(EN) Gwangju News May 2014 #147

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www.gwangjunewsgic.com

May 2014 Issue No. 147

Madam Maimunah Mohd Sharif Why a Malaysian Mayor Comes to Gwangju Every Year

The Gwangju Bombers Meet Gwangju’s New Baseball Team

The Koryo Saram Koreans From the Former Soviet Union Come Home

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Meet Our Contributors: Ana Traynin (Gwangju News Online Editor, U.S.A.) Ana Traynin started volunteering with Gwangju Online News in October 2013 and has since written three stories and taken over as Gwangju Online News Editor. She has lived in Gwangju for one year and is an EFL teacher at Hanbit High School in Damyang. Ana has quickly fallen in love with the Jeollanamdo region and enjoys being immersed in the beautiful nature, strong independent traditions and social movement history. Before moving to Korea in 2012, Ana taught EFL in Northern France after graduating from university in Boston. Her family lives in Houston, which she finally feels proud enough to call home, and also San Francisco and Denver.

When not teaching or writing, Ana enjoys riding her bike through the mean streets of Gwangju and beyond, volunteering on farms and gardens, learning about Korean history and politics, spending time in nature, yoga and meditation. She is looking forward to the day when she reads more books and watches more movies.

Blake Bouchard (Writer, Canada) My wife and I have been living and teaching in Gwangju since February 2013. I am originally from Prince George, a smallish town in northern British Columbia, Canada, and my interests centre on the outdoors where I grew up. I love hiking, biking, kayaking, hunting, and fishing, as well as a variety of sports.

Before coming to Gwangju I finished university with English and History degrees and spent two years working on indigenous issues with remote First Nations communities in northern British Columbia. All of these things have fed into my passion for research, reading, and writing about a wide variety of subjects. Writing for Gwangju News has given me an opportunity to pursue all of these things.

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#147

editorial team

May 2014 Published Date: April 25, 2014

ON THE COVER Madam Maimunah Mohd. Sharif, Municipal President Municipal Council of Seberang Perai, Penang, Malaysia Photograph courtesy of Seberang Perai Municipal Council

THE EDITORIAL TEAM Publisher: Professor Shin Gyonggu

GWANGJU NEWS PRINT Editor-in-Chief: Professor Robert Grotjohn Editor: Adam Volle Layout Editor: Karina Prananto Senior Coordinator: Kim Minsu Coordinator: Karina Prananto Photo Editors: Karina Prananto, Simon Bond Chief Proofreader: Bradley Weiss Copy Editors: Heinrich Hattingh, Kaley LaQuea, Joey Nunez, Jon Ozelton, Samantha Richter, Jenn Tinoco Proofreaders: Timm Berg, Brian Fitzroy, Paul Foskey, Don Gariepy, Angie Hartley, Britton Inglehart, Fellin Kinanti, Carrie Levinson, Joey Nunez, Gabrielle Nygaard, Jennifer Peedin, SS Puri, Katie Rayner, Teri Venable, Gilda Wilson Creative Consultant: Warren Parsons Researchers: Jo A-ra, Catherina Takoh, Kim Yoo-joong, Kim So-hyun, Park Eun-young

Website: www.gwangjunewsgic.com E-mail: gwangjunews@gic.or.kr Registration No.: 광주광역시 라. 00145 (ISSN 2093-5315)

Registration Date: February 22, 2010 Printed by Join Adcom 조인애드컴

Gwangju News is a monthly English magazine, published since June 2001, written and edited by volunteers. We welcome your contributions for proofreading, copy editing, administration, layout/design and distribution. Please write to gwangjunews@gic.or.kr to tell us your area of interest.

Gwangju News also welcomes letters to the editor regarding articles and issues.

Articles and submissions may be edited for reasons of clarity or space.

Gwangju News is published by Gwangju International Center Address: Samho Center 1-2 Fl. 5, Jungang-ro 196beon-gil (Geumnam-ro 3 Ga) Dong-gu, Gwangju 501-023, South Korea Phone: +82-62-226-2733~4 Fax: +82-62-226-2731 Website: www.gic.or.kr E-mail: gic@gic.or.kr

GWANGJU NEWS ONLINE Editor: Ana Traynin Online Administrator: Carl Hedinger Online Editorial Assistants: Brittany Baker, Jacqui Page, Rebecca Weber

The Gwangju News Team would like to express our deepest condelences for those involved and the families and friends of Sewolho Ferry Accident.

Special thanks to the City of Gwangju and all of our sponsors.

Copyright 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 publishers.

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contents

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contents Cover Story

2 6 8 12 16 18

12 Madam Maimunah Mohd Sharif Creating A Malaysian Human Rights City

20 22 24 28 29 30 32 33 34 36 37 38

20 Koryo Saram Center

39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46

46 The Gwangju Bombers: Making Waves In The Local Baseball Scene

48 50 52 55

Meet Our Contributors Gwangju City Hall News Upcoming Events Madam Maimunah Mohd Sharif: Creating A Malaysian Human Rights City World Human Rights Cities Forum 2014 Invites You Gwangju Talks: Do You Think Foreigners' Human Rights Are Guaranteed In Gwangju?

Koryo Saram Center Buddha’s Birthday Gwangju Sister City: Medan, Indonesia Photo of the Month: A Double Screen Photography: Panning Photo Essay: Coastal Landscape GIC Talk Preview: Fighting Poverty In The Twenty-First Century GIC Talk May 2014 Schedule GIC Tour Preview: Gurye Korea In The World: Atlanta, U.S.A. My Korea: Jeonju's Korean-style Houses, Food and Dessert Why Drinking Too Much Water Can Be Harmful For Your Health Birds Korea: What Does Wilderness Mean To You? Buying A Bus Ticket Gwangju Writes: Coffee Gwangju Eats: Golden Shrimp Gwangju Cooks: Potato Patty Behind the Myth: Did North Korea Help Gwangju’s May 18 Uprising?

Korean Sayings: Fried or Spicy Chicken?

The Gwangju Bombers: Making Waves In The Local Baseball Scene FashOn: Carried Away KOTESOL: Those Commonly Held Beliefs on Language Learning and Teaching National Pension Q&A Community Board

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news

Gwangju City Hall News Words by Carl Hedinger Compiled by Jo A-ra, Kim Yoo-joong, Kim So-hyun and Park Eun-young Photos courtesy of Gwangju Metropolitan City

Mudeung Army Base Relocation Plans Underway

The relocation project of Korea's 31st Division is set to begin in earnest. Mayor Kang announced at the end of March that Gwangju put forward a motion to transfer the outfit after a meeting with Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin. Two proposed sites are under review and the project will begin after military authorities determine the most suitable relocation site. Concerning the duration of the relocation mission, Mr. Kang said that it should start in the second half of 2015 and finish by 2018.

The 31st Division has been asked to relocate due to city expansion since its initial designation as a homeland division in Samgak-dong in 1955. The City announced that the transfer will go into effect following a meeting with the Ministry of National Defense. The present site will be handled by a citizens' representative group with interest in developing it into a housing area, an artists' colony, and a green civic park.

Mayor Kang has announced he will present the Air Station and Mt. Mudeung Air Defense Fort's relocation plans following said conference with the Defense Ministry.

City Water Quality Declared 'Suitable'

Gwangju's Office of Waterworks recently examined the water quality of four filtration plants, 25 facilities involved in supply processes, eight taps in areas where water pipes are considered decrepit, and 130 separate locations with general faucets. After these lengthy inspections, the Office found all drinking water to be within standards of water quality and made the announcement near the end of March.

The Office has been carrying out the inspection into tap water quality every month as required by water safety laws. Gang Yeong-joo is the head of the Research Center in the Office of Waterworks and said, “Gwangju has been examining water quality devices along with the Environmental Ministry while announcing the results every month via committee. We're trying, through this effort, to raise people's trust in using tap water.�

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news Gwangju Foreign Residents Surveyed

The City completed a study of the present situation of all foreign residents who live in Gwangju, in cooperation with the Ministry of Security. The survey was conducted from neighborhood community centers in each district with the aid of electronic systems.

Excellent Local Handicrafts Groups to Receive 'O'HANDS'

Local artisans have a new incentive to keep up the creativity. Thanks to a new City program, selected artisans will receive recognition for superior quality.

The brand “O' hands” has been created to boost consumer confidence in handicrafts and assist the local crafts industry. The City will start designating “Excellent Handicrafts” with appointed marks (O'Hands) for high quality.

The slogan combines the exclamation “Oh!” and the “hands” for handicrafts. Brochures will feature selected goods and a local showcase store will soon launch, though no date is yet specified. A handicrafts industry exhibition is also planned, with the Gwangju Design Center in charge. The City plans to accept applications in the second half of 2014 after forming a judging committee and establishing program regulations.

Daum Maps Coming to Gwangju Bus Site

Gwangju's bus website (http://bus.gjcity.net) has some exciting news: a huge transition set to commence in June. Thanks to an agreement with Daum, one of Korea's most popular multiuse websites, customers will see some new functions intended to offer passengers a more convenient experience when using public transportation. In March, the City signed an agreement that provides public transportation information to Daum.

According to the contract, Daum plans to present many new options for customers.

Once the system is unveiled, the website's real-time information homepage will be changed to Daum Maps. Other additions include various aesthetic screen improvements and a “Create a route” function. Users can also find Gwangju's real-time bus information on the Daum Maps website, which should be useful during the rush hour's site slowdowns.

Foreign workers, married immigrants, and everyone else who requires a visa to live in Korea were sought out. Categories were based on nationality, gender, and age. The focus of this study is to gain insight into the current state of foreign residents and support groups. Results will be released in early July.

The information will be used as baseline data for studies on foreign economic health, lifestyle, and for future support policies. As of January 1st, the number of foreign residents of Gwangju was just over 22,000 and included almost 5,000 immigrants through marriage. More than 4,500 children were also included in the figures.

Safer Taxi Service Now Available, with Extra Features

It was previously mentioned in our January 2014 issue that all taxi passengers in Gwangju can go home with more peace of mind starting in March, thanks to the “Return Home Safely” (RHS) service.

It was recently announced that in May the RHS service plans to utilize the Near Field Communication (NFC) system in 8,200 taxis currently running in Gwangju.

In order to use the RHS, passengers just need to locate the NFC sticker on the taxi's backseat window. The taxi's details, including location, license number and contact information, will be sent to families or friends automatically. This service is expected to help promote safe taxi usage, especially for women and the elderly, as well as for finding items left behind.

However, some passengers using older smartphones or iPhones might not be able to use the NFC.

For more news on Gwangju please scan the QR Code

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upcoming events

Upcoming Events May 2014 Compiled by Jo A-ra, Catherina Takoh, Kim Yoo-joong, Kim So-hyun, Park Eun-young and Karina Prananto

Movies @ the Gwangju Theater Address: Chungjang-no 5-ga (two blocks behind NC WAVE) Phone: 062-224-5858 Admission: 8,000 won per person per film.

Check online for the theater’s calendar and prices at: http://cafe.naver.com/cinemagwangju (Korean). Films change weekly to bi-weekly.

Le Week-End 위크엔드 인 파리 [15, R] Genre: Drama Director: Roger Michell Starring: Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan, Jeff Goldblum Language: English Synopsis: Nick and Meg Burrows, a mature British couple, go to France to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary. Both previously visited 30 years ago and hope that the trip will keep their relationship alive, but their trip does not go as planned.

20 Feet From Stardom 스타로부터 스무발자국 [PG-13] Genre: Documentary Director: Gil Friesen Starring: Darlene Love, Judith Hill, Lisa Fischer Language: English Synopsis: The lives of real American backup singers change in unexpected ways as they become big names in the music industry.

The Congress 콩그레스 Genre: Science Fiction, Animation Director: Ari Folman Starring: Robin Wright, Harvey Keitel, Jon Hamm Language: English Synopsis: Washed-up actress Robin sells her the rights to her likeness to a film studio so they can digitally create new performances by her.

Strangers On The Field 그라운드의 이방인 Genre: Documentary Director: Kim Myeong-jun Starring: Kim Geun, Kwon Inji, Bae Junhan Language: Korean Synopsis: This documentary attempts to find and praise the legendary members of a famous Korean student baseball team that traveled to Japan to develop interest in the sport every summer between 1956 to 1997.

All The Mornings Of The World 세상의 모든 아침 Genres: Drama, Musical Director: Alain Corneau Starring: Jean-Pierre Marielle, Gerard Depardieu, Anne Brochet Language: French Synopsis: In the late 17th-century, baroque composer Marin Marais makes his music.

Special Event! Movie and Concert Watch “All The Mornings Of The World” and listen to PIANO DUO [Pas de deux] from Katia Krivokochenko and François Gassion on May 24.

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Happy May! Here's what's happening at the Holiday Inn Gwangju.

Welcome! Mr. David Artigue

Sports May Home Match Schedule Date

Match Team

Time

3 14 18

Goyang Hi FC Suwon FC Daejeon Citizen FC

2 p.m.

7 p.m.

2 p.m.

Venue: Gwangju World Cup Stadium (광주월드컵경기장) Direction: By using buses 6, 16, 20, 26, 47 or 74, get off at the World Cup Stadium Bus Stop.

Admission: Adults 5,000 won/ Children 3,000 won Season tickets: Adults 40,000 won/ Children 20,000 won Website: www.gwangjufc.com

May Home Match Schedule Date

Match Team

Time

1 3 4-5 16 17 18 20 - 22 27 - 29 30 31

SK Wyverns Nexen Heroes Nexen Heroes Samsung Lions Samsung Lions Samsung Lions LG Twins Doosan Bears NC Dinos NC Dinos

6:30 p.m.

5 p.m.

2 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

5 p.m.

2 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

6:30 p.m.

5 p.m.

Venue: KIA Champions Field Directions: By using buses 16, 38, 51, 53, 89, 95, 98 or 151, get off at the Mudeung Baseball Stadium Bus Stop.

Admission: Weekdays: Adults 8,000 won/ Children 3,000 won Weekends: Adults 9,000 won/ Children 4,000 won (Get 1,000 won discount if you come with a bicycle, get exchange ticket from parking guard) Website: www.tigers.co.kr

The Holiday Inn Gwangju Hotel is pleased to announce the appointment of its new General Manager, Mr. David Artigue. Mr David Artigue replaces Michael Wilson, who left in March after 4 years on the job.

Mr. Artigue is married to a Korean woman and is a graduate of hotel management in France, his native country. Before deciding to travel around Asia, he spent eight years working for the Hilton chain in Switzerland and Korea. In Asia, Mr. Artigue has spent much of his career as Food and Beverage Director in such luxury brand hotels as the Sofitel and most recently the Radisson Group.

“I look forward to working with my new team to provide exceptional experiences for our guests,” he says, “And to create unique, personal memories which they can enjoy long after leaving our hotel.”

Hourglass Restaurant Fiesta de America del Sur at Holiday Inn Gwangju

Holiday Inn Gwangju invites guests to discover the unique South American cuisine and flavours at the Hourglass in May. This event will feature an expanded buffet offering not only the best of Asia and the Western World, but also the finest dishes of countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Venezuela, Peru and more!

In addition to that, a bottle of wine will be offered for any table of 4 adults at only 43,000 won (tax included) per person.

To make reservations and for more information, please contact: 062-610-7000 or www.holidayinngwangju.com

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upcoming events

Exhibitions

Waterdrop Artist Kim TschangYeul Exhibition 물방울 화가 김창열 초대전 Venue: Gwangju Museum of Art Dates: February 21 - May 6 Times: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. / Closed Mondays Directions: Taking buses 64 or 83, get off at the Gwangju Biennale Bus Stop, or by taking buses no.

83, get off at the Gwangju Biennale Entrance Bus Stop.

Admission: Free Phone: 062-613-7100 Website: http://www.artmuse.gwangju.go.kr

National Geographic Exhibition: The Beautiful Days 내셔널 지오그래픽 展 II 아름다운 날들의 기록 Venue: Gwangju Culture and Art Center Exhibition Hall Dates: March 7 -June 8 Times: 10a.m. - 7p.m. (closed on Mondays) Admission: Adults12,000 won/ Students 10,000 won/ Children 8,000 won Direction: Taking buses 16, 18, 27, 58, 84, 85 or 192, get off in front of the Gwangju Culture and Art Center Bus Stop.

Phone: 062-613-8340

Energy and Dream 기운 Dream Venue: Gwangju Museum of Art Dates: March 29 - May 25 Times: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. / Closed Mondays Directions: Taking buses 19, 36, 37 or 72, get off at the Sangrok Building Bus Stop. Taking bus no. 1187, get off at the Seo-gu Health Center Bus Stop.

Admission: Free Phone: 062-613-5392~4 Website: http://www.artmuse.gwangju.go.kr

Special Exhibition <Sinan Seabed Treasure> 특집전<신안 해저의 보물> Venue: Gwangju National Museum Dates: December 17, 2013 - June 29, 2014 Times: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m./ closed on Mondays Directions: Taking buses 29, 48, 63, 84 or 95, get off at the Gwangju National Museum Bus Stop or at the Gwangju National Museum Entrance Bus Stop.

Admission: Free Phone: 062-570-7000 Website: http://gwangju.museum.go.kr

Lee Gang Ha in Mugaksa Lotus Gallery 이강하 무각사 로터스 갤러리 Venue: Mugak Temple, 1268-1 Ssangchon-dong, Seo-gu Dates: April 8 - May 31 Times: 9:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Directions: Taking buses 16, 19, 160 or 760, get off at the Honam University Entrance Bus Stop. By taking subway, get off the Honam University Entrance Subway Station.

Admission: Free Phone: 062-383-0070 MUTE Exhibition 음소거 전시회 Venue: Gallery Jino (Jino Building 5th Floor, 1294-25 Chipyeong-dong, Seo-gu) Dates: April 16 - June 12 Times: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. (Mondays~ Fridays), 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. (Saturdays) Admission: Free Directions: Taking buses 19, 20, 62, 69, 73, 160 or 270, get off at the Chonnam High School Entrance Bus Stop.

Phone: 062-384-0500 When Animal Friends and Animation Meets 애니메이션과 동물친구들이 만날때 展 Venue: Gwangju National Museum Dates: February 26 - June 15 Times: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m./ closed on Mondays Directions: Taking buses 29, 48, 63, 84 or 95, get off at the Gwangju National Museum Bus Stop or at the Gwangju National Museum Entrance Bus Stop.

Admission: Free (Experience program is charged separately for 10,000 won) Phone: 062-570-7000 Website: http://gwangju.museum.go.kr

Performances Gwangju International Center MAY CONCERT 광주국제교류센터 오월음악회 Venue: Bitgoeul Citizen Cultural Center Date: May 11 Time: 5 p.m.

Directions: Taking buses 06, 07, 12, 45, 74 or 170, get off at the Hyanggyo (Confucian School) Entrance Bus Stop and walk up a hill to the Center Admission: All seats are 10,000 won (Available for purchase now at the GIC) Website: www.gic.or.kr MUSICAL Sherlock Holmes 2: Bloody Game – Gwangju 뮤지컬 셜록홈즈2 – 광주 Venue: Gwangju Culture and Art Center Grand Theater Date: May 2 - 4 Time: May 2 - 7:30 p.m., May 3 3 p.m. /7p.m., May 4 - 3 p.m.

Directions: Taking buses 16, 18, 27, 58, 63, 83, 84, 85 or 192, get off at the Gwangju Culture and Art Center Entrance Bus Stop Admission: VIP Seats 99,000 won/ R Seats 77,000 won/ S Seats 55,000 won Website: http://ticket.interpark.com/

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upcoming events

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Festivals Hwasun Healing Food Festival 2014 화순 푸드 페스티벌 Venue: Hwasun Hanium Culture and Sports Center, Hwasun-gun, Jeollanam-do Dates: May 2 - 6 Programs: Food Experiences, Shopping Area and Performances Directions: Taking a Hwasun bus no. 218 from the Gwangju U-Square Bus Terminal or use a Gwangju downtown bus no. 152, to reach the Byeokragyo Bus Stop. The venue is just a very short walk away from the bus stop.

Phone: 061-379-3575~8 Website: http://healingfood.hwasun.go.kr/ Boseong Green Tea Festival 보성 다향제 녹차대축제 Venue: Chasori Park, 807-2, Boseong-ri, Boseong-eup, Boseong-gun, Jeollanamdo Dates: May 2 - 6 Programs: Tea Art Festival, Hanbok Fashion Show, Tea Ceremony Performances, Musical Performances, picking Tea Leaves and making Tea, Green Tea Soap Making and Tea Exhibitions Directions: From the Gwangju U-Square Bus Terminal, take a bus to Boseong. From the Boseong Bus Terminal, take a Boseong-Cheonpo routed bus to Daehan Dawon, then walk to the venue.

Phone: 061-852-2181 Website: http://dahyang.boseong.go.kr/ Hampyeong Butterfly Festival 함평 나비대축제 Venue: Hampyeong Expo Park Area, 27, Gonjearo, Hampyeong-eup, Hampyeong-gun, Jeollanam-do Dates: May 2 - 11 Programs: Musical performances, exhibition halls featuring butterflies, insects and water plants, petting zoo and butterfly-themed lights and decorations Directions: Take a bus to Hampyeong from the Gwangju U-Square Bus Terminal. From the Hampyeong Bus Terminal, walk 100 m. towards the Expo venue.

Admission: Adults (ages 19-65): 7,000 won Youth (ages 13-18): 5,000 won Children & Seniors: 3,000 won Phone: 061-322-0011 Website: http://www.hampyeong.go.kr/

Yeosu Geobukseon (Turtle Ship) Festival 여수거북선축제 Venue: Yi Sun-shin Square, Dolsan-eup, Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do Dates: May 3 - 6 Programs: Re-enactment of traditional navy forces starting a battle, Traditional Performances and Ceremonies, Various Performances and Ship-Drying Events Directions: Taking a bus from the Gwangju U-square Bus Terminal to Yeosu. Across from the Yeosu Intercity Bus Terminal, take bus 2, 5, 6, 7, 18, 21~29, or 31~38 and get off at the Jinnamgwan Bus Stop. Walk 100 m. towards Jungang-dong Rotary to arrive at the Yi Sunshin Square.

Phone: 061-659-4743 Website: http://www.ystour.kr/ Chosun University Rose Festival 조선대학교장미축제 Venue: Chosun University, Seoseok-dong, Dong-gu Dates: May 23 - 25 Programs: Consisting of 152 different kinds of roses in an area of 5,299 meter square Directions: Taking buses 01, 17, 27, 28, 35 or 1000, get off at the Chosun University Bus Stop.

Admission: Free Phone: 062-230-7114 Website: http://rose.chosun.ac.kr/ Gokseong International Rose Festival 곡성 세계 장미축제 Venue: Seomjin River Train Village, Gokseong, Jeollanam-do Dates: May 23 - June 1 Programs: A 10 million Rose Exhibition from various countries and Musical and Art Performances Directions: From the Gwangju U-Square Bus Terminal, take a bus to Gokseong, from the Gokseong Bus Terminal, then take a taxi or walk to the venue (about 1.5 km. away) Admission: Adult 3,000 won, Children 2,500 won (Train Fee) Phone: 061-360-8252 Website: http://www.simcheong.com/ [NOTICE] Damyang Bamboo Festival 담양 대나무축제 Damyang Bamboo Festival which is held annually on May is postponed due to the Sewol Ferry incident.

The festival will be held on June 23 - 30.

For more information: Phone: 061-380-3153 Website: http://bamboofestival.co.kr/

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feature

Madam Maimunah Mohd Sharif: Creating a Malaysian Human Rights City Words by Blake Bouchard Photos courtesy of the Municipal Council of Seberang Perai Special thanks to Professor Shin Gyonggu and Siti Nurhayati Bt. Abdul Rahman

“A

city belongs to the people and the people belong to the city,” says Madam Maimunah Mohd Sharif, President of the Municipal Council of Seberang Perai (MPSP).

“Together we must work to make it a sustainable city for today and for the future generations.”

Since being appointed the first female President of the MPSP – the equivalent of a mayor – in the city of Seberang Perai by the Malaysian government in March 2011, Madam Maimunah has made every effort to tailor her

administration's actions to that sentiment.

Having grown up in relative poverty, the prospect of rising to her current position may have seemed completely out of reach. Madam Maimunah's break came when she was given the opportunity to study in the United Kingdom.

From 1980 until 1985 she studied at the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology, graduating with an honours degree in town planning studies. Madam Maimunah's time abroad also served to increase her awareness

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feature and interest in human rights issues, an interest she carried home. When she arrived back in Malaysia to take a position as a town planning officer, her own experiences lent her the “urge to work, give back and share her experiences with the people around her.”

Madam Maimunah's entire career has been dedicated to Seberang Perai. Upon returning from the United Kingdom, she immediately began work as a city planner, a position she maintained until 2003 when she became Director of the Department of Planning. Madam Maimunah assumed increasingly important roles within the city administration, eventually becoming the first General Manager of the George Town project in 2009. George Town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 and Madam Maimunah was given the task of establishing the World Heritage Office and developing the site itself. Working with UNESCO brought Madam Maimunah onto the global stage while keeping her close to her real passion: the people of Seberang Perai. As she stated in her Gwangju News interview, the “future generation has the right to know their history, so heritage is very much a human rights related topic.”

Given her long history of service to the community and her increasing global exposure through her affiliation with UNESCO, it is not surprising that Madam Maimunah was a prime candidate to become President of the MPSP. She has not been idle since taking the reins.

Working from the premise that the role of a city government is to “engage, consult, and encourage city participation in [its] service delivery,” Madam Maimunah was quick to begin reforming how Seberang Perai did business and how it approached its relationship with its citizens, and in the last three years Seberang Perai has received awards for quality management, sustainability, green initiatives, and e-governance.

Two areas became a primary focus: gender inclusion and public consultation. Madam Maimunah took the position that MPSP “had to be courageous enough to address the issue of gender equality and social injustice” rather than ignore these concerns and carry on with business as usual. Her starting point for these efforts was to develop more gender-inclusive programs and governing structures. One of Madam Maimunah's first acts was the creation

and funding of the Penang Women's Development Corporation in November 2011.

The corporation's mission statement is to “contribute to the transformation of Penang based on principles of substantive equality and good governance” through the “recognition of women's diverse identities, women's representation in all spheres, and the equitable redistribution of resources.”

MPSP and the Women's Development Corporation have been engaged in a threeyear pilot project for gender-responsive budgeting at the People's Housing Project Ampangan. First, a demographic survey was conducted on the low-income housing complex, owned by Seberang Perai and home to some 1200 people. This was followed with focus groups on gender-based need and voting on budget allocation priorities. Armed with this information, MPSP was able to create a project plan that reflected the needs and desires of the residents. Project implementation is ongoing, with the MPSP “working out how to meet the other remaining priorities that have been highlighted by the residents.”

In addition, the MPSP under Madam Maimunah has increased public accessibility and involvement in the municipal government. They began with an MPSP Watch Facebook page where users could register concerns or complaints, which gained 10,000 members. The page has since been upgraded to Citizen Action Technology, designed with input from stakeholders, to facilitate communication between the citizens and the government. In an effort to further include the citizens in municipal governance, representatives from a plethora of interest groups are included in fiscal discussions.

Recognizing the “need to be gender-sensitive and gender-aware before we can be genderresponsive,” these projects have been accompanied by an ongoing training program for municipal employees developed with guidance from gender experts like Dr. Regina Frey and Dr. Elisabeth Klatzer, gender-based budgeting experts from Europe. All of these initiatives feed into gender-responsive and participatory budgeting, a unique model that Madam Maimunah notes “we quite proudly refer to as the 'Penang Model,' [since it] has proven to be quite effective and popular among the local community.”

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1 1. Madam Maimunah with Gwangju Mayor Kang Un-tae 2. Madam Maimunah attending last year’s Gwangju World Human Rights Cities Forum 3. Seberang Perai Municipal Council office in Penang, Malaysia

Given Madam Maimunah's own approach to governance, it is unsurprising that she was drawn to Gwangju's World Human Rights Cities Forum (WHRCF). Madam Maimunah has been a regular attendee of the WHRCF since the inaugural session in 2011 and has been an active participant in several of the panels and discussions. During last year's forum she presented a paper on Seberang Perai's initiative on human rights in the city and served as a panel speaker on the topic of human rights and civil servants. She was later able to apply forum lessons in Seberang Perai through the creation of a panel on civil service, called the “Human Resource Development Committee,” to advise on issues such as recruitment, training, and service awards for the municipal staff.

Conceptualizing cities as human rights organs also matches well with Madam Maimunah's perception of the roles of the various levels of government. When asked about the role of city (as opposed to national) governments in forwarding human rights, she indicated the question is really one of proximity: the city government is closer to the people who are most vulnerable to human rights abuses, and so the city has an essential responsibility to ensure that those rights are protected. Ultimately, the “city government is the implementing agency” and its role is to “engage, consult, and encourage city participation in our service delivery.”

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Madam Maimunah continues to attend the forum, hoping to “collaborate and share our best practices with other cities and vice versa.”

This fits well with this year's WHRCF theme: “Towards a Global Alliance of Human Rights Cities for All.” This year's forum should be an excellent opportunity to further strengthen ties between Gwangju and Seberang Perai. As a spin-off of the 2013 WHRCF, Gwangju and Seberang Perai signed a Friendship Exchange Agreement pledging both cities to cultural, educational, and economic exchange. June 913 will see Gwangju fulfill part of its promise for educational exchange by sending 14 students, two teachers, and an officer to Seberang Perai.

Madam Maimunah's return to Gwangju may be seen as the honouring of Seberang Perai's own pledge for educational exchange. Certainly, there is much to learn from her.

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World Human Rights Cities Forum 2014 Invites You Words by Joey Nunez Photos by Jeremy Azurin and Diane Syejeong Kim

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wangju will long remember its own human rights tragedy 34 years ago. In honor of those lost and who suffered, the 2014 World Human Rights Cities Forum (WHRCF) will hold festivities, provide thematic workshops and advocate for human rights from May 15 to 18. Events will be at the Kimdaejung Convention Center in order to host over 500 guests. A team from the Gwangju International Center (GIC) has organized these events.

According to the WHRCF Concept Notes, this year's theme of “Towards a Global Alliance of Human Rights Cities for All” is meant to unify all participants as they strive toward making all cities more human-rights-conscious. The Concept Notes also emphasize that successful human rights innovation and structuring will provide cities with a common vision to be replicated around the world.

“The field of human rights is important for the reason that the parameters of its practices and utilization are still being constructed. A legal infrastructure of basic needs can be dangerous if not completely representational,” says Wilson Melbostad, a WHRCF discussion group manager.

Adds Park Min-young, a GIC coordinator responsible for WHRCF Planning and Management: “Just thinking about other people and trying to be respectful about others and understanding others in our daily lives is a part of human rights.”

A number of human rights experts have confirmed their attendance for this year's Human Rights Forum, the fourth since its 2011 creation. The Gwangju community will have the special honor of participating alongside African,

Asian, European, North and South American researchers, analysts and activists.

The 2014 WHRCF discussion groups will provide listening and learning opportunities for Gwangju residents. The goal is for discussion group volunteer participants to be empowered to develop and maintain Gwangju's international presence as a city for human rights.

The discussion groups' vision statement is to “provide a collaborative and effective venue for participants to share their thoughts after each presentation has been given. Each voice is valuable, so all volunteer participants are encouraged to share their opinions and hear what others say.”

Volunteer participants attended two preparatory sessions in April and will attend a third session on May 10. While receiving their training at the GIC, these participants learned what fundamental human rights are, how to respectfully engage in conversations, which conversational techniques to use and how to listen to and reflect after a presentation

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prepared by a discussion group manager. The orientation sessions were designed to teach and replicate the style of the key note speaker Presentations during the World Human Rights Cities Forum. Upon completion, discussion group volunteer participants will receive an official certificate from the GIC, showing how many hours each volunteer completed. These participants will also have access to personal recommendation letters at any time after the Forum.

Naturally, the WHRCF events will include discussing Gwangju's particularly dark week in 1980. Although “5.18” is unpleasant to remember, a host of positive advancements toward human rights in Gwangju have occurred as a result.

Tom Reid, a WHRCF discussion group manager, says, "The May 18th Protests show perfectly what happens when human rights are ignored and action is taken. The spirit of Gwangju now is intent on preserving human rights and avoiding a similar event. This is the perfect example for the international community.”

On the importance of understanding human rights' purpose in today's society, Melbostad

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Previous page: Jeremy Azurin, a WHRCF discussion group manager giving a presentation at Chonnam National University about Gwangju as a world human rights city This page: 1. Participating students from Chonnam National University 2. One of three discussion group orientation sessions held at the Gwangju International Center 3. Discussion time at Chonnam National University

says, “Human rights can be defined as a public good that every human, regardless of their standing in the world, is entitled to. Human rights are important for the reason that if properly utilized, they could provide basic humanitarian protection on a scale that has not yet been utilized.”

Park encouraged the upcoming volunteer participants to contribute to the future of human rights. “I hope volunteer participants can learn about our community to be leaders of the human rights city and also learn to take pride in what they can do as a community, because it would not only change our community but it will also change the whole world.”

WHRCF discussion group volunteer participants are privileged to join this year's human rights experts, organizers and supporters, proving that all Gwangju residents and guests, both national and international, can work together to make their big dreams a firm reality.

If you are interested in participating in this human rights opportunity, you are invited. For more information and how to apply to this program, please e-mail whrcf2014dg@ gmail.com before Tuesday, May 13.

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[Gwangju Talks] Each month, a select panel of Gwangju residents gathers to discuss a topic of interest. What topics would you like to see discussed, and from what viewpoint? E-mail your requests to gwangjunews@gic.or.kr.

Do You Think Foreigners' Human Rights Are Guaranteed in Gwangju?

Compiled by GIC Gwangju News Team (Jo A-ra, Kim Yoo-joong, Kim So-hyun, Park Eun-young and Catherina Takoh) Teacher from America Discrimination is actually quite difficult to identify. The feeling of being discriminated is dependent upon reactionary mechanisms and personality quirks that are set differently within each individual, so I try to be very careful and truly analyze a situation before considering it potentially marginalizing.

I am a white 24-year-old American male who once lived in a relatively diverse environment in California; yet I now live in the second-most ethnically homogenous country on the planet.

So yes, I obviously receive aggressive looks and comments as a byproduct of how different I am compared to the surrounding community.

However to label these small encounters around the city of Gwangju and elsewhere in Korea as discriminating would be somewhat of a misconception on my part. Human beings often trivialize things that they don't understand so as to make themselves feel more comfortable with their own identity. I have gotten remarks about my obnoxiously loud English and my incredibly white skin, and even incessant pointing (“외국인 이다!’); but these are all byproducts of people lacking an understanding of what I bring to their community.

Prejudice is actually more likely to occur within circles of people who have a hard time differentiating themselves. Characteristics become too close to distinguish and more drastic methods of intolerance occur. I would argue I have seen more discrimination within purely Korean communities than in those including foreigners. I have been exposed as a minority in Korea, most certainly. However, I have not yet experienced true discrimination from anyone.

Laborer from Malaysia I worked at a construction site here in Gwangju.

I got fired last year because I got injured at work, which is pathetic because the boss should have taken me to the hospital or arranged someone to take me to hospital. It is the company's responsibility if someone is injured at work. Also, the company should pay for all medical bills; but because I am foreign, I did not know my rights at work. The government sucks because they want to hire cheap qualified laborers from countries like Malaysia and China who they can pay low wages and fire at any time because those laborers are afraid of losing their jobs. However, if it was a Korean worker, the worker would get a higher wage and worker's compensation in the event of a workrelated injury.

Korean student I heard that labor jobs for foreign workers are in poor conditions. Most foreigners in labor jobs come to Korea without knowing the circumstances. The reality is that [Korea's foreign] labor force is taken for granted. We have to appreciate their cultural differences. In my opinion, their sense of human rights deprivation [is] superior because they are not respected for their differences.

Exchange student from Philippines I think discrimination is inevitable. You can't really avoid discrimination in any society because that's just how it is. For foreign students that come here, all I can say is that they should be ready for anything and all the stereotypes that they will face.

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Exchange student from Malaysia

US Army soldier in Korea

I feel like I can adapt to the environment here. I can get along with the students from Indonesia since I know how to speak Bahasa and they feel comfortable with me. I think learning and understanding other people's culture is important.

In terms of skin color, [some Asian foreigners] can experience discrimination because Koreans have fair skin compared to other Asian students. After developing a good relationship [though,] they forget about it.

I just feel like because of my race or where I come from and since I'm not Korean, and I am in the army, I already have a bad reputation. Yet I'm human just like everyone else, I have feelings and morals.

When my [Korean] ex-girlfriend and I used to hang out, a lot of men walked by and cursed at us because we were together. She hated it. They even seemed quite suspicious of our relationship just because she was with a foreigner, especially one who was in the army. She eventually hid from her friends that we were dating. Even when I was on a train going back to base a man yelled at me for no reason, just because I am the one who he sees as bad guy. These things happened many times and it makes me furious.

From left: Catherina, Eun-young, Yoo-joong, So-hyun, A-ra

What do the Team Members think about the issue?

Park Eun-yeong

I examined myself about this, but I have not made an effort to remove my own wrong thoughts, even though I have recognized this implicit discrimination.

Kim So-hyun I knew that some foreigners were being treated unfairly in Korea, but I didn't expect the people around me to be having these kinds of problems. We need to not overlook the fact that foreigners ARE NOT different even if they LOOK different.

Kim Yoo-joong When I was in Australia on a working holiday visa, I worked as a kitchen hand in a famous restaurant. Being Asian, I was discriminated against by my team manager who overworked me.

That being said, discrimination happens everywhere. We as a city need a supporting policy from all foreigners suffering from this.

Catherina Takoh I think foreigners' rights are guaranteed, but not by much. For example: multicultural marriages.

Koreans are proud that they are homogeneous, and many members of the older generation tend to refuse to acknowledge someone's spouse who is a foreigner and also their children.

However, help has begun to be provided for them; such as a tutoring system where the children from these marriages are able to learn Korean, and other activities such as cooking Korean dishes.

Jo A-ra Meeting with foreigners in Gwangju is not difficult anymore these days. I hope that GN readers, including myself, have opportunities to reconsider human rights for foreignersâ&#x20AC;Ś The World Human Rights Cities Forum 2014 will be a good opportunity for it.

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community

Koryo Saram Center Words by Ana Traynin Translated by Jo A-ra and Kim So-hyun Photos by Catherina Takoh

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rossing the Youngsan river in the west of Gwangju means crossing into Gwangsan-gu, a fast-growing industrial, agricultural and residential district. Home to industrial complexes like Hanam, Pyeongdong and Sochon, Gwangsan-gu attracts a large number of international workers from African and Asian countries. Here, in the small but densely populated Wolgok-dong neighborhood, a growing community of nearly 2,000 Russian-speaking Koryo saram has taken root.

It was at the Complex that she met a number of Russian-speaking workers from former Soviet countries who introduced her to Korean Pastor Lee Cheon-yeong. At the time, Lee was running a church and cultural center for international workers in Wolgok-dong. It was a fateful meeting, as Shin would come to follow Lee and work with him side-by-side as an international community leader. Shin credits Pastor Lee and working with Gwangsan's foreign community as a life-giving force.

Since opening at the end of 2011, the Koryo Saram Center in Wolgok-dong has seen an influx of ethnic Koreans from the former Soviet Union to Gwangju and has brought greater visibility to the community. Gwangju News sat down around a table of ethnic snacks at the center to speak with leader Shin Jo-ya.

“In that country [Uzbekistan], I was only existing, just breathing and surviving. But here, I've come to know many other good things,” Shin explained. “When I saw that he [Pastor Lee] gave his all to help others, I saw that if I was to follow the Gospel, I had to do the same. He helped us with everything. Whoever didn't get paid, had nowhere to sleep or was sick, he did everything for them. That's how I met him, began following him and came to have faith. I started going to church every Sunday and working with him. He was very glad to meet me, because I am also Korean, we are of the same blood. That is when I said, 'From now on, I will never go anywhere else but Gwangju. I will never leave him.'”

Shin Jo-ya was born and spent most of her life in Tashkent, Uzbekistan's capital. She lived in the ethnic Korean diaspora called “Koreytsi” in Russian. As with others, Shin grew up speaking only Russian and didn't learn Korean. Her journey to her historic motherland began in October 2001, following her daughter's marriage to a Korean national and subsequent move to South Chungcheon. After working around Seoul, Shin moved to Hampyeong and finally found Gwangju's Pyeongdong Industrial Complex.

Over time, many Mongolians, Russians and others from former Soviet countries like Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan started coming and

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community “Then, I said 'There is a Nepali pastor. Why can't we have our own Koreyski church?' Through all of my hard years, he helped me. So I said to him 'Why don't we open a church in Wolgok-dong?'

So, we opened this Koryo Saram Center at the end of 2011.”

From left: Koryo Saram Center building; Shin Jo-ya shows the former Korean territory on the map; Koryo Saram Daycare and New School bus; a Russian language newspaper

Shin took on a greater role.

“He [Pastor Lee] said, 'Jo-ya, come help me work with foreigners or else I'll end up in the hospital in two months…' He couldn't pay me anything because it was all privately funded. For two years I had to work, but from 2005 I was helping him full-time. And that's how I gradually came to meet a North Korean on the same level as me, who fled his country, lived in Russia for 13 years and came to South Korea through the church… We were both alone. We started from nothing, but we decided to get married and started living better.”

Shin explained that Wolgok-dong's close proximity to the industrial complexes, cheap housing and convenient bus routes has made the neighborhood a burgeoning foreign community. Before there was an abundance of private houses but as more workers from Vietnam, China and Thailand moved in, apartments began to spring up.

“On every corner, they are taking down the houses and villas are growing like mushrooms.

Foreigners who lived in private houses had to pay too much for heating in the winter. So they started moving into one-room villas.”

The rise in an international population has produced a greater need for services. Besides running 13 independent international church services, Lee is the founder and principal of an alternative international school in western Gwangsan-gu called Saenal School (New World School).

“First, he opened the Nepali church,” Shin said.

During the interview, Shin received a call from a Koryo Saram couple in Seoul who had heard about the center and wanted to move to Gwangju. It was just one of many. Shin said that although other centers in Korea have bigger spaces, the one in Wolgok-dong – with a nursery, kindergarten and church under one roof – is the first of its kind in the country.

“People from one nation live together,” Shin said. “If we didn't have the center, the Koreytsi wouldn't have a place of their own. As soon as we opened our own separate center, many local Koreans started helping us. It was difficult to start, but once we did, it started growing quickly.

Local Koreans started understanding who they were, the Koreyski people. Each country had a different name for us. In China, we were Chosun Saram and in Russia we were Koreytsi.”

Shin dreams about the opening of one inclusive church in the future. “My dream is that our pastor has one big international church, with different times for each nation's service, because God sent him to the foreign community. He fought and struggled to open his legally recognized international school, the New World School. So now we want to open a big church.”

As for the Koryo Saram community, Shin's hopes are no smaller. “I just want to be in good enough health to see the big church open and to see that our Koreyski people can get the F4 visa. That anyone who wants to work in a factory can work, that there is no oppression and that we are not sent away from this country because we have nowhere else to go. The language is not the biggest problem. There are 500,000 ethnic Koreans from China, while Koreytsi from the former Soviet nations are only 40,000. We want both people to have the rights.”

For more on the Koryo Saram Center, please visit: www.koreancoop.com For more on Lee Cheon Yeong's New World School, please visit: http://www.saenalschool.com For a deeper historical background on the Koryo Saram, refer to this previous article: http://www.gwangjunewsgic.com/online/korea-in-theworld-uzbekistan/

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culture

Buddha's Birthday

Words by Jenn Tinoco Special thanks to Oh Won-seok and Karina Prananto Photos by Joe Wabe and Jeremy Azurin

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uddha's Birthday is a holiday celebrating the birth of Siddhartha Gautama, whose “Third Way” is still believed by many to be the salvation of the world. The celebration is also translated into Korean as “The Day That Buddha Came.”

This national holiday is celebrated in temples and parks all across the country by hanging lines of colorful lanterns. Do-yo Seunim (pictured) is the head monk at the Wongak Temple in downtown Gwangju. He says that there have always been regular events and religious rituals on this special day, but it was not until these events were combined with popular culture that it became more of a festival for the people and the community.

Buddha's Birthday is held on the eighth day of the fourth month, according to the lunar calendar, which falls on May 6th this year. Most temples have several traditional events and rituals starting a month prior to the date. One of the earlier events, the Lotus Lantern Festival, is usually held during the second half of April.

According to the Visit Korea Organization, “Yeondeung, which means 'lantern lighting', is an important ritual in Buddhism that pays respect to Buddha, and in Buddhist beliefs, lanterns symbolize wisdom since they bring light to the world.” The first sights of the lotus lantern festival appeared on the Korean peninsual during the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties. They have been preserved through rituals across the country since 918 A.D. At the time of the actual ceremony, worshipers can make offerings, bathe Buddha statues and create their own lanterns. “Yuk bub Gongyang” is an offering of six items to the Buddhist altar: a lantern, incense, flowers, fruits, tea and rice. By offering these goods to Buddha as well as to

their parents, teachers, elders and the holy spirits, worshipers are believed to build good karma.

The blissful bathing of Baby Buddha (Siddhartha) is a sight; one can witness processions of people waiting to partake in the birthday ceremony. Doyo Seunim explains: “Pouring sacred water on Buddha's head comes from the ancient Indian ritual. Once in India, when there was a new King, holy water would be poured upon his head, and Siddharta was once the son of a king. And now, pouring water means purifying one's bad karma.”

Ordained in 1995, Do-yo Seunim has practiced the Buddhist religion for almost 20 years. He stayed in New York in 2002 and moved to Tianjin, China in 2003. After moving back to Korea and making his home in Gwangju, he can now be seen speaking English with international guests who enter his temple, often inviting them to participate in a tea ceremony.

Another monk in the temple, So-yo Seunim, states that everyone is welcome to watch the rituals and participate in the offerings, prayers, karma points and the bathing of Siddartha during the first May weekend this year. Wongak Temple and in front of Gwangju Post Office downtown will have a lantern-making day on Saturday, May 4th, from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. for Buddha's Birthday. If you visit, make sure to greet Do-yo Seunim!

Next Page: 1. Do-yo Seunim in front of Wongak Temple main hall 2. Beautiful lanterns adorn temples around the country during the Buddha’s Birthday celebration 3. A Buddhist monk statue decorates a temple 4. A monk praying in Mugak Temple main hall

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travel Part Two of a Six-Part Series on Gwangju’s Sister Cities

Gwangju Sister City: Medan, Indonesia Words by Karina Prananto Special thanks to Mr. Djauzi Ilmi (Medan City Government, Sister Cities Cooperation)

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oras! That's “Welcome!” in the Batak language.

Medan is the capital of the North Sumatra province of Indonesia. True to its name, which means “vast field,” it is the largest city in the country outside Java Island. Its close proximity to nearby countries such as Malaysia and Singapore makes it a busy trading and commercial city. It is also the primary gate for all international flights to Sumatra and to nearby Southeast Asian cities.

Known for its friendliness, Medan has been dubbed “The Smiling City of Indonesia.” It is home to around 2.5 million people, a population among the most diverse in the country. Thanks to its strategic geographical location, Medan has had many settlers from other countries come and try to make a living.

These days, the majority of its residents are part of the North Sumatra race, also known as the Bataks, the Javanese, the Chinese, the Tamil and Malay.

A Dutch colony for 350 years, Indonesia has plenty of historical buildings still intact, and Medan has its share. Some Colonial Era buildings still house government offices. The different kinds of religious architecture reveal a greater diversity, however; Maimun Palace was once the palace of a sultan, built in the 18th century.

Medan Road in Gwangju, perfect for a stroll or jog Photo by Edwin Anak Jellengai

A trip outside the city will take travelers to Sumatra's natural highlight; the largest volcanic lake in Southeast Asia, Lake Toba, a five-hourdrive down south, while a four-hour-drive north from the city will bring tourists to the lush jungles of Sumatra, home of the Orangutan Conservation Center.

Medan's sister-city relationship with Gwangju was officially declared in September 24, 1997. Both cities are similar in many ways. Each have reputations for excellent food and gourmet eating. Also, they are similar in total area and their visions to be the center of their respective regions.

To strengthen the bonds of friendship, Medan city delegates were invited to watch the South

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1. Gwangju Road in Medan, a great place for souvenir hunters Photo by Djauzi Ilmi 2. Gwangju Road plaque in Medan marks the two citiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; friendship Photo by Djauzi Ilmi 3. A young orangutan at Gunung Leuser National Park, Sumatra Photo by Michael Catanzariti 4. Istana Maimun (Maimun Palace) Photo by Merbabu 5. A view of Lake Toba and Samosir Island, Sumatra Photo by Yorick

Korean soccer team play against Spain in the quarterfinal match of the 2002 World Cup, as well as be the main guests for GIC Day in October 2008. A day later, the delegates were present for the opening of Medan Street. In Medan, Gwangju Street was opened in March 2005. Gwangju Street in Medan is located in a busy shopping district and marked with a stone plaque to commemorate the friendship of both cities.

Annual invitations of the city delegates continue to bolster the relationship between Medan and Gwangju. The teams, consisting of city officials and students, visit local schools, engage in homestay programs, tour each city's natural and historical attractions and visit local factories. In the most recent visit in January

2014, Gwangju students met with Medan's mayor and the North Sumatra governor. This year Medan will host Gwangju's city delegates in September. The warm interaction and educational exchange program bring both cities closer and improve the connections among the youth of each city.

If you happen to be around the Gwangju World Cup Stadium, look for a plaque located in front of the three-way junction of Yeomju Gymnasium and Jipbong Tunnel in Pungam-dong. The plaque marks the one-kilometer street alongside the gymnasium and the gymnasium park, a good place for a stroll or jog. The plaque is the testament to both cities' promises to recognize each other for what they are: sisters in a global family.

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photography

Photo of the Month

“A Double Screen”

By John Jackson

“Ironically, this beautiful photo was taken from the top of a small, man-made hill in a field in Damyang. It is a shot of “Folding Screen Mountain,” where I currently live, as seen behind a “screen” of the famous metasequoia trees that line the old roads in this area. The photo has been selected for exhibition in the Coex Photo and Imaging Show being held in Seoul this month.”

John Jackson began photographing the Korean landscape in 1971 during his first year as a Peace Corps volunteer. After a 35-year break, he began roaming the Korean countryside again in 2008, camera in hand. He has held two solo photo exhibitions and his photos have been selected for exhibitions in many photo competitions. A number of photos from his Peace Corps days were included in the book “Through Our Eyes: Peace Corps in Korea” and also in a show that toured the ROK and US. John plans to open a photo gallery, “Farther East,” in downtown Gwangju this spring.

Share your photography in Gwangju News!

Interested in having the spot for Gwangju News' Photo Of The Month? Send your pictures of Korea and background information to our Photo Editor: alternative_si@hotmail.com. We look forward to seeing what you have captured on film!

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Panning

Words and photos by Simon Bond Simon Bond is a professional photographer living in Suncheon, South Jeolla. He has traveled throughout Asia, and his work has been published in multiple publications. This article and others are available online by visiting Simon's website: www.simonbondphotography.com. “Simple scene, sensational shot” was written by Simon Bond and is available through Amazon both as an e-book and as a paperback.

P

anning is a great way of adding a dynamic feeling to a still photo; once you have mastered the technique, it can provide stunning results. The idea with panning is to use a slow shutter speed and to “follow” your subject through the course of the exposure - the subject being a moving object.

The blurred background gives these photos a dynamic feel.

How do you do panning?

1. Find a place where you can follow a moving object. Cyclists are the best subject to use when you are learning how to pan. Once you have mastered this example then try cars, skiers, motorbikes or anything else moving in a straight line.

2. Set your camera to shutter priority and have the camera exposed at somewhere between 1/20 and 1/40. Depending on how steady your hand is you can use a slower speed. You should also think about how fast your subject is traveling. For very fast subjects, shooting at 1/80 might be better.

3. If you are shooting in the middle of the day, you might need to use a ND filter to reduce the light coming into the lens to allow for a slower shutter speed.

4. Now choose a background that will show some motion when it is blurred across the frame. For instance, you do not want a clear blue sky, and a very busy background might look ugly. Try choosing something like a line of trees as the background.

5. The lens you choose should be one that is correct for how far back you are from the subject when you hit the shutter, but generally something longer than 50mm works best.

6. Now wait for your subject to approach and start to follow them through your viewfinder. Make sure your action is nice and smooth. When you feel you are matching the subject's movement, hit the shutter.

Panning with a smart phone While it is not possible to set the shutter speed on a smart phone, it is possible to manipulate it by shooting when it is starting to get dark. Most smart phones have a pre-set aperture. For instance, the iPhone is 2.8. If you wait until it is dark enough, the shutter speed will come down to a slow enough speed for you to try panning. Follow the instructions above.

Do you have any questions about photography you would like me to answer? I would love to hear from you. Feel free to email me at alternative_si@hotmail.com.

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phototography

Coastal Landscapes Words and photos by Martin Bennie

Curving Home

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ince arriving in Mokpo in June of last year, I have been attracted to the stark and barren coastal landscapes that exist from Mokpo to Jindo Island to Wando Island.

Being involved in the oil and gas industry is highly stressful, in regards to the process of how my company delivers a ship from beginning to end in 18 months. Photography is my escapism, as it takes me away from any negative thoughts. I try to find the feeling that attracts me to certain scenes and how I would like to portray them. Depicting a barren landscape and trying to show the scale of things is very difficult and I find that long exposures help in showing the calmness that I search for in my photography.

Photography is about location and light, and morning light is, for me, the only time to try and capture a scene, so waking up and seeing a great sky or potential sunrise, hurries me into getting out to my most recent location. With my dog in tow, we drive close to the paddy fields and walk the rocks and sands of the coastin search of that captivating scene.

My photography is about feeling and although it is only for my satisfaction, I find that people are also attracted to the calmness. I set the mode to manual and use various filters. I know enough to attempt to try to portray the scenes as I feel it at the time of taking the photos.

Photography is changing, with so many people uploading their photos to web-based servers and sharing them with the world, and although I did the same for a while, I felt inferior to some of the fantastic photographers out there. I do not have the time nor inclination to spend hours at my computer, creating layers and double exposures to try to compete with these people. What you see in my photography is not manipulated in any form. I use graduated filters to balance my sky and land. Once uploaded, I normally add saturation, contrast, clarity and not much else.

It has taken me almost 25 years to reach my current skill levels, yet it is not enough, and almost every night, you can find me walking with my dog in places most international members would never think of going, trying to improve my skills and find that elusive feeling I have become addicted to.

May2014 2014.4.2510:39AM Page31

photography

Balance

Natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s light show

Fading light

Horizon

Into the distance

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May2014 2014.4.259:39AM Page32

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community [This Monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s GIC Talk]

Fighting Poverty In The Twenty-First Century Words by Billie Pritchett Photos by Song Park

M

any would not be shocked to hear that approximately 1.3 billion people live in extreme poverty in various countries around the world. People have grown accustomed to understanding poverty as a major problem for underdeveloped countries.

Perhaps, however, some people are not as aware of the prevalence of poverty even within developed democratic countries.

As a citizen of the United States and an international resident living in Korea, I am especially interested in the ways in which poverty affects U.S. and Korean citizens. The numbers are surprising. Half of all Americans aged 20 to 60 experience at least a year of their lives in poverty. A large proportion of those who find themselves impoverished at some point in their lives and have some sustainability will find themselves impoverished again. One out of every four Korean households has experienced absolute poverty at least once and one out of every three Korean households has fallen into relative poverty, earning less than half the income of the typical Korean family.

Furthermore, a real employment rate of 60 percent has existed in the U.S. and Korea for the past couple years. Literally millions of American and Korean university students have graduated, are looking for jobs and are finding nothing in the way of the work for which they have been trained at their universities. Also, income inequality in the United States and Korea has been steadily growing, in America since the 1970s and Korea since the 1980s.

Poverty stands to make these otherwise strong, developed and democratic countries weaker in the long run, since poverty strains the economic, social and psychological well-being of citizens.

No matter the country, countries with higher rates of poverty are significantly associated with a larger proportion of citizens with poorer mental and physical health, as compared to countries

with lower rates of poverty.

These health problems range from stress, anxiety and depression to heart disease, d i a b e t e s , hypertension and a host of other ailments and diseases, Cardboard collectors in Gwangju according to live a hard life and with minimal the United income everyday.

Nation's World Bank's statistics. The U.S., Korea and other democratic countries have reason to be worried about what poverty can do to citizens' quality of life.

Since poverty is a problem that affects not only economic well-being but also social and psychological well-being, both policy experts and concerned citizens are beginning to combat poverty as both a social and psychological problem. At this GIC Talk, I will discuss not only the conditions of poverty and why they look to be getting worse, but also the strategies that can be used to fight poverty.

May2014 2014.4.259:39AM Page33

[ GIC Upcoming Talks ] Schedule for May

community

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Time & Place: Every Saturday, 3 p.m. - 4 p.m., The New GIC Talk room (Samho Center 1st Floor) Watch highlight clips of previous GIC Talks at www.youtube.com/GICTALK Like us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/GICTALK GIC Talks welcome your proposals for presentations on topics, such as society, culture, politics, science, education or any topic of your interest. If you would like to be a presenter, please contact us at gictalk@gic.or.kr / +82-(0)62-226-2734.

May 3 NO GIC talk, due to Children's Day Weekend May 10 Speaker: Doug Stuber Visiting Assistant Professor at Chonnam National University MFA in Creative Writing from Hollins University Topic: The Successes and Failure of the Obama Administration.

President Obama made history as the first African-American elected President and was elected to serve a second term. AfricanAmericans make up 12.6 percent of the United States' population, so the dual victories were at first seen as a major breakthrough and opportunity for the standing of AfricanAmericans to improve. But have opportunities for African-Americans improved?

This talk will look into the highlights and “lowlights” of Barack Obama's first six years.

Issues such as environment, labor, globalization, Middle East policy, health care, his two elections and how well his actions back up what he says will be examined.

May 17 Speaker: TBA Place: Kimdaejung Convention Center Topic: Human Rights Forum The 2014 World Human Rights Cities Forum (WHRCF) will be held on May 15-18, 2014 at the

For you to cut out and keep handy!

Kimdaejung Convention Center. Participants from Korea and around the world have been invited to attend these events to help develop their cities to be more centered on human rights.

The Forum's fourth theme is: “Towards Global Alliance of Human Rights Cities for All.” The WHRCF is looking for volunteer participants to be involved in our Discussion Groups. For more information and to apply, please contact whrcf2014dg@gmail.com.

May 24 Speaker: Joe Wabe Photographer/ English Teacher Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Florida International University Topic: Photography in Korea.

This talk will be about the history of photography in Korea, and some of the aspects of the contemporary movement. The speaker will introduce his project PIK (Photographers In Korea) and will talk about the basic concepts of photography and how to take better pictures.

May 31 Speaker: Billy Pritchett English Teacher, Chosun University, Gwangju Bachelor of Science, Philosophy, Murray State University Master of Arts, TESOL, Murray State University Topic: Fighting Poverty in the Twenty-First Century Please see previous for this Talk’s preview

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34

travel

[GIC Culture Tour] GIC Culture Tour

Gurye

Words and photos by Warren Parsons

Date: May 24 (Saturday) Price: GIC Members 60,000 won / Non-members 70,000 won Itinerary: Saseong Hermitage - Lunch at Old Gurye Station - Unjoru - Seomjin River Rafting Registration: Please sign up at the GIC website (www.gic.or.kr) by May 18 (Sun.) For more information, e-mail: gictour@gic.or.kr

M

ay might be the loveliest month of the year as the mountains turn green and the fields are planted beside gently flowing streams. This month the GIC Culture Tour enjoys mountainous Gurye with its wide vistas of Jirisan National Park and the countryside below, mixed with river-riding excitement.

Starting in the Seomjin River Valley the peaks in Gurye rise straight into the sky. Perched high on a cliff face 500 meters above sea level, just below the summit of Mt. Osan, sits Saseong Hermitage. Named after Wonhyo, Uisang, Doseon, and Jingak – the four great “saints” of Korean Buddhism – this breathtaking temple also houses a 9th-century Buddha of Medicine carved out of rock. For centuries, pilgrims and ascetics have made the tortuous journey to this holy enclave to be healed as much as to experience the highup serenity and stunning views. To make things easier for our guests, shuttle buses are provided to get up and down as quickly and comfortably as possible.

Back on flatland, the tour moves upstream by bus to a charming river confluence forming a scenic peninsula overlooking the sandy banks of the Seomjin River with the ranges thrust upward in the distance. Historically a crossroads for travelers and merchants, this strategic location is also home to the Old Gurye Train Station and a small town where participants will enjoy a table full of river crab soup, marinated crab, clam broth, and the ensuing side dishes.

After lunch the tour moves back downstream and into the heart of Jiri Mountain to visit Unjoru, a well-used and well-preserved yangban, or noble class, home built in 1776 and still occupied by descendants of Ryu Iju, the original owner. With large servant quarters fronting the exterior and interior family homes as well as a shrine, this architectural masterpiece has one of the three best geomantic locations in Korea. Sitting on the veranda here and looking out into the firmament is like being among the clouds with the birds and the mountain peaks.

May2014 2014.4.259:39AM Page35

travel

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3

1

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Previous page: Saseong Hermitage This page: 1. Aerial view of Gurye and Seomjin River; 2, 3. Seomjin River Rafting Experience; 4, 5. Delicious River Crab Soup and meal lunch; 6. Unjoru (Traditional Korean Yangban (scholar) House); 7. View of Jiri Mountain

To end the day, participants go farther into the park along one of the country's most scenic roads and down into the water of the Seomjin River for a pleasant rafting experience. The course takes two or three hours and covers nearly six kilometers of beautiful terrain, ending at a sandbar where participants are free to have a swim or just enjoy the afternoon light.

Please come out this month for some exhilarating mountain sights, fresh river crabs,

and a float downstream with the GIC Culture Tour! ** The Seomjin, as the rafting instructors boast, is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;safestâ&#x20AC;? of Korea's rivers. Nevertheless, life preservers and helmets will be provided and participants will have an instructional orientation before boarding. Please bring a change of clothes, swimwear, towels, sunglasses and anything else needed for a day by the river.

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36

culture

[Korea: in the World]

Atlanta, U.S.A. Words and photos provided

by Eddie Hackworthy

I

n the archives of Atlanta's Emory University rests a memento from its first Korean student: a copy of the Korean National Anthem written in the hand of the song's writer, Yun Chiho. As a convert to Christianity, Yun chose to study at the Emory University because of the institution's Methodist origins. Experiencing the strong racism of the American South caused him great agitation, but he did not regret his time there.

Many more Korean students have come and gone since Yun Chi-ho graduated and returned to serve in his country's royal court; in fact his granddaughter Hena Chun graduated from the university herself in 2010. Atlanta is now home to roughly 80,000 Koreans and Korean-Americans.

The city's unofficial “Koreatown” is the fastestgrowing one of its kind in the U.S., having doubled in size between 1990 and 2000. The opening of a KIA manufactory in 2009 and the partnership of Korean Air with Atlanta's Delta Airlines can have only accelerated that growth.

Four local television stations now broadcast in the Korean language and a newspaper written in Hangeul, the Atlanta ChoSun, has served the community for years. On the city's most popular music station, the grocery store Trader Joe's advertises “Korean pancakes,” or jeon.

So what's the big attraction to Atlanta? An article in the Chosun Ilbo on November 20, 2006 (“Georgia: Home to America's Newest Koreatown”) suggests the answer is the South's low property values and slower pace of living.

One woman said, “We just sold the house in New York, and were able to buy a house and another store with that money.”

According to AsianWeek's July 15, 2005 article on the subject, the woman's experience is typical of Atlanta's Korean “immigrants”. Most of the new arrivals are actually coming from

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1. Hines Ward 2. Korea Town in Atlanta, Georgia

costlier places like New York City, not directly from South Korea.

The community has existed long enough to start exporting as well as importing; a few Atlanta residents who grew up in the community are now semi-famous faces. The most well known personality is Hines Ward, the Superbowl MVP football player and Goodwill Ambassador to South Korea. Born to an African-American father, Hines Ward has spent $1 million of his fortune to create social change, particularly by combating the discrimination faced by multiracial children.

Yet the most exciting social change in Atlanta's Koreatown may have started in September of 2013. The South is known for having America's best (albeit least healthy) cooking. Last September, the world's first “Korean-Southern” diner opened, a restaurant named Sobban. The best product of Atlanta's Koreatown may be yet to come.

May2014 2014.4.259:39AM Page37

travel

My Korea

My Korea is a column representing anyone who is eager to share his/her stories and experiences within Korea.

Jeonju's Korean-style Houses, Food and Dessert Words by Hong Ga-young

J

eonju's Korean-style houses are famous for their tastes and hometown styles. Jeonju takes about one hour and 20 minutes to reach from Gwangju. I like this place because there are many attractions and delicious food dishes. The good food restaurants within Korean-style houses are the best.

Kyodong Tteok Galbi is famous for tteok galbi.

Meat and mushrooms are in circular harmony, and side dishes are served in generous portions.

If you are interested in eating the best tteok galbi, I recommend you visit this restaurant.

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On cooler days, kalguksu is ideal to consume.

This restaurant has many requests for this special Korean dish, so many times people line up and wait to eat at Veteran Kalguksu. The food is nutty and the noodles are chewy. The portions are also generous so you will be filled and content.

If you have a little bit of room left, an excellent dessert is handmade chocolate pie. The Pwungnyeon Bakery is famous for its timehonored traditions in Jeonju.

2

Visit the best food restaurants in Korean-style houses. People say, "South Jeolla Province has the native tastes of Korea."

I think it is true. Do you agree?

Kyodong Tteokgalbi 교동떡갈비: Address: 76-49 Pungnam-dong 3-ga, Wansan-gu, Jeonju Phone: 063-288-2232 Veteran Kalguksu 베테랑분식: Address: 135 Gyeonggijeon-gil, Wansan-gu, Jeonju Phone: 063-285-9898 Pungnyeon Bakery 풍년제과: Address: 602-3 Pyeonghwa-dong, Wansan-gu, Jeonju Phone: 063-226-2737

3 1. Jeonju Hanok Village ⓒ 재빈짱; 2. Kyodong Tteokgalbi ⓒ Vingle.net; 3. Pungnyeon Bakery’s chocolate pie ⓒ 다락방

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38

health

Why Drinking Too Much Water Can Be Harmful To Your Health Words and photos provided by Dr. Lee Seong-cheol (Director, Duam Internal Medical Clinics)

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ore than half of our body is made up of water. Our bodies continuously send us signals to drink more water or excrete it in order to maintain an internal fluid balance. As a result, a dry mouth or a feeling of thirst lets us know that we are dehydrated and need to replenish our fluids, whereas a feeling of fullness from drinking enough liquids is one of our body's ways of telling us to stop drinking.

How much water is enough? We lose two liters of water a day, through urine, perspiration, breath and defecation. Most foods, especially fruit and vegetables, contain some water. Tea and coffee contain water and are not as diuretic as previously thought. The average person requires a minimum of six to eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day to sustain a healthy environment in the body.

Drinking one to two liters of water a day will make you look and feel better.

It is possible to drink too much water – in general, anything over four liters a day (the exceptions are athletes and people in extremely hot climates). Drinking two liters of water makes you feel good, but drinking four liters won't make you feel twice as good! That is because when a person drinks too much water in a short period of time, the kidneys cannot flush it out fast enough and the blood becomes waterlogged. Drawn to regions of the body where the concentration of salt and other dissolved substances is higher, excess water leaves the blood and ultimately enters the cells, which swell like balloons to accommodate it. From the cell's point of view, this condition of “water intoxication” produces the same effects as would result from drowning in fresh water.

Less seriously but more likely, too much water with meals might impair your digestion. The general rule of thumb is to avoid drinking water from about 15 minutes before you eat until at least one hour after you eat. If you must eat and drink, then take small sips, choose a warm drink over a cold one, and hydrate before the meal.

The best option really is to not drink much during meals, however. Begin your morning by drinking a glass or two of pure water and then make a habit of repeating this between meals. Soon you will be wellhydrated and will not crave large amounts of water during your meals.

Duam Internal Medical Clinics 두암내과 Address: 985-7 Duam-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju (광주 북구 두암동 985-7 상가빌딩 2,3층) Consultation Hours: Weekdays 9:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Saturdays and public holidays 9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Closed on Sundays Phone: 062-262-7112 Website: www.duamclinic.com Dr. Lee Seong-cheol

Functions of the water in the body

May2014 2014.4.2510:50AM Page39

community

What Does Wilderness Mean to You? Words by Dr. Nial Moores Photo courtesy of Executive Office of Saemangeum Development Planning

A

month back I was contacted by Mr. Michael McCarthy, one of the UK's top writers on the environment. For his next book he wanted to see Saemangeum with his own eyes.

Saemangeum, formerly one of the world's most important estuaries for wildlife, was recently described by Business Korea as a “large land reclamation project that can be seen from space.” As Mr. McCarthy and I saw, Saemangeum is in fact now a vast and empty wasteland. Huge billboards, many rusting and tattered-edged, proclaim the area to be the Dream of the Future, the symbol of Green Growth. Gone now, however, are the billions of small animals that once lived in the mud there; gone are the thousands of shell-fishers that followed the tides in and out each day; silenced are the abundant shorebirds that swarmed there in the hundreds of thousands until only a few years before.

Saemangeum is now a bleak place.

To recharge our spirits and to get a sense of how things used to be, we went north to the stillvibrant Geum Estuary. There we watched chattering flocks of orange-red godwits and golden-brown curlews spread across silvery mud. We talked joyfully about how these birds, arriving in Korea after non-stop week-long flights all the way from Australia, nonetheless look weighed down by their spectacular bills – natural tools for extracting worms and crabs.

Reminded of the need for food ourselves, we drove on to a convenience store and sat outside with can-coffee in hand. This is when he asked, “What does wilderness mean to you?”

My answer was probably a little hesitant at first.

For me at least, wilderness is a place of natural rhythms and forces, where everything fits together. It is a place, or a sense of a place,

Aerial view of Saemangeum Sea Wall

that is abundant and vital and beyond human control. Ironically, perhaps, wilderness is where we can best understand what it means to be human and alive.

I offered some examples: we feel peace in wild and natural landscapes but are stressed by ugly architecture and unexpected noise; many of us rejoice at wildlife spectacles; research shows our brain-waves spike each time we are confronted with the unexpected, flooding our bodies with adrenalin to help us flee from danger.

Our species, Mr. McCarthy noted, lived for 20,000 generations in wilderness; a few hundred generations farming; and only a few generations dependent on our new habitat of glass and concrete. Wilderness was the landscape filled with abundant life in which our own species evolved. Is not wilderness therefore our natural home?

Sitting there, we felt our surroundings intensely.

Do others feel the same? Please, let me ask you: what does wilderness mean to you? Write to gwangjunews@gic.or.kr with your feedback.

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language study

Buying a Bus Ticket Words by Karina Prananto and Park Yang-im Photos by Jeremy Azurin Special thanks to Catherina Takoh, Edwin Anak Jelenggai, Junn Mendoza and Raiza Febynenia Lalopua Korea is served by an extensive network of bus routes and a pretty easy reservation process. Gwangju Bus Terminal (U-Square) offers service to all major cities in Korea. This month we will help translate language for purchasing a bus ticket.

Junn:

서울 센터럴시티 두 장 주세요. (Seoul sentreoreol siti dujang juseyo.)

I'd like two tickets for Seoul, please.

Staff:

네 시 이십오 분 우등고속이 있습니다. (Nesi i-sib obun udeung gosoki isseumnida.)

We have one Excellent Grade Bus departing at 4:25 p.m.

Junn:

혹시 4(네)시 차 있어요? (Hoksi nesi cha isseoyo?)

Do you have one departing at 4 p.m.?

Staff:

죄송합니다. 4(네)시 차는 매진입니다. (Jwesonhamnida. Nesi chaneun maejin-imnida.)

I'm sorry, but the 4 p.m. tickets are sold out.

Junn:

알겠습니다. 그럼 4시25분 두 장 주세요. (Algetseumnida. Geureom nesi i-sib obun dujang juseyo.)

Okay, then please could I have two for 4:25 p.m? 앞자리 있어요? (Apjari isseoyo?)

Can you give me front seats please?

Staff:

네, 있습니다. 오만이천이백원입니다. (Ne, itseumnida. Oman icheon ibaekwon imnida.)

OK, I understand. That's 52,200 won, please.

Junn:

여기 있습니다. (Yeogi itseumnida.)

Here you are.

TIPS

Bus tickets departing from Gwangju can be reserved through this site: http://www.kobus.co.kr/. Ticket prices vary depending on the bus grade – whether you choose general (40-seater) or excellent (25-seater) – and your departure time (buses after 10 p.m. are considered nighttime and are more expensive).

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poetry

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Gwangju Writes Words and photos by Park Bo-young Translated by Park Yeon-seong

Park Bo-young was born in Gwangju in 1976. She has completed a doctorate course in English Language and Literature and taught at Chonnam National University, as well as other universities in Gwangju. She has received the literary award given to the “Best New Writer of Literary Art” in the spring of 2013.

Coffee

커피

Be invited to nowhere, Nowhere to go, A wondering spirit, Passing by Kenya of holidays, Meeting angels in us.

오라는 데 없고 갈 데는 더더욱 없는 방황하는 영혼은 휴일의 케냐를 지나 우리안의 천사를 만난다.

Like a brief taking of a cigarette of a daily-laborer, With all loads of the world on his round back,

세상 짐 다 짊어진 채 왜소하게 허리 굽은 일용직 사내가 아주 잠깐 피워야 하는 숨결 같은 담배마냥

Is drinking coffee, Dark as a devil Hot as hell, for helping me take a breath?

I'm not even a morning glory, Blooming in the morning, Withering in the evening, Still I keep Making a mistake in the morning, Regretting in the evening

지옥처럼 뜨겁고 악마처럼 검다는 커피 한잔 커피를 마시는 것은 나도 숨쉬기 위함이냐? 아침에 피었다가 저녁에 지고 만다는 나팔꽃도 아닌 주제에 저녁에 죄짓고 아침에 반성하는

These stupid repetitions and The consuming struggles Look like hypocrisy, so I feel self-conscious about Even drinking a mouthful of coffee.

이 어리석은 반복이 이 소모적인 싸움이 너무나도 가식 같아 커피 한 모금 삼키는 것도 눈치가 보였더랬다

To lose I drink coffee every morning Not to cry at my being lost.

아침마다 커피를 마시는 것은 지기 위함이다 지고도 울지 않기 위함이다

To be more generous about me, Being a weak created being From the start To write a poem, Resembling a hope.

원래 나약한 피조물이니 그럴 수 있노라고 인정하기 위함이다 희망 닮은 시라도 하나 짓기 위함이다

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Gwangju Eats

Golden Shrimp Words by Jenn Tinoco Photos by Mason Robinson

D

id the kimbap come first or did the sushi roll over to the other side? If you are visiting a sushi joint with a fluent English-speaking Korean, your answer might just be a few mouthfuls away. The Golden Shrimp is the creation of Chef Anh and his wife Server G. Both are natives of Korea but the couple once lived in the U.K. Striving for fresh ingredients, tasty (non-frozen) sushi plates and a cozy environment, Golden Shrimp is a hole-in-the-wall gem in the new upand-coming Suwan area.

Atmosphere & Sevice Simple seating and effortless lighting will entice you into Golden Shrimp when you are walking around the back-alley shops in Suwan. Expect to hear a greeting as soon as a patron enters, despite the number of people eating indoors and outdoors.

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“There are a few lunch and dinner rushes,” as Chef Anh puts it, “but we try to accommodate everyone as time permits.”

The daytime offers a nice, relaxing environment with a few families eating up teriyaki bowls and such. Meanwhile, the night vibe is full of fashionable patrons ready to go out, starting off with a nice sashimi platter and a draft beer, of which there are many to choose.

Food The sashimi platter, just shy of 15,000 won, includes yellowtail fish, salmon, prawns, white tuna and a pair of kitchen torch fire-cooked beef slices. An appetizing rice soup garnished with minced beef is served before you order anything, and fresh wasabi and soy sauce is (naturally) included in the mix.

One special ingredient used in their sushi rolls is fresh avocado. Explains Ahn, “Most avocados in the big marts and other grocery stores are unripe and about three times the average price. So we order ours from a food company, which delivers us avocados that are ready to use.” One foreigner-favorite is the tempura (fried) avocado side dish as well their California, Salmon and Crab rolls. Moreover, the restaurant's namesake, the golden shrimp, is certainly something worth trying on the first or second or third time around. The

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1. An original California Roll 2. Golden Shrimps namesake on a bed of onion rings 3. An avocado and salmon roll

dish consists of five large tempura fried prawns sitting on a bed of onion rings, and pairs wonderfully with a nice cold beer.

Prices The food menu is available in both English and Korean, with fabulous photos of each entrée.

Average plates are 7,000 won and above. Draft and bottled beer is also available at 4,000 won and up. Bon appetit!

Golden Shrimp 골든쉬림프 Address: Jangsin-ro 82beon-gil 16, Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju (광주 광산구 장신로 82번길 16 (장덕동 1662) Hours: Daily 11:30 a.m. - 12 midnight (weekends close at 1 a.m.), break time: 3 - 5 p.m. (except weekends) Phone: 062-956-1021

May2014 2014.4.2510:53AM Page43

Gwangju Cooks

Potato Patty 감자동그랑땡

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Words and photos by Catherina Takoh

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otato patties are a simple recipe to prepare, whether you need a quick snack or a side for afternoon tea. While this is a vegetarian recipe, meat lovers can add minced chicken or beef.

Things to prepare (serves 1 - 2 persons) 2 cloves of garlic 2 large eggs 2 large potatoes (200g each) 2 strips of onion leaves ¾ teaspoon of salt ½ teaspoon of black pepper

Preparation and Cooking Steps 1

Peel the potatoes, dice into small cubes and then boil.

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Spoon up a small amount of the mix and shape them into small patties.

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Mash the potatoes. Sauté the garlic.

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Dip the small patties into the scrambled egg mix.

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Add and mix the sautéed garlic, salt, black pepper and onion leaves to the mashed potatoes.

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Fry the dipped patties until they turn a little brown.

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culture

Behind the Myth: Exploring Korean Tradition “Behind the Myth” explains the origins of Korean myths and traditions.

Did North Korea Help Gwangju's May 18 Uprising?

Words by C. Adam Volle Photo courtesy of Voice of the People (VOP)

E

very month of May, the myth is revived that Gwangju's moment of glory in 1980, when the city held out for a full week against South Korea's new military dictatorship, received an assist from North Korea.

Belief in this conspiracy theory is unfortunately strong among conservatives – strong enough that last year two TV channels ran programs in which North Korean defectors claimed they personally fought in the uprising. As translated by the JoongAng Daily in a May 13, 2013 article, one defector said, “We pretended to be Gwangju civilian forces and even attacked the South's government forces together.”

The JoongAng Daily reported that the story received over 17,000 supportive comments on the conservative website Ilbe, even though no respected intellectuals on the Right or Left believed the story. Cho Gab-je, a conservative commentator who defends the reputation of dictator Park Chung-hee, even penned a reply to the allegations entitled, “Intervention by North Korea special forces in Gwangju is something I cannot believe!”

Nor should anyone. The uprising has been exhaustively researched by now; we know everyone who was involved. But why do these lies continue to be believed so strongly over 30 years after the fact?

The slur is effective because although Korea's Democrats find it politically uncomfortable to discuss, South Jeolla in 1980 was indeed home to multiple socialists sympathetic to communism, as well as a few outright communists and even the rare pro-North agitator. Indeed, the early stages of the 1980's “Pyeongyang fever” were in evidence all over South Korea; songs were sung

of liberating the minjung – the proletariat – and activists called each other dongji, the Korean equivalent of “comrade.” The year before the Gwangju Massacre, the government arrested an explicitly pro-North group named the South Korean National Liberation Front.

Were the students who led Gwangju's uprising part of such a movement? In his article “Yun Sang-won: The Knowledge in Those Eyes,” journalist Bradley Martin lists every political book he saw on the bookshelf of the revered martyr Yun Sang-won, who died fighting the Yun Sang-won Korean army. Martin did indeed find such titles as “The Origins of Socialism” and “The Theory and Practice of Communism.” As he points out, however, these books are “far from propaganda.” They are the same sort of books Martin himself read at Princeton University.

This distinction – the difference between a communist and an intellectual who considers communism – was lost on the government of 1980 and is unfortunately still lost on many people today. The existence of a variety of Leftists in 1980 South Jeolla was a sign of a healthy interest in ideas, not North Korean espionage. In fact to whatever (limited) degree communism ever found support in South Jeolla, Seoul is probably more responsible for it than Pyeongyang; abuse and neglect by South Korea's government undoubtedly strengthened interest in other ideologies. But that is a subject the conservatives find politically uncomfortable.

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culture

Korean Sayings “Korean Sayings” expresses the meaning behind traditional Korean phrases.

Fried Or Spicy Chicken?

Words by Won Hea-ran Photo by Mason Robinson “When you see the chicken bone, make sure nobody knows whether you ate fried chicken or spicy chicken.” 치킨 뼈를 봤을 때 후라이드를 먹었는지 양념을 먹었는지 모르게 하라

S

picy, fried, soy sauce or garlic – you name it!

First introduced to Korea in the 1960s, chicken has found its place as one of Korea's most beloved dishes. Not only do children love it as a snack, but adults also enjoy it with alcoholic beverages. The love of chicken even manifests in the Korean language. This humorous modern saying applies not only to chicken leftovers, but also means that when you eat chicken, you should clean the bones so well so that no one can figure out what type of chicken you ate. It is a legacy of the frugal minds of Koreans who suffered through years of poverty during the mid-20th century.

How has Korean chicken preparation developed over the years? Before the 1960s, there was no such thing as fried chicken. Only boiled chicken, cooked in water for a long time with jujube and ginseng, was served. Then in the 1960s, Koreans started to roast their chickens rather than boiling them, adopting Western ways of roasting and frying food. The first electrically roasted chicken was sold in the Myeongdong Nutrition Center, which opened in 1961, and soon earned national popularity. In this era, it was common for fathers to return to their homes with roasted chicken in paper bags on paydays.

Thanks to Korea's fast economic development, fried chicken became more publically accessible in the 1970s. The economic development offered two advantages to help the chicken industry prosper. One was an increase of meat production. Enforced from 1962 to 1966, the first five-year economic development plan drastically increased the meat production rate – by 13 times! The other advantage was the introduction of cooking oil.

In the past, people often fried their chicken with

shortening, since they lacked proper frying oil.

The introduction of Haepyo cooking oil in 1971 made it possible for stores to make bettertasting chicken.

Koreans finally started to develop their own Korean-style chicken in the 1980s. The first Korean-style chicken was yangnyeom chicken.

Seasoned with gochujang, yangnyeom chicken has attracted Koreans with its sweet and spicy flavors. In addition, fried chicken was served in bars with alcoholic beverages, generating new types of bar chicken like garlic and curry.

Since the 1990s, a variety of chicken has been introduced and loved by Koreans. In the late 1990s, barbeque chicken became popular. In early 2000, the famous soy sauce chicken and fire chicken gained popularity, followed by chopped scallion chicken. Recently, grilled chicken has become a popular menu item, as Koreans have started to seek more healthy meal options. Whatever you choose, do not forget to clean it to the bone!

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sports

The Gwangju Bombers: Making Waves In The Local Baseball Scene Words and photos by Justin Ramsay

T

he Gwangju Bombers are the latest addition to the vast array of international-led clubs and organizations in Gwangju. They are the first foreign team to participate in a local Korean baseball league.

The team started as a group of people looking for a bit of fun who played irregularly at Chosun University. On occasion they would play informal, friendly games against Korean teams, mainly on public holidays. Eventually, it was decided that the next logical step would be to officially form a team and begin entering tournaments and leagues around Gwangju. The Gwangju International Baseball Team was formed, but rules governing the local baseball league unfairly prevented non-Korean teams from entering competitions, an early hurdle that was frustrating for all involved. The team continued to train

together and play the occasional friendly game while it waited for something to change.

Due to work commitments, the team's founder Tony Warren was unable to develop the team any further. Three other members of the team decided to take the reins. Through the joint efforts of a Korean named Jackie Choi, an Australian named Darrell Slater and an American named Shawn Roe, the Bombers were able to come to an agreement with league organizers, and have been included in the league for the new season. Since a catchy and memorable team name is practically a prerequisite in a league setting, the team changed its name to the Gwangju Bombers.

Currently the team consists of about 20 members, most of whom are English teachers

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sports

2

1

3

4

1. Team members hanging out at The First Alleyway; 2 and 3. Baseball practice; 4. Meeting before the practice

at academies, public schools and universities.

Scheduling regular training sessions is often a challenge as team members have varied schedules during the week. However, the team still tries to meet as often as possible on weekends to put in a few hours of hard work and have a good time on the field.

The team has come a long way since it was first established and has even managed to secure the support of a few generous sponsors, including Dr Choi's Oriental Medical Clinic, Tequilaz and The First Alleyway. The Gwangju Bombers have made an early positive impact on the local league in this, their debut season. At the time of writing, the team had completed three league games, notching two wins and one narrow loss. They scored 43 runs in the process.

When asked whether the main purpose of the team was serious competition or simply just to have a bit of fun, Slater said, “It started out as just a bit of fun when we played at Chosun, but

the competition has increased for sure. We want to win every game of course. I feel like we do have a lot of fun though.”

He also added, “As Gwangju's only foreign baseball team there has been a lot of interest from people wanting to get involved. We have guys who can hit the ball, but we have some issues on defense and sometimes we don't have enough pitchers.”

Currently there are no tournaments scheduled for the next few months, but league games take place every Saturday in Buk-gu's Oryung-dong.

The field is next to the river, close to the Cheomdan Bridge near the Lotte Mart.

Anybody with a background in baseball who is keen to get involved, as well as anyone who wants to come out and support our local boys at one of their league games, is encouraged to contact either Darrell Slater or Jackie Choi via Facebook. You can also contact Jackie Choi at 010-2002-7676.

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48

fashion

Fash-On with xxl jjdp

Carried Away Words and photos by jjdp Shot on Location around Gwangju

A

s the weather has lightened up, so have my shopping habits. I recently noticed that I have too many clothes and I should probably try to spend less on new stuff.

So I have been coming up with interesting ideas to enhance and update my wardrobe with some cheaper add-ons and accessories.

Just as last month I suggested adding some new kicks to your look, this month I suggest recruiting another key piece into your arsenal: the backpack.

For many, the backpack is part of the attire of a student, but this formerly â&#x20AC;&#x153;school-onlyâ&#x20AC;? item has been making a return as one of the musthave items in 2014. This unisex item has been appearing on runways since last year and has achieved a higher status since Chanel debuted a special edition leather backpack earlier this season. Looking at Korean fashion, it is not unusual to see backpacks paired with jeans, T-shirts and more casual looks, or even with suits for more of a business look. The latter tends to be more of the leather variety, but since it is the start of summer I have chosen to go with some color and fun to boost the vibrancy of my closet.

I found the backpack to be the perfect solution for running out of space in my wallet and annoyingly bulgy pockets. They are wonderfully useful for storing everyday items and also those summer freshness essentials that you are going to need as the weather becomes more humid. I always keep some fresh moist towels, a stick of deodorant and my favorite fragrance in mine, not to mention my notebook, cell-phone charger, a bottle of water and maybe a snack or two (see, there is no way you are going to keep all of that in your pockets!).

The upcoming holidays and long weekends in both May and June will also require you to pack a weekend bag, with some added items for a quick getaway from Gwangju. It will be

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fashion

the perfect time for outdoor activities such as hiking Mudeung Mountain or going to a baseball game. On a daily basis, you can save the earth by using the extra space to pack groceries instead of purchasing a plastic or brown paper bag at the supermarket. It might also be the perfect gym accessory to store that change of clothes.

As these packs are relatively cheap (I found some specimens for 10,000 won), I suggest getting one in a solid color and also one in a pattern that will stand out more and be easier to identify.

As I mentioned before, there are lots of backpack options out there for guys and girls, and it mostly depends on what you will be doing. Some might opt for a classic look in a solid color, and that will compliment a look with other solid colors â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for example, a solid color would go perfectly with a jeans-and-white-shirt combo. Or if you are a bit more daring go for one of the patterns that can be worn with a mono look.

xxl jjdp

Happy backpacking, peace,

[CLOTHING] Backpacks purchased from Shoopen, which is located inside NC Wave Shopping Mall in downtown Gwangju.

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language teaching

Those Commonly Held Beliefs on Language Learning and Teaching Words by Dr. David Shaffer Photo courtesy of World Library

O

ver the years, numerous beliefs about how languages are learned and how they should be taught have coalesced among laymen and foreign language teachers alike, often without very much theoretical foundation or research as a basis. This month we will challenge a number of popular views and show how they are not supported or only weakly supported by present second language acquisition research and theory. The end goal is to produce a clearer perception of how second languages are learned and of what current thinking on best practices is for teaching them.

Popular View 1: Languages are learned mainly through imitation.

Language learners are not parrots. They often produce sentences that they have never heard before, that they could never have heard before, and that no one has ever said before.

Learners have been heard saying “I eated lunch,” “I am hiccing up,” and “It was upside down, but I turned it upside right.” Such production provides evidence that learners do not merely memorize or imitate what they hear others say. However, language imitation can play a role in language learning. Some learners, especially young learners, may use word, phrase, or sentence imitation as a language learning strategy, but others may learn a language quite well without using imitation as a strategy.

Popular View 2: Parents usually correct young children's grammatical errors.

The amount of caretaker correction of a child's language is sure to vary considerably depending on the caretaker's social, education and linguistic background as well as the child's age. When children are young, parents and other caretakers actually correct children's linguistic errors very rarely. It is when children near elementary school age that adults

become more concerned and begin to correct children's mistakes. However, the mistakes that are most often corrected at this time are meaning-related mistakes (e.g., “I hit the cat with a bat on the head.” corrected to “I hit the cat on the head with a bat.”) rather than purely grammatical mistakes (e.g., “I hitted the cat on the head.”). Semantic errors rather than syntactic errors are considered to be of more importance for communication.

Popular View 3: Highly intelligent people are good language learners.

People with high IQs are good at learning about things, and they are good at taking tests.

Therefore, they will be good at taking tests about language. Learning a language, however, is much different than learning about a language and involves much different skills than those measured on an aptitude test. Some students who are good at school subjects struggle with learning a language and viceversa. Students with high IQs often have good study habits, and this may also transfer to learning a language. However, students with a wide variety of abilities may be good at language learning, especially conversational skills.

May2014 2014.4.259:39AM Page51

language teaching Popular View 4: The best predictor of success in second language acquisition is motivation.

Motivation is an ingredient that leads to successful second language acquisition; there is no denying it, but there are many reasons why it may not be the best predictor of second language acquisition. Highly motivated learners may meet with great obstacles to learning.

Fluency, accuracy, and easily comprehensible pronunciation may be high hurdles for adults.

Learners' aptitude, their learning styles, and their satisfaction with the classroom environment can all greatly affect success in learning.

essential that an English learner be able to pronounce all of them in a certain native dialect. What is important is that the learner's English pronunciation is intelligible. For example, pronunciation of the rhotic “r” is common in American English, but is absent in British English.

With the international interaction of English speakers, it is necessary for them to understand each other's variety of English pronunciation.

Having a goal of native-like pronunciation is actually an unrealistic goal for most second language learners.

Popular View 5: The earlier a second language is introduced in school programs, the greater the likelihood of success in learning.

Early English education does have its benefits for acquisition. Research shows that it benefits native-like proficiency. However, this comes at a cost. To begin with, it is usually least costeffective. The younger the learner, the more expensive the language gains. For very young learners, second language acquisition may lead to first language losses in a non-L1 environment.

For learners, learning in EFL environments and not expected to be living, working, and speaking in second language environments and not needing native-like proficiency, it is more efficient to begin second language learning later.

Gwangju KOTESOL Monthly Chapter Meeting Date & Time: May 10 (Saturday), 1:45 pm Place: Chosun University, Main Building, Left Wing, Rm 4211

Popular View 6: Most of the mistakes that second language learners make are due to interference from their first language.

First language interference does account for a certain amount of language learners' mistakes, but the first language may also have many positive effects. For closely related languages, language transfer is often positive. Many of the mistakes a language learner makes are due purely to the language learning process. That is, second language learners make many of the same mistakes that first language learners make in the language learning process, mistakes such as overgeneralizations in irregular verbs (go – goed – goed). Other mistakes may be due to undergeneralizations inherent in the language learning process. The majority of interlanguage mistakes are not first-language influenced.

May 3: Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter Outreach, Mokpo National University, Muan.

May 10 (10:30 a.m.): Reflective Practice SIG Meeting, Chosun University side entrance.

Popular View 7: It is essential for learners to be able to pronounce all the individual sounds in the second language.

There is great variety in the pronunciation of English sounds by native speakers, so it is not

Featured Presentations o Implementing Successful Communicative Activities in Large University Classes.

By Matthew McLaughlin-Stonham (Chosun University) o Language Learning Strategy Awareness.

By Ynell Lumantao (Chonnam National University) Swap-Shop: Share your teaching ideas and activities with the group.

Admission: No Charge

Facebook: Gwangju-Jeonnam KOTESOL Website : http://koreatesol.org/gwangju Email : gwangju@koreatesol.org Twitter : @GwangjuKOTESOL David E. Shaffer is the President of the Gwangju-Jeonnam Chapter of Korea TESOL (KOTESOL). On behalf of the Chapter, he invites you to participate in the teacher development workshops at their monthly meetings, their March 15 chapter conference, and other special events. Dr. Shaffer is a professor of English Language at Chosun University, where he has taught graduate and undergraduate courses for many years. He is a long-time member of KOTESOL and a holder of various KOTESOL positions, including Publications Committee Chair. He is also a multiple recipient of the KOTESOL President's Award and a recipient of the KOTESOL Lifetime Achievement Award.

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living tips

National Pension Q&A

Words by National Pension Service

Q

Q

I am a Korean citizen, retired from an airline company, and have received old-age benefits from the NPS after paying the contribution for 11 years.

While working in the Los Angeles office of the company from 2006-2008, I paid United States social security taxes. At 62, I would like to receive pension benefits, commensurate with my contributions, from the U.S., too. How can I do so?

I am a migrant factory worker who originally came to Korea legally from the Philippines. After two years of legal work, I now continue to work illegally at another factory. Here is my concern: in the event that I am caught by the Korean authorities and deported, would this result in the Korean government confiscating my pension contributions that I made while I was working legally?

A

A

Judging from your question, you are entitled to receive pension benefits from the U.S. even though you failed to satisfy the minimum contribution period of 10 years. This is possible thanks to the Korea-U.S. social security agreement which a llo w s in d iv id ua ls t o co mbin e co v erage p e r io ds f r o m bo t h co un t r ies in o r der to establish pension rights more easily.

As such, your 14 years of combined coverage in the two countries makes you eligible for oldage pension benefits from both countries. You may claim retirement pension benefits from the U.S. government for your contributions of three years, which would otherwise revert to the U.S. Treasury. The full retirement benefit is available from age 66, but the early retirement benefit is offered from 62 at a reduced rate.

Currently, Korea maintains an expansive social security agreement network for combined benefits with 16 countries: the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Australia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, Belgium, P o la n d, t h e S lo va k Republic, Bulgari a, Romania, Austria, Denmark and India.

A n y o n e w h o w o r ked a n d pa id pe ns i on contributions in these countries in the past needs only to call the International Center of t h e N a t io n a l P en sio n S er vice for the application to receive foreign benefits.

Even though you may be engaged in immigration violations on Korean soil and though you may have been caught by the Korean authorities, that should not disadvantage you in terms of your pension savings. Your pension contributions from any legal work experience will be safe and protected regardless of whether you worked illegally at some other time. In addition, the NPS is not bound by any other Korean government authority to release your pension information to them in order to cover any legal costs, the cost of your deportation or any costs incurred by incarceration.

The NPS Act clearly states under Article 58 concerning Protection of the Eligibility to Benefits, "The eligibility to receive benefits shall not be transferred, seized or secured."

The fact that you were engaged in illegal activities while working in Korea does not negate your right to claim your contributions.

If you use someone else's name, however, and pay the contribution under that name, then you cannot receive a lump-sum refund for that period. Identity theft is a crime and the NPS does not allow anyone to join the pension service under a false identity No matter what your particular circumstances, your right to your pension savings will remain intact. If you want a lumpsum refund, you can make an application by sending all necessary documents to the NPS.

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living tips

Q A

I'm an American working in Korea. As I'm presently paying into a U.S. pension scheme, must I also pay into the Korean National Pension? As far as I know, I don't have to pay pension contributions in Korea if I'm a dispatched worker from the U.S.A. or self-employed. Is this correct? If so, how can I prove my status as a dispatched or self-employed worker?

A social security agreement is concluded to benefit the nationals of contracting countries through the coordination of those countries' different social security systems. It aims to reduce the financial burden on persons, such as detached employees or self-employed persons working abroad for the short term, who would otherwise have to pay social security payments to both countries. To date, Korea has concluded social security agreements with the following nations: the United States, Canada, England, Germany, China, the Netherland, Japan, Italy, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Hungary, France, Australia, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Belgium, Poland, Slovak Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, Austria, Denmark, and India.

According to the social security agreement between Korea and the USA, the following individuals may be exempt from paying the Korean National Pension contribution: Persons who are employed in the USA but who are dispatched to Korea for 5 years or less.

Persons who reside in the USA but who are engaged in self-employed activities in Korea.

Self-employed persons who reside in the USA but who are engaged in self-employed activities in Korea as well as in the U.S.A. The required document to prove that one is a dispatched or self-employed worker is the "Certificate of Coverage" issued by the United States Social Security Administration (SSA). The relevant staff member at your workplace in Korea should send this certificate, along with a copy of your alien registration card, to the National Pension Service International Center.

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crossword

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[CROSSWORD] Last Monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Answers

Join the Gwangju Performance Project Choir!

No experience is necessary and all are welcome. The choir will be learning and singing a wide variety of material, including Pop, Jazz, Choral, and Musical Theater!

The GPP Choir meets every Saturday from 12:30 - 2:30pm on the second floor of the Gwangju International Center in downtown Gwangju. For more information, visit our Facebook page or e-mail at gwangjuplayers@gmail.com

May2014 2014.4.2511:4AM Page55

community board

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55

Community Board Have something you want to share with the community?

Gwangju News’ community board provides a space for the community to announce club’s activity, special events and so on.

Please send us the information to gwangjunews@gic.or.kr

UNESCO KONA Volunteers UNESCO KONA Volunteers is a registered organization that helps underprivileged kids by teaching English through storybooks.

We are looking for long-term volunteers who desire to enrich their lives. We are asking volunteering to commit to helping at least once a month: one Friday afternoon, Saturday afternoon, Sunday morning or Sunday afternoon per month. Foreign volunteers who are interested in practicing their Korean and learning more about Korean culture are welcome to stay at the center on any Saturday afternoon for a short cultural exchange.

If you have any picture books, storybooks, puppets or any educational items, we accept all donations in order to distribute them to the local children's homes or community children's centers in Gwangju.

We also accept any used storybooks and educational items For more information, please visit: 1) http://cafe.daum.net/konavolunteers, 2) www.facebook.com (UNESCO KONA Volunteers) 3) contact Kona (Kim Young-Im) at 062-434-9887 or at konacenter@gmail.com.

Wanted: Expat Stories: Accounts of your experiences living and working in Korea are requested: encounters of comedy, tragedy and anything in-between. The stories will be used in an ongoing documentary project entitled “Expat Asia.”

I am Jacques Sheard, a photographer/filmmaker and a former resident of Gwangju, now based in Melbourne, Australia. Any assistance will be greatly appreciated. Please send all correspondence, including any questions to jacquessheard@hotmail.com.

COMMUNITY CLUBS Photo Gwangju Plus For photographers, Google+ has become a tool and part of their overall social media strategy. There is a lot to love. If you are an aspiring photographer that is looking for inspiration, education and other individuals to connect with and share your passion for photography, we have an opportunity for you. If you are serious about photography and want to walk a couple steps higher, there is a community that shares pictures that you are more than welcome to join. For more information, please visit “Photo Gwangju Plus” at #photogwangjuplus

Gwangju Ice Hockey Team Looking for men and women of all ages to join us every Saturday night from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Yeomju Ice Rink near World Cup Stadium.

If you are interested, contact Andrew Dunne at atdunne@gmail.com

Gwangju Inter FC The Gwangju international soccer team (Gwangju Inter FC) plays regularly every weekend.

If you are interested in playing, e-mail: gwangju_soccer@yahoo.com or search ‘Gwangju Inter FC’ on Facebook.

May2014 2014.4.259:39AM Page56

Rank Institution

Country

core

1

Weizmann Institute of Science

Israel

100

2

California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

United States

100 100

3

Rockefeller University

United States

4

Harvard University

United States

100

5

Stanford University

United States

100

6

Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology

South Korea

100

7

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

United States

100

8

University of California, San Francisco

United States

100

9

Karolinska Institute

Sweden

100

10

University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)

United States

99.9