Koreamazine1607 en by KOCIS

CONTENTS

Special Issue

Korea in Brief

Mobile Games Go Global

Korea Monthly Update

Policy Review

A Very Traditional Hackathon

Cover Story

Galaxies of Islands and Sapphire Seas Korea’s maritime national parks bring nature and history together

39 Summit Diplomacy

President Park Goes to East Africa, France

18 Travel

Seoul’s Early Modern Architecture

Creative Economy

Healthcare Products Win a Global Market

24 People 1

Temple Cuisine Master Jeong Kwan

Global Korea

Sharing Korea’s Experience Abroad

28 People 2

LTI Korea’s Kim Seong-kon

Flavor

Omija Punch and Omija Tea

Arts & Entertainment

Korean Keyword

Summer Rock Festivals

Seonbae

32 Korea & I

Korean Street Food

July 2016

KOREA

Publisher Kim Kabsoo, Korean Culture and Information Service Executive Producer Park Byunggyu Editorial Advisers Cho Won-hyung, Lee Suwan, Park Inn-seok Email webmaster@korea.net Magazine Production Seoul Selection Editor-in-Chief Robert Koehler Production Supervisor Lee Jin-hyuk Producers Kim Eugene, Im Ian Copy Editors Gregory C. Eaves, Eileen Cahill Creative Director Lee Seung Ho Designers Lee Bok-hyun, Jung Hyun-young Photographers aostudio Kang jinju, RAUM Studio Printing Pyung Hwa Dang Printing Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission from KOREA and the Korean Culture and Information Service. If you want to receive a free copy of KOREA or wish to cancel a subscription, please email us. A downloadable PDF of KOREA and a map and glossary with common Korean words appearing in our magazine are available by clicking on the thumbnail of KOREA at the website www.korea.net. Publication Registration No: 11-1110073-000016-06 Cover photo © The Mountain Korea

Special Issue

Mobile Games Go Global Localization is key to overseas success _ Written by Lee Kijun

KOREA _ July _ 4

no S

The companies are porting their flagship PC game titles for mobile devices in order to gain more from foreign mobile markets. Nexon plans to release more

2 InnoSpark’s “Hero Sky” has been downloaded over 5 million times. 3

3 NCSOFT’s online game “Blade and Soul,” a hit in China, was recently released in Europe and North America.

Porting PC favorites, too

1 Nexon’s online game “Dungeon and Fighter” has enjoyed considerable success in China.

Korea’s mobile game industry is soaring. A number of the country's game companies are competing to generate more revenues from the sector, which is seen as a solid growth engine for the future. The game industry has undergone a profound change in recent years. Today, mobile games have become the most important digital platform for gamers and publishers alike in the world. A growing number of Korean firms have thrown down their gauntlet to leave a unique mark on the digital games world. Come2us is one of the fastest-growing mobile game players in the country. It started 2016 off with a record-breaking quarter. The company recorded KRW 135 billion in sales and KRW 59.8 billion in operating profits, representing growth of 44 percent and 68 percent, respectively, compared with the same period last year, as well as its ninth straight quarterly increase. The flagship role-playing title “Summoners War” has amassed over KRW 600 million in cumulative sales over the two years since its global launch in 2014, with no signs of slowing down. The game’s foreign sales accounted for 87 percent of the company’s revenue in the first quarter this year. Nexon, Netmarble and NCSoft, Korea’s three biggest game companies, are also earning strong profits from mobile games. The three companies recorded KRW 630.4 billion in total exports in the first quarter, up almost 45 percent from the same period last year. First-quarter overseas sales at Netmarble, for instance, increased 393 percent compared with the same period last year, mainly thanks to its mobile role-playing game “Seven Knights.” The companies have pledged to expand their presence in the global market and the mobile sector this year. Earlier this year, Nexon said it would focus more on the mobile gaming business, building on its strong capabilities in the online gaming sector. Netmarble highlighted a more aggressive approach to the global market. “Netmarble will become a global game brand that provides entertaining games to users around the world,” said CEO Kwon Young-sik in his New Year’s address.

4 Com2us’ “Summoners’ War” has enjoyed great popularity not just in Asia, but also in Europe and North America.

than 20 mobile titles, including mobile versions of “Maple Story” and “Dungeon and Fighter,” the latter being one of the most popular online games in Korea. Netmarble will also release a mobile port of its flagship online game “Stone Age.” NCSoft, a MMORPG developer best known for its blockbuster series “Lineage,” launched a mobile version of its MMORPG title “Blade and Soul” in China in February. The PC version of “Blade and Soul” is already a success in North America and Europe, and the company’s revenue has increased 136 percent in those regions since it launched the title. The mobile version has also been well received by Chinese consumers. Since its launch March 7 in partnership with Tencent, China’s largest game publisher, the game has topped China’s list of popular mobile games.

Localizing Korean games

Localization has been key to success in foreign markets. Netmarble launched its mobile role-playing game “Seven Knights” in Japan in February. Since

KOREA _ July_ 5

2 © Yonhap News

then, it has topped the Japanese app store charts with 3 million downloads. Netmarble benchmarked Japanese role-playing games and applied their core features to its own games’ narratives, user interfaces and characters. Netmarble also cast famous Japanese voice actors as game characters. Localizing costs money, so it’s no easy task for small game developers. That’s why their games haven’t been performing as well overseas as they have been domestically. The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) began to support localization at small game companies in 2013. The program includes translations, website management services and publishing. “The domestic mobile game market is saturated,” said Kim Sang-hyun, game industry manager at the KOCCA. “Overseas expansion is no longer optional, even for small developers.” The budget for localization services was KRW 700 million last year, Kim added, saying the companies that received support brought in revenue of KRW 22 billion last year. The program has enjoyed much success over the past two years. “AstroNest,” a space-based strategy game from developer ANGames, saw an eightfold rise in overseas sales and a fivefold rise in daily active users after the KOCCA helped it localize.

KOREA _ July _ 6

1 The Dungeon and Fighter World Championship 2015 was held in Seoul. Dungeon and Fighter is one of the most popular online games in Korea. 2 International buyers discuss business at ITS GAME 2015, an information session for game exporters held last year in Seoul. 3 Visitors try out games optimized for both desktops and mobile platforms at G-Star.

“We gathered market information and reflected our target country’s online habits,” said Kim Hwanki, CEO of ANGames. “When you launch a mobile game in foreign markets, localization is the foremost task.” Another mobile game from a small developer, “Hero Sky,” has launched in 154 countries thanks to support from the KOCCA.

Gov’t to promote VR as a growth engine

The next big thing in the game industry is virtual reality (VR). Big global players such as Valve, Sony and Microsoft are developing their own VR devices and software. Valve is already providing VR game titles through its software platform Steam. Sony is making plans to launch its VR device, Playstation VR. Microsoft is working with Oculus, a VR device developer, to provide VR game titles for its Xbox console. Microsoft is also developing its own VR device, HoloLens. Even Taiwanese phone maker HTC, which has traditionally kept out of game development, is developing its first VR game, “Front Defense,” for its Vive headset. Korean companies such as NCsoft and Nexon, however, are only in the research stage, and have not really started developing VR games.

“The U.S. has obviously been at the forefront in developing VR content,” an entertainment industry source was quoted as saying in the Korea Herald, “While China has been keen on fostering technology with content on par with its drone industry, which is the world’s biggest thanks to [Chinese tech giant and drone manufacturer] DJI. In Korea, not much has happened in the content space other than Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics increasing their interest in VR in the manufacturing sector.”

4 Visitors enjoy a wide variety of games at G-Star, Korea’s biggest online game expo.

Game Industry Export Revenue Units: million USD, Source: Korea Creative Content Agency

3,179 2,973 2,378 1,240 2009

3,638

2,715

1,606 2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

The Korean government hopes to change all this. In February, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning announced a set of measures designed to promote the industry. Those measures include investment in VR technology, deregulation, including higher betting limits in some forms of web-based gambling, and helping game companies expand overseas. It will invest KRW 51.9 billion in the plan this year and KRW 155.7 billion by 2018, with the aim of cultivating a KRW 1 trillion market by 2017. Korea’s online game market had grown rapidly, but its growth has plateaued over the past few years with a market worth about KRW 9.97 trillion. The government also plans to build a planned city in Pangyo with a cluster of IT companies by April 2018. It is expected to play a vital role in the growth of the game industry. “The gaming industry can create high-quality jobs for young people, including programmers and graphic designers,” said Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Jong-deok. “This ministry will work closely with the Ministry of Science and Technology to usher in a renaissance in the gaming industry.”

KOREA _ July_ 7

Cover Story

Galaxies of Islands and Sapphire Seas Korea’s maritime national parks bring nature and history together _ Written by Colin Marshall

__ Korea’s marine parks are veritable galaxies of emerald islands in a universe of sapphire seas. The island parks are a trove of ecological and scenic treasures, but they are also home to unique traditions and lifestyles.

KOREA _ July _ 8

Imagine you want to get out of the city, as far out of the city as possible. While metropolises like Seoul and Busan have nearly everything a modern urbanite could want, all of us sooner or later need to quench a thirst to escape into nature, however briefly. At first glance, this may seem impossible in a country as small as Korea, to have the kind of places both geographically accessible and far enough removed from the exigencies of 21stcentury civilization to satisfy this desire. No matter where in the country you may live, one of its 21 national parks lies not far away. Each offers its own rich experience of the natural world, especially the two major national marine parks, Dadohaehaesang and Hallyeohaesang. What makes the national marine parks different from the other national parks? Water, of course, and often a great deal of it. The more than 2,320 square kilometers of Dadohaehaesang, designated in 1981 as the largest national park in Korea, includes 1,990 square kilometers of water. The

boundaries of the park encompass much of the coast and waters around Jeollanamdo, including an archipelago of over 1,700 islands, some of them host to fishing villages and tourists and others completely devoid of human activity. Within it is the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve-designated Sinan-gun, consisting of 880 islands ‒ only 91 of which are inhabited ‒ a salt-farming county nicknamed the “Island Galaxy.”

A veritable galaxy of islands

Most of Dadohaehaesang’s 560,000 annual visitors arrive wanting to travel to its islands, and the most convenient way to do so is to take a boat from Mokpo, a port city well connected with Seoul by rail. Given the popularity of the ferry route, especially during the summer sightseeing season, those looking to beat the crowds would do well to catch one of the early-morning boats, though the seasickness-prone should be warned that the waters can turn awfully choppy at any time of the day. With enough

The islands of Hallyeohaesang National Park are visible from the peak of Tongyeong’s Mt. Mireuksan.

KOREA _ July_ 9

Sunrise viewed from Heuksando’s Sangnabong Peak

KOREA _ July _ 10

The beautiful scenery of Dadohaehaesang National Park

Stone walls of Bigeumdo’s Naechon Village

__ Heuksando, about 100 kilometers off the Mokpo coast, has not just a population of over 3,100 but four mountain peaks as well as one of Korea’s finest fishery grounds.

islands to constitute a veritable galaxy, each with its own natural environment and even cultural heritage, how can travelers decide which ones to visit first? It makes sense to work outward from the most visited islands, Heuksando and Hongdo, both of which have tourist facilities as well as residents ready to give advice about what the rest of the islands have to offer. Heuksando, about 100 kilometers off the Mokpo coast, has not just a population of over 3,100 but four mountain peaks as well as one of Korea’s finest fishery grounds. A ride around Heuksando’s circular road will take you all the way around the scenic shore, past many of its cultural treasures. The smaller, quieter Hongdo, 15 kilometers farther out and home to about 710 people, has a mountain range of its own with the peaks Gitdaebong and Yangsanbong. The rocks give the place its name: Hongdo means “red island,” referring to their distinctive tint reflected in the sun. First designated a Natural Preserve Area in 1965, the humble island has plenty of beauty on display, but its official status as a Natural Monument restricts visitors to the villages and other designated tourist areas, so travelers should do their best not to stray too far off the paths. Even the most populated of Dadohaehaesang’s islands may not have received such modern conveniences as electricity and running water until well after Seoul did, but this part of the country has long been a source of a different kind of national pride as a seat of historic naval activity. Admiral Jang Bogo built a maritime kingdom there in the ninth century during the Silla era. Later, during Joseon times, it became the battlefield where Admiral Yi Sun-sin, now perhaps the most revered figure in all of Korean history, beat back Japanese invaders. In more recent times, Dadohaehaesang has also drawn attention for its ecological wealth. Its species count comes to at least 1,698 plants, 24 mammals, 231 birds, 992 insects, 10 amphibians, 18 reptiles, and 146 fish. Its sweet-smelling flagship plant

Fishing port on Heuksando

KOREA _ July_ 11

car above – has become known as the country's most glorious waterway. Its ancient rock formations give ever-varying shape to an environment home to 822 plant species, 20 mammals, 141 birds, 8 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 2,134 insects and 146 fish. The Zostera marina, or common eelgrass, although far less common than it once was, doesn't just hold the title of Hallyeohaesang's flagship plant species, but also provides a spawning ground and habitat for all sorts of sea creatures while using its long, fan-shaped leaves to control the waves of the ocean and purify the environment by filtering sea deposits. Its flagship bird, the endangered Pitta brachyura or fairy pitta, lives in Hallyeohaesang’s deciduous tree groves. Though shy, these birds can be seen every once in a while, the deep greens, blacks and reds of their feathers accenting the natural scene for the eyes of tourists and residents alike.

A personal touch to nature

KOREA _ July _ 12

_ Dadohaehaesang has drawn attention for its ecological wealth.

With more than 300 islands, Hallyeohaesang stretches along 120 kilometers of shoreline from Yeosu in Jeollanam-do on the country’s southwestern coast to Geoje in Gyeongsangnam-do on its southeastern coast. Though much smaller than Dadohaehaesang at just over 545 square kilometers, it became a national marine park, Korea’s very first, much earlier, in 1968. Just like Dadohaehaesang, water covers the majority of Hallyeosudo ‒ which, with its 30 inhabited and 69 uninhabited islands often compared to jewels – now viewable from a cable

Korea’s first maritime park

species, the endangered orchid Neofinetia falcata, blooms on the surfaces of rocks and trees every July. Conservation groups have begun to campaign for the protection of its flagship mammal species, the black-bodied Neophocaena phocaenoides, or finless porpoise, who lives in the shallow seas not far off the coast. Evergreen forests with broadleafed trees grow in the mild, humid climate, and its volcanic rock formations contribute to a geological look seen nowhere else in the country. The rocks of Dadohaehaesang even appear in myth. Many of the area’s islands and peaks have their own legends, but the uninhabited and rough-terrained Baekdo, distinguished by the presence of Maebawi, or “Hawk Rock,” produced a starkly memorable one. A fisherman, out on the water alone late at night, spotted what looked like a woman thrashing to stay above the deep water and certain to drown. When the fisherman approached to lend a hand, she revealed her true form, that of a female water demon trying to seduce him into the depths. Just before the fisherman fainted from fright, he saw a hawk swoop down and attack the demon. Upon waking the next morning, he found himself deposited safely onto the hawk-shaped Maebawi.

Hallyeohaesang’s humans are also doing their share to make this national marine park more interesting all the time, most recently by opening a trail called the Bada Baengnigil, or “100- li ocean path,” a li being a Korean traditional unit of distance equivalent to half a kilometer. It crosses the six islands of Somaemuldo, Hansando, Maemuldo, Yeondaedo and Mireukdo, following the routes used by their inhabitants since time immemorial and providing mountain and ocean views all the while. Using ferries to get from one island to the next, it would take even the fastest walker days to fully experience the path on foot. Who enjoying that experience would dare miss Somaemuldo, with the iconic lighthouse that draws almost 400,000 people every year? Visitors may well recognize it from movies and television, but if they then continue on to the island of Hansando, they'll find themselves back

Saryangdo’s Mt. Jarimangsan is very popular with hikers.

Tour boats visit the cliffs of Haegeumgang, a scenic island off Geojedo.

KOREA _ July_ 13

A farmer tends the terraced rice paddies of Namhae.

__ The marine parks are home to ancient temples, sacred shrines and bucolic villages where many locals make a living from the sea.

Boriam Hermitage is famous for its sunrises and sunsets. KOREA _ July _ 14

in history ‒ back, in fact, to the time of Yi Sun-sin, who once established a naval base and, in 1592, fought the Great Battle of Hansan-do there. Back on shore in the coastal city of Tongyeong, Yi Sun-sin Park immortalizes the great admiral in statue form at the center of a complex featuring a traditional arts hall and pavilion, a viewing deck, a walking path and more. The national marine parks’ plentitude of walking opportunities, not at all limited to Hallyeohaesang, take on a special character on Dadohaehaesang’s Cheongsando, an island named for the blue color of the sky above it, the ocean around it, and even the mountains on it. The sheer beauty of the surroundings, and the way it inspires visitors to reduce their pace to take it all in, gave rise to the amusingly named Slow-gil Road, whose 11 trails cover over 40 kilometers of the island. Designated an “ecological road telling a story” by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2010, it was also honored as the first “slow road” by the International Slow City Association in 2011. Walkers may also take notice of another unusually named road that wends its way between low stone walls through fields of barley: Seopyeonje-gil, a tribute to the acclaimed film of the same name by the respected director Im Kwon-taek, who shot it on Cheongsando in 1993. The island's striking visual quality as a setting has not been lost on the makers of movies and television shows ever since, and several filming locations here and there have remained open for curious tourists. Appreciation of these islands hardly began in the modern era. Take Bogildo, for instance, just 12 kilometers off the coast. One of the first two people to set foot on it, alongside the politician Uam Song Si-yeol, was the 17th-century Confucian poet Yun Seon-do. On his way to Jejudo, he had only meant to make a brief stop on Bogildo, but its sheer unexpected beauty essentially forced him to take up residence then and there, and his gardens remain there for all to see, as does a poem that Uam, who had

also been en route to Jeju, felt moved to chisel into a rock.

Ancient wisdom on the sea

The salt farms of Bigeumdo use the sun to make natural salt.

__ Korea’s southern coastline and offshore islands are a fascinating blend of nature, people and history.

The islands of Korea’s national marine parks could put anyone into a contemplative frame of mind, and no manmade settings better suit that contemplation than Hyangiram and Boriam, two Buddhist hermitages in the towns of Yeosu and Namhae, respectively. Founded on the side of Mt. Geumosan in the year 644 by the renowned monk Wonhyo, the Hyangiram Hermitage, which served as a base camp for the monks who fought with Yi Sun-sin, burned down during the Imjin War in 1592. Although Hyangiram Hermitage was rebuilt in 1715, fire consumed its main hall once more in 2009, but restoration efforts made the building whole again and it stands as a symbol of endurance ‒ as well as a vantage point for majestic sea views and the destination at the end of an enjoyably vigorous hiking trail. Wonhyo also built the nearby Boriam Hermitage, located on the summit of Mt. Geumsan, in 683, still a serene place despite the traffic it draws with its famously stunning sunrise and sunset views. Clearly this kind of ancient wisdom remains alive and well in the national marine parks, which possess two of the country’s four Buddhist hermitages. However, they have also hosted modern scientific wisdom in action as well, specifically in the form of environmental restoration, preservation and research projects. These include investigations of the marine ecosystem and international natural-resource studies as well as work on climate change and the maintenance of threatened local varieties of seahorses, tritons, fiddler crabs and mudflat crabs. The parks have also proven ideal locations for the study of East Asia’s migratory birds, many of whom stop there along their migration routes.

Tourists can board a replica of the geobukseon, an advanced 16th-century warship used to great effect by Admiral Yi Sun-sin, in the port of Tongyeong. KOREA _ July_ 15

People: the greatest natural resource

__ Interest in Korea’s national marine parks has grown because of their rich ecology, long history, deep-rooted culture, and even their relatively newfound potential in business and science.

For all the fascination of Dadohaehaesang and Hallyeohaesang’s animal, mineral and plant worlds, however, we mustn’t overlook one of the most important assets of the Korea Peninsula’s south coast: its people. Over generations upon generations, beginning well before the very concept of national parks, the people of the islands have built up an immense and thorough body of knowledge about the place in which they live, all of it incorporated into a vibrant and varied set of communities. However, with the high rate of migration to the cities, the populations of these traditional farming and fishing villages have aged over the years. As times, the economy and demographics change, the interest and demand for an alternative course grows. Some of these coastal areas have, taking their natural assets into account, begun finding new ways to capitalize on their inherent appeal and to strengthen their connections with industries both local and national. Dadohaehaesang’s island of Gwanmaedo set the example. Its fishing village, typical in having a population of 200 with 80 percent of its residents above age 60, took advantage of

Hallyeohaesang National Park Dadohaehaesang National Park

the boom in ecotourism by establishing the first Myeongpum Maeul, or “Village of Excellence.” The process involved building tourist infrastructure by converting older and even abandoned buildings into modern lodgings, laying networks of pathways, and starting bike-rental shops. The project also developed signature dishes with locally sourced ingredients, experiential programs for visitors, and educational programs for residents. With government support and a branding and marketing push, Gwanmaedo saw the number of visitors increase more than tenfold between 2010 and 2011. Some of its migrants who had previously left for the cities even moved back home. So far, out of 14 such villages, Dadohaehaesang has five and Hallyeohaesang has two, with more surely on the horizon. Interest in Korea’s national marine parks has grown, not just because of their value as getaways from busy city life, but because of their rich ecology, long history, deep-rooted communities, and even their relatively newfound potential in business and science. As long as the people remain to love and protect them, they’ll continue to offer much more than an escape for a long time to come.

Hongdo Heuksando Heuksando·Hongdo district Mokpo Bigeumdo

Yeosu

Jindo

Geumodo district

Docho-do

Oenarodo

Namhaedaegyo district

Uido

Baekdo Jodo Gwanmaedo Jodo district

Bogildo Soando

Cheongsando

Geomun-do Geomundo· Baekdo district

Tongyeong

Yeosu

Odongdo district Sangju·Geumsan district

Tongyeong·Hansan district

Soando·Cheongsando district

The seven districts of Dadohaehaesang National Park. (Map is not to scale)

KOREA _ July _ 16

Sacheon district

Narodo district

Bigeumdo·Dochodo district

Geoje·Haegeumgang district

Map of Hallyeohaesang National Park

Interview

Remote Geographically, But Not Intellectually Guide Kim Kibaek says Korea’s southwest islands possess a proud intellectual history

_ Written by Robert Koehler

Kim Kibaek, a guide to Dadohaehaesang National Park’s Heuksando, explains that the islands of southwestern Korea used to serve as bridges linking the peninsula with the Asian mainland. “Heuksando used to play the role of a stepping-stone to Korea in the olden days,” he says. “It was a traveler’s inn, a rest stop on the sea.” The island’s fine natural harbor was a comforting presence for sailors traveling to and from Korea. “Sailors would see the harbor and cry, ‘We’re saved,’” he said. “The island had something like a mother-like feeling for sailors.” The islands of the southwest also boast a proud intellectual tradition, having played host to many of the Joseon era’s best minds. “The islands have a well-developed heritage of exile,” he says. “We’ve had many great individuals who were exiled here for political reasons.” The most notable example was Jeong Yak-jeon (1758–1816), the elder brother of the renowned Korean scholar Jeong Yak-yong and a notable scholar in his own right, who wrote the famous ichthyological treatise

The scenic island Heuksando

“Register of Heuksan Fish.” “Many of these scholars were silhak figures,” he says, referring to the intellectual movement of the latter Joseon era, that prioritized “practical” scientific learning over esoteric metaphysical debate. “They mixed with the locals, becoming one with them.” The presence of so many intellectuals gave the islanders an educational zeal outsiders might find surprising, producing noted minds such as former president and Nobel Prize winner Kim Dae-jung and baduk (Go) star Lee Sedol, who competed in a recent match against

Google’s artificial intelligence program AlphaGo. It also made the islanders oddly well-informed about national affairs. “The islanders here knew more than magistrates of districts near the royal capital,” he said. “This is because so many of the exiles were high-ranking officials who knew many things, including state secrets.” In addition to being a guide for Heuksando, he is also a local government worker and recreation instructor. He is best known, however, as a singer. He has appeared on a popular singing program several times, winning its competitions on multiple occasions. Even during the interview, he breaks into song a couple of times, filling the room with his sonorous voice. “My mom was a diver,” he explains. “When she worked, she would sing. So I learned to sing naturally.” Music made the work go easier, he says. “When I sang, I suddenly felt better,” he explains. “I felt like I was embracing the sea. It was a sort of catharsis.”

KOREA _ July_ 17

Travel

Stepping Back in Time Seoulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s early modern architecture testifies to Koreaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dramatic contemporary history _ Written and photographed by Robert Koehler

KOREA _ July _ 18

Seoul Anglican Cathedral is widely praised as one of Seoulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most beautiful pieces of KOREA architecture. _ July_ 19

Gojong liked to drink coffee at the Russian-built Jeonggwanheon Pavilion at Deoksugung Palace.

Sometimes it’s easy to take Seoul’s early modern architectural heritage for granted. Unlike many of the older, grander pieces of traditional architecture like the royal palaces, which are well protected and well promoted, works from the early 20th century are deeply embedded in the urban environment. Over the last decade, however, city authorities, civic groups and the general public have taken a greater interest in preserving and utilizing Seoul’s early modern architecture, a rich heritage that testifies to the city’s dramatic and often turbulent past.

Deoksugung Palace’s Seokjojeon Hall

Heart of the Korean Empire

On Oct. 12, 1897, King Gojong proclaimed that his nation would no longer be known by its old name of Joseon. It was now the Korean Empire, and he was its first emperor.

KOREA _ July _ 20

The Jungmyeongjeon Hall was a former royal library.

The Korean Empire brought dramatic changes to the nation. In order to preserve the nation’s independence against imperial threats, Gojong undertook a program of modernization. He strengthened relations with the international community, reformed the administration, built infrastructure such as modern schools and hospitals, and promoted Western learning. Deoksugung Palace served as the seat of government. Previously a royal villa and detached palace, Deoksugung was elevated to the empire’s primary royal residence. Gojong soon began transforming the palace into an architectural expression of his empire’s new Zeitgeist. The graceful Korean wooden halls were joined by imposing Western-style edifices of brick and stone. Of the Western structures, the eastern wing of the Seokjojeon Hall is the most impressive. Designed by

The beautiful old British ambassador’s residence symbolizes Jeong-dong’s long history as Seoul’s Legation Quarter.

a British architect and completed in 1909, the granite building was built to serve as the emperor’s official office and residence. With its imposing colonnade and triangular pediment featuring a relief of the plum blossom, the symbol of Gojong’s imperial dynasty, the hall’s exterior is typical of the Neoclassical style employed widely throughout the Western world, and the British Empire in particular, in the 19th century. The recently restored interior, meanwhile, boasts a much more ornate Rococo style. The hall now serves as a museum for the history of the Korean Empire. In front of the hall is a Western-style garden, complete with a fountain with bronze seals. While the Seokjojeon Hall may be the largest Western-style buildings on the grounds of Deoksugung, the most intriguing one is a small gazebo built in an eclectic Korean and Romanesque

style hidden in the palace’s rear garden. Designed by a Russian architect and completed around 1900, the Jeonggwanheon Pavilion was built as a place where Gojong could enjoy a cup of coffee, then an exotic Western import.

Tiles on the ground depict Jeong-dong’s history.

Chungdong First Methodist Church

Seoul’s old legation quarter

In 1883, Lucius Foote, the U.S. envoy to Korea, purchased a Hanok home next to Deoksugung Palace to use as a legation. It was the first Western legation in Seoul. The Americans were soon followed by the British, French, Russians, Germans, Italians and Belgians. These nations established picturesque legations near Deoksugung, often in the architectural styles of their homelands. Missionaries joined the diplomats in the neighborhood, where they set up churches, schools and homes. It was in this way that Jeong-dong, as

KOREA _ July_ 21

1. Old Seodaemun Prison 2. Gyeonggyojang, Kim Gu’s former home and office 3. The former Daehan Hospital 4, 5. Gothic interior of Myeong-dong Cathedral

Seoul’s contemporary architecture has a rich heritage that testifies to the city’s dramatic and often turbulent past.

KOREA _ July _ 22

the neighborhood is now called, became Seoul’s Legation Quarter. Despite its location in the heart of Seoul, the area enjoys a relaxed, genteel atmosphere with tree-lined streets and exotic, Europeanstyle architecture. Many of the original legation compounds have been lost to history, but a few remain. The old U.S. legation, now part of the U.S. ambassador’s residence, has been preserved and recently restored. Unlike other Western diplomats of the time, the U.S. envoy lived and worked in a Korean-style Hanok house, albeit one that was expanded later to incorporate brick walls and other Western features. The old British legation has also survived. Now the British ambassador’s residence, the stately Georgian mansion was completed in 1891. The U.S. and

British legations are usually closed to the public, but are sometimes opened to visitors during festivals and other special events. The remains of the old Russian legation, however, can be visited at any time. Established in 1890, the Russian legation was one of the largest and most important of Jeong-dong’s old diplomatic compounds. King Gojong even spent a year in residence there, from February 1896 to February 1897, after Japanese assassins killed his queen. Most of the legation was destroyed during the Korean War. Only its old tower, sitting on a hill overlooking Deoksugung Palace, remains. The missionaries left a deep imprint on Jeong-dong’s urban landscape. Founded in 1897 by American

missionary Henry Appenzeller, Chungdong First Methodist Church is one of Korea’s oldest Protestant churches. The beautiful Victorian Gothic building dates from 1898. Near the church is the old campus of the Pai Chai Academy, also founded by Appenzeller in 1885 as one of Korea’s first modern schools. Further up the main road is the campus of Ewha Girls’ High School, founded in 1886 by American missionary Mary F. Scranton. Its Simpson Memorial Hall, built in 1915, is now a museum. Seoul Anglican Cathedral, located next to the British Embassy, is widely praised as one of Korea’s most beautiful Western buildings. Consecrated in 1926 and designed by British architect Arthur Dixon, the church is a magnificent example of Romanesque Revival architecture that incorporates Korean elements such as wood-framed windows. Another one of Jeongdong’s Western-style gems is the Jungmyeongjeon Hall, a handsome, Renaissance-style building built by a Russian architect sometime around 1900. Originally part of Deoksugung Palace, the hall was an imperial library and office where Gojong met with foreign dignitaries.

National Theater of Korea building, built as a movie theater in 1934, and the old KEPCO office, Korea’s first earthquakeproof building. Myeong-dong’s most spectacular architectural monument, however, is the grand Myeong-dong Cathedral, built by French missionaries in the last decade of the 19th century. In the western part of town, in the Gyonam-dong area, is the Gyeonggyojang, a 1938 mansion built by wealthy Korean gold miner Choe Changhak. It was later the home and office of Korean independence activist Kim Gu, who was assassinated in the secondfloor office in 1949. Further up the road is the home of pioneering Korean violinist, composer and conductor Hong Nan-pa, built in the 1930s by a German missionary before Hong acquired it. Still further up the road, at the top of a hill, is the Dilkusha, a grand former mansion built by American gold miner and journalist Albert Taylor in 1919. Nearby you’ll find Independence Gate, a memorial gate erected in 1896 and modeled on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Just behind it is the sprawling Seodaemun Prison History Hall, a Japanese-built prison where Korean independence activists and, later, prodemocracy activists were detained, tortured and killed. In the Daehangno district, below Mt. Naksan, is the old campus of Seoul National University, originally the campus of the Japanese-built Keijo Imperial University. Much of the old campus has disappeared, but the historic administration building, built in 1931 by Park Gil-ryong, one of Korea’s first Western architects, still stands. Across the street from the old campus, on the grounds of the SNU Medical Center, is the former Daehan Hospital, which was one of Korea’s first modern hospitals. A beautiful brick edifice with an imposing baroque clock tower, the hospital was built in 1908. It is now a museum dedicated to Korean medical history.

DEOKSUGUNG AND JEONG-DONG City Hall Station, Line 1, Exit 2 or Line 2, Exit 12 MYEONG-DONG Myeong-dong Station, Line 4, Exit 4 or 5 or Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station, Line 2, Exit 5 or 6 GYONAM-DONG Seodaemun Station, Line 5, Exit 4 or Dongnimmun Station, Line 3, Exits 4 or 5 DAEHANGNO Hyehwa Station, Line 4, Exits 2 or 3

Gyonam-dong

Daehangno Myeong-dong Deoksugung and Jeong-dong

Important historical monuments

Clusters of early modern architecture can be found elsewhere throughout Seoul, too. Old Seoul Station, in the very heart of the city, is one of the grandest examples. Completed in 1925, the imposing structure with a Byzantine dome now functions as an art museum. In Myeong-dong, one can find many important pieces of architecture built during the Japanese colonial era. The beautifully eclectic former headquarters of the Bank of Korea, which is now a currency museum, dates from 1912. Also in Myeong-dong is the old 5

KOREA _ July_ 23

Food for Spiritual Awakening Jeong Kwan sees herself as just a simple Buddhist nun who also makes food _ Written by Robert Koehler

KOREA _ July _ 24

ÂŠ Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism

People 1

Korean temple cuisine goes back to the very beginning of Korean Buddhism almost two millennia ago. It is vegetarian in accordance with Buddhist precepts against the eating of meat.

Temple food: It’s easier than you think

“I don’t think it’s right to call me the world’s greatest chef. I myself am just a practitioner who depends on the Buddha.” That didn’t stop New York Times food writer Jeff Gordinier from claiming Jeong Kwan, the “philosopher chef ” as proclaimed in the headline, was cooking up “the most exquisite food in the world” at her Buddhist hermitage deep in southwest Korea. The world of fine dining may be full of outsized egos, foulmouthed kitchen tyrants and incorrigible prima donnas, but the jovial Jeong Kwan is the very model of Buddhist modesty. As she makes clear repeatedly throughout the interview, she is, first and foremost, a Buddhist nun, and the food she prepares is simply a meditation tool, no matter how much the celebrity chefs of the world like it. “Temple food is not just cuisine, but food we eat to preserve the body and gain energy in order to engage in Buddhist practice,” she says. “The food that people who engage in Buddhist practice eat is temple food.”

Jeong Kwan resides in Cheonjiam, a quiet Buddhist hermitage near the beautiful monastery of Baegyangsa in Naejangsan National Park. It’s about as far from Seoul’s culinary hot spots as you can get. In recent years, however, the chefs, food writers and foodies of the world have been making the trek to this out-of-the-way destination to experience Jeong Kwan’s culinary delights. Eric Ripert, the head chef of New York’s Michelin three-star seafood eatery Le Bernardin, has been there not just once, but twice. Korean temple cuisine is really quite simple, Jeong Kwan insists. “If you just learn the basic principles ‒ which is to say, if you sufficiently understand which ingredients are available in which season, how those ingredients were grown and when they taste the best ‒ the seasoning that goes into them is very simple,” she insists. “If you just learn the principles, anyone can prepare temple food, East or West.” Korean temple cuisine goes back to the very beginning of Korean Buddhism almost two millennia ago. It is vegetarian in accordance with Buddhist precepts against the eating of meat. Like Korean cuisine in general, it features a wide range of fermented dishes, including fermented sauces and pickled vegetables. What really sets it apart, however, is its emphasis on pure, natural flavors. Excess seasoning is avoided. Five especially strong seasonings ‒ onions, garlic, chives, green onions and leeks ‒ aren’t used at all since they are considered harmful to Buddhist practice. Temple food is also the ultimate in farm-to-plate dining. Jeong Kwan says, “Korean monks have a saying, ‘If you don’t work for a day, don’t eat for a day.’ You should eat what you’ve grown and produced yourself.” She explains that what you’ve grown yourself is a “complete product” created by both the

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my shoulder and tell me to prepare food in a certain way,” she recalls. “At first I did as they instructed. Later, as you keep preparing food, you get ideas of your own.”

From the temple to the world

When a monk makes food, it goes beyond the act of making food. Spiritual considerations must be made.

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universe and mankind. You should cook this “complete product” yourself. “With Korean temple food, the monks grow the food, harvest it, store it, ferment it and eat it after time has passed,” she says. Jeong Kwan began learning temple cuisine as soon as she became a nun at age 17. Food preparation is a part of all novice monks’ basic training. Jeong Kwan learned her art on the job. “The senior monks would stand over

Jeong Kwan first came to the world’s attention in 2015 when she appeared in season three of the popular U.S. food program “Avec Eric” featuring renowned French-born chef Eric Ripert. Ripert, a practicing Buddhist, had stayed at Baegyangsa Temple the previous year and was so taken by the food that he came back with a TV crew. While filming, Jeong Kwan and Ripert engaged in deep, meaningful discussions about the meaning of food. “Food is a tool to change a person’s heart,” she says. “That is to say, because when a person making food does so with a happy, bright, healthy heart, a heart without anger, the food moves with the heart of the person making it, depending on the ingredients. A monk is mindful when he or she makes food.” Her appearance on “Avec Eric” proved a big hit. Invited to a preview showing in New York, the humble nun from Cheonjiam Hermitage got a standing ovation when she appeared on screen. She also prepared a temple food banquet attended by some of the food business’s movers and shakers. This is where she met New York Times food writer Jeff Gordinier, who was taken by the preparation, color and, of course, flavor of the dishes. She provided him with the stories behind the cuisine - the soy bean paste that had been fermented seven years, or the trifoliate orange picked off a 500-year-old tree to make sweet grain syrup. The subsequent profile in The New York Times has led even more international visitors to make the trip to Cheonjiam. The overnight accomodations program there gives

“When a person making food does so with a happy, bright, healthy heart, a heart without anger, the food moves with the heart of the person making it, depending on the ingredients. A monk is mindful when he or she makes food.”

visitors a chance to see Korea’s Buddhist heritage, talk with Jeong Kwan and, of course, make and eat some good food. “I can’t communicate with words,” she says. “But when we make food together, the energy communicates. When we work together through food, we exchange emotions. So I think food connects one person to another, regardless of whether they are from East or West.”

More than making food

In response to the interest in Korean temple cuisine, Jeong Kwan lectures once a week at a Korean temple food promotional center in Seoul operated by the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism. It’s a long trip from the hermitage, to be sure, but it also gives the nun a break from the farm work and meditation. She finds that Western participants are especially enthusiastic about Korean red pepper paste, or gochujang. “Most Westerners think the pepper produces a spicy flavor, but this is because they don’t have means to secondarily process the pepper,” she

says. “In Korean cuisine or temple food, however, we mature and ferment ingredients for over three months. The fermentation refines the spicy flavor of the pepper powder. The original flavor of the pepper is given a secondary fermentation together with things such as grain syrup or malt. Therefore, the fermented red pepper paste, soy bean paste or soy sauce makes the large intestine work more smoothly and helps the digestion.” Jeong Kwan explains that what makes Korean temple food so popular is not just the food itself, but all the practice that goes along with it. “When a monk makes food, it goes beyond the act of making food,” she says. “Spiritual considerations must be made. Where have the ingredients come from? How do I prepare the dish? How do I eat it so that my body feels most at ease and contains the most spiritual energy I want to have? “I think I’ve grown popular with the public because I prepare food in accordance with these considerations.”

Jeong Kwan lectures a group of visitors on temple food.

KOREA _ July_ 27

People 2

Korean Literature Gets Its Place in the Sun LTI Korea President Kim Seong-kon examines the development of Korean literature and its translations _ Written by Colin Marshall Photographed by RAUM Studio

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Boundaries have broken down. Kim Seong-kon, president of the Literature Translation Institute of Korea (LTI), emphasized that point above all when he sat down with KOREA magazine for a wide-ranging talk on the place of Korean literature in the world today. The present seems to be Korean literature’s moment across the world. With the recent Man Booker International Prize victory of Han Kang’s “The Vegetarian” in English translation by Deborah Smith, more people than ever around the world are discovering the country through its literature. Kim, a literary critic and columnist who earned a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo and who also studied comparative literature at Columbia, sees boundaries as having broken down, not just between nations but between literary genres. “People say subgenre novels we’re all used to - fantasy, detective stories, science fiction - are inferior, but I don’t think that way. Those are our classics: fantasy, detective stories and stories you could even, in a way, call science fiction. You have to embrace it all.” Recent global successes of LTIsupported Korean books reflect that embrace of variety, from the attention drawn by English translations of novels like Cheon Myeong-kwan’s comedic “Modern Family” and Bae Suah’s introspective “Nowhere to Be Found” to the multi-era, multi-genre Library of Korean Literature series published in a joint effort with Dalkey Archive Press to the unexpected popularity in Mexico of Koo Byung-mo’s fantastical young adult novel “Wizard Bakery.”

The culmination of a long effort

With “The Vegetarian” winning the Booker Prize, it became clear that, in Kim’s words, Korean literature was “finally in its place in the sun.” Contrary to how it may look to international readers,

right” attitude reflected in Korean society at large in the quarreling of its ultranationalistic politicians and the lack of understanding between its generations. “The most frightening thing is when ignorant people can coerce others ‘for their own good,’” in Korea or elsewhere.

Third generation of translators

The international success of Han Kang’s novel “wasn’t something that suddenly happened one morning. It was the culmination of a continuous process of promoting Korean literature, of raising its profile overseas.”

however, “this wasn’t something that suddenly happened one morning. It was the culmination of a continuous process of promoting Korean literature, of raising its profile overseas.” As much as it will do for the careers of the author and the translator, it will do even more to educate the world about Korea, says Kim, as Korean studies professors add it to their class syllabuses. “I think ‘The Vegetarian’ is very timely because, especially on college campuses, there are a great many vegetarians, people who see the killing of animals as violence. And due to all the terrorism today, the public in general is also preoccupied by violence. To Han Kang, all these forms of violence aren’t different,” including “institutional violence in the name of the greater good” and “subtle, inconspicuous violence disguised as art,” among other themes explored throughout the Bookerwinning novel’s short length. Apart from its “poetic, exquisite narrative style,” Kim also sees in it a searing indictment of the selfrighteousness of those who, convinced of the inability of a nonconformist like a vegetarian to survive, insist, “You need meat in your diet, you need protein, and to keep you alive, I’m going to force you to eat it.” He sees this “you’re wrong, I'm

Smith, who rendered “The Vegetarian” in English, represents what Kim calls the third generation of Korean literature translators. The first consisted primarily of Koreans who had native speakers proofread their manuscripts. The second generation arrived as Peace Corps volunteers or soldiers and became scholars of Korean literature upon returning to their homeland. The third generation, some of whom have studied at the LTI’s own translation academy, came from many different countries. “They really like Korea. They don’t just happen to like it because they have a Korean spouse,” Kim said. They also represent the highest stage of what Kim calls an “evolution” of literary translators, who combine a love of Korean literature with an acute cultural sensibility and a talent for composing stylish prose in their native languages. They can master the art of not just linguistic translation but “cultural translation” in order to avoid misunderstandings. Having grown up in the information age, they possess a democratic view of society, too. Counter to the received establishment view, Kim believes that there is no such thing as pure literature, and so welcomes this era of mixing and hybridity. “Because of television and the internet, information is ubiquitous. The highbrow is gone. It’s all middlebrow. Whereas before, only content mattered, and packaging is important, too.” This goes for print books as well as e-books, whose detractors Kim compares to those who denounced the invention of paper in the days of papyrus. “Inflexibility, whether in publishing or in ideology, is hopeless.”

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Arts & Entertainment © Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival

Rocking the Summer Away Cool off at one of Korea’s many summer rock festivals _ Written by Shawn Despres

Valley Rock Music & Arts Festival Offering up the biggest names and strongest lineups each summer, this fest has widely been regarded as Korea’s top outing since its 2009 launch. After a few name and venue changes, July sees the event returning to its original home, the Jisan Forest Resort, under the moniker

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Valley Rock Music & Arts Festival ‒ a name suitable no matter where the threeday party happens in the future. This year’s best-known draw is the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who are touring in support of their latest release, “The Getaway.” Also on the bill are the British Grammy Award-nominated electronic act Disclosure, Canadian pop duo Tegan and Sara, Kim Chang-wan from legendary Korean rockers Sanullim, and fast-rising local R&B crooner Dean. The Valley Rock Music & Arts Festival takes place July 22–24 at Jisan Forest Resort in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do. Tickets cost KRW 160,000–260,000. For more information, visit valleyrockfestival.mnet. com.

For fans of live music, music festivals are one of the highlights of summer. Korea has plenty of large- and small-scale summer music events suitable for all budgets. Below are a few worth checking out. Read about them and then put on some sunscreen, grab a few cold beverages, and enjoy some loud music outdoors.

Busan Rock Festival

Music fans have fun at the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival.

The Jisan Valley Rock Festival draws over 30,000 people.

Ecological Park in Busan. For more information, visit rockfestival.co.kr.

New Generation of Ska Festival

Short on cash and want to attend a festival without leaving Seoul? Then this may be just the thing for you. This free concert takes place just outside of Sinchon Station on the road leading up to Yonsei University. The event began in 2014 and is organized by a handful of Hongdae musicians who hold a crowdfunding campaign each year to help cover costs. As in previous years, 2016’s bash will feature a fun, infectious mix of ska, ska-punk and reggae from the likes of Korean groups Lazybone, Skasucks and Burning Hepburn and Japan’s Oi-Skall Mates. The New Generation of Ska Festival takes place Aug. 27 at Sinchon Station in Seoul. For more information, visit facebook.com/tngoska.

Stepping Stone Festival

This year’s bestknown draw is the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who are touring in support of their latest release, “The Getaway.”

This long-running free event dates back to 2000 and features plenty of hardhitting bands performing for a large and appreciative crowd of all ages. While the entertainment consists mainly of Korean talent, each year a couple of overseas groups are booked as well. American group Impellitteri will be sharing a whole lot of vintage metal, while Japan’s Crystal Lake will dole out a more modern take on heaviness with their brand of metalcore. Popular indie rock bands like Guckkasten and The Koxx will also help keep spirits high throughout the weekend. The Busan Rock Festival takes place Aug. 26–28 at the Samnak

The Scorpions headline the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival in 2015. © Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival

When it started in 2006, Pentaport laid the groundwork for the Valley Rock Music & Arts Festival and still remains one of the peninsula’s best. This summer’s lineup is the strongest the event has boasted in years. When headliner Weezer previously played in the country in 2013, they covered a track by Kim Kwangseok. Will they surprise everyone with another Korean classic this time around? American post-hardcore act At the Drive-In may not have been a household name in their heyday, but expect the reunited seminal act to attract a massive amount of riled-up fans. Also appearing is Irish electro-rock group Two Door Cinema Club, Japanese electro-infused metalcore band Crossfaith, and Seoul EDM kings Idiotape. The Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival takes place Aug. 12–14 at the Songdo Pentaport Park in Incheon. Tickets cost KRW 130,000– 220,000. For more information, visit pentaportrock.com.

Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival

This one is my personal favorite. Taking place on Jeju’s beautiful Hamdeok Beach, Stepping Stone is free and spotlights an excellent array of indie talent. The vibe at the festival is fantastic ‒ musicians can often be seen dancing in the crowd when not playing and it’s not uncommon to see audience members flooding the stage to bop around as bands perform. Organizers donate money from alcohol sales to the Korean Federation for Environmental Movement, giving everyone an extra reason to drink. Groovy retro-flavored rockers Goonam, bluesy folk and punk act Billy Carter, and homegrown ska heroes South Carnival are among the performers. Be careful with this one; attend once and you’ll definitely want to go again. The Stepping Stone Festival takes places July 8–9 at Hamdeok Beach on Jeju Island. For more information, visit st2016.wix.com/stst.

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Korea & I

Street Food Paradise Some of Korea’s best eats are found in the humblest of places _ Written by Jennifer Flinn Illustrated by Kim Yoon-myung

Some of Seoul’s best dining experiences don’t include a white tablecloth, attentive waitstaff, or even utensils. When it comes time for a quick bite, Koreans turn to street stalls for delicious snacks and light meals. From tiny carts to commodious tent restaurants, street food is a beloved way for everyone to enjoy some unique treats in a convivial atmosphere.

Street food powers the city

Street food is an integral part of how Seoulites feed themselves. In times past, lone peddlers would wander neighborhoods hawking treats by loudly proclaiming the items for sale. Even now, the calls of an itinerant ice pop (aiseu kkekki) or sweet rice cake (chapssal tteok) vendor sometimes echo through neighborhoods. Over time, peddlers’ carts became mobile mini-restaurants to cater to Seoul’s busy populace. Today, some 3,000

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street stalls and tent restaurants can be found all over the city, serving up everything from sweet snacks to full meals.

Classic street food keeps Seoul running

The most classic of all street food items is also the ultimate combo meal: gim-tteok-sun. Short for “gimbap, tteokbokki and soondae,” this is perhaps the single most beloved set of snacks for people of all ages. The tteokbokki is key, bringing together chewy logs of rice or wheat cake with fish patties called eomuk, boiled eggs, and perhaps some shredded carrot, cabbage, and sesame leaf, in a rich sweet-spicy sauce. Gimbap are rolls of sesame-oil-flavored rice in roasted laver, and are often filled with ham, tuna, egg, pickles and vegetables. The tasty trifecta is completed with soondae, a sausage made with rice, sweet potato noodles and pigs’ blood. It can be dipped in salt and eaten plain, but most Seoulites mix it in the tteokbokki sauce. Eomuk appears as the star of its own show as skewers cooked in a seafood broth. The eomuk can be dressed up with a little soy sauce, and the broth is always free for anyone who orders food. Completing the classic food cart experience requires a side of twigim, selected from a rainbow of battered and fried delicacies that can include sweet potato, pumpkin, shrimp, squid, stuffed peppers or even ginseng. Skewered meats, especially chicken, are also popular. In the back alleys of Jongno or Seoul’s traditional markets, stalls often sell savory panfried treats called jeon. The king is bindaetteok, a huge savory pancake made from mung beans, but meat, seafood, kimchi, spring onions, tofu and peppers all star in their own varieties. Other offerings can include steamed or fried dumplings, trotters, buttered squid, fish crackers, chicken’s feet, snails or the nostalgic favorite, silkworm pupae (beondegi).

Street food gets creative

While the alleys and markets may be the place for traditional street food, Myeong-dong is where you find the most innovative stalls. The deep-fried spiralized “hurricane” potatoes on

a stick got their big start here, and can still be found next to stalls selling grilled scallops in cheese sauce, skewered lamb, corn dogs covered in french fries, tiny deep-fried crabs, steamed corn, kebabs, stir-fried noodles, and locally produced cheeses skewered and grilled until crispy. Buckets of dakgangjeong, batter-fried chicken and rice cakes covered in a sweet and spicy sauce, are one of the most popular snacks, uniting honey and spices in a distinctively Korean style.

Sweets from the street

Savory isn’t the only kind of street food available. Seoulites have a real sweet tooth that they feed with treats both traditional and new. A longstanding favorite is hotteok, a delicious fried doughnut filled with sugar, cinnamon and sometimes nuts that caramelizes into a hot, sticky treat favored in the winter. A healthier variation where a thin, cracker-like crust replaces the yeast-risen dough is equally popular. Among the traditional favorites are red-bean-filled pancakes baked in molds shaped like goldfish or carp (bungeoppang), flowers (gukhwappang), or even cartoon feces. A modern variation replaces the sweet beans with custard, and the fish-shaped breads have been adapted into ice cream cones. Other popular baked snacks include muffins topped with an egg (gyeranppang) and walnut cookies (hodugwaja).

Something for everyone

Street food in Seoul runs the gamut from delicate sweet bites of fruit and rice cakes to spicy, hearty, gut-busting meals. Elementary school students grab after-school snacks, grandparents pass the time with an old-school treat, young couples try fashionable new foods as they wander on dates, and old friends get together after work over skewered meat and seafood. Whether looking for new trends like crepes and delicately crafted ice cream roses or nostalgic comfort foods like roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes and chestnuts, you’re sure to find something to hit the spot in the street food scene.

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Korea in Brief

Korea Monthly Update © Yonhap News

Han Kang’s ‘The Vegetarian’ Wins Man Booker International Prize

The film “Chalet” won Best Foreign Feature at the Arizona International Film Festival in the United States in early May. The movie was produced with the financial support of Korea’s Ministry of Unification, the government body that handles relations and cooperation with North Korea. Directed by Park So-jin, the film tells the story of a South Korean woman and a man who defected from North Korea who split a room in a working-class neighborhood in Seoul. One gets to use the room during the day, while the other uses it at night. They get to know one another through post-it notes. Eventually, they begin to communicate in person, and in so doing they develop a true understanding of one another. © Director Park So-jin

a wife who one day decides to become a vegetarian. As this act of rebellion takes on increasingly odd and disturbing forms, the institutions around her begin to fall apart. Critic and editor Boyd Tonkin, who chaired the judging committee, said of the book, “This compact, exquisite and disturbing book will linger long in the minds, and maybe the dreams, of its readers.” He added, “Deborah Smith’s perfectly judged translation matches its uncanny blend of beauty and horror at every turn.”

Renowned author Han Kang’s novel “The Vegetarian” won the U.K.’s Man Booker International Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in the literary world. The results for 2016 were announced May 16. To win, Han had to fend off works by luminaries such as José Eduardo Agualusa, Elena Ferrante, Chinese author Yan Lianke, Turkish Nobel laureate Orhan Pamuk and Austrian author Robert Seethaler. Han and her translator Deborah Smith will receive GBP 25,000 each. “The Vegetarian” is a surreal tale of

KOREA _ July _ 34

Korean Reunification Film Wins at US Film Festival

Record Numbers Take Korean Proficiency Exam Over 72,000 applicants in 45 countries sat for the 46th Test of Proficiency in Korean, or TOPIK, in April. Both numbers represented record highs for the government-proffered exam, which was first held in 1997. The Ministry of Education explains that the growing number of test takers reflects growing interest in Korean pop

culture, including music and television programs. An official from the National Institute for International Education, which administers the test, told Yonhap News, “The test is one of the projects heightening the national brand and plays a role in helping diffuse the Korean language and boosting the national image.”

Korean Dancer Wins Prestigious Ballet Award most prestigious in Russia, in just three years. Korean ballerinas Kang Sue-jin and Kim Joo-won won the award in 1999 and 2006, respectively. The Benois de la Danse was founded in 1992 by the International Dance Association in Moscow. A jury of ballet’s top personages gives out awards in the categories of lifelong achievement, ballerina, dancer, choreographer, composer and designer.

Kim Ki-min has became the first Korean dancer to win the best dancer award at the Benois de la Danse, the world’s most prestigious ballet award. Kim, the 24-year-old principal dancer at the Russian Mariinsky Ballet, took home the prize from the event held in Moscow on May 17. A prodigy who entered Korea National University of Arts straight out of middle school, Kim joined the Mariinsky in 2011 as its first Asian dancer. He rose to become its principal dancer, one of the

Expo Promotes Korean Brands, Entertainment in China The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency hosted a series of large-scale expos to promote Korearelated products in three Chinese cities in May. The Korea Brand & Entertainment Expo 2016 was held in Shenyang (May 12–14), Xi’an (May 13–17) and Chongqing (May 20–21). About 340 Korean companies and 1,300 Chinese firms took part in the expos, the largest turnout ever. The shows are expected to boost Chinese consumer interest in Korean products, especially outside of China’s biggest cities, where the growth potential for Korean exports is especially high.

Five Korean Chefs Showcase Korean Cuisine in New York Five of Korea’s top chefs introduced the epicurean delights of Korean cuisine at one of the world’s top food events in New York. Choi Hyun-seok of Elbon The Table, Jang Jin-mo of A&ND, Kang Min-goo of Mingles, Tony Yoo of 24 Seasons and Yim Jung-sik of Restaurant Jungsik took part in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants’s KoreaNYC Dinners, held June 9–11. The

dinner series paired the five chefs with leading U.S. chefs. The Korean chefs spotlighted Korea’s diverse fermented foods, including soybean paste, sauces and, of course, kimchi. The World’s 50 Best Restaurants is one of the world’s most authoritative restaurant rankings. The 2016 list was announced in New York on June 13.

KOREA _ July_ 35

Policy Review

A Very Traditional Hackathon Classical arts meet bleeding-edge technology _ Written by Lee Kijun

ÂŠ Korea Arts Management Service

Participants in the Arts Hackathon discuss ideas.

KOREA _ July _ 36

arts

technology

So many ideas to love. So few prizes to give.

startup

The participants, many of them strangers to each other, worked together in nine teams, sharing ideas for 72 straight hours.

On the morning of April 22, more than 60 people gathered at D.Camp, a startup incubation center in Gangnam, to participate in a three-day hackathon, an event where developers gather to see how fast they can come up with innovative product prototypes. Hackathons are not unusual in the tech industry. Korea’s first hackathon was held last year at the Pangyo Techno Valley, a high-tech industrial complex in Gyeonggi-do. That three-day competition, co-hosted by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency, drew about 1,000 college students, software developers and IT specialists. The event this April was a bit different, however. Most of the participants were artists from a variety of disciplines, including directors, musicians and writers. This was an “Arts Hackathon,” and its theme was Korean traditional arts. It was the first of its kind in Korea. The hackathon was hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and its research arm, the Korea Arts Management Service. The participants, many of them strangers to each other, worked together in nine teams, sharing ideas for 72 straight hours. On April 24, each team presented a fully developed arts-based business proposal to the rest of the group.

convergent industries

Participants struggled for three days to come up with an art-related startup idea. The clock on the screen counts down until the deadline.

Prizes totaled KRW 3 million. Initially the organizers were to select two winners, but the number of prizeworthy ideas led them to award three prizes instead. The team Midnight Heritage won the grand prize for a midnight tour using digital media. Second prizes went to Well-Anding for a digitalized traditional memorial service, and to Pat And Mat for a digitalized approach to Korea’s traditional fairy tales that incorporates board games, music and storytelling. Midnight Heritage used technologies such as augmented reality, holograms and media facades to provide nighttime experiences to tourists. The package would allow tourists to enjoy works of art such as Lee Jung-seob’s paintings, Seo Jeong-ju’s poems and Kim Dong-ni’s novels. It also featured a 3-D holographic performance of a Korean traditional dance at the Bukchon Hanok Village. Lee Jong-wook, a Ph.D. candidate at KAIST’s Graduate School of Culture Technology and a member of Midnight Heritage, said his team had combined traditional arts with the latest technology and created a new experience for tourists. He’s already thinking about where to go from here. “We look forward to receiving support to turn this into a successful business,” he said. Hwang In-seong, the leader of Midnight Heritage, spoke highly of the

KOREA _ July_ 37

the event. “The hackathon will stimulate a convergence between traditional arts and state-of-the-art technology and facilitate entrepreneurship,” the ministry said in a statement. “We are planning to have a series of arts hackathons focused on various themes, including 3-D printing, drones and public art.”

Briging art and silicon together

A participant makes use of augmented reality during an idea development meeting.

“We thought we could use augmented reality for our project, but the mentors pointed out that the technology was not as advanced as we thought,” Hwang said. “We were able to modify the details of our project to make it more feasible.”

KOREA _ July _ 38

hackathon’s teamwork approach. “When we began our first meeting, my teammates came up with so many ideas,” Hwang said. “They came up with so many wonderful ideas that I’d never even considered. I couldn’t have come up with our product if I’d been working alone.” Experts in various fields provided mentoring services to all the teams on the second day. They pointed out problems the participants hadn’t noticed and suggested solutions that would make their projects viable. “We thought we could use augmented reality for our project, but the mentors pointed out that the technology was not as advanced as we thought,” Hwang said. “We were able to modify the details of our project to make it more feasible.” The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has high hopes for the future of

Since President Park Geun-hye launched her “creative economy” initiative, emphasizing knowledge-based industries, the government has worked hard to hatch more startups than ever before. It has built 17 so-called Centers for Creative Economy and Innovation, a “Creative Economy Town,” and other technology incubators and clusters. Meanwhile, more and more people are starting their own businesses through crowdfunding and by taking advantage of the many incentives available. The number of venture firms in Korea exceeded 30,000 last year, when venture investment hit a record high of KRW 2.1 trillion. Despite the startup boom in Korea, few ventures have focused their attention on Korean traditional arts. “Despite a widespread preconception that art and business don’t mix, participants in this arts hackathon successfully converged innovative ideas and technology and presented the full potential of money-making ventures,” the Korea Arts Management Service said in statement. “If their ideas are commercialized, we’ll launch follow-up support programs such as crowdfunding campaigns and product showcases.” Jung San, a participant in the hackathon who is majoring in metalcraft, agrees that art can be lucrative. “Art is also a business that needs to be profitable,” Jung said. “The arts hackathon was much more helpful than I thought it would be because I learned how to operate a business as an artist.”

Summit Diplomacy

President Park Goes to Africa, Europe Presidential visits expand opportunities for Korean businesses in East Africa and Western Europe _ Written by Lee Kyehyun Photos courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae

President Park takes part in a Korea Aid event at the Kenyatta International Convention Center in Nairobi on May 31.

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Summit Diplomacy

President Park receives a gift during a ceremony held in Addis Ababa on May 27 to mark the 65th anniversary of Ethiopia’s participation in the Korean War.

President Park Geun-hye’s tour (May 25-June 5) to Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and France tour yielded significant fruit, especially in East Africa, where President Park concluded agreements across a wide range of sectors, including security, trade, investment and the arts. In particular, she presented a vision of Korea as a partner in achieving mutually beneficial growth with the nations of Africa, and as a friend prepared to share its considerable developmental experience. “The paths that Korea and Africa have taken thus far may have been different, but the path ahead to progress and prosperity can be traveled together,” she said in a speech at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa on May 27. “To this end, Korea is committed to sharing its cumulative experiences, knowledge and mindset to build a collaborative partnership for mutual growth and prosperity.”

A friendship forged in blood

President Park set off for her lengthy overseas tour on May 25. Her first stop was Ethiopia, a historical ally of Korea

KOREA _ July _ 40

that dispatched elite ground troops to support Seoul in the Korean War. In a contribution to the state-run Ethiopian Herald, she pledged to “further deepen our two countries’ friendship forged in blood” and added that her visit would be a “significant opportunity to renew and develop Korea-Ethiopia relations and for Korea to become a trustworthy partner in a journey toward integration, prosperity and peace for the African Union.” On May 26, President Park and Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn held a summit at the National Palace. The two leaders discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation on trade, business, infrastructure development, economic development and other matters. In particular, Prime Minister Hailemariam expressed his support for denuclearization efforts on the Korean Peninsula and said he would use Ethiopia’s influence in Africa to guide other African nations to support Korean denuclearization. After the summit, the two governments signed 40 memorandums of understanding, 36 of which dealt with trade and investment. Four of the

President Park’s visit served as an opportunity to launch Seoul’s Korea Aid initiative. The program focuses on providing basic health services, especially for women, and nutritional support to residents living in underserved regions.

agreements covered cooperation in the textile industry, including a deal to jointly develop a Korean textile complex at an industrial park outside Addis Ababa. Many of the memorandums covered ICT, high-tech and infrastructure development, including an agreement to support Korean businesses that wish to participate in the building of the Gore– Tepi road, a USD 690 million project. The two sides also signed a memorandum of understanding on bilateral defense cooperation. On May 27, President Park attended a ceremony commemorating the 65th anniversary of the dispatch of Ethiopian troops to serve in the Korean War. She met with Ethiopian veterans of the Korean War and expressed her nation’s appreciation for their sacrifices. “With courage and a will for victory that never failed, the Ethiopian veterans never lost, and they made great contributions to an endangered Korea,” she said. “Korea and its people will remember forever the veterans who had to endure physical and mental postwar difficulties and who nonetheless showed their affection for Korea.”

sex education. The program also provides local residents with local and Korean dishes, as well as rice-based processed foods. Korean agricultural techniques are introduced, too. The multimedia truck gives local people a chance to learn about Korea through videos and other material. President Park kicked off the program at an event at Addis Ababa University on May 27. The launch was attended by hundreds of people, including Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome. In her May 25 column in the Ethiopian Herald, President Park wrote of Korea Aid, “I believe our new aid program on wheels, which directly impacts local residents while introducing Korea at the same time, will allow the citizens of our two nations to make heart-to-heart connections.”

‘Mutually beneficial partners for a new future for Africa’

While in Addis Ababa, President Park also spoke at the headquarters of the African Union, becoming the first Korean president to do so. In a May 27 address

titled “Mutually Beneficial Partners for a New Future for Africa,” she said Korea would be a “trustworthy companion” for mutual growth and prosperity. “Just as Korea has experienced the ordeals of history as well as achievements, I can sense the hopes and yearnings to leap forward that are spreading across the African continent and I understand deep in my heart how significant this is,” she said. “Indeed it is a pleasure that Korea can now offer help and join Africa in forging a new path toward the future, together with our friends who likewise helped Korea triumph over adversity.” She pledged Korean support for Agenda 2063, an African Union initiative, based on the spirit of the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, to achieve an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa through positive socioeconomic transformation within the next 50 years. Presenting her “Blueprint for Comprehensive Cooperation with Africa,” she unveiled a plan for two-way exchanges involving 10,000 young people to expand job opportunities for young Africans. She also said 6,000 talented Africans would be offered educational

Korea Aid

President Park’s visit also served as an opportunity to launch Seoul’s Korea Aid initiative. The program focuses on providing basic health services, especially for women, and nutritional support to residents living in underserved regions. Under the program, Korea has sent one medical examination vehicle, two ambulances, three food services trucks, one refrigeration truck, one multimedia truck and two backup vehicles to participating nations. Medical services include pelvic exams for women, pediatric care, general checkups, first aid treatment and the provision of medication. Health education sessions are offered for young girls, including information on sanitation, hygiene and

President Park and President Museveni visit a rural leadership training center in Uganda.

KOREA _ July_ 41

and training opportunities in Korea or Africa. She announced plans to boost economic cooperation by combining Korean technology and capital with African human and natural resources. To promote peace and stability on the African continent, she pledged to work with the international community, expand peacekeeping operations, and work on increasing Korea’s financial contributions to the Africa Union’s Peace Fund.

Korea, Uganda build stronger partnership

After Ethiopia, President Park visited Uganda, the second stop on her African tour. She met with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni for summit talks in Entebbe on May 29. The two agreed to bolster their partnership involving investment, trade, tourism, human resources development and the New Community Movement. The last of these, known in Korean as the saemaul undong, is a set of rural development strategies that succeeded in raising living standards in the Korean countryside in the 1970s and 1980s. President Museveni has shown great interest in the movement and praised its values, which he credited for assisting in Uganda’s own national development strategy. The summit yielded 19 memorandums of understanding, including 17 covering economic development. In particular, the two governments agreed to support Korean companies that are participating in Ugandan infrastructure development projects. Korean companies, for instance, will take part in a USD 2.5 billion project to build an oil refinery in the western Ugandan city of Hoima. Korean companies will take part in feasibility studies for road and expressway projects too. President Museveni also pledged to sever the Ugandan military’s and police’s longstanding cooperation with North

KOREA _ July _ 42

President Park and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta hold a summit in Nairobi on June 1.

Korea in response to tightened U.N. sanctions on Pyongyang. The suspension of North Korea–Uganda military ties drew considerable attention from the international press. The New York Times, for instance, wrote, “The Park–Museveni agreement, if put into effect, would be a coup for Ms. Park, who supports aggressive enforcement of United Nations sanctions against North Korea.” On May 30, President Park and President Museveni attended the opening of the National Farmers' Leadership Center in the town of Mpigi. The training center, supported by both the Korean and Ugandan governments, teaches local residents about agricultural leadership, effective farming techniques and animal husbandry. Its program is modeled on Korea’s New Community Movement. President Museveni said, “The people of rural Uganda naturally possess the philosophy of the New Community Movement, which emphasizes diligence, a spirit of self-help, and cooperation. We are grateful that you have shared with us the meaning of this philosophy.” 1

Strengthening ties with Kenya

President Park moved on to Kenya, the third leg of her tour. Korea and Kenya established diplomatic ties in 1964, when the fathers of both nations’ current leaders were in power. President Park met with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta for summit talks in Nairobi on May 31. It was the first meeting between the leaders of the two countries. Noting the two nations’ steadily developing ties, President Park told her Kenyan counterpart, “Korea can be a good partner for Kenya to carry out its Vision 2030, as Korea has successful experiences in development backed by its five-year economic development plans.” The two governments signed 20 memorandums of understanding covering economic cooperation. In particular, the two sides agreed to help Korean businesses seeking to participate in the Vision 2030 initiative, Kenya’s long-term development program, which will entail significant investment in infrastructure projects, including power plants, roads, ports and railways. Korean firms are especially keen on Kenya’s geothermal power sector, the world’s

eighth-largest. Nairobi also plans to build more nuclear power stations by 2033. The two sides also agreed to build a trial industrial zone for Korean companies.

Korea and France: A partnership for the 21st century

President Park left Kenya and arrived in France, the final stop of her tour, on June 1. Her trip marked the first official state visit to France by a Korean president in 16 years. She kicked off her official schedule by attending the France-Korea Business Forum in Paris on June 2. Jointly organized by the Federation of Korean Industries and the Mouvement des Entreprises de France, the event was attended by 220 people. In her congratulatory address, she proposed three ways the two nations could work together: expanding trade and investment, collaborating on future industries such as energy, ICT and bioengineering, and cooperating on startups. After the event, she met with businesspeople from Korean small and medium-sized enterprises to offer words of encouragement. Later that evening, President Park attended KCON France 2016, a promotional event combining a convention with a K-pop concert. The initial 10,000 tickets for the concert, which featured popular pop groups such as the Bangtan Boys, Block B, SHINee, F.T. Island, f(x) and I.O.I, sold out in just three hours. An additional 2,500 seats were prepared, but these too sold out in just an hour. President Park met with French President François Hollande for a summit at the Élysée Palace on June 3. The two leaders discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly in the creative industries, the arts, media and entertainment. In particular, they discussed ways to cooperate in dealing

(Top) KCON France 2016 at the Accor Hotels Arena in Paris on June 2 (Bottom) President Park and French President François Hollande hold a joint press conference on June 3.

with North Korea, with the French leader expressing his support for Seoul and its efforts to get Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program. President Hollande said in a joint press conference after the summit, “We will always support South Korea and stand with it.” In a joint statement, the two leaders also vowed to “take additional steps, if necessary, to make sure that North Korea abandons its nuclear program and takes a path toward true change.” France has served as the president of the U.N. Security Council since June 1. While in France, President Park took some time to visit the southeastern

French city of Grenoble, where she spent six months as an exchange student in 1974. In Grenoble, she visited a research center run by Air Liquide, a French multinational that supplies industrial gases around the world. She took a test drive of a hydrogen-powered electric taxi jointly developed by Hyundai, Air Liquide and a Paris-based electric taxi company. Hyundai is the world’s first automaker to mass-produce hydrogenpowered cars. Hyundai Motor and Air Liquide signed a memorandum of understanding to expand the supply of hydrogen-powered cars and the charging station infrastructure.

KOREA _ July_ 43

Creative Economy

Healthcare Products Win a Global Market Exports of medical equipment top USD 2.5 billion in the first quarter _ Written by Lim Jeong-yeo

Korea᾽s small and mid-sized medical device manufacturers are winning the hearts of customers around the world by rolling out more innovative and user-friendly products. In the first quarter of this year, exports of medical and healthcare equipment surpassed KRW 3 trillion won (USD 2.5 billion), a record for the industry and the result of innovation by small and midsized businesses.

Vatech’s PaXi3D Smart shoots 2-D and 3-D images at the same time.

Dental health has never been this easy

KOREA _ July _ 44

Prominent movers behind this include customized dental implant company Osstem Implant, dental X-ray machine and CT scan producer Vatech, blood glucose meter developer i-Sens and body composition analysis pioneer Inbody. The companies achieved a breakthrough in a market dominated by non-Korean firms by using technology to improve existing products and creating faster and more userfriendly devices. Osstem Implant, on the strength of its customized products and over 70 subsidiaries and distributors around the world, raked in nearly KRW 283 billion in exports last year. Vatech recorded profits of over KRW 217 billion in 2015 for the first time since its inception in 2003. It gained ground in the global market with the introduction of a faster X-ray machine in 2013, making it possible to produce an image in just 5.9

I-SENS can measure blood sugar from one drop of blood in under five seconds.

seconds and cut exposure to radiation 75 percent. Vatech has taken the “Best International Merchandise” prize in Korea for seven consecutive years and now ranks No. 1 in the domestic dental imaging market and No. 3 in terms of global market share.

Managing diabetes

i-Sens is the first company to develop a compact, key-sized glucose meter that can test 0.5 microliters of blood in just five seconds. Previously, the best meters on the market required 4 microliters of blood and took 30 seconds to process the data. Many users found the chunky devices inconvenient to carry around, since diabetes patients are advised to check blood glucose levels at least four times a day. Business for i-Sens swelled to KRW 101.9 billion in 2015, as compared with KRW 52.2 billion in 2011. Overseas exports accounted for nearly 80 percent of that figure, with the three biggest markets being the United States, Japan and New Zealand. i-Sens made its first foray into the U.S. market in 2006, and almost 25 percent of the company’s overseas exports involve U.S. partner AgaMatrix. i-Sens also signed an exclusive deal with Japan’s Arkray in 2010, and that partnership generates 10 percent of its export revenue. Arkray’s CEO, Takeshi Matsuda, said he was “very satisfied with i-Sens products” and that the company “meets the diversifying needs of clients with fast-paced developments.” Chandra Selvadurai, CEO of New Zealand’s Pharmaco, which in 2013 granted i-Sens three-year exclusive supply rights, said the two companies had “passionately” collaborated to market the device in New Zealand. Pharmaco now constitutes 6 percent of i-Sens’ overseas revenue. The technology that i-Sens has developed allows diabetes patients to monitor their blood sugar levels anywhere, anytime, using the company’s smartphone application.

InBody: a household name

InBody revolutionized the body composition analyzer in 1996 when it created a model that people could use in a standing position, without getting undressed. Earlier models required users to lie down naked so that the electrodes could be attached to various parts of the body. Now, before the machine can assess percentages of muscle and fat and print out a detailed analysis, the electrodes only need to be in contact with the user’s bare hands and feet. In the first quarter of 2016, exports to China accounted for 40 percent of InBody’s overseas revenue, while exports to the

The InBody Band, the world’s first wearable device to measure body composition, has been a hit since its release last year.

United States provided 17 percent and Japan 15 percent. Combined, revenue from exports constituted 80 percent of the company’s profits, a record surpassing the previous high of 62 percent in 2014. The company received good publicity this past May, when Los Angeles Lakers basketball trainer Gary Vitti appeared in a documentary on Korean television. “I can’t get the best out of the players unless I have the best equipment,” Vitti said in the documentary, pointing to an Inbody machine. InBody, he told the interviewer, had allowed him to monitor the players’ body fat more effectively. The name “InBody” has now become a generic term for body composition analysis equipment, and the company is planning to expand its global presence to include places such as Ethiopia, Nigeria and Kenya. The rise of Korean medical equipment on the global market is expected to create jobs and benefit the nation’s economy in the long term.

KOREA _ July_ 45

Global Korea

Sharing Korea’s Experience Abroad KOICA’s World Friends Korea Adviser program helps retirees help the world _ Written by Eugene Kim Photos courtesy of Korea International Cooperation Agency

KOICA’s World Friends Korea Adviser program facilitates rural development projects in many parts of Asia and Africa.

KOREA _ July _ 46

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) is channeling the wisdom of older Koreans into assistance programs for developing economies. Oh Se-gwang, a retired Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency officer with 31 years of service behind him, spent a year in Bangladesh as part of KOICA’s World Friends Korea Adviser program. In Dhaka, Oh worked with Bangladesh’s Export Promotion Bureau, where he shared his experience of economic development with local officials. They discussed how Korea had begun by exporting wigs and clothing and graduated to steel, cars, ships and electronics. Drawing on his own experience representing KOTRA in Thailand, the United States, Jordan and Poland, he proposed that the Bangladeshi agency promote exports of textiles. In the end, his suggestions became policy. Even former Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon has lent his skills by advising authorities in other world cities on urban planning, environmental issues, sustainable development and other matters. After joining the program in 2013, he spent two six-month stints abroad, first in Lima, Peru, and later in Kigali, Rwanda. “We need to send our manpower abroad,” he was quoted as saying in the JoongAng Daily newspaper after returning to Korea. “Korean volunteers can build dams and construct power plants in Central and South America and Africa and pass on their knowledge. They can be at the forefront of improving our national image and becoming regional experts.”

Lee Cheol-sun teaches Korean at a vocational school in Nepal.

Older Koreans gain productive second careers through the adviser program.

Sharing Korea’s know-how

KOICA began the World Friends Korea Adviser program in 2010. The program sends retired individuals with the requisite skills and experience to developing nations to serve as policy advisers for local government bodies and public institutions. Advisers share their development experience and assist in the transfer of skills and the promotion of exports. The program is currently active in about 40 nations in South and Southeast Asia, Oceania, Africa, Central and South America, the Middle East and Central Asia. Assignments last from six months to a year, and can be extended for up to three years. To be eligible, applicants should be volunteer-minded retirees or soon-to-be retirees with at least 10 years of experience in sectors where assistance is needed. They should be able to deliver lectures, give advice and write reports in English. They should be healthy enough to spend at least six months overseas and satisfy the individual requirements set by the nations to which they will be sent.

Being productive in your golden years

Over the past five years, KOICA has dispatched 939 advisers overseas as part of the program. In November 2015, the agency selected 66 volunteers to serve in 21 countries, including Nepal, East Timor, Senegal, Ethiopia and Peru. In the second half of 2016, more advisers will be sent to Myanmar, Colombia, Cambodia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Jordan, Uzbekistan and elsewhere. In addition to assisting developing nations, the program also gives older people an opportunity to engage in productive activities in their golden years. Professor Gu Ja-sam, a retired international affairs officer with Daewoo Securities, volunteered for the program in 2015 and was sent to Vietnam. “I’m 77 years old, and there’s so much to do in Vietnam,” he was quoted as saying in the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper. “In this age when people are living to be 100, people need something to do … If you head to a developing country, there are plenty of things to do.”

KOREA _ July_ 47

Flavor

Omija Punch and Omija Tea “Five taste” berry yields a refreshing beverage _ Written by Ian Im Photographed by aostudio Kang Jinju

Schisandra chinensis is a woody vine that grows in the forests of Korea, northern China and the Russian Far East. In August and September, the vines produce clusters of bright red berries, called omija in Korean. Omija means “five flavor berry.” This amazing berry earned its name because it possessed all five basic flavors: salty, sweet, sour, savory and bitter. The fruit is used throughout Northeast Asia to make a wide range of teas, juices, alcoholic beverages and medicinal compounds. In summer, omija is often used to make omija hwachae, a refreshing punch. To make this drink, the berries are left to sit in water overnight. The berries are then strained out, and sugar or honey is added to sweeten it. Slices of pear are cut into flower shapes and added to the concoction, along with a garnish of pine nuts. The result is a drink with a vibrant red color and little pear flowers floating on top. The drink is cool and high in organic

KOREA _ July _ 48

acid and tartaric acid, giving it refreshing, thirst-quenching properties. The drink can be served without the floating fruit, too. In this case, it is called omija tea, or omijacha. People have long used omijacha as a medicinal tonic as well. Its pleasant odor and tannin content help the lungs. In particular, the tea is said to be good for coughs and to clear the phlegm in your throat. Omija also lowers blood pressure and detoxifies the blood. While traditional beverages such as omija hwachae and omijacha have given way somewhat to Western-style soft drinks and juices, you can still easily find them at Korean teahouses around the country. You can also make them yourself. Supermarkets sell powdered and condensed versions of the beverage, or you can purchase the ingredients yourself and make it fresh.

__ Making omija tea and omija hwachae: Soak some dried omija in cold water overnight. Drain the water thoroughly and add sugar or honey to your liking. If using fresh omija, mix the berries with preferred amounts of sugar or honey, put the mixture into a strainer and serve the liquid as tea. For omija hwachae, or traditional punch, add some fresh slices of pear, and a few pine nuts to taste.

KOREA _ July_ 49

Korean Keyword

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

A mentor and a friend

선배 | Seonbae

Just as there is light because there is darkness, a seonbae exists because of a hubae, and vice versa. The Korean word seonbae refers to a person who has more years of academic or professional experience than a hubae. In a school context, a seonbae is the senior and a hubae is the underclassperson. Unlike other well-known Korean honorifics such as oppa, hyeong, eonni and nuna, the terms seonbae and hubae are age- and gender-neutral ways of acknowledging social rank. Not all that infrequently, a university hubae can turn into a workplace seonbae. For example, Sohn Ji-hyung is currently an intern at a company where his university hubae is a permanent member of the staff. Although he says he doesn’t mind using respectful terms with her at work, he imagines that meeting her at alumni get-togethers might be slightly awkward. Notwithstanding cases like Sohn’s, many would agree that a good seonbae is like a mentor for life. This is because the experience of learning and working is much like an apprenticeship. Civil servant An Easeul says that much of what can be learned in Korea is passed down directly from person to person. “Depending on the kind of seonbae you meet,” she says, “your growth may either get stumped or leveraged.” An says she was lucky to have met a seonbae that she could really get along with and learn from. “My seonbae did not pressure me to change my views just so that I would be ‘respectful’ toward their personal opinions. We freely spoke our minds. We were in a crowd that made it a point to stay away from people who thought anyone was less than them because of how society labeled them.” “I am able to treat my hubae the same way I was treated myself. I encourage them to be who they really are.”

KOREA _ July _ 50

Korean Art Through Coloring

The carved floral latticework doors of Sanasa Temple

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July 2016