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Monthly Magazine

January 2018

January 2018

Cover Story

PyeongChang 2018 www. korea.net

KOREA takes a deep dive into the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

2월에 평창으로 갈까요?

Iwore Pyeongchangeuro galkkayo?

Shall we visit Pyeongchang in February?

American composer John Williams said, “The Olympics are a wonderful metaphor for world cooperation, the kind of international competition that’s wholesome and healthy, an interplay between countries that represents the best in all of us.” That spirit has arrived at the small mountain town of Pyeongchang, the host of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. As symbolized by the slogan “Passion.

Connected,” the games promise to be a global festival that promotes the excitement of winter sports to a wider audience, especially in Asia.

This special issue of KOREA takes an in-depth look at the coming Games.

We give you the low-down on who and what to watch, share tips on what to do in Pyeongchang, talk with the curator in charge of the art programs accompanying the Games, learn about some hot Olympic merchandise and more.

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

밍밍 씨, 2월에 한국에서 큰 축제가 개최될 예정이에요.

Yes, I heard that the Winter Olympics will be held, right?

네, 맞아요. 강원도 평창에서 개최될 거예요.

Ne, majayo. Gangwondo pyeongchang-eseo gaechoedoel geoyeyo.

Yes, that’s right. The games will be held in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do.

좋아요. 같이 경기를 보러 갑시다.

Joayo. Gachi gyeonggireul boreo gapsida.

우리 같이 2월에 평창으로 갈까요?

Creative Director Lee Seung Ho

Uri gachi iwore pyeongchangeuro galkkayo?

Shall we visit Pyeongchang in February?

Sure. Let’s go to watch the games.

나래 Narae

밍밍 Mingming

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

V–ㄴ/는다지요?

Let’s practice!

Used when speaking with a senior, “V–ㄴ/는다지요?” is used to confirm or ask about something the speaker has already heard or knows. It can be shortened to “–ㄴ/는다죠?”

Try having a conversation with these questions.

Cover Photo Photo courtesy of POCOG

ex. 나래 씨가 다이어트를 위해 저녁을 안 먹어요

PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games promotional ambassador and former figure skater Kim Yuna and Olympic and Paralympic mascots Soohorang and Bandabi

Narae doesn’t eat dinner because she is on a diet. ⇒ Is it true that Narae doesn’t eat dinner because she is on a diet?

⇒ 나래 씨가 다이어트를 하느라고 저녁을 안 먹는다지요?

Q: 한국 사람들이 겨울에 _______에 ______(으)러 많이 간다지요?

It is true many Korean people go to ____ to _____?

A: 네, ______에 ______(으)러 많이 간다고 이야기 들었어요.

Yes, I heard that many of them go to ______ to _______.

Q: 한국 사람들이 겨울에 _______을/를 많이 먹는다지요? 밍밍 씨의 여동생이 봄에 결혼을 한대요.

It is true that many Koreans eat _____ a lot during the winter season?

⇒ 밍밍 씨의 여동생이 봄에 결혼을 한다지요?

Mingming’s sister will get married in the spring. ⇒ I heard that Mingming’s sister will get married in the spring, right?

V–(으)러 “V–(으)러” is combined with a verb to express the purpose of movement.

It is often used with verbs related to movement such as “to come,” “to go” and “to travel.” ex.점심을 먹으러 식당에 가고 있어요.

I’m going to a restaurant to have lunch.

_ Editorial staff, KOREA

Ah! Donggyeollimpigi gaechoedoendajiyo?

Mingming, Korea will hold a big festival in February.

Copy Editors Gregory Eaves, Anna Bloom

Designers Lee Bok-hyun, Jung Hyun-young

아! 동계올림픽이 개최된다지요?

Mingming ssi, iwore hangugeseo keun chukjega gaechoedoel yejeong-ieyo.

다음 주가 시험이라서 공부하러 도서관에 가요.

I’m going to the library to study for the exam next week. 우리 집에 차 마시러 와요.

Come to my house to have tea.

A: 네, 겨울에 ______을/를 많이 먹는대요.

Yes, I heard that they eat ______ a lot during the winter season.

Korean Culture Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do, the site for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, is called the “Alps of Korea.” Many Koreans visit Pyeongchang to ski and snowboard during the winter.

Aside from winter sports, the region is also well-known for adventurous sports such as paragliding, horseback riding, dog sledding, riding allterrain vehicles, and rafting. More than 60 percent of its total land sits above 700 meters above sea level, and such a high altitude makes for beautiful snowy scenery. Will you visit Pyeongchang this February to enjoy the winter scenery and try the local food?

Co nte nt s

04 Cover Story PyeongChang 2018: A Primer

28 Korea & I Pyeongchang Through the Lens

KOREA takes a deep dive into the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

Landscape photographer John Steele shares some of his favorite locations in and around the host region of PyeongChang 2018

1. The design of PyeongChang 2018 2. Team Korea: a preview 3. PyeongChang’s Olympic venues 4. New events in 2018 5. Athletes to watch © POCOG

30 Arts & Entertainment Experience the Heritage of Gangwon-do Festivals and events marking PyeongChang 2018 celebrate the beauty and traditions of the host province

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Global Korea

Osaka Celebrates PyeongChang with K-pop, Exhibit of Sports Helmets in New York Celebrates PyeongChang Games and What ‘The Return of Superman’ Can Teach Us

40 Literature The Auntie Next Door Park Wan-suh turned tragic history into literary art

44 Flavor Comfort Food by the Handful Sweet and filling, yakbap chases away the winter blues.

18 Travel An Olympic Trek Gangwon-do’s Olympic Aribau-gil is an adventure through some of Korea’s most spectacular country

34 Korean Culture in Brief 24 People Connected Through the Arts Curator Chung Joonmo brings plenty of art to the world’s biggest winter sporting event

Korean Musical Instruments Go on Display in Barcelona, Star Chefs Serve the Flavors of Gangwon-do, Web Drama Captures Excitement of Short Track Skating and more

46 Learning Korean Soohorang and Bandabi Let’s look at the linguistic significance of PyeongChang 2018’s mascots

36 Current Korea The Hottest Winter Olympics Merchandise From long, padded PyeongChang coats to Soohorang tote bags, PyeongChang 2018 is good for business

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

Cover Story 1 »

Written by Robert Koehler Photos courtesy of POCOG

PyeongChang Design Symbols of the games inspired by traditional motifs and ideas

“As an athlete, part of the excitement of participating in the games is discovering the culture and traditions of the host country, and for the PyeongChang Games, that discovery begins today with this new identity.

Combining elements of the Korean alphabet and Oriental philosophy, this new brand will allow people to immediately connect with Korea and the 2018 Games vision of New Horizons.”

So said IOC President Jacques Rogge following the unveiling of the emblem of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

PyeongChang 2018’s design, as reflected in its emblem, pictograms, medals and even the Olympic torch, receives its inspiration from the beauty of traditional Korea, including the Hangeul writing system. Rarely has the symbolism of the Olympics so thoroughly reflected the unique aesthetic of the host nation.

games, but also embody their messages of passion, humanity, peace and harmony.

The tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies boast gold and silver snowflakes and expressions of excitement for the ceremonies, against a white background, which symbolizes winter sports.

The event tickets, on the other hand, use pictograms composed of lines inspired by the Hangeul alphabet. Though beautifully simple, the pictograms feel solid, each one expressing the movements of the disciplines in dynamic angles. Their lines also maintain the space found in the official emblem.

Though all the event tickets have white backgrounds, each event uses its own color for the other visual elements, including the pictograms.

Traditional elements for the modern games The emblem of PyeongChang 2018 “symbolises a world open to everyone,” according to the official Olympic website. It draws on Korea’s indigenous writing system, or Hangeul. The two elements represent the first consonants in the syllables that make up the word “PyeongChang.” The first character also represents the philosophy of cheonjiin, a philosophy that seeks harmony between heaven, earth and humanity. The second character symbolizes snow, ice and the athletes themselves.

The commemorative tickets for PyeongChang 2018 also make use of Hangeul, as well as depictions of snowflakes and pictograms of the events. They express Korean tradition, classical beauty and the excitement of winter sports. There are 28 kinds of tickets – one for the opening ceremony, one for the closing ceremony and 26 for the individual events. The Hangeul and snowflakes not only express the atmosphere of the

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The commemorative admission tickets combine classical Korean beauty and the dynamism of sports with designs that incorporate Hangeul, snowflakes and pictograms.

‘Let Everyone Shine’

The design of the Olympic Torch not only incorporates elements symbolizing Pyeongchang and the games, but also reflects the beauty of Korean white porcelain.

Hangeul

Lines of Hangeul

Graphic elements

The pictograms representing each event are composed of visual elements taken from Hangeul.

The Olympic torch was unveiled to the public on Sept.

8. Soon after, it began an eight-day, 2,018-kilometer relay and a prayer for a successful round of games, held under the slogan, “Let Everyone Shine.”

Like the Olympic emblem and pictograms, the Olympic torch uses traditional Korean elements to create a work that is as beautiful as it is practical. The torch, designed by Kim Young-se, is white, which represents winter sports, but also reflects a motif based on the elegant white porcelain, or baekja, of Joseon times (1392–1910). Its body is composed of five flames that form a single starburst at the top. The torch is 700 millimeters, a symbolic number as Pyeongchang is 700 meters above sea level.

The torch was designed to keep burning in inclement weather such as rain, snow and heavy wind.

When wind blows toward the flame, an air tunnel is created that provides the flame with even more oxygen. A hole at the bottom allows water to drain.

Very traditional medals The gold, silver and bronze medals, designed by industrial designer Lee Suk-woo, were inspired by three very traditional elements: the Korean alphabet, Hangeul; traditional clothing, Hanbok; and traditional homes, Hanok.

The Hangeul consonants for “PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games,” ㅍ,ㅊ,ㄷ,ㄱ,ㅇ,ㄹ and ㅍ, were stretched out into cylinders, which were then sliced like rice cakes to form the medals. Indeed, when viewed from the side, the medals spell “PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.”

The strap of the medals are made of gapsa, a traditional fabric that is lightweight and sheer. Using traditional techniques, the Hangeul consonants and snowflake pattern are weaved into the fabric. The PyeongChang 2018 wordmark and the Olympic emblem, meanwhile, are stitched using traditional embroidery.

Not to be neglected, the wooden case for the medals adopts the simple, elegant lines of the curved eaves of a traditional Hanok home.

The Olympic medals incorporate the Korean words for “PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games.”

KOREA January_ 5

Cover Story 2 »

Written by S.J. Lee Photo courtesy of POCOG

Time to Catch the Olympic Fever Short track, figure skating among events to watch during PyeongChang 2018

On July 6, 2011, at the 123rd IOC Session in Durban, South African, Pyeongchang finally won its bid to host the Olympic Winter Games. That was more than six years ago, and now the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are right around the corner. It really set in that the Winter Games were so close when people watched the Olympic torch arrive at Incheon International Airport. As the torch continues its way around the nation, Korean athletes have their eyes on the prize, hoping to surpass the six gold medals they won in 2010 at the Vancouver Winter Games. Expectations are high, but the question is, in which competitions can Korea expect medals, and which competitions should we focus on come February?

Opening ceremony The opening ceremony is, without a doubt, the biggest event in the Olympics. It’s where the nation welcomes the world. While performances from some of the top Korean pop stars will highlight the ceremony, the actual program will be a well-kept secret until the very last moment.

What are sports fans here in the nation really looking forward to, however, especially during the opening ceremony? Everyone is most excited to find out who will be the final torch bearer and who will get to light the Olympic cauldron, officially kicking off the Winter Olympic Games. It’s the best kept secret in the Olympics, as no one knows yet who those people are going to be.

You can always speculate, though.

If Park Ji-sung, one of the most recognizable names in Korean football, started it, one can only expect the most recognizable winter sports athlete will finish it. Who better than the “Figure Queen” herself, Kim Yuna, who not only won the first-ever Korean figure skating gold in Vancouver, but has been doing

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a great deal to promote the Winter Games after her retirement.

Robotic games With Korea, one of the world’s most technologically ambitious nations, doing the hosting, the 2018 Winter Games promise to be some of the most high tech ever.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy plans to use no fewer than 85 robots as volunteers during the games. The games will employ 11 kinds of robots, including multilingual ones that provide schedule and tourism information and others that paint murals on the venue walls. LG, too, has introduced two robots at Incheon International Airport for the games, a cleaning robot and an airport information guide.

Figure skating Speaking of Kim Yuna, she’s done much more than just win the hearts of the nation with her mesmerizing performance at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, where she won the gold. She’s been a role model to the hundreds, if not thousands, of young skaters who all want to be the next Kim Yuna. The figure skating competition is sure to be the hottest ticket during the games.

Who is the next “Figure Queen?”

Remember this name: Choi Da-bin. At the young age of 17, she’s impressed not only figure skating fans, but also the queen herself, Kim Yuna.

Finishing first in the 2017 Asian Winter Games, she’s Korea’s best bet at a podium finish.

A snowboarder takes off during the second official training day at the FIS Snowboard World Cup in 2016.

KOREA January_ 7

Korean athletes have their eyes on the prize, hoping to surpass the six gold medals they won in 2010 at the Vancouver Winter Games.

Short track We might not see any medals during the figure skating competitions, but you can bet that Korea is going to win a whole bunch during the short track competitions. Of Korea’s 26 gold medals in the Winter Olympics, 21 of them came in short track speedskating.

Take the women’s short track team. The team boasts two young stars in Choi Min-jeong and

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Shim Suk-hee, two of the best short track stars in the world. Whether it be the women’s 500-meter, 1,000-meter, 1,500-meter or the 3,000-meter relay, the Korean women’s team has a great shot at sweeping the gold. That is, unless, disqualifications come into play. Unfortunately, Korea did fall victim to disqualifications during the past, and that’s something to watch out for.

How about the men’s team? After the Kim Dongsung era, and losing Ahn Hyun-soo, a.k.a. Viktor Ahn, to Russia in 2011, the men’s team hasn’t been the same. In February, however, we should see a resurgence of the men’s short track team led by young stars Lim Hyo-jun and Hwang Dae-heon, who’ve been dominating the international competition throughout the 2017–2018 season.

Speedskating If Korea is great at short track, that must mean that the nation is also great at speedskating, right? Actually, they’ve only been great since the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games, when Lee Sang-hwa surprised everyone with the women’s 500-meter gold, and then again during the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.

While it’ll be tough for Lee Sang-hwa to pull off a three-peat during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games, the nation can still expect a couple of podium finishes. Enter Lee Seung-hoon, a 29-year-old speedskater who had to go through a number of obstacles in life. His parents tried to get him to give up training after the 1997 Asian financial crisis, and he missed out on joining the short track national team.

However, after finding success in speedskating, not only did he win gold in the 10,000-meter race in 2010, but now he’s regarded as the best in the world in the mass start competition.

Hopefully through Lee Seung-hoon, and possibly even a surprise finish from the others, Korea can add a couple of medals in the speed skating competition.

Skeleton In its Winter Olympic history, Korea has won 42 medals in short track, nine medals in speedskating,

and one medal in figure skating. That’s 53 medals total, all from skating competitions. The nation has won not a single medal in a non-skating competition. That might change in February, however.

Meet Yun Sung-bin, a 23-year-old skeleton slider who will wear more than just his trademark Iron Man helmet but also the Korean flag on his uniform. Yun first garnered attention in the 2013–2014 season, when he finished fifth overall at the 2013–2014 FIBT Intercontinental Cup Tour. He then won his first ever World Cup gold in 2014, becoming the first Korean skeleton slider to finish on top of the podium at an international event.

That gold medal was certainly not his last.

While Martins Dukurs of Latvia is widely considered the best skeleton slider in the world, Yun

has taken over that title this season. In the 2017– 2018 World Cup season, Yun has already won two gold medals, back-to-back. He’s currently the top ranked skeleton slider in the 2017–2018 World Cup season, and he’s zooming right into Pyeongchang with that momentum.

Closing ceremony On Feb. 25, 2018, Pyeongchang will say farewell to the Winter Olympics but say hello to what’s to come as the new Asian hub for winter sports. Fulfilling that destiny will be the nation’s biggest task. Despite all the distractions and nay-sayers leading up to the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, the competition will go smoothly. Korea has experience hosting some of the biggest international sporting events, and it has done a great job every single time. With so many venues from the past Olympics just going to waste, will Korea be an exception? Only time will tell. For now, let’s get excited as Olympic fever takes over the nation.

Gangneung hosts the ISU World Cup Short Track 2016 finals.

KOREA January_ 9

Cover Story 3

»

Written by Lee Kijun Photos courtesy of POCOG

Close, Comfortable and Convenient PyeongChang 2018’s venues utilize location and technology to provide an optimal experience for athletes and spectators

The venues of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are the most densely clustered in the history of the Olympics. Every venue is within 30 minutes of the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium, which will host the opening and closing ceremonies. The pentagonal Olympic Stadium, which can hold 35,000 people, ensures that wherever spectators are seated, they will have the same view.

PyeongChang Mountain Cluster The competition venues are divided into two

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clusters, the PyeongChang Mountain Cluster and the Gangneung Coastal Cluster.

The PyeongChang Mountain Cluster will be home to outdoor snow sports, like the ski jump, crosscountry skiing and bobsleigh. For those competitions, the cluster has the Alpensia Biathlon Centre, Alpensia Cross-Country Skiing Centre, Alpensia Ski Jumping Centre, Olympic Sliding Centre, Phoenix Snow Park, Jeongseon Alpine Centre and Yongpyong Alpine Centre.

Newly built on land initially used as a golf course, the Cross-Country Skiing Centre will use two different racing lines, each with four varying course lengths –

3.75 kilometers, 3.3 kilometers, 2.5 kilometers and 2 kilometers.

The latest building in the cluster is the Sliding Centre, which was just completed in December 2017.

State-of-the-art technologies were applied to the center to help protect people from the elements, minimize heat leakage and help maintain excellent ice conditions for competition surfaces.

Some facilities were built in previous years when Pyeongchang was still bidding for the Winter Olympics. For instance, the Ski Jumping Centre was established in 2009, prior to Pyeongchang winning the bid in 2011. The Alpensia Biathlon Centre is a popular stop on the international biathlon circuit, hosting the 2009 International Biathlon Union World Championships.

Gangneung Coastal Cluster Gangneung, on the other hand, will host ice sports competitions like hockey, figure skating, speedskating and curling. Venues in Gangneung are about 20 kilometers east of the PyeongChang Mountain Cluster.

Facilities there are the Gangneung Curling Centre,

Gangneung Hockey Centre, Gangneung Ice Arena, Gangneung Oval and Kwandong Hockey Centre.

Venues such as the Ice Arena, Oval and Hockey Centre are newly built and have been hosting test events and practice runs to ensure they are ready for the Olympic Games. The Gangneung Ice Arena seats a whopping 12,000, reflecting the popularity in Korea of figure skating and short track speedskating.

Located next to the Ice Arena is the Gangneung Oval, which hosts the speedskating events. It has a 400-meter double track and a seating capacity of 8,000.

Four-time Olympic champion Ireen Wust, who won the women’s 3,000-meter at the 2017 World Speed Skating Championships held at the Gangneung Oval, praised the quality of the ice at the venue. “The ice meister did a good job and I could skate really fast,” she said.

Next door is the Gangneung Hockey Centre, which can accommodate 10,000 spectators and is where the men’s hockey games will be held. Outside the Hockey Centre is an empty running track, which will be turned into a festival area as part of the Gangneung Olympic Park.

The PyeongChang Mountain Cluster hosts the Game's outdoor snow sports.

KOREA January_ 11

Cover Story 4 »

Written by S.J. Lee Photos courtesy of POCOG

Something a Little New Four events are set to debut at PyeongChang 2018

The International Olympic Committee has added four new events to its program for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. It has also dropped the men’s and women’s snowboard parallel slalom events.

The committee hopes the moves will boost the appeal of the Olympic Winter program to young audiences around the world and bring better gender equality to the games.

in 2008. The event was also held at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck 2012 and Lillehammer 2016.

Alpine skiing team event

Curling mixed doubles Believe it or not, Korea has shown quite a bit of interest in curling, a sport many Koreans had never heard of until the recent success of the women’s national team.

Accordingly, it’s only fair to add another competition in curling to further boost the sport’s popularity, but at the same time, push for gender equality in the sport.

In contrast to the four-person teams of the traditional curling competition, the mixed doubles showcases two players, one woman and one man.

Rather than the traditional eight stones, they play with six, and there are only eight ends, compared to the traditional 10.

The idea was first put into play during the very first World Mixed Doubles Curling Championships

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Speaking of gender equality at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, the alpine skiing team event will also see a mix of both men and women. The new event features a mixed team of two men and two women, forming one team, as they compete against other national teams in head-to-head slalom races.

In each pair, two male and two female skiers from each team race a parallel slalom in a best-of-four competition. The competition doesn’t end with one race. Some 16 teams start the event as they compete in a knockout format over four rounds, hoping to claim a spot on the podium.

Speedskating mass start While Korea has long been regarded as the best in the world when it comes to short track, it’s only been recently that the nation has seen success in the

the finish line will earn a spot on the podium.

Once again, with many of the Korean speedskaters having previous experiences in short track, skaters like Lee Seung-hoon in the men’s competition and Kim Bo-reum over in the women’s competition are top contenders. While a gold medal is never guaranteed, it sure boosts the nation’s chances at adding to the final medal tally.

Big air snowboarding speedskating arena. It’s only fair, therefore, that people were excited to learn that another speedskating event was added to PyeongChang 2018.

Enter, the speedskating mass start.

The mass start events were first introduced to the World Cup circuit during the 2011–2012 season. They now make their debut at the Winter Olympics. While the traditional speedskating competition consists of two skaters in each race, with the top three best times winning medals, the mass start event consists of all the skaters competing at the same time in a 16-lap race.

Just like in short track, the first three skaters to cross

In the 1990s, kids around the world idolized skateboarders such as Tony Hawk. Seeing Tony launch off the ramp to perform tricks made both boys and girls want to become the next skateboarding star.

Accordingly, big air snowboarding should garner a ton of attention from younger audiences.

With the total height of the ramps reaching up to 49 meters and a maximum slope angle of 40 degrees, the big air competition sees snowboarders ride down a steep ramp before launching off a large ramp known as a kicker to perform their tricks. The main goal of the event? Do as many jaw-dropping tricks in the allotted time, and claim your spot on top of the podium.

KOREA January_ 15

Cover Story 5 »

Written by Hahna Yoon Photos courtesy of Yonhap News

A PyeongChang Olympics Cheat Sheet Get the inside scoop on the most anticipated Olympians

Outside Seoul’s City Hall, a blue clock slowly counts down the days, hours, minutes and seconds to the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan performs during the ticking neon red. As athletes men's free skating at make their preparations and the ISU Figure Skating audience members frantically World Team Trophy in Tokyo in April 2017. reserve accommodations, casual Olympic enthusiasts are left wondering when to tune into programming. For sports novices pumped for the winter competition, here’s a quick low-down on the most anticipated events.

Figures skating thriller According to Business Insider, figure skating is the most popular sport when it comes to the Winter Olympics, and this year, all eyes are on Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu. A 2014 Olympic gold winner and 12-time world record breaker, pressure is especially strong for 23-year-old Hanyu as he hurt his ankle in rehearsals for the NHK Trophy. Former Russian Olympic medal winner Evgeni Plushenko has come out in support of Hanyu, and Hanyu has admitted frankly that he wants to win again. Emerging United States figure skater Nathan Chen has also been eyeing the gold and has stated that he’s looking forward to competing against Hanyu. Will Hanyu reign supreme or will a new name come in and sweep the prize?

Going downhill Speaking of prizes, not only did Lindsey Vonn become the first woman from the U.S. to take away the gold in the downhill competition during the 2010 Winter Olympics, she has four World Cup Championship

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wins under her belt. In public more so than the average alpine skier, Vonn has been a correspondent for NBC News and appeared on “Law & Order,” “Access Hollywood” and “The Late Show with David Letterman” and has been linked with professional golfer Tiger Woods.

Although Vonn recently crashed while skiing in Lake Louise, she simply tweeted “Well, that hurt” and seems more determined than ever to take away the gold in Pyeongchang.

The last hurrah for the most medaled Winter Olympian?

Who could be more interesting to watch than the most medaled Winter Olympian, Ole Einar Bjorndalen?

Crowned the King of Biathlon and sometimes called King Ole, the 13gold winner has mastered the art combining cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. He’s so serious about sports that Norwegian TV reporter Anders Skjerdingstad once called him “a bit of a boring person” for his lack of controversy. It seems the only reason Bjorndalen has made headlines in the past few years is his talk about retiring, announcing and taking back the decision several times. According to rumors, he claims Pyeongchang will surely be his last competition. If he goes, will he go out in a blaze of glory?

While King Ole rules over biathlon, Sara Takanashi dominates the world of women’s ski jump. Sharing the title for the most individual World Cup victories

Ole Einar Bjorndalen of Norway competes in the men’s 10-kilometer spring event during the 2016–2017 IBU Biathlon World Cup in Pyeongchang.

with 53 wins, Takanashi is also an overall four-time World Cup title winner. Unfortunately, the Japanese athlete actually missed her chance for gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympics when her second jump was only 98.5 meters and she placed what she called a “dreadfully disappointing” fourth.

Data company Gracenote has predicted Japan will take away three gold medals from the 2018 Olympics – will one of them come from Takanashi?

No snow?

No problem

Lindsey Vonn of the United States competes in the women’s alpine skiing event during the FIS Ski World Cup in Pyeongchang.

Moving on to team competitions, the bobsled team from Nigeria will be the first-ever African nation to compete in the event. The only other time that a team from a country with no snow has competed in the sport was in the 1988 Calgary Olympics when

Jamaica’s National Team participated, serving as the inspiration for the film “Cool Runnings.” Driver Seun Adigun and brakepersons Ngozi Onwumere and Akuoma Omeoga were once track and field athletes and are now stoked about coming to Pyeongchang. “We are from a continent that would never imagine sliding down ice at 80 or 90 miles per hour,” Adigun told the BBC last year.

“I find the idea of getting people to take to that inspiring in itself.”

Nigeria is not the only country with a first.

Singapore’s short track speedskater Cheyenne Goh has become the first athlete from a Southeast Asian country to quality for the Winter Olympics. Although it was originally expected that short track skater Lucas Ng would compete, he was unable to qualify due to an injury, and it seems that country’s hopes fall on Goh. Despite the pressure, Goh tells the Straits Times about her excitement, “It feels so crazy. I know it’s true, but there’s still a part of me that doesn’t really believe it.”

For an up-to-date schedule of events and the fate of Olympic dreams, go to pyeongchang2018.com.

© Visa Inc.

The Nigerian women’s bobsled team is the first African nation to take part in the event.

KOREA January_ 17

Travel

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Âť

Written and photographed by Robert Koehler

An Olympic Trek Gangwon-do’s Olympic Aribau-gil is an adventure through some of Korea’s most spectacular country

Giant wind turbines dominate the highlands along the Seonjaryeong, a ridge in Daegwallyeong.

KOREA January_ 19

Snow covers the trail through the highlands of Pyeongchang.

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The Olympic Aribau-gil’s name is a combination of three elements, each representing one of the three towns it connects: the Olympics for Pyeongchang, the folk song “Arirang” for Jeongseon and Gangneung’s Bau-gil, a popular preexisting system of hiking trails connecting the East Sea with Gangneung’s mountainous interior. The 131.7-kilometer trail opened to the public on Oct. 14, the end of a process that began in 2015 and cost a total of KRW 3.3 billion.

The trail takes hikers through some of Gangwon-do’s most beautiful stretches of scenery, introducing the region’s rich history and heritage along the way. Trekkers are treated to panoramic scenes such as the highland farms of the Anbandegi, the sunrise over the East Sea and the mountain splendor of the Daegwallyeong Pass. They also get to experience Jeongseon’s historical five-day market, rail biking through the province’s deep valleys and two traditions registered with UNESCO: Jeongseon’s version of the folk song “Arirang” and the Gangneung Danoje, a springtime festival with roots in the country’s age-old shamanist traditions.

Where to eat The Jeongseon Arirang Five-Day Market is a good place to score local favorites. If you’re in Gangneung, try the tofu made with sea water at Chodang Sundubu Village.

Where to stay The best assortment of accommodations is in Gangneung. If you’re flush with cash, the Alpensia Ski Resort is a great place to stay, although it may be booked out during the Olympic period.

Getting there To get to Gangneung, simply take the KTX from Cheongnyangni Station.

To get to Jeongseon, take a bus from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal or a train from Cheongnyangni Station.

(Top) Anbandegi is Korea's highest village at over 1,000 meters above sea level.

(Bottom) A sign along the Olympic Aribau-gil points the way.

Nine choices

The Aribau-gil stretches from Jeongseon’s five-day market in the west to Gangneung’s Gangmun Beach in the east. To hike the entire trail, you’d need at least a week. Fortunately, organizers divided the trail into nine more easily navigable sections, each one focusing on the beauty, history and heritage of region through which it winds.

Course 1 runs 17.1 kilometers from Jeongseon Arirang Five-Day Market to Najeon Station, passing the Joyanggang Observatory along the way. First opened in 1966 and held on the second, seventh, 12th, 17th, 22nd and 27th day of every month, Jeongseon Arirang Five-Day Market is one of the country’s largest countryside markets. It’s a good place to pick up wild mountain greens and medicinal herbs. Be sure to sample some of the local culinary favorites, too, such as rice with wild greens, or gondeure namul bap, potato dumpling soup, or ongsimi, or chewy buckwheat noodles, or kotdeungchigi guksu. On the trail, make sure your camera is ready at the Joyanggang Observatory, a scenic spot overlooking a sharp bend in the Joyanggang River. The resulting oxbow resembles the Korean Peninsula.

Running 20.5 kilometers from Najeon Station to Gujeolli Station, Course 2 is the longest section. The trail is mostly flat, however, so it presents no particular difficulties.

Passing several scenic passes, this hike takes you to Auraji, a “lake” where the Songcheon and Goljicheon streams come together. This is where the boatmen of old would depart,

KOREA January_ 21

Gyeongpo Lake is one of Gangneung's best known scenic spots.

Olympic Aribau-gil Gangmun Beach Route

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17.7 km

Gyeongpodae Ojukheon

Songyang Elementary School Route

9.3 km

Route

11.0 km

8 7

Royal Tomb of King Myeongjugun Bohyeonsa Temple Bus Stop

Route

6

14.7 km

Old Daegwallyeong Road

Daegwallyeong Rest Stop Route

5

12.1 km

Neunggyeongbong Mt. Gorupogisan

Anbandegi Route

4

14.0 km Baenadeuri Maeul

Route

3

12.9 km

Mt. Nochusan Iseongdae

Gujeol-ri Station Route

2

20.5 km

Auraji Station

Najeon Station Route

1

17.1 km

Joyanggang Observatory

Jeongseon Arirang Five-Day Market

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their rafts laden with timber bound for Seoul. It’s also the home of the Jeongseon “Arirang,” a soulful folk song born of the sadness of the boatmen’s wives as they watched their husbands sail away on the long and sometime dangerous voyage.

Though not long at 12.9 kilometers, Course 3 is the toughest trail as it involves summiting mighty Mt. Nochusan, a 1,322 meter peak with views of the surrounding mountains. The best views, however, are not from the summit, but from Iseongdae, a small Confucian shrine just below the peak. Beyond the peak, on the road to Baenadeuri Village, is a collection of 3,000 stone pagodas, erected by a local elderly woman from 1986 to her death in 2011.

Course 4 runs 14.0 kilometers, mostly along the Songcheon Stream. Its terminus, however, is Anbandegi, a highland agricultural community founded in 1965. At 1,100 meters above sea level, this “village above the clouds” is Korea’s highest settlement. The views at sunrise, when clouds gather in the valleys below, are inspiring.

Course 5, meanwhile, runs 12.1 kilometers though the heart of the Baekdudaegan, Korea’s mountainous spine.

While it does contain the highest section of the trail, it also starts and ends pretty high, making it less difficult than it might initially seem. The peaks of Mt. Gorupogisan (1,238 meters) and Neungyeongbong (1,123 meters) offer panoramic views of the Baekdudaegan’s endless sea of ridges.

Running 14.7 kilometers from Daegwallyeong Rest Stop to Bohyeonsa Temple Bus Stop, Course 6 follows the so-called “Old Daegwallyeong Road.” In the old days, the winding trail through the mountains was the main transportation artery linking Gangneung’s coastal strip to the interior. Merchants used the road to transport fish and other marine goods from the coast inland and agricultural goods from inland to the coast.

Lovers of the Korean red pine will want to try Course 7, an 11.7 kilometer walk through some of Korea’s thickest pine forests. Course 8, meanwhile, takes you 11 kilometers from the Royal Tomb of King Myeongjugun to Songyang Elementary School. Along the way you’ll pass Gorau Village, where the Catholic martyr Stephen Sim lived.

The final section, Course 9, runs 17.7 kilometers through the city of Gangneung. It passes some of the city’s most important historical sites, including Ojukheon, the boyhood home of the great Joseon scholar Yi I and his mother, the renowned artist Sin Saimdang. You’ll also pass the seaside hillock of Gyeongpodae before reaching the end of the trail, the scenic seashore of Gangmun Beach.

The sun rises over Gangmun Beach, where the Olympic Arabau-gil ends.

KOREA January_ 23

People Âť Written by Jennifer Flinn Photographed by 15 Studio

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Connected Through the Arts Curator Chung Joonmo brings plenty of art to the world’s biggest winter sporting event

The upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games inspire more people than just top athletic talents. While aspiring sports stars have always looked to the event as the pinnacle of their careers, the Olympics stands for far more than just sports. International cooperation has always been at its very core, just as much as fencing or ice skating or any other test of physical prowess.

As Korea warms up for the winter sporting event, citizens both of this country and from across the globe look forward to a variety of cultural events meant to tie people together even as they root for different teams.

In the run-up to the 2018 Olympic Games, cultural events have been an ongoing part of the celebrations, with a special emphasis on artistic possibilities. One major exhibition sought to highlight the work of Korean artists through the creation of banners called “All. Connected,” which were paired with citizen messages of hope and encouragement. While the banners are the work of thousands of individual artists, the collection and arrangement of them is principally the work of one man: curator Chung Joonmo.

“I’ve been a curator for thirty-five years now,” Chung says. “I’m part of the first generation of curators to come out of undergraduate and graduate school here. It wasn’t a common job at all when I first started. I also worked for theaters, department stores, all kinds of jobs.” After finishing an undergraduate degree in Western painting at Chung-Ang University and completing graduate work at Hongik University, Chung ended up becoming a curator instead of focusing solely on his own art, working to help shape the modern art scene in Korea. “I wanted to help those who painted rather than painting for myself,” he says.

What resulted was a wide-ranging career that has brought accolades and awards and has included a startling range of activities: “One of my early jobs was working in one of the major department stores, finding and arranging paintings and setting up the interior five times a year, for spring, summer, winter, fall and Christmas,” Chung reminisces. “Even now, companies are really interested in being able to match their interiors and their interests with modern art.”

The art program “All. Connected” exhibits art banners that connect 2,018 works by Korea’s leading visual artists with Olympic slogans submitted by citizens.

KOREA January_ 25

© culturebooks

Bringing art to unusual spaces

Chung’s 2014 book, “Masterpieces of Modern Korean Painting,” explores 108 works by 91 Korean modern artists.

One of Chung’s specialties is creating unusual spaces for art, repurposing and reusing buildings in surprising ways to highlight the art placed inside. Chung was involved in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s stunning renovation and reworking of the National Theater in Myeongdong, and for the Cheongju International Craft Biennale in Chungcheongbuk-do, he turned an old tobacco factory into a home for the arts festival. His career has also included curation work at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Deoksugung Palace in Seoul.

He’s worked extensively with the Gwangju International Biennale as head of exhibitions and has a long history as curator for the Total Museum of Contemporary Art in Pyeongchang-dong in Seoul, the first private art institute in Korea. His long career and interesting opportunities have not been lost on him, though.

“When I look back at all these things,” he says, “I feel so very lucky.”

When Chung took on the project of creating the banner exhibit as part of the Cultural Olympiad that leads up to the Olympic Games, his instincts as a curator were that this was an exceptionally important moment. The ties between art and sport, and particularly between the Olympics and art in South Korea, are strong, and the games have been inspirational to Koreans on political, social and artistic levels throughout modern history.

Olympic potential for artistic expression

As Chung says, “After the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics, many young people and artists went to study abroad for the first time, and I think that my friends who worked then had a lot to touch on the nature of modernism. I would like to introduce their work in a well-organized way, and I would like to try to re-examine them again, as many of the artists who worked in those particular generations are forgotten.”

The upcoming PyeongChang Olympics also have the potential to open up new possibilities for athletes, citizens and artists. While people usually think about the Olympics as a purely athletic endeavor, it has always been a venue for cultural events and celebrations, particularly on the part of the host nation. As part of these cultural events, Chung was selected to help organize the “All. Connected” exhibit, which brought together more than 2,000 Korean artists to create individual banners for display prior to the games.

“I thought that it was a good opportunity for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games to be held at

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this moment in time, and I thought that I should give back something to meet the expectations of the people and show the benefits to artists. Korea has developed and changed so much since the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, which are now more than thirty years in the past, I thought it would be nice if I help show off some of those changes for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics,” says Chung.

Watching the arts flutter in the Olympic breeze

“I thought that it would work well to collect the images of different works by different artists and use them as a banner. It was a playful idea for the Republic of Korea, with everything blowing and fluttering in the wind. Flags are dynamic and have a pleasant image,” Chung says.

“Once we had a concept, I went around networking.

It was difficult to get so many different artists to agree to participate in the project. It took about a month for political reasons, such as explaining the purpose of the many copyright consent documents and how the project was going to be used. But it turned out really well – there was so much enthusiasm for participation, and the network was excellent. One artist would tell another and help get them on board until we had enough. I think there is so much intention or will for this project to succeed.”

Once the artists were on board, they had substantial freedom in creating their images, and then the public was brought on board to contribute comments online.

“Creating the exhibition wasn’t easy,” he says, “but I was surprised because the reactions were so much better than I thought. I think the Korean people are very serious about art and looking at it. I think it’s great that the 2,018 artists were able to gather. For the viewers, though, I think it makes room for them to think about why they like a picture, because they made a comment. It is another way for people to appreciate painting, which creates an opportunity to broaden people’s appreciation for the basics of art.”

When it came time to display the works publicly, Chung also went for a more open, welcoming display method that helps people appreciate the works in new ways.

Bringing it all together

“Sports and arts are seemingly different, but they both share an element of participation,” Chung says. “Sure, sports depends on rankings and winning while art usually doesn’t.

However, I think that athletes don't only run for themselves but also for the people who cheer them on. Sports also has a

place for participating in the audience. The important thing in both art and sports is to connect with that audience and what they think is important. What does it mean when Park Tae-hwan swims alone without an audience?”

Overall, Chung is philosophical about his role as curator for the exhibit and about bringing it all together. “If we think of each artwork as a single word, the job of a curator is to think about how to combine them and put each of those words together to make a pleasing sentence. How can I make it all come together beautifully? It was difficult this time because I was working with many different artists, but in the end it all worked together for a wonderful collection.”

As for himself, he doesn’t claim to be much of a sportsman, but Chung does look forward to one particular event at the upcoming games.

“I really want to see the bobsledding events! It goes by so quickly – in just a few hundredths of a second it passes you by – but the process of all those points coming together to form a line seems so enjoyable and beautiful.”

KOREA January_ 27

Korea & I

Âť

Written and photographed by John Steele

Pyeongchang Through the Lens Landscape photographer John Steele shares some of his favorite locations in and around the host region of PyeongChang 2018

In just a few short weeks, the eyes of the world will be focused on Pyeongchang, the host of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, as athletes from around the globe come to represent their respective countries in the highly anticipated event. The mountainous town, located close to the east coast of Korea in the province of Gangwon-do, about three hours east of Seoul, was mostly unknown to the world before being awarded the Olympic bid in 2011. To those living in Korea, however, and to landscape photographers in particular, the same scenic beauty that helped Pyeongchang to secure the Olympic bid has made it and its surrounding areas one of the best destinations to visit and photograph.

Pyeongchang favorites

Starting off right in Pyeongchang, the Daegwallyeong Sheep Farm is one of the most highly recommended spots in the area for photographers. The snow-covered slopes with flowing fence lines, combined with the mix of clustered and lonely trees, provide ample composition ideas, especially for the minimalists at heart. With a log cabin shack perfectly placed at the top of one of the aforementioned slopes and at the end of fence lines that lead the eye right to it, the sheep farm was definitely designed with photographers in mind.

In addition to Daegwallyeong, Woljeongsa Temple is another must-see in Pyeongchang for

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photographers. This charming monastery, located on the side of Mt. Odaesan, was founded in the year 643 and is one of the head temples for the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Picturesque year round, these sacred grounds are at their best in winter when the snow conceals everything but the penetrating reds and greens of the temple structures’ eaves.

Heading east a few miles out of Pyeongchang towards the coast on Highway 50, the cabbage patch of Anbandegi in the city of Gangneung has become of one the most popular sunrise spots for photographers over the past decade or so. With a sloping field of bright green future kimchi in the foreground and layers of mountain ridges as far as the eye can see, this farm particularly shines in late August just days before the cabbage is picked. With a little luck, a thick sea of clouds will hover in the valley below and an epic sun will rise just over the ridges in the distance.

Coastal sunrises

Continuing on all the way to the east coast is the unmistakable Jeongdongjin Beach and Sunrise Park, also located in the city of Gangneung. This long stretch of smooth, sandy beach lined with groves of pine trees and a charming, old-timey train station just behind it was the setting for the popular Korean TV show “Sandglass.” Since that time, the area has become a getaway for young couples and fans of the show. Even though the widespread popularity of Jeongdongjin is relatively recent, it has long been a favorite spot for landscape photographers mainly due to its signature feature, a strikingly massive ship with a gorgeous shape that rests in the distance on the edge of the East Sea. Standing on the beach in the early morning, the shoreline curls perfectly around to meet the ship’s silhouette as the sun rises over the horizon of the sea, creating yet another quintessential landscape.

Up and down the east coast are numerous locations to photograph sunrises within an hour or two of Pyeongchang. First, to the north, is Younggeumjeong Pavilion in Sokcho. This location has a number of worthwhile compositions, most notably the vantage point on the hill overlooking a sleek walkway leading to the pavilion out on the sea. At sunrise time, this view is truly breathtaking. To the south is Chuam Beach in Samcheok, where the sun rises over the tip of the Chotdaebawi, or “Candle Rock,” resembling the glow of a burning candle.

The sun rises over Anbandegi.

KOREA January_ 29

Arts & Entertainment

» Written by Jennifer Chang

Experience the Heritage of Gangwon-do Festivals and events marking PyeongChang 2018 celebrate the beauty and traditions of the host province © Pyeongchang Winter Festival

A family enjoys the Daegwallyeong Snow Festival.

The regional government of Gangwon-do is dedicated to providing a rich cultural experience to visitors from around the world ahead of, during and after the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The host city of Pyeongchang, subhost cities Gangneung and Jeongseon, and various other surrounding cities are offering a wide variety of festivals and events, from fireworks to musical performances and winter activities. These events aim to do more than simply entertain foreign visitors.

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The local government aims to provide programs that will enhance awareness of the regional heritage of Gangwon-do, programs the authorities plan to continue even after the conclusion of the games, to strengthen local tourism.

Pyeongchang Also known as the “Alps of Korea,” the host city of Pyeongchang is located in mountains that boast fresh, clean air and conditions

© Pyeongchang Winter Festival

A huge snow sculpture marks the Daegwallyeong Snow Festival.

The local government aims to provide programs that will enhance awareness of the regional heritage of Gangwon-do.

© PyeongChang Winter Music Festival

ideal for winter sports. From Dec. 22 to Feb. 25, visitors to the region will be able to enjoy the Pyeongchang Winter Festival. In light of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympics, two popular festivals, the Pyeongchang Trout Festival and Daegwallyeong Snow Festival, have been combined into one integrated winter festival. Visitors will be able to experience activities like ice fishing, snow sledding and catching trout with their bare hands. There will also be cooking classes, a snow sculpture competition, and the Daegwallyeong Semi-Nude Marathon, where participants brave sub-zero temperatures wearing only their pants.

Biennale 2018 and a reenactment of a Joseon royal funeral procession.

The 2018 PyeongChang Winter Music Festival, to be held from Jan. 30 to Feb. 16, offers a musical tribute to the upcoming games. With performances being offered in five cities – Seoul, Gangneung, Wonju, Chuncheon and Pyeongchang – and world class artistic directors like Chung Myunghwa and Chung Kyung-Hwa, visitors can enjoy a wide range of musical genres, from classical to jazz to traditional Korean music. There will also be surprising and innovative collaborations between the various genres.

The audience will be able to experience the juxtaposition of the traditional and the modern through performances that will include classical music, jazz, opera, ballet and pansori, a genre of musical storytelling performed by a vocalist and a drummer, recognized as an element of Korea’s Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Running from Feb. 3 to Mar. 18, the Gangwon International Biennale 2018 will open to the public with the theme, “The

Gangneung Located at the middle point of the Korean Peninsula, the city of Gangneung is sandwiched between the East Sea and the Taebaeksan Mountains. A popular seaside tourist destination on the beautiful east coast, Gangneung adds its flavor to the upcoming games through various cultural events, including the PyeongChang Winter Music Festival, the Gangwon International

Leading local and international artists fill Seoul and Gangneung with the sounds of classical music during the PyeongChang Winter Music Festival.

KOREA January_ 31

© Lee Wan

With the theme, “The Dictionary of Evil,” the Gangwon Biennale exhibits about 100 works by local and international artists, including Lee Wan’s “Proper Time.”

With its many variations, “Arirang” represents all the joys and sorrows of Korean history and the lives of people here.

Famous for its version of “Arirang,” a beloved folk song and another element of Korea’s Intangible Cultural Heritage, Jeongseon will be hosting the 2018 Jeongseon Arirang Festival from Feb. 1 to Mar. 31 at Jeongseon Arirang Center. Visitors will be able to learn about this unofficial national anthem of Korea through performances that highlight the Jeongseon “Arirang,” as well as some of the other popular forms from Miryang, Jindo and Gyeonggi. Although the exact origins of “Arirang” are unknown, it is believed that the Jeongseon “Arirang” dates back over 600 years, making it the oldest known form in Korea. With its many variations, “Arirang” represents all the joys and sorrows of Korean history and the lives of people here. Performances at the 2018 Jeongseon Arirang Festival will include traditional forms as well as collaborations with modern dance. Visitors will also be able to participate in the Jeongseon Arirang Training Program that will run from January to February at the Jeongseon Arirang Training Center. The training program will offer participants the rare opportunity to work with nationally

© Jeongseon Arirang Festival

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Dictionary of Evil.” With keywords like coexistence, peace and equality that are often associated with the Olympics, the biennale’s art director Hong Kyoung-han wants to explore some of the darkest examples of evil through the artists’ perspectives, raising questions in the process. With 60 teams of artists from 20 countries, the exhibit will feature around 100 pieces of media art, paintings, sculpture and performance art and touch upon subjects like political crises, refugees, violence, immigration, identity, war and power.

On Feb. 12 and 23, visitors will be able to observe the re-enactment of a Joseon state funeral, in memory of King Danjong, the 6th king of Joseon, who lost the throne when he was overthrown by his uncle and exiled to Yeongwol where he died. The event will be based on the protocols and procedures of state funerals during the period of King Yeongjo, who reigned from 1724 to 1776, featuring a royal funeral procession from the days of early Joseon. Extensive historical research into the ceremonial rituals, costumes and utensils is being showcased to give the ceremony its utmost historical significance.

Jeongseon

The Jeongseon Arirang Festival celebrates one of Korea’s most beloved folk songs.

The Romantic Chuncheon Festival, the representative winter festival of Chuncheon, runs for 38 days from Dec. 22 to Jan. 28.

recognized masters. From February to March, visitors will also be able to enjoy other experiences, like cooking traditional Korean dishes and making handicrafts at the Jeongseon Arari Village or visiting traditional markets.

Chuncheon

Š Pyeongchang Winter Festival

The capital of Gangwon-do, Chuncheon is a well-known and popular tourist destination famous for its local dish of grilled chicken marinated in a sauce made of spicy red pepper paste, or dakgalbi. The Romantic Chuncheon Festival, the representative winter festival of Chuncheon, runs for 38 days from Dec. 22 to Jan. 28 at the Gonggicheon-Euiam Park.

Festival organizers are gearing up to actively build momentum for the upcoming Olympic Games through various winter activities and cultural events. The festival will open with a celebratory ceremony featuring a musical gala show and other performances that will stir up anticipation and excitement for the upcoming games. Throughout the festival, visitors will be able to enjoy winter activities such as ice skating and traditional games. At the various stations, festival participants can enjoy seasonal holidaythemed events for Christmas and the New Year. There will be food trucks and a special resting area where there will be DJs and performances by musicians of the 1970s and 1980s.

On Jan. 13, Chuncheon will also host a G-30 laser and fireworks show in the area surrounding the Soyanggang Skywalk, the longest see-through promenade in the nation.

The event will feature a presentation on the schedule and logistics of the Olympic Games and performances including a magic show, and will finish with the laser and fireworks show.

Fireworks celebrate the opening of the Pyeongchang Winter Festival’s Daegwallyeong Snow Festival.

KOREA January_ 33

Korean Culture in Brief »

Star Chefs Serve the Flavors of Gangwon-do © Pyeongchang-gun

© Jeongseong-gun

Korean Musical Instruments Go on Display in Barcelona

© National Gugak Center

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from Gangneung. Kwon’s dishes, created in collaboration with the county of Pyeongchang, include buckwheat pasta, deodeok rolled pasta, trout dumplings and chocolate potatoes. Choi’s creations, produced in cooperation with Im Ho-suk of the Catholic Kwandong University in Gangneung, include cream potato ongsimi and dubu samhap.

Web Drama Captures Excitement of Short Track Skating © Yonhap News

Traditional Korean musical instruments such as the 12-stringed zither, or gayageum, and the two-stringed fiddle, or haegeum, have made the long journey to Europe. The Museu de la Musica de Barcelona’s exhibit, “Eolssigu, the Sounds of Korean Music,” features some 80 objects related to traditional Korean music, including 22 donated by the National Gugak Center in Seoul.

Spanish musician Horacio Curti, a professor at the Escola Superior de Musica de Catalunya and an attendee at the National Gugak Center’s international gugak workshop in 2015, led efforts to organize the exhibit.

In addition to traditional musical instruments, the exhibit also includes objects such as the traditional masks, or tal, used in Korean mask dances.

The provincial government of Gangwondo has brought out the culinary big guns ahead of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

The authorities tasked celebrity chefs such as Edward Kwon and Choi Hyunseok with preparing 30 specialties using local ingredients, such as buckwheat, trout, beef and dried pollock from Pyeongchang and potatoes and tofu

An online show to be released in January attempts to capture the excitement, tension and sacrifice that goes into short track skating. Sponsored by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Radio Promotion Association, “Short” chronicles the mythical career of a short track athlete who rises from obscurity to become the best in the world and later a coach. It stars popular actor Kang Tae-oh and rising fashion icon Doyeon from the pop group Weki Meki.

Kim Yong-hwa, Stan Lee Team Up for ‘Prodigal’

Sci-Fi Promotional Video for PyeongChang Gets Enthusiastic Response Set against the futuristic backdrop of Dongdaemun Design Plaza, it chronicles Korea’s dramatic rise from the ashes of the Korean War and promotes a message of peace. Created by the Korean Culture and Information Service and released in nine languages, the video had been seen by nearly 3 million people on Facebook and YouTube just a week after its release on Nov. 14.

© KOCIS

Director Kim Yong-hwa, the man behind hits such as “Take Off,” “Mr. Go” and “200 Pound Beauty,” teams up with Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment and Luka Productions to produce “Prodigal,” the Korean filmmaker’s first Hollywood film. Kim, who also directed the highly anticipated “Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds,” announced the upcoming film at Los Angeles Comic Con on Oct. 29. Veteran writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who participated in productions such as “Spider Man 2” and “Iron Man,” will pen the script, a superhero tale that explores paternal love.

Internet users around the world seemingly love a science fiction-inspired promotional video for the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. The fiveminute video, entitled “The Last A.I (Join in PyeongChang, Join in Peace),” follows a humanoid robot, the last cyborg left on the planet in the year 2045, as she explains why the robots lost their decade-long battle with humans.

© Dexter studios © Visit Korea Committee

Korea Grand Sale Welcomes PyeongChang Visitors The biggest shopping event of the year is getting in the Olympic spirit. Held for 40 days from Jan. 18 to Feb. 28, the Korea Grand Sale offers international tourists all sorts of advantages and benefits, including discounts at department stores, duty free shops, transportation, lodgings, beauty clinics, restaurants and entertainment

venues. This year’s festival will also inform attendees about the cultural and tourist resources of the province of Gangwon-do.

Han Kyung-ah, the secretary general of the Visit Korea Committee, the festival’s organizer, called the celebration “a comprehensive cultural event that focuses on shopping.”

KOREA January_ 35

Current Korea

»

Written by Hahna Yoon Photos courtesy of POCOG

The Hottest Winter Olympics Merchandise From long, padded PyeongChang coats to Soohorang tote bags, PyeongChang 2018 is good for business

You can purchase official PyeongChang 2018 merchandise at 29 stores, the official online store and, during the the Games, at Olympic venues.

also love the simple, straight lines of the design.

Going on sale on Oct. 24, the coats were sold out in two weeks at both the offline and online stores. Lines circled the block outside the official PyeongChang merchandise stores located at several Lotte Department Stores that carried the coats.

The craze has gotten so that digital news outlet Quartz even wrote an article titled, “Koreans are more excited over the Winter Olympics coat than attending the event itself.”

According to the Korea Herald, “PyeongChang Long Padding” was the most trending search word on Nov. 17 on Korea’s biggest search engine, with people asking about plans for their restock.

Accessible accessories With only a few weeks left before the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, fans around the world are readying their hearts and opening their wallets.

Which goods have been flying off the shelves?

Which goods are available for purchase and what makes some goods so popular?

The official mascots for the Olympic and Paralympic Games are doing their part to promote PyeongChang merchandise.

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Padded coats go viral Topping the list of hot goods are long, padded PyeongChang coats. The coats are available in black, gray and white and are supposedly very warm relative to their lightness because of their goose-down filling. Fans of the coat

For those looking for smaller, more conveniently-sized products, accessories are good alternatives. In this category, the “finger heart gloves” are high in demand. Available in pink, grey and navy, the tip of the index finger and the thumb are red, creating a distinct red heart when crossing your index finger and thumb, a popular hand gesture in Korea. The official PyeongChang logo is stamped on the back of the hand. Made of 100 percent acrylic, the gloves’ elasticity can endure hundreds of hearts being thrown out.

Soohorang the white tiger and Bandabi the Asiatic black bear, are the official mascots for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and are doing their part to promote PyeongChang merchandise. According to the PyeongChang

PyeongChang 2018 long, padded jackets sold out quickly because of their clean design and good value.

These gloves form a red heart when you cross the thumb and forefinger.

Popular items include mugs and keychains featuring the Olympic mascots.

The Olympic mascots even have their own Nanoblock sets.

Organizing Committee for the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (POCOG), Soohorang was chosen because tigers are a symbol of trust, strength and protection.

POCOG chose Bandabi because bears are a symbol of will and courage. Both animals are meant to embody the spirit of the Olympics.

Some of Soohorang’s success has been attributed to the similarity in name to pop group Exo’s lead singer, Suho.

One of the hottest Soohorang items are the Soohorang dolls dressed in traditional Hanbok.

Soohorang is available in the traditional groom’s Hanbok and in the traditional bride’s Hanbok. Bandabi and Soohorang tote bags are also available. Each bag has 12 different faces of each of the mascots printed on one side.

The Soohorang bag is available in mint and gray, while the Bandabi bag is available in pink.

Mittens, socks, earmuffs, beanies, passport holders and wallets are also available.

Something a bit more traditional For those looking for PyeongChang items with a slightly more “Korea” feel, the official merchandise store also has a section named Traditional Arts & Crafts. Included in this section are products such as a brassware spoon and chopsticks set made of 78 percent copper, tablemats embroidered with traditional Korean arts, and brass Korean-style hand bells ornamented with a Soohorang key chain.

With increased demand for PyeongChang Olympic items, there has also been a growth of counterfeit items available. According to an article in the UPI last month, “Marketers are taking advantage of unsuspecting buyers and luring them to purchase products that look similar online, and are being sold under brands like ‘PengChang.’” For official PyeongChang Olympics merchandise, make sure to check out their online shop at pyeongchangolympics2018. com (local customers only) or check out one of the 29 official PyeongChang Merchandise stores at a Lotte Department Store or other major shops. You can also buy it at the Olympic venues during the period of the games.

KOREA January_ 37

Global Korea »

Osaka

Osaka Celebrates PyeongChang with K-pop

of K-pop and dancing held at Osaka’s Matsushita IMP Hall on Nov. 19. Eight groups from Kyushu and the Kansai region performed cover dances and recreations of dance sets from popular K-pop music videos. The performances were interspersed with promotional

videos and explanations about the town of Pyeongchang, the province of Gangwon-do and the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games. The band Snuper, popular in both Korea and Japan, performed as well, delighting fans with four numbers.

Exhibit of Sports Helmets in New artistically designed by 100 artists and designers to celebrate 100 days until the York Celebrates PyeongChang start of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games

peace, advancement, movement, play, power, balance, joy, drama, challenge and sports. The exhibit also features 10 works inspired by the Olympic keywords by six Korean-American fashion designers.

The Korean Cultural Center Osaka celebrated 100 days to the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games with the “Go! Go! To PyeongChang 2018 K-Festival,” a night

New York

Gallery Korea of the Korean Cultural Center in New York is hosting the exhibition “Passion. Connected. 100 X 100” through Jan. 31. The exhibition showcases 100 winter sports helmets,

38

and Paralympic Winter Games. The artists created their own unique helmets based on the officially designated Olympic keywords: harmony, people, passion, friendship, possibility, fairness,

Written by Korea.net Honorary Reporter Nadine Postigo

What ‘The Return of Superman’ Can Teach Us Popular reality show highlights the changing role of the father

© KBS

“Fathers may not be perfect, but that’s alright if they aren’t perfect! There’s nothing like a father’s love to boost our spirits. The dads who used to spend all their time working have returned home on ‘The Return of Superman.’”

So KBS describes its TV show “The Return of Superman,” which started out as a special program for the Chuseok holiday in 2013. The pilot episodes were happily watched by viewers at home over the holidays, and this turned it into one of the most loved and amusing family shows on broadcaster KBS. The reality-variety program revolves around fathers being left alone with their children for 48 hours, without any assistance from their wives. Whether they stay home or go out for an adventure is up to them. Traditionally, women are thought to be more handson in terms of household chores or taking care of children, while men work outside the home. However, this show

tries to challenge the fathers by forcing them to switch roles. Whether it’s cooking or going to the dentist, which is always a daunting challenge for parents, the dads have to do it by themselves.

One of the dads on the show is soccer player Lee Dong-gook, who has to look after all five of his children on his own.

The saying “it takes a village to raise a child” can definitely be seen on the show, as strangers, neighbors or staff offer to help when they see the fathers struggling. In some episodes, some of the dads get together to share their stories, and the more experienced parents tend to give advice to the newer parents. At other times, the fathers bring their children with them to work.

The kids usually have a great time with this, and they have a chance to see their fathers in a totally new light. The whole family, including grandparents or other relatives, also appear on the show from time to time, and viewers get a glimpse

into their daily lives.

The show is also a great way to invite viewers to come to Korea, as it takes the audience to many scenic spots and shows the mouth-watering food of Korean cuisine. Fans of pop music are also in for a treat whenever other celebrities have cameos on the show. Pop stars like Epik High, Big Bang, Winner, Exo, Girls’ Generation, Rain and Jang Geun Suk have all made cameos on the show.

I’m a big fan of the show. I saw how most dads started out awkward, not knowing how to read the body language of their toddlers or how to appease them. However, over the months, I saw how they learned and understood more as they built a more harmonious and loving relationship. I also feel that I’m somewhat part of the family, as I get to watch the kids grow up and take their first steps or say their first words.

KOREA January_ 39

Literature

»

Written by Barry Welsh Illustrated by Kim Yoon-myung

The Auntie Next Door Park Wan-suh turned tragic history into literary art

© Robert Koehler

Park Wan-suh’s death from gall bladder cancer in 2011 was met with an outpouring of public grief.

The 80-year-old novelist had come to be known as yeopjib ajumma – “the auntie next door” – for her conversational style of writing and witty, colloquial stories about the social conventions and complexities of life. Beloved by millions across the country, her fans openly mourned the passing of a true literary icon.

Although Park had not launched her literary career until she was

40

almost 40, she became a prolific writer who would eventually write around 20 novels and almost 150 short stories, as well as children’s books and many essays on a wide variety of topics. Her career spanned four decades and she kept writing up until her death. Her final piece of work, “Roads Not Taken Are More Beautiful,” a celebration of old age and nature, was published just a few months before she passed away.

Park remains one of the few Korean writers whose work

connected with both the general public, who bought millions of copies of her books, and the notoriously fickle Korean literary establishment, who bestowed numerous prestigious awards upon her across the breadth of her career. Behind this success however, was a woman who had lived a difficult life and experienced a great deal of tragedy.

New woman Park Wan-suh lived through some

Park was one of the few writers whose work connected with both the general public and Korean literary establishment.

Lonesome You Written by Park Wan-suh Translated by Elizabeth Haejin Yoon Published in 2013 by Dalkey Archive Press 252 pages

of the most turbulent, chaotic and dramatic periods of Korea’s modern history.

She was born in 1931 in a small country village near Kaesong in Gyeonggi-do – an area that now belongs to North Korea. She was raised during the Japanese colonization period, and her father passed away when she was an infant. As a young girl, her newly widowed mother unceremoniously uprooted Park from a cherished childhood home surrounded by nature and the warm love of her grandparents and dragged her to Seoul, where she was intent on turning her uncomprehending daughter into a “new woman.”

Park was abruptly thrown into a difficult, impoverished life in a ramshackle slum-like neighborhood called Hyonjodong on the outskirts of Seoul. There she lived while her mother sewed dresses for entertainers and desperately tried to scrape enough money together to buy a house inside the city walls.

After a series of childhood tribulations Park would eventually graduate from Sookmyung Girls’ High School. In 1950 she was among the first female students to be admitted to the Department of Korean Language and Literature at the prestigious Seoul National University. However, her studies were almost immediately cut short with the sudden outbreak of the Korean War in June 1950.

The war and its aftermath would have a profound effect on Park. Her brother died during the war, leaving Park scarred and traumatized. She would go on to marry in 1953, the same year the war ended, and started raising a family. This too was tinged with tragedy. Her only son died in a traffic accident while studying to be a doctor in 1988. Her husband would also die that year. She wrote about the death of her son in a retrospective of her work in 2000. She wrote, “One of my

beloved children suddenly disappeared when he was in his prime. All that kept me from going insane was the hope that I would soon follow him wherever he is.” This tragic event became the basis for a short novel called “My Very Last Possession.” Turning tragedy into literature is one of the things for which Park is most celebrated.

A portrait of the artist as a little girl As a result of these experiences, Park had a deep well of sadness from which to draw from and by which to be inspired. She would often write about her early childhood and the traumatic experience of being transplanted from an idyllic, pastoral life in the countryside to an entirely strange new life in bustling, overcrowded, dirty Seoul.

In the autobiographical novels “Who Ate Up All the Shinga?” and “Mother’s Stake,” she recounts her experiences as a child and the dislocation she felt trying to adapt to a new life in the unfamiliar city.

Both novels reflect many of the same events, albeit from sometimes different perspectives. They tell the story of a young girl and a proud mother struggling to improve their living circumstances and coming to terms with the hardships that life imposes.

Park often said, “Things that have not been experienced cannot be written,” and these novels represent her attempts to record and make sense of her life experiences. She mines her memories for rich observations about the difficult lives those on the fringes of society were often forced to live.

“Who Ate Up All the Shinga?” charts the progression of her consciousness at this time with such clear perception that literary critic Choi Kyeong-hee

KOREA January_ 41

described the book as “a portrait of the artist as a little girl.”

The value of literature Apart from the lingering trauma of childhood, Park would often return to the legacy of the Korean War in her fiction, and in particular how the war had affected women – “For the sake of survival, I had to endure every indignity and act of brutality that you can imagine. What kept me alive amid all the grief was my desire to document life. There were times I had to crawl like a worm – a deep sense of regret that built up into a desire for revenge maintained my last bastion of self-esteem. I wanted to document the injustices of the war. It was at that moment that I realized the value of literature”.

One such novel she wrote is “Three Days in That Autumn.” It tells the harrowing story of a doctor who was raped during the war and now works in post-war Seoul as a gynecologist obsessed with aborting unwanted babies. Park draws a vivid psychological profile of a woman nearing retirement and the tragic

42

events that have shaped her view of the world. At one point the doctor thinks to herself, “The Korean War was the line common to us all, the barrier we had all confronted. What outrageous warping of fate had each one of us faced over that line?”

Roads not taken are more beautiful Park’s work also analyzes Korea’s post-war economic growth and the attendant hypocrisy she saw in the lifestyles of the growing middle class.

“Identical Apartments” for example, is a story about the sterility of apartment living with which many Seoulites are seemingly obsessed. In her most recently translated collection of stories “Lonesome You,” she turns her gaze on the lives of the elderly and infirm.

Several of the stories revolve in some way around the difficulties in growing old and what life means after a certain age. “Withered Flower” confronts the problem of romance in later life and the expectations of children when their parents embark on new relationships.

“Psychedelic Butterfly” asks how children should care for parents

beginning to suffer from dementia.

“Long Boring Movie” also considers the responsibility of children dealing with elderly parents, this time an obnoxious father who treated their mother with contempt and showed little love or affection throughout his life.

The other stories in the collection tackle a variety of themes – young love, the difficult life of a mistress’s daughter – and taken together they offer an array of insights into life and human nature. Park’s talent never left her. Whether she was writing about life from the point of view of a little girl or an old woman, her stories have a rich, lived-in authenticity that is unmistakable.

Mother lasted less than three months there and returned to Doonchon-dong.

It wasn’t correct to say that she didn’t last, because Mother was losing her will each and every day. Young Joo was the one who didn’t last.

After packing off her mother to her brother’s, Young Joo called every

day to check on her. “I want to go to Gwacheon. Take me there, please,” was all Mother said to her each time they talked. She sounded so desperate.

Because Gwacheon was where Young Joo’s family had lived previously, Young Tak and his wife understood Gwacheon to mean Young Joo’s house. But neither of them said anything to her, determined not to be the ones to first suggest that she take Mother back. Young Joo almost hasted them for not suggesting it because she was so worried about Mother being there. After her mother left, Young Joo had not spent a single day in peace, and that was because she, too, believed her mother’s constant longing for Gwacheon was a plea to return home. She couldn’t ignore her mother’s plea unless she could undo all those years she shared with her as a daughter and a partner. Still, she did nothing, enduring it like she would torture. If they had begged her to take Mother back, she would have in a heartbeat. But she wasn’t going to be the first one to say it. Likewise, now that they’d taken Mother in, Young Tak and his wife weren’t about to send her back unless Young Joo begged them. Young

Joo’s pride and Young Tak’s stubbornness seemed polarized, but in actuality, they were one and the same thing. What they wanted to uphold was not Mother, but the notion that it would be a disgrace to entrust an aging parent with a daughter when there was a son present.

Mother either didn’t know about or didn’t care that the two of her children were engaged in this tug of war. The issue of staying with a son or a daughter was immaterial to her. When she was here, she wanted to be there and when she was there, she wanted to be here. And neither here nor there was Gwacheon. Her mental acuity appeared to be slipping, but perhaps it was actually getting sharper. Instead of going back and forth between her children’s homes like an unclaimed package, she was demanding to be sent to Gwacheon, a no man’s land that was neither here nor there. Before long, Mother began running away from Young Tak’s home. She never got farther than the apartment parking lot because his wife had been so well prepared for such an event. (p. 52–53)

KOREA January_ 43

Flavor

»

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

Comfort Food by the Handful Sweet and filling, yakbap chases away the winter blues.

How to make yakbap: 1. Wash and soak rice.

2. Peel, seed and chop jujubes, chestnuts and gingko nuts.

3. Mix nuts into the rice with a little coffee for color.

4. Pour water with seasoning into a rice cooker.

5. Cook rice on the normal setting.

6. After the rice is cooked, mix in sesame oil and put the mixture into a baking pan.

7. Wait until the mixture has cooled down and then slice into good-sized pieces for eating.

8. Garnish with jujube pieces and pine nuts.

44

Yakbap or yaksik literally means “medicinal rice” or “medicinal meal,” but medicine isn’t the first word that comes to mind as you take a bite into this tasty mixture of rice and nuts seasoned with honey and soy sauce. Rather, there’s something comforting about yakbap’s delicious combination of sweet and savory flavors and textures that run the gamut from soft and chewy to hard and crunchy.

For many people, yakbap is also a holiday dish. It’s served during the Jeongwol Daeboreum holiday, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month. There’s an interesting story about the origin of the dish. King Soji of Silla learned that a pair of traitors in the palace were plotting to overthrow him. A crow helped him discover the case of a geomungo, a large stringed instrument, in which the pair were hiding.

To reward the crow, King Soji provided a jesa table on the 15th day of the first lunar month each year, featuring darkcolored chalbap, or sticky rice, in honor of the blackbird.

Both the dish and the holiday stuck among the people who continue to celebrate the ogiil.

By the Goryeo era, nuts, honey, chestnuts and other ingredients were added to the recipe making it resemble the yakbap that folks enjoy today.

Going back to how chalbap became yakbap, honey was referred to as yak, medicine, according to Joseon texts. That’s why glutinous rice flavored with honey came to be called yakbap. It also explains why deep-fried rice cakes flavored with honey are called yakgwa and honey buckwheat wine is yakju.

Still, there might be something to why people think yakbap is such a healthy dish. Often it’s full of nuts, seeds and dried fruits that have a variety of medicinal properties.

Nuts and seeds have healthy unsaturated fats. They contain fiber, protein, antioxidants and plant stanols that help lower cholesterol. People noticed that the mixture of jujubes, chestnuts, pine nuts and sesame oil helped revive blood circulation and skin ailments What makes yakbap so popular, however, is that it’s a delicious dish full of flavor and texture. Honey and sesame oil provide both sweet and rich flavors. The jujubes, chestnuts and pine nuts add a crunchy texture to the soft and sticky rice. It’s a complex dish requiring care and attention, often taking more than five hours from start to finish, but today, a good rice cooker can shave hours off the recipe.

Learning Korean

»

Written by Lim Jeong-yeo Photos courtesy of POCOG

Soohorang and Bandabi Let’s look at the linguistic significance of PyeongChang 2018’s mascots

As the calendar nears the beginning of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Gangwon-do in February, the two mascots of the event continue to pop up in domestic and global locations in promotional efforts.

Soohorang and Bandabi, the tiger and the bear mascots of the PyeongChang Olympics, are popping up in sculpture form in PyeongChang’s host cities, Pyeongchang, Gangneung and Jeongseon. The mascots also visited Washington, D.C., in December, where they met with locals near the Lincoln Memorial.

Soohorang is the mascot for the Olympics, while Bandabi is for the Paralympics.

The name Soohorang (수호랑) is a portmanteau of the Korean words sooho and horang-i, which respectively mean “protection” and “tiger.” The rang has double significance as a syllable taken from the Jeongseon “Arirang,” a folk song representative of Gangwon-do.

The white tiger is a spiritual animal believed to guard the Western Realm. It is one of the four mythical animals of an old Korean folktale, the others being the blue dragon, the vermilion bird and the black tortoise.

Bandabi (반다비) is an Asiatic black bear, a typical animal of the province of Gangwondo. The bear is recognized by the crescent mark on its chest, which is why it is called bandalgom in Korean. Bandal means “half-moon.” The mascot’s name Bandabi is derived from bandalgom, with the suffix bi, which has the meaning of celebrating the games. Bandabi has a warm heart, with which it can embrace people around the world. It has great endurance and bravery, and most of all, he is faithful and reliable.

46

Korean Art Through Coloring

© POCOG

Soohorang and Bandabi

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Readers’ Comments In the November issue, I particularly liked the Arts & Entertainment, Travel and Flavor sections. Although this magazine is already very good, I would like to read more about the Korean artists who are famous outside Korea.

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The cover story article on haenyeo really caught my interest.

It was amazing! The “This is PyeongChang” section was interesting as well. I am happily counting down to the Olympic Winter Games.

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The November issue’s “This is PyeongChang” section was very interesting! I liked reading about the preparation for the upcoming Olympics. Also, I’d like to suggest starting a series that chronologically organizes important events in Korean history.

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My favorite sections in the November issue were Literature and Korean Culture in Brief. I would love it if the magazine covered more cultural and historical issues and created a section that accepts questions from readers and provides answers to those questions.

By sending in reader feedback, you will be entered into a drawing to win a Soohorang eye shade. Five people who fill out the Readers’ Comments will be chosen from those received before Feb. 28.

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January 2018

2월에 평창으로 갈까요?

Iwore Pyeongchangeuro galkkayo?

Shall we visit Pyeongchang in February?

American composer John Williams said, “The Olympics are a wonderful metaphor for world cooperation, the kind of international competition that’s wholesome and healthy, an interplay between countries that represents the best in all of us.” That spirit has arrived at the small mountain town of Pyeongchang, the host of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. As symbolized by the slogan “Passion.

Connected,” the games promise to be a global festival that promotes the excitement of winter sports to a wider audience, especially in Asia.

This special issue of KOREA takes an in-depth look at the coming Games.

We give you the low-down on who and what to watch, share tips on what to do in Pyeongchang, talk with the curator in charge of the art programs accompanying the Games, learn about some hot Olympic merchandise and more.

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

밍밍 씨, 2월에 한국에서 큰 축제가 개최될 예정이에요.

Yes, I heard that the Winter Olympics will be held, right?

네, 맞아요. 강원도 평창에서 개최될 거예요.

Ne, majayo. Gangwondo pyeongchang-eseo gaechoedoel geoyeyo.

Yes, that’s right. The games will be held in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do.

좋아요. 같이 경기를 보러 갑시다.

Joayo. Gachi gyeonggireul boreo gapsida.

우리 같이 2월에 평창으로 갈까요?

Creative Director Lee Seung Ho

Uri gachi iwore pyeongchangeuro galkkayo?

Shall we visit Pyeongchang in February?

Sure. Let’s go to watch the games.

나래 Narae

밍밍 Mingming

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

V–ㄴ/는다지요?

Let’s practice!

Used when speaking with a senior, “V–ㄴ/는다지요?” is used to confirm or ask about something the speaker has already heard or knows. It can be shortened to “–ㄴ/는다죠?”

Try having a conversation with these questions.

Cover Photo Photo courtesy of POCOG

ex. 나래 씨가 다이어트를 위해 저녁을 안 먹어요

PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games promotional ambassador and former figure skater Kim Yuna and Olympic and Paralympic mascots Soohorang and Bandabi

Narae doesn’t eat dinner because she is on a diet. ⇒ Is it true that Narae doesn’t eat dinner because she is on a diet?

⇒ 나래 씨가 다이어트를 하느라고 저녁을 안 먹는다지요?

Q: 한국 사람들이 겨울에 _______에 ______(으)러 많이 간다지요?

It is true many Korean people go to ____ to _____?

A: 네, ______에 ______(으)러 많이 간다고 이야기 들었어요.

Yes, I heard that many of them go to ______ to _______.

Q: 한국 사람들이 겨울에 _______을/를 많이 먹는다지요? 밍밍 씨의 여동생이 봄에 결혼을 한대요.

It is true that many Koreans eat _____ a lot during the winter season?

⇒ 밍밍 씨의 여동생이 봄에 결혼을 한다지요?

Mingming’s sister will get married in the spring. ⇒ I heard that Mingming’s sister will get married in the spring, right?

V–(으)러 “V–(으)러” is combined with a verb to express the purpose of movement.

It is often used with verbs related to movement such as “to come,” “to go” and “to travel.” ex.점심을 먹으러 식당에 가고 있어요.

I’m going to a restaurant to have lunch.

_ Editorial staff, KOREA

Ah! Donggyeollimpigi gaechoedoendajiyo?

Mingming, Korea will hold a big festival in February.

Copy Editors Gregory Eaves, Anna Bloom

Designers Lee Bok-hyun, Jung Hyun-young

아! 동계올림픽이 개최된다지요?

Mingming ssi, iwore hangugeseo keun chukjega gaechoedoel yejeong-ieyo.

다음 주가 시험이라서 공부하러 도서관에 가요.

I’m going to the library to study for the exam next week. 우리 집에 차 마시러 와요.

Come to my house to have tea.

A: 네, 겨울에 ______을/를 많이 먹는대요.

Yes, I heard that they eat ______ a lot during the winter season.

Korean Culture Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do, the site for the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, is called the “Alps of Korea.” Many Koreans visit Pyeongchang to ski and snowboard during the winter.

Aside from winter sports, the region is also well-known for adventurous sports such as paragliding, horseback riding, dog sledding, riding allterrain vehicles, and rafting. More than 60 percent of its total land sits above 700 meters above sea level, and such a high altitude makes for beautiful snowy scenery. Will you visit Pyeongchang this February to enjoy the winter scenery and try the local food?

Monthly Magazine

January 2018

January 2018

Cover Story

PyeongChang 2018 www. korea.net

KOREA takes a deep dive into the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games