www.roking.net
2011 ISSUE 4
GENERAL CULTURE MAGAZINE
SPRING FLING
Royal It Girl’s MUST HAVE ITEMS Taking a Stab at Korea’s Fire-Breathing Spicy Food Fashion Blogger Renaissance
SPECIAL Real Jeju Story
ISSN 2093-6907
SPRING FLING
路3
GENERAL CULTURE MAGAZINE
ROKING ISSUE 4 2011
Korea Office 3F Kumho B/D, 8-56, Yejang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul 100-250, South Korea TEL: +82-(70)-4147-0701 FAX: +82-(2)-6280-0701 SUBSCRIPTIONS TEL: +82-(70)-4147-0701 E-MAIL: rokingkorea@gmail.com Publisher & Executive Director SARAH BYON Executive Director SANG-AA PARK EDITORIAL DIVISION Fashion & Beauty SANG-AA PARK Feature SHINJAE SUNG, JUNGYOON CHOI Street Fashion HYUN-HO CHOI (www.paparazzo.wo.tc) Sports JIN-SUNG KWAK Reviser ALLEN WAGNER Rishika Murthy, Jonathan carfield DESIGN DIVISION Designer KYUNG-HEE HAN Cartoonist SEUNG-MIN CHA Cover Design IMJ DISTIRBUTION NEW YORK, USA HYUN-JIN YOO Los Angeles, USA SAE-HEE AHN Irvine, CA USA JEE JIN Seattle, USA JIN-BUM CHOI CONNETICUT, USA DAVID CHO Vancouver, CANADA JI-HOON SUN ROKING MEDIA Web Director SARAH BYON MARKETING DIVISION Director SARAH BYON Manager BO-YOUNG YU MEDIA PARTNERSHIP Le Debut (www.ledebut.kr) KOREANA MAGAZINE/ KOREA FOCUS KOREA.NET
4·
roking magazine
PUBLISHED BY: ROKING KOREA inc. 주식회사 락킹 코리아 3F Kumho B/D, 8-56, Yejang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul 100-250, South Korea EDITORIAL DEPT. t.+82-(70)-4147-0701 (FAX)+82-(2)-6280-0701 MARKETING DEPT. t.+82-(70)-4147-0702 (FAX)+82-(2)-6280-0701 광고 문의 070-8273-0701 ceobyon@gmail.com 2011년 통권 제 4호 격월 발행 등록번호. 관악 마00009(등록일.2010.8.11) 인쇄처. 한일미디어 인쇄인. 유석오 <ROKING MAGAZINE>의 글, 그림, 사진 등 모든 자료는 사전 허락 없이 옮겨 쓸 수 없습니다.
KOR ver. www.roking-korea.com ENG ver. www.roking.net TWITTER www.twitter.com@sangaapark(KR) www.twitter.com@rokingkorea (EN) www.facebook.com/rokingkorea Check our site for quicker updates about Roking projects! ROKING IS PUBLISHED BY ROKING KOREA. REPRODUCTION WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED PRINTED IN SOUTH KOREA and sponsored by god
SPRING FLING
路5
intro
contents
24
36 GENERAL CULTURE MAGAZINE
6·
ᬱ⦝ᜅ ᜅ⍅✙ ༉ࢱ 1BVM +PF ⥭ᬭ ⥥ฑ✙ ౩ʦᜅ +PZ 3JDI
50
SARM_ Life style 12 TODAY AND…
A Time of Hats Galore! 19th Century Joseon
16
SARM REPORT
INTRO 2 Publication rights 4 Contents 6 Roking’s LETTER 8 Introducing G1 Rokian 10 Contributors 102 Distributions
La grande cuisine, fine dining: Palace cuisine in Korea and France
20
RECIPE
Beef Wrap & Ginger Cinnamon Sweet Tea
24 94
FOOD ESSEN Enjoy ROKING
Taking a Stab at Korea’s Fire-Breathing Spicy Food
MEOT_ Fashion&Beauty 32 MEOT REPORT Royal It Girls’ MUST HAVE ITEMS 36 STYLE SCENE
PEOPLE_Interview 50 INTERVIEW The man who brings gold to life
-Craftsmaster, Kim Jong-mok
Into the New World; Floral Fantasy
53
INTERVIEW
42 46
STREET FASHION FOCUS
The happiest art: Korean ball embroidery
58
INTERVIEW
Fashion Blogger Renaissance
An Artist’s Amazing journey for freedom
Foreign Community in South Korea -Coming together for Celebration of fermented food
roking magazine
62
INTERVIEW
intro
contents
53
72
58 42
80 LAON_Entertainment 66 LAON STORY The 3 farthest islands 72 TRAVEL
Real Jeju Story
80
SPORTS
Figure Skating Yuna
84
MUSIC
88 92
ROKING’s EYES 98 EVENTS 2011 The Year to Visit Korea 100 CARTOON
‘An undying passion for music: 1st generation Jazz musicians of Korea’ Finally coming home FOCUS
ESSAY
Spirra
SPRING FLING
·7
intro
Roking letter
Through our first, second and third issues comes a better, more focused issue four! Over the past couple of months there have been various changes at Roking headquarters. We have welcomed a handful of new interns to our content, design and promotional divisions. We also have our first generation(G1) of ten Rokians who’ll be aiding us in content alliance, articles and photography. Roking Korea has also established a large network of alliances which we hope will further improve Roking as a cultural ambassador of Korea. There were many complications while making issue four, with all our staff worried and stressed for various reasons. Many of our readers who received word via Roking’s mailing list will probably remember we were about to prepublish online! But thanks to much hard work we have been rewarded another good hardcopy issue of Roking. With such hardship this has been a chance to look ahead at and reflect on this magazine’s solid goals and future endeavours. This may truly be a turning point for Roking magazine, for which I’d like to thank the staff here at Roking. Let’s put the finishing touches to this magazine and go on a long past due holiday!!!! Yaaaaaaaaay~
YON SARAH B (Business nt e Managem Division)
8·
roking magazine
SANG-AA P ARK (Contents Div ision)
an we gazine th a m e h t r our fo xpress in der time e r a d h n a a e s a iv issue w ke to g oments e fourth e would li even in m here p u e iv g I think th ed. The message w t n’t ipat es. We did young Koreans out s at ic ic t if n r a c a d s a h ny ded bie has deman cause there are ma d because the new ause n own way e a b g id y in ak oda bec almost d d we are t s. Roking is here t when we a o r when we e h t to take o join u oments who want iven up so much t ith. Even during m ause of it. fa bec ve g Roking ha ers have never lost would always open blisher. d h n t u a our ry pu a pa n , o p h o t e my co-fo s u r t t u othing b , Roking’s could do n from God n ig s a s a I believe it
intro
Roking letter
Working with the Roking family has been a tremendous experience. Every day I continue to learn more about humanity and life than I’d ever expected to, while putting together a magazine. It took me by surprise as I found the words we write and voices we speak for can have so much philosophy, faith and strength that it helps the magazine really connect communities around the globe. Roking Korea and Roking magzine has always been about touch and connection. The atmosphere here at our offices is so warm and loving and our articles reflect that. I pray that Roking magazine will continue to reach its readers with the sense of modern culture and hint of tradition that has always been a goal for this company. I am truly proud to be a part of this ongoing campaign for better communication among, not just Korea but all cultures.
SHINJA E SUNG (Conten t Division) s
I thought it’d be great to make a whole magazine on my own but it has been much harder than expected. Thanks to all the one-man design work, I now own a very strong trapezius muscle! Not that I’ m complaining! Design should not be thought of as easy.^.^; I’m grateful to the Roking family for making me feel at home here. Roking has rightfully taken second place on my list of good people. These days my only wish is that Music(Roking’s mascot dog) and I will become a bit more friendly! I’m sorry that I have so much to say as it’ll have to be translated from Korean. I hope we’ ll meet again with an even better fifth issue! Till then! And Jesus loves you.
I thank God for making all this possible and that He is with us all the time. As we are wrapping up our 4th issue, I feel a bit exhausted but relieved at the same time. It was a busy and hard time for every one of us at Roking Korea, but I would say that it was a continuing stepping stone for us to move forward. I would like to thank our lovely members at Roking for working so hard and being there for each other as well as all those friendly contributors who have helped us make this magazine. I am thankful as we all dream for the same hope, to make the world see many colors of Korea, a country that touches the hearts of the people. The language barrier could be a big wall; however, I hope our little effort will help you feel Korea even if just a bit. I hope you all enjoy reading this magazine. God bless.
NG BO-YOU YU SION) I V I D R (P
JUNG-YOON CHOI (CONTENTS DIVISION)
I’ve been on a tremendous ride since joining Roking in July, 2010. During the last 10 months, I’ve made some unforgettable memories at Roking. Unfortunately, this is the last issue I’ll be working on as a feature writerNow I’m moving on with new journeys ahead of me. I thank everyone for their friendship, passion, and hard work. I’m sending my warmest regards to everyone who makes Roking possible. Best of luck! 락킹 화이팅!
KYUNG-HEE HAN (Design Team) SPRING FLING
·9
G
eneration
intro
rokian
1 ROKIAN [ː락키안 ]
Rokians are contributors who have been and will continue to be over the next several months, ambassadors of Roking magazine. They have given countless hours and put much hard work into this magazine and deserve great applause for the patriotism and open mindedness that has made Roking grow.
1. Name / Title 2. Profession / Company info 3. Article participation 4. How you came across Roking 5. What you’d like to achieve with Roking 6. Website / Blog
Content Alliance 1. Campus fashion magazine [LE DEBUT] 2. Campus fashion magazine LE DEBUT Editorial Division 3. Content alliance 4. Founded September 2008, Le Debut started a contents alliance with Roking magazine by offering high quality fashion photography(starting with issue 3). Le Debut is put together solely by college students. We hope to take part in Roking’s future articles, events and forthcoming endeavors. 6. www.ledebut.kr
1. Tony Yoo 2. Chef de cuisine at Chungdam restaurant,D6 3. Korean Cuisine / Culinary Arts / Restaurant 5. I’d like to keep promoting the excellence of Korean cuisine abroad as well as introduce Korea’s rising fusion cuisine. 6. http://cafe.naver.com/thisiseat
1. Jae-Kyung Kim 2. Homemaker 3. Recipes 4. After seeing Roking on the news I fell in love with what the magazine stands for. 5. I’m hoping that in the future Korean food will become as popular as everyday food like pasta. 6. http://oijee.wordpress.com
1. Seung-Min Cha 2. Daegum instrumentalist, composer, illustrator 3. Roking Cartoon 4. A mutual friend told me about Roking before the magazine was founded. Roking’s hopes for a better international understanding of this country touched me and I wanted to help. 5. I hope to use my expertise to write future articles on Korean traditional music, namely Guk-ak. 6.http://okdolmin.egloos.com
10·
roking magazine
intro
rokian
1. Hyun-Jin Yoo 2. Pattern Designer/Illustrator 3. Illustrator/NY, USA distribution 4. I saw an article on Korean search engine, Daum and contacted ROKING excited at finding people so passionate about Korean culture. 5. I am honored to illustrate Korean inspired designs for Roking. I realize it’s not just about promoting Korean culture but representing passion of Korea’s younger generation. 6. http://www.hyunjinyoo.com http://anotherhyunjin.blogspot.com/
1. Da Woon Yi 2. &SIR Advertising 3. Illustrations 4. I found out about Roking through an article in the paper. 5. Hopefully I can use my skills to help Roking and Korea become closer to a truly globalized nation. 6. http://blog.naver.com/dwjjat
Overseas Distribution Alliance 1. Hyun-ho choi 2. Photographer 3. Street fashion photos 4. I was recruited by Roking via e-mail. 5. I’d love to spread propaganda all over the world to show just how style-educated Koreans are. 6.www.paparazzo.wo.tc
1. Jeong Hoon “Joseph”, Lee 2. Mando Corp. Market Development Team 3. Contributing Editor 4. I was introduced to the magazine through a friend. 5. I want to tell the world about Korea’s automobile market and its ever-expanding culture. 6. http://nan_hoon.blog.me
Sae-Hee Ahn (LA, USA) e-mail: sahn89@gmail.com / David Cho (CT, USA) e-mail: david8840@gmail.com / Hyun-Jin Yoo (NY, USA) e-mail: hyunjinyoo87@gmail.com / Jeff Jin (Irvine, CA USA) e-mail: jjin3@uci.edu / Ji-Hoon Sun (Vancouver, CANADA) e-mail: hoon.sun@gmail.com
SPRING FLING
·11
intro
contributors
contributors Blogger ‘Paruru’ Paruru’s Jeju Island Blog (http://jejuin.tistory.com) Roking recently found a wonderful Korean blog overflowing with brilliant postings about Jeju Island. Paruru introduces yummy places to eat and interesting sites to have fun and enjoy the best of Jeju Island all in one infopacked blog. Roking Magazine thanks Paruru for all his great photos and words, which have all turned into an amazing Jeju Island article. We hope Paruru’s blog will continue to be great and hope Roking and Paruru will cross paths again in the future.
Director Eun Joo Ahn (ITKF) Director Eun Joo Ahn at the Institute of Traditional Korean Food was generous with her time by writing two whole articles just for Roking! We’re overly grateful to the director for her detailed, professional review of Jeju Tea Park. Thank you so much.
Seojung Ha Jisu Kang Jisu contacted Roking with an idea. She was learning Korean cuisine and food art at the time and wanted to make and shoot the food and photos for our Korean cuisine article. Obviously Roking was thrilled and the outcome was wonderful! We hope we’ll keep working with Jisu in the future.
Seojung Ha was a lifesaver this month! With nobody at Roking headquarters having ever been to Jeju Island, we were in a bit of pickle with translations. So we wizzed through e-mails from people willing to contribute and was lucky enough to come across Seojung. Seojung lived at Jeju Island for a whole year and was a wonder even with such a difficult article.
Hyuna Oh Jin Hee Yoo Jin Hee gave us a big hand by translating one of our articles from Le Debut. Everyone at Roking Magazine was surprised by her high standard of English proficiency as well as the wonderful final product she sent us. We hope she will lend us her superior skills again in the future.
12·
roking magazine
Lots of thanks to Hyuna who was eager to participate with translations even with her busy schedule.
Casey Lartigue jr. & Michael Chandler Thank you Michael and KC for modeling and taking pictures for our spicy food adventure!
sarm
today and...
www.koreabites.com KoreaBites.com is the social network for hungry eaters in Seoul connecting you with a wealth of restaurants, bars and lifestyle choices. You can search & browse local restaurants, peruse menus, leave comments or make recommendations while receiving exclusive discounts and promotions. You can even make real-time reservations and order food on-line! What's better yet, it's finally in English!
Kyotofu
MODERN JAPANESE DESSERT BAR & DINING
www.kyotofu-seoul.com FOLLOW US ON
TWITTER facebook
@KYOTOFUSEOUL 682-1 1F YONGSAN-GU, HANNAM-DONG SEOUL TEL: +82-2-749-1488 FAX: 82-2-749-1489
SPRING FLING
路13
sarm
today and...
A Time of Hats Galore! 19th Century Joseon
EDITOR_ SANG-AA PARK G1 ROKIAN ILLUSTRATION_ DA-WOON YI (DWJJAT@NAvER.cOm) TRANSLATED FROm KOREAN_ SHINJAE SUNG
Blue-eyed Westerners used to call Joseon a mystical land. People of the east from the Joseon dynasty in their snow white clothes and small physique captured the attention of passing westerners thanks to Joseon’s large range of hats. Many of those who visited Joseon during this period were taken back by the many aesthetic and beautiful hats worn by Koreans depending on the age and rank of the wearer as well as the time, place and season. / With materialistic fashion styling colours and textures of every sort in the 21st century, we cry a gladsome “ahoy!” at 19th century Joseon’s history of useable, useful and elegant hats.
Women's Hats Hwagwan
A small hat made with raven black silk pasted on thick paper, decorated with intricate embroidery and jewellery. On the top are wedding jewellery arranged as ornaments and held together by two binyeo hairpins. \ Age/gender: Adult female Social rank: Noble Worn: In palaces or when attending the wedding of one’s child or other. Unique detail: When worn at weddings the front of the hat(hwagwan) is decorated with a line of pearls
Jobawi Winter Cap /
19th century Joseon / length 20cm
The outer sides are lined with black silk and the insides are layered with several linings of navy silk. There is a hole in the crown of the hat but it covers the forehead, ears and the rest of the head making it good protection during cold seasons. \ Age/gender: Young girl to adult female Social rank: Aristocrat to commoner Worn: To weddings or outings during winter Unique detail: Long lines of gems strung on thread are used as well as coloured string for embroidery.
14·
roking magazine
sarm
today and...
Gulle Children’s Headgear /
19th~20th century Joseon / length 20cm Left over thread and coloured cloth are used to make the crown and head of the hat. Strings are attached to the neck of the hat so it can be tied under the chin. / Age/gender: Young girl Social rank: Aristocrat or noble Worn: On outings during winter or for a child’s first birthday Unique detail: Extravagant flower embroidery
Jeonmo Umbrella-shaped Oiled Hat / 19th century Joseon / diameter
70.5cm
Designed with old Korean sayings and patterns, waterproof oiled layer on the outside. Dark red string attached so it can be tied under the chin. / Age/gender: Young girl~adult female Social rank: Noble Worn: For outings when the sun is out Unique detail: Used as a shade from sunlight when horseback riding or out walkin
Men's Hats
Sangtugwan Topnot Cap / 19th century Joseon / height 5cm
It is a hat made with horns, wood and leather coated in black lacquer. The hair is tied in a topknot, worn with a manggeon(horsehair-woven headband) and fastened at the end with a bi-nyeo. / Age/gender: Adult male Social rank: King or noble Worn: Indoors or outdoors, all year round Unique detail: Worn only by the king and nobles, commoners used paper caps instead
Manggeon Headband / 19th century Joseon / height 8cm, width 15cm
A hat worn to keep loose hairs in place when hair is tied in a topknot, it wraps around the forehead and the back of the head in a horizontal line. / Age/gender: Adult male Social rank: Worn by all Worn: Indoors or outdoors, all year round Unique detail: Although usually made with horse hair and the shape of a net, the best mang-geon were made with human hair
SPRING FLING
·15
sarm
today and...
Tanggun Inner Hat for Noblemen
/ 19th century Joseon / height 13cm, width 18cm
Worn to keep loose hairs in place when hair is tied in a topknot. It wraps around the forehead and the back of the head in a horizontal line. / Age/gender: Adult male Social rank: Aristocrat Worn: For outings of any sort Unique detail: Sometimes worn to show new(high) social ranking
Baekrib Hat for the Period of Mourning / 19th century Joseon /
height 13.5cm diameter 28cm
Made by linking bamboo together against white fabric. / Age/gender: Adult male Social rank: Noble Worn: On all occasions or at state funerals Unique detail: Was used as everyday wear in the beginning but gradually became state funeralwear
Heuk-rib/
A popular hat among noblemen. Made with horse-hairs or thin strands of bamboo sheath coloured in black laquer. / Age/gender: Adult male Social rank: Noble, aristocrat Worn: For outdoors, for any occasion Unique detail: Usually called a gat- different periods fashioned taller, shorter or various shaped hats.
The 19th Century, Joseon as told by visiting westerners. Their quotes found from various books and artwork: Joseon is a kingdom of hats. There are so many diverse hats in Joseon that this nation’s hat fashion is one parisiens should know about. <Louis-Charles Varat, French folklorist> The hat(gal-mo) used instead of an umbrella is a clever idea that you can’t find anywhere else other than Korea. It is a masterpiece made by a nation that knows to take the time to look around at one’s surroundings even when it is raining. <Elizabeth Keith, British artist>
16·
roking magazine
sarm
today and...
For Various Weather Poong cha Winter Cap / 19th century Joseon / length 35cm
The outer layer is made with black or navy silk. The inner layer and rim of the hat is made with animal fur. The part that covers the cheeks is long to protect wearers from cold weather. / Age/gender: All ages, all genders Social rank: Commoner~noble Worn: Outdoors during winter Unique detail: Similar to jobawe but they have long earmuffs at the end.
Galmo Rain Cover for Hat / 19th
century Joseon / height 34cm
The frame is similar to an umbrella frame, oiled paper is stuck to the frame and strings are attached to form a pointy cone shaped hat. / Worn: Outdoors during rain Unique detail: Primarily worn over the gat in place of umbrellas
When the sun is out it can be folded neatly and put into your pocket. When it rains again you can take it out and open it into a hat and umbrella. It is a practical device and clearly much more convenient than western designs. <Jouvet, French navy officer> Korea is a nation with the most unique hat culture in the world. If Aristotles were searching counsel on hats, this would be the place to do it. To them, hats were not only an accessory but an expression and emblem of themselves. <French artist> It is an impossible tast to enumerate the immense collection of Korea’s hats. Korea’s hats are so vast in style that there are roughly four thousand different hats altogether. <Far Eastern War> Korea is a land of invention where a large variety of superb hats have been made. Their traditional folk art will inspire current French fashion. <Maurice Courant, A pioneer in Korean Studies>
SPRING FLING
·17
sarm
report
La grande cuisine, fine dining: Palace cuisine in Korea and France
EDITOR_ SHINJAE SUNG G1 ROKIAN ILLUSTRATION_ HYUN-JIN YOO PHOTOGRAPHY(French cuisine)_ kelving525 PHOTOGRAPHY, CUISINE ART(Korean cuisine)_ Jisu Kang, Yuna Kim
Food is no longer a means of just getting through work hours or eating. Delicious meals give us new inspiration and a reason to decide what to have for lunch. To humans, food has always been an appreciated luxury. In fact, it has become more so now that people are enjoying luxurious food as well.That’s why palace cuisine around the world has taken the form of fine dining and have landed on our modern plates.
Korean palace cuisine: Tables always full of delicious, healthy food
gujulpan
18·
roking magazine
The Joseon Dynasty(1392-1897) is famous for extravagant royal cuisines that were prepared for its kings. These meals were called sura and the word surasang(sang being table in Korean) is still used in fine dining today. It is also an expression often used as a compliment, coined for meals in which there is an abundance of delicious side dishes. For those who don’t know already, Korean food has no course meals and all food is put on the table at once. It is much like a feast where food is always plentiful and barely managing to not topple over the edge of the table. Like potatoes or bread in the West, steamed white rice is the staple food of Korea. Sura is a word that originates from Mongolian and was first brought into Korean cuisine in the late Goryeo Dynasty(9181392) when the country was ruled by the son-in-law of a Mongolian king. The staple rice was at times mixed with nutritional red beans or sometimes cooked over extended periods with water to create porridges. Along with a bowl of rice are numerous side dishes that weren’t unlike what Koreans eat these days. But the aesthetics were immensely important back then compared to
sarm
report
3chubbansang today. Rice would always be accompanied by soupsand were made from beef, seafood or vegetables depending on the rest of the sidedishes. Jochi is a type of soup that was served frequently as a royal meal. There would be 12 (or more) set side dishes, to be changed with the passing of a season. These dishes would be cooked or fresh vegetables, roasted meat or fish, pickled vegetables, boiled food, dried fish, dried meat, stirfried vegetables, salted fish and extra side dishes such poached eggs or sashimi. Namul(vegetables or wild greens), gui(grilled dishes), sanjeok(beef, vegetable brochettes) and jeon(fried vegetable pancakes) would always have a place on the table. Pickled and dry foods such as jangajji(pickled vegetables), jeotgal(fermented seafood), twigak(deep-fried seaweed), bugak(fried vegetables) and po(a kind of beef jerky) were also put on the table from time to time, especially in colder seasons. Hoe(raw fish), ssam(vegetable wraps) and muk(jelly) would be served with various sauces such as chili pepper paste or soy sauce with vinegar. Ssam is perhaps
shinsunro
the most fun-to-eat Korean foods, involving putting a vegetable leaf in your palm and adding in it a spoonful of rice with a little bit of soybean paste. Thesedays ssam has become a popular menu when going for drinks after work or as a dinner, especially when eaten together with samgyeopsal(pork belly). Although most sura recipes during the Joseon Dynasty were set in stone, many kingshad specific needs that reflected what he ate during his lifetime. Emperor Sunjong (the last emperor of the Korean Empire, which ruled from 1897-1910) had a weak stomach and bad teeth, so he never had much of an appetite. To help with that problem, he ordered his food be soft like the dish chadoljorigae(meat simmered until soft and rolled into meatballs). King Gojong(ruled from 1863-1907) liked ciders and sikhye(rice punch) because he couldn’t drink alcohol. He also enjoyed noodles because he hated spicy and salty food. Gojong especially liked to feast on seolleongtang(warm beef broth with rice). Cold noodles topped with slices of boiled beef, and pear
goldongmyun (bibimmyun)
SPRING FLING
·19
sarm
report
with sprinkled pine nuts were also favorites. Still eaten during the summer in Korea these days are his famous cold noodles with ruby-pink water kimchi in place of normal beef broth. He would order pears sliced with a spoon rather than a knife, creating a cool, nectarous taste. This would usually be followed by famous sticky Korean desserts like tteok(rice cake) or hangwa(sweets, cookies). Nobody can be sure of the original version of sura because the only reliable literature on the subject is “Wonhangeulmyojeongriuigwe” (a record of protocols from 1795). What we do know is there was a reason for surasang being so elaborate. People would bring their finest food to be cooked and eaten by the king. Crops, fish and meat would line the tables as people flocked to show the king what they’d grown. It was a way for the king to check the standard of living and state of the land without having to take long trips around the country.
galbejjim
French haute(grande)cuisine: Enjoying every possible aspect of cooking
Even after Julia Child hit it big in the U.S. with French recipes, French cuisine is no longer a culinary mystery to the world. But all the beautifully carved and exquisitelooking food started in French palaces. Before the 15th century, there really was no French cuisine in the way we know it today. Medieval French cuisine used elegant layouts and bright colors with courses served in one go. And it featured lots of thick sauces flowing over smoked pork, salted beef and dried ham.Food was preserved with salt or honey and fermented meat included dolphin, porpoise, poultry and whale. Spices such as cinnamon, cloves, pepper, mace and nutmeg were often used in large quantities. A variety of herbs,such as rue, hyssop, pennyroyal and tansy, were also available. After the main course there would always be dessert. When asked about French food, people are reminded of tiny servings in a long course of meals but this only came about in the late 1950s when Boçuse, Guérard, and Chapel created a lighter style of dining called
20·
roking magazine
sarm
report
nouvelle cuisine. And with it, the sauces started to become thinner and visual aesthetics and presentation became important. The most important part of palace food in French history other than sauces were cheese and wine. Both used raw or within a sauce, they were as important, if not more so, as the herbs that were used to seal and distinctively divide various tastes and smells. The French royals also enjoyed fermentation and salted foods, butter, fresh fruit and vegetables. For many royals in France, food was a way of life and a culture to spend long hours enjoying. After the French Revolution, palace food became available to everyone who could afford to eat it. This is why so many recipes today look so similar to the science of French cooking before the revolution. Modern French cuisine reflects what was eaten by royalty, meaning many of the dishes are still eaten if only on a more accessible level. Clear soups(consommés) or the thicker potages, cream soups or white sauce veloutés
along with various spices, herbs and alcohol show just how much variety there is in French cooking. The food in royal courts were never strictly based on a single country’s culture and is always mixed in with neighboring countries or sometimes even the most exotic of foods. This is because over history, each ruler or royal family has had a specific preference and this relates to a whole new culinary culture for the country’s people. Like watercolor, an array of different tastes is combined to bring out the best, and this can’t happen without the natural blending of manifold ingredients.
<Korean palace cuisine> Photography and cuisine art by Food&Living Stylists Jisu Kang, Yuna Kim Blog: blog.naver.com/sdiningtable Contact: 82.10.9763.3113 <French haute cuisine> kelving525_flickr.com/kelving525
SPRING FLING
·21
sarm
recipe
R_
AN
G1
I OK
ITO
log
(b
YU
K E-
JA
NG
M
KI
ED
R
Soy Sauce Beef Roll with Fresh Vegetable
& Cinnamon Ginger Sweet Tea
22·
roking magazine
When you are tired of Bulgogi (Korean Barbecued beef) or the coming of spring gives you a pressure of being in good shape, I think of this light beef roll with fresh vegetables. Tenderized beef by soy sauce marinade and crispy spring vegetables are perfect combination for me who doesn’t want heavy dinner followed by unsettling stomach. Any fresh vegetables go well with beef. After that, cool cinnamon ginger sweet tea (Sujeonggwa) refreshes your mouth with hint of nutty pine nuts. In Korea, ginger is known for its remedial effect especially for cold. My mom used to give me a hot ginger tea when I got a bad cold instead of a pill. It also eases pain when you have a stomachache. Invite you friends or kids and have fun with rolling beef together. Spring has come!!!
m
co
er.
v .na
)
n1
ea
ib /hu
sarm
recipe
Soy Sauce Beef Roll with Fresh Vegetable Ingredients (serving for 3) •1 lb paper-thin sliced beef (tenderloin or round) •½ cup of all-purpose flour or corn meal •Marinade- 7 Tb soy sauce, 3 Tb water, Directions 1 minced garlic, 4 Tb sugar, 3 Tb of olive oil, 1 Tb 1.Prepare marinade sauce by mixing all sesame oil (optional) ingredients in a bowl. Coat beef with sauce well •Vegetables- 3 sticks of asparagus, and set aside for about 20 min. 1 red & 1 yellow pepper, handful 2. Meanwhile, let’s do vegetables. of any sprouts, 1 pear -Blanch asparagus in boiling water for 1 min. and •Sauce – 3 Tb orange juice, 2 Tb of vinegar, 1 Tb cut 3 inch long of Dijon mustard, 1 Tb honey, 2 Tb of olive oil, -Remove seed of peppers and cut into strips 3 salt, pepper inch long ½ inch wide. -Cut pear into strips 3 inch long and ½ inch wide. 3.Take out beef and dip both sides in flour or cornmeal. 4.With medium high heat with little oil in the fry pan, cook each side for no more than 20 seconds. 5. Put vegetables on the beef slice and roll (if beef is too cold, it is hard to roll) 6.Make dipping sauce by mixing orange juice, vinegar, mustard, honey, olive oil, salt and pepper. 7.Serve beef roll with sauce.
1
2
4
3
5
6
SPRING FLING
·23
sarm
recipe
Cinnamon Ginger Sweet Tea Ingredients (serving for 4) •Ginger 50 g •Cinnamon sticks 30 g (preferably from Asian market) •10 cups of water •½ cup of sugar •A few pine nuts 2
3
6
24·
roking magazine
Directions 1. Peel the ginger skin and slice half inch thick. 2. Put sliced ginger into a pot and 5 cups of water and boil. 3. In another pot, put washed cinnamon sticks and pour 5 cups of water and boil. 4. Reduce the heat to medium and let them cook for another 20 min. 5. Turn off the heat and cool down for 1 hour covered with lid. 6. Remove the cinnamon sticks and sliced ginger from each pot and mix them in one pot. 7. Add sugar and mix well and refrigerate overnight or at least 2 hours. 8. You can serve cold. Garnish with a few pine nuts.
폐백음식에 담긴 뜻 제주 농가맛집 ‘수다뜰’ 이야기 가니시와 고명의 재발견 귀족 채소 아스파라거스의 무한변신 인기 샐러드 뷔페에서 공개한 비밀 레서피 6 시판 조미료 능가하는 천연조미료의 황금비율 에쎈 프로슈머단의 통곡물시리얼 깐깐 시식기 건강식품, 하루에 얼마큼 먹어야 효과 있나? 하루 10분! 증상별 스트레칭 건강법 요리 잘하는 여자들의 죽집 창업 도전기
방사능 황사 각종 환경오염에 대비하는 면역력 강화식품 BEST 5
{MAY’S SPECIAL FOOD} 선재 스님의 건강한 사찰음식 어버이, 스승에게 드리는 음식 선물 가족의 날 환영받는 중식 코스요리 2011. 5월호 정가 6,500원 SPRING FLING
·25
sarm
food
MARKET ROAD with Chef Tony Yoo FOOD ART, RECIPIES_ Tony Yoo PHOTOGRAPHY_ Yong Sang Kwon EDITOR_ Yeon Ju Yang CONTENT ALLIANCE_ Food magazine ESSEN TRANSLATED FROM KOREAN_ Hyuna Oh
26路
roking magazine
sarm
food
Seoul
**Where is the Juminjin fish market?
Adjacent to the East in Gangwon Province, the market usually sells fish caught in the East Sea. You can also enjoy the fresh fish at many sashimi restaurants nearby. Also, it is a popular tourist attraction holding a variety of fish festivals.
You can buy freshly caught fish at very cheap prices at the Jumunjin fish market because it is adjacent to the Jumunjin port. Unlike ordinary fish markets in the city, there are
lots of strange fish in
season of which you’ve probably never even
heard the names of. So you can have lots of fun just looking around. We went grocery shopping at
Jumunjin Fish Market
with chef, Tony Yoo who introduced us to extraordinary dishes we’d never tasted anywhere else. Chef, Tony Yoo who used to be a designer, started of learning about Korean food in Korea and then picked up diverse fusion cuisine from famous restaurants all over America, Japan and Australia. Now he serves new fusion food at D6, his restaurant in Seoul using the season’s unique ingredients in found in traditional Korean markets. Starting this month he will purchase ingredients at different traditional markets in Korea and introduce his own original recipes with ‘ESSEN’.
SPRING FLING
·27
sarm
food
March ingredients at the Jumunjin fish market 01 Lumpfish
You can find lumpfish at the market from Dec. to Feb. and it has the best taste until the Lunar New Year. Although it looks ugly, it is soft, chewy, and light. In addition, it doesn’t smell fishy, so it is one of the favorite fish for the locals. A male fish with rich meat is good for sashimi and females with many eggs are better stew. It is good to put lumpfish into boiling water for a short time and eat by dipping it into red chili-pepper paste mixed with vinegar. The eggs have good taste and texture as rich juices explode in your mouth. You can also enjoy the boiled lumpfish eggs as a side dish at many sashimi restaurants. As its meat is soft, it is difficult to clean. After boiling for a short time, it becomes easier to clean and has better taste and texture.
02 Yulgi
Yulgi’s official name is goldeye rockfish. It lives in the deep sea so it is caught with nets that touch deep sea ground before pulling out the fish. The meat is less chewy than the black rockfish but has softer texture. It is not only used for sashimi but also for roasts sprinkled with salt. Yulgi caught in Korea are as beautiful as that in other countries. The fresh yulgi is good for sashimi, so it doesn’t have to be cooked completely. It is an excellent ingredient for gourmet food because it has thin skin, soft and light meat.
04 Gold-red snow crab
The winter is the season you can enjoy snow crabs rich in meat. You can enjoy snow crabs until April. Red snow crab is caught in the South Sea in Korea as well, but gold-red snow crab which shell has red and gold tint is caught only in the East Sea. It has much more meat than the red snow crab, so it’s good either to steam or to stew. If you want something more special, you can make a crab salad or a crab cake that can also be enjoyed at haute restaurants across town.
28·
roking magazine
05 Jangchi
03 Moontail puffer
Moontail puffer, one of the rare native blowfishes, is considered as the best fish for stew among those who enjoy blowfish. It travels towards the south from the northern sea of the Korean peninsula to the Ulleung Island and the coast of Pohang during the spawning season, or Dec. to Feb. During this season you can see blowfishes in mountain high piles at the Jumunjin fish market. It is difficult to clean blowfish which has poison, but at the Jumunjin fish market sellers get rid of the poison for you. Eyespot puffer is the best for sashimi, but these days yangi takes up more than 80% of the puffer for sashimi.
Jangchi belongs to sea catfish and tastes much like a sea eel. Its meat is so chewy that it’s good for sashimi. When fried it’s crispy, soft and light like fried blowfish. You should peel it off for sashimi, but you should only bone the fish without peeling when frying because the fried skin itself tastes excellent. After flaking jangchi, the locals dry it in the sun and then boil it down in soy sauce with kimchi. This way the dried jangchi becomes chewier and doesn’t get too soft when cooking.
sarm
food
06 Moray eel
There are lots of restaurants which sell moray eel stew in Jumunjin or Sokcho. Because the meat is too soft, it is better to boil it with red pepper powder. But it is sometimes used for sashimi and the raw moray eel tastes like jangchi. The fried moray eel is tasty as well. The black male is firmer and has a deeper taste, so it 1.5 times more expensive than the female. This is why restaurants usually use female eels, but the boiled male is much tastier whether the stew is spicy or not.
07 Samsuki
08 Roundnose flounder
10 Hairy crab
11 Scculphin
Samsuki’s official name is sea raven but it is called samsuki in Gangwon Province and taisui in Gyeongnam Province. It is not proper for sashimi because it doesn’t have much meat. Instead, it is good for stew because it has almost no fat. The stew tastes lighter than any other fish, so it is better to make a stew without red pepper powder. With samsuki the most important ingredient is the kind of salt you use. I prefer salt produced in Shinan. Just put Samsuki, Shinan salt, sliced white radish and minced garlic into a pot of water and boil on high to enjoy a fantastic samsuki stew. It tastes a lot like monkfish. You can steam a big samsuki in the same way as you steam monkfish.
It is called roundnose flounder because of the weak bones and as it is tastier than other founder species. Unlike other flounders its belly has reddish tints and the fins have red stripes. You don’t have to remove the bones because they are so weak. Remove only the skin and the fins, then slice the meat in thin pieces and you will enjoy one of the best sashimi. It is recommended to mix the meat with a variety of seasonings such as a skate dish.
09 Devil fish
Devil fish only caught in the East Sea tastes softer and sweeter than the octopus caught in Jeju Island, the South Sea or the West Sea in Korea. The popular way to eat octopus is to boil it. Octopus as big as 3kg should be boiled for 15~20 minutes, whereas octopus as small as 1~2kg should be boiled only for 5~10 minutes. How to cool it down is just as important as how long to boil it. It’s better to keep boiled octopus in the cold outside or in a refrigerator than to put it in ice water because ice water may take away the natural flavor. Seeing as the water used in boiling octopus is salty and keeps the natural taste and flavor of the octopus, you can get an excellent jelly appetizer if you mix the water with gelatin, boil it down and cool it. The color of the jelly from this process is beautiful because the water turns scarlet after boiling the octopus.
Hairy crab has rich meat, is very sweet and chewy and is as expensive as snow crab. It costs up to 20,000 won each and it is not easy to purchase it in a fish market but is as delicious as any other crab. If you want to enjoy its natural taste, it is best to boil it with no seasoning.
Scculphin has a peculiar color and its chewy meat is proper for sashimi. When roasted it doesn’t get too greasy and becomes softer like an Atka mackerel. You should remove thick skin and bones and slice the meat to steam it. Then dip the meat into some sauce and enjoy!
SPRING FLING
·29
sarm
food
chef’s special menu 1
1
2
4
6
3
5
7
8
Lumpfish tartar with bean salad *Directions (Serves 2) 1. Put 1 male lumpfish into boiling water for a short time. Remove the white film from the skin. 2. Cut the fish open with a knife, remove the guts and cut off the head and the bones. (The head and the bones can be used for stew.) 3. Put the fish into boiling water again and cool it down in ice water. This process makes the soft meat get firmer and chewier 4. Separate the meat from the skin and slice the meat. 5. Rinse eggs of lumpfish in salt water softly and drain well. (This process helps eggs adhere well.) Boil them for 2~3 minutes. 6. Mince 60g of fennel and 30g of ginger. Place a cup of olive oil, a teaspoon of curry power, fennel and ginger into a pan. Simmer the ginger curry sauce for an hour. 7. Boil two cups of pea and put peas with two cups of water into a blender. Filter ground peas through a fine sieve several times. 8. Mix 500g of pea juice with 0.5g of lecithin. (The amount of lecithin is 1% of the water.) Whip the juice up with a hand beater to form cream. Leave it for 10 minutes for softer and finer cream 9. Mix the fish meat, the skin and the ginger curry sauce together in a bowl. Pour lemon juice and mix well. 10. Slice eggs thinly and press them into a round mold. 11. Put sliced meat and skin into the mold on the middle of a plate and arrange eggs on them. Pour pea cream sauce and ginger curry sauce. Place bean salad on the plate.
30·
roking magazine
sarm
food
Lumpfish tartar with bean salad
Soft lumpfish meat, chewy inner skin and eggs popped in the mouth are in perfect harmony with ginger curry sauce. Smooth pea cream sauce adds a shiny spring colour to the dish.
SPRING FLING
路31
sarm
food
chef’s special menu 2
2
4
5
6
7
Roasted yulgi filled with the herb bomdong and ssamjang orange sauce (ssamjang : a processed soybean paste mixed with red pepper paste, garlic and sesame)
*Directions (Serves 1) 1. Remove scale, guts and head from 1 yulgi and wash it thoroughly. 2. Cut the fish in half, then remove the bones and season with salt and white pepper 3. Place 5 bomdong leaves and 1 cabbage leaf into boiling water and cool them down in ice water. 4. Squeeze the water from bomdong leaves and chop them roughly. Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 sliced garlic into a pan, then stir, and add chopped bomdong leaves. 5. Fill the yulgi with bomdong leaves and wrap the fish in the cabbage leaf. 6. Put sliced lime on the yulgi and roast the fish on a grill. 7. Cut 3 oranges in half and squeeze the juice from them. Boil down the orange juice up to a half. Cool down the boiled juice and blend it with a quarter of canola oil to make orange sauce. 8. Blend 1 tablespoon of ssamjang, 1 anchovy and 1 teaspoon of vinegar. 9. Pour orange sauce on a plate, arrange 1 teaspoon of ssamjang sauce on the orange sauce and put the roasted yulgi on the sauce
32·
roking magazine
sarm
Roasted yulgi filled with the herb bomdong and ssamjang orange sauce
food
Bomdong full of the spring scent, refreshing orange sauce and delicious ssamjang sauce harmonizes with the roasted soft meat very well. Enjoy unimaginable freshness!
SPRING FLING
路33
meot
meot report
HER STORY! Royal It Girls’
MUST HAVE ITEMS
EDITOR_ SANG-AA PARK G1 ROKIAN ILLUSTRATION_ HYUN-JIN YOO TRANSLATED FROM KOREAN_ SHINJAE SUNG
Women in the 21st century carry “it” bags made with state-of-the-art materials and killer heels so high there’s no end in sight. What about women of the past? What sort of accessories were they flaunting 500 or even 1500 years ago? If you think they were plain and boring, you have another think coming. The ladies of Korea’s past were just as extravagant as the modern woman, but perhaps less artificial. Revealed here are Joseon Dynasty Hwang Jini’s (1520c. – 1560c.) must-haves, the secrets of Silla Dynasty Queen Seon Deok (606c. – 647c.) and what gave them their captivating allure.
Elegance and Glamour: The Height of Classic Mix and Match Styling The Joseon Dynasty - Hwang Jini All play on the swings, The only one not with them is I. I say, “My arms are frail.” Yet it is hence my jade bi-nyeo(hairpin) fall out. Lee Ok – Ahjo(雅調) (Late Joseon Dynasty, Korean sijo poem)
Hwang Jini stands undefeated as the most beautiful woman during the Joseon era. The Korean hairpin, called a binyeo, was her most cherished fashion item. Compared to various other periods, the Joseon era had many attire restrictions which caused a decline in the expansion of extravagant jewellery. There were also limitations in the use of gold and silver causing a standstill in craftsmanship. Although the
34·
roking magazine
meot
meot report
ladies of the Joseon era wore refined, modest clothing, their beautiful hair ornaments showcased their hidden beauty. Fashion was restricted and the lack of gold and silver caused a decline in jewelry. Style was showcased through extravagant hairstyles. Accessories to these hairstyles included the luxurious binyeo, gleaming off the sunlight and proclaiming its glory.
Hwang Jini’s Classic Mix & Match Styling. Her must have item, the bi-nyeo
Queen Young Chin(Lee Bang Ja) was the last princess crowned of The Greater Korean Empire(Joseon Dynasty 1897-1910). This dazzling
jade binyeo. It is considered the most piece was her signature
beautiful and glamorous binyeo in existance. Who would not fall in love with such an incandescent colour?
The Sukjong period(1674c.-1720c.) was when Joseon styling was at its utmost splendor. At this point in history women wrapped meters of long winding wigs and plaited them into their own hair much like weaves(Gah-che). These weaves were used to create majestic and royal hairstyles but each were approximately 44lbs(20kg) or heavier. This goes to show exactly how much, women then and now, pay for the price of beauty!
SPRING FLING
·35
meot
meot report
Mystical Gold Lined with Delicate Patterns: The Zenith of Luxury Styling Queen Seon Deok of the Silla Dynasty
Queen Seon Deok was Korea’s very first queen. The Silla Dynasty was known as the Golden Age where there was an abundance of gold. Queen Seon Deok was a prominent figure with wealth and power and she adorned herself with plenty of gold trinkets such as earrings, binyeos and neckwear. Craftsmanship was at its height and it is said that many of the most mystical and unique accessories in Korean history were crafted during this period. The Queen covered her crowns with gold and set the standard for a new class of royal style and extravagance quite unlike the ladies of the modest and refined Joseon era.
Queen Seon Deok’s Classic Luxurious Fashion StylingHer must-have item: Gold accessories
36·
roking magazine
meot
meot report
Taehwan-e-shik(National Treasure No. 80)/ Guemgwan-chong gold crown(National Treasure No. 87) A set of thick golden earrings considered the most extravagant of findings to be excavated from a Silla grave, a golden headpiece made with four hundred strings of gold threaded together to form a wing and the masterpieces of Silla’s golden crowns, a three-level crown decorated with beads and jade. Although these relics show high precision and perfection they are also possess the warm, compassionate history of the Silla Dynasty. So look here, at the mystical excellence of Silla era jewellery!
(+) Silla- The Ultimate Era of Glamour. Unlike other periods, Silla men were highly interested in beauty! The men also adorned themselves with accessories made of gold and gems. They wore beautiful makeup, Hwarang invested time and money into their looks for the sake of beauty. It could very well be that these were the first metrosexuals!
IMAGE COPYRIGHT_ NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM OF KOREA(+82-2-3701-7500), NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA(+82-2-2077-9000), KBS(+82-2-781-1000), MBC(+82-2-789-0011) SPRING FLING
·37
EDITOR_ HEESUN JANG SET STYLIST_ HYUNJUNG KIM, HEESUN JANG PHOTOGRAPHY_ EUNKYUNG SUN MODEL_ SUJIN LEE MAKEUP_ EUNJI JUNG ASSISTANT_ JUNGWOON CHOI CONTENT ALLIANCE_ CAMPUS FASHION MAGAZINE, LE DEBUT
38路
roking magazine
Oran
ge sle
evele
ss, L
ong
skirt_
both
Soft
Core
Shoe
s_Du
ckfee
t by
Mod
pop
SPRING FLING
路39
Pink
40路
Jum
psuit
roking magazine
_Sof Shoe t Core s_Du ckfee t
by M
odpo
p
Rainb
ow J
ump
suit_
Joy R
ich
SPRING FLING
路39
40路
roking magazine
Pink leather jacket_Joy Rich ⦲Ⓧ౩ᯱ⍴ +PZ 3JDI White swim one-piece dress_Soft Core ⪵ᯕ✙ ᜅ᭵ ᬱ⦝ᜅ 4PGU $PSF Shoes_Duckfeet by Modpop ᝁၽ %VDLGFFU CZ .PEQPQ
SPRING FLING
·41
STREET FASHION
phOTOgRAphER_hyun-hO chOI (www.paparazzo.wo.tc)
Hee-seung Chun/ Graphic Designer/ 30 Jacket_ Marcos Homme Pants_ Korean market Shoes_ Korean market Glasses_ Graffiti Chaos
Somi Oh/12 Coat_ tv Skirt_BEAN POLE Muffler_ BURBERRY Shoes_ BEAN POLE
Bell Kim/ Objet Artist/32 Coat_TSE Inner_vintage Pants_Reform Shoes_vintage Bag_vintage Necklace_ Art Objet (Bell & Nouveau)
42路
roking magazine
Jyung-hyun Yoo/ Student/23 Jacket_from mother One Piece_Plasma Shoes_Nine West Sunglasses_ Michael Kors Bag_ Yves Saint Laurent
meot
street
Hye-Kyung Park/ Singer/ 36
SPRING FLING
路43
meot
street
Chang-hwa Shin/ Unipair/27 Jacket_vintage Pants_A.P.C Shoes_Crockett & Jones Cap_Korean market
Soo-il Jang/ Make-up Artist/24 Cardigan_Casio Panic Inner_UNIQLO Pants_Korean market Shoes_Banal Chic Bizzarre Bag_Rage Blue Hat_vintage
44路
roking magazine
meot
street
SEOUL FASHION WEEK STILLCUT
SPRING FLING
路45
meot
focus
Fashion Blogger
REnaissance Fashion blogging has grown immensely popular all over the world. Not only are people influenced by these blogs, but the industry seems to be more enthused about the big names on the web as opposed to the runway. While, Scott Schuman, creator of “The Sartorialist” is undoubtedly the most popular fashion blogger in the world, we decided to talk to the bloggers who help keep Korean style fresh. We met with four of the most dedicated fashion bloggers in Korea and asked what fashion means to them.
EDITOR_ Kyung-Eun Kim Art_ji-won jung (campus fashion magazine ‘LE DEBUT’ 2011. 3) TRANSLATED FROM KOREAN_ Jin Hee Yoo
We asked each blogger the following questions: 1. Please introduce yourself. 2. How long has it been since you created your blog? 3. What was the motive, and what is the reason for managing the blog. 4. What does blogging mean to you? 5. What is your average day like? 6. What is the most hot must-have item this season? 7. Who is the designer to pay most attention to this season? 8. Are there certain do’s and don’ts about fashion and style? 9. What is your idea of new fashion? 10. Is there something that should be timeless in fashion? 11. What was your most popular post? 12. Are there Korean bloggers who catch your interest or blogs you visit consistently? 13. Who is the hottest blogger outside the country? 14. At the end of the day, what do you think fashion is? 15. What is your ultimate goal as a blogger? 16. What role do you think blogs play in the fashion industry?
Streetfsn by “Nam” / Photographer 1. I’m a 27 year old photographer, Hyun-Bum Nam. I mostly take street fashion photographs abroad and also pictures for editorials, advertisements and documentaries. Currently I work with style.com, GQ Korea, GQ Japan, Vogue Korea, and planning to open an exhibition in June along with a book publishing. 2. It has only been over a year now. 3. It’s like a gallery to show my work and a café to talk with the readers. 5. I have completely different schedule when I’m working abroad and when I’m in Korea. I am out of the country for about 6 months in a year and during that time I don’t have much time to sleep. I have to organize all the pictures taken that day and send them to the media. It gets really crazy because I have to go to all the meetings and parties. Then when I come back to Korea I take about a month off before I start working again. 6. Simple match of strong colors. Vivid colors were frequently seen in collections like Prada and Jil Sander, and you can easily see that the strong colors are in trend when you go into stores like H&M and ZARA. 7.Prada and Jil Sander as mentioned in 6. 8. Trying new things and identifying. It’s very different
48·
roking magazine
doing the two but very importantly related. 9. I don’t think there’s such thing as new fashion. Trend makers lead and the public follow, then the trend maker look for other. They search for new trend mostly inspired from the past. 10. I’m going to skip this one, it’s too hard. 11. All of them are popular. 12. Hun Nam of Lansmere’s blog. I’m very interested in Menswear but don’t have much knowledge, so I learn a lot by reading his blog (blog.naver.com/alann). 13. Definitely Jakandjil.com by Tommy Ton, but you can’t see any pictures in his blog nowadays. You have to go to style. com or GQ.com to see his pictures. 14. It’s how you express yourself. You can see one’s social position, personality and mind through one’s looks. 15. As a blogger, the goal is to continuously manage the blog. As a photographer, there’s a lot more. So to say again, my goal as a blogger is to keep on posting my work on the blog. :D
meot
focus
Stylefish by “Mackerel”, “Hairtail”, “Snapper” /Fashion Consultants 1. Three of us work as fashion consultants in a Trendspotting Company (PFIN_www.firstviewkorea. com). We created a fashion playground called Stylefish to share posts about professional fashion styling with a casual attitude with more people. We talk about diverse fashion with “good style” as a common factor, from high-end fashion trends to GwangJang Market vintage style. We are thrilled to have increasing visitors, and we hope to talk to more people. 2. We first started in July, 2009. 5. We start the morning by checking our blog. We read and reply to emails and comments. We try to write one or more posts including a street fashion post everyday. 6. This spring it’s all about floral prints! Laces and crochet is also in. They were used only in parts of very feminine items before, but now it’s used in casual items such as t-shirts and can be seen more on the streets. 7. Organic by John Patrick. John Patrick has created a collection this season that is comfortable yet sophisticated and not constrained
to “retro”. 8. Don’t dress the way that will make you self-conscious when you walk out the door in the morning. 9. Trends that happen by change of time and environment could be considered new, but also what is adopted and actually worn on the streets is the new trend. 10. Your own identity. 11. Pictures of street fashion, introduction of the season’s musthave items, pictures of backstage of runways are always very popular. 12. There isn’t one specific blog. We surf around according to different themes. 13. “The Sartorialist” and other street fashion blogs like http://www.chictopia.com and http://lookbooks. com. 14. Reflection of who and what people are of the time. For example, we learn a lot from a picture of the past. Fashion takes a big part of the image portrayed in the photographs. 15. I hope it could be a space where people can communicate about fashion
Another Fashion World by “Proud JangIl” /“Man who reads fashion” 1. Proud Jangil / Man who reads fashion. 2. I’ve had it so lon that I’ve had to serve in the military again. 3. I wanted to express my opinion through photography and writing.4. Haruki expressed one’s alter ego through “mother” and “daughter” analogy in 1Q84. If I were “mother” then blogging would be giving birth to “daughter”. 5. I go to work in the morning, and after work I get home and work on my blog. 6. White jacket. 7. Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs. We need to pay attention to how a greatly respected fashion house and a gifted designer will write the history of fashion. 8. Don’t overdo it. 9. Fashion is a fruit of continuous reinterpretation of past experience. I don’t believe there’s anything really new. 10. Classic and craftsmanship. 11. A self-ridiculing post on ‘Living a fashion blogger’s life’. It’s not common to get more approval than comments. 12. A Blog Magazine http://blog.naver.com/sk0279 by “Toy”. The writer Seung-Kwan Baek is also a copy-writer and the blog is full of great writing and reviews. I don’t know why it’s not so well known. 13. There are too many now to pick just one. 14. Delivering messages. 15. To become a resource that Anna Wintour will cry over. 16. I’ve never set myself a role for I believe it is bestowed upon. So I’ll ask instead, what role does “Proud JangIl” seem to play in fashion business?
SPRING FLING
·49
meot
focus
yourboyhood.com by Suk Woo Hong / Fashion Journalist
1. I am Suk Woo Hong, 29 years old, a fashion journalist and a photographer for “Your Boyhood (yourboyhood.com)”. 2. It opened in October 2006. 3. When I first started yourboyhood.com, there wasn’t any website showing street fashion except for the existing commercial sites or community. I have a lot of friends who like clothes and fashion, and I wanted to show them and Seoul off to the people in other countries. 4. To me it’s a personal work, a place where I store documentary and street fashion photographs, and a space to unravel personal thoughts like a diary. 5. It’s different every time, depending on when there’s work or not, but I’ll tell you what it’s like these days. I wake up and spend my morning until lunch doing a journalists’ work. Then I get out to take photos to send to New York, and at around 5pm I write or check email and write copy to send to magazines(I’m writing this on their
50·
roking magazine
time). Then I have dinner, meet friends or work more and head home. 6. A well-made tailored jacket. 7. Leigh by Sang-Hyun Lee who is at the height of his 2nd collection preparation. 8. I don’t want people to be restricted to “the rules”. But of course it’s different when you have to dress formally. 9. There’s no “new fashion” in these days don’t you think? It’s just how you unite past thoughts, philosophy and the current thoughts in appropriate proportion. 10. Mind and passion of people who really like clothes. 11. Photographs of seniors rather than young people are preferred especially by foreigners. 12. It’s not a fashion blog but I enjoy Mun-Kyu Choi’s blog who once created an early adopter website called “My view”. 13. I frequently visit since 2005 Jun Takahashi’s blog who is a member of www.honyee.com and Undercover designer, but not
because it’s hot. 14. A place that makes me to continue fun projects. 16. Fashion blogs occasionally become meaningless when it is swayed by marketing and just deliver trend reports. That’s something anyone can do and easily gets boring. Contents that are created by own is now needed, not just showing what’s already out there.
↽Ⅹ ↽ݡ᮹ ⌁⟝ᜅ ➉ᖹๅÑḥ
LE DEBUT ۵ ᬵᨱ ၽ⧪ࢊ݅ܩ ᱥǎ ᜅ┡ღᜅ ⧁ญᜅ ᙹࠥǭ ᨵᱽญթᜅ᪡ ⋕⟹ HSBN ၝॅ౩ᩢ☁ ⦺ݡa ॒ᨱᕽ อӹᅕᝅ ᙹ ᯩ݅ܩ
SPRING FLING
·51
Exquisite Korean Craftsmanship-
Old and New
Editor_Shinjae Sung
The man who brings gold to life - Craftsmaster, Kim Jong-mok Kim Jong-mok is a well known and respected master craftsman in Korea and abroad. He is famous for two reasons: there is seldom an intricate design he cannot conjure from his workshop and unlike many master artisans around the world, he is generous with his skills. Cheesy as this may sound, Kim uses his powers for good. His masterpieces usually cost a fortune but instead of making and selling his work, he gives back with his own teaching facility in Seoul. Maestro Jewelry Collegeis an academy that teaches everything from basic do-it-yourself to high-end couture jewelry. Students of various backgrounds enroll in coursesthere that otherwise would be very expensive to take. Kim has also worked with the Korean government to run specific programs that help people live their dreams in the jewelry field by learning new skills in handicrafts for little or no charge.Much of the teaching staff there were former students that Kim himself taught a few years back. I was lucky enough to get a glimpse of some of Kim’s splendid craftsmanship at the Korea Fashion and Jewelry Festival at Coex last year and was instantly hooked.
52·
roking magazine
people
interview
How did you get into the jewelry business? Work in Korea was scarce in the 1970s. I was living in Yangyang, Gangwon, at the time and I thought I ought to learn some skills, so I moved to Seoul. After considering various occupations I decided to learn jewellery craftsmanship and appraisal. Craftsmaster is an honorary title given to a select few nationwide. What does it mean to you to be a master craftsman? To fill a position that is respected by others in this field and be recognized for the skills I have in my area of expertise requires endless amounts of skill development and hard work so as to contribute to Korea’s growth. Through this work I believe a craftsmaster obtains, carries on and heightens his or her worth. What is the most important factor in your work? Jewelry pieces largely consist of creative designs that are used for gallery exhibitions and consumer product designsin which the beauty and value is increased and designed according to the wishes of individual customers. When I make creative jewellery I usually consider Korean beauty as a theme. I use Korea’s nature and traditional Korea as the main concepts. Where do you find inspiration? Structures in everyday places, stones at my feet, broken twigs and branches, everything and anything can be brought to life as a wonderful piece of art. What separates your masterpieces from other jewelry pieces? What I find most important is to keep the allure and beauty of each gem at its best and at the same time make sure there is no damage. Three important points I stick to are stability – this keeps the jewel safe and well preserved. Polished and delicate craftsmanship skills– which increases the worth of each piece. And
wearable, beautiful designs –this is important so it is comfortable to wear and something customers want to constantly wear and show off. Where can foreigners visiting Korea go to see beautiful Korean jewelry exhibits? To see and experience various Korean artwork, the Korean Master Artisans’ Exhibit Gallery near Insadong is a good place to start.(The Korean Master Artisans’ Exhibit Gallery is located at 102-203 SK Herbville, Kyungun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea.) How did Eastern and Western jewelry craftsmanship methods differin the past? In ancient times, Eastern jewelry was mainly made with pure gold using unique workmanship methods such as granulation and imprint. Western jewelry craftsmanship was based more on gold alloys and precious jewels making the pieces distinctly more extravagant. How does Korean jewelry craftsmanship stand out from other countries? These days there aren’t many differences in craftsmanship per se and what is left is the unique identity and design of each different artist worldwide. But if you think in terms of the technical, Korean craftsmanship currently excels all others.
SPRING FLING
·53
people Korea is the longest reigning championin the World Skills Competition, how do you think Korea can promote this kind of high standard in jewelry craftsmanship internationally? People in this business shouldn’t trust just their talent but have faith in their effort and patience. First place at the World Skills Competitionis something that requires lengthy training that isn’t always obvious to the average person. It takes a great deal of concentration on your work and the strength to resist doing all the other things you want to do ordinarily.
interview
Jong-mok Jewelry Manufacturing Academy and changed its name when it was designated by the Ministry of Labor as a jewelry college in 2003. In 2007, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology designated the college as an educational facility with grade-credit recognition. We have an industrial arts undergraduate In what way should Korean craftsmanship advance in course in which students can major the future? in jewelry design for two years(four In the past, jewelry craftsmanship was thought of as too semesters). Students enrolling extravagant and luxurious to be considered an industry. in this course can apply for a full There were many obstacles before getting to the scholarship. All selected freshmen developed jewelry industry we have today. Unfortunately will be awarded full scholarships there are still many necessary improvements to be and if they have an ‘A’ average, made. The government has invested in and created scholarships will be extended. many jobs in the jewelry business, aware of it as a In short, hardworking students higher value-added business whereas those actually can graduate without paying in the business are unconcerned. Individuals in the any educational fees. Students jewelry business should be able to improve their work study seven mandatory subjects, themselves. For this to happen, educating people in the jewelry appraisal, jewelry design, jewelry business is crucial, resulting in world-renowned CAD design, jewelry marketing, Korean-made jewellery brandsthat can compete with invertment casting, jewelry current household names like Tiffany & Co. or Cartier. craftsmanship and gemology. They can also study 19 optional There are manytraining courses at Maestro Jewelry courses that are essential when College(Cheonho-dong, Seoul) and I hear some of them working in the jewelry industry and are free. What kind of programs are they? there is a promised 100 percent Maestro Jewelry College started off in 1997 as the Kim employment rate. Among Maestro Jewelry College’s graduates is
Kang Ka-ram, who won gold at the Japan International World Skills Competitionin 2007.Maestro Jewelry College has been rated highly, facilitating realistic handson working experience for all our students. Since 1997 to 2010 we have had approximately 4300 students graduate from this college.
Roking Magazine thanks Mr. J.M. Kim for his cooperation. Kim Jong-mok Jewelry is located at 84-1 Cheongdam 2 Dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea. Maestro Jewelry College is located at 137 Lotte Cinema Building Floor 8, Doneuy-dong, Jongro-gu, Seoul, Korea.
[Kim Jong Mok Jewelry] http://www.ljd.kr, [Maestro Jewelry College] http://mjc.kr 54·
roking magazine
people
interview
Exquisite Korean Craftsmanship -Old and new
The happiest art: Korean ball embroidery Lee Ji-eun is the only remaining handmade-embroidery ball maker in Korea. Handmade ball embroidery is a traditional Korean art and technique that is no longer recognized in Korea. Lee Ji-eun, who has successfully carried on this traditional art, says it is an art that can make people happy.
Tell us how you first got into handmade ball embroidery? My grandfather, who put his life’s work into researching embroidery, was a Yuldang artist. Handmade ball embroidery was one of the craftworks he specialized in. I learned handmade ball embroidery from him. It was something I watched him do all through my childhood, so at first I didn’t find it different or interesting. It was only after I came back home from college in the U.S. (the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York) that I fell in love with how beautiful, and delicate his work was. There were fewer and fewer people wanting to learn my grandfather’s craft so I said I would try, which made him really happy. The time I spent with him learning his
trade and making handmade embroidery balls is a part of my life that I cherish dearly. I am very grateful that my grandfather taught me the skills I have now so that I can teach others this special art. What part of making handmade ball embroidery is the hardest and how rewarding is it? The hardest thing about handmade ball embroidery is starting in the first place. These days it is easy to order a do-it-yourself kit online and have a package delivered. But handmade ball embroidery is difficult to begin because you have to clump together a ball of cotton to make the foundation and wrap thread around it. At first it is hard to keep the circular form of the core nice
SPRING FLING
·55
people
and pretty because the thread is wrapped around the cotton ball more than a thousand times. If you wrap it too much on one side of the ball it becomes crooked. Evenly wrapped balls calls for controlled, steady handwork. Easy-to-find polystyrene balls are sometimes used but the embroidery looks better when done on cotton balls. After you finish the foundation, the embroidery is easy for any child or adult of any age. Decorating and hanging my pieces afterwards and giving them away as presents makes the somewhat grueling process of making the embroidery balls worthwhile. You’ll be surprised to hear that the most I get out of my art is the process itself, however difficult. Each stitch helps me let go of my fears and worries, and by the time I finish a whole ball I feel rested and at peace with myself.
56·
roking magazine
interview
Tell us about your most prized piece. I treasure all my handmade embroidery balls but these days I like the lotus-flower patterned balls I am currently working on. Embroidery balls can have different patterns and an even larger palate of colors, but the ones I am making now (lotus) are my first most heartfelt pieces. I recently finished making a hundred balls of the same lotus pattern. I will keep working with these pieces and will be introducing more traditional patterns along with traditional Korean wooden doors. Where do you find your inspiration? Inspiration is everywhere. Right now, it is spring so I might embroider ume flowers lined with light greens and pinks. Many traditional designs I take from Korea’s traditional Buddhist
temples like my grandfather used to. Korean door designs can be inspired by things like the shape of traditional Korean roof tiles or even various sun patterns. What is special about ball embroidery when compared to other handicrafts? Unlike other crafts, handmade embroidery balls are made from scraps, things that you would otherwise throw away. Old duvets, cotton wool and secondhand clothes are all things that instead of being discarded could be used to make the core of the ball. The ball will be wrapped around with string and a brilliant, ecofriendly ornament is born! That is why after you start handmade ball embroidery, you’ll start realizing the importance of “stuff.” We are all swimming in an abundance of material and yet do not know how to care about it and reuse it. Every day we throw things out and buy new stuff without truly understanding the importance of existing material. Even the smallest objects have a place in this world and a reason for being here. Handmade ball embroidery has made me realize their existence. Another great part of this art is that there is a chance to see Korea’s traditional patterns and illustrations with more insight. Our past, history
people
interview
and tradition are all things that must be cared for. In the 21st century, our lives are too busy and we never have time to get in touch with our roots. Customs are important and ball embroidery appeals to this type of traditionalism. A lot of people think ball embroidery is a Japanese art, how is current ball embroidery in Japan different from traditional Korean handmade ball embroidery? China, Korea and Japan all have a history in handmade ball embroidery. If you think of it that way, it is more China’s craft because that is where the embroidery skills were first developed. I visited Gumamoto Kyushu in Japan, where they still have well-kept demaree. It was amazing to see how they had developed the art using splendid gold and silver threads. The most common patterns used in Japan would be chrysanthemums and diamond shapes. They use colors often found in Japan and a shiny type of lillian string. Each country has a different picture to draw and Japan’s demaree is very different to Korea’s embroidered ball. Just as my Yuldang grandfather’s life was expressed through his art because he studied dancheong (multicolored paintwork on traditional Korean buildings) he used many traditional Korean colors such as O-bang, O-jeong (five colors: yellow, blue, white, red and black). The most widely used thread in traditional Korean ball embroidery is spun yarn, kkonsill and kkalkkalsa, which both are traditional Korean materials. I am also inspired a lot by nature. Azaleas and lotus
flowers are all easily found in Japan as well but I obviously tend to use Korean colors. I believe tradition can move forward too. As we create new things, our tradition bonds with these new links to create something even better. That is how tradition develops. These colors in our art not only represent different countries but it goes further to show different work from individual artists. Where can visitors get a taste of traditional Korean handmade embroidery balls? There is a gallery in Insa-dong but I haven’t started selling pieces yet because of the time it takes to make each ball. At the moment, I keep most of my pieces and show them to people only through exhibitions. I have also written a book to help beginners learn how to get started. I would really like a good space to use with people who have an interest in this art and hold yearround exhibitions.
How can I start learning ball embroidery? It isn’t something that can happen in a short amount of time. I did try giving classes to students interested but it took too much time to teach each individual and so that is why I wrote a book on the subject. In the beginning I suggest you use the book. Afterward, feel free to contact me personally to ask for advice and help and I will try my hardest to be of assistance. Understanding the basics by reading what I’ve written in my book is more important in the beginning so don’t expect a masterpiece from the very start. The basics are very simple and easy to understand. Once you get the hang of the basic principles of ball embroidery, you can start making a core and then you can start wrapping thread and finally stitching various patterns and colors. But like a mentioned already, the foundation is very difficult to make. Sometimes I send people who ask for premade cores some of my own if they are having
SPRING FLING
·57
people
interview
a particularly hard time starting. There is an often used Korean saying, “well begun is half done.” If you’re thinking about it, just give it a try. You’re the author of the book, “A Beautiful Tradition Embroidered: Handmade Embroidery Balls.” Tell us about this book. It contains information on my Yuldang grandfather’s life work and a detailed manual to making handmade embroidery balls. If you think of the ball as Earth, and divide it by latitude and longitude it becomes four parts, which is the easiest method. The hardest is 10 parts and the book introduces both methods as well as eight other styles of making embroidery balls. If you use these instructions you can make an infinite number of different pieces. I urge you to not just look at these beautiful creations but to make them with your own hands; it is a completely different experience. What can the art of ball embroidery become to the average city dweller? It can give people their very own precious treasure. Many people have forgotten that the important things are small, easily unnoticed and always near us. These are the things that mean something in our lives but are easily missed because so many people these days are too busy with work, money or superficial ties. Before I started making traditional embroidery balls I was constantly engaged and busy. I never had time to look around and I never saw my embroidery balls. I had to be millions of miles away from these precious objects to have an epiphany and realize what the truly meaningful things in my life. Each stitch brings me closer to the things I want in life. I believe they (embroidered balls) can make wishes come true. How should traditional Korean embroidered
Check out Lee Ji-eun’s book: A Beautiful Tradition Embroidered and her blog(blog.naver.com/lje77777)
58·
roking magazine
balls develop as a craft in the future? I never wanted ball embroidery to advance in any way than it already has. My grandfather lived a full and happy life. He never once raised his voice or was angry and he was never materialistic and always lived life as if it were the most beautiful thing in the world. I can feel that life as I make my works and it is a precious legacy that I can’t keep to myself. That is why I started sharing it with other people. Even in a world so full of substance and matter, many people are frail-minded or suffer from emotional disorders. I learned warmth and love from my grandfather’s embroidery. I want to share that good energy with people who are willing to take the time to love themselves by relaxing from the hectic city life and trying their hands at embroidering these small balls of hope.
living in US and want to learn about
Dokdo Island? Korea’s Contact
“US Dokdo Center”
for
free Dokdo wristband & Dokdo Education www.usdokdo.com
people
interview
An Artist’s Amazing journey for freedom
by JUNG-yOON CHOI PHOTOGRAPHy_ MATT DOUMA
Song Byeok, 42, carries a rolled canvas under his arm and blends in perfectly with the swarms of students and other artsy types in Hongdae. Song has completed a master’s in Fine Arts at Hongik University, one of Korea’s most prestigious art schools. He has recently had his first solo exhibition. No one can tell from looking that he was a propaganda artist in North Korea for Kim Jong-il’s regime. Song greets his guests at his studio in a shy and soft voice. He wears cool designer glasses and neat casual attire. No one can tell from looking that this man has lived through many life-threatening moments. Just ten years ago, he crossed Tumen River to escape starvation.
60·
roking magazine
people
interview
1 Song tells the tale of his life in North Korea through his faint northern accent.
“It was no way to live. You just don’t have any idea of freedom,” says Song of day-to-day life in North Korea. “After defecting to the South I finally understood the true meaning of being free.” Many defectors coming to Korea have a hard time finding jobs and adjusting to the culture. Song was no different in the beginning. However, he had a distinct skill of his own: his art. In North Korea, he was used as a puppet of the regime. Through the years, Song slowly found his own voice.
2 had captured homeless people from the train stations in South Korea and edited it so that the entire nation would look like it was starving. Also, they would feature scenes of young people on the streets wearing fashionably ripped jeans and tell us that it’s because they can’t afford to buy decent clothes.” Song, upon noticing a female classmate’s ripped jeans, offered her a needle and thread. In the beginning, he mostly painted sceneries. “I just wanted to draw beautiful things then,” said Song. “But after years of painting and exploring, I
finally learnt that I had to express my feelings and send messages across through my work.”
“In the North, you get a blueprint of exactly what you’re supposed to draw,” said Song. “If you do anything other than what is given to you, it is reason enough to be sent to a gulag.” Although Song attended one of the best universities in the north, he felt that the education in the south would be more enriching. “In the North, Western artists were shunned and criticized. The ‘Birth of Venus’ would have a black sticker over her breasts.,” said Song. It was in his re-education that Song experienced many levels of culture shock. “They show us propaganda films that depict South Korea as a deprived, starving place,” said Song. “They
1)See 37.5x45cm acrylic on hanji 2010 2)Give a Taste 29.7x30cm acrylic on hanji 2010 3)Longing 122x48cm acrylic on dak paper 2009
3
SPRING FLING
·61
people
interview
Song began school with the intent to become an art teacher. He soon dropped that idea and advanced to graduate school. He started experimenting with a totally new style: satirizing the Kim Jong-il regime. “I wanted to bring awareness of what’s going on in the North through my artwork,” he said. “And the best way to do that was through satire.” The piece that attracted the most attention was the painting of Marilyn Monroe in her iconic “Seven Year Itch Pose” but with Kim Jong-il’s head on
4 top of the body. “When I saw the picture, I immediately knew what I wanted to do,” said Song. “She is trying to pull down her skirt to hide something and Kim Jong-il is doing the same thing – hiding something under his skirt.” 4)A Bright Joseon 41.5x136cm acrylic on dak paper 2010 5)To Undress or Not 95x184.2cm acrylic on hanji 2010 6)A Produce Utopia(2) 91x65cm acrylic on hanji
Song held his first solo exhibition “Forever Freedom” in January this year. This drew major attention from Korean media as well as international media. Most works depicted Kim Jong-il and satirization of his regime. Other works included a collage of letters between Song and his sister. “I wanted to ask the people the question, ‘Do you know what freedom is?’,” said Song. “And I also wanted to raise awareness of the horrific life conditions in the North.”
5 62·
roking magazine
Since coming to the South, Song has had financial struggles. Before the exhibition, he had do manual labor to earn enough money for his painting materials. Now that some of his work has sold, Song doesn’t have to labor as much. “It’s a dilemma. I still have a lot of debt including tuition,” said Song. “But when I think of what kind of fortune I have here; to be able to draw what I want, that kind of struggle is almost enjoyable.” His studio is where the artist finds peace and serenity. “I often work all day without eating. Once I start concentrating, it’s hard to break away,” he says. Now he is working on projects that depict Kim Jong-il meeting
6
people
interview
aboriginals in Africa. “The aboriginals are the embodiment of true freedome,” said Song. “I wanted to juxtapose Kim next to them and explore the theme of freedom once again.” Song has lofty goals. “I don’t want to stop at just talking about the issues regarding the North,” he said. “I want to bring to light the unjust regimes and oppressed people of the world. I would like to go on touring the world sending messages as an ambassador of freedom.”
7)Hope 90.5x72.5cm acrylic on hanji 2010 8)The Search 90.5x30cm acrylic on dak paper 2008
7
8
SPRING FLING
·63
people
interview
unity m m o C Foreign uth Korea in So
Coming together for Celebration of Fermented food Recently, Korea has become an exciting place for foreigners to live. English teaching jobs are plentiful, thus providing expats an opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture of the peninsula. Though the majority of expats in Korea are teachers, many others are involved in fun and unique projects. In this interview series, ROKing gets to know some of these expats and learn about their projects. by JYUNG-YOON CHOI PHOTOGRAPHY_ BOYOUNG YOO, SAEWON OH
64路
roking magazine
people
interview
On a cool April night, ROKing spoke with the expats behind the Fermentation Celebration over some Makgeolli. What better place to celebrate than in Korea, with its pantheon of femented foods, such as Kimchi*, Doenjang**, and Makgeolli***? *Traditional fermented Korean dish, made of vegetables
with varied seasonings ** Traditional Korean fermented soybean paste ***Traditional fermented Korean rice wine
ROKing: first, please tell us your full name, age, and current occupation. Dawn Kang(D) : I’m Dawn Kang and I’m a freelance designer and instructor (Yoga and Subject tutor). Jason Lindley(J) : Jason Lindley, I’m 29 years old, and am a teacher and Beer Maker. Gina Phillips (G) : I’m Gina Phillips, 23 years old, an event director and student. ROKing: what made you decide to come to Korea? How long have you been here? D: I came to Korea after graduating college because I wanted to try living in the motherland. At first, it was really hard for me to adjust, but now I’m in my third year and life keeps getting better. J: I decided to come to Korea because I didn’t want to work in an office, I love teaching, and I was obsessed with travel (and am still obsessed with travel). Coming to Korea was the best way to combine all of those passions. I’ve been here for 5 years. G: I left my non-profit job in San Diego to learn more about my mother’s culture and language and spend some time exploring. Teaching English was a good foot in the door, but now, going into my second year, I’m pursuing projects I’m really passionate about. ROKing: How did you three meet? D: The way we all came together on this project is actually pretty wonderful in its randomness. I met Jason at his very first beer making class last summer. I had met Gina previously, but connected with her later on in late fall when she asked me to design a logo for her
SPRING FLING
·65
people
new event planning company. Around that time, I threw a Kombucha Tasting party, where I invited friends to taste and name various flavors of the fermented tea she had been brewing. There, Jason and I came up with the idea to have a Fermentation Celebration in the spring. I remembered Gina had set out as an event planner and mentioned her as someone who could help with organizing the event. Before an official introduction could be set up between the three of us, Jason and Gina randomly met each other at a teaching workshop. We all had met separately a number of times and were involved in our own projects, but Fermentation Celebration brought us all together. ROKing: Please tell us about FC. Whose idea was it? J: As she was saying, Dawn threw a kombucha tasting/naming party in November, where a number of people were interested and excited about making kombucha. Seeing that excitement from people about not only making kombucha, but also about other fermented drinks as seen in Jason’s experience in his beer making classes, he and Dawn decided, “This needs to be bigger.” And thus Fermentation Celebration was born. ROKing: What are your roles in FC? G: Dawn is a koala, who likes to sit in
66·
roking magazine
interview
trees and create magical, fun experiences for everyone to enjoy. She connects dots on paper and between people, ensuring that everyone gets properly excited and informed about the event. She’s in charge of giving Fermentation Celebration a personality through her graphic designs and animated spirit. Jason is a frog who bounces back and forth between creative endeavors and logistics, essentially making sure that the spirit of Fermentation Celebration is not lost and is feasible and realistic for what the three of us are able to do. Also likes talking. D: And Gina is “not a chicken, but an eagle” (as her mom put it in an encouraging email when Gina first started her business enterprises). With an eye for logistics and a soft spot for puns, she ensures the translation of ideas from brainstorming sessions at makgeolli bars to realities at the event. ROKing: What was featured in the FC 1? Was it successful? J: The original idea was to feature fermented foods and to hold onto the spirit of a community-driven event as much as possible. It was held at a microbrewery pub called Craftworks, where we invited thirteen fermenters to come provide samples for the event. We had the idea to make it a science-fair meets farmer’s market, so people brought
amazing signs explaining the process for their specific project. During the event, it was great to see everyone so curious about fermented products and it basically proved our theory that there was a genuine interest for this kind of humble, down-toearth approach to making your own food. We had planned for 200 attendees and were surprised to find that we had to turn people away at the door because of the overwhelming response. People not only enjoyed the samples and interaction with makers, but they were all asking when the next one was. We’d say that proves it was a success! ROKing: Do you find Korea to be a place that one can easily plan, promote and hold such festival? What are some of the frustrations you’ve experienced? D: Positives: There’s a DIY, frontier spirit here that makes anything seem possible. People of all different career backgrounds seem to mingle here more frequently than back at home, and they all seem to have something going on the side. There’s a fluidity in the roles here; people come here as teachers, military, bankers, whatever, but there’s something about being a traveler that allows the expats here to see the gaps and explore how they can fill them. J: One problem is that information on regulations is not readily accessible, so the logistics are a little difficult.
people
interview
G: The blessing and the curse for an event like Fermentation Celebration is that no one’s ever done it before. The curse is that it’s such a mixed event, with an emphasis on fermented food, alcohol, and possibly music, and there’s almost zero information on how to do an event like this. On the flip side, the blessing of doing an event no one has done before is that we can make it up as we go along and people are really excited about it.
or other fermented products. In line with the summer festival spirit, we’d like to have live music as well, but that will depend on the legality of having outdoor music performances. As for whether this will be an annual event, that will probably depend on how this next one goes and where we each are in our own personal projects.
ROKing: what are your plans and and goals for the 2nd FC? Do you plan to hold it annually? What will be featured in the 2nd festival? J: For Fermentation Celebration 2, we’d like to create a bigger community event that’s held outdoors. We’re involving local restaurants while keeping the focus on what people can make at home. One idea we had was to pair restaurants with home Fermenters so that together, they can create a tasty dish to share with the community. We also plan to offer master classes run by experienced fermenters and academies, where people can learn in detail how to make their own kimchi, beer,
SPRING FLING
·67
laon
story
The three farthest islands EDITOR_ SANG-AA PARK TRANSLATED FROM KOREAN BY SHINJAE SUNG
East, west and south, Korea is surrounded by oceans. But across the sea there are numerous islands, ranging from beautiful and mystical to historic and politically important. Here are three islands that are beautiful in one way or another.
The eastern tip of Korea,
Dokdo
Dokdo is more famous for its geopolitical implications than its natural beauty. And though Koreans generally agree that Dokdo is their territory, many have never been to the rocky pieces of land jutting out of the East Sea. The island isn’t just a boat ride away though. It takes patience and luck to make it there because ferocious waves and rough weather give visitors about a 50-day window to travel there. But it’s definitely worth the trip if you do manage to make it.
68·
roking magazine
Dokdo
Seoul Yellow Sea
South Sea
East Sea
laon
story
I took a boat from Ulleung Island and sped an hour or so across glistening navy blue waters, with soft wispy clouds covering the clear blue brilliance of the sky. Right in the middle of the East Sea, there was Dokdo, waiting for the day’s visitors.
The dizzy and thrilling sight you see above is only available to those who can climb to the very top of Dongdo (the most easterly of the Dokdo islets). The Cheonjang Crater is a large gaping hole that starts from the highest point on Dongdo ending right down to the sea. For safety reasons sightseers aren’t allowed too close.
Once you get off the boat and walk across the wharf there is a stone sign. Facing the sea’s horizon, the small stone features the carved words: “the Republic of Korea’s eastern-most land.” Past the sign and gathered crowds, I came across a quiet, leisurely trail. Over the hill was the East Sea, with water as far as the eye could see. The stairs that went up to the hill seemed to link the island with the ocean.
As you travel around Dokdo, you will notice numerous rocks and boulders. Among these rocks are: The Warship Boulder, which looks like a ship ready for battle; the Hen Rock, which looks like it’s sitting on an egg; the Fan Boulder; and the famous Three Brothers Cave Boulder.
Getting to Dokdo From Mokpo or Pohang take a ferry to Ulleung Island. From there take another boat to Dokdo. Expect the trip from Ulleung Island to Dokdo take two hours. After 30 minutes of sightseeing, you’ll be on your way back for a five-hour round trip. Phone: Ulleung County Office_(54) 790-6425/ Dokdo Marine Tourism_(54) 791-8111)/ Deh-ah Speed Shipping_1544-5117 Required form: Dokdo entrance application Note: Tours are restricted to 470 people at one time, depending on the weather.
Seodo, the western island of the Dokdo islets, is just as rocky and can only be reached by boat from Dongdo. Seodo is rugged with steep terrain that makes hiking seem more like mountain climbing. The side opposite the port is popularly called Death Valley. You have to use ropes to climb up and down the side of the island and making it requires stamina and strength.
SPRING FLING
·69
laon
story
The Furthest Island to the East,
Baekryeongdo
Furthest north of the West Sea is Baekryeongdo, the island closest to North Korea. The media often falsely portrays Baekryeongdo as a place of danger and peril. In real life, if you travel to this island sitting on the edge of the West Sea, you can experience true peace on Earth. Beautiful rocks that have been carved through years of weathering gives way to sun showered wild plants. The surrounding sea is inhabited by precious spotted true seals and cormorants swimming and gliding through the clear waves(the spotted true seal and the cormorant bird are both animals protected as natural monuments of Baekryeongdo). So in search of this pure natural island, I set off with the wind in my hair and the warm spring afternoon rays against my face.
Beakryeongdo Seoul
East Sea
Yellow Sea
South Sea
The Naples Beach in Italy and Baekryeongdo’s oceanfront are the only two places in the world you can find a natural flying field. Made solely by Mother Nature herself, these airfields were used by the United Nations force during the Korean War. The 200m wide, 2km long mud flat is hard like concrete and is evened out like a sand table which makes for a sturdy landing and takeoff strip. Obviously it is a gorgeous, smooth sand track that travelers love to drive down.
Past the coast, over the Baekryeong Bridge, you will find a small arrow-shaped beach resort. White, blue, black and brown, an assortment of beautifully coloured pebbles and stones shine under the water as if one body. The Kongdol Beach can be walked barefoot as the pebbles clack under your toes, moving slightly to your weight. The creamy surface massages
the soles of your feet and visitors are mesmerised by the brilliant colours each individual stone has. The kongdol(small pebbles) are soaked in seawater, shining eloquently against the beach sun that warms them.
Getting to Beakryeongdo How?: Incheon Yunahn Fery terminal>Beakryeongdo Time it takes: 4~5 minutes (round trip 9-10 hours) 70·
roking magazine
price: 1 Adlut 49,500 won
Web: www.baengnyeongdo.com
Phone: Marine Insurance Union maintenance office (+82-32-880-7570) / Baekryeongman Office (+82-32-899-3510) /
Note: The ferry operates three times a day. Make sure to check ferry schedules beforehand!
laon
story
The height of sightseeing in Baekryeong is Doomoojin. Taking a ferry further out into the ocean, just as the sun is starting to set in late afternoon, Doomoojin can be seen in its uttermost glory. A boulder that is turning gold against the sunset, shoots down into the ocean as sharp as a knife and deeper than the eye can see. Strange rocks stand as if having shot out of the ocean like an avenue of sharp-edged screens. Lee Daegi, a court member during the Koryo Dynasty was so impressed by it that he called the rocks, “an old god’s final masterpiece.” You can tell just by watching the awe in the eyes of sightseers at Doomoojin, amazed at the power and beauty of nature itself.
Climbing up the high hills you will come across a set of cold rock steps that lead to exquisite crimson flowers in full bloom. A rope will help you climb higher until you reach the peak where a magnificent sunset awaits passers-by. This boulder is the point where the sun sets the last in Korea, at the very end of the western island of Baekryeongdo.
(+)Interesting Fact! In the very beginning of Christianity in Korea, the very first missionary work evolved around the Joonghwadong Church in Baekryeongdo. It is said that this is why there is a substantial number of Christians in this area compared to other parts of Korea. In proof of the hundred and ten years of history it has been around, the church steps are worn down by millions of people having climbed them up and down. Next to the church there is a cedar tree over a century old and an old church bell. Everything around the church has been there for as
long as or more than the church itself. These artifacts and their age make the church seem even more picturesque and quaint. The church also has the northwestern coast’s only existing history archive of missionary work done in Korea beginning in the early nineteenth century. It is popular as a visiting spot for Christians from all over the nation.
The ancient Korean novel, Simchungjyun is set in Baekryeongdo. Between Doomoojin and North Korea’s jangsangot is Indangsu. This is where Simchung(main character) jumps into the sea in hope of making her blind father, Simbongsa see again. The drowning Simchung goes to a palace underwater and is returned to land by riding a lotus. As she returns to land the lotus is swept up in a fierce current and the flower gets stuck on a rock. On the south coast of Baekryeongdo this very rock, Yunbong Boulder still sits. This spot is especially popular because on clear days you can see North Korea as if it is right at your fingertips.
SPRING FLING
·71
laon
story
The southern tip of Korea,
Mara Island Mara Island is full of beautiful scenery. Open plains covered with golden reeds dancing against the wind and an endless sea of waves that dance off the coast make Mara Island one of the more pristine locations in Korea. You won’t find palm trees, winding roads or expensive hotels here — just nature. The island has a distinct tranquility about it that I had to see for myself.
Often called Korea’s land’s ends, Mara Island is a completely different world to most city folk. Once you arrive on the island there is a line of electric carts waiting to take you on a tour of the island. It’s the only way to travel on Mara, and why not? It’s environmentally friendly and fun. Once in your cart, you’ll notice a fork in the road — left and right. It doesn’t really matter which way you decide to go because all the roads on Mara Island connect at some point, but most people take the right fork. So that’s where we’ll start. Along the road there are fields of grass that tell you exactly what season it is, if you didn’t know already. Spring and summer make the fields green, while they turn a yellowy gold in the autumn and winter.
The first place I ended up after taking the right fork was Mara Branch School. As the island’s only educational facility, there used to be around 30 students, but now it’s down to just one. Surrounded by a low fence of basalt, inside is a small playground alongside an abundant field with a single football goal. The vast open land and the view of the ocean create a natural place of learning.
72·
roking magazine
Not interested in an hour long hike? Although it is a small island, the warm weather and lax attitude on the island makes it easy to feel lazy. The carts take you anywhere on the island and only costs 20,000 won per cart.
Between fields of tall wild grass are long stone paths. At the end of the fields there is a white lighthouse. Next to the lighthouse are baegnyeoncho (cactus), which has flowers that bloom only once in 100 years. With the stars in the sky and the pure white lighthouse standing against the ocean, I felt as if I were looking into a divine watercolour. I was looking at Korea’s southernmost lighthouse and it sure was a sight.
laon
story
Seoul
East Sea
Yellow Sea
Mara Island
This miniscule island has a school, Protestant church, Catholic church and a Buddhist temple. Of these, the most eye-catching is Mara Island’s small Catholic church, Porziuncola. The round building reminds me of little homes in fairytales. It has long been a symbol of Mara Island’s serene scenery. Crowds of people stand in front of the church to have their pictures taken. To them and to me, Mara Island’s exquisite scenery and architecture was a treasure chest of beauties that will be sorely missed.
A broadcasting center making chocolates? With its green grass and red roofs, Mara Island’s broadcasting center is more than just a cool-looking building. The facility also makes chocolate for visitors, hence its second name: Chocolate Castle
South Sea
The quite Mara Island has its populated areas too. Always full of chatter and noise are the jajangmyeon (black-bean sauce noodles) diners. Different restaurants attract visiting customers by introducing a different menu items such as seafood jajangmyeon. Many diners have even been on national television. Seafood jajangmyeon made with Jeju Island’s tot (a kind of brown sea vegetable) has become a Mara Island delicacy and a must for tourists to try.
Getting to Mara Island From Jeju Island’s Mosul Port take the ferry to Mara Island. The boat ride is about 30 minutes one way. A round-trip ticket costs 14,000 won/ Mara Island entrance fee:1,500 won The highlight of touring Mara Island is standing in front of the country’s southernmost stone monument. Many say that if you don’t take a souvenir photograph here, there isn’t any point in visiting. The vast ocean and radiant sky make each photograph a lovely reminder of their time at Mara Island.
Phone: Mara Island_(64) 760-4051/ Mosul Port_(64) 794-3500
IMAGE COPYRIGHT_ Baekryeongdo-Ongjingunchung (+82-32-899-3515), Dokdo-Dokdo Control Office(+82-54-790-6642), Marado-
SPRING FLING
·73
laon
travel
Real Jeju Story
Vote for New Seven Wonders!
Walking along the Olleh-trails with a distanced view of snowcapped Halla Mountain and coastline, trifling hideout spots attract the eyes. Unlike big guide booklets, this scenery speaks with emotions as the stories are told by people who toured Jeju. Jeju-do, Korea’s most renowned vacation destination, an island nominated for World’s Seven Natural Heritage site. With an eye of four people, the real story of Jeju begins. WORDS_ PARURU, EUNJU AHN, JUNGYOON CHOI EDITOR_ SANG-AA PARK TRANSLATED FROM KOREAN_ SEOJUNG HA
Forest running Train! Train Theme Park ‘Eco Land’ Things that may only be seen in fairy tales or in foreign countries can be experienced in Jeju. Feel fresh breeze near the forest while sitting inside of a train. It was last October, when I first saw a train running into Jeju’s natural forest, Got-zawal. At the moment, I pictured a winter scene covered with snow.
Residents of Jeju could only dream of riding a train as neither train nor railroad ever existed in the island before. Although adults had chances to ride a train when they visit the mainland, children only dream of riding a train in their imagination; building a fantasy of trains among them. Located at an altitude of 400m, Eco-land is where Jeju’s first railroad was built, and with heavy snow it is bit difficult to reach. I visited the site only imagining picturesque scenes of snow topped Got-za-wal (Jeju’s unique forest), but was deeply surprised upon my arrival. The themed train ran along a snow-covered field, and I couldn’t even open my eyes because of the sunshine reflecting off the white field of snow. Offering a picturesque clear blue backdrop, the sky was simply amazing. Unlike last winter when I visited, I saw more people as the view naturally begs for more attention.
74·
roking magazine
laon
The horn blew and the train filled with people departing the main station (The train circulates a 4.6km-long railroad track going back to the departing station). Eco-bridge Station, with a lake large as 20,000 pyeong allows riders to view and enjoy the scene while sitting at the Water tables. The Water-café and water-cycles provide exciting leisure experiences. The freezing cold covered the lake with ice when I visited. This was a rare sight as Jeju tends to be fairly warm throughout the year. While observing and experiencing the natural scenery around the lake, people who got off at the Eco-bridge station walked toward the next station, named Lakeside Station (You may remain on the train if you don’t want to walk). Lakeside Station is located on an old farm ranch site where you can experience a beautiful lake and windmill, as well as a hovercraft that goes anywhere from lake to grass field. (Unfortunately the lake was frozen at the time). The following station at Eco-bridge is the most beautiful Picnic Station; often making people truly believe they are in a wonderland. The green grass field was lightly covered with snow offering a much more beautiful scene. The open grass field is designed for children to freely run along. Cute and childish items that may exist only in fairy tale are placed in the center of the field, returning people to their childhood memories. As the railroad was constructed utilizing the footprint of people who lived in the Got-za-wal area, it was able to avoid significant
travel
environment damage. The train consisted of five group locomotive carriages and four passenger carriages. All the trains were imported from Britain and each group cost about 800 million won. Although the maximum speed of a train is 17km, they run at a speed of less than 5km for safety purposes. It takes about an hour to circulate the railroad course. Continually, the train runs every 25 minutes and passenger may freely transfer at any of the stations within the theme park, making this train ride very unique. Along with existing attractions, the train within the forest allows passengers to observe the nature of ecology while staying on the train, approaching roe deer, and other wild animals living among the eco-friendly Halla Mountain. Come join the world of fairy tale at Eco-land; where it is blossoming as the ultimate tourist destination of Jeju. *Tour Information: Jeju-do, Jeju-si, Jocheon-eup, Daeheul-ri, 1221-1 (T: +82-64-802-8000)
Jeju Island blogger ‘Paruru’ TISTORY BLOG: http://jejuin.tistory.com DAUM BLOG: http://blog.daum.net/ykm824 Tistory Best Blogger 2010 National Police Agency’s Fall in Love Press Corp. Jeju Tourism Blog Press Corp.
SPRING FLING
·75
laon
travel
Museum in Jeju spurs curiosity! <Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum> 1
Jeju is considered the world of museum. There are more than 30 museums registered at the Jeju Museum Association, and the number of museums on the island increases to nearly a 100 when un-registered museums are included. Roughly 10% of the national museums and galleries are in Jeju and constantly increasing. It’s a Cluster of museums and because of that I do not particularly like museums. I oftn recommend for people to hike Halla Mountain instead of wasting valuable time at a museum. Of course, this may sound like I’m disparaging museums, but I must say there are numbers of museums that are very attractive as well. Peace Museum is where you can experience Jeju’s unfortunate history; along with Stone-cultured Park, Teddy bear Museum, Peshiki World, and Jeju Education Museum are all museums worthy of visiting. Recently, another interesting museum just opened. It is a museum of oddity where the entire display of items were collected by ‘Robert Ripley’, a cartoonist, an explorer and an adventurer during his travels through 198 countries, a distance equal to 18 trips around the globe. The ‘Jeju Believe it or Not Museum’ made Korea the world’s 11th Ripley host nation, and the 32nd ‘Believe It or Not Museum.’ It opened at the renowned tourist destination, Joongmun, Jeju on December 24, 2010.
76·
roking magazine
laon
travel
2
1
2
3
4
He started his collection as his cartoon “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” began to be recognized by the public. In 1914, Robert Ripley’s friends established the Ripley Foundation, and it is continuing to publish books and build museums. The “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” Corporation is now expanded to operating radio and television stations as well as publishing books. Other museums are all over the world such as; the United States, Canada, UK, Mexico, Denmark, and Australia - growing as one of the world’s top entertainment corporations. Façade of the museum looking like a dreamland. “Oh my gosh…. Did this really happen?” Yours jaws will drop when you see some of these oddities once you step inside the museum. As the name, “Believe It or Not” implies, the museum truly displays the unbelievable. Although I can’t introduce all the interesting items, let me give you a small taste. The first thing you will notice after passing the information desk is the below car. Does this look real? It is a car made out of paper - perfectly imitating the real size and features of a car. The model of this car is an ‘Aston Martin DB5’ This is a monster car that James Bond drove in the movie 007. A knife stuck in a tire, a Pender’s machine gun, rocket launcher, an ejection chair for escape shown in the movie are exact replicas. Do you see a gun pointing under the headlight? The interior of the car is very tantalizing. It’s hard to believe that it’s just paper… “Believe It or Not” This is an Eifel tower made of tooth picks. With 7,500 toothpicks, Ran Heuz from Australia completed the infamous tower in 240 days. Making such a tower truly requires an endless patience and skill without quiver. What do you see? Don’t be shocked, this is a real human head! REAL!
5
3
SPRING FLING
·77
laon
4
5
travel
The size of the head is about the size of a man’s fist. This is a head of a Hibaro Indian. Hibaro Indians would cut their enemy’s head and shrink it to the size of a fist. Although this tradition began as a celebration for the tribe’s victory, it has become a popular souvenir for visitors since 20th century. Work by John Swiwaruz from Michigan, USA made out of trashed bicycle pieces and sled. It is an artistic robot made by crocodile and parts of a helicopter. Freebies from Florida. Hanging on a pole at age 90, he was called the human flag. Believe It or Not ^^
So, Who is Robert Ripley?
Jeju Island blogger ‘Paruru’ TISTORY BLOG: http://jejuin.tistory.com DAUM BLOG: http://blog.daum.net/ykm824 Tistory Best Blogger 2010 National Police Agency’s Fall in Love Press Corp. Jeju Tourism Blog Press Corp.
78·
roking magazine
Born in 1890 in Santa Rosa, California, Ripley moved to New York in 1913 where he began working at the New York Globe sketching sports cartoons. During a very slow sports day, he decided to draw up nine unusual sporting events in small sketch form. The cartoon was originally titled, “Champs and Chumps”, but after much deliberation, the title was changed to ‘Believe It or Not!” The rest is history! Ripley added interesting stories drawn from all subjects of human, natural science, political, historical, animal, etc. He soon became a world traveler, seeking stories of bizarre and unusual proportion, venturing into the unconventional parts of places like India and the Orient - visiting people and cultures that most Americans never knew existed. Given his unbelievable life, perhaps it is only fitting that even Robert Ripley’s death left the world wondering about the exact circumstances. At age 58, Ripley died while taping the 13th episode of his television series, an episode that dealt with death and death rituals – sending his followers into a frenzy of speculation, “Believe it or Not!”
laon
travel
Full of Mystery, ‘Woo-do Cave Concert’ Harmony of sound within nature Magnificent yet beautiful mystical ‘cave concert’
Woo-do, an island within an island is famous for eight beautiful scenes and its two caves. One cave, located on the east hill, is believed to have been used by as a home for whales. The other cave is called Dong-ahn Cave, which resembles the nostrils of a whale. Sounds full of mystery echo out of here as the ‘Woo-do Cave Concert’; titled as tenor Hyeon, Hang-bok’s ‘Gong-myeong.’ Although the concert had to be postponed due to weather, about 150 listeners have visited the “whale nostril” cave to experience the mysterious echo of the cave with excitement. Titled as ‘love and friendship’ for section 1, and ‘han and shinmyeong’ for section 2, tenor Hyeon hang-bok, Pianist Lee, Dong-yong, and dancer Kim, Hee-sook are past special performers. However, the piano may have brought the most attention. When the grand piano was installed inside the cave for the first time, it seemed like a “Mission Impossible.” Since an item so large needed to be carried inside the cave from the sea, the transport had to take place during the rising tide. The mission succeed as the piano was carried from a traditional Jeju ship called ‘tae-woo,’ at eight o’clock in the morning.
wanted to harmonize the sound and natural echoes of the cave, so the tenor voice and the piano was performed in monotone, without any sound equipment. This sound touched people’s heart. Because all of this happened inside the cave, it also had to be perfectly timed. The piano had to be cautiously transported; no sound equipment or lighting was used; and the music was performed in monotone performance. The result was a mystifying concert performance. The photo offers a glimpse. Foreign songs and opera aria was mainly performed during the first half. Lee, Dong-yong’s single piano performance of Chopin’s Nocturne was performed during the intermission. And Jeju folk songs and six Korean songs were performed during the second. We meet the sound of mystery at ‘woo-do Cave Concert.
Of course the transportation was challenging, but it was equally exciting as the ‘woo-do cave concert’ couldn’t occur at just any time. People could only arrive when the sea water in the cave was empty. Therefore, everyone had to wait for the lowest water level, sa-ri, which only happens once in every two weeks. It also had to be at around three or six o’clock in the afternoon when most of the water had dried out. Also, as this concert was only held in inside the cave, they
Jeju Island blogger ‘Paruru’
TISTORY BLOG: http://jejuin.tistory.com DAUM BLOG: http://blog.daum.net/ykm824 Tistory Best Blogger 2010 National Police Agency’s Fall inSPRING Love Press Corp. FLING Jeju Tourism Blog Press Corp.
·79
laon
travel
Tea Exploration! Jeju Tea Park So, I imagined an elegant and traditional tea house located somewhere in an evergreen tea field, but the “Jeju Tea Park” was a bit more cosmopolitan and inflexible than assumed. Countless tea-wares were presented as I walked into the building with a grand jasaho sparked with dignity. After walking through the first floor full of tea-ware collections and café ‘Da-geum Ba-ri,’ a famous patented tea ice-cream, a magnificent exhibit hall greets you on the second floor. I was amazed to see a grandsized Puer tea(it was manufactured and imported as a souvenir from China). Also, I found was a mixture of traditional tea-ware and furniture, as well as a quaint samovar from Europe conveying the history and living styles along with great stories. I could really experience the founder’s passion about tea while wandering this space. The third floor was designed to experience Asian tea culture, offering rooms displaying Korean, Japanese and China’s tea-houses. While observing quaint tea-ware from many other countries, lectures
about teas could be heard as the founder and tea researchers offer tea tasting opportunities. Concealed within the shadow of Halla Mountain, the fourth floor was busy with construction for an outdoor café. With flowers, wind and water designed as a miniature Jeju under the island’s clear blue sky, I have no doubt that this space will be a fine new destination. The founder’s intention is to bring tea inside our busy society, as a new get away among our daily routine, instead of staying with the cliché of silent serene. I do hope the nation’s one-and-only grand China-pot, Pure tea tablet and other quaint pieces will spread and awaken peoples’ curiosity and hopefully be recognized for its educational value, educating people about the value of tea.
Eun Joo Ahn Institute of Traditional Korean Fermented Foods Director Insititute of Traditional Korean Food, Jilsiru Dept. Chairman Kyungbuk Youngyang Regional Products Property Education Pyungchang Winter Olympics Host/PR(Traditional Korean Cuisine)
IMAGE COPYRIGHT_ PARURU’S BLOG(http://jejuin. tistory.com), JEJU TEA PARK(+82-64-748-9009) 80·
roking magazine
laon
travel
Olle Trails: A New Point of View from Jeju Hiking has become a favorite escape for city people looking to escape routine. The big question is, where to hike? Jeju Island, the most popular vacation destination in Korea, has developed 21 trails along its coastline as well as inland.
-Tips for making the best of Olle hiking:
-What is Jeju Olle? “Olle” [Ole] is the Jeju word for a narrow pathway that is connected from the street to the front gate of a house. It also sounds similar to “would you come?” in Korean. So Jeju’s “Olle” can be interpreted as ‘Would you come to Jeju?’ Suh Myung-sook, founder of Jeju Olle and former chief editor of a weekly news magazine, wanted to create these trails to show off the hidden beauty of her hometown. Suh and a team of volunteers mapped out the trails and by September 2007, the first trail was open to the public. Since then, the Jeju Olle exploration team has created a combined total of 200km of walking trails in Jeju Island. New routes are still being explored in addition to the twenty-one current trails. Jeju Olle hopes all who explore the Jeju Olle trail routes gain “peace, happiness and healing.”
-Offering a variety of choices: Olle is for Everyone! The 21 trails encircle the beautiful Jeju coastline. The trail takes the hiker everywhere from the mountains to the sea. There are also trails for everyone including shorter, easier paths for the elderly and beginners and longer, more complex trails for experienced hikers.
Minimal preparation is needed for the Jeju Olle trails. A simple horse-shaped sign, called “Ganse” is located on the trails and indicate which way to go. Blue arrows and flags on the trail also serve as route signs. Head-to-toe hiking gear is not necessary, but it is important to wear comfortable shoes with a good grip. There will be varying terrain. Be careful not to rush through the trails so as to get lost. If you do happen to lose your way, ask one of the other hikers on the path and try to remember which direction you came from. It is to your convenience to keep some cash on hand for food and water. Perhaps most importantly is to go to Jeju Olle with open eyes and mind. Be prepared to take in the sights. Be prepared to accept serenity.
Edited by JUNG-YOON CHOI Photo courtesy of (c) Jeju Olle Excerpts courtesy of (c) Jeju Olle
SPRING FLING
·81
laon
sports
Figure Skating Yuna
EDITOR/JIN-SUNG KWAK TRANSLATED FROM KOREAN/SHINJAE SUNG ILLUSTRATION_ DC INSIDE YUNA KIM GALLERY ID: SIHORING, ARULRUKKENG, DISPOSABLE BATTERIES, KIREN
Springtime in Moscow means the return of the queen on ice The 2011 ISU World Figure Skating Championships will be held in Moscow beginning April 24th, and the top news there this year will undoubtedly be Kim Yuna’s return to the ice. After winning gold at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Kim has been out of the figure skating championships scene for a whole year. The long wait will hopefully be worthwhile because Kim is working on new programs — the short featuring “Giselle” as the main musical background and inspiration, and “Homage to Korea,” which will use traditional music and elements. Kim’s “Giselle” will be 2 minutes, 50 seconds long, while her free-skating
82·
roking magazine
“Homage to Korea” will be a four-minute-plus affair that should quench the thirst of figure-skating fans around the world. Kim made public 15 minutes of her practice session on March 24, stirring up the pot with heightened expectations for her April performance in Moscow. It was a short session, but those 15 minutes were impressive and gave fans a good idea of what to expect at the World Figure Skating Championships.
laon
sports
Art is Kim Yu-na’s calling
With most of the figure-skating world fixated on jumps, skaters with distinct artistry in their performances are hard to find. Nevertheless, Kim, who admires skating legend Michelle Kwan and loved to sing “Goose Dreams” (a famous Korean song about flying high into the sky) as a child, will look to fly high again soon after being out of competition for a year. Watching Michelle Kwan, Kim yearned to be an artistic skater. She finally realized her dream when she performed during her first-ever program. Following this, Kim developed her skills through rigorous training that has turned her into a figure-skating champion. Her wins at the Vancouver Olympics and the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships are strong reminders of where her inspiration comes from for competition, when Kim brings out the artist in her. Kim has been nothing short of perfect the last couple of years, and her biggest task now is to go beyond perfect, as hard as that may be. Kim is as polished as they come, but it’s clear she wants to get better. And for fans who have been waiting and waiting, there’s no doubt now she’ll deliver.
SPRING FLING
·83
laon
sports
topic1 ‘Giselle’ (short program) Kim’s short program “Giselle” will show exactly how important artistic factors are in modern figure skating. Artistic skating flows like a river with no gaps or stops, which is why Kim’s creative choreography could go beyond her older performances. The music Yuna used for former short programs have a strong originality that lingers with the viewer long after. “Giselle” is also expected to follow Kim’s long list of impressive performances by bringing alive a gracefulness we haven’t seen yet on the ice.
topic2 ‘Homage to Korea’ (free skating) Kim’s last performance, “Homage to Korea,” features the traditional Korean song “Arirang” and will embrace both the joy and sorrow of the Korean people. Koreans today are still given hope from the sorrowful and historical “Arirang.” Hopefully, though, Kim’s smile makes the joy the most memorable part of that performance.
ID: disposable batteries
BIG FAN of the ‘Yuna’, by the ‘Yuna’, for the ‘Yuna’. After seeing Yuna Kim’s performance of Tango de Roxanne at the World Championships in 2007, I fell in love with ice skating solely because of Yuna Kim. After the Vancouver Olympics 2010, I started drawing fan art for the Yuna Kim online gallery on DC. Through Yuna Kim’s amazing performances on ice, I have time and time again been inspired and have been able to use my major(graphic design) to its full potential as well as improve skills.
84·
roking magazine
laon
sports
My interest in Yuna Kim grew starting with the Junior World competitions 2006 and after her senior debut I was often drawing and posting fan art on Yuna Kim fan galleries. I’m a freelance artist whose biggest joy is drawing Yuna on paper and sharing my work with other fans through fan page events and meetings. I look forward to her work on ice this year and onward.
Yuna Kim Gallery, fan artist ID: sihoring
ID: arulrukkeng
LEE KYOUNG YOUNG 26/06/86 National Insitutute for Lifelong Education(NILE) graphic design major hinata212@naver.com
ID: kiren
Kim Da Rae Sookmyung University, currently majoring in design Blog: http://blog.naver.com/kdr1204 E-mail : kdr1204@naver.com
SPRING FLING
·85
An undying passion for music:
1st generation Jazz musicians of Korea
BY JUNG-YOON CHOI IMAGE COPYRIGHT_ ISSERSCENE
86路
roking magazine
laon
‘Moonglow’ is a hole-in-the-wall jazz bar located in the back alleys of Hongdae, the place for indie and live music in Seoul. The sounds emanating from the venue are that of lively off-beat drums with syncopated sax riffs flowing freely on top of a hot piano. Stepping down to the baser level, there is a distinguishable energy in the place. The vintage-themed dark interior is effortlessly cool, with a yellow hue coming from the lights which create a warm atmosphere. But it’s the grey-haired musicians on stage who garner all the attention. They fill the house nightly with the joyous sounds of their music. Whether they are ponytailed, wearing pork-pie hats or asymmetrical print scarves, they all have a unique style. Their wrinkled hands busily move up and down the instrument. There is a powerful drive. They switch to playing ballads, and there is something deep and profound in their playing. Treating each note carefully as if they were new born baby, there is an expression of satisfaction on the lips of each one of the players. They are the so-called ‘1st generation jazz musicians’ of Korea. In South Korea, jazz was rather unpopular and unknown genre. “There was no ‘Jazz’ or ‘Blues’ section at a music store a decade ago in Korea,” said Hitch Kim, an owner of a music promoting agency. “You call up a record company and ask
music
for someone in charge of jazz, the person on the phone would not understand what I asked for.” However, that has changed much in recent years. Jazz still remains far from the mainstream, but at least there are more people drawn to jazz and appreciative of the music. There are various jazz festivals held annually, reaching out to the general public. Little does the public know, jazz has been played in Korea for more than five decades. Korea’s jazz history was paved by a number of people who fell for the music. These musicians first got in touch with jazz when in their teens in 1950s and 60s, mostly through the Armed Forces Radio network for U.S. troops. Shin Kwan-woong, 65, is a pianist and the owner of Moonglow. He plays the role of host for ‘1st generation jazz musicians’ night. Featuring six regulars and six featured musicians, the first generation jazz artist has been performing at this cozy little club every Thursday for the past decade. In 2009, the club nearly closed down due to financial problems and lack of customers. This changed last year when a
SPRING FLING
·87
laon
music
documentary film featured the graying musicians. The film, titled ‘Bravo Jazz Life,’ tells the story of Moonglow and the people who come to perform there. Chasing the musicians’ through their day to day life, the film tells the tale of Korean jazz giants who fell for jazz and never looked back. The film created a buzz, and the musicians finally got the public attention they much deserved. “I first heard jazz on American base radio when I was 13,” recalled Ryu Bok-seong, a percussionist featured in the documentary. “I didn’t know what the music was, but I knew that I had to play it.” After searching every music store in town, he learned that he had heard ‘Straight, no chaser’ by Miles Davis and John Coltrane. “I started helping out as stage crew for the band that played for U.S. troops, and eventually taught myself how to play jazz drums,” said Ryu. “You got fired when you sung blues or jazz at clubs back then,” said Park Seong-yeon, a jazz vocalist and owner of the very first jazz club in Korea. “But every time I felt lonely and frustrated, I told myself that this will help me sing blues better.” Jazz critic Nam Moo-seong, who directed the film and produced the two concerts under the same name, says it was about time to make a documentary so that South Korea can appreciate its own roots of jazz. “Without these people, there would be no ground for jazz in Korea,” said Nam. “A lot of them are dying. So somebody needed to tell these musicians’ stories.” “I’m just glad that our first generation musicians can continue playing here for the rest of our lives,” says Shin. “It really does mean a lot to us musicians to be able to play.” There have been sour notes while trying to make it as a jazz musician in South Korea. Many of the musicians’ lives had been damaged by the passion for the
88·
roking magazine
laon
music. Ryu’s obsession with buying better instruments and tens of thousands of jazz records ended his only marriage, his wife eventually walking out with the couple’s four daughters. Now divorced, estranged from his children, he is uncomfortable discussing that part of his past. Park Seong-yeon, who had kept her jazz bar Janus for 32 years, had gone bankrupt many times. Many nights she fought off drunk customers, and many nights didn’t even have a single guest. But even then, she got fully dressed and made herself up and performed on stage – for herself.
music
age, Park answers with simple grace:
“I just love jazz so much, and know it’s the best thing in the world. I have to be able to perform. When my time arrives, I want to die on stage. That’d be an honor.”
Now Moonglow is always filled with customers who come to hear live music from Korea’s jazz masters. The musicians play with relish and don’t show any sign of slowing down. When asked if she would retire after a certain
SPRING FLING
·89
laon
focus
W a l k i n g across Korea From the south end to the north end words and photos BY JUNGYOON CHOI
part.1
The sun was setting. I didn’t make it to the destination I hoped to reach on this day, and it was getting dark in the mountains. I had to decide between going deeper into the mountains in risk of getting lost in the forest in the middle of night, or stop and find somewhere to crash. Finally, instead of venturing further I decided to head back to a small village I passed by. The small village was called Unju, located near the path. It was the last village before Mt. Daedu that marks the boundary between North Cheolla Province and South Chungcheong Province. My home, Daejeon, was located in Chungcheong Province beyond the mountain. The reason that I had to reach Daejeon by tomorrow was because June 2nd was it was the date for South Korea’s local elections. I didn’t want to miss out on my chance of casting my very first vote in Korea for the first time. It was obvious that Unju won’t have a motel or inn. The sun was going over the mountains and I started to feel nervous. No one will welcome a stranger knocking
90·
roking magazine
laon
focus
on their door at night! I decided to rely on yet another religious establishment. At entrance of the village, I saw three churches and two temple signs. That seemed to be quite a few choices. But which one will be my best bet? I didn’t want to be sent away at door at my first attempt. I was tired, sweaty and darkly tanned from hours of walking. I must’ve looked like a mess. But I looked into myself in the parked car’s window, tried to look as neat as I can be, and marched to the small, cozy church with orange roof, hoping that the people there will take me in. As I reached near, I saw a number of children playing ball at the courtyard of the church. The kids immediately noticed me- a tall and dark woman with giant backpack on her back! I was obviously a stranger.
“Who is she?” “I don’t know. Maybe a traveler.” The children threw glances at me and to each other as they whispered in amazement. I smiled at them, and reached the door. “Excuse me, but I’m a student traveling across Korea on feet…” This was my usual line when I knocked on stranger’s door. I always ended up saying that I am a student, because that eased people’s mind a little when I said so. I felt guilty to
be lying to the honest, well-meaning people, but from the experience I learnt that student is somehow a magic word that draws sympathy and kindness. A woman in her 40s opened the door. As I introduced myself, I took a peep inside. There were even more students of various age, and some adults in the building. This building was actually a separate building from the church. Could it a nursery or studying room ran by the church? The lady went to get the pastor’s wife. The pastor’s wife was kind-looking woman with serene expression on her face. She first hesitated, but after talking to the pastor who came out right after, they decided to let me stay for the night. “We really should be careful about letting stranger like you in, but since we’ve had other traveler stay here before, we’ll let you.” Pastor chuckled and warmly patted my back. I couldn’t thank them enough. The separate house-like building turned out to be study room indeed. I joined the group of kids eating dinner. The kitchen lady offered me dinner as well, and it was the most delicious meal I’ve had since leaving South Cheolla province. As I gobbled down the chicken dish, I looked around the pace. The ages of the students there varied from 7 year old to 15, 16 year olds. In this small town
SPRING FLING
·91
laon
focus
with a population of 2,000, there aren’t many students in the schools, they told me. “But there are native English teacher at school, too!” One said boastingly. With Korean government’s English education reach-out plan, a native English speaker was sent to this small town to teach English! It was quite a surprise. The students came to the study space after school to finish their homework under supervision of hired caretakers. They ate, played with friends, and went home at night. After dinner, I sat with the kids working on their daily assignment. To amuse them, I took out my ukulele and played couple of tunes for them. As I am no good singer and felt shy to sing for them as I have never performed in front of a crow. But I did nonetheless, and it felt good. The children really liked the four stringed instrument that they had seen and heard for the first time. Also I drew some
92·
roking magazine
caricature of the children who had gathered around me. When it was time for the children to go home, they said goodbyes with reluctance, and left. I spread out the bedding and blanket the kitchen lady brought to me. There were a lot of flies around, and with their buzzing noise ever so loud, I couldn’t get to sleep. Besides, it was well past two, and thinking about the travel ahead of me tomorrow gave me some pressure in heart. And slowly I fell asleep. In the morning I opened my eyes at 5:40 am. The pressure that I must leave really early to make it to Daejeon on time made me wake up even before the alarm. It was a beautiful June day, ever so bright. Still a little chilly in the morning, but I felt really refreshed and well. I had a mountain to climb over this day and 57 km to go. With little sleep my body felt quite heavy when I walked out the door. But, after by tonight, I’d be AT HOME!
laon
focus
Suddenly I felt light on my feet. Before taking off, I looked at the church, standing so beautiful under the sunlight. With newfound friendship in a stranger’s village, I went off on my way, humming lightly, to home.
SPRING FLING
·93
laon
good buy
SPIRRA SPIRRA SPIRRA SPIRRA
Although South Korea is the world’s fifth largest automobile producing country, it has yet to produce an automotive icon. America has the Ford Mustang and the Chevy Camaro. Germany has the Porche, Italy has the Ferrari and Lamborghini. Japan, one of South Korea’s biggest competitors in the market boasts the Nissan Skyline. So the question is: Which Korean supercar will rise to automotive icon status? Hyundai-Kia Motors, the nation’s leading automobile manufacturer has been talking about developing a mid-engine sports car since 2000. The proto-type, the PS-II was to be the first South Korean car to be hand-built and have mid-engine configuration. Unfortunately, the market outlook was not so hopeful and due to financial difficulties the project was delayed several times. It seemed Korea’s foray into super-cardom was out the window.
94·
roking magazine
In 2008, the PS-II developers found a new investor and thus, the Spirra was born. The Spirra is powered by a Hyundai 2.7 liter V6 engine. However, unlike the engines in Hyundai’s other cars, the Spirra has been tuned to meet the highest expectations. The lowest grade has a natural aspirated engine and produces 175 bhp and 250Nm of torque which is not enough to be called a genuine sports car. However, a topof-the-line Spirra EX has a twin charged turbo engine which produces 500 bhp and 550Nm of torque. While the average family car takes about 12 seconds to reach this speed at full throttle, the Spirra can accelerate from 0 to 100 kph in just 3.5 seconds. Spirra’s chassis is made of space frame structure which is normally used in high end sports cars for its ability to reduce weight and strength. Carbon fiber composite body panels complete the body. Carbon fiber composite is as strong as steel but is a fraction of the weight. The combination
G1 ROKIAN EdITOR_ JEONG-HOON LEE
laon
good buy
significantly reduces the car’s weight but maintains its rigidity giving Spirra a nimble body. Weight distribution is also as important to a sports car as its engine output. Uneven weight distribution can hinder the car’s ability to handle the road and makes the engine power dangerous to the driver and others around him or her. The Spirra engine is a mid-mounted engine. As you can suspect from the word itself, the engine, which is usually found at the front of the car, is located at the center of the car. By placing the heaviest part of the car at the middle, the engineers were able to reach the weight distribution of 40:60 (front:rear). Placing more weight to the rear of the vehicle, plants the rear wheel (where the engine’s power is delivered) firmer to the ground, increasing traction. All these features aside, individuality may be the Spirra’s most important feature. Spirra owners can choose everything from the kind of leather and the color used in the interior to the smallest bits and parts. The small, but skilled staff will stitch each leather bit by hand. However, having so many choices has a downside. Only six Spirras are made per week, which means less than 300 Spirras are built in a year. It is true that the waiting list is long, but the wait is well worth it. Spirra is not only the first hand-built Korean car, but a symbol of the Korean automobile industry. It satisfies the consumers thirst for power and exclusivity. At $160,000, the Spirra is nothing to sneeze at.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT_ AWOOLLIM MOTORS (+82-2-6007-7070)
SPRING FLING
·95
sarm
Enjoy ROKING
KOREA D E R 101: ture l u C n Korea
SUNG INJAE SEY R_ SH EDITO RAPHY_ CA G PHOTO E JR. U LARTIG _ MICHAEL N O LS MODE ER, JUNGYO L D N A H C CHOI
s, as orean that K g n ith mo le? Hand favorite dishexaactly agree cwhi Jigae o t t Ho Kim sn’t ae, a d Tooted Kimchi Jiger, Roking doeered, but realluy,th-simmering o o F nsid ean tly lis food owev ’s mo Is KorTraveller recsepniciest food.thHat we were coof this countwry fiery Korea’sg’s personal s e o in Forbe he world’s ly honored fiery natur a of just h e you Rok e! t e p iv e f ar id e g h o d t e n o e d u t p n on yo ras eel ou a . We f begin to g . To give y ersity Statio but only if im la c s n n, a Univ ’t eve recipe ead o doesn r-inducing ver to Ewh od ever! R o a fo and te we headed e hottest th truly is ingesting to guide
Stage.1
Ramen (instant noodles)
Good ol’ packs of ramen line the aisles of every convenience store and supermarket in Korea. Here, you’ll never find a food store without a minimum of three or four shelves packed with Korean instant noodles. This is the way many foreigners are introduced to the burning flavor of Korea’s chili-packed menus as most of Korea’s mainstream ramen products scream spicy.
Tip
If you’re not so into the hot stuff, try soonhanmat(순한맛) which means less spicy. Jungyoon and Michael cooked some Korean noodles at home
96·
roking magazine
sarm
Stage.2
Enjoy ROKING
i ) goch k l a D wers e k s ken (chic
Tip
Chicken skewers are extremely popular among your street food in Korea. Michael and Jungyoon headed to a well-known skewer snack cart, Dehpa Dalkgochi. There are always different levels of fieriness and Dehpa Dalkgochi has three stages - mild, spicy and super spicy. With two sauces, chili and sweet, the spicier you choose, the more chili sauce is used with less sweet to marinate the skewer.
You can choose between a medium size(1,500 won) skewer or a large size(2,000 won) skewer. Jungyoon and Michael tried the large size spicy chicken skewer. Of course, Jungyoon and Michael went for the large!
Not bad. Easy peasy so far.
Stage.3 Boolbab (spicy rice) Next up, Michael and Jungyoon headed to Boolbab. Boolbab is spicy stir-fried rice. It uses the leftover stew from the main course. This means, to eat boolbab we first needed to decide on a main dish.
SPRING FLING
路97
sarm
Enjoy ROKING
bo(5,500 won).
se the pork + chicken com
Michael and Jungyoon cho
WAY TO EAT PORK & CHICKEN COMBO FOLLOWED BY BOOLBAB: 1. Enjoy an egg ttukbaegi(pot of steamed egg). 2. Once the pot begins to boil, pat down the meat and vegetables with the rice paddle, stir, then pat again a few more times. 3. Eat the tteok first as it becomes soft. (The meat will need more time to cook.) 4. Turn the burner off once the stew thickens. 5. Eat up but remember to leave about 20% of the stew. 6. Ask the server to stir-fry some rice in the remaining stew.
Boolbab is a tad bit spicier than what we’ve had so far. However, it is a menu item that Koreans always have right after a spicy stew.
Tip
After a hearty main dish, not many people will have room for the boolbab (which is practically more like a dessert) so remember to order less than the number of people eating. 1~2 bowls of rice will be fine depending on how full you already are.
Stage.4 Tteokbokki (rice cakes in hot sauce) Tteokbokki is by far the most popular street food in Korea and can be enjoyed by the whole family. These days there are a lot more tteokbokki restaurants than there are tteokbokki snack carts, each place having their own secret tteokbokki recipe.
98·
roking magazine
sarm
Enjoy ROKING
Jungyoon and Michael headed to a couple of places that traditionally make very hot tteokbokki. The first restaurant they visited was Show Boo. The first thing that was spotted was a plate of danmooji and a carton of juice - there to conveniently wash away the spiciness. We took a look inside where the chef was busy preparing the tteokbokki. Outside there were piles of various fried foods that are often eaten with tteokbokki by dunking the fried food into the red chili sauce. Although many foreigners find tteokbokki intensely hot, most Koreans are so used to the fiery taste, that even young children have no problem with the level of spiciness. However, many people, foreigners alike, end up getting addicted to this Korean spicy food!
Michael and Jungyoon ordered the vegetable boodae tteokbokki (8,000 won). The spicy-meter was definitely kicked up a notch but not quite enough for them to imagine what was waiting for them at stage five!
Stage.5
Hot Tteokbokki (rice cakes in hot sauce) Our spicy food tasters look a tad worried now as metteok (a speciality menu from H Delicious, 8,000 won) is just too spicy!
Metteok is basically a compound word of maewoon(hot) and tteokbokki. Tteokbokki is naturally quite spicy but metteok is known to be at least twice as hot.
You can see from Jungyoon and Michael’s expressions just how spicy metteok really is. Our tasters told us that the large quantities of chili powder made the metteok sauce simply too hot to handle!
Roking would like to thank Michael Chandler for modeling. Everyone at Roking enjoyed the comical poses. You’re a natural! We also would like to thank KC for taking such fun and realistic photos during this spicy food adventure! SPRING FLING
·99
Roking’s eye
events
2011 The Year to Visit Korea (2010-2012 Visit Korea Year)
EDITOR_ SHINJAE SUNG
Meet hallyu (Korean wave) stars in the millennial city of Gyeongju, see fireworks show over the beaches of Busan, Enjoy a heaven of foods in Jeonju’s Hanok Village. 2010’s Big Events presented by the Visit Korea committee!
See, enjoy and taste Korea!
Major Festivals in Korea
Hallyu Dream Festival
[Sep. 30–Oct. 2, 2011 (Fri.–Sun.)] Held in Gyeongju, events include: a re-enactment of Queen Seondeok’s visit, Anapji Pond Night Show, Seonmudo & Hwarangdo Martial Arts, Korean wine and rice and Silla Moonlight History Tour. Experience Korea’s traditional charm. More info at www.hallyudreamfestival. or.kr.
100·
roking magazine
Busan World Fireworks Festival
[Oct. 21–29 (Fri.–Sat.)] At Gwangalli Beach, the Busan World Fireworks Festival will run for its 7th consecutive year. With the beaches and skies of Busan and the 7,420meter-long, double-decked Gwangandaegyo Bridge as a backdrop, colorful fireworks, state-of-the-art laser lights and glorious music will promise an unforgettable show. (www.bff. or.kr)
Korea Food Festival
[Oct. 20–24 (Thu.– Mon.)] October Makgeolli Fest, Jeonju Bibimbap Festival Food Edu Fest(fermentation etc..) are some of the rich cultural experiences you can enjoy at Korea Food Festival. Here, visitors can taste popular Korean dishes like bibimbap, kimchi, galbi(Korean ribs) and healthy temple or herbal foods. (www.koreafoodfestival. or.kr)
Jeju Olle Walking Festival
[Oct. 6 – Nov. 11, 2011 (Thu.–Tue.)] The Jeju Olle Trails are a chain of seaside walking trails that encircle the entire island. Competitors can also enjoy the beaches and mountains of the island.
ROKING’s EYE
events
OTHER SCHEDULED EVENTS in 2011 – 2012 [2011] Daegu World Fringe Carnival
[2012] EXPO 2012 Yeosu Korea
[Apr. 29-May 1, 2011 (Sat.–Sun.)]
[May 12–Aug. 12, 2012 (Sat.–Sun.)]
An experiential festival where visitors can enjoy both a world famous carnival and fringe culture.
With “Living Ocean and Coast” as its theme, this expo presents a favorable image of the future where human life is directly connected to the ocean.
IAAF World Championships Daegu 2011 [Aug. 27–Sept. 4, 2011 (Fri.–Sun.)] Held in the hometown of apples, the Track & Field World Championships brings together 212 countries to compete in track, field and road race as well as combined events.
Special Incentive for Foreign Visitors <Free Shuttle Bus>
<Korea Grand Sale>
A free roundtrip shuttle bus offers transportation around Korea(Seoul-Gyeongju/Seoul-Jeonju/BusanGyeongju) and tour related information to free independent travelers(FIT). Visitors may apply at the Visit Korea Year website. More information at www.visitkoreayear.com. Tickets are limited to two per applicant.
Purchase top-quality products at great prices throughout the duration of the Visit Korea Year Campaign’s Korea Grand Sale, with 14,000 businesses participating in Seoul and around the country.
<Welcome Package> To ensure that you have an exciting, hassle-free holiday, the Visit Korea Committee is distributing a variety of travel information materials, souvenirs, services and benefits from booths within the airport (time and location TBA)
<One More Night> For visitors staying three or four nights, the One More Night promotion offers an additional complimentary night at the hotel. Offer scheduled to last till 2012. For more information on hotels and prices check online at: www.visitkoreayear.com.
[Benefits] - Korea Grand Sale Congratulatory Event - Free gifts with purchase of goods or services - Coupon book containing great deals - Discounts from 5% to 50% on shopping, cultural and tourist attractions [Time and Location] - Jan. 10–Feb. 28, 2011 (Scheduled to be held throughout Seoul and other major cities).
<Online Discount Coupons> Download and save! Check out visitkoreayear.com for exclusive discounts and freebies at your favorite stores, cafes, cosmetics shops and eateries.
IMAGE COPYRIGHT_ VISIT KOREA COMMITTEE(+82-2-6272-7300) SPRING FLING
·101
102路
roking magazine
SPRING FLING
路103
Distribution Korea (+82) Sponsor distribution center Visit Korea Year Free Shuttle Bus 1577-2507 Seoul Gangnam Success Shop 02-2006-9020 Ulsan Woojeong Presbyterian Church 052-244-7833 Hotel & residence Seoul Best Western Premier Gangnam Hotel 02-6474-2000 Seoul Walkerhill 02-455-5000 Seoul Hamilton Hotel 02-794-0171 Seoul Co-op Residence Ulji-ro 02-2269-4600 Western 02-2279-4500 Samsung 02-539-9080 Seoul Casaville Samsung 02-539-9080 Sinchon 02-6220-4000 Seoul Vabiensuite 02-2076-9000 Seoul Starville 02-798-8990 Seoul Dmc ville 02-380-4800 Seoul Fraser Place 02-2220-8888 Seoul Fraser Suites 02-6262-8888 Hostel & guest house Seoul Windroad and Windflower 02-6407-2013 Seoul Backpackers inside 02-3672-1120 Seoul Bong house 02-6080-3346 Seoul Banana backpackers 02-3672-1973 Seoul Seoulbackpackers 02-3672-1972 Seoul Banglang hostel 02-6414-2246 Seoul Travelersa seoul
104·
roking magazine
Seoul Seoul Seoul Seoul Seoul Seoul Seoul Seoul
guesthouse 02-2285-5511 Myungdong guest house 02-755-5437 Hey backpackers 010-3438-1249 Hong guest house 010-6315-6696 Grape garden house 018-278-9808 Guys & dolls guesthouse 010-6697-6117 Kims guesthouse 02-337-9894 Namu guesthouse 070-8291-4878 Tea guest house 02-3675-9877
Universities Seoul Korea University office of International Affairs 02-3290-5151 ~ 4 Seoul Yonsei University office of International Affairs 02-2123-3486 ~ 8 Seoul Yonsei University Underwood International College 02-2123-3922 ~ 6 Seoul Seogang University Office of International Affairs 02-705-8118 Seoul Hankuk University of Foreign Studies 02-2173-2063 ~ 4 Seoul Seoul University office of International Affairs 02-880-8633 ~ 8 Seoul Sookmyung Women’s University Linguaexpress 02-710-9165 Seoul Hanyang University HGSU 010-4432-3020 Seoul Ewha Women’s University Graduate School dorm 02-3277-6001
/ Bucheon Catholic University office of International Affairs 02-2164-4166 / Daejeon Kaist office of External Affairs 042-350-2444 Kaist Business Library 02-958-3217 / Pohang Handong University office of International Community 054-260-1079 Information & Culture center Seoul Namsan Cable car 02-753-2403 Seoul National Museum of Korea Seoul Seoul Arts Center 02-580-1300 Seoul Chongdong Theater 02-751-1500 Seoul Nanta Theater Gangnam & Myungdong 02-729-8288 Seoul TIC 02-729-9497 Seoul Gwanghwamun 02-735-8688 Seoul Insadong 02-734-0222 Seoul Dongdaemun 02-2236-9135 Seoul Namdaemun 02-752-1913 Seoul Itaewon 02-3785-2514 Seoul COEX 02-538-0264 Seoul Jamsil 02-2143-7007 / Gimpo Gimpo Airport 02-3707-9465 / Incheon Incheon Airport / Busan Haeundae 051-749-4335 Busan Busan 051-501-0852
Busan Gimhae 051-973-1100 / Gyungjoo Terminal 054-772-9289 Gyungjoo Gyungju Station 054-772-3843 Gyungjoo Bulguksa 054-746-4747 / Jeju Seogwipo 064-760-3544 Jeju Jeju Welcome Center 064-740-6001 Global center Seoul Korea Foundation Cultural center 02-2151-6590 Seoul Yeoksam Global Village 02-3453-9039 Seoul Yeonnam Global Village 02-6406-8152 Seoul Ichon Global Village 02-796-2018 Seoul Itaewon Global Village 02-796-2459 Seoul Seorae Global Village 02-2155-8915 Seoul Global Center 02-1688-0120 / Busan Busan Global Village 051-980-8500 / Incheon Seogu Enlgish Town 032-560-1000 / Changwon Closer English Study & Party Lounge 070-4207-0765 Foreigner community Dongducheon Camp Casey & Camp c.r.c 031-829-4949 Myungin Real Estate 010-56342330 / Gunsan
English Conversation Class in Military Base Café & restaurants Seoul 405 kitchen 02-332-3949 Seoul aa museum 02-3143-7311 Seoul Coffee smith 02-3445-3372 Seoul Espresso public 02-556-9317 Seoul Sortino’s 02-797-0488 Seoul Between 02-795-6164 Seoul Et m’amie 02-795-5245 Seoul Deux cremes 02-545-7931 Seoul Youk shim won’s kitchen 02-511-2187 Seoul Nashiville Extension 02-798-1592 Seoul Steff Hotdog 02-795-8677 Seoul Alt Swiss Chalet 02-797-9664 Seoul Pancho’s 02-792-4767 Seoul Thai Garden 02-792-8836 Seoul Pattaya 02-793-4888 Seoul Salam 02-793-4323 Seoul Ashoka 02-792-0117 Seoul Moghul 02-796-3501 Seoul Alsaba 02-792-1488 Seoul Chakraa 02-796-1149 Seoul La Cigale Montmartre 02-796-1244 Seoul Scrooge Pub 02-797-8201 Seoul My Chelsea 02-749-1373 Other places Seoul Toz Sinchon 02-392-0117 Toz Daehakro 02-764-0013 Toz Artreon 02-392-0112 Toz Jongro 02-736-0116 Toz Biz Center Sinchon 02-718-0113 Toz Hongdae 02-336-0112 Toz Samsung 02-538-0118 Toz Seonreung 02-2052-0113 Toz Gangnam 02-3476-0118 Toz Gangnam 2nd 02-591-0116
We send Roking Magazines to restaurants and cafes in Itaewon, a must-go city for many foreigners. Contact us!
Usa (+1) Schools (dorm & cafeteria partially in library) Yale University Columbia University New York University Parson’s University University of Washington Washington State University Green River CC University of California Los Angeles University of California Irvine University of California Riverside, University of California Santa Barbara University of California San Diego University of Southern California Claremont College Cal Poly Pomona California State University Long Beach California State University Northridge Loyola Marymount University Occidental College Carnegie Mellon University University of Minnesota Global Cooporation (partially in library and cafeteria) Microsoft (Redmond) NASA (Kennedy Center) California Kalbi Burger 4001 Wilshire Blvd, unit e. Los Angeles, CA 90010 Yogozone 549 Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90020 Yi ssi bbq 3465 W 6th st, ste 130 Los Angeles, CA 90020 Antique Hookah cafe 3465 W 66th st, ste 160 Los Angeles, CA 90020 BBQ chicken 10970 Le conte Ave Los Angeles, CA 90024 Isaac toast 10887 Weyburn Ave Los Angeles, CA 90024
Kim Sun Young hair salon 306 N Western Ave Los angeles, CA 90004 Washington State University district Ugly Mug (distribution center) BBQ Burger place Cafe on the ave Celluar town E.j. burger Green house Ichiro Mongolian grill Nasai teriyaki Orange king Sarducchi sandwich Thunder teriyaki and burger University terriyaki Yummy bites Wasabi Bistro Redfin
Canada (+1) Vancouver Capilano University 2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver, British Columbia Canada v7j 3h5 University of British Columbia 2329 West Mall, Vancouver, BC Canada v6t 1z4 Simon Fraser University 8888 University Drive, Burnaby BC Canada v5a 1s6 The Art Institute of Vancouver 2665 Renfrew Street, Vancouver, BC Canada v5m 0a7 Burnaby Multicultural Society 6255 Nelson Avenue Burnaby, BC v5h 4t5 vVancouver Beauty Salon 1161 the high st. Coquitlam, BC Trinitea Gallery cafe 9618 Cameron st. Burnaby, BC Borandsi Cafe 4035 North Road Burnaby, BC v3j1s3 J.diem Salon 4357 hastings st. Burnaby, BC v5c 2j7 Bcit 3700 Willingdon avenue Burnaby, BC Douglas College 700 Royal Avenue New Westminster, BC Ceci Hair Club 10208 152nd street Surrey, BC
Other countries Australia, Taiwan, China, England
We are looking for more of distribution centers. If you would like to distribute roking, please contact at
rokingkorea@ gmail.com
SPRING FLING
·105