Korea magazine 1711

Monthly Magazine

November 2017

November 2017

Cover Story www. korea.net

Haenyeo Discovering the sustainable lives of people and nature

한국에서 어디에 가 본 적이 있어요?

Hangugeseo eodie ga bon jeogi isseoyo?

The female divers of Jeju, the haenyeo, form a truly remarkable sisterhood.

Models of eco feminism, the haenyeo are providers for their families, leaders of their communities and stewards of the sea. Their sustainable harvesting practices, the product of the divers’ absolute devotion to the sea, are especially relevant today, in an era when global fisheries are depleting quickly because of commercial overfishing. As today’s haenyeo grow older, steps are being taken to ensure the survival of this most remarkable community.

Also in this issue of KOREA, we explore the rugged beauty of Ulsan’s Yeongnam Alps, talk with business person and activist Iresha Perera, meet Korea’s biggest jazz divas, visit the Andong Maskdance Festival and more. _ Editorial staff, KOREA

Where have you been in Korea?

Publisher Kim Tae-hoon Korean Culture and Information Service Executive Producer Park Byunggyu Editorial Advisers Cho Won-hyung, Lee Suwan, Park Inn-seok Email webmaster@korea.net Magazine Production Seoul Selection Editor-in-Chief Robert Koehler Production Supervisor Kim Eugene Producers Park Miso, Woo Jiwon Copy Editors Gregory Eaves, Anna Bloom

아자니 씨, 강원도에 가 본 적이 있으세요?

Ajani ssi, gangwondo-e ga bon jeogi isseuseyo?

Illustrator Jeong Hyo-ju Photographers ao studio Kang Jinju, 15 Studio Printing Pyung Hwa Dang Printing Co., Ltd.

Cover Photo Photographed by Park Jung-keun Facing through the water a haenyeo as she holds her breath, the photographer recasts the diver in a dynamic and modern way.

Aniyo, gangwondo-e ga bon jeogi eopsseoyo. Yumyeonghan gosieyo?

Ajani, have you ever been to Gangwon-do?

No, I haven’t. Is it a famous place?

네, 겨울에 눈이 많이 와서 사람들이 여행을 많이 가요.

나래 씨가 말해 준 덕분에 좋은 장소를 알았어요. 고마워요.

Ne, gyeoure nuni mani waseo saramdeuri yeohaengeul mani gayo.

Narae ssiga marae jun deokbune joeun jangsoreul arasseoyo.

Gomawoyo.

Yes. Gangwon-do has lots of snow during the winter and people often travel there.

Thanks to you Narae, I found out about a good place to visit. Thanks! 나래 Narae

Creative Director Lee Seung Ho Designers Lee Bok-hyun, Jung Hyun-young

아니요, 강원도에 가 본 적이 없어요. 유명한 곳이에요?

아자니 Ajani

V-아/어 본 적이 있다/없다

Let’s practice!

‘V–아/어 본 적이 있다/없다’ means one has or has not ever experienced doing something.

Let’s practice asking questions.

ex. 한국 음식을 먹다 + ‘V–아/어 본 적이 있다/없다’ ⇒ 한국 음식을 먹어 본 적이 있어요/없어요.

Eat Korean food + have V/have never V ⇒ I have eaten/have never eaten Korean food. 한국 노래를 듣다 + ‘V–아/어 본 적이 있다/없다’ ⇒ 한국 노래를 들어 본 적이 있어요/없어요.

Listen to Korean songs + have V/ have never V ⇒ I have listened/have never listened to Korean songs.

Q: 밍밍 씨, 한국에 가 본 적이 있어요? (가다 + –아/어 본 적이 있다)

Ming Ming, have you ever been to Korea? (go + have ever) A: 네/아니요. 한국에 __________________________________.

Yes, I have been to Korea. / No, I have never been to Korea.

Q: 바다에서 수영을 ___________________ ? (수영을 하다 + –아/어 본 적이 있다)

Have you ever swum in the sea? (swim + have ever) A: 네/아니요. 바다에서 _________________________________.

Yes, I have swum in the sea. / No, I have never swum in the sea.

Q: 노래방에서 노래를 ____________________ ? (노래를 부르다 + –아/어 본 적이 있다)

Have you ever sung a song at a noraebang? (sing a song + have ever)

V –(으)ㄴ 덕분에

A: 네/아니요. 노래방에서 __________________________________.

‘V–(으)ㄴ 덕분에’ refers to the reason why a good thing has happened.

Yes, I have sung a song at a noraebang. / No, I have never sung a song at a noraebang.

‘N 덕분에’ is often used express gratitude towards the person who did something good.

Q: 한국에서 경주를 _________________________? (여행하다 + -아/어 본 적이 있다)

Have you ever traveled to Gyeongju? (travel + have ever)

ex. 선생님께서 한국어를 잘 가르쳐 주시다 + ‘V–(으)ㄴ 덕분에’ ⇒ 선생님께서 한국어를 잘 가르쳐 주신 덕분에 한국어를 잘하게 됐어요. ⇒ 한국어 선생님 덕분에 한국어를 잘하게 됐어요.

A: 네/아니요. 경주를 ______________________________________.

Yes, I have traveled to Gyeongju. / No, I have never traveled to Gyeongju.

The teacher taught Korean very well + thanks to the fact that V

Korean Culture

⇒ Thanks to the fact that the teacher taught Korean very well,

What parts of Korea have you visited? Seoul, the capital, serves as a center of politics, economics, culture and transportation. The central region of the country is divided into three provinces, Gyeonggi-do, Gangwon-do and Chungcheong-do, while the southern region has Jeolla-do and Gyeongsangdo. Off the southern coast of Korea is Jeju Island, which many tourists love for its beautiful beaches and natural environment. Each region of Korea has its own famous tourist spots. Gangwon-do is known especially for winter sports and ice fishing, as the region has lots of snow during the winter. Next year, Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do, will hold the 2018 Winter Olympics. In your country, where do people travel during the wintertime?

my Korean improved a lot.

⇒ Thanks to the Korean teacher, my Korean improved a lot. 착한 일을 하다 + 'V–(으)ㄴ 덕분에' ⇒ 착한 일을 한 덕분에 상을 받았어요.

Do something good + thanks to the fact that V ⇒ Thanks to the fact that I did something good, I received this award.

Co nte nt s

04 Cover Story Haenyeo

26 Arts & Entertainment 1 Soul Sisters

38 This is Pyeongchang Ready for Launch

Discovering the sustainable lives of people and nature

Korea’s jazz divas sing their hearts out

Pyeongchang wraps up preparations to host the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

28 Arts & Entertainment 2 No Mere Masquerade The Andong Maskdance Festival celebrates masked dances worldwide

40 Current Korea Raising a Candle of Peace President Moon stresses Korea’s leading role in resolving tensions on the peninsula

42

Global Korea

Korea Shines as Guest of Honor at Belgian Folklore Festival; Concert in Osaka Promotes PyeongChang Winter Games; Different Languages, Different Personalities

14 Travel Dancing Fields of Silver The Yeongnam Alps show that industrial giant Ulsan has a natural side

44 Flavor Siraegi Mubap

20 People Building True Multiculturalism, One Doll at a Time Talk to Me chief Iresha Perera aims to build a society where all Koreans are one, regardless of skin color

24 Korea & I Tradition and Passion, Minus the Hooliganism Seoul Global Center head Paul Carver extols Seoul World Cup Stadium as a place of fun and football history

Add a bit of winter radish to your rice

30 Korean Culture in Brief Contemporary Art Comes to Deoksugung Palace, Suncheonman Bay Hosts Reed Festival, Korean Fashion Featured in US Exhibition and more

32 Literature Master of the Anti-Novel Though Jung Young-moon’s work may not resemble a conventional novel, it sure is unique

46 Learning Korean A Heart-Breaking Homecoming Film on wartime atrocity aims to help tortured spirits find their way home

36 Policy review Fun, Virtualized

Incheon Monster VR uses technology to redefine the theme park experience

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission from KOREA and the Korean Culture and Information Service. If you want to receive a free copy of KOREA or wish to cancel a subscription, please email us. A downloadable PDF of KOREA and a map and glossary with common Korean words appearing in our magazine are available by clicking on the thumbnail of KOREA at the website www.korea.net. Publication Registration No: 11-1110073-000016-06

Cover Story

»

Written by Kang Yeongjoo

Haenyeo Discovering the sustainable lives of people and nature

You may come across a group of middle-aged women by the black ocean rocks in many parts of Jeju. Even deeper black are their diving suits and the short, curly hair that shines under the blue sky. They walk together towards the water as they speak, the sound of their voices so refreshingly loud it’s almost as if you can see their words as they carry in the island’s gusts. They carry just goggles and a round styrofoam buoy with a net and some small handheld tools. In the eye of the stranger, the nonchalance of the women as they enter the water evokes a strong sense of curiosity. What goes on beneath the waves? What kind of stories could these women share?

Jeju, Korea’s biggest island, is known for its abundance of three things: volcanic rock, windy days and strong-willed women. Of the three, the women are especially prominent, beginning from the very creation myth of the island itself, a tale of a female giant who shaped the island from her own wit and wisdom. Society has long acknowledged and admired the diligence and fierce independence of the island’s women.

One community of Jeju women, however, have an especially extraordinary lifestyle.

The haenyeo are a community of diving women who collect shellfish, sea urchins, octopus and seaweed from the ocean floor. The practice has survived virtually unchanged for over 2,000 years. In 2016, UNESCO added the haenyeo to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, praising the divers for their harmonious practices and their humanitarian and ecological approach to the ocean. That this women-only community arose amidst Korea’s strongly patriarchal society is nothing short of extraordinary.

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Sustainable way of life Environmental preservation is a way of life for the haenyeo, sustaining both the sea and the women’s work.

Dressed in a black rubber suit, a haenyeo starts by jumping off a small boat or swimming from the rocks of the coast. She dives up to 15 meters deep, equipped with only goggles, descending with a weight belt and fins to scour the seafloor with a hoe. Collecting shellfish and the like for as long as her lung capacity allows, she surfaces, resting on an orange buoy, storing the catch in a net attached to it. Never have the divers used air tanks. Using such artificial methods to extend diving times – and increase the catch – would infuriate the gods and goddesses of the sea.

The haenyeo’s devotion to the sea stems from their devout obedience to it, to the realm of Grandmother Yeongdeung, the folk deity who protects and grows the bounty of the ocean. Rather than seek dominion over nature, the women submit to it.

To collectively acknowledge the dangers of working in the sea and the frailty of human life, haenyeo hold a time-honored shamanist ritual.

Visiting the shrine of the sea deities, the divers pray for protection, offerings the gods and goddesses food, drink and entertainment through the mediation of a shaman. The haenyeo strongly believe that their lives are tied to the environment.

Stakeholders with communal spirit The divers share a communal spirit. For example, they often refer to the ocean as a “sea farm,” with each coastal village setting its own rules and regulations regarding working the sea. Each diving community

© Kim Daun

KOREA November_ 5

When a girl is ready to begin diving, her mother and neighbors, or “aunts,” show her the ropes. These strong women teach their daughters how to work the sea, imparting survival skills like reading the weather and breath-holding techniques. Girls are told day in and day out – indeed, they’ll hear it every day for as long as they are haenyeo – of the importance of moderation, of being aware of your lung capacity while underwater.

They become independent and responsible by learning how to avoid dangerous situations and by caring for others in the community. Girls are discouraged from diving alone because of the greater risks. They naturally learn about tides, winds and sea animals.

They learn how to survive when things go wrong, in situations that could kill most ordinary people.

Young divers learn to limit the size of their catch,

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© Brenda Paik Sunwoo

Starting young

© Brenda Paik Sunwoo

determines who can harvest where, and the haenyeo carefully avoid entering any other woman’s designated harvesting site. The women of each village also predetermine the size of the catch and which kinds of shellfish can be caught. Haenyeo share rules regarding when to harvest certain kinds of seafood, halting collection during the breeding season. The haenyeo’s respect for nature is based on their faith in it as their provider and protector.

Almost all the haenyeo’s activities ashore take place in a group, in a space usually located by the fishing ground, surrounded by walls of volcanic rock. In this space, called a bulteok, the haenyeo put on their diving suits, rubbing their goggles with a ball of mugwort to prevent fogging. At the end of a long day of diving, they return to the bulteok, a fire set in the middle.

The women warm themselves and roast some snacks, perhaps potatoes or less marketable items from the day’s catch. The women also swap information, including diving techniques and fishery locations, and make decisions through a vocal, inclusive discussion.

Working as a collective body, the haenyeo establish themselves as stakeholders in their family and communities. Their harvest from the sea fills their dinner tables. Though Korean women traditionally stay home with the children, the haenyeo put themselves at the head of their families by diving into the cold waters. With resilience and strength to overcome hardship and maintain direction, they contribute to their families and communities as producers.

to treat the ocean not as a subject of exploitation, but as a merciful provider.

Running counter to the “more is better” philosophy so much in vogue today, this sense of moderation is especially impressive when you consider the hardships historically faced by Jeju islanders in providing for their families and educating their children.

The haenyeo’s sense of ownership over the sea comes from their love for it and their wish to share it with all members of the group. Within the haenyeo, there is a hierarchy: a higher group called sanggun, a middle group called junggun and a lower group called hagun. The high group, the sanggun, are the most respected. Not only can they hold their breath the longest, but they also possess the patience and strength to be leaders, caring for both their peers and the future generations of haenyeo. They also guide the group when times are difficult.

Improving self-image Despite the praise heaped on the haenyeo today, including their recognition by UNESCO, the women of the sea have traditionally suffered from poor self esteem. Though they put food on the table, diving was

The haenyeo of Jeju are a unique community of female marine workers. The haenyeo are able to control their breath to dive deep into the water and catch seafood without the help of mechanical equipment. As long as their breath allows, they stay in the water, and as much as the sea allows, gather seafood. This is their promise to the sea. The value of the haenyeo was recently deemed worthy of conservation and added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2016. 제주 해녀는 세계에서 유례를 찾기 힘든 여성 해양노동 공동체다. 해녀들은 기계 장치 없이 호흡을 조절하며 잠수해 해산물을 채취한다. 자기 숨만큼만 머물면서 바다가 허락하는 만큼의 해산물을 가져오는 것이 그녀들의 약속이다. 제주해녀문화는 인류문화로서의 보존 가치를 인정받아 2016년 유네스코 인류무형문화유산으로 등재되었다.

© JTBC PLUS

KOREA November_ 7

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© Kim Daun

The haenyeo have established a set of rules regarding boundaries of fisheries, qualifications for catching seafood and period of catch. They strictly follow the rules. They pursue a life in harmony with nature and community. For example, younger haenyeo intentionally spread some of their catch in the coastal waters for their older counterparts to gather. Sometimes, they sell their seafood and donate the money to help the school their children attend, or collect trash in the water together. 해녀는 어장의 경계, 해산물 채취 자격 및 방법, 기간 등을 규정해두고 엄격하게 지킨다. 나이든 해녀들을 위해 젊은 해녀들이 채취한 해산물의 일부를 앞바다에 뿌려놓는가 하면, 아이들의 교육을 위해 해산물을 팔아 학교 운영비로 기부하기도 하고, 바닷속 쓰레기를 함께 수거하는 등 자연 및 공동체와 더불어 사는 삶을 지향한다.

KOREA November_ 9

community to an end. Haenyeo schools train young people in the ways of the divers. Hansupul Haenyeo School, one of the earliest public efforts to preserve the haenyeo’s disappearing lifestyle, opened a decade ago. Beophwan Jomnyeo Village Haenyeo School takes its education to the next level, turning students into working divers. Active haenyeo lead the classes, and students earn diplomas that register them as junior members of 46 National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives. Giving students not only a historical understanding of the haenyeo but also practical training as divers, the schools are having an impact as “baby” haenyeo in their 20s or 30s grow in number.

More and more overseas artists and journalists are taking haenyeo as their subject, too. David Alan Harvey, a member of the acclaimed photographic cooperative Magnum Photos, published a photography book about Jeju called “Jeju Haenyeo: Heroines of the Sea.” In his book “Jeju Island: Reaching to the Core of Beauty,” Nobel laureate J.M.G. Le Clezio wrote a travel essay about haenyeo, describing the women as “open and artless, courageous and resilient.”

Kim Hyung-seon’s photography exhibition, “The Ocean After Culture,” toured many art museums in America and Europe.

Rather than presenting idealized fantasies of the haenyeo, these artists present the divers as real women living real lives.

Though calls grow louder to preserve the haenyeo’s way of life as public understanding and appreciation of the divers increase, voices of concern are also growing.

There are only 4,500 haenyeo now, less than half of the number 70 years ago. Unified calls to protect the haenyeo will only grow stronger, however, and current efforts to preserve the lifestyle are but a happy beginning in the battle to keep the community alive.

a difficult way of life and one completely at odds with traditional standards of womanhood. Because of this, the divers have long kept to themselves, discouraging inquiries from outsiders. Attempts to study their lifestyle were rebuffed for fear of revealing “shameful” aspects of their lives, such as chronic financial instability. Despite this, efforts to promote awareness of their way of life are growing, efforts that are helping better the self-perception of the haenyeo themselves.

One such effort was “Breathing Underwater,” a documentary on the haenyeo screened at the British Museum. Director Koh Hee-young, a Jeju native, spent roughly three years on Udo, a small island off eastern Jeju where the women are especially strong and spirited. Capturing moments in the lives of the diving women, many of whom are in their 60s and 70s, Koh’s documentary reflects on their daily decision to return to the ocean, a generous entity that gives as much as much as it takes away.

The Jeju Haenyeo Festival, held every September, gives the public an opportunity to meet the elderly haenyeo, who parade along the seaside roads. Recent graduates of the so-called haenyeo schools, training facilities for future divers, show off their newly acquired skills, too.

The provincial government of Jeju supported the production of “Hooi Story,” a musical staged last year to celebrate UNESCO’s inscription of the haenyeo.

The musical presents the divers as pioneers and protectors of Jeju’s seas through the tale of a goddess who chooses to become a human haenyeo so she may search for love.

Grassroots movements are promoting the haenyeo way of life, too. In particular, they are working to pump new blood into the haenyeo community at a time when aging is threatening to bring the

© Brenda Paik Sunwoo

© Brenda Paik Sunwoo

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The haenyeo tradition is facing extinction as the community grows older. In an effort to prevent such a tragedy, the Jeju provincial government is improving policy measures. The haeneyo school plays an important role in maintaining this disappearing heritage through programs aimed at fostering a new generation of female divers. 해녀들은 점차 고령화되고, 젊은 사람들은 위험하고 고된 물질을 기피함에 따라, 해녀의 명맥이 끊길 위기에 처해 있다. 이에 제주에서는 해마다 해녀축제를 개최해 해녀 문화를 홍보하고 각종 정책을 보완하는 노력을 기울인다. 해녀학교들은 해녀 양성 프로그램을 통해 사라져가는 문화유산을 지키고 있다.

(Page 10) On Jeju, locals hold a variety of shamanist ceremonies, including the Jeju Chilmeoridang Yeongdeunggut (left) and the Hado-ri Jamsugut (right), to pray for calm seas and a plentiful catch.

© Y. Zin

KOREA November_ 11

Haenyeo’s equipment

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©B Paik

greater freedom of movement. Now they are able to stay at sea up to five to six hours a day throughout the year. A set of flippers, or oribal, is also essential.

Divers also wear a belt of lead weights, or yeoncheol, to help them sink better. By letting divers stay in the water longer, rubber diving suits have played a pivotal role in increased earnings.

Prior to the 1970s, haenyeo wore loose, usually white cotton clothes, or murot. The murot, too, consisted of three pieces: an inner garment, an outer garment and a hair piece.

It is believed haenyeo began wearing the murot during the Joseon era, possibly at the encouragement of officials. For its time, the outfit was remarkably practical. It was easy to put on and take off, kept the body warm, and let divers move around freely. Cotton could not compete with neoprene, however, so in the 1970s, the government began subsidizing the transition to rubber diving suits.

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Diving mask

Museum

Since the 1970s, haenyeo have been wearing three-piece rubber diving suits made of neoprene: a cap, top and pants. The well-insulated neoprene suits not only let the haenyeo dive in the cold winter months, but also allowed for deeper dives and

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Haenyeo used to dive without goggles, but that was before diving masks became widely available in the early 20th century.

The haenyeo refer to goggles as nun, the Korean word for eyes. Double lensed, copper framed diving masks called joksaenun were in use until the 1950s. A monocle, or wangnun (“big eye”) is the norm today. These, too, originally used copper frames. Since the 1970s, however, haenyeo have used rubber framed masks, which are much more comfortable.

Some regions call the mask by different names. In Sineom, for example, it is called a eomjaengi nun. In Handong-ri, it is called a gwetnun.

Haenyeo rub a ball of mugwort inside the goggle lenses, a practice that prevents fogging while the haenyeo are underwater.

When the divers aren’t using the mask, they keep it in a wooden box called a nungwak.

© Haenyeo

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Wetsuits and fins

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Bitchang ©

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Taewak mangsari

A net sack tied to a buoy, or taewak mangsari, is an indispensable tool for the haenyeo. As the haenyeo emerge from underwater, they store their catch inside the net, or mangsari. In the old days, the nets were made from rope made from tree bark. Nowadays, nylon webbing is used.

They also take short breaks between each dive while holding the buoy, or taewak. The buoy also indicates where divers are working and reminds them to pick up their catch before they quit for the day.

Since the 1960s, haenyeo have used buoys made of light, unbreakable styrofoam. Before that, they used big, hollowed out gourds. In fact, the word taewak means “gourd that floats on the water” in the Jeju dialect. Female divers in other parts of Korea, such as Wando and Heuksando, used similar devices, but called by different names. The color of the taewak changed, too, from white to brighter colors such as red in order to better alert passing boats to the divers’ presence.

In the old days, father-in-laws often gifted a taewak mangsari to their daughter-in-laws as wedding presents.

eo ny

The bitchang is a knife specifically used when collecting abalones.

Usually 30 centimeters long and three centimeters wide, it is made of steel with a pointed end for picking the abalone off rocks. A band is often attached to the handle so the haenyeo can wear it on their wrists.

Haenyeo usually wear a bitchang around their waist when diving and store it in their net after the dive.

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Jaksal Kkakkuri

A kkakkuri is a slender version of a hoe. With its sharply pointed end, it is an important tool when the haenyeo collect abalones, sea urchins and octopuses. Its long neck allows the haenyeo to reach into the openings between rocks as well as easily flip stones. The size of a kakkuri differs; the longer one is used for catching octopuses and the short, sharp ones are for abalones and sea urchins.

A jaksal, also known as sosal, is a spear used to catch fish. It is usually one meter long and has a three-pronged steel fork or one or two metal sticks at the tip of the spear. Haenyeo throw the jaksal at fish such as halibut and rockfish. The jaksal may be the least commonly used tool in the haenyeo’s inventory. Haenyeo rarely engage in spearfishing, preferring instead to collect shellfish and seaweed off the ocean floor.

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© Haenye

KOREA November_ 13

Travel

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Written and photographed by Robert Koehler

Dancing Fields of Silver The Yeongnam Alps show that industrial giant Ulsan has a natural side

Silver fields of reeds sway in the wind near Mt. Sinbulsan.

KOREA November_ 15

A popular urban retreat, the Taehwagang River is flanked by forests and beautiful fields of flowers.

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The plateau was a billowing sea of silver in the cold morning breeze. Braving the hour, altitude and chill, gaggles of hikers, many expensively clad in the latest outdoor apparel, were hoofing through the undulating fields of silver grass, their silhouettes shrinking, shrinking and, finally, disappearing behind the horizon, where the shimmering meadows give way to the hills and ridges that lay beyond.

The sun peeked through a window in the low hanging clouds, its rays igniting the waving grass like a cosmic switch turning on an ocean of incandescent bulbs. The landscape rolled in the light, the reeds swaying in unison as if they were performing a court dance to the music of the wind.

The long trip from Seoul, the 3 a.m. wakeup, the twohour hike carrying a figurative ton of camera equipment, the freezing wait atop a windswept peak in the hour before sunrise - in that one moment, all was worth it.

Home to one of world’s largest automobile factories, one of its largest shipyards and one of its biggest oil refineries, the industrial giant of Ulsan doesn’t usually bring to mind highland meadows, golden rice fields and other images of outdoor splendor. Yet just a short bus ride from the futuristic skyscrapers of the city’s central business district, less than an hour from its sprawling industrial zones, loom the majestic Yeongnam Alps, a range of lofty peaks and high plateaus boasting some of the country’s best hiking, especially in autumn, when its great fields of silver grass turn the silvery hue for which the tall grass is named. Even in downtown Ulsan, however, you can find large pockets of natural beauty, especially along the Taehwagang River, where vibrant fields of flowers and historical bamboo forests extend sanctuary to the world-weary.

Blue skies, silver reeds

Named for the famous European range, the Yeongnam Alps are one of southeast Korea’s defining topographical features, a collection of high mountains spread over five cities and counties in two provinces. Nine peaks exceed 1,000 meters, including the highest peak, Mt. Gajisan, which stands at 1,240 meters high. The mountains are not only geographically conspicuous, but also culturally significant, the forested slopes sheltering major Buddhist monasteries such as Pyochungsa, Unmunsa, Seongnamsa and Tongdosa.

The Korea Forest Service named several peaks to its list of the country’s best hikes, including Mt. Gajisan and Mt. Sinbulsan.

The Yeongnam Alps has its share of challenging climbs - Mt. Gajisan is a demanding hike and Mt. Sinbulsan’s kalbawi route includes a “knife edge” ridge so dangerous

(Top) Ulsan Bridge Observatory offers a view of Ulsan’s more industrial side.

(Bottom) Boksoondoga Brewery produces some of Korea’s best makgeolli.

KOREA November_ 17

there are signs begging hikers to avoid it. Most of its hiking trails, however, are gentle strolls through high alpine meadows. In autumn, these meadows, or pyeongwon, are covered in waving fields of silver grass, or eoksae, a perennial grass with tall silvery plumes that shimmer in the sun. Though fields of silver grass grow throughout the country, the fields in the Yeongnam Alps are the largest.

Shredded beef and rice champagne

Ulsan’s share of the Yeongnam Alps are located in Ulju, a pleasant rural county that was administratively incorporated into the metropolis of Ulsan in 1995. Unlike Ulsan proper, which looks like the set of science fiction film when the sun goes down, Ulju is the very picture of bucolic bliss, a land of rice fields, small towns and good country folk. The largest community in Ulju is Eonyang, an old walled city best known today for its shredded grilled beef, or Eonyang bulgogi. Its lovely old Catholic church, built by French missionaries in the 1930s, is worth visiting, too.

Another place well worth visiting is Boksoondoga, a local brewery producing some of the country’s best makgeolli. While the building itself screams modern sophistication, the brewing process is painstakingly old school, down to the clay jars used for fermentation. The result is a surprisingly effervescent brew likened by the owners’ other son to a “rice champagne.” Little wonder that the beverage was served at the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul in 2012.

Urban nature

(Top) The town of Eonyang is famous for its local bulgogi barbecued beef.

(Bottom) Daewangam is a popular scenic spot.

Where to eat Many places in Eonyang serve up its unique take on grilled meat, or bulgogi. Eonyang Giwajip Bulgogi is the most popular, but be prepared to wait in line.

While in Eonyang, stop by Coffee The Sun, a very friendly café hidden in an alley near the old town walls. Try the Sol Latte, a concoction of cold brewed coffee and cream.

Where to stay Being a major city, Ulsan has a wide range of accommodations, from luxury hotels to moderately priced inns. If you don’t want to stay downtown, there are several nice motels near Ulsan Station, which is actually close to Eonyang. There’s a cluster of motels near Mt. Sibulsan, too.

Getting there High speed trains to Ulsan depart Seoul Station, taking just over two hours to reach their destination. Be warned, though, that Ulsan Station is in Ulju rather than Ulsan proper.

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Downtown Ulsan is not without its natural charms, too.

Once so polluted that locals called it the “river of death,” the Taehwagang River has been reborn thanks to prodigious efforts to restore the ecology of the waterway. Fish and other wildlife have returned to the river, which is flanked by parks boasting grass fields, flower gardens and other leisure spaces. The photogenic Taehwagang Simni Bamboo Grove, named to the Korea Tourism Organization’s list of 100 spots to visit in 2017, was planted in the early 20th century to help prevent flooding.

The coastal region has its scenic attractions, too. One of the most popular is Daewangam, a rocky island linked to the mainland by a short foot bridge. The cape of Ganjeolgot gets the earliest sunrises in the Korean mainland.

Meanwhile, the Ulsan Bridge Observatory awards visitors with birdseye views of Ulsan’s industrial districts, including the landmark Ulsan Bridge, a scenic suspension bridge spanning the entrance to Ulsan Harbor.

Taehwagang Simni Bamboo Grove offers visitors respite from the urban grind.

KOREA November_ 19

People Âť

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Written by Han Hyelim Photographed by 15 Studio

Building True Multiculturalism, One Doll at a Time Talk to Me chief Iresha Perera aims to build a society where all Koreans are one, regardless of skin color When you enter the office of Talk to Me, you’re greeted by dolls of various skin tones. Elephant cushions, painted bags and other unique handmade items fill the shelves on both sides of the walls. “This place is like your parents’ home, where you can visit any time, even after you’ve moved out and married,” says Talk to Me representative Iresha Perera, a bright smile on her face. Perera wants to be a big sister to women who moved to and settled in Korea, offering a helping hand to anyone who is willing to stand on their own two feet.

Getting started

As she said in her lecture “Tell Me That I Am the Same Person as You” on the CBS TV program “15 Minutes to Change the World,” Perera wants to create a world where all people can live happily with their family and fulfill their individual potential. She left her mother country of Sri Lanka and traveled around several countries as a designer, pursuing her dream before getting married and settling in Korea.

It was when she became a mother that she thought she wanted to help make a better future for her children. Perera thought she had to become more proactive and confident.

She realized that she could no longer just sit by with idle hands. “I could observe society from the perspective of my children. I thought if I do nothing, my children will face the same difficulties as I did.”

As Perera started to engage in social activities, she was able to meet other people who shared the same beliefs.

Following her father’s advice that if you want to go further, walk together, and if you want to go faster, walk alone, she decided to go further and build the organization Talk to Me. Winning a KBS award for her activities became a turning point for Talk to Me. Perera rented a place with the prize money. The organization was then registered as a nonprofit civic organization. “Back then, we didn’t have any money, not even enough to pay the rent for the following month,” she says with a hearty laugh. Talk to Me has since grown to become an immigrant women’s self-help group with approximately 6,000 members participating in its programs.

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(Left) Certificate shows Perera participates in a committee on policies about multicultural families.

(Right) The Monica doll is made by migrant women and volunteers using recycled cloth.

KOREA November_ 21

© Talktome © Talktome

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(Top) You could buy a Monica doll at Seoul’s night markets.

(Bottom) The Aunt’s Country Sharing Project supports projects in the homelands of migrant women.

Helping, here and abroad

The rag dolls named “Monica,” made of recycled cloth, serve as a means for communication while providing opportunities for people to connect. The name Monica comes from the word meonikke, which in a Korean dialect means “far away,” and it is also a common name in East Asian countries. “Through Monica, people get along, have conversations, and get to know each other,” she says. Anyone can apply for the program or buy a kit and experience for themselves the making of Monica. People can also make Raja elephant cushions, the name of which means “king” and the design of which symbolizes good fortune. These programs help people understand diversity because all Monica dolls and elephant cushions are unique.

The finished handmade items are sold at marketplaces such as Seoul Bamdokkaebi Night Market or at various festivals. The proceeds are used to fund another charity

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program, Aunt’s Country Sharing Project. This project was founded to offer help to the home countries of immigrant women working with the organization. Several schools have been the recipients of donations, including a school in Sri Lanka that was hit hard by a tsunami, where around 900 children are being given assistance.

“While we make donations to people in need in other countries, women working with us can get jobs,” says Perera. This sharing program is also a business for these immigrant women because it provides jobs as well as opportunities for helping themselves.

One of the opportunities involves cooking classes, “Taste Without Boundaries, Talking Recipes.” Through this program, people can experience and enjoy various dishes.

Cooks who are trained at Talk to Me visit places like schools or culture centers to teach others how to cook. Lunch boxes and catering services are also available. Currently their main customers are the Seoul Metropolitan Government and various embassies.

“Here, there’s no indication of the country under the name of the dishes,” Perera says pointing the menu. “If it’s rice noodles, it is rice noodles, not Vietnamese noodles.

There’s no way the rice noodles made here are the same as the noodles made in Vietnam,” she explains.

One society, regardless of origin

Perera refuses to limit Talk to Me to a notion of multiculturalism where only people from abroad can participate. Instead, she advocates a multicultural society where people recognize their differences and respect diversity. “It’s not that multiculturalism in Korea started when foreigners started to come to Korea. Even before immigration increased, people from other countries came to Korea.” For Perera, a multicultural society is not about foreigners. “We all have multicultural aspects, and thus we shouldn’t draw an arbitrary line.”

Perera notes, “Even though society has changed so much, the questions people ask are always the same. We need to be accustomed to meeting someone different.”

Even after 19 years living in Korea, people still ask Perera questions like “Where are you from?” “It is like those questions send me back to the past and force me to answer that I come from Sri Lanka, even as I have been living here for so long. And now they ask the same questions to my children who were born and grew up here just like any other person. That will only confuse them about who they are,” she adds.

Perera calls on the government to listen to immigrants and take “multicultural” measures. “I don’t understand if it’s necessary to make a category of multiculturalism. There are sections dedicated for non-Koreans under the title of multicultural society or multicultural family in government agencies, police stations, or even in festivals. Why can’t we, all of us, be brought together within the boundaries of multiculturalism?” she urges.

Perera thinks that might be OK with those of the first generation as herself, but perhaps not for their children, the second generation. “For them to contribute to our country, we have to make changes in our way of thinking about Koreans who look different,” she says.

Participating in society

Perera emphasizes the value of active participation and urges women from other countries who want to settle in Korea to voice their thoughts and stand up for their rights.

When Perera first came to Korea, she had a hard time figuring out her true self. “I used to have a masculine personality. But when I came to Korea, I found myself becoming intimidated by the stares and glares of others.

They kept me at a distance.”

Perera realized something important while raising her children. When she took her children to a daycare every day, people changed and started to see her as she is, not judging her by her skin color or different appearance. She learned through her experience that when people meet, they can communicate and get to know each other. She realized the importance of taking action and the value of participation to make a change.

Currently, Perera is working as a member of a local residents’ committee, as well as a panelist on the TV show “Love in Asia,” which airs on KBS. She refuses to wait for other people to help her find a place in society. Perera says, “I’d rather take action by myself and find my own place. I’m participating in and contributing to our community, as well as paying taxes just like everybody else. My family is here, and I want to make a better society for us all.”

Helping Koreans abroad

As for her ongoing project in the long term, Perera explains she wants to build a cultural center for Korean kids in Vietnam. Around 2005, many Vietnamese women came to Korea to marry. Some of these women chose to go back to their homelands and brought their children with them.

Due to the fact that there weren’t any related laws in place, the children, who are Korean nationals, ended up becoming illegal residents in their mothers’ country. “I hope those Korean kids can experience Korea and learn Korean even if they don’t live in Korea, so that they can better appreciate Korea when they come here.” She visited a small center in Vietnam and met children there twice. “I hope I can realize that dream,” she says with a broad smile, adding that there should be more organizations like Talk to Me out there, which can help immigrants find and raise their voice for their rights.

When asked about her future goals for Talk to Me, Perera replies she hopes Talk to Me can continue to be a strong advocate for immigrant women’s rights, giving a platform for those women to communicate and organize, leading the efforts to raise awareness, and offering a helping hand to those willing to work and positively participate in society. “I strongly believe that things will change for the better. I won’t stop and will always keep trying.”

KOREA November_ 23

Korea & I

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Written by Paul Carver, head of Seoul Global Center Illustrated by Kim Min Ho

Tradition and Passion, Minus the Hooliganism Seoul Global Center head Paul Carver extols Seoul World Cup Stadium as a place of fun and football history

Wembley! The Maracanã! Camp Nou! Three hallowed stadiums on most football fans’ bucket list of places to take in a game; where, after pushing through the turnstiles and making your way to the pitch, you can see the ghosts of World Cup Finals past and hear echoes of the chants of generations of football fans. Few would consider Seoul World Cup Stadium to be in the same league, even remotely. Such dismissals do a great disservice to the stadium, however, because it entered the annals of football history in 2002, and, on its day, it remains a great place to see a game.

A piece of World Cup history

Construction on the stadium, also known as Sangam, began in 1998. The venue was one of 10 new stadiums built for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. It was completed in 2001, holding its first match on Nov. 10 that year, a friendly against Croatia that Korea won 2-0. Along with 64,000 others, I attended that match, a contest that heralded a new dawn for Korean football. I’ve been back more than 200 times in the 16 years since then. The stadium remains one of my favorite spots in Korea – a place that has given me much joy and some sorrow, a place that made me a minor celebrity and introduced me to many lifelong friends.

When you emerge from the subway through Exit 2, you can see the stadium towering above you. I like to believe that it’s a little intimidating to away fans, but if so, that would totally belie its design, which is based on the graceful lines of a traditional Korean kite, the likes of which can be seen flying in the surrounding parks.

This resemblance is apparent only when you view the stadium from the nearby hills, however. From there, you can see how the square white roof resembles mulberry paper stretched over the spars of a kite. The hills offer great views of both the stadium and the Hangang River beyond.

The ground hosted three games during the 2002 World Cup: the frenetic opening game where Senegal upset reigning World Cup Holders France, a group game where Turkey defeated China 3-0 and one of the two semi-finals. It was this game against Germany that ensured Sangam’s place in history as the Taeguk Warriors, as fans called the Korean side, defied all expectations to become the first nation from outside the traditional football powerhouses of Europe and the Americas to play in a World Cup semi-final. You can relive the memories of that night, where the stadium was turned into a cauldron of red lava, and see other World Cup memorabilia at the Football Faentasium located beneath the West Stand.

After the World Cup, the stadium languished for 18 months, being used only for the occasional national team game. In 2004, however, it found a permanent tenant when FC Seoul, somewhat controversially, moved

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in, bringing professional football back to the capital for the first time in almost 10 years. As you walk around the stadium, you’ll see it’s festooned with flags and banners showcasing star players and advertising upcoming matches. Once you’ve completed a circuit of the stadium, go to the Fan Park opposite Exit 2 of the subway. Secreted within the club shop is a small museum devoted to the history of FC Seoul.

Enthusiastic yet civilly upstanding

Nevertheless, the best way to get to know the heart of a club is not by staring at replica trophies in glass cases in a museum, but by going to a match and experiencing it firsthand, which you can do between March and November of each year.

Fans in Korea are quite different to what you may have observed in the West.

The environment is very safe. You needn’t worry about rioting hooligans. Couples on dates and families enjoy the match together. Many fans bring picnics of homemade gimbap, fruit and side-dishes. Others order fried chicken or pizza to be delivered to the turnstiles. On trips to away games, after the fan buses arrive at the stadium, one or two fans will be dispatched into town to procure some local delicacy, such as fermented skate in Gwangju or cured herring in Pohang. Fans devour their meals greedily so that they have enough energy to cheer on FC Seoul as they, in turn, devour the day’s opposition.

The hardcore fans gather behind the goal in the North Stand. A “call leader” stands with his back to the game, megaphone in hand, martialing the other fans as they bang drums, jump around and wave flags while chanting at the top of their lungs. Unlike in the West, almost all chants support the home team rather than taunt the opposing players or fans. Supporters gulp cans of cold beer and shots of soju, providing temporary relief from the oppressive heat of summer nights. Although alcohol flows freely, hard-core fans are more likely to proffer you a paper cup for a toast than to challenge you with an aggressive “What are you looking at?” as is common at Western grounds.

After every game, the players come over to salute the fans and the fans in turn pass cold drinks, presents and birthday cakes down from the stands. Even if the team hasn’t played well that day, it’s overwhelmingly positive and it’s rare to hear booing. Also, it is customary for ex-players to come over so the fans can acknowledge returning heroes. Finally, as the floodlights flicker out, the fans retreat back up the steps, gathering behind the stand to sing victory songs that resonate into the concrete where they echo around, joining whispers from that historic night in June 2002 to be heard for generations to come.

KOREA November_ 25

Arts & Entertainment 1 » Written by Hahna Yoon

Soul Sisters Korea’s jazz divas sing their hearts out

© JNH Music

Malo is Korea’s “Queen of Scat.”

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who fought tooth and nail to establish themselves here and abroad.

Youn Sun Nah is renowned for her jazzy take on the Korean folk song “Arirang.”

Youn Sun Nah Jazz vocalist Youn Sun Nah has said in interviews that she aims to express emotion through her music. Born to a musical family, Nah only dabbled in music when she was young. It was only after her graduation in 1992 from Konkuk University, where she studied

© Seung Yull Nah

Despite the enthusiasm for jazz in Korea, the genre has a short history here. The nation’s first jazz performances were at the headquarters of the Eighth United States Army in Yongsan during the Korean War. In the late 1950s, jazz seeped from the base to nearby music halls and clubs, giving birth to the local jazz scene. With legendary names like Sungyeon Park and Malo on the line-up for the 2017 Jarasum International Jazz Festival, Korea’s premier celebration of jazz, let’s reflect on a few of the divas

© Seung Yull Nah

In 2000, Youn Sun Nah became the first Asian professor at CIM, Europe’s oldest jazz school.

In the late 1950s, jazz seeped from U.S. bases to nearby music halls and clubs, giving birth to the local jazz scene.

Woongsan Known for her husky, soulful voice, jazz vocalist Woongsan followed an

Malo

© JP COMPANY

French literature, that she began singing gospel music with the Korean Symphony Orchestra. Not long after, upon winning a local competition, she went to France to study music, attending such prestigious institutions as the National Institute of Music in Beauvais, the Conservatory of Nadia and Lili Boulanger and CIM Jazz School.

Some critics argue that Nah’s voice differs from other jazz artists who began earlier in life. Performing with Swedish guitarist Ulf Wakenius since 2007, she earned the insignia of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres given by the French Cultural Ministry in 2009 and the Sejong Munhwasang awarded by the Korean government in 2013. Describing a performance in August, British daily The Guardian praised her for “how seamlessly she could move between impressionistic high drama, abstract improv, or a folk artist’s candid simplicity.”

unconventional path. Born Kim Eunyeong, the future diva entered a Buddhist monastery in southwest Korea when she was 18 years old, living a year as a nun. She also took the monastic name Woongsan. It was at the monastery that she discovered her musical calling.

In university, she enjoyed rock music until a friend of hers casually lent her an album by legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday. The music left a deep impression.

After debuting in Hongdae-area club Thirty in 1996, Woongsan made a name for herself in Japan, where she became the first Korean national to perform at the Tokyo club Billboard Live. The first Korean-born artist to perform at New York’s famous Blue Note, she has performed with greats such as Lee Ritenour, Benny Green, Lonnie Plaxico, Rodney Green, Conrad Herwig and Suzuki Hisatsugu. Appearing frequently on television, she is also a mentor to K-pop artist Ali.

Vocalist Malo, Korea’s “Queen of Scat,” draws frequent comparisons to Ella Fitzgerald. Long interested in music, she caught her big break in 1993 when she appeared on the TV show Yoo Jaeha Music Concours, performing the song “Stump.” Deeply influenced by her experience at the Berklee School of Music, she decided upon her return to Korea in 1995 to become a jazz musician. She released her debut album “Shades of Blue” three years later.

She now has a few albums to her name, her most recent being “Winter and Spring,” released in 2014. Critics laud her third and fourth albums, “Cherryblossoms Wither” and “Now To You,” which were performed entirely in Korean, for contributing to the development of local jazz. She’s fixture of Seoul’s jazz club scene, so if you miss her at Jarasum, you can catch her elsewhere.

Woongsan is active in Japan and Korea.

KOREA November_ 27

Arts & Entertainment 2

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Written by Robert Koehler Photos courtesy of 2017 Andong Maskdance Festival

No Mere Masquerade The Andong Maskdance Festival celebrates masked dances worldwide

The Andong Maskdance Festival is one of Korea’s largest celebrations, drawing over 1 million visitors a year, including some 50,000 non-Koreans.

Held for 10 days every October, the Andong Maskdance Festival is a celebration of one of Korea’s most fascinating folk traditions.

Troupes from throughout the country descend on the historical city of Andong, the spiritual home of Korean Confucianism, to dazzle audiences with the many regional variations of the mask dance. This artistic heritage brings together music, dance, religious rites and social satire. Performing groups from abroad also perform the mask dances of their respective countries, making for a truly international celebration.

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Biggest festival ever Andong Maskdance Festival 2017 was held from Sept. 29 to Oct. 8 at Maskdance Park in Hahoe Village, a well-preserved village dating back to the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910) and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010. Coinciding with the long Chuseok holiday, this year’s celebration was the biggest in the event’s history, drawing an estimated 1.23 million visitors, including 56,000 from overseas. Some 160,000 alone attended on Chuseok Day, Oct. 5. Even President Moon Jae-in stopped by on Oct.

Visitors join in the dancing.

This year’s celebration was the biggest in the event’s history, drawing an estimated 1.23 million visitors, including 56,000 from overseas.

6 to take in a performance of the Hahoe Byeolsin Gut, the village’s renowned version of the mask dance.

Some 12 domestic teams and 13 troupes from 12 countries participated in this year’s festival. Many of Korea’s best known regional mask dances including the Gangneung Gwanno Gamyeongeuk (Mask Dance Drama of Gangneung), the Yangju Byeolsandae Nori (Mask Dance Drama of Yangju), the Bukcheong Saja Noreum (Lion Mask Dance of Bukcheong) and, of course, Hahoe Village’s own Hahoe Byeolsingut Tallori (Mask Dance Drama of Hahoe) were represented. The foreign acts were performed by groups from Bolivia, Bulgaria, China, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.

Where religion, entertainment and satire meet

Festival participants raise village flags, or nonggi.

Korea’s long tradition of mask dances means each region has its own variety. Indeed, even the term for “mask dance” differs from place to place. While called a dance, the performance is more akin to a play. Every production consists of several acts, with

the skits taking satirical aim at the varied anathema of Joseon society such as arrogant aristocrats, pedantic scholars, corrupt monks, brutish butchers and faithless husbands.

Mask dances began as shamanistic rituals, usually held at the village level to ward off evil spirits and bring prosperity to the inhabitants. Over time, however, the performances turned into a form of popular entertainment and a means for lampooning aspects of Joseon’s hierarchical society.

The ridicule of stock characters granted audiences some vicarious satisfaction.

Regions produced their own unique masks, too. Traditionally carved from alder trees and treated with lacquer, Hahoe Village’s beautifully crafted masks are iconic enough to appear frequently in posters and commercials touting tourism in Korea.

Traditional Korea in one visit The Andong Maskdance Festival is more than just dance; it’s an opportunity to explore a fascinating region rich in heritage firmly rooted in the country’s Confucian past.

The venue Hahoe Village is an ox-bow hamlet founded in the 16th century by the Pungsan Ryu clan, one of the country’s most storied aristocratic families. The village boasts a host of preserved aristocratic and commoner homes from the Joseon era, including the spectacular manors Yangjindang and Chunghyodang.

The area also features many other historical sites. Two Joseon-era Confucian schools, Dosanseowon Confucian Aacademy and Byeongsanseowon Confucian Academy, attest to the region’s proud scholastic heritage. A Buddhist monument, Bongjeongsa Temple, is home to Korea’s oldest wooden building, a hall erected in the Goryeo era. Surrounded by forests and streams, the monastery offers a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

KOREA November_ 29

Korean Culture in Brief »

Contemporary Art Comes to Deoksugung Palace

Suncheonman Bay Hosts Reed Festival © MMCA

© Areumjigi Foundation

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and installation art, on the grounds of Deoksugung Palace, one of Seoul’s five royal residences from the Joseon Dynasty. The artworks speak to the history and environment of the site, while the harmony between the art and the venue entices visitors to delve deeper into Korean history.

© Suncheon City Hall

The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and the Cultural Heritage Administration have teamed up to bring modern art to one of Seoul’s most historical sites. The exhibit titled “Deoksugung Project,” which runs through Nov. 26, showcases a wide range of contemporary art, including works of media art, sculpture

Every autumn, the wetlands of Suncheonman Bay become a shimmering sea of silver and gold as far as the eye can see when its vast fields of reeds change color. The Suncheonman Bay Reed Festival, held every November, is an ideal time to discover the natural splendor of the Suncheonman Bay Wetland Reserve, an extensive coastal wetland that is home to migratory birds and other fauna, salt swamps and the nation’s largest reed colony. The area was the first Korean coastal wetland to be registered with the Ramsar Convention, a catalog of the world’s most important wetlands. While the best view of the park can be enjoyed from the Yongsan Observatory, which overlooks the river as it cuts an S-line though the reeds, you can also explore the wetlands by boat.

Korean Fashion Featured in US Exhibition The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is hosting an exhibit showcasing historical Korean clothing and their modern reinterpretations. “Couture Korea” will present more than 120 items from Nov. 3 to Feb. 4, including reconstructions of Joseon Dynasty clothing, pieces by contemporary designer Jin Teok and the works of young Seoul-based designers Im Seonoc and Jung Misun. Even patchworks

from Karl Lagerfeld’s 2015/16 Cruise Collection for Chanel that were inspired by traditional Korean wrapping cloth will be on display. As Korean designers take increasingly prominent positions on the global stage and international designers find inspiration in Korean art and culture, this is the first U.S. exhibition to examine Korean fashion as an expression of social and cultural values.

Seoul Lantern Festival Celebrates PyeongChang 2018 © Seoul Lantern Festival

organizations and other institutions.

The main theme, however, is the Winter Olympic Games, with lanterns in the shape of the Olympic mascots and winter sports such as the luge, ice hockey, figure skating and the biathlon. Some 3 million people are expected to attend the festival, which also boasts food trucks, hands-on programs and other fun activities.

Korea’s Gyeongju National Museum and the National Museum of Iran are jointly hosting a special exhibit celebrating the two nations’ shared ancient history.

“Silla and Persia: Common Memories,” will run at the National Museum of Iran in Tehran from Nov. 5 to Dec. 15, displaying some 120 objects, including artifacts unearthed from tombs of the Silla Kingdom, items that made their way from Persia to Silla through the Silk Road, and Persian-influenced items produced in Silla. One of the exhibit’s highlights is a sixth century sword excavated from a tomb in Gyeongju in 1973. The ornamentation of the richly jeweled sword reveals influences from Persia, Greece and elsewhere. Another is a corner pillar from another tomb in Gyeongju with a relief of a Persian warrior.

The Gyeongju National Museum is the first regional museum from Korea, China or Japan to hold an exhibit of Silk Road artifacts in Iran. tional Museum © Gyeongju Na

One of Seoul’s most popular festivals is turning its attention to the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The Seoul Lantern Festival, to be held from Nov. 3 to Nov. 19, will light up the sky above the Cheonggyecheon Stream with a beautiful display of brightly colored lanterns. The lanterns include contributions by light artists, local governments, overseas

Ancient Persian Treasures from Silla Go on Display in Iran

© KOCIS

BTS, Chainsmokers’ Andrew Taggart Collaborate on New Song Korean pop giants BTS got together with Andrew Taggart of the U.S. DJ duo the Chainsmokers to produce a track on the boy band’s newly released album “Love Yourself: Her.” The track, called “Best of Me,” features vocals by Taggart and BTS

rappers Rap Monster, Suga and J-Hope.

“Best of Me” represents the first time BTS has collaborated with a U.S. artist on a track. The groups reportedly met at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards in May.

KOREA November_ 31

Literature

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Written by Barry Welsh Illustrated by Kim Yoon-myung

Master of the Anti-Novel Though Jung Young-moon’s work may not resemble a conventional novel, it sure is unique

© Robert Koehler

Jung Young-moon is regarded by many as possibly the most eccentric Korean writer working today. His work defies easy interpretation and lies far beyond any regular definition of the novel. The novels and short stories he has produced over the course of a 20-year career often have little in the way of traditional narrative, plot or characterization.

Indeed, of the two novels and various short stories translated into English

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so far, there is only one that has what most readers would recognize as having something approaching a plot or regular characters. Instead, he frequently employs a kind of automatic or free associative style of writing that wanders, seemingly aimlessly, from one thought to another. The experience of reading a Jung Youngmoon novel or story is like observing the unmediated thoughts of a stranger as their mind strays unmotivated

from memory to memory without logic or reason. His work is bracingly different from virtually every single other Korean writer that has made it into translation so far. So singular is his work that contemporary novelist and short story writer Park Min-gyu has said, “If someone in the future asks in frustration, ‘What has Korean literature been up to?,’ we can quietly hand them ‘Vaseline Buddha’ by Jung Young-moon.” Park’s point is that there

The experience of reading a Jung Youngmoon novel is like observing the unmediated thoughts of a stranger as their mind strays unmotivated from memory to memory without logic or reason.

Vaseline Buddha Written by Jung Young-moon Translated by Jung Yewon Published in 2016 by Deep Vellum Publishing 184 pages

is very little else like the work of Jung Young-moon.

Jung was born in 1965 in Hamyang, Gyeongsangnam-do. He studied psychology at Seoul National University and published his first story, “A Man Who Barely Exists,” in 1996. He received some recognition early in his career when he was awarded the East West Literary Award in 1998 for “A Chain of Dark Tales,” his first collection of short stories published the year before.

He continued writing novels and short stories and has so far produced over a dozen books. However, it was not until more than a decade after his first collection was published that he achieved wider recognition from the Korean literary community. After laboring in relative obscurity for over a decade, in 2012 he was awarded three significant literary awards in rapid succession; the 17th Hahn Moo-sook Literary Award, the 43rd Dongin Literary Award, and the 20th Daesan Literary Award. The awards were given in recognition of his novel “A Contrived World.”

Off an a tangent “A Contrived World” might be seen as the work where Jung perfected a style of writing that he alone pursues. Not only is it a type of semi-autobiographical memoir and travel journal, it is also a meta-fictional contemplation of the very act of writing a novel. The story, if it can even be called such, is superficially about a trip to San Francisco. However, the narrator constantly interrupts whenever any conventional narrative attempts to assert itself by reflecting on the actual process of writing the novel. As a reading experience it is a bizarre, heady blend of dreams and memories, fact and fiction leavened with a dry wit and an almost tragic-comic view of the absurdities of life. For the right kind of reader, it can be

an intoxicating reading experience, but for others an exercise in frustration.

Jung’s earlier novel, “Vaseline Buddha,” published in 2010, is a similarly immersive or infuriating experience depending on your tolerance for meta-fictional stream of consciousness semi-autobiographical memoir monologues with no real characters or plot. It starts with the narrator, a version of Jung himself, sitting at a desk attempting to think of an idea about which to write a novel. As he contemplates this, a burglar happens to try and break in.

Jung, as narrator, accidentally startles the burglar who subsequently runs off. As the burglar runs off into the night, this unexpected event sends the narrator on a free associative trip down memory lane. Again, as with “A Contrived World,” anytime anything resembling a plot or even a simple anecdote rears its ugly head, the narrator steps in and undercuts it with a digression or some other disruption. The narrator circles around and around various observations that are at times incredibly banal and at others reach for the profound. He describes trips to foreign countries that may or may not have happened, mentions potential lovers or partners whom he met or perhaps didn’t. At one point, he references linguist Noam Chomsky’s famous phrase, “Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.” Chomsky came up with the sentence to highlight his argument of how the brain understands language – although the sentence is grammatically correct, we immediately recognize it as nonsense.

It is tempting to view this as Jung’s ironic comment on his own work.

The language, the novels, the stories all technically make sense, but we, the reader, recognize them as nonsense.

Maybe, from this point of view, we can

KOREA November_ 33

Art & Entertainment

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Written by Robert Koehler Photographed by Hong Gil-dong

see Jung’s work as an attempt to expose the arbitrary rules of language and life and their inherent meaninglessness.

Then again perhaps it means nothing at all.

A singular writer Since his banner year in 2012, Jung’s profile has continued to rise both at home and internationally. His work has been translated into French and German where he has found a great deal of popular success. His work is also beginning to be translated into

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English with greater frequency. A collection of short stories, “A Most Ambiguous Sunday,” was published in 2014, and both “A Contrived World” and “Vaseline Buddha” were translated into English and published in 2016.

Jung is also a prolific translator of books into Korean and has translated books by writers such as Germaine Greer and Raymond Carver as well as many more. He has said in interviews that he sees himself as an heir to writers such as Beckett and Kafka. There are certainly echoes of those writers in his work as well as

hints of other great modernist writers like James Joyce and Virginia Wolf.

However, as indebted as he is to these giants, he is at the same time a truly singular writer doing something unique which should be celebrated for its very uniqueness if for no other reason.

The physical ailment that I’d imagined would come to me, however, was seizure or leg trouble or something of the sort.

I’d also thought at one time that if one

of my legs became impaired, I could procure a nice cane, and with three legs, now that one had been added, take more complicated, rhythmic steps, which wouldn’t be possible with two legs (I actually took a very careful look at an old woman with bad legs at the park one day, taking modest steps, relying on a cane, submitting to a certain rhythm, and afterwards when I saw normal people walking, they seemed somewhat stupid and awkward. And if I carried around a cane, I could raise it and politely scare off a dog on a walk with its master, delighted to see me and about

to come running even though we didn’t know each other, and prevent it from coming toward me, or use the cane to make the dog come closer as it changed its mind while coming toward me and refused to come any closer, feeling threatened by the cane I was holding or by me, holding the cane, or, before all this happened, I wouldn’t have to chase away the tiresome dogs one by one, for the dogs could lose their nerve early on, seeing the cane, and not come close. And as occasion demanded, I could scare someone off, acting as if I would beat him if necessary, even if I didn’t actually

beat him with the cane, or I could, using the cane, pluck a ripe apple or a rose, hanging from a branch or a vine reaching outside the wall of someone’s house, at a height I couldn’t reach with my hand. I’m of the opinion that anyone passing by should be allowed to pluck an apple or a rose hanging from a branch or a vine reaching outside the wall of someone’s house, but once, I was caught by the owner while plucking a rose, and was somewhat humiliated. The owner of the house was a philosopher, well known to the public, and he was furious at me, as if quite upset that one of his roses had been stolen. The aged philosopher seemed to be of the philosophy that nothing that belonged to him should be taken away from him by anyone.

But it was my philosophy, if I had any philosophy at all, that something so small as taking an apple or a rose without the owner’s permission should be allowed on this earth, still the only planet among the countless planets in the universe known to have life forms.

A world in which you couldn’t pilfer a luscious fruit or a rose while taking a walk on a bright afternoon or in the middle of the night would indeed be a world without hope. After that, I saw the philosopher in front of his house, severely scolding a dog, though I’m not sure if it was his dog or someone else’s, or what it had done, and he was scolding it as menacingly as he did when I plucked one of his roses. In other words, I was scolded by him just as the hapless dog was scolded. Mercy was possibly the ultimate sentiment that a human could have toward other humans and living things, but it seemed that he had no mercy. He always seemed fraught with anger, and it was possible that he became angry even with his desk or dishes from time to time). (p. 41-43).

KOREA November _ 35

Policy Review

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Written by Lee Kyehyun Photos courtesy of Monster VR

Fun, Virtualized Incheon Monster VR uses technology to redefine the theme park experience

Visitors to Monster VR enjoy one of the games.

In Incheon’s Songdo New City, science fiction has become science fact, and an entertaining one at that.

Monster VR, the world’s largest theme park simulating one’s physical presence in an imaginary environment, opened its doors at the beginning of August. The 1,320 square meter space on the sixth floor of the Triple Street mega mall boasts no fewer than 27 hands-on attractions, eclipsing similar parks in the U.S., Europe or Japan. In its first 40 days of operation, the high-tech entertainment complex attracted over 30,000 visitors. Adrenaline junkies indulged themselves with a bit of drift

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racing, bungee jumped into a jungle, watched a volcanic eruption from the basket of a hot air balloon and even shot down alien drones over a futuristic cityscape, all from the safety of a plush vinyl seat. All of the rush, none of the risk of grievous bodily harm: it’s tomorrow’s digital entertainment today.

Smaller, cheaper, better Monster VR is the first result from an initiative by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the Korea Creative Content Agency to develop arcades where the public can

Virtual reality technology opens new, exciting and potentially lucrative possibilities for theme park developers.

Monster VR is the world’s largest virtual reality theme park.

experience virtual reality. This technology is viewed by the government as an engine of future economic growth. Operated by game and digital content producer GPM, the urban theme park has a wide variety of virtual media, games and rides developed by local tech companies, such as Vive Studio, Media Front, Motion Devices and PNIsystem, and with public support. The park cost near USD 2 million to open, with subsidies covering half.

By enabling visitors to experience realistically simulated virtual spaces using specialized headsets and sensory feedback like physical vibrations, VR technology opens new, exciting and potentially lucrative possibilities for theme park developers. Gone is the need for sprawling open spaces. Gone, too, is the need to make huge financial investments in physical infrastructure.

“Monster VR’s strength is that it’s cheap and practical compared to theme parks like Universal Studios and Disney World,” notes the daily newspaper Dong-A Ilbo. “You can operate an urban theme park using virtual reality in a small space with a relatively small investment.

The operating costs, too, are incomparably low compared to existing theme parks.”

Fun for everyone Monster VR is divided into four sections: the VR Jungle Adventure Zone, the VR Cinema

Zone, the Exciting Zone and the Game Zone.

The VR Jungle Adventure Zone lets virtual adventurers express their inner Indiana Jones through virtual reality rides including rafting, bungee jumping, hot air ballooning, shooting monsters and battling past a gorilla on a bouncing bridge.

The VR Cinema Zone puts audiences in the middle of the action using rolling, forcefeedback seats. Visitors have two options, “Doctor X: Pale Dawn,” in which you follow the hero as he tries to escape a labyrinth filled with evil mutants, and “Volt: Chain City,” an award-winning cyberpunk-esque tale.

The Exciting Zone features six sit-down games, including simulators for space combat, a bobsleigh, drift racing and a roller coaster.

And finally, there’s the Game Zone. This space consists of five “VR Cubes,” enclosed spaces, not unlike noraebang rooms, where visitors can play one of 25 locally developed VR games using the HTC Vive total immersion system. Kill zombies. Slice fruit. Explore the oceans. The choice is yours.

The park has proven a hit with visitors of all ages, with adults accounting for 65 percent of the park’s visitors. Lee Hae-yeol, an executive at GPM, told Korea.net, “We prioritized making the park accessible to anyone in order to popularize the technology.” About 5,000 people visit the park a week, a figure helped by the spot’s proximity to Incheon International Airport.

Thanks in part to the success of Monster VR, the government plans to open VR theme parks in Jeju Island and Gyeongju next year.

With experts estimating that local market for VR products will exceed USD 5 billion by 2020, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism hopes these parks can be places to unveil and test VR content.

“The success or failure of the VR industry will determine the direction of content production,” said an MCST official. “We will actively support the creation of an industrial ecosystem in which people can easily enjoy new material that blends a variety of cultural content with VR technology.”

KOREA November_ 37

This is Pyeongchang

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Written by Diana Park Photos courtesy of POCOG

Ready for Launch Pyeongchang wraps up preparations to host the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

© Yonhap News

Visitors to Gangneung’s Gyeongpodae Beach pose for photos with the mascots of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

With fewer less than 100 days until the opening of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the city of Pyeongchang bustles with final preparations.

The Coordination Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made its final evaluation visit to Pyeongchang on Aug. 29 to 31. Along with the IOC, Korean government officials, Olympic sponsors and representatives from the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations and national Olympic committees attended the evaluation.

The tour included stops at the Gangneung

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Olympic Park in the Gangneung Coastal Cluster, including the Gangneung Olympic Village where the athletes will reside, and Jinbu Station, an important stop on the new high-speed rail line to Pyeongchang and Gangneung.

Participants expressed their satisfaction with the preparations. IOC Coordination Commission Chair Gunilla Lindberg praised Pyeongchang’s readiness to host the Olympic Winter Games, saying, “The Organizing Committee is well on its way to delivering successful Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.”

Local authorities hope the Winter Olympic Games will put Pyeongchang on the global tourism map, just as they did for previously unknown towns like Nagano, Japan, and Lillehammer, Norway.

Korea and Slovakia face off in women’s ice hockey.

Korean women’s ice hockey team poses during the award ceremony.

Nearly done

Regional makeover

Organizers have completed nearly all of the important facilities for the games.

Pyeongchang’s Olympic Plaza, a landmark complex that includes the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, pavilions for corporate sponsors, waiting rooms for athletes and support facilities for the media, is over 90 percent complete. Construction of the Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium, a sevenstory, 35,000-seat venue where the Oympics’s opening and closing ceremonies will be held, was completed in early October.

Also completed is the iconic Alpensia Ski Jumping Center. The eye-catching tower, designed to accommodate 13,500 spectators, has an observatory deck with views over Pyeongchang’s endless mountains and Olympic venues such as the Sliding Center, Biathlon Center and Cross Country Center, making it a popular tourist destination.

Gangneung’s Ice Arena, Hockey Center and Speed Skating Center have been completed or are nearly complete, too.

Work is underway on the Olympic Cauldron, the bowl where the iconic Olympic flame burns for the duration of the Games.

The cauldrons have taken on dramatic and sometimes abstract forms throughout modern Olympic history. Organizers aim to keep the design of Pyeongchang’s cauldron a tightly guarded secret until the opening of the games.

Local authorities hope the Winter Olympic Games will put Pyeongchang on the global tourism map, just as they did for previously unknown towns like Nagano, Japan, and Lillehammer, Norway. Organizers designed facilities that could be easily repurposed after the games. Facilities that could not be reused, such as the Olympic Plaza, were designed to be torn down quickly and painlessly. When the high-speed rail line linking Seoul and Gangneung is complete in December, visitors to Korea will be able to reach Pyeongchang from Incheon International Airport in less than two hours.

Even local restaurants are getting in the act. To help non-Korean visitors more easily discover the culinary treasures of the host province of Gangwon-do, the PyeongChang 2018 Organizing Committee joined hands with the provincial government to provide expertly translated menus to about 2,200 local restaurants. Visitors can now order memil guksu, or traditional buckwheat noodles, and suyuk, or boiled pork slices, with peace of mind. Local authorities have also provided etiquette training to transportation employees in the region.

About these preparations, Lee Heebeom, president of the PyeongChang 2018 Organizing Committee, said, “We want to make these the best Winter Games ever and showcase Korea to the world as a global leader in sports and as the new hub for winter sports in Asia.”

KOREA November_ 39

Current Korea

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Written by Eugene Kim Photos courtesy of Yonhap News

Raising a Candle of Peace President Moon stresses Korea’s leading role in resolving tensions on the peninsula

President Moon Jae-in delivers his keynote address at the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 21.

“The Candlelight Revolution of the Republic of Korea is a scene of history in which the U.N. spirit made a brilliant achievement.”

In his keynote address at the 72nd U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 21, President Moon Jae-in upheld Seoul’s own Candlelight Revolution, the mass movement that culminated in President Moon’s election in May 2017, as a potential framework for peace in Korea and beyond. In particular, he emphasized that his government was prepared to join the

40

international community to help North Korea if Pyongyang chooses the path to peace and “decides to stand on the right side of history.”

People at the heart of peace President Moon’s presidential visit to New York Sept. 18–22 was his second to the United States, coming just several months after his visit to Washington in June for summit talks with U.S. President Donald Trump. His itinerary focused

“I would like to reiterate here in the U.N. General Assembly ... that Seoul does not hope for a regime collapse in Pyongyang.”

President Moon meets with U.S. President Donald Trump.

protect the rights of the people so that they can enjoy a safe and secure daily life, as one of the universal values of all human beings.”

In particular, he hoped that North Korea would choose the path to peace of its own accord, noting that peace is sustainable “only when one chooses it for itself.” He reiterated that his government sought neither regime change nor unification through absorption.

“I would like to reiterate here in the U.N. General Assembly, where countries gather to work together for world peace and for the co-prosperity of humankind, that Seoul does not hope for a regime collapse in Pyongyang,” he said. “We will not pursue any form of absorption or unification, nor other artificial forms of unification.”

Meeting with allies

President Moon shakes hands with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.

on the 72nd U.N. General Assembly, an annual gathering of heads of state to discuss solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.

In his address before some 160 world leaders, President Moon stressed that his government’s policies aligned with the theme of this year’s assembly. “I particularly would like to consider the theme of this year’s U.N. General Assembly, ‘Focusing on People.’ It is very meaningful, as it is identical to the administrative policies of the new Korean government,” he said.

He noted his historic responsibility, as the president of a divided nation that has experienced war, to promote peace. He stressed that peace was not merely the absence of war, however. People must have the freedom to enjoy peace. He said, “I also have a responsibility to

President Moon’s visit to New York also served as an opportunity for the Korean leader to meet with international allies to discuss North Korea.

On Sept. 21, President Moon held a trilateral summit with U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a meeting that strengthened cooperation in stopping Pyongyang’ from developing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. “At this year’s U.N. General Assembly, our three countries met with leaders of major countries at the bilateral level, explaining the urgency of carrying out U.N. Security Council sanctions against North Korea,” he said.

President Moon expressed confidence that sanctions enacted by the United States and actions taken by China would contribute to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

President Trump seconded this, calling on all members of the international community to enforce U.N. sanctions. “Many countries are working with us to increase economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea,” the U.S. president said. “[B]ut I continue to call on those responsible nations to enforce and implement U.N. sanctions and to impose their own measures, like the ones I’m announcing today.”

KOREA November_ 41

Global Korea »

Belgium

Korea Shines as Guest of Honor at Belgian Folklore Festival Korea took pride of place at one of Europe’s biggest celebrations of traditions. The 17th Folklorissimo, an annual festival hosted in Brussels to celebrate world folklore, invited Korea to take part as the guest of honor. During

the two-day event, held Sept. 16–17 at the Grand Place and the landmark Manneken-Pis, Korean artists and artisans held exhibits and workshops, staged a taekwondo performance, held a parade and gave participants a chance to try on traditional Korean clothing, or Hanbok. The Manneken-Pis, an iconic

statue of a little boy urinating into a fountain, even got a new set of clothes fashioned by up-and-coming designer Ha Dong-ho. The statue’s style makeover served as the festival’s highlight.

and even b-boy artists for a high-energy performance before an audience that included many of the Kansai region’s political and media luminaries. Lee Juu-hee, a professor of Korean dance at Chung-Ang University, raised the curtain by performing the five-drum dance, which in this case allude to the iconic five Olympic rings. Folk singer Yu Ji-suk, traditional dancer Bae Jin-ho, traditional music group Sainnori and break dancing

troupe Gamblerz Crew dazzled the crowd as well.

Prior to the show, Ha Tae-yun, the Korean consul-general in Osaka, expressed hope that the concert would energize arts exchanges between Korea, China and Japan, three nations scheduled to host the Olympic games in the future.

Osaka

Concert in Osaka Promotes PyeongChang Winter Games Korean singers and dancers, both traditional and contemporary, took to the stage in Japan’s second city to promote the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

Held at the NHK Osaka Hall on Aug. 27, the Dynamic Korea Concert brought together traditional dancers, folk singers

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Written by Korea.net Honorary Reporter Tanya Mokrina photographed by Robert Koehler

Different Languages, Different Personalities Does speaking in another tongue change your personality?

Have you ever felt your personality change as you switch between languages?

In 1998, Michele Koven, a researcher at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, spent a year and a half conducting ethnographic research with bilingual Parisian adults whose parents emigrated from Portugal. Koven focused specifically on how subjects presented themselves in the stories of personal experience that she had caused, asking them to talk about various life events in both languages. When Koven decoded and analyzed the content of her stories, she saw that her subjects emphasized different traits in their characters depending on what language they spoke.

Here’s an interesting fact. Greeks tend to interrupt a lot, and that connects to the fact that Greeks start their sentences with the word that gives the most information about the sentence so that they can interrupt the person and

move on. At the same time, this model doesn’t work in Korean at all due to big fundamental differences. Korean puts the most important information at the very end of the sentence, so anything that will determine the character of the sentence will come at the end.

This shows that the behavior of those who learn several languages changes according to the language they use. I’ve experienced this phenomenon firsthand, and so has my Korean alter ego. I am an ethnic Korean citizen of Russia.

My native language is Russian, but I also studied Korean at university. My friends always say that when I speak Korean, it’s like something changes inside of me, as if my “Korean self ” is waking up and my “Russian self ” takes a rest.

It seems to me that Koreans are very emotional and impatient by their nature.

The Korean people have a “hurry hurry” (ppali-ppali) outlook on life where they

get things done as quickly as possible.

This has become a part of the Korean DNA. Koreans are extremely emotional in all facets of life. This can be seen on various TV shows and in magazines.

The Korean people are not ashamed of showing their true feelings.

My friends say that when speaking Korean, I tend to talk faster, I become more emotional and always use all kinds of Korean interjections and onomatopoeia.

I guess I’m more emotional and modest in Korean than I am in Russian or English. For example, when my Korean friends ask questions about my boyfriend, I start blushing. Another thing: when I try to speak Korean, I always use overly cute and submissive female-only grammar constructions called aegyo in Korean. I don’t do this on purpose. It turns on by itself.

One friend whose native language is Russian also speaks English fairly well.

When she speaks in Russian, she is very stubborn, calmer and quiet, and less articulate. However, when she speaks English, she becomes a completely different person. Her English self turns out to be much colder and more confident. She always knows what to do.

This is why I think learning foreign languages more or less affects your habits. When I started learning Korean, I had to become more sensitive toward the number four, as it’s considered to be unlucky. This has an influence on the way you express your thoughts. It also gives you a new perspective and allows you to see the world from another point of view.

KOREA November_ 43

Flavor

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Written by Cynthia Yoo Photographed by ao studio Kang Jinju Stylized by 101recipe

Siraegi Mubap Add a bit of winter radish to your rice

How to make siraegi mubap: 1. Soak rice in water for 30 minutes and drain.

2. Slice radish into thick julienne pieces and mix with seasoning.

3. Soak siraegi in water for several hours and then boil in water for 30 minutes. Let the mixture cool down and then wash in water and drain.

Squeeze as much water out and cut into 3-cm-long pieces.

Season with siraegi seasoning.

4. Put all of the rice, water, radish and siraegi into a pot and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, then low heat for another 10 minutes.

5. Place the rice mixture into a bowl and add more of the seasoning to taste. Serve warm.

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White radish is one of a trio of quintessential Korean gimjang, or winter kimchi, vegetables, the other two being cabbage and chili peppers. The radish can be transformed into a long list of popular kimchi banchan: dongchimi (radish kimchi in brine), chonggakmu, kkakdugi or yeolmu kimchi, to name a few. The adage “waste not, want not” is never more important during these long winter months, and people know how to cook, serve, and preserve every part of the radish. One great example of this ingenuity is siraegi mubap.

It’s rice cooked with chopped radish and topped with siraegi, the dried radish leaves and stems.

Siraegi, unfortunately, sounds like the Korean word for garbage, but it’s far from it. Made from the bitter radish leaves and stems, it was less prized foodstuff and more of a survival diet in the past. Many homes dried the radish greens in order to preserve them for the winter. A visit to a traditional home during the late fall months would show their walls covered with drying siraegi. The dried siraegi would then be incorporated into soups, stew, and jjim to add valuable vitamins and minerals to the winter diet.

Sometimes, siraegi would stand alone as a namul banchan, simply seasoned with soy sauce, sesame oil and minced garlic. People knew that the siraegi was good for their health, for warding off winter coughs and colds. Today, siraegi is highly valued as a healthy food that packs its weight in antioxidants, beta-carotene, vitamin C, iron and calcium.

Mubap, rice cooked with radish, is a regular part of temple cuisine because of its mild flavors. Its lack of the usual chili pepper heat shouldn’t be mistaken for lack of flavor, however. That’s because late autumn and winter radishes are in-season and delicious. Winter radish in particular is sweet and fragrant, while retaining a dense, crispy texture that tempts you to bite into it. Winter radish tastes great simply prepared, sliced with a sprinkling of oil and sea salt. This hearty winter vegetable also withstands a range of cooking: pickling, frying, boiling or braising. This root vegetable mellows to an almost meaty texture and flavor when cooked and is a great accompaniment to many braised meat and fish dishes.

The easiest way to add some mu to your winter diet would be to chop it up and mix into your daily bap. It adds great texture and flavor to your rice, in addition to all the healthy dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals that should be part of every diet.

Learning Korean

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Written by Lim Jeong-yeo Illustrated by Kim Yoon-myung

A Heart-breaking Homecoming Film on wartime atrocity aims to help tortured spirits find their way home

The Korean word for “homecoming” is gwihyang. Gwi means “to return” and hyang means “hometown.”

A homecoming can come with many emotions, from sadness to relief and exhilaration. In the 2016 movie “Spirits’ Homecoming,” the hope for gwihyang is what keeps the characters alive despite crushing hardships.

“Spirits’ Homecoming” paints the painful story of the victims of Japanese sexual slavery during colonial times and World War II. Euphemistically referred to as “comfort women,” these victims were taken from their homes in their impressionable early teenage years, unaware of the rape and incarceration to come.

The movie was made with money raised through crowdfunding. Actors volunteered to take part in the filming. Director Jo Jung-rae said that he conceived of the film thinking that each time it’s played at a cinema, a soul of one of the many victims would find its way home.

“Spirit’s Homecoming” starts by showing the slow, pastoral scenery of the countryside where a 14-year-old girl, Jung-min, plays games with her peers. In a swift turn of events, Jungmin is taken by Japanese soldiers who make a sudden visit to her house. She is carted away with a bunch of other girls to a military camp, where the women are given tiny quarters in which to live and are raped uncountable times.

Jung-min and her friend Young-hee manage to escape when the soldiers lose a battle. As the two make their run, an injured soldier chases them and shoots Jung-min. Only Young-hee survives to tell the story.

Before Jung-min draws her last breath, she gives a heartbreaking line, “Uri ije jibe gaja (우 리 이제 집에 가자).” “Let us go home now.”

Uri means “us” or “we,” ije means “now” and jibe gaja is a suggestion to go home.

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Korean Art Through Coloring

© National Folk Museum of Korea

Traditional Korean mask

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Readers’ Comments The article about the Korean government’s five-year plan in the September issue was impressive as it gave a clear picture of the government’s long-term plans to achieve a prosperous nation where the people rule.

Retiree from India

It was interesting to read the “Olympics of Culture” article in the “This is Pyeongchang” section of the September issue. It’s fascinating to get to know Korea through the upcoming Olympics.

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The travel article about Mokpo was my favorite from the September issue. I always read the travel section first, hoping I can revisit Korea someday. Also, I’d like to suggest that the “Korea Around the World” section cover the spread of Korean pop music and TV shows around the world.

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The article I liked most from the September issue was “Actively Getting Passive” in the policy review section. I think the souvenirs given to the five readers were really beautiful and useful. Please keep up the good work!

Program developer from India

I really enjoyed reading the cover story “Reviving Korea’s Indigenous Liquors” in the September issue. I don’t drink alcohol, but I wanted to get some information about traditional Korean liquors after watching a lot of drinking scenes in Korean soap operas.

University student from Indonesia

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Readers’ Comments

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1. How useful was KOREA magazine in learning about Korea?

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2. Which article did you enjoy most? Which aspects of it did you like?

3. Which article was your least favorite? What are your reasons?

4. How did you find out about KOREA magazine?

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5. Do you have any suggestions for improving the content of KOREA, or any new ideas for regular sections?

6. Your personal information:

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November 2017

한국에서 어디에 가 본 적이 있어요?

Hangugeseo eodie ga bon jeogi isseoyo?

The female divers of Jeju, the haenyeo, form a truly remarkable sisterhood.

Models of eco feminism, the haenyeo are providers for their families, leaders of their communities and stewards of the sea. Their sustainable harvesting practices, the product of the divers’ absolute devotion to the sea, are especially relevant today, in an era when global fisheries are depleting quickly because of commercial overfishing. As today’s haenyeo grow older, steps are being taken to ensure the survival of this most remarkable community.

Also in this issue of KOREA, we explore the rugged beauty of Ulsan’s Yeongnam Alps, talk with business person and activist Iresha Perera, meet Korea’s biggest jazz divas, visit the Andong Maskdance Festival and more. _ Editorial staff, KOREA

Where have you been in Korea?

Publisher Kim Tae-hoon Korean Culture and Information Service Executive Producer Park Byunggyu Editorial Advisers Cho Won-hyung, Lee Suwan, Park Inn-seok Email webmaster@korea.net Magazine Production Seoul Selection Editor-in-Chief Robert Koehler Production Supervisor Kim Eugene Producers Park Miso, Woo Jiwon Copy Editors Gregory Eaves, Anna Bloom

아자니 씨, 강원도에 가 본 적이 있으세요?

Ajani ssi, gangwondo-e ga bon jeogi isseuseyo?

Illustrator Jeong Hyo-ju Photographers ao studio Kang Jinju, 15 Studio Printing Pyung Hwa Dang Printing Co., Ltd.

Cover Photo Photographed by Park Jung-keun Facing through the water a haenyeo as she holds her breath, the photographer recasts the diver in a dynamic and modern way.

Aniyo, gangwondo-e ga bon jeogi eopsseoyo. Yumyeonghan gosieyo?

Ajani, have you ever been to Gangwon-do?

No, I haven’t. Is it a famous place?

네, 겨울에 눈이 많이 와서 사람들이 여행을 많이 가요.

나래 씨가 말해 준 덕분에 좋은 장소를 알았어요. 고마워요.

Ne, gyeoure nuni mani waseo saramdeuri yeohaengeul mani gayo.

Narae ssiga marae jun deokbune joeun jangsoreul arasseoyo.

Gomawoyo.

Yes. Gangwon-do has lots of snow during the winter and people often travel there.

Thanks to you Narae, I found out about a good place to visit. Thanks! 나래 Narae

Creative Director Lee Seung Ho Designers Lee Bok-hyun, Jung Hyun-young

아니요, 강원도에 가 본 적이 없어요. 유명한 곳이에요?

아자니 Ajani

V-아/어 본 적이 있다/없다

Let’s practice!

‘V–아/어 본 적이 있다/없다’ means one has or has not ever experienced doing something.

Let’s practice asking questions.

ex. 한국 음식을 먹다 + ‘V–아/어 본 적이 있다/없다’ ⇒ 한국 음식을 먹어 본 적이 있어요/없어요.

Eat Korean food + have V/have never V ⇒ I have eaten/have never eaten Korean food. 한국 노래를 듣다 + ‘V–아/어 본 적이 있다/없다’ ⇒ 한국 노래를 들어 본 적이 있어요/없어요.

Listen to Korean songs + have V/ have never V ⇒ I have listened/have never listened to Korean songs.

Q: 밍밍 씨, 한국에 가 본 적이 있어요? (가다 + –아/어 본 적이 있다)

Ming Ming, have you ever been to Korea? (go + have ever) A: 네/아니요. 한국에 __________________________________.

Yes, I have been to Korea. / No, I have never been to Korea.

Q: 바다에서 수영을 ___________________ ? (수영을 하다 + –아/어 본 적이 있다)

Have you ever swum in the sea? (swim + have ever) A: 네/아니요. 바다에서 _________________________________.

Yes, I have swum in the sea. / No, I have never swum in the sea.

Q: 노래방에서 노래를 ____________________ ? (노래를 부르다 + –아/어 본 적이 있다)

Have you ever sung a song at a noraebang? (sing a song + have ever)

V –(으)ㄴ 덕분에

A: 네/아니요. 노래방에서 __________________________________.

‘V–(으)ㄴ 덕분에’ refers to the reason why a good thing has happened.

Yes, I have sung a song at a noraebang. / No, I have never sung a song at a noraebang.

‘N 덕분에’ is often used express gratitude towards the person who did something good.

Q: 한국에서 경주를 _________________________? (여행하다 + -아/어 본 적이 있다)

Have you ever traveled to Gyeongju? (travel + have ever)

ex. 선생님께서 한국어를 잘 가르쳐 주시다 + ‘V–(으)ㄴ 덕분에’ ⇒ 선생님께서 한국어를 잘 가르쳐 주신 덕분에 한국어를 잘하게 됐어요. ⇒ 한국어 선생님 덕분에 한국어를 잘하게 됐어요.

A: 네/아니요. 경주를 ______________________________________.

Yes, I have traveled to Gyeongju. / No, I have never traveled to Gyeongju.

The teacher taught Korean very well + thanks to the fact that V

Korean Culture

⇒ Thanks to the fact that the teacher taught Korean very well,

What parts of Korea have you visited? Seoul, the capital, serves as a center of politics, economics, culture and transportation. The central region of the country is divided into three provinces, Gyeonggi-do, Gangwon-do and Chungcheong-do, while the southern region has Jeolla-do and Gyeongsangdo. Off the southern coast of Korea is Jeju Island, which many tourists love for its beautiful beaches and natural environment. Each region of Korea has its own famous tourist spots. Gangwon-do is known especially for winter sports and ice fishing, as the region has lots of snow during the winter. Next year, Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do, will hold the 2018 Winter Olympics. In your country, where do people travel during the wintertime?

my Korean improved a lot.

⇒ Thanks to the Korean teacher, my Korean improved a lot. 착한 일을 하다 + 'V–(으)ㄴ 덕분에' ⇒ 착한 일을 한 덕분에 상을 받았어요.

Do something good + thanks to the fact that V ⇒ Thanks to the fact that I did something good, I received this award.

Monthly Magazine

November 2017

November 2017

Cover Story www. korea.net

Haenyeo Discovering the sustainable lives of people and nature