Koreamagazine1606 en by KOCIS

Monthly Magazine

June 2016

Cover Story

ISSN: 2005-2162

www. korea.net

Contemporary Korean Art

CONTENTS

Special Issue

Korea in Brief

The Kidult in All of Us

Korea Monthly Update

Cover Story

Policy Review

Contemporary Korean Art

Where Culture and Industry Meet

The world takes notice of Korea’s blossoming art scene

Summit Diplomacy

Historic Visit to Iran

Travel

The DMZ

Creative Economy

People 1

The K-Transportation Wave?

Robotics Scientist Oh Jun-ho

Global Korea

People 2

Architect Tomii Masanori

Korea-Africa Infrastructure Cooperation Facility

Arts & Entertainment

Flavor

Drama Demonstrates Korean Soft Power

Kongnamul Haejangguk

Korean Keyword

Nunchi

Korea & I

Korean Hospital Care

JUNE 2016

KOREA

Publisher Kim Kabsoo, Korean Culture and Information Service Executive Producer Park Byunggyu Editorial Advisers Cho Won-hyung, Lee Suwan, Park Inn-seok Email webmaster@korea.net Magazine Production Seoul Selection Editor-in-Chief Robert Koehler Production Supervisor 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 Home within Home within Home within Home within Home 2013, polyeter fabric, metal frame, 1530 x 1283 x 1297 cm © Do Ho Suh, Photo by Jeon Taegsu

Special Issue

The Kidult in All of Us The young-at-heart drive cultural trends _ Written by Lim Jeong-yeo © Sticky Monster Lab

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“I had nothing I could call a hobby after becoming a so-called ‘grownup,’” said Suk Gee-hyun. An office worker, Suk purchased a tiny Lego set that could be assembled into an intricate miniature replica of a coffee shop counter. After that, she was hooked. “Building Legos made me happier because I could completely immerse myself in the act of creating something,” she said. Suk is part of a growing number of “kidult” consumers who find in toys a kind of solace from the pressures of adult life. Collecting figurines and reading comic books and coloring in the lines are no longer child’s play. Even popular singers and entertainers are doing it. With Koreans spending half a billion dollars in the kidult market in 2015 alone, businesses are paying close attention to this important demographic.

Are you a kidult?

Some people say growing up is a trap. Behind the televised glitz and glam of a grown-up life lies the reality of taxes, rent and other weighty responsibilities. It’s not surprising, then, that adults should find joy in toys, which tend to bring back memories of the security and happiness of childhood. The New York Times coined the neologism “kidults” in 1985 to refer to immature adults, but since then “kidult culture” has evolved and become trendy. A growing number of adults these days regard toy collecting as an enjoyable pastime and a means of self-expression. Industry watchers say Korea’s kidult market reached between KRW 500 billion (USD 437 million) and KRW 700 billion won in 2015, and some expect the 2016 figure to balloon to KRW 1 trillion (USD 870 million). “Star Wars” sweaters and superhero T-shirts are only part of the picture. Retailers now sell kid-themed clothes in adult sizes, and cosmetics bear images such as Moomin, Alice in Wonderland and Barbapapa. Convenience stores market special Lego sets to adults, and department stores make space for cartoon exhibitions.

1 The V Center is dedicated to the Korean cartoon character Robot Taekwon V.

In addition to these heavyweight players, small retailers are nurturing a kidult community that just can’t be ignored.

2, 3 Contoyner exhibits and sells toys and figurines. Customers can pose for photos on the roof.

Last year Lee Sang-wook quit the job he’d held for more than five years to open a café in Seoul’s busy Hongdae area specializing in kidult products. So far, it’s a great success. “Of course there are difficult months too, but on average I make as much as, or even more than, I used to make back at my former company,” said Lee, who used to be a game developer. “This is the space of my dreams.” “If you think about it,” Lee said, “there are plenty of places that sell toys targeting kidults, but not many where you can sit down and relax.” Lee became a collector three years ago when he found out that a cartoon character he had idolized as a boy was newly available as a 3-D figurine.

Preserving innocence

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“I wanted to enjoy what I couldn’t in my childhood,” he said. “Only after growing up did I have the financial means to buy these toys.” He ended up with so many toys that he had no place to keep them all, so he decided to put them on display at the café and offer them for sale. The space is filled with rare toys ranging from Disney villains and supporting characters to Japanese manga heroes. For Lee, a kidult is not easy to define. “I would say kidults are people who wish to preserve their innocence,” he said. “People who want to continue liking the things they did as kids.” Co-founder Lee Joo-bong said he had seen the market potential of the kidult niche long before big companies ever got wind of it. “Since my early 20s, I have bought and resold figurines,” he said. “I got serious about it after one particular item sold for a much higher price than expected.” Lee Joo-bong said the café had a diverse customer base, including parents in their 40s and 50s who visited to buy gifts for their children. “My first goal in starting this space was to have a celebrity visit,” the younger Lee said. “That dream

1 Publishing has fed the kidult craze, too. Song Ji-hye’s coloring book “Garden of Time” sold 100,000 copies last year. 2 Adults compete in a remote-controlled car race at the 2015 Kidult & Hobby Expo. Traditionally juvenile pursuits such as remote-controlled cars have found adult adherents.

came true when Twice came here.” The nine-member K-pop girl group, whose popularity extends both domestically and overseas, visited the café on May 1 to film an episode of the KBS program “Entertainment Weekly.” The band members sat on the grass-covered rooftop with inflatable tubes and dolls, frolicking as they discussed one member’s favorite stuffed toy. A number of stars collect toys. T.O.P and Seungri of pop group Big Bang, as well as YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-suk and Park Hae-jin of the TV drama “Cheese in the Trap,” which concluded in March, have all appeared on television to show off their impressive collections of figurines and decorative art toys. The trend seems to be spreading. A stretch of road in Apgujeong-ro in the Gangnam area, known since 2015 as the K-star Road, is dotted with life-size toy bears painted in distinctive colors and patterns representing world-famous pop groups. The younger Lee said he hoped the café would one day attract other big-name celebrities.

3 GangnamDol adds some visual appeal to the K-star Road, a popular tourist destination in Seoul.

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No longer just for kids

Married couple Kim Soo-o and Kim Min-hee were among the many visitors to the Lees’ café on that same sunny Sunday afternoon. At first they were reluctant to open up about their giant toy collection, but eventually they revealed its estimated value: KRW 10 million (USD 8,800). The most expensive toy in their home might be worth up to KRW 3 million, they said. As people of ordinary means ‒ Soo-o is a freelance photographer and his wife is a graphic designer ‒ they have experienced coldness and disapproval when discussing their hobby with outsiders. That hasn’t stopped them from pursuing their passion. Soo-o said it was his wife who had initiated him into the kidult world, describing her as an avid collector who always buys duplicates of each toy so that she can use one and save the other as a memento. But looking back, he suspects that the roots of his interest go back further. “When I was little, there weren’t many toys to collect in Korea,” he said. “I’m only seeing the toys I liked in my childhood out for sale now. Plus, compared to the other things men around my age

4 Frodo of Kakao Friends 5 Korean baseball teams have been hard at work turning their players and mascots into cartoon characters. 6 Kakao Friends may have begun as chatting app emojis, but they are now popular offline figures.

would dream of collecting, like cars or golf clubs, toys are much more affordable.” “The same goes for me for cosmetics,” Min-hee added. “Cosmetic products can be used up but the toys can’t. That’s why I feel less guilty spending money on toys.” The Kims also see their toys as investments, because they might become valuable collectors’ items someday. “There are premiums for limited-edition vintage toys,” Soo-o said. “In time, they will be worth much more than we paid for them.” The Kims are worried, however, that too many people are jumping on the bandwagon. “People are becoming rather ostentatious,” said Min-hee. “They make a competition out of posting photos of their toy collections on social media. It’s now becoming more and more common to be a kidult, and we don’t feel special anymore.” Nevertheless, they have no immediate plans to give up their hobby and their eyes sparkled at the mention of the third annual Art Toy Culture Fair, slated to run from May 4 to 8 at Seoul’s COEX convention center. The event will showcase toys from around the world.

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Cover Story

Contemporary Korean Art The world takes notice of Korea’s blossoming art scene _ Written by Youngtaik Park, art critic and professor at Kyonggi University

__ Leading galleries around the world have showcased the works of Korean artists to critical acclaim, not to mention enthusiastic responses from buyers.

(Top) Jar: White Porcelain with Spinosaurus Design in Underglaze Cobalt-blue 2004, ball-point pen and transparent lacquer on paper clay, Kim Beom

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A number of Korean contemporary artists have come under international spotlight in recent years. At the Venice Biennale in 2015, the Silver Lion for most promising young artist went to director Im Heung-Soon for his documentary film “Factory Complex.” Comprised of 95 minutes of interviews with female workers in Korea and across Asia, the film was praised as a work that dismantled distinctions between film and art and pushed modern art into uncharted territory. Korea began participating in the Venice Biennale in 1986 and has regularly hosted a Korea Pavilion there since 1995. As this accolade from the world’s pre-eminent art exhibition signifies, contemporary Korean art has succeeded in becoming mainstream. Earlier in 2015 at Art Basel in Switzerland, as well as at Art Basel Hong Kong in 2016, leading galleries from around the world showcased the works of Korean artists to critical acclaim, not to mention enthusiastic responses from buyers. Patrons at auction houses have been similarly keen. In line with the growing interest in Korean art, the December 2015 issue of

the Financial Times’ monthly magazine How to Spend It published an article titled “Korea Driven,” in which the writer called 2015, “the year Korean art took center stage” and observed that Korea was “finally being recognized as one of Asia’s leading creative powerhouses by the international art world.”

Korea’s modern art traditions

International audiences became acquainted with modern Korean art and its distinctive features as early as the late 1960s, but a real appreciation of its merits has emerged only recently. Particular attention is being paid to works of abstract art and works that utilize other modernist techniques to offer incisive commentary on Korea’s cultural traditions and present-day social conditions. Monochrome painting, or dansaekhwa in Korean, falls into the first category. In the 1970s, the dansaekhwa movement sought to make monochromes the signature of modern Korean art, as part of a conscious, ongoing effort to develop art informed by Korean aesthetic traditions. The major artists of this

Lee Ufan’s ‘Relatum – Silence,’ displayed at 2015 Dansaekhwa, a collateral event of the 56th International Art Exhibition - Venice Biennale © Fabrice Seixas. Photo provided by Kukje Gallery. KOREA _ June _ 9

movement were Lee Ufan, Yun Hyong-keun, Park Seo-bo, Ha Chong-hyun, Chung Sanghwa, Chung Chang-sup, Lee Dong-youb and Choi Byung-so. Their monochromes reinterpreted Western abstract art through the lens of Korean traditional art, offering one possible approach to an art tradition that could be both modern and Korean. Park Seo-bo was a pioneer of the dansaekhwa movement, known for monochromes that struck a delicate balance between drawing and painting. Yun Hyong-keun, the creator of a unique personal aesthetic, let ink wash seep into the surface of his canvas like ink bleeding through Hanji mulberry paper. Chung Sang-hwa, too, took a flat surface of a single shade and produced seemingly endless variations of it, his finished works evoking white Joseon porcelain and the beauty of the color white. Western art began to be accepted in Korea around the beginning of the 20th century. Prior to this point, modern art in Korea had been formed in the very

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cradle of confrontation and opposition between distinctively Korean forms of art and the unfamiliar art of the West, and this process had given Korean art its defining features. Later on, when modern Korean art developed in earnest in the 1960s, Western styles and influences began to be accepted, though initially kept at a distance, and were eventually fused with and adapted for the Korean context. With the monochromes of the 1970s and the progressive minjung movement, or “people’s art” of the 1980s, modern Korean art truly became contemporary. Since the 1990s, exhibitions of works by Korean artists have opened at renowned museums and galleries around the world, and an increasing number of Korean artists are being invited to leading biennales and art fairs. Since the inception of the Gwangju Biennale in 1995, numerous important exhibition venues and alternative exhibition spaces have sprung up in Korea, too. Beginning in the latter half of the 1980s and continuing

__ Marking the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Biennale di Venezia’s Korea Pavilion, Moon Kyungwon and Jeon Joonho’s “The Ways of Folding Space & Flying” shows not only Korea’s past, present and future, but also captures the history of the biennale itself.

1 The Ways of Folding Space & Flying, Moon Kyungwon and Jeon Joonho, 2015 2 Factory Complex, Im Heung-Soon, 2015 Photo courtesy of Arts Council Korea 3 Untitled, Kim Hongjoo, 2005 4 Untitled 6903, Lee Kwang-ho, 2013

into the 1990s, efforts have been made in Korean art to take a more introspective and critical look at the country’s visual arts traditions and engage with the question of visibility, while the narrative structure of art history has been brought into question through meta-paintings, meta-sculptures and meta-photographs. This period has been called a time of great cultural fluctuation. New and completely different attitudes and methodologies concerning art have taken shape, and, in the first decade of the 21st century, have driven all kinds of experimentation with and formulation of new creative techniques. In 2005, experimentation with form became more commonplace, and contemporary Korean art took on a markedly different face. In 2008, however, in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, a severely diminished art market and the sense of crisis pervading the entire art world halted not only experimentation and the development of methodology among young artists, but a great deal of their overall creative activity. Despite these setbacks, contemporary Korean artists are continuing to create works of art that coincide more closely with Korean values than Western paradigms, advancing in the process a paradigm of their own.

Resolving an identity dilemma

The works of Song Hyun-sook, a key figure in post-1970s, post-monochrome abstractionism, depart from the conception of art as strategy, or an attempt to arm Asian, or specifically Korean, modernism, with an alibi. Instead, they capture in clear, simple strokes the “indigenous” sentiments preserved in Song’s memories of her youth. Composed entirely of brushstrokes, the paintings are titled according to the number of strokes they bear, and the mysteriously inviting greeting posed by the multitude of brushstrokes suggests an artist at play in the space between figuration and abstraction. Moon Beom, rather than regarding modernism as a constraint to be overcome, calls for the discovery and re-appropriation

of the consciousness underlying modernism, and a re-expression of it through modern formative techniques. Moon’s fastidious use of evocative monochromes and tones creates views that appear unreal and dreamlike, as well as strongly reminiscent of Asian images. His canvas starts as something material, transforms into a landscape, becomes flat again, and then is reborn as an illusion. Kim Hongjoo is known for highly conceptual paintings that are unique explorations of form. He employs the medium of traditional painting in a way that paradoxically criticizes the illusionism that constitutes the basic premise of painting. Rather than trying to convey meaning, Kim focuses on the way in which he paints, giving his paintings the quality of object as well as illusion. Among traditional figurative artists, Oh Chi-Gyun stands out for the way he uses his fingers, rather than a brush, to mix and apply pigment, recreating on the canvas the moment when his body and his nerves apprehend contact with the materials. A master of the impasto technique, Oh seeks to depict the world of sensation in an appeal not only to visual but also to tactile perception. Lee Kwang-Ho’s works produce a similar effect. Unusual for representational paintings, they blend figuration and abstraction, and the sensual, tactile quality of Lee’s brushstrokes arouses a peculiar feeling in the viewer. If modern Korean art is grouped into monochrome paintings, which borrowed Western forms but infused them with Asian style and sentiments, and minjung art, an attempt to reflect actual lives and social realities, Lee Dongi, a well known pop artist, can be thought of as someone who belongs to neither school. His character Atomouse reflects an entangling of American and Japanese cultural influences and symbolizes the experiences of a generation of Koreans who, made to depend on outside cultural offerings, grew up without a “native” cartoon character. One of the most influential Korean artists in the 1980s and 1990s was Bahc Yiso. He disputed art’s originality and sought unity across life and art. He examined with

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Kabbala, Choi KOREA _ June _ 12 Jeong Hwa, 2013

cynicism the rootlessness of Korean contemporary art, its uncomfortable relationship with Western art, and the resulting identity dilemma afflicting Korean art. Bahc’s work enabled Korean contemporary art to advance to a new level.

Deconstructing and disassembling traditions

Korean traditional art, like much of Asian art, uses Hanji mulberry paper and ink, various colored pigments and brushes to create works that highlight the distinct attributes of each medium. These also reflect Asian philosophies on the world and nature. Contemporary Korean art, in contrast, is not content to treat traditional concepts as subjects to be depicted. Sometimes deconstructing, sometimes embellishing these elements, contemporary Korean art has taken bold strides in an altogether different direction. From the 1980s to the present, the most important figure in Korean art has been Kim Ho Deuk. His works disassemble the framework of traditional ink-and-wash paintings, stretching the medium to its utmost extremes, yet he still makes active use of the effects of brush and ink, maximizing them and enlarging their scope on surfaces and through installations. Yoo Geun-Taek also employs the traditional materials of Asian paintings to create landscapes and spaces that he feels and understands through his body and his senses. Jung Jae-ho takes a similar approach in his lament-tinged depictions, sometimes called “political landscapes,” of old Seoul buildings and old objects. On the other hand, Park Yoon Young fixes her deconstructing gaze on the objects that are used to hold and display Asian paintings, including hanging scrolls, books of paintings, and decorative screens. Her works are meta-paintings, and yet they also explore, albeit through a modern lens, themes familiar to Asian paintings, including depictions of utopia and the dream world as well as the world of leisure. She offers entertaining, imaginative reinterpretations of the code of mountain-and-water landscape paintings. Son Donghyun’s works, which employ the traditional techniques of portrait painting to render the physical anatomy of fictional Western characters, are unquestionably pop-influenced.

Slow, same, #5001, Moon Beom, 2003

__ Contemporary Korean art is not content to treat traditional concepts as subjects to be depicted.

Forest, Starry Night, Yoo Geun-Taek, 2014

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Overturning ritualistic customs

In Korean sculpture, a major contemporary artist is Cheong Gwang Ho, who solders togetherthin wire to create large leaf forms. On the surface, Cheong’s works constitute paintings because they are made up of lines in two-dimensional space, but the movement of these lines in threedimensional space makes them sculptures. They question sculpture’s modes of existence and signify the artist’s attempt to expand the horizons of sculpture through the development of new forms. Ahn Kyu-chul uncovers the divides between language and object, and between object and object, and expresses this in material form using the concrete and clear language of handcrafted objects. Ahn’s work consistently contains criticism of reality, literary sensitivity, confessional contemplation, and minimal yet stylish expressions. He makes unlikely combinations of concepts, including the volition to criticize reality, the sculptural characteristics of handmade objects, and linguistic concepts. The sculptures of Ham Jin reject phallocentrism and instead envision small, light, soft and nearly immaterial things. Ham focuses on the

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__ Korean artists have continued to strive for selfdirected growth, embedding themselves in their local contexts while also playing an active part in shaping the larger agenda for contemporary art.

small and minute, attributing no value to definitive forms, and even going so far as to intentionally reject them. He pursues instead changeable or flowing states, subjecting objects to the law of gravity so that they blend into their surroundings and become indistinguishable from other objects. Hong Myung-Seop entered Korea’s sculpture scene in the 1980s, showcasing unusual installations. His works obstruct or interfere with the viewers’ familiar experience of their bodies, thus overturning the ritualistic custom of observing artwork, and further, calling into question the familiar ways people use their senses to look at and engage with the world. Installation artist Choi Jeong Hwa also became active in the late 1980s, winning acclaim for his novel approaches, unusual use of media, and original ideas. His works reflect a deliberate strategy to dissect standardized norms of language. Through the repetitive spreading or piling of the most conspicuous mass-produced relics of Korean modernization, including plastic baskets and synthetic vinyl, Choi paradoxically exposes the falsity of modernization with its swift, quantifiable expansion. Lee Bul is another

artist acclaimed for possessing an inventive aesthetic and a unique attitude toward art. Her works are a liberating discourse on the patriarchal oppression of women, womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bodies and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s language. More recently, she has produced works that create a physical and sensory experience for viewers. The works of all of these artists are germinal examples of New Form art, which seeks to disrupt the fixed order of the institutional art sphere. They collectively reject the authenticity of art, regarding the very idea with incredulity. They are inclined to erase all traces of the artist, conduct joint projects while also creating made-to-order productions, bring a semiinstitutional aesthetic into institutionally shaped exhibition spaces, and focus explicitly on the immaterial. Such are the major trends defining contemporary Korean art today. At the center of these trends is Kim Beom, a conceptual artist who uses ready-made objects and installations in contemplation of the relationship between object and text, and plays on words. With remarkable imagination, humor, and a subtle bent toward satire, Kim creates works that overturn conventional perceptions of

1 Portrait of the King, Son Donghyun, 2008 2, 3 1,000 Scribes, Ahn Kyu-chul, 2015, engaging 1,000 participants to transcribe literatary works Photo courtesy of MMCA 4 Jangular, C-print, mixed media, 211 x 99 x 78.7 cm Gwon Osang, 2010 5 Aubade III, Lee Bul, 2015 Photo courtesy of MMCA 6 What you see is the unseen / Chandeliers for Five Cities C02-02, 2014-2015, Ham Kyungah Photo provided by Kukje Gallery

objects and take the viewer into unexpected contexts. Suh Do Ho used translucent polyester for a built-to-scale recreation of a house, expressing in physical form the afterimage created in his mind by the emotional clash between Eastern and Western cultures.

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__ In 2015, the Financial Times called Korea “one of Asia’s leading creative powerhouses.”

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Female artists are also prominent in the contemporary Korean art scene. Ham Kyungah, for example, is an artist and art director whose work focuses on the relationship between power and the individual. Chang Jia uses photographs and video art to make provocative feminist statements, repossessing the male gaze in its obsession with the physical body and exposing its sexually exploitative nature. Lim Min-Wook uses various kinds of media to pose questions about community and identity, with subjects spanning migrant laborers, “unconverted” political prisoners, economic minorities and bicultural families. Other notable female artists include Yang Haegue, Yeesookyung, Shin Meekyoung and Koo Donghee. Korean photography stepped out of amateurism and realism into its contemporary form at the end of the 1980s. The nature and landscape photography of Bae Bien-U and Min Byunghun evoke peculiar sentiments, while the split compositions and overwhelming mass of Kim Jang-sup’s photographs stimulate the viewer’s senses and question the originality of photographs by playing up the contrast between the permanence of images as art and the finite nature of printed photographs as material. An investigation of the roots of human existence is central to Lee Gapchul’s photography, which also portrays in powerful ways the spirituality and religiosity of Korean traditional culture. The photographs of Gwon Osang, by contrast, combine the mutability of photographs and that of three-dimensional figures as well. To Gwon, photographs are not merely records or the graphic representation of concepts. He questions the medium of photography itself. He explores how the sensory experience is altered by the processes of photography and transfers concrete reality onto a flat surface. Yoo Hyun Mi’s work crosses and hybridizes genres. The artist goes through the processes of traditional sculpture and painting to

Female artists, hybrid genres and social satire

imitate their effects, and then reproduces the resulting images in photographs. Typological photography is also a popular form, seen chiefly in the works of Oh Hein-kuhn, who documents the various types of people who live on the boundaries of Korean society. Media art refers to a wide range of video-based work, featuring everything from single-channel video and multichannel video installations to digital art that requires viewer participation and interdisciplinary art that utilizes new media technologies. The works of video artist Park Chan-kyong have used existing video footage to show how the present-day political landscape of Korea is shaped by Cold War ideologies. Park Junebum, meanwhile, sticks closely to prototypical video art forms, but he also incorporates new methods, including a photo collage effect that recreates the twodimensionality of paintings and also plays with optical illusions. During a time of rapid globalization for the art world, Korean artists have continued to strive for self-directed growth, embedding themselves in their local contexts while also playing an active part in shaping the larger agenda for contemporary art. While Korea’s artists churn out an unending stream of new and varied forms of art, local art institutions have also taken vigorous steps to enhance the momentum of artistic activity. Emerging from a backdrop of long cultural traditions, a turbulent modern history, and the experience of accelerated growth and modernization, contemporary Korean art is being brought to life by artists of astounding energy and talent to inhabit a society still undergoing dynamic transformation. The fruits of this creation are plentiful, and the rest of the art world is beginning to take notice.

Interview

Korean Art Spreads Global Wings Critic Lee Chuyoung says artists’ overseas activity boosts international interest in Korean art

_ Written by Eugene Kim

Art critic Lee Chuyoung believes Korean art has a long way to go before it can fully flourish. The art world must become a place where original artists can work, and government and corporations should provide steadfast support for the arts. “Only if the art market is active can artists flourish,” he says. “Museums should introduce modern art through new programs, and above all, the public’s unlimited interest in and love for Korean modern art will become an engine driving global attention toward Korean art.” Lee isn’t especially impressed by news stories suggesting greater interest in Korean art overseas. “These reports could be interpreted as a favorable response to Korean modern art,” he says. “However, I think it’s just a temporary interest in a particular trend, dansaekhwa, and nothing that will impact international art trends.” A look at the world’s major museums and art markets shows that the modern art world is still focused on Europe and the United States.

Strategic thinking required

What is needed to break this situation is strategic thinking, Lee explains. “We need continual efforts to promote Korean arts and Korea’s modern art,” he says. “Strategic support is needed for artists who are active overseas.” In other words, Lee believes Korea needs more artists who spread their wings globally instead of being confined to Korea’s narrow shores. “We need global artists like Paik Nam June,” he says. “That would boost interest in Korean modern art.” The Seoul branch of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, which opened in 2013, has been playing a key role in introducing Korean modern art to the global art world.

“Since it opened, corporate sponsorship has expanded significantly,” Lee says. “This largescale support is further expanding the imagination of artists and giving them opportunities to get noticed abroad. It is also supporting artists in a variety of other ways, such as supporting exhibits of Korean modern art overseas and residency programs that aid the creative activities of artists.” Lee recommends that we no longer talk of “originality” at the collective level. Instead of looking for originality in Korean modern art, he urges readers to focus on the activities of creative Korean artists. “Korean artists who are active overseas, such as Suh Do Ho,” he says, “who is earning global attention for his cloth art based on his experience living in a Korean traditional house, and Kimsooja, whose work features motifs based on Korean traditional quilts and sewing, produce ‘original’ work in the global context based on their experience growing up in Korea.”

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Travel

Ecological Bounty Amid Scars of War The Korean DMZ is a trove of history and nature _ Written and photographed by Robert Koehler

KOREA _ June 18 over the Imjingang River at Imjingak. The sun_sets

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Military policemen stand guard at the JSA.

The DMZ is an exercise in irony. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton called the 250-kilometer-long, 4-kilometer-wide no man’s land between South and North Korea “the scariest place on Earth.” “Apocalyptic thoughts come easy here,” wrote National Geographic’s Tom O’Neill in 2003. “In a world full of scary places ‒ Kashmir, Chechnya, the West Bank ‒ the DMZ is perhaps the scariest of all, considering the massive firepower deployed on both sides and the brinkmanship practiced by the rival camps.” The world’s last Cold War frontier is also one of Korea’s most popular tourist destinations. According to one of the country’s top travel agencies, over 70 percent of international travelers to Korea visit the DMZ. The list of luminaries who visited in 2016 alone includes Google chairman Eric Schmidt,

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Messages of peace line a razor wire fence at Imjingak.

A visitor looks across the Imjingang River at Imjingak.

World Bank Vice President Axel van Trotsenburg, comedian Conan O’Brien and actor Steven Yeun. Even the name of the place seems like a cruel joke. The Korean Demilitarized Zone is, in fact, the world’s most militarized border. The frontier bristles with bunkers, watchtowers, artillery pieces, missiles, minefields and razor wire. Soldiers from South and North make regular armed patrols into the strip. It is estimated that some 70 percent of the combined military strength of both Koreas is deployed along the line. Yet despite all the guns, mines, rockets and other tools of death and destruction, the DMZ is arguably the most tranquil place in Korea. This is the DMZ’s biggest irony. Born of war and kept in a forced state of isolation for over six decades, the frontier is now Korea’s most spectacular wildlife preserve, its lush forests and unsullied wetlands home

The ruins of an old bridge in Cheorwon attest to the scars of war.

to many rare species of flora and fauna. When you visit, what is most striking is not an atmosphere of tension, but rather one of peace. The dissonance of the city is far, far away. The only sounds you hear are the songs of the birds and the wind rustling in the trees. It’s the most surreal feeling of serenity you’ll ever experience.

An involuntary park

The Korean DMZ was born July 27, 1953, the day the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed. The armistice, which brought the fighting of the Korean War to an end, called on South Korea and its U.N. allies and North Korea and its Chinese allies to pull back 2 kilometers from the front line, creating a 4-kilometer buffer zone between the combatants. The buffer zone roughly follows the 38th parallel, the prewar border between South and North Korea, albeit at an angle, dipping below

This old train station near the DMZ in Cheorwon used to be a stop on the line linking Seoul and Wonsan.

Born of war and kept in a forced state of isolation, the frontier is now Korea’s most spectacular wildlife preserve.

the 38th in the west and considerably above it in the mountainous central and eastern parts of the peninsula. This reflects gains and losses made by both sides in the course of the war. The Military Demarcation Line, which marks the precise location of the front line on the last day of the Korean War, runs through the middle of the buffer zone. With the exception of two villages, all inhabitants were cleared out of the zone. The resulting no man’s land became, to borrow science fiction writer Bruce Sterling’s term, an involuntary park that U.S. broadcaster CNN called “the thin green line.” Nature reclaimed the homes, farms, roads, railways and other signs of human civilization. Endangered animals found the lack of human activity appealing. The frontier’s varied geography has encouraged an amazing degree of biodiversity. About 5,000 species of plants and animals ‒ including

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2 © Yonhap News

1. Wild flower blooms in the DMZ. 2. A water deer takes a drink from the Imjingang River. 3. The old local headquarters of the Workers Party of Korea warns visitors of the tragedy of war. 4. Bikers take part in a DMZ bike tour in Paju.

Most of the DMZ is off-limits to visitors, but there are sections that offer visitors a chance to experience its unique blend of nature and history.

cranes, Amur leopards, Asiatic black bears and possibly even Siberian tigers ‒ call the zone’s forests and wetlands home. Of these, 106 are endangered. The government has taken an interest in protecting the fragile ecology of this unique space. While efforts to register the DMZ as a UNESCO biosphere reserve have run into complications, Seoul is promoting the establishment of an ecological park, where the two Koreas and the international community can cooperate on preservation.

JSA

The DMZ’s most popular tourist destination, by far, is the iconic Joint Security Area, or JSA. Located near the

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so-called “truce village” of Panmunjeom, where the negotiations to end the Korean War took place, the JSA was established to facilitate meetings of the Military Armistice Commission, a body established at the end of the Korean War to implement the provisions of the Armistice Agreement. It is the only place in the DMZ where South Korean and North Korean troops regularly come face to face. The JSA is an 800-meter-wide circle bisected by the Military Demarcation Line. In the initial days of the JSA, troops from both sides could freely move about the entire circle. Since a bloody incident in 1976 in which two U.S. soldiers were killed, however, the South Koreans and the U.N. have kept to their

side of the line, and the North Koreans to theirs. Both the South Koreans and North Koreans have built imposing monumental halls on their respective sides of the JSA, but the most impressive buildings are the simple, sky-blue shacks that straddle the demarcation line. These are the halls where talks between the former combatants take place. Inside these buildings, and only inside these buildings, you can freely cross the demarcation line. The southern side of the JSA is protected by the tough South Korean military policemen of the United Nations Command Security Battalion ‒ Joint Security Area. Selected for their size and martial arts proficiency, they stand guard in modified taekwondo stances, fists clenched and eyes obscured by sunglasses. It’s intimidating, and intentionally so. Incidents involving tourists are rare, and some of the tension in the JSA may seem staged, but make no mistake: The DMZ can be a very dangerous place. More than 500 South Korean soldiers and 50 American soldiers have been killed along the DMZ since 1953. Loose land mines have killed over 100 villagers in the province of Gangwon-do alone. Visitors to the DMZ must not only join guided tours, but must also sign a waiver acknowledging the dangers. Visitors should abide by all rules and restrictions and follow their guide’s instructions.

Off the beaten track

Most of the DMZ is off-limits to visitors ‒ it’s an active military zone, after all ‒ but there are sections in and around it that offer visitors a chance to experience its unique blend of nature and history. One of the most rewarding ways to experience the frontier is the so-called Pyeonghwa Nuri Trail, a network of hiking trails that skirts the southern edge of the DMZ from the West Sea island of Ganghwado to the East Sea coast.

PANMUNJEOM To visit the JSA, you must join a guided tour. Several companies and organizations operate such tours. Contact the Korea Tourism Organization for more information. CHEORWON AND PAJU Korail operates its socalled DMZ Trains to Cheorwon and Paju. The train to Cheorwon, which also stops in Yeoncheon, takes you all the way to Baengmagoji Station. To see the sites past the Civilian Control Line, join one of the tours that leave from Cheorwon’s Goseokjeong four times a day. Call 033450-5559 for more info. The train to Paju, meanwhile, departs from Seoul Station and goes to Dorasan Station, located past the Civilian Control Line. It also stops at Imjingang Station, where you can visit the Imjingak Pavillion.

Panmunjeom

Paju

Cheorwon

Using existing roads and trails linking the region’s town, rivers and sites of historic and natural interest, the trail is an excellent way to experience the scenic beauty of this wild region. The section that transverses the town of Yeoncheon is especially beautiful, taking you through the rugged volcanic landscape of the Hantangang River valley. Another fascinating place to explore is Cheorwon, a town that sits at the southern edge of a strategically important highland valley called the “Iron Triangle.” Prior to the Korean War, Cheorwon was an important railroad town, but fierce fighting during the war all but erased the city from the map. Ruins of what was Cheorwon’s downtown are scattered amidst the rice fields. The most impressive of the ruins is the old local headquarters of the Workers Party of Korea, North Korea’s ruling party. The bullet-scarred Stalinist structure, left semi-collapsed since the war, is a poignant symbol of the tragedy of war. The wetlands of Cheorwon also function as a wintering spot for migratory birds, especially cranes. Other municipalities are embracing their frontier status. The town of Inje in Gangwon-do, for instance, has created the so-called Korea DMZ Peace-Life Valley, a rugged region where you can experience the rich ecological heritage of the DMZ. Korail, Korea’s national rail carrier, operates a “DMZ Train” that takes visitors to Dorasan Station, where you can see into North Korea from a nearby observatory. In the town of Paju in northern Gyeonggi-do, former U.S. Army base Camp Greaves has been repurposed as a youth hostel where guests can learn about the DMZ and military life. Paju has also launched biking and trekking trails along the scenic Imjingang River, which forms the border between the two Koreas.

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People 1

Holding Out for a HUBO Robotics scientist Oh Jun-ho makes science fiction a reality by keeping it simple _ Written by Colin A. Mouat Photographed by RAUM Studio

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Meet HUBO, pronounced “hugh bow.” One day, the robot could be a life-saver, literally. For those wondering how close today’s scientists have gotten to achieving the traditional ambulatory androids familiar from so many sci-fi films, this humanoid robot is the state of the art. It proved its mettle by claiming the title at the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) last June, running a gauntlet of eight tasks to demonstrate its ability to serve someday in actual disaster relief efforts. Behind every great robot stands a great engineer, and in HUBO’s case that engineer is Dr. Oh Jun-ho of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Daejeon. A graduate of Yonsei University and the University of California, Berkeley, Oh is director of KAIST’s Humanoid Robot Research Center and a veteran scholar of microprocessor applications, real-time control and sensor technology. “I think that I was born an engineer,” he said. “I liked to make things instead of buying them. I had to make it myself.” So what accounts for the ability

to create something as complex ‒ and potentially game-changing ‒ as HUBO?

Keeping things simple

For a hotbed of innovation, the research center is a surprisingly sedate place, the silence only occasionally broken by buzzing or blasting from the HUBO Room off to the right. On the wall as you enter is a large check for USD 2,000,000.00 ‒ as if it needed the extra zeros ‒ to serve as a memento for HUBO’s grand victory at DRC 2015. The DRC finals in Pomona, California, saw 25 top robotics organizations competing in disaster relief challenges that included manipulating a doorknob, turning a valve, drilling into a wall, pulling and replacing a plug, and climbing stairs. While those may be easy things with which inquisitive toddlers torment their parents, it’s a different matter entirely translating them into algorithms. “When I first began to design my robot, my first thought was, OK, I have to have a goal,” Oh said. “The strategy is

At the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge, HUBO completed its tasks more than six minutes faster than its closest competitor.

White House science adviser John Holdren checks out HUBO during a visit to Korea in March.

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hands, our own sensors, our own operating systems, our own power systems,” he explained. “If we found some problem, some symptoms, we could find the cause very easily because we had made it.” Oh also credited a strong environment of autonomy and Korean government support for the successes. “The funding agency allowed me to do many other things at the same time, and they didn’t check step by step,” he noted. “It helped.”

A world of possibilities

The DRC-Hubo robot from Team KAIST negotiates a stairway, one of a series of tasks to simulate a disaster response that would be too hazardous for humans, at the DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals in Pomona, California, in June 2015.

to make it as simple as possible.” One of the more daunting parts of the obstacle course was the stair-climbing task. Thanks to DRC-HUBO’s upper body rotation and backward-walking capabilities, it was able to do that and all the rest in under 45 minutes, six minutes ahead of its closest competitor.

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“Our team is very adaptable,” Oh said. “We are very ready to make modifications our own way.” While other teams went outside to get the parts they needed, Oh made sure his team’s effort was strictly an in-house operation. “We had our own head, our own

While HUBO passed its specific set of challenges with flying colors, disaster response isn’t the only potential application for a humanoid robot ‒ and it still has a long way to go before it is ready for all the challenges the real world throws at it. “Disaster response is meaningful, because that’s the place that desperately needs this kind of robot,” Oh said. “But for a robot to be used in life, it must survive by itself all the way, and HUBO is still very far behind that level.” For now, Oh must contend with the nuts and bolts, or actuators and algorithms, in this case. Akin to a robot’s “muscles,” actuators are the motors that control the machinery. “We need very strong, human muscle-like actuators that are very energy efficient,” he explained. “We don’t have that kind of thing. Nobody does.” The issue is one that combines practical goals with the mindset of an inveterate tinkerer. “How can I get good, light, powerful, energy-efficient actuators? I try from scratch,” Oh said. “A motor? OK. I build my own motor. It’s kind of fun.” Algorithms offer a path toward robots with much more advanced capabilities. One of Korea’s big news stories in recent months was the triumph of a Google DeepMind-designed program called

AlphaGo over grandmaster Lee Se-dol in the traditional game of go, known as baduk in Korea. The issue of artificial intelligence has been on many people’s minds, and it’s something that could potentially take HUBO, and robot technology in general, to the next level. “I don’t do any research on intelligence, but at this moment I would like to utilize the results,” Oh said. “If someone brings me very good AI solutions, I will implement that in my robots.” So can we expect to see grandmasterdefeating, debris-clearing humanoids generally outdoing us in the near future? “I’m pretty sure that it will take a very, very long time to have a robust platform to be used in a real disaster or a real human living environment,” Oh offered reassuringly. All that energy isn’t going to waste. Through his own enterprise, called Rainbow Robotics, Oh has already sold HUBO in the United States and Singapore, with potential applications in services and medicine. He also hinted at an announcement in the near future on more ideas and products that will put the technology to work.

Call off the robot apocalypse

The last several years have brought a string of successes for Oh and HUBO: completion of the initial version in 2004, followed by a refined 2009 version, sales to Google and MIT, and the DRC victory. Yet when asked to choose a defining moment, Oh chose something that reflected HUBO’s limitations. “It was a presidential event in Daejeon, and two HUBOs were supposed to walk on both sides. One robot just tipped over on live television,” he recalled. It was still an impressive moment, and the response from attendees was gracious. However it also reinforces a message that Oh has shared repeatedly, especially when confronted with the technophobia sparked by AlphaGo’s recent near-sweep. “People are worried that someday robots will dominate man’s life,” he acknowledged. “This is a machine that operates by some kind of autonomous algorithm.” Oh’s message is that there is only so much that robots are capable of. “Whether you call it AI or apps, it’s just complicated software: no more, no

less,” he stressed. “It looks clever, but it’s never clever.” What that complicated software is capable of is still substantial. As Oh put it, robots are “convenient machines” that help with physical labor, while AI substitutes for mental labor with its calculations and statistics. Oh kept quiet for now on specific plans for putting HUBO to work, but if its performance so far is any indication, the results are likely to be impressive indeed. Oh shrugged off his newfound celebrity status. “It makes me very tired,” he said with an infectious laugh. His natural environment, he said, is in the laboratory with his crew. “If they disappear, I become a little nervous,” he laughed. “Where are they? They should be working!”

HUBO II knocks out Flordia’s Institute for Human & Machine Cognition to take first place in the 2015 DARPA Robotics Challenge.

KOREA _ June _ 27

People 2

Architect Tomii Masanori’s interest in Korea began in, of all places, Greece, where he was studying courtyard homes, a longtime interest of his. Yet the homes of the Mediterranean, so far from his native Japan, couldn’t inspire him. “Then I read Korea University Professor Ju Nam-cheol’s thesis on Korean traditional residential architecture, and I realized Korea, too, had courtyard homes.” It was the start of a three decade-long love affair with the country. A professor at Hanyang University’s College of Engineering since 2004, Tomii is an expert on East Asian residential architecture who has designed homes both in Korea and Japan. An admirer of the Korean traditional home, or Hanok, he has even tried his hand at designing them himself, winning plaudits for an ambitiously designed Hanok home in Gyeongju that incorporates elements from a renowned Buddhist monument. Meeting with KOREA in the courtyard of a Hanok café in Seoul’s Bukchon Hanok Village, he points to the blue sky above. “The good housing tradition Korea produced cannot be found in an apartment,” he says. “Apartments don’t have their own courtyard. Here we have our own sky. In an apartment you cannot have your own sky, no matter what you do.”

Mapping Seoul’s history

In Love with Hanok Japanese architect Tomii Masanori finds inspiration in the history and homes of Korea _ Written by Robert Koehler Photographed by RAUM Studio

KOREA _ June _ 28

Tomii first came to Korea in 1983 as a backpacker, when he was an assistant professor at Kanagawa University. Going to meet a friend at Dongguk University, he found himself in the Chungmuro district, where many Japanese-style homes from the colonial era can be found. “It was an odd feeling,” he said. “I found two-story homes just like in downtown Tokyo.” Writing his PhD thesis on Japanese colonial housing in East Asia, he naturally took an interest in Seoul’s urban history.

“Apartments don’t have their own courtyard. Here we have our own sky. In an apartment you cannot have your own sky, no matter what you do.”

He found, however, a surprising lack of good maps. “There were novels written by writers who graduated from schools in Korea, or Korean writers who studied in Japan, plenty of material like that,” he said. “I thought it would be good to have a map to go along with these books.” The colonial government made maps, to be sure, but they contained very little information about shops, homes and businesses. Tomii decided to fill in the blanks, armed with a simple colonial map and a phone book published by the colonial government. He attended reunions of people in Japan who had gone to school in colonial Korea, picking their brains for information about their old neighborhoods. The Seoul Museum of History based its 2012 exhibit “Seoul 1930” on the architect’s work.

The charm of Hanok

His interest in urban history aside, his real love is wooden architecture, including Hanok. He has designed over 100 homes in Japan, and he frequently advises Korean authorities on projects related to wooden architecture. In one recent project, he drew up the plan for a resident-friendly housing district in rural Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, designing five of the 18 homes himself. In some of the homes, with their terraces, separate spaces for winter and summer and deceptive use of space, the Hanok influence is obvious.

Tomii explains what makes Hanok so attractive. “Hanok have a courtyard,” he says. “They have inner and outer spaces. They have summer and winter spaces in the same place. In apartments, everything is the same all year round. It’s a big problem. Nothing changes with the season.” His best-known Hanok project is a beautiful home at the foothills of Gyeongju’s historic Namsan Mountain. Built for a Japanese student and his Korean wife, the charmingly simple home has a roof without the typical crossbeams found in Hanok homes. For this, he found inspiration in Seokguram, a Buddhist grotto in Gyeongju that is widely praised as a masterpiece of Korean architecture and art. Critics and researchers have praised the architect’s home as a throwback to the days before Joseon, when roofs possessed a simpler beauty. Tomii admits there was a secondary rationale for his ambitious architectural decision, though. “The owner was a Japanese guy with little money,” he says. “The crossbeam is a symbol of wealth. But the owner was a person without much wealth.” Indeed, the home was designed to be more than just a living space. It also serves as a restaurant, filled with the smell of Japanese curry. “You can’t do business in an apartment,” he says. “I thought the home must have a productive capacity, like the homes of old. I advised he should build a home that wasn’t just a place of study, but a place to do business and make money.”

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Arts & Entertainment

Drama Demonstrates Korean Soft Power ‘Descendants of the Sun’ wins fans worldwide with a war zone romance _ Written by Colin Marshall

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Reflecting life, stories return over and over again to three important themes: love, death and obligation. KBS2’s 16-episode hit television drama “Descendants of the Sun” engaged these three themes with a greater impact than most, and in turn achieved staggering international popularity, even by the standards of the leading dramas of the Korean Wave. Its story of the romance between a young but hard-bitten South Korean Special Forces captain and a beautiful, idealistic military doctor amid the danger and desperation of a fictional war-torn country called Uruk has captivated audiences not just in Korea but in China, Japan, Thailand and other

Asian countries as well. In Thailand, the prime minister calls himself a fan. The global brand of Korea has relied heavily on dramas since its inception, despite its diversification into such fields as music, food, and now even fashion and literature. One might have assumed that dramas would one day fall out of favor as an internationally representative form of entertainment, to be displaced by something more novel or high-tech, but the success of “Descendants of the Sun” demonstrates that the television soap opera, beloved within Korea for decades and decades, still has plenty of life left. “Descendants of the Sun” also raised the stakes by breaking from traditional drama production in ways that make it more like a movie than a television show. It was fully written, shot and edited before airing, and it was done so at the enormous cost of KRW 12 billion (USD 10.8 million). This made it possible for the series’ creators to include military action sequences as well as to travel to Greece, whose picturesque scenery they transformed into the war zones of Uruk. All these resources ultimately serve an intimate story between two people: a woman who has dedicated herself to saving lives, regardless of borders and national antipathies, and a man trained to kill in the service of his country and its allies.

The success of “Descendants of the Sun” demonstrates that the TV soap operas still have plenty of life left. © Korea Creative Content Agency

Big in China

All this has especially resonated with viewers in China, where “Descendants of the Sun” has drawn billions of views on the Prepared by the Korea Creative Content Agency, the “K-Story in China” event aimed to help Korean creatives enter the Chinese market.

video-streaming site iQiyi and caused enough of a stir for the Chinese Ministry of Public Security to issue a warning about the risks of addiction and eye damage from overenthusiastic viewing, especially to female viewers “seriously lovesick with the Korean actor” Song Joong-ki, who stars in it, fresh out of real-life military service himself. Not since “My Love From the Star,” a nearly two-year-old series about a space alien who, after living on Earth for centuries, falls in love with a famous actress, has a Korean drama become such a powerful phenomenon both in China and at home. Much of the series’ success owes, in fact, to its Chinese audience: More than a third of its budget came from deals in China, such as the presale of episodes to iQiyi for around USD 250,000 each on the condition that the site make them available to Chinese viewers immediately after they aired in Korea. Now, sold to and translated into the languages of about 30 foreign countries and counting, the show has begun to bring money into Korea by way of tourism. Many viewers want to visit the Korean locations featured in the story, such as the Demilitarized Zone and the city of Taebaek in the province of Gangwon-do, which has plans to rebuild the film set and promote it as a tourist attraction. No matter where they live, the show’s fans surely relished the highly emotional finale, which aired April 14. Coverage in worldwide news media quoted them as saying the story satisfied their fantasies and made them feel the very concept of romance with a new intensity. The nation of Korea, too, rediscovered something: the potential of dramas as a vehicle of soft power diplomacy across Asia and elsewhere. In several senses, “Descendants of the Sun” has pointed the way forward for a new generation of Korean Wave dramas, and it has done so by bringing into literal and vivid action a notion long held by popular culture everywhere: Love is a battlefield.

KOREA _ June _ 31

Korea & I

Warm, Professional Care Hospitals needn’t be a scary place _ Written by Romain Boulesteix Illustrated by Kim Yoon-myung

During my stay in Seoul, I fell ill many times and had to visit hospitals and clinics for care. As a non-Korean, I wasn’t acquainted with the way the medical system worked, but it didn’t take long to get used to it. I could find a general practitioner, of course, but the many smaller specialist clinics offered service that was often faster and more convenient. It was at one of these specialist clinics, near Sindorim Station, that I received treatment for a prostate inflammation. The doctor was extremely professional, performed all the necessary tests and stated the right diagnosis. My Korean was sufficient for the occasion so I had little problem interacting with

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my physician, and most of the terms he used were in English. Because of the uncomfortable nature of the tests, the male nurses were extremely kind and compassionate, using light talk, reassuring words and warnings when necessary. Clinics are particularly convenient because they are equipped with most of the necessary tools and machines required to carry out tests, so there is no need to go anywhere else to perform them.

Fast, professional service

I’ve also had to visit bigger hospitals. In major hospitals I found an even higher level of professionalism, with systematic

procedures to help the doctor diagnose your condition. In general, those hospitals function the same way Western hospitals do, with the same specialty departments, so it was very easy to find my way. Even though the prices are often higher, getting a recommendation letter from a small clinic will decrease the price significantly, to the point where hospitals can be cheaper. Some hospitals have international clinics that operate entirely in English, as in the case of Yonsei Severance Hospital. Those departments also prioritize foreign patients so the time saved can be

substantial. In my case, I went to Severance in an emergency because of a heart condition. The staff was very busy at the time but upon hearing my symptoms put me at the top of the list. When an ECG revealed a false alarm, the hospital sent me home without even charging me. At another emergency visit, this time to Hongik University Hospital in Mokdong, my heart condition was much more serious. There again the staff didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t waste time with admission forms and took me in right away. Two doctors and five nurses attended me for over half an hour, performing an ECG and an X-ray on the spot. They determined the problem very quickly and reassured me that I would be all right. When I felt better they sent me to the cardiology department where the doctor was waiting for me, in spite of a number of other patients waiting for their turns. The doctor explained to me every detail of what had happened in perfect English, prescribed the proper medicine, and presented me with all my options. It took me a while to fully recover, but knowing that I could count on a nearby hospital was a great relief. Another time, I had to undergo a stomach endoscopy. Making an appointment was simple. When the day came I chose not to be put to sleep. Of course it was a very uncomfortable time, but the five nurses and the doctor were very reassuring, fast and professional. I have positive memories of that time because, in spite of the huge number of endoscopies scheduled that morning, I was handled with patience and empathy. One more convenient thing about the Korean system is that pharmacies are always situated near clinics and hospitals, so I never had any difficulty whatsoever in finding my medication. Even though most pharmacists didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t speak English, they always went out of their way to give helpful instructions.

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Korea in Brief

Korea Monthly Update © KOCIS

Royal Study Opens as Public Library

Gyeongbokgung Palace’s Jibokjae Hall, a 120-year-old former royal study and reception hall, has been opened to the public as a library. The library holds about 2,000 books, including 1,000 books on the Joseon era and 230 translations of Korean works. The elegant main structure of the old study has been kept intact. Minister of Culture Kim Jongdeok said at the library’s opening ceremony, “The ministry will continue coming up with various ideas to enable visitors to enjoy and experience historic places rather than just look at them.” © Korea National Park Service

New ‘K-Style Hub’ Promotes Korean Cuisine The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Food Foundation have opened the “K-Style Hub” to give visitors a taste, so to speak, of Korean cuisine and to promote culinary tourism. Located on the second to fifth floors of the old Korea Tourism Organization headquarters in downtown Seoul, the new food information center is a space where visitors can experience the past, present and future of Korean cuisine. It includes a tourism information center, exhibit spaces where a wide variety of Korean dishes are displayed, a kitchen for cooking classes and an art market

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where Korean dining tables and other crafts, as well as foodstuffs such as red ginseng and fermented foods, are available for purchase. President Park Geun-hye and popular actor Song Joongki of the hit series “Descendants of the Sun” attended the opening ceremony for the new center, inspecting the facilities and trying their hand at making Korean desserts. Minister of Agriculture Lee Dong-phil said, “We will support the Korean food promotion center as a landmark for the food industry and for culinary tourism, to promote Korean food at home and abroad.”

See Beautiful Hongdo Island in VR The scenically captivating but notoriously remote island of Hongdo is off-limits to visitors to protect its ecology. Now, however, you can explore the natural treasure trove through the magic of virtual reality. The Korea National Park Service’s virtual reality platform lets cyber-visitors experience, in 360 degrees, the entire ecosystem of the island, including the skies above and the seas below. The Korea National Park Service plans to create more virtual reality content for other parks, islands, ecosystems and other inaccessible locations.

The Korean government has begun restoration work on the historic former Korean legation building in Washington, D.C., an important symbol of Korean independence and diplomatic history. The historic legation, a beautiful Victorian-style home, was established by King Gojong in 1891. The royal government purchased the building for USD 25,000, a hefty sum at the time. It served as Korea’s official legation in the United States until 1910, when Japan forcibly annexed Korea. The Japanese government sold off the old legation building for a mere USD 10. The Korean government reacquired the building in 2012.

Korea Begins Restoration of Old Korean Legation in Washington The restoration, overseen by U.S. construction company CVMNEXT, is scheduled to be completed by September. The first and second floors of the threestory structure will be restored as closely as possible to its legation-era condition based on historical photographs and other records. The third floor, meanwhile, will be used as an exhibition space. The basement will house an archive. Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation Secretary-General O Soo-dong told reporters, “This is a scene of our historical independent diplomacy and the cradle of Korea–U.S. friendship. This is a symbol of us overcoming our shameful history and realizing a proud Republic of Korea.”

‘Culture Day’ Goes Global

The King Sejong Institute, a chain of overseas schools offering classes on Korean language and traditions, is holding special cultural programs for visitors on the last Wednesday of May and June. The move represents the first overseas expansion of the government’s “Culture Day” initiative, in which people are encouraged to visit museums, theaters and other cultural venues on the last Wednesday of the month. The King Sejong Institute operates 138 centers in 54 countries. Of these, 80 in 40 countries will host Culture Day programs.

Penguin Classics Releases ‘The Story of Hong Gildong’

Major U.K. publishing house Penguin Books has released “The Story of Hong Gildong” as part of its Penguin Classics series. Considered one of Korea’s most important works of classic fiction, “The Story of Hong Gildong” tells the story of an illegitimate son of an aristocrat who becomes the head of a band of righteous outlaws, and in this regard is often likened to Robin Hood. The Penguin Classics version was translated by University of Missouri–St. Louis professor Minsoo Kang.

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Policy Review

Where Culture and Industry Meet ‘Culture Creation Convergence Belt’ initiative nurtures future economic growth _ Written by Lee Kijun

The CCCC celebrates its first 100 days with an open house event.

In February last year, President Park Geun-hye described Korea’s cultural content industry as “the alchemy of the 21st century” as she kicked off a government-funded content center in Seoul. “It inspires a wide range of industries, including tourism, education, manufacturing and medicine,” President Park said. “The content industry will provide a new foundation for a creative economy.” KOREA _ June _ 36

Indeed, the arts have become a new growth engine for Korea. Revenue from the cultural content industry has increased dramatically, from KRW 91 billion in 2013 to KRW 104 billion in 2016. It is also creating jobs. The Korean government expects to see about 53,000 new jobs open up in the sector over the next five years. Growth in the content industry could be the best remedy for youth unemployment, considering that 58 percent of its workers are under age 34.

Free facilities for creative endeavors

Last year, the government opened the Creative Center for Convergence Culture, or CCCC, in Sangam-dong to support content creation. It’s a large, fully equipped two-story building with recording, filmediting and other facilities that artists can access free of charge. Musicians can take advantage of the Sound Lab, for instance, and filmmakers can edit their work in the Story Lab. The center’s Motion Studio

offers a high-tech motion-capture system. When artists are ready to share their work, the Screening Lab is an ideal venue with its 150-inch screen and 5.1 surround speakers. Kim Jinjoo, a freelance artist who has been using the Story Lab for a month to produce a 3-D commercial for a theater company, expressed great satisfaction with the facilities. “This lab has cutting-edge equipment,” he said. “It’s as good as a professional production company.” In addition to its facilities, the center offers mentoring for content creators. CJ E&M, a major media company that runs the center in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, has a wide pool of experts in the content industry whose knowledge underpins the mentoring system. Last year, over 100 mentors facilitated the success of 120 projects, including those that produced the mobile game “Meet Up” and the TV show “Doing.” It also matches content creators with investors and helps them monetize their ideas.

Accomplishments of the Creative Center for Convergence Culture over the past year

“It’s kind of a startup accelerator,” explained Kang Myoung-shin, the CCCC’s president. “Our goal is to help creators commercialize their content.”

All content under the sun

The content generated at the CCCC transcends traditional boundaries of genre and form. From traditional dance to augmented reality and online comic strips, artists create all sorts of content. One of the best examples of a CCCC success is “The Secret of Seung KyungDo: Rise to the Top,” a reinterpretation of a Joseon-era game inspired by the popular TV show “Running Man.” Venture company Nolgong collaborated with the CCCC for six months last year to develop the game, whereby players using tablet computers compete to carry out missions. The final product was on display at the “Made in Korea” exhibition at Seoul’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) last month. Sometimes artists working in different content areas work tog ether to create

Drew over 33,000 visitors

Recruited over 100 active mentors

Facilitated the success of 120 projects

2 © NOLGONG

1,2. Participants use tablet computers to play “The Secret of Seung KyungDo: Rise to the Top,” a game produced by venture firm Nolgong and the CCCC. 3. Nolgong staff hold a meeting at their office in the CCCC.

KOREA _ June _ 37

as mentoring and marketing assistance. The theater company Haddangse won the grand prize for a performance that used digital video based on classical Korean literature.

Where media converges

The CCCC hosted a contest for ‘convergent content’ in 2015.

Haddangse won the grand prize at the CCCC’s 2015 ‘convergent content’ contest with a performance that used digital video to bring classical Korean literature to life. © Sangsangmaru

KOREA _ June _ 38

blended forms. “We support new content,” Kang said in an interview. “Not just one single genre, but hybrids too.” Sangsangmaru, a musical theater company best known for “Cat Zorba,” collaborated with AIARA, a gaming company, to turn the musical’s characters into 3-D images as part of an augmented reality game. “It’s not easy to make profits on only musical productions,” said Sangsangmaru CEO Um Dong-yeol. “We needed to diversify our revenue model, but didn’t know how. We were like a lonely panther roaming in a dark jungle alone, but now we are so happy that we have our mentors, partners and investors here at the CCCC.” Sangsangmaru and AIARA are two of 19 companies that advanced to the final round in the center’s first contest. More than 500 companies entered; finalists received a combined total of KRW 230 million in prize money, as well

The family musical ‘Cat Zorba’ was produced at the CCCC.

The broader concept behind the center is the “Culture Creation Convergence Belt,” which will ultimately comprise the CCCC as well as the “Culture Creation Venture Complex,” the “Creative Economy Leaders Academy,” and a cluster of cultural facilities such as the “K-Culture Valley,” the “K-Experience Complex” cultural space and a musical arena. The “Culture Creation Venture Complex,” launched in December, has already produced some results. In its first 100 days, companies in the complex have attracted KRW 4 billion worth of investment from Silicon Valley companies and Disney. The “Creative Economy Leaders Academy” opened last month and admitted its first 45 students. In 2017 the government plans to launch a “K-Culture Valley” ‒ a cluster that will include a K-pop arena, film and drama studios, and a theme park. According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, this year the government will work to strengthen the “cultural belt” by building a network that will include some 120 regionally based centers responsible for cultural content and IT. “The government will focus its capabilities on building a sustainable economic growth engine by having its cultural enrichment policy affect all fields of the economy,” Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Jong-deok said at a January press conference.

Summit Diplomacy

Rekindling an Age-Old Friendship Presidential visit to Iran helps revive ties that go back 1,500 years _ Written by Ian Im Photos courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae

President Park Geun-hye meets with President Hassan Rouhani at Saâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;dabad Palace, Iranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presidential mansion, May 2.

KOREA _ June _ 39

Summit Diplomacy

President Park arrives at Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran.

On the plane back to Seoul, President Park told reporters that she believed Iran could become “a land of opportunity” for many Korean businesses, and promised to make every effort to bring about a trade boom between Korea and the Middle East.

KOREA _ June _ 40

“I believe the tree of friendship that we plant here today will bear our two nations the fruit of good fortune.” President Park Geun-hye paraphrased the 14th-century Iranian poet Hafez before an assembly of Korean and Iranian business leaders in Tehran on May 3, the last day of a landmark visit to the Iranian capital. During her three-day trip, the first by a Korean head of state to the Middle Eastern nation, the Korean leader planted many trees of goodwill by overseeing the signing of dozens of agreements to strengthen political, business and cultural ties between the two countries. She told reporters on the plane back to Seoul that she believed Iran could become “a land of opportunity” for many Korean businesses, and promised to make every effort to bring about a second trade boom between Korea and the Middle East.

A Silk Road resurgence

Korea and Iran established diplomatic ties in 1962. Relations between the two,

President Park hugs a young Iranian girl at the airport.

however, go back to ancient times and the days of the Silk Road. International sanctions against Iran had strained ties between Seoul and Tehran in recent years, but a landmark deal signed in April 2015 on the Iranian nuclear program restored trust between Iran and the international community and cleared the way for Seoul to rekindle its old friendship with the Middle Eastern power. Korea has been especially eager to reestablish mutually beneficial business ties with Iran, one of the largest and youngest

markets in the Middle East. Prior to the imposition of international sanctions, Iran was Korea’s sixth-largest market for overseas construction contracts. Iran is also an attractive source of energy, boasting the world’s largest reserves of natural gas and its fourth-largest oil reserves. Given the economic importance of the visit, President Park was accompanied by the largest business delegation in the history of Korean presidential trips. Some 236 entities took part, including representatives of 146 small and mediumsized businesses, 38 large corporations, and 52 business organizations, public institutions and hospitals.

Given the economic importance of the visit, President Park was accompanied by the largest business delegation in the history of Korean presidential trips.

Looking ahead

President Park was greeted by Iranian officials when she touched down at Tehran’s Mehrabad International Airport on May 1, clad in a white headscarf. A young Iranian girl in traditional dress presented flowers to the Korean leader, a reportedly unprecedented display of warmth toward a visiting leader. In an interview with a local newspaper, President Park said, “The purpose of my visit is to further promote bilateral relations in the years to come. I have high hopes that it will become a starting point for more active interaction between our two countries.” President Park met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at Sa’dabad Palace, the presidential mansion, the following day for a historic summit. The two leaders discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest with an eye to promoting cooperation and building a partnership for shared growth. The summit yielded a joint statement that not only restored bilateral ties, but also touched on a number of pending international issues, including nuclear security and North Korea. The statement expressed Iran’s support for nuclear nonproliferation and the peaceful

President Park and President Rouhani hold summit talks.

President Park and President Rouhani hold a joint press conference after their summit.

KOREA _ June _ 41

President Park addresses Korean and Iranian business leaders on May 3.

The Korea-Iran One Heart Festival showcased Korean and Iranian sports and arts.

KOREA _ June _ 42

reunification of the Korean Peninsula. Speaking at a joint press conference after the summit, President Rouhani said, “We expect the Korean Peninsula to be changed. In principle, we are opposed to any kind of development of nuclear weapons.” President Park added, “This initial joint statement between Korea and Iran that covers our vision for, as well as specific collaborative measures for, the partnership between our two countries and its development, will work as a helpful guideline for the two parties.” Most notably, the summit proved an occasion to sign 66 memorandums of understanding, 59 of which dealt with economic cooperation. The agreements, potentially worth USD 37.1 billion, could immediately restore trade to pre-sanction levels. They also pave the way for Korean companies to take part in Iranian infrastructure projects, including the construction of railroads, airports, water resource management facilities, and oil and gas facilities. “Our nations will cooperate to restore trade and investment in both Korea and Iran,” said President Park after the summit. “We will also expand our cooperation in areas like infrastructure and energy, two sectors in which our nations have both developed along traditional and exemplary pathways. For sectors such as industrial factories, railways and container terminals, areas that are currently being undertaken by Iran, Korea will negotiate ways in which to contribute to this development.” Korean companies will also take part in high-value-added sectors including health care, the arts, and information and communications technology. Moreover, President Park unveiled a USD 25 billion finance package for joint projects in Iran, the largest such package that Seoul has ever prepared for a single nation. President Park also met with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei. During the meeting,

Ayatollah Khamenei praised Korea’s science and technology acumen and expressed hope that Iran and Korea could work together to achieve peace in the Middle East. President Park, meanwhile, suggested Korea and Iran could cooperate on developmental policy as well as in other areas of mutual interest, pointing to shared values. “Korea and Iran have more than 1,000 years of trading and exchange,” she said. “We share the historical experience of dealing with difficulties and overcoming them. We share an Asian culture that values the family and respect for elders.”

Cultural bonds

The Korea-Iran One Heart Festival, held at the landmark Milad Tower in downtown Tehran on May 2, was an opportunity to celebrate Korea-Iran cultural ties, which stretch back over a millennium. One Persian epic poem, “Kush Nama,” tells of a romance between a Persian prince and a princess from the ancient kingdom of Silla. Opening the event, President Park said, “Bonds that are more than 1,500 years old still last today.” At the festival, Korea’s Contemporary Gugak Orchestra and Iran’s National Orchestra performed “Arirang Medley,” based on the popular Korean folk tune, and an original piece from the 1987 Iranian soap opera “Ibn Sina,” which told the tale of the renowned Persian philosopher and scientist Avicenna (9801037), or Abu Ali ibn Sina. The event also featured demonstrations of the Korean martial art taekwondo and the Iranian martial art zurkhaneh. Korean popular culture holds widespread appeal in Iran. Historical TV dramas such as “Jewel in the Palace” and “Jumong” proved to be outstanding hits. “I’m aware that more than 2 million Iranians practice taekwondo all across the country,” President Park said at the event. “Also, Iranian viewers love Korean soap

President Park views artifacts at the National Museum of Iran.

operas so much that the shows ‘Jewel in the Palace’ and ‘Jumong’ won ratings of over 80 percent here.” The event also featured an exhibition of Korean traditional cultural products that included traditional cuisine, clothes, mulberry paper and herbal medicines. The exhibit drew more than 3,000 people in just one day. The admiration wasn’t one way. The following day, May 3, President Park visited the National Museum of Iran to view some of the country’s many artifacts and heritage items. Accompanied by the head of the museum, Jabrael Nokandeh, she demonstrated a keen interest in Iran’s ancient history and culture. Founded in 1937, the museum is home to 300,000 artifacts. During the visit, Korea and Iran also inked several memorandums of understanding related to cross-cultural cooperation. For example, the two sides established a partnership in the socalled “cultural and creative industries.” The National Museum of Korea and the National Museum of Iran signed a

memorandum of understanding. The two governments also agreed to host a “Year of Korea-Iran Cultural Exchange,” set for 2017, and to open a Korean cultural center in Tehran.

“I’m aware that more than 2 million Iranians practice taekwondo all across the country,” President Park said. “Also, Iranian viewers love Korean soap operas so much that the shows ‘Jewel in the Palace’ and ‘Jumong’ won ratings of over 80 percent here.” KOREA _ June _ 43

Creative Economy

A K-Transportation Wave? Korea’s smart transport technology is adopted worldwide _ Written by Andy Tebay and Nikola Medimorec

The T-Money card revolutionized Korean transportation in 2004, ushering in an integrated and domestically developed smart transportation system known for its quality and efficiency. Government officials from all over the world now visit Seoul to learn about it in hopes of emulating it in their countries. Seoul was the first city in the world to have an electronic transport card. In 1996, the U-PASS card was introduced. Based on MIFARE technology, the new card had the disadvantage of not being transferable: Bus and subway services were separate, without any discounts or transfer mechanism for users navigating both. This issue was solved in 2004, when the city overhauled the bus system and introduced median bus lanes, new bus colors and ‒ most importantly ‒ an integrated fare system. The integrated fare system was made possible thanks to the T-Money card. T-Money is a product of the Korea Smart Card Corporation, a consortium involving the Seoul Metropolitan Government, IT service provider LG CNS, and credit card companies. Nowadays, 100 percent of subway trips, 97 percent

New Zealanders use a transportation card made by a Korean consortium.

KOREA _ June _ 44

of bus trips and 59 percent of taxi rides in Seoul are paid for with T-Money. The card can also be used for purchases from convenience stores, vending machines and many other locations. Not only do the consortium’s systems lead the domestic market, but the consortium is becoming an internationally recognized company in the finance industry. LG CNS employs about 10,000 staff and plays a major role in promoting smart card systems and smart transportation technology around the world.

From Abidjan to Ulaanbaatar

Traffic control room in Bogotá, Colombia, where Koreans introduced an automatic fare system and fleet management operation in 2011 © LG CNS

T-money first entered the international market in 2008 with the implementation of a smart card solution for Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. The Korea Smart Card Corporation provided cards and readers for the Snapper card system, which was initially used on buses and for small purchases at shops. The card was a success with over 492,000 Snapper cards in circulation today and over 115 million transactions recorded to date. The system continues to be widely used across the Wellington region for numerous bus and taxi services, parking meters and retailers. It is even used at schools. The consortium went on to develop an electronic bus fare payment system for Kuala Lumpur in 2011, and so far 1,500 vehicles in the Malaysian capital are equipped. A year later, LG CNS was selected to take part in the biggest public transport project in Malaysia’s history by equipping Kuala Lumpur’s MRT Line 1 with a telecommunications system. The company is now working on establishing a fleet management system for feeder buses to 31 metro stations. It will likely play an essential role in the development of Lines 2 and 3 of the MRT system. The company has been active in several other countries and in 2011 introduced an automatic fare system and fleet management operation in Colombia’s capital, Bogotá. The Seoul Metropolitan Government also offered consulting services to Bangkok in 2012 regarding an integrated fare management system. In Indonesia, a transport operation center and highway toll system are under development following Korea’s model. The company also won against competitors from Germany and Spain in a bid to install a bus information system in Malaysia’s third-largest city, Penang. Most recently, Korean technology was implemented in Mongolia in the form of the U-Money smart card system. The “U” in the name stands for Ulaanbaatar. The cards are used both on buses and trolleys, with approximately 2,000 recharging terminals around the city. The city has also installed bus information terminals, an automatic fare collection system and a bus management system. Korean smart card technology has also reached Africa. The urban community of Cocody within Abidjan, the capital of the Ivory Coast, has been working with the Korean consortium on an automatic fare collection system since last year.

A Korean consortium built the traffic card system for Bogotá, Colombia.

Korea has been active in several countries. In 2011, it introduced an automatic fare system and fleet management operation in Colombia’s capital, Bogotá. Korea is a forerunner in the smart transportation industry and continues to share its technology with the world. The newest generation of T-Money in Korea allows payments to be made via smartphones with near-field communication chips, making purchases even more convenient. The success of Korea’s transit and information solutions lies in the improvements they provide to both public transport agencies and transport users. Korea’s smart transport systems improve efficiency and reduce travel costs, while increasing convenience for passengers.

KOREA _ June _ 45

Global Korea

Sharing Skills, Knowledge and Experience Korea will put development know-how to work through a new Korea-Africa Infrastructure Cooperation Facility _ Written by Ian Im

KEPCO’s microgrid facility in Mozambique is the company’s first effort to apply its technology overseas.

Cooperation between Korea and the nations of Africa is poised to grow even closer. At a meeting at the Korea Technology Center in Seoul on March 27, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Joo Hyunghwan and Africa Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina agreed to create the Korea-Africa Infrastructure Cooperation Facility. This new body will coordinate cooperation between the two sides in the field of infrastructure development, including electrical power generation, energy, water resources, information and communications technology and road construction. With the participation of Korea, the AfDB, and other national and corporate entities throughout the African

KOREA _ June _ 46

continent, the facility will promote joint projects by uncovering and sharing information on promising infrastructural ventures. The two sides also agreed to actively discuss financing for promising projects, which may entail the use of AfDB investment funds. The bank plans to spend USD 12 billion over the next five years to improve energy distribution in Africa.

Energy, water and infrastructure

The Korea-Africa Infrastructure Cooperation Facility will focus on three key sectors: energy, including the generation and transmission of electricity and the building of smart grids;

water resources, including development and maintenance; and infrastructure, including the development of information and communications technology, roads and railways. Speaking about the energy sector, Adesina noted that to promote industrialization, Africa needed not only electricitygenerating facilities, but also the skills and technology to prevent power leakages. Korea’s power transmission network, Joo pointed out, is one of the most efficient in the world with an electricity loss rate of just 3 percent. Adesina also said that Africa needed clean water, roads, railroads and information and communications technology in order to industrialize and urbanize. Here, too, Joo suggested Korea had much to offer, with world-class water resource development and infrastructure construction. Korea also excels at building IT infrastructure, including broadband internet networks, he added.

and know-how on economic development and would welcome opportunities to help African nations develop. “Korea attained economic development after identifying promising industries and focusing policy priorities on them,” he said. “I suggest African countries concentrate their policy efforts on strategically chosen initiatives and plans.” Yoo also said Korea would pump a further USD 600 million into the Korea Economic Development Cooperation Fund by 2018 to help African countries. The Korea Economic Development Cooperation Fund is a bilateral official development assistance program established in 1987 to promote industrialization and economic development in developing countries. The fresh USD 600 million would go to African development projects. Korea provided USD 270 million in loans to African nations through the Korea Economic Development Cooperation Fund last year.

Know-how and operational excellence

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Joo Hyung-hwan and AfDB President Akinwumi Adesina meet in Seoul.

Korea brings more than just technology to the table. Korean companies have acquired considerable know-how in the field of infrastructure development, acquired over decades of experience in developing key infrastructure projects, including power plants, both at home and overseas. What’s more, Korean companies possess operation and maintenance skills that set them apart. As Joo explained to Adesina during the meeting, Korean firms get infrastructure development projects done on time, on budget, and with an exceptional level of quality. In particular, he noted, Korean firms differ from their American, European and Japanese counterparts in that they can offer support tailored to the development level of each specific partner nation, based on Korea’s own economic development experience. Korean companies would also proactively hire locals. This would not only create jobs and increase employment, but would also facilitate the transfer of skills, knowledge and development experience. Joo and Adesina also agreed that the creation of the KoreaAfrica Infrastructure Cooperation Facility was a welcome opportunity to expand cooperation between the two sides. The two agreed to work continually to promote Korea-Africa trade and cooperation between small and medium-sized businesses. Adesina said, “Korea is an inspiration to me - a country that has transformed itself from receiving to giving aid in a very short time.”

USD 600 million in additional assistance

Adesina also met with Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between Korea and the nations of Africa. Yoo said Korea was prepared to share its experience

A solar power facility in Mozambique

KOREA _ June _ 47

Flavor

Kongnamul Haejangguk Keep the hangover away with this favorite way to end a late night out _ Written by Eugene Kim Photographed by aostudio Kang Jinju

If there are two dishes for which the southwestern city of Jeonju, the so-called capital of Korean cuisine, is famous, they are bibimbap and kongnamul haejangguk. While the former is already well known internationally, the latter is still little known beyond Korean shores. Which is a shame, really, because nothing settles the stomach and generally puts the world right after a late night out like a nice hot bowl of restorative kongnamul haejangguk, the ultimate hangover cure. Kongnamul haejangguk is a rich, brothy soup made from bean sprouts, rice, kimchi, scallions, garlic and beef stock, served in a heavy earthen pot. Diners will often add salt, scallions, garlic, chili powder and fermented shrimp or other condiments to the soup, too, according to taste. The soup is often served with a cup of moju, a “hair of the dog” concoction made by boiling makgeolli, sugar, cinnamon and wheat flower. Jeonju is renowned for the quality of its bean sprouts, or kongnamul. In the days of Joseon (1392-1910), when the city, then the political and commercial center of southwest Korea, was widely

KOREA _ June _ 48

praised for its agricultural abundance, bean sprouts were considered one of the city’s 10 delicacies. Originating from the nearby region of Imsil, the beans are said to resemble a rat’s eye, so are sometimes called “rat’s-eye beans.” In addition to being an excellent source of protein, bean sprouts are also effective in preventing various forms of cancer, heart disease and other lifestyle diseases. Bean sprouts are also rich in asparaginic acid, which helps protect the liver by stimulating alcohol dehydrogenases, enzymes that break down alcohol, a toxin. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that beans are a common ingredient in hangover remedies, including kongnamul haejangguk. Blessed with great food, pleasant surroundings and artistic, highly cultured residents, Jeonju is a town that has long enjoyed having a good time, and restaurants serving kongnamul haejangguk are ubiquitous. Many open in the early morning hours, just when a bowl of kongnamul haejangguk is most in need, and close around lunchtime.

__ Recipe for kongnamul haejangguk: Make a broth using dried anchovies and set aside. Thinly slice kimchi, red and green peppers, and scallions. Chop squid into chunks and blanch. Add bean sprouts to the anchovy broth, season with salted fermented shrimp, soy sauce and salt, and boil. Top with prepared kimchi, peppers, scallions and squid. Crack an egg into a small bowl and let it cook in a hot-water bath. Serve egg with soup.

KOREA _ June _ 49

Korean Keyword

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

Turning psychic in Korea

눈치 | Nunchi

John Kim (not his real name), age 27 and new to the company, was hesitant when his boss told him he could call it a day an hour early. A look around the office showed that the rest of the rookies were still floundering in heaps of paperwork. Kim thanked his boss for his generosity, politely declined, and resumed working. Later, upon being asked why he hadn’t left when he’d had the chance, Kim whispered, “Nunchi.” Nunchi is a Korean word for the ability to take hints, or read the vibe. Those proficient in the art of nunchi intuitively comprehend the underlying current of sentiments between people. Even without being told directly, they understand what is expected of them in certain situations and do or don’t do things that are appropriate or inappropriate in the context. Based on nunchi, Kim determined that leaving the office early could adversely affect his relationships with his colleagues and lower him in the eyes of the company’s higher-ranking employees. Although the ability to read people is important everywhere in the world, it is even more essential in Korea, where the culture is largely group-oriented and much communication is done indirectly and implicitly out of politeness. Some of the key ways people use the word nunchi in a sentence are nunchi boyeo, nunchi ppareuda and nunchi eopda. These terms translate, respectively, to being cautious, quick and slow. Kim’s office story falls in the nunchi boyeo category. A person who feels subtle tensions in the atmosphere can use this phrase in the first person to express that he or she is in an uncomfortable or embarrassing situation. Being quick, nunchi ppareuda, is used as a compliment for people who know what to say and do to please others, and who melt into the group. These people are either very shrewd or are natural empathizers. The opposite expression, nunchi eopda, is a reprimand directed toward people who lack attention to nunchi. These people are clumsy in that they can be unintentionally blunt. People who lack nunchi might say things that sound rude and upsetting in the presence of specific listeners. A romantic crush who is perpetually clueless also belongs in this group.

KOREA _ June _ 50

Korean Art Through Coloring

Pattern painted on wooden halls of Bohyeonsa Temple

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June 2016

박물관에서는 사진을 찍으면 안 돼요.

An exciting time for Korean art Forged in the crucible of Korea’s dramatic modern history, Korea’s modern artists have been earning international plaudits since at least the 1960s. In the last couple of years, however, the Korean art world has really come into its own. Led by dansaekhwa, an exquisitely minimalist form of monochrome painting, Korean modern art is drawing the attention of overseas curators, collectors and auction houses. Dansaekhwa alone has been the highlight at recent exhibits in Los Angeles, New York, London, Venice and Basel. Nevertheless, the complex historical, cultural, social, economic and political forces that have shaped Korea’s art scene are little understood, especially in the West. In this issue, we survey the past and present of Korea’s modern art in order both to understand its deeper messages and predict trends to come. _ Editorial staff, KOREA

Bangmulgwaneseoneun sajineul jjigeumyeon an dwaeyo.

Photography is prohibited in the museum.

극장에서는 음식을 먹어도 돼요.

도서관에서는 음식을 먹으면 안 돼요.

Geukjangeseoneun eumsigeul meogeodo dwaeyo.

Doseogwaneseoneun eumsigeul meogeumyeon an dwaeyo.

You can eat in the theater.

You can’t eat in the library.

공원에서는 사진을 찍어도 돼요.

박물관에서는 사진을 찍으면 안 돼요.

Gongwoneseoneun sajineul jjigeodo dwaeyo.

Bangmulgwaneseoneun sajineul jjigeumyeon an dwaeyo.

Photography is allowed in the park.

Photography is prohibited in the museum.

-아도/어도 되다

Let’s practice!

The pattern “-아도/어도 되다” is added to verb stems to express permission or consent. “-아도 되다” is used if the final vowel of the verb stem ends in “ㅏ” or “ㅗ” and “-어도 되다” is used for all other vowel endings.

다음 장소에서 주의할 일에 대해 말해 보세요.

Talk about what to watch out for in the places below.

-(으)면 안 되다

교실

극장

박물관

classroom

theater

museum

The pattern “-(으)면 안 되다” is added to verb stems to express prohibition. “-으면” is used after verb stems ending in any consonant except “ㄹ”; “-면” is used after verb stems ending in a vowel or “ㄹ.”

Korean Culture

한국에서는 담배를 피울 수 없는 곳이 늘고 있다. ‘금연’은 담배를 피울 수 없다는 뜻이다. 요즘에는 야외에서도 주변에 이런 표시가 있는지 잘 봐야 한다. 일단 사람이 많은 곳에서는 담배를 피우지 않 는 것이 좋다. 또 술을 마실 수 없는 금주 지역도 점점 늘고 있다.

No Smoking Korea is increasing its smoking bans in public places. Geumyeon means “no smoking.” These days, signs with this phrase can be found on streets and in bus stations, parks, palaces and other outdoor facilities throughout Korea. Smokers therefore have to keep an eye out for such signs when they’re outside. As a rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to avoid smoking in any place with lots of people. Public places that prohibit drinking are also on the rise.

지하철

기숙사

subway

dormitory

교실에서 음식을 먹어도 돼요?

Gyosireseo eumsigeul meogeodo dwaeyo?

Can we eat in the classroom?

금연 이런 금연 표시를 길거리나 버스 정류장, 공원이나 고궁 같은 야외에서도 많이 볼 수 있다. 그래서

공원

park

먹어도 되지만 냄새가 심한 음식은 먹으면 안 돼요.

Meogeodo doejiman naemsaega simhan eumsigeun meogeumyeon an dwaeyo.

Yes, you can, but no foods with strong smells.