Koreamagazine1605 en by KOCIS

CONTENTS

Special Issue

Korea in Brief

Hanbok, a Fashion Statement

Korea Monthly Update

Policy Review

Artificial Intelligence Technology

Cover Story

Walking Korea’s Trails Recharge and reconnect trekking the country’s scenic stretches

A New Emblem for a New Age

Brand Korea

Travel

Seoul’s Royal Palaces and Jongmyo Shrine

Korea, Mexico Strengthen Longstanding Friendship

Summit Diplomacy

People 1

Silk Artist Son In-sook

42 Creative Economy

A Brave New Virtual World

People 2

Author Andrés Felipe Solano

44 Global Korea

Korea and France Celebrate 130 Years of Ties

Arts & Entertainment

The Spirits Have Come Home to Roost

48 Flavor

Tteokbokki

Korea & I

Beauty in Korea

50 Korean Keyword

Maepsi

May 2016

KOREA

Publisher Kim Kabsoo, Korean Culture and Information Service Executive Producer Han Seong-rae 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 Lee Jin-hyuk Producers Kim Eugene, Im Ian Copy Editors Gregory C. Eaves, Eileen Cahill Creative Director Lee Seung Ho Designers Lee Bok-hyun, Jung Hyun-young Photographers aostudio Kang jinju, RAUM Studio Printing Pyung Hwa Dang Printing Co., Ltd. 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 photo © Jin Woo-seok

Special Issue

Hanbok, a Fashion Statement Korea’s traditional costume is back in style _ Written by Lim Jeong-yeo

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Hanbok, Korea’s traditional dress, is making a comeback, and in a big way. With the arrival of spring, countless young people can be seen wearing Hanbok as they stroll about historic districts of Seoul such as Bukchon Hanok Village and Insa-dong, where shops renting the traditional costume are now ubiquitous. On social media such as Facebook and Instagram, where the popularity of hashtags such as #Hanbok and #Hanbokstagram attest to the popularity of the Hanbok, thousands of women post photos of themselves dressed in colorful, flowing robes of silk, their hair styled in the traditional manner. Some Koreans have even taken to wearing the Hanbok on overseas trips. The Hanbok’s return to daily life is also reflected in a new generation of Hanbok designers who are breaking from convention to give the traditional dress a modern and often personal touch. Artists, too, have incorporated the Hanbok into their work both as a comic element and a means to explore the place of tradition in today’s world. 3

An experience for everyone

In the streets of Insa-dong, Kim Dong-woo and Heo Mi-sun, a couple in their 20s dressed in navy and crimson Hanbok, said that Hanbok went with the atmosphere of the neighborhood. “With this traditional attire, we stand out while at the same time also blend in,” said Kim and Heo, who were not the only people in the crowd donning Hanbok that day. With its brick walls and tiled eaves, the street could have been mistaken for a period film set. “The best thing about Hanbok is that it’s pretty,”

1 Young women wear Hanbok in Changdeokgung Palace. Hanbok has become a popular fashion item, especially among the young. 2 Tourists in Hanbok pose for the camera.

3 It’s commonplace to find young people wearing Hanbok in Seoul, especially in and around historic places such as Gyeongbokgung Palace. Once relegated to holidays only, Hanbok is reentering daily life.

Kim said. “Other people stare at us, and tourists ask where we got our clothes.” The fad has created a burgeoning market for clothing rental shops, which benefit from Gyeongbokgung’s entrance fee exemption for visitors wearing Hanbok. Lee Hae-ri, whose Insa-dong shop Oneulharu opened in February, said business was better than she could have hoped. “Insa-dong is the prime location for Hanbok rentals, as it is within walking distance of Gyeongbokgung Palace,” she said. “A lot of our customers are non-Koreans and Koreans from provincial towns who come to Seoul on a trip.” During the interview, a number of young Japanese and Malaysian customers, as well as two Korean couples, were in and out of the shop. The Malaysian girls, who said they were exchange students at a university in Seoul, matched their Hanbok with their hijabs. They said they had wanted to try Hanbok even before coming to Korea. “We knew the dresses from Korean TV dramas,” one of the girls said. “We wanted to try them on to better learn about Korea.”

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3 © INOHJUDAN Inc.

A British man named Russel Mckeown was strolling with his wife through the Gyeongbokgung area on the same day. The couple sported matching red-and-white Hanboks. “We wore Hanbok to fully appreciate and experience Korean culture,” said the Mckeowns. “We’ve eaten the food. We’ve had a bunch of kimchi. Wearing traditional clothes completes the journey.”

Special treatment for wearing Hanbok

Besides the look and the experience, Hanbok qualifies wearers for a number of discounts. “Hanbok gets us into Gyeongbokgung Palace for free,” said one of three middle school girls who had traveled three hours from their homes in Paju to celebrate their upcoming graduation. Not only does the palace waive the KRW 3,000 (USD 2.50) entrance fee for customers dressed in Hanbok, but nearby shops offer 15 to 20 percent discounts. One of the girls said she last wore Hanbok a year earlier, to celebrate her grandfather’s 70th birthday. Another said she had worn it in elementary school for a Lunar New Year’s event, and the third girl had not worn it since kindergarten when she took part in a talent show. One of the girls, dressed in a lime-green top and a turquoise skirt said, “I wanted to buy a Hanbok of my

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1 Oh In-kyung emphasizes designs that are both stylish and practical. 2, 3, 4 Oh’s Hanboks are unique, utilizing fabrics such as linen and lace and employing flashy patterns. Accordingly, her designs lend themselves to a younger clientele.

own but it was too expensive.” Hanbok, often handmade from silk, can easily cost anywhere from KRW 500,000 to over KRW 1 million. Instead, the girls opted to rent their choice of styles for five hours for KRW 15,000 per hour.

Philosophy of a Hanbok designer

Designer Oh In-kyung, the creative founder of the Hanbok brand Inohjudan, said she fears the sudden popularity of Hanbok might be a passing fad. “I dream of a day when Hanbok will lose its special meaning as a ceremonial dress and instead melt into our daily lives like any other item of clothing,” Oh said. “I want Hanbok to become a common thing in our everyday life, to the point that we no longer need to affix the term ‘Hanbok’ to it.” To help people wear Hanbok more comfortably, Oh cut the length of her skirts to prevent the hems from grazing the ground. “I once wore Hanbok around town, outside of Insa-dong and Bukchon, and I realized that stairs could be lethal,” Oh said. “If only people had never stopped wearing Hanbok, either the clothes or the city infrastructure would have conveniently evolved, but that was not how things turned out.” Oh boldly deserted the use of silk in favor of cotton and linen, which makes her Hanbok creations

machine washable and better suited to the tastes of her younger clients. “There is nothing inherently special about Hanbok,” Oh insisted. “It’s just a style of fashion, just like grunge and hip-hop, but made with traditional methods.”

Doing anything in Hanbok

5 “Feign: Flutter” (2013) 6 “Feign: #Snow Whitegram” (2016) 7 “Feign: Instagram, Instagram, who is fairest of them all?” (2016) 8 Kim Hyun-jung is considered a pop star of Korean illustration.

weeks. Upon being asked how she would feel if the vision in her paintings came true - if people dressed in Hanbok as they went about their daily activities - Kim smiled and said Hanbok would look very different. “I tried to ride a bicycle once in Hanbok,” Kim said, “The skirt got caught in the wheels and tore.” Her custom-designed Hanbok had cost more than the bicycle. Upon hearing the artist’s remark, Inohjudan’s Oh confidently said in a separate interview that she could provide Kim with a Hanbok that she would have no problem wearing on a bicycle or while using sports equipment. “Who says women cannot wear trousers for Hanbok?” Oh asked. “What we now know as the Western style of clothing also went through experimental periods to arrive at its current stage,” she said. “I must point out Chanel’s adaptation of male clothes to female fashion.” With innovative minds busy at work, it may not be too long before Hanbok hangs in everyone’s closet.

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Kim Hyun-jung, a painter and Hanbok advocate, draws portraits of modern-day women engaged in modern-day activities while dressed in Hanbok. In Kim’s reinterpretations, the women wear high heels and brightly decorated nails together with the traditional dress. They also eat burgers, ride motorcycles and take part in indoor rock climbing. “Because Hanbok is an elegant dress, it can confine the wearer’s behavior in certain ways,” Kim said. “For example, when I wear Hanbok I automatically straighten my back and even watch the way I speak. I turned that idea around in my head and contrasted Hanbok with things with which it isn’t usually associated.” Kim said she hoped her fans would react with amusement and laughs. Her solo exhibition, “Feign Playground,” which ran from mid-March through early April, attracted over 5,000 people a day and 41,000 in the first two

Cover Story

Walking Korea’s Trails Recharge and reconnect as you trek the country’s scenic stretches _ Written by Jin Woo-seok

©JEJU OLLE FOUNDATION

__ Ganse signs, bearing the image of Jeju’s famous native horse, mark significant points along the Jeju Olle Trail, one of Korea’s most popular networks of walking paths. “Ganse” means “slow” in the local Jeju dialect.

Since 2010, a walking craze has been sweeping across Korea, and it has yet to show signs of waning. Walking enthusiasts, fully awakened to the pleasures of the pastime, are traveling in groups to Korea’s choicest walking spots. Some are even setting out for famous trails in other parts of the world. The unanimous observation of travelers returning from Spain’s Camino de Santiago is that Koreans account for half the people on that trail. Theirs is a passion intense and poised to last. According to the Korea Tourism Organization’s walking trails website (www.koreatrails.or.kr), over 600 different trails can be found across Korea today.

A time for self-reflection

Korea’s present fixation with walking can be traced to the Jeju Olle Trail and Jirisan Dulle-gil. The Jeju Olle Trail was created by former journalist Suh Myung Sook, a native of Jeju Island, after her return from a trek along the Camino de Santiago. The Jirisan Dulle-gil was conceived by a group of pilgrims, among them the Venerable KOREA _ May _ 8

Dobeop, who had taken to dusty footpaths with a mission to scatter seeds of life and peace on Earth. The road was born, and through their vision it became a pilgrimage trail connecting the villages of Mt. Jirisan. In 2007, when the Jeju Olle Trail and the Jirisan Dulle-gil first opened, nobody imagined they would one day enjoy such popularity. “Who would travel so far just to walk?” people asked. “Would city dwellers even be up to walking such long distances?” Such worries proved groundless. People marveled at the intimate island views afforded by the Jeju Olle. They thrilled to the magic of a night in a mountain village along the Jirisan Dulle-gil. Before long, they were hooked: by the beauty and tranquility of the natural landscapes, the warmth of the local residents and, above all, the taste of walking. Walking as travel has brought myriad changes, including, as many a walker has reported, a happier mood and a greater sense of contentment. “It was hard but I was happy,” is a common refrain heard on the Olle and Dulle-gil trails. Until recently,

Busan’s Oryukdo Sunrise Park marks the start of the Haeparang Trail.

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The Jeju Olle Trail traverses the innermost pockets of Jeju Island. From the stone walls to the local villages, to the open fields, oreum, or volcanic cones, and beaches, every hidden vista and landmark can be reached one leisurely step at a time. An olle is a small road that leads from one’s house to the village road. As most of the houses in rural Jeju have no front door, the winding olle fulfills this function, linking the house to the outside, a channel of connection. The Jeju Olle numbers among the world’s best-known trails. Visitors can observe the geological features of the

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Matchless beauty and serenity on the Jeju Olle

with so many advanced transportation options, walking might have been on its way to irrelevance in our modern society. Now, however, we are recovering our ability to walk, rediscovering in the process the joy of being alive. Walking trips have reshaped the travel scene in Korea. According to the Jeju Olle Foundation, the opening of the Jeju Olle Trail marked a transformation in how Koreans travel. Preferences shifted from group tours to solo travel, from rental cars to public transportation, from tourist attractions to villages and traditional markets and from one-off tourism to a tourism of continuity. Another important outcome of this trend has been significant economic benefits for ordinary people. This is because most of the money spent by on-foot travelers goes directly to locals. The Jeju Olle, for instance, has meant increased income not only for the elderly woman renting out her spare room to travelers but also the farmer selling mandarin oranges on the side of the road, not to mention the taxi driver. The roads set up by provincial governments have produced similar effects. Walking is propelling us toward a new paradigm of travel, “kind travel,” also called “fair travel,” which prioritizes mutual satisfaction and benefits for both the travelers and the local communities.

__ During a 2012 visit to Korea, French travel writer and author of “Longue Marche” Bernard Ollivier submitted that such heightened enthusiasm for on-foot travel was a sign that Korean society, having attained economic development, had entered into a phase necessitating greater selfreflection.

ÂŠ Jin Woo-seok

Mt. Songaksan looms over a section of the Jeju Olle Trail that runs past the old Altteureu Airfield. ÂŠ Jin Woo-seok

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The Jeju Olle Walking Festival celebrates trekking on the island.

Cherry blossoms bloom along the Jirisan Dulle-gil Trail.

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Gangneung’s Hyeonhwa Road is an especially scenic stretch of the Haeparang Trail.

__ The Jirisan Dulle-gil, which crisscrosses the foothills of Mt. Jirisan, and Haeparang Trail, which runs along Korea’s east coast, are two of Korea’s longest walking trails.

Sunshine and blue waters along the Haeparang Trail

The Haeparang Trail is a crosscountry coastal trail that runs from the southernmost to the northernmost points of the East Sea. Beginning at Oryukdo Sunrise Park in Busan and ending at the Goseong Unification Observatory in Gangwondo, the trail stretches 770 kilometers along Korea’s eastern coast. The trail’s 10 sections include Busan, Ulsan, Gyeongju, Pohang, Yeongdeok, Uljin, Samcheok–Donghae, Gangneung, Yangyang–Sokcho and Goseong, which together comprise 50 routes.

The Jirisan Dulle-gil takes visitors around the perimeter of Mt. Jirisan, Korea’s oldest national park. Here, the memories of history, of the Korean War and Japanese colonial rule, still linger. The way of life embodied by our mothers and fathers, in their quiet cultivation of the land, remains unspoiled. Circling the mountain, the trail extends a good 314 kilometers. It winds through woodland areas and farmland and over paved forest paths and asphalt roads, offering glimpses of villages and

Connecting village to village on the Jirisan Dulle-gil

surrounding forests as well as the diverse cultural heritage of the people who live at the base of Mt. Jirisan, embodied in the form of guardian trees and stone totem poles. There is a steep uphill stretch, and one leg of the trail seems to go on forever without a single home or village in sight. There are some tedious parts that feel like a nonstop repetition of uphill, downhill and up again. However, what sets the Jirisan Dulle-gil apart is that it is a pilgrimage road, birthed by pilgrims who, as part of the Life and Peace Movement, sought to bring peace on Earth by first manifesting peace within themselves. For this reason, to get the full experience of this road, one must set out with the heart of a pilgrim. The different sections and courses of the Jirisan Dulle-gil are not numbered, which might cause some confusion, but again, this is a path on which convenience is humbly foregone. The sections are instead identified by the names of the villages they connect ‒ Jucheon–Unbong, Unbong–Inweol, Inweol– Geumgye, and so forth. These villages have always been integral to the existence of the Jirisan Dulle-gil. The road was created with the support and cooperation of the villages, and their residents not only provide information and assistance but also food and lodging to visiting travelers. Here, too, the aim is fair travel that directly benefits the people of the village.

island close up at Suwolbong Peak, Mt. Songaksan and Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, a UNESCO World Heritage site. They can have an illuminating encounter with the haenyeo, Jeju Island’s female divers, who form an important part of Jeju’s heritage. The softly sloping oreum and emeraldlit sea make for a lyrical and peaceful panorama unique to the island. The Jeju Olle is a relatively easy walk, ideal for wandering freely, and there is no admission fee. Extensive tourism infrastructure is in place nearby, from inexpensive guesthouses to luxury hotels, as well as all kinds of traditional foods made using the freshest seafood and Jeju black pork. The popularity of the Jeju Olle has spread to neighboring Kyushu, Japan. After consultations with the Jeju Olle Foundation, the Kyushu Tourism Promotion Organization (KTPO) developed the Kyushu Olle, opening the first course in February 2012. In four years, the trail has become one of Japan’s most famous. The Jeju Olle Foundation continues to organize such exchanges with partner organizations around the world, and is building a growing “friendship trail.” Partners include the Bruce Trail in Canada, the Milford Track in New Zealand, the Camino de Santiago in Spain, the Swiss Wine Route in Lavaux, the Shikoku Henro in Japan, and the Lebanon Mountain Trail.

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__ Seoul, too, has a number of walking trails, including trails that follow the old city walls and ones that follow the foothills of the city’s northern mountains.

The very name “Haeparang Trail” conjures in the minds of Korean-speakers the cerulean waters of the East Sea. The rising sun is expressed by hae, meaning “sun.” Parang, meaning “blue,” captures the ocean’s jewel hues, with rang also being the postpositional grammatical particle that means “together.” Together, these parts of the name paint the picture of a road one walks along with the sun and the blue sea for companions. Though it is a new network of trails, the Haeparang Trail, was fashioned for practicality from well-loved existing pathways along the east coast. These include Busan’s Galmaetgil Trails, Ulsan’s Solmarugil, Gyeongju’s Jusangjeolli-gil, Yeongdeok County’s Blue Road, Uljin County’s Gwandong Palgyeong-gil, Samcheok’s Surobuin-gil, Gangneung’s Bau-gil Road and Goseong County’s Gallae-gil. The Haeparang Trail passes through some of the major landmarks of the East Sea: Oryukdo Island, which is attracting new attention as part of Busan National Geopark; Ulsan’s Ganjeolgot Cape, where the sun rises earliest on Korea’s east coast; Gyeongju’s Munmudaewangneung Tomb, the underwater tomb where the Great King Munmu of Silla is buried; Guryongpo in Pohang, the home of the popular gwamegi, or half-dried Pacific herring; Gangguhang Port in Yeongdeok County, known for its delicious crabs; Uljin’s Mangyangjeong Pavilion, one of the eight historically prized scenic sights in Eastern Korea; Chuam Beach in Donghae, a popular sunrise-watching destination; Jeongdongjin Station and Gyeongpodae in Gangneung; Abai Village and Yeongnangho Lake in Sokcho; and, Hwajinpo Lake in Goseong County.

Seoul, the walkable city: its top three trails

Seoul is no exception to the walking craze. The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s walking trails website (gil.seoul.go.kr) lists over 150 trails in the city. Among these,

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__ As walking trails pop up in more places and more people recognize the benefits of living in a “walkable city,” Seoul has been seeing changes for the better.

the three most famous are the Bukhansan Dulle-gil, the Hanyang Doseong-gil and the Seoul Dulle-gil. Of the three, the Bukhansan Dullegil opened first, incrementally between 2009 and 2011. The trail wraps around both Mt. Bukhansan and Mt. Dobongsan, the city’s two guardian mountains. Made by connecting and renovating existing byways, the network of walking paths is environmentally friendly and is mostly level, making it minimally arduous. Bukhansan National Park was the first of Korea’s 21 national parks to install such trails, and its explosive popularity has led to similar trail networks being developed across the country. The Hanyang Doseong-gil takes visitors along the Seoul Fortress Walls. Hanyang was Seoul’s name when it was the seat of government for Joseon. Here, Taejo, who founded Joseon in 1396, established the Hanseongbu, the administrative center, and then ordered the construction of fortress walls as both a symbol of power and as a means of defending the city against invasions. The walls were built along the slopes of Mt. Bugaksan, Mt. Naksan, Mt. Namsan and Mt. Inwangsan, and together they stretch for 18.6 kilometers. Whereas the Hanyang Doseong-gil runs in a small circle around the four inner mountains of Seoul, the Seoul Dulle-gil forges a broader path along the city’s four outer mountains - Mt. Gwanaksan, Mt. Bukhansan, Mt. Yongmasan and Mt. Deogyangsan. Seoul Dulle-gil consists of eight different routes flanking mountains and streams. The section connecting Mt. Yongmasan and Mt. Achasan offers a spectacular view of the city, while the Anyangcheon Stream in the spring is a sight to behold, bedecked with cherry blossoms and forsythia. The biggest draw of the Seoul Dulle-gil is its easy accessibility for Seoul residents, who simply have to find the entrance nearest to their home. These can be found near 23 subway stations around the city.

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Trail information and recommended routes

Jeju Olle Trail The Jeju Olle Trail begins in Siheung-ri, Seongsan-eup, in the city of Seogwipo, and traces the perimeter of the island clockwise. With 26 total trails, including five sub-routes, the pathway extends a total of 425 kilometers. The Jeju Olle Foundation holds the Jeju Olle Festival every November and since 2010 has also hosted the annual World Trails Conference. There, trail organizations from around the world gather to share ideas on how best to promote walking as a way of life. Recommended routes Course No. 10 (15.5 km) offers the best views of the southwestern parts of the island, including Mt. Sanbangsan, the Yongmeori Cliffs, Mt. Songaksan and the Altteureu Airfield. After you complete the walk, you can try some fresh hoe, or raw fish, at Moseulpohang Port. This trail is part of a “friendship trail partnership” with the Swiss National Tourism Office and the Swiss Wine Road, located near Lake Geneva in the Lavaux region. Course No. 1 (14.5 km) was the first section to open on the Jeju Olle Trail. It leads visitors to Seongsan Ilchulbong Peak, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as lesser-known sights, including Jongdalli Beach and Gwangchigi Beach. On Course No. 12, you can catch the best sunset at Suwolbong Peak and Saengigijeong Seaside Road. Course No. 7 is also a favorite, starting at Oedolgae Rock, the showpiece of Seogwipo, with a chance to see the Jusangjeolli Cliffs along the way. Inquiries Jeju Olle Foundation, 064-762-2190, www.jejuolle.org

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Jirisan Dulle-gil The Jirisan Dulle-gil connects over 120 villages across 21 towns and townships. It traverses five cities and counties – Namwon, Hamyang, Sancheong and Hadong) – connecting the provinces Jeollanam-do, Jeollabuk-do and Gyeongsangnamdo. At 286 kilometers, the trail has 20 sections in all, including two auxiliary courses. It passes through forests (43.8 percent), farmland (20.8 percent) and villages (19.9 percent). The Supgil, the organization that operates the trail, also runs a variety of related programs, including an overnight or two-night stay at a campsite, a Saturday walk and an event to support those with disabilities. Recommended routes The winsome old roads and byways of the Unsong-Gowon trail connect highaltitude fields of up to 500 meters above sea level to the six surrounding villages. The roads that villagers took on market day remain. On the Hoedeok-Namwon trail, villagers would go to the Namwonjang Market, while the Nochi-Unbong trail led to the Unbongjang Market. In the spring, the Jucheon-Sangdong trail and Songjeong-Gatan trail are festooned with flowering cornel dogwoods and cherry blossoms. Inquiries Supgil, 055-884-0850, jirisantrail.kr

view overlooking the fortress walls and Seoul proper. Many people visit this trail in the evenings as well for beautiful nighttime views of the city.

village as well as stunning views of the coast. Inquiries Korean Trails Culture Foundation, 02-6013-6611, www.haeparang.org

Inquiries Seoul City Wall Information Center, 02-2133-2657, seoulcitywall.seoul.go.kr

Hanyang Doseong-gil The Hanyang Doseong-gil is 18.6-kilometers and consists of six sections. Each section is close to various Seoul landmarks: the Mt. Baegaksan section leads to the Bukchon Hanok Village and Seongbukdong; the Mt. Naksan section to Ihwa Mural Village; the Heunginjimun section to the Cheonggyecheon Stream; the Mt. Namsan section to Namsangol Hanok Village; the Sungnyemun Gate section to Jeongdong-gil, near Deoksugung Palace, and Namdaemun Market; and the Mt. Inwangsan section to Gyeongbokgung Palace and Seochon Village. Information about guided tours is available on the Hanyang Doseong-gil website.

Gubul-gil, Gunsan Other walking options include the first-rate trails developed by provincial governments. A stand-out choice would be the Gubul-gil in Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do Province, which has 11 sections in total. Course No. 6-1 is recommended for a look back at Korea’s painful history. The course crosses through the old Gunsan city center, which served as a main base for the Japanese during the colonial period and was also the setting for major Korean novelist Ch’ae Man-Sik’s work “The Muddy Current.”

Recommended routes As the old fortress wall is still well preserved in the Mt. Bugaksan section (4.7 km), this is a good option for getting an idea of Seoul’s past. The Mt. Naksan section (2.1 km) can be walked at an easy pace and has an excellent

Inquiries Gubulgil, 063-467-9879, www.gubulgil.com

Haeparang Trail The Haeparang Trail passes through 19 cities, counties and districts across an area spanning Busan and Ulsan as well as the provinces Gyeongsangbuk-do and Gangwon-do. It is divided into 10 sections, with 50 sections in all. The Haeparang Trail Walking Festival takes place this year from May 7 to June 4 for 30 days, with events in Busan (May 7), Ulsan (May 15), Yeongdeok (May 21) and Goseong (June 4). Participants walk each day of the festival until they have completed the entire trail. Recommended routes The undisputed favorite is Course No. 1, which takes visitors by the magnificent sea cliffs in Igidae, Busan. Other top choices include Course No. 21 (Yeongdeok), Course No. 39 (Gangneung), Course No. 45 (Sokcho), and Course No. 49 (Goseong). Course No. 21, also known as Yeongdeok Blue Road, is said to be a section where ocean and sky meet, and offers charming glimpses of life in a fishing

Haeparang Trail Hanyang Doseong-gil

Gubul-gil, Gunsan Jirisan Dulle-gil

Jeju Olle Trail

Interview

Walking: A Refuge from Modern Society The Korean Trails and Culture Foundation’s Yun Munki explains why trekking is so popular in Korea _ Written by Eugene Kim

Why are Koreans so crazy about walking? According to Yun Munki, the general-secretary of the Korean Trails and Culture Foundation, the answer can be found in this country’s modern history. “I think it’s because people are realizing that walking is the best way to relieve the spiritual fatigue that set in during 40 years of compressed economic development,” he says. “People who have gone on walking journeys often say that even bicycles are too fast. In a hyperfast, competitive environment, walking, where you can enjoy the aesthetic of slowness, can be a refuge for modern society.” Yun is a man who knows walking. The author of several books on walking and a contributing writer on the subject for some of Korea’s biggest newspapers and magazines, he has also helped develop several of the country’s trail networks. His organization is a nonprofit entity that has advised about 50 local governments on developing walking trails since 2011. It also developed and operates the Haeparang Trail, Korea’s longest walking trail, which runs 770 kilometers along the

East Sea coast from Busan in the south to the DMZ in the north. He credits the opening of Jeju’s now famous Olle-gil Trail in 2007 with getting Korea’s walking trend started. He says, “Many people realized as they walked the Olle-gil that to understand the true value of a region, you should walk its roads with your own two legs.” Walking has also helped bring more women outdoors. Yun points out that the ratio of women involved in trekking is far higher than that for other outdoor activities. He says, “Walking opened the gate for women, who had been somewhat removed from outdoor activities, letting them step outside.” Trekking has caught on with hiking groups, too. Previously focused on mountain hiking, these groups have actively embraced trekking, where walkers can reconnect with nature in a more relaxed manner, he says. Yun notes that while trekking is popular overseas as well, Korea’s trails are a bit different from famous trails in other parts of the world. Unlike the Camino de Santiago, for instance, most of Korea’s trails are secular in nature, focusing on scenery. Many Korean trails are the product of government

policy, not a common situation in other countries. Famous overseas trekking trails also tend to be quite long, stretching hundreds to thousands of kilometers. In this regard, Korea’s longer trails such as the Jeju Olle-gil and Jirisan Dulle-gil could prove more popular internationally. Yun is often asked which trail he likes best. It’s a difficult question to answer. “Even the same trail feels different depending on when you walk it and with whom you walk it,” he says. Still, if he had to choose, he’d go with the Haeparang Trail’s Course No. 1, which runs through the city of Busan, and Course No. 49, which follows the coast of the Gangwon-do town of Goseong, not far from the DMZ. He also has fond memories of the Jeju Olle-gil’s Course 14-1, which takes walkers through the forests and green tea plantations of western Jeju.

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Travel

Royal Heritage Seoulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s five palaces and Jongmyo Shrine reveal the brilliance Joseon _ Written and photographed by Robert Koehler KOREA _ May _ 18

Visitors stroll around the main courtyard at Gyeongbokgung Palace, the oldest of Seoulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s five royal palaces.

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A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Changdeokgung Palace was designed in harmony with its hilly terrain.

When you consider that Seoul was the capital of Joseon (1392–1910) for half a millennium, it is no surprise that much of the city’s cultural heritage is connected with its royal past. In the heart of the historic city, tucked away within the confines of the old city walls, stand not just one but five royal palaces, and several major shrines that testify to the majesty and wisdom of one of the world’s longest-ruling dynasties. The palaces and shrines of Joseon are not only some of Korea’s most spectacular works of traditional architecture, but also outdoor museums where visitors can gain a more profound understanding of the lives of the Joseon kings and the society and worldview of Koreans of old.

A new capital for a new dynasty

When the general-turned-monarch Yi Seong-gye took power in 1392, founding

KOREA _ May _ 20

Royal guards march on the grounds of Deoksugung Palace.

the Joseon Dynasty, he quickly moved to relocate the royal capital from Gaeseong, the longtime center of the recently defunct Goryeo (918–1392), to a city he could build in the neo-Confucian image of the newborn kingdom. Yi’s advisers found a perfect location for the new capital in a basin along the Hangang River. There, a city could be built with mountains to its north and water to its south, a most propitious spot according to the principles of feng shui. In 1394, the capital was officially moved to Hanseong, the “Walled City on the Hangang River.” Five centuries later, in 1945, that city would be renamed Seoul. The first parts of the new capital to be built were the protective city walls; the royal residence of Gyeongbokgung Palace; the Jongmyo Shrine, where royal memorial rites were held; and the Sajik Shrine, where the king would pray for national prosperity. Over time,

The memorial rite for the kings of Joseon, the Jongmyo Jerye features age-old Korean traditional music and dance.

Gyeongbokgung was joined by four other “grand palaces” and many smaller detached palaces and villas. Over the last century, much of Seoul’s architectural heritage was lost to colonialism, war and urban development, but the “five grand palaces” and the Jongmyo and Sajik shrines remain. The palaces and shrines are among Korea’s most popular tourist destinations, and two of the sites – Changdeokgung Palace and Jongmyo Shrine – are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Participants in the Jongmyo Jerye proceed to the main shrine.

Remembering royal ancestors On the first Sunday of May, members of the Jeonju Yi clan – what used to be the royal family of Joseon – gather at Seoul’s Jongmyo Shrine, where the memorial tablets of the kings and queens of Joseon are enshrined. They

The Jongmyo Jerye is a memorial ceremony for kings and queens of the Joseon Dynasty.

take part in an extraordinary expression of remembrance and Confucian piety. Dressed in long, richly embroidered ceremonial robes of black silk, they officiate over an elaborate ceremony in which they call on the spirits of the late kings and queens of Joseon, entertain them, and send them off again to heaven. During the rite, called the Jongmyo Jerye or Jongmyo Daeje, the royal descendants, acting as bridges between heaven and earth, make offerings to the spirits of food and libations, served on or in beautiful ritual vessels. The rite is accompanied by spectacular music and dance performed by the National Orchestra of Korean Court Music. The music was composed during the reign of renowned scholarmonarch King Sejong the Great in the 15th century and adopted for use in the memorial ceremony by his son, King Sejo. The music, which uses gongs, bells,

KOREA _ May _ 21

1. Ornate wall of Deoksugung Palace 2. Changgyeonggung Palace from above 3. Gyeongbokgung Palace at night 4. Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, Gyeongbokgung Palace

In the heart of the historic city stand not just one but five royal palaces that testify to the majesty and wisdom of one of the world’s longest-ruling dynasties.

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lutes, zithers and flutes, and the dance, performed by 64 dancers in eight lines, together symbolize both the forces of yin and yang and the civilian and military exploits of the kings. The spectacle is beautiful to behold. Both the ceremony and the accompanying music and dance are on UNESCO’s list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The Jongmyo Shrine itself is a masterpiece of Confucian architecture. Hidden in an urban forest surrounded by low hills, the shrine’s two wooden memorial halls harmonize perfectly with the surrounding topography. The longer hall, the Jeongjeon, houses 49 memorial tablets and is said to be the longest wooden building in Asia.

Dynastic splendor

Korea’s five royal palaces are concentrated in Seoul’s historic downtown, near Jongno and City Hall. This is the heart of the old royal capital, where the city still conforms to an urban plan laid down six centuries ago. The oldest and largest of the five palaces is the iconic Gyeongbokgung, located at the head of Sejong-ro, the broad central boulevard where, in the days of Joseon, the kingdom’s central ministries were located. Gyeongbokgung was established in 1395 and served as the dynasty’s main palace until it was burned to the ground during the Japanese invasions of 1592–1597. Left in ruins after the war, it was rebuilt in grand fashion by the powerful prince regent Heungseon Daewongun in the 1860s. At its height, the sprawling palace was a city

unto itself, staffed by an army of officials and servants tasked with keeping the ship of state afloat and on course. During the Japanese colonial era, however, the palace was almost completely dismantled. Much of what you see today is a post-liberation reconstruction, although a few of the more eye-catching structures, including the massive main hall and the iconic Gyeonghoeru Pavilion, are 19th-century originals. Perhaps the most beautiful, and most photographed, area of the palace is the Hyangwonjeong Pavilion, a garden gazebo with a lovely pond that reflects not only the pavilion, but the surrounding mountains. While Gyeongbokgung may be the oldest of the five palaces, the most beautiful is Changdeokgung, an enchanting complex established by King Taejong as a secondary palace in 1405. It, too, was burned down during the invasions of the late 16th century, but was rebuilt soon after the war to serve as the kingdom’s main palace. In fact, it served as the dynasty’s palace for 270 years, longer than any other palace. The court of King Sunjong, or Emperor Yunghui, resided there from 1907 until Japan annexed Korea in 1910, and members of the royal family continued to live in parts of the palace until the 1990s. Changdeokgung is a masterpiece of Korean architecture. Unlike Gyeongbokgung, which adheres to a grid structure, Changdeokgung’s layout flows with the hilly contours of the land. Especially beautiful are its gardens, which are considered the epitome of Korean landscape architecture. The gem within the gem is Buyongji Pond, a squareshaped pleasure pond with a round island in the middle, a layout that represents our past understanding of the cosmos. Just next to Changdeokgung is Changgyeonggung, founded in the 15th century as a retirement home for King Taejong. For most of its history, it was

JONGMYO Entry to Jongmyo Shrine is by guided tour only, except on Saturday. For reservations, call T. 02-765-0195. Five-minute walk from Jongno 3-ga Station (Exit 11 of Line 1, Exit 8 of Line 3, Exit 8 of Line 5) Closed Tuesdays. KRW 1,000 jm.cha.go.kr GYEONGBOKGUNG Gyeongbokgung Station (Line 3), Exit 5; Gwanghwamun Station, (Line 5) Exit 2 Closed Tuesdays. KRW 3,000 www.royalpalace.go.kr CHANGDEOKGUNG Anguk Station (Line 3), Exit 3. Walk past the Hyundai Building. Closed Mondays. KRW 3,000, plus KRW 5,000 to enter the Huwon Garden www.cdg.go.kr CHANGGYEONGGUNG Hyehwa Station, (Line 4), Exit 4. Walk 15 minutes. Closed Mondays KRW 1,000 cgg.cha.go.kr DEOKSUGUNG City Hall Station (Line 1), Exit 1 Closed Mondays. KRW 1,000 www.deoksugung.go.kr GYEONGHUIGUNG 11-minute walk from Seodaemun Station (Line 5), Exit 4 Free

a secondary palace, often serving as a residence for queens and concubines. During the colonial era, the palace suffered the indignity of being turned into a park, complete with a zoo and Japanesestyle gardens. In the 1980s, however, the palace was restored to something approximating its former glory. Changgyeonggung’s most important structure, the Myeongjeongjeon, dates from 1616 and is Korea’s oldest surviving throne hall. Unlike most throne halls, which face south, this one faces east in consideration of the palace’s terrain. As with the other palaces, Changgyeonggung has extensive gardens. An oddity is its Victorian-style hothouse, a botanical garden built in 1907. Deoksugung, located next to Seoul City Hall in the Jeong-dong district, is not as large as the other palaces, but it is the most dramatically urban, surrounded as it is by glass and steel skyscrapers. Deoksugung served as the main palace of the Daehan Empire (1897–1910), when Korea attempted to strengthen itself through modernization and interaction with the outside world. The palace itself reflects this governing philosophy, consisting of both a Korean palace and a Western palace with imposing neoclassical stone halls. One of the quirkier buildings here is the Jeonggwanheon Pavilion, a Russiandesigned garden gazebo where King Gojong, the penultimate monarch of Joseon, enjoyed drinking coffee, then an exotic foreign import. The last and smallest of the five palaces, Gyeonghuigung, was built in the 17th century and utilized mostly as a secondary palace. Built on a hillside, it makes the most of its location by employing exquisite terracing. Sadly, the palace was almost completely destroyed during the colonial era, but was partially rebuilt in the 1990s. Just next to the palace is the Seoul Museum of History, the city’s premier historical repository.

KOREA _ May _ 23

People 1

An Artistic World All Her Own ‘Silk artist’ Son In-sook uses tradition to express a creative artistic vision _ Written by Robert Koehler Photographed by RAUM Studio

“What I want is art, not to transmit my skills,” If it seems embroidery artist Son Insook isn’t especially interested in passing down her craft, it’s because she isn’t. This is because for her, embroidery isn't just a traditional skill, but rather a means of creating her own, personal artistic world. “There are many practitioners of intangible cultural properties who think tradition must be passed on as is, that you mustn’t reinterpret it," she opines. “I think even if you pass on the old, if the fundamentals are solid, you should go forward with your own vision.”

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And nobody will ever accuse Son of not following her own vision. Employing silk the way a photographer uses a camera, she uses Korea’s traditional embroidery techniques to craft hyper-realistic “silk drawings” to capture scenes and reinterpret iconic works of art, all the while creating an artistic world all her very own. It’s a world that has won her many admirers, especially overseas. A recent exhibit of 150 of her works at Paris’ Guimet Museum of Asian Art was received with critical acclaim, and she is now preparing for an exhibit at the Museum of Asian Arts in Nice.

An artist, not a pop star

While her name might be on the rise in Europe, Son is a relatively unknown entity in her homeland of Korea. This is very much by choice. “I’ve tried to remain unknown locally,” she says. “I was quite active in the past. In the 1970s and 1980s, all I needed to do was call a TV station to get on. When I entered my 30s, however, my thinking changed.” The more she pursued fame, it seemed, the more her art suffered. Instead of promoting herself, she set herself to work fine-tuning her art.

afternoon. She explains, “Originally, Korean embroidery doesn’t embroider the background. You just embroider the design on blank fabric. One day, however, I realized something as I embroidered a design on a background I’d embroidered completely. The feeling was completely different, depending on the texture of the silk or the angle of the needle. I’d awakened to the art of light.” Her best-known work is a breathtaking rendition of Joseonera artist Shin -bok’s iconic painting “Portrait of a Beauty.” The work is as spellbinding as the painting on which it is based. It even uses real human hair to replicate the beauty’s luxuriously coiffured locks. The piece has received considerable attention from both the local and French media. “Reinterpreting ‘Portrait of a Beauty’ as a silk drawing was no easy task, but I did it after countless months of work, and it seems it’s been recognized for that.”

Team effort

Son uses Korea’s traditional embroidery techniques to craft hyper-realistic “silk drawings” to capture scenes and reinterpret iconic works of art.

“For over 30 years, I immersed myself in the spirit of art,” she says. “When the magnolias bloomed, I conveyed that beauty in embroidery.” Son’s silk drawings have to be seen to be believed. During a tour of her museum space in Seoul’s southern Gaepo-dong neighborhood, this writer pointed to what appeared to be a photo of a forest on the wall and asked where it had been taken. On closer inspection, however, the photo turned out not to be a photo at all, but a painstakingly detailed work of embroidery. It was a mistake oft-repeated throughout the

Son’s works are about more than just the embroidery. The richly carved frames are works of art in and of themselves. Her art is very much a team effort. “Up till now, I’ve worked with over 50 artisans and master craftsmen,” she explains. “I’ve worked with them for over 35 years.” Son focuses on the important points, while her team handles much of the rest. It hasn’t always been easy, but the end result has been more than satisfactory. “I think I’ve gotten this far by bringing together the people, finances, patience and pain,” she says. “I am quite satisfied and pleased that I can now show the world Korea’s beautiful traditions through my work.”

KOREA _ May _ 25

People 2

The passionate rhythms of salsa were flowing out of the bar. Andrés Felipe Solano, the prominent Colombian writer, was waiting there. While not the quiet coffee shop or office most interview subjects prefer, this bar hidden in a corner alley of Seoul’s hip, multicultural Gyeongnidan district seems the perfect place to meet the writer, whose work, like the neighborhood, spans two worlds. The author, who currently teaches at the Literature Translation Institute of Korea, recently won the Premio Biblioteca de Narrativa Colombiana, or the Colombian Narrative Library Award, for his 2015 book, “Korea: Notes From a Tightrope” (Spanish title: “Corea: Apuntes Desde la Cuerda Floja”), a non-fiction account of his time in Korea. “I wanted to question what drives one to write through my experience in Korea, located on the opposite end from Colombia,” he said in accepting the award. “I tried to bridge the unfamiliarity that emerged from the long distance between Colombia and Korea by taking the familiar form of journals and chronicles for my book.”

A real story of life in Korea

Bridging Two Worlds Award-winning author Andrés Felipe Solano examines life in Korea and his native Colombia _ Written by Young H.K. Pae Photographed by RAUM Studio

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Solano emphasizes that “Korea: Notes From a Tightrope” is no novel, no work of fiction. “This is my diary and there are some essays. It’s my real story,” he says. “It means it’s nonfiction. I think I was awarded since this style of writing is something new and complicated. I can’t tell where my writing belongs to.” The book describes, in very personal detail, a year in his life in Korea. It’s a tale of growing closer to a new land while simultaneously growing apart from an old one. Solano first came to Korea in 2007, when he was invited by Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to live in Korea for six months as part of the ministry’s Cultural Partnership Initiative. Then, in 2008, the Literature Translation Institute of Korea invited him to take

“I tried to bridge the unfamiliarity that emerged from the long distance between Colombia and Korea by taking the familiar form of journals and chronicles for my book.”

part in its exchange program for writers from Asia, Latin America and Africa. It was during this time that he met his wife, a Korean from Busan who studied Korean traditional music. “When I went back to Colombia after living here for six months, she came with me,” he recalls. “We got married and lived in Colombia for two years.” The couple also spent some time living in Spain at the invitation of the Korean Cultural Center Madrid. It was in Spain, in fact, that he heard his book had won the Colombian Narrative Library Award.

One of Latin America’s top young writers

Solano has won plaudits for his work as an author and as a journalist. In 2007, his essay “Six Months at Minimum Salary” (Spanish title: “Seis meses con el salario minimo”) was a finalist for a prize awarded by the Fundacion Nuevo Periodismo Iberoamericano, chaired by

the renowned writer Gabriel García Márquez. To write the essay, Solano rented a room in a violent neighborhood in the Colombian city of Medellin to work six months in a clothing factory. No one knew who he was except for one other person. He worked 10 hours a day, five days a week, at minimum wage, just enough to survive from one day to the next. “I wrote my journal piece by piece in a bathroom,” he recalls. “I had to tell my employer that I had chronic enteritis to go to the bathroom so often.” In addition to being a finalist for the Fundacion Nuevo Periodismo Iberoamericano prize, he was also rewarded for his efforts by British literary magazine Granta, which named him to its list of best young Spanish-language novelists in 2010. He is currently working on a story about a Colombian general and a Korean taekwondo master. “It is going to be a book contrasting the war in Colombia with the Korean War,” he says.

KOREA _ May _ 27

Arts & Entertainment

The Spirits Have Come Home to Roost Crowdfunding and history make “Spirits’ Homecoming” a hit _ Written by Pierce Conran Photos courtesy of WAW pictures

Over the past few years, box office sales for Korean films have been on fire. During that time, chart-toppers in the West have tended toward mega-budget comic book or fantasy films, and while a number of those have also proven lucrative in Korea, the homegrown films that have outperformed expectations tell a very different story. Patriotic films such as “Roaring Currents” and “Ode to My Father” offer a distinctly local kind of escapism. Also telling is the runaway success of films like “A Violent Prosecutor,” “Veteran” and “Inside Men,” which focus on the haves and havenots in Korean society. Perhaps the most surprising of all is the astounding performance of the crowdfunded indie film “Spirits’ Homecoming.” With 3.45 million viewers and KRW

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26.9 billion (USD 23.12 million) in the bank, this long-in-the-making drama about the horrors Korean “comfort women” experienced at the hands of the Japanese military during World War II has become far and away the country’s most successful narrative independent feature of all time. The only independent release it trails is the smash hit 2014 documentary “My Love, Don’t Cross That River.” “Spirits’ Homecoming” tells the story of two teenage girls who are kidnapped by the Japanese army and forced to become “comfort women,” or sex slaves at military-run brothels. The film was inspired by a painting by a former “comfort woman,” Kang Il-chul, which depicted Japanese soldiers burning a group of comfort women to death in a

The “comfort women” have become a global humanitarian issue lately and their plight has been vividly reflected in the cinema.

“fire pit.” Kang drew the painting during a therapy session at the House of Sharing, a home for victims of wartime sexual slavery. The “comfort women” have become a global humanitarian issue lately and their plight has been vividly reflected in the cinema. “Spirits’ Homecoming” may be the first film to make a major mark at the box office, but it isn’t the only recent feature to tackle this subject. The similarly themed “Snow Paths” made waves at the Jeonju International Film Festival last year, and is expected to go on to general release in the coming months. Further ahead, a number of films are on the way that explore the fates of Korean women during the colonial era, including the April release “Love, Lies,” the period drama “The Last Princess,” and next year’s wartime blockbuster “Battleship Island.”

Crowdfunding gets it done

“Spirits’ Homecoming” is also an outstanding example of crowdfunding. Director Cho Jung-rae struggled for over a decade to get his film made but it took a major publicity push in the U.S. earlier last year, including a dedicated feature in the New York Times, to get the exposure he needed to launch a crowdfunding campaign that ultimately secured over 75,000 individual investors. Though a surprise by any measure, the film’s success speaks to a very shrewd media campaign that has been in the works for a long time. The crowdfunding strategy has cropped up a few times in recent years, largely for small independent releases, but also for some bigger titles such as the assassination drama “26 Years” and the upcoming Korean War film “Operation Chromite,” which, in a first for Korea, is offering returns to its crowdfunders once the film hits its break-even point. “Spirits’ Homecoming” has also benefited from finding itself smack in the

middle of a wave of colonial-era films that are storming the box office. From last summer’s star-driven action thriller “Assassination” to the black-and-white biopic “Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet,” released in February, and throngs more on the way, including films by worldrenowned directors Park Chan-wook (“The Handmaiden”) and Kim Jee-woon (“Secret Agent”), Korean filmmakers are less wary of tackling stories set in this difficult period of Korean history. While Korean cinema has been politicized since day one, many of the hits that have marked the industry’s modern incarnation have approached history in an allegorical or elliptical manner. No longer. As Korea’s citizens have become more and more comfortable looking back at the past, so too have filmmakers grown bolder and dared to set their stories during some of the country’s darkest times. At a time when Korea’s content industry has become one of the most sophisticated and successful in the world, the spirits have come home to roost.

KOREA _ May _ 29

Korea & I

Beauty in Korea Where looking good means 15 steps before bed _ Written by Rhiannon Shepherd Illustrated by Kim Yoon-myung

Arriving in Korea in 2009 as a sprightly 21-year-old, I barely registered the nation’s seeming obsession with the health and beauty of its skin. My “skincare” routine consisted of makeup wipes, water and a trusty tin of Nivea face cream, packed in my suitcase from England. I hadn’t used sunscreen properly since my last childhood camping trip, and wrinkles were a faroff, maybe even mythical, phenomenon, reserved for friendly grandmothers and the ladies in Oil of Olay adverts. Then aging and too many late nights kicked in. Oh, how naive I’d been! So I slowly, reluctantly, started listening to my coworkers and Korean friends when they talked about things like “double cleansing” and “SPF.” The more I learned, the harder it was to ignore the idea that maybe, just maybe, investing in a bit of skin TLC on a regular basis might be worthwhile. Korea is certainly a cosmetics and beauty lover’s paradise. However, it’s not all plastic surgery and BB creams. I soon realized that, far from being only about covering up bad skin, Korea’s attitude is more about protecting the skin and keeping it healthy. Although it had never really occurred to me to double-check the SPF rating of my cosmetics, using a separate facial sunscreen here is almost a given. Dermatologists are also commonplace, especially in beauty “hubs” like Gangnam, and I found that many of my colleagues, both male and female, visited them several times a month for facials, blackhead extractions and other skin-purging procedures. I’d never

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been to a dermatologist before coming to Korea; I’m now friends on Kakao Talk and Facebook with the manager at the dermatology clinic in my neighborhood.

15 steps to beauty

When I first heard about Korea’s “15-step bedtime beauty routine,” I was horrified. Putting on pajamas at night seemed enough of an effort already. A complex, double-digit procedure purely for my face sounded positively insane. The first piece of good news then was that not everyone follows such a lengthy nighttime skin-care process. The second was that, after a short adjustment period, undertaking some basic skincare steps before I slept was actually somewhat therapeutic. Cleansing, toning, moisturizing, applying essence and occasionally treating myself to a sheet mask became somewhat akin to brushing my teeth. I don’t die if I refrain from doing it, but I feel a lot nicer about myself when I do. Luckily, one of the best things about the Korean beauty industry is its relative affordability. Although there are higherend brands such as History of Whoo, high street beauty brands like Etude House, Laneige and Tony Moly offer great quality at a much lower cost than you would find overseas. I have found that many Korean brands also offer fantastic equivalents to popular European or American products at a fraction of the price. One of my favorites is Etude Houses’s Pore Ever, which swiftly

replaced Benefit’s Porefessional in my makeup bag. Shopping for skincare products in Korea is also an experience in itself. Each high street brand offers everything related to skin care and beauty in one place, doing away with the need to shop around. Stores like The Face Shop and Innisfree contain everything a budding skincare and beauty enthusiast could ever need, from makeup remover and hand cream to lipstick, mascara, body wash and even shampoo.

International attention is no surprise

I started to wonder why “comprehensive skin care” wasn’t a thing back home like it was here. I’d found so many products that were both affordable and actually worked, and developed an understanding of my skin

of which I wasn’t even conscious before. I wasn’t so shocked, then, to see international beauty bloggers and magazines begin to rave about the benefits of Korea’s skincare craze a few years ago. It came as no surprise when BB cream got picked up by international brands like MAC and Garnier back in 2011, and Korea’s “sheet masks” by several international brands at about the same time. The first time I used IOPE’s Air Cushion, I knew it wouldn’t be long before U.S. and European brands jumped on the bandwagon. Sure enough, L’Oréal just released its own version of the foundation compact last year. Although I have yet to really branch out and adopt Korea’s makeup styles, I am absolutely a Korean skincare convert. Healthy, effective and affordable. What’s not to enjoy?

KOREA _ May _ 31

Korea in Brief

Korea Monthly Update © CC0

Korean Crafts Take the Spotlight in Milan Korean crafts. Rather than focus exclusively on traditional techniques as employed by master artisans, the exhibit looks at a variety of collaborations and new manufacturing methods. This includes collaborations between traditional artisans and designers and the mixing of natural materials and composites. Based on traditional methods but with much potential for development, Korean crafts have proven popular overseas, with recent exhibits at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris and the Bavarian National Museum in Munich drawing tens of thousands of visitors.

An exhibit at the International Exhibition of the Triennale di Milano takes a new look at Korean crafts. Hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Crafts and Design Foundation, the exhibit “Making is Thinking is Making” features 154 works by 28 artists. Hong Bora of Seoul’s Gallery Factory serves as artistic director. The exhibit, which runs at the Triennale Design Museum through Sept. 12, seeks to show the “here and now” of Korean crafts, while at the same time demonstrating the traditional artisan spirit. In particular, it explores the relevance and scalability of © Michelin Travel & Lifestyle

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UNESCO Biosphere Reserve to Cover All of Sinan UNESCO’s Biosphere Reserve in the southwestern county of Sinan has been expanded to the entire county. The largely maritime Sinan boasts more than 1,000 islands as well as virgin forests and extensive wetlands and mudflats. Previously, the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, designated in 2009, encompassed only the islands of Hongdo and Bigeumdo. It now covers all 3,238.7 square kilometers of the county.

Seoul to Get a Michelin Guide The Michelin Guide, the world’s most authoritative dining guidebook, will release a Seoul edition later this year. The guide, to be published in English and Korean, will be Michelin’s fourth in Asia. Bernard Delmas, senior vice president of the Michelin Group, said at a press conference in Seoul that he hoped the release of the guide

would introduce Korea’s diverse dining scene to a wider audience. The popular guide, based in France, awards stars to outstanding restaurants, with the very best getting three stars. Good, reasonably priced restaurants, meanwhile, will be awarded with a “Bib Gourmand” designation.

As of March, the rights to the hit drama “Descendants of the Sun” have been sold in 32 countries, including the United States, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany and Russia. The show, which focuses on a love story between a soldier played by Song Joong-ki and a doctor played by Song Hye-kyo, has been especially popular in China, where 2 billion people watch it through iQiyi, a video-streaming website. Among its overseas fans is Prayuth Chan-ocha, prime minister of Thailand, who has urged Thais to watch the drama because it promotes “patriotism, sacrifice, obeying orders and being a dutiful

‘Descendants of the Sun’ Goes to 32 Countries citizen.” The drama even made the United Kingdom’s BBC News. “Korean television dramas have always been popular across Asia,” stated the BBC, “but the region may have hit peak K-drama fever with military romance ‘Descendants of the Sun’.” Chinese government mouthpiece People’s Daily also praised the drama in an editorial, going so far as to suggest that China create a similar TV drama of its own. In Korea, the success of the show has sparked a tourism boom in the small mountain town of Taebaek, where much of the drama was shot.

Korea Becomes Top 5 Patent Country

Korea has surpassed Germany to rank fifth in the world in total international standard patents last year. There were 782 Korean patents last year, according to data from the world’s three largest standardization organizations: the International Organization for Standardization, the International Electrotechnical Commission and the International Telecommunication Union. That number was up 62.2 percent from the 482 patents that were approved in 2014.

Korean Consortium to Participate in Bolivian New City Construction The Korean consortium of Sunjin Engineering & Architecture and Pyunghwa Engineering Consultants has been awarded a USD 9.6 million deal to participate in the construction of a new city in Bolivia. The project calls for the building of a new city covering 58 square kilometers near the Bolivian commercial and financial center of Santa Cruz. The consortium will draw up plans for the city’s transportation network, water and sewage, electricity and communications.

KOREA _ May _ 33

Policy Review

Playing Catch-Up Government races to transform Korea from follower to leader in artificial intelligence _ Written by Lee Kijun

ÂŠ Korea Baduk Association

Lee Se-dol and AlphaGo face off in the fourth match of the Google Deep Mind Challenge Match in Seoul on March 13.

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The government unveiled its plans following a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on March 17 of officials and AI experts from the public and private sectors. President Park Geun-hye, who presided over the meeting, said, “Artificial intelligence can be a blessing for human society.” Calling the emerging technology the “fourth industrial revolution,” she added, “Above all, Korean society is lucky because, thanks to the AlphaGo shock, we have learned the importance of AI before it’s too late.” The plan calls for the creation of a new AI research institute, a privatepublic think tank dedicated to what the government calls “intelligence information technology.” Six companies – Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, SK Telecom, KT Corporation, Naver and Hyundai Motor – have agreed to participate. The companies will invest KRW 3 billion each in the institute and take charge of managing it. “Once the private companies set up the research institute, the government will provide financial support for core

The Korea-designed robot Hubo drew global attention by winning the DARPA Robotics Challenge in the U.S. in June 2015.

More than just software needed

Despite Korea’s reputation as a leader in cutting-edge technologies, the country trails far behind rivals such as the United States and Japan in the area of AI. According to a recent report from the Hyundai Research Institute, there are only a handful of companies in Korea pushing ahead with research and investment in this field, and their efforts are concentrated in just a few sectors, such as gaming and the internet. The institute also pointed out that the number of AI-related patents registered by Korean companies stood at 306, just 5 percent of the U.S. figure and 10 percent that of Japan. Choi Yang-Hee, minister of science, ICT and future planning, said the government’s efforts to play catch-up involve more than just investing in software. “The intelligence information industry doesn’t just mean AI,” he said in an interview. “When we say AI, we tend to confine its meaning to the field of software. However, software is not the only thing needed to develop AI. We need data, basic sciences, hardware, etc., to build better AI.” The government will also support research on basic disciplines that buttress the development of intelligent information technology ‒ for example,

The 4th industrial revolution

R&D projects,” the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said. The institute’s main duties include R&D and the commercialization of new technologies and their applications, as well as data collection and collaboration for the AI industry. The institute, tentatively named the Intelligence Information Technology Research Institute, will be located in Pangyo. It should have about 50 researchers on its faculty when it opens in June. The ministry will pump KRW 978.8 billion into the center by 2020, including KRW 138.8 billion this year.

Google DeepMind’s AlphaGo stunned the world in March by beating go grandmaster Lee Sedol 4-1 in a historic showdown between computer and human. The outcome disappointed many people who had expected Lee, one of he best go players in the world, to score an easy victory over the artificial intelligence, or AI, computer program. The AlphaGo success has prompted the Korean government to reinforce its plans to develop AI technology. In order to catch up with other countries, it will invest KRW 1 trillion in research over the next five years in hopes of boosting the so-called “intelligence information industry,” which includes not only AIrelated software development, but also data collection, scientific research and other fields that support AI.

An advanced drone is on display during a series of talks hosted by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute on Feb. 24, 2015.

According to a recent report from the Hyundai Research Institute, there are only a few companies in Korea pushing ahead with research and investment in AI, and their efforts are concentrated in just a few sectors, such as gaming and the internet.

KOREA _ May _ 35

super computers, neural chips, brain science and industrial mathematics. Choi noted that there are many sectors where government is better suited to take the lead than the private sector. “For example, the private sector wouldn’t promote basic science or reform regulations,” he said. “We’ll help them in those sectors so that they can focus on their specialty.”

Development and Spread of AI Industry Hardware base

Software base

Improved computing power

Increased algorithmic efficiency

Big data

Sensors/IoT

Enhanced academic proficiency

Self-driving cars

Intelligent robots

Enhanced AI perception

Medical Intelligent Financial Intelligent AI tutoring technology services systems

Smart factories

Convergent manufacturing

Convergent services Source: Hyundai Research Institute

Investments in AI Development over Next 5 Years (units: KRW hundred-million) Research and development More skilled workers Data infrastructure Industrial ecosystem Nurturing industrial convergence

2,100

2,200

2,300

1,800 1,388

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020 (year)

Source: Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning

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Industrial and commercial applications

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, too, is seeking to invest more resources in AI in the wake of the AlphaGo shocker. On March 14, the ministry announced that it was expanding support for AI-based prototypes. Having initially poured KRW 13 billion into products such as robots, driverless cars and drones, the ministry pledged to increase its investment to more than KRW 20 billion this year and support the development of AI in additional fields such as smart factories, security services and healthcare services. It will spend KRW 5 billion every year over the next five to 10 years to train workers in those fields. The ministry will also establish an AI industrialization team to foster the technology. The team, which has received KRW 10 billion from the government, will work over the next five years to identify new industries and markets that can benefit from AI technology. It will also establish close relationships with local enterprises and regularly listen to their concerns. “There are huge parts of AI that still need to be developed, which is a good thing, and the government plans to support those who are investing in this area and drastically ease regulations in order to help them,” Lee Kwan-sup, vice minister of trade, industry and energy, said at a meeting at COEX on March 14. “AI technology will not only be commercialized very soon, but it will also have a big impact on other industries. The government will do its best to find ways to develop new markets.”

Brand Korea

New Emblem for a New Age A single government logo reaches into the past to embrace the nation’s future _ Written by Jin Lee

The Korean government has a new official logo. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of the Interior unveiled the emblem at a cabinet meeting on April 15. The logo is based on the taegeuk, also called the yin-yang symbol, which is at the center of the Korean flag and which represents harmony with nature. Like Korea’s painting traditions, the government’s logo embraces the beauty of empty space. Its colors ‒ red, white and blue ‒ stand for dynamism, light and life. Its minimalist design and its links to Korea’s heritage signify a forwardthinking government that works for the citizens, the world and the future. The logo will come into use in May. The words “The Government of the Republic of Korea” appear in Korean at the bottom of the logo. The font employed is a modern interpretation of a classical script used in the 15th century when the Korean alphabet, Hangeul, was invented. The font is in natural harmony with the taegeuk symbol, lending the logo even greater authority. The committee tasked with crafting the logo spent the past year refining its design, based on research showing that the taegeuk best represented Korea’s history, traditions and vision for the future.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced its intention to develop a new government logo in March last year ahead of the 70th anniversary of the country’s independence from colonial rule.

Saving money, boosting recognition

In the late 1990s, government ministries and organizations began using their own individual logos. Each time the government was reorganized, they had to change. This not only wasted money, but also led to low public recognition of the ever-changing symbols. The level of public recognition was so low, in fact, that in a survey of 1,158 people conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in March last year, respondents recognized, on

average, just 0.52 of the 22 logos used by central government ministries and organizations. Even worse, 53.6 percent of the respondents couldn’t recognize even one. A full 68.9 percent said a unified government logo was needed. Of the 34 nations that are part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, just six, including Korea and Japan, currently use different logos for individual government ministries. In recent years, Germany, France, the Netherlands and other countries have moved to unify their government logos to promote communication with the citizenry as well as intergovernmental cooperation. The emblem’s design is the product of public surveys, citizen proposals and design contests led by a team composed of private sector experts. “Over the past year, we gathered ideas from countless people from all walks of life,” said Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Jong-deok, “to create a symbol with public support that captures the history, traditions and future vision of the nation. I hope the adoption of the government symbol becomes a precious opportunity for the government to transform itself and to take a leap forward, for the people to become one, and for Korea to prosper even more.”

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Summit Diplomacy

Korea, Mexico Strengthen Longstanding Friendship President Park’s visit to Mexico City reinforces ties with Korea’s largest Latin American partner _ Written by Ian Im Photos courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae

President Park Geun-hye and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto toast one another at an official luncheon on April 4.

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The fourth Nuclear Security Summit, held in Washington on April 1, dealt with a range of issues related to nonproliferation and nuclear security.

President Park’s official visit to Mexico served as a chance for the two countries to reaffirm their longstanding friendship and deep cooperation with a view to an even stronger partnership.

“Juntos vamos haciendo camino.” President Park Geun-hye began her address at the Korea-Mexico Business Forum on April 4 with a call, in Spanish, for the two countries to work together for a more prosperous future. In English, the phrase means, “Let us march together on our way.” Togetherness was a central theme of President Park’s official visit to Mexico, from April 2 to 4. The trip served not only as a chance for the Korean and Mexican leaders to meet and discuss matters of vital interest, including the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership, but also as a valuable opportunity for the two countries to reaffirm their longstanding friendship and deep cooperation with a view to an even stronger partnership.

Making the world a safer place through nuclear security Prior to her visit to Mexico, President Park visited Washington to attend the fourth Nuclear Security Summit from March 31 to April 1. The summit, held biannually since 2010, is a forum for world leaders to discuss how to keep

nuclear materials safe from threats, including would-be terrorists, and to promote nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament. The 2016 gathering was the final meeting of its kind, at least in its current format. In remarks made at a working dinner attended by 52 heads of state and the leaders of four major international organizations, President Park cited threats involving new technologies, for example, the infiltration of nuclear facilities, the use of drones to spread radioactive substances, and cyberattacks. She criticized North Korea for going against the tide of nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation and expressed her conviction that a nuclear-free world would begin on the Korean Peninsula. She also called on the international community to faithfully implement U.N. sanctions against North Korea. At the plenary session, President Park joined the other heads of state and leaders of international organizations in discussing ways to build a nuclearfree world. She also called for multidimensional efforts to develop the international nuclear security architecture.

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President Park Geun-hye and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto hold a joint press conference.

On the sidelines, President Park held bilateral summits with the leaders of the United States, China and Japan to discuss cooperation on nuclear security, North Korea and other matters of mutual interest. At a separate trilateral meeting, President Park, U.S. President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issued a joint statement calling on North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons.

Strengthening a partnership with a Latin American giant

At the conclusion of the Nuclear Security Summit, President Park flew to Mexico City on April 2 to begin her official visit to Mexico, her first to the country. Korea established a strategic partnership with Mexico in 2005, Seoul’s first with a Latin American country. Mexico has since become Korea’s largest trading partner in Latin America, with trade between the two nations totaling USD 14.4 billion last

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year, up from USD 4.2 billion in 2005. At her summit with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, held at the National Palace in Mexico City on April 4, the two leaders exchanged views on a wide range of issues, including North Korea and ways to bolster cooperation on trade and investment, energy, transportation, infrastructure, the arts and sports. They also discussed how, as middle powers, the two nations might collaborate more closely on international issues. In particular, the two leaders agreed to hold working-level talks later this year to discuss the conclusion of a Korea-Mexico free trade agreement and how Mexico might help Korea should the latter decide to join the TransPacific Partnership, a U.S.-led free trade agreement for the Asia-Pacific region. About the upcoming working-level talks, President Park said, “I expect both sides 1 to produce good fruits by coming up with creative ways at the working-level talks

for a win-win situation.” At a ceremony after the summit, President Park and President Peña Nieto signed 34 memorandums of understanding, including 29 related to the economy. One of the memorandums could help Korean companies secure participation in USD 590 billion worth of projects to modernize Mexico’s energy, transport and water resources management infrastructure. Another deals with telemedicine, a business area that uses information technology to connect doctors and patients in different locations. Mexico, which suffers from doctor shortages, is especially interested in telemedicine as a means to improve medical services in isolated areas. Prior to the signing ceremony, President Park noted that even though Mexico was Korea’s largest trading partner in Latin America, there was still plenty of room to boost bilateral trade and investment.

The Korean Wave sweeps Mexico

On the evening of April 3, the day before the summit, President Park attended the “K Soul in Mexico” performance, a gala of sports and performing arts from both Korea and Mexico. The event featured a demonstration by taekwondo practitioners from the Kukkiwon, one of Korea’s national taekwondo centers, performances of Korean traditional music and dance by members of the National Gugak Center, songs by the pop group Infinite, as well as performances by Mexican groups. Pledging to pursue closer cooperation on the arts, President Park said, “I just saw the two countries’ collaboration create great harmony. While appreciating the performance, I thought to myself, ‘What if both countries could create good content together and present it to the world.’” The event was attended by 3,000 mostly young, enthusiastic, Mexican

fans. It was an indication of just how popular Korean has become in Mexico. According to Cheong Wa Dae, some 2 million Mexicans practice taekwondo. Indeed, in 2011, Mexico formed the TK-5, the world’s first taekwondo professional league. K-pop, too, is hot. There are an estimated 140,000 fans of Korean pop music in Mexico, particularly young people, who learned about it largely through the internet. President Park, too, has shown a keen interest in Mexico’s history and traditions. During this visit, she took time to visit the National Museum of Anthropology to see its rich collection of artifacts and books. Cheong Wa Dae said, “President Park’s visit to the museum and to the festival will contribute to promoting cultural exchanges between Korea and Mexico, which will eventually boost bilateral ties.”

Getting down to business

President Park was accompanied on her official visit by a delegation of 145 Korean business leaders, an unprecedented number in the history of Korea-Mexico relations and an indicator of the importance her government places on ties with one of Latin America’s largest and most vibrant economies. At the Korea-Mexico Business Forum held at the presidential palace in Mexico City on April 4, President Park stressed the two countries’ interdependence before an audience of 400 Korean and Mexican business leaders. In particular, she called on both countries to diversify their trade structure, which is currently focused on intermediate goods and mineral resources, to include consumer goods. She also expressed hope for closer cooperation on infrastructure, especially in the power generation, transportation

(Top) The “K Soul in Mexico” show at Mexico City’s Teatro Metropólitan brought taekwondo, Korean traditional music and dance and K-pop to Mexican fans. (Bottom) Korean and Mexican business leaders discuss trade and investment at the Korea-Mexico Business Forum.

and water resources management sectors. Additionally, she expressed a wish to expand cooperation on the arts. She quoted the Mexican poet Octavio Paz, who said, “Deserve your dream,” and the Mexican proverb, “Whoever leans close to a good tree is blanketed by good shade.”

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Creative Economy

Samsung, LG step into the new ferocious IT battlefield of virtual reality

A Brave New Virtual World

_ Written by Matthew Weigand

Not long ago, virtual reality, or VR, seemed like the stuff of science fiction. Recent developments in VR, however, have mainstreamed the technology, which is posed to radically transform the way we communicate, learn and play. And right in the middle of this cyber-revolution are two Korean giants, Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics.

Big hit in Barcelona

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Participants in MWC 2016 in Barcelona check out a Samsung VR headset connected to a Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone.

Fantasy-turned-reality stole the show at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2016 in Barcelona in February, virtually taking over an event that normally highlights smartphones. That’s because the new technology is being powered mainly by smartphones. Samsung Electronics presented the Gear VR, which looks like a hefty pair of goggles and transports a user into a virtual world when a Galaxy smartphone is strapped to the front of the device. The Gear VR is produced in cooperation with the Facebook-owned company Oculus, and Mark Zuckerberg was there for the presentation. LG Electronics also showcased its own VR headset at the same event, one with a slightly less catchy name: the LG 360 VR. But while LG’s device also requires a smartphone to work, it doesn’t need to be strapped to the headset ‒ it can be connected via a USB-C cord. The result is a much lighter device, lighter by about one smartphone. LG said its device was compatible with 360-degree images and also with all Google Cardboard content. Google Cardboard is an app that turns a smartphone into a VR device when it’s placed inside a folded cardboard case.

The VR and augmented reality market is expected to grow 2,500 percent by 2020, according to a recent report by BCC Research, a U.S.-based economic, market and policy research consulting firm. The market as a whole was worth USD 4.5 billion in 2015, and is expected to grow to USD 105.2 billion by 2020. This includes different hardware-like devices to interact with and see VR, apps from different companies that can display VR content, and the actual content itself, which includes 3-D environments, movies and games.

Not just for gaming

ÂŠ LG Electronics

Visitors gather at the LG Electronics display at MWC 2016. LGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 360VR virtual reality headset, on display for the first time, drew particular attention. ÂŠ Samsung Electronics

In the public imagination, VR remains associated primarily with computer games. Gaming companies are well aware of its potential, and many of the most popular games on the market are already set up for VR. The Windows 10 edition of Minecraft, one of the best-selling games of all time, is being developed with VR in mind. Many other games are being developed or adapted to VR, from survival horror games to space battle games. One even has you diving underwater and fighting sharks. However, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg says the greatest use for VR is to connect more closely with more people. With 360-degree VR cameras, you could provide a virtual presence to an audience in a different location, or record 360-degree video of an event so that others can experience it later. At the Samsung event, Zuckerberg said he was looking forward to preserving life memories in 3-D. Education is another promising use for VR. A renowned teacher or expert can be recorded explaining a concept once, in a classroom stocked with expensive resources, and millions of students can watch the VR recording as many times as they want. Architecture, too, will benefit greatly from VR. Some architects say that using 3-D VR to design a house is a transformative experience. It allows them to experiment with different materials and design options while saving time. The medical field has truly impressive potential applications for VR. One is telemedicine, which allows a doctor sitting in his or her office in a major city to interact with and diagnose patients in rural areas. Also, using bodyimaging tools such as MRIs or CAT scans, doctors could virtually walk around inside their patients and scrutinize them from perspectives never before imagined. VR is still not a mature technology. Some users experience claustrophobia or nausea with existing devices. However, the technology is only going to become more sophisticated over time, and Samsung and LG will be at the forefront of this evolving industry.

The VR market as a whole was worth USD 4.5 billion in 2015, and is expected to grow to USD 105.2 billion by 2020. This includes different hardware-like devices to interact with and see VR, apps from different companies that can display VR content, and the actual content itself.

Samsung Electronics hosts a hands-on event in Korea to show off its virtual reality products.

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Global Korea

130 Years of Friendship and Traditions Korea, France celebrate age-old friendship by experiencing each other’s arts and traditions _ Written by Colin Marshall

“Shigane Nai,” co-produced by the National Theater of Korea and France’s Théâtre National de Chaillot, was choreographed by José Montalvo.

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The Eiffel Tower lit up the Paris skyline in the colors of the Korean flag and ushered in the Year of Korea in France, six months after a dance performance in Seoul marked the beginning of the Year of France in Korea. On March 23, Seoulites enjoyed “Shingane Nai” (“Age of Time”), directed by famed French choreographer José Montalvo and performed by 24 dancers from the National Dance Company of Korea. Inspired by Korea’s traditional barrel drum dances, Montalvo sought to fuse this art form with modern video technology and blend different musical styles as is his penchant. It was all part of a 15-month extravaganza celebrating the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The festivities will involve hundreds of events orchestrated to bring Korean arts to the French people and French arts to Koreans. Visual arts, cinema, music, dance, food and fashion are just a few areas where the two nations will have a chance to experience each other’s traditions and gain a renewed appreciation for their close bilateral ties.

A story of espionage and philosophy

The attractions in Paris included a retrospective of Im Kwontaek, one of Korea’s best-known and most prolific filmmakers, who is also a knight in the French Legion of Honor. Parisians had a chance to taste Korean street food and learn about Korea’s shamanic practices. They also experienced pansori, Korea’s long-form musical storytelling tradition, and the 15th-century ritual dance and Confucian ceremony known as the Jongmyo Jeryeak. Until September, the Jongmyo Jeryeak had never been

The Korea-France joint production “Empire of Light” looks at the division of Korea from a nonKorean perspective.

performed outside Korea. In Seoul, the real highlight of opening night was “The Empire of Light,” the theatrical adaptation of Korean novelist Kim Young-ha’s eponymous book, which is also known by its English title of “Your Republic Is Calling You.” Kim tells the story of a North Korean sleeper agent who, after 20 years in Seoul, is ordered to return home within 24 hours. The French ambassador to Korea, Fabien Penone, described Kim’s novel as a story “between espionage and philosophy.” With Kim’s blessing, French director Arthur Nauzyciel and writer Valérie Mréjen departed just enough from the original to create a fresh artistic experience, complementing the voices of actors from the National Theater Company of Korea with video projections that made the South Korean capital a character in the story. The city delivers a monologue of sorts, revealing its collective thoughts, emotions and memories, both factual and fictional, about its troubled neighbor across the border. Like its source material, “The Empire of Light” offers serious insights into the Korean condition. At the same time, it manages to draw laughs.

‘French frivolity’ on display at fashion exhibition Readers in search of an even bigger dose of French frivolity, undergirded by just as much seriousness, would do well to visit the Dongdaemun Design Plaza and take in the exhibition “The Fashion Planet of Jean-Paul Gaultier: From the Street to the Stars,” a collaboration between the Gaultier house and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Gaultier, a veteran designer, is known as something of – to use the French term – an enfant

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Global Korea

1 Seoul is the first Asian stop of the Jean Paul Gaultier Exhibition, which has been shown in 11 museums in eight countries. 2, 3 “So French Délices” gave the public a chance to experience French cuisine. 4 Henri Loyrette, former director of the Louvre Museum, is co-chair of the Korea-France Year 20152016 organizing committee.

terrible in the fashion industry, and he even paid a visit to Seoul for the opening. Though Gaultier considers it a new collection, more than 150 of the outfits on display date as far back as 1976. For the occasion, Gaultier has also presented his own interpretation of Hanbok, the traditional Korean dress nowadays most often seen in historical dramas. He modified them with such French elements as a set of blue-and-white Breton fisherman stripes on top and a set of stiletto heels below. However, you couldn’t trace its boldest element, the metallic cone bra, a Gaultier design first made famous by no less high-profile a client than Madonna, to any country on Earth.

The best is still ahead

Even Koreans with little experience of France undoubtedly know the importance of fashion to France’s society and economy. By the same token, many have tasted something of the country’s world-famous cuisine, whether a multicourse meal at one of Seoul’s fine French restaurants or a simple pastry, modified though it may be to suit local tastes, at one of Korea’s Frenchthemed chain bakeries. However, few people had experienced anything like the French Food Festival organized in March by civic group So French Délices, which specializes in promoting French cuisine. The event brought Michelin-starred chefs to Seoul for an open-air tasting of a variety of dishes, ranging from the croque-

KOREA _ May _ 46

monsieur and Alsatian salad to experiments in bringing together the robust cuisines of France and Korea – including, but not limited to, a bulgogi brioche. Readers who managed to get to all these events still have barely begun to experience the Year of Korea in France. Future events include: “Elegy of the Crossing, Seoul From 1982 to 2015,” an exhibit of the work of French photographer Françoise Huguier at the Seoul History Museum; a tribute to the late French composer Pierre Boulez by video artist Robert Cahen; the Day of France in Korea’s schools and universities; the launch of the startup incubator French Tech Hub Seoul; the FrancoKorean Leaders’ Forum, featuring economist Jacques Attali, the first president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; and, a rock concert starring singer-songwriter Matthieu Chedid, better known simply as -M-.

Shared visions and passions

Any traveler who spends time in both Korea and France can sense that the countries’ similarities go well beyond the similar size of their populations, the iconic rivers running through their cosmopolitan capital cities, the depth of their rural traditions, or the pleasantness of the towns along their coasts. On a deeper level, Korea and France both possess highly distinctive cultures that they’ve struggled to build up and defend throughout their histories, and now, in the 21st century, those cultures have produced forms of art, food, performance, fashion and music

that are increasingly admired the world over. Korea-France Year 2015-2016 organizing committee artistic director Agnès Benayer sees in these events, especially the production of “Empire of Light,” the potential to, “Establish a dialogue between artists from both countries in order to create art that will help us to get to know each other and have a better understanding of our cultures.” In the events based in the realm of fashion and design, she finds that, “Korea and France share the same taste,” and that the former “inspires creators and has become over the years trendy in Europe because its fashion brands are often so daring and avant-garde.” While France and Korea’s eating habits may differ, the two nations share a “passion for gastronomy, which led them both to be included on the cultural heritage list of UNESCO.” “We are both ancient countries with deep civilizations, but also countries looking to what’s coming in the future,” says the committee’s French co-chairman Henri Loyrette. “We don’t only treasure the past but focus on what’s ahead and what’s happening now. I believe we also share this strong belief in our cultural identity that seems to be the heart of our societies.” Though many Koreans may know and admire France’s cultural heritage, he also wants to show them that, “France is a country where innovation and creation are essential because it is constantly trying to reinvent itself,” most recently in its startup boom. Korea, certainly no stranger to reinvention, has plenty both to teach France and to learn from it.

KOREA _ May _ 47

Flavor

Tteokbokki Today’s comfort food is yesteryear’s royal delicacy _ Written by Eugene Kim Photographed by aostudio Kang Jinju

Often called “the people’s snack,” tteokbokki may be Korea’s most popular comfort food. Enjoyed by men and women, young and old, rich and poor alike, tteokbokki is easy to make and even easier to buy from the many small snack shops and street stalls that can be found in almost every community across the country. You can even buy microwavable instant versions from convenience stores. Tteokbokki, as it is commonly prepared today, consists of cylindrical slices of boiled rice cakes, or garaetteok, which are pan-fried in a thick, tangy sauce of red pepper paste, or gochujang, sugar, onions and other seasonings. Spring onions and slices of fish cake are commonly added as well. Recipes will typically differ from shop to shop. It can be served very simply - in front of high schools, you can often find groups of students purchasing paper cups full of tteokbokki as a snack. In places such as Seoul’s famous Sindang-dong Tteokbokki Alley, however, it is served as a full, sit-down meal, complete with dumplings, instant noodles, eggs, sausage and other goodies. Despite its current proletariat

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reputation, tteokbokki was once included in the court cuisine served to the kings of Joseon. Unlike the spicy, fire-enginered version eaten today, royal court tteokbokki, or gungjung tteokbokki, was a savory brown dish of rice cake, beef and vegetables. It was nutritious, expensive, and served to royalty and the wealthy and powerful. The tteokbokki people know and love developed in the years after the Korean War, when Korea began importing plentiful supplies of wheat flour sent as aid from the United States. Merchants began making cakes from the cheap flour, which they fried in a gochujang sauce, and so modern tteokbokki was born. As Korea recovered from the war and rice grew cheap and plentiful, shop owners switched to rice flour but kept using the same tangy sauce. In recent years, creatively minded chefs and cooks have begun developing their own creative takes on this Korean favorite. For many, however, the simple version is still their go-to food when they need a little comfort after a tough day.

__ Recipe for gungjung tteokbokki: First, soak the rice cakes in water, and slice the vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Marinate the meat in a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, chopped green onion, minced garlic and pepper, and set aside. For the sauce, mix together soy sauce, sugar,chopped green onion, minced garlic, pepper and sesame oil. In a hot skillet drizzled with sesame oil, sauté the rice cakes, the meat, and the harder vegetables for a few minutes. Next, add the softer vegetables together with the sauce, and stir to cook and coat everything evenly. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve.

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Korean Keyword

Maepsi _ Written by Christine Kwon Illustrated by Kim Yoon-myung

Style isn’t just what you wear. It’s a state of being.

맵시 | maepsi

A word that comes up often when people discuss clothing and style is maepsi. When a co-worker comes into the office looking especially dapper in a new suit, or a friend puts on her most flattering dress for a night out, someone might offer the compliment “maepsi nanda” ‒ “You’re looking stylish!” Or, in reference to an outfit, you might hear “maepsi itda” ‒ “That looks really good on you.” Such expressions are also common in comments on the red-carpet get-ups or daily attire of celebrities. Yet maepsi in its proper sense involves more than simply wearing the nicest clothes, or having an enviable physique or figure and accentuating it with a stylish look. Like charm and charisma, maepsi, as people use the word, points to something intangible and not easily defined, a quality of being rather than an accessory or afterthought. This is not to say that maepsi is not evident. To be visually pleasing, in form and appearance, is a conspicuous quality that invites attention and appreciation. However, genuine maepsi is more comprehensive, having more to do with attitude and bearing, and perhaps certain values, than with one’s genetic makeup or preferred trappings. For example, guidelines on the proper way to wear traditional Hanbok clothing often explain how the garments can be worn with maepsi, or styled to enhance maepsi, not detract from it. Women are usually advised not to wear earrings so as not to deflect attention from the upper garment’s gracefully overlapping lines. Neatness and a light touch are the rule for hair and makeup, which should complement, not compete with, the other elements of the look. The beauty of Hanbok and the mind of the wearer are thus closely interconnected. The garment and wearer both appear lovely, not because of the rich fabric and hues, or embellishment for its own sake, but because of the wearer’s inner attentiveness to comportment as a truer reflection of both self and good style. It’s in this same sense that maepsi was traditionally considered one of the four most prized qualities in a woman. When understood correctly as a holistic posture, a regard for thoughtful and attractive self-presentation as the natural extension of thoughtful conduct, maepsi can be a helpful illustration of the appreciation people have for self-cultivation and beauty as two inseparable ideals.

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Korean Art Through Coloring

A Scene from Dano _ Shin Yun-bok (1758-?)

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A Scene from Dano _ Shin Yun-bok (1758-?)

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1. How useful was KOREA Magazine in learning about Korea? ←Very useful

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May 2016