Gwangju News November 2021 #237

Gwangju and South Jeolla International Magazine Gwangju and South Jeolla International Magazine

November 2021 #237

November 2021 #237 Georgian Ambassador Berdzenishvili Visits Gwangju

Georgian Ambassador Berdzenishvili Visits Gwangju Mindful Diet:

The Climate (and Food!) Crisis

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1 Gwangju & South Jeolla International Magazine

From the Editor

W

elcome to November with its multi-tinted foliage, and with its high skies and fat horses (천고마비). As with the abundance of the recent harvest, we hope that this issue of the Gwangju News provides you with an abundance of reading pleasure. Here are some of the diverse topics that we feel will entice your reading interests.

November 2021, Issue 237 Published: November 1, 2021 Cover Photo Autumn colors in Mudeung Mountain.

By Joe Wabe

THE EDITORIAL TEAM Publisher Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Chief Copy Editor Layout Editor Photographer Copy Editing Online Editor Content Support

Dr. Shin Gyonggu Dr. David E. Shaffer William Urbanski Isaiah Winters Karina Prananto Kim Hillel Yunkyoung Joey Nunez Karina Prananto Melline Galani

The Gwangju News is the first English monthly magazine for the general public in Korea, first published in 2001. Each monthly issue covers local and regional issues, with a focus on the roles and activities of the international residents and local English-speaking communities.

Copyright ©2021 by the Gwangju International Center.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by this copyright may be reproduced in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise – without the written consent of the publisher.

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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We are in the midst of a climate crisis, and we know that carbon is a big culprit, but how aware are we of the negative impact caused by what we eat and what the animals we eat eat (p. 34)? To complement this, read our restaurant review, “Vegan Is Fantastic!” (p. 36). We all have worries in addition to the climate crisis. Read about one Gwangju expat’s worries over purchasing a residence (p. 19), and read about another expat’s worries about getting a haircut in any of Gwangju’s “long-established” barbering businesses (p. 32).

If you enjoyed our earlier piece on Korean men’s hair and hats, you are sure to enjoy this month’s piece on Joseon women’s hairstyles and hair accessories (p. 42). For more of the historical, read about three of Romania’s many, many castles (p. 22). For more recent history, read the poem on Korea’s last 50 years by yours truly (p. 48).

Oh, there’s so much more but so little space to plug it all. Please go to the table of contents (p. 3). And as always, stay Covid smart, stay Covid safe, get Covid protected, and enjoy the Gwangju News.

David E. Shaffer Editor-in-Chief Gwangju News

November 2021

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

Have you heard of “Pan-tablo”? I’ll bet you haven’t. Read about this printmaking technique of artist Lee Min in our interview with him (p. 10). What about Sansin and dokkaebi? Unlike the seasonal ghosts of Halloween, these spirits have a year-round presence. Read about them in Blast from the Past (p. 16), and then you will be ready for the piece on Korean shamans in the movies (p. 46). However, you probably have heard of Jon Dunbar, the creator of our monthly crossword puzzle. This month, along with his puzzle, we give you a glimpse of the man behind the crossword matrix (p. 14).

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The Gwangju News is published by the Gwangju International Center: Jungang-ro 196-beon-gil 5 (Geumnam-ro 3-ga), Dong-gu, Gwangju 61475, South Korea Tel: (+82)-62-226-2733~34 Fax: (+82)-62-226-2731 Website: www.gwangjunewsgic.com Email: gwangjunews@gic.or.kr gwangjunews gwangju_news

The Georgian ambassador to Korea was in town recently, and the Gwangju News was there for an in-depth interview. In addition to Georgian–Korean cooperation, the ambassador speaks on the similarities between Koreans and Georgians, but Georgian wine and the nation’s 500-plus indigenous types of grapes were the catalyst for his visit (p. 6).

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Photo of the Month

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

CULTURE & ARTS

By Kim Hillel Yunkyoung

“Praying for the souls of the lost children.”

Buddhist stone statue remembering the children who have passed on, taken at Daewon Buddhist Temple, Boseong, 2021.

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The Photographer

Kim Hillel Yunkyoung is a priest in the Anglican Church and also a portrait photographer.

More of his pictures can be found at @hillelkim.

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CONTENTS

ISSUE 237, NOVEMBER 2021

NEWS 01. From the Editor 04. Gwangju City News FEATURES 06. In Vino Veritas: Georgian Ambassador Berdzenishvili Visits Gwangju 10. People in the Arts: Lee Min and His Pan-tablo Printmaking Technique 14. Three Things with Jon Dunbar 16. Blast from the Past: The Revered and the Feared – Korea’s Mountain Spirits and Hobgoblins TRAVEL 19. Lost in Gwangju: Youth on the Bubble – Shopping for a Home in Gwangju’s Overheated Housing Market 22. From Abroad: The “Magical” Castles of Romania TEACHING & LEARNING 26. Language Teaching: The Story on Using Stories for Language Learning 29. Everyday Korean: Episode 47 – “음악을 들으면서 공부해요.” “I listen to music while studying.”

COMMUNITY 30. Expat Living: Learning Outside the Classroom 32. Opinion: Barbershop of Horrors 34. Environment: Mindful Diet – The Climate (and Food!) Crisis FOOD & DRINKS

CULTURE & ARTS 02. Photo of the Month 38. Photo Essay: Gwangju Skateboarding 42. The Confucianization of Women’s Hairstyles in Joseon Korea 46. Shamans in Korean Supernatural Thrillers 49. Book Review: Becoming by Michelle Obama 51. GFN Radio: Play Your Favorite Tunes on the Viva DJ Show!

52. GFN Radio: Top of The Drop 54. Gwangju Webtoon: Alan and Me 56. Crossword Puzzle

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November 2021

48. Gwangju Writes: Two Score and Ten – Flashbacks on Korea

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36. Restaurant Review: Vegan Is Fantastic! A Gourmet Experience at Soswaewon Buffet

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Gwangju City News From the Gwangju Metropolitan City website (http://gwangju.go.kr)

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

MONTHLY NEWS

New “Casper” Car Displayed at Gwangju City Hall Gwangju City announced that the “Casper” vehicle exhibition is being held in Citizens Hall on the first floor of City Hall. The Casper is a compact SUV produced by Gwangju Global Motors and commissioned by Hyundai Motors where the Gwangju-style job model was first applied. Gwangju City and Hyundai Motors held the opening ceremony attended by Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong Sup, Hyundai Motors Gwangju-Jeonnam Regional Headquarters Manager Cha Ho-yeon, and university students, at which an actual Casper vehicle, rather than a mockup, was unveiled to the public for the first time.

The Casper exhibition aims to satisfy citizens’ curiosity about the actual vehicle due to its sales being conducted only through the online directto-consumer (D2C) method and also aims to promote it.

D2C companies manufacture and ship their products directly to buyers without relying on traditional stores or other middlemen. This allows D2C companies to sell their products at lower prices than traditional consumer brands and maintain end-to-end control over the making, marketing, and distribution of products.

The exhibition is in Citizens Hall (located next to the E-Room Cafe) on the first floor of City Hall and can be visited daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (including weekends).

Three vehicles in three colors – atlas white, intense blue pearl, and tomboy khaki – are on display, two being gasoline 1.0 models and one being a 1.0 turbo model. For visitors, Hyundai Motors has deployed vehicle guides and operating personnel to explain the vehicle’s functions and help them drive it briefly.

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In addition to City Hall, a total of 30 exhibition halls dedicated to the Casper are in operation nationwide, including one at Gwangju’s U-Square bus terminal.

Mayor Lee stated, “Two years and eight months ago, with President Moon Jae-in in attendance, our city, the labor community, and Hyundai Motors faced another touching moment in the historic place where the Gwangju-style job agreement was signed. The Casper will be our hope to create jobs for young people and revive the Korean economy.”

Meanwhile, the Casper is the first mass-produced vehicle of Gwangju Global Motors, Korea’s first win-win local job project, and is more popular than expected, recording the highest rate of pre-booking among Hyundai Motors’ internal combustion engines this year. With more than 25,000 units booked (by September 23), which is more than twice the production volume for this year, it has become a sensational attraction.

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Gwangju Dong-gu (East District) News

Compensation for Noise Pollution Gwangju City has been collecting the opinions of residents on the designation of noise countermeasures, based on the results of the Ministry of National Defense’s noise impact level survey. In the past, noise pollution compensation was received only when a lawsuit was filed, but with the enactment and enforcement of the Act on Noise Prevention and Damage Compensation at Military Airfields and Military Shooting Ranges on November 26, 2019, residents living in noisy areas can receive compensation by simply applying, without needing a lawsuit. Accordingly, the Ministry of National Defense has investigated the noise impact level since June 2020 in order to designate a noise countermeasure area in line with the enactment and enforcement of related laws.

The period for collecting relevant opinions is October 15 – November 10 (including Saturdays and Sundays).

According to the results of the Ministry of National Defense’s noise impact survey, the total number of residents affected by noise pollution in Gwangju is about 63,000, and the planned noise countermeasure area is 24 dong (wards) in four autonomous districts.

Na Hae-cheon, head of the city’s standby preservation division, stated, “We hope that citizens affected by military-related noise will actively check during the evaluation period whether noise countermeasures are applicable to them and actively present their opinions so that they are not excluded from support.”

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Location: 16 Bamsil-ro 4-beon-angil, Dong-gu, Gwangju (광주광역시 동구 밤실로 4번안길 16) Inquiries: Dong-gu Humanities Urban Policy Division (062-608-2173)

Translated by Melline Galani.

November 2021

The self-governing districts will inform residents as to application for compensation in the future, and applications can be submitted to the autonomous districts of residence between January and February 2022. For other information related to the compensation application, please inquire at the autonomous district of residence.

To commemorate the life and works of poet Moon Byung-ran (1935–2015), Dong-gu district remodeled the home where he lived during his lifetime and opened the House of Poet Moon Byung-ran on September 10. Moon, who was introduced in The New York Times (1987) as “a Korean resistance poet who threw poems instead of bombs,” wrote numerous resistance poems, and devoted his life to national literature and the democratization movement. The poets home now consists of exhibition rooms on the first and second floors, where one can see his representative works by periods of his life. The main room and study space where the poet lived were reproduced and consist of a video room where one can enjoy the poet’s works in addition to an experience space.

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Whether the noise countermeasures are applicable to a specific area can be checked on the military airfield website from October 15, and the Ministry of National Defense will respond by inquiring or presenting opinions on the website’s Q&A bulletin board. (Inquiries about noise pollution areas in proximity to the military airfield: http://kmnoise.samwooanc.com

Opening of the House of Poet Moon Byung-ran

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FEATURE FEATURE

66

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

In Vino Veritas

Georgian Ambassador Berdzenishvili Visits Gwangju

By Isaiah Winters

G

eorgia was always the one that got away. I had planned to visit the Caucasian country in the spring of 2020, only to have travel restrictions applied the day after booking my flight. Nevertheless, Georgia recently paid Gwangju a visit when its top representative in South Korea, Ambassador Otar Berdzenishvili, visited this fall. With him were several bottles of Georgian wine that were originally intended for a winetasting event following our interview; however, an uptick in COVID-19 cases meant that the bottles would have to be opened at home as gifts from the Embassy of Georgia. What follows is the

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remainder of the event, our interview at the Han Heewon Art Museum in Yangnim-dong.

Isaiah Winters (IW): Hello, Ambassador Berdzenishvili.

Thanks for taking the time to do this interview for Gwangju News readers. For starters, congratulations on the tenth anniversary of the Georgian embassy in South Korea. What brings you to Gwangju and what wine have you brought us from Georgia?

Ambassador Berdzenishvili: Gwangju is a special place for me personally and for our embassy as well. Since

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7 my appointment as ambassador, I have been searching for some special connection close to our values and philosophy, and I think that Gwangju is Korea’s cradle of democracy. That is why I wanted to especially connect with this city. Three years ago, we started some cultural projects to more ambitiously put public diplomacy into action, so we organized one of the most prominent Georgian folk ensembles and brought it to Gwangju. Their singing of polyphonic songs was a wonderful splash of Georgian culture, as were the wonderful wine-tasting events we had here. I think it was quite a blossoming event here in 2018.

Through that, we established a foundation for peopleto-people connections as well as connections with the Gwangju Metropolitan City government.

Following this, we proposed to make something much bigger. One idea was to make space for movie screenings, so today I opened the Georgian Movie Festival in Gwangju, which is free of charge and purely a public diplomacy project featuring five movies that have been translated into Korean. We have yet another event that is very important.

Two years ago, we received news of a prominent artist from Gwangju who visited Georgia for touristic purposes, and he made artistic compositions with inspiration from Georgia, its nature, art, culture, and so on. I immediately grabbed the phone and called artist Han Heewon [see Gwangju News, Nov. 2020]. We planned to make this exhibition bigger in 2020 under the auspices of the embassy and invite all the prominent representatives of Gwangju to a big reception that would serve as “Cultural Days of Georgia,” but the pandemic unfortunately set all our projects back.

Still, I am so happy that we are able to have this event today, and am thankful to all the participants – especially the local Koreans, Gwangju residents, and our embassy staff members – because we have been working tirelessly for almost 18 months to make it happen. This was the answer to the first question, so now the second half goes to wine.

Also, over the last few years, Georgia has become a hot spot for Korean tourists, and as ambassador, one of my aims has been to create a Croatia-type fever for Korean travelers to Georgia. This is because Georgia has everything Koreans like: It is one of the safest and most diverse countries in the world, with wonderful cuisine, a lot of wine, and some of the best hospitality – all of which Koreans love. That is why Georgia is well known here in Korea.

Before the pandemic, in 2019, Georgia was one of the top destinations for tourism around the world, when we received around 12 million tourists compared to our local population of only 3.5 million. Maintaining and increasing that tourism has been something our embassy has worked tirelessly toward since opening. From that opening ten years ago until today, tourism from Korea has increased 500 percent. We even opened 25 direct charter flights from Korea to Georgia, and in 2020, I was hoping to have a blossoming year where all my work as ambassador would flourish, but then the pandemic hit.

Still, a lot of things are happening – bloggers are going to Georgia, travel bestsellers are being written about my country and, directly concerning your question, we are tirelessly working to increase political connections with Korea. Concerning the latter, what is key is that we have begun a feasibility study on a joint free trade agreement with the Republic of Korea. This is one of the major achievements that our embassy is proudest of, so we are hoping that next year will be another special mark in elevating our countries’ relations.

IW: Can you go into more detail about the FTA taking shape between Georgia and South Korea? What areas of

November 2021

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IW: Many of our readers are curious about the relationship between Georgia and South Korea. Can you share some of the major bilateral achievements over these last ten years?

Ambassador Berdzenishvili: Next year, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the republics of Georgia and Korea, and as you have mentioned, this is the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Georgian embassy in Korea. Furthermore, next year the Republic of Korea is reciprocating by opening an embassy of its own in the Republic of Georgia. So, these are some major achievements to begin with.

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I will speak a little bit about wine. First, wine is Georgian DNA in some regards because Georgian history dates back some 8,000 years. Why 8,000 years? Well, when humans found the first traces of wine, that was in the land of present-day Georgia. That is why my country is known as the “cradle of wine.” Even the word “wine” comes from my language – it is called ghvino (ღვინო) and appeared in Latin as vinum. Now, some doubt whether Georgia is the cradle of wine, especially when other European countries are so famous for it. There is a very simply explanation: The earliest vases of wine were found there, the earliest winemaking traditions were found there, and most of all, this tradition of viticulture and winemaking never stopped.

It occurred in tandem with human civilization, and from Georgia, this tradition of wine cultivation expanded throughout Eurasia and beyond. Second, Georgia is the only country that has 525 indigenous types of grapes. No

other country in the world has more than 70–80 grape types. This means that each plot of land can have different grapes and its own unique home-grown wine. Therefore, Georgia has the greatest diversity of wine, and this has played an important role in the country’s development, including its religious history. That is why today I have brought a very special organic wine made in the traditional way called Mtsvane, and I invite you to taste it.

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www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

mutual benefit are being explored by each country?

Ambassador Berdzenishvili: For starters, I would like to say that Georgia is one of the most liberal countries in terms of the economy. We are number seven for ease of doing business according to the World Bank, and the Republic of Korea ranks number five, so in the last decade, we have both held top-ten places in this regard. This means Georgia is open to the world, which bears out when you see the special niche Georgia occupies in terms of international trade agreements: We are the only country in our region that has simultaneous free trade agreements with both the European Union and China. We finished our agreement with China and Hong Kong two years ago and are now in deep discussions with India as well. Korea is similarly ambitious in this regard and stands to benefit a lot in the first decade of our agreement, although such an agreement would surely benefit both of us.

of foreign aid to a donor, and I think that we have a lot to learn. What I especially like about Korea is that people have a mind for work, progress, and success, and this is what I think we should copy.

IW: Georgia and Korea have some interesting parallels that few are familiar with, like with their food culture, unique alphabetic systems, and geopolitical positions. Can you expand on these and any other similarities?

Ambassador Berdzenishvili: Thank you so much – this is one of my favorite areas to talk about when speaking of our countries’ relationship. First, geographically both of us are standing in very unfortunate places. Georgia dates its history back 8,000 years and Korea 5,000 years, and throughout all these years, we have both suffered occupations, invasions, and so on. We both endeavor for peace, and that is why I think Georgians understand Korea’s need for peace more than any other country. We have our own challenges on the ground, too. Twenty percent of my country is occupied by the Russians, and peace is the only feasible resolution to this conflict, so I think we both understand this and share common values.

IW: Concerning your current visit, are there any specific relations you hope to establish with Gwangju-based institutions or industries?

Ambassador Berdzenishvili: As for now, what we have based in Gwangju is only in the realm of the arts. In Gwangju, we are investing in the cultural sphere and hope to soon have our very own wine ambassador here. [laughs]

Second, our two countries have very special identities. When you mention Korea, kimchi is one of the first things to come to anyone’s mind. Of course, brands like Samsung and LG are trademarks associated with Korea, but when it comes to deep culture, kimchi is one of the topics near the top. For Georgians, it is the same thing with wine. That is why both Korean kimjang (김장, kimchi-making) and traditional Georgian winemaking were added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List at the same time back in 2013. I did a little research into this, and these are some of the oldest traditions among some of the oldest recorded peoples in the world, and both processes use the same fermentation methods. Georgians traditionally put grapes in clay jars and stored them underground, and Koreans did the same with cabbage. These are very deeprooted similarities, and today we are proudly keeping these uninterrupted traditions alive.

IW: While we are on the topic of fruitful exchange, you have been so kind as to share some excellent Georgian wine with us today. Conversely, what is a good gift that South Korean visitors to Georgia can share?

Ambassador Berdzenishvili: Koreans can bring knowhow, IT, and their development model, which not only Georgia, but the rest of the world can study because Korea’s the exemplary country for working day and night to make progress. It has the twelfth largest economy in the world, it is the only country that has switched from being a recipient

Third, philosophically speaking, why have the Korean and Georgian languages survived? This is a sort of question to your question. Given our broad histories and so many difficult challenges over time, how could we survive? The answer is something I found on my own while reading a lot about Korean history and relating it to Georgian history.

The survival DNA of both our peoples is in our languages.

Why did they both survive – because they defended their languages. Today our languages are our main survival niche, and without them we would vanish.

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9 IW: Prior to the pandemic, tourism from Korea to Georgia was on the uptick. What aspects of Georgia tend to be most appealing to Korean tourists? Where exactly do they go, and what do they do?

Ambassador Berdzenishvili: For starters, Koreans are keen on hiking, and I think Georgia is a hikers’ heaven.

Our 70,000-km2 country has eight of the world’s nine climatic zones, so in a five-hour drive from side to side, you can see the desert, high alpine mountains, and the sea. There is even a project whereby people ski in the mountains and swim in the Black Sea, all in the same day. In addition to our nature, the wine, cuisine, and hospitality of our country are highly attractive to Korean tourists. Thirdly, our safety as a country plays a crucial role for Korean visitors, especially for those seeking to do pilgrimages. Georgia is one of the oldest Christian countries in the world, with a very tolerant view towards other religions. For example, in the heart of the central square in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, there is a mosque, a synagogue, a Catholic church, an Orthodox church, and an Armenian church, all of which have run side-by-side together throughout the centuries. That is why a lot of visitors like those from Korea who are interested in pilgrimages find Georgia to be an incredible place.

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IW: So, it is crucial that we get this done!

Ambassador Berdzenishvili: Yes, it is a priority that we get this done. In the meantime, come to Georgia to try it for yourselves.

IW: Thank you so much for your time.

Ambassador Berdzenishvili: My pleasure.

Photographs by Kim Hillel Yunkyoung.

The Author

Born and raised in San Bernardino, California, Isaiah Winters is a pixel-stained wretch who loves writing about Gwangju and Honam, warts and all. When he’s not working or copyediting, he’s usually looking for something new to shoot and write about. You can find some of his photography on @d.p.r.kwangju.

November 2021

IW: Just across the Caspian, a lot of Uzbek students are coming here, specifically to Gwangju. Is there any opportunity to get Georgian students over here, too?

IW: To end on a lighter note, can you recommend us your favorite Georgian wine and a great dish to pair with it?

Ambassador Berdzenishvili: I will recommend a special blend between Georgian wine and Korean cuisine, as this interview is taking place in Gwangju. As most people know, there are three main types of wine: white, rosé, and red. However, the oldest wine, which has been made uninterrupted in Georgia for 6,000 years, is amber wine.

It is gold in color, and in the United States they call it “orange wine.” This amber wine kills the notion that white wine should be paired with fish and red wine with red meat. Because it is organic and was made earliest along with our civilization, I think amber wine goes with everything, even Korean barbecue. It goes surprisingly well with pork belly, bibimbap, and other Korean dishes.

Some companies are already selling this wine abroad, but here in Korea its availability all depends on the upcoming free trade agreement.

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IW: As ambassador, your motto has been, “More Koreans in Georgia, more Georgians in Korea.” We have heard about how to get more Koreans in Georgia, but how can we expect to get more Georgians here in Korea?

Ambassador Berdzenishvili: We already have a lot of Georgians in Korea because Korea has become very famous in Georgia over the last decade. It is not only about K-pop and the Korean Wave. Besides these, we are enchanted with Korean history and culture. We look up to other countries that fought for their territorial sovereignty and integrity, and still search for peace and harmony today. Technical and industrial expertise is another area – I think something like 70 percent of household appliances in Georgia are from Korea. Another area of interest for Georgians is language. Although Korean is a part of the Altaic language family, it still largely stands alone.

Georgian, on the other hand, does not have any other members of its language family, and even today we are still searching. [laughs] Nevertheless, when we Georgians learn languages, among those spoken in East Asia, I think we learn Korean more easily because the pronunciation is very easy for us. Despite our small population of 3.5 million, we have more than 300 Georgian youngsters who have passed the TOPIK exam. The language has become a trend in Georgia. Of course, K-pop and technology do their part to popularize the language as well.

Ambassador Berdzenishvili: I would like to say that the linkage between Central Asian countries and Korea is very different from that of Georgia. Why are the Uzbek students coming? It is because there are cultural linkages with Korea through many “Koryo-saram,” or Uzbeks of Korean descent. Unfortunately, in this regard, Georgia is really far from Korea. Nevertheless, we have five Georgian students studying in Gwangju with two majoring in the sciences at GIST. I invited them here today, but because of the pandemic, they could not make it. However, I do have one student accompanying me here from Yonsei University. Whenever I travel, I take along students to show them how the embassy works through internships, plus they are participating in translation services and so on. In this way, too, we are further fostering Georgian– Korean relations.

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10 People in the Arts

▲ Clear Sunbeam from the Seogwipo Lighthouse (2021) by Lee Min.

FEATURE

Lee Min and His Pan-tablo Printmaking Technique

By Kang Jennis Hyun-suk

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

P

eople call Gwangju “Yehyang” (예향, the City of the Arts) because a lot of Korea’s artists were born in Gwangju and the Jeolla area, and also because there are a lot of people here who enjoy the arts locally. Confirming the name Yehyang, two big art festivals, the Gwangju International Biennale and the Gwangju Art Fair, are held in Gwangju. While the Gwangju Biennale is an avant-garde and experimental public art festival with artists who share their thoughts under a common theme, the Art Fair is held for many artists and galleries to make their artworks available for purchase in one place. The Art Fair is held for only a couple of days each year, so I wear comfortable shoes to go around and look at the diverse artworks.

A few years ago, when I was at the Art Fair, I was fascinated with a particular work of art. It was of a couple walking along an alley at dawn. “I printed the worker couple returning home from the night shift,” the artist explained to me. And he said, “If you like it, you can purchase it in installments with a credit card.” It was so surprising that I thought he was joking because I had never heard of an artist who sold their artworks with such a direct proposal. Now, I regret that I did not take advantage of that opportunity because I could not handle the lyrical sorrow of the painting at the time.

But in his other works depicting scenes of his hometown,

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Hwasun, I figured he had made a lot of efforts to achieve the simplicity revealed in his artworks.

In this article, I would like to introduce Lee Min, the very artist I had met at that Art Fair. Lee majored in fine art at Chosun University and moved to Japan to major in printmaking at Dama University. Through the experimental process with various printmaking techniques, Lee pioneered a new genre of printmaking which he calls “Pan-tablo.” With his Pan-tablo technique, scenes of Yangnim alleys were made and the artworks were loved by many people. Since the Yangnim Alleys series, Lee has been staying in Jeju on a residency through the Lee Jung Seop Art Museum. Fortunately, I was able to interview him when he came to Gwangju on business.

THE INTERVIEW Jennis: Thank you for making time for this interview. I heard that you did your master’s degree in printmaking in Japan. Why you decide to study abroad?

Lee Min: When I was studying in the College of Art at Chosun University, I had the chance to learn from Prof. Ha Dong-cheol, who was called the “Artist of Light.” To learn printmaking, I was traveling from Gwangju to Seoul once a week. He taught me without any tuition. He said that giving

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11 guidance to a student with enthusiasm was enough for him. I was so crazy about painting at that time: I was painting all day long in the studio during my school vacations. And I won a prize at the ChungAng Arts C omp e t it i on when I was a junior in college.

The Hoam Art ▲ Artist Lee Min Foundation purchased my piece at a price equivalent to my tuition fee for several semesters. When I received awards at several contests in a row, my mother recommended that I study in Japan. I accepted her advice and went to Tokyo in December 1988.

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Jennis: You had a great opportunity, why did you not go to Mexico?

Lee Min: “Can I abandon my Korean nationality and live as a Japanese?” I asked myself. I thought about it a lot.

When I asked my aunt about this concern, she said, “Your uncle is in Japan, but he left his heart in Korea.” That was her answer for me. I also knew that I would live missing my hometown if I became naturalized, so I returned to Korea as soon as I graduated from Dama University.

▲ Where Time Stopped – Seogwipo Theater (2021) by Lee Min.

Jennis: What did you do with all the works that you had made in Japan?

Lee Min: By the time I had abandoned my lingering feelings about life in Japan and returned to Korea, Shirota Gallery in Tokyo offered me an exclusive contract. Shirota Gallery is the first gallery to introduce Andy Warhol’s works in Japan. Following the famous Korean artist Lee Woo-hwan, the gallerist gave me the opportunity to display my works as an exclusive artist. My engraving paintings at the time, called monotype, brought me enough wealth to build a house in Gyeonggi Province in Korea.

Jennis: When and how was your Pan-tablo method born?

Lee Min: As I was recovering from a seven-year slump, I

November 2021

Jennis: Wow. Is it true that the artist speaks only through his artworks? You had great professors who chose student qualities beyond language ability. How was your life at Dama University?

Lee Min: In Japan, graduate students had their attendance checked every day, and they worked all day long like high school students. Our works were evaluated every semester, and while other students submitted a couple of artworks, I submitted 50. So, the professors admired my prolific energy. I ordered and transported the materials for my work with a truck. My colleagues might have thought that I was a rich international student, but I had to make money for the materials. I cleaned the drains of the subway almost

Jennis: That is amazing. I wonder how the professors responded to your works.

Lee Min: A professor who supported me recommended that I go to the University of Mexico as a professor under the dispatching program for professors from the Ministry of Education in Japan. It was a good opportunity for me, and it would have covered my living expenses. But I would have had to become a Japanese citizen, as the opportunity had never been given to a non-Japanese person.

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Jennis: Did you speak any Japanese at that time?

Lee Min: Not really. I only knew some greetings in Japanese, but I adapted to the unfamiliar land with the help of my relatives. My uncle was living in Japan at that time and had married a Japanese. My aunt taught me Japanese daily as if she was teaching a child, and my cousin’s wife helped me submit the application to Dama University. I had arrived in Japan in December and my Japanese speaking ability was not that good, but the professors who saw my portfolio selected me as a student to major in printmaking with only one condition: learn Japanese as soon as possible. So, I was able to enter Dama University four months after arriving in Japan.

all night. During my three and a half years in Japan, I drew crazily during the daytime, and I had to work at night.

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12 Jennis: A few years ago, you held an individual exhibition in your hometown, Gwangju. What inspired you to paint and make prints of the Yangnim-dong alleyways?

Lee Min: In December 2018, I held an exhibition in Gwangju after living away from the area for 26 years. I wanted to show my mother her proud son’s artworks. When she came to my exhibition, though, she said only, “Very nice.” She suffered from dementia and that was her last visit to an exhibition of mine.

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November 2021

▲ On the Artist’s Trail (2021) by Lee Min.

thought about what could be completely new and be my own. To make new art of my own, I needed to know what kind of artist I was. I discovered the answer by developing artwork that only I could do. I experimented with a new method of printmaking, combining the printmaking I had studied in Japan with the fine art I had studied in college. In doing this, I created Pan-tablo, a unique print for which I now have an international patent. The “pan” of “Pan-tablo” means “wide,” and “tablo” means “image” in French. I created the name in order to capture the wide world of painting. I have not revealed the method to anyone, but after my Pan-tablo style is widely known, I plan to release the technique. Then students might use it at schools or young artists who are interested in the technique could use it for their creations.

Thankfully, many people loved my 99 limited editions of Yangnim Alleys prints. The Nam-gu District Office offered me a special exhibition to be held for 50 more days at the Yangnim Art Gallery. The Pantablo prints of the Yangnim Alleys series went on a national exhibition tour through which many people across the country have gotten to know the name “Yangnim.” Also, 40 prints of Yangnim Alleys are currently on exhibition in Germany with the artworks of Han Heewon. I have heard that some of the Germans who viewed my prints were curious about where Yangnimdong is. I think Yangnim-dong is gradually becoming a store of art with the help of the artist Han Heewon and the Nam-gu District official, Kim Kyung-jong. I appreciate their efforts.

Jennis: What do you expect your next step to be?

Lee Min: I am making a book about the Pan-tablo prints of the Yangnim Alleys series these days, which will be released next year. I also want to portray Jeju from my own perspective during my residency there. I have a sense

Jennis: You said your Pan-tablo is a kind of printmaking that makes only a single print, so each print is unique.

Your prints on canvas have scratches with warm colors that allow me to feel their warmth, and the scenes of Jeju that you have been working on recently produce a tranquil beauty, as if you practice meditation for your artwork. Who is the person who has motivated you the most?

Lee Min: During the years that I have been painting, there have been a lot of helping hands. But I received a lifelong motto from my mother who passed away last year. My mother, who was an elementary school principal, told me this: “There must be one phoenix among 10,000 chickens.”

If I were not a phoenix, I should draw 10,000 chickens to find that phoenix. So, I have lived as a hardworking artist.

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▲ Tangerine Orchard in Hyodon (2021) by Lee Min.

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13 of purpose for myself. I think I should not restrain myself during this poor economic environment. If ordinary people want to own my paintings, I think I should put my works up at a reasonable price. That is why I have not raised the price of my works for the past 30 years. When my wife asked me about raising the price of my works, I said, “Think of me as the granny at an old market’s rice soup restaurant. The granny’s soup has been sold at the same price for over 30 years.” Like the granny’s soup, I have been receiving the same price for 30 years. I just want to be sufficiently happy by doing art.

I want to be an artist who pours all his heart into each print, whether it is small or large, whether it can bring small money or big money. I imagine how fun it would be if auctions were held among the people in the area who own my works. Like the poet’s saying, “Two bottles of makgeolli [Korean rice wine] are enough for me to be happy,” I want it to be said, “Lee Min, he enjoyed his life of painting.”

Jennis: Thank you for your touching story. I am looking forward to the book you are working on, “Yangnim Yeonhwa” (The Soft Beauty of Yangnim). I hope that there will be art classes at cultural centers across the country someday to learn how to make the Pan-tablo prints of Lee Min. I also hope that we meet at the Gwangju Art Fair soon. Thank you so much for your precious time.

AFTER THE INTERVIEW Lee Min is a prolific artist who has held 79 individual exhibitions so far – far too many exhibitions to list here.

Below, however, is a list of establishments that have works by Lee Min in their collections. If you are further interested in his artworks, the online address for his blog is below.

▲ House in Namwon Village, Jeju (2021) by Lee Min.

Lee Min’s (이민 / 李珉) Blog: https://blog.naver.com/ penguinart

▲ Café – Salon de Solitude (2020) by Lee Min.

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Kang Jennis Hyunsuk has been living in Gwangju all her life. She has painted for a hobby for almost a decade, and she has learned that there are so many wonderful artists in this area. As a freelance interpreter, she would like to introduce to the world in English the diverse sphere of Korean art. Her goal is 100 artist interviews like this one.

November 2021

The Interviewer

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

LEE MIN’S WORKS IN THESE COLLECTIONS British Museum, London.

Portland Art Museum, Portland.

The South Korean Embassy in New Zealand, Auckland.

Consulate General of Korea, Vancouver.

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Sydney.

The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Russia, Moscow.

Machida Municipal International Engraving Museum, Tokyo.

Yokohama Museum of Art, Yokohama.

Tokyo Opera City, Tokyo.

Nippon Core Museum of Art, Tokyo.

Seoul Arts Center, Seoul, Korea.

National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea.

Gyeonggi Cultural Foundation, Ansan, Korea.

Yangpyeong County Museum of Art, Yangpyeong, Korea.

Gwangju Museum of Art, Gwangju, Korea.

Gwangju MBC, Gwangju, Korea.

Gwangju Museum of Art, Gwangju, Korea.

Seoul Samsung Hospital, Seoul, Korea.

Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall, Gwangju, Korea.

Chosun University Museum of Art, Gwangju, Korea.

Kumho Asiana Cultural Foundation, Seoul, Korea.

Samsung Foundation’s Hoam Museum of Art, Yongin, Korea.

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14

Three Things with Jon Dunbar

By William Urbanski

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

FEATURE

I

n many ways, Jon Dunbar is the antithesis of the average Western expat in Korea. In stark contrast to the majority of young men and women who come over to spend a few years teaching English, he is a copy editor for The Korea Times, is heavily involved in both urban exploration and the Korean punk scenes, has a wealth of knowledge about Korea, and also has a number of interesting insights into the inner workings of Korean society and the insular foreigner bubble in which a great deal of us tend to live. While it is certainly a great and culturally rewarding thing to be a foreign teacher in Korea (I, for one, have been at it for over a decade), all too often, people barely scratch the surface of what Korea really has to offer. It is always interesting for me to chat with someone who not only has been in the country for a long time, but who also has found employment outside of the educational sector – a rare feat indeed.

One problem I encountered when trying to decide on a piece about Dunbar was that it became evident that he was involved in an impressive array of activities, to the point where it was hard to narrow down exactly what to talk about. Ultimately, in lieu of a traditional Q&A-style interview, I thought it would more interesting to briefly get his thoughts on just three things.

ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY Dunbar is an active member of the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS) Korea in Seoul. The organization, according to its website, “is the world’s oldest Korean studies organization, designed to introduce people to the beauty of this land in all its many aspects. Founded in 1900, it is also arguably the most active international cultural and social organization in Korea.” This organization is a little similar to the Gwangju International Center here in Gwangju but seems a little bit more academically focused, especially with regards to its bimonthly lectures that focus on a plethora of Korea-related topics. It also leads guided excursions, has a library on topics related to Korea, and also publishes an annual journal by the name

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of Transactions of the Royal Asiatic Society Korea Branch, for which Dunbar serves as general editor.

Dunbar was forthcoming about how being involved with the Society was part of a networking strategy, as several members are long-term expats of various professional backgrounds, and the Korean members tend to be extremely helpful. Some of the members are even internationally known for one reason or another.

In terms of demographics, the membership of the RAS Korea Branch has a number of retirees who have lived in Korea for decades.

While a large majority of foreign expats come to Korea for less than five years, Dunbar astutely pointed out that these older, long-term expats bring a sense of continuity and depth to a community that is all-to-frequently short-term and superficial. While the RAS is not so much focused on learning the Korean language, this association makes substantial efforts to be a community that integrates itself into Korean society at large.

BEING AN AUTHOR Dunbar is the author of two books and has published various zines. The zines and books (the Gwangju News reviewed his excellent book Hongdae Fire in April of 2021) are printed via Dunbar’s company Broke Publishng.

The misspelling of “publishing” is deliberate and is meant to parody the publishing industry as a whole. All this sounds like a lot of work, and when I asked him about his motivation for doing it, his answer was simple: “Why not?” Dunbar said he is always writing, and zines provide an interesting opportunity to both play with the format of a standard magazine while also acting as a parody of the publishing industry itself. Zines, as a medium, tend to be minimal and deal with counterculture topics. For anyone who is serious about writing, Dunbar’s suggestion was to write smaller things about what you know while tackling the longer-term projects.

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15 DIPLOMATIC SCUFFLES Since Canada detained (at Washington’s request) Meng Wanzhou, CFO of Chinese tech giant Huawei, Canada– China relations have not been so great. Without rehashing all the details of the legal and diplomatic wrangling, what is important to know is that China, in timing that could hardly be regarded as coincidental, arrested Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and Canadian tour guide operator Michael Spavor on espionage charges. Spavor ran a company, Paektu Cultural Exchange, that used China as an entry point to North Korea and seemed genuinely interested in bringing attention to everyday North Korean culture, while also exposing North Koreans to the outside world through cultural and sports exchanges. The arrest, detention, and conviction of these Canadians were largely understood to be a direct retaliation against Canada for Meng’s arrest, despite China’s insistence that the men were spies.

Dunbar has been an acquaintance of Spavor since 2006 and even traveled to North Korea with him on a couple of occasions. Speaking about Spavor’s detention before the recent releases, Dunbar did not mince words: “The situation is garbage, and he is a political prisoner.”

“Michael is just a guy who moved to China and lived there because he wanted to be between the two Koreas.” When asked about how he expected this whole ordeal would play out, Dunbar predicted that after the CFO is released, both Canadians would go free.

▲ Jon Dunbar at peace with himself. (Photo by Ryan Berkebile)

The Author ▲ Hongdae Fire and a few of Dunbar’s self-published zines.

(Photo by William Urbanski)

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William Urbanski is the managing editor of the Gwangju News. He is from Canada, married, and can eat spicy food with chopsticks. sasa@will_il_gatto

November 2021

IN CLOSING While Dunbar started the first year of his Korea journey in a typical manner as an English teacher, he has used his time here to do what he is good at and what he likes.

While his path may be untraditional in a sense, it shows just how many opportunities Korea has when you are willing to branch out and dig deep.

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We conducted this interview in early September, and just a few weeks later, Dunbar’s prediction came true, almost to a T. Within hours of the CFO being released, China released both Canadians, essentially proving that China’s accusations of espionage against the Canadians were bogus, baseless, and without question, pure political maneuvering. The only thing that surprised Dunbar was the speed with which China released the men, as he expected China to at least wait a few days so that they did not, you know, look like they had arrested the men without due cause.

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16 Blast from the Past

The Revered and the Feared

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November 2021

blast from the past

Korea’s Mountain Spirits and Hobgoblins ▲ Mountain Spirit (Sansin) with Tiger Avatar.

(National Museum of Korea)

With Halloween just behind us, this is as apropos a time as any to talk about spirits and the supernatural. There is no dearth of material on the topic of Korean spirits – faith spirits, evil spirits, spirits of the dead, ghosts, hobgoblins, trolls – and here we will uncover two of them: the much revered mountain spirit, Sansin, and the often pesky little hobgoblins, dokkaebi, that can pop up almost anywhere. Stephen Redeker contributed articles on both of these topics to the Gwangju News. “The Hills are Alive with the Sound of…Spirits” appeared in the August 2015 issue and “Here Come the Dokkaebi!” ran in the February 2016 issue. Get ready for the world of the supernatural. — Ed.

THE MOUNTAIN SPIRIT, SANSIN The mountains of Korea have always been thought to hold vital energy for the people. Seventy percent of the country is covered with mountains, which the people lived in close proximity to.

The mountains served as protector; they provided food, water, fuel, and building materials; and it was believed that within their peaks dwelled the supernatural.

Therefore, it is not surprising that throughout Korea’s long history, worshipping mountain spirits has been a prominent faith practice for many.

This brings us to the topic of shamanism, an ancient system of beliefs in spirits residing in the natural world, which has existed in Korea for thousands of years.

There is still a large number of practicing shamans in Korea, intermediaries between the living and the gods of nature (approximately 300,000 by Korea Worshipers Association’s estimate – that is one in every 160 South Koreans!). It is believed that prominent mountains are home to a particular spirit, Sansin, (산신/山神), the mountain spirit who grants blessings and protection

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to those who worship. Many people have erected, and frequently visit, sacred shrines to worship this spirit of the hills.

Mountain spirits are revered in many parts of the world, but arguably in none more than in Korea. It is the most enduring deity amongst all the country’s faiths. Over time, as Buddhism, Taoism, and neo-Confucianism entered the Korean consciousness, belief in the Sansin has never been repressed. In fact, the belief has bonded with other religions and remains common even today.

For example, Buddhist temples often have an image of the Sansin displayed in areas where believers pray and leave offerings.

What does Sansin look like? Images of Sansin can take many forms, as each mountain could have its own Sansin.

Since the Joseon Dynasty era, Sansin have typically been depicted in paintings as old men with flowing beards, seated under a gnarled tree next to a tiger, and holding a staff, a fan, or both. Sansin may be surrounded by any number of longevity symbols and disciples. The most famous Sansin of all is Dangun, credited as being the

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17 first human ruler of Korea. He became a mountain spirit after ruling his nation for 1,500 years. (See the October 2021 issue of the Gwangju News for more on the Dangun story.)

Surprisingly, not much is written or widely known about Sansin. One reason could be that Korea does not promote this cultural aspect. In a modernized society, many Koreans may think that others will look unfavorably upon this ancient belief. Still others may think that belief in Sansin is all but dead, but surprisingly, one can see this is not the case. Currently, there are about 10,000 shrines scattered throughout South Korea, many of which are new or being renovated, with beautiful statues and paintings.

Korean national pride is ever-present in Sansin, and this mountain spirit represents something uniquely Korean.

Korea’s origins, traditional beliefs, and values are closely connected to Sansin. (For more easily accessible information on Sansin, visit Prof. David Mason’s extensive website at san-shin.org.)

HOBGOBLINS OF ALL SORT

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Differing from ghosts and spirits, dokkaebi do not come from the dead. Rather, they arise from nature, as inanimate objects may magically transform into dokkaebi to terrorize unlucky (or perhaps deserving) victims. Thus, Koreans know to avoid graveyards, dark forests, and abandoned buildings unless they welcome the chance to bump into dokkaebi.

Some would consider dokkaebi to be harmless little demons. Their nature is to play jokes and pull pranks on people. They especially love partaking in Korea’s traditional style of wrestling, ssireum (씨름). It is said that dokkaebi like to reward those who do good deeds and punish those who cause harm to others, resembling a Robin Hood type of character. Using their magical paraphernalia, they can take from the rich and greedy, while giving to the poor and worthy.

There are numerous types of dokkaebi with various appearances and agendas. Cham dokkaebi (참도깨비) are very mischievous, while gae dokkaebi (개도깨비) are the evil ones. Gim-seobang dokkaebi (김서방 도깨비) are considered to be like clumsy, simple-minded country bumpkins, nat dokkaebi (낮도깨비) are the only ones to appear in daylight, and go dokkaebi (고도깨비) are skilled warriors with armor and weapons. Also, there are gaksi dokkaebi (각시 도깨비) and chonggak dokkaebi (총각 도깨비), who are, to the human eye, attractivelooking young female and young male hobgoblins.

Oenun dokkaebi (외눈 도깨비) have a single cycloptic eye, and oedari dokkaebi (외다리 도깨비) have only one leg, but are most fond of ssireum wrestling.

November 2021

Dokkaebi have been depicted in various ways over time.

They can resemble the Western-style goblin or troll: human-like but very ugly and menacing, carrying a spiked club and challenging passers-by for the right to enter or to pass by their space. They may have horns on

their heads, big eyes and large, curved, and protruding fangs like a vampire. Their magic hats can grant them invisibility, and they carry their club to strike fear in their opponents. This magical club can also transform objects into anything the dokkaebi desires.

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Over time, we have covered s p i r i t s , ghosts, and mythological creatures in the pages of the Gwangju News, but now is the time to tell the tale of a particular host of mischievous hobgoblins known as dokkaebi (도 깨 비 ). ▲ The menacing dokkaebi. (Ministry of Culture, These little Sports, and Tourism; Culture Portal) beasts are known to strike fear in the hearts of young Korean children, worrying that they might be visited by dokkaebi if they misbehave.

▲ Detail of early Korean dokkaebi painting.

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18 Dokkaebi come in many more forms, too! Jeokwi (저귀) are dokkaebi who are jealous of children that are loved by their mother, so they give diseases to these children. They are found in old, dilapidated houses. Nati (나티) are dokkaebi who have the form of old household objects, such as brooms, fire irons, mortars, sieves, or even blood-stained canes, and if they are touched by any part of a human’s body, nati can take on human-like form. However, nati are afraid of humans, even though they possess the power to raise mountains!

The list goes on and on. Lantern dokkaebi always travel with their lantern burning, and egg dokkaebi move about by rolling. And then there are the laziest of the hobgoblins: the meongseok dokkaebi, who always carry their sleeping mat with them, and the hot-ibul dokkaebi, who carry their coverlet wherever they go for those spur-of-the-moment slumber times that may come their way.

▲ Mountain Spirit (Sansin). (National Museum of Korea)

Today, these little fiends can be seen in movies, children’s cartoons, storybooks, and games. Dokkaebi art can also be seen in various museums in Korea. The fans of the Korean national soccer team call themselves the “Red Devils” and use an image of a dokkaebi face as their mascot (Chiwoo Cheonwang, 치우천왕). It is nice to see that such a symbol for mischief can be used in a way to unite people and invoke a sense of national pride.

November 2021 www.gwangjunewsgic.com

Although the dokkaebi are strictly Korean folklore characters, their appearances have indeed been influenced by similar monsters, ghosts, and goblins of Chinese and Japanese mythology. The modern similarities between the Korean dokkaebi and Japanese oni may derive somewhat from the colonial period in Korea (1910–1945), but considering the long history of both species of hobgoblins and the influences the two cultures have had on each other over the centuries, their similarities most likely have much deeper roots.

Now that you are more familiar with dokkaebi, keep your eyes peeled, and you just might meet up with one of them along your path. No need to be startled, though, for if you are a good person, you have nothing to fear (as long as it is one of the good-willed variety of dokkaebi that you encounter).

▲ Chiwoo Cheonwang, the Red Devils supporters clubs’ logo.

(From the website http://www.reddevil.or.kr)

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Original articles by Stephen Redeker.

Supplemented by David Shaffer.

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19 Lost in Gwangju 19

TRAVEL

▲ Endless rows of middle-class barracks apartments stretching from Pungam-dong (foreground) to Geumho-1-dong (background).

Youth on the Bubble

Shopping for a Home in Gwangju’s Overheated Housing Market

By Isaiah Winters

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November 2021

To take the first extreme, choosing homelessness in its realest sense is simply absurd, especially when both of us save about 50 percent of our monthly salaries. I could likely manage being homeless for a few months a la Down and Out in Paris and London and might even find short-

As for the other extreme, going into overbearing debt for a modern apartment fits the current zeitgeist better, but with Korean financial authorities pressuring banks to suspend all mortgage lending this fall,[1] an overheated housing market seems like a bad thing to buy into.

American millennials of a similar vintage should have no trouble recalling the fever-induced housing crisis of the late aughts. But even if we do try to keep up with the Joneses and buy a nice, new apartment, one of the deepest existential questions remains: Where do we put the grill?

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T

term inspiration in it, but the missus would undoubtedly balk at any notion of penury as creative kindling.

Needlessly conjuring Dostoevsky through self-imposed misery is for single 20-somethings.

he missus and I briefly looked into purchasing real estate in the City of Light and just as briefly recoiled in horror. After running the numbers, we found our choices ranged from the extremes of homelessness to overbearing debt, with a maze of mixed options in between. Realizing we had years of saving still ahead and no monied family behind, we began to pity ourselves – that is, until we remembered how much worse it was in other, larger metropolitan areas of Korea.

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20

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

▲ A jumble of homes of all types in Sansu-2-dong.

Korea’s millions of barbeque-loving boomers face a similar dilemma when it comes to apartment life. Lacking even the smallest external balconies, their apartments force them to buy half a home’s worth of additional appliances and camping gear so they can approximate backyard cookouts at overcrowded campsites. That’s a major reason why virtually all apartments regardless of age don’t appeal to me – not to mention the travails of common-wall living arrangements. To be fair, rooftop apartments and those with external balconies do exist, though they usually cost an arm and a leg, so we’d be right back in the overbearingdebt category.

Thus, with neither homelessness nor apartment life stirring our loins, we were left to sort through a jigsaw of freestanding domiciles ranging from traditional hanok to new-ish jutaek houses. I’ve been able to inspect a few forsale hanok up close, thanks to my friend Kang Dong-su – a hanok restorer with an eye for good buys – and although these prospects often come with a decent amount of outdoor space, we just haven’t yet found any that are big enough indoors for our taste. Finding hanok close to work has been another issue. Nevertheless, they’re still an appealing option for first-time homebuyers: You can get them on the cheap and fix them up to your liking without going into crushing debt.

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To get just the right amount of indoor and outdoor space, we met up with a realtor to help us navigate the endless grids of jutaek houses near my workplace. However, most were in fact too big, too expensive, and too rundown for our liking. Two-story jutaek practically turn you into a landlord, as it makes more sense to rent out the second floor to help cover the monthly mortgage and interest.

This has its advantages, but sharing your home with a renter comes with a bevy of annoyances, too. We already have full-time jobs, and the thought of regularly having to satisfy what are essentially upstairs customers over long periods didn’t appeal. At a few homes we saw, our presence with the realtor spooked the upstairs tenants quite badly, as they hadn’t known the houses they were living in were up for sale. It was quite a sad experience, to be honest.

“We were at least figuring out what kind of housing we didn’t want and why, which is about as important as knowing what we did want.”

The amount of repairs most jutaek need is also quite daunting. With property prices always on the upswing,

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21 owners have had little incentive to invest in upkeep over the decades. As a result, some of the houses we saw were literally falling apart. I used to do appraisals back home and was trained to look for certain red flags, so at one house, as soon as I saw corroded rebar exposed through chunks of brittle concrete, we left. Beyond the structural repairs, there’s serious interior overhauling that needs to be done, too. Jutaek interiors tend to be similarly awful, with fusty, old wood paneling covering the ceiling and walls, making things horribly dark inside. And then there are all the hidden repairs, like replacing old pipes, that’ll burn through the rest of your meager savings. Ultimately, the idea of becoming both a debtor and landlord, followed by years of piecemeal renovations, just seemed tedious.

It was around this point in our search that we finally gained a glimmer of optimism: We were at least figuring out what kind of housing we didn’t want and why, which is about as important as knowing what we did want. The irony, however, is that even if we knew exactly what we wanted and had the down payment ready to go today, the banks likely wouldn’t approve us for anything given the current

lending restrictions, meaning the market is so overheated we can’t even afford to go into debt. This irony aside, now feels like a bad time to buy a house anyway. My gut keeps telling me this housing bubble can’t last forever, just like the last one couldn’t. So, all I want to do is grab some popcorn and keep socking away half that salary until I hear a pop.

Photographs by Isaiah Winters.

Source Jung, M. (2021, August 20) Korean banks temporarily halt mortgage lending over household debt worries.

The Korea Herald. http://www.koreaherald.com/view. php?ud=20210820000745

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.

You can find much of his photography on @d.p.r.kwangju.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

2021�11��.indd 21

November 2021

▲ A view of mass-produced hanok and apartments through the rooftop arch of a jutaek in Im-dong.

2021-10-26 �� 11:40:18

22 From Abroad

The “Magical” Castles of Romania

By Melline Galani

TRAVEL

Y

ou may have an idea or two about the multitude of castles that have been built throughout history in Romania. It may not have even crossed your mind that they would almost reach a number as high as one hundred, without taking into account the manors and the fortresses that join them. Our castles preserve between their walls medieval stories about voivodes (governors) and kings, hide legends and bloody battles, or bathe in jewelry and treasures – castles that seem to rise from a rock and that give even more charm to a country that has so much to offer.

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November 2021

I have always been in love with the Middle Ages, and its stories are about my favorite period of history. I would read Dumas’ stories of medieval France and its rival England, and I would transpose these stories onto real scenery every time I would visit a castle. I cannot take credit for visiting all one hundred castles in Romania, but I will describe the three I love the most.

THE ROYAL RESIDENCE – PELEȘ CASTLE Peleș Castle is one of the most beautiful and unique castles that Romania has, built by the first King of Romania, Carol I of Hohenzollern, between 1873 and 1914. By 1883, the year of its inauguration, it was used as a summer residence. Between 1890 and 1914, under the supervision of the Czech architect Karel Liman, considered the main architect, the castle was transformed and enlarged.

In its original form (1883), both exterior and interior stylistic dominance was provided by the German neoRenaissance style with two exceptions, the neo-Ottoman and the neo-Rococo styles. In the second stage (1890– 1914), fundamental changes to the volumes, façades, and interior enriched the previous stylistic range, adapting the castle to the stylistic pluralism of Historicism. Royal details carved in lime and walnut wood, authentic Persian rugs, marble, books with leather covers and gold letters, Italian Neo-Renaissance style decorations, HispanoMoresque elements, and crystal chandeliers are just some of the interior design elements of the castle. When I think

Peleș Castle (Photo by Nomadic Julien on Unsplash)

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23

▲ Bran Castle (Photo by Virgil Maierean on Unsplash)

about it, there are thousands of different styles, but at the same time they are perfectly uniform.

This castle represents one of the most important historical buildings in Romania and in Europe in the second half of the 19th century. After a visit to Sinaia, Prince Carol I remained very impressed by the beauty of the surroundings, so he decided to build a summer retreat there. In 1875, the foundation stone of the castle was laid, under which 20 gold coins were buried, these being the first Romanian coins minted with the face of Carol I. Three hundred laborers worked on the construction of the castle, finishing the building in about two years.

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DRACULA’S NEST – BRAN CASTLE Bran Castle is probably the best known castle of Romania because of its association with Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula.

It is also the most visited castle in my country by both Romanians and international tourists.

The castle was built more than 600 years ago and was originally a fortress known as Dietrichstein, built by the Teutonic knights in 1212 and was conquered by the Germans in the late thirteenth century. In 1377 King Louis I of Hungary authorized the Transylvanian Saxons of the Brașov region to build a castle as protection against the

November 2021

A personal property of the Royal Family from the beginning, Peleș Castle was confiscated by the communist regime after King Michael was forced to abdicate and leave the country by the communist government in 1947, and in 1953 it became a museum. Between 1975 and 1990, Nicolae

Peleș Castle is a real gallery, where great currents and trends in painting, sculpture, and decorative arts meet – a place full of history, which has hosted crowned heads and visionary artists as well as being the residence of the creator of modern Romania, King Carol I. It is the expression of his desire to affirm and legitimize the Romanian people among the modern nations of Europe.

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Peleș Castle has 160 rooms and several entrances and interior stairs with the central tower being 66 meters high.

It also has a theater hall, with a small stage and 60 seats, plus the royal lodge. This castle was an extraordinary work of architecture at the time it was built, being unique in all of Europe due to its central heating system, its elevator, and the glass ceiling of the Hall of Honor, which was mobile and could be moved by an electric motor. Also due to having its own power plant, Peleș Castle was the first fully electrified castle in Europe. In addition to this castle, Pelișor, the Guard Corps, the Foișor Hunting House, the Stables, the Power Plant and the Șipot Villa were built. Around it, the castle has seven terraces decorated with stone statues, fountains and ornamental Carrara marble vessels.

Ceaușescu, the communist leader of the country at the time, ordered the closure of the domain to the public, the only persons accepted were those of maintenance, military, and security personnel. In 1990, the castle is opened to the public, and in 2006, the Romanian government announced the return of the castle to former King Michael I of Romania, the de facto owner. The date of restitution to the royal family was February 20, 2007. The castle has remained as the private property of the Royal House, but the former king expressed his desire that the castle should continue to shelter the Peleș National Museum, as well as being occasionally used for public ceremonies organized by the former royal family.

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24 northward expansion of the Ottoman Empire. The castle was completed in 1388, and it also served as a customs house for Transylvania, then a province of Hungary.

In the early 15th century, King Sigismund of Hungary temporarily handed over possession of the castle to Prince Mircea the Old of Walachia, an adjoining territory that was being menaced by the Ottoman Turks. In 1441 János Hunyadi (Iancu de Hunedoara – Romanian), governor of Transylvania, defeated an Ottoman army at the castle.

November 2021

In 1920, the city of Brașov turned Bran Castle over to Queen Marie of Romania, who restored the castle as a royal summer residence and lived there both before and after the death, in 1927, of her husband King Ferdinand I. Between 1920 and 1929, Bran Castle underwent its most important restoration work under the leadership of the architect of the royal court, Carol Liman. During this period the building lost more and more of its strategic aspect, receiving instead residential functionalities. The neoclassical and eclectic styles, present in our country at the beginning of the 20th century, to which romantic elements are added, can be identified in Carol Liman’s conception of restoration. The queen also built the castle’s principle modern outbuilding, the Tea House, which later became a restaurant. Marie died in 1938 and her daughter, Princess Ileana, was forced out of the country by the new communist regime in 1948.

The communists opened the castle to the public as a museum in 1956. Ileana died in 1991, and in 2009 the postcommunist Romanian government handed over the castle to her heirs, Archduke Dominic of Habsburg, Archduchess Mary Magdalene, and Archduchess Elizabeth. The castle continues to operate as a museum.

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In 1498, the Transylvanian Saxons of Brașov bought the castle from King Vladislas II of Bohemia and Hungary, and they continued to hold it even after the conquest of the Hungarian capital by the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1541. During the 1620s, the Transylvanian prince Gábor Bethlen made extensive modifications and fortifications. The House of Habsburg gained control of the region in 1687, but the castle remained in Transylvanian hands. Under local control, the castle was restored several times for service as a fortress, most recently in the 1880s, but it fell into disrepair thereafter.

The main reason foreign tourists choose to visit Bran Castle is the legend that was created around it by the fictional character Dracula. Count Dracula first appears in the novel Dracula, written by the author Bram Stoker and published in 1897 in England. Originally, the name “Dracula” was not a scary one. It derives from the name given to an order of crusaders, the Order of the Dragon, which has been associated with both Vlad Tepeș and Vlad Dracul. The rest is influenced by the legends and popular beliefs about ghosts and vampires in Transylvania.

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Currently, the four-story museum exhibits collections of furniture, costumes, weapons, and armor, and the Bran Domain also includes the Royal Park with its two lakes, the Tea House, the Administrator’s House, and the Princess Ileana House. The interior architecture of the castle is impressive, noting the plastered walls, the brick floor, the wooden ceilings, and the stone vaults in an exciting combination. The windows are dug into the thick walls built of rock and boulders. The first floor is accessed through the courtyard via a staircase with oak steps and a semi-cylindrical vault.

One of the main attractions of the castle is the Secret Passage, which was once known only to soldiers. If the invaders managed to enter the fortress, the soldiers used this passage to climb to the top of the castle from where they threw stones and hot tar at the attackers to drive them away. The entrance to the passage was made at that time through the mouth of a stove, located in the place where a door is now.

The Romanian castle resembles Castle Dracula as described in Bram Stoker’s novel in that both stand on rocky precipices and command spectacular views. But Stoker is not known to have ever visited Transylvania. Moreover, Vlad the Impaler, the historical personage most closely identified with Stoker’s Dracula, never ruled Bran Castle, although some sources claim that he was held prisoner there for two months. Vlad, grandson of Mircea the Old, was a 15th-century voivode of Walachia.

Another important factor would be the fact that several films have been made at Bran Castle over the years, but the one that had the biggest impact, I think, was Interview with a Vampire, an American horror film from 1994, which was partially filmed there.

THE GOTHIC – CORVIN CASTLE I have always felt a special bond with this castle from the very first time I set foot on its land more than twentyfive years ago. I consider it a magical land with special energies and vibrations creating a strong energetic and spiritual knot. Corvin Castle, also known as Hunedoara Castle, is a Gothic-Renaissance castle in Hunedoara City (Romania) and one of the largest in Europe. The first owner of this Gothic architectural monument was Prince Voicu, the father of János Hunyadi (Iancu de Hunedoara), who received the castle as a gift from King Sigismund I of Luxembourg.

Accessed via a wooden bridge supported by four massive stone pillars above the smaller Zlaști Stream, the castle is a large and imposing structure with tall towers, bastions, an inner courtyard, diversely colored roofs, and myriad windows and balconies adorned with stone carvings. The

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25

▲ Corvin Castke (Photo by Bojor Gabi on Unsplash)

castle also features a double wall for enhanced fortification and is flanked by both rectangular and circular towers, an architectural innovation for the period’s Transylvanian architecture. Some of the towers (the Capistrano Tower, the Deserted Tower, and the Drummers’ Tower) were used as prisons.

The first major structure is the new gate tower, rectangular in shape, a tower that impresses with its massiveness. The ground floor area has the appearance of a vaulted space, noting the presence of the guard post where there is a fireplace. From here you can easily reach the castle prison, which has a massive wooden door.

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Though traveling is still complicated these days, a simple search on YouTube can satisfy one’s curiosity. If you want to know more about these amazing and fantastic places, please give the internet a try.

The Author

Melline Galani is a Romanian enthusiast, born and raised in the capital city of Bucharest, and is currently living in Gwangju. She likes new challenges and learning interesting things, and she is incurably optimistic. Melline loves living life as it is. @melligalanis

November 2021

The 16th century did not bring any improvements to the castle, but during the 17th century new additions were

The current castle is the result of a fanciful restoration campaign undertaken in 2019 after a disastrous fire and many decades of total neglect. The uniqueness of this castle in Hunedoara comes from its highly representative nature of military architecture in the southeast of Europe in the 15th century, with it meeting the most developed elements of civil architecture. The Grand Palace was a Frenchinspired building, unique in an area dominated by the Hungarian Kingdom at the time, illustrating the greatness of an important family able to borrow architectural models from a place that hosted one of the most brilliant medieval civilizations: France.

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The castle has three large areas: Knight’s Hall, Diet Hall, and the circular stairway. The halls are rectangular in shape and decorated with marble. Diet Hall was used for ceremonies or formal receptions while Knight’s Hall was used for feasts. In 1456, Iancu de Hunedoara died, and work on the castle stagnated. Starting with 1458, new commissions were being undergone to construct the Matia Wing (north wing) of the castle. The Matia Loggia is a wing located to the left of the exit of the New Gate Tower and is considered the earliest manifestation, in the field of architecture, of the Renaissance. On the floor of the loggia are preserved the only Transylvanian secular fresco paintings from that period. In 1480, work was completely stopped on the castle, and it was recognized as being one of the biggest and most impressive buildings in Eastern Europe.

made for aesthetic and military purposes. Aesthetically, the new Large Palace was built facing the town. Being a two-level building, it hosted living chambers and a large living area. For military purposes, two new towers were constructed: the White Tower and the Artillery Tower.

Also, the external yard was added for administrative and storage purposes.

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26 Language Teaching

The Story on Using Stories for Language Learning An Inter view with Jessica Magnusson:

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

TEACHING & LEARNING

Stor yteller, Language Teacher, University Professor

E

veryone likes stories! We listened to stories from our mother as soon as we were old enough to hear.

We followed attentively as we were read storybook stories (over and over) at bedtime. The main form of teaching for millennia has been via stories told by village elders to the children. If people like stories so much and if learning, including first-language learning, takes place through stories, how effective would they be in teaching a second language such as English? To answer this question, we look to Jessica Magnusson.

Jessica has been teaching Freshman English and teaching methodology courses, as well as special programs at Gwangju National University of Education since 2011. In addition, she has been teaching kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, and high school students ▲ Jessica Magnusson over the years. She earned a master’s degree in TESOL from the well-known School for International Training (SIT) in Brattleboro, Vermont. Our interview with Jessica on the use of stories in teaching English follows.

Interviewer: First of all, thank you, Jessica, for making the time for this interview. Before getting into how you use stories in your EFL classes, could you clarify the differences between “storytelling,” “storybook reading,” and using stories in general in teaching EFL?

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Jessica: I am happy to have the opportunity to speak with you today. Thank you for this question.

Storytelling is the active process of telling a story. This brings to mind great storytellers standing or sitting in front of classes of students, changing their voices to reflect emotion, characters, and events in the story. Storytellers also sometimes bring props or show images to students.

But storytelling is also what the average person does every day. We tell stories to other people about what happened to us during the day, about our remembered experiences, and even our plans for the future. We also relay the plots of interesting books we have read, or movies and TV shows that we have seen. We share stories that combine reality with the imagination. People often tend to talk to each other in story form.

Storybook reading is being on the receiving end of a story that is in written form. It is often used as a way to help EFL students increase their language proficiency. Storybook reading is intended to engage students in a story (and therefore in the learning process). Storybook reading can be thought of as a teacher reading a storybook aloud to students. It can also be students reading storybooks themselves. As a teacher, I like to have elementary school students each have their own “book” so that we can read one story together. These are usually printed mini-books from a website.

“Using stories in general” is how I have conducted most of my classes for both K–12 students and university students for the past five years or so. I have enjoyed showing animated stories to my students from internet sources such as YouTube, Little Fox, and Epic. We have discussions or do activities related to the stories.

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27

Interviewer: Could storybook reading be considering a form of extensive reading?

Jessica: Yes, it could be considered a form of extensive reading. When I first heard about extensive reading, it sounded like the best thing for language learning. I also wanted to do extensive reading myself to improve my Korean language skills. However, even though it sounds great in theory, I found it to be much more difficult to implement in practice in a classroom.

Interviewer: Why do you think extensive reading is difficult to implement?

Jessica: Well, many people do not enjoy reading in a foreign language. I also found that I do not really enjoy reading books in Korean. I have since settled on the strategy of using extensive listening plus extensive reading. I watch Korean Netflix movies and shows while also reading the Korean subtitles. I also have an app on my phone that I use to listen to books in Korean while also reading the text.

I encourage my university students to do extensive reading and make this an option for their weekly homework.

Another option includes watching TV shows or movies while also reading the subtitles in English.

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Interviewer: We often think of using stories for teaching as “kids’ stuff.” Does using stories as teaching material work best with young learners or can they also be used with older learners?

Jessica: Stories work great for all ages! I use one story per class with university students. Before introducing stories in my university classes in 2016, I was nervous that students would not respond well or would consider stories too childish. So far, students have responded well to the stories, and I am so happy that I have incorporated them into my teaching. I believe that this makes the classes more interesting for the students and also for myself as a teacher. When there is a story, students often become curious about what is going to happen and therefore are more engaged in the class. It also gives students something to talk about. Sometimes students are hesitant or do not want to talk about themselves, but they are comfortable talking about the events and the characters in a story. I had become burnt out on purely “conversational English.”

Interviewer: Could you describe the different ways that you have used stories effectively in EFL teaching?

Jessica: This is a matter of selecting a story that works well for a certain age or proficiency group. It is not an easy task. Stories need to be selected carefully so that they suit the interests and proficiency level of the students. When

November 2021

I believe that extensive reading can be encouraged in an environment that has easy access to English books and positive reinforcement from adults (parents, teachers, and caretakers). It also helps if the students have a sufficient understanding of the spoken language. I have seen some English academies carry out effective extensive reading programs.

Interviewer: You mentioned “extensive listening” and “extensive reading” being used together. What is your experience with this?

Jessica: Yes, I have found that it lessens the burden on students if they listen while also reading. It is great for reluctant readers. As a language learner myself, I prefer combining listening and reading.

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I also found it difficult to do extensive reading with K-12 students. By this, I mean I found it difficult to implement as a lone teacher. For many students, there needs to be a system that supports extensive reading. I have realized that extensive reading can be much more complicated than just having students choose books and read them. A few years ago, I wanted to try extensive reading with a class of six students (third and fourth grade, elementary school). I was so excited about it. I had acquired or purchased many storybooks during the year that I worked for Oxford University Press Korea (2010) and at a part-time job where I taught one story per week to students at a bookstore every Saturday for four years.

So, I had lots and lots of books! I brought in a bunch of books that I believed would be at an appropriate level for the students. The students were excited by the books but made no attempt to read the words, even though I was sure that they knew some of them. They enjoyed looking at the pictures in the books.

▲ Arrangement for student mini-book story reading in Jessica Magnusson’s classroom.

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28 I first started selecting stories, I was not very good at it.

Now, I have a list of stories that have continued to work well with students, so I tend to use them year after year.

And I am always looking for new stories. Also, if a story really does not seem to be working with a particular group, it is okay to just back out of the story.

Interviewer: One of the biggest drawbacks to setting up an extensive reading program is getting the school to allocate sufficient funds to purchase an adequate number of storybooks. How do you obtain materials for your story-related activities?

Jessica: I use the Little Fox website to show animated stories to my students, so I pay an annual fee. The site allows you to print out the stories, and it is easy to create one mini-book for each student. These have been great for my elementary school students because we study one story per class. I then encourage the students to take the books home to read to a family member. I also use mini-books from Scholastic such as the First Little Readers series. I love using the mini-books because they are not overwhelming for beginning readers. Also, students, hopefully, can feel a sense of pride in the minibooks that they have collected and are able to read and understand.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

This would not count as an extensive reading program because I am choosing the reading materials for my students. Originally, I wanted to set up an extensive reading program at my small school, but I decided against it because the students I teach are generally low level and need to build up their basic reading skills.

“This is a matter of selecting a story that works well for a certain age or proficiency group.”

For someone who wants to set up an extensive reading program on a budget, there are sites where mini-books can be downloaded and printed for an annual fee. “Little Fox” and “Scholastic” are two of these kinds of sites. Also, second-hand bookstores might be a good place to look.

In addition, some people are willing to donate books that they are no longer using.

Interviewer: Have you done any classroom research concerning the efficacy of using stories as opposed to

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teaching without the stories?

Jessica: I have not done any research yet. I only have anecdotal evidence, but it indicates that stories can be a very good teaching tool.

Interviewer: Speaking of anecdotes, do you have any interesting anecdotes regarding students and their experiences with stories that you would like to relate?

Jessica: I think it is really interesting when students respond strongly to the events in a story. They sometimes get angry at characters who behave badly or rudely. Or they find certain stories heartwarming. Stories on the Little Fox website are often broken up into episodes, and students sometimes beg me to show them the next part of the story, even though I had planned it for their next class.

Interviewer: What about future plans – is there any use of stories that you would like to try out with your students but have not had the opportunity to do yet?

Jessica: I am interested in doing more hands-on activities with younger students related to the stories. So, I am always looking for new ideas. And I am also always looking for new stories to teach.

Interviewer: Well, it sounds like there is another interview in our future when those new stories and new ideas are ready to be revealed! Thank you, Jessica, for sharing with us your experiences of using stories in the EFL classroom.

Photographs courtesy of Jessica Magnusson.

The Interviewer

David Shaffer is an educator with many years of experience in the field of English education in Korea. As vice-president of the GwangjuJeonnam Chapter of KOTESOL, Dr. Shaffer invites you to participate in the chapter’s teacher development workshops (now online) and in KOTESOL activities in general. He is also a past president of KOTESOL and is currently the editorin-chief of the Gwangju News.

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

2021-10-26 �� 11:40:23

29

Everyday Korean Episode 47

“음악을 들으면서 공부해요.”

“I listen to music while studying.”

By Harsh Kumar Mishra

V~으면서

The Conversation 정민: 요즘 공부할 때 집중이 잘 안돼요.

네하 씨는 어떻게 집중해요?

Jeongmin: I have trouble concentrating these days when I

study. How do you concentrate, Neha? 네하: 저는 음악을 들으면서 공부해요.

Neha: I listen to music while studying.

(Though literally, “I study while listening to music.”)

네하:

Neha:

네, 괜찮아요. 좋아하는 음악을 들으면서 공부하면 지루해지지 않아요.

No, not at all. If you study while listening to your favorite music, you’ll never get bored.

네하: 저는 케이팝을 좋아해요.

Neha: I like K-pop.

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V~아/어 볼게요/보세요/봤어요 Use this grammar point with verbs to express “will try doing that” (볼게요), “please try doing that” (보세요), and “have tried doing that” (봤어요). When a verb ends with the ㅗ or ㅏ vowels, use “~아 볼게요/ 보세요/봤어요,” and when it ends with any other vowel, use “~어 볼게요/보세요/봤어요.” Verbs ending in “~하다” change to “~해요.”

Ex: 저도 한번 먹어 볼게요. I will also try eating (it). 한국어로 말해 보세요. Please try speaking in Korean. 광주에 가 봤어요. I have been to Gwangju.

Vocabulary 요즘 집중하다 어떻게 음악 듣다 소리

recently/nowadays to concentrate how music to listen sound

The Author

방해되다 to be disturbed 좋아하다 to like 지루해지다 to get bored 시도하다 to try/attempt 어떤 what kind of

Harsh Kumar Mishra is a linguist pursuing his PhD in Korean linguistics at Chonnam National University. He is also a freelance Korean translator/ interpreter, content creator for TopikGuide.com, and does online Korean teaching through the same organization.

November 2021

정민: 진짜요? 저도 한번 시도해 볼게요.

네하 씨는 어떤 음악을 좋아해요?

Jeongmin: Really? I’ll give it a try, too.

Neha, what kind of music do you like?

(Though literally, “I like to eat dinner while watching Netflix.)

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정민: 음악 소리 때문에 방해되지 않아요?

Jeongmin: Don’t you get disturbed by the sound of the

music?

This grammar point is mostly used with verbs for describing two activities being done at the same time. If the verb stem ends in a vowel, use “~면서,” and if it ends in a final consonant, use “~으면서.”

Ex: 민지 씨는 항상 웃으면서 이야기해요.

Minji always talks while smiling.

Ex. 넷플릭스를 보면서 저녁 먹는 걸 좋아해요.

I like to watch Netflix while having dinner.

TEACHING & LEARNING

Grammar Points

2021-10-26 �� 11:40:24

30 Expat Living

Learning Outside the Classroom

By Sebastián Benavides Vargas

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

COMMUNITY

I

f I asked you to list what you have learned outside of the classroom, it could take so long that you would not have time to read this article. And do not get me wrong, I love my student life and going to classes.

However, as you may have realized as well, we learn much more outside classes. So, I decided to write some of my life experiences to motivate you to get out of your comfort zone.

I am from a country that only has seven small (but beautiful) provinces, and thanks to my university field trips, I have had the opportunity to visit each of them on at least three occasions.

And I learned the most when I gathered with community leaders or stakeholders in those locations and discussed real problems and how they had lived with their issues while trying to solve them.

For example, I learned how a national park in the Caribbean is facing a coastal erosion problem and how a small community in the Pacific is being affected by monocrops, as well as how other communities are analyzing water quality in their rivers, after talking with community leaders in some less privileged neighborhoods.

In my third year of university, I had the honor to study in Canada for one semester. And during the chaos of

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preparing all the documents before going, I gradually understood that we need to develop tools to survive in life. For example, I had to learn how to ask for help in understanding the preparation process, writing formal letters and international emails, booking my trip, traveling alone for the first time, and so many other important details.

I had to learn countless social skills that were not taught in a PowerPoint presentation in my country’s classes.

And finally, when I arrived there, it was a totally new beginning being on a Canadian island.

Luckily, I also had the opportunity to go on field trips around the city, which helped me understand more of the environment and society there.

Then, as part of one of my classes, while completing a community project, we developed a waterfront improvement proposal and then had the opportunity to present it to the local city hall. I still remember how the mayor, staff, stakeholders, and professors were interested in gaining fresh ideas from university students like our visiting group.

Then after going back home, I helped as an assistant student for an environmental magazine. At that time, I did not know that starting the editing process of articles or packing magazines to send them internationally would help improve my skills. Of course, after that experience, I was the one who volunteered to read the final version of the class projects. Another example of how I assisted was in a chemistry laboratory, where I learned to analyze the

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31 results of water samples from a polluted lagoon. However, I also learned a lot from different professionals while drinking coffee during our break times, or when I had the opportunity to listen to result presentations during activities outside class time.

What is more, I learned exponentially from one of my internships in one non-governmental organization, at a private industrial company, and at a public teaching institute. I learned that every organization has its own system and culture. Asking for information and presenting results depends on the place, the project, and more importantly, who is listening to the information are all examples of knowledge that I collected during field trips.

But also, having breakfast, lunch, or coffee with your team teaches you countless experiences, details, and methods that are a significant part of your learning process, if only you are paying attention and willing to learn from them.

Now I am here in South Korea, where I have been learning the language intensively for a little more than one year. I am not going to lie: Traveling and leaving my family in the middle of a pandemic was hard, but it has been totally worth it. I have learned exponentially since I arrived here, not only from all the new processes of these institutions but also from the environment, culture, history, stories, geography, life experiences, and other people’s mistakes as well as my own. In addition, I have learned about time management, about how to learn a new language inside and outside the classroom, how to save money while having to buy everything new, and much more.

Another clear example of what I have learned here in Korea is when I participated in a camp and had the opportunity to improve my Korean language skills with native speakers and foreigners who helped me practice the language and complete activities together. We had tours in an unknown province for all of us, and we had the opportunity to learn, prepare, and present a dance on stage as part of the camp activities. Moreover, I learned about other cultures and met awesome people who I would not have had the opportunity to meet if I had chosen to stay in my room instead.

These, as well as many more life lessons, have built me up and prepared me for more experiences. This is my message to you: Find ways to excel with your abilities, improve your skills, and remember that we will be students forever, so let’s choose our methods of learning early. As always, I am trying to get out of my comfort zone (like right now, writing an article in English), and I would love to see that you also get out of your comfort zone and learn outside the classroom.

Photographs by Katya Molina Ayala and Takhmasib Mollaeiubli.

The Author

Sebastián Benavides Vargas is a Costa Rican environmental management engineer who loves deep conversations while drinking coffee, learning from other people, and traveling to know more about communities, cultures, environments, and ways to improve them all. @sebaspbv

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November 2021

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2021-10-26 �� 11:40:27

COMMUNITY

32 Opinion

Barbershop of Horrors

By William Urbanski

November 2021 www.gwangjunewsgic.com

A

s a foreigner/expat/immigrant here in Korea, there is perhaps a no more terrifying experience than getting your hair cut. Even now, well over ten years deep in Korea, each time I open the door to a barbershop, my hands get sweaty and my heart rate goes through the roof. There is something inherently unsettling, something I think we all dislike on a primal level, about someone holding and using sharp blades so close to your cranium.

This completely justifiable aichmophobia (I had to look that word up) is compounded by the linguistic difficulties in communicating this simple idea to a Korean barber: “Please don’t make me look like one of the Three Stooges.”

The trials and tribulations of getting a decent haircut eventually led me to develop a rigorous and scientific system to minimize the chances of getting a wacky wig buzz. The first step was to scope out a place at different times of the day to make sure there were actual clients and that it did not look terrible. If all looked well, I would enter and deliver my go-to Korean phrase, perfected over countless iterations of haircutting follies: gawi-ro jjapge (가위로 짧게, cut it short with scissors). The last step was to smile, as opposed to smiling and talking, with

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the overall goal of not getting too chatty and avoiding the otherwise inevitable, banal, and utterly meaningless barber–client dialogue about my ability to eat spicy kimchi.

After a recent move to a new part of the city, I had to set out on a new quest to find someone I trusted to snip my dome. It was around this point that I remembered the place where I used to get my hair cut for many years in Sinan-gun, the island county west of Gwangju. This place, straight out of the 1970s, was as barren as barren could be and even somewhat dingy. Old men, friends of the grizzled barber, I assume, would sit around in there smoking cigarettes and gambling while talking at the top of their voices about god knows what. But, oh, what a haircut! Perfectly done every time, including a razor shave and a shampoo all for the rock bottom price of six thousand won. This overwhelmingly positive and yearslong experience with a barbershop that I never would have given a second look at in Canada was the impetus to go back to the basics in my haircut crusade. Would the gambit pay off? Read on to find out.

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33 INTO THE UNKNOWN For the purposes of science (and your reading enjoyment), I intentionally sought out three of the oldest, most uninviting, and least modern hair salons in the east end of the city. Spoiler alert: everything started out great and then went summarily downhill.

The first hair salon, or miyong-sil (미용실), occupied a building that, after a furtive glance, appeared either condemned or abandoned. While bracing myself for some unintentional urban exploration, I pulled back the curtain hanging in the front door and, man alive, there was a woman alive in there! While the overall ambiance left a lot to be desired (concrete floors, old furniture, faded photos cut out of magazines hanging on the wall), the service and end result were truly top-notch. The hair stylist did pretty much exactly what I wanted, washed my hair and even requested a selfie since I was apparently the first foreigner to ever set foot in her establishment. This hair salon was so good that I actually went back a second time. Emboldened by this great experience, I decided to roll the dice again and test my luck with some other barbershops that lacked, shall we say, curb appeal. And thus began my descent into darkness.

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Upon leaving and vowing never to return, the same patron who breathed in my face revealed the biggest twist of all: The barber was actually deaf! This was one of the rare instances in my life where something explained everything and nothing all at the same time. Sure, it elucidated why the man was ignoring my requests but also made me wonder why and how the shop opened its doors every day. Afterall, is it not a basic prerequisite of any business to listen to the customers? This harrowing ordeal made me realize that no matter the social role a barbershop may play, if it does not offer a good service, it serves no purpose.

AFTERMATH Despite the tragic end of my hair shop saga, overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the service I got at the first two places I visited. In the words of my hero, Meatloaf, “Two outta three ain’t bad,” so remember that appearances can be deceiving and that at the end of the day, almost every barbershop will do at least a passable job. If you do happen to stumble across an awful one, try to keep in mind that your hair will almost certainly grow back.

Photograph by William Urbanski.

The Author

William Urbanski is the managing editor of the Gwangju News. He is from Canada, married, and can eat spicy food with chopsticks. sasa@will_il_gatto

November 2021

BARBERSHOP OF HORRORS A month or so later, I finally mustered up the courage to walk into an ibal-gwan (이발관, barbershop) that I had been purposely avoiding since I moved to the area. Located in a building that was ripped straight from a 1970s slasher film, the bars on the windows led me to believe this business must have been established when Gwangju was not the safe community it is today. Vis-à-vis the other establishments in this

“I distinctly remember saying to myself, 'Who would ever get their hair cut here?'”

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Barbershop number two was a place I had walked by numerous times, and I distinctly remember saying to myself, “Who would ever get their hair cut here?” This place was actually in a fairly modern building but was almost comically small. I was almost relieved when it appeared that nobody was inside, but lo and behold, a figure emerged from the shadows and informed me that yes, he could cut my hair. The barber seemed attentive enough, if not excruciatingly slow, which was understandable considering that he appeared to be approximately two days younger than Yoda. Oddly though, he did not actually appear to be cutting much of my hair as evidenced by the lack of clippings on my apron. About a day or two later, when he was wrapping up, and much to my chagrin, he doused me with some sort of baby powder that got all over my clothes, particularly my black work pants. I was pretty nonplussed about the whole ordeal but realized later that perhaps I was being just a little too harsh. After all, he did give me a nice little trim.

article, this was the only one that stirred up deep feelings of nervousness and immediate regret. I sat unnoticed on a plastic sofa for some time before being acknowledged and beckoned over to the barber chair.

Now, I have had hundreds of haircuts in my day and never once have I been so completely disregarded and ignored by a barber who seemed to have a genuine disinterest in what his customer requested. If the previous barber reminded me of Yoda, this dude seemed to be somehow related to Skelator but whose special power was repeatedly putting his decrepit finger into my ear. Luckily, at least one of the other maskless patrons seemed to take an interest in me and, more than once, put his face mere centimeters from mine while breathing heavily. Then, in what could only be considered a cruel and sadistic twist, when I asked the barber to trim my hair just a little shorter like I had asked him the first damn time, he replied that my hair was not cuttable. Yeesh!

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34 Environment

Mindful Diet

The Climate (and Food!) Crisis

By Chung Hyun-hwa

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

COMMUNITY

I

have always known that some people insist on eating plant-based foods only – vegans. In Korea, for a while, Dr. Yi Sang-gu, an advocate of the vegan diet, was on TV frequently. His diet was about becoming healthier through not eating meat because humans are not designed to eat meat. However, his veganism was rooted in his religion, and people still liked eating meat, so slowly he disappeared from the media. The vegans I encounter these days have a different motivation for sticking to a plant-based diet: to fight against climate change. What? We have meat and climate crises?

THE FOOD DISTRIBUTION ISSUE In June, I attended the online Kyunghyang Forum, Living with the Climate Crisis: The Path to Survival. Kyunghyang invited globally known lecturers such as Al Gore, Ban Kimun, Choi Jae-cheon, Jeremi Rifkin, David WallaceWells, and Michael Mann. It was a rare opportunity to listen to all of these well-known lecturers at one forum.

Among them, Dr. Hope Jahren’s address on the current global food issue was very impressive.

According to Jahren’s book The Story of More, the world is producing three times more grain than in 1969 (when the author was born), even though the amount of arable land has increased only by 10 percent, thanks to agricultural technologies such as fertilizers, pesticides, and GMOs. The reality is that 40 percent of the grains produced on earth goes to people, another 40 percent is fed to animals, and the remaining 20 percent is used for biofuel. Meat production is the same. The total number of animals decreased, but the production has tripled since 1969. To get meat, 30 percent of the freshwater in the world is required, and two-thirds of all antibiotics in the U.S. are used for animals. This contaminates the soil and underground water. Animals consume one billion tons of grain, which is the same amount that humans consume, and they produce 100 million tons of meat and 300 million tons of manure.

The total population on the earth doubled to almost eight billion compared to 1969. At the moment, fortunately, the earth is producing enough food to provide 2,900 kcal per person aside from the grains used to feed animals, but unfortunately, 800 million people are suffering from

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malnutrition, while the animals to be used for meat are fed, and one-third of all the food in the world gets lost or wasted, according to UNEP. Thus, what matters is the distribution, not the food production itself. Jahren proposes that if the U.S. reduces its meat consumption by half, it could increase the food supply by 15 percent (because of less feed consumption by beef cattle and other meat-producing animals). If 36 OECD countries reduce their meat consumption by half, it would increase their food supply by 40 percent, or if they could have one “MeatFree Day” a week, all the hungry people in the world would be able to eat for the whole year! She believes it is high time to get ready for when the population hits 10 billion in 2100, which is a conservative estimate.

FOOD AND CARBON ISSUES The table from BBC News shows the carbon impact of food.

It is quite surprising to see a quarter of carbon emissions are from food, and more than half of those emissions are from animal products (15 percent). This is more than the impact of all forms of transportation combined, which is known to be 13 percent. Cattle and lambs are causing 7.5 percent of total carbon emission, equal to about half of transportation’s impact. Someone said, “Reducing meat can’t save us from the climate crisis, but we can’t be saved without reducing meat intake.” I thought this was well said.

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35 In the U.K, the “Meat-Free Monday” movement was started by Paul McCartney in 2009, and it is spreading to other countries as well. They say that if you have one meatfree meal a week for a year, it has the same effect of planting 15 trees a year. So, I did some calculations to see if this was true. One kilogram of beef releases a minimum of 15 kg of carbon, and one serving is between 150–200 g, so this is 3 kg of carbon a serving. If you multiply 3 kg by 52 weeks, it is 156 kg of carbon saved a year. One tree that is 30 years old can absorb 6.6 kg of carbon a year, so if you divide 156 by 6.6, it is equal to the carbon absorption of 23 trees.

Now, I am convinced that this number is not exaggerated.

An ordinary person living an ordinary life will easily emit 8–10 kg of carbon a day, so one individual emits over 300 kg of carbon a year. Then, we need 450 trees a year to offset the carbon dioxide produced by a single person, so 15 trees for one meat-free meal is a big deal.

MEAT REDUCTION CHALLENGE Meat has been part of the human diet for such a long time, so veganism almost sounds like a new religion to most of us. I think changing one’s diet is the most difficult action in the carbon-free movement. You could try to recycle better, ride a bike, or change your lifestyle to reduce electricity usage. You could do so many things, but changing your diet is not easy because your body is used to eating meat, and there is also social pressure when you gather with others. I was unsure if I could really do it myself, but by substituting meat with beans and nuts for several months, I concluded that it is possible to reduce meat to half without having much impact on the body. (My latest physical exam came out better than before.) The most difficult part of changing one’s diet to one that is plant-based could be hunger, but nuts that include good fat and oil will supply enough

calories with good cholesterol that will support your vascular health. We need to study this a little more, but this would surely be a good challenge for the improvement of the environment and your body.

According to Jahren, the average American consumes 1,800 g of meat weekly (Koreans about 1,000 g a week).

This is about 250 g a day. If we cut this in half, it would be 125 g a day, and I think that is something doable and even healthy. This means that you can include meat for one meal a day, and for the other two meals, nuts can be added to make up the calories. This will not starve you.

Also, in terms of carbon emissions, cutting down on beef is the key. Seventy percent of the Amazon is being ruined to create cattle farms, and the farms grow feed for the cattle. Cattle there emit carbon, but the trees to absorb it are gone, so carbon emissions are doubled. One kilogram of beef emits 15 kg of carbon, while fish, pork, or chicken emit less than 5 kg. Thus, replacing beef with other meat is already meaningful. If you eat beans and nuts instead of beef, which produce less than 0.5 kg of carbon, it will make a big difference.

CONCLUSION I hope there will be new technologies available to deal with the climate crisis in the near future, as technology develops at increasingly rapid speeds, but for now an IPCC report warns us that 1.5°C is the irreversible tipping point (we are just 0.4°C away at present), and we are now on course to reach that point by 2040 instead of 2050. Until we have technologies to save us, we will have to try to save ourselves. Having mindful meals each day is something we can definitely do right away with no extra investment.

The Author

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November 2021

Hyunhwa Chung is from Gwangju and currently leads Gwangju Hikers, an international eco-hike group at the GIC. She has started teaching the Korean language and working as a climate crisis advocate. Previously, she taught English in different settings, including Yantai American School and Yantai Korean School in China, Branksome Hall Asia, and in the Jeju school administration in recent years. She received her master’s degree in TESOL from TCNJ in the U.S.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

Sources Jahren, H. (2020). 나는 풍요로웠고, 지구는 달라졌다 [The story of more: How we got to climate change and where to go from here].

(E. Kim Trans.) Kimyuongsa. (Original work published 2020) Worldwide food waste. (2021, October 8). United Nations Environment Programme. https://www.unep.org/thinkeatsave/ get-informed/worldwide-food-waste Stylianou, N., Guibourg, C., & Briggs, H. (2019, August 9).

Climate change food calculator: What’s your diet’s carbon footprint? BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/scienceenvironment-46459714

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www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

FOOD & DRINKS

36 Restaurant Review

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37

Vegan is Fantastic!

A Gourmet Experience at Soswaewon Buffet Reviewed by Melline Galani

F

or a vegan restaurant, Soswaewon Buffet (소쇄원채식뷔페) is an excellent harmonization of taste, flavors, and the ambient, with all these leading to a memorable adventure.

What if one could stay healthy and still eat delicious food?

Seems impossible, right? That is if you have not been to this particular vegan buffet. I must mention I am not a vegan, but I do like healthy food.

The Soswaewon Buffet is located in Damyang and comes with beautiful countryside scenery just a 10-minute walk from Soswaewon Garden, hence the name. It is not on the main road, so it may be easy to miss; therefore, I suggest using GPS if you plan on eating there.

The restaurant is really spacious, having two areas – one for those who want to sit on the floor (authentic Korean-style) and another wide area with many tables and chairs. On one side of the restaurant, there is a spacious parking lot, too. The atmosphere inside is comfy and warm, making it feel like home. One interesting point to be aware of is the restaurant’s operating hours, which are from 11:30 a.m. to only 15:30 p.m., so schedule your visit accordingly.

Everything was delicious, and I literally ate all I could eat.

The price per person is just 15,000 won, but the quality of the meal and the amount you can have make it worth every

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If you plan a visit to the Soswaewon Buffet, be ready to get stuffed – there is no other option. It is better if you can transform your trip to this restaurant into a day trip around Damyang. Gasa Literature Museum is just a 10-minute walk away, the same close distance as Soswaewon Garden.

Enjoy nature and treat yourself with some delicious food.

There is no doubt that this place is for everyone who loves good food – not just vegans and vegetarians. For me, the Soswaewon Buffet is among my favorite places to eat!

SOSWAEWON VEGETARIAN BUFFET (소쇄원채식뷔페) Address: 103 Jisil-gil Gasamunhak-myeon, Damyang-gun, Jeollanam-do 전남 담양군 가사문학면 지실길 103 Operating Hours: 11:30 a.m. – 15:30, closed Mondays and national holidays Phone: 061-383-5255

The Reviewer

Melline Galani is a Romanian enthusiast, born and raised in the capital city of Bucharest, and currently living in Gwangju. She likes new challenges and learning interesting things, and she is incurably optimistic. She enjoys tasty food and is always in search of great places to dine. kkk @melligalanis

November 2021

The food is prepared with only natural ingredients and is free of fish, eggs, milk, and meat. The soybean paste and red pepper paste are homemade, and only natural seasonings and food dyes are used. The acorn jelly is made of 100 percent acorn, and all the dishes are prepared without MSG.

There is a variety of beverages and desserts on offer, including ice cream, and I opted for sikhye (식혜, a traditional Korean sweet rice drink). I skipped the ice cream but tried some Korean traditional desserts that were amazing. I loved the soy-made yogurt and especially the bubble marinade – cherry tomatoes pickled in cinnamon and ginger (방울마리네이드)! There is also a variety of teas and some alcoholic drinks such as makgeolli, and beer, among others.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

The variety of food is beyond expectation. From vegetables, salads, soups, and noodles to soy-meat steak, curry, different types of stew, bean bulgogi, porridge, bibimbap, jajangmyeon, desserts, and beverages, everything is on display.

I have never seen so many dishes at any other buffet-style restaurant. Though it is a Korean vegan restaurant, I was surprised to find Western-style dishes, too.

penny (or “1-won coin” in this case). I was not able to try everything, so I need to make a return visit. I cannot pick a favorite dish among what I ate, but I love mushrooms, so for me those dishes were the best. Even the rice comes in many types, such as multigrain rice (japgok-bap), glutinous rice, brown rice, and white rice. We were also served baked sweet potatoes that tasted heavenly!

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www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

CULTURE & ARTS

38 38 Photo Essay

▲ Hopefully the kid is thinking about ditching his scooter for a skateboard.

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Classic noseslide at a classic spot. ▶

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39

Gwangju Skateboarding

By William Urbanski

S

kateboarding and photography go hand in hand. In fact, it is hard to conceptualize skateboarding as it exists today independent of the crucial role good old-fashion picture takin’ plays. Photography in many ways mirrors skateboarding itself: an activity undertaken not with an end goal in mind, but for its own good.

It is always nice to see the local skateboard scene documented and hopefully these photos will let you in on a little secret: Gwangju is a fantastic city for skateboarding.

Photographs by Choi Boram and Oh Jonghun.

Choi Boram is an art teacher and all around great guy. @abiyo82

The Author

William Urbanski is the managing editor of the Gwangju News. He is from Canada, married, and can eat spicy food with chopsticks. sasa@will_il_gatto

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

The Photographer

November 2021

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40

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

▲ Personally, I am jealous of people who can do good ollies like this.

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▲ Tweaked tail stall at a secret warehouse somewhere in the city. Shhhh!

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41

◀ If I had to wager a guess, I would say this is a 50-50 front shove out. Nice!

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

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November 2021

▲ The warehouse is indispensable in the rainy season and winter.

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42 Culture & Arts

The Confucianization of Women’s Hairstyles in Joseon Korea

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

CULTURE & ARTS

By Diane Dooley

K

orean society became increasingly dominated by neo-Confucian ideology during the Joseon Dynasty as it shook off the sociocultural inheritance from the preceding, mainly Buddhist, Goryeo Dynasty. This process of Confucianization eventually seeped into every aspect of society – including dress and hairstyles. NeoConfucianism as practiced during the Joseon Dynasty is broadly characterized by the maintenance of a strict social hierarchy in which relationships were inherently unequal.

The five main neo-Confucian relationships were between: man and wife, father and son, king and subject, elders and younger people, and friends. In addition, age, marital status, and occupation were important markers of one’s relative place in society during the Joseon Dynasty. These social status boundaries became so important that they were reflected in almost every aspect of social behavior, including how one dressed and styled one’s hair.

As noted in my previous article on men’s hairstyles during the Joseon Dynasty, “The Land of Hats” (September 2021), this was a gradual process. Customs and traditions from the preceding Goryeo Dynasty did not disappear overnight, nor did people always accept new regulations on dress enthusiastically. Fashion trends and personal preferences often took precedence over social expectations and government regulations. This was especially true of women’s hairstyles and accessories, which were the topic of intense debate in court throughout the Joseon Dynasty.

INNER QUARTERS, OUTERWEAR Just as there were a variety of hairstyles and headwear available for men, there were many available for women, too. If you

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have ever watched a historical Korean drama, you will be familiar with images of women in colorful hanbok (한복), with their long hair tied back in elegant braids, often decorated with dazzling hairpins; the elaborate wigs worn by queens; or even the large ribbons worn by court ladies. One thing you are unlikely to have seen, though, is the leading lady covered from head to toe by a veil!

The gradual growth of neo-Confucianism in Joseon had particularly severe consequences for women. Their movement became more restricted as they became confined to the domestic sphere – that is, the family home. Neo-Confucian legislation during the Joseon Dynasty was concerned with correcting “corrupt female mores,” argued (in the ideological transition) to have been inherited from the preceding Goryeo Dynasty and its religious ideology, Buddhism. It was argued

by Confucian-supporting officials that the indiscriminate use of fabrics and styles – that is, women dressing more or less as they pleased – had blurred the lines between social status groups and demanded restraint, frugality, and modesty. For men, to be properly dressed reflected their gentlemanly decorum; for women, however, it was linked to their feminine virtue and modesty.

A variety of veils were developed to achieve the legislators’ goals of limiting women’s participation in the public sphere of life. During the early years of the Joseon Dynasty, noblewomen wore black sheer silk veils known as neoul (너울). This was a large hat with a veil attached.

It covered a woman’s body from her head to waist. As neo-Confucianism gained prominence, women’s outdoor activities became more and more restricted depending on one’s social status. However, when women did venture outside, they were required to cover their faces, and this required the development of appropriate outerwear.

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43

▲ A binyeo. (National Museum of Korea)

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November 2021

▲ Gache and binyeo. (National Museum of Korea) ◀ Previous page: A binyeo. (National Museum of Korea)

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44

▲ Two women with Joseon hairstyles.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

Women of high social status generally traveled by palanquin – another way in which their visibility was limited – so they favored veils known as the sseugaechima (쓰개치마) and jangot (장옷), as they were practical and easier to carry and store compared to the neoul.

The jangot was similar to a man’s overcoat, the durumagi (두루마기), fastened by buttons and breast ties. The sseugaechima was similar to women’s skirts in shape, but longer. The veil had an attached band, similar to a waistband.

Women’s veils appear to be less about covering their hair than the men’s gat and more about keeping their participation in society to a minimum in order to ensure they “maintained their virtue.” The restrictive clothing they were required to wear naturally curtailed their participation in the public sphere. However, this mainly applied to women of yangban status – women from lower social status groups were not required to cover their faces.

Instead, they wore simple head cloths for everyday use.

WIGS IN VOGUE Women’s hairstyles and hair accessories were a frequent topic of debate in court in the mid-Joseon Dynasty, particularly during the reign of King Yeongjo (1724– 1776). The restoration of Confucian ideals was his guiding principle, and he used sumptuary laws to achieve this.

These laws regulated one’s housing, clothing, accessories, and even mode of transport according to social status.

Confucian lawmakers believed that the mark of a civilized society was one in which people lived within their limits and privileges, as it would prevent them from “falling

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into excess.” They promoted austerity and frugality and prohibited luxuriousness and ostentatiousness.

One of the most popular trends in women’s hair regardless of social status had been the use of wigs known as gache (가체) and large hairpieces. These were usually made from horsehair – but also sometimes human hair – and were worn over the typical chignon hairstyle. Wealthy married women and members of the royal family wore the largest, most elaborate wigs. The gisaeng (기생), a group of low-status, government-indentured, entertainers/prostitutes were also known for their use of large, elaborate wigs. The “luxuriousness” and lack of propriety these wigs were seen to reflect were a major issue in court. Significantly, it was argued that wearing another person’s hair on one’s head was particularly lacking in propriety. As one’s hair was linked to his or her own ancestors, and therefore a tangible manifestation of one’s filial piety, it was abhorrent to Confucian purists that someone would wear someone else’s hair on their head as decoration.

These large, elaborate headdresses were anything but austere: They were extremely expensive. It was claimed that they had become so expensive that people were falling into debt in order to buy them. It was therefore essential to “eliminate luxuriousness” and prevent people “squandering” their money, and so the use of wigs was banned.

However, the prohibition on wigs was not entirely successful: Many women from both established families as

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45 well as gisaeng continued to wear them. The Confucian demand for austerity – even when enforced through the Joseon legal system – was not enough to curb the popularity of wigs.

PINNING IT Towards the end of the Joseon Dynasty, large wigs made of false hair were gradually replaced as the hairdo of choice by tightly bound chignon hairstyles decorated with simpler ornaments as various prohibitions and regulations were implemented. Subsequently, the hairpins used to secure the chignon became the focus of women’s hairstyles.

A variety of hairpins were available for women to use, such as the binyeo (비녀), a stick-like hairpin with a head on one end. These pins were inserted through the chignon to hold it in place. There were various types of binyeo. Just as there were different hats for men for different occasions, binyeo varied in size, material, and color depending on the wearer’s social status or occasion. Typically, short hairpins were used for everyday activities and longer ones were used for ceremonial use. Although there were no strict rules governing the materials used for binyeo based on the wearer’s social status, only upper-class women, or very wealthy commoners, were able to afford more luxurious binyeo made from expensive materials.

We are all familiar with the seasonal, cyclical nature of fashion that exists today. Joseon Korea was similar. Jade was typically worn in the summer; gold, silver, or coral binyeo were preferred for the winter.

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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. dianedooley@naver.com

November 2021

Sources Deuchler, M. (1992). The Confucian transformation of Korea.

Council on East Asian Studies, Harvard University.

Kim, Y., & Pettid, M. J. (2011). Women and Confucianism in Chosŏn Korea. State University of New York Press.

Haboush, J. K. (2001). The Confucian kingship in Korea.

The Author

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

CONCLUSION: THE VIRTUOUS HAIRDO Unlike men, it does not appear to be the case that women’s hair functioned as a conspicuous symbol of filial piety for which they were willing to die rather than cut or wear loose. According to Confucianism, a daughter’s filial piety was less important than a son’s. A daughter’s duty was to join another family, be loyal to her husband, and bear male offspring for that family, which perhaps gave her more freedom to experiment with wigs and hairpieces before the reign of Yeongjo. As neo-Confucianism gained prominence, women became increasingly oppressed and confined to the domestic sphere under the precedence of “protecting their virtue.” Women’s hairstyles evolved from elaborately decorated hairpieces to minimalist, tightly bound chigons as their place in society became more restricted. Their tightly bound hairstyles reflected their tightly bound lives.

Columbia University Press.

Kim, Y. (1976). Women of Korea. Ewha Womans University Press.

Lee, K. J., Hong, N., Chang, S., & Yi, M. (2005). Traditional Korean costume. Global Oriental.

Nelson, S. M. (1998). Bound hair and Confucianism in Korea. In A. Hiltebeitel & B. D. Miller (Eds.). Hair: Its power and meaning in Asian cultures (pp. 105–122). State University of New York Press.

Yeongjo sillok [Veritable records of King Yeongjo]. (1724– 1776). In Joseon wangjo sillok [조선왕조실록, 朝鮮王朝實錄, Veritable records of the Joseon Dynasty]. National Institute of Korean History.

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46

Shamans in Korean Supernatural Thrillers

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

CULTURE & ARTS

By Régis Olr y

S

hamans are pivotal figures of Korean folklore and cinema, but they also remain, still today, a societal phenomenon: 38 percent of the total adult population in South Korea admit they have hired a shaman at least once.1 Many movies contain a shaman fighting more or less successfully against evil creatures (ghosts, demons, or even the devil himself). In my opinion, the most impressive and, above all, most convincing shaman of Korean cinema is to be found in Na Hong-jin’s 2016 supernatural thriller The Wailing (곡성, Gokseong), an absolutely unmissable movie for whoever is interested in Korean culture.

▲ The shaman Il-gwang (Hwang Jung-min, 황정민) in Na Hong-jin’s 2016 supernatural thriller The Wailing.

THE WAILING In Gokseong, a peaceful, rural village of South Jeolla Province, the inhabitants suddenly start killing each other for inexplicable reasons. A Japanese called “The Stranger” (Kunimura Jun, 國村 隼) who recently settled in the neighboring forest, is suspected of being involved – though nobody knows neither why nor how – in these gruesome murders. A mysterious woman in white referred to as “The Anonymous Woman” (Chun Woo-hee, 천우희) appears here and there without us exactly knowing who she is (a ghost according to some critics, the angel Gabriel in my opinion). One day, police officer Jong-gu (Kwak Do-won, 곽도원) realizes that his own daughter Hyo-jin seems to be possessed by “The Stranger.” The physicians have no idea what is happening; reluctantly, Jong-gu finally agrees

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to hire renowned shaman Il-gwang (Hwang Jung-min, 황정민). The latter rapidly acknowledges the gravity of the situation and recommends exorcisms and powerful rites that unfortunately fail to free the young girl. Hyo-jin finally kills her whole family, “The Stranger” proves to be the Devil, and “The Anonymous Woman” understands that she has lost the battle against him, who from now on possesses the shaman.2 This real masterpiece is a good opportunity to get into Korean shamanism.

KOREAN SHAMANISM Shamanism, broadly speaking, has its principal roots in Siberia,3 but shamans (mudang, 무당 or mansin, 만신) are nowadays found almost all over the world: “Outside Europe, we would be hard pressed to find an area of the world that did not have some form of shamanism.”4 Like all religious/spiritual phenomena, shamanism unfortunately has its black sheep who pretend to get rid of all kinds of evil spirits in exchange for a generous amount of money. In the early twentieth century, Robert J. Moose, who lived in Korea in the early 1900s, wrote that “There is probably no other class of women in the land that makes so much money as do the mudangs.”5 But let’s look only into a kind of shamanism we consider as “ethic,” without of course pronouncing for or against its effectiveness.

WHAT IS SHAMANISM? To define shamanism defies definition.6,7 To cut a long story short, I could say that a shaman is someone able “to transcend the barrier between the two worlds”8 in order to help clients through various rituals (referred to as kut, 굿), often with the help of many accessories, including, for example, a pig’s head, into the orifices of which will be inserted some bank notes. The meaning of the colors of the clothes worn by the shaman and her clients are also of outstanding importance: Thin, yellow cloth is an offering for wandering ghosts (the hold of them being broken when the cloth is ripped), and a green flag indicates that one is followed by a restless ghost.

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47 HOW TO BECOME A KOREAN SHAMAN It should first be pointed out that the greatest portion of Korean shamans are female,9 a characteristic shared by neighboring countries such as China10 and especially Burma where over 95 percent of shamans are females.11 As for the decision to become a shaman in Korea, it is not yours: Shamanism is either “hereditary” (seseup mudang, 세습무당) or “destined, initiated” (gangsin mudang, 강신무당), the training process of both being quite different.12 A hereditary shaman learns the basics (shaman songs: muga, 무가) from her mother and, after getting married, she goes deeper into various shamanistic rituals with the help of her mother-in-law whom she will be bound to gradually replace. A destined shaman is selected by the gods of shamanism through a sickness known as sinbyeong (신병) or mubyeong (무병; mysterious dreams, weakening of the body, strange eating behavior, visual and auditory hallucinations), which she will be cured of only if she accepts becoming a shaman through an initiatory ritual (naerim kut, 내림굿).

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The Author

Régis Olry, M.D. (France), is professor of anatomy at the University of Quebec at TroisRivieres (Canada). In the early 1990s, he worked in Germany with Gunther von Hagens, the inventor of plastination and the BodyWorld exhibitions. He currently studies the concept of Asian ghosts in collaboration with his wife who is a painter (see www.gedupont.com).

November 2021

WHAT KIND OF POWERS IS A SHAMAN SUPPOSED TO HAVE? The “powers” of a shaman are multifaceted. In accordance with a client’s expectations, they can be a clairvoyant (during the first two weeks of the lunar year, many of them are consulted by “women to get a prognosis on each member of her family”),6 an exorcist (shamans are able to differentiate between beneficial and harmful spirits, and to expel the latter from people or houses they possess), or a medium (after having fallen into a trance to the sound of a drum, the shaman can speak on behalf of gods, ghosts, or ancestors who possess the clients). Of course, Korean shamanism would deserve much more development…

References 1. Kim Chongho. (2003). Korean shamanism. The cultural paradox. Ashgate.

2. The Wailing. A film by Na Hong Jin (2016). Promotional booklet.

3. Eliade, M. (1964). Shamanism: Archaic techniques of ecstasy.

Pantheon.

4. Kendall, L. (1984). Korean shamanism: Women’s rites and a Chinese comparison. Senri Ethnological Studies, 11, 57.

5. Moose, R. J. (1911). Village life in Korea (p. 192). Nashville, Methodist Church, Smith and Lamar, Agents.

6. Kendall, L. (1987). Shamans, housewives, and other restless spirits: Women in Korean ritual life (p. 74). University of Hawaii.

7. Lee, Nami, & Kim, Eun-young. (2017). A shamanic Korean ritual for transforming death and sickness into rebirth and integration. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 7(5), 75–80.

8. Blacker, C. (1986). The catalpa bow. A study of shamanistic practices in Japan (p. 21). George Allen & Unwin.

9. Kendall, L. (1988). The life and hard times of a Korean shaman: Of tales and the telling of tales (p. 6). University of Hawaii Press.

10. Wolf, A. P. (Ed.). (1974). Religion and ritual in Chinese society (p. 10). Stanford University Press.

11. Spiro, M. E. (1978). Burmese supernaturalism (Expanded ed., p. 205). Institute for the Study of Human Issues (Philadelphia).

12. Pettid, M. J. (2009). Shamans, ghosts, and hobgoblins amidst Korean folk customs. SOAS-AKS Working Papers in Korean Studies, 6, 1–13.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

▲ The hereditary shaman Hong Seo-jung (Go Joon-hee, 고준희) in Choi Do-hoon’s 2019 Netflix series Possessed.

▲ The fake shaman Cheol Yong (Han Dong-kyu, 한동규) in Lee Myung-woo’s 2019 Netflix series Fiery Priest.

2021-10-26 �� 11:40:44

48 Gwangju Writes

Two Score and Ten Flashbacks on Korea

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

CULTURE & ARTS

By David Shaffer

November it was 1971 A jet plane going East but flying west To the Land of Morning Calm

General Roh morphs into President Roh ’88 Olympics seal “highly developing nation” status Nationwide labor strikes erupt violently North Korean war tunnels found repeatedly

To the Hermit Kingdom, the Korean War battlefield, the DMZ To a land divided, a land of tears and despair, of military coup Arrival at Kimpo International Brings a wide-eyed idealist with much to view:

North and South reach accord The two Koreas the UN join Agreements reached, treaties signed ’Fore a 400-strong spy ring find

Park Chung-hee re-elected narrowly, martial law declared forcibly Power consolidated rapidly, Yushin Constitution enacted forcefully Kim Dae-jung kidnapped in Tokyo, imprisoned in Seoul First Lady assassinated, President Park’s the goal Panmunjom axe murderers kill U.S. soldiers gruesomely Dynamite train at Iri Station explodes powerfully KCIA bullet kills President Park stunningly Shockingly, jarringly, sensationally General Chun leads 12/12 coup stealthily Martial law extended needlessly Gwangju protests vehemently Ten days of blood, of death, of darkness.

KAL passenger plane downed by Soviets Chun targeted by Northern assassins Seoul ’86 Asian Games boycotted by socialists KAL airliner bombed by Northern agents

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Kim Young-sam as president elected First civilian in 32 years selected Expo ’93 shines hope so bright From Daejeon’s “Tower of Great Light” But short-lived this light shall be As Seongsu Bridge collapses As Daegu gas line explodes As Sampoong building crumbles Guilty as charged! Both Chun and Roh But one year later, scott-free they go More widespread labor strikes, largest ever As “IMF” crisis saps Korea’s treasure Activist, death-row prisoner, and president finally Kim Dae-jung frees political prisoners, grants amnesty Travels North with Sunshine Policy Wins Nobel Peace Prize as his legacy World Cup hosts are Korea and Japan As UN boss, Ban Ki-moon’s the man Korea in OECD, “advanced nation” implied The new millennium brings national pride

2021-10-26 �� 11:40:47

Book Review 49 Lee Myung-bak takes the throne Pushing Seoul–Busan canal zone Namdae-mun burns, money crisis returns Roh Mu-hyun jumps off the cliff North sinks Cheonan warship Before Kim Jong-il departed The Yeosu Expo opens Before first female president elected North attacks on land, at sea, in cyberspace The Sewol sinks, youthful souls it takes Park Geun-hye protested, arrested Immeshed, impeached, imprisoned

Through 50 years of Korean memories That young idealist has melted away But through it all and come what may A wiser man resides today

The Author

by Michelle Obama Reviewed by Michael Attard

M

ichelle Obama, born Michelle Robinson in 1964, has entitled part one of her book “Becoming Me.” She talks about her family and growing up in South Side Chicago at the end of the 1960s. At that time, everything in her life was within a five-block radius. Piano lessons were very close by. Her family was living on the second floor of her great aunt’s house, and Aunt Robbie, just downstairs, was the piano teacher.

As we struggle, all of us, regardless of our gender or the color of our skin, are confronted with the question, “Am I good enough?” Sometimes, this doubt is internal and other times it may come from friend or foe. A high school counsellor once said to Michelle, “I’m not sure that you’re Princeton material.”

Michelle did not know why the counsellor said this, but that did

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November 2021

The story is far from a mere recitation of the years from childhood to adulthood. Yes, we learn the answer to the question, “Who is she?” but more importantly, she wants us to grasp her message.

It may seem facile for her to tell us that early in life, she came to realize that there was a correlation between how long she practiced the piano and how much she achieved, but it is an incipient insight into understanding life as a struggle.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

David Shaffer flew into Korea fifty years ago as a Peace Corps volunteer in Gwangju but somehow missed his return flight.

He then took up a position at Chosun University, where he spent his teaching career. Dr. Shaffer is now the editorin-chief of the Gwangju News and occasionally listens to Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire.”

Becoming

CULTURE & ARTS

Moon Jae-in steps into Chungwa-dae Number 12 for Korea, number 10 for me Wintry Pyongchang puts on Olympic display Parasite wins Oscar big, but Covid starts global spree

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50 not matter. The point is that all of us must think, believe, and proceed in life with the philosophy that “I am good enough.”

The concept of our worth will determine who we are and what we achieve. Another recurring line and reminder is, “Failure is a feeling long before it is an actual result.”

Thinking that we cannot win before the fight begins will inexorably lead to defeat.

Unfortunately, many of life’s struggles are imposed upon us from without. Michelle does not shy away from the fact that one of the greatest struggles throughout American history was and still is race relations. Michelle realized early that a skin color other than white made her, her family, and others like her vulnerable. She recalls one summer when her brother got a shiny new bike, how the police stopped him on suspicion of theft, not being able to contemplate how a black boy could get such a bike honestly.

Then there was the day her family visited friends in a new white community, only to discover when leaving that their car had been keyed. Michelle does not need to say it directly – her indignation is infused into the facts.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

She later said, “In high school, I felt as if I was representing my neighborhood; now at Princeton, I was representing my race.”

She has called the second section of her book “Becoming Us.” It is no surprise that a good portion of her story revolves around Barack Obama and his political career.

And yes, there is a recounting of the campaigns from state senate all the way to the White House. However, through it all she maintains a focus on what kind of relationship she was looking for. The two of them came from very different family backgrounds. She says, “If her family was a square, then Barack’s was a more elaborate piece of geometry.”

Barack had his ambitions, but he saw marriage “as the loving alignment of two people who could lead parallel lives without forgoing […] dreams or ambitions.”

Michelle accepted that there could be success in such an approach, but as she states, “I don’t believe that the pursuit of one person’s dreams should come at the expense of the couple.”

forge careers in public service, followed by associate dean at the University of Chicago.

Her daughters were born in 1998 and 2001. Barack would come home for dinner if he could. Michelle set a schedule and stuck to it. As she said, “I didn’t want them to believe that life began when the man of the house arrived home.”

After moving into the White House, family life in some ways became more orderly but not easier. There were many new roles to play, and she had to put up with continual pettiness and constant criticism. Michelle has called the third part of her story “Becoming More.” There was more to do for others, and it came as no surprise that there were more struggles, too. And just as when she had assumed the role of first lady, the haunting question of “Am I good enough?” resurfaced.

The book is written with a serious voice, but I found certain stories humorous. Michelle thought that the White House, full of antique furnishings, famous art, and inlaid designs was a bit “over the top.” But then she went to England and met the Queen.

Perhaps with a bit of dark humor, she says she did not really think about Barack’s safety during his time as president. After all, “Barack was a black man.... He could get shot just going to the gas station.”

Michelle gave her all with everything she had to grapple with. As first lady, she was perhaps thrust into situations and roles that she would rather have passed on, but through it all, she remembered who she was, maintained a focused purpose, and never forgot that she was good enough. No matter who we are, Michelle’s message to us is the same message she has for herself.

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.

It is worth stating that Michelle had big dreams and high ambitions of her own, as may be expected of a graduate of both Princeton and Harvard Law School. This led to jobs in the City of Chicago’s mayoral office, the position of executive director for Public Allies, which helped people

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2021-10-26 �� 11:40:49

GFN Radio 51

Play Your Favorite Tunes on the Viva DJ Show!

In continuing its collaboration with the Gwangju Foreign Language Network (GFN), in this issue of the Gwangju News we present the Viva DJ Show, a program that allows listeners the opportunity to dive into the studio and host a show with Monique Dean, playing hits from the 1960s to the 1990s.

The Viva DJ Show airs in the mornings from Monday through Saturday from 9 to 10 a.m. in both Gwangju and Yeosu. Having a fresh concept, this new show offers GFN listeners the chance to step into the studio and host their own radio show together with the Viva DJ Show’s permanent host, Monique. Every month, a new co-host from our community graces the airwaves by delivering some of their favorite pop hits.

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Interviewed by Melline Galani.

Monique Dean is originally from Texas in the United States and has been living in Gwangju for close to six years. She has a master’s degree in clinical social work and an interest in wellness.

She enjoys the performing arts, music, and roller-skating.

November 2021

My main duties were picking out a subject, making the script for it, and choosing some of the songs in relation to the topic I had chosen for the day. I picked diverse subjects from books, Dracula, colors, love, and favorite bands to music genres like new wave, rock, punk, and disco from the 1970s to the 1990s, with each show making the adventure memorable. I did not even realize when the month was up, as it had gone by just like a dream.

Monique was very helpful and supportive throughout

We encourage anyone to volunteer for the Viva DJ Show and try their luck at being a co-host. It is ideal for a lot of people because it is only a one-month commitment. It is also a great opportunity to get your foot in the door at GFN. Monique told me that many of the co-hosts for the Viva DJ Show have gone on to work on other shows at GFN. She also did This Morning Gwangju with Alex Reid as a guest host, and before that, In the Mix with Travis Wingfield where she had The People’s Choice segment, before becoming the permanent host of the Viva DJ Show. She is certain that avid listeners of the show know her by heart by now.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

I signed up and did the show throughout the month of September 2021. Being part of the ’90s generation, the topics and music I picked brought back beautiful memories from my youth. I found Monique to be an excellent music connoisseur, and we had interesting conversations related to the songs we played. She told me she had been the host of the Viva DJ Show for almost three years and for her, the show was pure nostalgia with a memory attached to every song. We both agreed that it was a great opportunity to learn the history, background, and meaning behind some of our favorite songs.

the journey, and I have learned a lot from her. Sharing not only a similar musical background but also common experiences – she also started her GFN experience without previous experience and, just like me, found an advertisement on social media and took the opportunity – which helped us develop a beautiful friendship. And the best part was the freedom I had in expressing myself and directing the show.

Those who are interested in co-hosting can go to the GFN website at gfn.or.kr and fill out an application. If you have any knowledge of or love for music from the 1960s to the 1990s, then you should definitely give it a try!

The Host

CULTURE & ARTS

H

ave you ever wondered what it would be like to be a DJ on the radio without any previous experience? I bet you haven’t, and neither had I until I found an advertisement for the Viva DJ Show at GFN.

2021-10-26 �� 11:40:50

52 GFN Radio

Top of The Drop

By Daniel J. Springer This is the latest installment of the most recent column added to the Gwangju News: “Top of The Drop,” by Daniel Springer of the Gwangju Foreign Language Network (GFN). Each month, “Danno” picks his favorite newly released tunes that you may have missed, along with some upcoming albums and EPs that you might want to keep on your radar. — Ed.

CULTURE & ARTS

Adele – “Easy On Me”

And the world’s females screamed “Finally!” in unison, and all was well.

Adele dropped this in the middle of October, her first single to come out in nearly six years. On top of that, this massive single announced her next LP called simply 30, which is due out November 12. This single is really so subtle and artful; one could easily slip up and not hear any of the deft percussion and other instrumental touches in the arrangement. The LP is not lacking on deep meaning either, as the singer explained, it is her way of explaining divorce to her young son. Just over a decade on, and Adele seems ready to take it to the next level.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

Michael Kiwanuka – “Beautiful Life”

The Mercury Prize winner for 2020 is back in a big way with this single.

Filmmaker Orlando von Einseidel released Convergence: Courage in a Crisis via Netflix on October 19, and this emotive new tune was put out the previous weekend as part of a seven-minute single, which is the title tune to the film.

While anyone who listened to 2019’s Kiwanuka knows that the man has no problems at any speed, this tune has a sleight of hand that finds the artist digging deeper for meaning in a world that lacks righteous courage.

BadBadNotGood (feat. Arthur Verocai) – “Love Proceeding”

Another band that has not been heard from in a while in a fulllength format is the Toronto-based BadBadNotGood. Their last album IV, seems to have taken a bit of the creative juice for the studio out of the band, as they openly admitted they needed time for some headspace to get back. Now that they are back, the results are very strong, and while Talk

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Memory does not have the collaborative features that the previous chapter does, the cinematic trademarks are still there and very strong.

Robert Glasper (feat. D Smoke & Tiffany Gouche) – “Shine”

One of the best singles to come out in October is also hailed as the latest chapter in the Black Radio album series from the Houston virtuoso.

While we already heard a beautiful single way back in summer 2020 with Meshell Ndegeocello and H.E.R. in “Better Than I Imagined,” this one is of a more generalized hope for humanity in the lyrics and content. Black Radio 3 drops next year in 2022 via Loma Vista.

Dragonfruit – “Exhale”

Another debut album that really had some people turning heads this past month was Dragonfruit’s Gears of the Giant Machine. The Dutch quartet out of Rotterdam were “born out of a love for sample hip hop and neosoul,” and it shows both in the texture and general positivity of the finished product. Keep an eye on this crew for the future.

Magdalena Bay – “Hysterical Us”

The band here is the duo of Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin, who have been both making music together since high school and releasing a steady stream of singles and EPs since 2017. Well, the flight to infinity is finally here with their debut album called Mercurial World. A collection of synth pop and dance cuts that are both otherworldly and disarmingly familiar, this is an album to throw on and give a full listen immediately.

2021-10-26 �� 11:40:52

53 Darius (feat. Benny Sings) – “Rise”

For almost a decade now, the artist calling himself Darius has been doing an amazing balancing act stylistically between the filtered house music that inspired him coming up and the dreamy beats that he finds intriguing now. A good example of this endeavor is his latest tune “Rise,” done with LA-based Dutchman Benny Sings, which has a spacey, downtempo simplicity to it but only reveals its complexity with close, determined listening.

Serpentwithfeet – “Down Nuh River”

After the debut success of Serpentwithfeet’s Deacon in March of this year, it seemed that the only thing to do was for the artist to put out a companion EP of items left on the cutting room floor that can give the artist a look into their creative process for what is a solid album. Deacon’s Groove drops on November 5.

Pond – “Take Me Avalon I’m Young”

The veteran band out of Perth, Australia, are back with their ninth studio album as of October 1, and while 9 is a generally solid rock album, this particular single takes the listener for a ride with a multilayered, highly soulful instrumental that is not only powerful but highly emotional. The song is just one of those that you throw on and it seems to still be in the air long after playing.

Runrummer – “Cosmic Love”

Kamen Ross – “Wildest Dreams”

It may seem like the Jeju-based soloist and member of

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Hovvdy – True Love (October 1) Pond – 9 (October 1) Lala Lala – I Want the Door to Open (October 8) Finneas – Optimist (October 15) Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes – Sticky (October 15) Bedouine – Waysides (October 15) Parquet Courts – Sympathy for Life (October 22) Duran Duran – Future Past (October 22) Hand Habits – Fun House (October 22) Helado Negro – Far In (October 22) Lana Del Rey – Blue Bannisters (October 22) My Morning Jacket – S/T (October 22) The War on Drugs – I Don’t Live Here Anymore (October 29)

Watch Out for These Curtis Harding – If Words Were Flowers (November 5) Joan as Police Woman – The Solution Is Restless (November 5) Hana Vu – Public Storage (November 5) Neal Francis – In Plain Sight (November 5) Courtney Barnett – Things Take Time, Take Time (November 12) Damon Albarn – The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows (November 12) IDLES – Crawler (November 12) Pip Blom – Welcome Break (November 12) Adele – 30 (November 19) Sting – The Bridge (November 19)

The Author

Daniel J. Springer (aka “Danno”) is the creator, host, writer, editor, and producer of “The Drop with Danno,” broadcasting nightly on GFN 98.7 FM in Gwangju and 93.7 FM in Yeosu from 8–10 p.m. Prior to this, he was a contributor to several shows on TBS eFM in Seoul, along with being the creator and co-host of “Spacious” and “White Label Radio” on WNUR in Chicago. You can find “The Damyang Drop,” his monthly collaborative playlist with The Damyang House, on YouTube and Spotify. @gfnthedrop Show RSS Feed: https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-drop-with-danno

November 2021

Livi Morris, our favorite Brummie now based in London, made her second appearance on The Drop with Danno this past month on the same day she released her Outer Space EP and shared some of her favorite tracks. Born out of an impromptu synth session that morphed into five tracks, this is an interesting and diverse bit of music that spans from 1980s-inspired dance music to gravity-defying dream pop and back. Another lovely young artist to keep an eye on, especially with an album already in the works.

October Releases

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT

Banana Moon is in this column every month, and that has been literally true for the last couple of issues, but the quality just keeps coming from Kamen Ross. This is far different from the piano solos of the previously released I Dreamt We Fell in Love, with the artist here opting for a floating, elegant, and airy bit of dream pop that has a feel of brooding and darkness lying just below the surface.

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www.gwangjunewsgic.com

November 2021

CULTURE & ARTS

54 Webtoon

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55

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November 2021

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.

www.gwangjunewsgic.com

The Author

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56

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Look for the answers to this crossword puzzle to appear in December in Gwangju News Online (www.gwangjunewsgic.com).

Created by Jon Dunbar

55.

56.

57.

58.

59.

Opposite of fall Beats, in online parlance Former President Moo-hyun Catch sight of Taro and Nobuko

DOWN

ACROSS 1. Communications by TXT 5. Unfounded attitude 9. High-level educational achievement 12. ___ vera 13. Archipelago part 14. ___ de cologne 15. Korean poetry genre 16. Superhero’s costume musthave 17. Goes with ginger or pale 18. Polluted, as in air 20. Yunkyoung ___ Kim 22. County of Yonggwolsan 24. Payment 26. Tissue layer

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27. South Gyeongsang island 31. Seoul public school org.

33. Swollen head 35. Goes with hot or one 36. Redevelopment site in Gwangju 38. Important economic measure 40. Major Korean broadcaster 41. Beloved “First” closed restaurant 44. Meanest burger in Gwangju 47. Picturesque 50. ___-Manuel Miranda 51. Is indebted to 53. “___ good example” (2 words) 54. South Jeolla NGO looking out for migrant workers

1. Multiply this by the speed of light squared to get energy 2. Thin 3. Dangun’s kingdom 4. District west of Dong-gu 5. Eco-friendly mode of transport 6. “Sheena ___ punk rocker” (2 words) 7. Korean stationery store 8. ___ is believing 9. Bell ring 10. Korea TESOL national president Brian 11. One-on-one fight 19. PPP predecessor from 1990s 21. SKI’s rival 23. Scandinavian coziness 24. Agency under the FSC 25. Sex Pistols’ former label 28. Korean online news website 29. Position at a company 30. And so on 32. Old-timey exclamation of surprise 34. Epic journey 37. Clinton’s vice president (2 words) 39. Rival of Deloitte, EY, KPMG 42. C.S. or Carroll 43. K-pop group with virtual avatars 44. Out of focus 45. Puerto ___ 46. Imperial measurement of length 48. “Give ___ thought” (two words) 49. Gordon Ramsay's favorite Korean beer 52. Sixth sense

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제 27회 온·오프라인 광주국제교류의 날

GWANGJU INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY DAY 2021 November 5-14 , 2021

광주국제교류센터 · Gwangju International Center

오프라인 행사 | Offline Events

온라인 행사 | Online Events

외국인 생활상담 (온·오프라인)

광주장기자랑 영상 게시

외국인 퀴즈 대회

On- & Offline Counseling Day

Gwangju’s Got Talent on YouTube

Gwangju Quiz Contest for Internationals

11.05.(Fri) 2 p.m. / 11.12.(Fri) 2 p.m. 광주국제교류센터, GIC 2nd Floor

11.05.(Fri)

11.14.(Sun) 2 p.m.

세계문화체험 세계요리교실

Global Culture Class

Global Cooking Class

11.05.(Fri) 3 p.m. / 11.06.(Sat) 1 p.m. / 3 p.m.

11.12.(Fri) 3 p.m. / 11.13.(Sat) 1 p.m. / 3 p.m.

11.05.(Fri) ~ 11.07.(Sun) 2 p.m.

11.12.(Fri) ~ 11.14.(Sun) 2 p.m. ※ 장소 추후 공지; Venue TBA. 프리사이클

Freecycle 11.07.(Sun) 2 p.m. 광주국제교류센터, GIC 2nd Floor

대사관 연계 특별강좌

Online Talk with Foreign Embassies in Korea 11.06.(Sat) 2:30 p.m. (카자흐스탄 KAZAKHSTAN) 11.13.(Sat) 2:30 p.m. (인도 INDIA)

글로벌커뮤니티

SNS 인증이벤트

Global Community

Social Media Event

모든 프로그램은 광주국제교류센터 홈페이지를 통해 사전신청 후 참여 가능합니다. (기간: 10.15.~10.31.)

Please make a reservation to join the programs above through the GIC homepage.

(Reservation period: Oct 15 ~ Oct 31)

ⓒ Gwangju International Center TEL 062-226-2733 E-MAIL gicday@gmail.com WEB www.gic.or.kr

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