Gwangju and South Jeolla International Magazine
Gwangju and South Jeolla International Magazine
May 2022 #243
May 2022 #243
Song Seon-tae: Remembering May 18
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1 Gwangju & South Jeolla International Magazine
May 2022, Issue 243 Published: May 1, 2022
Cover
Song Seon-tae: Remembering May 18
Photo courtesy of Song Seon-tae.
THE EDITORIAL TEAM Publisher Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Chief Copy Editor Layout Editor Photographer Online Editor
Dr. Shin Gyonggu Dr. David E. Shaffer William Urbanski Isaiah Winters Karina Prananto Kim Hillel Yunkyoung 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.
For volunteering and article submission inquiries, please contact the editor at gwangjunews@gic.or.kr.
Special thanks to Gwangju City and all of our sponsors.
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ay is here! We’re now in the heart of spring with its warm and super pleasant weather, some call it the “family month,” as it boasts of numerous familyrelated commemorative days. Children’s Day (어린이 날) is on May 5, and Parents’ Day (어버이 날) is on May 8. There’s Teachers’ Day (스승이 날) on the May 15, Coming of Age Day (성년의 날) on the 16th for everyone turning 19 in 2022, and Husband and Wife’s Day is on the 21st. Another day of celebration on May 8 this year is Buddha’s Birthday (석가탄신일) with its countless, brightly colored lanterns gracing Korea’s innumerable temples and surrounding areas. But when I hear or read “May,” in English or Korean (오월), the first thing that registers for me, and for many other people in the Gwangju area, is not any of the above joyous days for celebration but instead May 18 – 5.18, 오일팔 – that day in 1980 marking the “Gwangju Incident,” the “Gwangju Uprising,” the “May 18 Democratization Movement.” Call it what you may, but under any name, it was a ten-day period of bullets, bloodshed, and death – the death of hundreds of Gwangju citizens enraged by the brutal treatment received at the hands of a savagely cruel military force sent in to quell the protests. May 18 is not a day for celebration in Gwangju, but it is a day for remembrance – remembrance of those who died; remembrance of those maimed for life, both physically and psychologically; and remembering those who spent many years of their lives striving to uncover the truth of May 18. With this in mind, the Gwangju News this month devotes its cover story to an interview with Song Seon-tae, head of the May 18 Truth Commission, who discusses the Uprising and the progress being made in revealing the facts of the massacre – facts that have for so long been buried, distorted, and falsified. Soon to be unveiled at the center of the May 18 protests is the Fountain of Light, the redesigned fountain in front of the old Provincial Office that will convey the spirit of May 18 through a spectacular display of media art. Read our feature on this landmark project. This month’s Lost in Honam piece, “Unhealed Light,” takes its inspiration from some earlier May 18 photography. You won’t want to miss it either. These are just the tip of the iceberg – there is much more in this issue that you won’t want to miss! And as always, though social-distancing restrictions may have been lifted, stay Covid smart, stay Covid safe, be Covid protected, and enjoy the Gwangju News.
David E. Shaffer Editor-in-Chief Gwangju News
Gwangju News, May 2022
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 gwangju_news Registration No. 광주광역시 라. 00145 (ISSN 2093-5315) Registration Date: February 22, 2010 Printed by Jieum 지음 (+82)-62-672-2566
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From the Editor
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Photo of the Month
Gwangju News, May 2022
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By Wira Praja
It’s Springtime!
Arriving in Gwangju without having to be quarantined really excites me, as it’s my first time in this city, the weather is great, and it's springtime! Plans and places are already written down on my list, including Jinhae or Jeju, but due to the pandemic, many festivals have been canceled (again) this year. I decided to stroll around the area, and Gwangju surprisingly offers an amazing scenic view of cherry blossoms. There was one moment that I literally froze just because I was so amazed with the spectacular view in front of my eyes. In that exact moment, I realized how lucky I was, with no need to go far away and no need to spend more money, because just a couple steps away, I could enjoy this beautiful spring effortlessly.
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The Photographer
Wira Praja is an orthopedic surgeon from Jakarta, Indonesia, who is doing his fellowship training at Chonnam National University Hospital for foot and ankle surgery. He likes to scuba dive year-round, as there is no spring in his country. Taking random beautiful pictures is his other hobby. Instagram: @wirapraja
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Contents
ISSUE 243, May 2022
NEWS
01. From the Editor 04. Gwangju City News FEATURES
06. Interview with Song Seon-tae: Head of the May 18 Democratization Movement Truth Commission 11. Joining the Chonnam National University International Community: A Better Way to Connect Students of All Backgrounds 14. Fountain of Light – Carrying the Spirit of May 18 Through Media Arts 18. Is 20/20 Vision Possible for Me? 22. Min Cook Barbeque: An Interview with Kang Woong-min TRAVEL
26. Lost in Honam: Unhealed Light – Drawing Inspiration from Kim Eun-ju’s 5.18 Photography 30. Around Korea: The Purple Islands – Selfie Paradise TEACHING & LEARNING
COMMUNITY
38. Sports and Activities: Hustle for Muscle – A Primer on Korean Gyms CULTURE & ARTS
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Gwangju News, May 2022
02. Photo of the Month: It’s Springtime! 42. The Story of Chunhyang: Through the Melodious Medium of Pansori 45. Gwangju Writes: Mysterious Maiden 48. Photo Essay: Spring into Green 52. Book Review: An Ugly Truth – Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination 54. Comic Corner: Alan and Me – Episode 10. How I Met Alan, Part 2 56. Crossword Puzzle
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33. Everyday Korean: Episode 53. 눈이 빠지도록 기다렸어요 I waited so long. 34. Language Teaching: Teaching Content Courses in the Students L2
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Gwangju 2022 Hyundai Archery World Cup to Be Held in Gwangju in May Gwangju Metropolitan City announced that the Gwangju 2022 Hyundai Archery World Cup will be held in Gwangju in May 2022.
Gwangju City News
Gwangju News, May 2022
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MONTHLY NEWS
From the Gwangju Metropolitan City website (http://gwangju.go.kr)
Dog Leash Safety Measure to Be Reinforced Gwangju Metropolitan City announced that dog safety measures have been strengthened since February 11 in accordance with the amendment to the enforcement regulations of the Animal Protection Act. Looking at the reinforced safety measures, dog leashes are limited to within two meters; however, in multi-family / multi-unit houses (jutaek) or public spaces inside multi-family houses, dogs must be fully restrained, such as by holding the dog directly, holding the dog by the nape of the leash, or grabbing the handle of the chest leash. Violation of the regulations will result in fines of 200,000 won for the first time, 300,000 won for the second and third offenses, and 500,000 won for negligence, respectively. Gwangju City publicized this amendment through each autonomous district administrative welfare center and residents' associations. In the future, the city plans to continuously inform the public through the Animal Protection Welfare Campaign and the Animal Protection Honorary Guard.
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This competition will be held at the Gwangju International Archery Center for seven days, starting with the official practice match on May 16 and ending on the 22nd as a prelude to the 2025 World Archery Championships. A total of 355 people, including 241 players and 114 executives, completed the registration process for the event. The Archery World Cup is one of the three big events for archery along with the Summer Olympics and the World Archery Championships. Gwangju succeeded in hosting the 2025 World Archery Championships in December 2021, beating Madrid, with plans to further enhance its capacity to host the World Archery Championships through this year's Archery World Cup. The Archery World Cup is held five times a year in major countries on each continent, and the top eight players in each event are selected from the first to fourth rounds to play the final match in the fifth tournament. This year, the top eight players will be selected from the first round (Antalya, Turkey), second round (Gwangju, Korea), third round (Paris, France), and fourth round (Medellin, Colombia), and the final match will be held as the fifth tournament (location TBA). There are ten competitions, including five recurve divisions (two male and female individual matches, one group, and one mixed), and five compound divisions (two male and female individual matches, two groups, and one mixed). Gwangju City established the Archery World Cup Task Force (TF) team in January 2022 and is working closely with the Korean Archery Association and the Gwangju City Archery Association to spur the preparations for the competition, including accommodation, transportation, and stadium facility planning.
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Enjoy Spring with Gwangju’s Tarangge Shared Bicycles Gwangju Metropolitan City has completed inspection and maintenance of 350 Tarangge bicycles and 51 stations currently in operation in preparation for an increase in bicycle users in the spring.
Gwangju Dong-gu (East District) Office News
Dong-gu Humanities Hall: A Space for All Residents to Gather
In addition, 782 shared bicycles deployed in Gwangju City, five district offices, and subway stations have also been maintained and cleaned, ready to welcome users. Tarangge, or shared bicycles, are being actively used as a means of exercise and leisure beyond short-distance transportation. In particular, it is expected that many citizens will use Tarangge for spring outings as they have expanded their operating scope since November 2021 and are now available in the Gwangju Stream area, where spring flowers are in full bloom. In fact, Tarangge's March 2022 usage record was 2,003 units, a 1.5-fold increase compared to February.
Tarangge website: https://tarangge.gwangju.go.kr
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Residents wishing to participate in the program can download the application form from the Dong-gu website and submit it by email (carretbob@korea.kr) or by phone (062-229-1709 or 062-608-2175). Note that there is a participation fee based on a first-come, first-served basis.
Gwangju News, May 2022
Gwangju City will continue to make every effort to create a favorable environment for cycling by continuously maintaining and expanding bicycle paths and auxiliary facilities. In the second half of this year, the city plans to significantly improve the Tarangge application to increase user convenience and gradually expand its operating hours, area, and scale through surveys.
The site consists of the newly expanded Humanities Hall, shared kitchen, and garden, and will be used as an exhibition space, lecture hall, and tea room. The hall will host the Darakbang Music Tour (April 13 – July 27 from 2–4 p.m. every Wednesday), the Climate Table (April 14 – July 21 from 2–4 p.m. every other Thursday), the Movie Humanities Theater (April 14 – August 18, 7–10 p.m., every other Thursday), the Dong-gu Tea Room, the Neighborhood Master 1 and 2, Yeongheung Restaurant, and other traditional programs.
gwangjunewsgic.com
Anyone over the age of 15 can use a Tarangge bike. The bikes can be rented any time of the year between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. after registering as a member and paying on the Tarangge app or website. Citizens who have trouble using a Tarangge bike can use a shared bicycle free of charge by visiting city hall or the nearest district office.
The Dong-gu Humanities Hall, a remodeled house in Dong-gu, Gwangju, is establishing itself as a humanities guest room where residents can gather for the first time in three months since its official opening in January 2022.
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Gwangju News, May 2022 gwangjunewsgic.com
FEATURE
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Interview with Song Seon-tae:
Head of the May 18 Democratization Movement Truth Commission
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Dr. Shin Gyonggu: Could you please share a particularly important and personal anecdote from your experiences during the May 18 Uprising? Song Seon-tae: We had plans to organize second and third backup student bodies in case the main uprising leadership got dismantled. However, when everything happened, all communication was lost and there was no way that I could contact my friends. So, I had no choice but to leave Gwangju in shame. I was like an arsonist who had set fire to the hearts of citizens of Gwangju and fled. Dr. Shin Gyonggu: What has been one of your most significant achievements as the head of the Truth Commission? Song Seon-tae: Unfortunately, there are provisions in the law which forbid disclosure of the commission’s works before the final report is approved by the all-member committee. But I can
Gwangju News, May 2022
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Dr. Shin Gyonggu: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. Would you tell us about your experiences in the May 18 Uprising? How did these experiences change your life? Song Seon-tae: I have not been able to live my life apart from the May 18 Democratization Movement. My entire life has been dominated by the sense of indebtedness, responsibility, and duty toward the victims of the Movement. And as a person who was responsible for planning the early stages of the May 18 Movement, I will devote the rest of my life to the truth, memory, and heritage of the Movement. gwangjunewsgic.com
he indebtedness of the survivors of May 18 should not be trapped by inaction but rather spurred into action to give back. The dedication of the survivors has managed to reveal the truth of the uprising with the help of national and international organizations, as well as activists and even non-activists. The Gwangju News has covered many involved with May 18, including Lee Jae-eui, who confessed that he was not brave enough to face the paratroopers at the last moment of the Uprising. But he produced the first full description of the uprising in 1985 under the title of Kwangju Diary: Beyond Death, Beyond the Darkness of the Age. It was one of the most epochshaping documents germane to the development of democratic movements in the 1980s. The Gwangju News also interviewed Mrs. Martha Huntley, widow of the late Reverend Charles Betts Huntley, who was not an activist in any sense. She in fact advised people not to join the resistance during the Uprising. But Mrs. Huntley and her late husband were busy helping the wounded and protecting fugitives during the Uprising. She also became an objective and convincing witness to the community spirit of the citizens and the atrocities of the military regime. The Gwangju News is again privileged to invite one of the survivors of the May 18 Movement, Song Seon-tae, who is leading the May 18 Truth Commission, an organization generally recognized as the last and most comprehensive truth-finding effort at the government level.
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▲ Song Seon-tae at the May 18 National Cemetery.
Gwangju News, May 2022
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tell you that we have made important progress in various unresolved issues. Dr. Shin Gyonggu: What is the most difficult part in investigating the May 18 Uprising more than forty years after the fact? Song Seon-tae: Closed hearts and minds of those who were responsible for the atrocity and members of the martial law forces who had participated in the operation. Many of them are still remaining silent despite the final verdict by the Supreme Court. Also, we have to cope with systematically destroyed, distorted, and falsified documents. Dr. Shin Gyonggu: When doing research about the Uprising, how do you reach final conclusions about what happened when there are differing accounts of what occurred? Song Seon-tae: When we talk about the truth of the May 18th Movement, it is a mixture of legal, narrative, social, and restorative truths. Based on this fundamental concept, the Commission will reconstitute a comprehensive picture of the event and prove it inductively. When faced with a lack
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of evidence, we would rather declare the case “unsolved” than jump to premature conclusions or make any logical leaps.
"There can be no forgiveness and reconciliation without confessing the truth." Dr. Shin Gyonggu: Please tell us about some of the Truth Commission’s biggest successes since its inauguration. Song Seon-tae: The Commission is investigating 21 cases defined by the law and 201 submitted cases. The 21 cases are again divided into 325 sub-cases. We are doing our best despite being understaffed and under difficult circumstances. I cannot disclose details here since the cases are yet to be concluded. But I can tell you that we are getting closer to the truth in 1) an order to open
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9 fire, 2) activities of Defense Security Command Commander Chun Doo-hwan, who is believed to be directly involved in invoking “self-defence rights” and the final suppression of the Movement, 3) atrocities committed against civilians, 4) the operation of a “body disposal unit,” and 5) false claims of North Korean army infiltration during the May 18 Movement. Dr. Shin Gyonggu: Do you have an any newly found information regarding the May 18 Movement that may be different from what is generally understood? Song Seon-tae: Until now, killings by the martial law forces had been believed to be a result of an excessive suppression of demonstrations. However, now we know that it was an unbelievable act of crimes against humanity. Exactly 116 out of 131 gunshot deaths – that is 89 percent – were the result of gunshots to the upper torso. The martial law forces opened fire indiscriminately on unarmed citizens, passersby, children, and the elderly. Also, we are receiving a series of testimonies about missing bodies during the cordoning operation.
We have acquired statements from 54 former members of martial law forces that at least 50 bodies were secretly buried or had been disappeared around checkpoints along Gwangju-Hwasun and Gwangju-Mokpo roads and in the vicinity of the former Gwangju Prison. Dr. Shin Gyonggu: How does the Truth Commission promote reconciliation among the parties involved? Song Seon-tae: Last year, a former airborne trooper met with the family of Mr. Park, whom he had shot and killed, to confess and ask for forgiveness. Mr. Park’s family and the trooper hugged each other and they altogether burst into tears. This touching event showed us that there can be further forgiveness and reconciliation with confessing the truth. Dr. Shin Gyonggu: Does the Truth Commission have any recommendations about how to care for victims traumatized by the events of May 18? Song Seon-tae: A court process is underway regarding compensation for psychological damage
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Gwangju News, May 2022
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Gwangju News, May 2022
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▲ Song Seon-tae at the May 18 Democratization Movement Truth Commission 2nd Anniversary Press Conference
resulting from the Movement. The Commission aims to promote restorative justice that can heal both the victims and the assailants, as well as the community as a whole, even after the legal compensation is made. We will adopt a National Report recommending psychological trauma care and restoration of honor to the government so people can reconcile based on the truth found by the Commission. Dr. Shin Gyonggu: What advice would you give to the anti-military activists against the Myanmar military regime in terms of keeping evidence of the crimes committed by the regime? Song Seon-tae: People of Myanmar must conduct a confidential citizen’s movement to acquire evidence of major human rights violations and crimes against humanity committed by the military government. Also, vigilance against the distortion or destruction of evidence should be conducted with the help of international human rights bodies. A nationwide movement of parrhesia between the victims and assailants must be promoted. Lastly, I would like to emphasize the importance of
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records and testimonies before they disappear in diverse ways because these promote domestic and international solidarity for the democratization of Myanmar and establish an important foundation for historical victory. Interview by Dr. Shin Gyonggu. Photographs courtesy of Azamjanov Anashkon.
The Interviewer
Dr. Shin Gyonggu has served the Gwangju International Center (GIC) as its volunteer director since it started in 1999. He is proud to lead the GIC as a model of a democratic but efficient organization through self-directed staff members. While teaching at Chonnam National University, he served the university in various functions including Language Center Director and International Dean among others. Email: ggshin at gic.or.kr.
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Joining the Chonnam National University International Community A Better Way to Connect Students of All Backgrounds
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CIS is an entity made of seven students, both Korean and international students, with the common goal of supporting international students in getting accustomed to campus life. The aim has been to make the campus experience more enjoyable by helping students from abroad create long-lasting memories during their time at CNU. This is done through hosting various events like contests and by sharing valuable information about other programs. CIC, on the other hand, is a club that strives for cultural exchange in a highly globalization era. There are three divisions within it: language exchange, cultural exchange, and volunteer work. Each month, the club members can choose a division and create their activity plans within their respective groups of four members each.
Gwangju News, May 2022
Yousra Feriel Drioua: How long has it been since your first arrival in Korea and why did you choose Korea and not a different country? Azamjanov Anashkon: I first arrived in Korea in August 2017. There are two ways in which that question can be answered, really. The more natural one is that Korea’s IT field is highly developed, and I am passionate about IT. Therefore, for my future, I chose to come here. The second and more honest one would be that I did not know much about the world after graduating high school, just like any
Yousra Feriel Drioua: What exactly is the CIC club and what is your involvement with it? Azamjanov Anashkon: There are in fact two similar-sounding campus groups that I have been a part of. One is called Chonnam National University International Supporters (CIS), where I was on the content creation team, and the other is known as Chonnam National University International Community (CIC), where I am the vice president.
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Yousra Feriel Drioua: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. First of all, could you introduce yourself to Gwangju News readers? Azamjanov Anashkon: Hello there. My real name is Azamjanov Anashkon, but you can call me Aaron. I am 25 years old and currently in my last semester as an electronics and computer engineering major. ▲ Azamjanov Anashkon
other young person that age. Chonnam National University offered a lot of scholarships to my country; my seniors recommended it, and I happened to meet the criteria for the scholarship, so here I am today.
FEATURE FEATURE
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imply packing your bags and moving abroad to study is no guarantee that you will connect with your new home away from home. To get the most out of the study abroad experience, an attempt at integration is often vital. The following interview explores a few of the excellent campus groups at Chonnam National University (CNU) that serve to link incoming foreign students with locals for deeper cross-cultural exchanges.
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Gwangju News, May 2022
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▲ Chonnam National University International Community members.
Yousra Feriel Drioua: Knowing there are many other foreigner-friendly clubs at CNU, why did you choose both CIC and CIS? Also, how did you join each? Azamjanov Anashkon: I used to be a member of my department’s club, which was also an exciting and fun experience. However, CIC provided the most comfortable space for foreigners, in my opinion. It truly is a club that will offer you cultural exchange through direct interaction with people. You make friends, learn new notions, and create lasting memories. Also, to join CIC, you are not required to have a good level of Korean, whereas in other clubs, that might be a necessity for foreigners. As for my CIS application process, I was rejected the first time due to my inadequate English. The second time, I took someone's place because they dropped out. And the third time, there was no interview needed as I voluntarily stayed. I kept trying to join CIS because I genuinely enjoyed my time there, but also because CIS needed a foreigner’s perspective, so they were welcoming of international applications. Yousra Feriel Drioua: How has your relationship with the other CIC and CIS members been since you are the only foreigner? Azamjanov Anashkon: For CIC, I was not the only foreigner – not at all. As the club aims for cultural exchange, there was not a single dull moment. It was all fun without any complications, and I got to meet amazing people and have a wonderful time.
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For CIS, it was as good as it could get. There was mutual respect, work ethic, and fun times as well. But looking at it from a different perspective, there is this notion called ui-sa so-tong (의사소통, communication). No matter how good it was during the start, as time went by, it felt like the other members were getting closer, but I was not. It was not intentional or due to bad feelings. It naturally happened simply because of certain cultural differences and things that I was oblivious to as a foreigner. Yousra Feriel Drioua: What have been some of your biggest challenges and lessons learned with CIC? Azamjanov Anashkon: I believe the biggest challenge was working in a team with different minds and perspectives. However, that provided room for many lessons that I am sure I will take with me in the future in any field. One lesson learned is that teamwork is key. Not only did this teach me to take a step back instead of forcing my opinion on others but also not to run alone. Because we are a team, I should not be a heavyweight dragging the team backward, nor should I run too far ahead by myself. I learned how to be in the middle and work with my teammates. Another valuable lesson I learned is that if I like the people I am working with, I can work sincerely while enjoying it. Yousra Feriel Drioua: Within your content-creation position at CIS, have you been able to deliver your vision, ideas, and opinions openly and freely?
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13 Azamjanov Anashkon: Unfortunately, not everything I suggested was approved. I definitely had the space to express my thoughts and ideas freely. What encouraged me was the fact that people recognized my work. I was part of the content creation team, which had a lot to do with creativity. So, people being able to distinguish my work from that of others was very gratifying. Yousra Feriel Drioua: How has becoming a CIS member helped you with adapting to Korean society? Azamjanov Anashkon: Again, the key lesson for me was teamwork. But when it comes to the Korean mindset, I understood how certain things functioned within the workspace here. When it comes to delivering feedback, something about the work culture here is that you can be as honest as you please, but you must express it delicately. For example, instead of saying, “this design is too boring, you should change the colors, use that font, etc.,” You should opt for “I think the design would look more eye-catching if we make some small alterations. How about you try to use this color instead? I think this font would also look nice.” This approach not only ensures that you do not offend or hurt your colleague’s feelings, but it gets the job done!
Yousra Feriel Drioua: Do you think it is important for foreign students in Korea to consider joining university clubs? If so, please tell us why. Azamjanov Anashkon: I do not think it is a necessity per se if you do not want to. But I believe
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Second, you must create a comfort zone for yourself, not just in Korea, but anywhere far from home. A comfort zone could be familiar places, faces, and reliable friends. Yousra Feriel Drioua: Now that a new semester has started, what would you like to say to your successors? Azamjanov Anashkon: My number one tip is to communicate to get along, enjoy your experience, and strengthen your friendships. You must talk, make efforts to understand each other, reach out to one another, and not be afraid to ask for help from one another. At the end of the day, you are a team. Yousra Feriel Drioua: Is there something you would like to say to Gwangju News readers to finish things off? Azamjanov Anashkon: Thank you for this opportunity. And I will be sure to cheer you on in your endeavors! Interview by Yousra Feriel Drioua. Photographs courtesy of Azamjanov Anashkon.
The Author
Yousra Feriel Drioua is an Algerian citizen and a new expat. She has left behind a major which took five years to complete in order to seek a new adventure as a 2022 GKS Scholar in Korea. She enjoys discussing various topics, learning new things, and gaining different experiences with the ultimate goal of having no regrets. Instagram @myyilgi
Gwangju News, May 2022
My second favorite memory was the Seollal celebration. Someone told me that day, "Because of Covid, we couldn’t go back home. But this event you prepared made us feel less alone since we don't have any family here." Those words brought warmth to my heart and made me think everything we do in this little space is worthwhile.
Yousra Feriel Drioua: Any tips for new or incoming foreign students? Azamjanov Anashkon: First, learn Korean. Yes, you might be able to survive with English in some areas, but for your peace of mind and overall experience, you should invest some time in learning the language. How can you learn Korean, you might ask? Through making Korean friends! It is the most natural way to do so. Now, how do you meet those friends? Either attend classes together or join a club! Either way, it is a confirmed learning method!
gwangjunewsgic.com
Yousra Feriel Drioua: What is your dearest memory with either group? Azamjanov Anashkon: My favorite memory was, without a doubt, the CNU International Day Festival. We worked extremely hard to prepare for it and were really tired, but it was worth every effort. The sight of everyone enjoying themselves is something that I will cherish forever.
it has a lot to offer you. You learn certain aspects about Korea's work ethics, office culture, and other notions. And you will also sharpen your “soft” skills, gain more insight and, if you are in luck, make lifelong friends. It is the main difference between truly soaking in the campus life as a local vs. a foreigner.
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Fountain of Light: Carrying the Spirit of May 18 Through Media Arts An Interview with General Director Yoo Jae-heon and Media Art Group Universal Everything
Gwangju News, May 2022 Gwangju News, May 2022gwangjunewsgic.com gwangjunewsgic.com
FEATURE
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sk any Gwangju citizen and it is almost certain that they know about “the fountain” (분수대). Located at the May 18 Democratic Plaza in Dong-gu, it is a significant landmark for the city. In 1980, this was the very place where citizens gathered, exchanging words of support to win over the military dictatorship. The area has now become the May 18 Democracy Plaza, and the fountain together with the clock tower nearby are a testament to the very history of the city. To further its function as a city landmark, a new project has transformed the fountain into a new tourist hotspot in Gwangju through the Fountain of Light (빛의 분수대) installation. It is expected to be unveiled some time in June this year.
Promoted by Gwangju Dong-gu District Office, this project started in December 2021 as part of the “Culture Center Night Scenery Foundation Project.” The fountain aimed to foster the spirit of May 18 and to be a global cultural tourism brand representing Gwangju by laying a foundation for night tourism in the city. It functions as a regular fountain during the day, however at nighttime, the fountain comes to life with a water performance through extra-large water screens, mapping the floor of the May 18 Democracy Plaza. The hope is for it to become a new tourism spot in Gwangju. For this project, Dong-gu District Office invited artists from home and abroad to create the
▲ Signature 1 works
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15 15 beautiful arts and sounds for the fountain, including general director Yoo Jae-heon, media artist Jin Siyoung, composer Kim Hyung-seok, British media artist group Universal Everything, and Polish media artist Krzysztof Wodiczko. General director Yoo Jae-heon has directed many world-class stages and media art, such as the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Olympics and the BTS World Tour, while Universal Everything has ▲ Yoon Jae-heon also worked on many projects in Korea, such as Incheon Airport’s “Do We All Dream of Flying?”, which was created using custom-built digital visual effect tools where each individual leaps to the freedom of the sky, as well as “Run Forever” and “Superconsumers” for Hyundai Motors and the Hyundai department store in Samsung-dong, Seoul. Below is our interview with affiliates of the project.
Dong-gu Office: Please introduce yourselves and your role in the creation of the Fountain of Light installation. Yoo Jae-heon: Hello, my name is Yoo Jae-heon. I am in charge of the overall Fountain of Light project and the Signature 1 artwork. Universal Everything: Universal Everything is a media art group based in the UK and we are active as a global channel. We create inspiring works of art to commemorate the values of Gwangju's civil liberties and democratic history. The theme of “Democracy, Peace, Freedom, Progress” was selected at the May 18 Democracy Plaza, which is an important venue of democratization in Korea, and contains artistic interpretations as digital art. Dong-gu Office: You have both been working on world-class projects. How did you get involved in this Fountain of Light project? Yoon Jae-heon: In 2018, I visited the Asia Culture Center for business, and as I came into contact with places containing the history of May 18, I felt as if I was being taken back into the history of 40 years ago. From then on, the thought of wanting to do artwork that contains the temporal and spatial meaning of a fountain, which has great significance for democracy in Korea, began.
gwangjunewsgic.com gwangjunewsgic.comGwangju GwangjuNews, News,May May2022 2022
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Gwangju News, May 2022
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▲ Signature 2 by Universal Everything
Universal Everything: We are interested in how humans and living forms can be expressed with today's visual technology, and we are continuing to explore human forms and movements in digital art. The Fountain of Light project gives us an opportunity to develop that idea and encompasses topics such as a series of games that connect Gwangju City and people. We see the Fountain of Light project as an opportunity to use a new type of canvas in culturally important and interesting places. Dong-gu Office: Please introduce all the works of art in this project. Yoon Jae-heon: We prepared three signature works of art that contain the spirit of democracy and human rights of May 18, with the participation of various media artists and citizens. First of all, Signature 1 was prepared with the content about “fire and creation.” I planned this artwork in general, and writer Jin Si-Young is participating as a media artist. On the VFX side, Dexter Studio is a participant. It is a piece that consists of a gigantic kinetic torch with media and lighting direction. Signature 2 is about “nature and circulation,” and together with Universal Everything UK, its creator,
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Matt Pyke, worked on a variety of world-class media art in the direction of motion graphics. As various objects symbolizing Gwangju transform, we planned an art piece that shows a fun and lively image that moves through motion graphics. Signature 3 was done by artist Krzysztof Wodiczko, a professor at Harvard University who has been working on various world-class works of art on the subject of democracy and human rights. We transformed interviews with many people who remember the history of May 18 into media artwork. In addition, we also collaborated with foreign artists through Port Journey, a network of creative city artists for global cultural exchange, and are planning to work with artists Aye Ko and Solbi to produce a Myanmar art solidarity project. In short, we are preparing various events spanning many art mediums. Dong-gu Office: How do you feel about directing artworks at the fountain in May 18 Democratic Plaza, a sacred place in Gwangju which represents the spirit of democracy in Korea? Universal Everything: We are very honored to have been offered to direct a piece of artwork for such an important space in Korea and to have our work
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17 represent a theme with the inherent meaning of democracy, peace, freedom, and progress at the fountain in the May 18 Democratic Plaza. Dong-gu Office: When planning this newest project, is there a particular focus point that sets it apart from your previous works? Yoon Jae-heon: Last year, for the 40th anniversary exhibition held at the Asia Culture Center Creation Space 1, I was working on the subject of “diachronicity” that spanned 40 years, and it was a very large media art exhibition that talked about healing. This Fountain of Light project began with material about the history of democracy by the citizens of Gwangju who gathered with torches at the time of May 18, and the meaning of candles and torches has continued to have significance in modernity. In that sense, I think the torch is an important object that symbolizes democracy and human rights. For this reason, this Fountain of Light project will feature the most creative works on the subject of democracy and human rights with various foreign and domestic artists. Universal Everything: We focus on the nature of the canvas on which all our works are shown and the audience who sees them. This project is my first attempt to introduce my work on a water screen, so we worked hard on it. Unlike in the past, we cannot predict the outcome right away, so we are creating motions and characters that can be worked on a new
canvas. We are very excited and happy to be able to take on new and creative challenges through the medium of water screen. Dong-gu Office: What message would you like the convey with the Fountain of Light project to the citizens of Gwangju? Yoo Jae-heon: It is very moving to see that the things I personally have been waiting for and planning are gradually coming true one by one. This project is so meaningful to me. As a project that represents an era of time and place, I hope that this project will remain as a work of art with diachronism while continuing to communicate with citizens. Universal Everything: We believe that digital should and can be connected with people very deeply. As this artwork is being released in a public place, I hope that the audience will feel the power of the May 18 Democracy Plaza along with a sense of ownership of the space. By placing the common sense of purpose and group movement, which are important themes for Gwangju citizens, at the center of our work, we hope that the audience will be able to see the power and heart of Gwangju within themselves. In addition, we hope that this media art will allow citizens to experience and enjoy the emotions while full of joy. Translated by Karina Prananto. Photographs courtesy of Gwangju Dong-gu District Office. gwangjunewsgic.com
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Gwangju News, May 2022
▲ “A Burning Spirit” artworks
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18
Is 20/20 Vision Possible for Me?
Interview with the Dr. Kim Deok-bae
Gwangju News, May 2022
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FEATURE
By Pia Bjerring
W
hen I was 24 – quick math, 31 years ago – I had the tip of my finger crushed between two huge rocks, resulting in broken bones, a lost nail (for a while), stitches, and a splint for weeks on end. Now you might ask, how is a crushed finger in any way related to eye surgery, but let me tell you, both are at the very top of my "Top 10 List of Horrible Things” that could ever happen to me. To add to my anxiety, eye surgery is so expensive in Denmark, to the level where you could kind of choose whether to buy a new Kia Morning-sized car or have your eyes fixed. Thus, no eye surgery for
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me, and I am still wearing glasses and contact lenses every day. Fast forward to present times in Korea, where eye surgery is so popular, easily accessible, and affordable, too. After wearing the mandatory mask, where all of us depending on glasses are faced with blurry eyesight because of foggy glasses, I thought I could at least go have my eyes examined for a possible operation. So, when the GIC called out for someone to go through an eye exam with them, I thought let's do it and once and for all determine if my eyes are good
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19 candidates for the LASIK or LASEK operation or not. I meet with GIC staff members Moon Jeong-ah, Jana Milosavljevic, and photographer Hillel Kim at Happy Eye 21 Hospital near Shinsegae Department Store in Seo-gu and was greeted by the clinic staff at the entrance.
minor specs of cataract, perfectly in line with what could be expected at my age, but nothing to worry about for many years to come. The overall impression of the exam was really good, and as a person with very limited Korean, I would be more than happy to go there again on my own for any other exam or operation. Dr. Kim spoke English
Quickly following was a line of different examinations, the first to determine if the pressure inside my eyes was correct. Do not ask me how, but this can be checked by looking into a devise that is blowing a soft wind in your eye. In the same room, my eyesight was checked – you know, the "please read the numbers aloud" procedure. What we found out was that I have -2 on both eyes and that my recently bought glasses are perfect for me. Next, I saw Dr. Kim Deok-bae, who did a really thorough eye examination. The exam is completely pain-free, only you have to look into a really bright light, while the doctor examines the eye.
▲ The author undergoes the first procedure of the examination for eye pressure.
The only suitable operation would be a refractive lens exchange, an operation commonly used on cataract patients where the lens inside the eye is changed completely. It provides patients with 20/20 vision but is also a much more invasive than LASIK and LASEK, so again topping my list of fears!
The final conclusions are that it was a perfectly nice experience with the result I was expecting, too, so I will still be using lenses or wearing glasses. My most recent upgrade is an "anti-fog" cloth to polish my glasses, I am not really convinced it works, though! Anyway, what follows is our interview with Dr. Kim about his practice.
After wearing contact lenses for so many years, I was curious if my eyes were in any way damaged by them, so the final exam we did involved a line of pictures looking straight into the inside of my eyes to check for changes or conditions that needed attention. Dr. Kim showed me the pictures and could reassure me, that everything looks perfectly normal. He did find
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INTERVIEW WITH DR. KIM DEOK-BAE Gwangju News (GN): Hello, Dr. Kim. Thank you for taking the time to do this interview. First off, please tell us a little bit about yourself for our readers. Dr. Kim: Hello and thank you for meeting me. I am glad to greet you, even if it is only in writing. My
Gwangju News, May 2022
at a good level and, had I not been in the company of GIC staff, I would still been fine. The staff at the clinic seems really nice and confident in their work, so I felt very welcome and warmly received there. Had I been younger, I would have overcome my fears and gone for the operation.
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Dr. Kim determined that he would not recommend either the LASIK or LASEK operation unless I really, really hate wearing glasses. Due to my age, I would still have to use reading glasses, even if my overall vision was improved, so not really all that much was achieved after all.
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▲ Dr. Kim did a thorough eye examination.
Gwangju News, May 2022
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name is Kim Deok-bae, the head director of Happy Eye 21 Hospital, and I am in charge of retina and cataract. GN: When do you start your career at Happy Eye 21 Hospital? Dr. Kim: I have been working here since 2009, so it is my 14th year this year. GN: Please describe your main duties as the head doctor and the challenges that come with them. Dr. Kim: As the head doctor, externally I represent the hospital at events, and internally, I am responsible for making decisions about the hospital's major and minor issues. In the long term, my goal is to establish a 10-year development plan for the hospital. GN: As a medical practitioner, do you have a philosophy of life or principle you follow? Dr. Kim: Diligence, sincerity, and passion are my philosophy of life, and among them, I consider diligence to be the most important. The reason is so that I do not make mistakes during patient care or surgery. GN: Please tell us what makes Happy Eye 21 Hospital
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stand out from other eye hospitals in the city (or the country)? Dr. Kim: We are equipped with state-of-the-art equipment as well as specialists in each field, so you can find one-stop treatment at a university hospital level with a single visit. There is a well-established cooperative system that allows you to seek treatment from a retina specialist right away if an abnormality is found in the retina after coming for an eye exam such as LASIK. GN: What is your featured service? Dr. Kim: We can help with all eye-related diseases and necessary surgeries from children to the elderly, and we provide 24/7 medical treatment (except on big public holidays), minimizing the gaps and inconveniences of limited operating hours for our patients. GN: What should we keep in mind if we want to get a LASEK/LASIK treatment? Dr. Kim: Aftereffects and side effects following cornea surgery can be minimized by receiving an accurate examination. Get an optimal surgery from skilled and experienced medical staff and with the latest equipment.
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21 once a year. We will continue to work hard to repay the support that Gwangju News and our international patients have given to Happy Eye 21 Hospital. I also wish for the bright development of Gwangju News, which always provides good, informative articles to its readers. GN: Thank you, Dr. Kim, and we wish you great success in the future! You can contact Happy Eye 21 Hospital at 062-3649000. Address: 950 Mujindae-ro, Seo-gu, Gwangju 광주 서구 무진대로 950 밝은안과21병원 (주식회사명안빌딩) ▲ An eyesight examination.
GN: What kind of treatment do most foreigners look for at the hospital? Dr. Kim: They are here for various treatments, from mild ones such as conjunctivitis, to LASIK, LASEK, refractive surgery, as well as cataract surgery.
Interview translated by Jana Milosavljevic and Karina Prananto. Photographs courtesy of Kim Hillel Yunkyoung.
GN: Do you have any message for our readers? Dr. Kim: Since we now have to plan for longer and longer lives, thinking about eye health is just as important. Just like regular health check-ups, we must not forget that our eyes should also undergo regular check-ups. In particular, if you are diabetic, we recommend that you have a regular check-up
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▲ A fundus examination.
The Author
Pia has lived in Gwangju since 2017 with her husband and two out of their four children. She's a happy and curious person, doing the best she can to get her Korean friends addicted to Danish home-baked goods. Unfortunately, the family has to return to Denmark by the end of June 2022, but Korea will always be in her heart, and they'll be back for visits.
Gwangju News, May 2022
GN: What is your hope and vision for the hospital? Dr. Kim: It is hard enough to become the best hospital, but it is even more difficult to keep a hospital’s high ranking. Our goal is to maintain ourselves as the number-one eye hospital by earning the trust from Gwangju citizens with lots of effort. And our vision is to create a hospital that satisfies anyone, with happy patients and happy staff.
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"The staff at the clinic seems really nice and confident in their work, so I felt very welcome and warmly received there."
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22 Local Entrepreneur 22
Min Cook Barbeque
An Interview with Kang Woong-min By Jana Milosavljevic
Gwangju News, News, May May 2022 2022 Gwangju
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FEATURE
S
outhern-style American barbeque lovers – fear not! Min Cook Barbeque can be found in two locations in Gwangju: Kumho-dong and recently also in a new location in downtown on Chungjang-ro. What was supposed to be just a regular Tuesday lunch with the Gwangju News team at a newly opened place near the office that we did not know a lot about turned into a two-hour talk with the restaurant’s kind owner, Min, a Gwangju News restaurant review, and an interview because we could not possibly keep this gem of an appetizing discovery only to ourselves. The moment one steps into the spacious, secondfloor dining area feels like an instant teleport to the US, as the interior is carefully decorated with bits and pieces the owner himself gathered during his 65 days and 10,500-mile-long bucket list camping car trip across America and brought back to Korea, with a somewhat bigger dream of bringing and sharing a special taste of the American south with everyone in Gwangju. The fact that we arrived to the minute right at the opening time as the first customers, combined with the owner’s remarkable hospitality and readiness to reply to each and every one of our curious “What is this?” questions, led us to learn not only a bit about his personal journey as a cook, but also a lot about the meat he prepares at Min Cook Barbeque. The food at Min Cook Barbeque can be easily ordered by using a tablet located on each of the tables. At the time, the tablet ordering systems are only available in one language – Korean – but you can ask for an
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▲ Kang Woong-min
English-language menu separately, or ask the owner for recommendations directly, as he is fluent in English and usually bustling around between the kitchen and tables, making sure that everyone is satisfied with the taste. The main dish on Min Cook Barbeque’s menu is, of course, barbeque. Not just any kind of barbeque, I may say, but the most delicious, mouth-watering barbeque you will have tasted in a while. The menu consists of four main types of meat – pulled pork, pork belly, brisket, and ribs, and the combinations of the meats on your dish depends on, of course, your preference, as well as on the size of the platter you might need. The four of us chose a “Large Platter”
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23 23 platter in front of us, I am still not sure what force in the universe gave us the ‘patience of steel’ to take the photos before digging into our feast. Needles to say, from the moment each of us had our first bite of the burgers, there were no more curious questions – just the delightful sound of chewing and all kinds of onomatopoeia reflecting just one word: tasty. As I was enjoying my second burger, by that time already saying out loud “This is so tasty!” in as many languages as I could remember, I clearly recall that when I suddenly became worried over eventually running out of languages to praise the taste of the food, one of my partners in crime sitting right next to me just said, and I quote: “It’s easy – saying ‘tasty’ in any language – it’s just simply: Min Cook Barbeque!”
▲ A large platter set menu.
meal, and it was a perfect match, since we chose to try out all four types of meat, and it was quite a filling portion for four hungry ladies’ lunch.
Looking at the photos now and very vividly remembering how the smoky smell of barbeque was tempting us from the moment the chef put the
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Gwangju News, May 2022
Curious as we are, we asked the owner to show us how to make the tastiest burgers (you can find our actual step-by-step guide on how to do so below!), to which he replied that the secret is very simple – just put a lot of meat inside and top it with the special homemade Min Cook sauce!
Gwangju News (GN): Thank you for taking the time for this interview and for the warm welcome – the food was delicious. Could you please briefly introduce yourself? Kang Woong-min: Hello, my name is Woong-min Kang. I graduated with a degree in computer science at the University of Memphis in the US. During my university years, I enjoyed Southern-style barbeque at the very famous Corky's BBQ – undoubtedly the best barbecue restaurant in Memphis that even politicians and famous people visit whenever they are in the area! So, honestly speaking, ever since that time, I had dreamed of opening my own barbeque shop in the future. However, I did not have much experience, and I had no opportunity at that time. GN: And here you are today! Which brings us to my next question: How did you come to the idea to start Min Cook Barbeque? Kang Woong-min: Actually, the idea to make the real original American style barbeque restaurant
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Now, the best part about Min Cook Barbeque is that it is actually eaten in a burger, and the unique part of Min Cook Barbeque’s experience is that you make your burger yourself. That is right – all the ingredients for a yummy barbeque burger are placed right in front of you, and there is no need for phrases like “Remove the onion, please” or “Could I get some extra salad?” because you are creating your own burger, to your taste, right before your eyes. The experience is enriched with a flavorsome side of crispy French fries sprinkled with a bit of paprika seasoning.
Possibly touched by our words of praise for the food, but also, I believe, wanting to present with pride his most precious possessions, the actual tools that made our taste buds dance together with his amazing cooking skills, owner Min decided to let us have a sneak-peak into his kitchen. He showed us the stateof-the-art smoking machines, as well as the special brand of wood pellets he imports straight from the US that he uses for achieving the original Min Cook Barbeque taste. And right there and then, after the short tour of the kitchen and when our tummies were quietly singing with joy following an amazing meal, is where our interview started.
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24 24 is that while everyone simply puts the sauce on the meat after it is done and serves it to the customers, I put on the sauce and then grill it all over again so that the meat is really juicy and tender.
erior ▲ The restaurant int
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came to me for the first time about 5–6 years ago. Even though I was a foreigner in America and not accustomed to the food taste, whenever I used to go eat barbeque, the taste felt familiar. Then in 2019, due to my wife’s work, our whole family went to the US for a year, which is when my dream of owning my own barbeque restaurant and the fact that I knew nothing about preparing barbeque myself came back to me. So, I attended a semester of a barbeque expert course at the University of Que, where they taught me all I needed to know, including how to use fire, how to smoke things, and how to make the meat very tender. GN: Well, they taught you very well. The meat was so soft it was melting in my mouth! Kang Woong-min: Thank you, I am so glad you enjoyed the taste. GN: Coming back to the story about Min Cook Barbeque, what would you say is special about it, something that sets it apart from other restaurants? Kang Woong-min: What sets Min Cook Barbeque apart, for sure, is that I use the same grilling technique that is used in America. When most Korean people think about barbeque, they think of direct grilling, you know, camping, putting meat directly on fire. What I have learned in the States is indirect grilling – smoking, using low temperatures, boiling, and other special techniques like with water pans and such. I actually prepare the meat overnight. The whole process takes about 16 hours, out of which around 8–10 hours is smoking, then I put it in the oven. Another big difference with Min Cook Barbeque
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GN: I have honestly never heard of such a long process of preparing barbeque. I see you are doing an amazing job, but as with leading any other business, there is bound to be some difficulties along the way. Would you mind sharing if you have had any rough patches along the way and how you have overcome them? Kang Woong-min: Actually, I am trying to overcome some right now. It seems to me that Gwangju is still not familiar with this type of American-style barbeque like some other big cities in Korea, so they seem hesitant to try it. I hope to introduce this unique taste to everyone in Gwangju with reasonable prices so that everyone can enjoy it. I think the key to overcome this is simple – just keep doing my best! GN: Please do! I am sure that everyone who visits Min Cook Barbeque once keeps coming back. Speaking of visitors, who is your usual clientele at Min Cook Barbeque? Kang Woong-min: Mostly the young generation – Koreans, Americans, and other international visitors. I actually never advertised a lot, but those who come spread the word to their friends, so the customer numbers always kept growing. Finally, I decided to open a second shop here in Chungjang-ro, as it is somewhat the heart of Gwangju, where many tourists also visit.
▲ The restaurant's English menu and an electro nic order form at Min Cook Barbeque.
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25 25 Cook Barbeque will not only be a place for eating, but also a place for meeting, where people from different cultures come to spend their time together and enjoy the taste as a part of American culture. Photographs by Gaukhar Akhmetzhanova.
The Author
Jana Milosavljevic was born and raised in Serbia. She currently lives and works in Gwangju as a GIC coordinator. She loves exploring new places, learning about new cultures, and meeting new people. If you are up for a chat, she can talk to you in Serbian, English, Korean, Japanese, or German.
Min Cook Barbeque (민쿡바베큐)
▲ Wall decorations wh ich were part of Min's collections in the U.S were brought back to , Korea.
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11:30–21:30 (daily, last order: 21:00) 070-7806-2580 mincookbbq
Step-by-Step Guide to making your DIY Burger at Min Cook Barbeque
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1. Start with a salad base and some pickles, if you like. 2. Add meat and the special 'Min Cook Sauce', and don't hold back, put as much as you like! 3. Top it off with some more veggies. 4. And, voila! Your own handmade 'Min Cook Burger' is ready to be savoured!
Gwangju News, News, May May 2022 2022 Gwangju
GN: That is amazing! Congratulations! Before we wrap up, is there anything you would like to tell our Gwangju News readers? Kang Woong-min: I am sure that among Gwangju News readers there will be those who are very familiar with how America’s southern-style barbeque tastes. If you miss that taste, I assure you, I will try my best to serve you that authentic taste again at Min Cook Barbeque. For those among the readers who are still not familiar with the taste but remain curious, I invite you to come and experience the unique American barbeque taste from the south. I really hope that Min
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GN: So, for our Gwangju News readers who might visit for the first time after reading the article, what would you recommend as a must-try item? Kang Woong-min: The ‘must-try item’ is definitely the pulled pork – it is unlike anything you have tried before. My pulled pork was voted the tastiest by visitors at a barbeque festival in Atlanta, Georgia. After we graduated from the barbeque academy, we actually went as staff to this festival, where many big restaurants had their booths, but since the big restaurants could not cover all the booths, we also tried grilling a bit, more like testing our skills fresh out of school. And believe it or not, the people choose my pulled pork as number one! This is exactly what gave me the confidence to actually go through with my barbeque restaurant dream at that time.
19, Jungang-ro 160beon-gil, Dong-gu, Gwangju 광주 동구 중앙로160번길 19 2층 (Downtown branch) 8-2, Geumbu-ro 103beon-gil, Seo-gu, Gwangju
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26 Lost in Honam
Unhealed Light
Drawing Inspiration from Kim Eun-ju’s 5.18 Photography
Gwangju News, May 2022
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TRAVEL TRAVEL
By Isaiah Winters
▲ Four 5.18 survivors photographed by Kim Eun-ju. Screen capture taken from the blog 은가루's 지구별 적응기.
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27
▲ Looking through bars into the armory.
L
Kim Eun-ju has spent many years behind the lens capturing images not
As for the Design Biennale photos that sparked my interest, Kim in her
Gwangju News, May 2022
only of first-hand survivors and the bereft of the Gwangju Uprising, but also of the Jeju Uprising and the Dirty War of Argentina. Some of her main themes naturally include popular uprisings, civilian massacres, and the unhealed wounds they leave, often on the hearts of bereaved mothers. For her first solo exhibition in 2011, Kim’s “Here, Here…” (여기, 여기…)1 featured traumatized mothers of the Gwangju Uprising years later at the very sites where they’d suffered. By uniting modest people with the locations of extraordinary events in this way, Kim was able to provoke an intense level of empathy for common people that would’ve otherwise been lost on most observers. This kind of sober reunion is something I’ve long been fascinated with in my own work: Finding forgotten pictures of people as they were in their now-abandoned homes is still my greatest thrill as a novice photographer.
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ast year’s Gwangju Design Biennale left an indelible impression on me. In my view, its best exhibit featured haunting photos of 5.18 survivors standing in the very places where they’d suffered trauma during the city’s democratic uprising over 40 years ago. Since seeing those photos, I’ve been unable to get them out of my head. It’ll come as no surprise to readers that I’d already had a deep interest in photographing the same sites, but seeing another photographer’s poignant imagery from within them was highly motivating and set me on a course to dig deeper. That motivation led me to photograph the old Gwangju Prison earlier this year and the site featured in this month’s article: the former Armed Forces Gwangju Hospital in Hwajeongdong. What follows is a brief article on the inspirational work of documentary photographer Kim Eun-ju and my recent experience inside said hospital.
▲ The dark sand and pebbles on the shore of Geumjang Beach. 2022�05��.indd 27
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Gwangju News, May 2022
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▲ Boots on the ground.
exhibition description found deeper meaning in our city’s name – Gwangju, the City of Light – that applies to unhealed wounds at various stages of exposure.2 The victims of 5.18 are shown only partially lit in living historical sites like the former Armed Forces Gwangju Hospital, implying that these first-hand witnesses are still very much with us, though social currents have long obscured their presence to varying degrees. What I gather from the description is that although the city has taken up the mantle of human rights with the Gwangju Uprising as its core emblem, the ruined buildings and lives we still see today are far from healed. This helps explain the exhibition’s full title: “Unhealed Light Peering from a Black Room” (금은 방에서 들여다보는 치유되지 않은 빛). All this may sound rather critical, but the opening line of the description said it best: “Gwangju is still a work in progress.” To be sure, in my comparatively short time photographing a few of the darkest sites related
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to the Gwangju Uprising, there’s been noticeable progress. For example, the former 505 Security Forces’ Headquarters in Ssangchon-dong is midway through a long restoration process that’s turning the notorious torture site into a historically significant public park. Meanwhile, the city has taken over other sites such as the old Gwangju Prison in Munheungdong and the Red Cross Hospital downtown with plans to turn them into living history sites of some sort for the public. In addition, the former Armed Forces Gwangju Hospital featured in this article has already long been open to the public as an expansive green space for those seeking a little exercise, some 5.18 history, and – for a few of the renegade elderly – a place to start a hobby farm contrary to the city’s wishes. My experience with the latter site goes back a few years, but only recently have a few of its lesserknown structures become accessible. In particular, a barracks where soldiers used to bunk, study, and
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29 wash up provided a few unique photo opportunities worth sharing. Most intriguing within the barracks was the armory, where various arms were once secured behind multiple gates and padlocks. These included M16 rifles with bayonets and sheaths and .45 caliber M1911s, all of which were painstakingly tallied in black marker on a laminated status board. The arms are all gone now, of course, though the gates have been left wide open, presumably since May 16, 2009, the last date written on the board. I found it interesting that the site closed then, almost as if in preparation for the 29th anniversary of 5.18 that year. Nearby the barracks is the main hospital building. Connecting all seven of its wings is a long central corridor that reminded me very much of the layout at Gwangju Prison. Though this elongated hallway would’ve made for great photos, its slew of motion detectors had me looking elsewhere fast. I soon ended up in one of the many wings, weaving between gravity-laden roof panels and piles of shattered windowpanes with only a few underwhelming shots to show for it. I’d shot large, empty indoor spaces like these many times before, but they’re the kinds of places that often look better through your eyes than a lens. Kim, on the other hand, was able to turn these
same desolate hospital wings into rather dramatic backdrops for her photo subjects – a testament to her excellent eye for lighting and positioning. I guess I’ll have to keep taking notes while drawing inspiration from her amazing work. Photographs by Isaiah Winters.
Sources 1
2
Pyeon, S. (2011, May 3). 5․18희생 어머니를 그린 ‘여기, 여기 …’, 사진작가 김은주씨. 시민의 소리. http://www. siminsori.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=64963 wella5442. (2021, September 6). 광주 디자인비엔날레 디-레볼루션. 은가루's 지구별 적응기. https://blog.naver. com/wella5442/222496979233
The Author
Born and raised in Chino, California, Isaiah Winters is a pixel-stained wretch who loves writing about Gwangju and Honam, warts and all. He particularly likes doing unsolicited appraisals of abandoned Korean properties, a remnant of his time working as an appraiser back home. You can find much of his photography on Instagram @d.p.r.kwangju.
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Gwangju News, May 2022
▲ “Internet training center.”
2022-04-26 �� 2:06:12
TRAVEL
30 Around Korea
The Purple Islands Selfie Paradise
Gwangju News, May 2022
gwangjunewsgic.com
By William Urbanski
A
hhh, good old Shinan. Characterized by farmland, tidal flats, and all-around nice people, the 1,004 islands of the region are spread out, isolated, and beautiful. Compared to the big city livin’ of Gwangju, life in Shinan plays out at a slower pace, and while at first glance life out there may seem boring, “peaceful” is how it actually feels. When I first came to Korea all those years ago, it was on an island in Shinan where I made my home for four years: a time I look back on fondly. Shinan’s most well-known exports are salt and President Kim Dae-jung, but the region is also very well known for its beautiful beaches and numerous festivals. Imja-do’s annual Tulip Festival, for example, attracts a stunning number of visitors each year. In recent years, Shinan has been undergoing infrastructure upgrades, including a number of impressive bridges that have even become points of
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attraction in and of themselves. Since these bridges have greatly increased access to the area (in times past, much of the area could only be accessed by ferry), the next logical step was to find a way to attract even more visitors, and with the Purple Islands, Shinan hit it out of the park. The Purple Islands of Banwol and Bakji (반월도와 박지도) are connected by three massive (and purple) walking bridges. Many of the residents jumped wholeheartedly onboard with this marketing initiative and even agreed to have their homes painted. In addition to the purple buildings, there are fields of purple lavender as well as….look, what I am trying to say is there is all sorts of purple things over there and it sounds weird but it is actually really cool and a lot of fun to check out! The Artist Formerly Known as Prince is looking down on Shinan from heaven and smiling.
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31 GETTING THERE While in theory it is possible to take a bus to Banwol and Bakji, I strongly recommend driving. By car from Gwangju, about sixty percent of the drive was easygoing highways, but once you get into the island region itself, the roads get fairly narrow and a bit tougher to navigate. This is not a big deal but something to think about, especially if you decide to visit on a Saturday or Sunday when there could be a lot of traffic. From the city, it takes about two hours to get there, and when we arrived it was pretty easy to park. ▲ Map of Banwol and Bakji.
ADMISSION If you are wearing a purple article of clothing, your five-thousand won entrance fee will be waved. Much to my consternation and chagrin, I learned only too late that purple socks do not meet the stringent purple clothing criteria and ended up having to shell out five bucks. This was the only time in my life I wish I owned a purple T-shirt, but the knowledge that my money was supporting Shinan made me feel better.
▲ It’s fun to photoshop yourself onto this mural.
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There are three major bridges (which cost an estimated four billion won to construct) that connect Banwol to Bakji to each other and to the mainland. Once you step out onto them, you had better get your selfie stick ready because they are something to behold. In my opinion, Shinan did an excellent job of creating an attraction that highlights the natural beauty of the area while also making something truly unique. Walking at a leisurely pace (while stopping for gratuitous selfies) it took about two hours to cross all of the bridges and come back to the parking lot. The day we went, it happened to be particularly chilly
Gwangju News, May 2022
Be extremely careful when you try to snap a couple of pics, though. The mural is located right beside a busy highway with basically no safety guards in place for those who risk running onto the road to get a good vantage point. Believe me when I say it is a deathtrap, so watch out. In the roughly ten minutes my wife and I stopped there, I saw at least three children run out onto the road, throwing their parents into a panic.
▲ Disappointingly, purple tigers are not native to Shinan.
gwangjunewsgic.com
On the way there, there is a really cool mural beside the highway that has become a bit of a tourist attraction. The mural, which is painted on the outside wall of a private house, features lifelike countenances of the older couple that lives there. Trees behind the wall give the older couple the appearance of having, well, tree branches for hair. It sounds silly but the effect is neat and worth checking out since it is on the way.
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32 (Shinan also tends to be pretty windy), so we did not really look around the islands that much. If you felt so inclined, you could easily make a full day of it. Something that I really liked was that there were minimal cars on the islands, so it is actually quite a relaxing place to stroll around. We saw plenty of signs for restaurants on the islands, but they were located a little bit away from the bridges, so we ended up just having some food on the way back to Gwangju. Something to be aware of is that if you plan to just walk around the bridges then leave, there are not really that many restaurants right along the main walking course.
Gwangju News, May 2022
gwangjunewsgic.com
▲ Whoever designed these bridges deserves a pay raise.
YOU CAN NEVER GO HOME In the years that I lived there, something that really stood out to me about Shinan is how rapidly it was changing. There were always new roads, new buildings and new businesses popping up. Hopefully as these infrastructure upgrades continue, the region will become even more popular both to visit and to live in.
▲ A purple Santa Claus does not really make any sense at all, but whatever! It is fun!
THE ANGEL BRIDGE To access the Purple Islands, you will have to traverse the magnificent and recently completed Angel Bridge. I suggest stopping for a few minutes at the rest stop at the east side of the bridge to take a few pictures and appreciate how massive of an undertaking it was. It may sound cheesy, but I think massive (and expensive) projects like these show that Korea as a whole really values Shinan and the people who live there.
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While I love Korea, I cannot help but feel there is too much importance attached to city life, which makes people underappreciate the beauty of the sparsely populated coastal regions. For what it is worth, I think life out in Shinan can help people develop a certain grizzled toughness as well as an appreciation for the simpler things in life: qualities that everyone would be better off embracing. Stay purple, friends. Photographs by William Urbanski.
The Author
William Urbanski is the managing editor of the Gwangju News. While he lives in Gwangju now, he considers a certain island in Shinan to be his Korean hometown. Instagram: @will_il_gatto
2022-04-26 �� 2:06:15
Learning Korean 33
Everyday Korean Episode 53
눈이 빠지도록 기다렸어요 I waited so long.
By Harsh Kumar Mishra
The Conversation 언니! 오랜만이에요. 아무 말도 없이 어디 가셨어요?
Grammar Points
Neha: Eonni! Long time no see. Where did you disappear V/Adj ~ 아서/어서/해서 to without saying anything? This connector is used with verb or adjective stems 정민:
ㅎㅎ 급한 일이 생겨서 외국 나가야 했어. 그동안 잘 지냈어?
Jeongmin: Haha I had to go abroad due to some urgent work. How have you been? 네하:
네, 잘 지냈어요. 근데 언니를 눈이 빠지도록 기다렸어요.
Neha: I have been doing well. But I waited for you so long. 정민:
아 그래? 뭐 할 말이 있어?
네하:
아니요. 언니 보고 싶어서요.
Neha: No. I missed you. 정민:
회사 일 때문에 연락할 시간이 없어서 알려주지 못했어.
네하:
괜찮아요, 언니. 일은 잘 마무리하고 오셨어요?
Neha: It is okay. Did you finish your work well? 정민:
응 응! 여기 너 선물이야.
Jeongmin: Yeah, yeah. This is a gift for you. The Author
Harsh Kumar Mishra is a linguist and Korean language educator. He teaches Korean with TOPIKGUIDE.com and LEARNKOREAN.in.
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내일 여행을 가서 만날 수 없어요.
Because I am traveling tomorrow, I cannot meet you.
“눈이 빠지도록 기다리다.” This is a frequently used idiom in Korean. It simply means “to wait for something/somebody desperately for a long time.” (Literally: to wait until one’s eyes fall out.) Ex: 제 졸업식 날을 눈이 빠지도록 기다렸어요. I have waited so long for this (graduation) day to come. 고향 친구가 한국에 온다고 했을 때부터 그를 눈이 빠지도록 기다리고 있어요.
I have been waiting desperately since my hometown friend said he was coming to Korea.
Vocabulary
아무 말도 없이: without any word, 급한 일: urgent
work, 생기다: to appear, 외국: foreign country/ abroad, 나가다: to go out, 눈: eyes, 빠지다: to fall out, 기다리다: to wait, 연락하다: to contact, 알려주다: to tell, 마무리하다: to end/wrap up, 선물: gift
Gwangju News, May 2022
Jeongmin: I was not able to contact you because I literally had no time to contact anyone due to company work.
Ex: 김치가 너무 맛있어서 매일 먹어요. I eat kimchi every day because it is very delicious.
gwangjunewsgic.com
Jeongmin: Oh, really? Is there something you need to tell me?
to express the reason for something. Use ~아서 when the verb/adjective ends in the ㅗ or ㅏ vowels, use ~ 어서 when they end in any other vowel, and use ~해서 when they end in 하 (as with ~하다 words).
TEACHING TEACHING && LEARNING LEARNING
네하:
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34 Language Teaching
Teaching Content Courses in the Students L2
Gwangju News, May 2022
gwangjunewsgic.com
TEACHING & LEARNING
An Inter view with Phillip Schrank
When we think of teaching lessons in English in Korea, we immediately think of teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) and, most often, of the instructor being an expat, native speaker of English. However, what has been trending in recent years, especially at the tertiary level, is teaching content courses (e.g., engineering, history, mathematics) in English. To understand better this aspect of teaching, we have sought out Phillip Schrank, a university professor in our Gwangju community, for this interview. — Ed.
K
OTESOL: Thank you, Phillip, for making time for this interview. While the main focus of this interview will be your perspectives on teaching content courses in English, it is always helpful for the readers to have some background information – things like where are you from, what did you do there, and what initially brought you to Korea? Phillip: Thank you for having me! I am originally from Manitowoc, Wisconsin, in the US. I also lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for almost 10 years; and about a year each in Ames, Iowa, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. In the US, I spent most of my time working in financial affairs. I worked through university and graduate school as a teller in a bank. Then after I graduated, I worked as a fiscal officer for a university. Even though I consider myself a bit introverted, I did not really enjoy working in financial affairs. I missed human contact in my work. Usually, the only human contact I would have was when I would contact people who owed money to the school, which was almost never a pleasant conversation. I left that career and worked as a coffee shop manager for a while before I wanted something new again. One of my greatest regrets in university was not taking advantage of study abroad opportunities. When I left the coffee shop job, I figured teaching
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English abroad would be a good way to scratch the itch of living as an expat. I wanted to go somewhere that was very different than America, so Asia seemed like a good choice. At the time, in 2009, Korea was the best option. I contacted a recruiter ▲ Phillip teaching in one of his and quickly went university content courses. through the process of getting my affairs in order. I think I contacted a recruiter in early to mid-February and on March 16. I was in Gwangju and in front of my students less than a day after I arrived. KOTESOL: So, while in Korea, you first taught English as a foreign language (EFL) and now content courses in English. Could you give us more detail about these teaching situations? Phillip: My first jobs in Korea were teaching English to elementary and middle school-aged children at a couple of academies. Later, I was able to get a job at Salesio Elementary School here in Gwangju while I was completing my MA in ESL. Then I moved to
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35 Seoul and worked at the Korea Military Academy. At KMA, I taught basic English conversation and reading courses, but was also able to start teaching courses on American politics and some military topics like insurgency and counterinsurgency. This reignited my love of political science and led to me pursuing my PhD in international relations from Korea University. Now I teach political science at Chosun University and have been there since 2018. I enjoy teaching adults, and political science is such a subject that can prompt interesting and relevant discussions. Current affairs can easily drive discussions, and students are generally engaged in the topics. KOTESOL: That segues nicely into my next question: What would you consider the benefits to be in teaching content courses – benefits for the instructor as well as benefits for the students?
But really, I find no drawbacks to teaching content to EFL students. I think that they can learn both content and English at the same time. English-specific courses will give students tools to understand the content courses that are taught in English. Content courses will reinforce those concepts and tools that are taught in English courses. KOTESOL: To follow up on this, are your students taking EFL courses at the same time that they are taking content courses from you? And if they are, are the courses coordinated in any way, such as an EFL course pre-teaching the vocabulary and jargon that they will encounter in your content course? And if they are not, do you think this “dual approach” would be a beneficial one for your school to institute? Phillip: Yes, students at Chosun take EFL courses during their freshman and sophomore years. There are also optional EFL courses for them to take. The courses are not coordinated with any content courses though. It is a wonderful idea to try to connect them. The “dual approach” would be very beneficial to both the students and me, as students would come into my classes with an understanding of the vocabulary and concepts we use. It might be a bit difficult to implement, but it is certainly something that is worth looking into. KOTESOL: How has the Covid pandemic affected your teaching of content courses?
Phillip: I think that students can have a difficult time comprehending some of the content. I generally gear my courses toward EFL students, which means it is not at the same level I would teach to native English speakers. But the courses still have challenging
I think Covid has taught me to really appreciate my students and the joy and energy I get from being in the classroom. Teaching in front of a computer screen was not only mentally draining – I found it quite depressing.
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Gwangju News, May 2022
KOTESOL: Now, on the flipside, what would you consider to be the drawbacks of teaching content courses to students whose first language is not English – drawbacks from both the student and the instructor perspectives?
Phillip: How has it not! I think everyone who has taught during the pandemic can agree that their teaching style, student interaction, and even administrative work have changed, sometimes drastically. I can say that I have come to loath Zoom passionately. This semester, we moved back into the classroom, and even though I have students missing class daily because of Covid, I am very happy to be back in the classroom.
gwangjunewsgic.com
Phillip: Considering that English is such an important subject here in Korea, I think students learning content courses in English can only be beneficial. That being said, the focus on English education in Korea is on reading and vocabulary. I think that through content courses students can have practice in actually communicating in English through discussions, presentations, and writing papers. I have found that students find it difficult to express their opinions through in-class discussions; so, I usually use our online e-campus to facilitate discussions. By doing so, I can really see the student’s depth of knowledge and interest in the subjects. This is extremely gratifying to me, as the teacher, to see them thinking critically about political science and current political affairs in general – all while communicating in English and expanding their knowledge of English.
content, and I have found the courses can be difficult, even to the few native English speakers I have taught.
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36 That being said, it is because of teaching online that I found the usefulness of having online discussions. What used to be a bit of a struggle to get students to discuss difficult topics has now turned into really strong discussions that go back and forth between students. I have finally been able to see how the students really think about these subjects. This is really the only positive thing that I have gotten out of teaching online through Zoom.
association’s quarterly magazine, needed editors. Wanting to get more involved, I volunteered. To me, KOTESOL was a wonderful way to network with like-minded educators and advance in my new career. I was able to attend numerous local and national conferences, sometimes as a presenter. Volunteering with The English Connection led to larger roles; most notably, I served as the national treasurer and member of the executive council for several years. Today, I stay involved at the chapter level, serving as the treasurer of the local GwangjuJeonnam Chapter. KOTESOL: What occupies your life outside of teaching?
▲ Phillip giving a presentation at an academic conference in Busan.
Gwangju News, May 2022
gwangjunewsgic.com
KOTESOL: Has emergency remote teaching not allowed you to become familiar with and even proficient with an array of online tools, apps, or platforms that you would not have otherwise learned how to use? Phillip: I never really branched out into various online tools that I could have used. I simply used Zoom and the e-campus tools that are available to Chosun professors, which proved to be quite adequate. One thing that was nice to learn was video editing. Sometimes I would record lectures for the students, and I would have to edit those videos before posting them. So, yeah, I guess I have learned a little, but certainly not as much as I could have. KOTESOL: You are a member of Korea TESOL. Would you tell us how you got involved in KOTESOL, your participation in the organization, and what keeps you involved? Phillip: Yes, I have been a member of KOTESOL since 2013. I am now a lifetime member and will always consider KOTESOL important to me. I started by simply attending the local workshops here in Gwangju, and at one of the first workshops it was announced that The English Connection, the
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Phillip: Before Covid, my wife and I liked to travel and find good restaurants and coffee shops. Now, we do not get out much. We have not been out of Korea since the summer of 2019, when we went to Taiwan. Otherwise, I spend my time reading and doing research. The focus of my research revolves around military alliances and populism.
“It is because of teaching online that I found the usefulness of having online discussions.” KOTESOL: Well, I hope the present Covid situation subsides and allows you to soon get out and about again. Thank you for the interview, Phillip. Phillip: Yes, thank you so much for inviting me. It is always good to see you. EPILOGUE In Phillip’s case, teaching content courses to his university students seems to work quite well. It must be remembered, however, that the English proficiency of the students must be at a level sufficient to understand the instructor (as Phillip’s students are). In addition, in an ideal situation, the instructor is expert in both the content area in which they are teaching and in teaching EFL (such as in Phillip’s case). In the real world, however, this is often not the situation – instructors are often versed in one of the two areas but not so much in the other.
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37 One content-based instruction (CBI) model that takes this disparity into account is the adjunct model. Students enroll in a regular academic course taught in their second language (L2), and at the same time, enroll in a linked language course, specially designed to complement the academic course. An adaptation of this could be to have a teaching assistant provide regular, noncredit L2 language-support classes to scaffold the content of the academic course taught in the students’ L2.
GWANGJU-JEONNAM KOTESOL UPCOMING EVENTS Check the Chapter’s webpages and Facebook group periodically for updates on chapter events and other online KOTESOL activities. For full event details: • Website: http://koreatesol.org/gwangju • Facebook: Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL
In conclusion, in teaching content or content-based courses at any level, it is imperative to take into account (a) the students’ L2 proficiency, (b) the instructor’s proficiency in the language of instruction, (c) the instructor’s expertise in the content area, and (d) the degree of need for supplementary EFL scaffolding for the students.
The Interviewer
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Gwangju News, May 2022
David Shaffer has been involved in TEFL and teacher training in Gwangju for many years. As vice-president of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter of KOTESOL, he invites you to participate in the chapter’s teacher development workshops (now online) and in KOTESOL activities in general. He is a past president of KOTESOL and is currently the editor-in-chief of the Gwangju News.
gwangjunewsgic.com
Interviewed by David Shaffer. Photographs and graphics courtesy of Phillip Schrank.
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38 Sports and Activities
Hustle for Muscle A Primer on Korean Gyms
Gwangju News, May 2022
gwangjunewsgic.com
COMMUNITY
By William Urbanski
B
ruce Lee once said, “if you’re over thirty and unwilling to spend this minimum time (30 minutes three days a week) for better fitness, you’d better be prepared to spend even more time being ill”1. These words, along with a few select other quotes from The Art of Expressing the Human Body basically form the foundation of my fitness strategy. While not all people aspire to have a physique like Lee’s (his muscles were developed to the point that they apparently felt like “warm marble”), his attitude and insights towards exercise can serve as inspiration and guidance for us all. Gwangju is particularly blessed with an abundance of fitness centers that are more often than not clean, well-equipped, affordable, and offer a wide range of activities. If you have ever considered joining a gym and live in Gwangju, there is really no excuse not to sign up for a three-month, six-month, or yearlong membership and to either begin or continue your fitness journey. While I am no Bruce Lee (yet), I definitely subscribe to his belief that partaking in a regular exercise program is not something you should be doing, but something you have to be doing. Hopefully this article will provide a bird’s eye view of what being a member at a Korean gym is actually like, while also providing some guidance on how to get the most out of your workouts after you set your foot through the door. Also, you have heard this before, but pretty please, check with a doctor before you start any sort of exercise program. KOREA GYM BASICS I have had memberships at a number of private fitness centers in Korea, each one with its own strengths and weaknesses (pun intended). Their similarities
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are great enough that I think it is appropriate to talk about Korean gyms in general terms. A basic yearly membership at any well-equipped gym should run no more than four-hundred thousand won. That being said, the price per month gets cheaper the longer you sign up. So, I would advise signing up for a longer term rather than renewing a three- or six-month membership whenever needed. There are a few things to watch out for when signing up. First of all, many gyms can provide workout clothes – usually just a basic T-shirt and shorts – but this is optional and you have to pay for it. I have used this service and actually really liked it a lot because of its convenience, but if you live close to the gym (more on that later), it is almost just as easy to bring your own gear, so I do not think this service is necessarily worth the cost. Also, before you sign up for anything, have a clear idea of what you would like to do or what equipment you would like to use. Most gyms have a sauna, “GX” classes (basically aerobic classes, but could also be Pilates or yoga), plus the standard weight room with treadmills, weight machines, and free weights. Signing up for all of these programs can be quite expensive, easily tripling the cost of membership, so really think hard about what you would like to do. While I suggest focusing on weight training (for reasons I will explain below), I have had very positive experiences with saunas and GX classes as well, especially yoga. One thing to really watch out for are personal training fees. Some gyms may encourage you to sign up for one-on-one lessons which can be extremely expensive. If you take one-on-one lessons, you are paying for someone to develop a personal fitness
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39
▲ Bruce Lee viewed working out as a necessary supplement to martial arts and not an end in and of itself. ▶ The Art of Expressing the Human Body fully explains Bruce Lee’s workout strategy. It’s worth buying but also easy to find online.
program for you as well as supervise your workouts. To be honest, unless your Korean is incredibly strong, I do not think you would get the full benefits of this nuanced, bespoke advice that would justify the price.
AEROBICS, CALISTHENICS, WEIGHT TRAINING, AND ISOMETRICS Now let’s get into some of the nitty-gritty aspects of working out at the gym. Broadly speaking, there are four main ways to exercise, and they are aerobics, calisthenics, weight training, and isometrics. Aerobics involves any number of high-motion but low-resistance exercises such as running, cycling,
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Weight training involves using the various weight machines, dumbbells, barbells, and kettle bells to tax your muscles in specific ways, leading to defined muscle growth. Isometrics are a special class of exercises where a specific muscle contracts but there is little or no visible movement. Think of standing beside a stationary railing and trying to lift it as hard as you can for ten seconds. The railing will not move at all, but believe me, your muscles will feel it. Each one of these techniques can yield tremendous benefits (when done properly), but in the gym, I would suggest focusing on weight training and making it the “bread and butter” of your exercise sessions. The main reason for this is efficiency. While it is common to see someone spending half an hour on the exercise bike while fiddling with their phone, when working with weights, you have no choice but to focus. As well, in a half hour of otherwise lowintensity jogging on a treadmill, a person can have a
Gwangju News, May 2022
Finally, depending on your workplace, you may have access to a free weight room or something like that. Even if you do, I would strongly recommend paying to join a dedicated fitness facility: The machines will be better maintained, it will be cleaner, and it will be supervised. As well, if you pay for it, you are not going to want to waste your money by not going.
Calisthenics are a popular group of exercises that use body weight as resistance and employ minimal equipment. Pushups, pullups, burpees, and dips are popular ones.
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After you have decided exactly how you would like to focus your workouts, the next part is to choose a gym to sign up for. I think it is absolutely crucial to sign up to a gym that is as close as possible. Especially at the starting phases of a fitness program, it is extremely easy to talk yourself out of going, so you want to streamline this process as much as possible. Make it easy to get there! Even if another gym may be a bit nicer, if it is an extra ten-minute walk away, you can be sure you will start missing workouts.
rowing, and the Billy Blanks Tae Bo Workout™. The main characteristic of this kind of exercise is an elevated heart rate over a sustained period of time. Your gym will probably have a good selection of treadmills, exercise bikes, and elliptical machines that will help you develop your aerobic capacity.
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40 well-rounded weight session that will lead to definite and measurable results. The real advantage to weight lifting is the ability to target and develop specific parts of your body. Obviously, doing such classic exercises as the bicep curl and the bench press can lead to muscle development that running or a cycling program never can. Another often overlooked benefit of weight training is called the “afterburn effect,” which refers to the fact that even after lifting weights, the muscles will continue burning calories at a higher rate. So, if there is a single class of exercise that will make you look fitter faster, I would argue that weight training is it.
Gwangju News, May 2022
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It can be a bit intimidating to go into a gym and know where to start and what machines to use. One good approach is to pick five to seven different machines and do circuits. That is to say, do eight to twelve repetitions on one machine, then move onto the next one and do the same. Repeat this until you have used each machine at least three times. The same principle can be used for free weights (weights that are not part of a machine). Just remember to choose machines that target different sections of the body. When figuring out how much weight to use for each exercise, do not overdo it. If you are going to repeat an exercise ten times, the ninth and tenth repetitions should feel difficult without being overly strenuous. Another useful tactic is to do less weight but for higher repetitions. For example, instead of trying to lift a 10 kg dumbbell ten times, try doing a seven kg dumbbell 15 times. This really targets specific muscle groups and leads to greater development. COMMON CRITICISMS OF WEIGHT TRAINING The biggest criticism of weight training is that people do not want to end up looking like a huge, gorilla-like body builder. This is fair enough and is a common sentiment, particularly among women. The truth is, attaining the large, muscly physique that we commonly associate with body builders is extremely difficult and requires a level of planning, training, coaching, nutrition, and dedication that is far, far beyond what the average person would reasonably engage in. Competitive body building in
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itself is a full-time lifestyle commitment requiring a tremendous personal sacrifice that places one’s fitness goals above all else. This is not to even mention the entire issue of supplements and other non-food-based methods to improve body size and appearance. So, the average person is not at risk of suddenly becoming a huge muscle-bound monster by hitting the gym a few times a week. Additionally, and with regards to women, since women generally have a higher percentage of body fat than men, it is actually quite hard for women to get that “ripped” bodybuilder appearance. The more likely outcome is that after sticking to a weight training schedule for three to six months, a person will become trimmer, look and feel healthier, and have greater muscle definition. Also, their clothes will fit better. Unless, you know exactly what you are doing and are ready to follow a strict fitness regime, you are not going to end up looking like a young Arnold Schwarzenegger any time soon. Speaking of competitive body building, my personal belief is that it is kind of stupid. While I think that improving your muscles by regularly working out is essential, competitive body building requires a selfish lifestyle and is even somewhat of a dangerous endeavor. Hitting the gym should not be a goal in and of itself, but something that is done to enhance your overall fitness so that you can improve your allaround performance in anything you do. HYGIENE AND ETIQUETTE As mentioned earlier, I have been very impressed with the level of cleanliness in all the gyms I have joined in Korea. You can tell the owners really take pride in keeping their facilities clean. One aspect that really strikes me as odd, though, is that members are not required to wipe their sweat off of the machines after using them. In Canada (and other places such as Germany where I worked out at McFit for a year), forgetting or neglecting to wipe down a machine after using it is a huge no-no. Canadian gyms always, always, always have disinfectant spray bottles and paper towels all over the place, which creates a lot of paper waste but also ensures that you will not accidentally sit down on a sweat covered bench. In Korea, people not wiping down their machines is not a deal breaker for me, but I am also really careful
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41 to look where I sit and always place my towel on the machine when using it. Now of course I cannot speak for what goes on in the ladies’ change room, but it behooves me to mention that I think it is profoundly unwise to use the hairdryers in the men’s room. This is because no less than one hundred times, I have, shall we say, noticed men using the hairdryer on parts of their body where the sun don’t shine. Overall, when it comes to gym etiquette, Korea and Gwangju seem to be quite a bit better than gyms in the West. Of course, you have people who hog the machines while not using them and watching videos, but the gyms here also lack the aggressive meatheads who get all upset because you sat on a machine that they wanted to use. On top of this, I have found all gym staff to be extremely helpful and encouraging. YOU ONLY GET ONE BODY At the end of the day, the benefits of going to the gym and lifting weights are obvious. While going to the
gym may seem like a pain at times, not taking care of your body by engaging in regular and rigorous exercise is a massive mistake that you will pay for later in life. You only get one body, and if you do not take care of it, it will fail you when you need it most. Even though there are plenty of days when I would like nothing more than to be a complete slug and sit on my sofa eating ice cream, never have I once regretted actually completing a workout. While working out can be hard and can even hurt, remember that pain is just weakness leaving the body. Photographs by William Urbanski. Source: 1
The Art of Expressing the Human Body by John Little, P.144
The Author
William Urbanski is the managing editor of the Gwangju News. He hits the gym at least three days a week whether he feels like it or not. Instagram: @will_il_gatto
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▲ The equipment at Korean gyms has always been, in my experience, top notch. This probably has to do with the fact that HDC (Hyundai Development Corporation) has not yet entered the fitness industry.
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42
The Story of Chunhyang Through the Melodious Medium of Pansori
Gwangju News, May 2022
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CULTURE & ARTS
By Diane Dooley
WHAT IS PANSORI? Pansori is probably one of the most well-known “traditional” Korean art forms outside of Korea, commonly referred to as “Korean opera.” (Or, more likely these days, K-Opera!) Pansori is an oral narrative and has been popular amongst Koreans since its inception in the seventeenth century. It was originally performed by singers known as kwangdae in rural villages or marketplaces. Today, it is even performed in large concert halls to considerably larger audiences. A pansori performance involves only two performers: a singer (kwangdae) and a drummer (kosu). This simplicity meant that it could be performed virtually anywhere. Traditionally, the singer would recount a tale from the twelve-work repertoire (madang), such as The Song of Chunhyang. Pansori singers vary both rhythm and melody to reflect changes in circumstance and atmosphere as the story develops, as well as a character’s emotional state. Alternating between sung and spoken passages, pansori is an excellent example of a multimodal narrative art form. Pansori is believed to have developed from shaman songs, which are long oral narratives mixing spoken passages and singing. Research has noted that shaman songs and pansori narratives (from our very own Jeolla-do!) are often identical or are at least very similar in terms of the techniques used and structure. However, shaman songs are intrinsically “sacred.” The main character is a shamanist deity who possesses special powers. Importantly, shaman songs serve religious and spiritual purposes. Pansori, on the other hand, are oral narratives
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that realistically depict the problems arising in commoners’ daily lives. Thus, the worldview of pansori revolves around everyday life. In pansori performances, colloquial speech, for example, was sometimes used to explain the plot and parts of the dialogue. As such, pansori performances are often incredibly long – a full performance of The Song of Chunhyang can take up to seven or eight hours! SIGNIFICANCE OF PANSORI It is often argued that the origin of Korean literature as it exists today can be traced back to pansori. As pansori became fixed narratives, circulating as reading materials, they created a readership for pansori fiction and contributed significantly to the development of realistic depictions of the commoner’s social conditions during the Joseon period. Pansori’s establishment as a separate art form can be traced to social changes during the late Joseon period. Namely, the disruption of the Confucian idea of order and the simultaneous growth of the commoner class. Both acted to secularize shamanism, resulting in the belief that problems experienced by people in their daily lives could be affected by shamanist incantations weakened considerably. In summary, a demand for a more realistic and engaging art form grew exponentially during this period. Pansori was very simply in its early stages, and its function was entertainment (unlike shaman songs, which served a spiritual and religious function),
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43 primarily because performers required, of course, an audience in order to be successful. Pansori singers chose to refine old narratives that the masses were familiar with rather than create new ones; thus, an established pansori repertoire was transmitted from one generation to the next, and the number of works eventually reached twelve. The establishment of the twelve pansori works as sophisticated musical and literary art forms also generated interest amongst Joseon’s elite literati during the eighteenth century. Yu Chinhan, for example, heard The Song of Chunhyang and was so impressed that he wrote the story in literary Chinese, elevating its status. Pansori, which had been derided by the elite as entertainment for commoners, gradually came to be appreciated as a sophisticated art form. THE STORY OF CHUNHYANG
Whenever spring rolls around, I cannot help but think of The Story of Chunhyang, with Chunhyang, (춘향) literally meaning “scent of spring.” The story is considered to be an important piece of Korean literature and an enduring part of Korea’s folk heritage.
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Gwangju News, May 2022
The Song of a Faithful Wife, Chunhyang featured the relationship between women and Confucianism because the latter had become the dominant ideology during the Joseon Dynasty, and significant changes affected women’s lives and their place in society. It would be inappropriate to portray women as victims of Confucianism because the ideology was dynamic – not just patriarchal in nature. The
Chunhyang is initially praised for this by the governor but is ultimately treated as a mere kisaeng and encouraged to comply with his orders. She then highlights the hypocrisy inherent within society, stating that “a woman’s virtue is the same for high ranks and low” and subsequently lists a number of kisaeng who were recognized for their “good character.” This scene demonstrates the frustration with hypocrisy within society at the time it was composed and the difficult position women were placed in due to it: Chunhyang is obligated to be virtuous and faithful to
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Believed to have originated from the pansori, the story is still told today through different mediums. It is one of the most well-known “love stories” told on the Korean Peninsula. Several different versions of the story have been told and recorded at different points in time, as the story has been passed from generation to generation, being gradually altered and refined along the way. The Song of a Faithful Wife, Chunhyang, one of the most popular versions of the story, explores the relationship between women and Confucianism, frustrations with the strict Joseon social hierarchy, government corruption, and hypocrisy within society.
relationship between women and Confucianism was undeniably complex. For example, women often used Confucianism to their own advantage or to achieve some semblance of agency. This agency is well-conveyed in Chunhyang. In the version translated into English by Richard Rutt, the character Chunhyang is the illegitimate daughter of a yangban (person of nobility) and a kisaeng (female entertainer) who pursues a cross-class relationship with Mongryong, the son of the local governor in Namwon, North Jeolla. When his father is reassigned to the capital, they are separated, and a new, corrupt governor replaces him. Chunhyang, considering herself to be a married woman, refuses when the new governor insists that she become his mistress. She employs Confucian ideals to do so, stating: “A subject cannot serve two kings, and a wife cannot belong to two husbands: That is my principle.”
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44
▲ The shrine of Chunhyang at Gwanghallu Garden in Namwon. (Namwon030/ Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported)
Gwangju News, May 2022
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Mongryong but as the daughter of a kisaeng must also comply with the demands of the governor, who outranks her. Notably, during the Joseon Dynasty, legislation was introduced to create a greater legal distinction between primary wives and secondary wives. Secondary wives and their children were seriously discriminated against. It is therefore interesting to examine Chunhyang alongside her mother. Wolmae, a kisaeng and a former yangban governor’s secondary wife, urges Mongryong to be cautious when he visits her to ask for permission to marry Chunhyang. She states that her deceased husband “mistook a kite for a falcon and called me to serve him,” which is self-deprecating and suggests that her husband’s infatuation or lust for her affected his ability to assess the social and legal ramifications of their relationship, and she saw this reflected in Mongryong. She warns him not to put Chunhyang through the same difficulties and explains that if he were to abandon Chunhyang, she would be left with nothing and would probably be unable to remarry. Wolmae’s poor financial situation is a result of her status as a secondary wife. As she had no legal claim to an inheritance, she was not left any living expenses when her husband died. Despite her uncertainties, however, she remains optimistic that the pair could “make a break with the past,” conveying her desire for change. This desire for change was prominent in the Joseon Dynasty at the time. Chunhyang also examines the political landscape in late Joseon. At the time, various scholar-
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officials controlled local governments. These local governments were often corrupt, and as a solution, the king would sometimes send secret inspectors to investigate and uncover any mismanagement. (This was one of the many roles undertaken by Jeong Yakyong, for example, from my previous article!) The corrupt governor in Chunhyang, and Mongryong’s appointment as a secret inspector later in the story, is a reflection of this real-life issue. In late Joseon, local governments profited by abusing the grain tax system: They extorted money through unethical loans. In his role as a secret inspector, Mongryong recites the following at a feast in honor of the governor: “Fine wine in golden cups is the common people’s blood / Viands on jade dishes are the common people's flesh,” a biting criticism of the governor's display of ostentatious wealth, earned by extorting money from farmers. Mongryong’s couplet was popular in works of Korean satire and its inclusion here, and in many other versions of Chunhyang, despite constant revision and refinement, suggests a longstanding appreciation of the couplet as well as the sentiment behind it. MODERN VERSIONS
Many modern retellings of Chunhyang exist today. The most popular recent (relatively speaking) adaption of the tale is perhaps Sassy Girl Chun-hyang, a 2005 television drama series starring Han Chae-young, Jae Hee, Uhm Tae-woong, and Park Si-eun. The ▲ Sassy Girl Chun-hyang drama’s soundtrack features a mixture of modern rap and pansori, and was the first drama penned by the famous drama-writing duo Hong Jung-eun and Hong Mi-ran (“the Hong sisters”). However, instead of corrupt government officials and women’s relationship with Confucianism, this drama explores several key economic and social issues of the early 2000s. The endurance of Chunhyang is perhaps down to this adaptability, as well as its classic star-crossed-lovers plot.
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Gwangju Writes 45 Today, you can even visit a Chunhyang-themed park in Namwon, North Jeolla Province, a mere hour away from Gwangju by bus! Namwon, I should mention, is the traditional setting of Chunhyang. There you can visit a Chunhyangthemed park or participate in the regular Chunhyang Festival, which includes performances of the pansori narrative and a Miss Chunhyang Beauty Pageant. And, of course, Namwon is always a beautiful spot for enjoying Korea’s spring cherry blossoms!
Mysterious Maiden By Stephen Kagarise
“I was digging for herbs,” said the man, “when the sun set. Now I’m lost. Can you put me up for the night?” Without a moment’s pause, she beckoned him to enter the house. She gave him a bowl of rice and a plate of vegetables. He ate well and slept the night. The next morning, she prepared breakfast. As the two shared their meal, she broke the silence, curious to learn more about him. “Tell me, how much do you earn digging herbs?” she asked. “How many mouths do you feed?” A humble man, the bachelor felt no shame in telling her that he barely earned enough to
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Gwangju News, May 2022
Diane Dooley is originally from Glasgow, Scotland, and has a BA in Korean and an MA in Korean literature. She enjoys reading, coffee, and talking about Korea to anyone willing to listen. She currently lives and works in Gwangju as an English teacher and is passionate about education. Email: dianedooley@naver.com
One day he went deeper in the woods than usual, looking for herbs, and struck such a rich vein that he lost track of time. Before he knew it, the sun had set, stranding him in the dark. Eager to get home, he only got more lost in the forest. He had no other recourse but to keep wandering. At last, he saw a faint light flickering in the distance. He ran over to see who it might be. What he found was a straw-thatched house with a fencedin garden. Hearing his footsteps, a young woman came out to greet him.
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The Author
D
eep in the mountains, there once lived an old bachelor. Every day, he would go digging for herbs and then sell them in the market. Nearly thirty, and quite poor, it seemed unlikely he would ever find a wife.
CULTURE & ARTS
Sources Cho, Sung-won (2004). Trapped in the quest for realism: Mistaken equality in Namchang Ch’unhyangga. Korea Journal, 44, 102–122 Cho, Sung-won (2003). Waiting for the Sage King: The “political unconscious” of Namchang Ch’unhyangga. Korea Journal, 43, 240–266 Deuchler, Martina. (1992). The Confucian transformation of Korea: A study of society and ideology. Council of East Asian Studies, Harvard University. Eckert, Carter J., et al. (1990). Korea old and new: A history. Harvard University Press. Kim, Heunggyu. (2003). P’ansori. In Peter H. Lee (Ed.), A history of Korean literature. Cambridge University Press. Kim, Yeongmin. (2011). Portrait of two women: Multiple layers of Confucianism in late Chosŏn Korea. In Yeongmin Kim & Michael Pettid (Eds.), Women and Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea. State University of New York Press. Rutt, Richard. (1974). The song of a faithful wife, Ch’unhyang. In Richard Rutt & Kim Chong-un [Trans.], Virtuous women: Three classic Korean novels. Royal Asiatic Society, Korea Branch / Kwang Myong Printing
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Gwangju News, May 2022
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46 survive. “As for children or a wife, I have nothing of that sort.”
“Did a woman ask you to follow me?” he asked, without any preamble.
With joy written all over her face, the woman asked him to live with her, but on very specific terms. “Just tend the garden now and then,” she said. “It needs weeding and other care. On market days, come rain or snow, go to the market. When you get back, you must tell me what you saw there and heard. For each report, I will pay you ten gold coins.”
What could the husband say? This donkey rider seemed to know it all already. So he said yes, his wife had asked him to do so.
Well, as someone who was used to selling his wares at the market, that was the fairest deal he had been offered in a long time. Actually, more than fair. And to receive this lovely young woman into the bargain, as his wife, was more than an old bachelor could resist. Without further ado, he moved in.
The husband found this hard to believe, having lived with her for so long. But the thought of being eaten by a centipede filled him with fear, and besides, his marriage ending in a gruesome death would only be fair, considering how happy he had been until now.
As per their agreement, on off-days he did some gardening, and on market days, whether it rained or snowed, he went to the market. He kept his eyes and ears open so that he could report it all, without fail, to his wife. She would simply nod as she listened. Three years went by without incident, the two enjoying each other’s company.
“What should I do if I want to live?” he asked the young man.
One day our happy husband saw something new at the market: a young man on a donkey, wearing a straw hat. Hanging from the hat was a small bell, which rang as he rode.When he got back from his trip, the husband told his wife how absurd it was to see a man wearing a bell that should have been attached to his donkey. All the color left her face. “If you see him again, be sure to follow wherever he goes. Find out where he lives for me.” It was the first time she had responded to one of his reports. For the past three years, she had seemed to pay them no more heed than to the clouds in the sky. It so happened that the very next market day, there was the same man in a straw hat riding a donkey, his bell ringing all the while. He left the market and went into the mountains, with the husband close on his trail, and entered a dark hole in the rock. “Did this guy just ride his donkey into a cave?” wondered the husband, confused by his strange behavior. He tried to peer in, when suddenly the man reemerged from his lair.
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“That woman is not your wife, but an old centipede born ten centuries ago. She will eat you up for dinner this very night.”
“Go to the market and buy the most pungent tobacco you can find. Burn it and rub the ashes all over your body. Then go home but sneak up from the rear and peek in through a hole in the door. When you see the centipede, blow smoke at her through the hole. She will die and you will live.” The husband followed his instructions. He covered himself in ash and went home, where he saw his wife slithering all over the floor. She was in fact a centipede. All that remained was to blow the smoke and kill her. If not, it would mean his own death. He believed it all now, the entire story. But he could not do it. This was his wife of three years. He owed her a debt of gratitude and was greatly fond of her. He still loved her, even if she was a centipede. Better me than her, he thought, if someone has to die. He washed in a nearby stream, removing all the ash. Then he walked back home and entered through the front door. His wife gave him a hug in her normal, human form. As always, she was happy to see him. He told her about the cave, and what the young man had told him. “I know you’re a centipede. You’re going to eat me tonight, aren’t you?”
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47 His wife was taken by surprise. “I may be an insect, but why would I eat you? Let me tell you all about it,” she said, as they sat together at the table. “That man you saw at the market, he’s an earthworm, as old as I am. He killed my husband in a fight. I’ve been hiding here in the mountains, waiting to take my revenge. Now that I know where he lives, I plan to go there and end his life. You have nothing to do with this, but since we’ve been husband and wife for three years, I ask you to honor our marriage by helping me.” “What can I do to help?” “Tomorrow when I am locked in combat, do not be afraid, but yell as loud as you can. He will look at you and forget about me. That’s when he will die.” Early the next day, they went to fight the earthworm. In front of the cave, the woman did three somersaults, becoming a centipede as large as the ridgeline of a tiled roof. The earthworm slithered out of his hole, well aware that she had come to fight, and ready to meet her head on. Soon they were joined in a fatal embrace, where they tried to choke and rip each other apart.
“Please do not fail me tomorrow,” she told him. “If I don’t kill that earthworm, I have to wait another three years for my next chance. If that happens, he’s likely to devour us both, so make up your mind to yell.” The next day he set out with a full measure of resolve to yell during the combat. As before, the
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She returned to her human form, addressing her husband as the lovely young woman he had always known. “Now that I’ve had my revenge, it’s time for me to return to the land I came from. You go that way to our home. There you will find a chest full of gold. Take it and live a good life.” She disappeared into a cloud of smoke. The man walked to their home, crestfallen at this turn of events. But the garden, the house itself, had all gone. It was just weeds in a barren field. However, he did find the chest, full to the brim. Whether he considered it fair recompense for the loss of his wife is anyone’s guess. The Author
Stephen Kagarise is an English teacher from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He has been living in Gwangju since 2012, when he began studying Korean at Chosun University.
Gwangju News, May 2022
That night she got his firm assurance that he would yell out and distract the earthworm during their fight the next day. This was necessary if she was to be victorious. But when the time came, his whole body was frozen with fear. His stiff neck would not allow the yell to pass up his throat. The second day of combat also ended in a draw.
The earthworm was struck as if by thunder. He fell to the ground, dazed and defenseless, where the centipede could rip his head from his neck.
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Watching the fierce contest from the sidelines, the husband could not yell out, as his wife had requested, and even fell down in a swoon. The centipede and earthworm called a short truce, both exhausted and needing some time to rest. She returned to her human form and shook her husband awake. Together, they walked home.
centipede and earthworm locked together, so intent on killing their foe that they leapt high into the air. While they roiled in a hissing ball, a Gordian knot of hate, the husband finally found the strength to shout, “Kill that scoundrel!”
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48 Photo Essay
Spring into Green
Gwangju News, May 2022
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CULTURE & ARTS
By Anjel Iriaghomo
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A
s the weather begins to warm up, consider taking the time to explore the scenic gems that surround you. The areas encompassing Gwangju have the perfect balance of beauty and historical significance for you to enjoy alone or with a group. Juknokwon, also known as the Bamboo Forest, is in Damyang and consists of 310,000 square meters of lush bamboo to explore. Established in May 2003, the forest also consists of cafes, a serene poetry village, the Lee Nam Art Center, and more. Kalue Yang, a third-year psychology exchange student from California, USA, says, “I feel like I walked into another dimension. The sound
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49
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Gwangju News, May 2022
of bamboo rustling and swaying in the afternoon breeze was music to my ears. The rays of sunlight peeking through the thick bamboo was enchanting.” Bamboo has a lot of historical significance, but not many know it’s pivotal to sustaining the environment, as it reduces carbon dioxide by 35 percent and delivers more oxygen. “I also learned about the historical significance of bamboo that I would not have known if I had not visited this place. Being in the bamboo forest allowed me to appreciate the beauty of nature to the fullest,” Yang adds.
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Gwangju News, May 2022
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50
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Mudeungsan National Park is a must-see for any outdoor enthusiast, small or large. Located around much of Gwangju, the national park spans over 75 square kilometers and is considered a top-rated, must-see attraction by many because of the breathtaking views it has to offer. Mudeungsan, with an elevation of 1,187 meters above sea level, has the meaning of 'a mountain that’s incomparably tall’ or 'a noble mountain that cannot be graded'. Several peaks allow you to overlook the entire city for a picture-perfect moment.1 There are numerous hiking trails for all difficulty and accessibility levels. From waterfalls to temples, you could easily spend your entire day getting lost in the endless escape the park provides. Lastly, the area that surrounds the World of Yellow City in Jangseon has jaw-dropping mountainous views, a crystal-blue lake, and more in every direction. A few meters beyond the views contains a village dedicated to learning about the artistic achievements of Vincent Van Gogh, historical grave site to fallen heroes, fields of flowers, and local cafes.
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https://www.knps.or.kr/front/portal/visit/visitCourseMain.do?parkId=122000&menuNo=7020090
The Author
Anjel Iriaghomo is a senior animal science major from Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina, USA, and is studying abroad this semester. She’s always loved to write, and photography is one of her favorite hobbies. If you see Anjel on campus, don’t be afraid to say hi! Instagram @__anjel
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1
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If the bleak winter has kept you bundled indoors these past months, take advantage of this time as we enter this new season. Grab some friends, water, and sunscreen and get outside to enjoy the green. There’s a whole lot to uncover here in Gwangju, and you’ll never know what you’ll learn. Where will your next adventure be?
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52 52 Book Review
An Ugly Truth
Inside Facebook’s Battle for Domination By Sheera Frenkel and Cecilia Kang
Gwangju News, May 2022
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CULTURE & ARTS
Reviewed by Michael Attard
M
ark Zuckerberg is one of the best-known people on the planet and one of the most despised. How could someone who is “a staunch believer in free expression,” an individual trying to connect people, create so much controversy? In their book An Ugly Truth, Cecilia Kang and fellow investigative journalist Sheera Frenkel delve into the machinations of corporate Facebook to not only elucidate the prolonged, heated debate whirling around Facebook, but to conclude with condemnation. In the Authors’ Note they make clear that: “This book is the product of more than a thousand hours of interviews with more than four hundred people.” The book is replete with names, dates, and situations. I suggest that readers not let this distract from the argument. For the sake of simplicity, I have focussed on two broad areas of controversy. These are the algorithms used and Facebook’s response to certain events. You can judge for yourself whether Facebook has done anything wrong or responded in an inappropriate manner. In September 2006, Facebook introduced “News Feed,” which “would draw from posts, photos, and status updates.” Users had already entered these on their profiles, but previously, one would have to click onto a friend’s profile to see an update. With News Feed, Facebook was now broadcasting. Many were
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furious. The claim is that Zuckerberg wanted to keep users logged onto the platform as much as possible. Zuckerberg responded, as he would continue to do in the future, by saying that he was sorry. He also claimed that, “nothing about users’ privacy settings had changed.” In November 2007, Zuckerberg announced the use of the program “Beacon,” which “took information about a Facebook user’s purchases from other sites – movie tickets…a hotel booking, etc. and published it on the News Feeds of… friends.” Users were now being used as “sales agents” for companies who paid Facebook for the data. Zuckerberg said, “Nothing influences a person more than a recommendation from a trusted friend.” There was an immediate outcry. “When Facebook responded that the feature could be turned off, users produced contrary evidence.” Facebook was tracking and monitoring users. “Zuckerberg apologized… and announced that he would change the settings.” It appears that choosing who users share information with on the platform is one thing, but “behind the platform,” the sharing of information with advertisers persisted. About two years later, Beacon was discontinued.
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53 And how about the Like button? This actually met with little resistance. It is a quick and simple way to send a “positive affirmation” to friends. Facebook found that people used the site more when the Like button was available. The user is subsequently presented with other similar content on an endless scroll keeping the user engaged on the site and thus, of course, exposed to more ads. Facebook then made the feature available outside of the site. “Companies got information about which users were visiting their sites, and Facebook received information about what its users did once they left its site.” It all may seem harmless enough, but do users have any awareness of the personal data being harvested? At a congressional appearance, Zuckerberg said, “We do not sell data to advertisers. What we allow is for advertisers to tell us who they want to reach. And then we do the placement.” So, if I understand Zuckerberg correctly, Facebook has information that advertisers would love to use for direct advertising. But Facebook does not give the advertisers this information; rather, Facebook is happy to get its hands dirty through the hijacking of the user.
With the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020, Facebook had the opportunity to play a key role in the dissemination of information. A center for information from the CDC and the World Health Organization was created. Facebook “went public
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The next time you scroll through Facebook, ask yourself two questions. Is there something better that I could be doing with my time? And, is Facebook really your friend?
The Reviewer
Michael Attard is a Canadian who 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.
Gwangju News, May 2022
Four years later, Facebook would confirm that political speech included paid campaign ads. As political speech, these ads would not be fact-checked. Politicians could now “pay to place lies on the site.”
An Ugly Truth is 300 pages detailing Facebook controversies. I have only spoken of a few cases. But the reader cannot miss that there are common elements to each incident. Facebook does what it wants to optimize its business model of keeping users on its site for as long as possible, and while doing so, presenting them with paid advertisements determined through the utilization of users’ private data. When outcry follows, Facebook apologizes and says that it will do more and that you can control your privacy settings. When situations arise where changing an algorithm, instituting a policy, or simply adhering to existing policy will affect the company’s bottom line, it will always be company over everything else, supported by the claim of free speech.
gwangjunewsgic.com
Turning to controversy over events, most of us will recall that during the US presidential campaign of 2016, Donald Trump said, “Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States…” How did Facebook respond? Facebook technically barred hate speech but felt the need to appear unbiased. Facebook was already not trusted by many Republicans. Facebook’s decision was to not defend Trump’s statement, but claimed, “that political speech could be protected under a newsworthiness standard.” Zuckerberg said it was a hard issue, “but he was a staunch believer in free expression.” Trump’s post was not removed. Was Facebook putting politics above principle?
with its plan to remove harmful misinformation.” Dr. Anthony Fauci was hosted on Facebook. Then in April, Trump “suggested that disinfectants… were possible treatments for the novel coronavirus.” Posts sprang up, viewed by millions of people. Trump’s account remained untouched. Facebook claimed that Trump had been musing rather than issuing a directive. Was Facebook putting politics and company above principle and truth?
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Gwangju News, May 2022 gwangjunewsgic.com
CULTURE & ARTS
54 Comic Corner
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gwangjunewsgic.com
Yun Hyoju was born and raised in Gwangju, and somehow ended up married to an Irish guy named Alan. She has been working on her short comic, “Alan and Me,” which is about their daily life. She publishes a new comic every week on Instagram. It can be found here: @alan_andme.
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Gwangju News, May 2022
The Author
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CROSSWORDPUZZLE Created by Jon Dunbar Look for the answers to this crossword puzzle to appear in June in Gwangju News Online (www.gwangjunewsgic.com).
DOWN
Gwangju News, May 2022
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1 2 3 4 5 6
ACROSS 1 4 7 11 12 13 14 15 17 19 20 21 25 27 28 29
Abbreviation of frustration Distress signal Group of juvenile delinquents Nintendo’s first remoteoperated console Type of lodging Hyundai’s rolling stock manufacturer Neighbor of Braz., Bol. Beach island of Jeollanam-do Confederacy in Chungcheong and Jeolla Wild pig Chest muscles Park Chan-wook’s 2003 film Ukraine’s highest nat’l title Samsung battery unit US manufacturing company Org. of Kia Tigers
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31 33 34 35 36 38 40 43 45 46 50 51 52 53 54 55 56
Korea’s top research university CJ ENM cable channel Hockey star Bobby Korean punk band Gob, trap Kim Jong-un’s friend Dennis Korean American golfer Doug Flatbread Korea's version of the Peace Corps Ukraine's heroic “Servant of the People” Jeremy or Manuel Miranda JPEG content “Produce 101” band Roadside bomb Coach Hiddink Between Oct and Dec East Indonesian islands
7 8 9 10 13 16 18 22 23 24 26 27 29 30 32 37 39 41 42 44 45 46 47 48 49
Wooded wetland ___ Asset Securities Chonnam National students’ band Goes with stop or language Nine minus eight Someone who thinks they’re better than others Heungbu found treasure in this Cash machine Beatty or Kelly Subject of gene-splicing The bane of Isaiah Winters’ existence They go with services Taro ___ Beyond ___ event at ACC Not quoted on a stock exchange Korean 24-hour news channel “Glory to ___!” Square root of 36 Neighbor of JPN Term of address in a frat “Imo” and “gomo” “Four score and seven years _” Video files More frozen Korean version of varenyky Alike Capital of 26 down It precedes a zag Large flightless bird Short-lived anti-bullying ambassador Henry Comedian Jae-suk
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GIC광주국제교류센터 GIC’s
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SAT, MAY 21 - SUN, MAY 22 GWANGJU INTERNATIONAL CENTER · GWANGJU CITY HALL
인의 날
회 세계
제 15
DAY 1
SAT, MAY 21 | 14:00-17:00
GWANGJU INTERNATIONAL CENTER
14:00 Special Lecture on Cultural Diversity by Comedian ‘Blanca’ (Only in Korean) 15:00 One-stop Counseling Service for Foreign Residents (Visa, Legal, Medical, Labor, Education, General information, Etc.) 15:00 One Day Global Culture Classes
DAY 2
SUN, MAY 22 | 12:00-18:00
GWANGJU CITY HALL
Global Food Zone | Global Culture Zone | Global Performance Stage | National Grant Ceremony | Global Photo Zone with Landmarks | Raffle Organizations for International Residents and Global Communities
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