtitles only.
SHUSENJO: THE MAIN BATTLEGROUND OF THE COMFORT WOMEN ISSUE
Documentary, 120 min., English with Korean subtitles
A Japanese-American director digs deep into the controversial “comfort women” issue to settle the debate on whether the women were paid prostitutes or sex slaves, and reveals the motivations and intentions of the main actors pushing to revise history in Japan. Director: Miki Dezaki
THE DEAD DON’T DIE
Comedy, Fantasy, 104 min., English with Korean subtitles
A drama about a family set in Calais, with the European refugee crisis as the backdrop. Director: Jim Jarmusch Starring: Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tom Waits
MY NAME IS KIM BOK-DONG 김복동
Documentary, 101 min., Korean (no subtitles)
In 1992, Kim Bok-dong reported herself as a victim of sexual slavery back during World War II, which would later be known as the “comfort women” issue. She wanted to receive a proper apology from the Japanese government, but it denied any responsibility. In 2011, commemorating the 1000th Wednesday demonstration, the Statue of Peace was installed in front of the Embassy of Japan. Today the fight over the issue enters a new stage. Director: Song Won-Geun Starring: Han Ji-min
RYEOHAENG 려행
Documentary, 86 min., Korean (no subtitles)
So close and yet so far away. Ryeohaeng is a poetic documentary about the past and present journey of North Korean defectors from the time they escaped from North Korea to the time they arrived in Seoul. Director: Im Heung-soon
ACC Events
t Daily 10:00–18:00 except Mondays P 38 Munhwa-jeondang-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju ￦ Free À 1899-5566 ` http://acc.go.kr
2019 ACC MATCHING PROJECT: KOREAN AND ASIAN ARTISTS EXHIBITION “LIGHT ON THE MOVE” 2019 지역∙ 아시아 작가 매칭전 June 21 – September 1 Space 6 문화창조원 복합6관 DRIFTING RECORDS OF ASIA: ACROSS A STORMY VOVAGE 아시아의 표해록(漂海錄): 바다 건너 만난 이웃 July 9 – October 27 Library Park Special Hall 3 라이브러리파크 기획관3
KIM YUN-GYEONG SOLO EXHIBITION PHOTOGRAPHY: A WAY TO MYSELF Gallery Bar 0518 presents Kim Yun-gyeong’s (김윤경) Second Solo Exhibition. His pictures were taken while he was studying theology in San Francisco, California. In order to breathe, he took his camera and started taking pictures of people on the street. By doing so, he could figure out more about himself. Basic understanding of photography is an act of capturing others, but it is more of an act of capturing things that are deep inside of oneself: A Way to MYSELF. t July 9 – September 30, 2019,
7:00 p.m. (Tuesday–Sunday)
P Gallery Bar 0518
23-beon-gil 3, Munhwa-jeondang-ro, Dong-gu, Gwangju (Gong-o-il-pal, 2nd Floor) 광주 동구 문화전당로 23번길 3, (2F) 공오일팔 À 010-5615-2268
THE SEA OF ITAMI JUN 이타미 준의 바다
Documentary, 113 min., Korean, Japanese (Korean subtitles)
We are all familiar with architect Itami Jun’s artistic world, but his life as Japanese-Korean Yoo Dongryong is not very well known. What is the source of Itami Jun’s incredible architecture? The Sea of Itami Jun holds the answer to that question. The film looks at Itami Jun’s life through interviews with various people that knew him well. Director: Jung Da-Woon Starring: Kuma Kengo, Yoo I-hwa, Ban Shigeru
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56
Community Board Have something you want to share with the community? The Community Board provides a space for the community to announce activities and special events. Please contact gwangjunews@gic.or.kr for more information.
Calling All Dance Enthusiasts
The Gwangju Performance Project’s official Dance Troupe is back in session! Our troupe offers classes, workshops, and opportunities to perform for people from all walks of life. NO DANCE EXPERIENCE OR AUDITION NECESSARY. All we require is a strong desire to TWERK and SLAY as hard as humanly possible. * Classes are held twice a month on Sundays from 3 to 5 p.m. at the GIC or from 3 to 6 p.m. at one of our varying studio spaces. * Please Note: On occasion, our troupe holds classes at different dance studios throughout Gwangju. * Once added to our official Kakao Group via our admin, we will be sure to notify you of the location. Granted access to our official Kakao Group may be reached by sending a message to our admin Iman Smith (Kakao ID:@Naima915). We hope to have you join us for this dance extravaganza!
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
August 2019
Baseball in Gwangju
Are you interested in playing baseball? Do you enjoy the sport but haven’t had the opportunity to participate here in Gwangju? Well, you are in luck! For the past six years, the foreign baseball team, the Gwangju Bombers, has been playing competitively in a baseball league in the city. The team is always looking for players to add to the roster. The team consists of both foreign and Korean players, and plays every Saturday from March to October. Come, play, and have fun! If interested, contact Joel Klimas at joelklimas@gmail.com.
Gwangju Inter FC
Gwangju Spanish Club
Every two weeks on Saturdays, 3:30–5:30 p.m., GIC Global Lounge (1st floor) Spanish – English – Korean Language Exchange No importa tu nivel de español. ¡Únetenos! Facebook: Gwangju Spanish Club – Int/Adv
GIC Citizens’ Choir
Are you interested in joining a choir? The GIC Citizens’ Choir is inviting sopranos, altos, tenors and basses. Send your application to gic@gic.or.kr with the following information: name, phone number, email, voice part, and brief self-introduction on your singing experiences. You can also visit and observe the GIC Citizens’ Choir rehearsing on the first floor of the GIC at 10:00 a.m. every other Saturday.
Unesco Kona Volunteers
KONA Storybook Center (KSC) is a registered small public library supported by UNESCO KONA Volunteers (UKV). UKV is a registered organization that helps disadvantaged children learn English independently through storybooks and story-maps. We guide families and children to develop a love of reading storybooks in English. We also give guidance to volunteers in using storybooks. We are looking for long-term volunteers who desire to enrich their lives. We are asking volunteers to commit to helping at least once a month. For more information, please visit http://cafe.daum. net/konavolunteers or our Facebook pages for KONA Storybook Center and UNESCO KONA Volunteers. Also, you can contact Kim Young-im at 062-434-9887 or email konacenter@gmail.com.
The Gwangju International Soccer Team (Gwangju Inter FC) plays regularly every weekend. If you are interested in playing, email seehand@naver.com, phone or text 0107126-1207 Facebook: Gwangju Inter FC
Sunday Yoga with Emily
Every Sunday (unless otherwise stated on the Facebook page) 2–3 p.m., GIC Hall (1st floor) Appropriate for all levels. Classes are taught in English. Donation is encouraged. Facebook: Gwangju Yoga with Emily
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Attorney Attorney Park’s Park’s Law Law Firm Firm We're ready to serve your best interests in legal disputes. We provide affordable consultation & representation.
▶ Areas of Specialty contracts, torts, family law, immigration, labor ▶ Civil & Criminal Attorney Park, Duckhee
former judge, GIC board member Services available in Korean, English & Chinese
#402 Simsan Bldg, 342-13 Jisan-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju Location: next to Gwangju District Court
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Tel: 062) 222-0011 Fax: 062)222-0013 duckheepark@hanmail.net
2019-07-29 �� 10:18:50
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