Gwangju and South Jeolla International Magazine
May 2021 #231
Witness to May 18 May 2021 #231 Dr. Paul Courtright: Witness to May 18
Dr. Paul Courtright
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1 Gwangju & South Jeolla International Magazine
From the Editor
I May 2021, Issue 231 Published: May 1, 2021 Cover Photo: Courtesy of Paul Courtright Background Artwork: Lisa May Casaus The Fire of Hope 2018 Mixed media collage on paper
THE EDITORIAL TEAM Publisher Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Chief Copy Editor Layout Editor Photographer Communications Copy Editors Online Editor
Dr. Shin Gyonggu Dr. David E. Shaffer William Urbanski Isaiah Winters Karina Prananto Kim Hillel Yunkyoung Ki Hyunsoo Jonathan Moffett, Timothy Berg, Thomas DeVore, Di Foster, David Foster, Joseph Nunez Karina Prananto
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 ©2021 by the Gwangju International Center. All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by this copyright may be reproduced in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise – without the written consent of the publisher.
Registration No. 광주광역시 라. 00145 (ISSN 2093-5315) Registration Date: February 22, 2010 Printed by Jieum 지음 (+82)-62-672-2566
Special thanks to Gwangju City and all of our sponsors.
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While the Gwangju Uprising took place four decades ago, another country is currently in the midst of its own uprising against military rule. For our fourth feature, the Gwangju News has interviewed a Myanmar expat living in Gwangju to give us the details on what is happening in her home country. This month’s Travel section takes you on a three-course journey from sightings of scattered bones in a graveyard (Lost in Gwangju), to leprosy on Sorok Island (Around Korea), and to the 2,500-yearold city of Budva, Montenegro (From Abroad). In our Community section, a mom-and-pops bar owner tells of the struggles and secrets of staying in business during a pandemic (Local Entrepreneurs); our managing editor gives new meaning to the phrase “break a leg” and even some very good advice (Health); and in Expat Living, you will find excellent advice on moderation with alcohol (no relation to the break-a-leg piece), as well as a piece on online study. Language Teaching this month focuses on cosmopolitanism for the classroom, and our Korean lesson talks about the weather. Either of these could serve as a conversation piece over Iberico Bellota steak at The Hannamdong (Restaurant Review) or over your homemade stir-fried baby octopus (Recipe). The month of May hosts Limerick Day; muse over some original rhythmic play in Gwangju Writes. May is also the month of the Coming of Buddha; feast your eyes on a kaleidoscope of temple lantern hues (Photo Essay). Check out Book Review for our new book reviewer’s thoughts on The Tyranny of Merit. And you will want to check our Top of The Drop for what to look for in new music releases and what you may have missed. Don’t forget to try you luck at our crossword puzzle, but first off, ponder our Photo of the Month, and read up on Gwangju City News. As always, stay Covid smart, stay Covid safe, and enjoy the Gwangju News.
David E. Shaffer Editor-in-Chief Gwangju News
May 2021
For volunteering and article submission inquiries, please contact the editor at gwangjunews@gic.or.kr.
For those of our readers who may not have vivid memories of that May 41 years ago, our cover feature interviews Dr. Paul Courtright, a young Peace Corps volunteer at the time, who has recently authored Witnessing Gwangju. Artist Kim Geun-tae was a young university student at ground zero during 5.18 and is still haunted by the events that transpired. Read about him and his art in People in the Arts. We also bring you a brief chronology of the Gwangju Uprising (Blast from the Past).
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The Gwangju News is published by the Gwangju International Center: Jungang-ro 196-beon-gil 5 (Geumnam-ro 3-ga), Dong-gu, Gwangju 61475, South Korea Tel: (+82)-62-226-2733~34 Fax: (+82)-62-226-2731 Website: www.gwangjunewsgic.com Email: gwangjunews@gic.or.kr GwangjuNews gwangjunews
t’s May in Gwangju! The proximity of those two nouns – May and Gwangju – for many of the city’s residents evokes memories of an even less pleasant time than that of the current Covid pandemic: a period of ten bloody days in 1980 (May 18–27) that has come to be known as the Gwangju Uprising, the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement, or simply 5.18.
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Photo of the Month We hope a warm spring comes soon. By Kim Hillel Yunkyung Photograph taken during the Myanmar protest at the Gwangju Bus Terminal.
The Photographer
Kim Hillel Yunkyoung is a priest in the Anglican Church and also a portrait photographer. More of his pictures can be found at hillelkim.
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Contents
ISSUE 231, MAY 2021
NEWS 01. From the Editor 04. Gwangju City News FEATURES 06. Witness to May 18: Dr. Paul Courtright 10. Crisis in Myanmar 15. People in the Arts: 100 Meters of Art – Kim Geun-tae 19. Blast from the Past: Remembering the Gwangju Uprising – 5.18 TRAVEL 23. Lost in Gwangju: Odds and (Dead) Ends – Whistling Past the Graveyard 28. Around Korea: Sorok-do – Island of Patients 30. From Abroad: Budva – The Heart of the Adriatic TEACHING & LEARNING 32. Language Teaching: The Cosmopolitan Classroom – Transformation Through Encounters with Difference 36. Everyday Korean: Episode 41– 날씨가 어때요? (How’s the weather?) FOOD & DRINKS 37. Recipe: Jjukkumi Bokkeum – Stir-Fied Baby Octopus 38. Restaurant Review: “The Hannamdong Relaxing Afternoon” – A Gourmet Experience COMMUNITY
CULTURE & ARTS 02. Photo of the Month 48. Photo Essay: Ocean of Light – Dongdae Temple 51. Gwangju Writes: Rhythmic Play for Limerick Day 52. Book Review: The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good? 54. GFN Radio: Top of the Drop 56. Crossword Puzzle
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40. Local Entrepreneurs: Is This NIRVANA?! Small Business Survival While Social Distancing 42. Health: Snap, Crackle, Pop – What to Expect If You Break a Bone in Korea 44. Expat Living: Maintaining Moderation with Alcohol 46. Expat Living: The New Vibe of Studying Online
May 2021
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4 During a video conference on the afternoon of April 6, Gwangju City, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) agreed to issue a joint UCLG statement calling for opposition to Myanmar’s military coup, support of the pro-democracy movement, and protection of Myanmar people’s human rights.
Gwangju City News
MONTHLY NEWS
Reprinted from the Gwangju Metropolitan City website (http://gwangju.go.kr)
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
May 2021
▲ Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong Sub during the video conference.
Gwangju City & United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Announce Support for Myanmar People
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The video conference, organized at the suggestion of Gwangju City Mayor Lee Yong Sup, was attended by Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Emilia Saiz Carrancedo, current Secretary-General of UCLG; Mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau; and Morten Kjaerum, Director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights. Mayor Lee said, “The worsening situation in Myanmar is similar to that of the Gwangju Democratic Movement against military forces, which took place 41 years ago in May 1980. Now more than 100 organizations in Gwangju have formed the “Gwangju Alliance,” opposing the military coup and supporting democracy in Myanmar, and are conducting various activities to show support.” He went on to say, “After hearing various opinions at meetings with Myanmar residents in Gwangju, we have confirmed that what they need the most at this moment are support and solidarity from the international community,” emphasizing the importance of UCLG’s role. Mayor Lee Yong Sup further explained, “I hope the international community will unite their voices in recognizing that Myanmar has been completely isolated by the military. I therefore propose that the UCLG Commission on Human Rights member cities denounce Myanmar’s military authorities, call for the protection of Myanmar people’s human rights, and officially announce the recognition of Myanmar’s democratic government in a joint statement.” In response, Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, explained the situation in Myanmar and the measures taken so far by the United Nations in detail, and said, “We strongly encourage acts of solidarity with Myanmar’s people from Gwangju and other local governments.” She also added, “If the UCLG member cities issue a joint statement calling for the protection of human rights in Myanmar, we will actively support it.” UCLG Secretary-General Emilia Saiz, Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, and Director Morten Kjaerum also promised to collaborate with the UCLG’s joint statement and offered various opinions on support of Myanmar’s people. “What concerns the people of Myanmar the most is that their resistance is being forgotten,” said Director Morten Kjaerum. “It is important to show solidarity through the World Human Rights
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5 Cities Forum and similar networks, and I am grateful for Gwangju’s opposition to the coup and for leading civil support.” The Gwangju city government plans to draft a joint statement with these organizations and announce it after obtaining signatures from the participating cities.
Mayor Lee Yong Sup Meets Austrian Ambassador Wolfgang Angerholzer
Meanwhile, starting last year, Gwangju City Hall and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have co-hosted the World Human Rights Cities Forum. In addition, the UCLG Commission on Human Rights is the co-organizer of the Forum, and Gwangju is the co-chair city of the UCLG Human Rights Committee, illustrating their close cooperation.
Gwangju to Attract 2025 World Archery Championships The Mecca of Archery, Gwangju City has officially begun in earnest to attract the 2025 World Archery Championships. The last WAC in Korea was hosted in Ulsan City in 2009, but Gwangju City stood out by showing differentiated infrastructure as a prestigious archery city at possible low expense and high efficiency.
COVID-19 NEWS
Starting Vaccinations for Long-Term Stay Foreigners in April
COVID-19 NEWS
Government Considering “Vaccination Vacation”
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Mayor Lee gave the ambassador couple a warm welcome on their visit to Gwangju. He said, “Since Austrian creators are participating in this year’s Biennale, I hope we can continue fostering cooperation and friendship between Gwangju and Austrian cities.” He also added, “You will visit Sorok-do as your next destination, and I sincerely thank you for the lifelong service of Sisters Margreth and Marianne.” Ambassador Wolfgang Angerholzer said, “I visited the Gwangju Biennale and the May 18 National Cemetery yesterday, and I felt that Gwangju sublimated the tragedy of May 18 into a positive image of creativity and hope at the Biennale.” He added, “We will try to show more Austrian culture and art at upcoming Biennales.” “Visiting Sorok-do is of great importance for me and my wife,” he continued. “We will take a lot of pictures on Sorok-do and convey to the sisters in Austria that all is well at Sorok-do, which is like another home for them.” Lastly, Mayor Lee called for international cooperation and support for the pro-democracy movement in Myanmar. “The massacre and human rights violations against the people of Myanmar are developing in a similar way to Gwangju’s May 18 Democratic Movement in 1980. I hope that all the world can help in supporting the Myanmar Democratic Movement.” Translated by Jana Milosavljevic.
May 2021
The quarantine authorities are now actively considering a “vaccination vacation” for people who exhibit an extraordinary reaction to their COVID-19 vaccination. The government has clarified its opinion over providing 1–2 days of official time off with the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and is preparing to enter into in-depth discussions with the agency.
Gwangju Metropolitan City Mayor Lee Yong Sup met with Austrian Ambassador Wolfgang Angerholzer and his wife on the morning of April 2 in the City Hall meeting room. They discussed plans on overall cooperation between Gwangju and Austria, mentioning culture and human rights.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
The quarantine authorities have officially approved a vaccination schedule for long-term stay foreigners, whose stays in Korea are longer than three months. Accordingly, relevant foreigners of age 75 and above will be vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine beginning in April and those aged 65–74 will be vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine beginning in June.
▲ Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong Sub (left), Ambassador Wolfgang Angerholzer, and wife.
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Inter view by Arlo Matisz
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Witness to May 18: Dr. Paul Courtright
In 1979, a young Paul Courtright found himself in Korea, working as a Peace Corps volunteer just outside of Gwangju. His work-related travel took him through Gwangju in the early days of the Gwangju Uprising in 1980, later to be known as the Gwangju May 18 Democratization Movement. Eager to witness more of what was unfolding in the city, Paul bicycled back into Gwangju, where he was astonished at what was transpiring before his eyes! Forty years later, when Paul was now Dr. Courtright, he recorded his May 18 experiences in his book, Witnessing Gwangju. In advance of his planned visit to Gwangju, the Gwangju News was fortunate to be able to conduct this interview with Dr. Paul Courtright. — Ed.
Dr. Courtright: I finished university in the U.S. in 1978, and I knew that I wanted to return overseas. I had spent part of my youth overseas because of my father’s work in Iran, Taiwan, and Australia, and I figured that, ultimately, my career would be outside of the U.S. The Peace Corps seemed to be a natural fit for me. When the Peace Corps offered me Korea and work in leprosy, I said “yes.” I knew nothing about leprosy, but after years of living in Taiwan and studying Chinese, I felt that I wanted to be somewhere in East Asia. I was particularly keen to learn a new language and a new culture, and so, Korea was a perfect choice.
I lived and worked in Hohyewon until October 1980; my father had passed away, and I returned to the U.S. for a brief period. There was a new group of Peace Corps volunteers coming in, and I asked one of them to move to my village. When I returned to Korea in December, I started a new project: visiting almost all the leprosy resettlement villages in the country with my Korean coworker to examine people for eye diseases. So, during the remainder of 1980 and until the Peace Corps closed down in late 1981, I was “on the road,” traveling throughout Korea, from village to village, focused on providing eye care.
May 2021
GN: The Peace Corps was the “perfect choice.” So, what type of work did you do during your two years of Peace Corps service? I believe you were stationed in Jeollanamdo for the entirety of you time here.
GN: As you were not based in Gwangju, how is it that you got caught up in the Gwangju Uprising in May of 1980? Can you tell us what you witnessed and what you did upon seeing the violence that was taking place?
Dr. Courtright: After my Peace Corps training, I was assigned to Naju Health Center in Jeonnam. During the first few months in Naju, I realized that there was little to do at the health center itself but a lot to do at the two leprosy resettlement villages, which were at opposite ends of the county. It was difficult to get back and forth between them, even on my bike on the back roads. I made the request to live in the largest village, Hohyewon (호혜원), and my friend Tim Warnberg said that he would provide some support to the other village. I moved in
Dr. Courtright: On May 18, I was hiking near my village. I had no idea about what was happening in Gwangju that day. My village leader told me, when I got back that evening, that “something bad had happened.” The following morning, I was taking two of my patients to the Yeosu Aeyang Hospital for eye surgery, and we changed buses in Gwangju. That was when I first saw what was really going on in Gwangju. I was shocked when I saw a young man being brutally beaten by two soldiers at the bus station. When I came back to Gwangju that evening,
FEATURE
November 1979 to Hohyewon, not far from Nampyeong, which is on the outskirts of Gwangju, so I was in and out of Gwangju frequently. Among other things, it had the closest bathhouse. Gwangju became my “second home.” During this time, I spent most Mondays at the Yeosu Aeyang Hospital (여수 애양병원) learning about the eye complications of leprosy.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
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wangju News (GN): Thank you, Dr. Courtright, for agreeing to do this interview with the Gwangju News. You were a young U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Korea in the 1979–1981 period, part of one of the last groups in the Peace Corps’ fifteen-year history in this country. Can you tell us what motivated you to join the Peace Corps and come to Korea?
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7 my bus stopped a mile or so before the bus station because of all the debris on the road and the evidence of conflict. I spent that night and the following morning (Tuesday) in Gwangju and saw the uprising starting to emerge. I was back in my village Tuesday night and in Nampyeong on Wednesday. On Thursday, I rode my bike into Gwangju, likely the last person to get into Gwangju on that road. For the next few days, I was in Gwangju unable to get out because of the military blockade. GN: Luckily, those were some of the calmer days of the uprising. I hope you will be able to share the details in a talk at the Gwangju International Center during your planned trip for later this year. Next is a two-part question: How did your time in Korea in general, and your witnessing the Gwangju May 18 Uprising in particular, impact your life after leaving Korea? Dr. Courtright: My time in Korea had a huge impact on my life, as I think it does to most foreigners. When the Peace Corps closed in Korea in late 1981, I was not ready to leave. I had grown to love many aspects of the country: the people, the food, the culture, and the countryside – but certainly not the military government of the time. I taught at Seoul International School for the next year, so I did not return to the U.S. until the end of 1982. Witnessing the events in Gwangju had a significant impact on me, however, at the time, I really did not understand what PTSD [posttraumatic stress disorder] was. The anger, pain, and defiance that people in Gwangju demonstrated was both distressing and inspirational. I wanted to remain in Korea, but I knew my status was fragile: The military government was furious with us because of our work as translators for the foreign reporters and photographers. For a long time afterwards, I tried to push it to the back recesses of my mind – for my own mental state and because I felt there was nothing I could do. Instead, I immersed myself fully in my work.
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GN: You have been to so many places and done so many things. And on top of all that, you have recently published a book on 5.18, Witnessing Gwangju. Why did you decide to undertake this book-writing project, and why did you wait until 40 years after the event to do it? Dr. Courtright: I wanted to write my story about what I experienced in Gwangju, but I waited. Why? First, there were other foreigners, particularly Tim Warnberg, whom I felt were more capable to write about our experiences. Second, I still found it emotionally draining to think back to that time and decided it was better to wait. Third, the rest of my life took over: my work in Africa and elsewhere, and my family. After Tim died, I decided to write – but only when I had the time, when I retired. So, why did I want to write this book? I felt it was important for Americans to understand this event, how
May 2021
Dr. Courtright: After completing my master’s degree in public health at Johns Hopkins, I moved to San Francisco to work at UCSF [University of California San Francisco]. During this time, I spent a year working in Egypt; my time there was the foundation for my doctorate at UC Berkeley. I have Korea to thank for putting me on my career pathway. Because of my time in Korea, I became particularly interested in the epidemiology of eye diseases, and my entire career has focused on this. After finishing my degree, I got married, and my wife and I moved to Ethiopia for one year, followed by four years in Malawi,
and seven years as an associate professor at the University of British Columbia in Canada. I had decided a long time ago that I had limited interest in a U.S.-based academic career. Instead, I was interested in applied epidemiology and public health addressing real-world needs. We returned to Africa in 2001, and my wife and I established the Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology (www.kcco.net) in Moshi, Tanzania. Our training and research facility worked with eye care professionals from throughout Africa. It was challenging but fascinating – we even started partnerships with two Korean organizations to expand their support for the prevention of blindness in Africa. After over 20 years in Africa, I handed over the reins to a new executive director in 2016, and we moved to San Diego. Besides the fascinating experience of working in many countries in Africa, I was also glad that our two sons grew up in Africa. They are both back working in Africa after finishing their degrees.
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GN: I think you must have had a fascinating career in public health. Can you highlight some of the places you worked at and the things you have done?
▲ Paul Courtright meeting Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (October 2019).
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▲ Left: Paul Courtright with fellow Peace Corps volunteer Tim Warnberg at Hohyewon near Naju (1980). Right: Peace Corps volunteer Paul Courtright at a leprosy resettlement village (1979).
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
May 2021
the American government responded to it, and how this event impacted people from all walks of life. I thought that it would best be done as a memoir. When I visited Korea in May 2019, it became clear to me, after talking with many of my Korean friends, that Koreans also wanted to hear a foreign perspective of the event. I was told that, as a foreigner, I was considered independent – I was not from Gwangju or other places in the country, and my perspective was not biased toward any point of view. So, I felt that it was also good to have a Korean translation of my book. When I was in Seoul, I was shocked that there were still people who believed the Chun narrative. Incredible! GN: Yes, I can empathize with the “emotionally draining” part. So, tell us how you went about doing the research required for such a book-length project? I suspect that if I were to reach back and dust off my cranial archives of 5.18 memories, I would be lucky to find enough detail for a short essay. Dr. Courtright: It would have been impossible for me to write my memoir if I had not kept extensive notes detailing every single day during the uprising. My notes captured not just what I saw, but also how I felt, and what I heard. I had to recreate the dialogue as best as I could. It was important for me to visit Gwangju in 2019 to view a few places, for example, the provincial office building, to remind myself of the interior layout. I wanted to make sure that I captured the sense of the place accurately. I also used some letters I had written to friends at the time, which I had photocopied before posting because I realized that they included a lot of information.
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Why did I write everything down in May 1980? Having it written down was the only way that I could sleep at night. The events of each day were traumatic, and I found it difficult to sleep unless I had written everything down. That allowed me to be confident that nothing was lost – it was captured on paper and did not have to bang around in my brain all night. GN: What perspective did you take in your account in Witnessing Gwangju? What do you hope that the reader takes away from the account of 5.18 that you present? Dr. Courtright: I decided early on that I would only write about what I had observed, what I had heard, and what I had felt during those days, rather than describe the perspectives of others. There are academic articles about the uprising, and it was not necessary for me to repeat what had already been written about specific events. Although I am an academic, my field is not Korean political history, and I did not feel qualified to discuss the implications of the uprising in Korean history or in America’s interaction with Korea. I was only qualified to present what I had experienced, and I hoped that it would give a perspective that may not have been presented in the past. Since my main audience was American, it was also important to present my life in Korea – it helps the readers to imagine themselves in my shoes. I always wondered “what if I…,” so I hope readers consider what they might have done when presented with the same situation. Of course, I also wanted the readers to appreciate my fondness for Korea. GN: It has been a year now since Witnessing Gwangju has come out. What kind of reception has it received? And
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9 there is a Korean translation of Witnessing out also, “5.18 – Pureun nun-ui jeungin” (5.18 – 푸른 눈의 증인). Is it also enjoying a wide readership? Dr. Courtright: As you might imagine, many former Korea Peace Corps volunteers are interested in reading Witnessing Gwangju. I have given several talks to Korean studies classes at U.S. and Canadian universities. I hope that people with an interest in modern Korean political history will read my book, but that requires marketing – which is not my strong point. Interestingly, the Korean translation of Witnessing Gwangju has sold many more copies than the English version. There will be a rerelease of the Korean version with additional pictures. Hollym Press has released the English version as an ebook just recently, which should make it more accessible for people in other countries, too. GN: English, Korean, and now an ebook version – the book appears to be doing extremely well, and gaining in popularity! Well, have you looked into a crystal ball, read tea leaves, or had your saju read lately? Can you tell us what might be in store for Paul Courtright in the future?
Dr. Courtright: I tend to avoid looking at crystal balls. That said, I expect that I will continue to support the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in Africa. Although semi-retired, I work with the Ministries of Health and NGO partners in about 20 countries to help them plan their pathway to elimination – a few, like Malawi, are almost there! I have a team of eleven African technical advisors who now provide on-theground support for these countries instead of me. In San Diego, I am involved in a number of volunteer activities, which I enjoy. Visiting with friends from Korea and eating good banchan with soju or makgeolli will always remain in my future, and a visit to Korea is being planned for later this year. GN: Ah, soju and makgeolli conjure up memories of times gone by – times that I am sure you have captured in your book. Thank you, Paul, for this interview, and we look forward to your visit to Gwangju this year. Interviewed by David Shaffer, Gwangju News editor-in-chief. Photographs courtesy of Dr. Paul Courtright.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
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May 2021
▲ Jurgen Hinzpeter (German journalist), Judi Chamberlain, Tim Warnberg, Paul Courtright, and Dave Dollinger on the rooftop of the Chonnam University Hospital during the Gwangju Uprising (May 1980).
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FEATURE FEATURE
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Crisis in Myanmar
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May 2021
Inter view by Melline Galani For months now, many have witnessed the cruelty and abuses made by Myanmar’s military against its own civilians. Demonstrations and a deadly crackdown have embroiled the nation since February. A single coup brought back full military rule following years of quasi-democracy. Week after week, the armed forces have escalated their attacks on the demonstrators. At the time of this interview, the military had already killed hundreds of people – while having assaulted, detained, and/or tortured thousands of others. Gwangju, as a city of human rights, peace, and democracy, cannot remain silent about this situation. Thus, the Gwangju News conducted an interview with Thinzar Aung, a citizen from Myanmar currently residing in Gwangju. Her opinions are shared in this interview. — Melline Galani
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wangju News (GN): For our readers, would you first tell us a little about yourself and what brought you from Myanmar to Korea? Thinzar Aung: Yes, of course. I am studying for a PhD in integrative food, bioscience, and biotechnology at Chonnam National University. I am a food inspector for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Myanmar. I came here to study and learn food science and technology. I hope this education will help to improve my potential to serve my country. GN: What political changes has Myanmar gone through in the past 50 years or so?
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Thinzar Aung: There are many political changes that Myanmar has gone through during the past fifty years. But the most dramatic of these can be classified under the names of the generals who held military power in their respective times. In the 1962–1988 period, it was General Ne Win. In 1988–2010, it was General Than Shwe. In 2010–2015, there was General Thein Sein. Most of Myanmar’s past has been under one military regime or another. Even during the last few years, although it was said to be a “democratic” government, it was a fake democracy. From 2010 to 2015, it was mainly a military-backed party, the USDP [Union Solidarity and Development Party], plus the military in power. From 2015 to 2020, the party called
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11 the National League for Democracy, or NLD, which was led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, won the election. Regardless of this, a quarter of the seats in the parliament are reserved for military officers, even though they were not elected, and all the national security forces are directly under the command of General Min Aung Hlaing. So, one can see that it has not been a true democracy. GN: What have been some of the most significant economic and cultural incidents during this time? Thinzar Aung: As I said, there have been many significant economic and cultural incidents that have taken place during the past 50 years. It is really a long period of history. But if I have to pick the most significant ones nearest to my heart, it would be the 8888 Uprising, and the Saffron Revolution. In the 8888 Uprising, a lot of people died fighting for democracy. You can picture it as being much like the 5.18 Democratic Uprising that happened here in Gwangju; it was similar in many ways. And the 2007 Saffron Revolution is significant in that it was not led by normal civilians but mainly by Buddhist monks. The peaceful Buddhist monks had to go on strike for a revolution because our people were really deep in crises – poor people especially suffered a lot as the prices for fuel and other goods rose about ten-fold. Resultantly, the Buddhist monks who could not stand by and watch such suffering led the revolution and went on strike against the government.
GN: What is the role of the Tatmadaw in Myanmar? How is it that the military has traditionally been so politically powerful? Thinzar Aung: By definition, the role of the Tatmadaw is to defend the people from threats from outside and inside the country. The military has traditionally been very politically powerful since Myanmar’s initial
May 2021
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GN: Could you shed some light on how the present protests compare with the 1988 protests? Thinzar Aung: Simple. Mobile phones. In the modern IT age, many people have connections to the world through the internet and social media. But in 1988, the 8888 Uprising did not have such avenues of communication. It was called the 8888 Uprising because it occurred on the eighth of August, 1988, which is shortened to 8/8/88. A lot of people died while they were protecting the Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from a militaryorchestrated incident that amounted to an attempted assassination of her. Even though many people died in that incident, there were not a lot of documents and photos. The newspaper, the predominant form of media at the time, was under the control of the military. People were kept in the dark about what was happening across the country. Now in the present day, many people are acting as citizen journalists in the present protests in spite of the military trying to cut off the internet and ban social media. On the first day of the coup this year, the military cut off all the mobile phones and telecommunications – both landlines and mobiles. The internet was also taken offline and a total information blackout occurred. People could not call one another. It was like going back to the Stone Age. And then, there was a ban on social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, instituted. Even Wikipedia was banned in Myanmar. Even still, mobile communications are unstable and unreliable. The military has forced the telecom service providers to turn off and on the internet like light switches to disrupt any efforts by the citizens of Myanmar to keep organized amidst the chaos. Then, they do whatever they feel like – without repercussion – to keep people in the dark and cut off from the world. The atrocities they have committed and continue to commit while cutting off the electricity and internet access are unimaginable. We can only pray for the people of Myanmar from far off in these difficult times.
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GN: What do you believe has led to the current situation in Myanmar? Thinzar Aung: What has led to the current situation in Myanmar? The answer is simple: “Greed.” It is greed and a hunger for power on the part of Myanmar’s military generals that know no bounds. The military generals have enough wealth and money to last them many lifetimes. So, you may want to ask why they engaged in a coup at all under such favorable conditions. Well, the catalyst that caused such unrest rests upon the fact that the NLD party wanted to change to a true democracy, so the NLD welcomed ethnic minority groups openly in an effort to attain federal unionization. However, the military did not want to give equality to these minority groups, and instead, they wanted to keep their power. They cannot stand the notion of losing any of their power, specifically the 25 percent of the seats in parliament obtained without votes, as I mentioned before. As you may know, they even have huge business networks across all sectors in Myanmar. Nobody can deny that the profits of these businesses are directly related to their unfairly obtained power and influence. So, to continue with the story of how Myanmar became embroiled in its current crisis, the NLD was to be registered as the new government on February 1. But on that day, early in the morning, the military seized power in the country by announcing a
state of emergency. You can get the picture. The militarybacked party even accused the legitimately elected party of voting fraud because the military-backed party did not win the elections in the towns, cities, and regions where they thought they had indomitable influence. In reality, the military-backed party itself tried every dirty and cheap trick to win the election, but they could not. So, they arrested the legitimately elected members and staged a coup. This is a fact.
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12 independence movement and has since become more powerful from 1962 when General Ne Win launched the first coup against U Nu’s government. GN: What is the present situation with Aung San Suu Kyi, and how much influence is she presently able to exert? Thinzar Aung: Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been arrested again on fabricated charges. She sacrificed her life for the sake of our country, but she never once has mentioned that word “sacrifice.” She always says she just chose the path to democracy. She spent more than 15 years of her life under house arrest. I hope she is well and in good health. We have not heard from her since February 1 when the coup occurred. Even though she is charged with so-called “crimes,” she has not even been allowed to meet with her lawyer. In fact, the court session was done only via an online video call, and her second court hearing this month was canceled due to an internet blackout maliciously caused by the military. Can you believe that they cut off the internet and then said the court session could not take place due to that? About her influence though, I would say it is almost nationwide. Almost everyone loves her. Those who do not have been brainwashed by the military. She has only the love, respect, and trust of the people – not any physical power or force over them. Only the military has the weapons, power, and control under the guise of “national security.”
GN: What has the reaction of the majority of the common people in Myanmar been to the military takeover? Thinzar Aung: At first, a majority of the common people were shocked and very surprised. They could not believe the situation. And then they became enraged because they could not accept the military takeover regardless of the trumped up reasons the military party gave. Their
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GN: Do you think the present military takeover will be long-lasting?
Thinzar Aung: The present military takeover was absolutely uncalled for. It is illegal and illegitimate. We, the people, voted for the NLD and thought our elected leaders would be in parliament seats and form the government on February 1, as is normal. We thought they would not dare to carry out such a brazen act against democracy itself, because the military’s Senior General MAL said that he would “accept any decisions made by the people of Myanmar.” Now we know his words are not worth a single penny. I do not think this military government will last a long time – at least, not long like the previous one. Yes, the previous coup occurred about sixty years ago, and it lasted about half a decade before returning to a pseudo-democracy. And to think, they even took that cheap imitation of democracy away from us. Now the people, especially the younger people, will not accept military takeover again. They had a small taste of democracy for about five years while the NLD held the majority of seats in the parliament. Despite the fact that a quarter of the seats are reserved for the military, the country truly made considerable progress in the few years that the NLD government held influence.
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13 true, insidious cause was obvious. So, you can see huge crowds protesting in the streets almost everywhere in Myanmar now, despite the overt threat to their lives for doing so. Many good people have died, many good people, like you and me, are still dying – it has even been recorded on video. Some relatives of those in the military, in a flagrant display of their lack of humanity, have given “Haha” reactions to videos of protestors being killed and dying. Can you imagine? You and I, like any other normal human beings, would give our sincere condolences to the fallen angels who have gone back to heaven. Such wanton and reckless taking of human life is never something to laugh at. May their souls rest in peace. It is truly unbelievable that there are people who are more akin ▲ Protest in Gwangju supporting democratization in Myanmar. to demons and pawns of the devils in this a result of the current conflagration, but it will verbally world walking, talking, and using social media as if they tell you “no influence.” China sells guns and weapons not were common people. only to the military but also indiscriminately to ethnic
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GN: News reports tell us that many unarmed protesters have been shot and killed by the military. In your opinion, how should the world react to this brutal violation of human rights? Thinzar Aung: Tragically, the updated death toll is over 738 as of April 21. At the time of this interview, 2,559 citizens of Myanmar are currently being held in detention, and 459 deaths have officially been documented. This is not accounting for all of the missing bodies that have been hidden away or totally destroyed by the military in an effort to cover up its atrocities. You can only imagine what the true state of Myanmar is – the official numbers are not representative of the monstrous acts occurring. It is really a war between unarmed civilians and fully armed soldiers – the inequality is enormous, the cruelty utterly boundless. They not only kill protesters, but they also break into houses and kill people who are residing peacefully. The wickedness is appalling. I saw on the news that even in my hometown of Mandalay, soldiers broke
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GN: China has considerable influence in Myanmar. In what way do you think China may exert its influence in the current situation in Myanmar? Thinzar Aung: China has always said, and continues to say, that it will follow a “no-influence policy” in Myanmar politics – but in reality, it already has a lot of influence in Myanmar, both political and economic. I do not know in what way China will exert its influence in my country as
groups as well. So, what the Chinese leaders say with their mouths is not the same as their actions. Most of Myanmar’s projects producing natural resources, such as timber, oil, gas, jade, rubies, rare-earth elements, and the like, are contracted for many years with China-based companies, but we the people did not get a clear version of the contracts involved with this. The local people did not even get any profit from these projects, probably the military and former higher-level government officials benefitted. You can see thousands of military-based businesses spanning all sectors in Myanmar as a result of this inequity, and those military families are incredibly rich.
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GN: Has the present military takeover had particular consequences for the already highly mistreated Rohingya people? Thinzar Aung: I have a lot of compassion not only for the Rohingya people but also for the other ethnic groups in Myanmar. We have a lot of ethnic groups who are still fighting for their rights, such as the Kachin, Kaya, Karen, Chin, Mon, Burma, Rakhin, and the Shan. Armed conflicts are not actually that rare in Myanmar. Only in major cities like Yangon and Mandalay can people of all ethnic groups live peacefully and equally. In the border regions of Myanmar, there is no guarantee for the safety of any human being, regardless of their ethnic origin or race. While the ongoing military takeover is in progress, there will be no law and order. When even the state counselor and president of a country have been arrested on fabricated charges, do you think there is still hope for common people like us? Basic human rights like freedom of speech are not allowed in the country. If you protest or just speak out, and the military does not like what you say, the punishment is the death penalty, carried out by a bullet to the head. The lives of all peoples in Myanmar are threatened. No one is safe.
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▲ Thinzar (wearing a white mask) during the support for Myanmar protest in Gwangju.
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into a house and shot a seven-year-old girl in the back as she cowered from them, clinging to her father for security he could not provide. That blameless little girl died in her father’s arms. The military’s actions are truly ineffable. The military has done and continues to do more heinous things than you could ever imagine, like desecrating and defiling Mya Kyal Sin’s grave. Not even the dead can rest in peace under this barbaric regime. A sad truth is that some people do not even get to be buried because their bodies are not returned to the families. Now, with the help of civilian journalists and professional journalists, the atrocities carried out by the military, like the raiding of people’s homes or dehumanizing acts like forcing people to walk on all fours like a dog, are being documented, photographed, and recorded. These noble efforts, though, are just the tip of the iceberg of all the atrocities being committed by the military that continue to go undocumented. There are many more acts of savagery that have not been brought to light as evidence and have failed to reach the international media because of the military’s forced blackout. The social media ban is still in effect at the time of this interview, and the internet blackout is being used by the military as they see fit to prevent the people of Myanmar from contacting the outside world. So, in my opinion, the world should hear the voices of the Myanmar people asking for help and should really help them, as they are in need. Innocent people’s lives are being taken in the foulest ways with reckless abandon. The only voices and words that are able to reach the outside world are just a fraction of those of people who are really in need; only a part of the living
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nightmare that Myanmar has become is being elucidated. Only those who are well educated in English have fiberinternet in their homes and electricity-powered personal generators – that is, only those who are rich enough to afford all these things and have not been corrupted by the military are able to talk about what is happening. So, I ask you again not to be annoyed by the cries for help, and I implore you to hear their voices. What they are doing is not only for themselves but also for all the many others without voices. GN: We are deeply thankful to you for having the courage to speak with us. What we have heard is horrible and, as part of the Gwangju community, we will do our best to raise awareness and find ways to help the Myanmar people. Gwangju will always be with the people of Myanmar. Photographs by Kim Hillel Yunkyoung and courtesy of Myanmar Now.
The Interviewee
Thinzar Aung is a Burmese student who is currently earning a PhD at Chonnam National University. She is from Mandalay, Myanmar, where she worked as a food inspector for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) there. Although her job and potentially her life might be in jeopardy as a result of giving this interview, she is willing to speak out against the military coup and asks for international help for her people. @junothinzar Thinzar
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People in the Arts 15
Kim Geun-tae
100 Meters of Art By Kang Jennis Hyun-suk
FEATURE www.gwangjunewsgic.com
May 2021
▲ From top: “Four Seasons 2”; “Four Seasons, Fall”; and “Four Seasons, Winter” by Kim Geun-tae.
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A
few years ago, there was a Korean artist who held an exhibition at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. UN ambassadors from many countries attended the exhibition to mark World Disabled People’s Day on December 3. The artist, Kim Geun-tae, painted a huge work of art with an unfamiliar theme. The 100-meter-long artwork consisted of 77 large paintings of children with mental handicaps. At the invitation of UN Ambassador Oh Joon, who was the chairman of the Convention on the Rights of the Disabled, Kim’s paintings were also exhibited in Geneva and Paris.
to work as an art teacher at a high school in Mokpo. However, the sound of “You coward!” haunted him every day and night. Unable to live a regular daily life, he quit teaching and went to France. Because of Kim Geun-tae’s harrowing experience, I wanted to interview the artist for the May issue of the Gwangju News. So, I called him to arrange for an interview. His son answered the phone and said that his father was losing his hearing. A few days later, I headed towards Mokpo to interview Kim with his wife at his studio in Muan (southwest of Gwangju).
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In 2020, Kim Geun-tae exhibited his artworks under the theme of “May, Starry Wildflower” at the Asia Culture Center (ACC) in Gwangju. The ACC was built on the very block where the Jeollanam-do Provincial Office was located in 1980. The main building of the Provincial Office still stands as the historical site where the Gwangju Uprising came to a bloody end, symbolizing the spirit of democracy not only for the citizens of Gwangju but for many other citizens in the world. Kim Geun-tae’s exhibition at the ACC triggered memories of four decades earlier. Back in May of 1980, Kim was one of the last remaining members of the civilian resistance who had taken over the Provincial Office, where they were to make their last stand. On May 26, there were rumors going around that the martial law troops were coming back into the heart of downtown to sweep away the resistance. That night, a brave female (who passed away this past February) picked up a microphone and shouted into the loudspeakers, “Citizens, help us. Citizens, let’s fight together.” Kim knew that that night might be the last of the fighting, as the small group of armed protesters were greatly outnumbered by the much better-armed military. But Kim could not forget his mother’s pleading, “Save your life!” In the darkness that night, he put down his gun and left the Provincial Office with a comrade. Kim hid in his studio, and there he heard the nearby footsteps of soldiers. He still cannot erase from memory the sound of gunfire and screaming that he heard as the military troops made their final assault on the Provincial Office under darkness in the very early hours of May 27. He has lived his whole life with remorse for not being with his colleagues who resisted to the end against soldiers who had indiscriminately killed so many Gwangju citizens. But survivor’s guilt affected all Gwangju citizens who listened to the soldiers’ footsteps and gunfire that night in helplessness. Kim soon graduated from the College of Art at Chosun University, carrying the scars of May 18, and started
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▲ Kim (fourth from left) at his UN exhibition presenting a portrait of Ban Ki-moon to the Secretary-General.
THE INTERVIEW Jennis: Thank you for giving your precious time. I have researched you and your artworks, but I want to learn more. You have said you went to Paris after marriage. How did you spend your time in France? Kim Geun-tae: I painted and painted human bodies at the Grand Chaumiere Academy. While painting, I constantly thought about humans, why we were born, and what we really are. Jennis: It sounds like you took the time to find yourself while studying in Paris. What made you come back to Korea? Kim Geun-tae: I was crazy about painting in Paris. It was a time when I could forget myself. But I was sorry for my wife, who was supporting me by working as a teacher in an elementary school. I came back to Korea because I could no longer put such a financial burden on her. Jennis: How was your life back in Korea? Kim Geun-tae: I continued to paint human bodies after coming back to Korea. I wanted to paint the human body rather than beautiful landscapes. I tried to find myself through the hurt of others. I heard that there were severely disabled children living on the island of Gohwado near Mokpo. So, I went to the island. Now, there is a
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▲ “Like Wildflowers 2.”
bridge between Mokpo and the island, but at the time, I had to access the island by boat. I stayed there with the children for three years. Jennis: What did you do there? Kim Geun-tae: There were children who lay on their backs and only looked up at the sky all their lives. I ate with my friends [Kim called the children his “friends”], and I tried to look at the world through their eyes. The children were born as innocent human beings but abandoned by the world. Looking into their clear eyes, I felt that they were true humans or angels who did not even know the words hate or kill. While staying with the children, I felt myself being cured of my trauma. I felt that the eyes of the children revealed their souls like wildflowers.
Jennis: How were you able to exhibit your works at the United Nations in New York? Kim Geun-tae: I believed that even though my paintings
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Jennis: I heard that your eyesight and hearing are failing. What effect has this had on your life? Kim Geun-tae: I have been living without looking after my body, and that is why my eyesight and hearing have been deteriorating. People have worried about my lack of care for my body, but now I can better understand my “friends.” I have tried to die four times because of the May 18 trauma. Then one day, I suddenly realized that it should be my mission to deliver the message that the people who have passed away wanted to convey to the world. In this world of lookism, I have gotten a lot of messages from
May 2021
Jennis: What are people’s general reactions to your paintings? Kim Geun-tae: The public was not familiar with paintings of disabled children. Nevertheless, I painted my “friends” in large-sized paintings and held an exhibition in Insadong in Seoul under the theme of “Like Wildflowers, Like Stars.”
Jennis: What a story! They had an eye for the meaning in your art. You said your 100-meter-long artwork was made up of 77 large paintings. How long does it take to paint a work 100 meters long? Kim Geun-tae: It took me almost three years to finish the 100 meters of paintings, and it took a lot of paint to paint such large paintings. With my wife’s support, I was able to finish my paintings for the exhibition in New York.
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Jennis: You were living with them and painting them. Three years is not a short time. And you usually used red, yellow, and blue colors in your paintings. Is there a particular reason for this? Kim Geun-tae: I have a reason for choosing the primary colors. Like language, paintings also look luxurious if ambiguous colors are used. The more you hide who you are, the more sophisticated you look. People hide their true colors behind gray. I wanted to express innocence and clearness with nothing to hide.
were not well understood in Korea, there might be people in the outside world who could understand them. And I wanted to one day exhibit in places like the Pompidou Center in Paris and MoMA [the Museum of Modern Art] in New York. Some people appreciating my paintings in Insa-dong suggested that I have an exhibition at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Without knowing if there was a large space at the UN, I dreamed of creating a 100-meter-long exhibit of artwork there. And, one by one, people helped me to realize this. One person sent my profile of artworks to the UN and made a request for an exhibition for me. Another one lent me a vacant space to create large-sized paintings. At last, my dreams came true: Lee Nak-yeon, the governor of Jeollanamdo at that time, and Oh Joon, ambassador to the United Nations, recognized the meaning of my works and helped me exhibit them at the UN.
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18
▲ “Like Wildflowers”
▲ “The Inner World.”
the children, who have the essence of beautiful human beings. Through my experience, I have come to think of opening an art healing center.
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Jennis: I have heard from scholars and practitioners that art has healing powers. Do you mean you want to use painting for therapy for disabled children? Kim Geun-tae: No, it is rather the opposite. Until now, disabled children have been objectified. But who can have clearer eyes and a clearer mind than the children? I think the treatment is needed for the people of the world with wounded souls. COVID-19 is a warning to a world that is divided into “useful” and “useless.” We have to think about what the message is that this pandemic has thrown upon mankind. Jennis: And what do you think the message is that COVID-19 has sent us? Kim Geun-tae: In a faster and closer world, each of us is becoming more isolated and alienated. All the world communicates only with money. The prospects for a person’s life are so often impeded by the priority given to the interests of an organization or the interests of a nation. It has caused wars and sickened the Earth. We are losing the meaning of existence, of what the most precious value in human life is. So, I thought we needed a window of communication where the world could become one. Jennis: So, you created a corporation called “Kim Geuntae and Friends of the Five Continents.” What specifically does the organization do? Kim Geun-tae: “Kim Geun-tae and Friends of the Five Continents” gathered paintings of disabled children living on five continents and held exhibitions to commemorate
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▲ “I Want to Feel.”
the Pyeongchang Winter Paralympics. I hope that “Kim Geun-tae and Friends of the Five Continents” will take a step further toward peace on the divided Korean Peninsula and toward world peace through art. AFTER THE INTERVIEW The Jeollanamdo Art Museum in Gwangyang opened last March. The museum has bought Kim Geun-tae’s 100-meter artwork as a collection. Now, he is dreaming of someday exhibiting 200 meters of paintings at MoMA in New York or at the Pompidou Center in Paris. Just as with van Gogh and Theo, I think that Kim Geun-tae has been able to create his artwork with the support of his wife, Choi Hosoon. During the interview, I sensed that their relationship is beyond merely that of wife and husband. I respect both of them for walking on the path of world peace through art. I am looking forward to seeing Kim Geun-tae’s paintings of peace at MoMA or the Pompidou Center someday. Photographs courtesy of Kim Geun-tae. For more art and information on Kim Geun-tae, go to his website at http://m.kimgeuntae.com/
The Author
Kang Jennis Hyunsuk is a freelance interpreter who loves to read books and take photos of nature. She has been living in Gwangju all her life. She loves to talk with old ladies in the Jeolla dialect in the rural markets. Jennis feels sorry that the precious history-bearing dialects of the ancestors are fading away. She is surely a lover of Gwangju.
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Blast from the Past 19
Remembering the Gwangju Uprising: 5.18 By C. Adam Volle For many, the mere mention of “May” evokes pleasant thoughts of warm weather and joyful gatherings, but to the resident of Gwangju, “O-wol” (오월, May) quickly conjures up memories of ten days in 1980 (May 18–27) when violence, gunfire, and blood dominated the city’s streets. On this 41st anniversary of the Gwangju Uprising, the Gwangju News reissues an article written by C. Adam Volle in the June 2013 issue (“Remembering the Gwangju Democratic Uprising”). At the time, Volle was the online editor of the Gwangju News and later the editor of the print edition. — Ed.
The short version of the story: Thirty-three years ago [now 41 years ago], some university students in Gwangju peacefully protested against their government. A brigade of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Army responded by breaking up that protest with such violence that even uninvolved passersby were killed. This cruelty so angered the population that seemingly everyone in the city fought back and made international news by forcing the soldiers out of town. The Army eventually did regain control, but the many civilians who died in the fighting quickly became martyrs, and the event has served as an important symbol for the activists who eventually transformed South Korea into a democracy.
BEFORE MAY 18 The meltdown began on October 13, 1979, when Kim
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This all deeply disturbed Kim Jae-kyu, the Korean CIA director, so he reported to his boss that the protests were a serious threat. According to Kim, however, President Park’s response disturbed him even more: Park said he would give the order for soldiers to break the rule against shooting civilians. He also suggested Kim was not very good at his job. Kim thought the president was not very good at his job either and advised his boss to “govern with a broader outlook.” Then Kim shot him. In the man’s own words: “‘Bang! Bang!’ Like that.” On that night of October 26, everything changed. A majority of South Koreans already wanted government reform, but now they expected it. After all, Park Chunghee had created the military regime; it only seemed natural that his death would end it. Foreign journalists caught the spirit of the times and began to write about a “Seoul
May 2021
With that in mind, here is the longer version.
On university campuses across the country, politically minded students once again took up the chants “Down with dictatorship!” and “Protect freedom of speech!” On the night of October 15, a thousand students from Busan National University held a torchlight demonstration in downtown Busan. The experienced riot police dutifully began teargassing and beating them. This time, however, something was wrong: Rather than dispersing, the crowd just got larger. Within 24 hours, over 50,000 people surrounded Busan City Hall. The ROK Army eventually had to send specially trained paratroopers to restore order, but by then the protests had spread to Masan and Changwon. Soon, activists promised, the whole country would rise up.
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The longer version of the story is more difficult. During a press conference in May of 2012 about his own Uprisinginspired exhibit, Seoul photographer Noh Sun-taek reminded his audience, “The remembering [of an event] has always been accompanied with forgetting.” He meant that societies’ traumatic experiences turn into those societies’ stories, but stories have requirements that reality does not. For instance, stories can never be as complicated, especially if you want a lot of people to listen to them. So, some details are emphasized, while others are ignored, depending on the needs of the people who are speaking. The process is much like the transformation of a novel into a movie script, or multiple books and interviews into a magazine article.
Young-sam lost his lawmaker’s seat in the National Assembly for saying what everyone in South Korea already knew: The National Assembly itself was a fraud since the country’s constitution gave all the power to the man who wrote it – President Park Chung-hee. Every other representative in Kim Young-sam’s National Democratic Party immediately quit in protest.
blast from the past
T
exas has the Battle of the Alamo. Israel has the Siege of Masada. Greece has the Battle of Thermopylae. And the people of Gwangju – along with every Korean who identifies with them – have their memories of May 18–27, 1980.
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20 authorities saying that the university was closed until further notice to everyone – students, faculty, and staff.” As Shaffer and the rest of Korea would later discover, a secret cabinet meeting occurred the previous night in which Chun Doo-hwan had extended martial law throughout the nation. To prevent new protests, the general ordered the arrests of activist leaders at night. He also ordered all political activities be banned, reinforced restrictions on the media, and sent paratroopers from the ROK Army’s Special Forces to close down the most troublesome universities. ▲ The 5.18 Memorial Hall. (Schlarpi)
Spring” occurring in South Korea, a period of transition soon to result in long-awaited democracy.
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But as every Korean knows, the arrival of spring is always followed by a sudden chill. There is a Korean expression for it: “The winter is jealous of the flower” (꽃샘 추위). According to General John A. Wickham Jr., commander of the peninsula’s U.S. forces, many high-ranking officers in the ROK Army considered the end of their political influence to be the end of the country. They thought that military men believed in such lofty ideas as duty, honor and sacrifice, but that civilians and the media only pursued their own “selfish interests.” In particular, the generals could not imagine allowing a president with no military experience to control their armies. These “politicians in uniform” (Wickham’s term) promised they would not stop democratization, but in private, General Wickham’s sources told him differently: They planned to regain the Blue House.
At the main gate of Chonnam National University, 30 paratroopers watched as a crowd of 300–500 students gradually amassed in the street. The soldiers wore patches identifying themselves as members of the Army’s 7th “Pegasus” Brigade, veterans of the Vietnam War usually tasked with guarding the DMZ. They carried unusual clubs. Fifty Chonnam students decided to sit down and start shouting, “End martial law!” and “Withdraw the order to close the universities!” They did not understand that these “black berets” had different intentions than in Busan; they had been given new “chungjeong” (충정) training that emphasized offense over defense. In one session, they had watched an instruction video that suggested breaking demonstrators’ collarbones and shooting anyone who ran. The paratroopers rushed the students. Some of them put aside their clubs in favor of their daggers. Others used their guns’ bayonets. When the students ran, the soldiers followed, and while pursuing them, the soldiers also attacked anyone else they happened to see. The first person
Their new leader, General Chun Doo-hwan, chose a dramatic moment to make his move: the same weekend in which everyone thought the nationwide Democratic Movement had won. On Friday, May 15, Korean citizens marched all over the country, over 100,000 in Seoul, all demanding that the National Assembly finish creating a new constitution and provide a fixed date for the direct election of a new president. The Journalists Association of Korea took the opportunity to announce that its members would strike if the government did not free the press from restrictive censorship laws. Prime Minister Shin Hyeonhwak essentially agreed to these demands, and President Choi returned early from traveling. Feeling confident, the Movement’s leaders asked all their supporters to take the weekend off. If the Assembly did not get to work on Monday, they could demonstrate again. All the protesters immediately obeyed, except for Gwangju’s. MAY 18 In 1980, Dr. Dave Shaffer was working at Chosun University. “I got a phone call from Chosun University
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▲ The 5.18 Memorial Monument. (Salamander724)
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21 they killed was a deaf man oblivious to their presence. Many more after him were killed in ways that should not be described here. The soldiers stripped near naked those arrested and put them in trucks bound for prison camps. Multiple people later reported sexual assault. Others were never heard from again. MAY 19 Despite the paratroopers’ aggression, the same phenomenon began occurring in Gwangju that scared Kim Jae-kyu in Busan. The crowds did not disappear; they got larger, and they fought back. “They had only forks and spoons, only weapons found in the kitchen,” one sixth-grade student recently told the Gwangju News. The boy is not wrong. Kim Nam-ju writes of “the kitchen knives of the boys who rushed out of restaurants” in his poem “Don’t Sing of May as a Blade of Grass that Withers in Wind.” The university students’ outraged friends and family did not limit themselves to silverware. Any handy weapon served a purpose for battle, from car tools to river stones. Some got creative by attaching their knives to the ends of bamboo poles. Others made Molotov cocktails (a firebomb requiring a bottle of kerosene or other fuel, a rag, and a lighter). At 11 a.m., the paratroopers brought out new weapons of their own: armored vehicles, tanks, and flamethrowers. By 11 p.m., ordered reinforcements were summoned; a multitude of students from Gwangju’s male high schools had joined the fight. MAY 20 A German reporter named Jürgen Hinzpeter arrived to obtain footage. He later wrote, “Never in my life, even in filming the Vietnam War, had I seen anything like this.”
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At Mudeung Stadium, 200 taxi and bus drivers met to pledge their assistance, developing a strategy of driving their vehicles side-by-side up the roads where police were blocking to create moving walls that no line of riot shields could push through. By evening, a sea-like mass of demonstrators had surrounded the Army’s headquarters in the Jeollanam-do Provincial Office at the end of Geumnam Street. From its windows, the Special Forces commanders watched the city’s Tax Office burn to the ground. MAY 21 “Citizens, let us save Gwangju!” Jeollanam-do’s governor shouted through his speaker, but very few people could hear his slogans over their own cheering and singing. It was 11 a.m., and below the governor’s helicopter, the multitude’s edge now laid no farther than ten meters from the Provincial Office’s defensive line. Despite their closeness, violence between the two sides broke out only in small bursts because the people of Gwangju believed the Army was leaving. Tragically, they did not know more. Earlier that morning, the Army had replaced its on-site commander with a new general who intended to make his name breaking the “Gwangju riot.” Shortly after 10 a.m., the new management gave each soldier guarding the Provincial Office a cartridge of real bullets and told him the secret signal on which to shoot into the crowds. The signal came at 1 p.m. sharp: Outside, the muggy air suddenly filled with a recording of Aegukga (애국가), Korea’s national anthem. The crowd quieted. Some began to sing along. Hands rose to cover hearts.
May 2021
Reinforcements brought the military’s strength to just under 3,000 soldiers in addition to the already 18,000 riot police fighting, but those 21,000 men now faced over 100,000 protesters – and the number just kept growing as Gwangju residents drove their loudspeaker trucks and buses through every neighborhood, calling on every able-bodied person they saw to join the struggle. Many were pushed into action
when the bodies of the dead were displayed on carts out on the streets.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
Panic had begun to spread. “Kill them or they’ll kill us!” someone overheard one black beret shouting. Officers outside the city gave different advice to the fresh soldiers going in: They should show restraint to avoid further angering the population. On the Army’s loudspeakers, demands for citizens to return to their homes began to sound more like pleading. “Please return to your homes … Your families are worried about you.”
▲ Sculpture at the 5.18 National Cemetery. (Ulanwp)
�� 10:00:54 Written by Adam Volle 2021-04-26 and Stephen Redeker.
22 to give up, what would be the point of all the fighting? And how could anyone trust the government not to take its usual revenge on everyone involved? The only option was to continue the armed revolution Gwangju had already begun. To stop the “surrender faction” of the CSC, activists and students staged a sort of coup and formed their own Citizen-Student Struggle Committee (CSSC). Through a mix of good argument and physical intimidation, they took away the CSC’s power. A 29-year-old named Yun Sangwon became their spokesman. ▲ One of the ten mural sculptures at the 5.18 National Cemetery, 3rd left. (Ulanwp)
MAY 22–26 The soldiers’ ten-minute shooting spree killed 54, wounded more than 500 and crossed the final line; the community’s response came within two hours of that same day. Stores of M-1 carbine rifles in Gwangju’s police stations suddenly disappeared – often with the blessings of the local police – and by 3:20 p.m., the paratroopers took fire from the new “Citizens’ Army of Gwangju.” By May 22 at 5 p.m., the Army abandoned the Provincial Office to escape heavy machine gun fire. By 8 p.m., every soldier had left the city.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
May 2021
The resulting community of “liberated Gwangju” enjoys a near-utopian reputation in Jeollanamdo. To borrow the Bible’s description in Acts 2:44 of the first church, “All the believers were together and had everything in common.” During that time, Gwangju’s overjoyed citizens are said to have organized food distribution, cleaned up, policed their neighborhoods, and completed any other tasks without any hierarchical management. Others such as Dr. Shaffer remember a much more worrisome time and consider the standard description to be a rose-tinted view. To help decide big questions that concerned the whole city, the people voted in meetings that attracted about 100,000 people. Those meetings became very passionate from the spontaneous nature of the Uprising. Gwangju’s residents emerged from all the excitement to realize that their city was still surrounded by tanks, they would eventually run out of food, and they did not know what to do next. A group of prominent and respected elders in the community stepped forward to form the Citizens’ Settlement Committee (CSC), with the purpose of negotiating the city’s surrender. They hoped to obtain from the Army an apology, payment for the victims, and a promise not to punish anyone involved in the protests. As a gesture of goodwill, they began by collecting some of the guns taken by Gwangju’s protestors and gave them back to the Army in exchange for the freedom of arrested activists. To the activists and students who had fought for ideological reasons, this course of action was crazy. If Gwangju were
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“Yun Sang-won was maybe the only one who had a strategic view,” an activist later told reporter Bradley Martin. Yun believed nobody would remember Gwangju as an example if its uprising ended with a simple surrender. “[He] wanted to complete the rebellion, put the final touch on it.” That final touch would result in his death. MAY 26–27: THE MASSACRE “We declare to the nation that 800,000 Gwangju citizens will fight to the end!” read the CSSC’s resolution at Democracy Square meeting on May 26. When the end did come, in fact, the CSSC discovered it had spoken for roughly 200. Of those, the CSSC sent home about 50 women, girls, and boys, leaving “80 people who had completed military service, 60 youth and high school students, and 10 women” (George Katsiaficas in Asian Unknown Uprisings: South Korean Social Movements in the 20th Century). The remaining 150 barricaded themselves inside the Provincial Office and settled into their positions. The ROK Army’s operation began at roughly 2 a.m. in the early hours of May 27. Its tanks drew up to the Provincial Office around 4:30 a.m. while paratroopers attacked through the rear entrance. With many of the CCSC members having ten minutes of training in using their weapons, the battle did not last long. The government would later declare that two soldiers and 17 CSSC members died in the fighting. Yoon Sang-won was shot in the kidney and then burned to death by a fire. However, the desired effect of his sacrifice soon began to materialize. “Chun Doo-hwan’s position seems less secure,” General Wickham reported to Washington, D.C., soon after. “Chun Doo-hwan is a marked man,” the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung declared more bluntly on May 30. The new leaders of South Korea never fully recovered from Gwangju’s ruining of their debut. They lost effective power seven years later. Special thanks to Dr. Dave Shaffer, Yoon Sang Soo, and Tim Whitman. Arranged by David Shaffer.
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Lost in Gwangju 23
TRAVEL
▲ Left and right: Human remains await a proper burial.
Odds and (Dead) Ends
Whistling Past the Graveyard By Isaiah Winters
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To my surprise, it didn’t take long to find plenty of bones scattered about the area’s numerous burial mounds. I’m not exactly sure how gravedigging and body removals work in Korea, but the human remains and toppled gravestones I saw seemed like sloppy work. To get an idea of who was
May 2021
THE BONEYARD STALKER In last month’s Lost in Gwangju, I mentioned the removal of thousands of corpses across the city’s urban parklands to make way for the Gwangju Private Park Special Project
that’s gathering steam following the expiration of the sunset law protecting said parks. I didn’t think widescale exhumations would start quite so soon, but about a week after submitting that article, I came across a massive graveyard on the backside of Maegok-san, where roughly a third of the corpses had already been disinterred and removed as part of the special project. I decided to take a careful walk around the many hillside graves, both as a solemn gesture following the article I’d just finished and as a way of scrutinizing any signs of negligence during the hasty body-removal process.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
E
very six months to a year, I cobble together an assortment of misfit findings from my many odd experiences in the City of Light. Though each would be a research dead end unworthy of its own article, together they make for a decent miscellany of notable oddities. In this issue, I tack on more than a few worthwhile afterthoughts that didn’t get their day in the sun for varying reasons. These addenda range from scattered human remains and hidden cypress forests to semi-shuttered expat bars and urban army trenches – all within our fair city of Gwangju. There’s a lot to sift through, so let’s get right to it.
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May 2021 2021 May
TRAVEL
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◀ A North Korean cutout stands ready within one of Gwangju’s urban trenches.
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25
doing this work on behalf of the special project, I checked the calendar for what’s called a “ghost-free day” (손이 없는 날), which is traditionally seen as a day that’s good for moving house or changing gravesites, as ghosts are supposedly inactive then and therefore unable to cause the living any trouble. The weekend of April 10–11 was “ghost-free” according to the lunar calendar sites I found online, so I paid the graveyard another visit then hoping to see the process in real-time. That Saturday, I saw no one at first, that is, if you don’t count the many fragments of people scattered about the freshly dug graves. In that regard, I found more and bigger bones than on my prior visit, not to mention many tatters of burial shrouds (수의), which was rather disconcerting. On my second visit that same weekend, I caught sight of a man sitting next to a grave in the distance. He looked a bit unsettled and out of place, much like myself. As I walked the rows above him, he spotted me, stood up, and slowly made his way over to where he’d anticipated I was headed. In response, I made a few erratic direction changes and then left, not wanting to strike up a conversation with another weirdo in a graveyard just before sunset. It’s actually not the dead I’m afraid of – it’s the living.
◀ A North Korean cutout stands ready within one of Gwangju’s urban trenches.
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May 2021
Though just a fly on the wall, somehow I still possess flashes of memory from Speaks that I fondly recall. For instance, my first memory there was going in with a wallet full of cash and then leaving in a vertiginous state with barely a single taxi fare left. (This would go on to be the ritual for practically every visit.) I later remember holding a lover’s hair back in the winter cold as her “technicolor yawn” flecked a nearby sidewalk – the result of that night’s overindulgence. On another night at Speaks, I remember having an extended chat with a pair of talkative guys who later invited me to a club, a veiled invitation that likely would’ve ended in a manly ménage à trois had I not turned them down. On a later visit, I ran into a higherup in the police force who used to be my student. That night, he was sharing drinks with his new teacher, probably the best-known pugilist of the local expat community, whom I’d seen get in a donnybrook over a game of pool some ten years back. As for my last visit to the living Speakeasy, it was during the fundraiser event for the Australian wildfires of 2019–2020, where I estimate half the night’s sales were to yours truly. Today, although Speaks is no longer officially open, you can see here that legendary bars never truly close.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
URBAN CYPRESS FOREST On the opposite side of Maegok-san, just behind the Gwangju National Museum, there’s a large but little-known stretch of cypress trees that provide one of the city’s most convenient escapes from the bedlam of urban life. I used to think that the cypress forests of Hwasun and Jangseong were the closest, but this one’s literally a neighborhood away from home and quite impressive in size considering how deep within the city it is. There are pleasant, fernlined trails from top to bottom that snake back and forth through all the incredibly tall trees, which helps slow visitors down to maximize their time among the serene setting. As you walk down, the trails eventually end at a thicket of Sasa bamboo (섬조릿대), which gives you no other option than to return back up the lush, forested hillside to complete the circuit of meandering footpaths. Article-wise, there isn’t much else to say about this place except that it’s a must-see for anyone seeking tranquility without leaving the City of Light. Just remember to bring bug spray.
BELATED FAREWELL TO SPEAKS I never really got to say goodbye to Speakeasy, one of downtown Gwangju’s longest-standing expat bars that struggled through the pandemic and sadly gave up the ghost last year. I’d gone there off and on since my arrival in 2010 and, although I never became a regular that anyone would remember, the place left an impression on me. I missed its farewell weekend because I figured it’d be packed and so stayed home, not wanting to contribute to any potential headlines the following week bearing words like “virus,” “bar,” and “foreigners.” I was also hosting a few friends from another, harder-hit region of the country that weekend, so I felt a little more of a burden to play it safe. From those who’d attended, I later heard that it was actually a fairly normal weekend and not all that crowded. It seems that so many wellestablished businesses across the globe expired in the same subdued way – without much hijinks or fanfare. It’s yet another example of COVID-19’s impact, which has quietly killed a lot more than just people. Ultimately, peripheral lurker that I was, I didn’t feel like the right person to write a proper eulogy for the place.
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26
▲ Left: Spring (and mosquitoes) are back in Maegok-dong’s cypress forest. Right: A bar’s-eye view of Speakeasy’s iconic mural.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
May 2021
TRACKING URBAN TRENCHWORKS Over the last month, my switch to more local, urban hikes within Gwangju has yielded surprising finds, the most interesting of which have been army trenches and dugouts. There must be lots of them because in a short time I’ve come across three separate entrenchments in different areas of the city. One is an extensive network of tire-lined trenches at strategic places along an otherwise uninspiring hilltop. The site seems to have been decommissioned for quite some time, given how overgrown and hard to spot it was at first. Although it’s a legit hiking trail that’s completely open to the public, I don’t feel comfortable naming it here due to its close proximity to highly sensitive military installations. In terms of an article, the thought of writing an entire piece about hiking a trench-lined urban hill and then not sharing the name and location seemed like too much of a tease. On yet another urban hilltop, I came across a lonely dugout that alone wasn’t very interesting, though its location and orientation were intriguing. It was atop the hill nearest the Sandong Bridge (산동교) in Dongnimdong. The December 2020 edition of Lost in Gwangju featured this bridge, which was the only site in Gwangju where fighting took place during the Korean War. (Long story short, the defenders detonated the bridge, took up positions in the nearby hills, and then fell back after an hour of fighting.) The little dugout I found atop this particular hill faces the bridge and, although it certainly doesn’t date back to the Korean War, it does suggest a postwar military presence on this strategically located hill. It makes you wonder whether the city’s defenders
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were ever nearby. Sturdy fencing and private property have prevented me from snooping around the hillside even more, though I suspect there’s more to see there. After digging around online, however, nothing came up, making any potential article dead on arrival. By far my favorite trenches are along another sleepy hilltop within the metropolitan city limits. These trenches are particularly notable for the figures occupying them day and night: plastic cutouts of North Korean soldiers. Years ago, I’d found the exact same cutouts at a decommissioned military site elsewhere in South Jeolla, but after forgetting to mark the spot on a map, it took me years to relocate the cutouts. When I mentioned this to a friend, he said he knew of some right here in the city and helped guide me to them. I’m hugely grateful for that. In the end, the reason why I won’t write up more on this find is that I don’t want to be responsible for any dummies who go there in search of a souvenir. So, to keep our lads in top fighting condition, I’ll end this month’s miscellany of odds and (dead) ends here.
The Author
Originally from Southern California, Isaiah Winters is a Gwangju-based 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. You can find more of his photography on Instagram. @d.p.r.kwangju
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Around Korea 27
TRAVEL TRAVEL
▲ A wall of former patients.
Sorok-do: Island of Patients By Melline Galani
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Since antiquity, is was believed that people with Hansen’s disease should be kept isolated in colonies so as not to spread the disease. They faced discrimination, isolation, and hardships beyond imagination. Sorokdo National Hospital, situated on the island with the same name, reflects the country’s colonial legacy. Sorok-do is home to Korea’s largest leper colony. Being on an organized trip, we had a guide explaining things in detail during the tour. There are also bilingual descriptions in almost all areas. The island can now be
May 2021
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)1 leprosy, also known as Hansen’s Disease, is an infection caused by a slow-growing bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae. It is one of the oldest diseases in recorded history. The first known written reference to leprosy is from around 600 B.C.
It primarily affects the nerves of the extremities, the skin, the lining of the nose, and the upper respiratory tract. With early diagnosis and treatment, the disease can be cured. People with Hansen’s disease can continue to work and lead an active life during and after treatment.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
W
hen I visited Sorok-do (Sorok Island) on an organized trip, I did not know what to expect. We were told that Sorok-do has long been called the “Leper Island” because patients suffering from leprosy are treated there, as they have been for more than one hundred years. To be honest, I did not and still do not know much about the disease. I thought it was an ailment spread during the Middle Ages that had been eradicated a long time ago.
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28 and then by the Korean authorities, who continued to quarantine lepers on Sorok-do until 1963. In addition to forced labor, patients were subjected to forced vasectomies, abortions, and amputations both as part of medical experiments and out of fear that the disease was hereditary. During the Japanese occupation, one of the directors of the hospital was Masato Suho. He built a statue of himself and urged people to worship it (the statue no longer exists). In 1942, a patient named Lee Chun-sang killed the director and he, too, was executed. Discrimination and atrocities continued on Sorok-do even under the Korean administration. For example, although a few select patients were allowed to have children, these parents could only see their offspring once a month, and the children had to leave the island after they reached school age. Men were not allowed to marry fellow patients unless they first underwent vasectomies.4 Furthermore, on August 22, 1945, eighty-four patients were killed by armed staff during a conflict between hospital employees and patients.5 Today, the old hospital building has been replaced by a new, modern structure. The hospital is still in operation, in part dedicated to the care of dementia patients. Anyone diagnosed with Hansen’s disease can be admitted to the hospital and may leave after treatment.
▲ Rehabilitation Center
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
May 2021
reached by car because a bridge connecting it to the mainland was built twelve years ago. Before that, the island could only be reached by boat, making it perfectly isolated from the mainland. As described below, this resulted in the Japanese building a concentration camp on Sorok-do. The hospital was built in 1916 (then known as the Sorok-do Charity Clinic)2 under the leper quarantine policies of the Japanese colonial administration (which enacted the Leprosy Prevention Law in 1907). Sorokdo National Hospital has cared for a colony of Hansen’s disease residents since then – the largest in Korea – and the island infamously served as a concentration camp for these patients throughout the Japanese occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945.3 At its peak, Sorok-do was home to about 6,000 Hansen’s disease patients, and the hospital's busiest department was the operating room where the lepers were sterilized. Long story short, thousands of people were starved and tortured on the island. First by the Japanese until 1945,
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The island has a tranquil but somehow desolate beauty, with two long beaches and pine trees. But its history is stained with blood and tears. As it is not entirely open to the public, we could visit only a part of it. Among the places we visited, two locations stuck deep in my mind: the autopsy lab and the rehabilitation center. The autopsy lab is composed of two rooms, one for autopsies and one for sterilizations. The rooms retain the smell and screams from the past. It is the desolate view that stuck with me. The lab’s most striking feature was the operating table, used for vasectomies and sterilizations, lying alone in the middle of a quiet room. Feelings of sorrow and regret accompanied me on the tour. The rehabilitation center lies next to the autopsy lab in a red-brick, H-shaped building comprised of small, dark, and cold detention rooms (the center was not a prison but looked as if it were). Everything looked horrible, as in a horror movie. Not even one’s imagination can picture the inhuman treatment the people once detained here must had suffered. But not everything is sad about Sorok-do. There is a central park, a beautiful garden with monuments, and nicely tailored trees. A stroll on its paths may bring light and joy to a burdened mind after seeing the above-mentioned places.
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29 The tour guide also told us the story of two Austrian nurses, Margreth Pissarek and Marianne Stoeger, who came to the hospital in 1962 to help the patients. The two Austrian nurses not only corrected many misbeliefs about leprosy, but also sought some medicine and other aid for the patients and their children, even asking their own families and acquaintances to send medicine, while getting nutritional supplements and milk powder for the children who suffered from malnutrition. For children isolated from their parents, they built a childcare center and made clothes for them by hand.6 They stayed for forty years, and for all the good they did, they are considered angels among the island’s population. Today the Sorokdo National Hospital, in addition to the treatment of patients, houses the Hansen’s Disease Museum. Rather than being a site of horror, today it is an island of healing. I think Sorok-do is a must-visit place for its history, something that we should not be allowed to forget. For my children and me, it was a memorable experience that also taught a history lesson that all generations, especially the young, need.
▲ Hansen’s Disease Museum
Resources 1 CDC. (2017). Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/leprosy/index. html 2 Sorokdo National Hospital. (n.d.). History. Accessed February 23, 2019. http://www.sorokdo.go.kr/eng/html/content. do?menu_cd=04_02&depth=hi 3 Jeffreys, D. (2011). Sorok Island: The last leper colony. Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/ asia/sorok-island-last-leper-colony-5334621.html 4 Jeffreys, D. (2011). See above. 5 Lee, H. (2018). Books shed light on former leper colony. Korean Biomedical Review. https://www.koreabiomed.com/news/ articleView.html?idxno=2381 6 Chang, I. (2016, February 11). Angels descend on Sorokdo. Korea.net. https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/People/ view?articleId=132478
Address Sorok-ri, Doyang-eup, Goheung-gun, Jeollanam-do 전라남도 고흥군 도양읍 소록리 Phone: 061-830-5637
The Author
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May 2021
▲ A memorial stone for the Hansen’s disease patients.
Melline Galani is a Romanian enthusiast, born and raised in the capital city of Bucharest, who is currently living in Gwangju. She likes new challenges and learning interesting things, and she is incurably optimistic. @melligalanis
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
SOROK ISLAND 소록도
2021-04-26 �� 10:01:02
30 From Abroad 30
Budva
The Heart of the Adriatic By Mirjana Adzic
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May May 2021 2021
TRAVEL
H
ave you heard of Montenegro? It is a small country on the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe, and the translation of its name literally means “black mountain.” Montenegro is a rather small country with a territory of 13,812 square kilometers and a population of just over 620,000 people, but it is nonetheless home of some of the prettiest nature and scenery. Montenegro has very high mountains, where you can enjoy skiing in the winter and, at the same time, a captivating seaside with some of the most beautiful beaches along the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Our highest mountain peak reaches 2,535 meters above sea level, and those who enjoy mountain climbing can find some of the most challenging trails. Because of its natural diversity and complexity, Montenegro is home to all four seasons, with winters getting cold, down to –20 degrees Celsius in the north, and summers reaching up to 40 degrees in the south.
Many small, narrow streets inside the town hide wonderful restaurants that sell traditional Montenegrin seaside dishes such as black risotto, octopus salad, buzara (seafood slowly cooked in wine), as well as staple dishes such as Njeguški pršut (dry-cured ham) with cheese and olives, and priganice (fried dough, ideal for breakfast). Montenegro is really the best place to visit if you enjoy tasty food. With an average height of 183 centimeters, Montenegrins sure know how to eat!
One of the most famous places in the south of Montenegro is a charming city of roughly 20,000 inhabitants called Budva. Budva is 2,500 years old and is one of the oldest settlements on this part of the coast. In the heart of Budva as it exists today, you can find the old town, which is fully encircled by defensive stone walls, inside which are wellpreserved towers, embrasures, fortified city gates, and a citadel. If you do go inside the Old Town, do not miss out on a chance to see the citadel dating back to the 15th century, where inside you can find the Maritime Museum of Budva. Also, you absolutely should see the Museum of the Town of Budva, which is in the very center of the Old Town. There you can find a permanent exhibition of archaeological and ethnographic collections, and the museum tries its best to reflect the life and historical conditions brought by the interchanging of Illyrian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Slavic and other cultures that are specific to this region.
In Budva Riviera (the name for the whole province), you can find old villages filled with local culture and spacious beaches, especially in a place called Bečići. Two of the most recognizable places in Montenegro are for sure
As tourism is the main driver of Budva’s economy, there are many wonderful beaches to explore nearby. Mogren Beach is right outside the Old Town and is arguably the most famous for tourists. Just a five-minute drive from the city center, you will find Jaz Beach, which is very long and spacious and in previous years was home to the Sea Dance Festival, where performers such as Madonna and The Rolling Stones entertained audiences.
▲ Budva, Saint Stephen Island (Sveti Stefan)
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3131
▲ A beach in Budva.
▲ Budva’s Old Town.
Miločer Beach and Sveti Stefan. Sveti Stefan is an island connected to the mainland filled with 15thcentury villas known as the most photographed place in Montenegro. Today, the island is a part of a luxurious resort, and only guests of the hotel or one of the restaurants in the resort can enter Sveti Stefan.
The Author
Mirjana Adzic was born and raised in Montenegro. After completing her undergraduate degree, she moved to Seoul where she currently attends Ewha Womans University. Mirjana enjoys traveling, encountering new cultures, reading, and learning foreign languages.
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Budva is also quite famous for its vibrant nightlife in the city center during summer, with many open bars and clubs that attract young people. However, right outside of the city center, Budva also offers beautiful places to relax for those who prefer calmness and the enjoyment of nature in the heart of the Adriatic.
▲ Budva Marina
May May 2021 2021
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32
Language Teaching
The Cosmopolitan Classroom Transformation Through Encounters with Difference
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
May 2021
TEACHING & LEARNING
Inter view with Lindsay Herron I thought I was aware of what cosmopolitanism entailed, that is, until I saw a presentation on cosmopolitanism and EFL learners at a Korea TESOL event. I wasn’t sure what this meant, but it piqued my interest and I attended the presentation. I came away from the presentation with a broader understanding of cosmopolitanism and how it fits into EFL pedagogy. That presentation was delivered by Lindsay Herron, who has been teaching in Gwangju for over a decade. Though I knew that she was super busy with a myriad of projects, she was finally able to do this interview for the Gwangju News. — D. Shaffer
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wangju News (GN): I know that you have done a lot of study in cosmopolitanism. When I think of a cosmopolitan, the first thing that comes to mind is someone who is well-to-do, educated, speaks several languages, and travels to many different places. I assume that’s not what you’re studying…is it? Lindsay Herron: That’s what I used to think of when I heard “cosmopolitan,” as well! But when we talk about cosmopolitanism and cosmopolitan orientations, that’s not exactly what we mean. Cosmopolitan is actually a term that dates back to Ancient Greece and the Stoics; the Cynic philosopher Diogenes (c. 390–323 BCE) is credited with coining the term when he declared himself a kosmopolites, or “citizen of the world,” instead of a citizen merely of the nation-state. The idea was adopted by Enlightenment thinkers, including the influential philosopher Immanuel Kant, to advocate for more universalist perspectives and moral obligations (Hansen, 2014). Today, cosmopolitanism has been embraced by a wide variety of fields, from anthropology to sociology, and media studies to political science, as a framework for understanding the complex intersections and interactions between the local and global.
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Most conceptualizations of cosmopolitanism today go beyond the local and global, however, to encompass all the myriad differences that are inherent among us. Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah (2006) describes cosmopolitanism as comprising the entwined concepts of pluralism and fallibilism – that is, a recognition of the existence of multiple perspectives and also the limitations of your own. In many ways, cosmopolitanism is about relativizing the self, about viewing yourself and your understandings within larger contexts and from other perspectives. It’s about delighting in difference, seeking out new ideas and experiences, and engaging with others in a welcoming, open way – and on their own terms. It’s also about our responsibility as citizens of the world to act beyond borders with an eye toward our shared ethical obligation to others. If cosmopolitanism had a slogan, Appiah (2006) says, it might be “universality plus difference” (loc. 2206). That is to say, cosmopolitanism is a way to both appreciate and move beyond differences to a central core of shared humanity. Cosmopolitanism is also about growing and changing through encounters with difference. When we encounter a new perspective, we experience a sense of disjuncture between the new and the known. We become aware of previously unknown paths and possibilities in life, which in turn highlight the limitations of our own taken-forgranted beliefs, assumptions, and biases. As we start to critically consider and question our own enculturated versions of “normal,” we come to understand that “normal” is relative at best – that there are manifold ways of being in the world. This expanded awareness of the
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33 world changes us; we approach both new perspectives and old beliefs with a more critical eye, adopting the ones that suit us, while cultivating more hospitable, empathetic, humanizing views of others. Cosmopolitanism in this way can foster community, connection, and belonging as understandings of boundaries, self, and other evolve. GN: Cosmopolitanism “fosters community” – that’s a nice way of putting it! So, what got you interested in the study of cosmopolitanism? Lindsay: The first doctoral course I took at Indiana University was a survey course incorporating a wide range of literacy-related topics, including cosmopolitan literacies. The following summer, I took an intensive reading elective on cosmopolitanism that allowed us to delve deeply into and engage with a variety of interdisciplinary perspectives on the topic. I enjoyed this course so much that, as part of my final project, I drafted a research proposal that eventually evolved into the basis for my dissertation. Cosmopolitanism appeals to me for many reasons. First and foremost, I think it’s an important topic, particularly considering the xenophobia and intolerance so rife in today’s world. With its dual emphases on ethical obligation and criticality, cosmopolitan education seems a promising way to encourage more open, empathetic perspectives; to question what we “know” and believe; to imagine new and better alternatives; and ultimately to build a better world. Second, I love how interdisciplinary it is. As part of my research, I’ve gotten to read books and articles from scholars around the world in the fields of media studies, cultural studies, political science, anthropology, social science, tourism theory, philosophy, philanthropy, and (of course) literacy and education.
Learning about cosmopolitanism has helped me understand the mélange of cultural influences surrounding me here in Korea and also reminded me that fostering a cosmopolitan mindset – especially one that gives others the benefit of the doubt and seeks a deeper understanding of situated practices – is a continuous process. I don’t always manage it, but I find that pushing myself toward more cosmopolitan openness and striving to consider other perspectives can help when I feel frustrated or impatient with life in Korea. For example, to be honest, I used to be fairly disdainful of the “misuse” of hot dog toppings at Costco; since recognizing this activity for what it was (the contextually appropriate creation of banchan) and as a fundamentally cosmopolitan practice, though, I have much more appreciation for it. GN: Cosmopolitanism is an aspect of society, or societies, but how does it fit into education? Lindsay: Cosmopolitanism is a popular lens for educational practice today. In many ways, in fact, education is inherently cosmopolitan! In cosmopolitan theory, transformation is spurred by encounters with the new that draw people’s attention to the limitations of their previous perspectives and simultaneously present new possibilities. That’s education in a nutshell, isn’t it? Hansen’s (2014) work on cosmopolitanism explicitly compares embodied cosmopolitanism to education, describing education as “a transformative experience of becoming aware of one’s skills or lack thereof, of grasping their significance or their triviality, of discovering (often with surprise) that knowledge is a more many-sided
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The third reason I find cosmopolitanism fascinating is that it’s immediately, viscerally, and visibly relevant to my life (and yours, too, if you’re reading this!). One key aspect of cosmopolitanism, dating back many millennia, is the selective adaptation of global trends to local tastes.
K-pop, with its Western inspirations and influences, local performers, and global dissemination? Cosmopolitan! The cafes that dot Gwangju’s streets, serving coffee and European delicacies matching Korean tastes, with hours suiting Korean preferences? Cosmopolitan! The food court at Costco, where Korean customers take the condiments provided as hot dog toppings (onions, mustard, ketchup, and relish), mix them together on a plate, and eat them as a side dish? Cosmopolitan!
May 2021
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34 like. For foreign teachers, in particular, it can be useful to incorporate stories about our lives, photos of our friends and families, and information about our favorite things, giving students new and varied ideas about what “foreigners” are like. Related to this, I also strongly encourage foreigner teachers to try to disrupt the prevailing stereotypes here (e.g., by enjoying spicy foods, using chopsticks, being able to speak Korean), which can help to highlight generalizations, assumptions, and biases, and thus force students (and our colleagues) to question their understandings and beliefs.
, hospitality, ics of care: empathy ism includes an eth at the first tan an oli ufm op Ka sm tzi Co ▲ . The author and Mi ers oth for ion ass and comp 18. lture Festival in 20 Gwangju Queer Cu
concept … than simply having information” (p. 10). Researcher Ninni Wahlström (2014) also finds “active, potentially cosmopolitan-minded meaning-making” (p. 130) in classes that encourage curiosity and wonder as students encounter new ideas and thoughts. She describes this as an “aesthetic-reflective experience” that helps students create new meaning, and she encourages a classroom that “includes inner feelings, imagination, and self-reflexivity” (p. 125). The question, then, isn’t really whether cosmopolitanism is related to education but rather how teachers can create in their lessons a sense of embodied cosmopolitanism, that sense of “wonder, triggered by substantive encounters with the new” (Hansen, 2014, p. 9) that encourages new understandings and new meaning-making.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
May 2021
GN: Can you give us some ideas as to how teachers can introduce cosmopolitan meaning-making into their classroom teaching? Lindsay: It might help here to think of cosmopolitanism as entailing two separate but entwined elements: (a) an ethical obligation to others that might emerge as empathy, openness, hospitality, and a concern for others’ wellbeing (including distant/different others) and (b) the potential for reflective transformation through encounters with difference. These can be achieved by creating opportunities for disjuncture, gently disrupting what students “know” or believe is “normal” to encourage the pluralism and fallibilism described by Appiah. Simply teaching a foreign language and introducing various aspects of other cultures is, in effect, quite cosmopolitan! Our teaching styles, methodologies, educational priorities, and approaches to classroom management are often different from what students have experienced, giving them new perspectives on what “education,” “learning,” and “success” can look
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Thinking about cosmopolitanism in this way, it’s surprisingly easy to make your class more cosmopolitan. Here are a few easy adjustments: — Have students write for an authentic audience, even if it’s just their peers. In order to successfully communicate across difference, an author must imagine their audience and their audience’s divergent experiences and understandings; this is a fundamentally cosmopolitan endeavor that requires consideration of diverse perspectives. — Make your writing projects (and your classes) more multimodal. This shakes up notions of what “writing” and “literacy” are, challenges more traditional forms of education by privileging different skills and ways of thinking, and requires consideration of diverse perspectives as students choose the best semiotic resource for conveying meaning in this particular context for this particular audience. — Normalize (and humanize) diverse others through representation of a wide variety of people: people with different backgrounds, abilities, ethnicities, gender identities, family structures, jobs, etc. (Note: Some of these might be more controversial than others; please check with a co-teacher if you think your school might take issue with something.) — Embrace the social imagination; encourage students to talk, discuss, play, read, and imagine! Interaction with others spurs our “social imagination,” educational philosopher Maxine Greene (1995) writes, which in turn can conjure up “a mode of utopian thinking: thinking that refuses mere compliance, that looks down roads not yet taken to the shapes of a more fulfilling social order, to more vibrant ways of being in the world” (p. 5). In short, discovering alternate paths and patterns of existence encourages us to imagine how our lives could be different or improved – a response to the disjuncture between what is and what could be, and a highly cosmopolitan endeavor in its subtle embrace of criticality and selfproblematization. — Inspire curiosity and wonder! Check out KOTESOL’s many publications and presentations for some wonderful ideas for how to do this.
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35 — Model cosmopolitan openness yourself! Cultivate in yourself a cosmopolitan mindset that recognizes and questions your own limitations and preconceptions, evinces empathy and understanding, and welcomes the knowledge and viewpoints that diverse others – including your own students and colleagues – can offer. Cosmopolitanism is a massive concept, and I’ve only scratched the surface here. I hope you’ll agree, though, that it seems to be an interesting lens for considering how we teach; what we teach; how students engage across difference with their friends, the material, and unknown others; how we problematize our own understandings and norms; how we understand our place in the world; and how we can improve the world by thinking outside the local and imagining new possibilities. GN: Fascinating stuff ! Really thought-provoking. I can now take a bit of comfort in knowing that my classes had elements of cosmopolitanism sprinkled through them, though I didn’t have that label to put on it. It seems that with their background knowledge and experiences, it’s the expat educator in Korea who can more easily interject more cosmopolitanism into teaching. Thank you, Lindsay, for giving us this multi-faceted explanation of cosmopolitanism; it gives us another aspect to consider – to reflect on – in preparing students for the everexpanding global community that lies before them.
▲ Don't get annoyed by the “misuse” of Western foods; it’s just cosmopolitanism! Hot dogs served on pancakes and topped with syrup, sold by English education majors at a GNUE festival.
Interviewed by David Shaffer, Gwangju News’ editor-in-chief. References Appiah, K. A. (2006). Cosmpolitanism: Ethics in a world of strangers. W.W. Norton & Company. Greene, M. (1995). Releasing the imagination: Essays on education, the arts, and social change. Jossey-Bass. Hansen, D. T. (2014). Cosmopolitanism as cultural creativity: New modes of educational practice in globalizing times. Curriculum Inquiry, 44(1), 1–14. http://doi.org/10.1111/curi.12039 Wahlström, N. (2014). Toward a conceptual framework for understanding cosmopolitanism on the ground. Curriculum Inquiry, 44(1), 113–132. https://doi.org/10.1111/curi.12038
The Interviewee
GWANGJU-JEONNAM KOTESOL UPCOMING EVENTS
▲ One aspect of cosmopolitanism is global trends adapted to local tastes. Here: a Celtic tradition adapted upon arrival in America becomes Jack-o-lanterns made from Korean pumpkins carved by high school students in Jeju-do.
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For full event details: Website: http://koreatesol.org/gwangju Facebook: Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL
May 2021
Check the Chapter’s webpages and Facebook group periodically for updates on chapter events and online activities.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
Lindsay Herron has been teaching at Gwangju National University of Education since 2008. She is currently working on a doctorate in literacy, culture, and language education at Indiana University; her dissertation explores the situated cosmopolitan literacies her students demonstrated during a semester-long, online international exchange. Lindsay is currently the president of KOTESOL’s Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter and a past national president.
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36
Everyday Korean By Harsh Kumar Mishra
Episode 41
TEACHING & LEARNING
날씨가 어때요? (How’s the weather?) 네하:
한국은 지금 여름이에요?
Neha:
Is it summer in Korea now?
정민:
아니요, 아직도 봄이에요.
Grammar Points
~아지다/어지다: This grammar point is used with Korean adjectives and expresses change, meaning the same as “to become” or “to get” in English. Ex: 일 때문에 바빠졌어요. I got busy due to work.
~이/가 어때요?: Use this expression with nouns to ask, “How’s something/ someone?” Use “~이 어때요?” when a noun ends in a final consonant, and “~가 어때요?” when a noun ends in a vowel. Ex: 그 식당이 어때요? How is that restaurant?
Jeongmin: No, it’s still spring.
Vocabulary Items
네하:
날씨가 어때요?
지금
now
Neha:
How’s the weather?
날씨
weather
정민:
맑고 따뜻해요. 하지만 점점 더워지고 있어요. 델리는 어때요?
봄
spring
여름
summer
가을
autumn
겨울
winter
맑다
to be sunny/clean/pure
따뜻하다
to be warm
덥다
to be hot
바람이 불다
the wind blows
시원하다
to be cool/refreshing
그늘
shade
기온
temperature
Jeongmin: It’s sunny and warm. But it’s gradually getting hotter. How about Delhi?
네하:
여기는 너무 더워요. 하지만 바람이 많이 불어서 그늘에 있으면 시원해요.
Neha:
It’s so hot here. But it’s windy, so it’s refreshing when you’re in the shade.
정민:
오늘 기온이 몇 도예요?
Jeongmin: What’s the temperature today?
Neha:
It’s 40 degrees Celsius.
2021
40도예요.
Weather-Related Expressions 흐리다
to be cloudy
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네하:
비가 오다
to rain
한여름
mid-summer
무더위
heatwave
피서
summer vacation
장마
rainy season
습하다
to be humid
더위를 견디다
to bear the heat
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TOPIK GUIDE (topikguide.com) is the most comprehensive website devoted to the TOPIK exam. It’s been helping Korean language learners pass TOPIK (Test of Proficiency in Korean) for more than seven years. On our website, you can get all the TOPIK updates, grammar and vocabulary materials, and study tips, or visit our TOPIK YouTube channel to improve your Korean and reach your goal on the TOPIK test.
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Korean Recipe 37
Jjukkumi Bokkeum Stir-Fried Baby Octopus By Joe Wabe
I
The city of Muan is quite a popular place for enjoying a variety of dishes made from octopus – it is a must when traveling to this southwestern region. There is also a jjukkumi festival at Muchangpo Beach held every year from mid-March to early April that offers an abundance of freshly caught seasonal seafood, among which this baby octopus is the major attraction. One factor that sets jjukkumi apart from other varieties of octopus is the taste, a nice saltiness followed by a gentle sweetness and fresh sea scent. Also, its texture is very tender and not as chewy as regular octopus. Jjukkumi bokkeum (쭈꾸미 볶음) is mostly enjoyed very spicy, but since the kitchen is yours, you can command the process and stir things in at your own heat levels. If you want to get the best quality, visit your local traditional market this spring for a fresher and more authentic Korean catch.
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For starters, cleaning the guts is optional, and you can enjoy deeper flavors if you leave the head as is. However, if you want to clean out the innards, you will have to proceed with a pair of scissors or a knife just like with a normal octopus. Once the octopus is cut into bite-sized pieces, in a bowl sprinkle sea salt and scrub the parts for about two minutes, then under cold, running water, get rid of the salt, drain, and set apart. In a mixing bowl, add the red pepper paste, flakes, soy sauce, anchovy stock, rice syrup, mirin, sesame oil, and minced garlic, and mix all the ingredients together well. Heat a wok or frying pan over high heat with oil, and add the onions, cabbage, and carrots, and then stir for about two minutes. Add the baby octopus and sauce for about three more minutes. Next, add the chopped green onion. Do not cook for more than five minutes since the texture could become chewier. Garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy.
The Author Joe Wabe is a Gwangju expat who has been contributing to the GIC and the Gwangju News for more than ten years with his work in photography and writing.
May 2021
(Serves 3) 3 small baby octopuses 1 tbs red pepper paste 2 tbs red pepper flakes 1 tbs soy sauce 1 tbs anchovy stock 2 tbs rice syrup 1 tbs rice wine (mirin) 1 tbs sesame oil 1 tbs minced garlic 1 medium onion chopped 1 green onion 1 cup of chopped cabbage 1 carrot sliced 1 tbs sesame seeds
Preparation
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Ingredients
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •
FOOD FOOD && DRINKS DRINKS
n the past few years, jjukkumi (쭈꾸미) has become a distinctive spring food. It is between March and April that this small octopus emerges from the deep waters along the west coast of Korea and spawns. However, because of overfishing and other environmental issues, jjukkumi catches are not as abundant as in the past, and this has made its price jump. This has likewise increased the import of frozen products from Southeast Asia in order to keep up with demand while keeping it affordable for the population.
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www.gwangjunewsgic.com
May 2021
FOOD & DRINKS
38 Restaurant Review
HANNAMDONG (한남동 나른한 오후) Address 16-10 Dongmyeong-ro 67-beon-gil, Dong-gu, Gwangju 광주 동구 동명로 67번길 16-10 Operating Hours Tuesdays–Fridays, 11:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.; Sundays, 11:30 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.; Closed Mondays. Phone: 010-7476-8722 @hannamdong_npm
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2021-04-26 �� 10:01:13
39
“The Hannamdong Relaxing Afternoon” A Gourmet Experience Reviewed by Melline Galani
H
aving a meal at the “Hannamdong Relaxing Afternoon” (한남동나른한오후) is more than just an experience to satisfy one’s appetite. It is an entire experience covering the taste, the flavors, and the ambience, all serving as factors leading to a memorable adventure. “Hannamdong,” for short, is a Korean restaurant specializing in Iberico Bellota pork located in Dongmyeong-dong in a traditional hanok house with a beautiful garden outside. Iberico meat is distinctly different from regular pork, almost looking like beef due to its bright, red color. The to-be slaughtered pigs are pastured and fed a combination of acorns and grains. Their ham must be cured for 17 months. A large amount of the meat fat is unsaturated, oleic fat, the same fat found in olive oil, which is said to reduce cholesterol and make the meat super tasty. They say the meat is more flavorful, juicier, and very distinctive as a result.
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There are three steak options with prices in the 24,000 to 30,000-won range per person, but the restaurant also serves pork cutlets (돈까스, 15,000–17,000 won), Iberico bulgogi bibimbap (이베리코불고기비빔밥, 15,000 won), cold noodles (냉면, 13,000 won), and sides such as salad (13,000 won) and french fries (8,000 won). For beverages, they have coffee, juice, and alcohol. If the weather is fine, having a cup of coffee outside after a generous meal is more than refreshing. As a Korean restaurant, I think their food offers quite diverse tastes. Even for those not accustomed to Korean cuisine, this restaurant would be a good choice. If you happen to be in the neighborhood, give this restaurant a chance. I am sure you will be pleased, not to mention that you get to take great pictures in the garden that are perfect for Instagram. Photographs by Melline Galani.
The Reviewer
Melline Galani is a Romanian enthusiast, born and raised in the capital city of Bucharest, who is currently living in Gwangju. She likes new challenges and learning interesting things, and she is incurably optimistic. @melligalanis
May 2021
Another good aspect related to this establishment’s architecture is the division. There are practically separate rooms for each table, so you will not sit in the same space with other people. All rooms are decorated in a traditional Korean style, making the ambience even more pleasant, especially facing the yard situated in the center. The doors of the rooms are wide open, so you can enjoy the tranquil views while savoring the delicious steak. I
I opted for the Iberico Bellota steak meal. The price was 24,000 won for one person, but there are plenty of side dishes, a seaweed soup, and rice, filling the table with vibrant, gourmet-looking colors. The steak came with a vegetable side that was soft and juicy, just as perfect as the steak was.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
I arrived at the restaurant for lunch on a recent sunny spring day. As you might imagine, this place is quite popular and well known among Koreans, being considered by them as a hot place to visit. Because of COVID-19, the place was not packed, so I was lucky to find a table. Still, it is better to make a reservation in advance to make sure you have a place to eat, unless you want to wait.
can only assume that the night view would be a terrific experience, with dinner under the lights in the garden.
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40 Local Entrepreneurs
Is This NIRVANA?! Small Business Survival While Social Distancing By Caleb Sekeres
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
May 2021
COMMUNITY
A
cknowledging a passion’s failure must be one of the more painful experiences in life, though I am not sure working long days in a barely occupied bar during a pandemic qualifies as a passion. Perhaps if I added some rum to my passion, I could sell it as a cocktail for 7,000 won. These are the ideas that come and go when the bar business is brutal. Yunoo and I are fortunate, since we have survived COVID-19 so far. Or rather our business, Nirvana, has. Other businesses have not survived, or have had to change, contorting themselves into something completely different. Government restrictions have handled small businesses and “high-risk” businesses like a yo-yo, requiring them to close at irregular times for several months. Restaurants, bars, and cafes have taken financial hits as if Mike Tyson were their boxing opponent. High-risk businesses like Nirvana, which has been allowed to remain open with restrictions, are lucky compared to businesses with different licenses, which have been forced to close indefinitely. Many will never open again, while some have changed and survived. I admire business owners who can transform their focus so completely, as one bar in my neighborhood has done. It morphed into a chicken restaurant with takeout and delivery, a smart move when restrictions desiccate your client base. Can you imagine running a bar that has to close at 9 p.m., just when most customers are going out to drink? But chicken is socially acceptable anytime! Yunoo and I, who opened Nirvana a few weeks before COVID-19 began to spread throughout Korea, have not rebranded our business in any way. However, we have implemented and followed a few survival techniques with varying success. Nirvana began as a neighborhood bar in Jisan-dong, near Chosun University. It is a “mom and pop” place, a bar run by family owners. Our two sons occasionally accompany us to the bar during off-hours in the hopes of getting an
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orange Fanta soda or a Hansen’s Root Beer. The boys will climb onto the black and silver barstools and “belly up to the bar,” demanding service from me, while I am putting dishes and glasses away or washing out the food garbage bucket. Glamorous pandemic work. “Barkeep! I would like a drink and some chocolate,” they often say. My boys are five and eight years old. I usually grunt a reply or stick a bottle of whisky in front of them, hoping they will drink a shot and fall asleep for a few hours so I can get some work done. When I finish my work at Nirvana, the boys clamber down from the high barstools, struggling to find solid ground like some of our adult customers after a night of revelry. These days, we are all looking for sure footing. Yet even during the pandemic, Nirvana has had a few bright spots in an otherwise tough 14 months. When possible, we hold live music events, inviting a few performers to come and play for an audience that is hungry for entertainment and, of course, alcohol. These events have been held every six to eight weeks, though occasionally they have been postponed or canceled when the number of pandemic cases in Gwangju creeps too high. We always provide hand sanitizer, we require QR Codes and sign-ins, and we perform temperature checks. We ask our customers to maintain social distance. It is difficult predicting how many people will attend events, even when we ask for RSVPs, but so far we have had some good performances with a reasonable number of attendees. And during restricted
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41
business hours, we adapted and held music events in the afternoon instead of in the evening. Survival technique number 12: Change your business hours and open earlier. Be flexible enough to show your customers that you are fighting to serve them. Nirvana has also had especially good business days when our customers celebrate birthdays or, sadly, leave Korea. It is bittersweet for us to be one of the final stops on the journey of a friend who has, usually, been in Korea for years. It is an opportunity for us to say goodbye properly, by providing a personalized experience for people we know. Over these first 14 months in business, Yunoo and I have developed a relationship with dozens of regular customers, both people we knew before and new faces from the neighborhood – and some even farther afield of Gwangju.
Survival technique number 37: Know your customers, be kind, and care.
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Survival technique number 1: Fight for your passion, and others will fight with you. Here is to a better 2021, and an exceedingly better 2022, full of travel, new friends, and alcohol. Or belly up to our bar and order a root beer. You do not have to drink alcohol to “come on by and say hi!” Whatever your idea of nirvana is, we hope it is just around the corner.
The Author
Caleb Sekeres was raised in Providence, Rhode Island, and later lived in Brooklyn, New York, for many years. In the United States, he was an educator and an actor. He moved to Korea in 2008 to continue teaching and traveling. He has recorded two albums of original piano music while in Korea: Late Night Meditations and The Gift. He is also pursuing acting opportunities in television and film when he is not busy running Nirvana with co-owner, Yunoo Kim. He is the proud father of two angelic boys. In five years, Caleb hopes to be frolicking through forests and oceans without a mask.
May 2021
Perseverance is in my veins. Before coming to Korea in 2008, I was an actor and spent years in New York City fighting to get roles in plays. I had a passion for acting, a love of the theater, and the tenacity to pursue my craft in the face of overwhelming odds. Success is not a word that I define in simple financial terms. Success means personal fulfillment. When Yunoo and I moved back to
Nirvana has persevered because we had a solid business plan before starting the business. It has survived because we have maintained consistent business hours, according to our own advertising and government requirements. Our business has flourished because of our customers, some of whom visit us weekly, because they want to support us during these difficult times. Finally, Nirvana is still standing because Yunoo and I are tenacious and love our work.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
Customers have drinks they like. They occasionally request brands of alcohol we do not carry. There is only so much shelf space in our small establishment, but sometimes we are able to surprise a customer with a special bottle acquired for their enjoyment. Customers also have preferred styles of music. So, when Nirvana is asked to host a birthday party or farewell, we are able to give our friends a personal touch they cannot get elsewhere.
Korea to start our business, we had no idea a pandemic would derail our plans. Nobody had a clue what 2020 would throw our way. The emotional highs and lows, the financial challenges, and the daily compromises were beyond the scope of our imagination. We fought to stay open and succeeded in surviving.
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42 Health
Snap, Crackle, Pop
What to Expect If You Break a Bone in Korea By William Urbanski
COMMUNITY
S
pring of 2021 started for me on a very positive note. Besides being able to finally go outside and play with my friends, I was happy to be starting an exciting new job. It seemed as if the stars had lined up and I had finally “caught a break.” Unfortunately, that figure of speech would take on a whole new meaning because, despite my good fortune, fate, my constant enemy, had other plans. On my first spring day trip away from Gwangju, I fractured my ankle and required immediate surgery.
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May 2021
The circumstances surrounding my injury are not important other than to say it was completely my fault, and I totally had it coming. My intention in writing this piece is neither to gain sympathy nor to discourage people from enjoying an active lifestyle, but to help inform others about what lies ahead if they too have to undergo a surgical operation in Korea. THE DEETS In medical terms, my injury was a displaced fracture of the lateral malleolus. The lateral malleolus is the bulbous bone on the outside of the ankle where the fibula meets the foot. Damaging it is among the most common ankle injuries. When I fell back on my foot, I heard and felt something “pop” but was surprised how much it actually did not hurt. It was clear that something was wrong though, which brings me to the first important takeaway of this article: If you hear a bone crack or pop, your very next stop should be the hospital. Sometimes fractures do not require surgery, but as mentioned above, my fracture was “displaced,” meaning the bone was no longer lining up properly. If I had left it, it would have healed improperly, leading to long-term problems. The “doctor” at the first “hospital” I went to seemed more interested in growing a beard than in the condition of my foot and said he did not think surgery was necessary. He put me in a makeshift cast and sent me on my way. The severity of the fracture didn’t fully register so, like an
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▲ If you break your ankle, you might still be able to go out for burgers.
idiot, I walked (read: hobbled) around on it for a couple of days until I finally went to a second clinic where I got some bad news: I needed surgery ASAP. Even though I believed the doctor, this was the point where I got a little suspicious of whether or not he was considering my best interests. He did not want to hear anything about my job or personal situation and insisted that I (a) have surgery right away and (b) stay in the hospital for a whole week to recover. Now, I am no medical professional but for a relatively simple surgery, a week-long hospital stay seemed excessive. That brings me to my second major point: You are entitled to another medical opinion, so go get one. The final doctor I spoke to concurred that I needed surgery quickly, and he was also willing to listen and
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43 “negotiate” the length of my hospital stay, which in the end was four nights and three days. So, after the mandatory COVID test, I was admitted that very night and started on the road to recovery. THE STAY Now even though my injury was ▲ New hardware. relatively minor and common (there were at least three other people in my ward with similar injuries), there is really no such thing as a “minor surgery.” So, keep in mind that any patient that is going under the knife will have to undergo a battery of tests (including blood samples and lung capacity tests), interviews, and x-rays. Over my short stay, I got no fewer than ten needles stuck in me, not including the IV that I was hooked up to for a few days, which completely limited my mobility and was, in my opinion, the worst part of this whole affair.
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CRUTCH LIFE If you do break an ankle, you can expect to be on crutches for roughly six weeks. Having never had to use crutches before, there are a couple of things that quickly became painfully evident and required major adjustments to my lifestyle. The first is that, no matter how strong you are, your “range,” which is to say, how far you can go on crutches before getting completely exhausted, will be very limited. As a rough estimate, I would say about fivehundred meters is the limit before fatigue kicks in. Also, it takes about twice as long to do anything, including getting dressed, eating, and showering. In terms of getting around, buses were no longer an option because even though I am in pretty good physical condition, it was just too difficult and rough. Finally, the doctor will probably use the term “no weight bearing” which, in layman’s terms, means “do not put your foot on the ground.” “No weight bearing” is probably the most important part because the bone has to set and heal, and a relatively small amount of pressure can really muck it up. By the time this article comes out, I should be out of a cast and off crutches but will still be looking at a number of months before I can return to my regular activities. Overall, my hospital experience was very good, and I am very thankful for the excellent and hardworking doctors, nurses, and hospital staff who took care of me. Although getting hurt is a bummer, I have tried to see this as an opportunity to focus on other areas in life that are always in need of attention. I would like to leave you with a final thought: Having an active and physical lifestyle is one of the best and most rewarding things in the world, but if you get hurt, a surgery has a special way of encapsulating and affecting all other aspects of your life, including your job and family. So, get out there, enjoy your life, and be physical – but remember to check yourself before you wreck yourself.
The Author
William Urbanski is the managing editor of the Gwangju News and a proud owner of a new electric bike, which is very handy since he has not been able to walk lately. He also recently learned the value of holding the door open for each and every injured person he sees. @will_il_gatto
May 2021
The surgery itself was fine and the only time I felt pain was immediately after I woke up. After I mentioned this to the nurse, she pumped me full of some wonder chemical that made me feel dizzy and pass out for a few hours. One other thing I would like to mention is that getting anesthesia is gnarly, and I had a number of sores inside my mouth from where they were holding a mask over my face while I was out. When all was said and done, I got a plate with three screws put in my ankle, which was decorated with nine big stitches. The National Health Insurance Plan covered a lot of the expense, but I still had to pay a tidy sum out of pocket when all was said and done. Fortunately, I do carry supplemental insurance, which will reimburse a large part
After I was discharged, there was still the matter of replacing my bandages every few days, getting my stitches out, and getting a hard cast. This all brings me to the next major point: If you require any sort of surgery, get prepared for a process, and not a transaction.
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In terms of where I stayed at the hospital, I shared a large room with about eight other patients and their families. This is a major difference between the Korean and Canadian system: In Korea, a family member is usually allowed to stay in the room with you overnight. My area was private enough and the food was pretty not bad, except for the breakfast fish, which is something I refused solely on the principle that fish is not and never will be a breakfast food.
of that. (The whole issue of supplemental insurance is a topic I would like to cover in a later article.)
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44 Expat Living
Maintaining Moderation with Alcohol By Katy Clements
COMMUNITY COMMUNITY
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iving abroad, though exciting, can be incredibly stressful. Not only are we separated from the people and places that we are familiar with, but we also become more aware of our own thoughts as we begin to learn how to adapt to our new surroundings. In times of high stress or deep depression, it can become tempting to numb our feelings with alcohol regularly. Having drinks with friends can be a way to unwind and destress after a busy workday. However, for people that become addicted to the numbing sensation that alcohol gives, becoming dependent on it can be dangerous to your health, career, and relationships. People struggling with these issues should not be shamed or belittled but understood and listened to so that friends and family can find a root cause. As an expat apart from my family and comforts, I began to think that I was a more entertaining person when I drank. However, as I grew older, married, and decided to remain in Korea long term, my loved ones saw that I needed to confront my issues, both past and present.
To offset these results, it would be best for a person to try to quit drinking at least four hours before bedtime. Another aspect affected by alcohol is its effect on our digestive system. Alcohol is a depressant, and it slows are body’s ability to burn fat and process nutrients until the alcohol is out of our system. This is bad news to people who are trying to control weight gain or loss. If you are too nauseated to eat or hold in food, you will not be able to store the vitamins necessary to thrive, thus leading to dangerous weight loss. In juxtaposition, if you are trying to lose weight, your body will behave sluggishly. To offset these results, it is best to drink in moderation and during meals because the food will help slow the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream. A third thing that alcohol will affect is your mood. Alcohol is a depressant, and if you are already stressed and depressed, then your mood will get much worse.
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The first thing that alcohol begins to effect is our quality of sleep. Sleep is important so that we can function in our jobs. Without a proper REM (rapid eye movement) cycle, our bodies are unable to digest normally, or make the proper repairs. A lack of sleep can contribute
to the inability to concentrate and make decisions. As a teacher, these two things are the most crucial part of my job, and the inability to use them properly could be detrimental. Even though alcohol acts as a sedative and can cause you to sleep, your body is not getting the proper type of sleep and thus cannot properly digest the alcohol that has entered your blood stream.
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May 2021
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A major contributor to alcohol consumption can be past or present trauma. If a person has a stressor that they have never confronted, or still haunts them, then alcohol can be used as a coping mechanism. If this is you or a loved one, then helping to confront that fear is key to helping them pursue a healthier lifestyle. A person who is suffering needs to be assured that they are loved regardless of what happened to them and that they can be open with you. If this is the case, I recommend seeing a psychiatrist in Korea. ▲ An application (left) the author uses to keep track of her intake over time. If she sees that she is partaking too much, As an American, I was she can adjust accordingly. A website (right) that the author likes to visit to seek support from other people. used to being charged an arm and a leg for Sometimes, it is not easy to resist drinking in large healthcare. I had never considered my mental health quantities. If you find yourself unable to say “no” to drinks because I could not afford to, but now I can rest assured offered by friends, then you should not feel ashamed that I can receive affordable and quality care. There are or embarrassed to reach out for help. Lately, the taboo also people who need to be aware of their family’s history regarding seeking help in Korea has been challenged, with alcohol. If one of their parents or grandparents had and mental health is now covered by the national struggled with dependency, then they should keep an eye healthcare system. The professionals I have encountered on their own habits and try to use moderation. It could be have all been kind, considerate, and accommodating. that they are at greater risk for heart disease or diabetes. Additionally, there are a few online programs and apps I would like to mention. The first is an AA app for people In conclusion, I want to emphasize that drinking alcohol who are wanting to quit drinking entirely, if you type is not bad or reckless but should be kept in-check for “AA” into GooglePlay, many apps will appear, and the better health and happiness, especially now that people ones I used do not cost money. They reward you with are under a tremendous amount of stress. If you feel that medals the longer the user stays sober. However, there you want help moderating your usage or quitting entirely, are also applications that simply help a person modify please look for the applications I recommended or visit their habit. The application I currently use to monitor my www.aa.org. habits is called AlcoDroid, and it is free on GooglePlay. With this app, you can add your drinks, and it will The Author calculate your BAC (blood alcohol content) and track Katy Clements is from America and lives in your habits so that you can help moderate yourself. If you Mokpo. She has a degree in criminology and are looking to connect with people and have face-to-face sociology. In her free time, she usually enjoys conversations, then a quick web search will yield many reading and watching movies. She wishes everyone a happy spring and is looking forward results. Generally, these people do not ask for money to cherry blossom season. upfront, but you have an option to donate if you can.
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46 Expat Living
The New Vibe of Studying Online By Nargiz Iskandarova
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May 2021
COMMUNITY
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hile many countries are at various stages in their COVID-19 infection rates, worldwide there have recently been more than 1.2 billion children and 186 countries affected by school closures due to the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered new ways of learning. All around the world, educational institutions are looking toward online learning platforms to continue with the process of educating students. The new normal is a transformed concept of education with online learning at its core. Today, digital learning has emerged as a necessary resource for students and schools all over the world. Many education systems, which have never witnessed a pandemic of this scale, have had to set up new online classes for students. It is interesting to highlight that South Korea shifted from offline classes to online ones in a short period of time. It is no secret that Chonnam National University and Kwangwoon University adopted new styles of teaching that have advantages as well as disadvantages. One effect of the pandemic is that students as well as teachers have had to surmount a number of difficulties that have caused a great amount of stress. Another was that Chonnam National University and Kwangwoon University campuses have became emptier than ever before. So students, especially international ones, went into a panic that triggered them to abandon school by taking leaves of absence. However, thanks to the Korean education system’s professional workers who bore the burdens of change and uncertainty upon their shoulders, many new educational avenues have opened up. Nevertheless, the disadvantages of online learning have outweighed the advantages. Advantages include the following. Efficiency – Online learning has offered professors an efficient way to deliver lessons to students. Such learning comes with a number of tools such as videos, PDFs, and podcasts, and teachers can use all these tools as part of their lesson plans. By extending the lesson plan beyond
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traditional textbooks to include online resources, teachers have been able to become more efficient educators. Accessibility of Time and Place – Another advantage of online education has been that it allows students to attend classes from any location of their choice. It also allows schools to reach out to a more extensive network of students, instead of being restricted by geographical boundaries, especially for students who took leaves of absence. Additionally, online lectures can be recorded, archived, and shared for future reference. This allows students to access the learning material at a time of their choosing. However, the disadvantages of online leaning outweigh the advantages due to a number of factors, including these. Difficulty Focusing on Screens – For many students, one of the biggest challenges of online learning has been the struggle with focusing on the screen for long periods of time. With online learning, there is also a greater chance for students to be easily distracted by social media such as Instagram and Facebook. Therefore, it is imperative for teachers to keep their online classes crisp, engaging, and interactive to help students stay focused on the lesson. But it is often almost impossible to keep them on track. Technology Issues – Another key challenge of online classes has been internet connectivity. Sometimes the internet connection does not work properly, and students are either absent as a result or just give up on the class. While internet penetration has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years, in smaller cities and towns, a consistent connection with decent speed has been a problem, especially for students who were in Uzbekistan or other countries facing huge problems such as the fact that the internet is not always free and can be quite slow compared to South Korea. So, students have had to wait, and time management has been difficult. Without a consistent internet connection for students or teachers, there can be a
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47 lack of continuity in learning for the students. Ultimately, this is detrimental to the education process. Sense of Isolation – Students can learn a lot more while in the company of their peers and by hanging out with them outside of class. However, in online classes, there are comparatively little interaction between students and teachers. This often results in a sense of isolation for the students, like having to stay home 24/7 all alone. In this situation, it has been imperative that schools allow for other forms of communication between students, peers, and teachers. It has been very hard for students to give up on friends with whom they used to easily share their feelings and exchange knowledge with.
The Author
Nargiz Iskandarova is currently a student at Chonnam National University, majoring in English language and literature. She has recently completed a TESOL class at Chosun University and is considered one of the youngest authors in Chonnam National University. Nargiz is a future professor who is eager to improve education around the world. She thinks that everyone must be educated regardless of gender and religion. @nargiz_iskandarova
In this regard, one student studying at Kwangwoon University whom I interviewed, Jakhongir Sultonov, told me that online classes were tedious and difficult to understand. He had a very difficult time due to online classes. He said that some of the classes need to be taught as offline classes to be effective. He highlighted that it is more fun to study when interacting with peers.
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CULTURE & ARTS
4848Photo Essay
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Ocean of Light: Dongdae Temple By Aline Verduyn
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It was a part of Daegu I had not been to before. Following the map, we turned right off the main road and started noticing a string of colored paper lanterns leading us up a road marked by the setting sun. We knew we were heading in the right direction. It was a quiet neighborhood, with just the string of lanterns to guide us. This path was the perfect onset to what our eyes were going to feast on. A little downhill and uphill, we found ourselves at the entrance of the temple, and our jaws dropped at the twinkling wonderland. From
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hen my mum visited me in May of 2019, I was wondering what beauty I could show her. The cherry blossoms had already passed. Buddha’s Birthday was the only event coming up, though I knew little about it. After asking around, my dongsaeng (동생, lit. “younger brother”) gave me the best recommendation. “Go to Dongdae-sa [ 동대사],” he said, “it is a big temple, and they always hang many lanterns for this holiday.” Intrigued by the beautiful temples in Korea, off we went on a Thursday evening to Dongdae Temple.
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50
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May 2021
left to right, as far as we could see, were lanterns of all sizes, shapes, and colors, all brightly lit. There were rows and rows of them, up on the hill behind the temple, over our heads, and in arches through the large courtyard. “We’ve arrived at the Buddhist version of heaven,” we thought.
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Our cameras were busily snapping all angles. The giant paper-made animals, lanterns floating on the pond, and others dangling from the temple’s rooftops, together with a light breeze and nothing but the sound of the wind chimes, only contributed to the serene atmosphere one can only find at temples here. We were the only ones there, and for us, it was food for the soul. It was my mum’s best memory of Daegu. I guess May wasn’t a bad time of year to visit after all.
The Author
Aline has lived in Korea for five years across different cities and is now happily settled in Gwangju, where she is co-hosting “Way Back with U” on GFN Radio and working on her master’s thesis. @gwangjumiin
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Gwangju Writes 51
Rhythmic Play for Limerick Day By Muthukumar Elangovan
A
There was an old Man with a beard, Who said, “It is just as I feared! Two owls and a Hen, Four Larks and a Wren, Have all built their nests in my beard!” The very last line of the limerick is the most important and should pack a punch. Writing those last lines with punches is tough. Here is an example from an unknown author who wrote a limerick about the difficulty of finishing limericks:
The last line of a limerick is as important as icing on the cake or “the gin in Campari” (if I may borrow from the late Christopher Hitchens). Below is a limerick that I have tried, which might be appreciated by wine lovers:
Why can limericks not be more serious and even philosophical? I have tried a more philosophical one with a sufficient punch at the end:
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It all started with a Big Bang, Out of which life also sprang. On Earth, we lay In the Milky Way, But round the Sun we swang! My aim in sharing these examples is that limericks can be funny and usually are, but they can also be about science and even philosophy. In today’s modern world where news, gossip, and boasting come in short verses typically in 140 characters or less, why not consider the relevance of limerick poetry? As Khalil Gibran remarked, “Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary.” The appreciation of poetry can begin with limericks. Though other forms of poetry are often tedious for beginners to understand, this does not mean that they should be ignored. In fact, any form of writing with good prose must be appreciated. Such is the distinct quality humans possess to appreciate language as an art form that stirs the passion, moves the spirit, and lifts us beyond mere mammals. So, let us start writing our own limericks now, just in time for the 12th of May – which is Edward Lear’s birthday, as well as Limerick Day.
The Author
Muthukumar Elangovan is a molecular biologist at the Gwangju Insitute of Science and Technology (GIST). He’s a naturalist, loves reading non-fiction books, and writes poetry, short stories, and other topics in his blog. pentomuthu@gmail.com
May 2021
Some drink to drown their sorrow, Others like there’s no morrow. Oh, honey! You knew, too, Why I did “that” with you. You’re of age and from Bordeaux!
Here is another one that unpacks the “origin of everything.” Science students and aficionados might appreciate this and might have improvements of their own:
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There was a young man from Japan Whose limericks never would scan. And when they asked why, He said “I do try! But when I get to the last line, I try to fit in as many words as I can.”
No fairness! Even in birth! Death is the fairest on Earth. Good, bad, and sinner, One and all a winner, As our ashes are equal in worth.
CULTURE & ARTS
limerick is short, funny, and often rude poetry that usually consists of five lines with a strict rhyme scheme of AABBA. The first, second, and fifth lines must rhyme with each other, while the third and fourth are often shorter and share their own separate rhyme. The etymology of limerick poetry is not known, but it is generally attributed to the city of Limerick in Ireland. Edward Lear popularized limericks after the publication of the Book of Nonsense in 1846. The following is a limerick from said book:
▲ “There was an Old Man with a Beard,” a famous limerick.
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52 Book Review
The Tyranny of Merit
What’s Become of the Common Good? Reviewed by Michael Attard
CULTURE & ARTS
“M
erit” refers to a quality of goodness or worthiness so as to deserve consideration, praise, or just reward. And it is generally believed that merit and success are achieved through effort and striving. From among three job applicants, the person with the best qualifications will get the job even if one applicant offered a bribe and the other was related to the company’s vice-president. This is the nature of virtuous merit in a just society. So, why has Michael Sandel, an American political philosopher at Harvard University, written the book, The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good?
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May 2021
The short answer is that meritocracy dating back to Confucius, Plato, and Aristotle is not what is practiced today. And the current propensity to see the widening inequity gap as meritorious or just and fair is tearing society apart. This book will not be to everyone’s liking. One of the seven chapters recounts the history of merit’s beginnings in the religious concept of grace, through the acceptance of the Protestant work ethic, to modern-day positions on freedom and responsibility. Other sections may offer too deep an analysis for some readers. I encourage you, however, to give the book a try. Sandel speaks as if he is lecturing to his first-year students, providing historical context and easily understood statistics to clarify his points. More importantly, all of us for years now have been trying to understand how such an enormous polarization has occurred in Western political thinking, and now Sandel helps us comprehend one of the greatest debates of our time. His contention is that the polarized politics of Western democracies has its roots in the corrosive nature of meritocracy. He states, “… those who land on the top come to believe that they deserve their success.” They have made it on their own. The implication is that
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those who land on the bottom deserve their failure. Thus, “… our social bonds and respect for one another come unraveled.” The winners develop hubris while others feel humiliation. This curtails all meaningful discussion, and the problem is exacerbated. The confronting sentiments of hubris and humiliation are spoken of throughout the book. One might judge that Sandel is unnecessarily repeating himself; I reckon that he believes that we cannot emphasize enough the psychological and social damage created by our distortion of merit. This harm has led people to believe that there is no alternative to the real political failure other than revolt. It is important to note that the sense of disempowerment does not only pertain to economics, but also to moral and cultural grievances such as the dignity of work and the meaning of success, which I will talk about. To many, an obvious flaw of meritocracy is inequality of opportunity. The rich have advantages. The often-offered remedy is for people to get an education. But here too is an implicit insult in that we are better than you because we have our credentials. Sandel proposes that governments focus on making life better for those who lack a diploma, again by addressing issues such as the dignity of work. Educated technocrats and credentialists as winners in society are those who dominate our governments. As those with credentials govern a populace without them, society becomes less democratic. Sandel claims that
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53 today’s parliaments more resemble those of the 19th century than they do of the mid-20th century. I am not sure that I fully accept what Sandel seems to imply about prejudice toward the lesser educated. At one time, a high school education was not necessary, but people adapted to a new world and high school graduation became the norm. If we are to be objective, perhaps those who feel that they are being left behind should assume some personal responsibility for their situation.
to ethnic minorities and immigrants, thus creating racial divides even though their emphasis is on the dignity of work, freedom, and personal responsibility. Related to but going beyond work, Sandel believes that we must also re-think the meaning of success. He points out that there is no inherent moral superiority in success. Generally, it is the luck of living in a society that prizes one’s talents. Success is not one’s due and, thus, if attained, should promote humility – the civic virtue we need.
Through the topic of globalization, he hones in on the dignity of work. This phenomenon has created inequality and stagnant wages, but beyond the economics is an attack on the dignity of work. Sandel wants us to rethink work. There is dignity in all work and people need to be rewarded with decent pay so that they feel they are participating in the building of society. People want to be producers more than they wish to be consumers.
In spite of the subject matter, the book is easy to read. Sandel writes in a peaceful tone and balances his ideas at all times. For example: “Overcoming the tyranny of merit does not mean that merit should play no role in the allocation of jobs and social roles.” And yet he never allows the reader to lose sight of his major points: “It is paramount for society to challenge inequalities of wealth and esteem that are defended in the name of merit…”
Sandel notes: “The meritocratic ideal is not a remedy for inequality; it is a justification of inequality.”
His comments come across as reasoned criticism, not as an attack on anyone or an idea. He offers an arbitrator’s perspective that, if adopted, would help us all.
Often liberals are confused as to why those they want to help will not support their programs – universal health insurance, for example. They misunderstand that the majority of people are not looking for handouts; they are searching for the dignity of work. They support meritocracy but not in the current form where technocrats determine who is worthy of respect and who is not. They detest liberal ideology focused on give-aways
The Reviewer
Michael Attard is a Canadian and has lived in Gwangju since 2004. Though officially retired, he still teaches a few private English classes. He enjoys reading all kinds of books and writes for fun. When the weather is nice, you may find him on a hiking trail.
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54 GFN Radio
Top of The Drop By Daniel J. Springer
This is the second installment of a new column in the Gwangju News: “Top of the Drop,” by Daniel Springer of the Gwangju Foreign Language Network (GFN). Each month, “Danno” picks his favorite newly released tunes that you may have missed, along with some upcoming albums and EPs that you might want to keep on your radar. — Ed.
CULTURE & ARTS
Floating Points with Pharaoh Sanders & the London Symphony Orchestra – “Promises”
It must be noted that we usually only list singles in this column and then point out the LP’s or EP’s they may be a part of, but this album is a completely different animal and must be listened to in its continuous totality, current singles-only trends be damned (the bucking of this trend is part of its brilliance as well). Floating Points is the moniker of Sam Shepherd, a DJ and producer from London who has been producing some of the most intricate, cutting-edge, and spacious electronic music out there for some time. In his third long-play outing, he really takes it to the next level with a jazz sax legend and man who has been in the vanguard of cutting-edge music for decades in Pharaoh Sanders. Together, the two combine with the London Symphony Orchestra in a murmuring, hypnotic, haunting, and continuous 46 minutes of audio whispers, poignant pauses, and screaming crescendos that is sure to receive many album-of-the-year plaudits.
L’Imperatrice – “Voodoo?”
The Empress returns and all hail Flore Banguigui and her stellar disco funk ensemble du maximum! The group’s latest album, Tako Tsubo, is finally out and does anything but disappoint. It is an elegant, concisely arranged instrumental adventure that, when combined with Mlle. Banguigui’s feather touch vocals, creates a cosmic dance vibe that is hard to match.
Jungle – “Keep Moving”
The famed UK-based duo announced their upcoming album in a massive way with this single that dropped March 23. Listen to both “Dry Your Tears” and “Keep Moving” as a single, continuous piece. You might have to wait a bit for it, but the payoff is huge with a Justice-meets-Daft Punk bump that is one of the best dance tracks of the year. The band’s new album, Loving in Stereo, drops August 13.
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May 2021
Black Monument Ensemble – “NOW (Forever Momentary Space)”
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Damon Locks is the veteran producer and conductor of many audio projects, but Black Monument Ensemble might be his best. The Sun Ra and Kelan Phil Cohran-inspired project is out with the title track to their upcoming new album as of April 9. After having their 2019 album, Where Future Unfolds (which was recorded live in one take), mentioned by the likes of BBC6’s Gilles Peterson as possible album of the year, NOW is not to be slept on.
Otis Kane – “Sweet Sensation”
With the hunger of the young artist that he is, but the silky veteran presence of John Legend, this young man out of L.A. is turning heads all over the map with this, the latest single from his upcoming debut album still to be officially announced. Do check his Growing Pains EP from February for more, as this is a young brother on the rise.
Genesis Owusu feat Kirin J Callinan – “Gold Chains”
In an amazing concept album and the start of what promises to be a remarkable career, the Australian rapper dives into themes of depression and racism, all the while defying conventions and avoiding the pitfalls of Aussie hip-hop. Add to that his personalized touches on punk, funk, and folk, and you get one of the most engaging albums of the year called Smiling with No Teeth.
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55 Alice Phoebe Lou – “Lovesick”
This tune appeared on the South African artist’s latest album Glow, her third career LP and definitely her most mature and confident. Now based in Berlin, Lou was discovered busking on the German capital’s streets, and while her previous work was solid, it had a mania and lack of surety that seemed to distract from the quality. Not so with Glow, which exudes the vibe of an artist who knows herself.
Altin Gun – “Kesik Cayir”
April 9 • Black Monument Ensemble – NOW • Flyte – This Is Really Going to Hurt • Brockhampton – Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine April 16 Greta Van Fleet – The Battle At Garden’s Gate
You might be forgiven for thinking that this crew is a product of Istanbul’s thriving funk and soul sound that has been around for five decades now, but no. Altin Gun is based in the Netherlands and has been gaining a huge following for their tight instrumental arrangements and vintage sound, with their third career album YOL earning very deserved, great reviews, even though the band added a synth and drum machine twist on this latest long-play. Not an easy trick to pull off given the band’s earlier very organic sound.
April 23 Field Music – Flat White Moon
Miesha & The Spanks – “I Want Fire”
May 14 • Sons of Kemet – Black to the Future • St. Vincent – Daddy’s Home
The Calgary-based duo of Miesha Louie and Sean Hamilton came out with their Singles EP April 16, and this was the first single released with that project. The vibe here is a mix of older proto punk pioneers like The Runaways, along with 90s bands like L7, which makes for a solid blowback with the speakers properly juiced.
Stevie Zita – “Vesta”
Silk Sonic – “Leave the Door Open”
Watch Out for These May 7 Nancy Wilson – You and Me
May 21 Lord Huron – Long Lost May 28 Black Midi – Cavalcade June 4 • Japanese Breakfast – Jubilee • Black Pumas – Capitol Cuts: Live from Studio A
The Author
Daniel J. Springer (a.k.a. “Danno”) is the creator, host, writer, editor, and producer of “The Drop with Danno,” broadcasting nightly on GFN 98.7 FM in Gwangju and 93.7 FM in Yeosu between 8 and 10 p.m. Prior to this, he was a contributor to several shows on TBS eFM in Seoul, along with being the creator and cohost of “Spacious” and “White Label Radio” on WNUR in Chicago. You can find “The Damyang Drop,” his monthly collaborative playlist with The Damyang House, on YouTube and Spotify. Show RSS Feed: https://feeds.transistor.fm/thedrop-with-danno @gfnthedrop @
May 2021
The collaboration between Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak is promising to be one of the most dynamic collabs of the year. This silky, buttery soul ballad worthy of the greats is the first single to An Evening with Silk Sonic, which still has yet to announce a release date, but the hype in the air is already thick and, with this initial single, deservedly so – even going to #1 on the Billboard singles charts last month! A true rarity for a genuinely great tune the critics love.
April 30 • Manchester Orchestra – The Million Masks of God • Gojira – Fortitude
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
The artist hails from what is pretty high on the list of music hotspots right now in Toronto, and his Cosmica EP is a series of space-age love ballads reminiscent in more ways than one of his “bathroom series” videos from social media, where he lets his vocal range enjoy the very specific acoustics of the tile and pillow-soft augmentations of the commode. Obviously, this quality EP is not to be left there.
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April Releases
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56
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
Created by Jon Dunbar
Look for the answers to this crossword puzzle to appear in June in Gwangju News Online (www.gwangjunewsgic.com).
DOWN
May 2021
1 5 8 12 13 14 15 16
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
ACROSS
17 18 20 22 23 24 27 31 32
Artist Ju Goes with yoga or welcome Egyptian president One of the great lakes Frozen water Old Apple computer Premier League team (2 words) Disputed inter-Korean maritime border ___ chagi Leveled a surface Crumbles away “For ___ a jolly good fellow” Beer container Traditional white mourning clothes “___ Fire” by 53 across Gov’t allowance Sweet potato cousin
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33 34 37 39 40 41 44 48 49 51 52 53 54 55 56 57
“Ready, ___ fire” Danagher or Simning The ___ Alleyway Trade dispute settler Taekwondo rank Feeling this has all happened before (2 words) Surplus amount Kia subcompacts Bailout provider in late 1990s Skull’s partner Southwestern Seoul transfer station Author Dunbar Air base in Pyeongtaek Rounded hammer end Utilize Gwangju ___
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 19 21 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 35 36 37 38 40 41 42 43 45 46 47 50
Cannabis fiber Spoken test Singer Simone Artist Goh, husband of 1 across ___ Rising, Spirits Tuning Easily torn knee tissue SK ___ Administrative capital city Texted Book and music cafe Lotte Chilsung’s bottled water “___, a mouse!” Sprinted Cogito ergo ___ ____-Wan Kenobi Maker of lighters and pens 9000 in 2001 ___ Es Salaam, Tanzania Thinking computers Similar to a paramedic Dragon ball Mudeung-san Sheep Farm county Off-road quad Old way of sending documents Terrible Laurence Olivier movie Gwangju Biennale artistic co-director Ayas Top of the ___ ___ Kleine Nachtmusik Canseco or San Try to relax George Bernard ___ ___ serif Eisley or Def
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Lend a Helping Hand to Myanmar The Myanmar Gwangju Alliance, opposing the Myanmar military coup and supporting the democratization of Myanmar, was officially launched on March 11.
Myanmar 2021
The Gwangju International Center supports the democratization of Myanmar through fundraising together with other civic organizations in Gwangju .
Scan to access MYANMAR NOW (Myanmar News Agency)
Gwangju 1980 Donation Period: Through May 18, 2021. Bank Accounts: Kookmin 551-01-1475-439 Nonghyup 605-01-355643 Bank Holder Name: ㈜ 광주국제교류센터 Please indicate that your donation is to be used for Myanmar (“Myanmar” or “미얀마돕기”).
Donations will be delivered to the Myanmar Gwangju Alliance and will be used to provide daily necessities and medical supplies for the people in Myanmar and to support the democracy movements by the Myanmar residents in Korea. Photo Credit: Na Gyeong-taek (May 18 Memorial Foundation) 2021 05
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