From the Editor

May 2021, Issue 231 Published: May 1, 2021

Cover Photo:

Courtesy of Paul Courtright

Background Artwork:

Lisa May Casaus Th e Fire of Hope 2018 Mixed media collage on paper

THE EDITORIAL TEAM

Publisher Dr. Shin Gyonggu Editor-in-Chief Dr. David E. Shaff er Managing Editor William Urbanski Chief Copy Editor Isaiah Winters Layout Editor Karina Prananto Photographer Kim Hillel Yunkyoung Communications Ki Hyunsoo Copy Editors Jonathan Moff ett, Timothy Berg, Th omas DeVore, Di Foster, David Foster, Joseph Nunez Online Editor Karina Prananto

Th e Gwangju News is the fi rst English monthly magazine for the general public in Korea, fi rst 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. Th e 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

Registration No. 광주광역시 라. 00145 (ISSN 2093-5315) Registration Date: February 22, 2010 Printed by Jieum 지음 (+82)-62-672-2566

For volunteering and article submission inquiries, please contact the editor at gwangjunews@gic.or.kr. It’s May in Gwangju! Th e 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.

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).

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.

Th is 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 fi nd 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 Th e Hannamdong (Restaurant Review) or over your homemade stir-fried baby octopus (Recipe).

Th e 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 Th e Tyranny of Merit. And you will want to check our Top of Th e 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 fi rst 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. Shaff er Editor-in-Chief Gwangju News